5 Trends That Will Drive Marketing Success in 2016

Introductions

Hannah EisenbergChief Inbound Marketing

Strategist

Dani CarloInbound Marketing Consultant

3 out of 4 marketers worldwide embrace Inbound Marketing.

Demonstrating ROI is the #1 challenge

Senior executives favor inbound more than managers.Our data showed that the farther you advance in your company, the more likely it is you’ll favor inbound approaches.

Leading marketers let results drive decisions.Top marketers realize that inbound is a long game. If you get off to a slow start, you shouldn’t back off. In fact, you might consider doubling down.

Content vs. Context

framework

1)Growth-Driven Design - UX In Context (Function)

In 2016, leaders will understand and anticipate individual needs to deliver personalized experiences, sharply increasing their lead in the market. (Forrester)

Every $1 invested in user experience will bring $2 to $100 in return. (UserTesting)

Growth-Driven Design: 83% Increase In Traffic & Better Quality Leads

Do Don’t● GDD + Inbound = Super Powers!● Hire a pro with extensive UX experience● Map out your strategy for the next three

years● Brainstorm a wishlist of all the things you

could ever want in a website, with a focus on functionality, SEO and lead-generation. Prioritize.

● User testing, surveys & interviews● Build “Launchpad” website (80/20 rule)● Work through rest of the list to improve

SEO, style, usability, stickiness, and lead-generation

● Monthly smaller fee

● Don’t just hire the cheapest gun.Your website is your best business development asset working 24/7 for you.

● Don’t let it sit there. Google, and all search engines, love continous updates! It shows that you care.

● Don’t base your website on the fanciest new trend out there. Sliders, for example, are almost never a good idea from the user’s perspective.

● User testing can be scary. Don’t shy away from it - you are building something that you expect people to use - make sure, they can!

2) Contextual Marketing - UX In Context (Content)

Contextual marketing personalizes a user's experience on your website based on who they are and what they're looking for.

What It Is:● Cutting Edge Marketing● Highly personalized, targeted

approach- personalize everything from emails, to blogs, and your website

● The practice of personalizing your business to your audience based on who they are and what they want, need, or do

Better user experience = Happier Visitors

Do Don’t● Use Contextual Marketing strategically● Put yourself in your user’s shoes. How can

you improve their user experience / solve their problems?

● Leverage your buyer persona and Growth Driven Design knowledge wherever possible.

● Use it to shorten navigation paths (customers will need to see different information than new visitors)

● Improve conversions (e.g., Substitute CTA)

● Don’t be big brother! Visitors can become a bit freaked out if we display too much

● Don’t try to make everything contextual - be smart about it.

● Don’t forget about user testing.

3) Marketing Automation: 96% of visitors that come to your website are not ready to buy

Marketing automation allows you to nurture your leads through the entire buying process, delivering highly-targeted, personalized messages that address their specific barriers to purchase.

Marketing Automation: Workflows

Do Don’t● Integrate marketing automation with you

inbound marketing strategy● Send highly-targeted and specific

content to a narrowed audience● Set up customer engagement campaigns

to keep your current customers happy and coming back for more

● Earn the right to communicate with your email marketing list and then continue to build trust.

● Always follow Spam laws and allow people to opt out of communication with you

● Blast or broadcast general messages● Forget about your customers● Use Purchased Lists

4) Email Marketing● Email marketing offers the

best ROI: 4,300% according to the Direct Marketing Association

● It's easy to tap into the exponentially growing mobile market

● Checking emails is one of the most popular uses for smartphones

● An estimated that 91% of consumers check email at least once a day

● Email seamlessly integrates with other marketing strategies

Do Don’t

● Make promises you can't keep. If you promise a weekly blog post, make sure you have the capacity to do so.

● Send out emails to a list using the cc: function

● Send before thorough review! Broken links or typos can seriously affect future open rates.

● Don’t send emails with just an image. Make it actionable.

● Personalize. HubSpot’s personalization tokens such as the recipient's name go a long way.

● Keep your content fresh and relevant.● Keep messages short and clear.● Link directly to content you refer to.● Track links and other campaign activity.● Test and adjust as needed.

5) Inbound Marketing Success Requires Company-wide Commitment - Yes, Even From Sales.

The most successful marketing organizations launch a balanced attack on churning out compelling content.

In particular, organizations that saw an increase in ROI from 2014 to 2015 were more likely to employ both staff writers and guest contributors in their content creation efforts than their less successful peers.

At Yale Appliance, creating content for everyone is mandatory!

Shared with permission from The Sales Lion.

Tips for Accomplishing Sales and Marketing

Alignment● Hold a marketing & sales alignment workshop to get everyone on

board.● Sign a formal Service Level Agreement with Sales.● Have an established content creation process in place (e.g., hold

brainstorm sessions at regular meetings)● Use a shared Google document to collect ideas and references

team email alias to collect blog ideas.● Coordinate your content marketing campaigns with Sales. ● Get sales involved in social media.● Make yourself (or another marketer) available for calls and

facilitate training if needed.

Questions?