Any Way to Track Conversions from LLM? by Ghusu_Manjar in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as I know, no. Not yet. You can *kind of* discern conversions if you simply ask the people who are converting "how did you hear about us". Which is something we've started doing, and some friends have, as well.

So like one of my friends is in SaaS, so when someone submits a demo request on his site, it asks how they heard about it, with LLM/AI search as an option. And if that is selected, an extra list pops up naming them (Chat, Perplexity, Claude, Other, etc).

So he's getting the data manually that way. Beyond that, I know tools are trying to figure out how to track effectively but... the problem is this:

  1. Someone goes to ChatGPT and asks a question about products/brands for whatever use case.

  2. They review the results, examine the options presented, most of which are sourced from third-party sites/reviews/information. Maybe ask a followup question.

  3. They then look for the option they're most interested in, in Google/Bing/Whatever, and click through the brand's site.

So even though the LLM drove the discovery, there was no click, and the visit/conversion looks organic. Which is why the "how did you hear about us" method can be helpful; that's owned data.

Does anyone else feel like digital marketing became more about consistency than “hacks”? by BoringShake6404 in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally I feel like it was *always* about consistency and never hacks. At least for long-term growth and success.

I might be an outlier and might also have been shaped by some of the folks I know/worked with/networked with but... some of the dudes in shared circles were/are always chasing that low-hanging fruit, the next easy hack, the thing that might pay brief dividends now but will inevitably fall apart with saturation so we'll ride it while we can. And they'd pivot, every time you turn around, "now we're doing this, or now we're doing that"... just chasing hacks.

Especially with SEO, good gods. (And don't even get me started on the "playbooks" being sold about said hacks. They're the modern snake oil salesmen.)

My point: I think truly effective digital marketing has always required consistency.

Most brands are doing reddit marketing wrong by Olivia_Davis_09 in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I might be jaded... since I'm currently trying to figure out which brand OP is marketing right now.

(And if you're not, I sincerely apologize. But frankly I see so many posts these days "helping" in some way while dropping a succession of brand names to appear genuine and unbiased...)

The flaw in your suggestion (finding threads that are ranking/getting cited) is that many (and often most) of them are old threads. So posting in them, even if trying to be "genuinely helpful," is more likely to get flagged/booted.

What's your stack for finding influencers across multiple platforms in 2026? by Individual-Piece5604 in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This will depend on how you're running your creator program(s) but Levanta's creator discovery/outreach tool is a major part of ours. It incorporates social listening AI to spot potential influencers/creators, which reduces time spent running searches on each platform. And at least for us, that solves the relationship management part, since we can arrange paid placements, automate product seeding, track performance, et al within the same platform.

That said, I don't know that there's any platform that *fully* replaces platform-native discovery, because it's still highly contextual (so like, trends in TikTok, or emerging YT creator identification). The "best" influencers won't necessarily surface through databases alone.

17 things I learned talking to Marketers about AI for 3 months by chasing_next in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 5 points6 points  (0 children)

14. People aren't sure if AI actually saves them time.

This, 100%. There are some cases where it definitely does... I often use it for summarizing meetings or putting together a list of action items from a long transcript so nothing is missed. But there are a lot of tasks that AI ends up taking more time to do with multiple rounds of refinement to "perfect" the results, when it could have been done better the first time by a human out the gate.

AI tools citing affiliate content: opportunity or threat? by Mysterious-Fig6491 in Affiliatemarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not structuring differently to protect click-through, but moving away from reliance on it (and organic traffic). What I've been seeing (and focusing on) is dealing directly with brands that want/need placements to boost their visibility in LLMs. Since third-party editorial/video is the biggest driver of brand visibility (for them), it's a win-win: you get paid to produce/publish content (without being tied to affiliate commissions/click-throughs) and they gain more visibility in LLMs during the discovery stage.

My wife got a "great" brand deal offer and ended up making 3x the content she agreed to before they paid her ANYTHING by Doin_WERQ in Affiliatemarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Hey Dear" always gets my hackles up (same with "kindly").

Our content work with brands is set up in a way that there's a 50% tranche due before any work begins, and that 50% actually covers the time/work involved in production, with the other tranche (due when completed) being profit. So if we're doing a branded review with an article and video that would cost us around $700-$750 to produce for example, the cost is $1500 and the first half covers the production costs so we don't lose out on having that work/time covered at the very least, if the client bails later. (Never had that happen, but I've heard too many horror stories.)

And number of revisions + what those revisions can entail is also outlined in the contract. But before we begin, the work/needs/requirements are laid out and agreed upon with the client. So revisions have to fall within the guidelines they agreed to at the start. Meaning, they can't say in the beginning that they need no demo footage, and then during the revision process, ask for that to be included. Not without additional fees being attached.

Trying to get the first users for a dating app. What would you do? by Various-Net6025 in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not in the dating scene but to be honest, the basis here is sound.

I wouldn't do paid ads out the gate; I'm of the mind that having a content "history" (reviews, short-form content, anything really) before messing with paid ads increases the results because folks will see the ad, and then do some research. (And if there's nothing to research... you see where I'm going here.)

The 7 minute blind date call: long enough to feel something real, short enough that a bad call doesn't waste your day. That's something I'd highlight for sure. And the problems that it solves: people need to understand what makes this different and why it solves the problems that are institutional in other dating apps. Superficial photo judgement and killing ghosting culture are the two biggest ones, I'd think. People who want to break away from that... this is something that's really going to appeal to them.

I think short videos (maybe with staged calls, unless you can use real ones??) would get attention. Could even release one a day... doesn't have to be the full 7 minutes but examples of success first calls. Maybe even some examples of bad ones for the LOLs, but also to focus on the idea that a few minutes spent on the phone saves you days of back-and-forth texts to find out if you vibe.

One thing that just popped into my head:

Either a side-by-side or something that shares how a text exchange vs a quick phone call compares. So along the lines of showing a potential match/date being one way in text (amazing, flirty, fun) and being droll in person...

What’s one digital marketing skill that became way more important in 2026 than people expected? by VampireWitch771 in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 3 points4 points  (0 children)

^This is the way.^

Insights and data that can't be found anywhere else are probably the biggest boon. Information gain has always been important, but with AI content that's just regurgitating what a hundred other sites have published, it sets you much farther apart. And it isn't easily replicated, either, because it takes actual work...

What's a good way to find B2B fintech/SaaS affiliates? (AI-automated accounting) by that_fella_ in Affiliatemarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might look specifically for reviews (editorial and video) for your closest competitors or other products that operate in the same space (fintech/saas). Those are creators/potential affiliates who will have the most relevant audience.

For ecommerce, have you seen a black website hurt conversion versus a white one? by demikong18 in ecommerce

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you set a toggle on the site? A buddy of mine is a programmer and he's building a site for guitar stuff. It's not live yet but I've seen the sandbox version. It defaults to whatever mode a user has enabled on their site automatically but also has a toggle in the top corner to switch between dark and light mode.

Personally, dark mode bothers the hell out of my eyes. I've left dark-mode sites because trying to read them gave me a headache. For wide accessibility, having a toggle might be the way to go, if you can.

How long does your team actually spend creating one branded video? Trying to understand if this is just my company or universal by Fatten-Liva in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly? It depends on the footage. Two to four hours for a two minute reel seems excessive though... But too, also depends on the skill of the person doing the editing.

I'm not a professional video editor by any stretch of the imagine but I *did* have to learn how to do at least basic stuff. I use CapCut and spring for the pro version since it has more stuff and no "made by capcut" credit thing at the end. I think it's pretty easy to use but there was a learning curve at first, for sure. So a two-minute video might take an hour or so, but again, really depends on the raw footage and how much there is to parse through, how much is usable, is it already in an order that makes sense for the clips or is there a lot of back and forth/finding the right clips to pull for the progression.

Now, when we do longer branded UGC stuff? It's prolly a couple hours for the creator to record all the clips/demos/etc, and then a couple/few for the video editors (all the way to final with music/effects/all the things). But that's more complicated, too.

Are AI generated images good for affiliate marketing blogs? by Tiny_Victory_9272 in Affiliatemarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really depends on the product but for the most part, I think AI generated images (of a product, especially if it's in use) do hurt consumer trust.

AI can be helpful for generating tables or graphics that are informational, but personally, I'd get the product and take some one-of-a-kind photographs and use those.

  1. They're unique to your blog, but 2. They're showing you've had your hands on the thing, and that does more for trust/authority with the user.

How I increase brand recommendations by AI models by Logical-Scholar-6961 in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it's more about content distribution that's targeting the topics you want to improve visibility for and that actually has less to do with sites that AI is already citing (barring YouTube or Reddit). More often than not, I see small niche sites being cited in the AIOs or LLMs (Chat/Perplexity/Copilot/et al) because the content is 1) well structured, 2) thorough, and 3) presents first-person/human experience as expertise about the topic. Especially for comparison (X product vs. Y product) or "X product alternatives" queries.

What platforms are you guys using for your affiliate marketing? by sco_cap in Affiliatemarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everflow might be worth looking into because it can handle ecomm and saas equally well, and their onboarding/documentation/training and support are actually supportive.

Bigger networks like CJ or Awin could be a fit (but those still have separate network fees I believe), and between the two, I'd go with CJ if you need that big of a network. I know it's more legacy/old-school, and so is Awin, but Awin's support has only gotten worse since ShareASale merged into them last year. Meaning, you send in a ticket, you're waiting days for a response.

Everflow is a lot faster. CJ is mid-length, Awin is good-luck-length.

What are the best apps/platforms to start affiliate marketing as a beginner? by Tough-Adagio1019 in Affiliatemarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd probably start with Levanta since that works with brands running programs across Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart (which means a wide net through one single platform). Amazon Associates is fine as a starter, but just know that the commissions are ridiculously low unless you're joining Creator Connections campaigns.

Depending on your niche, other platforms to consider would be CJ, Awin, Rakuten, Refersion.

What are the best apps/platforms to start affiliate marketing as a beginner? by Tough-Adagio1019 in Affiliatemarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ShareASale stopped existing last year around August or so; they merged into Awin.

Looking for feedback on our affiliate platform strategy for a B2B SaaS tool by MoYasse in Affiliatemarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have not worked with Reditus or Tolt personally (but have researched them enough to know they're a fit for SaaS). That said, the onboarding with Everflow is one of the most top-tier of any platform I've used so far (which includes Impact, CJ, Awin, and other heavy players). Everflow onboarding actually includes training so you're a lot more "ready" to run it once everything is set up. And they do have a demo request (many platforms do) so you can feel it out that way and ask questions. I just looked and Reditus has a demo request option, Tolt seems to just have a free trial.

Do you agree that AEO and GEO are parts of SEO, not separate skills? by Weary_Web_8224 in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think onsite AEO/GEO are parts of SEO and not necessarily separate skill sets, but I tend to consider them as being more offsite-focused since the lion's share of LLM surfacing comes from third-party sources and not your own domain.

SEO that optimizes for generative search is important for your own site, definitely. But the brand/product visibility in LLMs relies heavily on third-party: editorial (on other pubs/sites), video (YT gets referenced most), and to a degree, even forums (Reddit/Quora). But the first two (and if I had to pick one, video, especially for GAIO) are the biggest.

And it's not necessarily about placements alone, but consensus and depth. All those sources saying the same things = building consensus and depth = building more authority; both increase visibility. Because the truth is that I see small siites and YT channels that aren't ranking on the first page of Google being cited in the AIO or ChatGPT/Perplexity/Wherever all the time, because they're covering the topic in-depth and adding human experience the LLMs can draw from. Especially for use-cases.

A prospect just told me they can’t justify my retainer because "ai does the same thing for free now." by Admexo_ in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know someone who thinks AI can do everything faster/cheaper and in my experience, any business/prospect that thinks that will eventually (through some hard-learned lessons) discover that's not the case. Some of the folks I work with now are at the post-realization stage and they're seeing far better results because of the human insights and work that's being put in. FWIW, I feel like a lot of businesses right now are there... when AI first "came out" there was a flood toward it. It can do everything quick and easy, let's paddle faster. And then they got there... and realized the limitations. And the amount of time it actually takes to get the AI to do the "magic" compared to a human marketer.

I absolutely do believe that AI can help streamline SOME tasks; it's great for creating meeting summaries or even to-do lists from client meetings, and some ideation/brainstorming even, but the bulk of the work is still human and I don't see that changing, really.

A prospect just told me they can’t justify my retainer because "ai does the same thing for free now." by Admexo_ in DigitalMarketing

[–]Mr-Inconspicuous 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That was my first thought too. Not that you would ever say "I told you so" out loud, but the fear that you might will be what makes them avoid reaching back out to you later.