5 Creative Link-Building Techniques For Your Website

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Busted! 23 Marketing Myths Held By (Some) Industries

Even though inbound marketing has been a huge success within so many different industries, there are still some companies that are shackled with misconceptions about whether it will work for them. In fact, we have identified 23 myths about inbound marketing that some people may think are true.

Time to bust these myths!

1) “Content creation is inbound marketing.”

There's a common misconception that “creating more content is all we need to do.” Don't get us wrong. We emphasize the importance of creating content to give your buyers the information they are looking for, while simultaneously establishing you as the “expert” on the subject matter they are searching for, resulting in building trust in the process.

But content is only one piece of the puzzle. The inbound strategy also consists of marketing automation software integration, website design, SEO, social media, email marketing, and lead nurturing, among others.

2) "Inbound Marketing is an Internet 'fad' that will pass.”

Even though inbound marketing is becoming widely known and used among many industries, some skeptics still think it is just an Internet “fad.” Fortunately, that leaves a clear runway for the firms who desire to be the leaders in their industries by taking advantage of the huge opportunities afforded through inbound marketing.

In fact, according to HubSpot's “State of Inbound 2015” report, “3 out of 4 marketers across the globe prioritize an inbound approach to marketing.” And trust us, once one firm gains the advantages of inbound marketing in your industry, the others will want to follow. Just try not to be the last one to get to bat.

3) "It's hard to determine the ROI of inbound marketing.”

Somewhere along the way the myth was created that it's difficult to measure ROI with inbound marketing. Fortunately, this myth couldn't be more wrong. With the right marketing automation platform, such as HubSpot, it's easy to track prospects from their initial interaction to a sale.

According to the “State of Inbound 2015” report, marketers who saw a higher marketing ROI in 2014 were more likely to have used marketing automation software. This software allows you to easily check your analytics to see what is working and not working.  Respondents to the marketing survey whose teams checked marketing metrics three or more times a week were over 20% more likely to see an increased ROI in 2015[1].

4) “Digital marketing is a cost, not a revenue generator.”

This myth is actually backwards. The truth is digital marketing is a revenue generator, not a cost. When you think about it, digital marketing has an infinite shelf life. It provides higher return-on-investments over a longer period of time. Outbound marketing, on the other hand, has a shorter shelf life, with unpredictable and lower ROI's.

According to HubSpot's “State of Inbound 2015” report, “inbound efforts achieve higher ROI than outbound regardless of company size or total marketing spend.” In fact, every company they surveyed, regardless of marketing spend, “was three times as likely to see higher ROI on inbound marketing campaigns than on outbound.”  There's a time for sprints, and there is a time for marathons. Shoot for the marathon. The reward is higher and the distance reached is farther.

5) “Having a website is good enough.”

No more of this “if you build it, they will come” mentality. You have to put yourself out there for people to notice you. Hundreds, maybe thousands of companies are competing with you on the web for your ideal client's business.

If you are not putting yourself in front of them on that digital screen with valuable information that catches their eye and helps answer their questions, you most likely will not be discovered. And you definitely will not be able to use the most effective and valuable tool to grow your business - the Internet. We no longer live in a world where you can simply have a website and that's good enough.

6) “My website does not need to be mobile enabled.”

In 2015 Google made this myth so very false. In fact, if your site is not mobile-enabled, your company's search engine ranking is severely penalized. Google will not even show your website in their mobile search results if your site is not mobile-enabled. And when we say mobile, we mean smartphones, iPads, tablets, Surface Pro's, and anything that is literally not an actual desktop or laptop. Don't get fooled by this myth.

7) “A website redesign is all that's needed to increase sales.”

While a pretty website with all the bells and whistles may be nice to have, if you can't get traffic to your website, then it means nothing. The digital world outside your website is just as important as the world inside your website. So if you think that by just getting a website redesign your sales will dramatically change, think again.

The first thing you need to determine is what the root problem is that makes you think you need a website redesign. You may find that it's much more than simply your website that needs an overhaul.

8) “Word of mouth is all we need to make our sales.”

Many companies, and even entire industries, still rely heavily on word of mouth for their marketing and sales. We like to refer to this as the “old school method.” For many “old-school” industries, word of mouth and referrals have been their marketing bread and butter.

While we do not believe you should stop this well-established method, we just know that in today's world it can no longer be the only method for winning more contracts. In order to advance your firm above your competition, you need to adapt and embrace the digital world's “word of mouth” methodology.

9) “Marketing is not needed in an RFP-driven industry.”

Relying on RFP-driven sales can be discouraging. Many think that there's no point in marketing for RFP's if the process is set. But there's the catch. If you get your firm ahead of the RFP process, before your “buyers” are filtering whether you meet the qualifications to make it to the “short list,” that's when you see the shift. Inbound marketing creates that shift and helps you beat the RFP-driven process.

10) "I just need some SEO to get my website found.”

When we conduct a competitive analysis for clients that compares them to their top competitors on all areas of marketing effectiveness, SEO is just 1 of 30 analytical components we look at.

Why? Because SEO is only one factor that affects your company's visibility and exposure to your audience. This is not to say that SEO is not important. It is very important. It is to say that SEO alone is simply not enough in today's competitive digital presence to grow your company.

11) “I don't need a case study to prove my work.”

When a buyer is assessing your products or services, they will likely want to look at examples in which you have performed similar work. Prospects want to know the bottom-line effectiveness of your work. If you give them hard numbers, a detailed description, along with testimonials from past work as a case study, you leave very little room for them to wonder if you are right for that job.

12) “A photo and brief paragraph effectively depicts our work.”

Many companies have a website that feature pictures of their work, with very little substantial information about the actual work that was done. There are a couple of problems with this that immediately jump to mind. Less content typically results in less SEO. Google will not have much information to pull from in order to get your company on the first page of the search results.

Another problem is that when you don't have enough content, case studies, a compelling value proposition, or specific information of your company's work, a potential client will not know what you bring to the table that is different from other firms. Why should they choose you? Can you solve whatever problem they are having? What makes you so unique that they wouldn't consider using another firm? A picture and a brief paragraph barely scratches the surface to answer these questions.

13) “We don't have the internal resources for marketing.”

Good news! You do not have to be a marketing expert in order to market your company successfully! In fact, some people in highly technical fields are experts in their specialization but are intimidated by the idea of marketing, so they just don't put much effort towards it. But that's the worst thing you can do.

The solution? Engage a marketing team to help you. More specifically, retain a marketing agency that specializes in inbound marketing. That way, you know your team will learn your business and market it knowledgably and correctly. So you can do your job, and your inbound marketing team will do theirs. What a wonderful collaboration.

14) “Writing a few posts on social media is enough to get exposure.”

Social media is a powerful tool to expand your company's online presence. But how you decide what to post is the kicker. What you post matters to those you are trying to reach. And how do you guarantee that your post will reach the right people? Specialized industries have very specific buyer personas they are trying to reach. It is essential to identify who the company's ideal buyer is and how you will target and reach this buyer on social media with the information that they are interested in and that will get their attention.

15) "Writing something is more important than what you say.”

We've all heard the “quality over quantity” advice for some aspect of our life. This couldn't be truer than in the case of your marketing articles. It's disappointing when you go as far as clicking on an article because you think they have the answer to your problem, only to find that the article was shallow and pretty much wasted five minutes of your time. Impress your audience by your wealth of knowledge. Impress them and they will come back looking for more.

16) “I have a steady client base already, therefore, I don't need to invest in marketing.”

We have yet to find a company that has said they would prefer to stay as is instead of growing and gaining more business. That is not to say that there are no companies like that out there. But if you are still reading this article, then we're pretty certain you are more than interested in growing your company.

If you have a technical firm with highly specialized products, then you may find it difficult to justify investing in a top-notch marketing strategy for such a specialized product or service. But the more you invest in your company's marketing, the more return on investment you will see. And the more return on investment you see, the more your company grows. Growth comes from actively putting your company in front of your ideal clients and continuously reinforcing your company as the thought-leader in your industry.

17) “Social media is not intended for my industry.”

This myth is the reason why some industries have gained the stereotype of being the “social media wallflower.” What does social media and engagement have to do with getting more projects?

Social media helps position your company at the forefront of your ideal buyer's mind throughout every stage of the bidding process, even for projects that haven't been opened for bidding yet. In fact, 97% of buyers use online media when researching products and services in their local area[2].

18) “Inbound marketing is only for very large businesses.”

Inbound marketing is not exclusive to any size business because it produces growth and expansion for all sizes. All companies have room to grow. Especially smaller businesses. The Internet provides smaller businesses with the opportunity to blast past their competition to become the experts and thought-leaders in their industry. To be the trusted provider of information can help transform any size firm into a thriving, prosperous business.

19) “Every lead is a good lead when you're trying to get sales.”

Now hold on a second. Would you think the same thing when it came to other relationships in your life including your husband, wife, significant other or close friend? We would hope not.

There are qualities you are looking for in them that are compatible with you. In inbound marketing, you're building a relationship and trust between you and your potential clients. But make sure they are the right fit for you before you invest your time and resources into this potential client relationship.

20) “My industry does not market through the Internet.”

To not market your company through the Internet is a huge disservice to your company's growth. But many companies believe their clients do not search online and therefore, they do not need to put much effort into marketing their firm online.

Yet 81% of buyers conduct research online before making a buying decision[3]. If you aren't marketing online, then you just missed out on 4 out of 5 buyers. The odds at that point are not in your favor.

21) “Social media is only for kids and personal use.”

If this myth resonates with you, then you are missing one of the best and most effective marketing tools for your company. In fact, according to the Google ZMOT report, 84% of buyers engage in online information consumption and education before buying.

You might think that number doesn't apply to you, but let's look at a few statistics on specific industries. According to the CMO Council Report & Forbes.com, 1 out of 4 buyers use social media to discuss or communicate a recent purchase experience. The same report stated that 84% of all automotive shoppers are on Facebook – with 24% using the site as a resource for purchasing their last vehicle. Even 42.3% of engineers use social media to read articles related to work[4].

Social media is one of the many online resources people go to in order to find information on work-related topics. The power of social media has exponentially surpassed its original purpose when it really was just for kids. Times have changed.

22) “No one is going to read long pages on my website.”

If you are providing quality content with some useful resources related to what your ideal buyer persona wants to read, the length of the web page matters less to them. Many companies write the bare minimum about the services they provide, leaving their potential client with less than ideal information about the firm.

This is especially ironic because long content is also what Google and the search engines want to see in order to rank your page higher in the search results. Make sure your content is meaty, interesting and worth reading, and your visitors and the search engine spiders will love you for it.

23) “I already know what my clients want.”

To know exactly what your buyers want is to have hard data, analytics, tracking and feedback from your clients themselves. If you have that, then you are probably already implementing the inbound marketing and automation methodology. It is easy to think that you know what is important to your clients and what they want to read and see.

But, truth is, sometimes you need to take a step back and ask, listen and watch. Integrating a marketing automation system enables you to see the exact data and numbers that prove what is actually attracting and keeping your clients. Analytics is a powerful tool and a blessing to the marketing community. Tailor your content to what your clients say they want. Not the other way around.

Don't Get Left Behind!

Busting these inbound marketing myths is just the start. In order to really benefit from inbound marketing you have to decide to make a change and get started.

Consider this:

• 84% of small businesses are using inbound marketing[5]


• Companies are 3X more likely to see higher ROI with inbound marketing campaigns compared to outbound marketing[6]

Gain insight into how your digital marketing plan is really performing against your competitors. We will show you the good, the bad and the ugly. But don't worry, you will also be leaving with more insight and knowledge about your digital marketing performance, along with a structured, tangible plan to turn that knowledge into fruition. Stop marketing in the dark! It's time to get a jump on your competition.

 [1] HubSpot “State of Inbound 2015”

[2] BIA Kelsey

[3] AdWeek

[4] Engineering.com

[5] State of Inbound 2015

[6] State of Inbound 2015 

Does Your Website Say, 'Trust Me'? It Better.

Just as you'd walk out of a shady restaurant or car dealership, so will a customer who doesn't trust you leave your website.

7 of the Best Facebook Live Videos We've Ever Seen

This week, Facebook announced grand plans to take their already successful live broadcasting platform to great heights. The announcement included product updates like two-person broadcasts, waiting rooms for viewers, and Snapchat-esque filters all in the works.

With these updates in mind, carving out a strategy for Facebook Live seems like a no-brainer.

Oh, and did we mention the potential live video has for Facebook engagement? Initial data from Facebook revealed that people comment 10X more on Facebook Live videos than on regular videos.

Now, we get it. Going live, well, it's kinda scary. What if you mess up? What if the camera wigs out? There are a number of things that could go wrong. But while you're contemplating the risk, a ton of brands are out there engaging their audience in some really exciting and personal new ways.

To help you shake the nerves, we put together a list of some of the best Facebook Live broadcasts we've ever seen. From live debates to intense trainings, you'll get a little taste of everything to inspire you to fire up a stream for your own company.

(And read this article for more tips on how to get started with Facebook Live.)

7 of the Best Facebook Live Videos We've Ever Seen

1) Tough Mudder

Tough Mudder is an endurance event series known for its military-style obstacles and enormous sense of community. A few weeks ago, they took to Facebook Live to broadcast their Merrell Michigan Training Event with Coach T. Mud, a.k.a. Kyle Railton. Infectious energy aside, this stream made the list for a few reasons.

For one, it serves as a great use case for how to keep your community engaged -- even when they can't make it to your event. By bringing the event right to their audience's desktop or mobile device, they can choose to follow along with the training, or simply get a sense of what they might be signing up for.

At the beginning of the broadcast, Coach T. Mud gives a shout out to the Tough Mudder Snapchat handle to encourage those at home -- and at the event -- to follow along with the training there. This is a great way to cross-promote your channels and increase overall engagement.

Around the six-minute mark, the person filming chimes in to reiterate where they are streaming from. She does the same thing again around the eight-minute mark. This is a great strategy for keeping those who might be joining mid-stream in the loop.

Finally, we really love the way Coach T. Mud gets up close and personal with some of the attendees around the 18-minute mark. While he mainly uses this time to get to know the Tough Mudder community a little better, he also sneaks in some subtle promotions, like this:

Well played, Coach.

(Want to learn more about Tough Mudder's growth strategy? Check out this episode of The Growth Show featuring Tough Mudder Founder and CEO Will Dean.) 

2) Benefit

One really interesting route brands have taken with Facebook Live is the series approach. In other words, they broadcast a themed video series on a set date and time, usually weekly.

Why does this work so well? As Author Laura Vanderkam explains: "TV shows come on at certain times so people get in the habit of watching them. You can do the same with Facebook Live."

One of my favorite examples of this come from the folks at Benefit, who host a series called "Tipsy Tricks" every Thursday at 4:15 P.M. Here's one of the episodes from a few weeks back:

One of the most interesting things they do throughout this particular video is ask questions of the audience to inform how the video will play out. For example, around four minutes in, the host polls the audience to determine which product they'd like to see them use in the makeup look they're creating.

Then, they give a couple of minutes to let the audience weigh in before following through based on the responses -- it's sort of like a beauty-themed, choose-your-own-adventure game.

This strategy aims to keep those watching engaged, while also helping the folks at Benefit learn more about their audience's product preferences.

Another way they're keeping the audience involved? Benefit allows their viewers to submit ideas via Facebook Live comments or Snapchat to help the hosts brainstorm future topics to cover. You can see this in action by checking out the comment thread on this video, where they ask viewers to Like the comment if they'd like to see an episode about concealing:

3) Jason Carr

The next Facebook video on the list comes to us in two parts. In an interesting series of events, Jason Carr, a former news anchor for FOX 2 in Detroit, takes Facebook Live viewers on a ride to his new gig at WDIV-TV, Local 4 News ... but he doesn't tell them that. At least not in the beginning.

The first video begins with Carr explaining that he's going Live to follow up on a promise he made during his final broadcast for FOX 2 earlier that morning. This was his first right move: Using Facebook Live to extend the conversation following something like a webinar, interview, or panel discussion is a great way to connect with your audience while they're already engaged.

Viewers watch as Carr -- who is broadcasting live from the back of a Cadillac -- takes a trip to what he refers to as "parts unknown." During the first half of the stream, he provides some context around leaving the station, while engaging with viewers in the comments and continuing to build suspense for where he's headed.

The whole suspense aspect is key, as it helps Carr spark his audience's curiosity. After all, a little curiosity can go a long way: Research from the University of California revealed that sparking participant's curiosity with the right question helped to prepare their brain for learning, while also making learning a more rewarding experience.

Just before the stream wraps up, we see Carr arrive at his secret destination -- his new station -- where he announces that he'll pick back up once he has a chance to go in and get settled.

A little over an hour later, Carr fires up his stream again to give viewers a behind the scenes look at his first appearance on the new job.

Talk about a creative way to announce a new hire.

4) Grazia UK

This Grazia/Facebook collaboration just might be the most interesting use case for Facebook Live on our list. This month, the team at Grazia UK, an Italian women's magazine with international editions, headed off to Facebook's London headquarters to piece together their first "community issue."

They took to Facebook Live to document a week's worth of behind-the-scenes footage, allowing their audience to participate in things like their editorial meeting, cover shoot, and GraziaxFB Brexit Debate.

While all of the footage really helped to pull back the curtain for Grazia's audience, the GraziaxFB Brexit Debate was one of the most successful broadcasts of the week -- and for good reason.

The debate, chaired by The Guardian's political editor Anushka Asthana, was centered around the UK's decision to remain in or exit the European Union. The panelists were each given time to discuss their views, while also leaving time for questions from both the live audience and Facebook audience.

Asthana encouraged Facebook Live viewers to submit their ideas via the hashtag #GraziaxFB at the beginning of the broadcast.

Note: If you're hosting a live debate, discussion, or training, coming up with a hashtag in advance is a great way to organize the submission process for questions. (Read this article for tips on how to use hashtags on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.)

Overall, the discussion was timely, well executed, and helped to get the Grazia community talking about not only the Grazia/Facebook collaboration, but also the larger political issue at hand.

In the words of Grazia Editor Natasha Pearlman: "This is a fantastic opportunity to bring Grazia to life for our readers, and at the same time launch our real-life community, in partnership with the biggest social media network in the world."

"The Grazia audience aren't just readers, they are part of the brand – their views and opinions shape our content and really matter," she went on to explain. "Now they can participate with us in real time."

5) Tastemade

When you live in an apartment in Boston (or any city, really), you quickly learn how to make the most of a small kitchen. But this video from Tastemade takes that concept to a whole new level.

According to Tastemade's Head of Productio Jay Holzer, the tiny cooking concept was inspired by one of Tastemade's Japanese partners. As it turns out, miniature cooking is quite popular in Japan, as a result of kawaii -- the quality of 'cuteness' -- which is plays a prominent role in Japanese pop culture.

While Tiny Kitchen started as a pre-recorded series, the folks at Tastemade tested their luck with Facebook Live by recording this real-time cooking demonstration:

What's great about this particular use case is that it can be enjoyed without sound. In other words, viewers can tune in without having to stop and adjust their volume, or put on headphones.

The strangely fascinating footage is really easy to consume, which likely contributed to the success of the original episodes. By going live, Tastemade simply added a unique interactive element. And 3.7 million views later, they've proved it works.

The lesson? Sometimes, less it more. 

6) BuzzFeed

While BuzzFeed recently made headlines for their not-so-perfect Facebook Live attempt with none other than the president of the United States, we can assure you that they know what they're doing.

On a much less serious note, the folks at BuzzFeed took to Facebook Live this past March to host an epic live dance battle.

But this wasn't just any old dance battle: "Dance Craze Battle: Live" was an interactive competition that required the audience to vote on performances and submit suggestions for dance moves.

In between the first two rounds, the host took time to get to know each of the contestants a little better by asking them a few questions. This was really smart for two reasons:

1. It created an opportunity for BuzzFeed to show off their team and humanize their brand.


2. It gave time for viewers to submit ideas for the second round of dance battles.

With the help of user submissions in round two, viewers watched as their ideas came to fruition in the form of some pretty interesting dance moves, like "crying college student":

After each dance, the person monitoring the comments section prompted viewers to cast their vote:

And the entire thing came to a close with a spirited dance party ... because why not, right?

Even though this broadcast carried on for half hour, the level of engagement likely helped them keep viewers interested all the way through. When you're planning a Facebook Live video, keep in mind that length isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it provides you with a chance to reach more people. 

7) Callaway Golf

The folks at Callaway Golf are no strangers to live video. In May 2015, Callaway debuted a live show hosted by their SVP of Marketing and Brand Management Harry Arnett. While this particular live series didn't unfold via Facebook Live, it's likely that it made the transition to broadcasting content live on Facebook much easier.

According to Arnett, the experience of live video brings Callaway back to their roots: "We felt like if we could figure out a way to be unique in it, provide utility to it, and be a contributing citizen in the community of golfers, we could become sort of the people's brand," he told Golf Digest, "which was very closely connected to the DNA of the company when it got started 20 years ago."

A great example of their segue into Facebook Live is this exclusive tour of Arnold Palmer's office, led by Palmer's assistant and longtime friend Doc.

For golf enthusiasts, this is a dream come true. After all, Palmer is known to be one of the greatest players of all time. But it's the experience that the video delivers that makes it really interesting for those tuning in.

For one, the person behind the camera makes an effort to keep viewers involved throughout the tour. For example, around five minutes in, he thanks the audience for tuning in and checks in to see if they have any specific questions or things they'd like to see. This is a great way to keep people who might be thinking about dropping off engaged.

Around the 20-minute mark, the cameraman also takes a minute to reintroduce the tour guide, Doc, to clarify his relationship with Palmer for those just tuning in.

While there are mentions of Callaway products throughout the video, it's by no means the main focus. Instead, the cameraman works to surface interesting facts and stories from Palmer's assistant to keep those geeking out at home both entertained and engaged. For example, around the 23-minute mark, he prompts Doc to tell the story behind Palmer's infamous umbrella logo:

Pretty cool, right?

If you're just getting started with Facebook Live, make note of Callaway's tactics. And remember: Your broadcast doesn't have to be all about your product or service for it to be successful. At the end of the day, you want people to remember the experience you provided them, which will ultimately help to keep you top-of-mind. 

Getting Started With Facebook Live

Now that you're feeling inspired, it's time to get out there and try it for yourself.

If you're feeling up to it, but still think you need a little training, check out this post from my colleague Lindsay Kolowich. She'll walk you through how to broadcast on Facebook Live, how to analyze your live video's performance, and the top tips and tricks for getting the most out of the platform.

Have you experimented with Facebook Live? What is your favorite example? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

Does Your Website Say, 'Trust Me'? It Better.

Just as you'd walk out of a shady restaurant or car dealership, so will a customer who doesn't trust you leave your website.

4 Budget-Friendly Ways to Promote Your Book

There are an infinite number of ways for authors to promote their books. Since most authors cannot afford a full page ad in the New York Times Book Review it is imperative to make dollars stretch as far as one can.