Monthly Musings — Website Intelligence News Roundup March 2023

Happy March, Website Intelligence fans! 

My musings this month have been dwelling around machine learning, AI, and how the most recent developments affect us all.

I realize that this is all anyone seems to talk about these days - but hey - it’s a massive topic!  As I have a deep fascination with this subject, I beg you indulge me and join me for the ride! 

Whether you love or loathe AI, we are, after all, united here by a love of the world of Website Intelligence as a whole, so let’s jump in! 

We can’t escape it! Think of the AI already helping us to run our everyday lives. The IoT, tailored recommendations, advanced search engines,  and heck - even driving a car will soon no longer require a human! 

There is no running away from the progress made in this area - and it is growing faster than ever.  

In my professional (full-time marketer) and personal (part-time nerd) capacities, I follow a really wide range of interesting people on LinkedIn (among others) and have come across this amazing post by Alex Velinov - Chief Technology Officer at Tag Digital. 

This fantastically curated list showcases AI tools which could massively benefit you in your daily professional life. Of course, it depends what your business is, but there is pretty much something here for everyone! 

After reading this post and trying some of these tools out, I am more convinced than ever that AI is the way forward! Whether you are in marketing, sales, design (or pretty much any sector), I am sure this selection will delight. 

Personally, I am HOOKED on Clipdrop which is an image creator and editor. Its accuracy and the sheer amount of features it has to offer are staggering. There is a limited free option, but the next level up has very generous access for only $5 p/m. I can see myself using it all the time in both my personal and professional day - give it a go

In RIS has written about the concept of customer personalization using AI.

In this short but powerful article, they explain how AI can really drill down into the specificities of individual customer purchasing patterns - and therefore, customers’ needs. 

It goes on to point out that customers have different spending patterns (which may be affected by recession, amount of disposable income, children or no children and so on). Below is an excerpt from the article explaining how by using AI in promotions, you can send targeted offers which will match the customer’s individual needs, and reflect their shopping budget. 

“AI-driven promotions can incorporate recent changes and irregularities in a shopper’s behavior. For example, if a shopper loses their job and starts buying store brand products to lower their total basket cost, AI will pick up on this pattern and begin issuing coupons for cheaper alternatives”

So, could this approach work for you and your business?

If you are using TWIPLA, you are already so far down the right path! As you are able to see and understand everything your visitors are doing when on your site, you can make alterations accordingly; thus improving your UX - and ultimately, your business. 

What potential changes could you make? This is the next exciting step for you to take. 

Once you have analyzed your data and segmented your customer base, you can start to implement all kinds of processes to enhance your site, and offer true personalization to your customers. 

Pay attention to your customers’ needs and desires and you are well on your way to success. 

This month, for your viewing pleasure - I present to you (our very own) The WebsiteIntelligence Podcast#TWIP. We had the honor of hosting the incredible Tom Price. I personally found this discussion fascinating and wanted to share it with you all. 

Tom dives into the topic of ChatGPT, the rise (and well, rise) of AI - and what it means for our industry. 

The podcast goes into detail about the potential cons and definite pros that these tools will bring, and even how they are already helping Tom’s team. 

Check out this episode for the full discussion. If you enjoyed this and would like to see more, head on over to the home of our YouTube channel where you can find the full series to date, and can subscribe to be notified of upcoming episodes.

Although it's now a little gray in the beard, an article I read this week really got me thinking. In this frankly fascinating read, New Scientist reports that by 2060, AI could well have the capacity to outsmart us at every turn!

I’m inclined to agree, especially since AI has already become world champion at the game ‘Go’ (which humans have only been playing for approximately 4,000 years!!) Humans have now reportedly “improved at Go since AIs became the best in the world''. Go figure!

Just for fun, check out the experts’ predictions in the aforementioned article (published in 2017), and compare it with where we are now - almost six years later. Watch this space - and for goodness’ sake - learn how to play Go.

Terrific or terrifying? Are machines really out to get us?

I for one welcome our new AI overlords - and besides, only a human can really eat an orange - right?

We have written an extensive Resource Hub exploring the Future of Digital Marketing - a one stop shop, if you like. This is a right riveting read (if we do say so ourselves). Take a look and, as always, feel free to share it. 

If this is floating your boat, we’ve also put a handy companion piece together with the Top 10 Key Marketing Trends Shaping the Future.

Let me know if there is a topic you would like to see included in future Musings. I always love to receive people’s suggestions.

Now, as you know, we love keeping you in the loop with website intelligence events. This month we have a couple of real doozies for you! Check them out - or if you happen to be near - why not visit in person? Get those diaries out! 

RSA Conference - A jam packed three day conference in San Francisco filled with all things cybersecurity. Including a wealth of keynotes, training sessions, updates, networking opportunities - and EVEN an Expo Pub Crawl 🤯🍻Non-alcoholic beverages are also available!

brightonSEO - This is a collection of events run by brightonSEO occurring in April and May - including in person and virtual conferences, training sessions and a variety of fringe events. Topics include future-proofing your content strategy, advertising in the metaverse, data driven approach to SEO and so much more. Check out the program and see if there’s one for you! 

MeasureFest by brightonSEO - This is a fringe conference taking place within the brightonSEO events above. This particular conference is dedicated to Web Analytics, Conversion Rate Optimisation & Business Intelligence. Featuring some hugely respected speakers, this event will help you up your game and stay ahead of the curve! Eda Salihoglu from Kaizen will be presenting How to be a data storyteller: Guide for Reporting and Visualization. Not to be missed!

MeasureCamp - Is an Unconference! This is NOT the event for those who like to just sit in the audience and listen. The content of this fully interactive event is thus determined by the attendees who are encouraged to present, participate in discussions, or even organize their own for others’ to participate in. If you have great insights to share - this is the one for you!

• TikTok Data Access Controversy: How Trustworthy are the App's Claims on User Privacy? — Read More 
• Norwegian Data Protection Authority's Conclusion on Google Analytics Violation Under GDPR. — Read More 
• YouTube UK Accused of Harvesting the Data of Children. — Read More

And that just about rounds up this month's roundup! 

If you are still reading, thank you for staying with me! Have you been loving our news roundups? 

As a massive fan of feedback, I would like to ask if you would do me a favor and let me know how I am doing? 

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That's all for now. Stay smart and stay ahead of the curve with website intelligence.

Best wishes,

Debs @TWIPLA - Your Customer Marketing Muse