by Cristian De Nardo | May 23, 2019 | Marketing
Earlier this year, a handful of my extremely bright and capable colleagues compiled a report on topic clusters. Now first, what the heck is a topic cluster? A topic cluster is a method that uses a single “pillar page” as the main hub of content for a given topic. All of your content assets related to that topic link back to the pillar page — and the pillar links out to each asset. Here’s why it’s critical to your content strategy. Topic clusters aren’t just a nice, clean way of organizing content that brings glee to the most Type A of marketers (me, for instance). It also keeps Google happy. As it turns out, the search engine giant has changed its algorithm to favor topic-based content, making pillar pages a requirement for content marketers who want to maintain a high SERP ranking. Here’s a handy video explaining how topic clusters work: Now, let’s dive into what these pillar pages mean for your business. What is a pillar page? My colleague, Sophia Bernazzani, does an excellent job of summarizing pillar pages (and comparing them to HubSpot Marketing Blog’s own previous method of topic organization) in her post on the subject here. As the previous paragraphs suggest, she says: “A pillar page is the basis on which a topic cluster is built. A pillar page covers all aspects of the topic on a single page, with room for more in-depth reporting in more detailed cluster blog posts that hyperlink back to the pillar page. Pillar pages broadly cover a particular topic, and cluster content should address a specific keyword related to...
by Cristian De Nardo | May 23, 2019 | Marketing
Platforms are embedded in our daily lives — whether we realize it or not. Have you recently … Ordered food from a service like GrubHub or made a reservation using OpenTable? Booked a ride using Lyft? Used your phone to check your email? All of these seamless interactions require systems to talk to each other via open platforms. What about at work? How many tools do you use to do your job? Do you spend a lot of time updating disparate systems, or do you use a connected stack of technologies to keep things up-to-date? If it’s the latter, you have a platform to thank for your saved time. A platform makes it possible to connect tools, teams, data, and processes under one digital roof. It’s the nucleus of all systems and allows you to connect all your favorite tools seamlessly using integrations. An integration allows disparate systems to talk to each other. By joining tools via integrations, a change made in System A automatically carries through to System B. Leveraging platforms and integrations hasn’t always been commonplace. A couple of years ago, HubSpot Research found that 82% of salespeople and marketers lost up to an hour per day managing siloed tools — a costly mistake. Today, employees recognize that integrating technologies to do their jobs isn’t an option but a requirement. Individual employees are opting to connect their tools and, on average, leverage eight apps to do their job. Employees and businesses alike run on connected applications. Okta found that it’s small-mid sized customers (defined as companies with less than 2,000 employees) average 73 apps — up 38%...
by Cristian De Nardo | May 23, 2019 | Marketing
Millions of dollars are poured into the Google Display Network (GDN) every day. But why? Google offers endless options for marketers to promote their products, so how is this network different? Frankly — because it works. When industry competitors’ congest search engines, the GDN can be a great alternative. With it, there’s less competition for inflated keyword bids, so you’re more likely to reach users actively searching for your products and services. Though the audience intent is not as strong, you get a much lower cost-per-click, and many more impressions. Here, we’re going to explore why you should use Google Display Network (GDN), how GDN differs from search ads, and how you can target your GDN ads to reach the right people in the right places. Why Use the Google Display Network? The value for GDN boils right down to reach and affordability. Prospecting, brand awareness, and remarketing can come with a hefty price tag when pursued for traditional search ads. GDN, by comparison, bypasses a lot of costly competition from other networks. There are also endless options for customizing your audience targeting. Ultimately, you don’t need a fat wallet to set up a campaign through Google Display — you just need to choose the right targeting factors for your marketing goal. With Google’s search ads, you’re essentially throwing out a wide net, which can be largely hit-or-miss, both with whom you’re targeting and with how you’re spending. Google’s Display Network, on the other hand, allows you to define your audience in a way search engines can’t. Since you can target more than just keywords, you aren’t limited to...
by Cristian De Nardo | May 23, 2019 | Marketing
I recently came across the greatest dog bed in the history of dog beds — seriously, it felt like it was made of clouds. And after asking the dog owner about it, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the same company also made regular beds. (Score.) Needless to say, I’m now the proud owner of the human-version of said dog bed. You see, when a friend or family member recommends a product, you’re more likely to take their endorsement seriously. In fact, according to a Word of Mouth Report by Chatter Matters, one of the most meaningful forms of advertising is recommendations from friends and family: 83% of consumers say these recommendations make them more likely to purchase a product or service. The story of how I bought my mattress is a great example of social proof, which refers to the theory that people tend to adopt the opinions or actions of people they trust. And to help illustrate how brands are using this persuasive technique in their marketing, we’ve put together a roundup of social proof in action below. What Is Social Proof? Social proof is the idea that consumers will adapt their behavior according to what other people are doing. It makes sense, right? When we see a line of customers waiting to eat at a restaurant or a photo of a celebrity drinking a certain brand of coffee, it lends an air of gravitas and quality to the product, doesn’t it? But there’s more to it than that. In fact, according to business coach Bailey Richert, there are as many as a dozen different...
by Cristian De Nardo | May 22, 2019 | Marketing
Having data is one thing. Accessing it is another. Understanding and analyzing it is yet another. And visualizing it? Well, that’s a level of mastery that most people never reach. If you can make it to this stage, you’ll be capable of unlocking invaluable insights for your business. You’ll have a serious advantage when it comes to getting competitive opportunities—whether that’s a cool project or promotion at your current organization or a brand-new role at a different one. Most powerfully of all, you won’t need to rely on others (like a data analyst or ops specialist) to get the answers you need. You’ll have everything at your fingerprints. Sounds pretty great, right? But how do you go from having data to understanding, analyzing, and visualizing it? There are tons of resources out there. Luckily, one of my favorites, Google Data Studio, is completely free and accessible to all (even if you don’t have any data of your own!). In this guide, I’ll walk you through the most useful Data Studio tools. We’ll start with the basics before moving into the intermediate features. Finally, we’ll go over the advanced options. Like most Google tools, Data Studio can be hard to master, but it’s well worth the effort. Once you’ve gotten comfortable with its features, you can use it to create stunning and informative reports for your clients, coworkers, or leadership team. Not only that, but you’ll have unlocked the final stage of data analysis expertise. From there, the world is your spreadsheet. Google Data Studio Tutorial Use templates Publish your report Connect to 150+ sources Create your own report theme...
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