Elon Musk's company Neuralink has gotten the green light from the FDA to start human trials for their brain implant device.

This device could let people control a computer just by thinking about it. 

Last year, the FDA said "not so fast" to speeding up human tests, but they’ve changed their minds.

If these tests are successful, Neuralink’s technology could be life-changing for people with paralysis, blindness, and mental illness.

However, the company has faced a lot of criticism, particularly about its treatment of animals during past tests.

Here’s the rundown for today…

• Twitter Paywall? - Elon Floats Controversial Idea

• Meta Paid Verification - Now Open To Businesses

• Shopify 3D Scanner - New Tool Goes Lives

• Social Media Audit - Upgrade Your Performance

• Free vs. Paid Traffic - Pros & Cons

Lurn Bytes: Your Daily News Download

Elon Floats Putting X Behind A Paywall - The owner of X (formerly known as Twitter), is considering charging users a "small monthly payment" to use the platform. He believes that making users pay will help fight the problem of fake accounts and bots on the site. If this happens, X would become the first major social media platform to create a paywall…

Meta Expand Paid Verification To Businesses - Meta is expanding its paid verification program to include businesses, allowing them to buy a verified checkmark for their accounts. While the program could add more credibility to business accounts, there is concern that selling these checkmarks may lessen their value as a marker of authenticity…

Shopify Releases New 3D Scanner - Shopify has introduced a new feature that lets store owners create 3D models of their products using just their iPhone's Shopify app. This new tool aims to improve online shopping by giving customers a more detailed view of products, which can lead to higher sales and fewer returns for merchants. The drawback? It’s currently only available on iOS…

Is Your Social Media Strategy Working?

A social media audit is a detailed review of a business's social media accounts to understand performance and find opportunities for growth.

If you’re running social media campaigns, it’s probably a good thing to do on a regular basis.

TLDR - How To Conduct A Speedy Social Media Audit

Let’s talk about some of the key points…

A good audit looks at metrics like engagement rates, follower counts, and how effective the social media efforts are in meeting the company's goals.

Doing an audit can help businesses make INFORMED decisions, such as whether they should be on certain platforms like TikTok or LinkedIn.

The process also helps in showcasing the impact of social media to stakeholders and can save time by focusing on what really works.

To perform an audit, first, LiST all your social media profiles, even the inactive ones. Set specific goals for each network, like increasing brand awareness or driving traffic to your website.

Next, make sure your branding is consistent across all platforms, and then dig into your data to see if you're hitting your targets.

It's CRUCIAL to identify top-performing posts and understand your audience's demographics. Finally, you should share the results with your team so everyone is on the same page.

It's recommended to conduct audits either monthly or quarterly to keep track of your performance and make timely changes.

For more details, check out the full article!

Daily Hack - The Pros And Cons Of ‘Paid’ & ‘Free’ Traffic

You’ve probably heard of “Paid Traffic".

We don’t like that term at Lurn because “paying” for something implies that you aren’t getting a return on your investment. You “pay” for a TV. You “pay” for your car. You “pay” for your computer.

These are all assets that give you value, but the assets themselves depreciate over time.

With traffic, you aren’t “paying” for it because the expectation is that the money you invest will bring you a return just like stocks, bonds, or mutual funds. It’s an investment.

So, before you dismiss investment traffic because you don’t want to invest money right now, let’s take a balanced look at the advantages and disadvantages of investment traffic.

You might just change your mind.

Advantages Of Investment Traffic

Most people shy away from investment traffic because of the perceived financial risk.

However, the reality is that investment traffic is the least risky type of traffic once you’ve spent the time learning how it works and the strategy behind it.

The reason for that is the level of data you have access to.

On the major ad platforms, you can get as granular as you want with targeting, but you can also track every Key Performance Indicator (KPI) with precision. The results are there in front of you, and it’s easy to pivot or shut ads off depending on their performance.

You have total control over where your money goes and how it gets spent.

These are results that you can get as soon as today or tomorrow because all you have to do is create an account and get your ads approved.

However, there are some disadvantages as well.

Disadvantages Of Investment Traffic

There’s no way around it; you need a budget to run ads.

If you think you’re going to do it for free or get massive results with $10, it isn’t going to happen. Although you can start as small as $5 with Facebook ads, the reality is that you need closer to $500 to test your ads and optimize them for performance.

The money element scares a lot of people away, which brings us to our second point.

Even if you do have a budget, you’re going to throw your money away if you go into it BLIND. You have to invest the time and resources it requires to learn how to navigate the platforms and the strategies behind what works.

Now let’s talk about Organic Traffic

Organic traffic gets its name from the idea that it brings people to you naturally.

For example, you write a blog post that shows up on the first page of the Google search results and people click over to your website without ever having spent any money on promotion.

Although “FREE” traffic sounds great, we’ll give you a balanced look at the reality of making it work.

Advantages Of Organic Traffic

Look, the obvious benefit is that organic traffic is FREE.

You don’t need any budget at all to get started writing blog posts, creating YouTube videos or posting on social media. If you do it well, you can drive thousands of visitors to your website without spending a single dollar.

Not only that but this is targeted traffic that lasts a long time.

People are landing on your content because they’re actively searching for keywords related to what you’re talking about or seeing your content on their recommendations feed. You aren’t interrupting them in their social media feed or trying to convince them to click your ad because they want to find your content.

Once you get that engine moving, it’s almost impossible to stop.

One good blog post can drive hundreds if not thousands, of visitors to your website for years after you write it.

Sounds amazing? Well, it isn’t so simple.

Disadvantages Of Organic Traffic

Despite its impressive advantages, organic traffic is actually the most risky traffic option.

How could that be? It’s free!

Although it’s free, the reality is that most people don’t succeed with organic traffic because the amount of sustained effort required to make it work is often too much for people.

Not only do you have to get your keyword research right, but you also need the patience to create quality content for, at minimum, Six Straight Months.

It’s discouraging when you spend a ton of time creating content that gets zero views day in and day out.

Most people end up QUITTING before they get results.

So, we want you to think about what’s more risky: potentially losing $500 or using 200+ hours of your time with no results to show for it.

Choosing Your Traffic Source

What it comes down to when choosing your first source of traffic is the tradeoff between time and money. If you have time but no money, organic traffic will be the option for you. If you have money but no time, investment traffic is probably where you should begin.

ICYMI - The Biggest Stories You May Have Missed

Google Updates Search Engine Algorithm - Google's September 2023 "helpful content" update includes an improved system for classifying useful content and new guidelines about hosting third-party content on your website. The update also clarifies Google's stance on AI-generated content and encourages website owners to self-assess their content's quality…

Meta Releases “Basic Ads” - Meta is implementing a new feature called “Basic Ads” which doesn’t draw on users’ past activity. While it could significantly reduce ad revenue, it might be necessary to survive the onslaught of regulators it’s been under…

3 Steps To Turn A Reel Into An Ad [Infographic] - Short-form videos are popular and can help businesses spread their brand message in a fun and cost-effective way. Instagram offers tips for creating effective short videos, called Reels, which can also be used as ads, especially during the holiday season…

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