SEARCH: Social signals DO NOT impact rankings. R ... Strengthening your SEO has never been more important. R ... SEO supports businesses of all sizes and target markets. R ... And you can't only rely on your own site to strengthen your search reputation. R ... SEO forms the foundation and is most successful when fed by all of the parts. R

SOCIAL: Measuring influencer marketing correctly will show you its value and tell you whether to increase or decrease your use of it. R ... Be wary of how you respond to customer issues in social, whether shrimpy or large. Others are watching! R ... Don't choose organic vs. paid when it comes to social media strategy. You must have both. R .. Influencers are expensive unless you develop them on your own from a brand ambassador. R

EMAIL: Marketing automation is not just for the largest marketing departments. The tools it takes to accomplish entry levels of marketing automation are quite inexpensive. R .. The majority of email marketers still test their email programs like it's 1999. R

MARKETING TECHNOLOGY: Most have increased MarTech spending over last year. R

DATA: If you aren't a data-driven marketer by now, you are missing out. R

CONTENT MARKETING: Content can be measured on leads, on retention and on rekindling lost relationships. R ... Maybe it's time to re-release your best content. R ... Content marketing on a shoestring budget is doable but gaining support takes planning and research. R ... There are tools of the trade that you should know about, including AirTable. R

PROGRAMMATIC: Are all of the iOS 14 and privacy changes freaking you out? Be vigilant but fret not. R ... Are you familiar with Magnite, the programmatic video powerhouse built by a combination of Rubicon Project and Telaria. Wall Street knows about them. R ... One voice on the universal ID tied to email believes it is not in publisher's best interest. R ... The death of the third party cookie isn't the end, it's the start of ... something. R

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Still think a computer can't help your marketing process? Buying pattern shifts, weather and predictive measures are three ways. R ... The Ad Council informed and improved its approach through AI. R ... AI is already involved in the ad delivery and management game. R

PRIVACY: Apple and Facebook are no longer friends in case you hadn't noticed. R ... More are calling for a federal privacy option. It's best for everyone involved. R ... Here's a reversal ... Facebook and Google are pushing back against a government over the government's infringement of privacy. R

VIDEO: Ninety-five percent of adults age 18-29 use YouTube. R ... Video development requires planning and authenticity, among other things. R

AUDIO: Podcasts reach more than 100 million Americans each month. R

DIGITAL MARKETING: Any launch, ecommerce or otherwise, can benefit from not rushing, leveraging social and remaining hyper-focused on your audience. R ... Owned media usually has the best ROI but you need to strengthen it with earned and paid. R ... The key geography for ad tech may no longer be California. R ... You think Apple and Facebook have a spat? Get a load of Wix and Wordpress. R ... Budgeting for marketing is always a conversation, especially as marketing budgets remain flat or down over the past few years. R ... Here are a few upcoming webinars and events to consider: