Luckily, I live with a car guy who makes sure every oil change is done on time, my winter tires are switched over, brake pads are changed and all the other wear and tear maintenance requirements are handled. If it wasn't for him, I would probably be stranded on the side of the road already. And it's not because I'm not capable.
There are a lot of people using great digital marketing practices out there that bring you great joy. Then there are others that make you roll your eyes, shake your head or possibly scream "WHYYYYY!!". It seems I'm running into these bad marketing practices more and more these days and it's making me feel like the Grinch. With that being said, I've created a list of bad marketing practices that I want to steal, but never, ever give back:
It's one of my favorite times of the year and it's not because of the cold weather and snow to come. It's because for me, it's filled with great times of thankfulness, helpfulness and giving.
The holiday season is upon us, which comes with a lot of cheer and potentially a lot of traffic for your website. Have you been preparing your business for a successful Cyber Monday and Cyber Week?
Believe me, I couldn't have been more excited/surprised to see Anna Kendrick at this year's Inbound Conference. There is a possibility we might be long lost BFFs, along with my pal Amy Schumer, but that's not why she came to INBOUND16. So why did she?
Day 1 at Inbound16 started with the same great vibe as usual. Everyone was excited to arrive, have a break from the normal day to day and network with old and new colleagues. We began with the extremely fortunate opportunity (I have many jealous Broadway fans back home) to experience in-person the amazing talent of the Hamilton star, Leslie Odom, Jr accompanied by phenomenal musicians. Leslie gave us a tease with three songs (two from Hamilton) and we quickly changed directions with no other than Gary "Vee" Vaynerchuk. This was my first time seeing Gary speak live and I hope it won't be my last. His explosive, honest and passionate personality is contagious. There were so many great key-takeaways from Gary Vee. He emphasized the importance of self-awareness not only as a person, but as a company. In order to survive, you must understand where you exist in the marketplace and where you need to go next. Always be looking for the new idea that will put you out of business. Lastly, to quote Gary Vaynerchuk, "This is the biggest golden era of not only business, but life and you need to grab it."
When you are deep in the trenches running your small business it is hard to step out, observe and see what's working and what isn't. As a business owner we hear things like "You need to be on Instagram," so you make an Instagram account. But why? And what are you going to share on Instagram? We can easily get caught up in the pressure of needing to do the latest trend, but we don't always take the right approach to be successful.
Bueller... Bueller... Is anyone there??
How can you gather attendees to your conference when no one knows that it exists? How do you get the word out and show proof that this first time event is worth attending?
A month ago my sister surprised me with my very own Passion Planner! Some of you may be asking, what's a Passion Planner?
Are you finding Google is, well, not giving you the level of attention or ranking that you feel you deserve? Are you looking for that "happily ever after" moment with Google?
If someone were to approach you and say "We need a website redesign," what would that mean to you? Would you think...
Yes, the size of your profile and cover image does matter. And it can get frustrating because there is not one universal size for all of your social media accounts. So here is a list with the latest sizes, along with some great examples, because it's not just about the size, selecting the right image is important as well.
Lately this has become one of my favorite topics to discuss. We often get asked, which is better? HubSpot or WordPress? Should I keep my website in WordPress after purchasing HubSpot? And, my answer
Are you finding that data is being collected and used all around you? From your favorite weather app preparing you for the week ahead, to Amazon suggesting new products based on your recent purchases. Everything and everyone is collecting data to prepare you, or to inform you, or to better your experience. So, how can you use data to improve your own website?
It wasn't until I came across the term "Inbound Marketing," took my inbound certification and attended my first INBOUND conference in 2013 that I realized what I wasn't doing for my customers.
Day 3 was a loooong day, but a great comedy sandwich. Aziz Ansari at 8:00 am, Amy Schumer at 8:00 pm, and a whole bunch of great content and networking in between. Day 4, everyone seemed to be winding down, but still so much fun and lots to learn!
What a day! The inspirational story of Malala, a Keynote from Brené Brown, Ph.D. (life changing), one from Dharmesh Shah & Brian Halligan (game changing), sell-out breakout sessions, a Happy Hour and a lot of talking with an amazing community of people.
Here's our recap of the exhilarating day including some photos:The last few months have been like a countdown to Christmas for us at 710 Studios and for many others in the HubSpot community. As I entered the Boston Convention Center, it reminded me of the mornings as a kid walking down the stairs on Christmas morning, each step filled with curiosity, wondering if I had been good enough this year to get any presents.
We are fortunate to have some friends and clients join us, Convention Nation and Pirie Associates. Today was a light day with some partner stuff going on, training classes, and standing room only for the day's opening Keynote - Seth Godin. For those of you who can not make it, here is what we learned from listening to Day 1 at HubSpot's Inbound Marketing Conference:
It's amazing how kids can forget a simple thing like washing their hands before they leave the bathroom, but they are able to remember you telling them three years ago that when they turn six we would get them a dog. So this August, we began our search. We knew we wanted to rescue a dog from an animal shelter, which helped narrow down the process. We found a bunch in our area, I was shocked how many shelters there are within a 20-mile radius, but I understand the need. I, of course, did all my research online and quickly followed all of the shelters that had Facebook Company pages. The process didn't take long, we quickly kept seeing beautiful pictures of dogs from the Simon Foundation and because of one particular picture of the most adorable puppy we were compelled to fill out an application.