Your favorite digital marketing newsletter with a mindful twist has arrived!

You have permission to get pumped!

• AI Recommendation POISONING? 😲 AKA a new SAIO black-hat technique — it’s when “an external actor injects unauthorized instructions or “facts” into an AI assistant’s memory. Once poisoned, the AI treats these injected instructions as legitimate user preferences, influencing future responses,” as Microsoft wrote. Because Microsoft wrote that, it means all the major search/AI platforms are catching on and it won’t work much longer.

• If you are using AI to create your content, you may be falling into a “sameness” trap that won’t differentiate your content enough to gain competitive visibility advantages in SEO and AI. How to make your content stand out in the age of AI explains this issue in greater detail and offers solutions that may not sound new. One of the solutions we leverage is “refresh before you create”. Even small adjustments to existing content can attract reindexing by search engines and AI crawlers to improve visibility!

• Updates on the ChatGPT Ads test from SEL (originally from Ashley Fletcher’s LinkedIn post):
  • Note that ChatGPT ads are being piloted with a select group of brands and are not available to everyone yet (ChatGPT statement).
  • Placements seemed to fire on the first queries.
  • Ads appeared on simple prompts with strong commercial intent such as “I need to buy a new phone.”
  • Brands appearing in this test included Best Buy, Enterprise, Expedia, and Pottery Barn.

• “Most people will agree that the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.” That’s the magic of well-written copy, according to VP of Corporate Marketing at Later, Kira Klaas. In this piece, she shares some ingenious copy from campaigns and even microcopy that connects, engages and entertains!

• In that vein, Cyndi Zaweski breaks down the art of storytelling content for brands in 3 steps: (1) How to find ideas, (2) The 4 essential must-haves, (3) how to actually write the content. Because people don’t want random facts without context. Stories are the glue that connects the facts and holds your listener’s attention.

• 10 social media myths that need to die. This newsletter post by Jack Appleby mythbusts popular beliefs on Instagram shadowbanning (not real), posting too much (you can’t), hashtags (doesn’t increase reach), and more.

The International Rescue Committee’s goal is to help those affected by conflict and disasters with high-impact and cost-effective solutions. They focus on health, safety, economic wellbeing, education, and empowerment. Learn more about who they are and what they do: The International Rescue Committee.

You are introduced to someone at a meeting, the coffee shop, the gym. The banter’s been friendly, and you look at their face and curse to yourself. How in the course of 3 minutes did I forget their name?

Hot take 🔥: We (not just you) weren’t listening in the first place. The person’s mouth moved — breathing the shape of their name, but our brains weren’t paying attention.

The next time you meet someone new, truly listen when their name is said and repeat it back three times in your conversation with them. Validate you’re listening and make a connection while you’re at it!

Best Wishes ✨

Natalie

Psychology Today tricks to remembering names for name-challenged individuals…