Presented by

It’s Color Book Day, Reader! Grab your crayons, colored pencils, watercolors, or whatever you have at hand, and get after it.

In today’s edition:

• 🎓 Today's Tip of the Day is for LinkedIn

• ⚖️ Making business decisions with AI

• Instagram tests location-sharing

• Meta updates Business Suite

• YouTube tests new content discovery features

• 🗞️ Additional industry news from Google, TikTok, YouTube, and more

Are you looking for a new way to reach and nurture specific audiences on LinkedIn? 

Marketers know that people buy from people they know, like, and trust. But how do you get the right people in front of the right prospects?

Use ads to promote posts from a personal profile.

A New Way to Leverage Your Thought Leaders 

When you amplify content from prominent people in your company instead of company page posts, you can target those ads to reach audiences built on different customer personas. 

The result is that you jump-start a personal connection instead of pushing a faceless brand.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Anthony Blatner, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.

Need a Boost in Your Reach and Sales, Reader?

Does it feel like your marketing isn't working like it used to? Are you looking for a better way forward?

Your solution: Social Media Marketing World. It's where thousands of marketers gather each year to discover what's working.

"I have absolutely found what I needed here. It's been a jam-packed three days. Every single session I attended I've been able to take away probably three things, minimum, that I am going to be able to immediately implement," said Jules McGuire.

There's a HUGE sale this week.

I’m ready to find out more…

3 Ways to Use AI to Build Your Business

Are you building a business? Wish you had a reliable partner to help you with strategic decision-making?

AI can help fill your knowledge gaps quickly, bringing you to a 70 or 80% knowledge level 10 times faster than relying on yourself. This can be particularly valuable if you are venturing into new business areas or trying to solve unfamiliar problems.

While incorporating AI into your business operations might seem daunting, don't overthink it! This simple yet effective approach makes it easy:

1. Set aside an hour to experiment with AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude.

2. Approach the AI assistant as if you're talking to an expert with unlimited knowledge. Simply ask it about your specific business problems and roadblocks.

3. Engage in a conversation to find solutions.

For example, if you're struggling with email marketing, you might ask the AI: 

I send weekly emails about [insert details]. Here are three examples  [insert examples]. How do I create an effective email sequence for new subscribers? What information do you need from me?

The AI can then provide you with a step-by-step guide, suggest best practices, and even help you brainstorm email content ideas.

Use AI to Improve Client Pitches

One of the most valuable ways to use AI is to gain new perspectives and identify potential issues you might have overlooked. To help you create more persuasive and empathetic business communications, ask AI to consider the benefits for the other party in a business deal. 

Based on the following information about our product/service [insert details] and what we know about the potential client [insert client details], please generate a list of 10 key benefits for the client. For each benefit, provide a brief explanation and a sample phrase that could be used in an email or offer to highlight this benefit.

Use AI for Contract Review

If you’re facing complex choices, Claude or ChatGPT can help you consider various perspectives and potential outcomes you might otherwise overlook.

First, provide the AI with a contract or business proposal. Next, ask it to show you different scenarios, including best and worst-case outcomes, financial models, and risk assessments.

For example, if you are considering giving someone a profit share and the profit is high, but costs will also be high, you can ask ChatGPT to read the contract draft and give you a financial model to forecast the payout.

Or you can ask your AI to review a contract and show you three different scenarios with risks you need to know about.

Use AI to Inform Decision-Making

Finally, you can use AI's objective analysis to make more informed decisions. For example, if you have to consider proposals independently, you can use AI to balance logical analysis with emotional considerations.

I must decide between [insert decision details]. I want to choose the option that leads to the best long-term outcomes for myself. Ask me questions to learn about the facts and my emotional state. Run multiple outcome models to help me decide.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Ole Lehmann, a featured guest on the AI Explored podcast.

Google Launches Gemini Live on Smartphones: Google has launched Gemini Live, enabling advanced voice conversations with Gemini AI on smartphones. The feature offers natural-sounding voices, real-time adaptability, and mid-response interruptions. Powered by Gemini 1.5 models with large context windows, it's currently available in English for Gemini Advanced subscribers ($20/month). Future updates include iOS support, more languages, and new integrations with Google services. Android users will soon get a Gemini overlay for in-app queries and image generation. Source: Tech Crunch

Instagram Tests Location-Sharing: Instagram is testing a Snap Map-like feature that allows users to share location-based updates with select friends. Unlike Snapchat's public option, Instagram's version is currently limited to private groups. The opt-in feature is in small-scale testing, with Meta emphasizing user safety and control. Source: The Verge

Meta and UMG Extend Music Agreement: Meta and UMG (Universal Music Group) have expanded their licensing agreement, allowing UMG's music to be shared across Meta's platforms without copyright violations. The deal extends music sharing to WhatsApp and Threads for the first time. Source: Tech Crunch

Meta Updates Business Suite: Meta is updating Business Suite to allow users to link up to 10 profiles to one account. This enables easier management of multiple Facebook and Instagram pages associated with different user profiles without needing to log out and back in. Source: Social Media Today

TikTok’s New DM Features: TikTok has introduced new DM (direct messaging) features, including Stickers and Group Chat. Stickers allow for creative visual expression in DMs. Group Chat enables up to 32 users to share and interact with content together. Source: TikTok

X Adds Reply Sorting Options: X has added reply sorting options on iOS and web. Users can now organize responses by relevance, recency, or likes. Source: @X via X 

YouTube Updates: YouTube is testing AI-generated live chat summaries in English for active streams. They've also introduced a feature that highlights the "join" button when creators prompt channel membership during videos. Additionally, YouTube has launched reply and like functions for Super Chats. Viewers can now like Super Chats, which are visible only during the live stream, and reply to them. Replies appear in the stream and archive, subject to normal moderation.Source: YouTube

YouTube Rolls Out ‘Personal Radio’ Feature: YouTube Music is rolling out a "personal radio" feature, allowing users to publicly share daily playlists of their favorite songs. This feature appears on user channel pages alongside existing profile stats. It's private by default but can be made public through channel settings. Source: The Verge

YouTube Tests New Content Discovery Features: YouTube is testing new content discovery features, mixing video formats across different sections of the platform. Experiments include showing long-form videos in the Shorts Feed and creating new feeds for long-form content. Creators' videos will remain eligible for recommendation platform-wide, with some metrics potentially attributed to new viewing locations. Source: YouTube Help

Did You Know?

Ice cream was first sandwiched between cookies in San Francisco in 1928.