Smart Marketing Blog

Social Media: Real-world Examples that Dispel the Myths

Many technical B2B business leaders believe social media is not relevant in the technical and engineering space. Other engineering and technical companies just don't understand where to start or how to measure success in social media marketing. 

Where Does Inbound Fit in Your Marketing Plan?

Gone are the days where trade shows and print ads were the main ingredient in a B2B marketing plan. Today, successful technical and engineering companies use inbound marketing to reach new prospects and nurture leads through the buyer's journey.

How SEO Results In More Than Just Web Traffic

In the beginning of search engine marketing, marketers stuffed their websites with keywords and links, attempting to convince Google to place them at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). Traditional search engine optimization (SEO) goals consisted of getting found online and getting clicks. Traffic was key, and lead generation was an afterthought. A decade ago, the creation and manipulation of content on a web page was based on what Google wanted to see, not necessarily what readers wanted to see.

The Key to Powerful Content: A Strong Brand

We hear the success of content marketing strategies: speaking directly to a target audience, web traffic, lead generation. We want those results and we want them now, so we jump to developing content – webpages, white papers and presentation slides – often skipping the backbone of that content: a strong brand identity.

7 Best Practices for Using Imagery on Your Website

The biggest web challenge today is designing for a dwindling human attention span. Thanks to smart phones, the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds from 2000 to 2015 -- according to a study by Microsoft. The effective use of graphics on your website can immediately grab users attention, communicate to your audience what you stand for, and present your company’s personality. In addition, imagery SEO (search engine optimization) done right can boost your search engine rank and actually attract new organic visits to your website.

6 Reasons Outsourcing Your Marketing is A Great Idea

Why should you consider outsourcing your marketing? There are many good reasons but most of them come down to dollars and expertise. Unlike sales, marketing is an expense -- not a money-maker. The sales team is usually the last department to be cut. Having too many marketers can potentially drain your profits, but too few can lead to an overworked team. At times you may need outside opinions because you are too close to the situation, which can lead to tunnel vision. If you feel adding more staff will make your company unbalanced or you just need some clarity from an expert, it is probably time to consider outsourcing your marketing.

4 Brand Differentiating Questions to Ask

Brand positioning and messaging is a critical component to your business because it tells your buyers who you are and why you're different. The positioning process and the way it hones and defines your company's brand, tone, and differentiators help align executives and stakeholders and often later dictate decisions as broad as website hierarchy and overall content strategy.

5 Questions to Ask  Before You Buy a Web Content Management System

Unlike print collateral, your website is a living document that requires frequent attention and updates to successfully meet your marketing and business goals.

Content Reuse: Repurpose, Revamp and Reap the Benefits

As busy marketing professionals, we all juggle projects and wear many hats in our organization. It can be hard to find the time and inspiration to create new content every week.  At the same time, your marketing strategy prompts you to produce quality content consistently, while also publishing new ebooks and white papers quarterly. So, what's the secret to producing quality content while still getting the rest of your work done? Repurposing and revamping valuable content saves time and money while still driving results. 

How to Leverage Content to Streamline Your Marketing Funnel

As a B2B technical company, you need a way to generate and convert leads in today's digital age. Your marketing objectives include growing awareness and brand trust; improving search engine performance; and generating more sales-qualified leads. So how do you manage and prioritize all of your objectives to meet your goals? Content marketing helps you meet all of these objectives.