ON: Will the Robots Run Your Marketing? 🤖

Sunday, April 22 I wrote an article about how artificial intelligence and machine learning are quickly becoming a major factor in digital marketing. And I wonder whether that’s all good news, some good news, or not good news at all. If the robots do everything, what happens to the human artisans and practitioners? I used as an example the amazing barista artist Michael Breach, whose real-time portraits in [latte foam]( are remarkable. What happens to him when someone creates a latte bot? Give this a look, and a think: [Who Wins the Marketing Fight Between Robots and Artisans?]() Also of note this week: [9 Best Platforms for User-Generated Content Curation]( 🎨 Barry Feldman put together this excellent piece that [compares and contrasts the features and approaches of the leading software packages]( that enable brands and organizations to find user-created photos, get permission, and reuse. A useful keeper! 🏈 [How the Houston Texans Do Social Media](=) One of my favorite episodes of my Social Pros podcast this year! Eric Saninocencio, head of digital for the Houston Texans NFL franchise, was our guest this week, and his description of the workload, hours, pressure, and successes of his social media work are eye opening. Also, he was one of the masterminds behind the massively successful post-hurricane fundraising and relief efforts in the Houston area. [Listen in, or read the transcript here](=). [22 Ways to Test Your Facebook Ads]( 🔍 I love this piece from Ladder, that methodically presents all the ways (or at least a lot of them) you can [handle your Facebook ad imagery](. Great use of graphics in this one too. Another one to bookmark and save. ✈ [Toronto, Here We Come!](=) We’re starting to release the list of speakers for CONEX: The Content Experience conference in Toronto in August. Convince & Convert is co-producing with Uberflip. The lineup of speakers is going to be AMAZING. Tickets are going fast, and [prices increase](=) April 30. Can’t wait to see you in Toronto! {sponsors} 📘 [Buy This Book]( The Storytelling Edge, the terrific new book from Shane Snow and Joe Lazauskus, is now available. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read on how to successfully incorporate story into your marketing and communications. [It’s a steal for $17](, or whatever Amazon is charging at this moment. Pick up a copy. You’ll be happy. (Also, I did a [nine-minute summary of the book here](), if you’d like to get more info before committing to a purchase.) [The Best Book for Getting More Done]( 📕 My good friend Neen James launched her book this week. It’s called Attention Pays, and it’s an incredible system for adding focus and productivity to every element of your life. Here’s what I said on the back cover blurb: “A devastating indictment of flawed time management and bogus multitasking, Attention Pays will rewire how you do EVERYTHING. Your to-do list should have exactly one item: [Buy this book](.” Random Internet Stuff I 💘 Some people are just REALLY, REALLY GOOD at Photoshop—including, it appears, KFC in Hong Kong. They created this hilarious series of images where [fried chicken = explosions](=). You’re welcome. Comments or ideas for topics you’d like me to cover here, on the blog, or on our podcasts? Just reply and I’ll get back to you. Thanks as always for your trust and your time. Jay Baer Founder, Convince & Convert [Get our content via Facebook Messenger!](=) =[Unsubscribe]( | 899 S. College Mall Road, #376, Bloomington, IN 47401