I spoke with a business owner recently about their revenue growth objectives. They were frustrated because the first half of the year didn’t go as planned, and their new business revenue numbers were lagging behind the goals they set at the beginning of the year. They were very optimistic, however, that the second half of the year would be different. They were confident they would eventually exceed all their growth goals.

When I asked what they were basing this optimism on, they went on to tell me that they had just hired a new salesperson. And this was not just any salesperson. This was someone with deep connections in their industry and a network of relationships that could get them in front of the decision-makers at some of their most attractive target accounts. In fact, this salesperson was even bringing a few deals with them that they expected to close very shortly. They had hired a rainmaker.       

I hope it works out for them.

Topics: lead generation, inbound marketing, deanmoothart, sales and marketing alignment, marketing strategy

I often get asked by executives who are seeking to grow their business, “Should I be deploying inbound or outbound marketing tactics?’ My answer almost every time is, “Yes.”

Topics: inbound marketing, Sales, media, professional services

Did you know that there are bloggers out there who get most of their traffic from social media? You could achieve the same feat for your business, also, but to do that, you will have to be strategic, deliberate, and creative. Not everyone who has a following on social media is able to translate this into substantial traffic to their blog.

Topics: Social Media, blog, inbound marketing, blogging best practices, blog strategy, marketing strategy, marketing strategies and tactics, blogging

Your company brand is more than your logo and website. Your brand is your company’s identity. It’s how others perceive you. You can’t buy one, borrow one or steal one. You have to build it. You earn your brand over time. Your brand can be built by maintaining consistent one-to-one message communication and value delivery to your prospects and clients over an extended period of time. But if you rely on this alone, the progress of building and establishing your brand will be slow.

Topics: content strategy, inbound marketing, sales and marketing alignment, marketing strategy, branding

The most common mistake marketers make when designing and executing an inbound marketing strategy is attempting to do it all by themselves. Doing anything solo usually adds additional risk. Team efforts almost always prevail over one-man shows – just ask Lebron. Batman had Robin. Ben had Jerry. Lewis had Clark. And Lennon had McCartney. Heck, even when I was 12 years old, I was told to never go swimming in the lake without a “buddy.” So marketing needs to team up with sales to mitigate risk and increase the likelihood of success.

Topics: sales strategy, inbound marketing, sales and marketing alignment, marketing strategy, inbound sales

There are some key components of marketing that fit together to create a solid B2B marketing campaign plan that drives results and delivers desired business results. Ensure you are utilizing each of these when planning your B2B marketing campaign plans. 

Topics: content marketing, digital marketing, inbound marketing, sales and marketing alignment, marketing strategy, marketing, shayesmith

Have you hit a slump? Do you feel like you're stuck in a marketing valley and you can't get over the hills (or mountains) that surround you and are keeping you from reaching success?

Well, that's normal. We all find ourselves needing a bit of motivation at times, so we've gathered some inspirational marketing quotes to motivate you and your team to get on a strategic track and crush your business goals! 

Topics: motivation, inbound marketing, productivity, marketing, shayesmith

In 2015 (yes, three years ago!), I wrote a blog post titled, “3 Things Every Media Company Needs to Do in 2015,” and it was pretty popular. I consider myself uniquely qualified to write about this topic because I spent the first half of my career selling advertising at a media company and the second half (so far) consulting media companies on their B2B marketing, lead generation, and sales enablement needs.  

Topics: inbound marketing, danibuckley, media, sales enablement

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably received multiple emails about updated privacy policies and terms of service. You’ve probably been invited by one, two, or many companies to update your settings so they can protect your privacy and provide you the information you want, when you want it. But why?

Topics: inbound marketing, HubSpot, marketing strategy, marketing strategies and tactics, shayesmith, gdpr

Optimizing your inbound marketing performance starts with measuring the key metrics that show you if your strategy is effective or if it’s time to redirect, re-strategize, and focus on a new path for their target audience. Remember that no matter how you analyze your data, whether it be multiple marketing platforms or just one like Hubspot, the buyer’s journey should be the foundation of how you define success.

Topics: inbound marketing, HubSpot, marketing strategy, marketing strategies and tactics, shayesmith