What's New in Marketing This Week - January 21st
This post contains all the source links and expanded details from Edition #33 of our weekly Marketing Roundup newsletter.
We keep external links out of the emails to ensure it lands in your inbox (not spam). Here’s where you can dig deeper into each story.
This week we talked about:
- Funnel Strategies: Alex Hormozi breaks down four business model “shapes” (e-commerce, services, education, software) and how to win in each.
- Project Management & Workflow: Close CRM launches native forms to capture leads without Zapier.
- Advertising Updates: Google Ads makes Manual CPC easier to find during campaign setup.
- Creator Economy & Social Updates: TikTok releases 2026 trend predictions, and Instagram expands algorithm control to all English-speaking users.
- SEO News: LinkedIn articles get cited 4-5x more often than other sources by AI chatbots.
- AI Advancements: OpenAI plans to test ads in ChatGPT.
Note: This is just the news and links.
For our full analysis, strategic insights, and implementation tips for each update, subscribe to the Marketing Roundup and get the complete newsletter delivered to your inbox every week.
Alex Hormozi on Business Model “Shapes”
Alex Hormozi on
Business Model “Shapes”
Alex Hormozi published a YouTube breakdown analyzing four business model “shapes”—e-commerce, services, education, and software—explaining why each is structured differently, what’s great and challenging about each, the biggest problems to solve, and how to win in each model. The video includes guidance on choosing which shape fits your strengths and situation.
Close CRM Launches Native Forms
Close CRM Launches
Native Forms
Close released a native web form builder that captures and routes website leads directly into the CRM without third-party tools like Zapier. The drag-and-drop builder requires no coding, includes built-in spam protection, tracks form activity on lead pages, and sends notifications when new leads arrive.
Google Ads Makes Manual CPC Easier to Find
Google Ads Makes Manual
CPC Easier to Find
Google Ads simplified access to Manual CPC during campaign setup. Advertisers can now see “Manually set bids” directly under the Conversions goal, making it a part of Google’s primary bidding flow.
TikTok Shares 2026 Trend Predictions
TikTok Shares 2026
Trend Predictions
TikTok published its annual trend report predicting three key shifts for marketers: 1) Reali-TEA, 2) Curiosity Detours, and 3) Emotional ROI. The report includes related hashtags, brand examples, and actionable recommendations for each trend.
New Instagram Algorithm Control
New Instagram
Algorithm Control
Instagram expanded its “Your Algorithm” feature to allow all English-speaking users to to manually add and remove topics of interest in their Reels feed.
LinkedIn Articles Get More AI Citations
LinkedIn Articles Get
More AI Citations
Two studies show LinkedIn is rapidly becoming a top citation source for AI chatbots. ChatGPT cites LinkedIn 4.2x more often and Perplexity 5.7x more. And most citations come from LinkedIn Pulse articles.
OpenAI Plans to Test Ads in ChatGPT
OpenAI Plans to Test
Ads in ChatGPT
OpenAI announced it will start testing ads in ChatGPT for free and Go tier users in the U.S. in the coming weeks. Ads will appear at the bottom of answers when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service, clearly labeled and separated from responses.
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