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- 13 Feb
Should You Gate Your Best Blog Content?
- Feb 13, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Digital Media Trends, Inbound Marketing
Gated blog content is a tried-and-true way to collect email addresses for your marketing campaigns. But gating all of your best content isn’t necessarily always the best move, either. You should decide on a case-by-case basis if a given piece of content should be gated.
There’s More Than One Way to Slice it
There are multiple factors that determine whether a piece of gated blog content will meet the goals you have for it. Or if it will just sit there, totally untouched.
Gating your content can lead your marketing strategy to either skyrocket or nosedive. And it almost entirely depends on choosing the right content to gate. And what information you require as the key to that gate. Here’s your guide to deciding whether or not you should gate your best blog content at Jeff Bullas’ Blog.
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- 27 Jan
3 Ways to Make B2B Content Marketing More Engaging
- Jan 27, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing
by Leah Wynalek
When it comes content, even with complex topics, your content is most effective when it’s simple to understand. Whether a website, a blog post, white papers, your content must deliver a clear, valuable message. And it must do so in an engaging way for potential buyers to pay attention.
“Momma Always Said, Simple is as Simple Does”
Recently at Content Marketing World 2019, a number of B2B marketers led sessions about how to craft more compelling brand stories and thought leadership content. And all of the speakers at that event stressed the need to simplify your message. Storytelling need not be complex. The simpler, the better was their mantra.
The Bottom line: Buyers are people. They don’t want to be bored, and they shouldn’t have to analyze your content to grasp its business value. To learn 3 ways to accomplish this, read the full article on the Publishing Executive blog
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- 23 Jan
Five Content Marketing Myths Debunked
- Jan 23, 2020
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Demand Generation, Inbound Marketing
Not long ago, content marketing was real simple. It was all about launching a website, posting on blogs, and circulating emails to new and existing customers.
Well, That is no Longer the Case
Today, it’s a critical, multifaceted discipline. Today, most organizations now see content marketing as one of the most invaluable tools in their belts for driving brand awareness and sales leads. Which is why content marketing budgets continue to rise. In fact, nearly 85% of technology marketers surveyed recently by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs say they’ve used content marketing effectively in the previous year.
Myths Busted . . .
Yet it’s highly likely that those campaigns were less successful than they could have been. And by looking deeply into these campaings, we would most likely turn up weaknesses. And most are borne from some broadly held content marketing myths. Here are the five most common content marketing myths to overcome at MarketingProfs.com
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- 02 Dec
10 Ways Social Media Fuels Inbound Marketing
- Dec 02, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Digital Media Trends, Inbound Marketing, Social Media Marketing
by Sian Jaylo
Your social media efforts can help establish your online presence. And it can drive traffic to your brand. From creating increased exposure to converting leads consistently, it works. So, social media campaigns should be the backbone of your digital marketing strategy.
In spite of all of the recent bad press, social media is still important. According to Sprout Social, Facebook has over 2 billion active users. Instagram has 400 million daily active users. And Twitter boasts 326 million monthly active users who send 500 million tweets daily.
And That Represents a Lot of Potential Customers for Your Brand
But the benefits of social media and inbound marketing goes beyond the sheer volume and reach. Social media lets you deliver exactly what your audience wants. It provides them with engagement, education, and confidence.
To learn more of why social media is the perfect marketing tool for giving your audience what they want, read the full article at DrumUp
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- 29 Mar
9 Expert Tips For Perfecting Email Open Rates
- Mar 29, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Inbound Marketing
In today’s highly competitive world of online communication, every email you send competes against hundreds of other email messages at any given time. But they also are up against a dwindling attention span of subscribers. As a result, any email you send, including your marketing emails, should aim to grab a subscriber’s attention in their crowded inbox.
Great. So How Can You Do That, You Ask . . . ?
Well, first off, lets start with your subject line. If it’s not interesting enough to catch their attention in a fraction of a second, you might not have a second chance. Then, you won’t get your message across. And besides, if you regularly practice email marketing, ineffective subject lines can noticeably harm your open rates. And then, consequently your potential revenue.
But that only scratches the surface of the issues that can hinder your email marketing success. And to help you our, here are 9 Expert Tips For Perfecting Email Open Rates on Jeff Bullas’s Blog.
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- 06 Mar
An Introduction to Persuasive Advertising vs. Informative Advertising
- Mar 06, 2019
- admin
- 0
- Conversion Strategies, Inbound Marketing, Lead Generation
by Clifford Chi
As marketers, we know that if we want to persuade an audience, we need to evoke an emotional response from them. But how do you actually do that? Well, for one, we can use persuasive techniques that emphasise value. Or we can inform and educate them.
But What is a Persuasive Ad? And How Do They Differ From Informative Ads?
Well, recently Clifford Chi, over at HubSpot, took a look at this dicotomy of advertising approaches. He examined six persuasive advertising techniques that you can use right now. Plus, he then looked at three informative advertisement examples. And each of those is surprisingly as compelling as the persuasive advertising examples.
So to learn all about Persuasive Advertising vs. Informative Advertsing, read the full article at HubSpot.com
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- 04 Feb
Unleash the Power of Video Marketing for Your Business
- Feb 04, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Video Marketing
by Mike Osborne
We all know that Creating online content is one of the best ways of reaching customers and improving visibility. And that’s because it simply works.
And you probably already have a social media presence on Facebook or Twitter, and possibly a blog as well. But if you really want to reach your target audience effectively and create an impression of your brand that lasts, you need to be using videos.
Video marketing has proven itself to be one of the most powerful methods of brand promotion there is. And here’s a look at why and how you can use it to your advantage at MarketingProfs.com
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- 14 Jan
How to Make an Effective Testimonial Video: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Jan 14, 2019
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Video Marketing
By now, we are all aware that videos in marketing are highly effective. But, you may not know that there are a number of different types of marketing videos you can use. And each type has a specific focus, intent and funnel application.
One Highly Effective Application for Video is for Testimonials
Testimonial videos are a type of marketing videos that are perfect for the decision stage of the buyer’s journey. It is at this very point when prospects are aware of and want to solve a problem. And now they are looking for information to help them make up their minds. Help them begin to choose you.
An effective testimonial video can be the final push that sends them through your sales funnel. We know through research that fully 82% of people conduct research online prior to making a purchase decision. So shouldn’t you learn how to make an effective testimonial video? You can at MarketingProfs.com
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- 14 Dec
How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Inbound Sales Inquiries to Get Found by Buyers
- Dec 14, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Inbound Marketing, LinkedIn
by Jonny Rose
Many of us make the mistake of treating LinkedIn as simply an online Rolodex. Or we may think of it as a glorified CV, rather than an inbound marketing channel that can be optimized for sales inquiries.
Spoiler Alert! That is a Huge Mistake
The social network is home to over 500 million users. And that means 500 million potential customers. And many of those are regularly searching for products or services your provide.
Although not everyone has the time to spend their days publishing content, commenting on updates, and outbound prospecting to find potential customers, there is a way to make your buyers come to you. And, to find out how to turn your LinkedIn profile into a powerful inbound sales asset, read the full article at MarketingProfs.com
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- 06 Nov
B2B Email Newsletters: Format, Length, and Frequency Trends
- Nov 06, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Newsletter Marketing
by Ayaz Nanji
Thinking of developing a newsletter? Then you may need answers to some key questions.
Questions. Questions. So Many Questions.
First, what is the most popular B2B email newsletter format? How many messages do marketers send each month? Whom do newsletters come from? How long are they?
To find out, Find A Way Media examined 78 marketing email newsletters [download available] sent by B2B companies that operate in a range of different verticals. The researchers analyzed messages sent by the firms over a three-month period to determine format, length, sender, and frequency trends.
The researchers identified four common B2B newsletter formats and to see what they are and how they work, read the full article at MarketingProfs
NOTE: A Free Registration pop-up opens on this site. Free Registration is not required to read this article.
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- 31 Oct
The AIDA Model: A Proven Framework for Converting Strangers Into Customers
- Oct 31, 2018
- admin
- 0
- Content Marketing, Conversion Strategies, Inbound Marketing
by Clifford Chi
In 1898, Elias St. Elmo Lewis anonymously wrote a column about three advertising principles he found useful throughout his career. Through the years this model matured to become a standard that typically expressed as the acronym, AIDA. And is widely used in the advertising industry. In the digital age, brands have even based their entire marketing strategy on the AIDA model.
But, What is The AIDA Model?
The AIDA model describes the four stages a consumer needs to go through to become a customer. The stages are Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA). And during these four stages, your content will ideally attract attention to your brand, generate interest in your product or service. And, even go so far as to stimulate a desire for it, and spur action to try or buy it.
As Proven Formula, it Can Guide Your Content Creation
The AIDA model is a sturdy framework for guiding your audience through the buyer’s journey and spurring them to act. And if you apply it to your content marketing, you’ll be leveraging a proven formula that can consistently engage, persuade, and convert an audience into customers. So to learn how, read the full article at HubSpot.com
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- 27 Oct
6 Simple Tweaks to Boost Lead Capture Form Conversions
- Oct 27, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Conversion Strategies, Inbound Marketing, Lead Generation
You wouldn’t be the only business to experience contact forms going stale. It seems that just 22% of businesses are happy with their conversion rates. Ant that means the majority of us have plenty of room for improvement.
So why isn’t the traffic we’re driving to our website actually converting?
Good question. Why doesn’t it convert into high-quality lead form submissions? Now, the answer isn’t necessarily a problem with products, services, or offerings. In fact, there are several factors on the form itself that could influence the volume of conversions you’re getting—ranging from your page layout to a form that’s too complex.
Here are six simple tweaks to boost your form conversion rate and encourage those high-quality leads to convert at WordStream.com
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- 22 Oct
Lead Generation Forms: 22 Examples to Help You Convert More Leads
- Oct 22, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Inbound Marketing, Lead Generation, Website Conversion Strategies
Have you ever completed a lead generation form and thought to yourself, “Wow, what a great experience. I just had filling out that form!”?
Probably Not
But, you might recall a negative experience you had while completing a website form. After all, lead generation forms are crucial to your business. They’re how you attract website visitors and turn them into leads. And you can’t afford to have a form on your website that doesn’t create a positive, painless experience for those visitors.
So to give you a little help, the people at HubSpot have compiles 22 of their favorite lead generation forms and examples. And they even included key takeaways from each to help you create a great user experience and increase your own conversions. To learn more, read the full article at HubSpot.com
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- 16 Oct
12 Proven Content Promotion Strategies To Get More Traffic
- Oct 16, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Promotional Strategies
In their 2018 research, the Content Marketing Institute found that 37% of brands plan to increase their content marketing spending. And, small businesses continue to invest heavily in content marketing.
As a Result, Content Marketing has Seen an Exponential Growth
However even with all this content, most still sits in the deep corners of the internet. And most goes unnoticed. As an example, Ahrefs found that 91% of content doesn’t get any organic traffic from Google.
No Need to Get Disheartened Though
Instead, you need to create a fail-proof content distribution strategy that ensures visibility for every piece you publish. But how? Where to start? Let’s look at how to create a distribution strategy from scratch on Jeffbullas’s Blog.
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- 12 Oct
Here’s How Listeners Discover New Podcasts
- Oct 12, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Podcast Marketing
from Marketing Charts
The podcast audience is growing, and people are becoming heavier listeners over time. A new study from Westwood One [download page] breaks down the primary ways by which weekly listeners discover new podcasts, revealing that social media is the top source overall.
Indeed, it seems that 6 in 10 weekly listeners reported learning about new podcasts through social media. This even edges word-of-mouth as the top method of podcast discovery among weekly listeners.
To see more of the data and insights, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
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- 09 Oct
The Business and Industry Content Preferences of C-Suite Executives
- Oct 09, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing
by Ayaz Nanji
We know that content marketing works. But in order to get to the point where our content drives engagement, it all depends upon the big “IF”. That is, if the key decision maker in the c-suite actually is drawn to interact with or read that content.
So, a simple question would be, “what types of content do they want? How do they like to receive that content? And, What are their preferences?”
It seems that Greentarget, a strategic public relations firm focused exclusively on business-to-business organizations, wondered this as well. And, so they ran a study based upon data from a survey of more than 100 C-level executives who are responsible for the purchase of professional services for their firm to find the answers to these questions.
First of all, they found that senior executives rely heavily on email and traditional media for their content. And they are most interested in content that delivers useful insights. In other words, the content they prefer has intrinsic value to the.
To see more of the data and insights from this report, read the full article at MarketingProfs.com
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- 13 Sep
The Ultimate Guide to Viral Campaign Success
- Sep 13, 2018
- admin
- 0
- Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Marketing Strategies
In spite of what we may want for our content, there is no guaranteed way to ensure your content goes viral. But there are certain steps you can take to give your marketing campaign the best chance at success.
We All Want Campaigns to go Viral, But . . .
Many marketers hope for a campaign to go viral — meaning it’s recognized, widely-accepted, and influential. And, for something to actually go viral, it needs to be shared over and over again. So, this means you and your company need to share the content first in as many places — and in as many ways — as possible.
But, still, there’s no guaranteed formula. Then, you need to make it easy for your audience to share it as well. And to see how this is done, read the full article at HubSpot.com
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- 10 Sep
How To Promote An eBook When You Have No Money For Advertising
- Sep 10, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, eBook Marketing, Inbound Marketing
Technology has forever changed the way we see our world. It has changed how we communicate with one another. It has even changed the way we consume information. And it has even forever altered how we access information with the arrival of eBooks.
An eBook, or electronic book, is the digital form of the traditional book and can be accessed on any digital platform. There are typically two types of eBooks – paid and free. Businesses will often offer them for free as a clever tactic for effective lead generation. But, regardless of whether they’re paid or free, eBooks take a long time to write and edit. Authors often spend days, months or even years researching, writing, editing and then finally publishing their eBooks.
That’s why it’s heartbreaking to have to break this news to you: producing a good ebook is NOT enough to generate the sales results you desire. And no matter how many deep insights, incisive research and unique content you provide, all your efforts may go in vain unless your eBook is promoted on the right channels, at the right time, to the right people. But how? Read the rest of the article on Jeff Bullas’s Blog to learn exactly How To Promote An eBook When You Have No Money For Advertising.
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- 25 Aug
4 More Content Promotion Strategies to Increase Engagement
- Aug 25, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Demand Generation, Inbound Marketing
If you’re a B2B marketer, odds are that creating content is an integral part of your inbound strategy for attracting prospects. After all, inbound marketing costs 61% less than traditional advertising, while producing 54% more leads. Because of this, everyone is investing more in content marketing. And this raises the bar, meaning that creating more content is not enough. So, to reach your intended audience, you need to differentiate your brand and rise above the noise by offering value.
The 80/20 Rule Needs to be Flipped
In the past, inbound marketers spent 80% of their time creating content and 20% promoting it. With all the noise out there, that formula is flipped, meaning that content promotion is now the priority. To communicate effectively with your audience, you must provide the right content in the right place at the right time.
Previously, we looked at four ways to promote your content to increase engagement. Now, let’s go through four more at the Marketo Marketing Blog.
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- 23 Aug
4 Content Promotion Strategies to Increase Engagement
- Aug 23, 2018
- Dan Hoff
- 0
- Content Marketing, Demand Generation, Inbound Marketing
There’s no doubt that inbound marketing has fundamentally changed demand generation. The strategy has seemingly taken over the B2B world. But, why is that?
And for Good Reason. It Gets Results
It costs 61% less than traditional advertising. And yet it produces 54% more leads than outbound marketing. In addition, today your prospects and customers expect a better experience. They don’t want to be targeted with disruptive and annoying advertisements. They want to engage with quality content that educates, entertains, or helps them make an informed purchase decision.
There’s just one problem…
But, all that success of content marketing means that everyone is publishing content for their audience. And the bar has been raised. Now, creating more content isn’t enough. In order to get your content seen by your intended audience, you need to differentiate your brand. And you need to rise above the noise by offering value. Now, it is the promotion of that content that rules and here are 4 strategies to promote your content at the Marketo Blog