Have you ever heard the quote that says, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit”? It’s a great way to think about the world we’re living in today. We’re facing enormous technological disruption at least as large as mobile and social and the internet itself. Companies and careers stand stand to change dramatically — if not disappear completely. But that doesn’t have to be true for you. You have the ability to create the future you want to live in...

As we wrap up 2023, it seems like a good idea to take a look back at everything that’s happened this year and express our appreciation for all the benefits we’ve received. I know it hasn’t been an easy year for everyone. I know that there are many things about which we can choose to be sad, confused, hurt, or angry. I also know that there are many, many, many things about which I am personally grateful. And that includes all of you. On behalf of the team here at Tim Peter & Associates, I...

Hey, Big Thinkers. It’s time to close out 2023. But before we go, it’s worth taking a look back at what I’ve learned — or at least had reinforced for me in the past year. 2023 has been an amazing year, filled with lots of happiness, laughter, and, sure, the occasional challenge. But overall, I’m incredibly fortunate to have had a year filled with more triumph than tragedy. That doesn’t mean I haven’t learned anything in the past year. What are those lessons? What has helped me improve over...

2023 has been an amazing year, filled with plenty of positives — as well as plenty of opportunities. So, what have we learned? What are the big lessons from 2023? What should we be thinking about as we head into the New Year? This episode of the Thinks Out Loud podcast, “Recapping 2023” takes a look at the key themes, topics, and trends from 2023 that will shape the world ahead in 2024. Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you. # Recapping 2023 — Lessons Learned Professional...

With all the hype and hope attached to artificial intelligence, it’s worth asking, is it time for your marketing team to use AI? And the simple answer is, “yes.” Actually, the more complicated answer is also yes. But why is it time for your marketing team to use AI? Where are the areas where AI can provide the greatest value to your organization. And what can you do to get started? That’s what this episode of the Thinks Out Loud podcast is all about. Want to learn more? Here are the show...

Your customers live their lives online. They carry the internet in their pockets. We see that in practice every year when Black Friday shopping data comes out. And, what did we learn this year? What do we now know about how customers live their lives online? We’ve learned, as we’ve long said around here, that "it’s all e-commerce." Retail e-commerce will represent over $900 billion in purchases this year. Travel and ticketing adds even more. At least 29% of all business is conducted online....

Every year around Thanksgiving, I like to take a few minutes to remember how lucky I am. This year is no different. I’m incredibly fortunate. And, I’m incredibly grateful. Why wouldn’t I be? My friends, family, colleagues, and clients are happy, healthy, and prosperous. Of course we all have our issues to contend with. Nothing’s perfect. At the same time, I’d be foolish to ignore all the good in my world every day. Anytime I forget how lucky I am, I can simply say, "Look how far you’ve...

Artificial intelligence is already driving massive changes for Big Tech. It’s driving massive change for search engines and search marketing. It’s going to drive massive changes for your customers’ behaviors. And, for all these reasons, we need to talk about the massive changes that AI will bring to content marketing? What are those changes you should expect? How will artificial intelligence change content marketing? How is it changing content marketing right now? And what can you do to...

Big Tech relentlessly seeks to get between you and your customers. They spin the web… and we get caught in it. How can you build a brand that customers want to search for by name? How can you connect with customers in ways that are both scalable and human? In short, how can you escape Big Tech’s web? That’s what this episode of the Thinks Out Loud podcast is all about. We take a look at the necessary steps you must take to use Big Tech the right way… and begin to connect with customers...

We’re taking a look at Big Tech’s earnings for Q3, 2023, as we do every quarter. But, after listening to the calls and reading the transcripts, one question keeps coming to the surface: Does Google lack vision? Does its leadership know where they want the company to go? Or are they trapped by their past successes, unable to move forward? If you listen to Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Meta/Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, or Amazon’s Andy Jassy, you get a clear sense of where these Big Tech leaders...

We’re halfway through the 2020s. Do you still need a website? That’s the question posed on LinkedIn a few days back and, at least in part, underscored by the fact that I saw the question — and responded to it — on LinkedIn. That almost proves its own point, that social channels and Big Tech owned platforms have won and that your website is destined to be an also-ran. Or does it? I’d argue, "No." I’d argue that while you need to carefully curate a digital presence that includes social...

What is the point of technology? Does it exist solely for its own sake? Of course not. It’s to make our customers’ lives better. It’s really that simple. Which, happily, also plays a key role in building a brand. More importantly, it’s exactly how we build a human brand: By focusing on our customers. Internet innovator and technology legend Marc Andreessen seems to have forgotten that fact in his latest piece of writing, "The Techno-Optimism Manifesto." Oh, there’s a lot of great ideas in...

Is AI going to strip all brands of their humanity? Or is it possible to build a human-centric brand in the age of AI? Here’s a bigger question: Why should artificial intelligence be any different than everything that’s come before? Can corporations build human brands? Or are they constantly beholden to psychopathic tendencies? The answer to those last questions, I think, give us the answer to the first ones. How can we apply the lessons we’ve learned about building human-centered brands to...

Artificial intelligence is going to dramatically change customer behavior. Businesses like yours beginning to see the effects of this shift because Big Tech gatekeepers are already adapting to the way customers expect the new world to work. If your business depends on search marketing — and I bet it does, at least to some degree — then you need to rethink search marketing for the new age of artificial intelligence. What does that mean? What do you have to do? How can you make search...

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella recently showcased the company’s vision for "your everyday AI companion." This genuinely represents a remarkable vision of the future. And one that seems likely to occur. Fortunately, many marketers recognize the value (or threats) to their work from incorporating artificial intelligence into their work. The question I’d ask, though, is this: Have you begun to think about the radical shifts in consumer behavior we’re likely to witness when every one of your...

Big Tech, the Gatekeepers, the AGFAM (Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft), the Frightful Five. We’ve got lots of names for the "bad guys" in our marketing story. They are frightening. They are troubling. They are expensive. And they really do have a plan for getting a bigger piece of your marketing budget every year; it’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. What we don’t seem to have often enough is a plan to escape Big Tech’s web. We don’t have a clear-eyed,...

The Thinks Out Loud podcast celebrates its eleventh anniversary this year. And, overall, I couldn’t be happier about that. This podcast, and podcasting more generally, have been a huge component of this company’s content marketing strategy since its inception. Which is why I think it makes sense to examine Thinks Out Loud as a podcasting and content marketing case study. Is podcasting a good idea for your business? How does a podcast fit into your content marketing strategy? Does it work?...

Don’t let her reputation fool you. Taylor Swift prints money like a Mint. Maybe even more so, if I’m being honest. Her concerts have not only made her a ton of money, they have helped boost the economies of towns in which her tour played. But what might be most impressive about her actions is the way that she’s bypassing the gatekeepers between her and her fans. There’s no bad blood there. Instead, it’s nothing but a love story. Swift has crafted a hugely successful songbook. But she’s also...

We’ve officially reached "the unofficial end of summer." What a great time to relax, recharge, and reset our "Day One" mindset before heading into the rest of the year. What is a "Day One" mindset? And why does it matter to your business? That’s what this "Best of the Thinks Out Loud Podcast" episode is all about. Day One is borrowed from Amazon and focuses on building your company as though it is your very first day of operations, every day. The brilliance of this approach is that you’re...

Google has been remarkably transparent lately in telling marketers and brands and businesses how to rank better in search. The trick, of course, is not try to rank. It’s to think about what your customer wants to accomplish and creating authentic, outstanding content that provides them an excellent experience. Hmm… that sounds like something I might have heard somewhere along the way. Anyway… Google’s recent transparency suggests that maybe, just maybe, Google is de-emphasizing organic...

Given all the bad news and bad actors we’re seeing pop-up on social lately, it’s fair of you to ask if social media is anti-social for your brand now. So, is it? As with most things in life, it’s a bit complicated. While it’s true that there are plenty of people in social who seem like you might end up with a social disease, there’s also lots of ongoing opportunity to grow your brand and business. How do you navigate this tricky situation? How do you use social to connect with content and...

What is the State of Digital as we head into the back half of 2023? Well, one signal comes from Big Tech’s earnings calls. What can we learn from what Google and Microsoft and Amazon and Facebook and Apple tell Wall Street? A lot, actually. And, in particular, Google and Microsoft highlighted some compelling trends we all want to watch as we gear up for the rest of the year. What did Google and Microsoft tell us? What are the trends we all ought to watch? What is the "State of Digital" in Q3...

Would you encourage a young person to get into marketing right now? Or do you think artificial intelligence will eliminate all the jobs? Does marketing have a future? Let me put a stake in the ground right now: I would absolutely still encourage people to get into marketing. Marketing definitely has a future. But there’s a way I would think about marketing — and about a career in marketing — that matters more than ever. And that way is about people. It’s about customers. It’s about...

As I noted a week ago, if you’re like most companies, you’re about to start planning your strategy for next year. You started with a health check to assess where you are. Well, now it’s time to think about where you want to be. What are your goals for next year? More importantly, how do you set goals that inspire your team to achieve your objectives? How can you get your team aligned around a common vision for your organization? There’s a fairly straightforward approach we tend to recommend...

We’re solidly in the dog days of summer. And, we all know that it’s almost time to start planning our 2024 business and marketing strategies. And to start that process, you need to know where you are today, what’s working, and what’s not. In other words, it’s time to conduct a health check for your business and your marketing. What is a health check? How does it apply to your marketing? What does it include? And how can you be sure that it makes a difference for your business? That’s what...