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Welcome to Volume 169 👋
Happy Thursday!
In this week’s newsletter, we cover:
- 📰 Recapping The Biggest B2B SaaS Stories of 2023
- 📢 Introducing Foundation’s AI Marketing Console
- 🤖 Google’s Shifting Approach to AI Content
- 👀 What’s the Latest in B2B SaaS This Week?
- 🧠 This Week’s Brain Food
- ➕ The Best Content Across the Web
Let’s get into it.
B2B SAAS NEWS
2023’s Biggest News in B2B SaaS, AI, and More
2023 was a dynamic and transformative year in the SaaS industry, marked by significant events that reshaped the tech landscape and society in general. OpenAI’s emergence as a leader in generative AI stands out most prominently, as the company captured global attention and sparked crucial discussions about AI’s role in both personal and professional domains.
But this surge in AI popularity somewhat overshadowed other significant tech developments, such as major acquisitions by companies like Atlassian, HubSpot, and Semrush and Adobe’s thwarted merger plans.
All the while, Google continued to update its search engine algorithm, keeping us on our toes and emphasizing the need for continuous adaptation in the SEO arena. These algorithmic changes, coupled with the dynamic shifts in corporate mergers and AI advancements, have collectively contributed to an ever-changing technological landscape.
To give you a better idea of the significance behind these events, I recently wrote a piece looking into the top SaaS news stories of 2023, dissecting how each event contributes to the broader narrative of technological evolution. Here’s a snapshot of what the piece covers:
- HubSpot completed a $150 million acquisition of competitive intel platform Clearbit
- Atlassian shifted towards asynchronous video with the acquisition of Loom for $975 million
- Meta’s introduced Threads, a text-focused social app, to compete with Twitter X
- OpenAI launched GPT-4, ChatGPT plugins, APIs, and a number of other AI applications
- Semrush acquired Traffic Think Tank to bolster its position as an educational authority in the SEO space
- OpenAI—and the entire industry—experienced a tumultuous week as Sam Altman was fired and rehired alongside a board overhaul
- Google and Meta clashed with the Canadian Government over Bill C-18, resulting in a news blackout across platforms
- Google’s algorithm updates: The impact of Google’s frequent search algorithm updates on SEO strategies and web traffic
- Adobe and Figma abandoned their $20 billion merger amid increasing regulatory concerns and scrutiny
Introducing Foundation’s AI Marketing Console
A few years ago, if someone said that mastering a single SaaS tool could save you 500+ work hours every year, make you a better creator, and increase your chances of landing a leadership position, you’d probably laugh them out of the room. Well, no one’s laughing now.
Generative AI is projected to add billions of dollars to the marketing industry in productivity savings alone, and the vast majority of professionals in our industry are incorporating AI into their tech stacks this year.
Like all emerging technologies, there’s a huge advantage to moving quickly. Experimentation and research are key to building the skills you need to stay ahead. But it also takes time.
That’s why we’re excited to announce the release of the AI Marketing Console.
With the AI Marketing Console, you get an arsenal of 130+ battle-tested ChatGPT prompts to help you create everything from landing pages and email drip campaigns to reports and customer research.
Plus, you’ll get exclusive access to the following:
- A visual AI toolkit with 20+ video walkthroughs
- Two keynote presentations on the state of AI in marketing
- An AI content evaluation checklist to level up your outputs
So, what are you waiting for?
Get full access to the AI Marketing Console and start building your AI skills now!
If you want more information on why we’ve created this offering, check out this video from Ross!
B2B SAAS INSIGHTS
Google’s Changing Approach to AI Content
2023 was the first full year of AI in the mainstream, and it’s already had a major impact on the world’s most popular search engine. With more and more AI-generated content making its way onto the internet, Google is refining its algorithm to more effectively identify low-quality content from ChatGPT and the like.
Mark Williams-Cook recently published a great piece on Search Engine Land outlining Google’s evolving stance on AI content. It explores how the company’s public statements regarding AI contrast with the actual inner workings of the algorithm (not to mention the company’s capacity to keep up with the tsunami of AI content).
Google’s Spam Policies were developed to remove content that is generated through automation without regard for quality or user experience—a definition that certainly covers AI-generated content. But experienced SEOs know that despite the algorithm’s best efforts, this lesser-quality content can still make its way to the top of the SERPs.
Williams-Cook even provides some evidence of a trend where AI content ranks well after passing a preliminary “SERP sniff test” before falling off a cliff.
Looking towards the future of AI-generated content and SEO, Williams-Cook projects that Google will pivot towards using its powerful machine learning systems, BERT and MUM, instead of user SERP data. He suggests that these systems might help Google sort content with higher initial accuracy, reducing the time it takes to identify and de-rank spam. This evolving approach reflects the ongoing challenge of balancing effective spam combat with the rapid development of generative AI technologies.
For a complete look at Mark Williams-Cook’s deep-dive on AI content and Google’s algorithm, check out the post on Search Engine Land.
👀 What’s the Latest in B2B SaaS This Week? 👀
📰 TechCrunch recaps the biggest startup stories from 2023
🤖 OpenAI competitor Anthropic is heading towards its own board-investor conflict
🛡️Aqua Security, a cloud-native cyber security startup, remains a unicorn with $60 million Series E
📈 Is there an IPO boom coming in 2024?
⌨️ Giga ML is building a platform to help companies deploy LLMs offline
🎧 Learn How to Create Like the Greats 🎧
Looking to build out your company’s content marketing and distribution engine? Interested in learning how leading brands like Loom, Toast, and Calm create winning content? Or just want to hear conversations with the likes of Tamara Dworetz, Dave Gerhardt, and Dr. Julie Gurner?
Have we got the podcast for you.
In Create Like the Greats, Foundation CEO Ross Simmonds discusses marketing, the creative process, life, and everything in between. Here are some of the most recent episodes you can catch up on:
- How Ross prepares for a big keynote presentation
- Debating the value of long-form vs. short-form content
- How Ross successfully maximized his time on a 48-hour trip to New York
- Marketing frameworks, mental models, AARRR pirate metrics, and B2B buyer journeys
Kickstart your creative journey today by checking out the podcast on the Foundation website or listening through Apple and Spotify!
🧠 This Week’s Brain Food 🧠
Happy New Year, y’all!
As we step into 2024, it’s time to embrace the fresh energy that comes with a new year, brimming with possibilities and opportunities for growth, both personally and professionally. In this spirit, our Brain Food section today is dedicated to helping you stay on track with your 2024 goals.
First, let’s talk about setting goals that are not just ambitious but also achievable. The key is to break down larger objectives into smaller, more manageable tasks. This not only makes your goals less daunting but also provides a clear roadmap for the journey ahead. Think of it as setting milestones—each small achievement is a step closer to your ultimate goal.
Now, how do you stay on track? Regular check-ins are crucial. Whether it’s a weekly review of your progress or a monthly reflection session, taking stock of where you are versus where you want to be to keep you aligned with your objectives. Don’t just focus on what’s pending; celebrate the small victories along the way. Positive reinforcement is a powerful motivator.
But what if, despite your best efforts, things start to veer off course? It’s natural for the initial excitement to wane or unexpected challenges to arise. The key here is not to panic. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. The path to achieving big goals is rarely a straight line. There will be setbacks and detours, but they don’t define your journey; your response to them does.
If you find yourself straying from your path, take a moment to reassess. Revisit your goals and the reasons behind them. Sometimes, a slight recalibration is all that’s needed to get back on track. And in some cases, you may discover new insights that refine your goals further.
Above all, be kind to yourself. It’s easy to be hard on oneself when things don’t go as planned, especially in the first month of the year when the pressure to start strong is high. But growth is a process, and it’s important to acknowledge that. So, if you find yourself a bit off track as January ends, don’t panic. You have the whole year ahead of you—plenty of time to realign, readjust, and move forward.
Here’s to a year of setting meaningful goals, celebrating small wins, learning from setbacks, and, most importantly, enjoying the journey. Happy 2024!
🏅 X Thread of the Week
How has ChatGPT changed your life? by Greg Brockman
🎖️ LinkedIn Post of the Week
Speed up your 2024 forecast with ChatGPT by Emily Kramer
🤳🏽 Nice Finds You Should Binge
- How Not to Be Stupid About AI, With Yann LeCun | Wired
- Ransomware gangs increasingly crave the media spotlight | VentureBeat
- How to ask OpenAI for your personal data to be deleted or not used to train its AIs | TechCrunch
- 10 Tricks to Increase Your Engagement on Social Media | Foundation Inc.
🎧 What We’re Wired Into This Week:
This SaaS news smattering is brought to you by Ethan Crump!
If you have any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you want to see in this newsletter, feel free to email me at ethan@foundationinc.co. We always look for ways to improve and provide the best B2B SaaS marketing resources.
Have a great weekend, and see you on the other side!
