Smartbug On Tap

With almost 2.5 billion users on Facebook every month and advertising capabilities that are highly targetable, this is one advertising platform businesses should consider including in their marketing budget.  But what’s right for you will depend on your marketing goals and budget.  On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I share a few key distinctions to help you decide what is right for your business.

It’s the start of a new year, a new decade, and a new quarter. Not only is it a better time than ever to start fresh, but you likely have a new set of goals that you need to work toward. On today’s episode I share my five favorite B2B lead generation tips that B2B marketers can use to help reach their goals. Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

Having a blog-posting strategy in place that resonates with your target audience will help with your goal of generating more leads for your business and helps establish your business as a thought leader in your industry—so you need to make sure your posts are optimized to maximize your reach.  On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I’ll share a few easy steps to consider before hitting publish on your next post.

Is your organization debating whether or not to shutter its inbound marketing operations in favor of ABM? You don't have to pick one over the other. Actually, they’re made for each other. On today’s episode, I talk about how to get the most out of ABM — without ditching inbound. What we talked about: Setting the right goals Writing goals down Ungating your content (even though this seems illogical) Exploring different verticals Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

If you focus only on top-of-the-funnel, you won’t close any deals. Lead nurturing further down the funnel is overwhelming, sure. On this episode, I tell you all about 4 specific ways to nurture MQLs into SQLs. What we talked about: Drip campaigns Email newsletters Event-based workflows Smart content Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

If you’re no stranger to SmartBug, you’re not new to the conflict between sales and marketing. We talk about the misalignment between marketing and sales all the time, but the same conflict can exist between marketing and the C-suite as well.  CEOs are focused on revenue generation and business growth, and they want their teams to be laser focused on an upward trajectory of revenue. A critical element of helping the C-suite find value is in how you present the data to them. On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I’m going to be sharing several elements you should always include in your marketing reports, especially when your CEO is involved. Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

Did you know that almost half of all Google searches are local? People are constantly searching for information that’s relevant to their needs, and most people are looking for something close to their home or work. Therefore, if you’re not optimizing your content for local search, you’re missing out. But not to worry. On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I’ll share a few easy steps to help you get started in optimizing your website for local SEO. Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

You’ve got a killer webinar topic, but you have no idea how to market it (much less how to leverage the event after it’s over). On today’s episode of SmartBug on Tap, I’ll tell you 12 easy steps to market your public-facing webinars to make yourself (and your topic) stand out. What are the six steps you should be taking before the webinar, and how do you continue to market the event once it’s over? The answers are more simple than you think, and they're all here. Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

Maybe this isn’t true at your company, but I’m seeing that marketing marketing is finding itself deeper inside the sales pipeline.   Especially when revenue goals rely on feeding sales with qualified leads that become paying customers.   On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I talk to you about 2 ways that marketing should own its role in the pipeline and give 2 tips for making it happen.   Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

Marketing automation is all about efficiency — in general. But it’s so easy to misuse (by spamming inboxes and frustrating contacts). Before you think you’re ready to ready to implement, ask yourself these 3 questions first. On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I talk to you about how to know whether you’re doing email marketing automation right.  P.S. I’m proud (and excited) to announce the free resource we launched: The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Automation Software. Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. If you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

Thanks to an increasingly content-fatigued audience, and a rise in the popularity of automation and conversational AI, today's SDRs face an uphill battle.   Because of this, SDRs need the right tools, skills, and collateral to really connect with the right leads and usher them through the buyer's journey.   And as marketers, there are some things you can do to help your SDRs be more successful.    So, on this episode of SmartBug on Tap I’m sharing my 4 tips for ensuring your SDRs have everything they need to succeed.

Employing a great contextual marketing strategy on your website can help you build awareness, generate leads, nurture prospects, and delight your customers.   But how do you put together a great strategy?   On this episode of SmartBug on Tap I’m sharing my top 4 tips to employing a great contextual marketing strategy on your website.    Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

I get really excited when a customer agrees, or better yet, proactively volunteers, to participate in a case study.   But let’s be honest. The case study process can be a bit nerve racking.    Your customers are really busy people. So, you only have one opportunity to talk with them.   Yet successful case studies are crucial to your business, so it’s important to be prepared to make the most of your client interviews.   So, on this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I’m sharing some pro tips, helpful information, and 15 questions you can ask your customers to ensure you get stellar case studies.   Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

This may go without saying.    But website design today absolutely must account for the proliferation of users accessing pages on mobile devices.    And there's a huge difference when designing for a desktop versus mobile.    So, with that in mind, on this episode of SmartBug on Tap I’m sharing my top 10 tips for designing for mobile.    Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

Printed content is generally complete when it's published.    But websites are different. Because they're not 100% final when they go live. Pages will be added or removed. And design and functionality will be changed, as needed.     So, while you want it to be as perfect as possible at launch, your website is meant to be an evolving, improving creation. And to foster this kind of growth driven design, you need to know what's working and what's falling short of expectations.    That's where analytics come in handy. On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I outlined several tips for using analytics to ensure your website is high performing.    What we talked about: What analytics you should actually use Google Analytics, HubSpot, Heatmaps How often you should run analytics What metrics you should look at   Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

A paid media strategy has a ton of moving parts and decisions to make. For the best performing campaign possible, I put together 3 aspects for you to keep in mind as you formulate your plan. In this episode, I walk you through the 3 aspects and give you pointers on how to execute. What you’ll hear about: Budget & why it should be first Tailoring your channels to your goals Keeping creative assets simple & clean

Every month, tens of thousands of Google users search some version of "how to block pop-ups."    Evidently, we're not all in love with this digital marketing tactic.    But here’s the thing: some types of pop-ups can actually be a pretty useful addition to your inbound marketing strategy.    So, on today’s episode of SmartBug on Tap we’re looking at pop-ups, how they’ve evolved, and how you can effectively incorporate them into your inbound strategy.    Resources we talked about: HubSpot Lead Flows Juli Durante’s article about pop-ups   Check us out on Apple Podcasts here. And if you don’t use Apple Podcasts, here’s an alternative link.

I'm happy to report that the SmartBugs are all back in our respective cities after a few of us were in Boston last week for HubSpot's INBOUND 2019 conference.    We had a great time visiting with everyone there and really walked away with some great key takeaways.    One of the highlights for me was the launch of HubSpot’s frictionless selling framework. The framework is a road map to reducing friction and improving the effectiveness of your sales team.   So, on this episode of SmartBug on Tap I’m walking you through the framework and how we’re applying it here at SmartBug Media. 

This is the last episode in the Countdown to INBOUND series.    Why? Because INBOUND 2019 is here!    Thousands of marketers are gathering in Boston this week for three days of sessions, workshops, keynotes, and vendors. Basically, it’s an entire year's worth of marketing education packed into a few impactful days.   On today's episode, two of our team members —  Senior Developer, Mark Ryba, and Team Leader, Richie Knight — are highlighting two more sessions we’re really excited to attend. They’re diving into the details of the session, the key takeaways, and why they’re recommending that you attend, as well.