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There's a reason companies test the colors of things like advertisements, banner ads, and call-to-action (CTA) buttons. When we did a button color test here at HubSpot, for example, we found that a red CTA button outperformed a green CTA button by 21%. In other words, we increased conversion rate without changing anything about the page except for the color of the CTA. That's the power of color psychology in marketing. Let's explore the ways color psychology plays a role in marketing, with a quick vocabulary lesson and a visual guide...
Luckily, I have the privilege of working on a team of 150+ other marketers who specialize in different functions than I do. And because of that, I was able to curate this list of the top 58 tools every marketer should know about and being using in 2017. I'll make it easy for you. I broke up my list of recommended tools into different sections so you can get a better sense of what tools are available for different functions of the job. At the end, you'll see the whole list of 58 tools that you can skim and bookmark for later....
Breaking the fourth wall happens in performance when an actor (improviser, comedian, etc.) interacts with the audience and brings them into the performance. It creates the “we.” It says to people that there is no wall between us and the audience. And, in the corporate space, it signals that there is no wall between the company and its customers.
Truly, there isn’t—there is only the shared “we.” Improvisers (I am a businessperson and an improviser) know this well. Without your best customers, you have no brand. They own the brand, so it’s time to let them in on where it makes sense. As I said to the attendees at the Visual Storytelling Institute Conference when I gave my keynote, “When you break the fourth wall to engage your audience, you create magic.” Because when you allow people to participate in the direction of the experience as it happens, you create a shared experience of “we.”...
Do you ever wonder why certain content and ideas become very popular while others fail to gain traction? Derek Thompson’s new book ‘Hit Makers: How Things Become Popular‘ takes an in-depth look at what makes a viral or popular product. The book doesn’t provide a secret formula for virality, however, Thompson provides a lot of detailed research on the key factors that cause content and products to become popular. Here is my take on the content marketing lessons from the book.
Like writers, sales reps often develop bad habits. But without paying attention to what they’re doing and examining their behavior, these habits can cause mistakes that end in deals falling apart, annoyed prospects, or missed quotas. Just like a double negative can wreck an otherwise solid paragraph, all it takes is one cringeworthy phrase to kill a sales follow-up email. The phrase I’m thinking of is nothing short of poisonous to deals, and should be cut from the vocabulary of every sales rep. Can you spot it in the following email?...
Most conversion rate optimization experts you'll meet would agree: Copywriting first. Design second. The idea is that copy (and the message you're trying to convey through that copy) should dictate design – not the other way around. Now, this is in no way meant to underestimate the importance of design. Design can breathe life into the story the copy is telling, and done properly, great copy plus great design will always outperform great copy alone. The point is, it's not hard to find examples of "ugly" pages outperforming beautifully designed pages – and in those cases, it usually boils down to the copy....
Toronto's Spin Master has done it again. The toy company that brought kids to a fervour over Zoomer robotic pets has created the hottest toy of 2016: Hatchimals. But they're already sold out everywhere, leaving parents in a panic.
WTF is a Hatchimal? Good question.
Imagine a large, speckled egg that hatches as a result of touch and sound. Inside, your child will find a bright, fuzzy robotic creature. It could be a Draggle, Penguala, Owlicorn, Burtle or Bearakeet (don't worry if you can't tell the difference, they look pretty similar.) That's when the fun starts. Kids then teach it to walk, talk and play using specific phrases.
"Hatchimals incorporate the very best elements of nurturing play with the interactivity of robotics in a truly innovative and entertaining way," Ben Varadi, Spin Master's chief creative officer, said in a press release. "This is one of the most unique products Spin Master has ever launched and we're confident that the consumer response will be strong."
Well, that's putting it mildly. The toy retails between $60 and $90 and it has sold out online everywhere. Sears, Toys R Us, Mastermind, Chapters... no one has it....
Negotiation isn’t just something that ambassadors and heads of state do, it’s part of our daily lives. Many commonplace interactions involve negotiation, whether we realize it or not. Unless you are alone on the road, the very act of driving is a constant negotiation. The tips in this infographic won’t help you with deciding who’s going first at a stop sign, but in any negotiation situation where you can talk to the other party, you’ll get good advice here....
Princeton psychologists learned that first impressions form in less than a second. Sounds crazy but it’s not. Even though we consider ourselves logical and modern human beings, the majority of our decisions are made by the ancient, instinctive subconscious part of our brains, sometimes referred to as our “reptilian brain.” That doesn’t mean that the quality of our decisions is lowered; some, like Malcolm Gladwell in Blink, argue that quick, gut-level decisions are actually better and save us time and agony. Let’s explore how emotions play into modern-day marketing and why....
14 Types of Hook sentences with examples. This is a useful idea starter for bloggers, marketers and social marketing Pros. Use it to kick-start your creativity.
What is the most powerful tool in your marketing arsenal? Is it keyword research? Copywriting? Beautifully designed ad campaigns? Maybe… I’m not going to keep these techniques a secret. I wanted to share with you the psychological insights I learned so you can dramatically improve your game by leveraging Facebook marketing more effectively. So, what are the most important psychological “hacks” you can start using today to improve your social media marketing?...
I've scoured the web for the strategies that have performed best in numerous tests and case studies.
In this article, I’ll show you 14 data-driven techniques to optimize the conversion rates of your landing pages (and how you can implement them).
First, take a look at this infographic on the landing page design best practices to get an idea of what I'm talking about....
How do successful authors engage their fans on social media? And what can authors post on social media besides links to their own books?
Below you’ll find 23 ideas, along with examples from successful authors. Many of these tactics can help promote a book, but in more creative and engaging ways than simply posting a link to a book’s retailer page.
Publishers and agents, this post is written for authors. We encourage you to share it with your authors to help them build more engaging profiles.
Authors, we hope hope you find the list useful — and please share your great ideas in the comments!...
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Have you ever called a lead on a Tuesday morning and heard nothing, but tried that same lead two days later and they responded back almost immediately? That’s not luck -- there’s some science behind why this happened. According to research from James Oldroyd and InsideSales.com, effectively reaching out to prospects comes down to one thing: timing. For example, did you know 4 to 5 p.m. had a 164% better connection rate than 1 to 2 p.m.? Or that connection rates drop by 400% if you respond in 10 minutes instead of five? The following infographic reveals the best times and days to connect with respond to prospects. Science and data are starting to dominate sales. Are you keeping up?...
When car shoppers visit a dealership, they aren’t necessarily looking to buy right away. A car salesperson must nurture the relationship, answer their questions, offer a test drive, and relieve their doubts before a purchase is made. Marketers take their online prospects through a similar journey as they move from the awareness stage to the decision stage. In the decision stage of the buyer’s journey, prospects already know they have a problem, have evaluated their options, and are testing out who they should purchase from. Marketers know this well, as an estimated 93% of web-based companies and startups offer a free trial at the bottom of their marketing funnel. That percentage is overwhelming because a free trial offer is the best way for prospects to experience the product and sell themselves on using it. Now let’s examine how businesses are using free trial landing pages to convert prospects....
Just as the best athletes constantly practice, improve, and refine their strategy, successful salespeople are always experimenting with existing techniques and trying out new ones. After all, the second an athlete or rep stops striving to get better, they backslide.
We’ve rounded up 56 one-sentence tips to keep you in peak selling shape. Whether you want to focus on your presentation skills, your approach to calling prospects, your methods for closing, or all of the above, you’ll find some great words of wisdom in this list....
It’s only a few months into 2017, but brands are already making their presences known – in a big way. Concepts and visuals are stronger than ever in this year’s content marketing efforts. “We’re in a golden age of visuals, and content is king,” says Pam Grossman, Getty Images’ Director of Visual Trends. “2017 is all about images that are bold, impactful, and evocative. ”Each year, Getty releases an annual trends report on the types of images that most resonate with viewers and leave lasting impressions. Here’s a look at the 2017 list, inspiring examples from brands, plus tips on incorporating these new visual cues into your content marketing. ...
Do you have valuable social media posts you don’t want to lose?
Want to learn how to back up your social media profiles?
Downloading your social media profiles, content, and contacts will ensure you always have what you need to keep your business running, no matter what platform or features come and go.
In this article, you’ll discover how to download copies of your social media content and profiles....
Empty space is not always wasted space.In fact, when it comes to web design, it's a best practice to give your content a little breathing room. Today's website visitors are content-scanners. They scroll quickly, skim posts, and get distracted by busy layouts trying to accomplish too much. The key to getting your visitors' undivided attention is simplicity -- and that starts with an effective use of whitespace. In this article, we'll take a brief look at why whitespace matters, what it means for conversion-driven web design, and how eight websites are using whitespace to lead their visitors towards a desired action....
When reps need to connect with particularly important or hard-to-reach prospects, normal research methods usually won’t suffice. To grab these buyers’ attention, earn their respect, and provide them value, salespeople must go deeper than a basic LinkedIn skim. These five methods will surface extremely helpful details about an organization, its strategy, and its individual leaders....
“The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.” - Joshua Harris Have you ever called a lead on a Tuesday morning and heard nothing, but tried that same lead two days later and they responded back almost immediately? That’s not luck -- there’s some science behind why this happened. According to research from James Oldroyd and InsideSales.com, effectively reaching out to prospects comes down to one thing: timing. For example, did you know 4-5 p.m. had a 164% better connection rate than 1-2 p.m.? Or that connection rates drop by 400% if you respond in 10 minutes instead of five? The following infographic reveals the best times and days to connect with respond to prospects. Science and data are starting to dominate sales. Are you keeping up?...
I’m sure I won’t blow your mind by saying that visuals are essential to creating content that will help your business stand out and draw in an audience. Not only do images help make text-centric content more readable, digestible, and memorable, but they can also be used to craft compelling messages that speak volumes without using a single word — just ask anyone who has posted a photo on Instagram or created a “Snap” to share a memorable moment with friends.
Nearly a year ago, I compiled a collection of best-practice tips from some of the industry’s most creative and design-minded content experts, along with helpful imaging tools and examples. But, considering how rapidly visual trends come and go, we at CMI felt it was time to take another look at how to let your brand’s photos, videos, and graphics do the talking.
Of course, we wouldn’t want a retrospective on such an image-conscious topic to show visible signs of aging; we’ve freshened up the discussion with a few new tips, tricks, and takeaways....
Have you ever spent hours, if not days, trying to come up with that perfect URL for your new blog? This is where domain name generators often come in. These tools have proven useful when brainstorming unique website names, especially if you wish for them to sound marketable or carry a “brand” feel. Additionally, many generators allow you to insert a desired keyword if you are heavily focused on SEO, so that your URL is not completely randomized. Let’s look at the 10 best domain name generators in no particular order....
... because fake reviews are not only immoral -- but also illegal
It's never been easy to earn customer's favor, especially in terms of explicit public appraisal like an online review. As responsible business owners we all strive (or at least we should) to encourage our clientele to share their experience with our service and product. Unfortunately, waiting for a natural regular inflow of customer reviews is a "plan" that will often bring rather disappointing results.
The thing is You Need a Strategy. A strategy that is better than the one already adopted by your strong competitors. A strategy that will turn your customers into your private brand advocates. It will not take overnight to plan it and execute it but it will make a difference in the long run.
Having your own Review Gathering Strategy is important. So, if you are clueless of how your business could benefit from it, you've finally found out the reason why you suck at securing customer reviews, now you only need to work your way around it....
Think about all the times you've signed up for things in your life. Did you once download Evernote? Dropbox? Spotify? Maybe you've even taken a class on General Assembly.
Each one of these signups is likely a result of an effective call-to-action.
And it's really important to guide your visitors through the buying journey using strategic calls-to-action (CTAs). Think about it: If you hadn't been drawn in by the copy or design of the CTA, or been guided so eloquently through your sign-up process, you would probably use a lot fewer apps and websites than you do now.
Download our full collection of 101 call-to-action examples here for even more CTA ideas.
To help you identify what's effective and what's not, we've listed out 30 examples of CTAs that totally rock. These call-to-action examples are broken out into three categories: simple and effective design, click-worthy copy, and balancing multiple CTAs on one page....
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![The Best Time to Call Prospects, Based on Data From 100,000 Calls [Data] | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it](https://img.scoop.it/yhuIPF32t5WqfnU8bJrF1jl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9)
Color psychology and its role in buyer decision-making are fascinating elements of marketing. But how can such nuance be quantified? Well, look no further as HubSpot answers.