4 powerful habit truths you need to know today

It’s a beautiful summer day in Hamilton, Ohio. At one of the county’s high schools, the tenth-grade students are out on the field playing baseball. The air vibrates with excitement and intense energy. Suddenly, a blonde, 5 feet tall fifteen-year-old gets hit in the face with a baseball bat by one of his classmates: the bat had accidentally slipped from his hands and hit the boy right between his eyes.

The accident was horrific: the blow crushed the bones in his nose causing instant swelling in his brain. He gave wrong answers when asked by the school nurse what year they were in and what President was in office. It took him ten seconds to remember his mother’s name. After that, he lost consciousness and was rushed to the emergency room.

At the hospital, the doctors established that he had multiple skull fractures, a swollen nose and shattered eye sockets. Shortly after he arrived there, his body collapsed: he stopped breathing and was hooked to a ventilation machine. The seizures started. The hospital wasn’t equipped to manage his particular situation so he was flown to a bigger hospital where he was placed into an induced coma and underwent emergency surgery to reconstruct his skull.

The surgery was successful, but the recovery was long and difficult. He had been dreaming of becoming a professional baseball player since he was 4 years old and that dream seemed impossible to achieve now. Still, he was determined to get his life back.

Six years after the accident, he became the best male player at his university and was selected for ESPN’s Academic All-America Team, a unique recognition enjoyed by only 33 athletes in the country.

By the time he graduated, he had records in eight different sports categories. He received the Presidential Medal, the highest honour in academia.

Years later he wrote a book which went on to become a bestseller with over 10 million copies sold worldwide.

His name is James Clear. His bestselling book is ‘Atomic Habits’. 

James is a world-famous expert on habit formation. His newsletter has recently reached 2 million subscribers and the participants in BRAND MINDS 2023 had the amazing opportunity to hear him speak live, on stage about building the right habit systems to achieve success. 

James Clear credits his amazing achievements following the accident to the power of good habits and putting together a system of goals. 

The turning point came two years after his lif-altering injury when he got into university. He barely made it to the baseball team. He wasn’t going to play anytime soon so he decided to get his life straight. That’s when he discovered the amazing power of tiny habits. Instead of staying up late at night, playing video games, like his colleagues, he went to bed early every night. 

His self-confidence began to increase and his academic results improved also: he had straight As the entire first year in college. Soon he began adopting other small habits with amazing results like not doing any homework after midnight. If he hadn’t learned it by midnight, he was just going to go to bed. All these small rules and practices were not much, but they gave him the feeling that he was in control of his life.

His habits of resting, studying & weightlifting led to him being named, six years after the accident nearly left him for dead, Denison’s 2008 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year with records in 8 different sports categories while majoring in biomechanics. 

James never realized his dream of playing in a professional baseball team. What he did was accomplish something more important than that: he fulfilled his potential.

James Clear: 4 essential habit truths you need to know today

Habit Truth #1: Behaviours that are immediately rewarded get repeated; behaviours that are immediately punished get avoided.

That’s why no one likes going to the gym (at least at first): it’s sweaty, it’s painful, maybe you don’t like seeing your body in the gym’s mirrors and you could go on with ten more reasons. The immediate result after the workout? Your body punishes you with muscle aches. Eat a slice of your favourite cake and your brain rewards you instantly by making you feel good. It’s definitely not fair.

The solution, James says, is to find some kind of immediate satisfaction. Look at the steps you need to take to achieve your goal from a different point of view to find what exactly you like about them, no matter how small. Focus on how it makes you feel and not on the result you want.

Habit Truth #2: The effects of your habits multiply over time.

“If you have good habits, time is your ally. If you have bad habits, time is your enemy. It’s really about mastering those little one percent choices. One percent better or one percent worse each day doesn’t feel like much in the moment, but it ends up being significant in the long run.”

James Clear

Eating healthy for one day is not going to show any results the next day. But eating healthy for six months will. The same is true for bad habits. Smoking five cigarettes for one day is not going to damage your lungs but doing it for six years definitely will. What you need is to show up every day. It’s like brushing your teeth: you need to do it every day. 

Habit Truth #3: Setting your goal is only 10% of the work; the process or the system getting you to your goal is 90%.

James says very eloquently that we don’t rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems. Everyone wants to look and be fit but why do some succeed while others don’t? James answers this question as follows: Because setting the goal is not the thing that makes the difference. Yes, setting goals provide clarity and a sense of direction, but it’s really the system that determines whether or not you make progress on that goal. Focus on the system and the process rather than on any individual outcome.

“We think outcomes are what matter most and we need big ambitious goals, but almost always the goal isn’t the thing that needs to change. The process behind it is what needs to change.”

James Clear

Habit Truth #4: Scale it down so it’s super easy.

Let’s say your goal is to run the marathon within a year. If you are a coach potato, running a marathon is a pretty big goal. First of all, you must become aware that there’s a big gap between you relaxing on the couch and you running the marathon. These two individuals are different on at least three levels: mindset, lifestyle and motivation. There are many changes that need to happen before you start running even for five minutes.

Before you try wrestling a dragon, exercise wrestling a lizard. Scale it down so it’s super easy. Set yourself up for success with the two-minute rule.

Whatever is your goal, what can you do in two minutes?

Read one page, do breathing exercises, stretch, learn five new words?

Figure out what it is for your goal and go do it.

The Super Bowl commercial that broke the internet this year

What Super Bowl commercial broke the internet in 2023?

Discover my selection and see how the commercials influenced brand name searches through Google Trends over the past seven days.

Was paying 7 million dollars for a 30-second commercial worth it? Let’s find out!

Amazon Saving Sawyer

Super Bowl audiences have enjoyed Amazon commercials every year for the past seven years.

Usually featuring the creme-de-la-creme of Hollywood and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this year’s commercial for the over 100 million people watching the game played the emotional card and brought in not one but two four-legged pet friends. 

Amazon’s Saving Sawyer made everyone go aww, but it didn’t break the internet.

Tubi Interface Interruption

Tubi is one of the largest free movie and TV streaming services in the US, supported by ads.

With Netflix, Disney, HBO Max and Amazon Prime fighting for a bigger share of the global market, free streaming services are starting to look more appealing to a wider audience. 

Yes, Tubi’s ad is surprisingly fresh and creative, but it didn’t get everyone to talk about it.

Rémy Martin | Inch By Inch Featuring Serena Williams

Among the many funny commercials featured during the Super Bowl, Remy Martin breaks the pattern and goes the inspirational way with none other than Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time.

As uplifting as this commercial is (tennis is not a team sport, is it?), it didn’t break the internet.

Forever (Super Bowl): 60 | The Farmer’s Dog

I bet when this commercial ran, there was no dry eye in the house and I’m not even talking about pet parents: I know for sure they were crying outright.

It’s emotional and I wish it broke the internet, but it didn’t.

Squarespace: Adam Driver multiplies

Squarespace is one of the world’s top website builders and, as I discovered while doing my research, also really creative when it comes to Super Bowl commercials.

Yes, they feature Oscar-winning actors but not in the way the other brands do, leveraging their stardom just for the sake of it. Previous commercials featured Jeff Bridges, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves and Zendaya. The 2017 Super Bowl commercial featuring John Malkovich won an Emmy Award.

In this year’s commercial, we get a philosophical Adam Driver with a distinct Matrix vibe (the black suit and shades, the multiplication factor) and a new template.

My favourite commercial this year and I also like how Squarespace ties it to its business and marketing goals, but it didn’t break the internet.

Dunkin’ ‘Drive-Thru’ Starring Ben

….as in Ben Affleck serving Dunkin’ customers and Jennifer Lopez surprised to discover hubby’s second job.

Dunkin’ managed to get the Benifer and the comments are applauding the brand’s decision since Ben Affleck has been a long-time Dunkin’ fan. The only part that feels unrealistic is Jennifer eating a “glazed one”: she is known for her strict workout and diet routine and I doubt she would jeopardize all that for a doughnut.

This is the Super Bowl ad that broke the internet, made headlines and had 3 million views in two days:

Check out the 2022 BRAND MINDS after movie!

Couldn’t join BRAND MINDS last June?

Check out the after-movie to discover what our participants experienced throughout 2 days of live edutainment and book your tickets for 2023 because you are going to want to be there this year!

BRAND MINDS was a fantastic event where business leaders and their teams learned proven frameworks, laughed, had AHA! moments, and connected with each other.

Here is what you need to know about last year’s edition of BRAND MINDS:

• number of participants: 6400+ world-changers;
• origin of participants: 50+ countries;
• the largest conference screen in Europe setting a new standard for business events;
• number of companies whose leaders & teams have attended the event: 500+ top companies;
• the biggest attendance of top executives at a business event;
• professionals by job roles: CEOs, HR Managers, Marketing Managers, Brand Managers, Tech Managers, Sales Managers, Entrepreneurs, Investors, Founders etc;
• An amazing immersive in-person experience;
• 2 days packed with invaluable insights on Business Scaleup & Strategy, Sales Strategy, Viral Marketing, Team Leadership, Team Performance, Stress Management, Business Innovation, Personal Growth, and Understanding of the consumer’s mind;
• Unique opportunities for high-level networking;
• Futuristically designed space;
• Interactive & memorable activations from premium partners.

Don’t miss this year’s edition of BRAND MINDS, it’s going to be amazing!

Until February 16 you have tickets at special prices so hurry up and tell your manager to send you & your team to BRAND MINDS because teams who learn together, grow the company together!

The Story behind the Brand: L’Oréal

L’Oréal is the world’s most valuable beauty brand. Here is its story.

L’Oréal was founded in 1909 by Eugène Schueller, an innovative French chemist and ambitious entrepreneur

Women have been colouring their hair since ancient times. Egyptians used henna to turn their grey hair to red. The Greeks and Romans used saffron, gold dust, blended flowers and other plant and animal products to embellish their hair with various colour tints. The combinations used were natural but the results were short-lived. Chemicals would soon enter common practice: lead for dark-coloured hair and sulfuric acid for light-coloured hair. They produced better results but they were dangerous to the health of people using them and often even lethal.

Everything changed when French chemist and pharmacist Eugène Schueller invented the first synthetic risk-free hair dye for women in 1907. He used para-phenylenediamine (PPD), a chemical discovered in the previous century and named his innovation “Oréal.”

Two years later, he founded the Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux (the “French Company of Inoffensive Hair Dyes”), the company that was to become the L’Oréal Group.

Eugène Schueller set out to conquer the international market and established a network of sales reps around the globe. His innovative hair dyes were sold to hairdressers and later, pharmacies. 

In the following years, he developed new products: Dop, the first modern shampoo without soap (1934) and Ambre Solaire, the first tanning oil containing a sun filter (1935).

Schueller’s success was powered by his ability to understand the needs and anticipate the expectations of customers. L’Oréal revolutionized the market for women’s hair dyes allowing women greater opportunities for self-expression. Today 75% of American women and 60% of European women dye their hair compared to only 7% in the 1950s. 

Schueller understood early on that technology-driven innovation was the answer to solving customers’ needs effectively and efficiently. Being the first helped build the L’Oréal brand and establish a strong relationship with the customers.

“Schueller was a man of action and a creative spirit. He was the first to build a beauty industry on a bedrock of science. For half a century, he lay the groundwork for a company that would offer unparalleled quality and safety innovations to meet the full range of beauty needs and trends. That credo holds true today: L’Oréal has gone from strength for more than 110 years and continues to cement its position as the global leader in the beauty industry.”

L’Oréal Group

2021 L’Oréal Company Statistics & Financials 

• Founded 114 years ago
• 4 product categories: skincare, haircare & hair colour, makeup,  fragrance
• portfolio of 35 international brands (Yves Saint Laurent, Biotherm, Garnier, Maybelline, Cacharel, Armani, Lancome, Kerastase, Vichy, La Roche Posay and more)
• 85,400 employees worldwide
• 20 research centres across 11 countries around the world
• Research and Innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 3,000 tech professionals
• Research & innovation investment: 1 billion euros (3.2% of 2021 sales)
• Generated sales: 32.28 billion euros
• 27% of L’Oréal’s sales are generated by e-commerce
• Operating profit: 5,2 billion euros (19% of sales) 
• Gross profit: 23 billion euros
• Advertising & Promotion investment: 10 billion euros (32% of 2021 sales)
• L’Oréal’s annual growth (16%) is 3x higher than the average annual growth of the global beauty market (4%-5%)
• L’Oréal’s share of the global beauty market: 14%
• L’Oréal’s most profitable division is L’Oréal’s Luxury (12 billion euros); its fastest-growing division is Active Cosmetics (+30%) comprised of La Roche Posay, Vichy, CeraVe, SkinCeuticals, Decleor
• L’Oréal’s most profitable market is Europe (10 billion euros); its fastest-growing market is Latin America (+20%)

L’Oréal – A Beauty Tech Powerhouse

L’Oréal is a science-driven beauty brand innovating through products since its founding in 1909.

The amazing advancements in machine learning and Artificial Intelligence over the past decade have found practical applications in many industries including IT, computers, e-commerce, aviation, telecommunications, healthcare …and last, but not least – beauty. 

‘Seize new opportunities’ is a motto L’Oréal lives by and strongly believes in. The beauty powerhouse saw how these new technologies are changing the world and they have quickly included them in the brand’s product development and business growth strategy. 

In only 5 years, L’Oréal has become a true tech powerhouse in the service of beauty for all, personalized and sustainable.

L’Oréal’s latest innovations have received numerous awards at CES and have been included in TIME’s Best Inventions list

YSL Scent-Sation, the First In-store experience leveraging neuroscience to provide personalized fragrance advice (2021)

A system where a neuro-connected headset that uses EEG (electroencephalography) for the first time in the beauty industry captures 5 different feel-good emotions triggered by 14 different accords, representing 27 YSL fragrances. And then translates them into a unique, personalized selection of 3 YSL scents.

YSL Rouge Sur Mesure: Personalized Lipstick, a beauty tech innovation by Perso (2020)

2020 TIME’s Best Inventions

With this smart device, home consumers can create their very own versions of the iconic YSL’s iconic Velvet Cream Matte Finish lipstick. The lid of the device functions as a compact luxury case, so you can take your personalized product along with you when you go out.

Colorsonic, reinventing the consumer hair colouring experience through user-design breakthroughs at home and in the salon

2022 TIME’s Best Inventions

CES® 2022 Innovation Awards Honoree

Colorsonic is a lightweight, handheld device that uses an innovative, mess-free process to mix hair colour and apply it evenly, delivering consistent hair colour results for consumers at home.

HAPTA, the first handheld, ultra-precise computerized makeup applicator designed to advance the beauty needs of people with limited hand and arm mobility

CES® 2023 innovation award-winner

L’Oréal Brow Magic, a first-of-its-kind smart eyebrow makeup applicator that gives users bespoke brows for their face shape in seconds

CES® 2023 Innovation Award-Winner

L’Oréal Water Saver, a groundbreaking showerhead that uses rocket engine technology to reduce water consumption by 61% compared to standard methods

2021 TIME Best Inventions

Designed for the professional salon industry, L’Oréal Water Saver has the potential to help save billions of litres of water annually.

UVMune 400, L’Oréal’s breakthrough sun filtering technology

After 10 years of research, L’Oréal introduces UVMune 400, its breakthrough sun filtering technology that effectively protects the skin against insidious ultra-long UVA rays.

L’Oréal’s current and future success lies in the brand’s strong investments in research & development and the company’s strategic acquisitions, investments and partnerships.

2021 – 2023 Acquisitions & Investments & Strategic Partnerships:

• Digital Village, a metaverse-as-a-service platform and NFT marketplace for brands, creators, and communities;
• Prinker Korea, a micro-printing startup whose temporary tattoo products have won multiple CES Best of Innovation awards and the prestigious global iF Design award;
• Microphyt, a biotech that has developed a revolutionary process with a low carbon impact to produce microalgae used in cosmetics, among other fields, for their active properties and functional qualities;
• Skinbetter Science, a physician-dispensed skincare brand backed by cutting-edge, dermatological science, combining patented efficacious ingredients with luxurious sensorial textures;
• SPARTY, a startup that has successfully created a D2C business model grounded in personalized beauty, with brands such as Medulla in haircare and Hotaru in skincare;
• Youth to the People, a skincare company that develops and markets high-performance skincare products known for formulas that combine premium vegan blends of superfood extracts and science;
• Verily, an Alphabet precision health company advancing skin health;
• Emotiv, a global neurotech leader that helped L’Oreal launch YSL Scent-Sation;
• BreezoMeter, a climate tech company uncovering insights around exposome and skin.

What are L’Oréal’s business strengths driving the brand further?

1. Setting (and achieving) the goal of outperforming the market;
2. High quality of teams and their extraordinary level of commitment;
3. Investment in research and new technologies, like Artificial Intelligence;
4. Portfolio of complementary brands enabling the company to meet all beauty expectations;
5. Balanced geographic footprint;
6. Strategic vision and shareholder stability (the founding family is the company’s main shareholder);
7. Ability to seize new opportunities: the shift towards digital (virtual try-on, e-commerce), personalized product; recommendations. The next step in L’Oréal’s digital development may well be the metaverse;
8. Agility: the company trained employees on digital, e-commerce, the internet, and high tech;
9. Emerging countries represent a tremendous source of growth;
10. A unique point of view on the business: financial performance and environmental and social performance are now inextricably linked (read The Story behind the Brand: Patagonia);
11. Having a single line of business: L’Oréal focuses only on beauty but they cover all of beauty;
12. Leveraging the power of data.

Source: L’Oréal websites

How to use ChatGPT like an expert (with examples)

There are 3 stages to getting the best out of ChatGPT, the content AI bot which gained 1 million users in under a week: Beginner, Advanced and Expert.

Let’s go through each of these stages and learn how to become an expert in ChatGPT prompts. For additional read on ChatGPT, check out 9 best uses of ChatGPT for marketing, sales and business.

How to use ChatGPT like an expert

How to use ChatGPT – The Beginner Prompt

Prompt:

“Email marketing strategy”

ChatGPT Answer:

Here are some key elements of a successful email marketing strategy:

1. Define your target audience and segment your email list.
2. Personalize your emails with the recipient’s name and other details.
3. Provide value to your subscribers with relevant, useful content.
4. Optimize your subject lines, sender name, and email preheader for higher open rates.
5. Use a clear call-to-action (CTA) to drive the desired action.
6. Test, measure, and continuously improve your campaigns using data and analytics.
7. Comply with email marketing laws such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
8. Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers.
9. Make it easy for subscribers to unsubscribe if they wish to.
10. Incorporate a multi-channel approach that includes email as part of a larger customer journey.

How to use ChatGPT – The Advanced Prompt

Prompt:

“Give me a list of 15 email marketing strategies for an e-commerce brand.”

ChatGPT Answer:

1. Segmented email lists
2. Personalized subject lines
3. Abandoned cart emails
4. Welcome series for new subscribers
5. Win-back campaigns for inactive customers
6. Upsell and cross-sell emails
7. Product launch announcements
8. Limited-time promotions and discounts
9. Post-purchase follow-up emails
10. Customer referral programs
11. Customer reviews and feedback emails
12. Birthday and anniversary discounts
13. Re-engagement campaigns
14. Social proof in emails (e.g. customer testimonials)
15. Behavioural-triggered emails based on past actions.

How to use ChatGPT – The Expert Prompt

Prompt:

Act like an email marketing expert, up-to-date with the latest practices. 

Make a list of 8 email marketing strategies for a luxury watches brand. Each strategy must include 5 items to explain how to implement the strategy. 

Include uncommon ideas, tested tools. 

ChatGPT answer:

1.Personalized Email Campaigns:

• Segment email list based on customer behaviour and preferences
• Use dynamic content to display personalized product recommendations
• Greet customers by name in the subject line and email body
• Track and analyze open and click-through rates to optimize future campaigns
• Automate email campaigns based on customer behaviour triggers

2. Abandoned Cart Email Campaigns:

• Trigger an automated email to customers who have left items in their shopping carts
• Offer a limited-time discount to incentivize customers to complete the purchase
• Display a clear call-to-action (e.g. “complete your purchase now”)
• Use customer-specific product recommendations and product reviews in the email
• Track and analyze conversion rates to optimize future campaigns

3. Win-Back Email Campaigns:

• Re-engage inactive subscribers with a targeted email campaign
• Offer a limited-time discount or special deal to incentivize subscribers to make a purchase
• Provide a clear call-to-action (e.g. “Shop now to receive X% off”)
• Highlight the unique features and benefits of your luxury watch brand
• Track and analyze open and click-through rates to determine the success of the campaign

4. Referral Email Campaigns:

• Encourage customers to refer friends and family to your luxury watch brand
• Offer incentives such as discounts or exclusive promotions for both the referrer and the referee
• Make it easy for customers to share your brand with a pre-written referral email and social media sharing links
• Use a referral tracking system to track the success of the referral campaign
• Thank customers for their referrals and continue to engage with them through follow-up emails

5. Loyalty Program Email Campaigns:

• Launch a loyalty program for repeat customers
• Send regular emails to promote the loyalty program and its benefits
• Offer exclusive deals and discounts for loyalty program members
• Highlight the unique features and benefits of your luxury watch brand
• Track and analyze customer engagement and spending patterns to optimize future loyalty program campaigns

6. Event Invitation Email Campaigns:

• Invite customers to attend in-store events and trunk shows
• Use a visually appealing email design to create excitement and anticipation
• Offer exclusive deals and discounts for attendees
• Provide a clear call-to-action (e.g. “RSVP now to receive X% off”)
• Track and analyze RSVP rates and in-store sales during events to determine the success of the campaign

7. Holiday Email Campaigns:

• Create themed email campaigns for holidays such as Christmas, Father’s Day, and Valentine’s Day
• Offer holiday-specific deals and promotions
• Use holiday-themed visuals and graphics to create excitement and anticipation
• Provide a clear call-to-action (e.g. “Shop now for the perfect gift”)
• Track and analyze sales during holiday campaigns to optimize future holiday email campaigns

8. Post-Purchase Follow-Up Email Campaigns:

• Send a thank-you email to customers after a purchase
• Offer post-purchase support, such as product care and warranty information
• Request product reviews and feedback from customers
• Use customer-specific product recommendations in follow-up emails
• Offer exclusive deals and promotions to encourage repeat purchases

Other examples of how to use ChatGPT

Example 1

Prompt: Topic: increase email marketing conversions.

You are an email marketing expert, skilled in email marketing conversions.

Your task is to make a list of 5 email marketing strategies for a luxury watches brand to generate 100 purchases. Each strategy must include 3 items to explain how to implement the strategy. 

Prioritize uncommon, expert strategies.

Give examples of creative CTAs. 

ChatGPT answer:

1.Personalized Product Recommendations:

• Use data from customer profiles and purchase history to recommend products that match their preferences.
• Incorporate eye-catching product images, product descriptions and pricing information.
• Add a personalized CTA like “Shop Your Recommended Watches” to encourage clicks.

2. Scarcity Marketing:

• Create a sense of urgency by showcasing limited-time offers or exclusive discounts.
• Highlight the benefits of making a purchase now, such as free shipping or bonus gifts.
• Include a CTA such as “Act Fast, Limited Time Offer” to prompt action.

3. Abandoned Cart Recovery:

• Send follow-up emails to customers who have abandoned their shopping carts.
• Personalize the email by including the products left in the cart and a special offer to incentivize them to complete their purchase.
• Include a CTA like “Complete Your Purchase Today” to drive conversions.

4. Win-Back Campaigns:

• Re-engage inactive customers with personalized offers and reminders of the value your brand can bring.
• Highlight the brand’s unique features and benefits.
• Add a CTA like “Experience Luxury Again” to encourage customers to return.

5. Referral Marketing:

• Encourage customers to refer friends and family to your brand by offering incentives.
• Provide a referral link that is easy to share.
• Include a CTA like “Refer a Friend, Get a Discount” to drive referrals.

Example 2

Prompt: Topic: increase CTA clicks

You are an expert copywriter, with 10 years of experience in email marketing campaigns.

Your task is to make a list of 10 examples of CTAs for an airline running campaigns for their flights to the following European capitals: Vienna, Bucharest, Paris, London, Hamburg, Rome, and Lisbon. Each example must include a power word.

Prioritize uncommon, expert strategies.

ChatGPT answer:

1. “Discover Vienna’s Secrets Now”
2. “Embark on an Adventure in Bucharest”
3. “Uncover Paris’ Hidden Gems”
4. “Experience London Like a Local”
5. “Explore Hamburg’s Culture Today”
6. “Embrace Rome’s Timeless Charm”
7. “Unleash Lisbon’s Energy”
8. “Uncover Vienna’s Unforgettable Charm”
9. “Unleash Your Inner Explorer in Bucharest”
10. “Uncover Paris’ Magic in Person”

Example 3

Prompt: Topic: increase CTA clicks

You are an expert copywriter, with 10 years of experience in email marketing campaigns.

Your task is to make a list of 10 examples of CTAs for an airline running campaigns for their flights to the following European capitals: Vienna, Bucharest, Paris, London, Hamburg, Rome, and Lisbon. Each example must include a power word and the one thing each of these capitals is most famous for.

Prioritize uncommon, expert strategies.

ChatGPT answer

1. “Discover Vienna’s World-Renowned Opera Houses”
2. “Indulge in Bucharest’s Rich History”
3. “Experience Parisian Romance and Elegance”
4. “Explore London’s Iconic Landmarks”
5. “Savor Hamburg’s Scenic Harbor”
6. “Embrace Rome’s Timeless Beauty”
7. “Unwind in Lisbon’s Sunny Beaches”
8. “Elevate Your Journey to Vienna”
9. “Unlock Bucharest’s Hidden Gems”
10. “Transport Yourself to Paris, London, Hamburg, Rome, or Lisbon”

Top 10 essential business books for 2023

Over the past three years, the business world has been changing at an accelerated pace.

Leadership, team management, talent retention, employee development and business growth have taken different directions and professionals at every career stage are facing challenges.

Continued learning has never been more important. That’s why we have curated the following list of the Top 10 must-read business books for 2023.

Read on to discover them.

Top 10 essential business books for 2023

1. Blue Ocean Strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant  by Renée Mauborgne and Chan Kim

• WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
• BUSINESSWEEK BESTSELLER

Renée Mauborgne co-authored Blue Ocean Strategy with Chan Kim. The book shows the results of a study of 150 strategic moves spanning more than 100 years across 30 industries. The authors conclude that lasting success comes not from battling competitors but from creating blue oceans – untapped new market spaces ripe for growth.

Both Chan and Renée are Professors of Strategy at INSEAD, one of the world’s top business schools, and co-directors of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute in France.

Renée was named #1 Management Thinker in the world being the first woman to ever secure this spot on a global leadership list.

The book was published in a record-breaking 47 languages, is a bestseller across five continents and has been recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written. Both authors received widespread recognition for their work in the form of various awards and distinctions.

You will learn:

• How to create uncontested market space;
• Strategies to make the competition irrelevant;
• Frameworks to create and capture new demand;
• How to break the value-cost trade-off;
• To align the whole system of a firm’s activities in pursuit of differentiation and low cost.

Renée Mauborgne spoke at BRAND MINDS 2023 about how to adapt the Blue Ocean Strategy to reach new markets today. Here are 4 key takeaways:

2. Redesigning Work: How to Transform Your Organization and Make Hybrid Work for Everyone (Management on the Cutting Edge) by Lynda Gratton

Lynda Gratton is a Professor of Management Practice at London Business School where she directs the program ‘Human Resource Strategy in Transforming Companies’ – considered the world’s leading program on human resources.

She is an award-winning author on the future of work and the role of corporations. Her ten books have sold over 1 million copies and have been translated into more than 20 languages. ‘Redesigning Work’ is her latest book, released in 2022.

The book is based on thirty years of research into the technological, demographic, cultural and societal trends that are shaping work, including key takeaways from the global pandemic.

You will learn:

• Lynda Gratton’s innovative 4-step framework for redesigning work;
• To understand the challenges your business is facing;
• Strategies to reimagine creative, new approaches and processes;
• Model and test these within your organisation;
• Act and create based on contemporary, data-led feedback.

Whether you’re working in a small team or running a multinational, this is the time to make lasting changes and equip your business for the future. We were excited to watch Lynda speak on the stage at BRAND MINDS about creating the work environment of the future.

3. SalesDogs: You Don’t Have to be an Attack Dog to Explode Your Income by Blair Singer

Blair Singer is a global sales expert whose sales system is based on 30 years worth of unique insights on how to achieve peak performance as a salesperson. He trained 200.000+ sales professionals and corporations on how to increase their sales, skills and income. Over the last 15 years, he has worked with sales executives all over the world helping them become world-class leaders and build champion teams.

Blair Singer is a member of the Rich Dad Advisor team and his role is that of the Business & Sales Expert. The team was originally assembled by Rich Dad Poor Dad author, Robert Kiyosaki, to provide him with business and investing advice.

‘SalesDogs’ teaches in a very fun and impactful way how to overcome the fears, the myths and the obstacles to selling your products, services or yourself. It then teaches a simple, time-proven process of selling that will generate great income in almost any business.

You will learn:

• The 5 most important selling skills to master;
• How to overcome any objection;
• How to manage a territory and much more.

If you didn’t attend BRAND MINDS 2023, here are a few ideas from Blair on the key tactics to help you close big deals.

4. The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists by Richard P. Rumelt

• 2022 FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BUSINESS BOOK
• 2022 FORBES BEST BUSINESS BOOK
• 2022 THE NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB BEST LEADERSHIP BOOK
• 2022 THE GLOBE & MAIL BEST MANAGEMENT BOOK

Richard Rumelt is one of the world’s most influential thinkers on strategy and management. He is a Professor Emeritus at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. 

What passes for strategy in too many businesses, government agencies, and military operations is a toxic mix of wishful thinking and a jumble of incoherent policies. Richard P. Rumelt’s breakthrough concept is that leaders become effective strategists when they focus on challenges rather than goals, pinpointing the crux of their pivotal challenge—the aspect that is both surmountable and promises the greatest progress—and taking decisive, coherent action to overcome it. 

You will learn:

• How Elon Musk found the crux that propelled the success of SpaceX;
• The mental manoeuvre that focuses energy on what makes a difference;
• How to create an effective response that leads to the breakthrough.

Rumelt defines the essence of the strategist’s skill with vivid storytelling. Musk’s core challenge, for example, was rocket reusability. His intense focus on the soft landing of SpaceX’s rockets enabled them to be used again—radically reducing the cost of putting a pound in orbit. Musk’s strategy was not based on how value is created or how to position SpaceX in its industry. It was a design for action.

Book Description Source: The Crux Book

5. The Unicorn Within: How Companies Can Create Game-Changing Ventures at Startup Speed by Linda K. Yates

Linda Yates is the founder and CEO of Mach49, the growth incubator for global businesses, with clients including Goodyear, Gundersen Health, Hitachi, Intel, Pernod Ricard, Schneider Electric, Shell, and many more.

She is a seasoned CEO and board member with over 30 years of experience bridging Silicon Valley and the Global 1000, creating global strategy, building companies, and driving innovation for large multinationals around the world.

In ‘The Unicorn Within’, Linda Yates empowers large companies to beat startups at their own game—to build a pipeline and portfolio of new ventures to drive meaningful growth.

You will learn:

• A teachable, repeatable, scalable method focused 100 per cent on execution across the spectrum of venture creation;
• The most effective process: Ideate, Incubate, Accelerate, Scale;
• Strategies to manage the Mothership and seize its advantage;
• Steps to ensure your ventures reach escape velocity and thrive.

And don’t stop at just one venture. Yates also lays out her blueprint for building a Venture Factory capable of becoming your company’s growth engine for years to come.

The next Unicorns don’t have to come from Silicon Valley. Regardless of your company’s industry, geography, or history, they can come from you. Whether you’re the CEO, a member of the C-suite, or an internal entrepreneur, you can help your company grow.

Book Description Source: The Unicorn Within

6. Negotiate Like A CEO: How to Get Ahead with Lessons Learned From Top Entrepreneurs and Executives by Jotham Stein

Jotham Stein is an expert attorney with more than 25 years of experience representing entrepreneurs, C-Suite executives, board members, venture capitalists, private equity principals, investment bankers as well as employees of companies of all types and sizes.

Mr Stein has negotiated numerous M&A agreements, change-in-control agreements, stock option agreements, restricted stock agreements, management carve-out agreements, non-compete agreements, and much more.

What does it mean to negotiate like a CEO? How important are offer letters and employment agreements? How can you protect yourself and your family if the worst happens? These are all questions that Jotham Stein addresses in ‘Negotiate Like a CEO’.

A lively, engaging read, ‘Negotiate Like a CEO’ outlines how employees, executives, and entrepreneurs protect themselves and will give you eye-opening advice on how to make sure you won’t get taken advantage of.

You will learn:

• How to equip yourself with the right tools to safeguard you & your family in business and employment;
• Best practices;
• Common pitfalls;
• Sky’s-the-limit possibilities at any stage in your career, whether you’re just a middle manager or you’re going for that C-suite job.

Book Description Source: Negotiate like a CEO book

7. The Coaching Effect: What Great Leaders Do to Increase Sales, Enhance Performance, and Sustain Growth by Bill Eckstrom and Sarah Wirth 

Authors Bill Eckstrom & Sarah Wirth have spent a decade researching the activities, behaviours, and performance of leaders. After studying more than 120,000 coaching interactions in the workplace, primarily of sales teams, they have determined how coaching affects team outcomes and growth. 

The idea for The Coaching Effect came about when Bill & Sarah were having a career development discussion, and Sarah mentioned that a goal of hers was to one day write a book. Unbeknownst to her, Bill then submitted their writing and research to Greenleaf Publishing. It didn’t take long before the book deal was official.

You will learn:

• To understand the necessity of challenging people out of their comfort zone;
• How to develop a trusting relationship with your team;
• Frameworks to drive accountability and leverage growth experiences;
• Strategies to propel your team members to the highest levels of success.

Book Description Source: The Coaching Effect

8. The Manager’s Dilemma: How to Empower Your Team’s Problem-Solving by Irial O’Farrell

• 2022 AMAZON BESTSELLER

‘The Manager’s Dilemma’ is the second book in a 2-part series called Performance Development Series by author Irial OFarrell. The first book in the series is ‘SMART Objective Setting for Managers: A Roadmap’ (also Amazon Best Seller) where managers learn the difference between setting a goal for themselves and setting a goal for their team.

‘The Manager’s Dilemma’ is based on Irial’s insights arising from her 25+ years of experience in developing hundreds of managers, designing organisational processes and implementing change.

The book teaches managers essential management skills like how to show their team the right way of presenting escalated problems, diagnose which problem-solving step their team member is stuck at, coach their team members, empower their team member to sort out a chunk of their issues, build their confidence and free them up.

Free themselves up from overwhelming themselves with frustration, decision fatigue, and lots of interruptions.

You will learn:

• The 3 valid reasons for escalation;
• The steps of problem-solving (there’s more than you think!);
• How your mindset is contributing to the dynamic and what are your options;
• The 5 most common team member profiles and prompts on how to empower each of them;
• A bonus team profile;
• Guidance on how to introduce this leading-edge approach to your team.

Book description source: Amazon

9. CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller and Vikram Malhotra

• NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
• WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER
• USA TODAY BESTSELLER
• PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER

Authors Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller and Vikram Malhotra are senior partners with McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s most influential management consulting firms.

Under their guidance, McKinsey & Company led a research effort to identify those CEOs whose companies grew demonstrably healthier during their tenures. They looked across more than 20 years’ worth of data on 7,800 CEOs from 3,500 public companies across 70 countries and 24 industries to further identify those whose actions have led to breakaway success.

After they have conducted detailed interviews with a representative sample of 67 high-performing CEOs, the authors have synthesized their findings in their new book, ‘CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest’.

You will learn:

• Unique insights brought by the research findings;
• 6 mindsets that helped top chief executives deliver extraordinary impact;
• Conversations with global leaders including Mary Barra (GM), Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (Nestlé), Ken Chenault (American Express), Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan Chase), Herbert Hainer (Adidas), Reed Hastings (Netflix), Marillyn Hewson (Lockheed Martin), Kaz Hirai (Sony), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), and Peter Voser (Shell).

Book Description Source: CEO Excellence book

10. If you want something done: Leadership lessons from bold women By Nikki R. Haley

• NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
• USA TODAY BESTSELLER

In her instant bestselling book, Nikki R. Haley offers inspiring examples of women who worked against obstacles and opposition to get things done―including Haley herself.

As a girl of Indian descent growing up in Bamberg, South Carolina, no one would have predicted she would become the first minority female governor in America, the first female and the first minority governor in South Carolina, or the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Her journey wasn’t an easy one. She faced many people who thought she didn’t belong―and who told her so. She was too brown. Too female. Too young. Too conservative. Too principled. Too idealistic. As far as Nikki was concerned, those were not reasons to hold her back. Those were all reasons to forge ahead.

She drew inspiration from other trailblazing women throughout history who summoned the courage to be different and lead.

You will learn:

• How 10 remarkable women dared to be bold;
• Stories from Haley’s childhood.

Book Description Source: Amazon

Will Disney Plus overtake Netflix as the leading streaming platform?

To be able to draw a conclusion, first, let’s see key 2022 statistics for both streaming platforms.

2022 Disney Plus key statistics (excluding ESPN+ and Hulu)

• Launch year: 2019
• Number of global subscribers in 2022: 164 million subscribers (39% growth) in 150 markets with a library of over 13,000 movies and shows
• 2022 revenue: 7.75 billion US dollars (source: Disney company financial statement)
• Disney Plus markets by subscribers number: 61.3 million subscribers (India+Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand), 56.5 million subscribers (rest of the world),  46.4 million subscribers (USA and Canada)
• Disney Plus markets by value: International (3.95 billion US dollars which account for 45% of total revenue), USA + Canada (3.39 billion US dollars), India+Indonesia+Malaysia+Thailand (426 million US dollars)
• 2022 content spend: 33 US billion dollars
• Profit: zero, estimate to start bringing in profit with 2024
• Top movies (global): Encanto, Turning Red, Moana
• Top shows (global): The Simpsons, Grey’s Anatomy, Family Guy
• 78% of Disney+ Bundle users keep their subscriptions after the 6 months mark (source)

Want to read more on Disney? Check out Disney: The Story Behind the Brand.

2022 Netflix key statistics

• Launch year: 1997
• Number of global subscribers in 2022: 230 million subscribers (4.5% growth) in 190 countries with a library of 5400 movies & shows
• 2022 revenue: 31.616 billion US dollars, a 5.9% increase year-over-year (source: Netflix company financial statement)
• Netflix markets by the number of subscribers: 73.53 million subscribers (Europe+Middle East+Africa), 73.39 million subscribers (USA and Canada), 39.94 million subscribers (Latin America), 36.23 million subscribers (Asia Pacific) (source)
• 2022 content spend: 17 billion US dollars
• Profit: 6 billion US dollars
• Top movies (global): The Tinder Swindler, The Adam Project, The Sea Beast
• Top shows (global): Stranger Things, Manifest, Inventing Anna

Will Disney+ overtake Netflix in 2023?

Disney Plus competitive strengths

Huge archive of owned content

The Walt Disney Company is a global film powerhouse with a legacy of over 100 years of family entertainment.

The company expanded its global reach through acquisitions of over 116 billion US dollars including key film and television studios LucasFilm, ABC, Marvel Entertainment, Pixar, 21st Century Fox, The Jim Henson Company, Fox, and National Geographic.

Thanks to these acquisitions, Disney Plus viewers have a huge archive of owned content comprised of blockbusters series Star Wars, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man, Wakanda, Avatar, Spiderman, X-Men, Deadpool, Captain America, Thor, She-Hulk, MoonNight, WandaVision, Loki and so on. 

Original films and tv series with multiple Emmy nominations

Original Disney movies join these productions with amazing success with fans and critics alike: Jungle Cruise, Hocus Pocus, Hidden Figures, Night at the Museum, Pirates of the Caribbean and many more.

Since its launch, Disney Plus received a total of 70 Emmy Awards nominations for The Mandalorian, WandaVision, Hamilton, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Moon Knight and The Beatles: Get back but didn’t register any major wins yet. 

Emmy-winning original content for kids

Walt Disney is one of the oldest animation studios in the world. Animated films that have enchanted entire generations can be streamed to delight future generations of kids (Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) alongside modern animations like Wall-E, The Incredibles, Toy Story, Encanto and Turning Red.

Growth at a high-speed rate

The streaming service has gained 164 million subscribers since its launch which means it achieved in four years what Netflix achieved in nine. Amazing growth at an equally amazing speed!

Investment in 2023 content – 33 billion US dollars

Disney has been making movies since the late 1930s and that’s what it will continue to do and that’s what viewers come looking for on its streaming platform. So it’s not surprising that the company plans to invest 33 billion US dollars in content for 2023. 

Netflix competitive strengths

Emmy-winning Original films and TV series

Netflix understood early on that licensing content would limit the streaming platform’s growth so it began producing its own content, movies and tv series.

In 2013, Netflix became the first streaming platform to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for its television series House of Cards. The Crown was the first Netflix’s original to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2021.

Between the first nomination and the first win, Netflix received over 600 nominations and won 112. I will only mention a few: The Queen’s Gambit, Bridgerton, Ozark, The Kominsky Method, Squid Game, Stranger Things, Inventing Anna and The Tinder Swindler.

Licensed classic TV shows

Nostalgia is a powerful behaviour trigger.

In the streaming service industry, that means popular tv shows produced more than thirty years ago that older generations identify with.

You can even tell a lot about a person’s type of humour by asking this simple question: Friends or Seinfeld? For me, it’s Seinfeld. But for others, it’s Friends, Cheers, Saved by the bell, The Office, Full House and so on. Netflix knows this and invested a lot to host these popular and famous tv shows on its platform even for a limited time.

Non-English content

The non-English films and television series are a big part of Netflix’s success in international markets.

Squid Game (Korea), Money Heist (Spain), Dark (Germany), Call my agent (France), Shtisel (Israel) and other series have been viewed billions of hours.

The Korean survival thriller Squid Game holds the record for Netflix’s most-watched series of all time with 1.65 billion hours followed by Stranger Things and Wednesday. Squid Game has also won six Emmys.

Netflix will continue to invest in non-English productions because it brings in increased viewership from international markets and content diversification.

Estimated Investment in content for 2023- 17 billion US dollars

The streaming platform’s investment in content for 2022 was 17 billion US dollars. We don’t have yet an official number for 2023 so we can only assume it’s the same.

Gaming content

This is a new type of content that Netflix launched in 2021.

Here is what CEO Bob Chapek says about this:

“Beyond TV and movies, we’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of our gaming launch. As we’ve said, this will be a multi-year journey for us to learn how to please game players. Our first year was about establishing our gaming infrastructure and understanding how our members interact with games. We now have 35 games on service (all included in every Netflix subscription without in-game ads or in-app purchases) and we’re seeing some encouraging signs of gameplay leading to higher retention. With 55 more games in development, including more games based on Netflix IP, we’re focused in the next few years on creating hit games that will take our game initiative to the next level. More generally, we see a big opportunity around content that crosses between TV or film and games.” 

Stand-up Comedy Specials

Ten years ago, the best sign that a stand-up comedian has finally made it to the big league was filling stadiums with fans paying a ticket to see them. Today, it’s filling stadiums AND having a Comedy Special on Netflix. Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Iliza Schlesinger, Ali Wong, Trevor Noah, Chelsea Handler, Amy Schumer and others.

Dave Chappelle won three Emmy Awards for his Netflix Specials Sticks & Stones and Equanimity.

Conclusion

Both streaming platforms have strong competitive advantages in attracting an increasing number of subscribers in 2023 beyond subscription prices (Netflix’s monthly subscription is a little higher than Disney Plus).

Last year, both Netflix and Disney Plus rolled out ad-supported subscription plans that allow subscribers to enjoy movies and TV shows at a lower price.

Disney Plus is not making a profit yet. CEO Bob Chapek estimates that the streaming service “will still achieve profitability in fiscal 2024, assuming we do not see a meaningful shift in the economic climate”. If the last three years taught us anything is that we cannot predict the economic climate or the events that can influence it so what any business big or small can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. 

Disney Plus has an amazing library of content to fall back on thanks to the brilliant creative minds at LucasFilm, Marvel Entertainment, Pixar and 21st Century Fox.

Even if they rely on the films and tv series produced by these formidable 4, the future looks good for the young streaming platform. The 33 billion US dollars investment in content for 2023 (twice the amount invested by Netflix) ensures new original content will delight viewers. 

Another point goes to Disney Plus for its children-focused content.

Netflix, on the other hand, has more going for it, in my opinion: non-English content, Comedy Specials and Games. It loses points on the children-focused content. 

Will Disney Plus have more subscribers than Netflix at the end of 2023? If the streaming service maintains its current growth rate of 39%, it’s possible.

Will it diversify its content? That remains to be seen.

7 powerful viral LinkedIn templates for your posts

Looking to build virality into your LinkedIn posts?

Here are 7 templates to draw inspiration from:

Viral LinkedIn Template #1 – Do extensive research and give the result to your audience

Offer your connections on LinkedIn access to a spreadsheet of tools, resources or insights that they can use to achieve various goals. They can be checklists, lists of suppliers, lists of digital platforms, statistics or anything else you can think of that is of value to your connections.

The success of this template lies in the number – the bigger the better.

Also, ask your connections to drop a comment if they want the list so you can send them a copy. This is a great organic way to build engagement on your post so the LinkedIn algorithm can give it a boost. 

Examples: 

100+ video editing software providers. Drop a comment and I will send you a copy!

200 free digital tools for project managers. Drop a comment below and I’ll send you a copy!

100 insights you can pull from Google Analytics. Tell me you want the list and I’ll send you a copy!

Viral LinkedIn Template #2 – Grab them, shake them, show them the light

This template requires a little reverse engineering and taking a different point of view of a situation all your followers can connect with. 

Example:

Traditional leadership is failing. Quiet quitting is on the rise.  And that’s a good thing. Let me tell you why.

Let’s analyse the example.

Grab your followers’ attention with a situation/challenge/problem that they are working to overcome or they can all relate to.

Introduce the result with the highest impact arising from this situation and flip it on its head.

Look at the consequence from a different standpoint and write what you see. Be insightful, mention statistics and include your solution organically.

Traditional leadership is failing. Quiet quitting is on the rise. And that’s a good thing. Let me tell you why. The C-suite is finally understanding that the needs of employees have changed. That they need to invest in upskilling the company’s managers. That they need to transform and update operations. That they need to change the decision-making process. Or get out-competed. And die.

Viral LinkedIn Template #3 – Fill in the blanks

Invite your connections to share insights and knowledge on a specific topic. 

Examples:

You know they are a wrong match for your team if they….

You know their investor pitch will fail because they ….

Viral LinkedIn Template #4 – The downside you didn’t know about

Make a list of all the ways a popular tool, platform or tactic fails to accomplish user’s goals, then offer your solution.

Examples:

Here are 20 ways Google Analytics fails to track campaign success.

Here are 10 reasons you should stop spending money on outbound marketing.

Viral LinkedIn Template #5 – I was shocked when he/she revealed the secret

Refer to a person of authority (subject matter expert, market leader, highly experienced professional) and list their most valuable insights.

Examples:

An investor with 30 years of experience told me the ingredients of a successful business. I was surprised when he revealed these secrets. Here is what he told me: 

An HR director working for a billion-dollar business told me what I should do to build a successful company culture. I was amazed when she revealed this little-known strategy. Here is what she told me.

Viral LinkedIn Template #6 – Take your audience through a step-by-step process

This template is about teaching your connections how to complete a task or achieve an objective by applying a simple process.

Use adjectives to describe the process and grab attention: easy, simple, essential, effortless, unique, little-known, verified, endorsed, step-by-step, no-hassle, successful etc.

Mention what they achieve in the first sentence.

Examples:

Create the best Facebook campaign today. Here’s a verified 5-step process.

Write viral LinkedIn posts. Here’s a simple 3-step process.

Viral LinkedIn Template #7 – The ‘I can’t live without’ list

Recommend a number of tools essential in your job and frame them in such a way that conveys how valuable they are to you and your work.

Examples:

20 Chrome extensions I can’t live without.

5 daily apps I can’t do my job without. 

6 positive affirmations I can’t start my day without.

10 sales habits I couldn’t be successful without. 

9 best uses of ChatGPT for marketing, sales and business

ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a language generation model developed by OpenAI. GPT-2 and GPT-3 are the two most recent versions of the model. GPT-3 is the largest and most powerful version of the model to date, with 175 billion parameters. It can be fine-tuned for a variety of natural language processing tasks, such as language translation, text summarization, and question answering. It is often used as a conversational AI model.

The paragraph above was written by ChatGPT, the AI tool that everyone is talking about, taking either a negative standpoint (It will take our jobs!) or a positive standpoint (It’s the best thing since sliced bread!). A few voices in the business area have chosen to take the middle ground, namely a more balanced approach: It’s just a tool, it’s as good or as bad as you make it to be.

ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI, an AI research and deployment company, governed by a nonprofit board, with investments from Microsoft, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman’s charitable foundation and others. OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity.

I tested ChatGPT to see how it can help professionals in marketing and sales improve their work and produce the best results.

9 best uses of ChatGPT for marketing and sales

1. ChatGPT marketing strategies

I asked ChatGPT to give me 10 creative ideas for a marketing campaign to promote laptops. Here’s what it responded:

• Offer a free laptop sleeve or carrying case with every laptop purchase.
• Create a referral program where customers who refer friends or family to purchase laptops receive a discount or a free accessory.
• Partner with a popular video streaming service and offer a free trial or discounted subscription to customers who purchase laptops.
• Host a “Trade-in” event where customers can trade in their old laptops for a discount on a new one.
• Offer a free virtual consultation service where customers can have their new laptops set up and configured remotely by an expert.
• Create a social media contest where customers can share photos or videos of their laptops in action and win prizes.
• Host a webinar or virtual event featuring industry experts discussing how laptops can help increase productivity and efficiency.
• Collaborate with popular YouTubers or Instagram influencers to showcase the features of your laptops through sponsored content.
• Run a “Back to school” promotion, offering discounts or free accessories for students who purchase laptops.
• Offer a “Try before you buy” program where customers can borrow a laptop for a short period of time to test it out before committing to a purchase.

2. ChatGPT strategies to increase the number of email subscribers

• Offering a lead magnet, such as an ebook, guide, or template, in exchange for an email address is a common tactic.
• Using an exit-intent pop-up or slide-in form on your website to prompt visitors to subscribe before leaving.
• Creating a landing page specifically for email sign-ups and promoting it on social media or through paid advertising.
• Using referral marketing, where existing subscribers can refer their friends and family to your email list in exchange for an incentive.
• Incorporating email sign-up forms in all your online content, such as blog posts and social media profiles.
• Offering exclusive content or discounts to those who subscribe to your email list.
• Hosting webinars or other live events and promoting them to your email list.
• Partnering with other businesses or influencers in your industry to cross-promote each other’s email lists.

And a recommendation: It’s important to note that all of these strategies should be paired with a clear value proposition and a good subject line that entices the people to open and read your email once they are on your list.

3. ChatGPT on strategies to expand a business in another country

I asked the tool to give me strategies for expanding a business of healthy food for middle-aged women in Bulgaria. Here is its response:

Expanding a business can be a complex process, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, some strategies that may be helpful in expanding your business of healthy food for middle-aged women in Bulgaria include:

• Conducting market research: Understand your target market, their preferences and needs, and what sets your products apart from competitors. Use this information to create a targeted marketing strategy.
• Building a strong online presence: This can include creating a website and social media accounts to promote your products and connect with potential customers.
• Networking: Attend industry events and conferences, and connect with other business owners and potential customers in the area.
• Diversifying your product offerings: Consider offering new, complementary products to attract a wider range of customers.
• Partnering with other businesses: Collaborate with local gyms, health clinics, or other businesses that cater to your target market. This can help increase visibility and attract new customers.
• Offering personalized service and nutrition consulting, by leveraging the professional nutritionist skills you have in your team.
• Expanding your distribution channels: Explore different options for selling your products, such as through online marketplaces or delivery services, as well as supermarkets, farmers markets etc.

Pretty basic and general. It ends with this paragraph:

It’s also important to keep in mind that the Bulgarian market is affected by EU regulations, so you should take into consideration some specific rules and regulations in order to operate. In addition, Bulgarian culture, customs and taste are unique, so you should try to tailor your products and branding to the local market.

4. ChatGPT generating headlines focused on increasing the creativity of marketers

“5 Innovative Strategies to Boost Your Marketing Creativity”

“Unlocking the Power of Creativity in Marketing: Tips and Tricks”

“Breaking the Mold: How to Think Outside the Box in Marketing”

“The Importance of Creativity in Modern Marketing and How to Achieve It”

“Marketing Creativity 101: Techniques to Elevate Your Campaigns”

“Innovative Marketing: From Idea to Execution”

“The Creative Marketer’s Toolkit: How to Bring New Ideas to the Table”

“Mastering the Art of Marketing Creativity: Lessons from the Experts”

“Creative Marketing: Strategies for Small Businesses”

“Marketing Innovation: Achieving Success through Creativity and Experimentation”

5. ChatGPT can help you write a basic HTML code for your website

I asked the tool to give me the HTML code for a contact form. Here is what it gave me:

There are many ways to create a contact form, depending on the language and framework you are using. Here is an example of a simple HTML contact form:

You also can use a solution like ajax to send the form asynchronously and avoid a full page refresh, also depending on your backend configuration you can use different libraries like ExpressJS for nodejs, Flask for Python, Laravel for PHP, ASP.NET or Spring for Java among others.

<form id=”contact-form”>

  <label for=”name”>Name:</label>

  <input type=”text” id=”name” name=”name”><br>

  <label for=”email”>Email:</label>

  <input type=”email” id=”email” name=”email”><br>

  <label for=”message”>Message:</label>

  <textarea id=”message” name=”message”></textarea><br>

  <input type=”button” value=”Submit” onclick=”submitForm()”>

</form>

<script>

  function submitForm() {

    // gather form data

    const formData = {

      name: document.getElementById(‘name’).value,

      email: document.getElementById(’email’).value,

      message: document.getElementById(‘message’).value

    };

    // send form data to server

    fetch(‘/submit-form’, {

      method: ‘POST’,

      body: JSON.stringify(formData),

      headers: { ‘Content-Type’: ‘application/json’ }

    })

    .then(response => response.json())

    .then(data => {

      // handle server response

      console.log(data);

    })

    .catch(error => {

      // handle errors

      console.error(‘Error:’, error);

    });

  }

</script>

6. ChatGPT writing a poem about entrepreneurship at the age of 40

ChatGPT can write all sorts of texts, ranging from scripts for TV ads, blog articles, news, and inspirational speeches to jokes and scientific explanations.

I asked it to write a poem because we, as marketers, are always looking to change things up and catch the attention of our customers in a fresh and surprising way. Why not a poem?

Here it is:

At forty, a new chapter starts

Entrepreneurship in the heart

A fire burns, a passion grows

To build something, to make it known

With experience and wisdom gained

A clear vision, a sturdy aim

To turn a dream into a reality

To make a mark, to leave a legacy

With every step, a risk to take

But the reward, a future to make

A hustle and grind, day and night

To turn a spark into a shining light

A journey not for the faint of heart

But for those who dare to start

A new chapter, a new phase

Entrepreneurship, at forty with grace

With each triumph, a new strength

To overcome any obstacle’s length

To keep moving forward with pride

And leave a legacy for those by our side.

7. ChatGPT researched the most profitable tech startups in Europe

Research is one of the building blocks of marketing and having good reliable information is essential. ChatGPT can help you with that. If anything, it’s a starting point.

Here is ChatGPT’s answer:

It is difficult to say which tech startups in Europe are currently the most profitable, as this can change over time and depend on a variety of factors. Additionally, a startup’s profitability may not be publicly disclosed. However, some tech startups in Europe that have achieved significant valuations and/or received substantial funding include:

• Spotify (Sweden)
• Adyen (Netherlands)
• Delivery Hero (Germany)
• Klarna (Sweden)
• Zalando (Germany)
• Farfetch (United Kingdom)
• iZettle (Sweden)
• Improbable (United Kingdom)
• The Hut Group (United Kingdom)
• UiPath (Romania)

Please note that this list is not exhaustive and there are many startups from Europe that are making a huge impact in the tech industry. Additionally, this list doesn’t indicate their profitability but their impact and funding received in the industry.

8. What business framework should you use to grow your business? ChatGPT has a few suggestions

There are many different frameworks that can be used to help grow a business, and the best one for you will depend on the specific characteristics and needs of your business. Some popular frameworks include the Lean Startup methodology, which emphasizes rapid experimentation and iteration, and the Business Model Canvas, which helps entrepreneurs visually map out the key elements of their business. The Customer Development Methodology is another one that is used to help identify and validate a business idea or product. The Ansoff Matrix is another popular tool used to identify growth strategies in different market conditions.

It’s important that you evaluate your specific needs and goals before selecting a framework. You should also consider seeking guidance from a business mentor, consultant, or coach, who can help you understand which framework would be most appropriate for your business.

9. ChatGPT’s recommendations on the most effective cold calls questions salespersons could use

Cold calling can be an effective way to generate leads, but it can also be challenging to get prospects to engage with you. Some effective questions to use when making cold calls include:

• Can you tell me a little bit about your current situation and how it relates to the products/services we offer?
• Are you currently working with any other providers in this space?
• How do you measure success in this area?
• Can you tell me who makes the decisions about (product/service) in your company?
• How does your company typically go about finding solutions like the one we offer?
• Are you open to learning more about how our solution can help you achieve your goals?
• When would be a good time for us to schedule a call to discuss this in more detail?

It’s also important to have a clear script, with a goal in mind to steer the conversation. and using specific language that is tailored to the person you are calling and their specific industry will help make the call more productive.

Also, be prepared to be flexible and adjust your questions and the direction of the conversation based on the prospect’s responses.

Conclusions to using ChatGPT

Are you going to use ChatGPT for your work in marketing, sales or business?

If you are, here is my recommendation after using ChatGPT for a few hours: be very specific, avoid general questions and use it as a starting point.

Creativity and human touch will continue to make the difference between robot-produced and human-produced content. Nobody is looking to read superfluous platitudes. Not to mention that Google has been making adjustments to its search algorithms to bring forward original content for a few years now. So use ChatGPT as you do any other digital tool: to help you focus on doing your best creative work.

4 reasons to include Augmented Reality in your business strategy

The global Augmented Reality market is expected to reach 461.25 billion US dollars by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.50% according to this report.

Read on to learn why this is the time to include Augmented Reality in your business strategy for 2023.

Augmented Reality global market and user statistics from Google and Snap:

• 66% of people are interested in using augmented reality technology for help when shopping
• By 2025, nearly 75% of the global population and almost all smartphone users will be frequent AR users
• More than 100 million consumers are shopping with AR online and in stores
• 61% of people use AR for communication (Snap)
• 6 in 10 people identify shopping as their main reason for using AR 
• The majority are discovering AR through social/communications apps
• 76% of people expect and desire to use it as a practical “tool” in their everyday lives
• 3 in 4 people recognize AR as useful
• Interacting with products that have AR experiences leads to a 94% higher conversion rate
• Industries use AR to delight customers: entertainment, education, fashion, health & beauty, education, travel, automotive

4 reasons for including Augmented Reality in your business strategy

1. Seamless shopping experience & increased sales

How many companies are competing for your customer’s attention? Your competitors, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, activity apps and Netflix. 

Who is getting their attention? Whoever provides them with the best experience whether it’s entertainment, learning or shopping for a new pair of glasses. 

As Snap states in its 2022 report, 3 in 5 eCommerce brands agree AR is an essential part of its marketing and sales efforts thanks to its unique ability to offer immersive experiences throughout the entire customer journey: awareness, consideration, conversion and loyalty.

Augmented Reality Business Use Cases

IKEA

IKEA is one of the first major brands to use AR to help customers make the right decisions when shopping for their products. In 2017, they developed IKEA Place, an AR application showing customers how virtual IKEA items would look in any given space. The AR application was a success: 2 million downloads and over 2 billion website visitors.

L’Oreal

L’Oreal is one of the most innovative companies in the global beauty market. The company provides customers with Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence powered tools to virtually try on its hair and makeup products or to measure skin ageing. By developing and including beauty tech, L’Oréal’s e-commerce sales grew by 25.7% in 2021 (9.3 billion euros), an amazing jump from 15.6% in 2019 (4.6 billion euros).

2. Customers already have and use AR – no adoption is needed

Whenever there is a breakthrough in technology, the main challenge businesses face is persuading customers to adopt it. Depending on the type of technology and the psychographics of the customer base, the technology is easier or more difficult to adopt. A great example is the ATM; it was invented in the late 1960s but wasn’t adopted until the 1980s because people didn’t trust the machine to give them their money. 

In the case of Augmented Reality, the adoption has already taken place. There is no need for your business to persuade your customers because the smartphone in their hands grants them instant access to Augmented Reality. 

3. Meeting your customers’ expectations for convenience and support

Your customers are comfortable with using Augmented Reality and are expecting brands to offer them a unique experience. They are looking to your business for support in whatever they want to achieve. Meet their expectations by providing them with Augmented Reality powered tools which show them how your furniture would look in their home or how to learn to play the piano or how to install a device by giving them AR instructions.

4. The opportunity to stand out from your competitors

Augmented Reality has sparked the imagination of professionals in marketing and advertising since its first emergence on the business horizon. They realized they could make advertising campaigns come alive and give audiences a way to interact with their ideas. It was the dawn of a new era: the phygital (physical + digital).

MLKonMLK by Lenovo

There are 955 streets that bear Martin Luther King Jr’s name and Lenovo transformed all of them into an immersive experience to celebrate black history. The company partnered with the DuSable Museum of African American History and created the MLKonMLK AR campaign, an immersive educational experience that brings Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech to every single MLK street using augmented reality.

HBO x Snap for House of the Dragon premiere

In an effort to reach fans for the much-awaited prequel, the TV channel and streaming service launched a mega marketing campaign spanning social media, outdoor, digital, and mainstream TV spots, promotions on selected distribution partners, live experiences and activations.

On Snap, users were given access to two in-app AR experiences. In the first experience, the user is transformed into a fire-breathing dragon. In the second, AR renderings of the show’s dragons are revealed over local landmarks all over the globe.

6 key steps to achieve your goals in 2023

The new year is upon us and with it, a fresh opportunity to reset and achieve your goals for 2023. Here are 6 key steps to successfully achieve your goals in 2023:

1. Set 1 goal

It’s enticing and thrilling to set 3 or 4 goals you would like to achieve in 2023. It makes you feel like you can become everything you wanted to in just a year. But you need to resist this urge and set only 1 goal. This will bring you many benefits: focused efforts, a clear mind, increased motivation, enhanced creativity, less pressure, dedication, more time for learning and a personal brand. Because we are defined by our goals. And when we talk about them with passion and dedication, that’s branding.

2. Say ‘No’

The next step after you have set your goal is to say no to anything that interferes with your plan to achieve your goal. Saying No is not an easy task. You might find yourself in situations where you need to turn down people you love, other projects, friends or colleagues. Explain the reason for your decision calmly and firmly. The people you turn down will accept your decision once they understand how important it is for you to stay on track to achieve your goal.

3. Break the big goal down into smaller goals

If you’ve set a goal for 2023, chances are it’s a big goal. No matter what the goal is, you can’t achieve it overnight. To reach the top of the stairs, you climb up each step (unless you do parkour, in which case you can just jump to the top). Approach your goal as you do any project you take on at work. Break the big goal into smaller goals – let’s call them intermediate goals – and make a list of them. They are your mileposts, each time you check them off your list, you know you are closer to achieving your big goal.

4. Leverage your point of view

Always look at projects and challenges from a different angle than everyone else. Why do what everyone else is doing? Be creative and take a new and fresh approach to your goal. Every one of us is naturally endowed with a different set of skills and talents. Our life experiences provide us with a unique perspective which is valuable in and of itself.

5. Look for patterns, not stories

Habit-building expert, Bestselling Author of ‘Atomic Habits’ and BRAND MINDS 2023 speaker James Clear says this:

“When researching strategies, emphasize patterns over stories. One person succeeding means nothing. 100 people succeeding is a signal.”

Find people who were successful in achieving the same goal you’ve set for yourself and reach out to them. Talk to them about your common goal and ask them if they would like to share with you the steps they have taken to achieve the goal. This is a great way to look for patterns and, at the same time, build relationships with people with the same values as you who can help and steer you in the right direction.

6. Leave perfection at the door

Many believe that being perfect is the route to professional success and personal fulfilment. What they don’t realise is that they set themselves up for disappointment because perfection is an illusion. If the Wonder Woman Syndrome is focused on ‘to do’, the pursuit of perfection is focused on ‘to be’. Setting up the expectation of being perfect regarding your goal achievement is not about high standards, but your critical inner voice. And it will ultimately prevent you from achieving your goal.

32 powerful landing page optimization tips to increase conversions

Are you looking for tips to optimize your landing page? To help you create a highly-converting landing page, I’ve put together a list of 32 landing page optimization tips.

What is a landing page? A landing page is a page away from your site, where your visitors arrive by clicking on a link.

It is not your homepage or any other page that your visitors use to enter your website. It’s not the landing page you see mentioned in Google Analytics. If you check your analytics reports, you might have noticed that the website traffic report displays your landing pages. Don’t be confused: these pages are not the pages I am referring to in this article.

A landing page is a page you create specifically for a marketing or advertising campaign with the sole purpose of capturing a visitor’s information through a form.

It’s the page you use to turn visitors into leads, it’s where your conversions happen. That’s why you should do your best to have this page optimized 100%.

Let’s dive in!

1. When to use a landing page

You now know what a landing page is. When should you use a landing page?

Create a landing page for each marketing campaign your company is running.

Have duplicate landing pages for each of your ads so you can easily track which ad sources are working and generating more/better results.

Your company website is visited by two types of audiences: cold and warm. You don’t talk to your cold audiences as if they already knew you just like you don’t talk to your warm audiences as if it’s the first time they saw your brand. In the same way, you should have different landing pages for cold audiences and warm audiences.

Also, if you have influencer campaigns, use a customized landing page for each influencer.

2. Who is your landing page for?

Know your target audience inside out – the more you know about them, the better. Provide your visitors with a landing page that shows you know them. You will earn their trust.

Ask yourself questions like how would they react to my CTA or to the colour on the button or the overall colour scheme of the landing page.

3. Quick loading

Make sure your landing page loads quickly ideally under 3 sec. Also, check the images are also loading.

If your page takes more than a couple of seconds to load, you could be losing almost 50% of your potential traffic.

4. Aim for beautiful

Your landing page is a product like any other you have in your portfolio, so design a landing page that is aesthetically pleasing.

Keep in mind that your target audience will determine what kind of aesthetics will be the most effective.

5. Avoid catch-all landing pages

Don’t create “catch-all” landing pages that attempt to serve multiple goals. Take it one step at a time. You need their email so your landing page should ask for it only.

Don’t use the same landing page to convince them to buy. It’s not the time, nor the place. Depending on your buyer’s journey and the stage they’re at, you can ask them later on.

6. Consistency is key

Your landing page is not your website home page but it represents your company so it must be consistent with your personal or corporate branding.

Otherwise, your page will confuse your visitor who will become distrustful.

7. Remove visitors’ ability to navigate away from your landing page

Your landing page is a standalone page on your website and as I mentioned early on in this article, its sole purpose is to convince your visitor to click on your CTA button.

To help your visitors push that button, you need to eliminate any distractions preventing them from doing that.

So make sure your landing page doesn’t include a menu bar, hyperlinks, right or left column or any no other options except the one thing you are asking them to do.

8. CTA at the top of your landing page

Ideally, your call to action should be at the top of your landing page or at least before the fold. It should be the first thing your visitor sees.

9. Include a callback to action

So you placed your CTA at the top of your landing page. It’s also recommended to place the same CTA at the bottom of your landing page so your visitor doesn’t have to scroll back up to see it.

10. Only ask for what you need

If you want your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter, ask for their email addresses.

Don’t ask for their home address, telephone, age and company name. You can do that once you have established an email relationship.

11. Make your landing page shareable

What if your visitors want their family and friends to take advantage of what you have to offer on your landing page?

Having them copy/paste your page link is an unnecessary action. The rules of user experience state that your page visitors have to accomplish their goals in as few clicks as possible. Don’t make them work too hard!

12. Freebies

Reward your visitors for visiting your page right from the bat. Give them a gift for showing up even if they don’t convert (sign-up for your newsletter or buy tickets to your event).

Everyone enjoys receiving gifts. It’s a great way to warm them up and develop a relationship because it leverages reciprocity, one of the principles of influence. When you give people something, they will feel obligated to give you something in return.

13. Test multiple variables

Multivariate testing is a technique for testing a hypothesis in which multiple variables are modified. In regards to a landing page design, you test multiple CTAs, multiple headlines or multiple images.

14. Write an attention-grabbing headline

Attention-grabbing headlines do exactly what the name says: they have to be creative enough to surprise and grab the attention of your visitor and clear enough so they know right away what you are asking them to do. Don’t make them think!

15. Play Show and Tell

Show them what they get if they click on your CTA.

Include a print screen of the first page of your PDF document, or have your art director design a visually enticing image of it.

But showing them your offer is not enough. Tell them in concise and to-the-point words what they get.

Also, tell them what your content will do for them.

16. Introduce yourself to them, give them social proof, and add a countdown timer

Show them what makes your company the expert: certifications, years of experience, projects, results, achievements, number of clients etc.

Mention the number of people who already bought your offer. Also, add a countdown timer to create urgency.

17. Make your CTA button stand out

Your CTA button needs to stand out and grab the attention of your leads. It has to be of a different colour than any other element on the page.

Write a smart copy for your CTA button. Make your microcopy FOMO and apply the scarcity principle.

18. Focus on 1

A highly-converting landing page obeys the rule of 1: one message, one offer, one CTA.

If you have multiple offers for different audiences, create multiple landing pages focused on only one message.

19. The 3-sec rule

Your landing page should convey your message really clearly in less than 3 seconds: tell people what it is you provide, how that makes their lives better, and what they need to do to get it.

Put this content above the fold, if your leads want to know more they will find more when they scroll up.

20. Convey 3 key benefits

First of all, don’t confuse benefits with main features.

A product’s main features include technical info and data. Frame this dry and unappealing content into clear benefits. What’s in it for your leads?

Apple is the best example: instead of telling their customers their phone has a 5G memory storage capacity (which doesn’t mean much), they say 1000 songs in your pocket, which paints an entirely different picture. The storage is the feature, the number of songs is the benefit.

Need more examples and learn how to improve your copywriting? Read 4 techniques to write persuasive copy.

21. Include a strategic video

Add a short, strategic video to your landing page to help you convey your message easier: establish clearly the solution you are offering, how it solves your customer’s problem, and what your customer loses if they don’t take your offer.

End the video with the same CTA that is on the page.

22. Add a features list

After you have established your product’s benefits, you can include a features list which is a simple bullet-point list of what your leads get if they take your offer.

Do your best to make this list as eye-grabbing as you can: play with visual pointers, replace the boring bullets with checkmarks, smiley faces etc.

23. Landing page Dont’s

• Too much information
• Lack of credibility
• Different CTAs (it should be only one)
• Number of CTAs buttons: it depends on the length of the landing page. If it’s a three-paragraph page, one button should be enough. If it’s a single long scroll page, add a CTA button on every scroll
• Not stating clearly the pain points your solution solves
• Not stating clearly the benefits of your solution (what they get)

24. Landing page Dos

Your landing page should follow a logical flow: 

Powerful picture to illustrate your message

Attention-grabbing headline

Awesome and strong subheading

Essential info or data

Benefits 

Testimonials

CTA

It’s paramount that you let your landing page visitors know you are aware of their pain points or problem.

Identify the challenges they are struggling with and help them imagine how their lives could improve if they used your solution.

Give them a clear picture: Imagine you could measure your marketing campaign results easier or Imagine you could make a product video in one hour instead of five.

25. Relevant social proof

Testimonials should be authentic and accompanied by the photo, name and company of the person giving them. You have to make them as credible as possible. When asking for them, also ask your customers for permission to use their personal information to be GDPR compliant.

Also, make sure the testimonials are consistent with and relevant to your offer.

26. Add one or two methods of contact

What is everyone’s preferred means of communication? WhatsApp! We use WhatsApp to talk to our friends and family, to our team about daily tasks and to our customers whenever we have questions that need to be answered fast. So add two buttons: one for WhatsApp and the other one for email.

27. Add a guarantee (if suited to your business)

Adding a guarantee on your landing page increases the visitor’s trust. It makes it easier for them to pay for your solution, either with their money or their time.

Some landing pages offer a money-back guarantee, others guarantee a specific number of results or time frames. What guarantee can you offer?

28. Use power words in your CTA

As tip #17 states, you need to make your CTA stand out. One way to achieve this goal is through design and colour.

But that’s not enough. You must also use power words.

Here is a list of power words:

• today
• right now
• fast
• easy
• quick
• simple
• step by step
• new
• you
• free
• because
• imagine
• limited
• instantly
• winning

These words help people take action. Obviously, they need to apply to your offer.

Don’t ever write on your CTA button Learn more or Contact us! They have been overused and lost their power to drive action. Be creative, you can do better than that!

29. Trust indicators

Add client logos, affiliations and certifications that help boost your visitors’ trust.

Include those with explanations because people outside your industry might not understand what your certification means.

30. No ‘Hire me’ or ‘Buy this’ in your strategic video

Placed on your landing page, the strategic video could increase conversions two or three times.

As mentioned in tip #21, include videos related to your offer, but don’t sell, just be helpful. Explain what your product is about in your video but refrain from ending it with Hire me! or Buy this!

31. Tools to A/B test your landing page

If you are not ready to go all-in into multivariate testing (tip #13), you can use free or paid tools to A/B test your landing page.

32. Impeccable grammar is mandatory

If you are not an English native speaker, make sure you double-check your copy before hitting the publish button.

Use proofreading tools like Grammarly or Hemingway. It’s such a turn-off when you read a text with spelling or grammar mistakes. As a business, you lose credibility and authority.