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The Single Biggest Myth in Digital: Content is Expensive (Thinks Out Loud Episode 275) – Headlines and Show Notes

Every day, folks from our team hear marketers at companies large and small talk about how much their content marketing efforts cost. And, they’re not wrong. They often are spending too much money on content. But they’re also buying into the single biggest myth in digital. It’s not that content is expensive. It’s that — for any number of reasons — their content doesn’t do what it’s supposed to. Maybe they don’t measure it effectively. Maybe it doesn’t drive clicks or links or shares. Maybe it doesn’t convert. But content is not expensive. Content that no one sees is expensive. Content that doesn't convert is expensive. But content that does its job is the best investment you can make in your business.

In this episode of Thinks Out Loud, we blow up the single biggest myth in digital marketing: content is expensive. Company founder andThinks Out Loud host Tim Peter looks at why content is expensive for some companies — and how you can make it be not only a solid investment, but the best investment around.

Curious to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Relevant Links – The Single Biggest Myth in Digital: Content is Expensive (Thinks Out Loud Episode 275)

* Content is King, Customer Experience is Queen

* What is More Important Than Marketing?

* Content is Still the King

* For Travel Marketers, Content is Still King

* How Hotel Marketers (and Everyone Else, Too) Can Engage Your Secret Sales Force

* Mike Moran on Content Marketing, Site Search, and AI: The Thinks Out Loud Interview

* The Rebirth of Trusted Gatekeepers (Thinks Out Loud Episode 307)

* Is Content Still King or Have the Gatekeepers Won? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 328)

* Is Content a Strategic Product for Your Business? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 319)

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We Live in the Future (Thinks Out Loud Episode 274) – Headlines and Show Notes

When you look around, do you feel like you’re living in a futuristic utopia? Or does it feel more like a dystopian future to you? In either case, it’s clear that we already live in the future. Whether you see a world filled with global access to instantaneous information, improved medical treatments, and declining poverty, or one filled with information overload, disparate access to healthcare, and growing income/wealth inequality, the fact remains that the future is here, now.

This week's Thinks Out Loud looks at the “state of the future” that we’re living in, positive and negative, and offers some thoughts on how you can make it more positive for you — and for the world around you.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Relevant Links – We Live in the Future (Thinks Out Loud Episode 274)

* Smartphone Ownership Is Growing Rapidly Around the World, but Not Always Equally | Pew Research Center

* Digital is Like Gravity (Thinks Out Loud Episode 205)

* Did We Break the Internet? Or Did the Internet Break Us? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 242)

* Facts & Figures 2019: US Cancer Death Rate has Dropped 27% in 25 Years

* (2) Peter W. Singer on Twitter: ""Once, every village had an idiot. It took the internet to bring them all together." Great @RobertLBateman quote in #LikeWar book https://t.co/mYYBg3RDpK" / Twitter

* List of countries by life expectancy – Wikipedia

* WHO | Life expectancy

* A global tipping point: Half the world is now middle class or wealthier

* The End of Millennials (Thinks Out Loud Episode 224)

* Compl...

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Hey Loretta, Remind Me That Google's Got Troubles (Thinks Out Loud Episode 273) – Headlines and Show Notes

Google brought down the house with it's "Loretta" ad at the big game this weekend. But that ad showed the benefits and downsides of the tech giant's power — and why Google’s got troubles ahead of it. This week's Thinks Out Loud takes a look at why Google's strength may be more brittle than you think — and what you can do to get more business regardless of the challenges Google may face in the future.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Relevant Links – Hey Loretta, Remind Me That Google's Got Troubles (Thinks Out Loud Episode 273)

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By the way, that Google ad was great, but it proved why Google is terrifying. #PrivacyMatters #SuperBowl #AdBowl

— Joel Feder (@joelfeder) February 3, 2020

* Why Google is the Beast That Scares Your Industry's 800-lb. Gorilla (Thinks Out Loud Episode 238)

* How to Compete With Amazon (and Expedia and Google and…) (Thinks Out Loud Episode 221)

* The Lessons You Should Learn from Expedia's Recent Troubles (Thinks Out Loud Episode 268)

* The Biggest Risk to Your Business? Becoming a "Hidden Intermediary" (Thinks Out Loud 267)

* Digital Gatekeepers and the Death of Organic Traffic (Thinks Out Loud Episode 247)

* In Digital, Is Google Your Enemy? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 249)

* How Worried Are You About Google Next Year?

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The 5 Tech Trends that Will Shape the 2020's (Thinks Out Loud Episode 272) – Headlines and Show Notes

This week's Thinks Out Loud continues our look at the top trends you need to know to improve your marketing this year. And this one's super-fun, examining the 5 tech trends that will shape not only this year, but the 2020's as a whole.

What are these trends? I'm glad you asked. Drawn from key insights by folks like Steven Sinofsky, Kara Swisher, The Verge, and others, we're learning from some of the best. Not only that, but Thinks Out Loud has some recommendations on how to make these trends work for your business.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Relevant Links – The 5 Tech Trends that Will Shape the 2020's (Thinks Out Loud Episode 272)

* The Technology 202: At CES, it's robots and rainbow slides. In Washington, tech is under fire. – The Washington Post

* Opinion | No More Phones and Other Tech Predictions for the Next Decade – The New York Times

* #CES2020: Primordial Soup of Innovation

* Pocket – Eight big takeaways from CES 2020

* Hype cycle – Wikipedia

* What Marketers Can Learn About AI From Chess – Biznology

* How to Keep Up With Technology as a Marketer: The Quick and Dirty Guide (Thinks Out Loud Episode 168)

* Recode – Vox

* Mobile's Next Big Thing? Voice, by Tim Peter

* Trends for 2020: Voice Takes Off (Thinks Out Loud Episode 271)

* Your Digital Marketing New Year's Resolutions (Thinks Out Loud Episode 270)

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Trends for 2020: Voice Takes Off (Thinks Out Loud Episode 271) – Headlines and Show Notes

We're kicking off 2020 by highlighting a key trend you need to know about. What is that trend? The growth of voice in your customer's journey. Voice has been growing in importance for a few years. But it looks like this year is the year it really takes flight. And, of course, that means you need to think about how you can use voice to improve your marketing and customer experience.

Customers use voice search. They listen to podcasts. They expect relevant experiences, immediately. These all connect to make voice a key component of your marketing strategy and tactics. And Thinks Out Loud has some recommendations on how to make voice work for your business.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Relevant Links – Trends for 2020: Voice Takes Off (Thinks Out Loud Episode 271)

* Mobile's Next Big Thing? Voice, by Tim Peter

* The Decade in Review (Thinks Out Loud Episode 269)

* Your Digital Marketing New Year's Resolutions (Thinks Out Loud Episode 270)

* The Truth About Voice as a Powerful Trend (Thinks Out Loud Episode 201)

* Voice, VR, AR, and AI: Hype or Hope for Marketers? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 186)

* 8 Exceptional Insights Into Voice and AI and Their Effects on Digital Marketing: E-commerce Link Digest

* Mobile Payments, Millennials and Voice Computing Make Mobile Commerce Matter More (Thinks Out Loud Episode 199)

* Voice Search Statistics And Trends For 2020

* Voice Tech Trends for 2020 – Voice UI – Medium

* 8 Voice Content Trends for 2020 – Convince & Convert

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Your Digital Marketing New Year's Resolutions (Thinks Out Loud Episode 270) – Headlines and Show Notes

Happy New Year, folks, and welcome to 2020. Hope your year is off to a great start already. And, if you're looking for some ideas on how to make sure that 2020 works out to be a great year for your business, Tim Peter & Associates' president Tim Peter has some digital marketing New Year's resolutions that you'll want to check out on the latest episode of Thinks Out Loud.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Relevant Links – Your Digital Marketing New Year's Resolutions (Thinks Out Loud Episode 270)

* The Decade in Review (Thinks Out Loud Episode 269)

* The most important skill

* How to Keep Up With Technology as a Marketer: The Quick and Dirty Guide (Thinks Out Loud Episode 168)

* In Digital, Is Google Your Enemy? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 249)

* Digital Gatekeepers and the Death of Organic Traffic (Thinks Out Loud Episode 247)

* Why Google Keeps Winning. And How You Can Win Too. (Thinks Out Loud Episode 263)

* Why Google is the Beast That Scares Your Industry's 800-lb. Gorilla (Thinks Out Loud Episode 238)

* Stop Outsourcing Your Sales & Marketing to Gatekeepers Like Google (Thinks Out Loud Episode 257)

* How to Compete With Amazon (and Expedia and Google and…) (Thinks Out Loud Episode 221)

* Gatekeepers Gonna Gate: Apple, Google, and Antitrust (Thinks Out Loud Episode 258)

* How Wor...

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The Decade in Review (Thinks Out Loud Episode 269) — Headlines and Show Notes

Welcome to my (I think) last podcast episode of the 2010's and (I think) last blog post of the 2010s. Almost 2,600 posts. Almost 270 podcast episodes. What have I learned over the last decade? What’s changed for me? And for you? How will those changes shape where we go in the 2020’s?

This isn’t a trip down memory lane. It’s a glimpse into a future path, one that will influence your business for years to come.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you.

Relevant Links — The Decade in Review (Thinks Out Loud Episode 269)

Mobile and the Changing Customer Experience

* iPhone (1st generation) – Wikipedia

* Is Amazon's $1 billion in mobile sales enough to convince you?

* Is this the year of mobile? (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – January 9, 2010)

* Think the mobile web is bogus? Think again.

* It's Not "Mobile First." It's "Customer First."

* Why You're Slowing the Growth of Mobile Commerce (2013)

* Customer Experience is Queen? What Does That Mean? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 190)

* Personalization Starts With a Person (Travel Tuesday)

* What's the Future of E-commerce? Look to the Past to Find Out

AI

* Where AI Will Affect Sales and Marketing First. And Most (Thinks Out Loud Podcast Episode 211)

* Why AI Will Change Hospitali...

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The Lessons You Should Learn from Expedia’s Recent Troubles (Thinks Out Loud Episode 268) — Headlines and Show Notes

Literally days after our episode calling out the dangers of Google forcing your company to become a "hidden intermediary" — and using Expedia’s recent troubles as one example of where things are going terribly wrong — Expedia fired CEO Mark Okerstrom and CFO Alan Pickerell. The reason? Well, apart from a "disagreement over strategy," the real issue is that the company simply doesn't have a plan for dealing with Google's rising dominance. And, as stated, that's something you want to keep from happening to your brand.

How can you do that? How can you avoid Google taking over your share of the market? How can you compete with the search giant to win customers and profits? Tim Peter & Associates' president Tim Peter has a few ideas for you on the latest episode of Thinks Out Loud.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Relevant Links — The Lessons You Should Learn from Expedia's Recent Troubles (Thinks Out Loud Episode 268)

* The Biggest Risk to Your Business? Becoming a "Hidden Intermediary" (Thinks Out Loud 267)

* Expedia Group CEO Mark Okerstrom out amid board disagreement over strategy | PhocusWire

* VIDEO: Expedia Group on Vrbo growth, search challenges and workplace diversity | PhocusWire

* Why Expedia Blamed Google for Its Earnings Debacle | The Motley Fool

* Google's playbook to become a Super App in travel | PhocusWire

* The Hotel Marketing and Distribution Trend You Care About Most This Year

* Google search ecosystem partners are 'impaired,' says Social Capital CEO Chamath Palihapitiya

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The Biggest Risk to Your Business? Becoming a “Hidden Intermediary” (Thinks Out Loud Episode 267) — Headlines and Show Notes

In business, there are suppliers and intermediaries. And both face serious competition over the next few years. Google, Facebook, Amazon and others continue to create competitive pressures even in industries where they're not a primary player. But the biggest risk your company faces is if these powerful competitors turn your business into a "hidden intermediary." What is a hidden intermediary? Why is becoming a hidden intermediary so dangerous for your business? And what can you do to stop it from happening to you?

The latest episode of Thinks Out Loud explains what it means to be a hidden intermediary, why it's such a threat, and how you can differentiate your brand and business to triumph against this powerful threat.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Relevant Links — The Biggest Risk to Your Business? Becoming a “Hidden Intermediary” (Thinks Out Loud Episode 267))

* Expedia Group: No Moat And Declining Margins – Sell

* The Google Threat

* Why Google is the Beast That Scares Your Industry's 800-lb. Gorilla (Thinks Out Loud Episode 238)

* Stop Outsourcing Your Sales & Marketing to Gatekeepers Like Google (Thinks Out Loud Episode 257)

* Digital Gatekeepers and the Death of Organic Traffic (Thinks Out Loud Episode 247)

* How to Compete With Amazon (and Expedia and Google and…) (Thinks Out Loud Episode 221)

* In Digital, Is Google Your Enemy? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 249)

* How Worried Are You About Google Next Year? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 255)

* Gatekeepers Gonna Gate: Apple, Google, and Antitrust (Thinks Out Loud Episode 258)

* What Are The Most Recognized Bran...

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It’s a short week around Thinks Central this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but I wanted to take a moment to think about about I’m thankful for in business and in life. I suspect you’ll find these useful too.

The latest episode of Thinks Out Loud takes a look at what I’m thankful for and why those matter for your business.

Want to learn more? Here are the show notes for you:

Giving Thanks (Thinks Out Loud Episode 266) — Relevant Links:

Mobile

* For Marketers, It's Not a Mobile Phone. It's a Window (Thinks Out Loud Episode 262)

* Mobile Is Not a Device; Mobile is a Situation (Thinks Out Loud Episode 259)

Millennials

* Mobile, Millennials, and…Moms? (Thinks Out Loud Episode 256)

* The End of Millennials (Thinks Out Loud Episode 224)

* Mobile Payments, Millennials and Voice Computing Make Mobile Commerce Matter More (Thinks Out Loud Episode 199)

Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft

* Gatekeepers Gonna Gate: Apple, Google, and Antitrust (Thinks Out Loud Episode 258)

* Why Google Keeps Winning. And How You Can Win Too. (Thinks Out Loud Episode 263)

* Stop Outsourcing Your Sales & Marketing to Gatekeepers Like Google (Thinks Out Loud Episode 257)

* Amazon Go, Instant Gratification, and the Boring Future of Business (Thinks Out Loud Episode 265)

Economy

* Worried About a Recession Next Year? Here's How Marketers Can Cope (Thinks Out Loud Episode 264)