New Local Business Interview & Analysis Content
We just published another local business interview, with several more in process. This one is of Bruce Plotkin, a Connecticut-based professional photographer active since 1979. Plotkin's career spanned a period of enormous change in the industry, including the introduction of online image hosting, photo-editing software and SaaS tools for photographers, the advent of the digital camera and now AI.
Photographer Plotkin talks to Neal Polachek about:
- How he got into the business and what he aspired to do as a photographer
- His first encounter with digital technology and his adoption of digital cameras shortly thereafter (and disappointment)
- His marketing: print, websites, blogging and SEO ("pain in the ass")
- He also weighs the potential future impact of AI against what he sees as the biggest technology disruption/development in his career: digital cameras
Plotkin is now semi-retired and so not actively using AI day-to-day, but he has junior colleagues who are. He discusses what he thinks AI can and cannot do for photographers.
Watch the video (condensed from 60 minutes to 21).
Previously published local business interviews are available here. (We realize these are all men; we've got women in the queue.)
Preview of Agency Survey Results
We still need a few more responses before we close our 50 question agency survey. But here's a taste of what we're seeing:
- 95% of agencies are "actively using" or "testing" AI.
- ChatGPT is the most widely adopted tool by a significant margin.
- Top perceived benefits for agencies: 1) increased productivity, 2) enhanced creativity, 3) faster product/service delivery.
- Top client-facing use cases: 1) social media content creation, 2) email marketing copy, 3) general content strategy/creation, 4) SEO.
- AI has been more helpful with customer acquisition than retention.
- Most in-demand services (local/SMB clients): 1) SEO, 2) web design, 3) organic social media, 4) paid search, 5) business profile management.
The survey will soon close and we'll analyze and publish the results in the coming weeks.
In Case You Missed It ...
AI Adoption: Where Does It Stand? Examining multiple surveys, including our own, we take a closer look at three segments: enterprises, agencies and local businesses. Agencies are in the lead in terms of adoption and penetration, then (arguably) comes small businesses and finally enterprises, many of whom are still trying to figure out where and how to deploy AI.
Analysis: Build, Buy or AI? The SaaS market is projected to grow significantly in the coming years, but AI may impact growth as corporate budgets shift priorities. Evidence suggests that AI might be slowing SaaS revenues, as seen in the declining growth rates of new SaaS vendors and recent revenue drops in companies like Salesforce. For local businesses, AI presents new opportunities and cost-saving alternatives to traditional marketing tools or agencies. However, AI adoption may also face resistance due to SaaS user inertia.
Upcoming Analysis
Tomorrow: How real is the AI threat to Google’s search dominance?
New Member: Constant Contact
We're pleased to welcome Constant Contact as the newest member of our growing Dialog community.
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