An inbound marketing and HubSpot blog by marketers for marketers

What to consider 6, 3 and 1 month before your HubSpot renewal date

At different stages in your HubSpot journey, it's possible you're feeling a bit 50-50 on whether you should stick around and renew or if you should jump ship and pick another platform instead. If you're already waving the white flag and admitting defeat, take a look at my considerations below ahead of your HubSpot renewal date.

What is the best website builder for your business? The ultimate list

Building a website is a mind-boggling process even for those experienced at doing it. Choosing a website builder is one of the steepest hurdles to conquer and can take hours of painstaking research to decide which solution ticks all of our boxes.

Content Marketing

EXPLICIT CONTENT: How to deal with writer's block

Ever sat down at your desk, cracked those knuckles, got comfortable in your chair - ready to create some phenomenal content that would put Stephen King to shame? Then it hits you like your alarm on a Monday morning or a Mike Tyson hook when you least expect it. Writer's block.

The most powerful B2B marketing strategies to implement today

Whether I asked you this question five years ago or I ask it three years from now, I bet the biggest challenge marketing teams face is the same: generating traffic and leads for their business. It isn’t an easy job at all as the trends fluctuate and previous years’ biggest innovations might not even be relevant right now.

Vidyard: The Ultimate video creation tool (Plus demo)

Choosing an online video platform can be tricky, but with Vidyard it doesn't need to be. You can quickly create videos and share them with your teammates, customers, prospects and employees.

Content Marketing

EXPLICIT CONTENT: How to manage your workload in a fast-paced working environment

At Digital 22, we churn out a lot of content. The company has grown massively over the years and with that territory comes a higher number of clients, bigger retainers and more work. The challenge? trying to manage that huge workload in a fast-paced working environment.

lead gen specialist win why you need email marketing

Why your email marketing strategy needs a makeover

Think about how many emails land in your inbox every day. Some you read. Others you ignore. And some you promise to unsubscribe to when you have some free time and never get around to it - only to get frustrated when that same company sends you a further 63 emails. Your audience is feeling the same way and this year, email fatigue is more real than ever.

Website marketing strategy: what are the quick wins?

Websites. They’re the new storefronts and the first page of search engines like Google is the modern high street. Slowing traffic, a high number of sessions but not many conversions and your site not being optimised for mobile are all sign your website is dying. You can’t afford to have a bad website that lets you down.

why you need to leverage revenue operations

RevOps

Why leveraging revenue operations should be your focus this year

There’s always hype around something new in the marketing world each year. A new bit of software, going all-in on video - and this year it’s all about revenue operations (RevOps). It’s a business function aiming to maximise a business’ revenue potential. It’s responsible for aligning your sales, marketing and service operations across the entire customer lifecycle to drive growth through operational efficiency, so it keeps all teams accountable to revenue.

retainer with a marketing agency - laptop in digital 22 office video call

What’s a marketing agency retainer? Is it flexible to my needs?

A marketing retainer is an agreement between a business and a marketing agency where you'd pay monthly or quarterly for a range of services. They tend to last longer than one-off projects and it means marketing agencies can become familiar with your brand, helping you exceed your long-term goals.

Project Management

MANAGING DIGITAL PROJECTS: Project management system tools

Gantt charts, automation, dashboards - projects teams love having nifty features on-hand to help manage a full team's workload much easier. Like any kid wishes to find under the tree on Christmas morning, projects teams would also love to have a magical tool that implements all the tasks they need in one feature set as part of a powerful project management tool.

5 tips to growing your business with video (Free Course)

Video marketing is one of the most compelling strategies to help businesses stand out and capture the attention of their audience.

how to get a website noticed digital 22 office

Want to break through the digital noise? Here’s how to get a new website noticed

New clothes, new car, new website - we all secretly love to flex something we're proud of and want people to know about. But launching a website and getting people to pay attention isn't easy. To get the most out of your investment and stand out from the competition, you first need to know how to get your website noticed.

trending upwards podcast white hat vs black hit seo link building

TRENDING UPWARDS: Black Hat vs White Hat link building

What sort of SEO methods are you using in your business? If you love being Google's favourite child and play by the book, you're doing White Hat SEO and follow the guidelines. If you're a bit of a rulebreaker and try to trick Google, you're using Black Hat techniques.

how much does a new website cost ways to make your investment worth it

Growth driven design

How much does a new website cost? 5 ways to make your investment worth it

There’s no exact figure on how much it would cost to create a new website for your business. You could spend thousands or you could even get away with building it yourself. It all depends on the type of website you need and the platform you choose. Based on industry averages, a ‘basic’ website could cost up to £500, but if you want the full shebang with advanced functionality, we’re talking around ten thousand big ones.

Don’t want FOMO? 10 benefits of renewing your HubSpot subscription

If I were there in person, I’d keep swatting your hand away to stop you from clicking the ‘cancel subscription’ button on HubSpot. Not until you hear me out, at least. The fact you’re using HubSpot already suggests you saw something in the platform that made you want to go all-in. The last thing you want is to feel a sense of regret once you cancel your HubSpot subscription.

Should you use a script & teleprompter? VIDEO FIRST Newsletter #02

Ever wondered whether to use scripts on your videos at work? And wondered whether a teleprompter is worth the investment.

3 mistakes to avoid when using video in business

Creating videos isn’t always a piece of cake, even more so when trying to adopt a video-first approach in everything you do.

RevOps

How do I know it’s time to start using RevOps in my business?

Stumbling across this blog suggests you know it’s time to start using revenue operations (RevOps) in your business - you just don’t know what the telltale signs are.

The Video Transformation VIDEO FIRST Newsletter #01

Video, video, video. Where do you even start? Or if you've been doing it for a while, how do you take it to the next level?

Content Marketing

EXPLICIT CONTENT: Getting comfortable with criticism

"This piece needs to feel like a warm handshake." "Sorry, this still isn't quite there yet." "This blog is f***ing shit." Being in the world of content, those are some of the phrases you've probably come across, whether it's through clients, random strangers in the comments section or even your own teammates. For some, it's a great way to develop thick skin and for others - it's a proper confidence shatterer.

what is content strategy and why do i need one

What is a content strategy? 3 reasons you need one

Many businesses fall into the trap of creating content without a strategy. It leaves them scratching their heads as to why that fantastic blog or email, the one that took countless hours to make, has yielded no results.

video first what to avoid when creating marketing on a budget

VIDEO FIRST: Avoid this when creating video marketing on a budget

Batteries running out. Changing location at the last second because it's too noisy. Trying to cram everything into your video and losing its original purpose. If you're involved in video marketing, these issues might sound all too familiar.

3 Powerful Techniques to Video Storytelling

One of the most critical parts of any piece of content is the power of storytelling and this is no different when it comes to video creation.

thinking about the apple ios 14 update and the impact it will have

Insider

How will the new Apple iOS 14 update impact paid advertising on Facebook/Instagram?

The Apple iOS 14 update was going to be being rolled out from the week of the 26th April 2021, however, this date has been pushed back for the time being according to Search Engine Land.

Action cures fear: 5 actionable video tips for beginners

The racing heartbeat, the sick nervous feeling - at one point or another we’ve all felt that fear of being on camera. But now it’s time to completely flip that mindset and overcome that fear of judgement that prevents many from getting started. Check out this short video snippet below on actionable tips to eliminate that fear of being on camera.

Manchester HUG March 2021: How to get the most out of video

In a world where video is the norm and is often expected, knowing how to create your own video strategy from scratch can be difficult. That’s what our Head of Growth, Paul Mortimer, explained at our latest Manchester HUG in March 2021.

Recruitment

Manchester HUG March 2021: How to recruit the inbound way

The Manchester HUG is an event hosted by Digital 22 that invites like-minded people to share their inbound tactics to help everyone improve their results. At the HUG, you’ll learn what other companies have tried and how it works for them, with the end goal being that everyone that attends feels like a better marketer.

The best Inbound videos to create for each stage of the buyers journey

Whether you want to master one type of video creation or you're ready to create multiple types of video content, having an awareness of where these fit within your marketing funnel is key if you want to attract, educate, convert and retain

Coaching and Wellbeing

POWER OF YOU: Setting your goals and intentions for the year ahead

One of the most valuable additions to Digital 22 over the past few years has been the introduction of an in-house coaching and wellbeing Director. Working with individuals and also company-wide, Sara's advice has not only helped people grow in their role and come out of their shell but has also been life-changing for some.

SEO Insider scoop: Let's talk about Core Web Vitals

Google has always wanted to give its searchers exactly what they’re looking for, right when they’re looking for it – without disruptions. The more seamless the search experience is, the more likely searchers will want to use Google. Right?

a year of writing long form content was it effective

A year of writing long form content: Was it worth it?

55,751 words. Little did a younger, more innocent and naive version of me know on that particular cold December morning in 2019, Rikki and Emily had grand plans to keep me busy throughout 2020. 11 months. 11 deep dives. Over 150 hours. All totalling up to 55,751 words with topics ranging from podcasting and Gary Vee, right through to account-based marketing and INBOUND 2020.

Project Management

MANAGING DIGITAL PROJECTS: Our approach to project management

Just imagine how much crazier James Bond's life would be without M and Q keeping him on track. It's sort of the same at Digital 22. Although, M and Q probably have it easy compared to what goes on here, with Tom, Faizal and Heather of our Projects team responsible for managing the workloads of our team of 40+ people.

why use video at all stages of inbound marketing

Why use video in your inbound marketing to attract, engage and delight?

There’s no denying video is skyrocketing and empowering businesses of all sizes to take a video-first approach.

video first podcast episode 2 creating a youtube channel for your business

VIDEO FIRST: Want to create a YouTube channel for your business?

If you've ever thought about creating a YouTube channel for your business, seeing countless PinkFong videos, COVID conspiracies and angry FIFA YouTubers has probably put you off at some point. But YouTube has evolved and it's more relevant for businesses than ever before.

Digital 22 has acquired a Canadian HubSpot agency to extend its expertise

After recently hitting Elite status, it was only a matter of time until we were on to the next thing. That’s why we’re so excited to announce we’ve acquired Canadian HubSpot agency, Larmahil.

How the HubSpot Marketing Hub and CRM platform transformed a heritage business' marketing strategy

South Retford. A place famed for its industrial past and a town once home to numerous furniture manufacturers, working mostly with pine. You’d never guess the factory - where the expert craftsmen have used time-honoured techniques to handcraft bespoke, high-quality beds and furniture since 1983 - is tucked away in a tight, terraced street.

INBOUND AFTER HOURS: The benefits and pitfalls of account-based marketing

Ah, account-based marketing (ABM). That fresh, new strategy everyone in marketing is talking about. There's been a huge uptake in ABM interest, it's becoming even more notable and HubSpot also announced ABM-specific tools marketers can use at INBOUND last year.

how to get out of your hubspot contract a step by step guide

How to get out of a HubSpot contract: A step-by-step guide

So the day has finally come. There are dark clouds in the sky, there’s sad music playing in the background and you’ve decided to get out of your HubSpot contract. If you’ve already made up your mind, here’s how you can cancel the HubSpot product you’ve signed up for in seven easy steps.

5 steps to video SEO success

You can maximise the reach and make your video traffic evergreen by following these 5 steps to video SEO success. Take a look at Mark Byrne, Digital 22 Co-owner and Director, explaining the 5 step ingredients required for video success, learned across his many (very many) years running successful video agencies...

trending upwards seo podcast how vital is core web vitals

TRENDING UPWARDS: How vital is... Core Web Vitals?

Core Web Vitals. A phrase all of you SEOs are going to have to put up with for the foreseeable because you guessed it - Google is rolling out another algorithm update. 🥲 That's why on this week's episode of Trending Upwards, Digital 22's Tiff and Adrian run through what you need to know about Core Web Vitals.

How to close sales deals faster with video

The age of video is now. 91% of marketers expect to see more noise and competition from video over the next 12 months than ever before. 51% say it's because it’s easier than ever to make videos. It's no different for sales teams. For you, it's all about being impactful in your intro videos, live demos and follow up videos to close more deals.

How to crush your sales with video sales coaching

Fade in. We see a salesperson scrolling on their phone, checking out ways to incorporate video into their sales process. They find a video that looks promising and press play...

Inbound After Hours: HubSpot hit 100,000 customers

INBOUND AFTER HOURS: HubSpot hit 100K customers! 😯

HubSpot weren't messing around when they burst onto the scene in 2006. It all revolved around people and how the way they shop and buy had changed, meaning companies had to adapt by creating valuable content and experience to build long-term relationships with customers. Now? HubSpot has hit 100,000 customers.

TRENDING UPWARDS: Intro to SEO

Struggling with your SEO strategy? Not sure how to combat client requests? Feel like hitting Google with a dropkick when there's an unexpected algorithm update? I feel you. We managed to get Danielle and Tiff from our SEO team to sit down and discuss how they overcome these challenges in their inaugural Trending Upwards podcast.

Digital 22 has become an Elite HubSpot partner

I’ve witnessed a lot of huge milestones since I started Digital 22. Our first (and second) LOVE INBOUND event, continually growing the team with amazing people, moving into a state-of-the-art office - just to name a few off the top of my head. But the latest is yet another surreal and exciting moment to document.

INBOUND AFTER HOURS: The marketer's to-do list for a new year

Tonight is the night, when four becomes two. Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as our beloved Spice Girls but you might have noticed fewer faces on your screen this time round. Paul has fled the nest to create his own spinoff podcast and Mark is getting stuck in to his new role in the business.

What is my marketing and sales strategy plan missing?

Alignment? Risk taking? Going back to basic? There’s a lot of advice out there on how you should create the best marketing and sales plan, which can certainly present some challenges.

video first digital 22 top five tops to improve your video call quality

VIDEO FIRST: Top 5 tips for better webinars and video calls

Are you tired of low quality video calls and drab webinars? If you're finding it a challenge to create high-quality videos, then this brand new podcast is for you. Join Digital 22's Head of Growth, Paul, and Video Specialist, Jonathan, as they run through their top five tips on how you can improve your video call quality.

The impact of video in sales emails

Dead are the days of dingy and depressing emails, sporting only reams of text, colourful banners and not much more. Now, embedding short-and-sweet personalised videos into your emails to accompany your concise copy is the path to making your sales emails pack a punch.

The tactics you need for your video marketing strategy

When face to face meetings and interaction with consumers became impossible due to COVID-19, a behind-the-screen saviour emerged: video. After a year of video conferences, events, lessons and entertainment, consumers and businesses are now bored with lacklustre video.

How HubSpot’s CRM platform is built differently

A sales software, a marketing tool, a content management system, a service program - HubSpot has been labelled a lot of things over the years. And it makes sense why. The landscape continues to evolve so HubSpot regularly switches up its functionality and features which sees it now covering a range of bases.

The 4 main types of effective sales video examples you need to know

When you consider that 95% of a video's message is retained, but only 10% of text and that people are 75% more likely to watch a video than read text, it's pretty obvious you need to embrace video. But there's no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to the types of video you create.

what did we learn from our experts from the HUG in 2020

Manchester HUG

What did we learn from the Manchester HubSpot User Group in 2020?

2020 certainly presented us with some challenges. During the chaos, it also gave us more opportunities to learn and grow as marketers. With events going virtual, it meant industry experts could be accessed at the touch of a button.

Digital 22 wins The Video Master award from Vidyard

Can't lie. Given the competition, I wasn't sure heading into this one. We were finalists alongside the likes of LinkedIn, Experian and Unbounce. Companies with much bigger teams and much bigger video budgets than ours.

Account based marketing

How to do account-based marketing with HubSpot

Unqualified leads. One of the banes of the digital marketing world - an individual who hasn’t been nurtured through your sales cycle.

16 min read

digital 22 best time to start blogging using inbound methodology

Why now is the best time to start inbound blogging

There’s no doubt that COVID-19 is having a profound effect on our daily lives. While the virus has had devastating implications across the globe on both individuals and companies, there are ways that businesses such as yours can find opportunity amid the uncertainty.

michael litt ceo of vidyard how to be confident on camera

INBOUND INFLUENCERS with Michael Litt: How to be confident on camera

2020 forced a lot of companies to work from home. Not being in an office setting has made things quite challenging, especially when you want to meet as a team, talk to clients or even to reach out to prospects. So it's no real surprise why the use of video has skyrocketed this year.

what do people really want from content in 2021?

What do people really want from b2b content marketing in 2021?

Buyer journey vs customer journey: what are the differences?

I get it, marketing phrases can get pretty confusing really quickly. Between all of the acronyms like UX, CMS, CTR, ROI, SERP and loads of others, there are terms like buyer journey and customer journey to get to grips with. Buzzwords like these are usually used interchangeably but they’re actually a bit different from each other.

5 of our favourite free inbound marketing tools

If you're keen to augment your inbound marketing methods with some savvy tech and tools, I've hand-picked some inbound marketing tools to add to your arsenal.

What to expect during a typical HubSpot agency onboarding process

And the winner is… HubSpot. You’ve decided that inbound marketing is for you and HubSpot is the platform you’ll utilise to deliver it. Honestly, that’s a fantastic choice. But there’s still one final decision to make before you can crack on.

How to develop the skills you need to be a t-shaped marketer

T-shaped marketers are the next generation of marketing specialists. They’re able to specialise in one form of marketing but offer experienced knowledge in many other fields.

Creating customer delight: how to do it in 2020

Creating customer delight is one of the most productive ways in building trust, enhancing the good working relationships you have with your clients. Helping to support them and find joy in the little aspects of your work really helps you go the extra mile. So how do we delight the customer in 2020? Let me give you the breakdown.

How can I get more traffic to my site?

For any organisation, increasing online traffic is one of your top priorities. It’s a very simple idea really - the larger your site’s traffic, the more chances you have of generating leads which will ultimately lead to more customers. The key question you need to answer is: how can I get more traffic to my site? You’re in luck...

Coronavirus marketing

Coronavirus in marketing: the impact, data and advice.

From floods to fires, 2020 has already been a testing period. We’re now sadly at a stage where every individual and business all over the world is feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Although governments and public health officials are taking relevant action to slow down the spread of this disease, it’s completely natural for you to wonder what’s next. Here's an in-depth look at the impact of coronavirus in marketing.

15 min read

How HubSpot is supporting its customers through the coronavirus crisis

As the coronavirus crisis deepens across the globe, uncertainty is proving to be arguably one of the biggest challenges faced by businesses today. With remote working on the rise and an online presence more important than ever, many leading organisations are taking strides to help businesses.

How to start inbound marketing before you buy HubSpot

So you’ve decided inbound marketing is for you: fantastic decision. But this can be a confusing leap without the right preparation. It takes a lot of research, planning and effort to gain the success you deserve from inbound marketing.

LOVE INBOUND 2020: Luke Carthy - How to smash Google Analytics for eCommerce.

Luke Carthy is an eCommerce Consultant, which is another way of saying online shopping God. He came down to Digital 22’s LOVE INBOUND event to talk about eCommerce, some of the common problems people face and how to get the most out of Google Analytics (GA). Check out Luke in action below.

LOVE INBOUND 2020: Kirsty Hulse - Super charge your ideas to get better results.

“What is creativity? Why is it so important, now and in the future?” asked Kirsty Hulse, the Founder and Managing Director of Roar! Training and Manyminds, at our LOVE INBOUND event. In her talk, Kirsty focused on the science of creativity and how we as marketers and business leaders can really capitalise upon it, becoming even more creative in the process.

LOVE INBOUND 2020: Luke Summerfield - Building a peak performing website.

Growth-Driven Design (GDD) is a methodology we’re pioneering here at Digital 22. Even though we’ve been trained by Luke Summerfield himself, it was pretty cool to hear him talk about it at our LOVE INBOUND event.

LOVE INBOUND 2020: Meghan Keaney Anderson - Evolving your content strategy.

“Breakthroughs only happen when you are completely and utterly blocked.” This was the beginning of Meghan Keaney Anderson’s talk at LOVE INBOUND 2020. Anderson is the VP of Marketing at HubSpot, so as you can imagine, she knows her stuff.

LOVE INBOUND 2020: Paul Mortimer - Blog length vs User experience.

LOVE INBOUND 2019 provided so much insight and it’s no surprise some of our lot wanted to be in the spotlight the following year. Our very own Head of Creative, Paul Mortimer, took to the stage and asked the all-important question, “How long should a blog be?”

LOVE INBOUND 2020: Rikki Lear & special guests - Inbound success stories

We wanted to do something a little different at LOVE INBOUND this year. Rather than just telling you that inbound works, we thought we’d give you some insider information.

LOVE INBOUND 2020: Yaniv Siegel - Humanising the sales process using video.

We know that video is making waves in the marketing industry, and more and more businesses are reaping the benefits. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out, captivate prospects and most importantly - convert leads to deals.

The A-Z of HubSpot implementation onboarding

With a tool as heavy-duty as HubSpot, you better believe there are a great deal of settings that need to be sorted before you’re up and running.

How to use HubSpot Sales and get your team on board.

You’ve put in the time, research and decided that HubSpot is the right choice for you. With all its tools and capabilities, all that’s left to do is convince your team to get them bought in.

B2B lead generation: 8 KPIs to consider and why they’re important

Lead generation is a crucial consideration for any marketing campaign. It’s a key metric to determine how effective your efforts are. So how do we track our lead generation success? By recording key lead generation KPIs. So, what are these KPIs and why are they important to a B2B lead generation campaign?

Inbound After Hours: Is hosting free events worth it? Plus; pies, takeaways and a LOVE INBOUND recap.

Well, LOVE INBOUND 2020 is in the can and Aleks is editing the footage and podcasts for you. As. We. Speak. Big thanks to everybody who turned out for our free marketing event, at the end of February. And massive shout out to all the amazing speakers who came from both sides of the Atlantic to deliver some amazing talks.

The secret to nailing effective communication with customers.

As important as your marketing and sales teams are when converting leads, your service team is just as crucial to maintaining brand advocates. When they’re solving your customers’ problems and helping them achieve success using your product or service, they’re effectively helping turn customers into a growth engine for your business.

What to include in your buyer persona (free template).

If you want to have the best chance of getting prospects' attention in a content-fatigued world and convince them to buy whatever you’re putting out there, you’ll need to build comprehensive buyer personas.

The state of inbound marketing

The inbound marketing world is dynamic and ever-changing, so you need to stay up-to-date with all the new developments to keep your competition in second-place in this never-ending marathon.

21 min read

LOVE INBOUND 2020: Luke Staton - "Our people are powerful beyond measure"

From scoring a screamer back in his footballer days to up on the stage in front of thousands, Luke Staton is no stranger to hyping up the crowd.

D22 wins four HS awards for 2019 client work

The annual HubSpot Impact Awards came around again. We snagged some last year but we’ve only gone and won more awards for our client work in 2019.

Is using video in your sales process even worth it?

Yes. Videos are great additions to every branch of your business, including sales. Think of how many videos you watch on social media every day and how many of your favourite brands create marketing videos. It’s clear video is a big hit with audiences. So, if video can work so well for marketing, why not for sales too? The number of hours we spend watching video has skyrocketed and video calls have become the workplace norm now, thanks to COVID-19, making this the perfect time to embrace video for sales.

30 impressive inbound marketing statistics to convince your team it's time to change.

As the world of marketing is constantly evolving, it can sometimes be difficult to determine how successful a particular marketing method is. Staying on the money can lead to an impressive amount of sustainable growth while failure to keep up with the stats and trends can lead to being left behind.

Inbound After Hours: Why and how to leverage episodic video content.

In the second Inbound After Hours episode of 2020, three of us sat down to talk about how episodic video content is such a powerful tool for businesses.

Inbound After Hours: January update, HubSpot features and more

Forget your A-Team and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. With 2020 in full swing and plenty of new marketing trends, tactics and HubSpot features to discuss already, you need an experienced and reliable four-man team to update you on all the exciting inbound marketing news. So, who you gonna call?

Podcasting for business: the benefits, stats and how to get started

Nowadays, people expect multiple types of content to suit their needs. Not everyone has time to read a 6,000-word blog post. Others want a quick video and then there’s podcasting - a great way to reach people outside of when they’re sitting in front of a computer. The best part? You don’t need to be an established content creator to learn how to start a podcast for your business.

21 min read

Your very own guide to a year in inbound

Inbound is a better way to market, a better way to sell and a better way to serve your customers - all to help your company grow in the long-term.

Sales reporting in HubSpot: our favourite dashboards

With your marketing team working one way and sales team another, it’s no surprise that there can be some disconnect between the two. They need to be on the same page and that’s where HubSpot’s sales reporting software is a lifesaver as it gives your teams everything they need to know about your pipeline in one place.

What do you need to make Inbound Sales work?

Inbound sales are the perfect type of sale because leads know what they want and they know how to get it because you’ve nurtured them into the right place at the right time. That being said, sometimes it can be difficult for marketing and sales to find true alignment during this process. Finding that alignment is key to producing the most efficiency within your sales process.

What is the cost of attracting new customers in comparison to retaining?

I might not own a multi-million-pound empire but even I know that the first rule of any business is to retain customers and build loyal, lasting relationships with them. Delighting your customers can result in more sales opportunities and maintain loyalty and credibility.

Using HubSpot Conversations for your conversational marketing strategy

How you can use HubSpot to make a start with conversational marketing - allowing you to build authentic relationships with buyers, generate more leads and reduce your sales cycle.

14 min read

What is the buyer’s journey? Understanding the steps behind modern-day purchases

The buyer’s journey is a process where individuals become aware of a problem, they consider and evaluate their options before deciding to purchase a product or service. It’s to make sure you reach out to prospects in the right way at the right time. Thanks to a quick Google search, the buyer’s journey has now evolved.

What is HubSpot? The ultimate guide on why you should make the switch

Inbound marketing is the present and the future. It’s ever-evolving, it’s effective and it’s disruptive. It’s a more helpful and human approach to growing your business. It’s a method of attracting, engaging and delighting people by providing value and building trust. Customers are now in control so it means you need to adapt to their needs and establish yourself as a trustworthy, authoritative figure in your industry.

16 min read

How to Close More Deals with Sales Enablement

Sales enablement is all about equipping sales teams with the relevant content and training so that they can not only focus on the better-qualified leads but also be in a position where they can actually close them.

How to implement HubSpot and get it right the first time

If you’ve been considering HubSpot, you might have questions about the setup. As a HubSpot Diamond Partner, we've helped get many businesses get up and running with the platform.

SEO update: Rich snippet pages removed from main SERP listing.

Yesterday, the SEO-Twitter chat was centred around the news that Google has stopped listing rich snippet pages in the main SERP results. Previously, being featured in the snippet meant you were not only holding prime SERP real estate, but you were also listed in the regular results. No more.

Yeah...this is one of those blogs where I’ll tell you that the answer to when you can expect inbound marketing results is ‘it depends.’ Hear me out. Obviously, the inbound approach requires a lot of effort, time and commitment. But if you’re consistent, you can probably expect consistent traffic from anywhere between six to nine months (typically).

Solving a whole world of customer service queries: HubSpot Impact Award submission for Service Enablement

11 min read

How to increase the quality of your leads in 10 simple steps

The marketing landscape is always changing. What worked one year for successful leads might be completely outdated by the next. Can you believe there was a time when cold calling was king? You might not want more leads, instead you want better-quality leads. You’re in the right place.

Is my website's bounce rate too high? [industry benchmark data]

Your website is generating traffic. It’s technically sound with everything logged in Google Analytics, but one thing strikes you...your ‘bounce rate’ seems abnormally high. Something’s not right. In short, your bounce rate depends on your industry. There’s no real right or wrong answer but what you can be sure of is if you feel it’s too high, then it probably is.

Insider

What is a buyer persona? Why defining your customer will boost conversions

A buyer persona is a semi-fictional creation of your ideal customer. By collecting and using information about your target market, you can create detailed profiles of the types of customers you’ll deal with. If you understand their ambitions, attitudes and priorities, you can create content that will engage with them.

The 15 benefits of having email automation workflows

Email automation workflows are automated emails that are sent to help nurture leads into customers. They play quite an important role in the inbound methodology. In the words of Hubspot - they say it best - you'll be a marketing hero. So you really should be using them.

4 of our Favourite Email Marketing Examples and Why They’re Brilliant

Over the years, the quality of email marketing has been consistently rising to keep up with the education of the recipients. People are becoming wary of emails and their genuineness. Because of this, email marketers have had to overcome challenges and evolve so that they can capture the attention of their recipients.

How to make the most out of your HubSpot's free package

HubSpot’s marketing hub offers four different packages: Free, Starter, Professional and Enterprise. This blog will discuss the features which the Free package offers and whether it’s enough to help you run a successful inbound marketing campaign.

Digital 22 runners up in Vidyard’s 2019 Video in Business Awards

In our first-ever entry into Vidyard’s 2019 Video in Business Awards, Digital 22 was awarded a coveted runner up spot in a category featuring stiff competition. These awards are a way to celebrate modern marketing, sales and video production by experts that use video to create ways to solve challenges and solve generate better results.

15 most viewed Christmas adverts of all time

Bah, humbug. We're doing this again? I guess it's finally upon us. The time of the year where businesses release their yearly Christmas adverts and the public (that includes all of you lot reading this) eats them up.

5 of the Best Chatbot Solutions for Marketers

Hi there, blog browser. I’m assuming you’re a marketer who has clicked on this blog to find the best chatbot solution for your company after hearing a great deal about them across marketing news channels. If that’s the case, you probably already know what chatbots are, how they work and what kind you need. No, we know it’s not as easy as that. I’ll run through a basic rundown of what they are and how they work.

How to create a chatbot for my website on HubSpot

HubSpot is able to build three types of chatbots: Qualify leads bots, Book Meetings bots and Support bots. This blog will discuss all three of these in detail, from how you can devise a strategy to going ahead and actually building one in HubSpot.

Does inbound marketing really work? Here's how to convince your boss it does

It's not just for email! 3 other things you can do with HubSpot workflows

HubSpot’s workflow tool goes way beyond sending automated emails. There’s loads more ways it can help you do stuff effortlessly. Here are three other things you can do with HubSpot Workflows other than email automation. Let's get started with a biggy - changing contact properties.

'Should I use HubSpot?' 50 fundamental reasons why you should

The marketing world is packed full of loads of different inbound software all promising to help your business. Sure, they might be great but there’s a reason HubSpot is the king (or queen) of inbound marketing. Outdated tactics don’t work anymore and you need a breath of fresh air with buyers now in control.

6 of our favourite landing page templates from the HubSpot Marketplace

Have you ever used the HubSpot Marketplace? If you haven’t, you’re in luck since HubSpot offers hundreds of free, high-quality landing pages for the average user to put on their site and personalise.

Here’s how to improve your email marketing strategy

Email marketing is a great way to build strong relationships and spread the awareness of your brand. It’s one of the most personal types of communication available, and it’s also very cost-effective.

Lead grading explained: Why it's important for inbound marketing and how to get the best results from your data

Lead grading (also known as lead scoring) is the process of assigning numerical values to each lead which is generated for your business. There are different attributes which a lead can be scored on, including the information which they’ve submitted through a form or how they’ve engaged with your website.

Celebrating 6 years of Digital 22

Digital 22 became a limited company exactly six years ago today. Time has flown by and lots of things have happened within this period. We’ve won awards, hired some fantastic people, but most importantly of all, we’ve had an amazing time in the process.

Can you auto-populate form fields on HubSpot using query strings?

You definitely can auto-populate form fields in HubSpot, via cookies and query strings if needs be. Let's get straight into it. Here’s how you can auto-populate form fields in HubSpot using query strings…

Settings, stages and more: How to set up Hubspot CRM

HubSpot’s CRM software has loads of amazing benefits, and the best thing about it is that it’s absolutely free.

4 best practices to help you ace lead scoring using HubSpot

If you want new methods to increase leads and boost sales productivity, then you need to introduce lead scoring into your sales strategy. HubSpot is one of the leading platforms when it comes to lead scoring and is guaranteed to help take your sales strategy to the next level.

How to create a form in HubSpot: Everything you need to know

This blog will discuss the steps you need to take to create an effective form within your HubSpot account. I’ll also explain how you can add and edit particular form fields.

HubSpot user permissions: how to edit permissions like a pro

So you’ve accidentally given the work experience kid Super Admin permissions on HubSpot in their second week and they start causing chaos in your HubSpot CRM. Okay, they might not channel their inner Daenerys Targaryen and let the power get to their head (one for all you Game of Thrones fans out there), but it’s better to be safe than sorry when sorting out HubSpot user permissions.

Vidyard’s four new product tiers:What does this mean for marketers?

Vidyard is replacing their original offerings with four new product tiers for businesses who are looking to get started with video content. They’re also dropping the ‘GoVideo’ name and bringing everything under the Vidyard brand.

6 of the Best Landing Page Examples to Inspire You in 2019

Have you been looking for landing page examples? Well, you’ve come to the right spot. Landing pages are arguably one of the most crucial steps in a marketing plan. This is because of their unique way of enticing the reader to become a consistent reader of your content - so they need to be spot on.

INBOUND19

Inbound After Hours: Highlights from INBOUND 19 in Boston

Facebook visibility, storytelling power, HubSpot analytics and the Five Cs Model. Our team of eight intrepid inbound adventurers have returned from the INBOUND 19 event in Boston full to the brim with new knowledge on all these things and more.

How to make the perfect SMART goals template

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s set the record straight and discuss what a SMART goal actually is. According to HubSpot, SMART goals are concrete targets that you strive to achieve over a certain period of time.

All about HubSpot's Slack integration: How to connect, the features, benefits and more

HubSpot can integrate loads of different software. Well over 200, in fact. One of their latest integrations? I’m sure you’ll know it - the collaboration software, Slack.

Why setting sales pipeline stages is so important in HubSpot

Your sales pipeline works by placing your leads, prospects and sales opportunities at different stages of the sales cycle. You then measure their progress as they move through the pipeline stages, from an unqualified lead to a delighted repeat customer. Actually knowing what to do with this information really helps as it’ll determine the actions your sales team should take next.

How a Chatbot from HubSpot will help you build meaningful relationships

Chatbots are the future of customer engagement. Consumers are smarter, less reliant on sales staff and are on the lookout for the easiest way to communicate with a brand. It’s expected that by the end of 2020, over 80% of businesses will utilise some sort of chatbot automation in their process.

3 powerful ways chatbots are impacting B2B marketing

Although a robot managing your entire social media presence, sales efforts and marketing seems scary, chatbots aren’t there to replace you. They’re there to enhance your business.

Lead generation bots: why they should be a marketer’s best friend

Whether you’re asking Alexa for a compliment to receive an emotional pick-me-up or checking in with Siri to see when the next alien invasion is, you’re actually using a lead generation bot. Hear us out. It’s all based on the questions we ask these bots and the pre-fed answers they provide that we hear in a conversational tone.

How to import templates on HubSpot: 5 simple best practices

Creating a few different templates for emails, blogs and pages can make your life a whole lot easier down the line. They’re a great foundation for the content you produce and the actual process of creating them on HubSpot is nice and straightforward. Here’s a quick rundown of how to make and import templates and a few best practices for good measure too.

Chatbot vs live chat - 4 differences and how to pick the right one

In the red corner, with 24-hour automated functionality and the ability to give you hours back in your life, we have chatbots. And in the blue corner, we have live chat, an outdated way to engage with customers. Both have very similar ways of working, but which one is right for you?

The best, the popular and the most powerful: 4 great chatbot frameworks you need to know

Deciding to build a chatbot is just the first step. Next, you’ll need to consider the different bot frameworks that are available and choose the one that’s right for you. There are quite a few to sort between and the industry is pretty new, so finding the important stuff on each can be a bit tricky.

10 useful secrets to develop a promising chatbot strategy

If you didn’t know by now - chatbots are taking the marketing world by storm. It’s super clever in the sense that you can use this AI-powered technology to create automatic conversations with your leads and prospects. Best of all, it’s done in a conversational tone. To achieve this, though, you need a killer chatbot strategy.

Inbound After Hours: How to get the most out of your ad spend

The pay-per-click (PPC) advertising model continues to grow in popularity. It’s now an integral piece of the inbound marketing puzzle as it offers options that you simply can’t achieve from any other method of online marketing. Remarketing, geo-targeting, instant results… yep, it’s pretty important.

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The rise of the bot: your ultimate chatbot best practices guide

By 2020, over 80% of businesses are expected to have implemented some sort of chatbot automation. For the majority of customers, email responses are too slow and phone trees are too limited. Enter chatbots.

INBOUND19

34 key things we learnt at INBOUND 19 in Boston

Boston; home of the American Revolution, the Boston Red Sox and for a short period of time, a whole bunch of Inbound Marketers. That’s right. In early September, the capital of Massachusetts opened its proverbial doors for INBOUND 2019 which, in case you don’t know much about it, is a huge event entertaining key speakers and big thinkers from the business world and the super-curious practitioners of the inbound methodology.

12 beautiful chatbot UI examples that will definitely inspire you

For any chatbot to be a success, it needs to aid the overall user experience. If it’s helpful, easy-to-navigate and your users get value from it, then great, you’re on the right track. I know what you’re thinking, though. You want your chatbot user interface (UI) to look so impressive you can’t help but admire your handiwork.

Lead scoring in HubSpot: Best practices, tips and getting started

The Manchester HUG in August was an incredible event. Three talks, three individuals with a wide range of experience and 46 like-minded attendees, all ready to learn about all things HubSpot and inbound marketing.

visitors receive personalised experience

Smart content and personalisation in HubSpot by David Chaves Rodríguez

At the Manchester HUG, David Chaves Rodríguez, a Customer Training Specialist at HubSpot, took us on a deep dive into smart content and personalisation. At the end of the talk, the audience knew how and where we could personalise our websites.

How to get people using your HubSpot chatbot

Innovative chatbot examples: 9 excellent ways they're used by big brands

Chatbots allow you to nurture your MQLs in seconds and instantly respond to visitor queries. They’re being used by some of the biggest brands in the world to improve the buying experience for customers. Let’s take a look at some of the best chatbot examples currently out there that we can pinch and use on our own websites use as inspiration.

5 essential marketing skills you need and how to develop them

Are you a T-shaped marketer?

4 of the best chatbot software and how they can help your business

If companies wish to remain competitive in the modern market, they need to consider leveraging a chatbot into their strategy. However, due to there being such a large range of chatbot software available, choosing the one which is right for you can be difficult.

Inbound After Hours with Larry Kim: How huge messenger marketing actually is

We took a bit of a break from recording the podcast but we’re back at it. And we’ve picked up where we left off: it’s either a few of us exploring something relevant to inbound marketers and trying to share as many learnings as possible, or we’re chatting to a big-name guest and getting them to share some insights. This episode’s the latter. Say hello to one of the biggest names in digital marketing: Larry Kim, CEO of MobileMonkey, Inc.

Events

How to stay up-to-date with the latest marketing trends in 2020

Trying to keep up with digital marketing trends can seem like a walking nightmare for marketers. You take in one amazing learning to boost your marketing strategy, yet three new algorithms are rolled out. Automation tools, new products, software - the list goes on.

How do chatbots work? The beginner’s guide

A chatbot is an artificial intelligence software that’s designed to stimulate conversation with human users through messaging applications, websites or mobile apps. They’ve been created to help companies provide greater customer satisfaction, cut down on human errors and also save time.

The unsung benefits of attending conferences

These days, there are so many brilliant ways to learn and work on your skills. You can read or write blogs, you can sign-up to webinars, listen to podcasts on the way to work or create a playlist of how-to videos on YouTube. Although, there’s still nothing quite like face-to-face learning in the form of conferences.

chatbots can influence your return on investment

Can chatbots influence your ROI?

Chatbots can be very beneficial to companies that implement them into their marketing strategies. They can save you time, provide better customer service and make it easier to approach global markets.

Google Ads: The often forgotten factors & why they matter so much: The key takeaways from the Manchester HUG

The third and final talk at May’s HUG was presented by Chris Ellis, the PPC Marketer here at Digital 22. Chris has over 10 years of experience working in PPC, managing budgets from £500 to £100,000 per month. In his talk, Chris discussed the five forgotten factors of Google Ads and why they matter so much. Here’s a breakdown of each:

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12 months learning from inbound video: The key takeaways from the Manchester HUG

Digital 22 started fully using Inbound Video around a year ago. Although we’ve had some great success using the tool, we’ve also made a couple of mistakes along the way and wanted to share our learnings. At the May Manchester HUG, our Director, Mark Byrne, discussed what he’s learned from 12 months of using Inbound Video. Here are the key takeaways from his talk:

5 Impressive ways a chatbot enhances customer service

Technology is advancing and at an ever-increasing speed. Businesses can take advantage of this when it comes to customer service. Chatbots are one of the many features available at your disposal - providing 24/7 customer support, live chat and more.

Getting started with inbound PR: the key takeaways from the Manchester HUG

At our latest HubSpot User Group event in Manchester, we were joined by Global Partner Program Manager at HubSpot and PR expert, Iliyana Stareva. She talked about the main steps to getting started with Inbound PR and how companies can successfully implement this new method into their strategies. Here are the key takeaways which you need to know about:

What is a Chatbot? 6 Reasons Why Your Business Needs One

6 reasons your business needs a chatbot

Basically, a chatbot is a programme that’s been designed to mimic and have conversations with real people. This can sound a little bit HAL 9000, Skynet or Ultron depending on your preferred AI baddie, but the reality is far less sinister.

HYPERGROWTH 2019: Themes, takeaways and what’s next?

Some of the D22 team were lucky enough to attend HYPERGROWTH 2019 in London recently. We were amongst the first to hear about the latest trends in conversational marketing, and perhaps more importantly, the value of being human in all things digital. Those who attended included our Inbound Strategists Dan and I, Social Marketer Louise and SEO Marketer Tiffany, and together we gained valuable insights and different perspectives to take away and apply to our everyday marketing practices.

From microphones to host sites: How much does inbound video cost?

You’ve got to spend money to make money and that’s especially true when it comes to creating inbound videos. But how much does it cost to produce inbound videos?

6 powerful benefits of inbound video in your next marketing campaign

Your customers are demanding video content from you. A HubSpot survey found that 54 percent wanted to see videos from their favourite brands. Video was the most popular choice, beating emails, social posts, blogs and downloadable long-form content.

LOVE INBOUND 2019 - Fireside Chat With HubSpot’s Christian Kinnear

The first-ever LOVE INBOUND event proved to be a massive success. The entire team at Digital 22 enjoyed talking all things inbound marketing with those in attendance and the positive feedback we received about the event as a whole has all but confirmed that the second annual LOVE INBOUND will be going ahead.

How to use engaging video content perfectly in an inbound marketing campaign

When done correctly, video can seamlessly integrate with your inbound marketing campaign and boost conversions. But, like with your written content, video needs to deal with the consumer’s pain points at the stage of the buyer’s journey that they’re in.

LOVE INBOUND 2019 - Fueling Growth With AdRoll’s Johanna Eichhorst

On the surface, it doesn’t seem like what AdRoll has to offer would benefit the LOVE INBOUND event or inbound marketing at all. But after hearing what AdRoll’s Head of SMB Account Management, Johanna Eichhorst, had to say, it’s obvious just how beneficial display advertising can be when it comes to fuelling growth for your business.

Using video on landing pages - Does it even work?

Yes. 100 percent yes. It’s not even up for debate. Using videos on your landing pages has a significantly positive impact on your marketing campaigns. They can be the final nudge a visitor needs to become a customer.

LOVE INBOUND 2019 - Focusing on the Customer With HubSpot’s Robbie McFarlane

No inbound marketing event would be complete without input from HubSpot. That’s why at our first-ever LOVE INBOUND event, we managed to secure three industry leaders, Christian Kinnear, Aidan O’Leary and Robbie McFarlane who flew over from HubSpot’s Dublin headquarters. In this blog, we’ll touch on what Robbie had to say at LOVE INBOUND.

How long should a marketing video be?

If you’ve decided to add inbound videos to your marketing strategy, then firstly, congratulations that’s a great decision. Now, you’re faced with actually making these videos. One of the key problems some content creators have comes when deciding on how long to make their videos.

LOVE INBOUND 2019 - SEO Tips and Advice with Digital 22's Rikki Lear

If you were fortunate enough to be at LOVE INBOUND 2019, then you’ll have enjoyed fantastic talks from industry leaders, the opportunity to network with other inbound marketers and delicious food courtesy of Holmes Mill.

4 Types of Inbound Content to Deliver in an ABM Strategy

Compared to inbound marketing, account-based marketing (ABM) is a more strategic approach on how you target specific companies as opposed to casting a wider net to capture as much traffic as possible. That means you need to think about the type of companies you want to work with and figure out the type of content you should send them as this strategic approach differs from the usual inbound tactics.

Managing and maintaining your email lists is a crucial part of successful email marketing campaigns. However, it often gets overlooked and can be seen as a low-priority task.

6 Email Automation Ideas to Drive Your Event Marketing Plan

So, you’ve got an event coming up and now it’s time to drum up some interest to make sure you actually have people sitting in those seats. Exciting times - but you need more than one lengthy LinkedIn post or trying to squeeze an announcement inside the 280 Twitter character limit.

What is HubSpot Doing About Data Security?

When it comes to choosing your marketing automation software, you want to be absolutely sure it can keep up with all the capabilities that you need it to. But, what might not be at the forefront of your mind (although it should be) is how it protects your data and all of your content.

The Rise of the Enterprise Chatbot Platform and How It Can Transform Your Conversions

The constant evolution of technology has led to shopping and buying behaviour forever changing too. Chatbots have burst onto the scene and are popular with the modern day prospect. But what are they? And why have they become so popular?

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Enterprise Marketing Automation Software

When it comes to marketing automation, it’s not all about the end sale. A lot of businesses are too engaged on the end sale so they forget to target the lead generation, nurturing and re-engagement stages of the sales cycle. Enterprise businesses tend to be guilty of this more so than smaller businesses just because of the sheer size of them and mass volumes of customers.

How to Develop an Awesome Global Marketing Strategy with Inbound in Mind

The inbound methodology is widely used by smaller B2B businesses. But can larger enterprise businesses implement it into their global marketing strategy? In short, yes.

Is it Important to Have a Lead Management System in Place?

Forty-six percent of marketers with well-planned lead management strategies have sales teams who follow up on more than 75 percent of leads. This shows that a strict lead management system can improve efficiency and the overall performance of your business.

What is Lead Management and How Do I Pull it Off Well?

How much easier would business be if you knew exactly what the customer wanted when they first came to you? Well, with an effective lead management system you can gain a pretty good idea that will make your life so much easier. But what is lead management? And how can you make it successful for your business? This post explains everything you need to know.

4 of the Best HubSpot Integrations You Need for Your Sales and Marketing Team

What separates HubSpot from a lot of other customer relationship management (CRM) platforms is the bank of integrations it offers. Seventeen percent of salespeople cite lack of integration with other tools as the biggest challenge using their existing CRM, so having over 200 integrations available should be enough to convince you why HubSpot is a juggernaut of a platform to consider.

HubSpot CRM or Salesforce which should you choose

HubSpot vs Salesforce: Which CRM platform reigns supreme?

The bigger your company grows the more data and leads you’re going to have to manage. This is a huge task and it can quickly become a mess if you don’t have the right system in place to keep it well organised. That’s where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software comes into play.

Everything You Need to Know About HubSpot’s Enterprise Features

Enterprise companies usually have so many complex moving pieces involved, such as more tools to manage, more people to coordinate and more campaigns to run. So, it’s not a great idea to add more platforms into the mix and attempt to juggle too many tools at once. That's why HubSpot’s all-in-one enterprise marketing software is ideal for both your sales and marketing teams. So, here are the HubSpot enterprise features you should know about.

Behind the Enterprise Marketing Curtain: Tactics to Learn From HubSpot

No enterprise company wants to be one that follows the crowd rather than blazing their own trail. We get it, it’s not the best way to emerge as a leader in any field, but that’s not to say that you can’t learn from the companies that went from small start-ups to incredible enterprise organisations.

Choosing an Enterprise CRM: 10 Features to Look Out For

Every enterprise company needs to have a comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) platform in place so you can handle complex processes. Here are some useful features that all enterprise CRMs should possess so those complex processes can be taken care of in a smart and easy way.

What's the Difference Between a Marketing Qualified Lead or Sales Qualified Lead?

An MQL is someone who is engaged with your team’s marketing efforts but isn’t ready to speak to a sales rep. An SQL, on the other hand, is someone who has indicated through their actions that they are ready for some sales attention.

Why You Should Create a Service Level Agreement Between Marketing and Sales

For a company that has true ambitions of sustainable growth, the alignment of their sales and marketing efforts is absolutely crucial. Organisations that have already made the transition and aligned the two departments are seeing measurable results internally and externally. The business as a whole is working more sustainably and overall, their bottom line is increasing all the time.

Sales enablement can be massively beneficial to your business. Whether it’s improving productivity, generating better-qualified leads or just generally increasing profit, implementing sales enablement best practices can be massively effective for your company.

10 Steps to creating a Sales Playbook

Time’s running out. There’s sweat dripping from your forehead. A lump in your throat. You’re in a selling situation where closing this deal is make or break. What do you do? This isn’t time for trial and error - there’s no other option but to engage the potential customer further and increase the likelihood of reaching that winning moment.

The 7 Biggest Benefits of Sales and Marketing Working Together

Some things are just meant to be together. Peanut butter and jam. Ross and Rachel. Alcohol and bad decisions. Believe it or not, sales and marketing work a lot better when working closely as opposed to independently. One needs the other to succeed and overall, your business benefits greatly when both teams are aligned and working on the same page.

10 Sales Collateral Ideas You Need to Implement This Quarter

The days of handing out some brochures and flyers might have been simple ways to boost marketing efforts, but they wouldn’t thrive in today’s world. For your sales team to stand any chance of closing the best leads possible, they need to work hand in hand with your marketing team.

Why You Need Sales Enablement Content (and Some Ideas to Get Started)

Content can make or break your entire sales process and that’s the main culprit of why many sales and marketing teams don’t tend to get along. Content is a crucial part of sales enablement as it’s basically content that enables your sales team to sell better. By equipping them with compelling resources, it can help your sales team increase sales. Here’s why you need sales enablement content and we’ve thrown in some bonus ideas to help you get started too.

Why is ‘outbound vs inbound sales’ even a question in 2021?

If the fierce battle between Thanos and the Avengers had you on the edge of your seat, then brace yourself for a clash that sends shivers down the spines of even the finest warriors - outbound vs inbound sales. With the internet at your prospects’ fingertips and minimal trust in salespeople, you need to choose the right sales approach in 2021 to close more deals.

WTF are Sales Trigger Events? And How Do They Even Help?

You’ll already know just how important it is for your sales team to contact the best prospects at the perfect time. Sadly, one problem a lot of sales teams like yours commonly face is that determining who to contact and when to contact them isn’t always an easy job. If you and the rest of your sales team are sick of those sky-high rejection rates, then it’s likely that sales trigger events can help. Here’s what you need to know about them and how they can help you.

What is Sales Enablement?

Although talk of sales enablement is dominating the inbound marketing world, there’s currently no universally-accepted definition. However, everyone who’s involved in any capacity can agree that it’s all about equipping sales teams with the relevant content and training so that they can not only focus on the better-qualified leads, but also be in a position where they can actually close them.

7 Benefits of Working With an Expert HubSpot Partner Agency

If you’re switching to HubSpot after working on a different platform, then it can take a little time to get used to. To make the transition as smooth as possible, it’s important to have an agency on-side that can answer difficult questions and make your life easier.

How a HubSpot Agency Can Help You With More than Just Marketing

HubSpot agencies are great for adding extra strings to your marketing bow. But, this isn’t all what they’re useful for. HubSpot agencies can help you with more than just your marketing campaigns. But in what other areas is HubSpot beneficial to your business?

9 Important Questions to Ask When Picking the Perfect HubSpot Agency Partner

Choosing a HubSpot partner to work with isn’t a decision that you should take lightly. Working with the right HubSpot partner maximises the chances of success and seeing incredible results for your business.

10 Ways to Create an Effective Lead Qualification Process

Through no fault of their own, a lot of sales teams are having to waste valuable time chasing leads that are a terrible fit. All of that time and effort goes to waste, so it’s no surprise if some of the team loses motivation. To create an effective lead qualification process to set up sales teams for plenty of success, it’s important for sales and marketing teams to come together at last.

Introducing Five New Additions to the Team

It's no secret that Digital 22 is growing rapidly and just before we enter 2019, we'd like to introduce our latest additions to the team. Keep reading to find out more about April, Oli, Chris, Sammie and Teagan to see what they can do to help our clients grow.

How to Improve Sales Productivity

Sales teams all over the world would be ecstatic if every single lead was created equally. It would be even better if they were all a good fit so they could close them one after another. Sadly, sales teams have become somewhat unproductive because they’re too busy chasing lower-quality leads when they should be focusing on high-quality ones.

Case Study: How 6 Years of Consistent Inbound Growth is a Great Fit for All Involved

See how inbound marketing grew monthly views by close-to 14,000%, helped our client expand into several new countries and helped increase turnover by 140%, with ecomm revenue going from €402k to €1.1m.

HubSpot Website Impact Award WINNER: How GDD Has Given Actionable Insights and Results

WiFi SPARK were struggling to make sure their website visitors received an experience that matched their superior product offering. They also had little-to-no insight into who was using their website, how they were doing so and why they were converting into contacts. Here's the story of how we helped with these issues by using Growth Driven Design. This blog post was submitted for a HubSpot Impact Award under the Website category and was the quarterly winner for Q4 2018.

HubSpot Graphic Design Impact Award WINNER: How We Used Animated Video to Explain a Client's Abstract Product

WiFi SPARK created a product which improves people's experience whilst being a patient in hospital, but the benefits are hard to demonstrate on film. We created an animated video that demonstrates how it works and how it helps. We submitted it as a case study for a HubSpot Impact Award in the Graphic Design category. This submission was the quarterly winner for Q4 2018.

8 Top Tips to Improve Sales Team Motivation

Different members of your sales team will want recognition in various ways but one thing they will have in common is the frustration of trying to close leads that turn out to be bad because they’ve probably been targeted too early. Then, that’s where the blame game comes in.

Stop Cold Calling: The 7 Main Disadvantages

Cold calling is dead. We’ve probably all been on the receiving end of one even to this day and more often than not, we all hang up really quickly. Put yourself in the cold caller’s shoes and just think about how much success you’ll have using outbound methods today.

HubSpot Sales Enablement Impact Award WINNER: How We Helped a Client Use Automation to Nurture Leads Digitally and Physically

This blog post was submitted for a HubSpot Impact Award for Sales Enablement. It tells the story of how Digital 22 used HubSpot and Sales Enablement Services to increase a client's turnover from £3.8M to close to £5M. The submission was the quarterly winner for Q4 2018 and the overall Grand Prize winner for 2018.

Why? What? How? All About Sales Marketing Alignment

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees. Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. Sales teams vs. Marketing teams. All vicious rivalries in their own right where they can spend many hours squabbling. An Aberdeen Group study claimed that a highly-aligned organisation achieved an average of 32 percent year-on-year revenue growth while less-aligned competitors saw a seven percent decrease.

2,500+ HubSpot Agency Partners: How Do You Choose the Best One?

There are over 2,500 agencies on the HubSpot Partner Directory for you to sort through when choosing one to work with your company. Where do you even start and how do you sort the good from the bad? Here are a few things to look out for when shopping around and some questions to ask before you make your final decision.

Is Sales Automation the Best Way to Secure Leads?

You’re probably in the same boat as many other sales managers and sales teams when it comes to the frustrations of selling woes. Losing leads because you forgot to follow-up with them, called leads based on the order they appeared rather than checking who was the best fit and spending too long adding leads to your CRM. It’s not fun and it’s not productive.

HubSpot Diamond Partners: What Makes Them So Special?

When looking for a HubSpot agency to work with, you’ll probably see that each one has achieved different levels, like Diamond, Platinum, Silver or Gold. Diamond is the highest tier that an agency can achieve, but what do they have to do to reach that level and what makes them better than those at a lower tier? Let’s find out.

The Importance of Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Robbie McFarlane - Inbound After Hours Podcast

INBOUND 18 was a very successful and memorable trip for Digital 22. Everyone in attendance learnt about all of the new product launches HubSpot has released, we soaked in some brilliant keynote speeches and we also managed to catch up with some special guests for Inbound After Hours.

20 min read

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How to Plan & Write an Inbound Marketing Email Workflow

Marketers can’t be blamed for assuming that creating workflows are a long-winded task. In reality, though, they’re heavily underappreciated when you consider the role they play in helping to nurture customers. In fact, any successful Inbound Marketing strategy should be using email automation workflows considering they have so many benefits. Here’s how you can plan and writing an Inbound Marketing email workflow for yourself.

Flywheel explained with Jon Dick - Inbound After Hours podcast

INBOUND 18 proved to be a memorable event in Boston this year. Not only for everyone in attendance with some brilliant keynotes and speeches, but also for Digital 22 as well.

7 quick video ideas marketers can implement this week

Although inbound video marketing now needs to be taken more seriously than ever, it doesn’t mean every marketer has to have skills like Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan. Sure, having a video editor on hand to create some compelling inbound videos is a great way to go - but inbound video marketing is for the entire team to get involved. If you want to get started with filming inbound videos yourself, here are some quick video ideas you can implement this week - without shelling out a fortune.

How to add video content to your inbound marketing strategy plan

By now, you must have heard just how important inbound video is to your marketing efforts. However, filming your inbound videos and actually implementing that into your inbound marketing content strategy plans are two different things. You need to know how it fits into inbound marketing, the buyer’s journey, the Flywheel and more. Here’s how to add inbound video content to your strategy plans.

What is inbound video?

Just like (written) content marketing, video marketing isn’t a brand new principle that marketers have stumbled upon thanks to pursuing inbound methods. The key difference is that the priority has always fallen on our written content and not on getting behind the camera and filming inbound videos that can achieve the same - or more - goals. It’s now more important than ever to dive into inbound video and make it a key part of your marketing strategy. But what exactly is inbound video?

The importance of video marketing & how to do It

There’s no shying away from the fact that your written content is always going to be important. What’s equally as essential is that you now incorporate inbound video into your marketing strategy if you want to take your effort to that all-important next level. Although video marketing isn’t anything new, the importance of inbound video within every marketing channel is something that should be given a lot more focus. So, find out how important it is and how you can do it yourself.

Monthly campaigns, 90-day campaigns or even six-month long marketing campaigns. There’s no right or wrong answer when asking how long your Inbound campaign should last. Everyone is going to have their own preference on how long each one should be. However, after trialling the different durations, we’ve found that working in 90-day cycles proves to be the most efficient way of creating a successful Inbound Marketing campaign. Here’s why we believe 90-day Inbound campaigns are a good amount of time.

A Proper Lead Nurturing Strategy Needs Proper Lead Scoring. Here’s how to Do it in HubSpot

Just imagine if all leads were created equal, how simple would our marketing efforts be? Sadly, not every single lead is a quality one and as harsh as it sounds, there are going to be plenty of visitors that come across your website that just won’t be a good fit. If anything, that’s a huge time killer and instead, the focus should be on handing over quality leads to your sales team. This is the important part, though. The best way sales teams can focus on the best leads possible is by lead scoring and it’s something every lead nurturing strategy needs. Here’s how you can set it up for yourself in HubSpot.

How to Create a Sitemap for Inbound Success

Any effective website is going to need a carefully-planned sitemap for it to be a success. Planning out a sitemap is vital when it comes to excelling in Inbound Marketing, as it’s a fantastic tool for planning, organising, building and brainstorming any large website project. Here’s how to create a sitemap for Inbound success.

An Effective Email Marketing Strategy Deletes Contacts More Than It Adds

Manchester HUG Round-Up - August 2018

The Manchester HUG event in August boasted two guest speakers this month. HubSpot’s Implementation Specialist, Stephen Fuery, explained how leveraging bots into your business can boost your marketing efforts, while Digital 22’s Content Manager, Paul Mortimer, discussed how you can plan the best blog titles imaginable. Check out their talks in the videos below, or scroll down for a handy read-friendly version to soak up some quick takeaways from both sessions.

A key guide to leveraging bots - Manchester HUG presentation, August 2018

Artificial Intelligence is (kind of) taking over the world. Robots might not be revolting in an AI takeover with Will Smith as our only hope, but bots are the future, and you’re probably wondering whether or not your business needs to create or use a bot in your marketing efforts. To clear up the confusion and misconception of bots, HubSpot’s implementation specialist, Stephen Fuery delivered a talk on bots during the Manchester HUG event in August. Check out the video below to watch Stephen’s talk on bots, or continue reading to see what was covered.

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How to Plan Blog Titles - Manchester HUG Presentation, August 2018

Whilst on-boarding new clients over the past six months, many have wanted to produce blogs. A recurring question has been, "What should we write about and how do we plan blog titles?" With that in mind, we had our topic to talk about at the August Manchester HUG event.

Did you Hear, Hubspot Integrates with Shopify?

We don’t know if you noticed but HubSpot now integrates with Shopify. No biggie. If you’ve been outsourcing for fiddly APIs to link the two, this is great news for you. The integration is designed to bridge the gap between your marketing efforts and ecommerce activities, which will make your job a load easier and your business (hopefully) a load more profitable. Here’s how the two coming together will benefit your company.

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Bots, Bots, Bots with Stephen Fuery from HubSpot - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 29

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is growing in popularity pretty much everywhere you see. In fact, even marketers can now easily dive into the world of AI too in the form of chatbots. In episode 29 of the Inbound After Hours podcast, the guys at Digital 22 are joined by HubSpot's Implementation Specialist, Stephen Fuery. Following on from his bots talk at the Manchester HUG in August, Stephen gets into more depth on how we're all able to implement bots to boost our Inbound Marketing efforts. There's plenty of discussion regarding the problems a bot can solve for businesses, what the future of bots looks like, advice on the best way to implement bots within your business and a whole lot more. Watch... Or Listen... As always, thank you for joining us this week! If you want to chat with some like minded folk about all things Inbound, then why not join our private Facebook Group? Inbound After Hours has been created so we can engage with other marketers and receive access to the latest news, updates, techniques and so much more. It's also a platform where you can voice your opinions and get involved. Simply click on the link below to join the group... Full transcript:

Google AdWords’ Change to Google Ads and What it Means for Your PPC Efforts

On July 24th, Google introduced a new change: changing AdWords to Ads. Google AdWords was launched nearly 18 years ago to help businesses connect with people online. But the way people are searching for answers to their questions has evolved a lot over the years. It’s not just a simple Google search anymore.

We’re not Onboarding any New Clients. Sorry, We’re Full!

We’ve had a fantastic period of growth here at Digital 22, whichever way you look at it. We’ve gone from a team of roughly ten, this time last year, to our 30th team member joining us in a couple of weeks. The reason we’ve hired so many staff is to help service a growing number of HubSpot clients, keep everything in-house and have a market leading standard of work…

Growth driven design

What is Growth Driven Design? Rikki Lear's Talk from the Leeds HubSpot User Group

Rikki Lear, Founder and Director of Digital 22, delivered a talk at the Leeds HubSpot User Group titled What is Growth Driven Design? Here's the video and a handy read-friendly version in case you don't have your headphones or just want some quick takeaways.

All About Inbound Video: The Key Takeaways From The Manchester HUG

Some marketers have been using video content for years, whilst others haven’t even considered it. At one of our Manchester HUG events our very own Mark Byrne covered all the aspects of using video on your website.

How to Manage a Migration to the HubSpot CRM

So, you’ve taken the leap and decided to board the HubSpot express. Or, at least, you’re close to making the decision. One of the biggest worries for a company making the move to another CRM system is the migration of data and the slight chance of losing any of your hard earned contacts. In this blog, we’ll be guiding you through the process of data migration to the HubSpot CRM in a way that’s clear and infallible.

Microphone on a table ready for podcasts

Getting Started With Podcasts: The Key Takeaways From The Manchester HUG

The popularity of podcasts has boomed very quickly in a short space of time. So, why aren’t more inbound marketers taking advantage and creating podcasts themselves?

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How and When to Use Website Personalisation With Hubspot

How do you feel when a barista at your local coffee shop greets you in a similar fashion to this? “Hi, Paige. What can I get for you today? The usual grande, iced, sugar-free vanilla latte with soy milk?” I will definitely be giving that coffee shop my custom for the foreseeable future, that’s for darn sure.

How to Bring Unengaged Contacts Back to Life with HubSpot

Does this story sound familiar? A contact has advanced through the sales and marketing funnel. Everything’s looking good and you’re certain this deal is in the bag. Then out of the blue, the contact disappears. They’re no longer downloading your offers or opening your emails.

How to use HubSpot to Analyse Your Blog and Write More of What Works

I believe you have to be made of stern stuff to be a blogger full-time (hats off to all the bloggers out there). It’s hard to write all day about different topics, or even the same topics, all whilst keeping the content fresh and interesting. You need to get those qualified leads rolling in, not forgetting to bump up the site in the SERPs. Easier said than done, as I’m sure you know.

Why Marketers Should Be Using HubSpot Sales (Everyday)

There’s an ongoing dispute between marketers and sales which needs to come to an end. You will get more out of your marketing and sales efforts if you work together, and that’s a fact.

3 Workflow Email Ideas To Use This Week

Workflows are under appreciated and to some marketers, they may seem like a long winded task. I mean, you can spend hours on them - coming up with an idea, writing numerous emails, and then building it, only to turn it on and just leave it to work its magic.

What Does Google Know About You? I was Shocked Even as a Digital Marketer

Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, we were talking in the office about how much the likes of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google etc really know about us. I've worked in digital marketing for over a decade so I am aware they know a lot, but I was still shocked by the level of detail I uncovered when I really looked into it for myself. From audio files of my wife and son that we never chose to record to knowing where my son goes to nursery and how many times I stopped at McDonald's when on the road with work, they know a hell of a lot.

Inbound Marketing Without HubSpot: is it Possible?

As the movement continues to grow, more people are wondering whether you need HubSpot's software to execute an inbound marketing strategy. After all, they're the leaders of the industry. The short answer is, "No, you can do inbound marketing without HubSpot." But why would you want to? Here are the benefits of using HubSpot to do inbound marketing.

HubSpot vs InfusionSoft: Which is Best for Inbound?

There are many all-in-one marketing software tools available out there and when they seem so similar, it can be difficult to choose which one is best for your company. HubSpot and InfusionSoft are two of the most popular platforms and each come with their own pros and cons. That's why this comparison post should help you come to a conclusion as to which is right for you. So, HubSpot vs InfusionSoft: which is best for inbound marketing?

Should I Use HubSpot? - 6 Reasons Your Company Doesn't Need It

Even after you've filtered through hours of different opinions and reviews about all of the different inbound marketing software your company can implement, it can be difficult to choose which of the many platforms can be the best solution for your company. HubSpot is a popular tool that is often the go-to answer for marketers but not everyone is sold right away. You're probably asking, "Should I use HubSpot?" so here are six reasons why your company doesn't need this platform.

Olivia Kirwan speaking at Manchester HUG

Manchester HUG February 2018: the Round-Up

On 15th February, we held the first Manchester HubSpot Users Group event of 2018. Taking place at Ziferblat in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, our event saw a full room of 58 attendees (our biggest turnout to date) and getting on for a couple of thousand viewers on our Facebook live stream. If you missed it, don't worry because here's the recap.

Facebook Recognises HubSpot as a Badged Marketing Partner

It's official - Facebook has named HubSpot an official badged marketing partner. This is down to HubSpot's rich capabilities and their deep expertise along with their impressive track record of success in advertising technology. Although the partnership between the two isn't new, it does build on their existing collaboration by including a handful of different integrations that can be hugely beneficial to inbound marketers like yourself. Here are the exciting new features to keep an eye on.

In this week's episode, we are joined by Oli Gardner, who is one of six Co-Founders at Unbounce. Oli has seen a lot of landing pages in his time and is set on identifying and reversing bad marketing practices. Oli is also a prolific international speaker.

26 min read

Digital 22 Has Become a HubSpot Diamond Partner (and we're very excited about it!)

It’s an immensely exciting (and somewhat surreal) moment for Digital 22 as today we have moved into the HubSpot partner elite by becoming a Diamond Partner.

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What is Inbound Recruitment? - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 23

In this episode of Inbound After Hours, we speak to Hannah Fleishman who is head of Inbound Recruitment at HubSpot. Find out what inbound recruitment is and discover how you can use the same inbound methodology for recruitment, as you do to get new leads.

What is a Diamond HubSpot Partner?

As agencies grow, attract customers and deliver successful results for their clients, their partner status is upgraded on HubSpot's Agency Partner Tiers Programme. The tiers range from Silver right through to the elite Diamond Partners. These aren't just labels randomly handed out either, as those agencies that are higher up the tiers unlock unique resources to fuel growth even more. But what is a Diamond HubSpot Partner? Let's find out.

Introducing Three New Team Members

As part of Digital 22's ongoing expansion (watch this space!), we've now added three new members to our digital marketing team. We'd like to introduce you to Paige, Tom and Mayzin. Read on to find out more about them, what they bring to the team and how they can help you.

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Interview with Cyrus Shepard - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 22

This week we have a very special guest on the show, Cyrus Shepard, former SEO head at the software company Moz. Find out all about his time at Moz and his rise to lead SEO, but also find out about what you need to know about developing a career as an SEO and the latest emerging trends within the SEO industry. If you are looking at getting into SEO, this is the podcast episode for you. Cyrus Shepard offers lots of advice for aspiring SEO's.

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What Should An Inbound Blog Be? - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 21

You've been told you need to blog, but you don't fully understand the inbound process. You're probably making some mistakes. In this podcast, we talk about content and inbound blogging in terms of what to include, inbound blogging tactics, what inbound blogging isn't and some of the common pitfalls. We talk through the process from choosing a keyword, right through to the final results.

26 min read

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Top Google Ads Tips and Tricks - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 20

Google Adwords is without a doubt a minefield, but you can learn so much by using the platform. In this podcast we talk about Google Adwords -is it worth the spend? Does it still offer value to companies? Are you being left behind if you aren't moving to social ads like your competitors? We also talk through what people should avoid when setting up their AdWords accounts, where you can learn and how you can maximise conversions. Paid search is not dead. Here are some links you might find useful, that are mentioned in the podcast: A Complete Guide to The New AdWords Interface PPC Insight - How Much Does the AdWords Cost? Inbound Influencers - Interview with Luke Summefield

19 min read

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Growth driven design

What is Growth Driven Design?

If you’re a designer, a developer, or even a digital marketer, you’ll understand the struggles of traditional web design. The launch is running late, the huge up-front budget was a guessing game, but it’s finally ready to go live. You hit the button and then throw your hands in the air in relief and hope for the best. Sound familiar?

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Inbound Marketing Planning for 2018 - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 19

Inbound marketing takes time. Time to plan, and time to see results. In our latest podcast, we talk through how you can begin to plan your campaigns for 2018, the process that you should go through, how long it will take to see results and how you can encourage buy-in from your team. We also quickly discuss why you should consider how your company will be affected by GDPR, which comes into force next year. Download the Inbound Marketing Planning Templates here.

Inbound 17 Recap and Review - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 18

Inbound 2017... Wow, what an experience! It's been about 2 months now since we returned from Inbound 17. We have had lots of time to reflect on what we learnt, how we can implement it for our clients and how other Hubspot users can make the most of what we learnt whilst we were there. Find out about the key themes, from bots to messenger. Watch or listen below to find out all about Inbound17.

25 min read

How Marketing Automation is Key to Inbound Marketing

For many of today’s businesses, it’s the norm to use marketing automation. When a new prospect signs up for weekly emails or a customer has bought a product, they can be added to a workflow which sends them targeted emails.

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Interview With Rand Fishkin From Moz: Marketing, Conferences & SEO - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 15

When we started Inbound After Hours, we had a chat about all the amazing people we could get on the show. This week we are delighted that the person on the very top of that list is on the show, Rand Fishkin (Founder and Former CEO of Moz). We chatted to Rand at the Inbound conference in Boston and about his experiences selling, and marketing Moz when it was an agency versus now as a SaaS company, why he speaks at events, what the major SEO talking points are today, what's next for Rand and much more.

HubSpot's New Sales Tools: For The Savvy Starters And The Practised Professionals

HubSpot have announced so many new features in the last few weeks and the sales tools are also getting a revamp. There are countless added functions, as well as some changes to the current features and structure. We’re going to give you a rundown on all these upcoming revisions, so for those of you worried about what might get changed, you don’t need to panic.

Delete Your Landing Pages! Why Pillar Pages Are The New Way Of Inbound

Scrap all the stuff you’ve been planning for your next Q1 campaigns - and maybe even your Q4s because things are about to change. It’s a “hold the front door” moment in marketing and it has me reeling slightly. Well, where do I start?

You're Reporting Wrong: Enter HubSpot's NEW Campaign Reporting & Analytics

On 15th August 2017, HubSpot released a Partner Day Sneak Peek Live webinar on Zoom about the new Campaign Reports and Analytics features coming soon. These new elements are currently being beta tested on partner accounts, and HubSpot will announce when the features are in full swing.

Inbound Evolving Success and Conversations

HubSpot’s NEW Release, Success And Conversations: How Will These Tools Help Marketers?

On HubSpot’s Partner Day Sneak Peek Live Webinar series, HubSpot discussed upcoming new features called Success and Conversations. There’s no release date as of yet since these tools are still in development, but they anticipate that they’ll be ready later this year. Both products are currently being announced at Inbound in Boston. (I’m in our very lovely office, but Rikki, Andrew, Paul, Mark, and James can give us more details when they’re back from Boston). So, here’s what we know so far about the new Conversations and Success features.

A 14 Year Old's Guide To Inbound Marketing

At Digital 22, we are always eager to get young people interested in inbound marketing, allowing them to have some work experience at an early, yet impressionable age.

Webinar

How to drive leads with Inbound Video Marketing [Free Video Webinar]

How To Motivate Yourself and Your Marketing Team with Luke Staton - Inbound After Hours - Ep 14

A bit of a different angle on the show this week. It's all about mindset and motivation - with guest Luke Staton (Performance Coach and Motivational Speaker). We met Luke at an event we were both speaking at. He managed to get a room full of marketers on their feet, energised and enjoying themselves so we thought he would be prefect for the show! If you have a marketing team to motivate - listen up...

44 min read

How To Use HubSpot Properly: 7 Questions To Check Your Portal Is Healthy

The biggest selling point of HubSpot is that it’s an all-in-one marketing platform, but that’s also it’s biggest setback. Many marketing managers and business owners source HubSpot as it’s an affordable option which contains exactly what they need, meaning the software often goes under-utilised and bluntly putting it, wasted. Whilst it may take 10,000 hours to master something, it’ll take you a fraction of that to be adept and know how to use HubSpot comfortably. The mastery? Well, that can come later. For now, you just need to ensure your portal (or HubSpot to you non-geeks) is all set up and you’re getting the most from the system.

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Content Marketing & SEO with Neil Patel - Inbound After Hours - Ep 13

Wow - this week we have another huge guest from the digital marketing world - best selling author and Co-Founder of Crazy Egg & Hello Bar: Neil Patel! In this episode with speak to Neil about SEO, content marketing and other digital marketing tactics working today.

13 min read

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Email Marketing in 2017, What Works and What Doesn't - Inbound After Hours - Ep 12

This week we talk about Email Marketing in 2017. What works right now, what doesn't, our pet hates, tips, tricks and much more!

SEO in 2017 & Beyond with Matthew Barby (Global Head of Growth & SEO at HubSpot) - Inbound After Hours - Ep 11

Our final guest from our visit to HubSpot HQ in Boston was Matthew Barby (Head of Growth & SEO at HubSpot). Matt is very well respected in the SEO industry so we quizzed him about SEO in 2017 to get viewers trusted advice on what works today, and what will work tomorrow...

Open up, it’s GDPR: Data lists and email scraping

Under GDPR, you’ll now have to prove consent to have and use both B2C and professional B2B data. You should be compliant by now, especially if you work in the wonderful world of marketing.

A Complete Guide To The New AdWords Interface

If you’re anyone like me, you probably woke up to a surprise this morning when you discovered a complete new Adwords interface. That once crisp, minimal look, gone quicker than you can say “what happened?”

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HubSpot's Marketing Strategies with Kipp Bodnar (CMO of HubSpot) - Inbound After Hours - Ep 10

Continuing with our guests from our visit to HubSpot HQ in Boston we spoke with Kipp Bodnar, CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of HubSpot. In this epiosde we talk about how HubSpot do marketing for themselves.

20 min read

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HubSpot COS v Wordpress Price Comparison - A Detailed and Honest Review

The HubSpot website platform (commonly referenced to as the COS) is a ‘next level’ platform for developing your website (you can compare the feature difference with Wordpress and Drupal here), but what is the difference between the two platforms when it comes to price?

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What Is HubSpot And Why Do We Use It? - Inbound After Hours Podcast - Ep 9

When we started the Inbound After Hours podcast we didn't intend to talk specifically about HubSpot that much. As it turns out as a HubSpot agency that's pretty tough to do! So we thought we would jump right in and do a full episode on HubSpot, so when we are waffling about it in the future you have some context!

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The Future Of Inbound Marketing, An Interview With Brian Halligan (CEO & Co-Founder of HubSpot) - Inbound After Hours Podcast - Ep 8

Wow, only 8 episodes into the podcast and we have managed to get the man himself on the show - Brian Halligan (Co-Founder & CEO of HubSpot). Brian wrote the book on inbound marketing, literally, so if you want to know where inbound marketing is going - this is the episode for you!

19 min read

5 Reasons The HubSpot COS Is Good Value For Money

Regardless of what plan you choose to use when taking out a HubSpot license, whether it be the basic, professional, or enterprise, it will come at a cost - and a pricey one at that. So, here’s 5 reasons the HubSpot COS is good value for money:

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Do big companies use search engines to pick suppliers?

This is a question which I actually get asked a lot, and each time I get asked, it literally blows my mind. I always feel like the people asking still don’t quite believe or understand the amount society relies on search engines.

3 Inbound Marketing Tips from #INBOUND16 (that I'm still using)

As one of the Inbound Managers at Digital 22, I’m lucky enough to be able to attend Hubspot’s INBOUND conference each year. This year will be my third trip and I think I’ve finally figured my way around the Boston convention centre…

Inbound After Hours Podcast - Why Podcasting Is Important with Jenny Butler of HubSpot - Episode 7

In this week's inbound after hours we had Jenny Butler from HubSpot join us to talk about podcasting. If your business is looking for another channel to grow awareness then listen up and learn why podcasting is important!

29 min read

Can The HubSpot COS Improve My PPC?

The HubSpot COS is often branded as the complete package that can carry out successful inbound marketing campaigns almost effortlessly. However, whilst SEO and content is part of your on-page optimisation, how exactly can HubSpot help PPC when your paid ads are on a completely separate platform?

How Much Would It Cost To Do Inbound Marketing Without HubSpot?

With the undeniable growth of inbound marketing and the positive results it brings, more and more businesses are looking to adopt the inbound methodology into their marketing strategy. However, just like with every marketing plan, there is a cost and whilst inbound marketing is fruitful, you need to be sure you’re getting the best value for your budget.

HubSpot CMS vs WordPress: Which is the easiest to use?

In some ways, comparing HubSpot and WordPress is like the old saying 'comparing apples to oranges'. They’re designed with completely different functions in mind - with a different audience and user in mind too.

Inbound After Hours Podcast - Why Creating Buyer Personas Is Critical - Episode 6

This week we chat about the importance of creating personas and why they are a critical foundation to your marketing strategy. We’ll discuss how to overcome challenges when creating personas and give you advice on how to overcome them.

CRO

7 High Impact CRO Trends You Should Implement In 2017

For many online businesses, Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is an important means of converting more visitors into customers. Every page of your website needs to be optimised to turn your passive visitors into active customers. It can be a tenuous process but once you’ve got it right, your website will become a ‘converting machine.’

hubspot cms and how it assists seo in your marketing

Can the HubSpot CMS help SEO?

The HubSpot CMS Hub offers a great website platform for any organisation looking to merge its website and marketing efforts. It’s not your average CMS. HubSpot’s fully-integrated, flexible and user-friendly solutions are an inbound marketer’s dream come true.

Inbound After Hours Podcast - The Importance Of Video Marketing 2017 - Episode 5

This week we chat about the importance of video marketing in 2017 as well as our challenges getting started with video, the challenges we think in-house marketing face and advice on how to overcome them.

Inbound Influencers - Video Interview With Sam Mallikarjunan (Marketing Fellow At HubSpot And Instructor At Harvard University)

In today's interview we speak to Sam Mallikarjunan a Marketing Fellow at HubSpot and Continuing Education Instructor at Harvard University.

HubSpot Vs Wordpress: Which Is The Best Content Optimization Software?

WordPress is perhaps the most popular and most commonly used content management system in the world. Its open sourcing means that designers and developers can make back-end website alterations behind the scenes. On the other hand, HubSpot COS (content optimization system) is an all-in-one platform where you can create web pages, blogs, and emails, and analyze it all in one system. Wordpress is made purely for creating content, whereas HubSpot is made for creating content and promoting it (social scheduling, optimization, sales, and so forth). Both systems have their plus points but in a battle of HubSpot COS vs Wordpress: which is the best platform to use?

HubSpot Partner Summit 2017 - The Best Bits + [VIDEO]

Every year HubSpot puts on an event for HubSpot tiered partners, The HubSpot Partner Summit. It’s an event we have attended since becoming a HubSpot Partner.

10 Reasons Why I Love The HubSpot Blogging Tool

There are many blogging platforms from WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr, or Medium to Ghost, HubSpot, Squarespace, or Wix. Each of these platforms has its benefits, depending on what you want to get across - for example Tumblr lends itself to images and a limited amount of text, but wouldn’t really lend itself to digital marketing. Squarespace has an ease of use for a user as does Wordpress, but none are as intuitive as the HubSpot blogging tool.

How Often Should I Review My Website Design?

It’s a common question we hear. How often should you review your website design? Many companies generally redesign their website every few years but you really should be reviewing your design a lot more often than that.

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Inbound After Hours Podcast - Episode 3 & 4 - Part 2 - Marketing And Sales Must Be Aligned With Diarmuid Walsh From HubSpot

This week we have the conclusion of last weeks episode featuring special guest, Diarmuid Walsh, from HubSpot, with a discussion on how sales and marketing must be aligned for the best results.

13 min read

Inbound Influencers - Video Interview With Dan Tyre (Sales Director At HubSpot)

In the latest episode of Inbound Influencers I had the pleasure of interviewing Dan Tyre, Sales Director at HubSpot. We talk all things sales and marketing alignment...

How To Align Google Adwords With Inbound Marketing (And Why You Should)

For a long time, there was disdain towards PPC from those professing the inbound marketing methodology. The coiners of the term inbound marketing, HubSpot, threw it in with the likes of cold calling and billboard ads as broken, impersonal and interruptive marketing.

Inbound After Hours Podcast - Episode 3 & 4 - Part 1 - Marketing And Sales Must Be Aligned With Diarmuid Walsh From HubSpot

This week on Inbound After Hours we have a special guest, Diarmuid Walsh, from HubSpot, and a special two-part episode. In this two part episode, we discussed why and how sales and marketing must be aligned for the best results.

19 min read

Inbound Influencers - Video Interview With Luke Summerfield (Founder Of Growth Driven Design At HubSpot)

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Luke Summerfield - founder of Growth-Driven Design, a website design process we have been utilising with our clients (and with amazing results).

32 min read

Creating a business case to move your website to the HubSpot CMS Hub.

Rigid, limited creativity and sometimes lacking security - traditional CMS' are just not agile enough for the modern marketer anymore. Enter the HubSpot CMS Hub. You know you need to change and adapt your systems, but how do you communicate that to the right people?

How Can An Agency Write About My Niche?

The benefits of Inbound Marketing and blogging as a whole are fruitful, but the age old question always crops up: how can an agency write about my niche?

Inbound After Hours Podcast - Episode 1 - All Things Blogging; Frequency, Length, Traffic and Leads

We've been working hard for several months on planning a video podcast which we believe marketers will love. It's been hard work and a steep learning curve but we are delighted that today we are releasing the first episode. The new show, Inbound After Hours, is a weekly show where we talk about inbound marketing (with a pint after work) and share our experience. So, here we go...

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Is My SEO Agency Ripping Me Off (And Much More) - Inbound Answered #3 [Video]

For the third episode of Inbound Answered, I answer 3 insightful viewer questions in the video (and transcript) below. The questions I tackled this week are: Is my SEO agency ripping me off? What tone should I use in my workflows? How do I do SEO in 2017?

14 min read

An in-depth look at HubSpot CRM vs SugarCRM: How to choose

Sometimes, you just have to cross boundaries - and for a humble marketer, that can be a big leap. When Digital 22 were asked by HubSpot to write a review of their sales tool compared to other platforms, we got ready to cross over to the other side. The Dark Side (to a marketer like me). The sales side of HubSpot.

What You Can Learn From Big Brands Pulling Out Of Google Advertising

A slew of massive brands and the leading advertising agencies in the world are taking a stand against Google. Some of the biggest companies around - HSBC, McDonald's, L'Oreal, Audi and the BBC, to name just five - have withdrawn advertising spend away from Google.

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4 Common Blogging Questions Answered - Inbound Answered #2 [Video]

The second instalment of our inbound marketing video series, Inbound Answered, tackled four common blogging questions. Watch the video, see the evidence, improve your blog.

Inbound answered

An Introduction To Inbound - Inbound Answered #0 [Intro Video]

This is the first video in our series which aims to answer all the questions we receive from clients and people we network with. In short, it's inbound answered. This is your introduction to inbound answered...

Our Best Inbound Marketing Resources Put Together In One List

To save some time, we've put together this list of resources and downloads, all from our own blog and website. This is your one stop shop for our best inbound marketing resources - and they're all FREE.

How To Get A Promotion In Your Marketing Role

If you want to make sure you're doing everything you need to be doing in order to make the step up to the next level at your company, read this to see how to get a promotion in your marketing role.

How To Track Marketing Campaigns Fully & Show Your Boss You're Amazing

Here's how to track marketing campaigns fully and conclusively. Make sure you highlight the right data, prove your campaign's worth and keep being allowed to go from strength to strength.

6 Sources To Stay Ahead Of The Digital Marketing Curve

To help you stay ahead of the digital marketing curve, we've collated a list of 6 places you should regularly check to make sure you're straight onto the latest developments, releases and trends in digital and inbound marketing.

Google Mobile First Search Index Launch & Other Google News

We are close to the full launch of the Google mobile first search index, which was announced last year. And there's been some other news recently, in relation to Google ranking factors, which we've rounded up here.

Insider

A Peek Inside Our New Office

As part of continued growth, we'll be moving offices in Spring 2017. Here's some progress shots to give you a look inside Digital 22's new office and a bit more info about what this means for the business.

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How To Do A Content Audit For Inbound [Free Template]

When creating an inbound strategy, it's important you do a content audit to help you identify what type of content you currently have and what's missing. Here's how to do a content audit for inbound (along with a free downloadable template).

Want To Work For Digital 22? We Are Hiring For 3 Roles!

Due to the continuing expansion of Digital 22 we currently have 3 new roles available. If you want to join a fast growing agency in an exciting industry and be part of a company that value honesty, positivity, learning, hard work and having fun then now's your chance!

Google Now Gives A Boost To HTTPS Sites

Google is continuously trying to improve their search results. They use countless ranking factors to judge websites to decide who should rank for each keyword.

We've got some fantastic news. Our team at Digital 22 won an award at the Digital Entrepreneur Awards 2016!

Why Do Businesses Need A Blog? [FREE BLOGGING TOOLS]

On almost every business website you visit, you'll see a blog. Some businesses like to share their company news in their blog whilst others use it to help potential customers with common problems. One of the biggest benefits of using a blog means you have an effective way of attracting traffic to your website. What's great about this traffic is that most of the people will be your ideal customer. So, why else do businesses need a blog? Here are the reasons why you should be blogging.

In the past few days, Google has announced, via a short Google+ post, that mobile search results are now featuring even more thumbnails. Make sure your key content is optimised to cater for this. Read why and how here.

How online video marketing can benefit your content strategy

Even though quite a large number of marketers are apprehensive when it comes to video marketing, there's no denying online video is the future. The success story that is YouTube proves how successful video is at grabbing people's attention and bringing them back for more. Along with blogging, you can use online video marketing to benefit your content strategy, here's how:

Selling products online is always getting more competitive. Google Shopping is a great means of attracting new customers but it's only worthwhile if your campaigns are actually bringing people to your website and through your checkout. Here are some techniques you can use to improve your Google Shopping campaign now.

Why do web designers keep going on about the importance of there being plenty of neutral space on your site? Well, for starters, they aren’t being lazy. Whilst it might be your instinct to fill every space of your web pages, having some blank space offers plenty of benefits for your online visitors.

Google's Marketing Opportunities During Sporting Events

Google recently released a study to marketers about how to capture the moment and seize an opportunity during UEFA Euro 2016. The document analyses the impact of the last major football tournament (the 2014 FIFA World Cup) on user searches and subsequent Euro 2016 marketing opportunities. This post has been added to and updated on the 19th September, following the completion of the Summer 2016 sporting events.

7 Quick Wins For Boosting Homepage Conversion

Your homepage is one of the most visited pages on your entire site. It needs to look incredible and engage with your visitors. But most importantly, it needs to convert visitors into leads.

Creating Heroes With Illustration And Design For Schools

We have been given further opportunity to give back to the younger generation through Illustration and Design for schools.

AdWords Is Changing For A 'Mobile First World' And You Should Too

Thanks to mobile technology and fast access to the internet, we’re becoming a ‘mobile-first’ world. For any search query, we can use our smart phones to get the answers. To cater for the increasing trend of mobile users, Google has been introducing multiple mobile friendly updates over the last year and now Google has redesigned their AdWords ads for mobile.

5 Reasons You Should Care About Website Navigation Design

The ultimate goal of any page on your website is for you to get leads to turn into customers. The navigation of your website design has to be perfect. You’d be surprised how many people spend so little time on the design of their website navigation. But it’s important that you think of site navigation like the map or skeleton of your website.

6 CRO Tips For Your Sign-Up Forms

O ptimising the conversion rate of your sign-up forms is a key building block in the online sales and nurturing process. It's the point at which your visitors decide whether to become a lead or not, so forms must be prioritised when it comes to reviewing your site's performance and optimisation .

Millennials Want Excellent Website Navigation: How To Improve

Generation Y-ers, or millennials, grew up alongside the internet. It was a novelty in their youth and they learned how to use it at the same time the internet worked out exactly how it wanted to be used. They were both on a coming-of-age, journey of discovery together, if you will.

5 Ways To Boost Website Conversion Rate In 24 Hours

Desperate to improve conversion? Then we've got a list of different ways you can boost website conversion in 24 hours.

What is HubSpot? Why we use (and love) the HubSpot CMS.

We're proud to be a HubSpot Diamond Certified Agency Partner, but what exactly is HubSpot? This blog post explains what it is, why we use it and why it's our Content Management System (CMS) of choice.

How Do I Get Started With Inbound? 5 Ways You Can Start Today

You may have already convinced your bosses that inbound marketing works and is the way to grow your tech business. If you're still working on that, you can read our blog post on it and then tell them these 5 steps to get started with inbound today.

Does PPC Work For Tech Startups?

PPC (pay-per-click or cost-per-click) is a very popular means of marketing online. It gets you ahead in organic search results. As a brand new company, it takes time for your organic keywords to rise and it’s likely your competitors already have a head start. PPC gives you the chance to get traffic and customers from the beginning. But there are the cons of PPC that need to be considered too; it can be difficult to calculate the costs of your AdWord campaign, for example. So, does PPC work for Tech Startups or should you consider another avenue of marketing?

Epic Call To Action Examples You Need To Use

Having answered "What is a call to action?" in an earlier blog post, we are now going to look at some theory and examples of best practice. Hopefully you will be inspired by these epic CTA examples and implement what's so good about them onto your own pages.

How Do I Measure And Report PPC ROI?

How to measure PPC ROI: (Revenue - Cost)/Cost x 100 = ROI% We know you're busy so there's a basic way to measure and report PPC ROI. In short, it's that formula, but the full explanation is below the title image.

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Why You Need Unique Value In Your Content And How To Get It

Offering unique value in your content - whatever form it comes in - is vital if you want to impact your bottom line and drive up conversions. In the few minutes it will take to read this post you'll have a better idea of how to add unique value to your online content.

Link Relevance: Why Relevancy Matters For SEO Optimisation

Relevancy is key when looking for outreach opportunities. Whilst your gut instinct will be to always reach out to high domain authority and busy traffic sites, sometimes you have to ask yourself: are those sites relevant to my website?

6 Reasons Why Brilliant Branding Is Important

A re you a business or a brand? Either way it’s an important question to consider because the answer could reveal whether your business is destined to be forgettable… or fantastic. Your brand really is THAT important.

Google Mobile Friendly Update In May 2016 Has HAPPENED

A couple of months ago, Google announced they were going to release a new mobile friendly update in May. And in typical-Google fashion, it has been quietly announced, this morning, they have finished rolling out the update.

What Is Anchor Text? Why Your Hyperlink Text Matters To Google

Anchor texts are important for the SEO of your site. They have multiple functions but they are extremely beneficial in the eyes of Google (as long as, you use them correctly!). Learn what anchor texts are and how you can use them effectively.

The Web Page Layout Best Practices Checklist

Here is the ultimate web page layout best practices checklist. We're going to go over every element of your page then you can design it effectively for online visitors who land on your site. The layout of your web pages will influence how successful your conversion rate will be. So, what's the best way to design the layout of your web page?

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9 things that will damage your domain authority & how to avoid them

When you're working on increasing your domain authority (DA), it can be frustrating when you notice a massive and sudden decline. Seeing a small dip of 1-5 points isn't usually a big deal (updates can make your authority fluctuate).

9 Reasons Heatmap Analysis Is An Essential Part Of Modern Web Design

What exactly can you do to make sure you have an efficient website design? O nce the preserve of sport scientists and the overly statistical football fan, heatmaps are now a widely popular web analytics tool. We have put together a list of 9 reasons why heatmap analysis is an essential part of modern web design.

5 Steps On How To Select The Right Keyword For Your URL

Okay, we know you're busy. Let's get straight into the 5 steps to show you how to select the right keyword for your URL.

7 Telltale Signs It’s Time For A Website Redesign

Whatever the form of your business, having a great website is a must. If E-Commerce is your field, your survival depends on it.If finding what your company offers and where to find you in the physical world is what people are heading to your site for, is your design optimised to make this as easy as possible? Here is a breakdown of 7 telltale signs it’s time for a website redesign.

12 Of The Best Time Saving Apps For Marketing Professionals

They're great to use in your social life, but are you using your smartphone to make your worklife easier?

How To Layout A Blog With A Best Practice Checklist

Creating the best possible content is hard enough. It would be a shame if your content was let down by something so fixable as how it is presented on the page. Follow this blog layout checklist to improve your layout and boost traffic numbers.

Introducing Paul To The Digital 22 Team

This year, we're seeing brand new additions to our team at Digital 22. At the end of last month, Paul joined us as our new Content Executive. Find out more about Paul and what he brings to the team.

How To Make Your Message Stick: 6 Tips To Improve Brand Communication

Avoid wasted time and effort and ensure your message sticks to improve brand communication.

PPC is an important advertising tool for businesses and it can be very profitable (if you use it correctly). Keywords with higher cost per conversion can be sapping your funds dry. If you're in the process of building your business, it's important to manage your PPC campaigns carefully. Here's some PPC advice for small businesses on how to approach keywords with higher cost conversions:

Google has confirmed it’s developing an artificial intelligence algorithm called RankBrain as part of it's overall ranking algorithm to help results rank 'more naturally'. Hearing the words ‘artificial intelligence’ doesn’t always inspire positive connotations. Films like Ex Machina (2015), I, Robot (2004) and Hal from 2001: Space Odyssey (1968) have fed an irrational fear toward AI. So, what is Google Rankbrain and should we be afraid?

Watch out SEOs: new Penguin update before the end of 2015?

We knew it would return eventually. Every year since it's release, Google's Penguin update has been shaking up people's rankings by stamping down on spammy sites. As of yet, there's no official date but Gary Illes from Google has suggested there will be a new, permanent Penguin update by the end of the year.

How To Market Services: 7 Steps To Stand Out Success

Creating an effective brand image is a difficult task all new businesses need to master, so we’ve collected the best tips for you to get started, you can thank us later.

Tech Businesses: How to build a customer base that converts in 7 days

Having to build a customer base is a priority for all new businesses. To be successful as an online tech business, you need a customer list of reliable contact information. With this list, you can communicate with your customers and nurture them. But where do you start? We cut through the myriad of options and explain the quickest route to creating a list of converting contacts in 7 days.

How to engage with customers: 4 essential steps (with examples)

Do you remember the old days, when the only ways for businesses to engage with customers was by costly TV ads or communicating with their customers via post? Thanks to the internet and mobile technology, it's so much easier for businesses to connect with you. For business owners, this means there are hundreds of ways you can now communicate. Let's explore four popular modern methods and see how the professionals use them to market their business.

How To Attract More Visitors To Your Website - 5 Super Simple Methods

How To Attract Visitors To Your Website - 5 Super Simple But Effective Methods You have created a brand new website and you’re sat waiting for visitors to come, but you might be disappointed. Launching a website doesn’t mean your website will attract more visitors. You need to help people find you by increasing your site’s visibility.

Benefits Of Infographics: 7 Ways To Boost Your Audience

Benefits of Infographics: 7 Ways to Boost Your Audience (View Full Infographic below) You’ve got some compelling data, or some exciting statistics that you can’t wait to show the world and after messing around in excel it still looks pretty boring.

6 major misconceptions about SEO you need to avoid

Over the years, many misconceptions about SEO have appeared. Everyone can do SEO, if you're not getting immediate results then there's something wrong with your SEO strategy, SEO is a scam - do any of these sound familiar? These false comments can be very harmful to your current marketing strategies if you fall victim to them. Do you remember our popular blog post The Definitive List of SEO Myths? Now let's have a look at the most common misconceptions of SEO so you don't get taken down by the wrong facts.

Custom vs Template Website Design: What You Need To Know

Did you know some 'design agencies' will pass template design off as 'custom'? They have a responsibility to make sure you are fully informed, and that should include discussing the options available to you when it comes to your website design.

Exterminate: How to obliterate the competition

In today's market you have to be willing to compete against other businesses to be successful in your industry. Now that more small businesses are moving their business online, competition is getting fiercer. You can't stick your head in the sand and hope your competitors won't take your customers away, you need to act and obliterate the competition! Learn how to analyse your competition to outmatch and exterminate them.

5 ways to build an authority website and electrify your site visits

When you set out to build a website, you obviously focus on things like the content, the ease of use and user experience as well as the look of your homepage. All honorable mentions and whilst very important, they will have considerably less influence on unique, organic traffic when compared to your sites authority.

Your website is weak. Use these 5 techniques to make it bulletproof

If you want to enjoy lofty search rankings that bring in hordes of unique visitors, you'll need a strong and robust site. Here are the 5 fundamentals you must consider. Start today and inject your site with a shot of adrenaline.

Is it really working? 5 ways to calculate and improve your marketing success

Having an excellent marketing strategy is pinnacle to achieving success in your business. But, how do you know if your marketing is any good? You don't want to wait until your business crumbles before realising your strategy wasn't working. We've collected some of the best ways you can reliably assess and improve your marketing tactics. Find out what's working and what isn't!

7 Confidence Boosting Facts For SMEs : State Of Inbound 2015 [Free Download]

Each year Hubspot compiles data from around the globe to determine the key trends and developments in the Inbound (and Outbound) marketing world. This is the seventh year of the 'State of Inbound' report and the insightful data keeps on coming...

Why businesses need SEO and how it can benefit you [SlideShare]

Do you have website but nobody is finding it? The World Wide Web is a big place and if you aren't actively marketing your website it will never be found.

The 5 Step Process To Defining Your Brands Tone Of Voice

How do you go about defining your brand's tone of voice? Start, by thinking about your customers. Once you understand them, you can then consider the things you need to include to help you engage. Use this 5-step process to create your brands perfect tone.

What is a Millennial? Here's the answer + 4 incredibly simple ways to engage them

Millennials are the digitally fluent generation who have come to rely on the internet; using it to learn, research and make decisions. To market to individuals who are tech savvy, you need a strategy that interacts with their mindset. First, understand who Millennials are and then create a marketing strategy they will engage with.

Will Google 'Customer Match' benefit your paid search campaign?

With the progress of mobile technology, consumers can now locate information in an instant. Google prides itself on finding relevant information for search enquiries and have introduced Customer Match, which they believe can help businesses benefit from ads with better context around the web.

Introducing 3 new members to the Digital 22 Team

As Digital 22 continues to grow, we grow bigger and stronger! And over the last couple of months we have had new additions to the team. Make sure to say hello to the new recruits!

What is Tone of Voice? 5 points that show why your words really matter

Tone of voice is often considered as one of the highest priorities when starting a new business. The tone of your business can help customers engage with you and is very beneficial for businesses using Inbound Marketing. We have collected the top 5 factors you need to consider when creating your company's voice.

How do I reduce my website's bounce rate?: 10 steps to take today

Visitors keep bouncin'? There are many methods and a few simple steps to take which will improve your plight. We've rounded up the 10 best ways to reduce your bounce rate below:

Inbound 2015 Review: The Session Notes Marketers Need To Know

This month we travelled to Boston Massachusetts for the annual Inbound 2015 Conference. The convention centre welcomed more than 14,000 business owners, marketing professionals and Inbound experts who shared practical, actionable tips with each other and discussed the future of Inbound marketing.

Tech news

The Facebook dislike button - bad for business?

With Mark Zuckerberg announcing Facebook is working on a ‘dislike’ button, it makes you wonder what that could mean for small businesses.

Put your money where your metrics are: How Hubspot's new Ad feature will simplify your investment and increase conversion

Hubspot has traditionally avoided paid advertising, seeing it as out-dated and un-specific. When you see an ad declaring the possibility to look 50 years younger in 3 easy steps, you can see why they didn't favour such an unpersonal, out of context approach...

The Ultimate Battle - Old vs New - Graphic Design - Infographic

Are you an old school or a newbie designer? If you have ever worked in a Design Studio you will have experienced the constant conflict between “Old” and “New” Design...

Get to know CRM and why it will revolutionise your sales growth

What is CRM? When searching for a reliable, effective and time-saving strategy to grow your sales - to put it simply, all roads lead to CRM. But what is CRM and why do we believe it will revolutionise your sales growth?

Looking to grow your business on a budget? Here's 5 reasons PPC is a great place to start

We know that It can be incredibly difficult to allocate your marketing budget well. There are many avenues to visit and all offer distinct and well documented advantages. But which do you choose when you don't have the time or funds to experiment?

Digital 22: Half Year Review 2015

Can you believe we are past the half way point of 2015 already?! At intervals like this I like to sit back and reflect on what has happened over the previous months (I did a similar post at the end of 2014). I think it helps me appreciate what has happened in the business and the companies we have helped.

Google tests striking AdWord format that could give your local business priority

Have you ever felt like your business seems to be at the bottom of the search results no matter what you do? Whilst bigger companies with bigger budgets invest heavily and draw up huge marketing teams to perfect their strategy, it can often seem like an impossible task to attract leads from search when competing in a busy market. fortunately, this may be about to change...Phew!

Why do some small businesses fail?

The UK is packed with innovative young businesses, full of fresh ideas. It has recently been reported that 46% of these are expecting to grow in 2015. This is of course, great news for the UK economy and an exciting time for those businesses expecting growth. But what about the businesses that don't see the same growth? Why do small businesses fail? The reasons for failure can be varied and diverse, but we've highlighted some key reasons below:

What impact will the Facebook Newsfeed Update have on your business?

The goal of the News Feed has always been to show the user relevant content that is important to them. Facebook constantly attempts to improve this experience and based on recent feedback, it was suggested that people were missing important updates from those that mattered most, whilst having their feeds bombarded by unwanted posts liked by their friends. With this in mind, Facebook recently updated their news feed algorithm. This will impact businesses wanting to market to new customers. We've rounded up the changes and outlined the impact below:

5 Reasons studying the competition is key to small business growth

When searching for small business growth; the focus can often be largely internal. Your team, your product and your service offering are always key considerations - and while these are great places to begin the competition is often overlooked. Many business aren't sure who they are competing with or why it even really matters. Whilst self belief and the determination to succeed are admirable traits, the reality is that ignoring the competition doesn't make business sense. With this in mind we've decided to round up our 5 key reasons your competition shouldn't be ignored:

4 key points from the summer budget that will impact small business growth

It turns out that half of MPs are completely unaware of the government's own policies set out for small business growth. Almost 60% admitted they had never heard of the Angel CoFund, the Government's £100m seed investment arm, while the Patent Box legislation, helping entrepreneurs profit from their own intellectual property, was a mystery to 53% of MPs.

Digital 22 Welcomes Andrew To The Team

Digital 22 proudly welcomes our Inbound marketing consultant, Andrew Thomas. Keen cyclist Andrew joins our team after a diverse background in e-commerce, inbound marketing and IT. He will lead the inbound team, helping create unique content to drive the right traffic to your site - turning customers into promoters.

12 Point SEO Checklist for Business Owners: The Basics

If you have built a new website, it is worthwhile checking that the SEO basics are in place in order to improve its search engine visibility. Whilst each website is unique and may have different areas to optimise, there are a few common updates to put into place as soon as possible, to give the website the best possible start for improving its visibility in the search engine listings from the outset. We have put these together in our SEO checklist for business owners below.

PPC: What You Need To Know Before You Start

No matter what size your business is, you need to think hard about WHERE to spend your marketing budget. One highly successful method, used by many companies, is PPC (Pay per click advertising - not sure what this is? Read this post first). Here are a few things to consider before embarking on your PPC adventure:

When should I invest in SEO? 7 Signs That The Time Is Right

In the same way you don’t need to be a plumber to know when your washing machine is overflowing, you don’t need to be a web expert to know when your website isn’t performing well in the search engine results. Luckily, a poor performing website won’t leave you with a flooded kitchen, but it could waste your web design investment and a valuable opportunity to generate constant leads.

What is inbound marketing software?

As a business owner, you may know what inbound marketing is and what it entails. However, most people then ask what is inbound marketing software and how could it support my business?

We Are Hiring: (Digital Marketing) SEO Apprentice

Based in Lancashire and looking to start a career in digital marketing? Our new role could be just right for you!

SEO Benefits: Subdomain or Subfolder?

Setting up a new website section or blog is exciting. However, before you can really get started, you’ll need to choose between a subdomain or a subdirectory structure. This can be a puzzling decision that stops you in your tracks. To help you make a more informed choice we’ve put together the pros and cons of both.

The DEFINITIVE list of SEO Myths

Nearly every blog in the digital marketing sphere has a post about SEO myths. Whether it's “10 SEO myths I hate”, “5 SEO Myths in 2015 or “15 SEO myths from the experts”. These blog posts are popular and for good reason. There is a lot of rubbish on the web about SEO and even major publishers provide terrible advice on SEO. Therefore people want to be educated on what is great advice and what is going to land them in a world of pain.

Does PPC Help SEO?

A common question people brand new to digital marketing ask is: “If we start an AdWords PPC campaign through Google, will it aid our SEO?” A common misconception is that if you pay Google, it will help you out organically. Thankfully that isn’t the case, Google doesn’t give ANY preference to websites that run PPC campaigns when it comes to organic listing.

Google confirms changes in quality assessment (AKA Phantom Update)

For those in the know; your eyes haven’t been deceiving you, Google’s results really have changed since the beginning of this month, and the company officially confirmed it by saying this is due to a change with how it assesses content quality.

Apple Bot confirmed. Is an Apple Search Engine in the pipeline?

Apple has now confirmed Apple Bot, but what is its intention? It is unclear if Apple plans on building and competing against Google with an Apple Search Engine but this is one step closer.

How To Draw In Illustrator

There’s a lot more to it than pencils and colouring crayons. Admittedly, some of our work does involve colouring but we can create YOU amazing illustrations that can be used as a great visualisation tool to enhance your project.

Analyse this: Search Analytics Report goes live in Google Webmaster Tools

It’s official, Google has finally unveiled its latest Search Analytics Report as a part of Google Webmaster Tools.

Google test the resolve of mobile-friendly tags in Adwords

Last week saw the launch of Google’s Mobile-Friendly update within organic search results, and now tech experts have come across a mobile-friendly tag within paid search results via AdWords.

How to pick the best SEO company for YOUR business

Have you just launched your new online business or decided that your current SEO company simply isn’t achieving the results you require? Now is the perfect time to look for a new company to work with. Of course, with so many different SEO agenices, consultants and freelancers out there, it can be difficult knowing where to start your search. Luckily for you, we have provided a few tips on what to look to ensure you get the best SEO company for YOUR business.

PPC Beginners - 5 PPC Myths You Need To Know

Got a PPC account and not sure what advice to listen to? Well, below are 5 myths which we would NOT recommend you action and here's why....

English Christmas Songs by Region

In the lead up to Christmas a debate raged in the Digital 22 office about which of our home regions have had the best Christmas songs. In an attempt to prove the North West (my home region) is the best I created this infographic showing the major English Christmas songs by region.