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7 Core Services Your Agency Needs to Offer in 2017 [Free Guide]
Inbound marketing and sales continue to have a massive impact on the way busineses market themselves and sell their products. More companies than ever before are opting for agencies that offer a full-funnel range of inbound services.
So what specific services does your agency need to offer in 2017 to stay on top of shifting client demands?
Get prepared for a profitable year with our free guide: The 7 Core Services of Inbound Marketing and Sales. To help your agency win new deals and deepen relationships with exisiting clients, we outline the services you need to succeed.
When you build out your firm’s capabilities to reflect the core services of inbound marketing and sales, your agency will be poised to capitalize on the emerging needs of businesses who have moved their marketing dollars online.
The ROI businesses get from inbound marketing and sales is extremely compelling for clients. So too are the opportunities for marketing agencies who develop services packages to deliver inbound work.
In fact, 73% of HubSpot’s Agency Partners reported seeing an increase of 2X or more in revenue after expanding their offerings to include both marketing and sales services.
Is your agency ready to take on 2017 with the right tools and services to help your clients succed?
Access the 7 Core Services of Inbound Marketing and Sales guide here, and start producing (and proving) better ROI for your clients.
Trump’s new FCC chairman believes manufacturers should open the FM chip in smartphones
A lot has been made about Apple and Tim Cook’s relationship with President Donald Trump, but the new FCC Chairman in the Trump Administration could finally give you access to that FM radio chip in your smartphone.
As detailed by Recode, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai believes that access to FM radios in smartphones is a public safety issue.
Filed under: Apple
This month’s Billboard Magazine cover was shot with an iPhone 7 Plus and Portrait Mode
As Apple continues to advertise the Portrait Mode feature of the iPhone 7 Plus, the device is continuing to gain adoption for professional purposes. As detailed in a new article from Mashable, the latest cover photo for Billboard Magazine was shot with an iPhone 7 Plus and Portrait Mode…
Filed under: Apple
Are you willing to give up Touch ID for new biometric tech + a function area on iPhone 8? [Poll]
Last night, a new report from reliable Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo claimed that the upcoming iPhone 8 would drop the Home button and Touch ID capabilities in favor of a new “function area.”
While ditching the Home button is something that has been rumored for a while, the notion that Apple may drop Touch ID is jarring. Kuo’s report, however, claimed that Apple would replace it with some sort of new biometric recognition.
Are you willing to give up Touch ID for new biometric tech and a function area on iPhone 8?
Filed under: Apple
Skype beta on iOS and Android adds in-call and message reactions, new find panel, more
AT&T is expanding its unlimited data plan to everyone, available tomorrow at $180 for 4 lines
Following in the footsteps of Verizon and T-Mobile, AT&T today announced a new unlimited data plan available to all of its customers. While AT&T brought back an unlimited data plan last year, it was limited to DirecTV and U-Verse subscribers. Today’s plan, however, is open to anyone…
Filed under: Apple
Apple shares two new ads w/ focus on iPhone 7 Plus Portrait Mode
Apple today shared two new ads on its official YouTube channel, both of which highlight the “Portrait Mode” feature available exclusively on the iPhone 7 Plus.
The feature, as the ads demonstrate, creates an instant depth-of-field effect that by blurring the background to let anyone easily take a professional looking portrait.
Filed under: Apple
MacBook Pro Touch Bar support now available for Office 2016 for Mac
Microsoft has released a new update today for Office 2016 for Mac that includes Touch Bar support. These features were originally announced during Apple’s October event last year. We reported last week that members of the Office Insider beta program got a chance to try out the new update first. Now, the update with Touch Bar functionality is available to all users.
Filed under: Apple
9to5Toys Lunch Break: $275 off 13″ MacBook Air, Powerbeats2 Bluetooth Headphones $85, no-contract iPhone 5s 16GB $100, more
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:
Best Buy President’s Day Sale: $275 off 13-inch MacBook Air, iMac and iPad Pro deals plus 4K UHDTVs and more!
Best Buy extra $25 off $100+ w/ Visa Checkout: WD 4TB Ext. Hard Drive $95, Powerbeats3 $125, Google Home $104, more
Daily Deals: Powerbeats2 Bluetooth Earbuds $85, PNY Attaché 32GB USB 2.0 Flash Drives (2-Pack) $10, more
Give the kids a no-contract iPhone 5s 16GB on Virgin Mobile’s pre-paid service for just $100 shipped
Verizon announces trade-in program that nets a free iPhone 7/Plus or Google Pixel (and others) for new Unlimited users
Apple’s robust 15-inch MacBook Pro w/ Touch Bar + Kensington USB-C Dock: $2,179 shipped ($2,579 value, Tax NY only)
Apple iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case in Black or White: on sale for $85 shipped (Reg. $99)
9to5Rewards: Grado’s Brooklyn-made SR325e Over-Ear Headphones [Giveaway]
The entire GO Trilogy on iOS for just $2 today: Hitman, Lara Croft and Deus Ex (Reg. $5+)
- LEGO Batman Beyond Gotham for iOS gets its very first price drop: $1 (Reg. $5)
- App Store Free App of the Week: Chameleon Run and its high-paced platforming go free
MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:
Dive into the world of Google Home + Chromecast at Best Buy, bundles start at $119 w/ Visa Checkout
Stream live video 24/7 with the Netgear Arlo 1080p HD Wired Security Camera for $120 shipped (Reg. $190)
- Aukey QC 3.0 20000mAh Power Bank with Lightning Input $30 Prime shipped (Reg. $40), more
- Patagonia takes up to 50% off down-filled jackets/vests, hoodies, beanies and more!
- Games/Apps: BioShock Collection $30, Titanfall 2 from $20, iOS freebies, more
- Hoover T-Series WindTunnel Bagless Corded Upright Vacuum for $75 shipped (Reg. $117)
- The stainless steel 32-ounce Vacuum Insulated Thermos Beverage Bottle $20 Prime shipped
- HP’s 14″ Chromebook 4GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD $211 shipped (Reg. $280, all-time low)
MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:
Bose SoundTrue II Around-Ear Headphones for Apple devices: now on sale for $90 shipped (Reg. $120+)
Harman Kardon’s 7.2-Ch. A/V Receiver does it all: 4K, AirPlay, Bluetooth and more for $250 shipped (Orig. $550)
Document the action: certified refurb GoPro HERO4 Silver Edition Camera for $200 shipped (Orig. $400)
Filed under: Apple
Hands-on: Twelve South BookArc with the 2016 MacBook Pro [Video]
As an owner of the LG UltraFine 5K Display, I often find myself using my 2016 MacBook Pro in closed-display (clamshell) mode with a keyboard attached to the display’s USB-C port. This allows me to enjoy the best of both worlds — a portable machine for when I’m on the go, and a 5K desktop setup for when I’m stationed at my desk.
Anyone who uses closed-display mode on a regular basis knows that having your MacBook Pro sitting flat on your desk takes can take up a significant amount of prime real estate on the desk top. It’s why vertical stands like Twelve South’s BookArc have been so popular with MacBook users over the years.
In this brief hands-on video, we take a look at the recently-updated BookArc, which includes a new rubber insert that’s specially designed to make the vertical stand play nice with the 2016 MacBook Pro. more…
Filed under: Apple
Report: Apple held talks w/ Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment regarding content deal or acquisition
Apple reportedly held negotiations with Ron Howard’s production company Imagine Entertainment regarding an original content distribution deal or possible acquisition, according to a new report from The Financial Times.
While the report claims the talks were far along enough to include CEO Tim Cook and other high-level executives, including the company’s senior vice-president of internet software and services Eddy Cue, the negotiations reportedly “fizzled out”:
Filed under: Apple
Latest report suggests iPhone 8 screen features higher 521 PPI density, 3x Retina scaling like Plus models
Last night, reliable Apple analyst KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo posted his latest assessment of the iPhone 8 detailing the addition of a virtual function area replacing the physical Home button. However, the report also included screen resolution specs which help draw some additional insight.
KGI’s numbers imply that the iPhone 8 will have a pixel density around 521 PPI, far higher than the existing iPhone lineup (iPhone 7 PPI is ~320). It also seems likely that Apple will use Retina assets at 3x scale, packing Plus features into a body the same size as the 4.7 inch phones …
Filed under: Apple
Apple tops Fortune’s most admired companies as Samsung drops out of top 50
Fortune has announced its annual list of the world’s most admired companies, and for the 10th year in a row Apple has taken first place.
Arch-rival Samsung dropped out of the top 50 this year, Fortune explaining that its exploding batteries caused too much damage to both its sales and reputation.
The method used to calculate rankings is nothing if not thorough …
Filed under: Apple
Review: The Soundcast VG1 packs a lot of punch into a compact, waterproof speaker
Bluetooth speakers are so ubiquitous that, to be honest, my eyes have a tendency to glaze over at the mention of yet another one. The Soundcast VG1, however, caught my attention because its earlier – and more expensive – Melody speaker got rave reviews.
The VG1 looked, on paper, to be the holy grail of highly-portable outdoor speakers, claiming good sound quality, decent volume, long battery-life and true IP67 waterproofing at a relatively affordable $150. The question was: could it deliver in practice … ?
Filed under: Apple
Apple announces WWDC 2017: June 5th – 9th, held at San Jose McEnery Convention Center
Apple has announced it is holding WWDC 2017 from June 5th to June 9th, with a big change from previous years: the conference will be held in San Jose, at the McEnery Convention Center.
This marks a big shift in location but it seems the logistics of the conference will otherwise be the same. Tickets will go on sale ‘this spring’.
Filed under: Apple
How to Write Effective Job Ads for Your Hiring Funnel
What’s so hard about writing an online job ad?
On the surface, it seems simple enough. Just describe the job’s responsibilities, label it with the role you’re hiring for, and post the ad. While that strategy might get you a few results, there are some best practices that can maximize your ad’s views and clicks. In turn, that can help attract the best candidates.
But how do you do that?
We’ve outlined five tips to help you write the most effective job ads. Starting with a look at how candidates search for jobs, we’ve uncovered how something like the title — which might seem simple in theory — can actually have a profound impact on your hiring funnel.
How Do Candidates Search for Jobs?
With job boards like Indeed, Glassdoor, Snagajob, and Proven, candidates typically begin the application process with a search for terms relevant to their desired positions. When results appear, they’re reviewed quickly. In fact, you have about eight seconds to hold someone’s attention, which we estimate is about how long it takes for a candidate to decide if the description is good fit.
The image below outlines the basic flow and decisions made during a candidate’s search process. Each decision point, shown in green, is a potential lost opportunity with a strong candidate.
With that in mind, there are actionable strategies you can start using today to reduce this kind of drop-off from your ads.
5 Tips for Effective Job Ads
1) Put the role in the title.
It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many job ad titles are missing the key ingredient — the role you’re hiring for. Including it in the title is not only valuable in search, but it also helps the job seeker understand the relevance of your ad.
Many job search engines use exact matching between the search query and the job post. If the query doesn’t appear in your ad title, bad news — it probably won’t show up for the candidate. You want to make the decision to click simple for the job seeker, and having an exact match between the query and your ad title is the most straightforward way to do so.
2) Use the most common terms to describe the role.
Many companies have internal language used to describe different roles — for example, you might refer to your customer service representatives as “customer ninjas.” But think about that. Is your ideal job candidate likely to be entering a query for “ninja”?
The general population of job seekers probably isn’t using terms like that to search for relevant positions. This is one place, therefore, where you can use a common set of terms — with too much specialized language, you run the risk of hiding your job from most candidates. Keep it simple — that’ll help make your job ad as visible as possible.
3) Keep your title between 50-60 characters.
When it comes to job ad titles, go for the “Goldilocks effect” — not too short, and not too long, but just right.
Longer titles are likely to be cut off within search results, or trail onto a second line. But too short, and the ad title might not be detailed enough. Aim for fifty to 60 characters, or four to five words — Ads with that quantity tend to outperform others by 30-40%.
4) Make the title stand out.
When you’re deciding which words to include in your ad title, choose wisely — while you want to match candidate queries, you also want to stand apart from the competition. That can be a challenge for hiring managers, as many job search results are almost identical.
Just look at the list of results below:
You want to do something a little different to attract the job seeker’s attention and prioritize your job ad over others. One way to do that is to include a bit of information about the role itself, your company, or the benefits. Whatever you do, though, avoid using all capital letters.
Here are some examples of an enhanced Administrative Assistant title:
- Administrative Assistant Needed — Design Background a Major Plus
- Administrative Assistant — Full Benefits and Gym Membership
- Administrative Assistant — Exciting, Recently-Funded Start-Up
5) Focus on one position per job ad.
Multitasking — sometimes, it’s great. That’s why it can be tempting to advertise more than one position within a single job ad. After all, you might be paying for each of these online listings, so you might as well save by consolidating, right?
Wrong — there are some pretty negative consequences to consolidating multiple positions within one ad. First, you already only have 50-60 characters to both match with potential queries and to stand out. Imagine how much more difficult that becomes if you’re trying to promote multiple positions. Chances are, you don’t have space in the title to do that effectively.
It’s also just plain confusing to the candidate. The more variables involved — in this case, the more job positions — the less compelling your story is about the opportunity. With a rambling, unorganized description, the job seeker is likely to ask, “What the heck am I applying for?” and move on.
But the biggest drawback of all actually goes back to the search itself. If you’re hiring for more than one position within a single ad, sites like Indeed won’t list it in organic results. On the other hand, if you post a sponsored listing on Indeed, it will deliver free organic traffic to your ad. Depending on your budget, you might want to consider investing in features like this one — It might help to further prevent your ad from turning into a cattle call.
Time to Maximize Your Hiring Funnel
Each decision point in a candidate’s job search is a potential falling off point for your ads. Become aware of them, then optimize your ads and their titles to get the best visibility — and, therefore, the best candidates.
When it comes to writing job ads and titles, what’s worked for you? Let us know in the comments.
Apple reportedly testing a new Apple TV with 4K output, may launch later this year
Apple is testing a new version of the Apple TV set-top box for release ‘as soon as this year’, according to Bloomberg. The box is apparently codenamed ‘J105’ and would be an incremental upgrade over the current fourth-generation box with new internals to support outputting at ultra-high definition 4K resolution.
The report also details many of Apple’s internal attempts to revolutionize the living room, which are yet to see the light of day. Bloomberg says Apple considered building an MFI game controller with the Apple TV, for example …
Filed under: Apple
Apple patents describe auto-detecting cracked screens and charging your Watch by winding it
If there’s one thing worse than damaging your iPhone or iPad by dropping it, it’s when that damage is a cracked screen. While you might be able to ignore a scuff to the casing, you’re going to see cracks in the screen every time you use the device.
Apple appears to be aiming to make screens more resistant to cracking by exploring a method of automatically detecting cracks, asking users to confirm them and then sending diagnostic data to the company to help it understand the type of impacts that cause them …
Filed under: Apple