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According to Smart Insights, more than 20% of more than 2,300 marketers said that content marketing would give their business the biggest incremental uplift in leads and sales in 2017.  But content marketing isn’t easily mastered, nor is it always easily implemented.  What is this beast that marketers everywhere wring their hands over? And how can smart marketers tame that beast and get leads rolling in once and for all?

Traveling with work is both exciting and stressful. Your first business conference can be a true first glance into adulthood. Last year, I attended my first one. It was HubSpot’s INBOUND conference in Boston, and lucky for you, I took notes on how to survive the week. Check out my tips below to conquer your first INBOUND experience.  

As traditional marketing methods seem to fall more and more by the wayside, it seems everyone these days is looking for the next hot trend in marketing. The digital world is moving so quickly that by the time most B2B marketers get with the current trends, the Next Big Thing has already come along.  B2B marketers are tired of feeling left behind, but, at the same time, they wonder if the same trends driving the B2C market can really be effective in the B2B marketing world. 

The answer isn’t really all that cut-and-dry.  The truth of the matter lies somewhere in the middle.  Tired old postcards are just that…tired.  And emails (which are, believe it or not, considered more and more to be traditional) are only effective with succinct subject lines, consideration for A/B testing and relevant calls-to-action.  But incorporating some traditional marketing methods into a forward-thinking digital strategy can have impactful results.

You know that mapping customer journeys is a critical component of your marketing program from the customer perspective. However, have you stopped to consider how going through the mapping process can positively impact your company and your sales?

There is fierce competition for your customers’ attention. Whether you believe the Media Dynamics 2014 study that stated consumers were exposed to, on average, 362 ads each day or the HubSpot infographic that estimates consumers see 5,000 marketing messages every day, the truth is that customers are bombarded with messages. They are inundated with brand messaging, tantalizing promotions and product promises each and every day.

How do you cut through the clutter, grab customer attention and get them to focus on your brand?

You've heard about them. Brand ambassadors are everywhere. Famous faces and voices touting products and pitching companies are filling television screens, popping up in online searches and giving us all kinds of reasons why we should buy or invest in or use the services they're promoting.

That's all very well and good for Coke. Or Buick. Or Delta Airlines. They've got tons of money to buy ads and pay celebrities beaucoup bucks to sell, sell, sell.

But what happens to all the rest of us who live in the marketing trenches? We have finite budgets and limited resources to attract prospects to our fabulous products and services. And people are telling us we need to get a celebrity to pitch products? Hmmm.

It happened again. Your company president just told you that he wants something "really creative." You stare at him blankly. Wasn't last month's Fat Tuesday event creative? Wasn't that terrific ad campaign last quarter completely off the charts? What more does he want from you? What on earth does he mean by "really creative marketing?"

Let's face it, the competition for consumer attention is fierce. People are bombarded by hundreds (some say thousands) of marketing messages every day. How do you get your brand to stand up and be heard?

It's not enough to pull out the Mardi Gras masks and offer King Cake at your events. It's important to use those fun props and themes to tell your brand story in a compelling way that makes your potential customers pay attention.

Here are five ways to boost your creative marketing strategies and make your boss sing your praises at company picnics.

Choosing a partner agency is extremely important. Essentially you are choosing a group of people that will become an extension of your existing team. There are several things that you need to consider when choosing an agency and we are going to mention just a few. Make sure to download the content at then end of this blog to see a comprehensive set of questions you should ask an agency before hiring.

I was having a conversation a few days ago with a younger colleague who explained the ins and outs of Snapchat and why she thinks that it’s a great new marketing tool.  I own a Snapchat account and I even have a few friends there. But I have no REAL clue how to use it even though everyone I know under the age of 25 seems to turn to it almost exclusively as the communication tool of choice. They effortlessly snap photos, add captions and sail them off into the wild world of the ‘net and move on with their lives. And I thought that my growing ability and desire to text over talk was edgy.  Not so.  If I’m going to stay in touch with my kids, my younger colleagues and the ever-changing world of marketing, I’m going to have to get savvy about Snapchat.

Having an integrated marketing plan has not only proven to make your "marketing life" so much easier, but this day-in-age it is a necessity. Integrated marketing gives your marketing initiative a method to its madness. It focuses on the customer, and on the basics while including the multi-faceted aspects of today's marketing channels. 

{Enter the golden era of advertising and the explosion of Mad Men creativity. As Don Draper puts it in the renowned AMC television series, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.”}

So you can still keep that vibrant creativity, but you also need to remember your customers. What keeps them coming back for more? What problems do they have that you can fix?