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Welcome to Volume 105
In case you were wondering, this newsletter has never been written by an AI tool.
How do I know this?
- My fingers are currently on the keyboard typing these words
- Previous experiences with AI tools have produced content that’s not exactly…newsletter worthy.
Not quite at this level, but close:
To be fair, this was quite a few years ago, and there was most likely some user error involved as well. That said, it’s had a formative impact on how I view these tools, and I’ve resigned myself to resist them for as long as possible.
But that could, and likely will, change in the not-so-distant future.
For newsletters.
For blog posts.
For any type of text based content.
In today’s newsletter, we’re leading off with a look at the world of AI copywriting and its downstream impact on Google, SEO tactics, and my job security (…hehe…).
Here’s a quick peek at what’s to come in this issue:
- AI copywriting is on the rise, but what does that mean for writers and SEOs?
- LinkedIn strategies SaaS brands can use to improve their social performance.
- OpenView pulls back the curtain on boosting PLG conversions with web branding.
The Uncertain Future of AI, Copywriting, and SEO
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a technology that has shaped the marketing field (and quite a few others) more than the search engine. Since its inception, our industry has been laser-focused on tailoring online content that satisfies these search engines.
SEO, content marketing, link building, and many other sub-disciplines have emerged to leverage the powerful search engine algorithm.
But an equally powerful technology is looming: Artificial Intelligence.
The tech has gone from the stuff of science fiction to a disruptive technology impacting countless industries. Naturally, entrepreneurs, experts, and enthusiasts have found plenty of use cases in the marketing industry, particularly in the copywriting space.
GPT-3, the model for training natural language processing algorithms developed by OpenAI, is now used across popular tools for copywriting, blog writing, editing, and many other semantic tasks. Copy.AI, Jasper, Copysmith, Writesonic, and the like now apply algorithms, trained using over 175 billion parameters, to generate copy that looks more and more human each time you use it.
Naturally, improving these tools is stressful for writers (yours truly included), but it may also have downstream effects on SEO efforts.
When the SEO industry reckoned with black hat tactics, Google rolled out algorithm updates like Panda and Farmer to penalize content spinners. These updates brought a semblance of order to the SEO space, allowing companies that invest in quality content a path to success.
Now it’s the robots that are doing the spinning, and they’re fast learners.
In the coming months and years, it seems like a certainty that Google will need to address the use of AI copywriters and, in turn, marketing as a whole. We’re about to enter an arms race between the most powerful search engine in the world and ever-improving language-processing AI.
SEO and content marketing will be caught in the crossfire.
LinkedIn Strategy For SaaS Brands — How To Do It Right
Stop me if you’ve heard this before:
“Our brand shares content on LinkedIn 2-3 times a week, but the engagement’s just not there.”
It’s something we hear over and over again at Foundation. What is nominally a LinkedIn strategy is little more than uploading a content calendar to Buffer, HootSuite, or some other scheduling tool and then going for a coffee break.
Of course, we all know there’s more to social than that. Spaces like LinkedIn are prime real estate for building brand awareness, promoting products and job openings, and fostering a community of professionals.
Still, there’s a big difference between knowing what to do and actually putting it to practice. One of the first steps towards achieving LinkedIn success is understanding The 4 E’s of content creation — educate, engage, entertain, empower.
LinkedIn is overflowing with tired, regurgitated content, it’s true. But if you take some time to sift through all the posts, you’ll notice that the companies, groups, and individuals who consistently perform well apply The 4 E’s.
In the latest post for Foundation Insider and Inner Circle, we go over the different LinkedIn brands and accounts that use engaging, entertaining, empowering, or educational content to build clout in one of the most crowded professional platforms. We dissect how:
- Gong creates educational content that provides immediate value to their followers
- The rise of “LinkedIn Rap” and other forms of entertainment that captivate users
- The LinkedIn influencers who use engaging content to spark conversations
- How The Female Lead empowers millions of LinkedIn users with every post
How PLG Companies Use Websites to Convert New Users
I’m a long-form content guy at heart, so anytime I come across an example of value-packed writing, I feel obliged to share. This week, it’s OpenView’s blog about product-led companies using branding to drive conversions.
As the de facto experts in product-led investment (and the creators of the phrase), OpenView has played a significant role in the success of major PLG brands like Calendly, Expensify, and Datadog. They understand what it takes for a company to lean on their core product to expand its user base.
People often forget that the OpenView team are also experts in product-led marketing.
They know that even the best products need support from marketing, growth, and sales teams. For the former, it’s all about meeting potential users with powerful messaging at the most critical stage in their journey: the first visit to a brand’s website.
PLG brands want to get their web traffic to a sign-up or free-trial CTA as quickly as possible. The faster they become a user, the better. After all, the product does most of the selling, right?
Key word being most.
Powerful messaging and proper positioning are still what get those visitors over the threshold and into the conversion funnel.
Check out the post from the experts at OpenView to learn how the marketing teams from PLG unicorns leverage brand messaging and web page design to convert traffic!
OTHER NEWS OF THE WEEK:
- AI marketing company GumGum is creating a space for companies to target customers in the absence of third-party cookies
- Wired rolls out their list of the 100 Hottest Startups across Europe in 2022
- CPG strategy platform Insite AI raises $19m to help brick and mortar retailers and other physical brands
- Fintor, the real estate investment startup offering fractional shares, raises $6.2M in latest round, pushing valuation to $80 Million
BRAIN FOOD OF THE WEEK
Given the big splash made by Canva last month in their Design Suite announcement, we figured it’s time to revisit a gem from co-founder Melanie Perkins.
On the Smart Company blog, the leader of the massive design company opens up about her experiences as an outsider in the male-dominated tech space.
Whether you’re dealing with discrimination due to gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or any other reason, Melanie lists the strategies she used to break through and become a global leader in the SaaS space. Here’s a quick look at some jewels of insight from that list:
- Don’t worry about being liked by everyone
- Concentrate on your goals, not popularity
- In the end, determination wins
- If you need to place blame, blame things you can fix (my personal favorite)
Find the rest of Melanie’s insights here!
TWITTER THREAD OF THE WEEK
Speaking of Canva, check out this Janet Lee thread on her top design tool hacks!
INTERESTING FINDS ACROSS THE INTERNET
- We’re now 1 year into Google’s 5 year plan to boost Africa’s digital infrastructure, but experts say there’s still a long way to go
- TechCrunch interviews FinTech VC who believes last year’s party is over and the hangover is here
- Researchers find that YouTube recommends videos similar to ones that users have previously disliked
- Adobe backed up the Brinks truck for their $20B Figma purchase, what else did they get in the deal?
IN CASE YOU MISSED SOME OF OUR GREATEST HITS:
- Content Distribution Strategy: What Is It & Why Do You Need One?
- How Miro Turned The Whiteboard Into A $17.5 Billion Valuation
- The Ultimate Guide To B2B Marketing On LinkedIn
- The SEO Strategy Capterra Uses to Drive $4M Worth of Traffic
WHAT WE’RE WIRED INTO THIS WEEK 🎧:
This week’s round-up is brought to you by Ethan Crump while Jessica gets some well-deserved PTO ✌!
