Well, we’ve reached the “my skin is constantly sticky” portion of the year, but my spirits are high. We’re planning some awesome events, the Bureau members continue to be rock solid, and there’s some incredible work being done by our friends (some of which is featured below). We send useful info and resources out each week in our newsletters, which I hope you’ve signed up for already, but here’s a refresher on the best of our July content.
AI
This is no big surprise, but the AI hype train is just continuing to gather momentum. But lost in the conversation has been exactly how to get AI to help you out effectively. Well, the folks at One Useful Thing are coming to the rescue, with a simple guide on How to Use AI to Do Stuff. It gives a great overview of the different tools and what you can use for different tasks.
More about AI
Digital Agencies & AI (Take the new Promethean Research survey)
Generative AI Still Requires Content Strategy (Blog link)
Inflection AI, The Year-Old Startup Behind Chatbot Pi, Raises $1.3 Billion (Article link)
Member Content
The only thing we love more than talking with our members is giving them the spotlight! This month brought us some really great member-generated content, including a new book (yes, those things that are like long-form web articles) from Bill Kennedy. Conquer Your Rebrand is here to answer your questions on whether a rebrand is even needed and just how much effort it will require. Check it out!
More from our friends:
Revolutionizing the Game: How AI Will Transform Digital Agencies (Member blog link)
Resource Management vs Capacity Planning: Why You Need Both (Member Blog link)
Sprints & Milestones - Season 2, Episode 4 (Member podcast link)
Strategy
One of the best ways our members support each other is by helping with strategic questions ranging from marketing advice to keeping employees happy. This month we’ve had growth on the brain, and Parallax has given us a helpful guide on four key steps to put together your growth strategy, including why you need one and what your options are for building it.
Additional strategic resources:
The Genius of Marking Territory: Meta’s Forethought on Patenting the News Feed in 2006! (Blog link)
Unlock Agency Project Management Superpowers: Visibility (Blog link)
During Turbulent Times, Narrow Your Focus: The Two KPIs That Matter Most (Blog Link)
Productized Services: How Custom Digital Services Firms Can Adopt Them (Blog link)
Things to Think About
How would you like to be an astronaut simulating a trip to Mars by locking yourself in a habitat for a year with three of your soon-to-be best friends or enemies? I’m getting even sweatier just thinking about it.
More stuff to ponder:
10 macOS Tips to Make Your Life Easier (Blog post)
Google’s New Search Tool Could Eat the Internet Alive (Blog link)
The Genius Strategy Behind Threads’ Meteoric Success Is the 1 Thing Everyone Hates: The Algorithm (Article link)
O Canada, Nike Bird, Elite Moodboards (Blog link)
That will do it for this month. It’s time to peel myself out of the chair and go take another swim in the pool. I hope you’ll give our weekly email a chance, but if not I’ll be back next month with more of our best resources.