• Here are the top 5 Gen Z shopping trends to watch for in 2024.
• Here’s what probably won’t happen in marketing this year.
• Infographic: Visualize how reliant big tech companies are on advertisers.

Tuesday: Happy January! If you have some mandatory professional development to do, or if you’re leveling up for the love of it all, consider an AI-related marketing cert to stay ahead of the curve.

Wednesday: As it becomes harder to sell through influencers on social, brands are moving away from expensive professional content creators in favor of more cost-effective UGC. 

Thursday: Cofounder of NP Digital and one of Forbes’ Top 10 Marketers Neil Patel shares his educated guesses for our industry this year.

Jenn asked, “I think I saw once back in the day there are software tools that analyze top ads to see like copy that stands out or performs best. Has anyone seen anything like this?”

Heather asked, “Are there any social listening tools that will monitor for mentions in private Facebook groups? Looking for any recommendations!”

Rachel posted, “ISO a template (in docs, PPT, etc…) for presenting high-level social media content strategy for a new social media channel.”

Michelle posted, “Seeking recommendations for an SMS for a nonprofit org I work with.”

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 cup of water
• 2 limes
• 3 tbsp mint leaves
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup carbonated mineral water
• 2 cups of ice cubes (or more as needed)

Steps 

1. Peel and dice 1 large cucumber, then add to a high-speed blender.
2. To the blender Add 1 cup of water, juice of 2 limes, 3 tbsp mint leaves (adjust to your taste), 2 tbsp maple syrup, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.
3. Strain the cucumber juice through a fine strainer or cheesecloth into a jar.
4. To the jar, add 1 cup carbonated mineral water and 2 cups of ice cubes (you can add more ice cubes if you like).
5. Serve in glasses with ice cubes. For decoration, you can add some cucumber slices, a lime wedge and some more mint.

Recipe by Vibrant Plate

Answer: Post headlines.

If you’ve visited the dying star of a social media platform that is X recently, you might have noticed that headlines are returning to link previews. Musk removed them for aesthetic reasons, and we’ve all been miserable ever since. Here’s a full timeline of changes to X since, well, you know.