BY LIVIU TANASE for INC. It’s coming: In December, Google will start deleting inactive accounts to prevent security threats like spam, account hacks, and phishing scams. If an account has been idle for over two years, Google may delete it along with all its content across Google Workspace, including Gmail. If your business uses email to stay in touch with customers, Google’s update means it’s time to investigate the health of your database. If you’re emailing subscribers who never engage, you risk getting high bounce rates starting this month-;and having your future emails go to the spam folder. Here’s how to be proactive…
5 Crazy Weird Products From 2023
BY ALI DONALDSON for INC. Food and beverage brands got weird in 2023. Several companies rolled out truly wacky products this year, most of which were limited-edition brand collaborations likely designed to generate public buzz in addition to revenue. According to Samuel West, a psychologist whose corporate clients include Ikea, Johnson & Johnson, and Mars, these fun and playfully intentional self-owns by companies started popping up within the past decade, around the time Swedish Fish-flavored Oreos hit store shelves. West, who studies corporate failure and even founded a museum on the subject, says these purposefully strange products are designed to get our attention. That strategy certainly worked. Here are some of the…
Google’s 2023 releases: A B2B marketer’s review
by Laura Schiele for Search Engine Land As 2023 draws near a close, marketers have to admit this about Google: they’ve been busy. Between Bard/SGE headlines and antitrust lawsuit admissions of auction gaming, Google has produced its usual share of releases. Sadly for B2B, most are either aimed at ecommerce/B2C or represent minor improvements that don’t make up for the advertising controls Google has stripped or the glaring lack of transparency behind auctions and pricing. With that as the backdrop, I’ll review some of Google’s bigger releases in 2023 before adding a plea for a few updates I think could actually help B2B marketing…
When Your New Hire Is in Jail on His First Day
And three other tricky workplace dilemmas. BY ALISON GREEN, INC.COM COLUMNIST Here's a roundup of answers to four questions from readers. 1. When your new hire is in jail on his first day My company hired a new person on my team. He was scheduled to start on a Monday but he pushed back a week at the last minute, and he didn't notify us until minutes before he was expected in. The next Monday he didn't come in, and no one could get in touch with him. We eventually discovered he was in jail. He claimed he was pulled over on the…
5 Leading Talent Acquisition Trends Taking Storm in 2024
By Brianna Rooney for HR Daily Advisor It’s hard to believe that 2023 is nearly over, marking now as the time when HR professionals and organizational leaders should start planning for the next year, including their plans for talent acquisition. The work and hiring landscape is rapidly evolving, especially following the pandemic and the Great Resignation. Today’s job seekers bring a wealth of unique skills to the table, which also means they’re looking for better benefits and more flexible positions. As a result, HR teams and staffing professionals will need to grow out of their previous recruitment strategies to consider these…
Kick Scrooge to the Curb to Make Your Holiday Marketing Numbers Soar!
By Michael Brenner for Marketing Insider Group It’s time to start thinking about your holiday marketing campaign. No matter what your business, there’s always a way to work in a little holiday cheer into your end-of-year marketing. There’s one character, though, you don’t want to creep through. Scrooge. But what if your employees think you’re a bit of a Scrooge? How engaged are they at work? Only about 30 percent of the nation’s employees are engaged on the job, according to a Gallup survey. And if they’re not, all you need to do is glance at the mirror to see Scrooge’s shadow.…
4 Tips for Closing a Deal That Has Hit a Wall, According to a HubSpot Sales Director
by Ben Kassiff for HubSpot Some deals hit walls — that‘s just an unfortunate fact of sales life. As wonderful as it would be to have every sales engagement run smoothly end-to-end and amount to an amicable, productive resolution, that’s just not how things work. As a salesperson, you‘re almost guaranteed to have to handle this kind of situation at some point in your professional life. So to help you best approach this dilemma when the time comes, I’ve put together a list of four key tips I've learned over my career for closing a deal that has lost steam.…
5 Excel and Google Sheets tricks every SEO should know
by Maria Georgieva for Search Engine Land Amid the popularity of generative AI tools, spreadsheets are still essential tools for marketing analytics. When it comes to organizing, cleaning, and analyzing data, Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets have stood the test of time. All the famous SEO tools export most of their data in CSV format. And while you can use genAI for data analysis, often you’ll still need a good old spreadsheet to get started. So let’s dive back into the basics and see how you can make your life as an SEO and digital marketer easier with these five tips to…
How Well Do Senior Marketers Understand AI?
by Ayaz Nanji for MarketingProfs Most senior marketers say their understanding of artificial intelligence is at the beginner or intermediate level, according to recent research from Drift and the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute. The report was based on data from a survey conducted between April and July 2023, among 918 senior marketers (managers and above). Some 35% of respondents say they'd classify their understanding of AI terminology and capabilities as beginner, 54% as intermediate, and 11% as advanced. Some 46% of senior marketers rate their confidence in evaluating AI-powered marketing technology at a medium level, 32% at a high level, and 21% at a low level, Some 58% of…
Why Pet Insurance Is Gaining Popularity as an Employee Benefit
By Trey Ferro for HR Daily Advisor The open enrollment period for 2024 health insurance coverage has commenced, and employers are presented with a unique opportunity to enhance their benefits packages. While health insurance remains a cornerstone of these packages, a rapidly growing trend is emerging: the inclusion of pet insurance. The rise of pet insurance, one of the fastest-growing insurance segments in the United States, offers employers and employees alike a chance to reap significant benefits. Pet insurance has been on the rise in recent years, reflecting the increasing importance of pets in people’s lives—70% of U.S. households have…