Social Media Examiner

We stopped hitting Continue.

In the '90s, we drove off cliffs. We got stepped on by giant things. We crashed into cows. And we didn't freak out. We hit Continue and tried again.

We had no idea what was around the corner. That was the point. It was fun.

Somewhere along the way, that changed. Talk to marketers right now and most of them are scared of what's around the next corner. AI, the platforms, their own jobs. I feel it too.

So here's what we're doing about it.

The theme for Social Media Marketing World 2027 is '90s retro video games, applied to the modern era of AI.

Not because retro is cute. Because we need to remember what it felt like to try something, fail, and go again without it being a verdict on who we are.

A few ways it's showing up:

→ Badges styled like a '90s video game
→ A Mario Kart station where you can fly off cliffs together (I know, not technically the '90s)
→ An opening keynote with the same energy

I think we're at a precipice. We can have fun and embrace change, or we can be scared and do absolutely nothing.

I'm choosing fun.

Now I want your ideas. How would you bring a '90s game theme to a marketing conference? Drop them below 👇

#SocialMediaMarketingWorld #AIinMarketing #MarketingConference #SocialMediaExaminer

4 days ago | [YT] | 3

Social Media Examiner

Social Media Marketing World hasn't had 3,000 people at the conference since before COVID. I have 7 months, 933 people committed, and no idea how to fill the gap.

So I'm coming to you.

I met with my director of marketing, and it became pretty obvious we need to try something different. Then it hit me: some of the wisest marketers in the world are watching these videos. Why not just ask you?

So here's the favor. If this were your conference and you wanted to get to 3,000, what would you do?

→ Leave one sentence in the comments, starting with "I'd..."
→ Read the other ideas, and if you like one, reply to it with the word "Yes"
→ Friday I tally the results

And to make it a little fun: if I use your idea and it actually moves the needle, I'll take care of your ticket and your hotel.

I'll be talking about the winners, and all the great ideas, right here.

So, what would you do? "I'd..." in the comments below 👇

6 days ago | [YT] | 11

Social Media Examiner

Have you let AI take control of your browser yet?

I don't mean just asking it for insights. I mean actually letting it do tasks for you.

If not, why? I'd love to hear from you.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 4

Social Media Examiner

How well are you actually using AI?

Not whether you're using it.

Almost everyone is at this point. But whether you're stuck doing the same things you started with or genuinely advancing.

We built a free quiz that places you on one of five levels based on how you really work with AI right now. You'll get a personalized results page with the one move that matters most, plus a custom AI prompt matched to your level.

A few minutes. Complete clarity. No pitch.
Take the quiz: www.socialmediaexaminer.com/557p

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 2

Social Media Examiner

Last day. 50% off all Social Media Marketing World and AI Business World tickets ends tonight at 11:59 PM, and prices go up tomorrow.

An All-Access ticket covers both events - three days of marketing training plus two full days of dedicated AI sessions, all taught by hand-selected practitioners. Attendees like Sarah Brodie have called it the best content-driven conference they've been to. Tickets stay refundable through October.

Details and tickets:
www.socialmediaexaminer.com/q4ru

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 3

Social Media Examiner

One of my worst nightmares just happened. Weeks of work—gone in an instant.

I've been telling everyone to treat your AI skills like employees. Train them. Develop them. Give them more responsibilities over time.

And that's exactly what I've been doing.

I had built a skill inside Claude that handled a big part of my content workflow. I kept refining it. I kept giving it more to do.

It had become one of my most reliable "teammates."

Then, a few days ago, I ran my normal process and got a message I never expected: "No skill found."

My stomach dropped.

It wasn't just a file I lost. It was weeks and weeks of development. Iteration after iteration of testing, refining, and expanding what this skill could do.

I flipped out.

I had to leave for an appointment and I'm sitting there driving, trying to figure out what went wrong.

And that's when it hit me.

I had stored something I deeply relied on in a building I don't own, on a shelf I don't have access to, that I have zero control over.

Access isn't ownership.

That's the lesson that punched me in the gut.

I had never once thought to export a copy. Never thought to download a backup. I just trusted that it would always be there.

And this is the trap so many of us are falling into right now.

We're building workflows, SOPs, and systems inside AI tools. We're becoming deeply reliant on them.

But we're not taking the time to ask ourselves, "What happens if this disappears tomorrow?"

The good news is I was able to recover it.

But it was a wake-up call I won't forget.

If you're building AI skills, custom GPTs, or any kind of system inside a platform you don't control—back them up. Export them. Document them somewhere you own.

Because when something goes wrong—and it will—the only person responsible is you.

Have you ever lost something critical that you built inside an AI tool? I'd love to hear from you.

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 10

Social Media Examiner

At 50% off, one full-price Social Media Marketing World ticket now covers two people.

It's the conference built for small-business marketers — usable AI and marketing tactics, strategies that don't require an enterprise budget, and sessions from practitioners doing the same work attendees do. When a team goes together, they come back with a shared playbook and can start implementing the same week, with no one left translating takeaways.

Attendees like Shawna Allen have said it delivers more bottom-line impact than any other event they attend.

Details and tickets:
www.socialmediaexaminer.com/q4ru

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 3

Social Media Examiner

Social Media Marketing World is three days of pitch-free marketing training from hand-selected practitioners.

The sessions cover organic social, paid media, AI and marketing, and marketing strategy — step-by-step tactics built to be implemented the week attendees get home. No panels, no pitches from the stage.

Tickets are 50% off this week!

Sale ends Friday, Aug 28 at 11:59 PM Pacific.

Details here:
www.socialmediaexaminer.com/q4ru

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 6

Social Media Examiner

I lost an employee this week. Not a person — an AI skill I'd been building for weeks.

I went to use it and got this message: "No skill found."

I flipped out.

I was on my way to the Lexus dealer and my brain was spinning.

This wasn't just a missing file. It was weeks of work — developing, refining, giving it more and more responsibilities.

And then it hit me.

I had stored it in a building I don't own, on a shelf I don't have access to, that I don't control.

Access isn't ownership.

I've been telling everyone to treat their AI skills like employees. And I did exactly that. I invested in this thing, relied on it, built SOPs around it.

But I never once thought to save a copy. I never exported a backup.

That's such a stupid mistake.

The good news is I was able to recover it. But the lesson stung.

If you're building AI skills and SOPs and you're not downloading them regularly, that's not the tool's problem. That's yours.

It was mine too. Until today.

Have you ever lost something you spent weeks building? Let me know in the comments.

1 month ago | [YT] | 8

Social Media Examiner

What are other marketers actually doing with AI?

The third annual AI Marketing Industry Report is here. 681 marketers, most from small businesses, shared how they really use AI, backed by three years of data across 32 easy-to-scan charts.

See which tools marketers trust most, how they're saving time, what they're spending, and the concerns they're still working through. No hype, no predictions, just what real marketers are doing.

Free and ungated. No forms, no hoops.
Read it here: aisociety.socialmediaexaminer.com/2026-ai-report/?…

1 month ago | [YT] | 6