When you think of cutting-edge digital marketing, home care services may not be the first industry that comes to mind. But thanks to a savvy SEO partner and some well-timed AI integration, Assisting Hands Home Care franchises are riding a new growth wave—powered by search.

At the FEAR 2025 Conference (short for Franchise Education & Adventure Retreat), Proceed Innovative, a Chicago-based digital marketing agency, took center stage as both sponsor and strategic growth engine. Held at Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, the event brought together franchisees, vendors, and partners from across the country for learning, collaboration, and just enough mountain air to keep things fresh.

But the most eye-popping takeaway? Proceed Innovative’s SEO and digital marketing strategies accounted for more than 55% of new business for Assisting Hands franchises last month—driven almost entirely through organic online search.

SEO Isn’t Just for E-Commerce Anymore

Since 2017, Proceed Innovative has worked closely with a wide range of Assisting Hands franchisees, helping them improve visibility and conversion through search-optimized websites, local SEO strategies, and lead-gen campaigns. At this year’s conference, managing partner Patrick Panayotov led a standout panel on the growing role of artificial intelligence in digital marketing, diving into how AI is not just an add-on, but an operational asset.

“AI allows us to analyze patterns in search behavior, tailor content at scale, and optimize campaigns in real time,” Panayotov explained during his session. “For franchises, it means faster growth with less manual effort.”

His talk offered more than just buzzwords—attendees left with actionable frameworks to evaluate and implement AI tools, from content generation to customer targeting.

What’s Behind the 55% Surge?

While many home care companies rely on traditional referrals, Proceed Innovative has steered its clients toward a digital-first approach, turning search engines into sustainable growth channels. Their formula blends technical SEO, on-page content optimization, conversion-focused web design, and PPC campaigns where appropriate.

That 55% figure didn’t appear out of thin air—it reflects what happens when data-backed strategy meets consistency. The agency’s approach has turned websites from digital brochures into lead engines, with measurable ROI.

Industry Implications: The Franchise Formula

Home care is one of the fastest-growing segments in the U.S. due to an aging population and increased demand for in-home services. But the market is also hyper-local and increasingly competitive. Visibility in local search isn’t just nice to have—it’s non-negotiable.

What makes Proceed Innovative’s model compelling is its scalability across franchises. The agency customizes strategies to each location while leveraging shared data insights across the network. For other franchise-based industries—think education, fitness, and home services—the Assisting Hands case study offers a playbook worth studying.

The Human Touch Meets Digital Precision

FEAR 2025 wasn’t all about algorithms and analytics. True to its name, the retreat also delivered scenic networking, food, entertainment, and moments of connection—a reminder that even the smartest marketing tech works best when paired with a little humanity.

Looking ahead, Proceed Innovative plans to deepen its partnership with Assisting Hands, continuing to push the envelope on how digital tools can support human-centered care.

In an industry rooted in empathy, Proceed Innovative proves that precision SEO and AI-powered marketing can be just as impactful as a firm handshake or caring voice. As franchises look to scale without sacrificing local touch, digital visibility may just be the most valuable service of all.

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In the age of AI, it's not data that businesses lack—it's access to it. CapStorm wants to fix that, and its new product may just redefine how enterprise teams interact with Salesforce data.

Today, the secure Salesforce data management provider launched CapStorm:AI, a self-hosted, AI-powered tool that allows users to "talk to their data" using natural language. No SQL. No dashboards to build. No endless BI tickets.

Instead, business users can simply ask a question—“What were last quarter’s top-performing leads by region?”—and get a real-time dashboard in response. Think ChatGPT for your Salesforce and SQL data, but fully self-hosted, secure, and enterprise-ready.

The Problem with BI as Usual

CapStorm’s pitch hits a familiar pain point for fast-moving companies: too much time lost waiting on data teams. Traditional BI tools often require specialized setup, coding skills, or steep learning curves. Business users are left in the queue, while data engineers are bogged down writing SQL for the fiftieth dashboard request.

CapStorm:AI flips that equation.

“The future of enterprise data lies in making complex insights effortlessly accessible,” said Ted Pappas, CEO of CapStorm. “With CapStorm:AI, AI isn’t just helping—it’s transforming how business users access insights, make decisions, and drive growth.”

What Makes CapStorm:AI Different?

At its core, CapStorm:AI combines two things:

• CapStorm’s near real-time Salesforce replication tech, already trusted by enterprises with sensitive data.

• A powerful natural language interface that understands how data connects across systems.

The result is a secure analytics layer that works across Salesforce, SQL databases (SQL Server, PostgreSQL), Snowflake, and Amazon Redshift—all without exposing data to external clouds or compromising compliance.

Key features include:

• Natural Language Dashboards: Type a business question, get instant visual insights—no coding required.

• Cross-System Understanding: Connects Salesforce, CRMs, ERPs, and data warehouses seamlessly, with no need for custom joins.

• Near Real-Time Accuracy: Built on CapStorm’s replication engine for always-fresh data.

• Flexible Deployment: Fully self-hosted or securely managed in AWS—your choice, your compliance.

Aimed at the Data-Conscious Enterprise

Unlike other AI-powered analytics platforms that rely on third-party models and cloud processing, CapStorm:AI is designed for industries where data control isn’t optional. That includes financial services, healthcare, government, and regulated enterprises, where compliance and auditability are non-negotiable.

By staying within the company’s firewall—or a dedicated AWS instance managed by CapStorm—CapStorm:AI avoids the privacy, latency, and governance risks that come with cloud-dependent tools like Tableau GPT or Salesforce Einstein.

AI-Powered Insights, Enterprise-Grade Security

CapStorm:AI doesn’t just streamline how business teams interact with data—it represents a larger shift toward zero-friction analytics that respect enterprise-grade security and autonomy.

This also puts CapStorm in competition with legacy BI vendors like Tableau, Power BI, and even Salesforce’s own built-in tools, many of which require steep licensing costs and complex integrations.

But CapStorm is betting on simplicity and control. If it delivers on both, CapStorm:AI could become the go-to analytics layer for enterprises that want the benefits of AI—without the baggage.

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LinkedIn content creators just got a major boost.

Global social media management platform Metricool today rolled out LinkedIn Analytics for personal profiles, tapping into the newly released Member Post Analytics API from LinkedIn. This marks a big step toward democratizing data for professionals, freelancers, and solopreneurs looking to turn their personal presence into measurable brand equity.

Until now, tracking post performance on personal LinkedIn profiles required either guesswork or scattered insights. With this integration, Metricool users can now access in-depth analytics—impressions, video views, engagement metrics, follower trends—all within a single dashboard.

Personal Branding, Meet Real Data

LinkedIn has seen record-breaking engagement over the past year, fueled by the rise of creator-style content, industry storytelling, and a shift toward authentic thought leadership. The platform is no longer just for résumés—it’s where B2B influence is built.

Yet, while company pages have had access to analytics for years, individual professionals have been mostly left out of the data loop.

“This launch reflects our commitment to empowering professionals and creators to grow smarter and faster,” said Juan Pablo Tejela, CEO and co-founder of Metricool. “Now, anyone can make data-driven decisions about their LinkedIn strategy—without spreadsheets or guesswork.”

What You Can Track

Starting today, Metricool users can access LinkedIn personal profile analytics via their existing dashboard. Key features include:

• Follower Trends: View follower count growth over time, segmented by custom date ranges.

• Post Performance: Drill down into impressions, reach, reactions, comments, and reposts for each post.

• Video Metrics: Track total watch time, views, and unique viewers—essential for video-heavy strategies.

• Content Strategy Optimization: Aggregate content metrics to understand what formats and topics perform best.

This data helps users identify high-performing posts, experiment with timing, test new content formats, and optimize for engagement and reach—all within their existing social media workflow.

Not Just for Creators—Agencies Win Too

While the integration is a big win for individual users, social media managers and agencies handling multiple client profiles stand to gain even more. Previously, managing multiple LinkedIn personal accounts meant relying on screenshots and manual exports. With Metricool's unified dashboard, agencies can now offer professional-level reporting for personal profiles, not just company pages.

The integration also dovetails with LinkedIn’s broader push into creator support, including new post formats, video tools, and engagement features. Sam Corrao Clanon, LinkedIn’s Director of Product, noted the importance of the move: “Our new APIs give members direct access to insights that help them grow their networks, reach, and influence.”

The Bigger Picture: Social Analytics Is Getting Personal

This update signals a broader shift in the social media management landscape: as professional creators blur the line between personal and brand voice, analytics tools must evolve to keep up.

Platforms like Metricool, Buffer, and Hootsuite have traditionally focused on brand accounts. But in 2024 and beyond, the individual is the brand, and platforms that enable those individuals to scale—data in hand—will lead the next wave.

To help users get started, Metricool is hosting a free live webinar on July 8 via its YouTube channel. The session will showcase the new LinkedIn analytics features, demo workflows, and offer best practices for leveraging personal insights for growth.

Creators, consultants, and social media managers now have real LinkedIn performance data at their fingertips—finally. Whether you're building your voice, landing clients, or running multi-profile campaigns, Metricool’s integration turns guesswork into growth.

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Privy just made a bold move to become a one-stop retention powerhouse for ecommerce.

The ecommerce marketing automation platform announced today that it has acquired Emotive, a pioneer in conversational SMS marketing, in a deal aimed squarely at giving mid-market brands the kind of personalized, cost-effective tools they’ve been missing.

The combined platform will let merchants run email campaigns, SMS automations, onsite popups, and even 1:1 real-time conversations from a single dashboard—no bloated tech stack or piecemeal integrations required.

“There’s no shortage of marketing tools—what’s missing is a true partner,” said Alex Persson, CEO of Privy. “Brands today crave human expertise and personalized strategies. This acquisition gives them the power to scale without added cost or complexity.”

The Mid-Market Gap

For years, midsize ecommerce brands have been caught in the middle—too large for basic tools like Mailchimp, but too small to justify the cost and complexity of enterprise suites like Klaviyo or Salesforce Marketing Cloud.

Privy and Emotive’s union is a direct response to this underserved market, promising smarter customer retention at a price point that doesn’t require a Series A round to afford.

The new platform will support over 10,000 ecommerce brands, combining Emotive’s strengths in conversational SMS with Privy’s expertise in email automation and conversion-focused tools.

Key Features Now Under One Roof

Here’s what the new, unified platform brings to the table:

• Combined email and SMS automation flows, streamlining engagement across channels

• 1:1 customer conversations via SMS and email, bringing real dialogue to customer journeys

• High-converting popups and list growth tools, optimized for ecommerce

• Dedicated strategists for every brand, with hands-on support (not just chatbots)

• Transparent, low pricing, with no email sending caps or locked-in contracts

This isn’t just a tech upgrade—it’s a shift toward more human, high-touch marketing at scale.

“Privy has become indispensable to our strategy,” said Fancy Bands, an ecommerce brand using the platform. “It’s supercharged our conversions and lead capture—without the complexity.”

Building a Retention Engine, Not Just a MarTech Stack

Privy has long focused on solving the retention puzzle for growing ecommerce brands. With Emotive’s conversational capabilities, the platform now enables brands to deliver personalized, real-time messages at every stage of the funnel.

That’s especially timely in 2025, as customer acquisition costs continue to rise, and retention-driven strategies become critical for profitability. And in an age where zero-party data and meaningful interactions are more valuable than ever, Emotive’s 1:1 SMS expertise could be Privy’s secret weapon.

What’s Coming Next

Looking ahead, Privy is planning a slate of new features this summer and fall, including:

• Advanced marketing automation tools

• More robust zero-party data collection

• Expanded third-party integrations for broader ecosystem compatibility

The goal? Smarter, more connected marketing across every customer touchpoint.

With Emotive in its corner, Privy is no longer just an email and popup tool—it’s positioning itself as the all-in-one marketing brain for ecommerce brands that want to scale without complexity. For the thousands of merchants squeezed between DIY tools and overbuilt enterprise platforms, that might be exactly what they’ve been waiting for.

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In the race to own the smart home, Calix just gave broadband service providers (BSPs) a powerful edge.

The company has launched the third generation of its CommandIQ® mobile app, a smarter, more personalized platform that transforms how residential subscribers interact with their home internet—and their broadband providers. This release reimagines the mobile experience as the daily touchpoint between BSPs and subscribers, delivering not just network control, but new ways to engage, upsell, and build long-term loyalty.

Why It Matters

The modern subscriber doesn’t just want fast Wi-Fi—they want visibility, control, and personalization. According to Calix Market Insights, users expect seamless onboarding, real-time support, and tools that adapt to their digital lifestyle. And with broadband providers increasingly repositioning as broadband experience providers (BXPs), a well-designed, AI-ready app can be the key to differentiation—and retention.

“We’ve made our subscriber-facing app so compelling that people will want to engage with it regularly,” said Michael Weening, CEO of Calix. “It’s not just about better service—it’s about putting the BSP brand at the heart of the subscriber experience.”

What’s New in CommandIQ 3.0?

Built on the Calix Broadband Platform and integrated with its SmartLife™ managed services, the third-gen CommandIQ app rolls out a redesigned interface and several new features aimed at delivering high-touch, low-friction digital experiences:

• Personalized Promotions: BSPs can post banner messages and announcements directly to the app’s home screen—perfect for cross-sells, upsells, and timely alerts.

• Streamlined UI: A centralized command center gives subscribers access to billing, support, promotions, self-installation, and managed smart home services.

• MyPrioritiesIQ™: A standout feature, this allows subscribers to prioritize activities like gaming or remote work, optimizing bandwidth for what matters most.

• Built-In Cybersecurity & Parental Controls: Core to Calix’s value prop is giving users control and peace of mind—without relying on third-party tools.

It’s a win-win: Subscribers gain empowerment, and BSPs reduce truck rolls and support tickets.

The Engagement Advantage

Here’s why this matters for the bottom line:
Subscribers with an intuitive app and strong Wi-Fi are 54% more likely to recommend their broadband provider, according to Calix data.

And it’s already delivering:

• CTC (Minnesota): 85% app adoption, doubled growth, and 50% fewer truck rolls

• OC Fiber (Indiana): 30% increase in customer lifetime value—in just one week

• GoFibre (UK): Driving residential expansion with a local CommandIQ experience

• Sprout Fiber Internet (Alabama): Deeper subscriber relationships and satisfaction

“The new UI makes it easier to stay connected with subscribers in a personalized, effective way,” said Bonnie Baty, marketing and services manager at Sprout Fiber. “It empowers them to manage their own experience and frees us to focus on building stronger relationships.”

Built to Scale

One of the biggest strengths of CommandIQ 3.0 is its flexibility across hardware ecosystems. As of late 2024, the app now supports 160+ third-party gateways, ensuring BSPs can deploy a consistent, branded experience—regardless of the underlying network hardware.

This sets the stage for Calix’s upcoming third-gen Broadband Platform launch, which will bring even more AI-driven capabilities later this year.

As home internet becomes the backbone of modern life, Calix is betting that the key to loyalty isn’t just better bandwidth—it’s a better app. With the new CommandIQ, BSPs can now offer an experience that’s not only fast, but intelligent, personalized, and fully branded.

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Iterable is entering a new chapter—and it’s making a bold leadership move to match.

The AI-powered customer communication platform today announced the appointment of Sam Allen as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective August 1, 2025. Allen, a former Salesforce executive with deep enterprise experience, will also join Iterable’s Board of Directors as the company shifts its focus toward scaling globally, expanding enterprise reach, and accelerating AI innovation.

Founder and current CEO Andrew Boni will transition to the role of Chief Scientist, where he’ll double down on advancing Iterable’s product vision and AI roadmap—including the development of Iterable Nova, the company’s newly unveiled AI agent.

“Iterable’s AI is fundamentally reshaping how brands connect with customers,” said Allen. “This is a defining moment for marketing, and I’m honored to lead the company into its next phase of growth.”

The Salesforce Effect

Allen brings heavyweight credentials to the table. During more than a decade at Salesforce, he served as Executive Vice President and Global Chief Pipeline Officer, where he was instrumental in generating tens of billions of dollars in revenue pipeline, leading high-growth business units, and integrating over 20 strategic acquisitions.

In short, he knows how to scale—and fast.

His arrival signals a clear intention: Iterable is going big on enterprise, and it’s betting that Allen’s operational expertise and global track record will help it compete with giants like Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, and Braze in the upper echelons of martech.

Boni’s New Role: Chief Scientist, Product Visionary

As Allen takes the operational reins, Boni is turning his attention to the future of the product itself. His new role as Chief Scientist allows him to focus full-time on Iterable Nova, the company’s AI assistant designed to drive more autonomous, personalized, and efficient customer engagement.

“Bringing Sam in allows us to move faster operationally,” said Boni. “It sets Iterable up for long-term success while allowing me to concentrate fully on our product and AI innovation.”

This division of responsibilities mirrors a model used by other high-growth tech firms—splitting the business and technical leadership to optimize for both scale and speed of innovation.

Enterprise Growth, Global Footprint

Allen’s appointment comes at a time of serious momentum for Iterable. The platform now supports 1,200+ brands across 50+ countries, with an expanding international presence that includes an R&D hub in Lisbon, opened in 2024.

Following its milestone of $200M in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), Iterable has continued to gain recognition on platforms like G2 and TrustRadius, and is becoming a go-to for enterprise organizations seeking AI-powered personalization with real-time agility.

Why It Matters

Iterable’s leadership shakeup reflects a broader shift in the martech landscape. As marketing becomes increasingly AI-native, platforms must not only process data—they must act on it, intelligently and instantly.

Allen’s enterprise chops paired with Boni’s product vision could position Iterable to become a category leader in AI-driven customer engagement at scale.

“This pairing brings the best of both worlds,” said Stephanie Buscemi, Iterable board member and CMO at Confluent. “Sam brings the enterprise leadership; Andrew brings unmatched product insight.”

Iterable’s next chapter isn’t just about new leadership—it’s about ambition. With Allen steering global growth and Boni laser-focused on AI innovation, Iterable is making a serious bid to own the future of customer engagement.

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Smartcat wants to eliminate the content chaos in global enterprises—and it’s betting that AI Agents are the way to do it.

The enterprise AI platform today announced the launch of its expert-enabled AI Agents, a new class of intelligent tools designed to automate the entire global content lifecycle—from creation to translation to localization—with the kind of control and consistency enterprises typically only get through massive human effort.

Unlike basic LLM tools or bolt-on translation engines, Smartcat’s AI Agents are purpose-built to learn from an enterprise’s own workflows, rules, brand voice, and team feedback. The result: content automation that moves as fast as your business needs to scale—and actually speaks your language.

“Every enterprise dreams of global reach without the usual roadblocks—delays, silos, and complexity,” said Ivan Smolnikov, CEO of Smartcat. “Our AI Agents remove those barriers, enabling seamless multilingual communication across teams and markets. Fortune 1000 customers are already seeing over 100% productivity gains.”

What Makes Smartcat’s AI Agents Different?

Smartcat isn’t just layering AI on top of translation tools—it’s rearchitecting how global content is managed. Their agentic model embeds AI into everyday enterprise workflows, learning from human input to refine and optimize performance continuously.

Here’s what’s under the hood:

• Pre-Built AI Agents: Ready-to-go automations for content creation, translation, and localization—slashing turnaround times and time-to-market.

• No-Code Agent Builder: Customizable tools that let teams design AI Agents for any use case, from marketing copy to compliance docs.

• Skills Graph: An adaptive learning engine that enables all AI Agents to mimic the output of your best-performing employees, based on real-time collaboration and feedback.

• Context-Aware Assistant: A smarter, AI-powered help system that replaces legacy support centers and onboarding tools with instant, native-language guidance.

The platform is especially powerful for functions like marketing, product, legal, learning & development, and customer success, where language, speed, and nuance all matter deeply.

“Teams are tired of juggling fragmented tools just to communicate globally,” said Falk Gottlob, Chief Product Officer. “Our AI Agents offer a unified, intelligent layer where human expertise and AI work side by side.”

Impact: Faster, Smarter, More Consistent Content

Smartcat’s AI Agents aim to solve several critical pain points for enterprises operating in multiple markets:

• Accelerate time-to-market for global campaigns by creating and localizing content in parallel.

• Slash operational costs by automating complex, repetitive workflows across languages.

• Maintain brand consistency across every touchpoint with dynamic learning of tone, terminology, and regulatory nuances.

• Improve team productivity and retention by enabling real-time, personalized support and training in any language.

Why It Matters Now

In today’s economy, global content velocity isn’t just a competitive edge—it’s survival. But most enterprise teams are still managing international workflows with outdated tools, siloed systems, and manual processes that break at scale.

By embedding intelligent, brand-aware AI Agents into the content lifecycle, Smartcat is giving enterprises a way to scale without compromise—delivering multilingual, market-ready content at the speed of business.

And it’s working: More than 1,000 companies, including 25% of the Fortune 1000, already use Smartcat to boost ROI, simplify global communications, and govern brand voice across borders.

Smartcat’s new AI Agents aren’t just another AI wrapper—they’re a foundational shift in how enterprise content gets created, translated, and delivered. For global teams under pressure to do more with less (and do it in 15+ languages), Smartcat offers a future-proof path forward.

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Retail media is booming—and Innovid is making sure it’s not confined to a single screen or silo.

In its latest Feature Beat update, Innovid unveiled a suite of enhancements designed to elevate retail media networks (RMNs) and the brands that advertise through them. From shoppable creative formats to self-service campaign execution and incrementality-driven measurement, the updates reflect Innovid’s mission: to turn retail data into full-funnel, multi-screen performance.

The timing is spot-on. According to Mediaocean’s upcoming H2 Market Report, more than a third of marketers plan to increase their RMN ad spend in the second half of 2025. Innovid is positioning itself as the go-to platform to meet that demand—integrating RMNs into the broader media mix and making every screen a retail channel.

“Retail media success relies on alignment between retailers and brands,” said Simeon Powers, Senior Director of Strategy at Innovid. “That starts with shared tools, data, and creative flexibility.”

What’s New for Retail Media Networks and Brands

Cross-Screen Retail Activation

RMNs are no longer bound to onsite placements. Innovid now enables brands to extend retail audience insights into CTV, social, and display, allowing for personalized, performance-driven messaging across the entire buyer journey.

This integration makes it easier for marketers to blend retail data with upper-funnel storytelling—unlocking greater efficiency and impact beyond the retailer’s walled garden.

Self-Service Campaign Tools for RMNs

Retail media networks now get white-labeled campaign UIs, designed specifically for RMN workflows. These tools offer:

• Creative automation for brand and co-branded templates

• High-quality asset spec matching

• Third-party platform integrations for seamless campaign management

RMNs can now build, run, and optimize campaigns at scale, while keeping execution in-house.

Performance-Ready Creative – Built to Convert

From shoppable connected TV (CTV) to dynamic product feeds in display ads, Innovid is rolling out turnkey creative formats that are ready to drive results:

• Add-to-cart integrations across CTV, video, display, and mobile

• QR code generation with real-time reporting

• Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) powered by real-time data feeds (e.g., inventory levels, SKUs, promotions)

These formats turn passive impressions into active purchase opportunities—meeting consumers where they are and nudging them toward checkout.

Incrementality & Unified Measurement

Proving that retail media works just got easier. Innovid’s platform now supports:

• Unified reporting across onsite and offsite activations

• Audience deduplication to eliminate frequency waste

• Incrementality metrics to show true lift and performance beyond a brand’s existing media mix

This is a major win for marketers and RMNs alike, providing clear ROI insights and smarter signals for reinvestment.

Retail media is no longer just an ecommerce sidebar—it’s becoming a central pillar of omnichannel strategy. But fragmentation has held the category back.

Innovid is aiming to break those silos, offering a single platform that lets retailers and brands collaborate, create, and measure in sync. With this latest round of updates, Innovid is turning retail media into a fully integrated, full-funnel growth engine—one that works on every screen, with every shopper, at every stage.

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