AI is in desperate need of designers–in part, because machine learning products often originate in the world of research, where design principles are rarely applied. Closing the gap between researchers and designers is the goal of Google’s People + AI Research (PAIR) initiative, which launched earlier this summer. PAIR aims to establish design principles for AI systems and build tools for designers and developers as AI moves quickly from the research lab into the products we use every day. At PAIR’s first conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this week, researchers from Google, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Illinois presented their ideas on machine learning systems that have human needs at their core. Based on their comments, here are three problems AI is currently facing–and how the right design could help.
https://www.fastcodesign.com/90144510/3-problems-with-ai-only-designers-can-solve/
According to a blog post of Email Delivered there is a “heated debate inside marketing circles” about what’s the best option when it comes to focusing your marketing efforts: social media or email marketing.
Although I had promised myself not to rant (well) anymore I can’t help but beg you to please refrain from this way of thinking. If there’s a heated debate going on inside marketing circles about these questions, I’m very happy that it’s not a debate in my marketing circles.
https://www.i-scoop.eu/email-marketing-versus-social-media/
Species that adapt survive, according to Charles Darwin -- and not even necessarily those that rely on strength. Strategies and platforms are evolving in the digital age, and consumers are engaging brands on channels that didn't exist a few years ago.
The modern marketer must be extremely agile. But while change spawns creativity, the goals of marketing remain constant. An employer hires a marketer to communicate the right message at various stages of the funnel, raise brand awareness and loyalty, drive traffic and customer engagement, and implement methods that lead to conversions and sales. Here are key trends in marketing to prepare for in the coming year:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2017/09/06/key-digital-marketing-trends-to-prepare-for-in-2017-2018/#5d9093355d1b/
When you start to unpick the visitor behavior on your website, one thing is apparent: Everyone has a limited amount of tolerance for frustration before they drop off. Think of it like a bucket. As you browse a site, every error, poor choice of wording, confusing step or overlong form adds another splash of water. Eventually, the water spills out of the bucket and you give up.
Last week’s Masterclass with SessionCam and Subway—How to Convert Your Website Visitors into Customers—covers the optimization tactics that work to stop this bucket spilling over and maximize your conversion rates. Only 19.2% of webinar attendees are satisfied with their conversion rates, which highlights what a key challenge this is for marketers; 42.6% of attendees are dissatisfied with their conversion rates.
https://www.clickz.com/6-ways-to-increase-your-conversion-rate-using-behavioral-data/113802/
Imagine relaxing with your favorite Netflix show after a long day when, suddenly, your internet connection goes down. In place of your show are a spinning wheel and black screen. You reach for your cell phone and ask Google about your connection loss. Google recommends your provider’s help page, and on this page, you are greeted with a site that is not optimized for mobile and content that does not answer your question. Frustrated, you look for a customer service number to dial instead.
This scenario, and many others like it, offers tremendous opportunity for improvement. Creating a positive and easy customer service experience promotes a happier, more loyal customer -- and using digital marketing tips and tools can help. Creating content for the customer, developing a content strategy and testing and optimizing are key digital marketing tools that can help you create an excellent customer service experience for your users.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/10/25/digital-marketing-is-the-future-of-customer-support/#37d37ed84e19/
Several new initiatives are aimed at bringing machine learning into publisher products and offering solutions for driving subscriptions.
Google is laying the groundwork for turning the love-hate relationship many publishers have with the company into a love-love relationship. In an event for publishers hosted at the Google offices in Chicago Tuesday, executives laid out several new initiatives aimed at extending a helping hand to publishers across multiple aspects of their businesses....
https://marketingland.com/google-publishers-user-data-insights-engine-project-225452/
The ubiquity of virtual assistants like Siri, Cortana and Alexa, together with improvements in technology, has led to an uptick in voice search queries. For businesses that rely on local search traffic, this has important ramifications for their strategy.
So how can businesses ensure they aren’t left behind when it comes to local search?
https://www.clickz.com/what-does-voice-search-mean-for-your-local-seo-strategy/110541/
Defined by the World Economic Forum as ‘broadcasting, publishing, advertising, and gaming’, the media industry is all-pervasive in modern life. For audiences, it provides daily news, entertainment and information. For marketers, it’s direct to channel to a network of customers. Advancements in technology have fundamentally changed the way the media industry operates...
https://www.clickz.com/the-state-of-media-transformation/113738/
Halloween is slowly creeping up on us. There’s that subtle hint of pumpkin spice lingering in the air, costumes filling up all of the party stores and of course, the most quintessential Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus has taken up the number one spot on Netflix. With all of this Halloween fever around us, we simply couldn’t resist adding a little Halloween ‘flair’ to our blog. So – in light of the holiday – we want to emphasize several ways online feedback can prevent your customers from having a ‘scary’ customer experience!
But before we begin, it’s important that you become acquainted with the most common ‘horrors’ (or irritations) that online customers often encounter; horrors that can tarnish the customer experience and ultimately (if not resolved), put these customers off to your brand...
https://mopinion.com/3-ways-online-feedback-can-prevent-a-scary-customer-experience/
Two contrasting things happened in my world this week: I installed multiple analytics packages in a client’s website so we will get more insight into consumer behavior, and I started reading the Steve Jobs biography in which he basically says he’s not concerned with what customers want or say. These two ideas are seemingly diametrically opposed until you put more context around them.
https://www.clickz.com/customer-feedback-embrace-or-ignore/49053/
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