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March 13

What’s Ahead: Josh Curcio to speak at Future of AI Conference 2024

New York City, Midtown - Josh Curcio, CRO and partner at protocol 80, was invited to speak at the upcoming Future of AI Conference hosted by BWG Strategy on March 14th. The conference, which features distinguished speakers from various businesses, including Major League Baseball, Pepsico, Microsoft, Ulta Beauty, HSBC, Freshpet, and Silicon Valley Bank, will offer a diverse perspective on the integration of AI in marketing, and sales. Josh will be a participant speaking in the series of panel discussions at the conference that dives into the transformative impact AI has on marketing and sales strategies. Provided, his insights will help businesses navigate this evolving landscape.

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March 05

Using AI for Content Creation: A List of 5 Don’ts

Artificial intelligence (AI) content creation has become a valued advantage in many different fields. It fills gaps in workforces and supports those who lack the bandwidth to scale their velocity.

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March 01

AI Prompt Writing 101 for Marketers: How to Use ChatGPT

Have you ever had an idea but can’t get it to roll off your tongue? If the answer is yes, artificial intelligence may become your best friend.

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February 23

Will Marketing Be Replaced by AI ... or Form a Dynamic Content Duo?

Have you ever feared that AI could replace your job as a marketer? There’s no doubt that AI has become ever-present in the marketing space, but AI is not replacing you. In fact, AI and humans hold more power as a unit – the dynamic duo, as one might say. When used synchronously with humans, AI can be a resourceful and powerful tool incorporated into your B2B marketing strategy.

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February 19

AI in B2B Marketing & Content Writing: How it Works (or Doesn't)

I’ve always been fascinated by robots. My favorites – undoubtedly – are R2-D2, and yes, even C-3P0. Cortana from the "Halo" video game series is pretty cool, too – we’ve waged war against the Covenant many times together. Cylons (from "Battlestar Galactica") and the robot from "Rocky IV" are also in my top 10. (Shame on the 2021 director's cut for removing Paulie's beloved birthday present.) While those droids and artificial intelligence (AI) are firmly rooted in the world of science fiction and a few clever builds at fan conventions, we're getting closer each day to robot counterparts becoming the norm.

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February 16

[TEMPLATES] 12 Account-Based Marketing Email Examples for B2Bs

Those pondering how to improve their leaky sales pipeline usually audit one of the following: The fit of the leads reaching the pipeline The process that turns those leads to sales (or causes them to circle the drain) An account-based marketing strategy -- and the templates below -- can address both.

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January 24

The Power of Content Mapping in Social Media and Blogging Strategy

From a graphic designer and writer's perspective, we offer a unique viewpoint on the positive effects of content maps in the world of social media and blogging.

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January 11

Top 8 Writing Tools & Resources for Marketers: Elevate Your Content Game

In the ever-evolving world of content creation and marketing, mastering the art of writing is more important than ever. With a sea of resources available, how do you discern which ones are truly impactful? In this article, we've distilled a list of eight essential writing tools and references, handpicked by the seasoned writers at protocol 80, to guide you toward creating compelling and high-quality content.

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December 14

Mastering Technical Content Writing: 3 Tips for the Beginners

With content writing for inbound marketing, it’s common to find yourself challenged by writing technical content without having prior experience in the field. It can be daunting to tackle complex topics and present them in a coherent and engaging manner. However, through our careful work and collaboration with other writers and resources, we’ve developed a protocol to overcome this. You don’t need to embark on this content creation journey alone or start from scratch. Following these methods will guide you to writing technical content that resonates with readers: Leverage Other Writers and Resources Learn from Blogs and Various Sources Utilize AI-Powered Writing Tools

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December 06

Designing with Confidence: Graphic Design for the Non-Designer

Are you a non-designer in need of creating professional-looking designs? In today's digital age, there are numerous programs and resources available that can help you achieve your design goals without the need for a graphic designer. Whether you are taking on design work for your business or personal projects, here are some tips and tricks to make your designs stand out, even without professional expertise. Why Less Is More in Design Fonts Matter The Art of Visual Hierarchy The Essential Role of Whitespace Prepping the Final Product Free Design Resources at Your Fingertips

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October 27

FROM THE DESK OF A SALES COACH: Inbound Sales for Dummies

The rise of the informed consumer, who researches, compares, and often knows precisely what they want, has necessitated a shift in how businesses approach sales. Enter: Inbound Sales. For marketers, this isn't just another buzzword to add to the ever-growing list. It's a fundamental shift in strategy that directly impacts how we attract, engage, and delight our audience. Inbound sales, much like its counterpart inbound marketing, is a reflection of the changing dynamics in the buyer-seller relationship. Gone are the days when aggressive sales pitches and cold calls were the norm. T Today's consumers expect more. They seek authenticity, value, and a personalized experience. They don't want to be sold to; they want to be understood. And this is where inbound sales shines.

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October 27

WEBSITE TRAFFIC KPIs: The Method Behind the Mathness

The Importance of Tracking Website Traffic-Related KPIs in Digital Marketing Building an effective inbound marketing strategy is no walk in the park. From laying the foundation to crafting tactics for brand awareness, you’re constantly learning and adapting. As the cycle of “Strategize → Execute → Analyze → Repeat” becomes familiar, the focus shifts toward one crucial element: traffic.

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October 27

HOW TO: Create a Resilient Inbound Marketing Strategy

Avoiding Marketing Technical Debt and Building a Strong Inbound Marketing Foundation In today's rapidly evolving marketing landscape, adaptability and forward-thinking are crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in your business. Unfortunately, many businesses overlook the importance of establishing a solid marketing foundation, similar to accumulating "technical debt" in the tech world over time. That's why in this blog post, we'll delve deep into the concept of marketing technical debt. We'll explore strategies to avoid it and provide you with a step-by-step guide to building a resilient marketing foundation that will drive long-term success.

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October 13

5 Best Generative Use Cases for AI in Inbound Marketing

Have you ever wanted to clone yourself? You wished for five more minutes to finish that one task or another set of eyes to read through an email, but you know your colleagues are as busy as you are. With the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), many marketers fear replacement. However, the best generative AI use cases mean support for marketers, freeing up time for you to spend on other tasks that require a human touch.

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September 27

The State of AI for Long Form Content Generation In Q4 of 2023

It is undeniable that AI is the hot topic of conversation in 2023. Software providers across the board are unveiling innovative ways to incorporate AI, and professionals in the business world are eagerly exploring these advancements to enhance their daily efficiencies.

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September 20

Transform Your Manufacturing Marketing Approach with Inbound Coaching

If you’re here, there’s something not going quite right with your marketing. Likely, you’re under the gun to prove ROI for the efforts you’ve been accomplishing and realize the current path just isn’t going to cut it.

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September 15

p80 Stands Out at FABTECH 2023 with Three Key Presenters

CHICAGO, Il. – Fall brings more than just picturesque foliage and cozy evenings – for protocol 80 (p80), a leading inbound marketing agency based in Bradford, Pa., fall also marks the time for the annual FABTECH conference. This year was especially exciting for p80, as three members of their team presented to the assembly of manufacturers in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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September 11

protocol 80 Earns Coveted CRM Onboarding Accreditation

p80 is now one of a handful of inbound marketing agencies holding more than one HubSpot Partner accreditation BRADFORD, Pa. – protocol 80, Inc., (p80) a leading inbound marketing agency based in Bradford, Pa., has achieved a third accreditation from HubSpot, a top-ranking customer relationship management (CRM) platform company.

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August 30

FABTECH 2023: p80 Style

It’s one of our favorite times of the year – Fall is approaching, the weather is perfect, and the countdown to FABTECH 2023 is on.

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August 15

HubSpot CMS HUB: A Powerful, Secure, & Affordable Solution for Marketers

As a marketer, you understand the significance of having an efficient and scalable digital platform for your online presence. You've likely heard of WordPress and Drupal, but today, I want to introduce you to our favorite: HubSpot CMS.

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July 20

AI IN MARKETING | THE INS AND OUTS OF GENERATIVE AI

We all have that tech-wiz colleague – whom we can all be jealous of. What if there was an easy way you could become this person?

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July 10

Your Guide to HubSpot Onboarding Options

Ever stared at an intricate piece of machinery and wondered how all the parts sync together to create an impactful whole?

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June 22

HubSpot Pro vs. Enterprise: 2023 Features & Pricing

HubSpot is the biggest and best in a sea of CRM (customer relationship management) tools. As B2B companies and customers evolve, so does HubSpot's software, and keeping pace with the improvements is both exciting and challenging.

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June 13

Savvy Saving Secrets: Guide to Snagging a HubSpot Discount

Have you been considering using HubSpot to boost your business, but aren’t sure if it’ll fit into your already stretched marketing budget?

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June 09

Brief Overview of HubSpot Marketing Hub Features

Imagine running a business with no returning customers. Now think of operating with no leads, and only returning customers.

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June 05

The Best HubSpot Integrations for B2B Businesses

In today’s rapidly transforming digital world, standing out in the crowded B2B landscape means going beyond the ordinary. It’s about embracing tools that don’t just scratch the surface but dig deep, unlocking streamlined processes and fueling productivity gains like never before.

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May 30

What Is HubSpot Operations Hub? 2023 Features, Pricing, & Tiers

For the past 17 years, HubSpot software has lived to make marketing and selling easier, more efficient, and more transparent.

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May 25

Brief Overview of HubSpot CRM

Imagine having to cold-call random phone numbers every time you want to make a sale.

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May 15

What Is HubSpot Sales Hub? Features, Tiers, & Prices for 2023

I recently had a new client (and HubSpot devotee) describe HubSpot's Sales Hub better than I had in my 6 years of digital marketing. This B2B company's employees almost universally avoided using HubSpot until management forced the issue in 2023. The client's CEO explained:

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May 15

What Is HubSpot Service Hub? Features, Tiers, & Pricing for 2023

It's hard to keep track of all your customer interactions, especially as your business grows. It’s even more difficult to manage that customer support manually.

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May 04

HubSpot Features for all 5 Hubs (+ Cost per Tier)

Whether you're held responsible your company’s marketing, sales, operations, or customer service outcomes -- or all four -- HubSpot's got a solution. HubSpot's features list stretches to the moon and is the top reason 150,000+ companies use the platform (us included). Sounds lovely (and it is), but the massive list of software Hubs, features, and pricing tiers can overwhelm newcomers with lack of clarity.

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May 01

HubSpot CRM vs. Salesforce: Which Should I Choose?

When you think of CRM software, the first name that comes to mind is Salesforce. They are the 800-pound gorilla in the CRM market. When you think of marketing automation software, the first name that comes to mind is HubSpot. They are the pioneers of Inbound Marketing. However, they are slowly gaining a following for their CRM product as well. Choosing the best CRM for your sales and marketing is essential to achieve long-term business success. While there are plenty of options to choose from, in this blog, we’ll compare two of the most well-known platforms – HubSpot CRM vs. Salesforce.

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April 24

Resolving HubSpot Issues | A User's Guide for Where to Turn

Even on a quiet day at your company, HubSpot can do a lot to keep your business moving toward its goals.

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February 06

5 Trade Show Follow-Up Email Templates to Nurture Your Leads

You attend trade shows to obtain valuable leads for your company. But do you have a plan in place for what to do once you’re back in the office from the trade show so you can move those leads closer to a purchase?

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February 01

6 Pre-Trade Show Email Templates You Should Be Sending

In-person trade shows are slowly, but surely returning! With all the uncertainty of the past couple of years, this news provides numerous exciting opportunities. Trade shows can give a huge boost to your business and marketing campaign IF you approach them correctly.

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January 30

25 Ways to Increase Brand Awareness with Inbound Marketing

One of the top concerns among our brand-new clients is a lack of brand awareness. They have so many great things to offer, but no one seems to know they exist. Does this sound like you?

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January 26

B2B Marketing Automation & Lead Nurturing Emails: 20 Must-Know Stats

When you’ve finally found that great lead -- or leads -- through your inbound marketing efforts, the relationship with that potential customer is just beginning. In fact, interactions between your company and that fresh lead should span every step of the buyer’s journey and their trip down the sales funnel. It'll require regular engagement and providing appropriate information at the right time, along with awesome sales follow-up emails and other outreach.

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January 23

VIDEO: 3 Digital B2B Marketing Automation Tools for Saving Time, Money

Change happens daily for marketing and sales teams, and it can be difficult to keep track of every single contact and their information. And once you combine the number of contacts you have with the different stages of the sales cycle, you can quickly become overwhelmed. This is where B2B marketing automation tools come in.

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January 18

6 Lead-Nurturing Email Templates for B2B Healthcare Marketing

A B2B medical marketing prospect’s email address is a precious commodity. Most people don’t freely give out their email address unless they’re getting something valuable in return. No one wants to inadvertently sign up for spam or an unwanted free trial. So, how do you nurture a B2B buyer persona with something more tasty -- something valuable, educational, and relevant to their pain points?

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January 12

Steal These Best B2B Blog Examples for 2023 (Not Literally)

If you’re a B2B (business-to-business) company, then you understand how difficult it can be to produce exciting content about “boring” niche subjects that will reach a wide audience.

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January 06

B2B Digital Marketing Plan Templates for 2023: KPIs & Goal Setting

In digital inbound/content marketing, we say, “Work SMARTer, not harder.”

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January 04

2023 Inbound Marketing Stats on the Power of Call-to-Action Buttons

Inbound marketers are the first to tell you that CTAs are your secret weapon. Whether you’re looking to increase traffic, conversions, leads, or sales - CTAs are the gateways to visitor action on your website. It's true, and it makes sense, but you've gotta back up your claims with evidence. In today's blog post, we've provided a convenient list of inbound marketing statistics that will help you convince others of the power of CTAs.

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December 28

What is social proof? (+ 5 types of social proof and examples)

Last week I needed to buy flea and tick shampoo for my puppy, Quinn. It was a busy week, and I didn’t take the time to research shampoo brands before I ran to Tractor Supply Co.

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December 02

Inbound vs. PPC: Is PPC Inbound or Outbound Marketing?

The farmboy and the princess. The swordsman and the giant. The grandfather and his grandson.

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November 22

Efficiency through CRM | Managing HubSpot for Multiple Companies

Juggling data for multiple brands can be a challenge. Finding the right combination of segmentation and availability will enhance your productivity and cut down on unnecessary steps in the reporting process. 3 Setup Options for HubSpot When Managing Multiple Accounts From data management to brand identity, there are a lot of balls to juggle when managing multiple brands under one parent organization. HubSpot provides different solutions for this, tailored to your company’s needs. Various approaches can be configured to maximize their ease of use and accessibility while also limiting access based on team needs.

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November 21

FABTECH Forecasting: What to be Excited About in 2023!

Last week, the p80 crew took a trip down to Atlanta for FABTECH 2022. While walking the floor, we talked to people from a myriad of different companies to get a pulse on the new and exciting technology being introduced to the industrial sector in 2023.

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November 21

Inbound vs. ABM: A Deep Dive into Best Practice

Content marketing strategy is a key component of business success. When it comes to content strategy, both inbound marketing and account-based marketing (ABM) come into play.

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October 24

SEO Content Strategy: Your Old Content Can Still Attract Traffic

“Inbound marketing is the bee's knees! Unlike many other marketing strategies, inbound focuses on everything from getting noticed through delighting current customers. As you could guess, there are many moving parts to any successful inbound marketing strategy...some easy, minimal tasks, some time consuming, difficult tasks."

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September 22

Switching Marketing Agencies: 8 Red Flags to Look Out For

Partnering with an agency to accomplish your marketing goals can be an amazing, successful investment in business growth for your company. However, not every partnership is a match made in heaven. We’ve found when talking to clients, prospects, and others in the digital marketing realm one theme comes up a lot when discussing agency underperformance: “I just thought this was normal.” It can be hard to decipher what’s the industry standard when it comes to agencies, and if you’re getting the most out of your investment. This guide aims to help you assess if the friction points you’re experiencing are expected or if it might be time to seriously consider an agency switch.

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September 16

How to Measure Inbound Marketing ROI

“We’re spending good money on B2B inbound marketing. What’s the return on our investment?” Your boss wants to see figures. Simply saying, “Umm … website traffic is up?” won’t cut it.

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September 01

How to Create a B2B Content Strategy in 6 Simple Steps

Understanding how to create a B2B content strategy can prove tricky. However, using some tools and tricks, you can quickly generate blog topic ideas (and other forms of content) that’ll be relevant and beneficial to your boss or client.

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August 31

Mergers and Acquisitions Marketing Strategy & The Pros of Outsourcing

Businesses are created, thrive, and fold with the fluctuation of the economy. Almost as common as a business closing is the announcement of a merger between two brands or of the acquisition of one company by another.

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August 31

Inbound Marketing Plan For New Products

From the countless hours spent creating blueprints, mockups, and implementing design changes, bringing a new product to market is a major investment for any business. But the hard work doesn’t stop once the product is created. To ensure a successful product launch, it’s crucial to develop a strategic marketing plan that efficiently gets your product out in front of different audiences.

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August 25

Over-optimization | When SEO Goes Sour

From the desk of p80’s Senior Inbound Marketing Specialist Remember that one home maintenance project you took on a few years back?

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August 17

protocol 80's Annual Company Picnic 2022

The view to the water from our pavilion at Willow Bay.

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July 27

Strategy Guide: 5 Tips For Creating A Quarterly Marketing Plan

A new quarter. A fresh start. Time to try new things and attract new business.

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July 26

Perspective: Inbound Strategy for B2B Companies

Oftentimes when I’m asked about inbound strategy, it’s tempting to give a wishy-washy answer like, “It depends on the situation” “It depends on the company” “It depends on the goal.” This kind of deflection helps no one improve, create, and measure their strategies.

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July 25

Competitive Marketing Strategy: 5 Ways to Stay Ahead of Competitors

You’re already behind if you’re not paying attention to your competitors’ marketing.

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July 19

5 Video Marketing Strategy Examples for Manufacturing Company Websites

Research shows that today’s internet users prefer videos over text and pictures. (

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July 17

How to: Build a B2B Website Strategy That Scores Leads

“Our company has a website.” You may have a problem if that’s all you can muster when someone asks you about your online marketing strategy.

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July 11

The Essential B2B Marketing Tactics for 2023

You have your goals. You know your opportunities. You’re ready to leverage your brand’s strengths.

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May 26

How To: Allocate Budget for a Digital Marketing Strategy in 5 Steps

There are numerous digital marketing techniques spanning just as many platforms -- email, social media, blogging, website optimization, video, and so on. And when you’re thinking about marketing for your business, it can be tempting to want to include as many of those techniques as possible.

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March 17

How to Prepare a Google Ads Agency to Manage Your PPC Account

Starting a basic Google Ads account is not difficult in the least bit. With a bit of research and a credit card, you can get account going pretty quickly. However, maintaining an effective Google Ads account can be time consuming. Many small and mid-size businesses lack the resources and skills, so it's often better handled by a PPC (pay-per-click) ad agency.

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March 17

10 Questions to Ask Your Google Ads PPC Agency

Because we have been doing training seminars on Google Ads recently, we get to talk to many businesses about their experiences. We completely understand that most business people won't have an in depth knowledge of Google Ads (formerly AdWords), and we wouldn't expect them to. What I have found in talking to them is the lack of knowledge of what type of service, value, etc. they are getting from their current Google Ads agencies. In fact, some of these businesses are getting straight up taken advantage of.

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March 16

How to Re-Engage Cold Leads With B2B Sales Funnel Email Sequences

Many sellers and marketers aren’t quite sure how to re-engage cold leads, especially when it’s been 6 to 12+ months since they were warm.

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February 25

B2B Lead Generation: How to Check if a Website Has Google Analytics

Google Analytics (GA) is one of the best free digital marketing reporting tools any business can have, hands down. What is Google Analytics used for? Tracking nearly every action on your website, including the B2B lead generation metrics most important to CEOs and sales/marketing heads: How much traffic do we get? How are they finding our website? What actions are they taking once they arrive? Google Analytics will tell you all of that and more. Despite the importance of Google Analytics, many business owners and website managers don't even know whether their site uses it.

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February 23

How to Use HubSpot Payments Integration for Touchless B2B Sales

Today, even B2B buyers expect at least some level of e-commerce functionality from their vendors. Yep, even you, probably.

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February 14

Thank-You Page Examples for Contact Forms -- Nurture Your B2B Leads

If you're here, you already know landing pages are a core component of capturing leads from your website. You know how to increase conversion rates on your website by offering valuable content (e-book, free consultation, etc.) in exchange for the visitor's contact into. Now that you've captured your lead's information, what's next?

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February 03

[DATA] Why You Must Invest in Digital Marketing -- & Stick to It

You’ve worked with the folks at Customer Y and Customer X for 25 years each, and they still provide a nice chunk of revenue. Your business has been in the B2B/industrial game for 50-100 years, and the brand is already “well known” (somewhere, at least). Trade shows and sales visits to the prospect’s facility are what your sales team knows and is good at. (Though that pesky pandemic sure made it hard.) So, why invest in digital marketing?

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January 25

[TEMPLATES] B2B Content Mapping Example for Digital Strategy

What’s the most common cause of failure for a B2B digital marketing campaign? Most often, it’s either poor understanding of how inbound marketing works, or lack of commitment to a plan.

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January 06

How to Increase Website Traffic Without PPC Using SEO, Social & More

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a great, and often very impactful, way to quickly generate website traffic. However, the PPC model may not be a good fit for every situation.

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January 03

What Does It Mean to Qualify a B2B Lead? (& How to Do It)

You have leads coming to your website. Some won’t ever buy. Some are browsing. Some are considering. How do you know which leads to nurture and how to nurture them in customers?

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January 03

Identifying Good Habits of Top Sales & Marketing Performers

Are there any professions that have been changed by COVID-19 more than selling and marketing? We’ve picked up some new habits -- some are good and some are … well, not so good.

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January 03

Crafting Digital Marketing & Sales Strategies

Crafting digital marketing and sales strategies is like building or renovating a house -- the house being your website. It’s not something you throw together in a day and hope it works. It takes time, thought, and input from a variety of stakeholders.

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January 03

Trade Show Success Tips for B2B Marketing & Sales

In-person trade shows have been a valuable source for generating leads since … well … forever. Think of the caveman rolling his stone wheel or dragging his sabretooth tiger hide to the market for trade. (We weren’t really there, but trust us, it happened.) But it seems like many businesses are in a trade show rut where they bring the same, tired strategies that everyone else has been doing for ages.

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January 03

15 Common B2B Inbound Marketing Myths

“Did you hear that the longer your content is, the better it performs in SEO?” “Rack up as many backlinks as possible, no matter where they come from.” “You don’t need a CRM. Your business is too small.” “SEO is dead.” Have you heard these words before? You probably have if you’ve been around online marketing long enough.

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January 03

Effective Sales & Marketing Reporting Tools & Techniques

Doing sales and marketing without effective reporting techniques is like taking a ship to sea without any navigation tools. You may know where you want to go, but without analysis of where you are and where you’re going, the odds are slim that you’ll end up at your desired destination. Failure to chart your course means you can easily get off track, but not know until it’s too late. You won’t know where you drifted from your path and how to right the ship.

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January 03

Staying on Top of CRM Data Cleanup

The clutter is piling up. It’s hindering your ability to find what you’re looking for. You know you need to clean it, but it’s such a big job. However, the longer you procrastinate, the bigger the clutter gets and the less efficient you become.

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January 03

Building a Sales Pipeline? Inbound Marketing Can Help

Inbound marketing and sales are not in conflict. In fact, your marketing and sales teams are more powerful together than apart. They complement each other like the bait and a hook at the end of a fishing line. The bait attracts a prospect with enticing content, and the hook connects with the prospect to snag a sale.

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January 03

Account-Based Marketing & Prospecting With an Inbound Mindset

We’re constantly surrounded by noise. Whether online or offline, there’s always a buzzing of people who want a bit of our time. How does a B2B company cut through the noise and reach a lead?

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January 03

Why Is Goal Setting Important to Inbound Marketing?

What is your business striving to achieve? How do you plan for continued growth and success? It all begins with goals.

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December 30

How iOS15 (+ other algorithm changes) Creates Better Inbound Marketers

It’s every marketer’s nightmare: an algorithm or software change that upheaves what we thought we knew about a system, how it works, and how we strategize our marketing efforts to use it. If iOS15 and the changes Apple brought upon us in late 2021 triggered these marketing night terrors for you, you’ve come to the right place. Every marketer I know loves a good puzzle to solve and a challenge to overcome. This latest development in privacy rules is no different. Now that we’re a little bit distanced from the release, it’s time to analyze the changes, impact, and opportunity this presents. After all, Steve Jobs once said. “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

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December 22

HubSpot Community Digital Marketing FAQs | B2B, Niche, & Small Companies

Whether they’re just starting out with HubSpot tools or dipping their toes in B2B content marketing strategy, many folks use the HubSpot Community forum for advice.

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December 21

What Are Lead Generation Landing Pages? | B2B Website Strategy

"What are landing pages, and why are they important to us?" You may have heard of them, but do you know what B2B lead generation landing pages are? If you're shaking your head, you're far from alone. The lowdown is this: You need landing pages if you want to drive revenue through your website via content/inbound marketing.

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December 16

B2B Sales Trends 2022: COVID Has Forever Changed Us

COVID-19. There -- we got that out of the way. In all seriousness, it’s impossible to talk about the future of B2B sales without touching on the coronavirus -- as sick as we all are of discussing it.

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December 16

Optimizing Content Marketing Blog Production

Talk with any successful digital marketer, and the #1 thing they’ll tell you is the foundation of any lead-generating, sales-converting, customer-delighting strategy is content.

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December 14

Google SEO vs. Bing, Etc. | Is It Worth Ranking in Other Search Engines?

How often do you default to saying “Google” when you’re talking about search engines in general? (For example: “When’s that new horror flick coming out? Let me Google it.”)

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December 13

B2B SEO Copywriting for Beginners | Meta, Title, Alt, & Other Tags

Since you’re reading a “101” article, we’d guess you’re terrified of writing the metas, H1s, and other SEO website mumbo-jumbo you wish someone else would handle.

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December 06

How to Optimize Keywords for Your Website | B2B SEO Strategy

Using SEO keywords remains one of the top B2B digital marketing strategies in 2022. Optimizing those keywords is the secret to ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

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10 Challenges in Industrial Marketing B2Bs Still Struggle With in 2022

Today's challenges in industrial marketing are a bit baffling to outsiders. Why? There's really no reason they should still be a thing in 2022. Especially during COVID, most industries became aware of not just the necessity, but also the power of owning a strong brand presence online.

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November 16

Why are my competitors ranking higher than me in Google? (& Other SEO FAQs)

When you search for your primary services, where does your website show up? Most likely, it's showing up below your competitors in Google search results. You may not be on the first page at all - which is a huge problem if you're trying to get leads and customers online. There's a reason why your rankings are low. Even better, there's a solution! Here's everything you need to know.

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November 11

WordPress vs. HubSpot CMS: Best Content Management System in 2022

If your content is the foundation of your business website, the CMS is its backbone.

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November 08

How to Check if Your Website Is B2B SEO-Friendly: 8 Easy Ways to Know

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the key to earning relevant traffic for your website. If your website is SEO friendly, your site is much more likely to rank higher in SERPs. To put it simply, in order to "do better" in Google or other search engines, your site must be SEO friendly!

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November 04

Guide to Follow-Up Email Marketing [TEMPLATE + EXAMPLES]

What happens when you collect a shiny, new lead? Sadly, many B2B marketers and sellers either neglect it (by forgetting to feed or nurture it) or kill it (by overfeeding it with junk).

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October 26

What Is a PPC Landing Page? | Enhancing Your Paid Search Ads

OK, you’re all set up with your paid ad. You’re showing up in Google search results or LinkedIn timelines. Time to let the leads roll in.

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October 21

Increase Organic Traffic With 'Boring' Industrial Content Marketing

Everyone wants the spotlight on their business. Online, the easiest way to earn one is by becoming “findable” in Google Search and “clickable” in email and on social media.

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October 13

How to Research a Healthcare Buyer Persona & Journey

Unfocused marketing is like throwing darts while wearing a blindfold. You may hit the dartboard. You may hit the wall. You may even hit the bullseye, although that’s highly unlikely. But you want to hit the bullseye every time. You waste money and time on marketing efforts that don’t connect with potential buyers. Take off the blindfold so you can see your target. Inbound marketing for healthcare involves knowing who you’re marketing to so that you can confidently hit the mark.

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October 12

4 Signs You've Got (Usability) Issues in Your Website Design

We’ve all experienced it one time or another: You’re on your phone and you need to do some quick research to answer a question. You visit the top result that gives you the best answer and are immediately struck with a website that looks like it hasn’t been updated since the early 2000s. The text is stretched across your screen, and links are too small to tap with your finger.

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October 04

What Is B2B Inbound Marketing & Why Does It Matter?

You may have heard of inbound marketing, or maybe you haven’t. Maybe you've wondered how the heck it could apply to a B2B company like yours. Either way, you're probably asking yourself, “What is B2B inbound marketing!?”

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September 29

When Is a Paid Search Agency Worth Your Marketing Spend?

Marketing isn’t easy. Running a marketing campaign without understanding the time, effort, and audience involved sets you up for disaster. Two things that businesses don’t want to do: Waste money on marketing strategies that don’t work Leave money (and customers) on the table for their competitors to grab A poorly managed PPC campaign does both.

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September 23

SEO vs. Inbound Marketing: What’s the Difference?

Frank Sinatra once sang, “Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage … You can’t have one without the other.”

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September 22

FABTECH 2021 Conference: Recap & Takeaways

Throughout the past year and a half, the marketing world (like many other industries) has been turned upside down by a plethora of COVID-related restrictions -- less in-person networking and more virtual trade shows and connections. However, with those same restrictions loosening, FABTECH 2021 marked the return of in-person trade shows.

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September 21

Common Website Technical SEO Issues, and How to Squash Them

Business websites are complex, unwieldy, and sometimes finicky beasts. What may work one day could prove to be dysfunctional tomorrow. Plus, with the near-constant evolution of web technologies and development best practices, it can be a real challenge to keep on top of it all. Thankfully, there are certain standards provided by the leading search engines that give us a foundation to build a fast, functional, and easy-to-use website.

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September 10

FABTECH 2021 Session Preview: Sales & Marketing Plans for Manufacturers

North America's largest metal fabricating and finishing event is back in-person! While the incoming new technology and networking is exciting, the biggest goal for manufacturers in 2022 will be recalibrating their marketing and sales practices post-COVID*.

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September 01

11 PPC Advertising Questions to Ask Your Google Ads Agency

Showing up in Google search results is all about budget, buyer knowledge, and a sprinkle of unicorn magic. Most businesspeople don't have in-depth knowledge of Google Ads. Not only do they have no idea how Google Ads works; they also have no idea how a Google Ads agency works, or what to expect from their current or potential PPC advertising agency.

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August 31

HubSpot INBOUND 2021 Conference Preview: Auditing Our Pandemic Sales Habits

It’s a bummer, but also fitting, that for the second straight year, HubSpot’s INBOUND will go all-virtual due to COVID-19.

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August 25

Website Migration Checklist: 5 Steps for a Streamlined Transition

Sometimes a website needs a new home. Perhaps the company’s web development or SEO expert is recommending a change to improve user experience or technical performance. Or maybe an exec-level decision maker wants to increase or decrease investment in digital marketing. Either way, the ripple effect this has on the success of a website can be massive -- for good or bad.

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August 23

B2B Paid Social Media Advertising: Which Platforms Should You Target?

In case you’ve been zoning out for the past couple of decades, let’s catch you up on social media use across the world.

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August 13

Inbound Marketing Pricing: How Much Does Inbound Cost?

Before getting into the meat of this post... if you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out our inbound marketing pricing page. If you’re considering hiring an inbound marketing agency to help boost your business’s bottom line and find new customers, you probably have a lot of questions. Chances are, you’re wondering:

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August 12

The Key to Getting B2B Backlinks (& Why They Matter to SEO)

When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), the name of the game is to rank as high as possible on popular search engines such as Google and Bing. And in today’s world of digital-first marketing, there are several ways you can approach this task.

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August 11

Is Your Website Not Ranking on Google? Follow These 6 Steps

You can have the best content in the world, but it won’t mean anything if people can’t find it! Ranking well on Google search results pages is the best way to ensure visibility for your website. Sometimes it's necessary to go back to the basics of SEO (search engine optimization), because ultimately the groundwork needs to be laid for success to follow.

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August 04

Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing: Why Is One Reaching Fewer People?

Most every businessperson wishes they could predict the future and know whether it’s safe to jump on board a trend. Not surprisingly, many B2B markets (looking at you, manufacturing/industrial folks) are notoriously slow to move on from decades-old marketing tactics because they’re safe and require limited tech-savviness.

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August 03

B2B Social Media Advertising Tips for Beginners

For many businesses, getting noticed on social media and in Google search results can be a challenge. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn all have at least one thing in common -- they help extend your company’s reach (regardless of your industry). It helps to have a large following, but if you don’t there’s a great way to reach a large group of people. Understanding how to properly use paid advertising, in combination with effective social media practices, will put your business on track to being noticed.

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July 30

Returning to Trade Shows? Lead Generation Ideas for Your Strategy

With loosening COVID restrictions, trade shows are forecast to be a popular destination in the second half of 2021, and certainly all of 2022. After months of being stuck in virtual conferences, most of us are ready to get out, stretch our legs, and work for quality leads in-person. As COVID-19 changed the way we work, trade shows also began changing. Popular events and keynotes went fully remote. Now it’s time to use a hybrid of in-person and digital techniques to improve your trade show lead generation -- that’s one part of COVID adaptation that should stay. Here are five slick lead generation ideas for your trade shows digital marketing strategy in 2021 and 2022:

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July 29

B2B Customer Acquisition Cost Killing You? Try These 7 Tips

They say you’ve got to spend money to make money. But even “they” can’t possibly approve of flushing money down the drain all in the name of a few quick sales.

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July 22

Can Anyone Do B2B Content Writing? 7 Signs Your In-House Staff Can't

Blogging. Writing social media posts. Promoting your company’s products on its homepage.

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July 21

How to Sell Inbound Marketing to Your CEO

This is a 300-level blog post. If you need a rundown of Inbound Marketing 101, click here for a quick overview. "Digital marketing ... is it worth it?" CEOs can be like old grizzly bears fresh out of hibernation: big, scary, out of touch, and difficult to convince not to eat you. But now you’re convincing them of something new and exciting. You want them to adopt inbound marketing as the company’s primary B2B marketing strategy.

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July 14

6 Signs Your Search Engine Optimization Agency Hire Was a Mistake

If you put up a digital marketing campaign and nobody sees it, does it really exist? With internet research and social interactions becoming an integral part of our daily work routine, marketing agencies have realized a shift from traditional, in-your-face advertising to more “hands-off,” content-based marketing. This is called inbound marketing. This style of marketing aims to make it easier for your ideal buyers to find you organically, and eventually convert into qualified leads.

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June 09

Do You Know...About Manufacturing Marketing Automation?

Marketing automation is fantastic (if done right). It helps turn your leads into revenue and helps time-strapped small businesses use their marketing more effectively. Are you still teetering on whether or not you are going to use marketing automation? Here are some interesting things (you may not already know):

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June 01

User Experience & SEO Checklist: Optimizing your Business' Website

SEO and user experience go hand-in-hand. By providing both new and recurring visitors with a seamless and pleasurable website experience, you can naturally improve your SEO, which will increase your visibility on SERPs (search engine results pages).

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May 24

How Ignoring On-Page and Technical SEO Undermines Your Business

Did you know that by ignoring on-page and technical SEO, you could be severely hurting your website traffic? And when your traffic decreases, so does your potential to create leads and drive new sales.

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May 12

3 Video Marketing Healthcare Strategies for 2021

Video marketing in the healthcare industry is a trend that has been gaining momentum over the years. The massive switch to the virtual world that occurred in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic added fuel to this trend’s fire, and made it a great way to personalize your marketing efforts from afar.

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May 11

How to Market B2B Medical Devices in 2021

We’ve all seen them: those awkward television commercials for breathing apparatuses that always come on when your kids walk in the room. And while those may work for some medical devices, it’s safe to say not all medical devices can be marketed using traditional methods.

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April 30

Free SEO Tips for Beginners: Understanding SEO Vocabulary

If you’re looking for free SEO tips for beginners, then you’ve come to the right place. SEO is vital for reaching the right audience, improving web traffic, and ultimately driving more sales. An SEO crash course is a great way to get started, but it’ll be difficult to learn if you don’t understand the jargon to begin with.

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April 20

Holly McCully Featured on Marketing Mondays Podcast with Ira Bowman

At protocol 80, collaborating with other digital marketing creators and chatting about topics relevant to the digital marketing space is one of the things we love to do.

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April 20

5 B2B Marketing Trends to Follow (or Avoid) in 2021 & 2022

With the number of people using the internet to find their desired products and services at an all-time high, it’s important to be cognizant of your digital marketing tactics.

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April 16
April 13

10 B2B Sales & Marketing Alignment Stats for 2021 (& How to Apply Them)

There is no “I” in team, as they say. And this saying rings true no matter what kind of a team you’re a part of.

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April 05

Checklist for Hosting a Webinar in B2B or Manufacturing

In 2020, the practice of hosting a webinar became more popular and, in the right hands, effective. B2B companies have learned that webinars are great for generating new leads for every stage of the sales funnel.

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March 29

How to Do Content Marketing on a Budget Even Your Boss Will Like

Let’s get one thing clear right off the bat: We all wish we had an unlimited budget for everything. And in today’s world, anything that has to do with marketing has the potential to become expensive. In fact, it’s reported that a full site audit can cost anywhere between $5,000 and $25,000.

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March 22

B2B Digital Marketing Agency Breakup? 6 Signs Your Agency Failed You

(Editor’s note: This is Part 2 in a two-part series about how a relationship with an inbound marketing consulting firm can fail. In Part 1 we covered five ways the client can be at fault in a failed partnership.)

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March 17

B2B Inbound Marketing Agency Breakup? How You Failed Your Partnership

(Editor’s note: This is Part 1 in a two-part series about how a relationship with an inbound marketing consulting firm can fail. Don’t worry -- in Part 2 of this series we’ll lay out all the reasons your agency could be at fault.) Dear Inbound Marketing Clients ...

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March 15

Using Video in Sales Emails for a Little B2B Personalization

Sales emails are a staple of any digital marketing campaign. They’re essential for maintaining connections with current customers while helping potential new ones progress down the sales funnel. And if you’ve ever had difficulty increasing your email open rate, then maybe you’ve even tried to personalize your email to help them stand out.

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March 12

High-Quality Web Traffic vs. 'Meh' Traffic: Using Inbound Marketing

You plop down at your computer on a Monday morning for a quick look at your website’s traffic. Let’s say you’re using HubSpot’s analytics. You click the “sources” report for your business website and BAM!

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March 12

3 B2B Healthcare SEO Strategy Mistakes (& How to Cure Them)

There’s nothing worse than putting effort into creating a website full of useful content, only to have it buried deep in the search engine results pages.

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March 08

Top B2B Hashtag Examples by Industry (Examples Included!)

Hashtags: One of the most underrated marketing tools there is. While many may see these as a trendy joke to post with your highest-quality photo of a dessert, they actually play a massive role in your social media content creation and audience reach.

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March 05

Applying Your B2B Buyer Persona to Healthcare Technology Marketing

A B2B buyer persona is an extremely valuable resource for digital marketers in industries with long sales cycles. And once you have one fully developed, it can really begin to improve your content marketing, especially for niche industries such as healthcare technology.

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March 03

3 Ways Small Business SEO Services Help You Compete with Giants

You're kinda small, and your competition is very, very large. What's a small business to do? Although it might seem like a losing battle, small business SEO services can provide some aces for your sleeves.

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March 03

The Rise of Account-Based Marketing & Extreme Personalization

There's a B2B marketing challenger rising through the ranks of jargon and experimental techniques. It's been around for years but has only recently taken off (as many things are wont to do).

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March 03

Inbound Sales Call Tips: How to Research & Prepare

If you're about to hop on an inbound sales call, you must be prepared. You need to handle these calls much differently than an old-school sales call. In fact, maybe we shouldn't call these sales calls at all ... maybe we should call them support calls!

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March 02

Medical Device Marketing Regulations: How to Be Legal & Effective

It takes a lot of time, effort, and brainpower to create an effective marketing strategy. And depending on your healthcare buyer persona, a lot of details can vary from product to product.

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February 26

How to Develop Healthcare Technology Buyer Personas for B2B Marketing

How well do you know the prospect you’re hoping to make your next satisfied customer? Do you know much about their day to day at work? What are the pain points of working in their industry? Or what about the resources they turn to?

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February 24

5 SaaS Demo Best Practices to Win in a Flooded Market

I don’t know about you, but I probably see at least 4-5 ads a day that scream “FREE TRIAL!” or “7-DAY FREE DEMO,” whether it’s for Disney+ or a contact management software. Seeing so many demos out there on the market got me thinking about how successful these companies actually are.

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February 23

WEBINAR: 10 Ways to Foster CRM User Adoption Instead of Abandonment

(Watch the webinar above or read below -- whichever you prefer!) CRM software, also known as customer relationship management software, is an essential tool for companies in just about every industry. It supports sales’ and marketings’ ability to drive company growth and meet goals.

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February 22

How a B2B Content Marketing Strategy Uses Storytelling to Drive Leads

Quality -- and not just quantity -- is an essential part of a B2B content marketing strategy. Without quality content, you’ll have no valuable information to provide your prospects, and they’ll find it elsewhere on the internet instead.

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February 18

Trade Show Marketing: The Transition to Digital Marketing

Trade shows used to be the lifeblood of lead generation efforts for many manufacturers.

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February 17

21 Stats for (re)Developing a B2B Digital Marketing Strategy in 2021

You’ve spent months creating what you think is a solid marketing strategy. You’ve collected information. You’ve developed a buyer persona. You know the tactics you’ll use. And you’ve set goals.

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February 17

10 Lead Generation Strategies for Your B2B Buyer Persona [Infographic]

Forget direct mail. Forget cold calling. Forget TV ads, radio ads, and billboards. Why? Because they're a complete waste of your time and resources. You need to leave behind everything you know about marketing and open yourself up to the wonderful world of modern lead generation techniques (which are all a part of inbound marketing).

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February 17

Why Your Inbound Marketing Strategy Isn't Working Pt 1: Buyer Persona

If done right, inbound marketing can work for any business that has a considered purchase ... but it can also fail. It can fail for a variety of reasons, but let's start to break some of those reasons down.

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February 17

(WEBINAR) Video Content Marketing: Producing for the Buyer’s Journey

The phrase “video content marketing” used to hold little relevance to major companies back before social media platforms became a hotbed for curious consumers. In fact, blogs, web copy, and other written text have dominated the world of marketing for several years.

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February 16

Using B2B Healthcare Content Marketing to Increase Reach of Tech Demos

Content marketing is one of the most powerful tools in modern marketing, especially in the healthcare tech industry.

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February 10
February 08

VIDEO: How to Use Google Ads Effectively in 2021

Did you know that Google gets anywhere from 3.6 billion to 6.5 billion searches per day? And of all these searches, how many people do you think look past the first page of results?

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February 04

How to Use Hashtags for B2B Healthcare Social Media Marketing

If you’ve seen any ad lately, chances are there’s something hashtagged in it. Hashtags have become a standard part of marketing campaigns. They’re a quick and simple way to maximize the reach of a piece of content.

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February 04

How to Effectively Use #Hashtags for B2B Social Media Advertising

I Log into any social media platform and you’ll see them -- hashtags. To the untrained or unfamiliar eye, words preceded by a hashtag may just seem like something done for emphasis or to be funny. In actuality, hashtags are part of a much larger world within the social media universe and are absolutely critical to social media advertising.

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February 02

5 Buyer Persona Tips to Improve Audience Targeting

In our last article on buyer personas, we talked about some of the things you can do to ruin your personas. Here are the things you can do to make sure they’re awesome.

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January 21

Using the B2B Buyer's Journey to Brainstorm Content Marketing Ideas

Many businesses understand the importance of their website content, blogging...and some even content marketing. Sadly, just knowing how important something is doesn't get it done.

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January 18

10 B2B Inbound Marketing Tips for the Dedicated DIY-er

When we approach an inbound partnership with a prospective client, they often ask: "Can we do some of this ourselves?" Inbound is pretty flexible. Some of our clients rely on us for everything (and I do mean everything) while others prefer to keep their social media activities, blog writing, or premium content production in-house. Do you fall in the second category? Or, do you want to try your hand at inbound marketing before committing to an agency? Here's what you need to know about DIY inbound.

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January 18

VIDEO: Relationship Selling Techniques in 2021

Nobody expected COVID-19 to wreck 2020 the way that it did. With an abrupt shutdown of thousands upon thousands of facilities, nearly the entire B2B market went digital. As a result, more than ever consumers want things on demand and as fast as possible.

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January 12

VIDEO: LinkedIn for B2B Sales Is an Incredible Business Opportunity

(This guest post is written by Curt Anderson, founder of B2Btail, author, and noted LinkedIn influencer.) It’s not a question anymore whether you should be on LinkedIn, it’s now how you should be on LinkedIn. Although you may feel comfortable with your current profile, are you truly maximizing your business opportunities on LinkedIn?

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January 11

Insourcing Marketing vs. Outsourcing to an Inbound Marketing Agency

There's a common misconception that hiring an agency to do your marketing is much more expensive than handling it internally. The trick about marketing is that it's not one single job that you're paying someone to do. There are many tasks and responsibilities that require a variety of skill sets. The salary of an individual who can do all of those things effectively is much higher than a monthly agency retainer fee. Hands down. "Marketing" is one word that encompasses a lot of components and gears and creative production. You may decide to outsource some of those pieces, while taking care of others in-house. So, the real question you want to ask yourself is: What parts of my inbound marketing strategy do I need to outsource, and which can I do internally? For some of our clients, they can't do anything internally. Whether it's a matter of time, resources, or ability, they're simply unable to take care of their marketing strategies on their own. Other clients have some experience with ...

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January 08

2021 Virtual Trade Show Marketing Ideas

As we welcome 2021 into our home while 2020 sneaks out the back door, we can’t help but notice the mess the previous year left behind with it. Of course, by “mess” we mean the “temporary” changes that are slowly turning into a new permanent way of being.

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January 07

Inbound vs Outbound Traditional Marketing: Value Comparison

Large investments typically cause sticker shock. We get it. We hate sticker shock too. But if you make a smart investment, it really ends up paying for itself.

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January 07

The B2B SaaS Customer Journey, Demystified at Last

Buyers’ journeys have been around, and understood, for quite some time. However, every time a new market emerges or a new company forms, relearning the potential customer’s buyer journey is imperative.

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January 04

Whale Watching Ep. 1 -- Inbound Marketing Goal Setting

As we finally have the opportunity to throw our 2020 calendars directly into the trash, it’s time to begin putting a focus on what’s next. And if you’re a B2B company preparing for another year of unpredictability, it’s important to put an emphasis on marketing.

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December 30

How Do You Know It's Time to Modernize Your Website?

In today's high-speed world, a website can feel outdated a month after it's redesigned, at least to the team that worked on it. While a month or even a year may not be enough to make your website outdated, there are some surefire ways to determine if your website is outdated and in need of a redesign.

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December 28

Social Media Strategy for SaaS: Healthcare Tech #Hashtags That Work

Whether you find hashtags to be annoying or not, they’re an integral part of digital and social media marketing. With roughly 80% of the U.S population using social media, using hashtags in posts can get you and your business the attention it needs. By including hashtags in social media posts, users are able to search specific, topical terms and find your post if the hashtag correlates to their search term. Yes, this applies to B2B social media marketing too -- especially on LinkedIn. Hashtags allow you to stand out amongst competitors, as well as filter through the thousands of posts we see each day from friends, family, colleagues, and random social media accounts. To develop a rock-solid SaaS social media marketing strategy, learn why healthcare hashtags are so important -- and see our real-life examples!

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December 28

A Basic Prescription for Medical SEO Best Practices

As technology changes, so does the way customers conduct their research. Just look at the healthcare and healthcare tech industries. It’s extremely common for potential patients to search the internet for information, products, or services relating to their medical needs. And the B2Bs who serve medical facilities are trying to get in front of the right person who’s typically researching software and devices via Google. As a result, businesses within the medical industry -- both B2C and B2B -- must have fully functioning and user-friendly websites. How else will patients find you in today’s world without a little SEO to even the playing field? Having a website is only a piece of the puzzle. A website alone will not get you ranked high in Google search results -- but medical SEO will.

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December 23

9 B2B Email Marketing Tips to Help You Stand Out

Ray Tomlinson sent the first networked email in 1971. Back then, an email was a way to copy a file to another user’s file directory. Email has evolved a lot since 1971, and email marketing has evolved right along with it. Because of smartphones and tablets, we have access to emails 24/7. And with more than 300 billion emails sent daily, you don’t want yours to get lost in the shuffle.

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December 23

5 Systematic Steps to Increase Your Website Traffic

Every business wants to increase website traffic. More traffic means more customers. While there are several options for increasing your traffic, not all of them are created equal or provide equal results. Having a system to constantly improve and increase website traffic is the best approach to drive new customers.

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December 22

Perfect Your B2B Customer Experience Research by Playing 20 Questions

Buyer personas play a massive role in your inbound marketing strategy. After all, what good is a marketing strategy if you don’t know who you’re marketing to?

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December 18

How to Handle Healthcare Technology Trade Show Marketing in 2021

It’s no secret that B2B trade shows are going to look much different in 2021. Is your business ready to make the necessary changes to the way you market at trade shows -- even if you’re not really there?

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December 16

Why Mobile Marketing Matters for Email Marketing Campaigns

Why does mobile matter for your email marketing efforts? According to OptInMonster, 78% of smartphone users check email on their phones. However, only 12% of email campaigns use responsive design. Not using responsive designs for email campaigns is doing yourself and your business a disservice. Responsive design mobile marketing emails generate 24% more clicks. What does it mean when nobody is optimizing their online efforts? It means there's an opportunity for you to outshine your competitors. You could follow the crowd and lag behind technology... or, you could blaze ahead and set the bar for your competitors and customers. 44.87% of the world's population owns a smartphone. Make your email campaigns responsive now to stay in front of tomorrow's prospects.

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December 14

How Long Does Successful Inbound Marketing Take to Produce Results?

One of the most common questions we get asked is, how long does successful inbound marketing take to produce results. On the surface, it seems like a straight forward question that should elicit a straight forward answer. One thing is for certain, successful inbound marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. You reap tremendous, compounding rewards with inbound marketing, but it doesn't happen overnight. The truth is, the timing of inbound results is dependent on a few factors.

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December 10

Is Your B2B SaaS Marketing Budget Giving You a Chance?

For B2B SaaS marketing companies, the stakes are higher.

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December 09

Can I Have Successful Inbound Marketing with my In-House Team?

As an executive, you work hard to put the pieces in place to achieve your goals. Sales and profitability are always items on your list of goals. That means successful inbound marketing should be one of the pieces on your radar. Let's take a look at the skill sets needed for inbound marketing success.

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December 08

6 SEO Copywriting Secrets from Professional Content Writers

So you want to be a professional content writer. (Or maybe not, but your boss is making you do it anyway.) The only true way to become a decent writer is to practice, practice, practice. But you can't ask your boss, or team, or entire company to wait around while you do grammar exercises. What can you do, starting now, to ensure your copy is up to snuff?

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December 02

What Is a SaaS Buyer Persona?

If you’ve stumbled on this article, you’re probably reassessing the way you approach sales/marketing efforts and feeling a little unsteady. Perhaps one of your biggest sticking points is, “How do I reach the right people in a digital space with an intangible product?” A better question (or two): “What is a buyer persona, and how will it help me reach those people?” A buyer persona is a semi-fictitious profile of your ideal customer. It consists of market analysis, current customer data, and hypothetical situations. A buyer persona touches on key information that could affect your marketing message, such as: Demographics Consumer behaviors Consumer goals/objectives Although relatively similar, buyer personas and target markets are not the same -- buyer personas are much more specific. Furthermore, SaaS buyer personas are different from regular buyer personas. And SaaS buyer journeys and marketing strategies greatly differ from traditional marketing strategies. Here’s what you need to ...

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December 02

How to Solve Your B2B Brand Awareness Problem

In order for your company to succeed, you have to be recognized. Creating brand awareness for your B2B company will help drive business and increase sales. Is your B2B company the best-kept secret in the country? If so, I bet you would like to change that. Here's how.

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December 01

Biggest SEO Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

If you work in marketing, you understand the challenge of keeping up with keyword and Google algorithm updates that exist in the ever-changing world of search engine optimization (SEO). As a result, it’s important to keep track of all things SEO, including your meta descriptions, keywords, page performances, and so on.

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November 25

Achieve B2B Sales Goals With Content Marketing

Content marketing creates and distributes valuable, relevant, and consistent content that your customers will enjoy and learn from. It reaches potential customers and builds awareness of your current offerings. How do you know if you’re reaching potential customers and building awareness of your current offers? By setting and analyzing goals. Don’t create content for the sake of creating content -- that’s a waste of your time and resources. Content marketing must have clearly outlined and measurable goals in order to produce ROI.

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November 24

How to Increase Your Website Traffic With a Content Marketing Strategy

What if annoyed customers didn’t shriek and run at the very sight of your company’s name or logo? What if they actually wanted reasons to visit your website? Creating a successful inbound marketing strategy will not only increase your website traffic, it will help your business stand out from competitors too.

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November 23

The 10 Step Guide to Increasing Brand Awareness with Social Media

We love social media here. It’s so … so … multifaceted. Where else can you see industry trends, baby pictures, live news, “fake” news, and relationship drama all in one place?

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November 18

A/B Testing for Inbound Marketing Basics and Strategies

In simple terms, an A/B test compares two versions of a web page to see which one performs better. (Let’s call them version A and version B.) The tester shows the experiment to users at random. The tester then uses statistical analysis to determine which version performed better. A/B testing can be incredibly helpful when improving your inbound marketing strategy.

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November 17

3 Easy Tricks for SEO-Friendly Content Production

It’s one thing to produce content that you find interesting. It’s another thing to produce content that your audience will find interesting. And it’s yet another thing to produce content that Google finds “interesting.”

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November 17

How a Lead is Generated with Inbound Marketing

How does inbound marketing work? When most manufacturers think of lead generation through their website, they think of RFQs, Contact Us, etc... It's not always clear to them at first, how a lead is generated with the inbound marketing process.

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November 10

5 Rules All Great Blog Post Titles Follow

Blog posts add immeasurable (OK, actually very measurable) value to your company’s website. And although the content you choose to write about is crucial, there is another element that sometimes gets overlooked. We’re talking about blog post titles.

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November 09

5 Reasons You Don't Use the Inbound Marketing Process at Your Business

One of the biggest challenges of starting something new in your business is the learning curve that comes with it. We're all so busy doing the many daily activities that we already do, that it's easy to put off starting a new initiative like marketing.

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November 09

B2B Marketing Conference 2020 Wrap-Up: Manufacturing Marketing World

Did you attend Manufacturing Marketing World 2020? The 2020 version of this manufacturing and B2B marketing conference was held remotely due to COVID-19. But hey, there’s a silver lining -- each webinar is now available on demand! (See below.) We’ve recapped MMW 2020 for those who missed all the actionable tips and insights for modernizing your marketing:

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