Due to release this fall, iOS 15 promises big changes for marketers, and (spoiler alert) they aren’t really changes for the better when looked at through a marketer’s lens.

In keeping with recent changes on the part of Apple and other tech giants, user privacy seems to be a significant component of iOS 15. Specifically, it looks like users will be able, either automatically or by opting in, to prevent email senders from knowing their IP address and whether they actually opened an email or not. Here’s what Apple is saying about it: “Mail Privacy Protection hides your IP address…

You’re at that juncture in your business where you need to raise capital, and you’ve weighed the options for how to go about it. The arduous process of securing bank loans or investments from venture capitalists — and the loss of control over your business that comes with those options — does not appeal to you. You’ve made the decision to conduct an equity crowdfunding campaign. Congratulations! Now what?

There are so many platforms to choose from, it can be a little overwhelming. Do your research. Think of it like the home-buying process. Spend some time looking around each platform…

“My marketing budget is massive — money is no object.” These are words that are rarely uttered, especially by those working for a small business. Instead, the motto is generally “do more with less.” Fortunately, there are several ways to effectively market a business without having to pay through the nose.

Networking

In-person networking is especially challenging during a pandemic, but there are plenty of virtual events you could attend as you wait for the world to open back up. Join organizations that focus on entrepreneurship or ones that are specific to your industry, or ones that focus on marketing…

The far-reaching impact of the events of 2020 — not just the pandemic, but the economic instability, the protests for racial equality, and a history-making US presidential election — will likely take years to sort through and assess. In the meantime, a lot can be learned about how the year’s events affected people’s attitudes and mindsets simply by analyzing Google search queries. Think with Google, which uses Google’s data to offer marketing insights, sifted through billions of search queries, as well as surveys and interviews, to come up with five key insights to help marketers better understand their audience’s experience…

What is it about games and Kickstarter? If you read last week’s blog post, you already know it’s a match made in heaven. Some surprising statistics about how popular tabletop games are on Kickstarter:

• More than $233 million were pledged to successful Kickstarter tabletop game campaigns in 2020
• Tabletop games have, in 2019 and 2020, accounting for about one-third of Kickstarter’s total backer revenue
• Frosthaven, a game campaign launched in 2020, raised nearly $13 million, making it the most-funded board game on Kickstarter ever, and the third-most successful campaign across all categories
• 3,163 tabletop projects were funded on Kickstarter in…

On Kickstarter, games are serious business…and a match made in crowdfunding heaven.

The game category, which includes videogames, tabletop games, and puzzles, accounted for 34 percent of Kickstarter’s backer revenue in 2019, with $192.6 million being pledged to successful campaigns. Given the abundant media attention to video game development, it may be surprising that the vast majority of that figure — $176.3 million — went to tabletop game campaigns, with only $16.3 million going to video games. (Tabletop games include any game played on a flat surface, including board games, card games, dice games, etc.)

The number of Kickstarter projects…

The Covid-19 pandemic has reached into every aspect of our lives — how we work, how we learn, how we interact with our families and friends — and its impact will continue to be felt during the coming months.

In this time of uncertainty, frustration, anxiety, and grief, businesses have had to tread carefully in the way they communicate with, and market to, customers. Many businesses have also had to adapt in other ways to an ever-evolving situation, changing their messaging, the ways they reach their customers, and how they perform their work.

1. Tailoring the Message

Virtually every business…

If you’re running a startup or a small business, and you’re thinking about launching an equity crowdfunding campaign, chances are you’ll be relying on backing from angel investors.

So what exactly are angel investors, anyway? Despite that heavenly name, they are not people simply looking to hand over thousands of dollars in cash out of the goodness of their hearts. Angel investors are generally wealthy people who are seeking interesting and promising projects to invest in, in exchange for an ownership stake. They tend to write checks that are larger than what your friends and family might offer, but not…