An inbound marketing and HubSpot blog by marketers for marketers

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 in 2020.

2020 is now in full swing which means it’s time for businesses to adopt new trends, whip out the playbook to use fresh tactics and implement new technology. The 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.

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 to launch your first conversational 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.

New to inbound? Here’s how to do inbound marketing like a pro

A lot of people are asking how to do inbound marketing. It’s a style of marketing that’s fresh, original, provides value for customers and ultimately increases your conversion rate.

Which Is Best For Inbound: Agency vs In-House Marketing?

With the growth of inbound marketing as a response to failing outbound techniques, more and more companies are adopting inbound methods as the key means of marketing. Given that a large part of the philosophy relies on being an authority on a particular niche and that you need to produce swathes of content to attract and nurture leads, it's tempting to conduct your own inbound campaigns.

9 Benefits Of Video Marketing For Growing Businesses

With 54% of consumers wanting to see branded video content from businesses, 55% of people consuming video content thoroughly rather than skimming and a predicted 82% of all IP traffic being represented by video content by 2021, as a marketer, is video really something you can afford to ignore?

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Inbound marketing results - what can I expect and when?

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.

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?' 36 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.

13 min read

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 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

It can be difficult to prioritise personal development when there’s lots of work to be done at the office. Putting time aside to attend a marketing event can seem scary or selfish at first. With impending deadlines breathing down your neck and the fight to stay relevant in the evolving marketing industry - it can seem impractical.

How to get people using your HubSpot chatbot

You’ve recently implemented your bot onto HubSpot and are happy with the strategy in place. The next step is figuring out how you can get people using your chatbot as quickly as possible.

Chatbot marketing: 12 crucial mistakes you need to avoid

To remain competitive and meet the demanding needs of customers who now expect businesses to provide a round-the-clock service, companies need to implement chatbots into their strategies.

8 features to look for in the perfect live chat software

Today’s customers aren’t used to waiting. Webpage speeds are faster than ever, whole seasons of TV shows are binge-watched the day they’re released and smartphone cameras give us access to breaking news stories as they unfold. If it’s not fast, we’re not interested.

Inbound After Hours with Marija Ilic: How important video is for sales (and loads of tips)

Another week, another podcast. This time, we’ve got a 20-minute show with a video expert from Vidyard, Marija Ilic. Whilst she was here training our team, Mark sat down with her to chat through how important video is in the modern-day sales process and got about 200 tips on how to succeed at video. Check it out now.

5 benefits of live chat over chatbots (but is it really better?)

Although chatbots and live chats share a common goal (to support and scale business teams in their relations with customers), there are certain differences between the two which are important to know about.

Inbound After Hours with Rob Sale: How easy is it to get started with video?

In early 2019, we chose to become an official Vidyard partner. When we saw the back-end analytics that Vidyard’s integration with HubSpot offered, it was an absolute no-brainer. Another no-brainer was making sure we got the ultimate onboarding experience from Vidyard themselves so that we can get the most out of the tool for our clients.

4 reasons why you should encourage your employees to attend conferences

In today’s eager to learn society, there are so many interesting and high-quality conferences to attend. Every niche and sector is catered for, industry leaders share their most pivotal knowledge and valuable insights are gained. Letting employees leave the office for an event is a small cost for the long-term benefits you’ll reap.

5 Easy Steps to Reduce Your PPC Costs

Working to a set budget can be difficult and making sure you achieve the best possible outcome within a budget is no easy feat. Just like with any budget, you need to ensure your PPC spend is utilised to its maximum use. So, how do you know if your PPC campaigns are optimised?

LOVE INBOUND: The marketing conference you need to attend

On the 27th of February 2019, we hosted LOVE INBOUND 2019 at Holmes Mill, Clitheroe. The event gave lovers of inbound marketing the chance to hear from leading experts and network with others working in the industry.

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.

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:

9 min read

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. Here, we’ll dig deeper into how these tech tools have changed the game of customer support.

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.

Is Using Video in Your Sales Process Even Worth it?

Yes. Videos are great additions to every branch of your marketing, including sales. Think of how many videos you watch on social media every day and how many of your favourite brands create videos. Why wouldn’t they be a good addition to your business’ sales process? The results speak for themselves.

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. They’re effective, engaging and will boost your next marketing campaign, but they come at a cost.

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.

Digital 22 Wins HubSpot EMEA Partner of the Year for 2018

Our Favourite HubSpot Sales Tools and Why We Love Them

Just like the old saying “behind every great man, there’s a great woman”, behind every great marketing agency, there’s a clever marketing and sales platform tool. We’re in favour of HubSpot - it’s pretty ace and has definitely helped us reach the heights we’re at now, with no signs of stopping.

Digital 22 Wins a Bunch of HubSpot Impact Awards

Digital 22 has won four internationally recognised awards for their services during 2018. The fast-growing agency, based in Holmes Mill in Clitheroe, works exclusively with the industry-leading platform, HubSpot, as a top-tier partner agency. The company beat off the competition of thousands of other agencies in three quarterly awards and one Grand Prize yearly award.

5 Insightful Reports You Can Create For Your Sales Team

Rather than your sales team wasting their time and focusing outwards on prospecting, it makes a lot more sense to look inwards at the wealth of information a CRM like HubSpot can provide. A CRM software enables your sales team to capture, monitor and understand your contacts and effectively close more deals.

3 Signs That Your Business Needs a Sales Enablement Strategy

The modern day buyer is more independent than ever before. Before talking to any salesperson, buyers usually like to go out and look for product reviews, customer brand testimonials and recommendations. For this reason alone, it’s important that your business has a sales enablement strategy in place.

How to Integrate Salesforce with HubSpot

The only way you’re going to see any substantial growth on an enterprise level is if you can do your part to keep your marketing and sales databases in perfect harmony. That’s where the HubSpot and Salesforce integration can help, as the integration lets you freely pass data between both seamlessly.

4 Reasons Why Your Agency Should Try Sales Enablement

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.

11 Steps to Creating a Sales Playbook

If you’ve ever watched American Football, then you’ve probably come across a playbook before. It’s when the coach whips out his book full of strategies and tactics for his players to follow.

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 2020?!

Outbound vs inbound sales is probably a bigger battle than Marvel and DC or the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, as both sides will tell you that their way of marketing is the ‘right’ way of doing it. Obviously, by now you know what each method of selling is all about and even though it sounds straightforward, both employ different channels and have their own pros and cons.

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 and how much of a focus there needs to be on it in 2019. 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.

22 min read

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?

Portrait of a happy casual woman sitting on the floor with laptop on gray background

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.

Google Hates SEO - So Why Bother with Inbound Marketing?

Have you seen the screenshots going round of Google showing zero search returns for certain search queries? In case you missed them, here's another one:

Could HubSpot Projects Simplify Your Campaign Management?

Managing campaigns for numerous clients can make the process slightly confusing, especially if you're new to HubSpot and still getting to grips with it all. As your team continues to grow, so do the things that go into creating and finishing projects. This includes planning the campaigns, assigning tasks, ensuring you're meeting all deliverables and so on. HubSpot Projects is something that is seen as the solution, but can it really simplify your campaign management? The short answer is: Yes, but it has limitations.

The new HubSpot Traffic Analytics dashboard

HubSpot's Switch from Reporting on Views to Sessions: What This Means & Why It's Useful

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Pop-ups, Landing Pages and Public Speaking with Oli Gardner - Inbound After Hours - Ep. 24

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.

22 min read

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.’

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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

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

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

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?

How to get out of your HubSpot contract: A step by step guide.

To quickly answer your question, here are the steps to cancel the HubSpot marketing product you’ve signed up to:

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 have to cross boundaries. When Digital 22 were asked by HubSpot to write a review of their sales tool in comparison 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.

Inbound answered

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:

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?

7 Things That Will Damage Your Domain Authority & How To Avoid Them

When you're working on increasing your domain authority (DA) it can be incredibly frustrating when you notice a massive and sudden decline. Seeing a small dip of 1-5 points is not usually a big deal (updates can make your authority fluctuate). However, if you see a big change, it's normal to feel a bit worried. There are certain actions that can hugely damage your domain authority. Are you guilty of damaging your DA?

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.

22 min read

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.