Derek Newton says, “I’ll say it: the days of outbound marketing are over. The “Wolf of Wall Street” mentality of harassing customers over the phone, sending spamy emails, and going door-to-door to close deals has become much less effective in recent years. Customers have access to so much information every day, they’ve become increasingly resentful of marketing intrusions. The rise of blocking tools such as caller id, spam folders and ad blockers is not coincidence. Inbound marketing is the new normal. That’s the idea that if you provide value to customers first, they will... [...]

Shirly Tan says, “Blogs are a great place to get insights and intelligence on your own efforts in business. Online marketing has become a popular topic among bloggers. It’s an ideal place for an inbound marketer to get tips about how they might improve their own strategies or learn about new tools, platforms, and solutions. With the demand for insightful marketing content, more blogs have appeared that offer extensive material in the form of video, infographics, written content and more. Related Article: 6 Hacks to Turn Your Blog Into a Lead Generation Machine While you may not have time... [...]

Valerie Levin says, “Marketers may not be as notorious as, say, lawyers or sales people for having inflated egos, but they are certainly proud of their work and are great at touting their efforts as the best solution for gaining and converting customers. Within the marketing world are the two groups who gladly subscribe to what might seem like conflicting schools of thought. There is outbound marketing; the attempt to blindly reach out to new customers without a prior relationship. Then there is inbound marketing; the cycle of marketing to customers who have found you. For years, outbound... [...]

Brandon Redlinger says, “There’s a lot of great information out there on how to create an inbound marketing machine. Entire businesses were built on inbound marketing, HubSpot being a prime example. But what happens after a lead comes inbound? It’s a topic worth exploring more, especially since the rules of sales development are rapidly transforming. Just because a lead converts on a piece of website content doesn’t mean he or she is necessarily a hot prospect, ready to buy. The chances are greater that an inbound lead will close, but pursuing each and every single inbound prospect... [...]

Megan Conley says, “The arrival of a new year is a time for fresh beginnings. Although we may not all admit to resolutions of healthier lifestyles or less Netflix binges, it is hard to ignore the cultural push to re-evaluate your goals for a more successful year. Likewise, with the close of Q4, now is the time to identify the focus of your marketing team for 2016 and brainstorm fresh ideas for your campaigns. But with the infinite number of approaches and ever-increasing creative standards, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the possibilities. To help get your inspiration flowing,... [...]

Sherice Jacob says, “Looking for some inspiration for your next content marketing campaign? Curious what industry leaders and influencers are doing with their content? Prepare to be inspired! In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the heavy-hitters in B2B content, video, customer outreach and much more. HubSpot – the Undisputed Masters of Inbound Marketing These days, you can’t even mention “inbound marketing” without mentioning HubSpot in the same breath.  With over 120,000 followers on LinkedIn alone, they have no shortage of customers-turned-brand-advocates. Their... [...]

Sam Belt says, “You’re sitting at your desk writing a follow-up email for the sales call you just finished, when anemail tracking notification catches your eye: Paul Allen is viewing your Product Page. You freeze. Paul Allen is the decision maker at the white-whale account you’ve been chasing since you started on the team months ago, but to no avail. Now, you’re faced with a dilemma common to a tech-savvy sales rep: do you call him right now? If you don’t follow up right away, you might miss a fleeting window of opportunity to speak with a very busy man. But... [...]

Courtney Eckerle says, “KontrolFreek has taken a “very organic” approach to building its base of customer brand enthusiasts and ambassadors, which it calls FreekNation. Ashish Mistry, President and CEO, KontrolFreek, sat down with me at IRCE 2015 in Chicago, and discussed how the company was able to work within pockets of influence in its digital marketing to turn customers into fans. The key to how the marketing team has been able to do this is through a number of different avenues in its digital space“. Inbound Marketing: How to turn your customers into brand enthusiasts MarketingSherpa  [...]

David English says, “A lot of marketing budget rejection can feel demoralizing. You may start to wonder if your company even believes in the power of marketing. The truth is that they may not. A 2014 study by The Fournaise Group found that 90% of marketers are not trained in marketing performance and marketing ROI. The same study says that 80% of marketers struggle to demonstrate the business effectiveness of their marketing activities to their top management. How can marketers win the budgets they need to attract customers if they can’t prove to management that inbound marketing... [...]

Marisa Smith says, “When my marketing agency The Whole Brain Group talks to prospective clients, we spend a lot of time educating them about the cultural shift that will need to take place inside their leadership team and organization as a whole to make an investment in inbound marketing successful. We know from our own experience, and from talking to a lot of other agency teams, that companies that embrace this cultural evolution consistently experience results more quickly and more powerfully than those who can’t seem to get past these fears. Here are three fears we frequently run into... [...]