Whether you prefer to stream music in the car or listening to the hottest podcasts — odds are there’s some form of audio content that you love to consume. I too am one of those people who always has to be listening to something. Whether it’s a new Spotify playlist or the latest episode of a podcast, I use pretty much every opportunity to consume audible content. I’m hardly the only one who’s partial to audio in this way. With consumers spending more time alone or at home in 2020, marketers have noticed a major uptick in audio content and listenership. This isn’t shocking. In recent years consumers have increasingly turned away from traditional TV content in favor of mobile or online platforms — especially those that promote and produce audio content. At this point, marketers are taking notice of audio opportunities. Consumer listening behavior has created a tremendous opportunity for marketers — especially those in the B2B sector — to create branded, audible content. Audio is often associated with consumer marketing, but those kind of assumptions create a missed opportunity for B2B brands. After all, here at HubSpot, we create content for marketing and sales professionals in a variety of formats, and if you read our blog, it’s no secret that we’re constantly nagging you to do the same — even with audio. So let’s explore the ways that can be done, starting with a look at the science behind the act of listening. The Listening Process Before you start creating audio content, it might be helpful to understand how and why people listen. The act of listening, according to Merriam-Webster, is “to hear what someone has said and understand that it is serious, important, or true.” It also helps satisfy different physiological goals. We listen to alter our moods, stay alert, and figure stuff out. In humans, that’s been the case for pretty much as long as we’ve been in existence. The process starts when we receive auditory stimuli, which our brains then have to interpret. That’s aided by other senses — like sight — and helps us better figure out what we’re hearing. Once our brains have interpreted these auditory signals, we follow a series of steps that consist of recalling, evaluating, and responding to the information we consume: Source It’s that third step in the process — recalling — that might be the most important one for marketers. Numerous studies have discovered how listening triggers a widespread network of activity throughout the brain. That activity is what links auditory stimuli so strongly to memory. That might be why we love to talk about things we’ve heard, like a great song, for example. We’re actually sharing a story about our memory of what we heard. And that comes back around to what we do as marketers. We share the stories of and about our brands in a way that will get people to pay attention and listen to us. So, let’s get started, and begin creating content that people will listen. 4 Ways to Use Audio in B2B Marketing 1. Create or sponsor branded podcasts. According to Edison Research, podcast listenership has been on a steady rise since 2006. In 2018, podcast listenership saw a 26% YoY increase. Along with listenership, podcast revenue has also grown. By 2021, podcast ad spending is expected to hit $354 million. Source People often make the mistake of thinking that podcasts are largely consumer-facing. We think of those that are aired on public radio or hosted by celebrities for the masses of bored commuters trying to pass the time. But in reality, there are a number of B2B podcasts out there, like Duct Tape Marketing, ZenDesk’s Relate, and HubSpot’s The Growth Show. But when it comes to creating branded podcasts, many B2B marketers make similar objections that we used to hear about blogging — such as, “I don’t have time,” or, “I don’t have anything to say.” Podcasts, like blogs, follow the pillars of inbound marketing, in that you’re creating valuable, educational content for people who are searching for information on what your business does best. That’s one way The Growth Show works, for example. Because HubSpot’s marketing, sales, and CRM software comprise a growth stack, we use our podcast to discuss related topics with business leaders who have accomplished notable growth, and who have good stories. “Companies — especially B2B companies — have such a hard time telling their organization’s story,” says Kierran Petersen, The Growth Show’s associate producer. “Creating a branded podcast is the perfect opportunity to do that. It’s such a personal way to give people insight into what you do, by showing your audience who you actually are.” That’s where the answer to the second objection — “I don’t have anything to say” — comes in. When people tell us that’s why they can’t invest time in blogging, we usually say, “Write what you know.” The same thing goes for podcasting, but instead of writing, you’re speaking about what you know. And for some, that might even come easier than writing. Of course, creating a branded podcast isn’t as simple as recording 30 minutes of stream-of-thought remarks on your business. It helps to approach this content creation the same way you would for a blog, and create an editorial calendar to plan and outline different topics, as well as people who you’d like to interview. You should also consider how you’re going to distribute that content and the different platforms that your audience can use to consume the podcast. For beginners, we recommend free tools like SoundCloud, or experimenting with different ways to share the audio across social media. Repurposing Blogs as Podcasts If you’re still feeling a bit uncertain about creating an original podcast, you can start on a smaller scale by repurposing your existing content. On some blogs, you may have come across the option to listen to an audio version of the post. That’s one fairly easy way for businesses to create original audible content — take

Ever wonder what happens when you hit the magical “500+ connections” level on LinkedIn? Or how people connect with those outside of their immediate network? Or how to keep your entire network from seeing a tiny profile update? Though LinkedIn is a powerful tool for business professionals across all industries, there are still a lot of misconceptions about how it works. Read on to learn the truth behind some of the most pervasive LinkedIn myths. Myth #1: LinkedIn is only helpful if you are looking for a job. Truth: LinkedIn is a great place to build your professional brand, stay up-to-date with your network, and gain insights and knowledge at every point in your career. Krystal Wu, a social media community manager at HubSpot, says, “LinkedIn isn’t just a tool that’s used to search for a new job or connect with your employees. It’s a place for users to show off their expertise around a subject and grow relationships with like-minded people.” Tip: Keep your profile up-to-date even when you’re not looking for a job so opportunities can find you. By staying up-to-date with your network, you can make use of those connections when you need them. Additionally, you should follow channels, influencers, groups, and company pages to get personalized news and insights. By following the right content and engaging in conversations with your network, you can find potential business opportunities that you hadn’t thought of before. Myth #2: If I update my profile, everyone in my network will be notified. Truth: You can control what is broadcast to your network so you can get that much-deserved congratulations on your terms. Tip: When you go into “edit” mode on your profile, there is an option at the bottom of the page that asks if you want your network notified of profile edits. Just turn this on/off as you see fit. Myth #3: I can only connect with someone I know well. Truth: You should feel free to invite someone to connect with you, even if they’re not your best friend. The best connections are those that are mutually beneficial in building a relationship. Tip: The best way to make a connection is to send a personalized invitation or ask someone in your network to make an introduction. Make sure you specify what’s in it for the person you’re requesting to connect with, too. Myth #4: There are secret features that get unlocked when you hit 500 connections. Truth: LinkedIn stops displaying your number of connections on your profile after 500, but nothing happens once you go beyond. Tip: The trick to a successful network is to have both quality and quantity. Developing better relationships with your connections opens you up to more opportunities with like-minded professionals in your industry. Myth #5: Accepting invitations from people I don’t know well will open me up to spam. Truth: If you find someone acting inappropriately, you can remove them from your network or flag them to LinkedIn’s support team as a spammer. Tip: Manage your network by clicking on “My Network.” This is the central hub from which you can add or remove connections. It’s also a great and easy way to keep in touch with your connections. Myth #6: I can only message people I am connected to. Truth: Beyond your network, you can also message members who are in the same groups as you are in or by using Premium Inmails. Tip: Join groups that are relevant to your business, industry, or areas of interest and expertise. Use groups as a way to share your knowledge, gain insights, and build relationships that can help you achieve your goals on the platform. Myth #7: I should only post content about my company and industry. Truth: You should share anything that feels like a representation of you and your professional brand. A great and simple question to ask yourself before posting something is, “Would the people in my network find this interesting?” Wu adds, “Actually, LinkedIn is about more than just work. It’s about your skills, your connections and your projects. You can use LinkedIn to amplify your message to a network of people and highlight the talented human you are, when it comes to your job or not.” Tip: Vary the topics that you post about to keep your network engaged and wanting to hear more. Whether you’re posting your own content or reposting something that you find read in the news, sharing is a great way to build relationships, flesh out a bit more about who you are and your interests, and stay top-of-mind with your target audience. Myth #8: LinkedIn is the least social platform. Truth: LinkedIn is a popular platform for professionals. It’s used to network, and even sell your product. In fact, when making B2B purchasing decisions, 50% of buyers turn to LinkedIn as a resource. Tip: Use social features such as LinkedIn Stories or LinkedIn Live to connect with your audience. Kelly Hendrickson, a marketing manager on HubSpot’s social media team, says “Audiences are having human conversations on the platform, concurrent to LinkedIn adding more social features to nurture this engagement.” LinkedIn is a great tool for professionals to connect with potential collaborators or even prospects. Don’t sleep on this social media site, because the platform continues to grow in popularity and usage. Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

The 4 Ps of marketing… You’ve probably heard about them from a friend, a textbook, or even at school. I know it sounds like a boring topic that’s common sense, but there is more to it than meets the eye. And no, it’s not just for large companies… the smaller you are, the more important for you it is to leverage the 4 Ps. So before we dive into it, let’s first break down what they are… What are the 4 Ps of marketing? The 4 Ps of marketing is a famous concept that summarizes the 4 basic pillars of any marketing strategy: product, price, place, and promotion. It sounds simple and it really is (the harder part is implementing it, which we will get into later). The idea behind the theory is that if you implement them, you will generate more sales. But sadly nothing is that easy. :/ The origin of the concept, also known as marketing mix, goes back to 1960 when McCarthy introduced it in his book Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach. I know that’s ages ago, but it is just as valid today. Let’s dive into each P… Product The product is what the company sells. It might be a product like a soft drink in the beverage industry or dresses in a clothing store. Or these days it may even be software like Ubersuggest. It could also be services, such as consulting or a paid speaking gig or even a therapy session. In short, the product is everything that is made available to the consumer. In the 4 Ps strategy, defining this means understanding what your offer needs in order to stand apart from competitors and win over customers. In other words, what makes your product so great or unique? Because if you don’t stand out it’s going to be hard to thrive. For example, you may know about my product Ubersuggest, but you probably already know about a handful of my competitors? So what’s the big thing that makes my product stand out from everyone else? I don’t focus on features… I don’t have 100s of reports… instead, I focus on usability. My goal is to make Ubersuggest really easy to use, especially if you are new to marketing. On the flip side, my competitors focus on ad agencies and really advanced marketers. I built something for a different target market, even though I am in a crowded market place. How to create an amazing product that your customers love I want you to do something simple… go to Hotjar, signup for a free account, and run a poll. Just like the one below. I’ve been running polls for a while now, but if you are starting off I would ask open-ended questions like: What’s the biggest problem I can help you solve? (This will give you an idea on what your product needs to do) What’s your favorite marketing product and why? (You’ll want to replace the word “marketing” with whatever industry you are in… this question gives you an idea about who your competition is and what they are doing right) Why did you come here today? (This will tell you why people come to your site and what they are looking for) How can we make our product better? (This is great if you already have a product up as you will get real feedback) What don’t you like about COMPETITOR ABC? (Replace competitor ABC with your competition’s name… this question tells you where there is an opportunity) I want you to pay special attention to the last question. It really helps you identify how you can differentiate yourself from the competition. Now, before you go and build a product (or make yours better if you already have one), don’t invest too much time and money without getting feedback. For example, if I were to add a new feature to Ubersuggest, I wouldn’t just build it. I would get it designed, show you first, get feedback, and then adjust from there. That way I won’t waste months’ worth of time building a product you don’t want to use. Price Price is simple, it refers to how much you charge for your product (or service). And although it’s simple to understand, it’s really hard to come up with the “right” price. The one that doesn’t just drive the most amount of sales but also drives the most profit. The real question is, how do you want to be perceived? Amazon wants to be the place where you can get the best-valued products from A to Z. And of course, delivered at a fast pace so it’s convenient for you. My buddies’ company, Imperia Caviar offers high-end caviar at low prices. He’s able to get the same caviar that big brands charge thousands of dollars. You would think that by having a cheap price he is cheapening his brand, but instead, he is bringing transparency to the market and educating people on how caviar isn’t really expensive… it’s actually just a marketing ploy. I take a similar approach to Ubersuggest. I don’t think marketing software and education should be so expensive. So I give a lot away for free or super cheap. Do you think that has cheapened my brand or hurt it? Well, let’s look at the data: I guess not. 🙂 But on the flip side, would Ferrari be Ferrari if their cars were selling for $10,000? Probably not. How to pick the right price for your product By no means am I a pricing expert so I don’t want to tell you what to price your product at. But I will tell you to read the Price Intelligently blog. Those guys know to price like the back of their hand and they have dozens of articles that will teach you exactly how to price your product. It’s important to think about pricing, especially if you are in a crowded space. My rule of thumb is: If you are

SEO reporting can be a complex task: from the metrics you should include to how often you should update it, an SEO report can take up a lot of your time. In this guide, our goal is to help you to understand what a perfect SEO report should look like and what it should include, helping you to take your reporting to the next level.

When you work at a small business with a limited budget, it’s not really possible to shell out $340,000 for a 30-second TV commercial or $10,000 for an email marketing campaign. It can be frustrating when your budget dictates how many people your business can reach. Here are some free and inexpensive ways to promote your local business:  How to Advertise a Local Business How to Get Free Advertising How to Advertise on Google for Free How to Advertise a Local Business Use Google My Business to optimize for local search. Check out Yext. Network at in-person events when possible. Speak at an association or local event. Put up brochures or flyers. Run geo-targeted Facebook ads. Invest in direct mail campaigns. 1. Use Google My Business to optimize for local search. One of the most powerful free ways to advertise your business is through Google My Business, which enables companies to manage their presence on Google Search and Google Maps. The tool can bolster your rankings in local search results. Ranking high in local search shows you’re a legitimate and relevant company: you wouldn’t rank #1 in Google for “pizza places near me” if you’d closed down six months ago. Plus, if you rank high in local search, more consumers will choose your business over a competitor’s. In today’s fast-paced world, convenience is key. Click here or scroll to the bottom of this post to learn how to advertise on Google for free. 2. Check out Yext. The more places your business is listed online, the better your chances of showing up in search results, and the easier it is for potential customers to find you. To ensure great local SEO, the details of your listings on every website and online directory need to match up. For instance, if your website lists your company’s new phone number, but Yelp lists your old one, this inconsistency could hurt your SEO. Yext scans the web to find every place your business is listed, so you can tweak your listings to guarantee accuracy. 3. Attend networking events and mixers. Connecting with fellow professionals at industry networking events is a great opportunity to meet potential consumers in a place where they are eager to discuss your business. The niche topics of networking events ensure you’re meeting high-qualified leads. For example, a “Best Technology Startups of 2020” event will primarily be filled with participants who are interested in technology and startups. Particularly for small businesses looking to make their first connections, networking is a chance to get your name out there, meet potential partners, and find opportunities for growth. Plus, it’ll keep you up-to-date on trends in your industry. 4. Speak at an association or local event. Similar to networking, speaking at an event about a topic related to your industry is another way to exhibit your expertise. Giving a thought-provoking and powerful speech will draw attention to you and, by association, your business, which can increase brand awareness and prove your business is qualified to tackle consumer’s challenges. To start, brainstorm different topics and volunteer at various upcoming networking events and trade association conventions. If you’re afraid of public speaking (don’t worry, a lot of us are), you could enroll in a local Toastmasters chapter to improve your game. 5. Put up brochures or flyers. Putting up brochures or flyers in local libraries, coffee shops, and businesses is a unique way to market to offline locations where people spend a good deal of their time. You can create free brochures and flyers on PowerPoint or Canva. Depending on your industry, it might even help you reach an ideal clientele: if you’re a physical therapist, for example, perhaps you could hand out brochures to local gyms or nearby hospitals. 6. Run geo-targeted Facebook ads.  Facebook has more targeted advertising capability than any other platform. In addition to being able to advertise to a certain type of consumer based on interests or job description, you can target people who fit that criteria in a certain location.  By putting a few dollars per day behind a geo-targeted Facebook campaign, you’ll build up a local following over time. Be sure to continue posting great content as well to keep this new audience engaged.  7. Invest in direct mail campaigns.  With direct mail, you’ll know that the right audience in your nearby area is receiving your promotions.  While a single batch of mailers may not be enough to drive tons of business, doing frequent distribution campaigns will increase the number of impressions you make on your audience, which in turn drives brand awareness and keeps you top of mind.  Surprisingly, there are also a lot of free ways to supplement your paid advertising efforts. By incorporating free advertising tactics into your strategy, you can remove some nonessential costs and dedicate your budget to deeper, more long-term plays. In fact, we suggest some of these methods regardless of your budget. To help you spread the word about your business without breaking the bank, we’ve compiled a list of ways to get advertising for free. How to Get Free Advertising Write guest posts for other blogs. Answer Quora questions. Publish content on LinkedIn. Offer to do interviews on other business’ podcasts. Promote your website on your email signature. Send email newsletters. Do a free product giveaway or contest. Create YouTube videos. Take advantage of your partnerships. Post on social media. Experiment with photo and video platforms. Encourage happy customers to give online reviews. 1. Write guest posts for other blogs. There are a few major advantages to guest posting for a well-established blog. You can benefit from connecting to that blog’s audience, and you can also start establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Since guest posting on a popular blog allows you access to an established audience and high domain authority, this practice can sometimes be more beneficial than posting to your own blog. Plus, you can link back to your own website from your article, giving

Earlier today, I learned about a type of page that would load “almost instantaneously.” Well, with a rap like that, I had to test this out for myself. So, I went to Tasty, a cooking website, on my desktop and on my phone to test the loading times for each. The homepage for both took one second to load and display. That was impressive. Source When comparing the mobile homepage and desktop homepage, I saw that the images and layouts were optimized perfectly. This checked off another item on my list. Source And finally, when clicking on a recipe, I was greeted with a video demo, in perfect quality. This was unexpected and entirely welcoming. That was the moment I regarded Google AMP as an awesome tool for sophisticated, compelling websites. Google AMP pages can help you design ecommerce pages, compelling advertisements, and thrilling mobile experiences by hosting pages that load almost instantly. For instance, Gizmodo found their pages loaded three times faster and Mashable saw a 200% increase in average CTR. Source As a user, my experience with Google AMP pages was spectacular. So, let’s dive into AMPs: How they work, what they are, why they’re amazing for businesses, and how you can create one of your own. Unlike other AMP, Google’s integrates with the website’s many channels, such as Search, AMP Cache, and Analytics. As well as being able to integrate with Google’s channels, you can monetize AMP HTML framework with Google’s ad suite (Ads, AdSense, and AdManager). AMP is a great choice to improve core business metrics, such as the number of conversions on web pages. AMP pages load almost instantly across all devices. AMP also lets you convert your entire website archive in days if you use a popular CMS, such as WordPress or HubSpot. Another great benefit for businesses using Google AMP is that the AMP framework is used by popular global sites like Bing and Twitter and allows you to create a seamless, native experience. Essentially, if your AMP website content has a link to Twitter, for example, the tweet would embed in your web page and users wouldn’t have to leave to see the tweet. Now that we’ve covered the basic definition of AMP and why it’s great for businesses, let’s go more into depth about how AMP works. How Google AMP Works In this section, I’ll talk about how AMP pages are able to load so quickly. There are seven reasons in total, and you can find an explanation on this page uploaded by a Google AMP Developer. 1. AMP pages load all of the page’s content at once. AMP makes all components of a web page load at the same time. This differs from a non-AMP web page feature of assets loading one by one. AMP pages don’t allow any custom JavaScript that could interrupt that simultaneous loading time. AMP uses iFrames, which doesn’t block the main page from rendering and only allows asynchronous JavaScript. AMP might have some JavaScript in the background, but they are designed very carefully to make sure they don’t slow performance. 2. The layout of AMP pages is known to browsers beforehand. In a non-AMP page, the web browser, like Google or Firefox, doesn’t know all the components of a web page until it’s fully loaded. In AMP, all external images or site frames must state their size in the HTML. This is so the browser knows how much it will be loading before the download initiates. This allows AMP to load all of the content of the page without having to wait for other elements or resources to download. This is called “static layouting” and is a crucial element of AMP. 3. The CSS is in-line and size bound. In AMP pages, only one stylesheet is needed: inline. This removes multiple HTTP requests from the rendering path. HTTP is designed to enable communication between web browsers and servers. The removal of multiple HTTP requests streamlines the communication browsers and servers needed to have in order to fully load the page. Additionally, inline stylesheets have a data max (50 kilobytes) that allows content to be sophisticated but easy enough to comply with CSS rules. 4. Web fonts are super large, so AMP pages download them first. The optimization of fonts being used on web pages is a crucial element of page performance. On a non-AMP web page with few scripts and stylesheets, the browser has to wait for them to download before downloading fonts. The AMP doesn’t require HTTP requests to start until the fonts begin to download. This is possible because of reasons one and two. So with AMP, there’s no HTTP communication blocking the browser from downloading fonts. 5. AMP pages minimize style and layout recalculations. Each time something on a page is changed, the browser has to recalculate downloading the page. A non-AMP page doesn’t load all elements simultaneously, so the browser doesn’t know the layout of the page as it’s downloading. This can be a problem, because in traditional pages multiple scripts and sheets are being used to execute many dynamic functions at once. When this happens, re-layouts may occur and end up looking unattractive to users. But because AMP has the power to simultaneously download content and rendering, it also has the ability to read, comprehend, and implement those changes seamlessly. 6. The power to load images is shifted from the CPU to the GPU for acceleration. Instead of using your computer’s processor, or CPU, to generate the images for your page, AMP uses the GPU, or graphic processor, which is more efficient. This frees up the work the CPU has to do, making the page run and load faster. When the CPU makes images, it creates layers, then sends them over to the GPU for further changes. For instance, the GPU can then shrink, enlarge, rotate, or crop images. 7. Resource downloading is a top priority for AMP pages. When an AMP page starts downloading, it begins to optimize

In this study about positioning yourself in the SERPs, you will learn a few interesting facts that will help you, your website, and your business grow. I am going to show you how structured data, website speed, and the quality of your copywriting can affect your rankings.