Neal Schaffer February 21, 2025 Hey Reader, This week I had an epiphany moment regarding AI in my work. Many are talking about the LLMs or certain prompts, but I think everyone is missing the point. Just as I talk about how you need a Digital-First approach in your marketing in Digital Threads, I think a similar approach is needed to get the most benefits from AI. What that means is that you need an AI-First approach to your marketing. What about Digital-First then, you ask? It's simple:...
10 days ago • 6 min read
Neal Schaffer February 15, 2025 Hey Reader, This week was a catch up week coming back from my second trip to Japan so far this year. You can read my complete report of my attending Japan's largest startup conference, TechGALA, in my LinkedIn newsletter here: Inside TechGALA: How Central Japan Is Transforming into a Global Startup Powerhouse We are now entering speaking season, so I am now focusing on content creation for my upcoming presentations over the next few months. Can't wait to share...
16 days ago • 7 min read
Neal Schaffer February 10, 2025 Hey Reader, I spent a crazy yet fruitful week last week in Nagoya, Japan attending Japan's largest conference all about startups, TechGALA. I had a chance to interview several of what many expect to be Japan's next "unicorns," and one thing that struck me was their focus on technology or product. In other words, when given the microphone, all of their conversations revolved around their feature sets. Of course, this is essential information, but outside of that...
21 days ago • 8 min read
Neal Schaffer January 31, 2025 Hey Reader, I've been thinking a lot about the clients I work with and why they work with me. A lot of smaller businesses don't realize it, but they are often limiting the scope of their digital marketing to the staff that they employ. Let me explain. Often smaller businesses have a skeleton marketing department which has one decision maker sometimes accompanied by various assistants. What I find is that these marketing decision makers often base their decisions...
about 1 month ago • 8 min read
Neal Schaffer January 24, 2025 Hey Reader, I had a pre-sales call with a small business yesterday that is in the B2B space and thus focusing solely on LinkedIn as their strategic digital marketing channel. While their intention is spot-on, they still were confused as to why their LinkedIn Company Page posts weren't getting traction. Or the myriad of LinkedIn ad format and targeting options they had. People were signing up to their webinars but they weren't generating leads. They were...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Neal Schaffer January 19, 2025 Hey Reader, While I was in Japan this past week, the news has been dominated by TikTok. Due to the timing of this newsletter, we now know that TikTok has been officially banned in the United States, and it is not appearing in the app store anymore. If you have the TikTok app you can still view your content and feed, but you cannot post or see any new content. Something I did not know is that CapCut, which is also owned by TikTok's owner, ByteDance, is in the...
about 1 month ago • 7 min read
Neal Schaffer January 11, 2025 Hey Reader, Hope you had a great start to the new year! I am actually at the airport on my way to Japan for a quick business trip, but wanted to make sure I get this out before I leave. For those of you who don't know, I live in Southern California, and it is sad sitting at the Los Angeles Airport and seeing all of the smoke billowing into the grey air above the mountains. My home in Orange County is quite removed from the fires, but we had our own experience...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Neal Schaffer January 03, 2025 Hey Reader, Happy New Year! Hope you had a chance to refresh over the holidays and are ready to take on a new year of changes in our constantly evolving world of digital marketing! If there was one phrase I want you to focus on this year it would be the topic of my latest podcast, The Democratization of Discoverability. Related to that phrase, if there was one keyword I want you to remember this year, it is a simple one: Output. With advances in generative AI,...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Neal Schaffer December 28, 2024 Hey Reader, And so another year ends... It's time to take a step back and be grateful for all that we have and accomplished in 2024. With a similar lens, we should also be looking forward on all of our dreams and goals for 2025 and constructing plans to make them happen. Just like going to a gym at the beginning of a year with passion to get back in shape or shed a few pounds (trust me, I'll be back exercising soon as well!), we should be approaching our...
2 months ago • 9 min read