Presented by

It’s Rice Ball Day, Reader! Here’s looking at you, arancini 😋.

In today’s edition:

• Today's 👉 Tip of the Day is for delegation

• Building a 🧨 better network

• Meta rolls out 🤖 Meta AI website

• TikTok rolls out new 📸 photo-sharing app

• YouTube tests 👤 personalized Subscriptions feed

• 📣 Additional industry news from Snapchat and TikTok

Do you struggle with delegation or training others? Looking for a process that doesn’t require you to give up control immediately?

Use the 10-80-10 Approach

First, examine and categorize your current responsibilities.

Next, create a plan for delegating tasks and responsibilities to others by assigning a new task to someone every 120 days. 

During the handoff, you will perform 10% of a task to set direction, then delegate the next 80%. Finally, you will review the final 10% to ensure everything has been completed correctly, providing constructive guidance to improve the results for next time.

Today's tip is inspired by Atiba de Souza, a guest on the Marketing Agency Show.

Stop Guessing With Your Marketing

Imagine knowing what marketing strategies or tactics will work without spending time or money on trial and error. Now imagine pulling back the curtain and seeing EXACTLY how to implement these strategies–with no stone left unturned. 

That's what happens when you join the Social Media Marketing Society. The Society is your trusted source for tips, techniques, and cutting-edge strategies that get results. Join today and discover why over 1,000 marketers trust the Society to help them eliminate guesswork. 

I’m ready to discover what works.

Strategic Networking for Depth vs Breadth

There’s a difference between being connected to a lot of people and forming relationships that are valuable to you professionally.

By investing in fewer but more meaningful relationships, you can grow your business and find more fulfillment and support in your professional life. 

How do you know which people to focus on?

Start With Passion and Values

When deciding which relationships to deepen, look for people who light up when discussing their interests. Pay attention to their excitement when talking about certain topics, even if they apologize for going on a tangent. This enthusiasm is a sign that they value the subject matter deeply.

You also need to make sure your values align. Disagreements on foundational issues like politics or human rights can hinder a budding professional relationship. While you don't need to agree on everything, having a basic level of ideological compatibility is essential. If you find yourself on opposite sides of an issue that's important to you, keep things surface-level.

Assess Reciprocity

Look for a give-and-take dynamic where both people are sharing and listening. As you share more about yourself, notice if the other person reciprocates by asking about your interests, hopes, and fears. Balanced relationships involve both parties making an effort to understand each other. Pay attention to whether the other person is genuinely curious about you and your life.

The relationship may not be worth pursuing if you find yourself doing all the heavy lifting in the conversation.

Make a Small Request

After establishing rapport, try making a small request, like asking for feedback on a blog post or pitch deck. How the person responds will tell you a lot. If they are happy to help and offer thoughtful comments, that's a green light to continue deepening the relationship. It shows that they value your work and are willing to invest time in supporting you.

If they refuse or seem put out by your request, reconsider investing more time in the relationship. A person not willing to do small favors isn't someone you can count on for bigger things down the line.

Invest in the Other Person

Use a relationship-focused CRM like Dex to keep track of your growing network. This will help you remember important details about each person, like their hobbies, family life, and career goals. Having this information at your fingertips lets you have more personalized interactions and show that you value the relationship.

Tools like Calendly can also be helpful by allowing close contacts to book time with you when needed. Giving VIP access to your calendar demonstrates trust and openness. It shows that you are willing to make time for the people who matter most, even if it's just for a quick 15-minute check-in or brainstorming session.

Know Your Limits

Even if you want to build meaningful relationships with everyone you meet, the reality is that you can only maintain a limited number of deep professional connections as an individual. Between work obligations, family life, and personal interests, there are only so many hours in the day. That's why it's crucial to be selective about who you let into your inner circle.

Take the time to reflect on what you want out of your professional relationships and prioritize accordingly. Focus your curiosity and availability on the people who energize and inspire you. Over time, these connections will bring the most value to your life and business.

It's okay to stay acquaintances with people who don't quite make the cut. You can still say hello at industry events or reply to their social media posts without investing much one-on-one time. What matters most is that you are intentional about how you allocate your relationship-building energy.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Sunny Hunt, a featured guest on the Marketing Agency Show.

🗞 Meta Rolls Out Meta AI Website: Meta is rolling out meta.ai (the website) and is updating its AI assistant, Meta AI, now powered by Meta Llama 3. The enhanced AI is rolling out to more countries across Meta's apps and on its web experience, allowing users to access assistance for various tasks without leaving the app they are using. Key improvements include faster, real-time image generation through the "Imagine" feature, currently in beta on WhatsApp and Meta AI for the web in the United States. The AI also offers seamless search integration and can be accessed directly from the Facebook Feed for additional information on posts. Source: Meta

🗞 Snap Updates AI Policies: Snapchat is updating its policies and practices for AI-powered features to improve transparency and safety. The platform will use icons, symbols, and labels to indicate AI-powered features and introduce watermarks on AI-generated images. The platform has also implemented standardized safety testing, a review process to detect problematic prompts early in development, and additional testing to minimize biased AI results. Source: Snapchat

🗞 TikTok Rolls Out New Photo-Sharing App: TikTok is rolling out its new photo-sharing app, TikTok Notes, for limited testing on iOS and Android platforms in Australia and Canada. Source: @TikTokComms via X

🗞 TikTok Creator Code of Conduct: TikTok has updated its Community Guidelines and introduced new features to help creators understand and follow the platform's rules. The revised guidelines clarify policies on hate speech, health misinformation, and content moderation. TikTok is also updating its For You eligibility standards, introducing warning strikes for first-time violations, and rolling out an "Account Check" feature for creators to audit their accounts. Additionally, the platform is publishing a Creator Code of Conduct outlining expected standards for creators involved in TikTok programs and events. Source: TikTok

🗞 YouTube Tests Personalized Subscriptions Feed: YouTube is currently testing a new feature called “Most Relevant” within the “Subscriptions” tab. This feature is designed to assist users in discovering updates from the channels they engage with most frequently. The platform is also streamlining the process for uploading Members-Only Shorts. With this update, creators will be able to directly upload exclusive content for their members instead of having to convert existing Shorts. Source: YouTube

Did You Know?

Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick Sargent were both born in April.