What AI Can Do for You

In the modern era, artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved from a futuristic concept into a powerful force shaping our daily lives. From the way we shop and communicate to how we work and seek medical advice, AI is revolutionizing various industries and enhancing our overall experiences. In this comprehensive exploration, we’ll delve into the myriad ways AI can benefit individuals, businesses, and society as a whole.

Understanding AI: A Brief Overview

Before we dive into the transformative potential of AI, let’s briefly understand what it is. Artificial intelligence refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks include problem-solving, learning, decision-making, speech recognition, and more. AI systems learn from data, adapt to new information, and continuously improve their performance.

AI in Healthcare: Saving Lives and Improving Diagnostics

One of the most profound impacts of AI can be seen in the healthcare industry. AI-driven technologies are being used to analyze vast amounts of medical data, aiding in early disease detection, treatment optimization, and drug discovery. For instance:

Disease Diagnosis: AI algorithms can analyze medical images, such as X-rays and MRIs, to identify abnormalities or diseases, often with higher accuracy than human radiologists.
Drug Discovery: AI-powered simulations and data analysis are accelerating drug discovery by identifying potential compounds and predicting their effectiveness.
Personalized Medicine: AI analyzes patient data to tailor treatment plans, reducing side effects and improving outcomes.
Telemedicine: AI chatbots and virtual assistants facilitate remote consultations, making healthcare more accessible.

AI in Education: Personalized Learning and Student Success

The educational landscape is also undergoing a transformation thanks to AI. It’s enhancing the learning experience for students and streamlining administrative tasks for educators:

Personalized Learning: AI systems adapt curriculum and materials to each student’s learning pace and style, ensuring they grasp concepts thoroughly.
Grading and Assessment: AI-driven assessment tools can grade assignments and provide immediate feedback, saving educators time.
Administrative Efficiency: AI manages administrative tasks like scheduling, student records, and resource allocation.
Early Intervention: AI can identify students at risk of falling behind and recommend interventions.

AI in Retail: Transforming Shopping Experiences

The retail industry has seen a significant AI-driven transformation, leading to more personalized and efficient shopping experiences:

Recommendation Engines: AI algorithms analyze customer preferences and behavior to suggest products, increasing sales and customer satisfaction.
Inventory Management: AI optimizes inventory levels, reducing waste and ensuring products are in stock when needed.
Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: AI-powered chatbots provide 24/7 customer support and answer inquiries, improving customer service.
Supply Chain Optimization: AI predicts demand and optimizes the supply chain, reducing costs and delivery times.

AI in Finance: Enhancing Decision-Making and Security

In the financial sector, AI is revolutionizing how businesses manage their finances, assess risks, and protect against fraud:

Algorithmic Trading: AI-driven algorithms analyze market data and execute trades at lightning speed, maximizing returns.
Credit Scoring: AI assesses creditworthiness by analyzing a broader range of data, making lending more accessible.
Fraud Detection: AI identifies unusual patterns in transactions to prevent fraudulent activities.
Customer Service: AI chatbots assist customers with financial inquiries, providing quick and accurate responses.

AI in Transportation: Improving Efficiency and Safety

The transportation industry is harnessing AI to optimize routes, reduce accidents, and enhance the overall efficiency of various modes of transportation:

Autonomous Vehicles: AI plays a pivotal role in self-driving cars, making transportation safer and more convenient.
Traffic Management: AI analyzes traffic data to optimize traffic light timing and reduce congestion.
Predictive Maintenance: AI predicts when vehicles or infrastructure need maintenance, reducing downtime and costs.
Logistics: AI optimizes routes, load distribution, and delivery schedules for freight companies.

AI in Entertainment: Personalized Content and Creative Assistance

Entertainment, too, benefits from AI, with personalized content recommendations and creative assistance:

Content Recommendations: Streaming platforms use AI to suggest movies, TV shows, and music tailored to individual preferences.
Content Creation: AI can assist in generating music, art, and even writing, enhancing creative processes.
Gaming: AI-driven NPCs (non-playable characters) offer more dynamic and challenging gameplay experiences.

AI in Cybersecurity: Protecting Digital Assets

As cyber threats grow in sophistication, AI is becoming a crucial tool for detecting and preventing attacks:

Threat Detection: AI analyzes network traffic and user behavior to identify potential threats in real-time.
Anomaly Detection: AI recognizes unusual patterns, helping to detect unauthorized access and data breaches.
Automated Response: AI can respond to threats faster than humans, mitigating damage.

AI in Environmental Conservation: Monitoring and Prediction

In the battle against climate change and environmental degradation, AI plays a pivotal role:

Climate Modeling: AI models help scientists predict climate patterns and understand environmental changes.
Wildlife Conservation: AI-powered cameras and drones monitor wildlife populations and combat poaching.
Agricultural Optimization: AI assists in optimizing farming practices, reducing resource waste.

AI in Social Services: Improving Public Welfare

AI is also being used in social services to enhance public welfare:

Predictive Policing: AI analyzes crime data to predict and prevent criminal activity.
Disaster Response: AI helps coordinate disaster response efforts and allocate resources efficiently.
Healthcare Access: AI-driven chatbots provide health information and resources to underserved communities.

The Ethical and Societal Implications of What AI Can Do for You

While AI offers numerous benefits, it also raises ethical concerns related to privacy, bias, and job displacement. It is crucial to address these issues as we continue to integrate AI into our lives.

Conclusion: The Ongoing AI Revolution

As we’ve explored, AI has the potential to revolutionize countless industries and improve our lives in myriad ways. From healthcare to education, finance to entertainment, the transformative power of AI is reshaping the world. However, it’s essential to approach AI development and deployment responsibly, addressing ethical concerns and ensuring that the benefits are shared equitably. With careful consideration and ethical guidance, AI will continue to be a force for positive change in our rapidly evolving world.

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Looking to keep up with the latest social media trends? Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will be essential tools in your arsenal in 2023. Keep an eye out for platforms like TikTok and Pinterest which are sure to make a splash on the internet.

1. Facebook

… is still the king of social media platforms, boasting more than 2 billion users worldwide. It is a powerful tool for networking and sharing information with friends and family. Businesses are now able to use Facebook Ads to target specific demographics and create campaigns to reach their desired audience. Facebook Insights also allows businesses to measure the success of their campaigns.

Additionally, businesses can create pages and groups to further engage with customers and build meaningful relationships. Facebook Messenger is an invaluable communication tool, allowing businesses to directly communicate with customers and answer their questions in real time. With its versatile features, Facebook is an invaluable tool for businesses to grow and engage with their customers.

In 2023, Facebook will continue to roll out new features to improve user experience and engagement. Facebook Stories has become a popular way for users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Facebook also recently launched a new 3D photos feature, which allows users to create 3D images by uploading a single photo.

The company is also focusing on improving its video platform, with features like Watch Parties, which allows users to watch videos together, and Instagram Reels, which allows users to create and share short videos. Facebook is also investing in live streaming capabilities and rolling out new monetization features for content creators. Finally, Facebook is investing in augmented reality technology to create more immersive experiences for users.

2. Twitter

… is another great tool for staying connected with friends and family. With its quick-fire format, it’s easy to share ideas and thoughts with others quickly and easily.

Twitter is a great way to stay connected with friends and family, as well as to get the latest news and updates. It also provides a platform for businesses to interact with their customers and build relationships.

Companies and brands can use Twitter to share news, promotions, and updates while also engaging in conversations with customers. Twitter Analytics can also be used to measure the success of campaigns and to gain insights into customer trends and behaviors. Twitter Ads are also available for businesses to reach their desired audience and promote their products or services. Twitter is an invaluable tool for businesses to build relationships with their customers and stay up to date with the latest trends.

In 2023, Twitter will continue to roll out new features to improve user experience and engagement. Twitter will be introducing new tools for businesses to better interact with customers and build relationships. Twitter will also be introducing new ad formats and analytics tools to measure effectiveness. Additionally, Twitter will be investing in new AI technology to better understand user behavior and help advertisers target the right users.
Finally, Twitter will be introducing new monetization features for content creators and influencers.

3. Instagram

… is one of the most popular social media platforms, boasting more than 1 billion users worldwide. It is a powerful tool for businesses to reach their target audience and create engaging visual content.
Instagram Stories has become a popular way to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Businesses can also take advantage of Instagram Ads to target specific demographics and create campaigns to reach their desired audience. Additionally, businesses can use Instagram Insights to measure the success of their campaigns.

In 2023, Instagram will continue to roll out new features to improve user experience and engagement. Instagram is introducing new tools for businesses to better interact with customers and build relationships.
It is also introducing new ad formats and analytics tools to measure effectiveness. Additionally, Instagram is investing in new AI technology to better understand user behavior and help advertisers target the right users. Finally, Instagram is introducing new monetization features for content creators and influencers.

4. TikTok

… is a social media platform that has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. With more than 800 million active users, it is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world.

It is a great platform for businesses and influencers to reach their target audience, create engaging content, and build relationships. TikTok’s algorithm-driven content ensures that users are fed relevant content tailored to their interests, creating an immersive experience.

In 2023, TikTok will continue to roll out new features to improve user experience and engagement. TikTok is introducing new tools for businesses to better interact with customers and build relationships. It is also introducing new ad formats and analytics tools to measure effectiveness. Additionally, TikTok is investing in new AI technology to better understand user behavior and help advertisers target the right users.
Finally, TikTok is introducing new monetization features for content creators and influencers.

5. Pinterest

… is a social media platform that enables users to discover and share visual content. It is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, boasting over 400 million active users. Businesses and influencers can use Pinterest to reach their target audience and create engaging content. Pinterest’s algorithm-driven content ensures that users are fed relevant content tailored to their interests, creating an immersive experience.

In 2023, Pinterest will continue to roll out new features to improve user experience and engagement. Pinterest is introducing new tools for businesses to better interact with customers and build relationships. It is also introducing new ad formats and analytics tools to measure effectiveness. Additionally, Pinterest is investing in new AI technology to better understand user behavior and help advertisers target the right users.
Finally, Pinterest is introducing new monetization features for content creators and influencers.

In conclusion

… social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest are rapidly evolving and introducing new features to improve user experience and engagement.
These platforms are becoming increasingly valuable tools for businesses to reach their target audience and create engaging content. In 2023, these platforms will continue to introduce new tools for businesses to better interact with customers and build relationships, as well as new ad formats and analytics tools to measure effectiveness.

Additionally, each platform is investing in new AI technology to better understand user behavior and help advertisers target the right users. Finally, new monetization features are being introduced for content creators and influencers. As these platforms continue to innovate and develop, businesses should take advantage of the opportunities they present to reach their desired audiences.

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Social media has become an essential tool for business professionals and it’s no wonder – it’s affordable, user-friendly, and can be used to reach a large audience quickly.

Facebook

Facebook is the king of social media platforms and for good reason. It has over 2 billion active users, making it one of the most popular social networks on the planet. FB is also one of the easiest platforms to navigate. You can create a profile for your business or organization, post updates about your company or products. Interact with your customers and followers. You can also use Facebook to advertise your services or products. For example, you could place ads on Facebook. Subsequently targeting people who live in your area who are interested in purchasing your product or service. You can also use Facebook as a way to keep track of what’s happening in the world around you. For example, if you follow news organizations on Facebook, you can stay up to date on current events.

Twitter

Twitter is another powerful social media platform that’s perfect for business professionals. TW has approximately 320 million active users and that number is growing rapidly. TW is especially useful for staying up-to-date on current events and for communicating with customers and followers quickly and easily.
You can use Twitter to post updates about your company or products, announce new products or services, respond to customer questions and complaints, and more. You can also use Twitter as a way to build relationships with customers and followers by responding positively to their tweets (and not just negative ones). Finally, It can be used as a marketing tool to promote your company or products to a wider audience. For example, you could run ads on Twitter specifically targeting people who are interested in purchasing your product or service.

Instagram 

Instagram is a great social media platform for businesses of all sizes. IN has over 600 million active users and that number is growing rapidly. IN is especially useful for promoting your company or products to a wider audience.
For example, you could run ads on Instagram specifically targeting people who are interested in purchasing your product or service. Additionally, you can use Instagram to create visual content that can be used as marketing collateral (for example, product shots, blog posts, and so on). Finally, Instagram can be used as a way to build relationships with customers and followers by responding positively to their posts (and not just negative ones).

Pinterest

Pinterest is a great social media platform for businesses of all sizes. PI has over 300 million active users and that number is growing rapidly. Pinterest is especially useful for promoting your company or products to a wider audience.
For example, you could run ads on Pinterest specifically targeting people who are interested in purchasing your product or service. Additionally, you can use Pinterest to create visual content that can be used as marketing collateral (for example, product shots, blog posts, and so on). Finally, Pinterest can be used as a way to build relationships with customers and followers by responding positively to their posts (and not just negative ones).

TikTok

TikTok is another popular social media platform that businesses may want to consider using for marketing purposes. TT has approximately 700 million active users worldwide. Consequently it makes it one of the most popular mobile app platforms out there today. Like other social media platforms mentioned here (Facebook & Twitter),
TT allows you to post updates about your company or products as well as communicate with customers & followers quickly & easily through direct messages (DM). Additionally, TikTok offers an easy way for businesses to market their products directly to their target demographic. IE., people who use TikTok regularly! For example, you could run ads on TikTok specifically targeting people who use TikToy regularly and have an interest in buying specific types of products from your business (e.g., fashion brands could target young adults). Another great thing about using TikTok for marketing purposes is that it’s extremely cost-effective. Meaning that you won’t need a lot of money upfront in order to start promoting yourself through this medium!

Overall, social media platforms like TikTok are great for marketing your business to a global audience quickly & easily – so don’t hesitate to start using them today!

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There are many different ways to optimize your social media marketing strategy to reach more customers. Some tips include using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest; using popular app TikTok and Instagram; and optimizing your website content and visuals.

To get the most out of your social media marketing, make sure to follow these tips:

1. Create a Consistent Social Media Strategy: Plan and execute your social media campaigns in a planned and consistent way. This will help you keep track of your progress and adjust your strategy accordingly.

2. Use Social Media Platforms Effectively: Make use of each social media platform’s unique features to reach more people. For example, Facebook is better for creating longer-form content, while Twitter is better for driving traffic to your website or blog posts.

3. Utilize Popular App TikTok and Instagram: These apps are great for reaching a younger audience, as they are popular with both young and adult audiences. Use them to promote your brand’s products or services, or to share interesting content that will appeal to your target market.

4. Optimize Your Website Content and Visuals: Make sure all of your website content (text, images, videos), as well as the visual presentation (layout, colors, fonts), are optimized for each social media platform. This will help you achieve the most effective results from your social media marketing efforts.

5. Track and Analyze Your Results: Regularly review your social media results to see which platforms are performing best and make necessary changes to your strategy. This will help you reach your target audience more effectively and generate more sales.

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It’s hard to imagine life without smart phones and mobile devices. But it wasn’t until 3G that smart phones began to resemble the user experience now so ingrained in our daily lives. Since then, faster network speeds have been one of key enablers of the creation and widespread use of cloud technology enabling transformative services like ride-sharing apps, HD entertainment, and video calls that have become mainstream. 

While 3G and 4G powered these services, 5G represents another connectivity leap beginning this year. 

It is envisioned – per ITU-R’s IMT-2020 requirements — to support blazing-fast speeds of up to 20 Gbps, low latency as low as 1 millisecond, and 100x more capacity as compared to 4G, 5G is setting the stage for immediate improvements to existing experiences as well as the development of new, yet-to-be-imagined technological advancements. 

Here’s a look at the change coming: 

Everything will get faster
From day 1, 5G is designed to make virtually everything faster, providing fiber-like speeds to support insatiable demand for unlimited data. You should notice improved download speeds, superior quality video streaming and virtually instant cloud access in flagship 5G devices launching in 2019. And it should be easier than ever to download your favorite binge-worthy series at the airport or deliver massive files to colleagues when you’re on the go. 

Instant access to cloud
5G brings extraordinary low latency. Latency is the time between data request and its delivery. 5G is purpose-built and designed to deliver entirely new real-time experiences we’ve never had before. We expect our new smartphones, tablets, and always-connected PCs* will be able to utilize 5G’s lower latency connectivity, higher capacity, in addition to its super-fast speeds, for the next level of cloud services. 

Smooth real-time multiplayer gaming
Once online/cloud gaming make it easier for multi-player collaboration, then, live-stream gameplay with rapid map and level downloads will get a boost. Think of first-person shooter game where latency can be the difference between your character’s life and death.

Transformation to the Wireless Edge
As virtually everything gets connected in this new era, realizing 5G’s full potential requires transformation of the wireless edge. An architecture of distributed intelligence where intelligence that deals with immediacy is moved toward the edge (closer to or on the devices) while processing-intensive functions are kept in the cloud. 5G is enabled with the help of Qualcomm’s foundational inventions and mobile platforms, and is engineered to provide the high-speed low-latency link that connects them together.

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One great use case of 5G and edge computing is extended reality (XR). Enough processing is kept in the headset while offloading nearly everything else, including rendering, to the cloud. With your 360-degree views effortlessly synchronized with your movements, XR experience is intended to feel immediate and photorealistic. Simply put, this could  transform your experience from passive watching to living the moment.

Another use case is AR shopping. This is just beyond utility, it can make the shopping experience more fun, with the ability to virtually decorate with friends or family. An experience that can allow you to see how a couch will fit in your home – try it before you buy type of experience.

What’s next can only be imagined
Qualcomm, an inventor of breakthrough technologies for wireless, is focused on enterprise as well as consumer use cases. The next phase of 5G is designed to bring large-scale changes for the enterprise and business sides, allowing for innovation in autonomous driving, smart cities, social good, and beyond. 

*Requires network connectivity.
Thank you for this great article Qualcomm

As social media platforms have evolved into full-blown communication channels, more brands are relying on these platforms to reach their target audiences.

Consumer attention is scattered across various social platforms, not to mention apps and other online diversions. Brands that hope to capture consumers’ attention and dollars need to keep in touch with how their audiences utilize these platforms. The bottom line is that, as trends evolve on social media, so must the corresponding marketing.

With the start of a new year, it’s time to look into the crystal ball of emerging trends on social media. What is going to influence social media users? What does this mean for brand marketing? And what do we need to be aware of to stay current and relevant in 2019?

Here are the top 10 social media trends to keep an eye on in the new year.

1. Rebuilding trust in social media platforms.
Social media platforms continue to grow annually — in fact, Facebook has more than 2 billion active users each month. However, the picture isn’t entirely rosy. Consumer confidence in social media is on shaky ground.

Users are growing increasingly leery of the information they find on social media. And marketers may be contributing to the situation when they fail to properly label paid advertising posts or they bombard a platform with targeted ads that overwhelm users. All of this can leave users feeling distrustful of both the brand and the platform.

Younger generations have little tolerance for marketing that comes off as disingenuous. Brands will need to look for ways to build consumer trust. That means focusing on ways to authentically connect with audiences, and ways to highlight their humanity. Brands need to connect with their audiences on a meaningful level. No one likes being constantly swamped with ads. Even worse is when you’re being marketed to and don’t even realize it.

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2. Social media is about storytelling.
Social media’s popularity is rooted in the fact that it allows us to share our life experiences with friends and families. We get to tell our stories through our posts, and we get to see a snapshot of everyone else’s lives through our news feeds. At first, that was through written posts and photos, but video content is increasingly popular.

Social media is adapting, embracing new ways to allow people to tell their stories and share their narrative with the world. Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook are embracing this trend, and it’s changing the way we consume social media content.

This opens the door for brands to share more human stories of their own, which will inspire audiences to try out their product. Storytelling feels real, immediate and personal, but it also demands a mix of more time-intensive video, images and graphics, and requires brands to be more creative and thoughtful in the intent.

3. Build a brand narrative.
Along with honing their human stories, businesses are going to need to build a strategic narrative behind their brand. Narratives capture moments and experiences shared between a user and a product; they’re the conversations that are occurring, and they’re often about trying to create a broader, more positive change.

These narratives can be distributed through social media and digital media, and they reflect what a brand’s community is saying about them. If a brand can build a larger story, it will have a better chance of success.

Brand narratives need to be compelling and lead audiences to an action. Evaluate your brand story, and ensure it is inspiring and stands out against the messiness of other social media content.

4. Quality and creativity over quantity.
Marketers often have a knee-jerk reaction to trends by flooding platforms with mediocre and uninspired content in hopes of riding the trend wave. Would-be customers react by tuning out and quickly dismissing subpar messaging. The threshold for gaining customer attention and trust has grown exponentially. Marketers who hope to gain consumer consideration must be willing to go the extra mile in creating engaging content.

The bottom line is, to have an impact, brands must be purposeful and creative. Less content, if it’s created thoughtfully and is well-positioned, will have greater impact than an abundance of content that is uninspired, heavy-handed or seen as shallow or dull.

5. Put a human face to your brand.
Personal branding is a must on social media. Putting a real, human face to a brand is key in building trust and loyalty, especially for small, relatively unknown businesses. Personal branding gives a business a human element that will naturally connect customers and make the brand seem more relatable. Businesses that learn to foster their human element will have a real advantage over those who hide behind a logo.

One popular trend in humanizing a business is to promote the personal brand of the business owner or a high-level leader. This can be done through guest blogging, podcasts and webinars. Giving the public an up-close view of the company’s leader can strengthen its brand reputation.

6. Influencers continue to grow their communities.
Influencer marketing continues to develop and grow on social media platforms. Influencers are social media figures who have gathered a defined community around themselves. Their large followings (which can range from the thousands to over a million viewers) give them influence over others. They can be incredibly effective as salespeople because we inherently trust the people we follow on social media.

Much like personal branding, when done well influencer marketing gives a human voice to brands. Influencer marketing is less direct than traditional forms of advertising, but it can effectively create authentic ways of connecting with customers.

7. Selfie videos and branding.
The selfie culture continues to flourish on social media, with the popularity of selfie photo evolving into the self-recorded video. These “selfie videos” are drawing high user interest on social media. Like the selfie photo, the selfie video allows users to capture a moment in time, but the video format allows users to communicate in a deeper and more personal way than a photo ever could. Selfie videos tend to be short and feel more immediate than a written post with a photo.

Businesses need to take note: viewers spend hours watching friends’ videos on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Brands would be wise to look for ways to incorporate first-person “selfie video” content as part of their marketing strategy.

Traditional advertising can be off-putting to younger audiences, who are more cautious about their purchases and want a more authentic experience with their brands. The selfie video can help a brand seem more relatable and trustworthy.

8. Segment your social audiences.
While brands talk about their customers and audiences, the reality is that most businesses will have multiple audiences. Segmentation is the process of organizing your audience into manageable groups (or segments) so you can tailor your messaging and communications to the preferences of each group. Social media is most effective when you segment your audiences so you can be relevant to the right groups of people at the right time.

Making assumptions about your audience and lumping them all together could limit your ability to reach more people. So the more you know about your audience and the various groups that make up your audience, the better you can adjust your messaging and narratives to fit each segment.

9. Hyper-targeted personalization.
Customers have come to expect brands to tailor special offers and discounts to their wants and needs. To keep up with expectations, businesses need to step up their game when it comes to targeted advertising. Nearly every social media platform offers some level of audience filtering when you opt to pay for advertising. These options range from simple geographic targeting to advanced filters that refine audiences into highly specific segments.

In the coming year, brands will increasingly turn to hyper-targeted personalization to reach their audiences. This is often achieved through retargeting or remarketing ads. Ever wonder why you’re seeing an ad on your social media site for something you were shopping for earlier? That’s hyper-targeted personalization at work.

Using “cookies” while you browse online, marketers collect data on users, such as online habits, the area they live in and any other pertinent information. But marketers will need to find a balance between being too pushy and being able to offer personalized advertising that will genuinely interest customers.

10. Know your platforms.
Businesses should carefully consider which social media platforms to focus on, as each platform tends to be used by different groups. For example, over 80 percent of Pinterest users are female, and more than 50 percent of users are from the US. So, if a brand is targeting American women, posting on Pinterest could help isolate that group.

Meanwhile, Snapchat users tend to be younger than those who use Facebook. And career-focused professionals spend more of their time on LinkedIn. Brands that use multiple platforms should use these distinguishing characteristics to decide where to post content and on which platforms to focus the majority of their marketing efforts.

Thank you for this great article Deep Patel

10 Important Facts About Content Marketing

It’s no secret that content has fast become a new focal point in overall brand marketing efforts. Its meteoric rise has been well documented with various facts and figures: 78 percent of CMOs think rich content is the future, according to Hanley Wood, and a Content Marketing Institute survey shows that 86 percent of B2B marketers are using content marketing with 70 percent of them creating more content than they did a year ago.

Those facts aren’t particularly surprising, and they’ve been shared thousands of times over. But the role of rich content production and distribution within larger marketing efforts continues to change and grow. Here are 10 important new and notable facts about content marketing that illustrate its shift from the new kid on the block to a standard and necessary marketing practice.

1. Blogging increases Web traffic by 55 percent for brands. Adding regularly updated content to a website by way of a blog publishing platform is a key way to increase site visitors. (Rocket Post)
2. Almost half of respondents (46 percent) in one survey said a website’s design is the No. 1 criteria for determining a company’s credibility. For content marketers, this means the platform to publish content needs to be aesthetically appealing, or you might find readers quickly exiting the site shortly after arriving. (NewsCred)
3. Articles with images get 94 percent more views than those without photos. Producing rich, relevant content is one thing. Producing content that draws a reader in and keeps them there takes more work, and should include photos. (NewsCred)
4. Content doesn’t necessarily need to be original. About 48% of marketers curate noteworthy content from trustworthy sources and repackage it for their readers. (Design & Promote)
5. Despite the growth of content marketing, 54 percent of brands don’t have an on-site, dedicated content director. (NewsCred)
6. Customer testimonials have the highest effectiveness rating for content marketing at 89 percent. The content still needs to be authentic and targeted at readers, but using testimonials can improve brand trustworthiness. (Social Fresh)
7. LinkedIn is the top social network for B2B marketing. 83 percent of marketers say they prefer to use LinkedIn for distributing B2B content. (Real Business Rescue)
8. 17 percent of marketers plan to increase efforts on SlideShare this year. Repackaging live presentations, webinars and information Adobe PDF portfolios to SlideShare is gaining popularity, showing how distribution channels for content continue to grow. (Forbes)
9. More than half (53 percent) of marketers rank content creation as the single most effective SEO tactic. (NewsCred)
10. Roughly 27,000,000 pieces of content are shared everyday. That number will only continue to grow, showing just how dominant content is becoming in the marketing landscape, and how competitive it will be in the future. (AOL and Nielsen)

Thanks to Interfuse for this great article

Is My Site Mobile Friendly?

Since April 2015 Google is punishing websites that are not Mobile Friendly.
Meaning: you will tank if your site is not optimized for mobile devices.
At first this only happened on mobile searches. Google even added “Mobile Friendly” to the search result on your mobile device. 

It is official now:
>>> Your site will now be punished also on
desktop search if it is not Mobile Friendly! <<<

So what do you do? Get with your web developer ASAP and convert your site to a mobile friendly one. WordPress does a great job here. What you want to do is get a “Responsive Website“.

>>> Check your site here
if it is mobile ready <<<