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The Next Marketing Frontier: Real-Time Lead Nurturing

by on May 2012

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week about middle of the funnel marketing challenges. As technology marketers, we’ve learned the lessons about how to get found on the internet, convert web site visitors and analyze the results.

We’ve spent time and money on implementing marketing automation systems to help us score, prioritize and nurture the leads we generate. And, we’ve discovered that the fuel to feed this marketing engine is content. Free, compelling, content. And lots of it.

So, what’s the problem?
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Filed Under: Content Marketing, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, Marketing Automation

Stop Procrastinating!! Get Your Blogging Groove On

by on May 2012

There is nothing worse than staring at a blank piece of paper. I speak from experience. As I’ve been trying to get in the groove of blogging regularly, the angst of getting started causes me to procrastinate and put off what I know I should do.

Blogging is particularly challenging for start-up companies. You’re wearing 20 different hats, and putting out a blog post seems like the last thing you should be doing.

As I work with small technology companies, I preach the value of blogging. How it’s a great way to develop content and thought leadership. How it helps your SEO efforts. How it’s the hub of your inbound marketing efforts. Yet, even I struggle to practice what I preach.

I decided to approach this as if I were my client. What would I tell myself to do?
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Filed Under: Content Marketing, SEO, Social Media

Using Beta Testers to Generate Marketing Content

by on March 2012

Savvy start-ups know that the most efficient way for them to acquire customers is through inbound marketing. Getting eyeballs to your web site and presenting compelling content for prospects to engage with is a sure fire way to build pipeline. But, while we intellectually know this is true, it’s frequently challenging to generate enough content to feed the demand gen beast.

So, what’s a savvy start-up to do? Leverage your beta testers to build the content for you.
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Filed Under: Content Marketing

How Social Do You Need To Be?

by on February 2012

Last quarter we began to create our social media presence. We decided to keep it simple and only focus on the Big 3 — Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn — and re-commit to our corporate blog. Seems easy enough, right? But, how do you keep things manageable when you’re a small marketing team at a start-up company?

It’s easy to get sucked down this rat hole. Shucks, it doesn’t cost anything to set up a Twitter account, Facebook fan page or LinkedIn profile. The rub is that you need time and content — and lots of it — to feed the social media beast.
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Filed Under: Content Marketing, Social Media