searchchat podcast Archives

SearchChat Podcast: How AI Drives Value for Your Business

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Tim Peter

In this episode Steve Zakur and I are curious about the ways AI can be used to drive greater value for your company. We have our opinions about our own software of course, but this is a bigger question: how can you use AI to make your entire team and business smarter?

What companies need to think about right now is AI augmentation — augmenting decision making. Sometimes we’re thinking way too big about AI, instead of in a targeted fashion about what it can do for us now. This is the importance of practical AI.

A ChiefMartec piece recently asked if martech stack utilization is a misguided metric. If your stack is disconnected from value, it might be. Make sure the value is measurable and make sure the data can integrate. Does that end result provide value?

When what you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. You can’t look to the stack to save you in every situation. Good stacks are important, but if you aren’t pointing your marketing stack in the right direction or thinking about what you need it to do for you, you’re going to struggle.

0:00 Intro

1:50 The rise of practical AI

12:35 Stack utilization is a misguided metric

21:05 The stack won’t save you

29:00 Outro

SearchChat is available on

Search Chat is SoloSegment’s podcast dedicated to all things search AI and content marketing related. Who is SoloSegment? We’re a technology company focused on site search analytics and AI driven content discovery to improve search results, increase customer satisfaction and unlock revenue for your company. If you think we might have the answer to your conversion problems, feel free to connect with us.

About Tim Peter

Tim Peter is the President of SoloSegment. An expert in e-commerce and digital marketing strategy, web development, search marketing, and analytics, Tim focuses on the growth of the social, local, mobile web and its impact on both consumer behavior and business results. SoloSegment provides analytics that improve site search conversion and machine learning technologies that improve content effectiveness.

SearchChat Podcast: Data Is Not a Moat for Your Business. What Is?

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

If a moat is an uncrossable chasm, then data may not be a moat. No amount of data can make it impossible for the competition to catch up. But it could be an inconvenience to the competition who is trying to climb your walls.

The struggle is that there is very little data a company can capture that other companies can’t capture. Everyone has access to third party data, but maybe first party data can slow the enemy down a bit. There is also an interesting counter-argument: that massive databases, real-time response and hyper-personalized experiences do actually make that difference.

In this episode Steve and I explore how data is like oil: it makes the engine run. But data as a differentiator is not the game. The game is, what do you do with the data?

We also explore how Word is now incorporating AI-based features to improve writing within Word. As I like to say — all data is training data. Never to be totally one-upped on the AI game, Google also dropped an interesting release: CallJoy, which allows small businesses to answer calls using AI.

This is a big deal. The more that we can make this technology visible in practical ways, the more trust there will be in the technology in more sophisticated ways.

0:00 Intro

2:00 The empty promise of data moats

13:30 Counter-argument: data as differentiator

20:05 Word is using AI to Improve your writing

25:05 Google launches CallJoy

31:50 Outro

SearchChat is available on

About Tim Peter

SearchChat Podcast: Personalization–Meeting Customers in the Moment

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Personalization: why do it? No, this isn’t a suggestion that you shouldn’t. It’s just important to think about why you are doing it in the first place. Personalization needs to benefit the customer experience and drive your business.

In this podcast we start with eMarketer trends — ad agencies are building their own analytics platforms. Steve and I aren’t so sure if that makes sense. If you aren’t prepared to do something with those analytics they don’t matter.

MarTech recently found that marketers find content creation really difficult. How do you utilize automaton to help your content and data actually improve the business? That data should be able to make the content experience more effective in the moment.

You may have also heard that Walmart has basically introduced an “Amazon Go” store. It’s called “IRL” fuelled by AI. It’s about making customer experience more effective. Meanwhile Google introduced Stadia, a gaming platform that will allow them to pull data in and increase personalized experiences.

One of the reasons that personalization has been oversold is that it depends on you, the user, to create content and develop rules for all the various segments of customers you need to talk to. And, as the saying goes, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.” We need to be thinking about automation of that instead to cut down on your work and make it do-able.

0:00 Intro

1:50 Ad agencies are building analytics platforms

9:30 Why do marketers find content creation difficult?

14:35 Walmart is doing AI

23:20 Google is getting into gaming

31:25 Outro

SearchChat is available on

About Tim Peter

SearchChat Podcast: Making Data-Driven Marketing More Human

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

It’s time for marketers to put humanity back in their marketing practices. Today for SearchChat, Steve Zakur and I discuss first whether you should be worried about government regulation. It seems some marketers have their head in the sand that it will never be an issue, others have their “paranoid” dial turned up to 13. People who have been giving away their data for free are tired of being abused. There’s an unease and distrust around privacy because that trust has been repeatedly violated. Is it the end of data-driven marketing, or does marketing need to get smarter?

We also talk about how White Hat vs Black hat isn’t just for SEO. Think about data usage. When you use personal data, are you trying to game the system or are you providing a benefit? It comes down to asking what the person would think about it, and if they are benefiting.

Meanwhile, we’re rolling our eyes at Zuckerberg’s latest take on Facebook and data privacy. Maybe Facebook doesn’t need the government to tell them how to better regulate — they need to better self-regulate. Has Facebook even earned a seat at the table?

Lastly, In Marketing Charts, B2B marketing leaders point out faults in the marketing message they get. All this and more, coming to you on SearchChat.

0:00 Intro

1:55 Government regulation — is it a threat to data-driven marketing?

7:10 Humanize data-driven marketing

15:07 The disingenuity of Zuckerberg’s Op-Ed

20:40 What content do B2B leaders find important?

27:25 Outtro

SearchChat is available on

About Tim Peter

SearchChat Podcast: How Marketers Can Use Data to Keep Your Seat at the Table

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

There’s major power for automation within marketing, and not everyone is harnessing it. This episode of SearchChat Steve Zakur and I ask: how can CMOs use both automation and data to keep their seat at the table as companies evolve?

Now matter how long it takes to perfect, your work it will never be done. That’s because everything requires data and feedback. 61% of marketers said creating an automation strategy for their practices is a top priority, according to a recent study. The amount of data available to us defies human capability to process it. What’s more, people often struggle to believe that the data they are seeing is more accurate than their intuition.

Letting data lead often produces results we can’t get any other way. This year we saw a 6 year high in the percentage of time data is used in decision making–and it’s actually still a low number. In our last podcast we saw a similar trend, where most CEOs agree that AI will be bigger than the internet and yet 20% said they had no plans to do anything about it.

The DNA of marketing teams is creativity — but sometimes means data gets lost among unfounded opinions. One of the most powerful moments you can have as a marketing professional is refuting an executive’s intuition with hard proof.

Speak in the language of data to get your seat at the table.

0:00 Intro

1:50 Let the market tell you when you get it right

5:48 Automation is a top priority

10:55 Are you letting data lead?

21:40 Why CMOs need tech alliances

30:28 Outro

SearchChat is available on

About Tim Peter

SearchChat Podcast: Own, Don’t Rent your Data

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

The surveys dropping lately show a staggering trend towards the hottest and most concerning topic out there: data. A recent survey by B2B Marketing and The MX Group identified the differences between top performing and poor performing B2B marketers. CMO identifies data ownership as the top most important subject to marketers. Yet another survey by ClickZ and ChatMeter reveals people’s main concerns to be machine learning, personalization and data privacy.

Data ownership is a game changer. We know that data in and of itself is not a competitive advantage–everyone is collecting data. You have to own the data about the customer. Marketing executives understand this is a differentiator for personalized experiences for customers.

It’s what you learn from those customers and how you mobilize it that makes the biggest difference in determining if that data can provide value to you. Intent-based content recommendation can provide that opportunity.

Is it time to confront your own data head on? Stop ignoring it, stop questioning it, start acknowledging that you may be struggling and work to utilize that data. Want our help using your data to increase conversions? Connect with us.

0:00 Intro

2:22 What are the attributes of top performing organizations?

11:28 Why data ownership is a top priority for brands around the world

18:45 Why CMOS are planning to use that data for AI, personalization and predictive analytics

29:20 Outro

SearchChat is available on

About Tim Peter

SearchChat Podcast: Customer Intent is New Again

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Alternatively: Chicken Soup for the Customer’s Soul

It’s time to start thinking about the value of intent based marketing differently. The idea itself isn’t new, but now the data is finally there for people to solve their business problems.

What is your customer experience like if you could walk into a diner feeling under the weather, and are immediately offered chicken soup? Online companies don’t have to lose that personal touch.

You can improve your buyer’s journey by optimizing results to find specific answers to specific questions. But those are hard to predict. Rather than optimizing the result, how can you optimize the experience — the full journey, whatever it might look like?

These are questions that need answers. Because the reality is: you compete with all the experiences your customers have everywhere online. When a customer goes to Amazon and has a great search experience, they ask — why doesn’t everyone work this way? Your competition isn’t just other B2B companies, it’s Amazon too. High standards and a poor experience will send visitors looking somewhere else — anywhere else.

The data you gain from having a better site search lets you optimize the rest of the experience. Websites can be intelligent when this data is put to work. Do people who buy chicken soup also usually buy herbal tea? Desserts? Your data knows, and your site can make suggestions. Want to make it happen right away? Check out our technology solutions.

0:00 Intro

1:20 Intent based marketing is new again

11:45 Your competition is the whole internet

16:48 Search is intent, fundamentally

19:05 How do you utilize data to improve the customer journey?

29:05 Outro

SearchChat is available on

About Tim Peter

SearchChat Podcast: Is AI Bigger than the Internet?

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

In a recent study, 63% of CEOs agreed that AI will have more impact on their business than the internet. Think about that for a minute. The internet. And yet, 23% said they had no plans to do anything about it. Why? Partially, people tend to overestimate how much data they need to get to a reliable result for utilizing AI.

Steve and I think it’s possible for most businesses to start implementing machine learning. The new exciting thing is behavioral personalization. Among privacy concerns and the world of GDPR, behavioral personalization is a way to use data that isn’t identifying. Instead, we can match patterns with other user’s patterns. You have more data than you think. You need less data than you think. And adequate new data is more accessible than you think.

What ways can you implement AI using the data you have now, to totally change the visitor journey? It’s about creating patterns and solving problems. Take a listen! And if you’re interested in learning what SoloSegment is about, feel free to connect with us.

0:00 Intro

1:50 Behavioral personalization changes customer experience

9:30 Are you planning for the AI future, now?

21:35 AI and behavioral personalization combine to create a new visitor journey

27:50 Outro

SearchChat is available on

About Tim Peter

SearchChat Podcast: How Facebook Got Sent to App Jail

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Facebook is having a terrible week. After experiencing a barrage of trouble over the last few months, they’ve finally crossed a line Apple won’t tolerate. They made available an app that gave themselves a scary amount of access to your device. It’s opt-in, but Facebook seems aware that it’s invading privacy — and appears to be preying on young people.

As Steve’s previous post asks — how long will business models based on personal data survive? With every bad press day it seems harder and harder to use personal data to personalize.

How well do people understand how you’re using their data?

We also discuss the top trends people are talking about in 2019. After some keyword analysis and the input of sites like Biznology, CMO and more, we can tell you all the most important digital marketing trends to watch. The biggest name will be no shock: Artificial Intelligence.

But do executives really know how to implement AI technology in a way that works, to create a seamless learning experience? The secret is starting small, with just what you know. That’s what we do at SoloSegment — check out our technology solutions if you’re interested in more.

0:00 Intro

2:05 Facebook’s in App Jail

14:45 What are Top Trends pages saying?

17:40 How can executives get started with machine learning?

24:15 Seamless customer experience

27:00 Outro

SearchChat is available on

Originally published on Biznology

About Tim Peter

SearchChat Podcast: Can You Personalize Without Creepy Data?

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Tim Peter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | RSS

Is the dream of the visitor journey dying? How do we make journeys more functional without using data people don’t want us to have?

Marketers are starting to learn they can’t just orchestrate a visitor journey from start to finish. It’s all about improving the journeys people actually make. They’re complex, not straightforward. Steve and I discuss how visitor journeys are a big data problem. Machine learning allows you not to have to manually deal with that data. It makes Big Data little.

Data can be put to work automatically to make the journey better — and it doesn’t have to be a ton of data. We often start with search data, and it works great since it connects people directly with the thing they want. “Behavioral personalization” means personalization but without all the creepy data. Instead, it’s personalization that customers are asking for. This matters in a post-GDPR world.

Google’s policy is to get right up to the creepy line without crossing it. Most people don’t know that smart TVs are cheap because they are tracking your data. How long will models built on creepy data survive?

The three laws of robotics initially were just about making sure robots don’t kill humans. Now we’re thinking much further beyond that — how to create ethical artificial intelligence for business. Interested in the podcast and behavioral personalization options? Check out SoloSegment’s technology solutions.

Tune in and discover more!

00m 00s — Intro and overview

2m 00s Visitor journeys are changing

7m 05s AI for developing visitor journeys

11m 05s Behavioral personalization

15m 25s Creepy Data

19m 30s 3 Laws of Robotics — how do we create ethical AI?

22m 45s Is it just “legal,” or is it good for customers?

29m 35s Outro

SearchChat is available on

Originally published on Biznology