A blog about the art and science of marketing

• Apr 02, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Tom Burgess

**Sets alarm for 6am, checks email, goes to bed**

**Wakes up to sound of alarm, turns off alarm, checks email**

Does this routine sound familiar? I can’t be the only one that is nearly attached at the hip to my phone, checking email constantly. Email has been arguably the #1 form of communication for business since the early 2000’s. With email being a key piece in the way we communicate, there are certain “do’s” and “don’ts” we should be following while emailing at work:

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Apr 01, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Jeffrey Vocell

Google is about to update their algorithm again, and this time it could have a big impact on your business. I mean, really really big.

What’s the new algorithm update about? It will use mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal — if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you could get dinged in the SERPs when someone is searching Google using a mobile device. So if you want to make sure that you’re prepared for this change, keep on reading. We’ll dive into more details on what the update will entail and give you some tools to help diagnose your site’s mobile-readiness.

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Mar 31, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Drew McLellan

It’s so easy to be mesmerized by all the marketing technology around us and forget about the marketing basics. But whether you’re executing a traditional campaign or a digital one — the marketing basics matter. My Italian grandma (who provided many marketing tips via this series) spent most of her time in the kitchen. I remember sitting at the table, watching her work her magic and her reaching for a huge jar of oregano. As she pointed the jar at me, she said, “You always need to keep the basics in stock. And no matter how fancy you’re getting, the basics still matter.”

I remember her words when I’m trying to re-create her spaghetti sauce and I remember those same words when working with clients. Because she was right. No matter how fancy we get — we need to keep reaching for the basics. Sometimes we all get so caught up in what is the hottest, latest, and most buzzed about marketing fad that we lose sight of the cornerstone principles that make advertising and marketing work.  Here are some marketing basics that will always matter

Read the full article at Drew’s Marketing Minute

• Mar 31, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Mike Del Cuore

We’ve all seen them before: the frustrating little pages that appear when you click a broken link on a website. Maybe the developer forgot to remove that link when they deleted that blog post. Or maybe they updated the site and an extra sneaky character got into the link URL. Whatever the case, sending a website visitor to a 404 page is never a good thing.

Ideally, we’d want our sites locked tight and linked right. But these things do happen. However, we can use this as an opportunity to not only build brand loyalty but delight customers at the same time. Here are four different approaches that break the boring 404 error page mold.

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Mar 31, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Doug Davidoff

If I’ve learned one thing about companies and organizations that enjoy consistent growth, it’s that they’re maniacal about monitoring their data and numbers. They’re clear on what has to happen to achieve their goals. In contrast, companies that don’t experience consistent, predictable growth also do not have clarity of their funnel metrics.

So, the first step to creating predictability is to define, measure and track your funnel. In its simplest form (and the reality is that no matter how complex you make you measurement system, it still boils down to this), there are three phases of your funnel that need to be measured:

Here is How to Diagnose Your Funnel to Create Predictable Growth

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Mar 30, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Neil Patel

If you do any reading in the digital marketing space, you’ll find a ton of articles on landing pages, conversion rate optimization, email techniques, etc., etc. These are great resources, and I think you should keep reading them.

But there’s a gaping hole in the marketing literature and blogs. I see very little being published on the subject of product descriptions.

Read the full article at KISSmetrics

• Mar 30, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Justin Pavoni

There are at least three problems with this list. First, “entrepreneurship” is an extremely broad subject. Second, opinions are ubiquitous. Third, LinkedIn groups aren’t exactly scarce. Trying to highlight the best ones is somewhat of a fool’s errand, but you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find! With that in mind, here are ten recommendations to get you started…

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Mar 28, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Tracey Wallace

The social commerce marketplace has grown more than 4-fold since 2012. Then, social commerce represented some $3 billion in retail sales. In 2015, social commerce accounts for some $14 billion. That’s one heck of a growth trajectory.

Indeed, nearly all social platforms provide a commerce offering for retailers and shoppers alike. In doing so, social commerce is expected to pull in more than 5% of total retail sales for 2015. If your ecommerce brand isn’t utilizing social outlets as an extension of your sales funnel, then you’re likely missing out on new customers and failing to engage those who have already purchased.

Here are What the Top 4 Social Networks Can Do For Your Social Commerce Revenue

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Mar 28, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Pamela Vaughan

With more than 347 million users, LinkedIn is the most popular social network for professionals as well as one of the top social networks overall. But do you know how to use LinkedIn to its fullest potential?

With new social networks sprouting up constantly, LinkedIn is a platform that often gets underutilized or put on the back burner. But the truth is, LinkedIn can be extremely powerful — especially when you’re aware of all the platform’s hidden features that don’t get nearly enough exposure as they deserve. So to help you master LinkedIn, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of LinkedIn tips you may be overlooking … but definitely shouldn’t.

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Mar 27, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Paul Koks

Would you like to achieve more in less time and with less effort? The success of any online business depends on how quickly it can turn insights into action. This is true for data analysis as well.

The good news is that you are about to learn 15 actionable tips you can use with Google Analytics to speed up your data analysis and website optimization. Apply the tips to your business, and you will improve your chances of outperforming your competitors.

Read the full article at KISSmetrics

• Mar 26, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Ayaz Nanji

Conversion rates for forms included on Web pages vary widely by the type of form being used, according to recent research by Formstack. The report was based on data for 650,000 businesses and organizations in 11 verticals that use Formstack’s technology.

The researchers examined conversion rates—the percentage of all visitors who successfully submit information via forms—for seven types of forms: event registration, order/payment, contact, survey, donation, contest, and lead generation.

Read the full article at MarketingProfs

• Mar 26, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Ann Smarty

The blogosphere has been a major online marketing medium for years now. Bloggers are trusted voices who can bring in customers and help you build your community. They’re capable of exposing others to your message and getting the buzz started — but only if you approach the task diligently. Reaching out to potential blogger is a more intricate process nowadays than it was even five years ago. Great bloggers are constantly getting pitched by marketers, making it all the more important for you to stand out from the crowd if you want them to pay attention.

Trust me, though: It’s well worth it to invest time in building connections with high quality bloggers and turning them into a brand advocates who will be willing to help you out over and over again. Want to achieve worthwhile results from your blogger outreach efforts? In this post, I’ll go over a few tips for reaching out to bloggers effectively. Then, I’ll talk about seven great blogger outreach tools that will help you connect with bloggers in your niche.

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Mar 25, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Julia Cupman

A recent B2B marketing study by B2B International paints an interesting picture of the current marketing challenges US businesses are encountering, the strategies they are employing, and what they could be doing more of in the future.

The findings also provide comparisons with similar businesses in the UK and Germany. Here are the Key B2B Marketing Challenges and Strategies that you need to know.

Read the full article at MarketingProfs.com

• Mar 25, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Liston Witherill

Hundreds or even thousands of things that you think every day are wrong. The same is true for your prospects.

This revelation is the basis of Daniel Kahneman’s research. And he won a Nobel Prize for it. In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow he uncovers the systematic ways that you make mistakes in your thinking.

When you’re writing copy and deciding on a marketing strategy, you’d better understand the most important factors that lead to these mistakes in thinking and why your prospects decide to run away from you.

Read the full article at KISSmetrics

• Mar 24, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Liga Bizune

Today’s marketers work in an environment in which they have access to thousands of tools and techniques for delivering their messages. But truly effective marketing campaigns come from first looking holistically and strategically at communication goals, then crafting narratives that best fit various delivery channels, including email.

When email marketing expert Tim Watson visited our offices to provide some expert insight into effective email design and copy, he sparked an interesting conversation about how to build a better email. And that got us thinking: What’s next in email? Her are the Top Six Email Marketing Trends You Need to Keep Pace With . . .

Read the full article at MarketingProfs.com

• Mar 24, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Laxman Papineni

I’ve always been in awe of growth hacking. Although I see a lot of different definitions surrounding this buzzword, I like growth hacker Aaron Ginn’s summation the best: A growth hacker is someone whose passion and focus is pushing a metric through use of a testable and scalable methodology.

One reason I like this definition is because it hints at the how much entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals can learn from the depth of understanding growth hackers have about how companies grow — and their ability to draw connections between how a company is performing, and the actions needed to lead to healthy, rapid growth that improve performance and set a company up for success. Here is The Essential Reading List for Growth Hackers.

Read the full article at HubSpot

• Mar 19, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Dan Hoff

As a business owner or manager, there is no longer any denying that today’s buyers, whether in the B2B or B2C space, are more sophisticated, more knowledgeable and more prepared than at any other time. This has not been by accident. This trend has coincided with the growth in the adoption, use and availability of the web and digital platforms.

Today, no matter what you sell, whether a service, a hard-good or software, you are facing a market where the buyer, not the seller, has the advantage. Your buyers, or at least your potential buyers, are out there, somewhere. They are armed with knowledge and ready to buy. And from research, we know that they have made most of their buying decisions even before they contact you for the first time.

Read the entire article Right Here on Dan Hoff Marketing

• Mar 18, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Neil Patel

Understanding psychology is a crucial part of being a successful marketer. What I’ve discovered is that the most powerful advances in content marketing don’t come from “hacks,” “tricks,” or “techniques,” but from science-backed psychology.

One of the most powerful and interesting areas of psychology deals with excitement. How can content marketers get people more excited? How can we raise their level of emotional engagement to bring about content engagement? Is there any way that we can get more comments, more shares, more likes, and more of the content marketing KPIs that we crave?

The answer is yes, and the psychology of excitement shows us how. The Psychology of Excitement and How to Better Engage Your Audience

Read the entire article at HubSpot.com

• Mar 17, 2015
• Dan Hoff
• 0

by Mike Saldi

Companies sink or swim based on their ability to retain customers. A company with $10 million in revenue with a 10% churn rate needs to acquire $1 million of new business each year, just to avoid shrinking.

The fact is that existing customers have greater lifetime value for your company: A 5% increase in customer retention can increase business profits anywhere between 25% and 125%, according to Gartner Group.

Improve retention, and other facets of the business quickly begin to improve as well. So how do you unlock such value for your business? Here are the Top 5 Keys to Customer Retention that can help you increase revenue, fill up the sales pipeline, and improve performance.

Read the full article at MarketingProfs