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10 Content Marketing Analytics Tools That Finally Do What You Need

Content Planning
June 11, 2020/by
10 Content Marketing Analytics Tools That Finally Do What You Need 70% of companies are actively investing in content marketing, and 60% regard it as an important part of overall strategic planning. These points emphasize the need for a strong content marketing strategy. A strategy is only as good as its tools. If you have a winning strategy, but unreliable resources to pull it all together, your plan might fall apart at the execution level. The challenge isn't creating a strategy, but rather, finding the perfect tools to help you manage and work through your plan. You need tools to provide accurate metrics, the insights that will inform better decisions, and come ready with the customization options that will make your dashboard a functional asset. Here's a list of analytics tools that will help you measure the impact of your content marketing. If you're looking for customizable metrics, social media ROI, team collaboration, and SEO information, these tools are here to help. Content Marketing Analytics Your campaigns should be tracked every step of the way — not only for your benefit, but your audiences'. To continuously delight your customers, you have to know what's working and what's not. That's why the tools you're using to analyze results are so important — you get a better picture of who your customers are and how they interact with your content. Whether it's a Twitter campaign, an email newsletter, or a new batch of offers, your strategy depends on content marketing...
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7 Steps to (Effectively) Branding Your Business on a Budget

Brand Building, marketing budget, Recommended
June 10, 2020/by
7 Steps to (Effectively) Branding Your Business on a Budget In marketing, it seems like the word "brand" is used a lot — the leading brand, off-brand, personal brand ... you get the picture. But there's often confusion around its meaning in business. What does it entail? Should you hire an expert? Most of all — branding is expensive, right? Not exactly. As it turns out, there are some creative ways to brand your business effectively without a ton of cash. And while it can require an investment of time, the ROI won't go unnoticed — in some cases, it can actually help you save money, while also growing your business. Building your brand is a crucial part of developing your business. It's the foundation of giving your organization a voice, identity, value, and awareness among consumers. And, thanks to the plentiful number of resources, tools, and platforms available today, a brand build might not be as burdensome (or costly) as some think. So read on, and see how you can use the following seven steps as a guide for your brand build. How to Brand Your Business on a Budget You don't have to break the bank to grow and maintain a brand. In fact, you can complete most of these tips without spending money. The most important things to remember when brand building are to keep your customers in mind and deliver messages that support your company's mission. Below, let's discuss a budget-friendly way to grow better...
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8 Engaging Examples of Interactive Storytelling in Content Marketing

Content Types
June 10, 2020/by
8 Engaging Examples of Interactive Storytelling in Content Marketing As inbound marketers, content plays an important role in attracting attention and building trust with prospects. Our content can come in many different formats, and the format we choose can speak volumes about the research and ideas within. Interactive content has become increasingly more popular as brands try to cut through the noise and keep prospects' attention long enough to deliver a message. What Is Interactive Content? Interactive content is a type of content created not just for consumption but also engagement. It's designed to prompt action and participation from the audience. The benefit being a higher likelihood of harnessing the audience's ever-decreasing attention span by publishing stories with interactive elements so they gain an active role in consuming information. By dazzling the audience with an unexpected experience, you can increase engagement, on-site dwell time, and social share rates. Types of Interactive Content Quizzes Interactive Video Surveys and Polls Calculators Gamified Content In theory, any type of content can incorporate interactive elements. Interactive marketing requires ingenuity and innovation, and here are some of the ways interactive content currently shows up on the web:  Quizzes By their very nature, quizzes are interactive since input is required from the audience in exchange for valuable personalized content. Interactive Infographics Unlike static infographics, interactive infographics prompt the audience to take their own journey through the information being...
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Think You Know LinkedIn? 8 Common Myths Debunked

LinkedIn Marketing
June 9, 2020/by
Think You Know LinkedIn? 8 Common Myths Debunked Ever wonder what happens when you hit the magical "500+ connections" level on LinkedIn? Or how people connect with those outside of their immediate network? Or how to keep your entire network from seeing a tiny profile update? Though LinkedIn is a powerful tool for business professionals across all industries, there are still a lot of misconceptions about how it works. Read on to learn the truth behind some of the most pervasive LinkedIn myths. Myth #1: LinkedIn is only helpful if you are looking for a job. Truth: LinkedIn is a great place to build your professional brand, stay up-to-date with your network, and gain insights and knowledge at every point in your career. Krystal Wu, a social media community manager at HubSpot, says, "LinkedIn isn't just a tool that's used to search for a new job or connect with your employees. It's a place for users to show off their expertise around a subject and grow relationships with like-minded people." Tip: Keep your profile up-to-date even when you're not looking for a job so opportunities can find you. By staying up-to-date with your network, you can make use of those connections when you need them. Additionally, you should follow channels, influencers, groups, and company pages to get personalized news and insights. By following the right content and engaging in conversations with your network, you can find potential business opportunities that you hadn't thought of before. Myth #2: If...
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5 Ways to Use Audio in B2B Marketing

B2B Content Marketing
June 9, 2020/by
5 Ways to Use Audio in B2B Marketing Whether you prefer to stream music in the car or listening to the hottest podcasts -- odds are there's some form of audio content that you love to consume. I too am one of those people who always has to be listening to something. Whether it’s a new Spotify playlist or the latest episode of a podcast, I use pretty much every opportunity to consume audible content. I’m hardly the only one who’s partial to audio in this way. With consumers spending more time alone or at home in 2020, marketers have noticed a major uptick in audio content and listenership. This isn't shocking. In recent years consumers have increasingly turned away from traditional TV content in favor of mobile or online platforms -- especially those that promote and produce audio content. At this point, marketers are taking notice of audio opportunities. Consumer listening behavior has created a tremendous opportunity for marketers -- especially those in the B2B sector -- to create branded, audible content. Audio is often associated with consumer marketing, but those kind of assumptions create a missed opportunity for B2B brands. After all, here at HubSpot, we create content for marketing and sales professionals in a variety of formats, and if you read our blog, it’s no secret that we’re constantly nagging you to do the same -- even with audio. So let’s explore the ways that can be done, starting with a look at the science...
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The Ins and Outs of Writing Long-Form Content

Content Types
June 9, 2020/by
The Ins and Outs of Writing Long-Form Content Let's talk about content. More specifically, long-form content. Not only that, but why it's a good idea to have on your website. Let's say you're looking for a resource about how to start an online business. You want a full rundown, concrete information, and actionable tips that will assist you begin a successful company. You're probably going to want a lengthy resource that's valuable, right? This is the glory of long-form writing. It gives you a chance to provide highly motivated readers with a ton of value and context. Long-form content generally has a word count of more than 1,000 words — so, it’s not the shortest read. That doesn't mean that short-form content isn't useful for your website. You should have both to serve different purposes. Let's take a minute to look at how. Long-Form Content On the surface, long-form content doesn't sound like it's great for user engagement. It might seem counterintuitive to give your audience more to read in order to keep them on your website longer. But it's true, and I'm going to dive into why below. I'm here, however, to debunk that myth. Let's add a definition to the term, first. The purpose of long-form content is to provide valuable information to the reader. If you write long-form pieces — and make sure those articles are useful to your audience — you can increase the time spent on your site and value to your reader....
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How 7 Brands Are Using LinkedIn Live to Reach Their Audiences

LinkedIn Marketing
June 8, 2020/by
How 7 Brands Are Using LinkedIn Live to Reach Their Audiences While you might have been going live on both Facebook and Instagram since 2016, LinkedIn has recently decided to join the live streaming platforms. In fact, in February 2019, LinkedIn Live was launched to individual users. It was just recently announced that LinkedIn Live would also become available to business pages. While your business page might not have live capabilities yet, once it's available you can use it to launch new products, demonstrate thought leadership, and boost your content strategy. In this post, we'll look at how seven brands have been doing that with LinkedIn Live. 1. Vimeo's Working Lunch When Vimeo received access to LinkedIn Live, the brand started to showcase a weekly show called "Working Lunch." With this series, Vimeo used the popular "lunch and learn" format. They sat down with experts in business, tech, and communications to educate their audience. In fact, this is a great example of how to use LinkedIn Live to reach your audience with serialized content. A series gives your followers something to look forward to on a regular basis. It'll keep them coming back for more. Additionally, Vimeo's series is a great example of educating your audience. Inbound marketing focuses on being helpful and providing educational content, and you can use LinkedIn Live to support those efforts in an interactive way. 2. MIT's Commencement Ceremonies Celebratory events, like graduation ceremonies, are a great way to connect your audience and...
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19 Free Advertising Tips for Your Small, Large, or Local Business

Advertising
June 6, 2020/by
19 Free Advertising Tips for Your Small, Large, or Local Business When you work at a small business with a limited budget, it’s not really possible to shell out $340,000 for a 30-second TV commercial or $10,000 for an email marketing campaign. It can be frustrating when your budget dictates how many people your business can reach. Here are some free and inexpensive ways to promote your local business:  How to Advertise a Local Business How to Get Free Advertising How to Advertise on Google for Free How to Advertise a Local Business Use Google My Business to optimize for local search. Check out Yext. Network at in-person events when possible. Speak at an association or local event. Put up brochures or flyers. Run geo-targeted Facebook ads. Invest in direct mail campaigns. 1. Use Google My Business to optimize for local search. One of the most powerful free ways to advertise your business is through Google My Business, which enables companies to manage their presence on Google Search and Google Maps. The tool can bolster your rankings in local search results. Ranking high in local search shows you’re a legitimate and relevant company: you wouldn’t rank #1 in Google for “pizza places near me” if you’d closed down six months ago. Plus, if you rank high in local search, more consumers will choose your business over a competitor’s. In today’s...
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Bayesian A/B Testing: A More Calculated Approach to an A/B Test

A/B Testing
June 5, 2020/by
Bayesian A/B Testing: A More Calculated Approach to an A/B Test What are some of the reasons you run an A/B test? When I think of the benefits of A/B testing, I think of one of the most popular and concrete ways to experiment with ad designs that are effective for target audiences. I think of how changing one simple element can be the deciding factor for customers, and that running a test will help me figure out the preferred design. Up until recently, I thought that there was only one kind of A/B test. After all, the definition itself is pretty straightforward. Then, I came across a different kind of A/B test. This method still involves testing variants to discover the preference of an audience, but it involves more calculation, and more trial and error. This method is called Bayesian A/B testing, and if you want to take a more specific, tactical approach to your ad testing, this might be the answer. But first, let's talk about how Bayesian A/B testing is different from traditional A/B tests. Bayesian A/B Testing There are two types of A/B tests: Frequentist and Bayesian. Every A/B test has the same few components. They use data, based on a metric, that determines variants A and B. For example, a metric can be the amount of times an ad is clicked. To determine the winner, that metric is measured statistically. Let's apply this to an example of using the frequentist, or traditional, approach....
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Deals Closed Rise Significantly as May Comes to an End [COVID-19 Benchmark Data]

COVID-19 Benchmark Data
June 5, 2020/by
Deals Closed Rise Significantly as May Comes to an End For the last few months, businesses around the world have had to rapidly adapt to the impact of COVID-19. In a time where it seems like things change every day, it can be difficult to gauge whether the challenges your business is facing are widespread. That's why we're publishing week-over-week benchmark data for core business metrics like website traffic, email send and open rates, sales engagements, close rates, and more. These core metrics are split by region, company size, and industry cuts, so you can explore data for companies most similar to yours. You can find the data, and more context on the dataset and sources, here. Because the data is aggregated from our customer base, please keep in mind that individual businesses, including HubSpot's, may differ based on their own markets, customer base, industry, geography, stage, and/or other factors. These insights are refreshed every Thursday morning ET, and will be accompanied by this short writeup. You can find past writeups using this timeline. We hope to establish useful benchmarks to measure your business against, and serve as an early indicator of when short- or long-term adjustments may be needed in your strategy. What We're Seeing Here are the three key takeaways from the most recent week's data: 1. Deals closed rise significantly as May comes to an end. Deal creation remains flat with NORTHAM experiencing a small setback. Last week, we were deeply concerned that the positive...
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