Businesses spend a lot of time thinking about how to attract customers—social media, advertising, email, websites and promotions. But what happens once you have their attention?

Every unnecessary question, extra click or confusing choice gives a potential customer another opportunity to walk away.

Can Customers Quickly Tell What You Do?
You know your business inside and out. Your customers don’t.

Within a few seconds of visiting your website or social media page, someone should be able to understand what you offer, who it’s for and what they should do next.

Clever marketing can get attention. Clear marketing gets customers moving.

Are You Giving Them Too Many Choices?
More options can sound like better customer service, but too many choices can make buying more difficult.

Organize products and services logically. Highlight your most popular options. Explain important differences. Help customers narrow their choices instead of expecting them to figure everything out themselves.

Your job isn’t simply to offer choices. It’s to make choosing easier.

Can They Find the Information They Need?
Think about the questions customers ask you most often.

How much does it cost? What’s included? How long will it take? Do I need an appointment? Where are you located? Do you deliver? How do I get started?

If customers routinely have to contact you for basic information before they can decide whether to buy, there’s an opportunity to improve your marketing.

Is the Next Step Obvious?
Call today. Request a quote. Schedule an appointment. Shop now. Reserve your spot.

Don’t make customers figure out what they’re supposed to do next.

Every important piece of marketing should have a purpose—and when action is appropriate, a clear next step.

What Happens After They Reach Out?
A great marketing campaign can generate an inquiry. Then the experience takes over.

Slow responses, unanswered messages, confusing estimates or poor follow-up can undo all the work you did to attract that customer in the first place.

Marketing doesn’t end when someone clicks Contact Us.

Try This Simple Marketing Test
Pretend you’ve never encountered your business before. Visit your website, social pages or online store and try to become a customer.

Can you understand the offer? Find what you need? Know what it costs—or how to get pricing? Know what to do next? Complete that next step easily?

Every place you hesitate is worth a second look.

Make It Easy to Say Yes
You may not need another social platform, another promotion or even more traffic.

Sometimes the smartest marketing improvement is simply removing the obstacles between an interested customer and a purchase.

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and
papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  
Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

Search is changing, too. Consumers aren’t relying solely on traditional Google searches anymore. They’re increasingly using AI-powered search tools, social media, reviews and online communities to research businesses and products. That means traditional SEO is evolving into something broader: businesses need clear, useful website content that both people and AI-powered search systems can understand and trust. Retailers are already adjusting their online content specifically to improve their visibility in AI-generated recommendations and search results.

On social media, authenticity continues to gain importance over perfection. Highly polished promotional posts aren’t disappearing, but consumers are responding strongly to relatable videos, customer stories, behind-the-scenes content and recommendations from real people. Even “nano-influencers” with only a few hundred or few thousand followers are becoming valuable to major brands because their audiences can view them as more relatable and trustworthy. Short-form video also continues to deliver particularly strong results, with marketers in HubSpot’s 2026 research reporting it as the highest-ROI content format.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that marketing is becoming more personal, not less personal, because of technology. AI and automation can help businesses work faster and personalize their communications, but customers still want to feel that there are real people behind the businesses they support. The strongest marketing right now combines the efficiency of new technology with something technology can’t easily duplicate: a distinctive voice, genuine expertise, trust and meaningful relationships with customers.

Marketing Tip of the Month: Instead of asking, “How can we create more content?” try asking, “How can we create something our customers will actually find useful, interesting or worth remembering?” In an increasingly crowded, AI-powered marketplace, being memorable may be more valuable than simply being visible.

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

1. Chasing Viral Trends Instead of Strategy: Many businesses waste time creating generic content aimed at going viral rather than building a solid, relatable brand.

• The Fix: Focus on a small, highly targeted audience that has a specific problem you can solve. Speak directly to their pain points rather than trying to appeal to everyone.

2. Assuming Digital is the Only Option: Pumping 100% of your budget into social media and pay-per-click ads while completely ignoring tried-and-true offline methods.

• The Fix: For local businesses (like landscapers or contractors), offline methods like direct mail and print ads can still be incredibly effective. Review your customer acquisition channels to see what actually generates revenue.

3. Posting Randomly to “Feed the Algorithm”: Pumping out forgettable, mediocre content daily just to keep posting. This conditions your audience to ignore you and tells the algorithm your content isn’t valuable.

• The Fix: Quality trumps quantity. Commit to fewer, high-quality posts—such as one impactful piece of long-form content (like a YouTube video or podcast) per week.

4. Flying Blind Without Tracking Data: Relying on gut feelings or assuming “brand awareness” will naturally lead to sales.

• The Fix: Implement a system to track your leads. Ask new customers exactly how they heard about you, use tracking links for different campaigns, and adjust your tactics based on what data shows works best.

5. Making Yourself the Bottleneck: Believing that every single piece of content has to be physically created by you or personally approved by you before it goes out.

• The Fix: Create a framework where you set the vision or record a primary piece of long-form content, and let your team repurpose it into shorter assets for other platforms.

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is the process of creating content for social media platforms to promote your products and/or services, build community with your target audience, and drive traffic to your business. With new features and platforms emerging every day, social media marketing is constantly evolving.

While social media marketing is incredibly valuable and beneficial to your business growth, your strategy will differ based on which social media networks your audience spends their time on.

Benefits of Social Media Marketing

There are many reasons why your company should use social media marketing.

According to marketers surveyed for a recent Social Media Marketing Industry Report, here are some of the top benefits of social media marketing:

• 83% of marketers increased exposure for their business.
• 73% of marketers increased traffic.
• 65% of marketers generated leads.
• 62% of marketers developed loyal fans.
• 52% of marketers increased sales.

Beyond data, here are a few benefits of building out your social media marketing strategy.

1. Increase Brand Awareness.

With so many people on social media, you have the opportunity to massively increase your brand awareness. In fact, social media is known to drive engagement through comments, likes, shares, re-posts, and saves. 

2. Generate Leads and boost conversations.

Promoting and sharing your products on social media is a simple way to improve lead generation, boost conversions, and increase sales.

3. Foster customer relationships.

Connecting and engaging with your social media followers can encourage them to build lasting relationships with your business. So, I strongly recommend you interact with them on your posts, respond to their questions and comments, and provide any help they may need.

4.  Learn from competitors.

I’ve noticed that social media allows you to look at what is and isn’t working for your competition. You can watch how audiences respond to their social media tactics, the products they‘re promoting, or their level of interaction with followers. You can then decide what should or shouldn’t change regarding your company’s approach.

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  
We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the
resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and
papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  
Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

Mastering these principles isn’t just about closing deals (though that’s a nice win). It’s about earning trust and building real connections. When your prospects see you as their “go-to guide,” the deal practically closes itself. Therefore, they stay loyal and keep coming back, as well as bringing referrals.

1. A little research goes a long way.

96% of prospects research before contacting a sales rep. Since they invest time in learning about your product, you should do the same.

2. Customers buy things that bring them value.

Customers see value in many different ways. A product might be a time-saver, a results- booster, a money-maker, or an insight-bringer. But ultimately, customers will only purchase a product that they think will benefit them. Great sales reps are able to spot the need and tailor their approach to help the customer see that value, too. This is called value-based sales.

3. Listen at least as much as you speak.

Instead of spending your time convincing the prospect that your solution is the right choice for them, spend time listening to their story and their pain points. By the end of the call, they’ll feel like you really know what they need, and they’ll be more open to listening to your solution.

4. Show expertise but stay approachable to build trust.

No matter how well you explain the value of your product or recommend a specific solution, if your prospects don’t believe you … you’re facing a losing battle.

But fortunately, there is a way to develop that trust that sales reps so desperately need. Especially when on a call with aggressive or expressive prospects. Consistently demonstrating expertise and sharing that knowledge with your prospects shows that you understand the industry and are empathetic to their challenges.

5. Be helpful.

Rather than looking at sales as pushing one specific agenda, focus on understanding what your customer’s needs are — and then give them what they need.

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

The goal is to establish your value and expertise. At the same time, you build meaningful relationships with potential customers. This makes you—and your brand—the natural point of contact when a prospect is ready to buy.

Traditional social selling

Originally, social selling was primarily (but not totally) a B2B practice. It involved finding ways for sales reps and teams to incorporate the exponential networking power of social tools into their existing sales process.

​​After all, sales has always been about building relationships. You need to establish rapport and credibility, then provide the right solution to the right prospect at the right time.

Social selling simply maximizes relationships and connections. For sales teams, this builds an expanded network of qualified prospects. Social listening also allows sales teams to identify new leads. Reps can then reach out with personalized, relevant, and helpful solutions.

It’s no surprise, then, that 78% of sales reps who incorporate social selling outsell their peers who are stuck in the world of cold calls and generic outreach.

What are the best networks for social selling?

The best networks for selling with social vary depending on your target audience, your approach, and your social selling goals.

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are great platforms for interacting with customers. They’re casual virtual spaces where communication comes naturally. And consumers are already using them to find information about products and brands.

Simply speaking, these platforms are great for building relationships for inbound social selling.

X (formerly Twitter) is a particularly useful social network for social selling research.

And LinkedIn is a business-oriented platform. It’s ideal for B2B companies looking to identify and reach business decision-makers. Here, businesses can connect with potential customers directly to try and build a professional relationship:

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

Another major trend is the growing importance of account-based marketing (ABM) combined with deeper personalization. Instead of broad lead generation, B2B marketers are focusing on high-value accounts and tailoring content, messaging, and campaigns specifically for those organizations. Data platforms now enable companies to understand buying committees, individual decision-maker roles, and timing in the purchase cycle, allowing marketing and sales teams to coordinate highly customized engagement strategies.

Content marketing is also shifting toward expertise-driven and educational formats. In 2026, B2B buyers expect valuable insights rather than promotional messaging. Long-form content such as research reports, webinars, podcasts, and thought leadership articles helps establish credibility and authority. Video content and short-form educational clips are also gaining traction, particularly on professional platforms like LinkedIn, where decision-makers increasingly consume industry insights.

Another key trend is the tighter alignment between sales and marketing teams, often referred to as revenue operations (RevOps). Companies are integrating marketing automation, CRM systems, and analytics tools so both teams can share real-time data about prospects and customer interactions. This integration improves lead qualification, shortens sales cycles, and ensures prospects receive consistent messaging throughout the buying journey.

Finally, first-party data strategies and privacy-focused marketing are becoming essential. With increasing regulations and the decline of third-party cookies, B2B organizations are investing in building their own customer data ecosystems through gated content, events, community platforms, and direct engagement. Companies that successfully collect and use high-quality first-party data will gain a competitive advantage by delivering more relevant and trustworthy marketing experiences.

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

Beyond opening the door, a good introduction email also creates momentum. When it’s tailored to the recipient’s needs or challenges, it signals that the outreach is thoughtful rather than transactional, making it easier to start a meaningful conversation. In competitive markets where inboxes are crowded, a clear, concise, and personalized introduction can be the difference between a missed opportunity and a productive business relationship.

Here are some email ideas that have the highest engagement:

1. Welcome Emails

There’s a moment right after someone signs up for your list where they’re still curious. Still paying attention. Still wondering if they made the right decision.

That moment? It’s the honeymoon period.

And a well-timed, well-crafted welcome email (or even better, a short welcome series) doesn’t just capitalize on that moment – it can become the highest-performing message in your entire program.

Because the welcome email hits when attention, intent, and goodwill are at their peak. Your new subscriber is expecting to hear from you. They want to know what they just signed up for. They’re open to your message … maybe more than they’ll ever be again.

A strong welcome email:

• Delivers immediate value. Not “thanks, here’s our home page” but something that makes the subscriber feel like signing up was the right move.
• Sets expectations. Let them know what’s coming and when they’ll hear from you next.
• Drives action. Uses a clean layout and clear, low-friction CTAs to lay out the path for your reader.

2. Automated Emails Triggered by a Recipient’s Action

If welcome emails are the honeymoon, triggered emails are the “You left your keys on the counter” text that brings someone back before the door fully closes.

These automated sends – things like cart abandonment and browse abandonment emails – aren’t just polite reminders. They’re workhorses. Silent performers. Always-on revenue generators.

And they work because they’re behavior-based. You’re not guessing what the subscriber might be interested in — you know. They told you with their actions.

These types of triggered emails, especially when they’re thoughtfully written, designed with intent, and sent promptly, routinely outperform the rest of the program.

They feel personal. They’re timely. And they’re directly tied to the recipient’s behavior, which makes them incredibly effective.

3. Emails That Offer Value to Readers Without a Purchase

These are my favorite emails. They are the ones that show up with something delightful, informative, or just plain entertaining – and don’t immediately try to sell you something.

I call them value-first emails, and they’re a cornerstone of any long-term nurture strategy.

Instead of pushing a product, you’re offering a moment. A recipe. A puppy video. A quirky holiday tie-in that sparks curiosity or gives your reader a reason to smile.

And that’s the key: They open because they want to. Not because they’re ready to buy, but because you’ve trained them to expect something worthwhile, even when there’s no CTA to download or demo or schedule a call.

These emails are especially useful when:

• You have a long sales cycle.
• The prospect isn’t quite ready to convert.
• You’re trying to build trust (or re-earn it).
• You want to keep deliverability healthy without burning your list.

4. Emails That Adhere to Design Best Practices

Email is a visual medium. Even the ones that feel like plain text. Therefore, it makes sense that how your email looks – including its structure, ease of scanning, and how well the design supports the content – can have a significant impact on engagement.

And yet, too often, design decisions are made based solely on internal opinions or brand aesthetics. Not on what actually drives performance.

Here’s what I’ve learned in 20+ years of optimizing email campaigns: The emails that get the most clicks and the highest engagement overall are the ones that adhere to design best practices.

Not overdesigned. Not fancy for the sake of being fancy. Just clean, clear layouts that make it easy for the reader to absorb your message and act on it.

A few key best practices that consistently drive results:

• Respect the eye path. There’s a natural way we scan content: top to bottom, left to right. The most effective email designs guide the eye through the message logically: logo, headline, subhead, image (if you have one), CTA. If something interrupts that flow, engagement drops.
• Use hierarchy to signal importance. Headlines should look like headlines. Buttons should stand out from the rest of the text. Links should be easy to find and easy to click, even on a mobile device. Don’t make your reader work to figure out what matters.
• Embrace whitespace. It’s not wasted space, it’s breathing room. Cramming every pixel with content makes your message harder to read (and less likely to convert).

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

A great newsletter is often money in the bank. IT’S NOT LUCK—that’s all the value of a loyal, trusting audience.

That’s why we’re back exploring the current state of the newsletter landscape: to help you build some of that magic for yourself.

Today, there are over 50,000 newsletters in circulation, from personal content creators sharing their favorite recipes to Fortune 500 brands sending product updates. With low or nonexistent startup costs, all you really need is a keyboard, some ideas, and an email marketing platform to get started.

So, what’s resonating with audiences today?

• LinkedIn, Facebook, and email are the top newsletter channels:

LinkedIn is the most popular channel for newsletters, with 51% using it for distribution.

• 45% of respondents agree newsletter profits will soar in the next year:

25% of respondents saw substantial profit growth from newsletters over the past year, and most expect them to keep growing.

• AI has entered the newsletter production process:

64% of respondents agree that newsletters will be AI-generated by 2030.

• The top revenue channel for newsletters is selling products or services:

30% of respondents earn money through sales of products, services, or memberships advertised in their newsletter.

• Nearly one-third of newsletter pros use them for thought leadership:

30% of respondents use newsletters to express their identities, tastes, and hot takes on their industry or topic of interest.

NOW…use this information to help determine what your business should be considering for 2026!

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.

Audiences want to connect with brands that are present where they are.

Consumers spend a lot of time online reading, listening, and watching, and they’ve built trust with creators they connect with.

1. Visual Storytelling

The most popular content formats for business-facing and consumer-facing brands are short-form video, followed closely by images. Attention may seem limited, but when consumers are engaged, they’re watching interviews, listening to podcasts, and tuning into live-streamed videos from brands and creators they find valuable and entertaining.

The content formats that marketers say deliver the highest ROI are short-form video (21%), images (19%), and live-streamed videos (16%)…and marketers plan to invest more in these channels.

2. Podcast And Audio Content

Podcasts have become an influential format for people across all ages and stages in life. They’re a unique mix of education, inspiration, and casual listening, where subscribers get to know the hosts and look forward to new episodes week after week.

Approximately 100 million Americans listen to podcasts weekly, and as of 2025, podcast listening had reached an all-time high. The average adult, across all generations, listens to around eight hours of podcasts each week.

And not only are podcasts popular, but they’re also influential. 46% of weekly podcast listeners have purchased a product or service after hearing about it on a podcast.

3. YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok

In 2025, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube will remain strong for both B2B and B2C brands. B2B marketers plan to invest more in LinkedIn, and B2C marketers in TikTok, reflecting how shoppers research new products and services personally and professionally. 

Marketers will have to find ways to overcome their biggest challenges to reach their social goals in 2026. For both business-facing and consumer-facing marketing teams, the top challenge is keeping up with trends. B2B marketers are also having trouble reaching their target audience, and B2C marketers want to gain and keep followers.

4. Influencer Marketing

In 2025, 24% of marketers reported using influencer marketing, and both B2B and B2C brands found the most success with micro influencers with 10K – 100K followers.

Working with smaller creators and influencers has allowed brands to build trust with new audiences, gain access to niche, tight-knit communities, and stretch their influencer marketing budget further.

Marketers report seeing the highest ROI from influencers on 1) Facebook (28%), 2) Instagram (22%), and 3) YouTube (12%), and brands most commonly spend 50-74% of their marketing budget on influencers or content creators.

But, will the brand-influencer partnership trend continue, or evolve? 86% of surveyed leaders believe it’s likely that AI-generated influencers or social media avatars will replace influencers in the near future.

NOW…use this information to help determine what your business should be considering for 2026!

If you need help with your company’s marketing, give us a call.  We work with your business to make sure you are utilizing the resources and tools to head into the future of innovation! 

Check out our RESOURCES and BLOG pages for articles and papers on various marketing techniques and processes.  Learn how we can help you with your marketing efforts.