Hiya,

Ready for the digital marketing scoop?

• “Search is dead, long live search!” is Danny Goodwin’s amazing opener to this SEL article. Like the internet, search is going to continue to change. GenAI is allowing information to be synthesized instead of retrieved. The analogy Goodwin uses to describe SEO vs. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization, AKA Search AI Optimization or SAIO) is that of a car and a truck. They’re different, but both vehicles get you somewhere. We have to treat SAIO and SEO as separate strategies that work together to get brand visibility.

• Google is automatically subscribing to your email newsletters as of April 3rd. This will be done to help Google collect and display any relevant content in search results (unless you opt out). Although alarm bells always ring whenever I hear “automatically opted-in,” I think this will be beneficial to marketers. Google is going to better represent the content you’re putting out for the world. So, don’t forget to put your high-value keywords in your newsletters!

• Hey, do you have a blog? (I know many of you do.) Check out this super simple infographic to make sure you are optimizing your blogs for SEO!

• “Make it go viral” — the one phrase that will make every social marketer cringe. Going viral can be great (sometimes), but it should not be used as a sole social strategy. Okay, so how do you balance virality and reaching your target audience? Socialfly beautifully expands on the concept of “soft viral”, which is surpassing preset benchmarks of normal performance without driving to become a global sensation. This means consistently putting out relevant, high-quality content your audience is interested in.

• 📺🧪 Previously, on The Big (TikTok) Ban Theory… The TikTok 75-day extension came to a cymbal-crash of an end where a deal was presented, then rejected by China. The deal proposed “TikTok America” would license the algorithm (instead of ByteDance being forced to sell it) and grant at least 50% of ownership to U.S. investors. In response to China’s rejection, President Trump extended the ban another 75 days on April 4. Get more details on the proposed deal in SMT and the extension in NPR.

Thoughts to Take With You… 💞

Let’s take a second to review how far you’ve come.

⛰️ You’ve climbed your own mountains…

🛤️ Crossed vallies, hills, and rivers…

👟Traveling miles in worn shoes that may not have fit just right…

Considering the odds, you’re here. You’re breathing and reading this little section of a newsletter. Isn’t that something to be appreciated?

Remember to be kind to yourself as well as the others moving alongside you. You know not how worn their shoe soles are from their travels.

Have a mighty fine rest of your week, y’all!

Natalie

If you caught The Big Bang Theory reference, claps for you! Here’s a clip to lighten your mood.😊