2023 Marketing Lessons Learned: How marketers and entrepreneurs put lessons they learned into action

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In the year 2023, the team at MarketingSherpa and MECLABS Institute (MarketingSherpa’s parent organization) brought you:

• A free trial to the AI Guild – which includes the MECLABS AI tool for headline and value proposition writing, the AI prompt kit, thinking tools with a guided methodology to help you build a SuperFunnel, weekly updates on the latest in artificial intelligence and how you can apply it to your marketing and business goals, group coaching, and more.
• 38 in-depth interviews with marketing leaders, jam-packed with lesson-filled stories from their career, in the How I Made It In Marketing podcast
• 115 marketing case studies – taking you behind-the-scenes into your peers’ campaigns to spark your next great marketing idea

But nothing we did really matters…unless it helps you. So for our yearly wrap-up, I turn to our readers and asked them that very question. Their responses are below, but let me add my two cents first.

Artificial intelligence is both overhyped and the most revolutionary change in our business lifetime

I tend to be skeptical. Maybe it’s because of my career in marketing and watching the sausage get made. Or maybe it’s just my nature.

So I had cast a wary eye at artificial intelligence. I was pitched plenty of AI case studies and I saw the results. But they always suffered from what I call the ‘software is magic’ problem. Back when I worked in the software industry, there were too many campaigns along the lines of – you have problem, you buy our software, problem solved.

Nothing in life (and business) is that easy.

And back when we started the forerunner to the AI Guild last year – 240 days before ChatGPT was publicly launched – it seemed like déjà vu from my software industry experience.

But as I’ve gotten to learn from Flint McGlaughlin (CEO of MECLABS and MarketingSherpa) and the members of the AI Guild, I’ve seen just how transformative AI can be. And now I use it every day. A thought that would have been shocking to me not too long ago.

But as Bill Watterson said (through Calvin), “Know what’s weird? Day by day nothing seems to change, but pretty soon everything is different. You just go about your business and one day you realize you’re not the same person you used to be. People change whether they decide to or not!”

I never decided to change. I just went about my business, participated in the AI Guild, and am now a different writer, different marketer, different person.

So will AI live up to the hype? I have never seen more hoopla about anything in my lifetime. This is a technology that is predicted to save and/or destroy humanity.

And even in our marketing world – there’s so much out there about what AI can do for you. But I worry that hype lulls us to shut off our brain and outsource the most critical functions of our role as a marketer.

So I’ve liked seeing Flint’s approach up close in the AI Guild. He teaches about what AI can do with the marketer, and dives deep into the philosophical underpinnings of AI prompt writing. In this way, artificial intelligence becomes another tool for marketers and entrepreneurs to serve their customers with a superior experience, and to support the deep human thinking necessary to power our business and marketing strategies.

The piece of content I’ll share along those lines is this video – Use Our AI Prompt Kit To Maximize Marketing Results. It is an excerpt from a live, interactive AI Guild session.

Enough from me now. You’ve been hearing from me all year. Let’s hear from some of your peers.

Job posting search engine reduces unsubscribe rate 6% with email funnel analysis

via Marharyta Lazarieva, Product Marketing Manager, Jooble:

Among curious cases from different markets I’ve read throughout the year, one specific article got into my to-do list this year. At Jooble, we work extensively with emails as a retention channel, so I couldn’t pass by Boost Your Email CTR with a Customer-First Approach: A 3-step guide. This article reminded us to take a step back and review what we’re really sending to the user.

The article talks more about overall thinking that should be done BEFORE any tactics and gives a customer-oriented point of view. While there are examples from ‘Mother's Day’ campaigns, the idea of the article is wider and more universal. The three-question formula highlighted zones for improvement that we've tested on one of our letter types, but what's more, we see how to re-apply the approach to other content for users, too.

We applied three questions from the customer-first objective article to each standard email we send to the user. For us, it sounded like this:

• How will this email help the jobseeker in their jobs to be done?
• What are we giving to our users with this letter?
• What are we asking for in return? Is it worth it to open and read this email?

Here’s an example of what we’ve done.

Step #1: Email funnel analysis

We’ve looked with eyes wide open at our email funnel, letter by letter. We traditionally pay a lot of attention to transactional letters to generate traffic to our job aggregator.

Step #2: Value optimization of welcome email

We’ve asked ourselves if any email letter could become more valuable. And the answer was right in front of us. The first letter that welcomes users after subscription in one of our flows was an excellent point for improvement. As the first touchpoint, this email has the maximum user attention and high open rates. But historically, this letter seemed more of a formal thing to do.

Creative Sample #1: Welcome letter before changes

Step #3: Immediate value delivery strategy

We devised the idea to make users see what we’ll send them right away. If a user has already pushed the button to subscribe, it’s fair enough to send job recommendations right away and not spend their time on just another technical notification letter.

Creative Sample #2: Welcome letter with updated content

As a result, we’ve cut the unsubscribe rate by 6% and gained a +6% open rate for further letters, as the subscriber already knew what to expect.

Most of the time, AI generated video appears wacky – but still provides a starting point for creative exploration

via Andre Oentoro, CEO and Founder, Breadnbeyond:

As the founder of an animated video production company, the article about AI Video Content Creation helped me and my team a lot to understand our audience’s recent preferences and behavior.

I've been noticing the seismic shift that AI video generators have brought to our industry.

There was a time when my team and I were a bit hesitant about embracing this wave of innovation. We had concerns about maintaining the professionally made quality we're known for and, of course, preserving the trust our clients place in us.

After studying the data in the article and finding out that most people are excited about AI video generators, we finally gained the confidence to adapt to and harness AI's power without compromising the authenticity and creative excellence that define our work.

Now, we use AI video generators to give our clients a vision of how the visuals for their video project will shape up.

This used to take a day or two if it's complex. But now, as soon as they give us a brief, we can visualize it using AI video generators (most of the time, it appears wacky – but still provides a starting point for creative exploration). This not only accelerates the ideation phase for us but also provides a diverse range of possibilities that our creative teams might not have explored initially.

Following this, we can promptly seek their initial feedback, and if everything aligns seamlessly, we get the idea and move on to the real production process led by our illustrators and animators.

The integration of AI at this initial stage has not only drastically reduced the turnaround time but has also fostered a more collaborative and iterative creative process.

Our clients appreciate the ability to see a tangible representation of their ideas almost instantly, enabling them to provide early input and shape the direction of the project from the outset.

The article literally makes us realize that AI is not a threat but a facilitator of our creative vision and has reshaped our approach to video production.

Suddenly, the web design work that had looked so fresh and professional at first looked cheap and hackneyed

via Jessica Clements, Founder & Customer Success Manager, Influentially:

As a woman battling imposter syndrome, your podcast with Regina DeMars came at a critical time in the founding of my company.

Having just finished putting my site together, I was confronted with the prospect of releasing it to the world. Suddenly, the web design work that had looked so fresh and professional at first looked cheap and hackneyed. I consider myself a marketer, and yet I found myself unwilling to market the very thing I'd spent the last three months pouring my heart into.

Were it not for your interview with Regina, in which she advocates stepping out of one's comfort zone, I might never have made this all-important next step. It is hard to overstate the positive impact of professional role models like Regina on women such as myself who are plagued with imposter syndrome, an insecurity all too common among the women of traditional families like mine.

Since hearing your podcast, I've been madly promoting my influencer marketing business with no trace of the trepidation I felt before, and every new user I onboard is a testament to the value I have derived from MarketingSherpa.

I realized that by not giving constructive feedback, I wasn't doing my team any favors

via Riva Jeane May Caburog, PR/media coordinator, Nadrich & Cohen:

Earlier this year, I came across this article and podcast from MarketingSherpa talking about how “feedback is respect.” It got me thinking, especially in my role leading a creative PR team. I often held back on giving feedback, worried it might be taken the wrong way and mess with our work relationships. Like when I had suggestions for a press release, I'd just quietly make changes instead of talking it through with the team.

However, after soaking in the MarketingSherpa lesson, I changed my approach. I realized that by not giving constructive feedback, I wasn't doing my team any favors. It could only hinder their professional development and create an environment where genuine respect for each other's growth was lacking. So, I started being more open about areas we could improve and focusing on us getting better together.

In a recent press release review, I noticed the narrative lacked a convincing hook at the beginning. Instead of fixing it silently, I shared specific feedback and turned it into a team effort. We brainstormed ideas and crafted a stronger opening that captivated readers' attention. This made our work better and, more importantly, the team felt a stronger sense of collaboration and ownership over the project.

I've learned that feedback, when delivered with respect and a focus on growth, can enhance both individual skills and overall team performance

Happy Everything

As we wrap up the year and tuck our reporting pens into their holiday slumber, this marks our final original article before we go on hiatus. So let me just take a moment to say...whatever you celebrate this time of year, however you celebarte it, and whoever you celebrate it with – may your home be filled with light, love, and joy during this festive season.

Our thoughts for peace and safety especially go out to the resilient marketers and entrepreneurs in Ukraine and Israel. Which brings up two of the most poignant articles we published this year (and last year) – 5 tips for marketers and entrepreneurs working with colleagues, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders in Israel and 8 tips for marketing professionals and entrepreneurs working with a remote team in Ukraine.

And here's to your success in 2024. I'm in the fortunate role that I get to be the storyteller of your triumphs. So I can't wait to discover the lessons you will learn, the hurdles you will overcome, and the uncharted territories you will navigate. I look forward to reporting on your campaigns and career success again next year.

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