Let's take a step back from the theory and instruction and take a minute to appreciate progress. How far has marketing come in five years? The answer is: not quite as far as we've come in ten years (duh) but there are still notable shifts and advances that we can appreciate. We've put together a little commentary on a very popular 2011 infographic to highlight some of the major changes. So, without further ado...
Read more
What does it take to make a GREAT content marketing strategy? (Hint: it takes more than content.) For beginners (and even for seasoned inbound marketing veterans) keeping track of all the necessary content marketing components can be overwhelming. We've come up with a simple anatomy graphic to help you be the best content marketer you can be.
Read more
It sounds pretty ruthless, doesn't it? Inducing negative emotions to sell more stuff. In some ways, the way we play on each other's fears and insecurities to make money is absolutely deplorable (see: the weight loss industry). There's no denying that it works. However, there are morally responsible ways to induce anxiety in potential clients to increase the chance of conversion. You don't have to become a manipulative super villain, hiding in the shadows and dropping weird passive aggressive statements about your clients' hair to make sales. You don't have to undermine their self-esteem or insult them to influence their actions on your website. Anxiety in sales and marketing is created through three avenues: time the product is available, amount of product available, and social pressure to use the product. Here's how you can use these tactics to assist your lead generation efforts.
Read more
Have you ever wondered what an inbound marketing company does all day? We have no idea what other companies are doing (maybe they sit around eating tiny sandwiches and talking smack about people who win the lottery, who knows), but we can certainly give you a window into what WE do here at p80.
Read more
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we're going to have you take a fun little quiz.
Read more
So you love your website, but it's just not doing what you want it to do. It's not generating leads, it's not increasing sales - really, what is it doing? The website equivalent of sitting around, smoking pot, and not paying rent like a jackass. Your website needs to shape up. And it needs your help. There are a few things you can do from the comfort of your desk to improve your website and its contributions to your business.
Read more
Unfortunately, if you're not experienced with SEO, it can be difficult to identify bad practices. Even if you have your suspicions, many shady SEO firms are familiar with smooth talking a hesitant client into closing a deal. It's also difficult to say for sure whether a company will use shady practices before they start working. That means, sometimes, you won't see the tells until after you've made an investment. Fortunately for you, there are some common signs you can watch for before and after to identify a less-than-ethical SEO.
Read more
You can never have enough business contacts, right?
Read more
I know someone who works as a substitute teacher. In talking the other day, he mentioned that the students were asking if they could use Chromebooks because they couldn't figure out how to use a regular laptop. This completely blew my mind. I went through school using those chunky laptops that were as thick as a textbook and weighed as much as a five-year-old. First I realized: I am officially an old person, this is what it's like to be out of touch. Next I realized: the clients we work with didn't even have computers at school when they were growing up.
Read more
"Cheap" and "affordable" aren't so different from each other. They both suggest saving money, so why are we making a big deal about the difference? To start, we'd like to double down on the "shady, half-arsed" connotation of the word "cheap." "Cheap" should bring to mind the image of a used car salesman with a combover and greasy mustache. That's the equivalent of what you'll get when you search for cheap SEO. "Affordable," on the other hand, implies low cost, but you retain a measure of quality. SEO can be affordable - high quality, no penalties, and the ROI will return what you initially invest (plus a lot more).
Read more
If you are executing digital marketing, congratulations! You are most likely already one step ahead of your competition, and making strides to meaningfully connect with prospects online. But, how do you know if you’re seeing continual success year over year, and improving your metrics?
Without the tools in place to analyze and benchmark your efforts, it is impossible to scale your online marketing and ensure continuous success.
