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"And now... the end is here..."
Oh, pardon me, just doing my best (worst) Sinatra. But it really is the end. The end of another year in the MarketReach blog. Those who've been with us for some time know what that means: a year-end wrap-up featuring our top five blogs!
What's that you say? "But, Lucas, there are only 4½ blogs referenced in your title!" You're right. See, one of the little pieces of marketing wisdom we picked up this year, by attending the annual HubSpot INBOUND Conference, was a fascinating little morsel of statistical know-how from digital marketing guru Jay Schwedelson.
Jay cites the lackluster response by audiences to numbers ending in "5" or "0," which is why you see much more traction in your digital marketing with "weird" numbers like "7" or "9."
Or 4½. (I mean, you're here, reading this, aren't you?)
Since one of my own blogs was in our top lineup, I decided to take one for the team and only count it as a half, in the shameless pursuit of the "weird numbers" title gimmick. It is among the lineup below, which we won't claim is Schwedelson-level smarts, but some pretty snazzy insight if we do say so ourselves.
Topping the list is a subject that's been among the most buzz-worthy of the year: artificial intelligence. Our own Dave Jagodowski took it for a spin in "A copywriter's first steps with AI" and helped offer a levelheaded vision into the advantages, challenges, and science-fiction of it all.
He wasn't the only AI-curious traveler among us—readers were lined up around the virtual block to check on Dave's field report.
Boom boom! Pew pew! Quick, duck behind... that server?
Johnathon Busto, our resident video expert, talked up new tech in his area of expertise. There was plenty of AI discussion as well as an interesting revelation about how much game technology has become a mainstream production tool from Hollywood to the B2B marketing space.
Using the same arsenal of animation weapons of choice as the gaming industry, marketers can craft 3D renderings with the flexibility to meet the tech industry's fast pace. "3 cutting-edge advancements in video production technology" is a great look at the tools coming at us fast!
It could be just another family holiday comedy plot: huge family tip to the Winter Classic meets massive meltdowns in air travel, resulting in miracle experiences for the kids and a heartwarming tale of overcoming the bumps in the road.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles meets Home Alone meets The Mighty Ducks—or something.
As Kelley Maher tells us in her blog, "What marketeers can learn from our trip to the NHL Winter Classic," the wild adventure her family experienced at in late 2022 proved to be a lesson in adaptability, social media marketing, and brand loyalty. (And how to end up all over the news.)
It is fitting, in a world where video leads the pack as a marketing medium, that a blog on that very topic would be among our top pieces for the year. JB was on a bit of a blog roll this year, and he advises readers with "Embrace the power of video: 14 video marketing statistics for 2023" to get moving on moving pictures. Serving up a collection of handy stats, this is a nice overview of where things are in the medium and where they're headed.
And now that brings us back to me. I'm not as frequent of a blog-maven as certain other folks around here, but I enjoy a few installments each year. When it came to mind that I could marry "Star Wars Day" (May the 4th) with B2B marketing, I just couldn't shake the urge to let my geeky side do the talking. In "4 things B2B marketers can learn from Star Wars," I had a little fun connecting business and pleasure, and found more links than I had anticipated.
That's a wrap on 2023, dear readers, sports fans, and space travelers—and a wrap on our latest year of being lucky enough to work with some of the most interesting brands, on the most creative projects, executed by some of the most talented teammates one could hope to work (or share blog-writing) with. We hope you'll enjoy these and all of our musings as you wind down over the holidays and prepare to hit 2024 running.
Happy marketing, and Happy New Year!
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