[THE LATEST] ⚡New year reminders from 20 industry experts, our top remote-friendly tools, and the best email marketing service provider for you.

Here's THE LATEST from the marketing, business, and tech world...

New year reminders from 20 industry experts, our top remote-friendly tools, and the best email marketing service provider for you...this is THE LATEST! 🔥 Hot off the presses 20 experts on 2020: Rather than predict the future, 20 of marketing's greatest minds are sharing what they think marketers are forgetting as we enter the new decade Remarkably remote: These 7 tools helped IMPACT create and maintain a great remote culture and they could do the same for you. The best in email marketing: These are our choices for the 9 best email marketing service options 💯 ICYM the big ANN-ouncement: Earlier this week, we announced the one and only Ann Handley will be returning to Digital Sales & Marketing World as a keynote speaker and we couldn't be more excited. Super early bird pricing ends January 31 and you can get an extra 20% off with the code ANN20, so make sure to grab your ticket today to see her in-person! Why hello, friends! Long time, no see. Something's been on my mind since we last spoke. You see, as the head of editorial content at IMPACT, there's one misconception that seems to follow me around like a little shadow.  I hear it at least once a month: "I wish writing was as easy for me as it is for you."     For writers, there are few things more frustrating than hearing this and I'm sure you can understand the pain. I mean just because you're a designer doesn't mean you can create a perfect website without any effort. Or just being a CEO doesn't mean you know the solution to every business challenge.  Being a professional in a field doesn't mean it comes easily. So, when people tell me they can't find the words or are having trouble getting an idea out, I get it. I really do. We all spend hours (if not days) researching, outlining, writing, and rewriting every piece. We all highlight and delete paragraphs on paragraphs again and again until our eyes feel like they're going to bug out of our heads.   Writing is hard. Creating content is hard. Finding your voice is hard — even if you are "a good writer."   It all takes blood, sweat, and sometimes tears (seriously, I've seen some pretty nasty paper cuts). But that's why when you get it right, it's that much more rewarding. When you talk to your sales team, understand your buyer's questions, and hit publish on something that addresses them earnestly, it's worth it. You see the traffic. You see the leads. And most importantly, you see how much the knowledge you share helps people make the right decisions for them, their lives, and their organizations. You see see the fruits of all that labor and I've gotta say, it's kind of a trip.  But anyway, enough of my rambling (though I have missed our little chats). Here's THE LATEST. 👉 "What's holding me back from being the best marketer possible this year?" (14-minute read) A quick Google search for 'marketing predictions for 2020' and you'll find yourself drowning in a sea of over 1 billion results. With a new year and decade underway, everyone wants to know what the future holds, but the fact is, most of us have no idea. That's why IMPACT's lead They Ask, You Answer consultant, Chris Marr, suggests we get back to basics. In this article, Chris asked 20 industry experts what they think marketers are forgetting and what's holding us back from being the best we can be in 2020. 💬 You asked, we answered What are the most important digital marketing trends we need to be paying attention to? How do we create a digital marketing strategy the right way in 2020? 👉 "What tools and platforms can help my company be more remote-friendly?" (5-minute read) "Remote-friendly" means more than simply offering the ability to work from home, and with more than half the IMPACT team working out of state today, we've learned that first-hand. To enable remote employees to do their best work and also make sure they feel a part of the team, sometimes you need a little extra help, so IMPACT's VP of Talent and Admin, Natalie Davis, has shared our top 7 tools and platforms for maintaining a remote-friendly culture.  💬 You asked, we answered How can I better manage a partially-remote team? How can cloud storage make my remote team more efficient? 📈 "How can we drastically improve how well our website ranks in search results right now?" (Get the answer) How your website ranks and performs in search is dependent on a number of factors, and the rules are always changing. Unlock the action plan to skyrocket your website's performance with our Technical SEO Audit, in partnership with Narrative SEO. I want to learn more about IMPACT's technical SEO audit service I want to talk to someone about our most pressing SEO challenges 👉 "What's the best email marketing service option for me?" (11-minute read) There are hundreds of different email marketing service options out there. In fact, even after asking over 700 marketers for their favorite, we still found ourselves looking at over 40 different platforms. To help you really narrow down this crowded market, IMPACT Director of Community and Events Stephanie Baiocchi dies in head-first and shares her picks for 9 best email marketing service options. 💬 You asked, we answered How can I get more opens on my marketing emails? What's the best time to send my next marketing email? 📅  Upcoming events January 27: How to stop wasting time and money with inbound marketing (online webinar) April 5-7: Digital Sales & Marketing World 2020 (Hartford, Connecticut) — Super Early-Bird Pricing ends on January 31, so don't wait!  🎧 Latest shows and podcasts Calculated properties for forecasting, playbook feature requests, and the new Marketing Hub Enterprise (The Hubcast)  How statistical analysis improves PPC ROI (Inbound Success)  Top SEO best practices for content marketers in 2020 (Content Lab)  Down with New Year's resolutions and rethinking goal setting (Creator's Block)  Storytelling and brain science in sales and marketing videos (Film School for Marketers)  👋 Work for IMPACT Wouldn't you love to call me a teammate? Well, here's your chance. We're currently accepting applications for: Director of Web Design Digital Marketing Consultant and Strategist 😂 Weekend nonsense This landing page from video game developers Blue Wizard brings back some of the best (and worst features) of late 90s' early 2000s' web design. If you remember Geocities and used to get as excited as I did about new guestbook signatures, you've got to check it out. ☝️ One last thing You already know Ann Handley is going be at DSMW this April. Now, she's got a personal message for all of you.   I don't know about you, but dance party with Ann is officially on my bucket list.  Super early-bird pricing (the lowest prices tickets will EVER be!) expires on January 31, so register today! — And don't forget to use Ann's special discount code ANN20 for an additional 20% off! Talk soon peeps, Ramona Sukhraj Head of Editorial Content @ramonasukhraj I'm not interested at this time Sent with 💙 by IMPACT  470 James Street, Suite 10, New Haven, CT