We recently attended the Persistent Leadership Conference last week, presented by Leadership Stark County. The day was full of great advice, exercises, and discussions from a diverse group of speakers.
Leadership is hard because it demands constant decision-making, emotional resilience, and the ability to inspire others while navigating uncertainty. Despite the flood of books, podcasts, and expert advice offering formulas for success, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Every situation, team, and personality is different, which means the most effective leaders are those who stay curious, learn from others, but ultimately develop their own authentic leadership style—one that aligns with their values, strengths, and the unique context they lead within.
So with that thought to guide us, here are 10 notable takeaways to ponder as you’re trying to navigate your own leadership style.
What you need to know:
OpenAI Adds New Retail Features
The platform now integrates shopping search features that let users browse products, view recommendations, and compare options directly in chats — no need to jump to Google or Amazon. Brands, take note: the AI shopping wars just heated up. Read More
LinkedIn’s 2025 Video Posting Guide
Thinking about posting videos on LinkedIn? Make sure you’re vertical, under 15 minutes, and looking sharp. LinkedIn rolled out fresh specs and tips in 2025 to help creators maximize reach and engagement with more professional (and mobile-friendly) content. Read More
Reddit by the Numbers: What You Need to Know in 2025
Reddit is bigger, louder, and stickier than ever: 500 million monthly users, 1.4 billion posts last year, and a growing Gen Z fanbase. Brands looking to connect with engaged (and opinionated) audiences should definitely not sleep on the front page of the internet. Read More
Google Ad Spend Keeps Growing — Even as Traffic Plateaus
Advertisers are pouring more money into Google ads, but user traffic isn’t growing at the same pace. Translation? You’re paying more for the same (or fewer) eyeballs. Marketers will need sharper strategies to maintain ROI in this evolving ad economy. Read More
Instagram Levels Up with Launch of “Edits” Video App
Instagram just dropped “Edits,” a standalone app packed with easy video editing tools. Think TikTok-style filters, transitions, and effects. Perfect for creators who want polished videos without leaving the Meta ecosystem. Read More
LinkedIn Boosts Premium Company Pages with New Features
Premium Company Pages on LinkedIn just got a serious upgrade: new customization options, lead gen forms, and expanded insights are here to help businesses look better — and sell smarter — on the world’s biggest professional network. Read More
B2B Buyers Are Getting Smarter — and Marketers Must Catch Up
B2B buyers are making decisions faster and with more research in hand. The takeaway? Marketers need to deliver value early, personalize like crazy, and cut the salesy fluff if they want to stay in the game. Read More
Google Officially Ends Cookie Phase-Out Efforts
It’s official: Google is waving the white flag on cookie phase-out plans (at least for now). Privacy hurdles and regulatory headaches forced the tech giant to back off its ambitious third-party cookie kill-switch, leaving marketers in a strange in-between world. Read More
YouTube Turns 20 and Launches New Features
Happy 20th birthday, YouTube! To celebrate, the platform is rolling out AI-powered dubbing, better search tools, and more community features to keep creators (and fans) hooked for the next two decades. Read More
Generative AI Risks Are Keeping Business Leaders Awake
Generative AI might be the future, but it’s giving business leaders serious heartburn over copyright risks, misinformation, and lack of control. If your AI strategy feels too fast and loose, it’s time to pump the brakes and rethink your safeguards. Read More
Google Tightens Ownership Rules for Local Services Ads
Google just announced stricter verification for businesses running Local Services Ads: now, proof of asset ownership is mandatory. Translation: no more sketchy listings slipping through the cracks. Good news for legit businesses, tougher news for scammers. Read More
YouTube Quietly Tests AI-Powered Search Summaries
YouTube is experimenting with AI-generated search summaries — a move that could dramatically change how users find videos. Instead of endless scrolling, quick smart overviews could soon guide you straight to what you want. Read More
Google Ads + ChatGPT API = Automated Marketing Magic
Want to make your Google Ads run themselves? Marketers are now connecting ChatGPT’s API to Google Ads workflows, allowing them to automate everything from ad copy creation to optimization — freeing up precious hours for strategy instead of spreadsheets. Read More
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
Benefits of Local SEO (Near Me)
If you have a brick-and-mortar location or business model serving your local community, local SEO is going to be very important to your digital marketing performance. So we’re going to talk about the benefits of local SEO and help you capture more of that audience.
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Learn About the Benefits of Inbound
Inbound marketing is a customer-centric approach aimed at attracting, engaging, and delighting audiences through valuable content and interactions. In short, inbound marketing is the art of putting your customers first. Download Now.
SEARCH MARKETING
The New Rules of Search Engine Optimization
SEO is hard and getting harder these days. Search engine optimization is no longer just about keywords and backlinks—it’s evolving rapidly alongside changes in how customers search and how search engines deliver results. We all need to shift, learn, and evolve to stay visible and competitive.
To keep up, it’s essential to move beyond traditional tactics and embrace strategies designed for today’s search landscape.
If this sounds interesting, stick with us, and let’s explore some of the ways that you might be able to pivot and stay competitive.
KEEPING UP
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