Digital marketing insights.

Stop and think for a moment about how often you’ve seen something advertised on TV, or the Internet, and thought to yourself: “who would be stupid enough to buy that?”

Think back to the last great thing that happened in your business. Remember all the good work you put into making it happen, and smart decisions you made that led to the triumph.

Your website isn’t just a marketing item – it’s a potential hub of information, relationship-building, and sales activity. It’s also the most visible component of your marketing plan. Do you get the sense it's under performing? Let's check on a few of the most common and telltale signs...

One of the interesting things I've learned studying behaviour and unconscious bias in marketing is that most people tend to think of themselves as being average when it suits them, but extraordinary when it helps their self-esteem. And, because all of this happens on a subconscious level, we do it without even realizing it.

At some point or another, someone in your life – like a parent or spouse – probably reminded you that you aren’t indeed the centre of the universe. That’s something we all come to learn eventually, even if we don’t necessarily like it.

If you are in the business of producing blog posts, videos, and social content to improve your bottom line, then you’re probably used to watching these key metrics: visits, conversions, and sales.

Who is the one expert you trust more than any other in the world?

If you’re like most people, you probably thought of a scientist, a mentor, friend, or even a religious leader. And just like the rest, you would be completely wrong.

Admit it. It’s so easy for your social media feed to descend into random tweets and personal gripes. It's one of the reasons my team and I advocate in favour of establishing an editorial calendar.

Very recently, the future of net neutrality became a hot topic. The assumption in many circles is that the governing powers in Washington are doing away with the rules that prevent Internet service providers from giving preferential treatment to one internet entity or another.

No doubt you've heard of Simon Sinek's Start With Why TedX talks or his books, but did you know that the origins of The 9 Whys are the work of Dr. Gary Sanchez of the Why Institute? In the slim chance you haven't heard of either speaker, it's a construct of 9 motivations that most people identify with as their primary 'purpose' in life.

Financial icon Warren Buffett (WIKI) likes to remind investors that the price of something is what you pay for it, while the value is what you get in return. That’s why it’s easy for something cheap to be more expensive in the long run. In fact, prioritizing short-term budgets almost always comes back to haunt you.

With all the "offers" to guest blog, one has to wonder... does guest blogging have any real value to a writer or a business these days? Does it lead to the good stuff, like generating new opportunities, or is it just a lot of work for questionable gain? Is there any SEO benefit – either in terms of creating backlinks or giving your valuable content to someone else to publish?

As my company has grown into a recognized lead generation firm throughout North America and beyond, I’ve noticed an interesting trend: there are a lot of established businesses who make the switch to inbound marketing but treat it like a New Year’s resolution.

I love to give. It's in my DNA.

In 2016, my team and I gave hundreds of hours of our time. Our motivation to give is that it makes us feel good. It's personal. We're motivated by having a love for the cause.

Ask most businesses what SEO success would look like to them, and they’ll likely tell you it would be a number one search ranking on Google for their keywords.