The time has finally arrived. We’re living in the era of artificial intelligence.

It sounds crazy, right?

To the average person, artificial intelligence doesn’t seem like a reality of our everyday lives. They associate AI with movies in which robots take over the world.

While we’re not quite at that point, artificial intelligence is very real.

From a marketing perspective, we need to recognize this reality and plan accordingly.

In fact, artificial intelligence ranked high on my list of the top marketing trends to look for in 2018. As we reach the final quarter of the year, this prediction has held true.

If you are unfamiliar with AI, let me explain. By definition, artificial intelligence is the ability for computers to perform tasks that would ordinarily require human intelligence.

Some examples of these tasks include:

• language translation
• visual perception
• ability to make decisions
• speech recognition

While we may be ready for computers to translate a language, it’s the decision-making abilities that bring AI to the next level.

I know what some of you are thinking. You have a simple business operation, why should you care about AI?

When comparing companies already using artificial intelligence, the top-performing brands are more than twice as likely to use AI for marketing purposes.

Businesses are using this technology to increase sales by personalizing the customer experience.

Over the last five years, jobs requiring AI have increased by 450%.

Artificial intelligence is here to stay. It’s trending upward, and you need to be prepared to handle it if you want to be successful. I’ve identified the top 12 marketing skills you need to survive in the AI era.  [click to continue…]

Advancements in technology are constantly changing our world. This is no secret.

As a marketer, you need to have a better understanding of this technology that goes far beyond the latest smartphone release. If you recall, artificial intelligence made my list of the top marketing trends to look for in 2018.

While artificial intelligence and machine learning are often used interchangeably, they are not the same.

Basically, artificial intelligence has a broader meaning. It’s the idea that machines and computers can complete tasks normally requiring human intelligence.

Machine learning is a branch of AI, and it automates model building for data analysis.

The concept behind machine learning is that a computer can learn from the data it analyzes by identifying patterns. Ultimately, this technology can make decisions without humans.

What does this mean for marketers?

I know some of you might be thinking you’re not currently using this technology, so the information isn’t relevant to you. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The reality is, marketers are already using this technology to help improve their marketing campaigns and increase revenue by optimizing the customer experience.

If you don’t have your finger on the pulse, you could fall behind your competitors. Even if you’re not ready to implement machine learning today, you should be prepared to do so in the future.

I’ll explain the top 10 ways machine learning is reshaping marketing.  [click to continue…]

I’m sure by now you recognize the importance of staying active on social media to promote your business.

Your Instagram marketing campaigns need to be a priority.

If you’re not using Instagram to reach your customers, there is a good chance your competitors are doing so. In fact, more than 70% of businesses in the United States are using Instagram.

Furthermore, 70% of hashtags on this platform are branded.

That’s why it’s so important for you to leverage your Instagram profile to connect with your current customers and target prospective consumers as well.

Believe it or not, consumers want to interact with brands on social media. We know that 80% of Instagram accounts follow at least one business profile.

If you’re getting lots of followers, that’s great. However, you need to learn how to convert your social media followers into customers, or your efforts won’t pay off.

But what about the consumers who don’t follow your business on Instagram?

They might be interested in your products, services, and content, but they won’t see any of your promotions if they’re not following your profile.

That’s where Instagram ads come into play.

Buying ads on Instagram will help give you a huge advantage over your competitors who aren’t willing to spend the money.

That said, any time you’re spending valuable marketing dollars, it’s important to make sure those efforts yield a high ROI. You don’t want to blindly buy ads without making sure they’re profitable.

If you’re new to Instagram ads or if your current ones need improvement, you’ll benefit tremendously from this guide.

I’ll explain how to drive sales with your Instagram marketing strategy, get more followers, and expand your reach. Here’s what you need to know.  [click to continue…]

As an SEO expert, you know what it takes to get your content ranked high in search engine results.

Depending on how good you are at SEO, sometimes the only results displayed higher than yours are those from PPC campaigns.

SEO and PPC are considered to be two very different marketing approaches. But these strategies are more similar than you think.

The biggest difference between SEO and PPC is you’re paying for your PPC campaigns, as the name implies. Driving organic traffic to your website with SEO is free.

While keywords are obviously important to PPC managers, they don’t need to focus on search engine optimization as much because they’re bidding on those keywords.

If they’re willing to pay enough, their search engine ads can generate hits and clicks, even if their headlines aren’t extremely SEO friendly.

Using SEO to drive website traffic is much more competitive. To gain an advantage over your competitors, you can use PPC principles to improve your SEO strategy.

After all, your search ranking is useless if it doesn’t generate clicks.

These are the top 13 marketing tips SEOs can learn from PPC managers. By combining principles from these two strategies, you’ll be able to drive more traffic to your website.  [click to continue…]

How often do people visit your website?

To be a successful ecommerce shop, you need to rely on website traffic that leads to conversions. That said, the same people probably aren’t navigating to your website every day.

Even your most loyal customers don’t have a reason to visit your site on a daily basis.

You can’t blame them for this. How often do you buy something online?

According to a recent study about online shopping in the US, 40% of consumers buy products or services from the Internet multiple times per month, and 20% of consumers buy on a weekly basis.

While these numbers are encouraging, you can’t rely on your ecommerce website alone to generate sales based on those statistics.

You need to use other platforms to sell your products.

It makes sense to take advantage of networks consumers are using on a daily basis. You can increase your ecommerce revenue by leveraging social commerce.

Instagram has 500 million daily active users, and 80% of all Instagram accounts follow a business profile.

This is great news for you and for your ecommerce brand.

Your current and prospective customers are not only active on this platform but also willing to engage with your brand.

In fact, 60% of Instagram users find new products through this social platform, and 75% of users take an action after viewing a post.

This action could be visiting the brand’s website or making a purchase.

With all of this in mind, it’s clear your ecommerce company needs to use this platform to your advantage.

I’ll show you how to boost ecommerce sales with Instagram shoppable posts.  [click to continue…]