Content marketing , Inbound marketing , Lead generation
A few years ago, when you thought about social media, lead generation was probably the last thing that sprung to mind. Fast forward to today, and social media is a literal 'lead-hunting ground' for smart marketers. This blog is a refresh of one of our most popular posts... find out how social media has now become a 'not-so-secret' weapon for content marketers and what channels you should be targeting to generate leads in 2020.
["inbound marketing"]
It’s out again, your go-to marketing and sales report! The Hubspot State of Inbound 2017 is packed with useful insights into the ever-changing world of inbound marketing. State of Inbound 2017lets you easily digest the current challenges that marketers and sales reps are facing, as well as keeping you ahead of the coming trends and innovations that will ultimately shape the inbound marketing world.
So, without further ado, here are our five key takeaways from State of Inbound 2017 for you to consider, and include in your inbound marketing strategy.
["events"]
Join us at our next KiwiHUG event on Thursday the 28th of June at Grid Auckland. Guest speakers from Done By Friday and HubSpot will share the latest innovations in marketing technology and how you can utilise these to improve your customer experience.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Don't forget to connect with our online LinkedIn group here, and get involved; contribute to discussions if you have advice or post a question if you need help from our community of leading marketers.
["events", "sales enablement"]
It's the most wonderful time of year again. No, not the holidays... our November #KiwiHUG! We're gearing up for another exciting update in the world of inbound.
Here's what you can expect at the upcoming event...
["sales enablement", "how to..."]
Every day the average salesperson juggles a hundred and one urgent tasks while facing constant pressure to deliver results. It can feel like there just isn't enough time in the week to deliver excellence.
As a marketer, your goal should be to assist the sales team to help them optimise their time and get results. Luckily HubSpot is absolutely packed with features that make this possible.
Here's everything you need to know about one of our favourite HubSpot features - snippets.
["sales enablement"]
Sales enablement describes the technologies, processes and strategies that allow sales teams to sell faster, better and more efficiently. In many organisations (larger corporations in particular) sales enablement strategies and technologies are the keys to unlocking the business's full potential and resolving frustrations between sales and marketing departments.
The problem is so many big businesses are stuck using legacy sales systems and old strategies and are reluctant to update due to the time and cost involved with doing so. Updating may take considerable time and effort - but if you can prove ROI in the long term it's all worth it.
["sales enablement"]
Sales and marketing are meant to work together to reach the achieve the same goals but they usually don't. This means that neither can reach their potential - sales won't get the quality leads they need from marketing and marketing don't get feedback so that they can fine-tune their approach.
These maddening inefficiencies make life harder for businesses all over New Zealand.The good news is that there's a solution.
["inbound marketing"]
It can be hard juggling the day to day demands of business while still paying close attention to your inbound marketing strategy - especially when it comes to analysing your ROI. If you feel this way, you’re not alone.
HubSpot’s State of Inbound 2017 reported that 40% of marketers found proving marketing ROI as their primary challenge. When it comes to ROI — and it always does — it’s about quality versus quantity, which can often mean getting more out of less. But the sheer volume and variety of data available these days, often at the click of a mouse, can be more of a curse than a blessing.
["digital marketing"]
We’ve talked before on our blog about how the rise in video technology should be a key focus in your 2017 marketing strategy. And now with Apple enabling video playback within Apple Mail, it’s more important than ever that you ensure your business is ready for this growing trend and its impact on your marketing strategy.
As ever, we’re here to give you the skinny on the latest innovations in digital marketing, and show you the best way to take it in your stride and get the full benefits.
["marketing automation"]
Marketing Automation is much more than just a trendy buzzword — it’s here to stay and is destined to become the status quo for any successful inbound marketing strategy. We’re so impressed with the potential of Marketing Automation that we’ve written an eBook to showcase its bounty of benefits. Here’s a little insight from The Modern Marketer’s Guide to Marketing Automation.
["marketing automation"]
Recently, Inbound legends Hubspot surveyed a bevy of marketers to reveal their biggest marketing challenges. Check out the top three across respondents below:
["digital marketing"]
Tribes and Permission Marketing left a huge impression on me and helped me shape the service offering we developed in the early days at Tango. I've been looking back at one of his early books, The Big Red Fez: How To Make Any Web Site Better, and its amazing to see to the problems he identified back then are still alive and kicking today. A lot of digital is developed for either form or function, and not enough is created with clear objectives and consumers in mind.
Seth recently commented about this on his blog...I also really like the statement on his website - "go make something happen".
["inbound marketing", "marketing automation", "how to..."]
Many of our clients use events and conferences to promote their products and services locally and internationally.
Did you know you can leverage your HubSpot platform (or other marketing automation platform), to capture interest from leads who visit you at events? And, did you know that by capturing these leads, you can then nurture them with relevant content just like you do with any other Inbound Marketing activity?
And even better, this approach can be replicated for every event you attend.
["content marketing", "inbound marketing", "marketing automation", "how to..."]
It’s month end. You’re looking at your GA results. Your website stats are looking healthy – but for some reason, they just don’t seem to be converting into leads and sales for your business.
If this sounds familiar then it’s time to look at nurturing – your leads, that is!
With the smarts of todays marketing automation platforms, it’s entirely achievable to design and implement highly sophisticated lead nurture programmes that close this gap, gently encouraging your website visitors and leads towards purchase.
["marketing automation"]
In many of our recent blogs we’ve discussed the benefits of marketing automation and how to choose a marketing automation platform. But let’s back up the truck a little...all this is great stuff, but what if you’re unsure about exactly what marketing tasks you can even expect to automate?
In this blog we share an excerpt from our latest eBook: A Modern Marketers Guide to Marketing Automation that covers our TOP 6 marketing tasks to automate.
Enjoy!
["digital marketing"]
As a business owner, chances are you’re interested in effective ways to get quality leads at a low cost. You’ve probably also heard of Facebook lead ads, a growing way of generating leads that could be a worthwhile investment of your advertising dollars. So what are Facebook lead ads, and are they the way to go for you?
["digital marketing"]
We all know how important it is to turn every possible lead into a customer – it’s at the heart of every business. But the reality is that after the sale, with this focus it’s easy for your customers to be overlooked while you’re on the never-ending search for fresh leads. So how does this look for your business?
Research has shown that while 82% of marketer’s state that retaining customers is cheaper than finding new ones, only 15% of companies place a strong focus on retention. And with the average cost of attracting a new customer being widely accepted as five times the amount of keeping an existing one, a focus on retaining customers could mean some serious savings for many companies.
["content marketing", "inbound marketing"]
The offers you provide to web users can make a huge difference; the more engaged customers you have, the more likely you are to build a loyal fan base, drive sales, and grow revenue.
The art of creating an irresistible offer may take some practice to master, but with the right approach, you can take your business in a whole new direction. Looking for tips and tricks to move your company forward? With our free "32 Proven Content Marketing Tips, Tricks and Ideas" eBook, you'll have everything you need to make this your best year for content marketing yet.
["content marketing", "how to..."]
Although it's compelling to spend days on end analysing every facet of your marketing strategy to find the missing link, the answer is probably simpler than you think – your calls to action.
Simply put, if your prospective customers don't know what you want from them, they won't be motivated to act. When your CTAs are weak, site users are likely to move on without engaging, leaving the time and energy you poured into your digital marketing strategies all for naught. With our free "32 Proven Content Marketing Tips, Tricks and Ideas" eBook, you can explore the ins and outs of what it takes to craft a great CTA.
["content marketing", "inbound marketing"]
If you’re tasked with growing your website traffic, increasing the quality and quantity of leads that you pass to your sales team and driving your sales revenue targets, then the upcoming Auckland Grow With HubSpot event is for you!The Event is set to teach you how to implement an inbound strategy that will help you achieve these goals and introduce you to a panel of local HubSpot customers who are growing their businesses with inbound marketing today.
There’s no doubt that you have ambitious growth plans for your business this year, but is your digital marketing strategy set up to propel you towards meeting (and hopefully exceeding) those goals?
["content marketing"]
From resolutions to change for the better to a fresh, blank slate for your business and marketing objectives, 2016 brings with it a new series of content marketing predictions for the future, forcing a change in perspective from what 2015 had to offer.
Ranging from continued growth of mobile to new episodic content trends, content marketing in 2016 is predicted to put your existing strategy well out of date. Get on top of the trend wave with the help of our free “32 Proven Content Marketing Tips, Tricks and Ideas” eBook which is packed full of professional advice and solutions that can help you design new strategies to keep up with our following predictions for 2016.
["inbound marketing"]
Everyone wants their website content at the top of the Google search results page, and with good reason when the first result, on average, captures 33% of search traffic. As a savvy marketer, you know that competition for this space is fierce and can be expensive if you're boosting your organic results with Google Adwords or Bing Ads.
Any marketer worth their 2c today knows that if you want to organically shimmy your way up the search result ladder, then search engine optimisation (SEO) is a must. Although SEO is a constantly changing discipline and can quickly become very sophisticated, we've written this article to give you a quick recap on three key things you should know about SEO today, to ensure your company website is keeping up...
["content marketing", "inbound marketing", "digital marketing"]
You’re bound to have heard numberous strategies and theories about how to build a social media following for brands - content is king, it’s a two-way conversation, don’t be salesy - maybe you’ve even read chapter 29 in our eBook – 32 Proven Content Marketing Tips, Tricks and Ideas!
These strategies are all correct, but how do you turn these ideas into practise? Here are a few tactics you can start implementing today to build upon these fundamental strategies.
["content marketing", "inbound marketing", "digital marketing"]
Talk to people in the advertising industry and you can get wildly different views on what native advertising is. For some it’s content partnerships between brands and publishers, for others it's paid content promotion, and for a few it’s a new way to push advertising at people. Find out how native advertising is a natural complement to a good Content Marketing strategy.
People are becoming increasingly sceptical of all types of advertising — with less than a third of consumers believing what advertisers say about their products. Source
["content marketing", "inbound marketing", "how to..."]
The growing popularity of content marketing has made marketing blogs one of the most powerful tools in the digital marketing toolbox - the fact is, businesses with blogs attract far more visitors than businesses without blogs.
The marketing blog brings in visitors from organic search and other digital channels used to promote content, such as Social Media. When blog content is useful and informative it builds trust and credibility. This makes the readers open to engaging in more content, which is capitalised on using Calls to Action (CTA's) that sit along side each blog post. These strategically placed CTA's are designed to be highly relevant to where potential customers are in their buyers journey.
["marketing automation", "digital marketing"]
First came the State of Digital Marketing in Australia and New Zealand promoted by Marketo, followed a couple of weeks later by HubSpot's annual State of Inbound, which for the first time reported data on Australia and New Zealand.
To save you the time of having to read through over 130 pages of research, we've summarised the key take-outs for you in this article.
Both reports emphasise the importance of technology in marketing today, and how switched-on marketers are developing programmes and leveraging technology to achieve a variety of marketing objectives. This is witnessed in the Econsultancy Report, where almost all respondents were in unanimous agreement (96%) that ‘a good understanding of marketing technology is critical for senior marketing leaders’.
["content marketing", "digital marketing"]
Many companies employ various optimisation techniques, but with the changing algorithms running the world's biggest search engines, staying ahead of the curve can be essential to drawing in your target audience.
If your current blogging strategies aren't bringing in the leads you're looking for, it may be time to expand your reach and put extra effort into your blogs search engine optimisation ambitions.
["content marketing", "inbound marketing"]
One of the most effective, however, has long been social media marketing. Providing companies with an easy, affordable way to reach millions of consumers, social media equips marketers with the tools to promote written and video content, solicit opinions, and grow customer loyalty.
In Hubspot's State of Inbound 2015 Report, 84% of marketers stated that social media is a more important lead source than it was six months ago, putting sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest at the forefront of digital marketing growth. Despite the inevitable value, many companies are not doing what it takes to make the most of social media marketing. Even the best content is worthless when not seen by the right people, making an updated approach necessary to garner the best results.
["content marketing"]
As an endeavor that helps grow companies, an effective approach must be sustainable, industry-specific, and carefully crafted, and sharing yours with others is generally a good way to help a competitor gain footing.
There are exceptions to every rule, of course, and co-marketing is one of them. While it may seem counter-intuitive, partnering with another company in your industry can be mutually beneficial, bringing two sets of strengths and resources together in order to create something that has advantages for everyone involved.
["content marketing", "inbound marketing"]
Search for the ‘top marketing trends of 2014’ in Google you’ll find Content Marketing at the top of almost all the lists.
And for good reason. Over the last few years, smart marketers have been fine-tuning some incredibly clever Content Marketing strategies. And their Content Marketing programmes have been producing the types of results management like the most – sales leads, improved ROI and greater customer loyalty. Word’s got out and investment’s going in.
["marketing automation"]
By many accounts this prediction is set to come true. Today over 50 percent of the technology spend outside of IT department budgets comes from marketing, and that’s on top of ITs own expenditure on marketing technology. In 2 years, Gartner predicts, 80 percent of marketing technology investments will come from outside of IT.
An increased focus on accountability and smart marketing post GFC appears to be driving this spend. A recent Forrester report stated that 61% of marketers "expect to increase the proportion of technology spend versus marketing communication/program spend.
["content marketing", "events"]
Over the last few weeks the Done by Friday team, with some help from our friends at Concentrate and HubSpot, have hosted HubSpot User Group (HUG) events in Auckland and our very first Wellywood event - all in an effort to bring together New Zealand’s growing network of inbound marketers.
Both events covered topics designed to help marketers maximise budget and look to convert more leads through inbound marketing. And while the cold pizza (at both events) was a bit of an acquired taste; at least there was beer, wine and good conversation.
Here’s a quick breakdown of our Top 5 takeaways from both events - because everything that comes in 3 or 5 tips/takeaways/hot tips/no-nos etc. - must be worth reading.
["content marketing", "case studies", "agency news"]
When Wilderness Motorhomes reached out to Inbound Marketing agency, Engaging Partners, to work out how to leverage their investment in marketing automation (HubSpot) it lead to a journey of discovery (literally!) with the invention of new way for holiday-planners to evaluate and select the perfect motorhome for their 'trip of a lifetime'. Find out how this multi-award winning solution was created and why it has been so successful.
["events"]
Come to our next KiwiHUG meet-up on Thursday 12th April in Auckland. You’ll hear from Jonathan Williams (HubSpot and ex-Google) on the latest tips, tricks, and tools to get more of the right type of people visiting your digital content and converting to leads.
