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Pat Reinhart is hosting the February edition of Conductor's SEO webinar series on February 13. He will break down updates in search, Google's algorithm, technical SEO, and content marketing in the last 30 days in 30 minutes.
AI Overviews (AIOs) on Google have caused large declines in CTRs for both organic and paid search, especially for queries where AIOs appear. Organic CTR dropped from 1.41% to 0.64% for queries with AIOs, and paid CTR saw broad declines. However, being featured in AIOs provides a competitive advantage, boosting CTR for both organic and paid results. The focus should be on query segmentation, optimizing for AIO presence, and diversifying off Google to adapt to these shifts and mitigate CTR losses.
VCs avoid crowded markets due to high competition and costs but will invest if a startup can dominate a niche and expand. Founders should use a market wedge - targeting a small but specific segment to gain traction. Expansion strategies include vertical growth (adding services for the niche) and horizontal growth (expanding to similar industries). To attract VCs, startups must show efficient customer acquisition, deep industry expertise, and a clear plan for scaling beyond the initial niche.
Brands that embrace support-driven marketing can transform everyday interactions into viral moments. Chewy sending flowers to a grieving pet owner and LEGO's playful response to a lost figurine sparked widespread appreciation. Empowering support teams with small surprise budgets and creative freedom turns customer support into a powerful brand-building tool.
The gambling industry's marketing practices, including sharing data with Meta without consent, have become unregulated.
Boost app downloads by offering apps for free on AppAdvice for 24 hours, engaging with subreddits, and updating ASO keyword research every 2 weeks.
The influencer marketing industry is projected to reach $22.2B this year. More brands are leveraging UGC and everyday creators. TikTok and Instagram remain dominant, with TikTok's audience expanding beyond Gen Z. Brands are spending less per collaboration due to an influx of new creators. AI influencers are gaining traction, and male creators continue to earn more on average. The US leads in influencer campaigns, while markets like the UAE and the Netherlands are growing.
New tariffs and the closure of a trade loophole may raise costs for Temu and Shein, but they won't end their business model. The ability to ship directly from Chinese factories to US shoppers offers a faster cash flow cycle, which remains attractive to manufacturers looking to offload inventory quickly. While tariffs could increase prices slightly, experts say the factory-direct model still holds strong advantages over traditional retail.
Seamwork increased memberships by 34% and revenue per visitor by 56% by making its quiz the first thing new visitors saw. User research revealed that visitors disliked early subscription prompts but enjoyed taking the quiz. The quiz provided tailored sewing advice in exchange for an email, creating engagement without a hard sell. This approach built relationships instead of pushing sales, leading to higher conversions.
The Billion View Formula is a structured approach to viral video creation that emphasizes hooks that retain viewers, storytelling techniques that build suspense, and engagement tactics that encourage interaction. By incorporating high-stakes elements like unexpected locations, props, and casting choices, videos can captivate larger audiences. Boost performance further by using split testing variations with small ad budgets before publishing on primary channels.
This event on February 26 aims to help marketers create content and websites with less guesswork and faster execution. Topics include crafting high-converting content, improving cross-functional collaboration, and managing website migrations smoothly. Leaders from Goodwood, MarketingProfs, and TikTok Shop will share insights on content strategies, leveraging AI, and streamlining marketing efforts.
The real value of AI in research isn't automation, but sharpening thinking, strengthening stakeholder alignment, and making insights more actionable. These AI prompts can help anticipate objections, refine recommendations, and ensure findings connect to business priorities like revenue, retention, and risk.
Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 to address the lack of inclusivity in the beauty industry, offering 50 foundation shades and setting a new standard. It is valued at $2.8 billion and leverages Rihanna's massive social media presence, with 90% of her audience under 35. The brand's success stems from innovation, accessibility, and cultural impact, not just celebrity hype. Viral campaigns like the #FentyFace Challenge and Rihanna's 2023 Super Bowl product placement reinforced its dominance. Fenty Beauty forced competitors to prioritize diversity, proving that authenticity and inclusivity drive long-term success.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Google in 1998 with a unique search algorithm called PageRank that ranked web pages based on the quality and number of links pointing to them. Unlike other search engines that cluttered their sites with multiple features, Google focused solely on search, reinforcing its credibility. This strategy aligned with the psychological principle of goal dilution, which states that brands claiming to do too many things become less believable. Companies should avoid goal dilution by prioritizing a single goal and ensuring all messaging supports it. Consistent messaging across all channels strengthens a brand's credibility and prevents customers from receiving mixed signals.
Marketing teams should prioritize requests by understanding the "request behind the request" to determine actual needs. Setting clear marketing goals and sharing them prevents ad hoc requests from derailing planned work. A structured request intake process, including a standardized form, ensures requests are properly evaluated. Prioritization should be based on factors like the requester, impact on key goals, and alignment with revenue levers. Regularly reviewing and communicating request statuses helps maintain efficiency and transparency.
Ramp's PPC strategy shows that strategic keyword selection and refined targeting drive better ROI than broad, high-volume campaigns.
35+ Instagram content ideas.
Today's Gen Zs want more than flashy ads - they want a sense of belonging and genuine spaces for interaction.
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Many predictions for 2025 missed the mark. Virtual reality was expected to replace smartphones, but only 5% globally own a headset due to cost and comfort barriers. Ebooks were predicted to replace print, yet 51% still prefer physical books for their practicality. While remote work forecasts were accurate, few foresaw a pandemic as the catalyst. These failures show that change happens slower than expected, societal habits shape adoption more than technology alone, and everyday behaviors - not expert predictions - ultimately determine which innovations succeed.
Carl's Jr. has returned to sexualized marketing with an ad featuring influencer Alix Earle, years after abandoning the strategy. The ad plays on nostalgia while targeting Gen Z consumers with humor and social media appeal. Experts link this shift to changing cultural norms under the new presidential administration. The campaign focuses on digital engagement, using Earle's 7.2 million TikTok followers and selective TV placements instead of a costly Super Bowl ad buy.
Trial start rates follow an inverse relationship with trial-to-paid conversion, so Meta Ads' focus on trial efficiency often leads to campaigns favoring younger, lower-spending audiences. While 18-24-year-olds start trials at nearly double the rate of 55+ users, they convert to paid plans at less than a third of the rate. To maximize revenue, advertisers should shift strategy toward older users by leveraging static ads, clearer messaging, and higher-value pricing.
Only 1 in 10 companies are able to achieve sustained profitable growth over a decade. Rising complexity is cited as the biggest barrier. Research into long-term competitive advantage reveals three strategic principles: clear differentiation, embedding core strategic principles throughout the organization, and strong learning systems. This podcast explores some case studies, including Nike, IKEA, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car to show how repeatable models can drive long-term success while reducing complexity.
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This webinar, on February 10 at 3 PM ET, will cover strategies for capturing consumer attention in today's content-heavy landscape. B2B marketing leaders will share insights on building community, brand growth, and content production.
This author built a marketing AI agent by experimenting with Lovable, a no-code app building platform. They created an app to monitor Reddit for marketing-related queries, automatically replying to them with a mix of predefined templates and AI-generated responses. The author also integrated a dashboard to monitor the app's activity and ensure quality. They have planned further improvements like training the system to incorporate personalization.
Specialized consulting in the creator economy helps brands navigate complex creator partnerships. Brands are moving beyond basic collaborations and in-housing creator relationship management. Consultants are focusing on multi-year influencer strategies and building lasting brand loyalty through value-driven programs. As cultural shifts influence partnerships, they are also addressing challenges like political impacts while balancing DEI efforts and brand commitments.
EvolutionIQ succeeded in the crowded AI space by focusing on a niche market (bodily injury claims) and building deep relationships in an industry with only 150 key decision-makers. It secured a $730M acquisition by CCC Intelligent Solutions after creating the "claims guidance" category with nine products, international expansion, and a sustainable business model. The company prioritized premium pricing, ROI-driven sales, and high-touch customer service, ensuring long-term success without relying on technical novelty. EvolutionIQ won deals by targeting decision-makers with profit responsibility, leveraging word-of-mouth introductions, and hiring industry insiders instead of traditional sales reps. Its strategy of turning early customers into advocates and focusing on measurable outcomes enabled it to dominate its market.
Sales cycles are longer, website traffic is declining, and competition is more intense - all of these factors are making it harder to acquire new customers. Buyers now complete 80% of their research before contacting a company, demanding transparency, self-service tools, and trust-building content. In this context, companies that openly address pricing, customer concerns, and industry comparisons while making their sales process more accessible are able to close more deals.
Most beauty brands lack distinct sonic identities, but LUX and Old Spice excel by integrating unique branded sounds into digital content in order to boost consumer connection and brand recall.
Netflix's upcoming March price hike email lacks clear cost details and transparency.
A reminder that your audience doesn't read your website copy - they skim and scan.
Kendrick Lamar's Cash App partnership marks a shift from cultural influence to infrastructural power, bypassing traditional banking gatekeepers. The collaboration highlights how brands can move beyond representation to create structural change, ensuring underserved communities gain real access. It sets a precedent for industries like fashion, sports, and film to prioritize community participation over financial privilege. Advancements in digital banking and blockchain enable direct artist-to-audience connections without reliance on traditional institutions. Marketers should rethink diversity efforts, prioritizing true collaboration with cultural leaders to build inclusive systems rather than just using them for promotion.
As AI-generated content floods search results, Kagi is attracting users with an ad-free, customizable search experience. With features such as site-blocking, custom search filters, and an emphasis on independent sources, Kagi's model aligns with user interests rather than advertisers. Its success hinges on proving that people will pay for a premium search experience in a market dominated by free options with ads.
Customers coming from referrals make 27.65% more purchase trips than non-referred customers. They are also 36% more likely to refer others, creating a flywheel effect that drives growth. Incentives further boost referrals - reminding referred customers of their referral origin increased referrals by 21%, and pre-filled referral messages with incentives raised rates by up to 53%. In a study of 51.7 million customers, 19 out of 20 companies saw higher referral rates among referred customers when both parties received a reward. To maximize referrals, companies should use tiered incentives, track referral-based conversions, and time referral requests after positive customer experiences.
Audience research is at the heart of a good marketing strategy. You can uncover the language your audience uses to describe their experiences by stepping into their shoes and learning what drives them. Over 41% of marketers admit they don't conduct audience research “nearly enough,” while only 19% do it monthly. This lack of research has consequences, as a correlation exists between career satisfaction and audience research - those who rarely conduct it are less satisfied in their careers. To stay aligned with your audience, include social listening, competitor analysis, and surveys, as well as using tools like Google Alerts, SEMrush, and search intent analysis.
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OpenAI's Deep Research conducts in-depth research and generates comprehensive reports in 5 to 30 minutes. It can browse the web, analyze data, and synthesize findings into well-organized reports with citations. OpenAI positions Deep Research as a tool for knowledge workers in fields like finance, science, and policy. However, it still requires human review due to occasional hallucinations and difficulty distinguishing authoritative sources. Deep Research is currently available only to ChatGPT Pro users for $200 per month.
Icon.me streamlines the creation of advertising content. It analyzes users' video libraries, tags scenes (i.e. unboxing), and uses these clips as building blocks to generate ads. Users can input ideas into AdGPT, an AI tool that crafts ads with matching clips for each scene, producing content that's 80-99% complete. Further refinements can be made using AdCut, an editing tool.
LinkedIn is doubling down on video with expanded full-screen playback, a swipeable video search carousel, and profile enhancements for video creators. Video content is now displayed more prominently in the feed and new analytics provide deeper audience insights into watch time and engagement. LinkedIn has also introduced free courses covering video creation, editing, and repurposing strategies.
Twitch remains committed to strict content moderation, maintaining policies against hate, harassment, and crypto gambling. While some creators moved to Kick, financial incentives were a bigger factor than moderation policies. Twitch rolled back its exclusivity clause to support a creator-first approach, recognizing that viewers follow their favorite streamers rather than the platform itself. Twitch will continue to expand its creator base as livestreaming grows as it believes that attracting new talent will keep it competitive.
Bing is on the rise because ChatGPT uses the search engine's index and platform, while some companies see better performance from Bing ads than Google ads.
A templated prompt that converts transcripts into usable outlines.