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Welcome to Volume 199 👋
Happy Thursday!
In this week’s newsletter, we cover:
- 🍕 How Slice Turns Local Pizzerias Into a Powerful Network
- 👀 The Latest in B2B SaaS This Week
- 🧠 This Week’s Brain Food
- ➕ The Best Content across the Web
Let’s get into it.
Intersection 2024: Catch the Recording Here
Did you miss Intersection 2024?
Don’t worry! We recorded the whole thing.
Foundation’s best and brightest kicked off the summer yesterday with a virtual conference exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and marketing. Whether you’re still exploring different use cases for generative tools or are ready to level up your AI strategy, it has plenty of insights for you.
Hosted by our very own Leigha Henderson, Intersection 2024 featured:
- What Content AI Can’t Do (Yet) — Chris Meabe, Senior Content Specialist, discussed what these disruptive tools still struggle with and how to avoid misusing AI.
- Fireside Chat on Disruptive Technologies — James Scherer, VP of Strategy, joined Ross for a virtual sit-down on the marketing innovations making waves.
- Keynote Speaker: Ross Simmonds — The marketing master himself spent an hour separating hype from reality when it comes to using AI for creation and distribution.
Want to watch the full recording packed full of those insights?
👉 Watch the Intersection 2024: Fireside Chat recording here! You can find the other presentations from the summit on our YouTube channel.
B2B SAAS NEWS
How Slice Turns Local Pizzerias Into a Powerful Network
Taking a Slice Out of the Meal Delivery Market
When you think of tech giants, pizza might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, the global pizza market is valued at an astonishing $160 billion. Slice, founded by a third-generation pizza entrepreneur, is capitalizing on this by empowering over 19,000 local pizzerias across the US.
With $125 million in funding, Slice provides these small businesses with the same technological and marketing tools as big chains like Domino’s and Papa John’s.
Designed to Win the SEO Game
Slice excels in local SEO, a crucial aspect for any food business. The company ranks for over 200,000 keywords, driving significant traffic to their site and, by extension, their partner pizzerias. Slice’s strategy includes building custom websites, optimizing for search engines, and offering dedicated marketing services. This not only boosts online visibility but also increases sales for their partners.
Creating a Network of Local Sites
By focusing on local SEO, Slice ensures that searches like “pizza near me” lead customers to their partner pizzerias. This approach results in a strong online presence, enabling local businesses to compete with national chains effectively. Slice’s comprehensive support system, including web design, marketing, and SEO services, empowers small pizzerias to thrive in the digital age.
Curious to learn more? Check out the full article on how Slice is building a powerful network of local pizzerias and mastering the SEO game. Read the full breakdown here.
🚨 New Podcast Alert: OpenAI Partnerships and What They Mean For Marketers 🚨
In this episode of Create Like the Greats, Ross dives deep into the fascinating world of OpenAI and its recent partnerships, exploring how these collaborations are reshaping the landscape of content creation and the implications for marketers.
Ross also touches upon some controversial aspects related to OpenAI and sheds light on the potential long-term effects on various creative industries.
Here are some key insights from the episode:
👉VoxMedia’s collaboration with OpenAI and ChatGPT marks a significant step in integrating AI into media production, while WAN-IFRA’s initiative with ChatGPT is set to assist over 100 news publishers in incorporating AI into their newsrooms, transforming how news is produced and consumed.
👉The partnership between The Atlantic and OpenAI, though controversial, highlights the challenges and potential of integrating AI into traditional media outlets.
👉OpenAI’s partnership with Reddit enhances ChatGPT by merging the voice of journalists with public opinion from Reddit users, providing valuable insights and improving the relevance and accuracy of AI-generated content.
Interested in learning more? Check out the latest episode of Create Like the Greats on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
👀 What’s the Latest in B2B SaaS This Week? 👀
- Improving Model Safety Behavior With Rule-Based Rewards | OpenAI
- Meta Expands AI Chatbot to More Regions, Adds New Functionality | Meta
- The ACLU Fights for Your Constitutional Right to Make Deepfakes | Wired
- As Wiz Turns Down a $23 Billion Offer From Google, a Founder Shares His Regret on Selling to Cisco | Fortune
B2B MARKETING STRATEGY
How Brands Can Use STAT To Thrive Amidst SERP Chaos
The SERPs are in turmoil, and savvy marketers are turning to advanced tools to weather the storm. This week, Ross dropped by the Foundation Lab to pull back the curtain on STAT Search Analytics.
We’re talking full-funnel SEO strategies informed by real-time SERP data. He discusses how to use STAT to monitor everything from video carousels to AI overviews, ensuring you’re always one step ahead. Inside this breakdown, you’ll discover:
- How to monitor seismic shifts in SERP features (like the 📈 rise of Reddit and forums)
- Strategies for leveraging directory sites in your SEO mix
- The data-driven approach to deciding when (and where) to invest in video content
- How to use STAT’s “Daily Snapshot” to spot emerging competitors and opportunities
- The surprising dip in G2’s performance (and what it means for your directory strategy)
This guide is a masterclass in using data to drive decision-making in a volatile search landscape. Whether you’re an enterprise brand or a scrappy startup, these insights will help you maximize your SERP real estate and capture more organic traffic.
Don’t let SERP chaos sink your organic strategy. Dive into Ross’s STAT playbook now and learn how to turn volatility into opportunity. Your search visibility (and your bottom line) will thank you.
🗓️ Organize to Excel — Bring Your Content Together in Planable 🗓️
If you’re still of the mindset that you can plan your entire marketing operation in a spreadsheet, this one’s for you.
Planable is a collaboration platform that drives all of your content distribution efforts through an intuitive, easy-to-use interface. It’s a digital command center where you and your team can create, plan, review, and approve all your awesome marketing content.
And Planable isn’t just for social media. It helps you optimize your workflows for blogs, newsletters, press releases, briefs — every asset in your content portfolio!
With a dedicated workspace for each brand or client, you’ll experience a faster, smoother workflow that helps your team work together like never before.
Because Planable loves organized content. And so should you.
Bring all your content together today. Try Planable for free.
🧠 This Week’s Brain Food 🧠
Spending Time Outdoors 🏞️
Here’s a fun fact about me: I love being outdoors. To me, there’s nothing better than the feeling of the sun on my skin and breathing in some fresh air.
But it amazes me how many people spend endless hours indoors. I even have a friend who, after starting remote work, told me they have days without stepping outside at all.
These days, it’s easy to stay inside. We have endless entertainment options like TVs, cell phones, and game consoles. This has led to a significant decline in time spent outdoors, with research showing that Americans now spend 90% of their time indoors. Children’s outdoor time has even dropped by 50% over the last few decades.
But, physical activities like hiking, biking, and gardening boost cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles, and enhance overall health. Exposure to sunlight provides essential vitamin D, which is crucial for bone health and mood balance. Mentally, spending time in nature helps reduce stress, lift your mood, and sharpen cognitive function. Walking barefoot on natural surfaces, or grounding, adds an extra layer of relaxation and connection with nature.
These benefits not only enrich your personal life but also improve your focus, sleep quality, and productivity.
Every day, I go for a walk to get my daily dose of outdoors! And don’t get me wrong — I have days where I’m so buried in work that the last thing I want to do is go for a walk. But when I do, I feel amazing.
It’s like they say — you’ll never regret working out (unless you injure yourself), and the same goes for being outside. You’ll never regret spending time outdoors (unless you get attacked by mosquitos).
Plus, adding outdoor time to your routine is much more simple than you might think. Start with a morning walk, a lunchtime garden break, or even sipping your coffee outside.
Small changes can lead to significant improvements in your well-being, making you feel more refreshed and energized for both personal and professional challenges.
PS: If you haven’t yet stepped outside today, this is your sign!
Want to sponsor our next issue? Reply to this email, and we’ll share how you can reach more SaaS founders and marketers today.
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 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. Unfortunately, these are also time-intensive processes.
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
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!
🏅 Twitter/X Thread of the Week
Creator-Inspired Strategies by Kieran Flanagan
🎖️ LinkedIn Post of the Week
Powerful Visuals to Transform Your Career by Eric Partaker
🤳🏽 Nice Finds You Should Binge
- The 21 Principles of the Top 0.01% | Dan Martell
- How to Combine SEO and Content Marketing (The Ahrefs’ Way) | Ahrefs
- Marketing Automation Secrets From the Experts with Colie James, Dama Jue, and Brianca Kirkman | The Mindful Marketing Podcast by Andrea Jones
- The Top Types of AI-Generated Content in Marketing [New Data, Examples & Tips] | Hubspot
💻 Job Postings Worth Checking Out
Looking for a new opportunity? Here’s a round-up of some exciting job openings in the B2B SaaS space.
- SignalFire Job Board
- Foundation: B2B Content Marketing Strategist
- Foundation: Content Creator
- Foundation: Content Marketing Manager
- Foundation: Senior Director of Social Media
- Foundation: Senior Director of B2B Marketing
- Foundation: Social Media Editor (Freelance)
Want us to include your job postings in our next issue? Reply to this email, and we’ll share how you can reach more SaaS professionals today.
🎧 What We’re Wired Into This Week
Burning — Tems
This round-up is brought to you by me, Taylor Perry. I had so much fun writing this and discovering new insights to share with you.
If you have any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you want to see in this newsletter, feel free to email me at taylor@foundationinc.co. We always look for ways to improve and provide the best B2B SaaS marketing resources.
Have a great weekend — and be sure to touch some grass. 😉
