Marcus Sheridan's Linkedin Analytics

There’s an argument to be made that in the next 5-10 years, your company’s YouTube Channel could be more important to your brand and business than your company’s website. Why would I make such a prediction? Think about it: 👉 1.       Gen Z already prefers YouTube and video significantly more than they prefer going to a website and reading (what is mostly) text. 👉 2.       YouTube has long been the 2nd most popular search engine in the world. As Google’s dominance in search diminishes because of platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc., YouTube could become the lead horse in this race for our attention and learning. 👉 3.       Doing SEO is arguably much easier on YouTube than it is on Google, meaning there’s a lot of appeal for any company serious about SEO to go after what is a more blue ocean of search opportunities. 👉 4.       Consumers increasingly expect immediate, transparent, and visually compelling information. 👉 5.       AI-driven recommendations will only get better, looking more to YouTube to give their searchers what they’re looking for. There’s actually a bunch more arguments here, but you get the point. Of course, this doesn’t mean your website can’t be GREAT with video. It just means that most companies are STILL sleeping on their YouTube channel, not giving it the energy and attention it deserves. My prediction is that hundreds of thousands of businesses will soon be saying, “I wish we had taken this whole video movement and our YouTube channel much more seriously.” --------- What say you? Agree or Disagree? (And yes, I know the easy answer here is, “It depends” and “Maybe, maybe not” but what’s your actual prediction and thoughts? I’d love to know.

I need to address a phenomenon that may be uncomfortable to acknowledge on LinkedIn, but as a keen observer of workplace trends, I feel compelled to bring it to light. During the pandemic, we witnessed the emergence of "Quiet Quitting" – an era where job opportunities seemed abundant, employees held unprecedented leverage, and many exercised this newfound power to redefine their relationship with work. But as AI technologies rapidly evolve from theoretical possibilities to workplace realities, we're entering a VERY different phase. Knowledge workers are confronting a sobering truth: the future may not offer the endless employment options once taken for granted. What we're now experiencing is what I call "Quiet Staying." This isn't about employees remaining with their organizations out of loyalty or satisfaction. Rather, it reflects a profound recognition that the balance of power has shifted. Workers are staying put because: 👉 Alternative opportunities have become increasingly scarce 👉 Lateral moves no longer guarantee improved compensation 👉 Job security now outweighs potential advancement elsewhere The pendulum has swung decisively in favor of employers – and here's the part that bothers me most: unlike previous economic cycles, this shift may be permanent. In other words, the employee may never have leverage again. I don't share these observations with any sense of excitement. On the contrary, I find this trajectory deeply concerning, with implications that extend far beyond individual career decisions to impact social mobility, economic opportunity, and even psychological well-being. "Quiet Staying" isn't merely a temporary adaptation to market conditions – it represents a structural realignment that could define work for generations to come. And keep in mind: I say all of this as an eternal optimist. I believe AI will change the world for the better. But I also feel a responsibility to share the impressions I'm having. What say you? Do you agree or disagree? Is this as big of a deal as I believe it is or am I making a mountain out of a molehill? 👇

Recently, I saw someone here on LinkedIn calling out a well-known author for using the "em dash" (extended hyphen) in their book—as if that's undeniable proof the author relied on AI. How utterly absurd. Seriously, why would anyone even care? For the record, I've been using em dashes for years. They match my writing style, as they do for countless other authors. But here's the deeper question we should be asking: Why does it matter if AI helped create something? This might bother some folks, but mark my words: We're rapidly approaching a moment when nobody will care HOW something was produced. 👉 We won't care that the stunning movie we watched last night was AI-generated. 👉 We won't care that the captivating book we couldn't put down was AI-assisted. 👉 We won't care that the customer service call solving our urgent issue was AI-driven. 👉 We won't even care if the compelling LinkedIn post that caught our eye was AI-enhanced. None of that will matter. So, what will we care about? Exactly what we've always cared about: Ourselves. Our problems. Our desires. When these three things are addressed, we're content. We're satisfied. We're human. That's where the future is heading, friends. I'm not necessarily saying this future is ideal, but I'm calling it exactly as I see it unfolding. Because humans will always do human things. And what's more human than wanting—and getting—exactly what we desire? ---------- Your thoughts? I'm sure many will disagree, so freely share an opposing point of view. I'd love to hear it. 🙂

Just over a decade ago, I built an extraordinary brand (and the world's most trafficked swimming pool website) simply by creating a phenomenal blog and producing a few YouTube videos each month. That's it. No social media. No newsletter. No podcast. Just powerful website content and some videos (following They Ask, You Answer). Today, although TAYA still is incredibly powerful, it's not enough. At least, it's not enough in the way I did it before. Today, if you truly want to become the most known and trusted brand online in your market you'll need: ✅ Exceptional Website Content: High quality AND high quantity. Cover the topics your competitors avoid—cost, problems, comparisons, reviews, and “best” (what I call "The Big 5"). Now you must win the attention of Google AND AI platforms. This is why I recommend to be an elite online brand, the goal is to produce over 150 articles annually. ✅ Powerful YouTube Content: Regularly share a blend of educational and entertaining videos focused on The Big 5. Top brands release 100+ long-form videos each year, plus consistent short-form content weekly. ✅ Social Media Excellence: Go where your customers are. Aggressively leverage short-form videos on Facebook and Instagram Reels, TikTok, and beyond. It's now non-negotiable for brand dominance. ✅ Consistent, High-Quality Newsletter: Don't rely on "rented land" alone. Cultivate your own community and database through a newsletter, keeping you front and center with your ideal customers. ✅ Podcasting: Not mandatory per se—but seriously powerful. Many top brands have thrived entirely through audio in the last decade. It’s worth considering. Are there exceptions? Yes, absolutely. But this is the core list of "essentials" my friends. I address all of these in my newest book, Endless Customers, but the bottom line is this: Marketing is getting harder. The bar is getting higher. And brand matters more than ever. What say you? How well are you adjusting to the bar being even higher? #EndlessCustomersBook

Buyers are changing, yes. But do you know what has NOT changed? The stuff they want to learn about before they buy. For 15 years now, I've been calling these subjects "The Big 5," and they are as true today as they were the first time I mentioned them on stage so many years ago. So the question remains: How many of these five subjects are YOU addressing well with your online content right now?? #EndlessCustomersBook

I've worked alongside hundreds of CEOs over the years in an effort to boldly push the marketing envelope in their industry. Some succeeded wildly. Others failed miserably. What was the big difference between the two? I've been thinking about this answer, and I've come up with five qualities that consistently appear in CEOs who fail to do the extraordinary when it comes to marketing and building a known brand: 1️⃣ They mistake "Industry Standard" for actual success, forgetting that being "average" is the fastest route to irrelevance. 2️⃣ They worry more about impressing their competitors than genuinely serving their customers, neglecting the fact that approval from peers doesn't pay the bills. 3️⃣ They lack the emotional stamina and deep conviction needed to truly differentiate, buckling at the first signs of skepticism or criticism. 4️⃣ They succumb to short-term financial pressures instead of committing to long-term brand-building, sacrificing future relevance for immediate comfort. 5️⃣ They fundamentally underestimate the massive risk of invisibility, commoditization, and irrelevance that comes from playing it safe. Friends, the most dangerous assumption in business today is equating "Industry Standard" or "Best Practices" with real success. In reality, following the herd is simply the quickest path to becoming obsolete. If this resonates with you at all, I'd like to invite you to my company's event, IMPACT LIVE, in Chicago this April 14-16th. At this event, we're bringing They Ask, You Answer 3.0 to the world, now known as "Endless Customers," and if you've been feeling called to think differently, be more bold with your marketing, and make waves in your space, then this is the event for you. Hope to see you there!

Is your sales ready to sell AGAINST AI?? Hear me out: Just the other day, I had a potential customer take the contract that we gave them and do a full legal analysis of our disclaimers with ChatGPT. Not only that, but they had ChatGPT make arguments against our pricing, explaining why certain elements of our bid were too high. This is no surprise to me though, as it’s just another example of a megatrend we’re about to see that very few are talking about: superhuman buyers. In the future, there will be no such thing as an “ignorant” or “uninformed” buyer. In fact, if sales people have struggled to keep up with the amount of knowledge buyers have today they will be shocked at the knowledge (and leverage) they have in the future. I explain my thoughts in this video but I ask you this: Are you preparing your sales team for a buyer that has unlimited knowledge, skills, and leverage at their fingertips? 🤔 If not, you should be. What say you?

Here's a wild stat to consider: Only 9% of B2B buyers consider vendor websites reliable sources of information. 🤯 (G2) Think about that for a second. It's an extraordinary indictment on B2B websites as a whole. But the question is, "WHY DO B2B BUYERS NOT TRUST B2B WEBSITES???" I've found there are three fundamental reasons: 👇 #1: A great B2B website will talk about who their product or service is NOT a good fit for (not just why they're awesome). From my research, this is less than 2% of B2B websites. #2: A great B2B website answers the question, "Roughly, how much will this cost me?" before forcing the person to "Call for Quote" or fill out the contact form and schedule time with a sales rep. From my research, this is less than 5% of B2B service-based businesses. #3 A great B2B website will address the buyer's biggest fears/concerns/worries about purchasing their product or service. From my research, this is less than 1% of B2B websites. And we wonder why only 9% of B2B buyers consider vendor websites reliable sources of information. 🤦‍♂️ -------- What say you? Why are most B2B websites so dang ineffective at garnering trust? #EndlessCustomersBook

Real Talk: Recently, I was sitting with the leadership team of a billion-dollar organization as they were shown how AI could now do the work of hundreds of their existing employees. Here's the part that I haven't stopped thinking about: After the presentation concluded, the room fell silent. Not a single voice asked, "So what does this mean for our company? And what action are we going to take?" Instead, I could feel the weight of realization settling on everyone's shoulders, confronting a technology that could immediately replace a massive part of their workforce at a fraction of the cost. But still, no one spoke. Instead, they essentially "kicked the can down the road." Frankly, I can't blame them. Who could? This isn't just a business decision—it's a human one. And a darn hard one at that. Do we embrace "the future" and dramatically improve our bottom line, or do we stand by our incredible people while putting our business at risk. At the same time, our competitors leverage this technology to become more profitable and sustainable. When it comes to AI, I'm continually amazed at how many armchair critics hold such black and white opinions on what companies "should" be doing. The truth is far more nuanced and painfully complex. Right now, hundreds of thousands of CEOs and leadership teams are lying awake at night, feeling the weight of an impossible choice: preserve the livelihoods of their team members or ensure their company survives the coming technological tsunami. And no, it's not as simple as finding some perfect middle ground. None of it's easy. None of it's clean. As we navigate what will certainly be one of the most challenging periods of economic and social disruption in human history, I would like anyone reading this to consider the full spectrum of consequences before rushing to judgment. Because these leaders find themselves in an impossible position—damned if they embrace AI and damned if they don't. Your thoughts?

Last year, I took one of the biggest gambles of my professional life. Without any software background, I invested a significant amount of capital in launching a SaaS company called priceguide. Several friends thought I'd lost my mind. After all, the software graveyard is overcrowded. And with AI transforming the landscape, the SaaS model faces even steeper challenges. So why take such a risk? Because I recognized a fundamental truth: consumers are completely fed up with the "Call For Quote" culture that dominates business transactions online. I also understood the transformative power a simple pricing estimator could have on a company's lead generation efforts. Rather than orchestrating some flashy product launch, our small team quietly introduced Priceguide, giving businesses an affordable way to build custom pricing estimators for their websites. The results have been nothing short of remarkable. To date, we've generated over 5,000 qualified leads for our customers. These leads have translated into MILLIONS of dollars in revenue for these organizations—and that's not an exaggeration. We've even developed thriving agency and franchise partner programs that are gaining serious momentum. All of this without spending a single dollar on advertising. Every day, I watch companies from across the globe sign up for Priceguide, and I find myself thinking, "How on earth did they even discover us?" The lesson here? Successful business isn't complicated: identify a genuine market problem, then solve it more effectively than anyone else has dared to try. That's exactly what Priceguide does. Fast. Effective. Affordable. Literally, any non-techie business owner in the world can now build their own pricing estimator in minutes, generating new leads THAT DAY. Pretty cool, huh? We still have considerable ground to cover before we can call this venture a runaway success, but the momentum is undeniable. And that initial risk? It's already proving more than worthwhile. 🙂 ------- h/t to my two business partners on this journey, Steve Auchettl and Henry Clifford.

Are you following the “5-Minute Rule” with your leads? If not, start today. Seriously. Here’s why 👇

Over the last two days, I recorded the audio version (Audible) of my newest book, "Endless Customers," which is now available for pre-order and releases next month. If you've never recorded an audiobook before, it's quite the experience. You sit in a studio with someone in the adjacent room tracking your every word. When you stumble, they signal and you restart the sentence. Though honestly, as the reader, you quickly develop an internal radar for mistakes and fall into a natural rhythm: read, mess up, restart, continue. What fascinated me was how reading my own words aloud revealed things I'd missed during editing. Typos jumped out (yes, I found a few! 🫣), well-crafted passages resonated, and clunky sections made me cringe—triggering the full spectrum of author emotions from pride to self-criticism. That's the nature of creating art. We all harbor an inner critic, and with a book, that voice gets plenty of opportunities to speak up. But "Endless Customers," while building on the foundation of "They Ask, You Answer," stands as something distinctly different from previous editions. The world has transformed more dramatically since ChatGPT's release in November 2022 than it did in the entire decade before. Ultimately, as you'll hear in my reading of the final passage, "Endless Customers" is a rallying cry for disruption—a challenge to business owners and marketers to break from convention and rise to meet the evolved needs of today's buyers. I've attached a snippet of the book's closing minute below. It captures the heart of what this book is truly about. I hope many of you will be a part of the book's community, and as always, I'm thankful for your support. 🙂

Wild Story: This weekend I sat across from a salesperson, looking to buy a skid steer for one of my companies. As we negotiated back and forth, what this salesperson didn't realize was that I was holding the winning hand. You see, as the conversation progressed, I could see this gentleman wasn't going to budge from his asking price. And that's when I pulled out my secret weapon: A full report from ChatGPT's Deep Research, showing every comparable skid steer for sale across the country right now. And not just a list, but a full breakdown of WHY his asking price was out of line with reality, and what I should actually be paying based on real market data. I slid the printed report across the table and watched his expression change as he read what AI had uncovered. After reading it line by line, he slowly looked up at me, slightly defeated, and said, "Well. It seems you know what you're talking about. I'll come down to your asking price." Wow. And that's when it hit me so clearly. The days of sellers having the upper hand are officially OVER. This is because there will be no such thing as "uninformed" or "ignorant" buyers in the future. With AI, everyone will know EXACTLY what they should be paying – not what the seller wants them to pay. They'll spot a good deal instantly. They'll walk away from bad deals without second-guessing. And they'll negotiate everything in between with confidence. That's the real power of AI in everyday life. And for me, it just put $10,000 back in my pocket. Wild times indeed.

The new ChatGPT Deep Research tool has already changed my life. Let me explain. I'm currently finalizing a presentation with seven strategic recommendations for a major client. For each recommendation, I simply prompt Deep Research: "Find compelling evidence supporting this strategic direction." The results? Extraordinary. Instead of disappearing into a research rabbit hole for days, I input my query and continue working on other priorities. Minutes later—not hours—I receive precisely what I need: ✅ Current industry statistics that validate my approach ✅ Peer-reviewed studies my competitors haven't discovered ✅ Emerging market trends that strengthen my position ✅ Expert quotes that add undeniable credibility to my case Here's what I'm most pleased with, though: This tool doesn't just save time—it elevates my entire professional presence. My recommendations now stand on a foundation of robust, current evidence that I simply wouldn't have uncovered through traditional methods. My clients see someone who arrives exceptionally prepared, backed by comprehensive research, and delivering insights with absolute confidence. All this for $20 a month. Incredible. ------ What's your take on ChatGPT's newest feature?

Some years ago my nephew couldn't get a job at a local Walmart. I asked him how he had applied and he said, "I went in the store and filled out a resume, but I never heard back." "Is that all you did?" I asked. "Yes." "Then that's why you haven't gotten the job. You're just a piece of paper. I want you to go back to that store, fill out a resume again, and this time attach a photo of yourself smiling. Also, add a short note that says how much you'd like to work there." He followed my instructions perfectly. Two hours after he left, he was called in for an interview and received the job that same day. I mention this because in life, the WORST thing you can do when trying to stand out is exactly what everyone else is doing, especially when applying for a job. Do NOT follow the standard script. Add as much humanity and personal connection as possible. But for the love of all that's pure and holy, don't allow your fate to be determined by some soulless sheet of paper or application that will likely just get skimmed and tossed aside because you've allowed yourself to look like everyone else. ✌

The Great Agency Exodus is Here 😳 Look at these numbers: 👉 2021: 30% of brands planned to leave their marketing agency within 6 months 👉 2022: 38% were heading for the exit 👉 2023: A whopping 55% were ready to cut ties We're witnessing the biggest shift in marketing operations in decades. But why? I believe the traditional agency model is crumbling under the weight of three unmistakable market forces: ⚡ Speed is EVERYTHING While agencies are often stuck in endless approval cycles and weekly status meetings, in-house teams are already launching, testing, and iterating. These days, waiting 2 weeks for a simple social post revision isn't just inefficient—it's business suicide. Fast and lean, fast and lean. That's the name of the game. 💰 The Content Economy Has Changed 10 years ago, you could dominate your niche or market by solely focusing on one or two platforms. Today, that's much harder. Modern brands need a constant stream of content across multiple platforms. Agencies' billable-hour model simply wasn't built for this new reality. 🎯 Authenticity Can't Be Outsourced I believe no agency, no matter how talented, can truly capture your brand's soul like your own people can. They might nail your style guide, but they'll miss the countless micro-moments that make your brand genuinely human. Now, let me be clear: Building an elite in-house marketing team isn't easy. It's a journey filled with challenges, learning curves, and occasional setbacks. But here's what I know for certain: The brands that successfully make this transition aren't just saving money—they're running circles around their competitors, something I'm seeing more than ever in 2025. Ultimately, the future of marketing isn't about outsourcing your voice. Nope, not going to happen. Instead, it's about amplifying it from within. YOU must be the creator. YOU must control your own marketing destiny. This is the way. ________________________________ What's your take? Are you seeing this shift in your industry? BTW, I'm giving a free webinar on this subject this week, link in the comments section below.

My 24-year-old daughter came up to me last night and said, "Dad, I've decided I enjoy talking to AI more than humans for customer service." My response: "Tell me more." She said, "AI isn't moody. It's patient. I don't hesitate to be honest with it because there is less tension with asking it for help. I just like it more." And that, my friends, sums it up. As I've been teaching AI to organizations, I consistently hear, "But my customers want to talk to a human, NOT AI." This is utterly false. What we all want (you, me, and everyone reading this) is to have our problem solved with as little stress, friction, and time as possible. If AI can do this better than a human, we will happily choose AI. If a human can do this better than AI, then we'll want a human in that moment. But mark my words, the day will come when NO ONE will care if they're talking with AI. Most won't even bother to ask. They just want their problem to be solved. And when it is, they're happy. ---- Your thoughts?

This is so ridiculous. A team member of mine, Stephanie Baiocchi, was attempting this week to get simple pricing information from a known SaaS brand our company was considering. But instead of her being able to get ANY information at all (like a general range), she was told that the pricing could only be unlocked if she attended the sacred "product demo" where her wish would be granted by a "pricing specialist." 🫠 Give me a break. Now, a couple of things about this: This poor sales rep was only doing his job, and he did absolutely what he had been instructed to do in a very friendly way. That being said, he DOES have access to pricing information. He DOES know, roughly, what most customers spend. But he's being forced to be dishonest by his company. To me, that's just wrong, and it kills trust in sales. This is why I started priceguide. The whole "Call for Quote" culture only pisses off real buyers and causes deep distrust. It also prolongs the buying cycle. Yet it's still prolific in industries around the world, including this SaaS company right here. Giving someone a straightforward price range is one of the simplest and easiest ways to create a win/win for the customer and the sales team. ANY buyer would prefer it this way. Yet SaaS still loves to think the Golden Rule doesn't apply to them. Make it make sense. 🤷‍♂️ 🤷‍♂️ What say you?

Dear Business, No, I will not "Call for Price" Sincerely, Every Buyer On Planet Earth 😉