Digital Growth Magazine - January 2021 by nexadigital

DIGITAL GROWTH January 2021 | ISSUE 4

Inside the issue: • Video Content Trends for 2021 • Digital PR in 2021 • Employer Branding is Key to Success when Hiring Remotely • Social Media Lead Generation • The B2B Sales Pipeline • SEO and Lead Generation • How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy • HubSpot and Real Estate

Digital Growth -Jan. 2021

Letter from the editor

After a highly turbulent and disruptive 2020, the new year promises a lot.

MarTech in the News

Salesforce meets Slack.

Video Content Trends

Infographic.

Digital PR in 2021: Why This Should be Your Focus Digital PR should be your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus in 2021 because it improves your businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ranking and credibility.

Employer Branding is Key to Success when Hiring Remotely Businesses have had to embrace the online world like never before.

Social Media Lead Generation: Best Practices and Tips

Social media platforms are one of the best digital marketing channels for businesses. With it, you can boost your brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visibility, online community and revenue.

Understanding Account Based Marketing

AMB allows marketers to target their acute market and cater to them optimally.

How to Untap High Value Leads Using Social Media in 2021

Social media is one of the most popular online activities and the penetration of social media usage across all regions continues to increase.

The B2B Sales Pipeline 2021: How to Grow Yours Using Digital Marketing & Telesales Sales processes continue to shift, change and evolve as the digital landscape continues to develop.

B2B Lead Generation & SEO How One Leads to the Other Search Engine Optimisation is the practice of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or web page from the search engines.

How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy in 2021

There are a variety of ways to use digital marketing to get your website to your target market, acquire leads and convert those leads into loyal customers.

Is HubSpot for Real Estate Effective

Inbound marketing is the latest digital marketing tactic and is designed to draw the consumer to your business as opposed to pushing your business onto the consumer.

Facebook (Finally) Removes Text Space Rules on Ad Images If you have ever tried to create an advert for your Facebook page, you have surely felt the frustration that comes with the rules regarding the amount of text allowed on your advert images.

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

Letter from the editor Happy new year! After a highly turbulent and disruptive 2020, the new year promises a lot and the world seems far more prepared for this year›s Corona-Coaster than it was just 12 months ago. As COVID-19 cases rise, we›re already seeing businesses successfully navigate around the challenges that lockdowns and other business disruptions create and this positivity and the forward-thinking mindset this promotes will help companies of all sizes this year. While last year was about survival and adapting to the new normal, this year must be about taking advantage of the opportunities that this provides. This month’s issue is designed to help your business identify the digital growth opportunities available, using a combination of content, strategy and general insights and tactics to support companies in 2021. Enjoy! Amit Vyas CEO, NEXA www.digitalnexa.com

About the editor

Be a part of Digital Growth Do you have an article that you’d like to share or want to collaborate with our writers? Send an email to Amit@digitalnexa.com with your ideas.

About Nexa As one of the largest fully-independent Digital Marketing Agencies in the UAE, Nexa has provided a vast array of services to over 1,000 clients in the region since 2005. Nexa is HubSpot›s only Diamond Partner Agency for the GCC region. www.DigitalNexa.com

Amit Vyas is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nexa, a digital marketing agency that was launched in Dubai in 2005. With close to a decade of experience within Digital Marketing, Amit has seen first hand, the dynamic environment with which businesses now have to operate in order to achieve growth and to succeed. Amit has worked with hundreds of businesses in the Middle East from startups to large multinational clients during his time at Nexa and previously, in the UK. He can be found at international conferences and has spoken at marketing events in the USA (SXSW and Content Marketing Conference), Australia (ANZMAC), India (Content Marketing Summit at the world Marketing Congress) as well as countless others in Europe and the UAE.

Digital Growth -Jan. 2021

MarTech in the News I

n each edition weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be featuring a MarTech tool or company. MarTech refers to marketing technology that facilitates marketing efforts and objectives.

This month, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re putting the focus on the joining of Slack and Salesforce.

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

Salesforce Meets Slack

alesforce has signed a deal to acquire Slack for $27.7 billion. These two companies are both leaders in the Martech space, with this being Salesforce’s biggest acquisition to date, in a combination of shares and cash.

This deal joins the forces of CRM with a workplace messaging app. It can create a new operating system that changes workflows between remote workers and the way businesses connect with their partners, employees and customers. Changes to Slack’s offering are expected in the coming months, with users questioning whether the free offering will remain. This app is used for project management and communication between teams. Similar apps will likely be waiting to see the changes that come, with Microsoft Teams being the current frontrunner. Salesforce has previously acquired Tableau and Mulesoft. Slack’s addition to the growing demand for entirely secure cloud-based communications apps within the digital economy. This change is altering the Martech space, which sees the emergence of consolidated and diverse platforms that are becoming full-service networks. Within these, there are many opportunities for business collaborations through various integrations. These changes are unfolding when many businesses globally are changing the way they operate, with a need for such ecosystems to rely on. The goals for many companies is to utilise platforms that contribute to the productivity of employees working remotely. When discussing CRM and connected apps, Bill Patterson, EVP and General Manager says: “Delivering service is more complex than ever with agents working from anywhere and volumes of customer support requests spiking. With Service Cloud Workforce Engagement, Salesforce will arm the contact centre with a connected solution — all on one platform so our customers can remain resilient and agile no matter what tomorrow may bring.” This combination is a martech example of how remote collaborative work is the way of the future. With that, the need for streamlined communication services that correlate the digital networks businesses use. The Salesforce and Slack deal may see AI contributing to improved customer service and support, with technology preparing companies for unexpected adjustments better than ever before. We at Nexa use Slack for our internal communications. Does your company use wither Slack or Salesforce? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this merger.

Digital Growth -Jan. 2021

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

VIDEO CONTENT TRENDS FOR 2021 By: Shannon Correia

MULTI-CHANNEL

Video content adapted to suit various channels is a must - including edits that work best for each platform that they are shared on to increase its effectiveness. This way, marketers can stretch their content and tweak it to target consumers better and offer soundless video options. Another aspect to note is the emergence of both short and long video content - in some cases, ad times are extended, while in other instances, a few seconds is all that is needed.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media platforms are updating to accommodate video content. TikTok, for instance, has seen exponential growth and is a video-based app. Meanwhile, Instagram has included a 'reels' feature to allow users to share similar content. Facebook, the other social media giant, has long since favoured this form of content too.

INTERACTIVITY

Whether it's a -360degree video, one with customizable shoppable products or explorable hotspot areas, these are the video kings for brands in 2021. Augmented reality will continue to rise, especially within the retail industry. By investing in the technology that allows for this, you provide your virtual customers with a 'try before you buy' experience, allowing them to see your product in their own space, or see how products would look on them.

USER-GENERATED CONTENT

UGC in video form is influential for brands as it demonstrates first-hand experience from your customers. This is trusted by potential customers who value these third party reviews, holding them in high regard. Brands who encourage this from their customers are gaining brand advocates of the highest possible credentials in 2021.

MOBILE CONTENT

Marketers trace a lot of traffic back to engaging video content, which is predominant on mobile devices. Going live will continue to grow, as will brand vlogging and shoppable video content. Regardless of the medium, high quality is preferred and optimal, with the norm changing from 4K to 8K in 2021.

FACTS Video has arguably become the number one form of entertainment for many, with much of the content shared in video format.

video Algorithms are rewarding engaging content in s. engine search on higher ranked being by form Videos are transforming marketing with trends geared towards increasing customer conversions as an extension of your brand's content marketing to increase leads, sales and ROI.

video, many When developing your marketing plans for ed models. businesses are relying on performance-bas Companies can purchase stock video content and then transform this with their marketing messages. Marketers use video to teach audiences in their preferred method of learning, as opposed to texts, manuals, presentations or sales demonstrations.

Digital Growth -Jan. 2021

Digital PR in 2021: Why This Should be Your Focus By: Shannon Correia

igital PR should be your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus in 2021 because it improves your businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ranking and credibility. Those are two qualities that in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day, are priceless. That being said, it requires a concerted investment of both time and effort. The results take time before they appear, but your business will continually rake in the benefits when they do. Public relations is all about being seen and talked about, or in business terms, gaining awareness and visibility for your brand. This is a business function that has evolved, from traditional means to advanced digital ones. It has the power to save your business during times of crisis and can be the modern-day word of mouth that is so valuable to companies. Some of the other most notable benefits of digital PR are that it is now cheaper, more accessible, sustainable and filled with opportunities for businesses to take advantage of. When dealing with digital PR, your media lists will be concerned with journalists, bloggers and influencers. These are the people who have relationships with a matching audience to yours and the ability to influence them.

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

Your Company’s Focus for 2021

Digital PR Benefits for a Company

In 2021, audiences care about what they consume and want to be assured that a business’s values align with theirs. This is what can make digital PR so appealing since it provides a trusted representation of your brand from a third party. It is not the direct messages shared by a business, but rather a trusted source who advocates for it. In a world where success is built upon credibility, having this social proof is paramount.

• • • • • • • • • •

When building relations with key personnel, businesses increase their coverage, and with that, they can improve their rankings online. Rather than merely sharing press releases, for instance, a PR agency can provide you with a topical article that mentions your business or performs a study with surveys related to your business. These are the new kind of advertorial content that is then picked up and repurposed on various platforms. With this new way of gaining brand visibility, your business will increase its leads through the volume of mentions and links created externally. This results in credibility not only with your audiences but with search engines too. Agencies who provide digital PR have the advantage of a team of content creators to create that can produce valuable and relevant content and the media lists and access to platforms that they have developed over the years.

Link building for SEO Increased traffic Increased visibility and reach Improves brand positioning Build credibility Collaborations and partnerships Reputation management Gain leads Improve organic reach Increase sales

With everything to gain, digital PR is essential for your company’s plan going into 2021. With this as a primary focus, you can build on your brand’s position and standing within the digital world, resulting in the difference between your business finding growth and continued success, or becoming redundant and failing.

How is Digital PR Conducted? Planning: You need to structure your PR plans to achieve goals and a vision to follow. This includes deciding upon relevant publications and audiences to suit your brand. Content design: This includes devising your content ideas. You will need new forms of high quality, versatile and appealing due to their unique angles. It should also be able to fit different content types, from text to visual and auditory. Outreach: Reaching out to the media and sharing your content should be done concisely and professionally. The pitches should be personal and will likely require a follow-up. Tracking: PR practitioners make use of tools that monitor all of your brand’s mentions. Knowing which people picked up your content and how it was shared is vital to record and result in long term partnerships. Digital PR is a method of reaching your audience that marketing does not have the power to achieve on its own. With more and more of the world moving online, one needs to handle their digital image and presence, developing it positively as far as possible. Since much of online is all about networks and communities, it is clear to see that PR fits that bill perfectly. There are various tools and opportunities available to businesses; however, this requires continued effort to build over time. It is also something that should be managed in a way that only adds to your business. For many, this means consulting the expertise of an agency. This ensures the best possible brand image is represented to the public, a sensitive and delicate space to operate in. Though, if done correctly, can provide you with ample benefits.

Digital Growth -Jan. 2021

Employer Branding is Key to Success when Hiring Remotely By: Shannon Correia

usinesses have had to embrace the online world like never before. People being restricted in their movements lead the world to realize that many jobs can be performed remotely. Adjusting to this way of working is set to become ever-increasingly popular. If this is your businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position, you need to ensure you have solid Employer Branding to attract the right talent.

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

Employer Branding for Remote Hiring Remote work opens your business up to the world. If there is no need for an office-based workplace, your next hire could be sourced from pretty much anywhere in the world. Your business has the benefit of working with people who have skill sets that you would otherwise not have had access to, and possibly at rates that are preferable to you as well. So, how do you attract the right people and earn their trust? Well, without a strong brand presence, the person you’re hiring remotely may not have had much prior knowledge of your brand. Your website and electronic communication is likely the only knowledge they have of what your business represents and is all about. Employer Branding is what will set you apart, attracting people and earning their trust accordingly. Remote work does not mean that company culture disappears. It is quite the contrary. Businesses have to adapt and find ways to band together teams that are geographically dispersed. How you structure this will inform your employer brand. Candidates should be given a clear idea of what a typical day working for you looks like. This includes the obligations, requirements and expectations of each team member, plus the level of flexibility within your operational structure. How you operate remotely should be geared towards productivity and efficiency, with many businesses opting to have centralized communication via apps. This is a way for the team to stay in touch and be reachable online at a given

time. Since the work is remote, there is no way of physically being there to check everything, so the management style and workflow processes should also be communicated. While working online, it has become more important than ever to find ways to remain connected virtually. This can come through sharing - sharing online to celebrate the company culture and your employees is an excellent way of communicating what goes on behind the scenes with potential candidates. Banding employees together online to share testimonials can hugely benefit your business in rallying loyalty and fostering employee retention. Your business will be tasked with presenting candidates with a unique value proposition. This shows people that your business is committed to the overall wellbeing of your workforce. These need to be in-line with the values of the business and provide a compelling offer. This is because the traditional perks associated with a job may need to change to suit the new working environment. These are often intangible, yet meaningful benefits offered to employees and can spell the keys to success of acquiring top talent. These include: •

Professional development - providing access to software and tools that can upscale your employees, or presenting them with unrivalled opportunities with their work and coworkers

•

Traditional perks - in some cases it may be possible to benefits such as insurance and leave days into employment contracts, though many businesses offer this as an option as many employees prefer the monetary value

•

Deals - membership to specific groups or discounts provide employees with an incentive and added benefit, whether it is for personal retail shopping or access to a collective fitness class

•

Physicality - there are instances where a physically sent note or gift is possible to bridge the connection gap, or better yet occasional meetings in person where possible

3 Keys to Success Reach: Connect with candidates via career sites and social media. One of the best places to reach your desired candidates is through LinkedIn. Be sure you are sharing an introduction to your Employer Brand from the very first job ad. Engage: Now that you’ve attracted candidates, you need to engage with them through the hiring process. This includes video meetings and more details about your value proposition as you narrow your search. Support: Once you have found the right candidates, you fully communicate your Employer Brand through the onboarding process. This is a chance to educate new hires to your business in-depth, resulting in what should be the start of them being brand ambassadors for your business. When it comes to remote hiring, the keys to success lie within an effective Employer Brand that can attract and engage candidates. To do this, one needs to ensure their brand is solidified to offer a well-presented proposition. This will result in top talent being welcomed to your business, and when working with the best, you can achieve the best.

Digital Growth -Jan. 2021

Social Media Lead Generation: Best Practices and Tips By: Shannon Correia

ocial media platforms are one of the best digital marketing channels for businesses. With it, you can boost your brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visibility, online community and revenue. A culmination of these three elements brings us to this article, which is all about leads. Leads are valuable exchanges with your audience, which can result in long term loyalty. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a look at the best practices and tips for you to incorporate into your strategy.

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

Social Media for Lead Generation Lead generation refers to an exchange of information between a potential customer and a business. Customers share their details in return for a valuable offer. The potential customer thus begins their journey down the sales funnel with your brand. Meanwhile, the marketers expand their contact list, which is a valuable asset for retargeting and increasing future sales. Various marketing channels offer lead potential, but social media is known for producing high-quality ones. When planning a marketing strategy, leads need to be one of the goals, and campaigns should centre on generating them. Lead generation is a relatively modernized approach in marketing since digital is what has fuelled this. It is part of what makes digital marketing so cost-effective. Building your base of leads is not just a numbers game though - that is, getting high amounts of leads without that translating into sales will not be sufficient. Hence lead generation is not a quick fix or guarantee, but rather the start of a process in developing leads. That said, the numbers tracked over time can be indicative of how well your campaigns are performing, which works well with result-based marketing over the long term.

Tips on Generating Leads via Social Media Polls: Social media platforms are filled with creative and quirky ways to engage with your audience in an interactive way. Ask them a general question to see the kind of sentiments they have. Suppose itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a choice between a variation of one of your products, for instance. In that case, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting data on customer preferences and also gauging who would be interested in purchasing a particular item. Once interest is sparked, you can reach out directly to them and continue the purchasing journey. Surveys: Surveys often include a lead form, whereby the entrants sign up with their basic contact information. Again, this method can provide you with valuable customer insights. However, it may need to include an added incentive, such as a raffle for those who complete the survey. This method offers more intel than the one above. Offers, promotions and discount codes: Social media is the perfect platform to share exclusive offers and discount codes. These can prompt your audience to purchase or follow a link to your website where you can present them with a lead generation form. While these platforms may not always result in direct leads, it can be a useful tool that indirectly facilitates the generation of them. Go live: By live streaming, you can elicit responses to your recording. These communication forms can then result in numerous direct messages to your inbox, where further engagement can occur. You can offer to continue the conversation elsewhere, or ask them to opt in to receive email marketing from you, for example. Valuable content: A primary example of this is gated content, where people sign up to receive an eBook. You can then promote this via your social media platforms by giving teasers in your Story, for instance. This is one of the most effective ways

to draw leads in, with one source of well-produced and precious content. It is, therefore, an example of content marketing that cost-effectively assists in lead generation. Contests: Social media is a great place to host competitions for your brand. With this, you can derive contact information as entries and include additional requests, such as a tagged photo upload. By doing this, you are also building up your brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visibility among new networks and increasing the amount of user-generated content associated with your brand. Advertising: Interactive ads with calls to action can also be an excellent source for cultivating leads. This option promotes your brand among new, yet highly targeted audiences who can grow your customer base. Leads derived from ads are also likely to be high-quality and pre-qualified for an eventual sale. Based on the above, it is evident that there are several ways to generate social media leads. The best marketing strategy is to include many of the above so that your lead strategy is optimized and diverse. Your target audience will inform you as to which approaches and which social media platforms to use. Once you have the leads secured, it is necessary to deepen your relationship with them. Marketers often refer to this as lead nurturing and lead conversion. The key is to continue to provide valuable content or exchanges with your potential customer base and work on strengthening these relationships and communities for the long term. At these stages, the strategy shifts to become more personalized and relevant on a per-lead basis. Marketers are required to analyze their customers indepth when targeting and will be needed to re-analyze their lead pool to ensure that their needs are met satisfactorily. The ultimate goal is then to convert these leads into customers who can become brand advocates.

Best Practices for Lead Generation on Social Media Bot Automation: Optimizing your response time and productivity can be highly beneficial. To do this, consider making use of the technology available to you, including that of automated responses. There are also helpful tools such as CRM software that can help you streamline the processes, manage your interactions, and store and categorize your leads. Community: Social media is all about building online communities, and these are filled with potential leads. By interacting with these audiences and growing by reaching more potential leads, you grow your business in more ways than one. There should also be a focus on becoming part of relevant external communities. Content: As mentioned, content is crucial for marketing. By creating content that your audiences appreciate and respond well to, you invite leads organically by making people want to know more and share with your brand. Work on developing various forms of engaging content. The more valuable and compelling it is, the more leads you will generate. Optimization: Optimizing your content and social media channels will contribute to growing your organic reach, resulting in more leads. This requires digital marketing best practices and will ensure that your leads strategy extends to other marketing strategies.

Digital Growth -Jan. 2021

Incentives: Valuable and enticing incentives are the difference between securing a lead and losing a potential customer for good. The value needs to be clear and genuine, as social media followers appreciate brands who care and go the extra mile, especially when sharing their details with them. Personalize: Lead generation neednâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a mass appeal approach. Instead, focus on acute targeting and personalized offers among your niche audiences. This will result in higher quality and pre-verified leads. That marks Nexaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide on how social media can generate leads for your business. With these tips and best practices in hand, you can increase your leads and conversions, resulting in business growth, not only in sales but also concerning your customer base. Herein lies great potential and opportunity, which should not be overlooked when developing your social media strategy.

Understanding Account Based Marketing By: Shannon Correia

ccount based marketing (ABM) coordinates personalized marketing, sales development and customer concentration to drive engagement and conversions among pre-qualified customers or accounts. This concept is perfectly suited to B2Bs, and B2Cs focused on appealing to their known audience, skipping the mass appeal of lead generation strategies. AMB allows marketers to target their acute market and cater to them optimally. By doing this, you can present solutions to customers in a one-on-one way which should provide you with higher success rates. It is also beneficial in giving selective marketing messaging to each person involved in the decision-making process. This is done by engaging with people on their level to meet their needs, and in doing that, understanding that people have different needs.

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

Many companies are basing their marketing on lead generation. However, this method does not always lead to conversion rates and can be unfocused. ABM tries to counter that, by skipping the lead generation aspects and going straight in, communicating with ‘leads’ who are already qualified. It skips the step of sourcing leads by going in for those who have already indicated their interest. The three cornerstones of ABM are managing your account lists, engaging with these accounts on their terms using filters and triggers (via personalized campaigns) and measurements, where the accounts are then scored, and insights are extracted. To achieve this, the following is needed: • • • • • •

Automation Segmentation Cross channel support A collaboration between sales and marketing Predictive technology Data and analytics

Based on the above, it is clear that ABM is a marketing concept that relies on technology. It is a strategic focus on potential revenue, whereby the process of interacting with people who are serious potential buyers are engaged with. In other words, all interactions are qualified. The technological aspect includes the use of predictions. This is based on historical data, CRM data, selected target audiences and information from salespeople. For ABM to be successful, you need your ideal customer persona (ICP) to be clearly defined. Once you do, you will develop a carefully orchestrated plan. You will present these people with high value offers using multiple channels and guide them through a sale process. Account-based marketing is a strategy which needs to be supported with the following elements: Marketing engagement: Whether its direct messaging, hosting events, distributing content, ending direct mail or digital advertising. Sales engagement: Engaging with people via email and social media channels to facilitate sales and maintain these interactions in a timely fashion. Content: Sharing content on your website customized to suit your ICPs to help them move them forward.

So with ABM, the focus is on individual accounts instead of leads. To utilize this marketing concept, it requires the buyin of everyone at the business, including management. It is not something to add or try; it is an approach which requires a full commitment. Data is used to determine fit, intent and engagement, using a variety of tools. By way of extension, this data is then also used to measure results on a one-on-one basis. The results of the performance can then be measured and tracked to assess the performance of each strategy implemented. Engagement is the primary measure with ABM because time is valuable, and any time spent with your brand or business is validation. When analyzing the data, marketers will need to segment these interactions into tiers, as this helps them deal with each account following their place along the buyer’s journey. The tiers are there because not all interactions with customers are equal. These marketers will need to employ the use of specific tactics to engage with these potential customers. The laser focus is all about concentrating on what matters and what will have an effect. With ABM, marketers identify and manage account lists. There are various sectors which use this approach, with targets falling into categories. Once these accounts have been identified, they are then prioritized. Each target will have their journey or experience with your brand, and that is catered to. When content, such as websites and emails, are personalized to this degree, there are higher conversion rates. This is, in part, thanks to the context that aids these sales conversions. Successful sales can subsequently also increase cross-sales and customer retention rates. Since ABM marketers know the target is interested in buying, they interact with them in a personalized manner that helps them move forward. This means dealing with a smaller group of people, rather than marketing to the masses. It brings together marketing and salespeople in a collaborative effort, so analytics is an integral part of the process. It is also essential to know precisely where each potential customer is, whether their interest is active or passive. ABM is a marketing concept which is proven to work. With personalized marketing campaigns that align with sales, you are geared to generate increased success rates. It is highly recommended that businesses consider this marketing approach if they are ready to move beyond lead generation strategies.

Measurement: ABM requires robust reporting, with the most crucial insight being the measurement of engagement with your brand. This requires more intensive analytics and insights to be drawn. Hence each interaction needs to be recorded and evaluated. Data: Data is essential for ABM as it helps with predictive content, account details and contact information. Storing and managing data is paramount, and having predictive technology improves productivity and marketing on your side. Infrastructure: For ABM, you will need to use various tools that assist in automation and CRM software to support and carry out the strategy. This will help you in centralizing the interactions you have. Let’s talk about sales models or funnels. Traditionally, there are the awareness, interest, consideration and loyalty stages, starting wide and narrowing down as you go along. That is the generally the model which focuses on leads. With ABM, that is flipped on its head. The process begins with acute identification which then moves on expansion, engagement and finally the advocate stage. 15

Digital Growth -Jan. 2021

How to Untap High Value Leads Using Social Media in 2021 By: Toni Becker

ocial media is one of the most popular online activities and the penetration of social media usage across all regions continues to increase. According to Statista, in 2020, over 3.6 billion individuals were using social media across the world, a number that is projected to reach almost 4.41 billion in 2025. In the same article, Statista states that as of January 2020, the global social media usage rate stood at an incredible 49% and this percentage is set to grow as less developed digital markets catch up in online infrastructure development. With these statistics in mind, businesses are now relying on social media platforms to reach their desired audiences and gain market share. However, social media is not just about posting pretty content and creating brand awareness, it can be a powerful channel for lead generation. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are the ideal channels for showcasing content, lead generation campaigns and opt-in campaigns which allows businesses to direct potential clients through the sales funnel. Social media channels are the ideal way to generate quality leads, and thanks to social media advancements and online developments, you are able to achieve your lead objectives and track your lead generation and sales success through these platforms.

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

How to Untap High Value Leads Through Social Media If you are looking to use social media to your advantage and generate high-value leads through these platforms, take a look at these tips to help you achieve your objectives and fast track your business success.

in the next stage of the marketing process and buying cycle. By sharing links to your e-books and e-guides on your social media platforms, you are able to direct your audience to your website, and collect their information in the process. This is known as gated content, and is one of the most effective ways to generate leads through social media. For most brands, Instagram and Facebook are the core channels when it comes to generating UGC. For B2B marketers, LinkedIn would be the ideal platform for this kind of strategy.

Create Targeted Social Target the right social Media Advertising Media Channels Campaigns Just because TikTok is trending or you enjoy Instagram does not mean your target audience is active on these platforms. The biggest mistake a marketer can make is focus their social media efforts on a variety of channels, spreading their content thin, and reaching the wrong target market. If you want to reach high value leads on social media, then you need to understand your buyer persona in order to determine where you will find them online. For example, Facebook may be the most dominant and wellknown social platform available today, however this platform may not be the ideal choice for a B2B business looking to make sales. LinkedIn would be the most effective tool for this audience as it caters to a business minded market, and you are able to target the decision makers in your specific industry. Your marketing team should be able to create a lead generation strategy based on where your target audience is present online and this can be done by analysing social media demographics. Social media management tools will allow your marketing team to understand where your audience is present, help you target the right audience and generate high value leads on the right social networks.

Share Informative, High-Quality Content Your following or community on social media is only as strong as the content you share on your chosen platforms. It is important that you have a strategic content plan in place if you want to reach, engage with and retain quality leads. You need to create content, from blog posts and thought leadership articles through to informative imagery or video content if you want to boost the authenticity and credibility of your brand. This is referred to as user-generated content, ie: instead of sharing posts or articles written by other people or brands, you create your own and share this across your personal platforms. According to the Consumer Content Report, user generated content has the ability to influence potential clients throughout the buying cycle. This kind of content will solidify your place as a thought leader in your industry, and build consumer trust which leads to increased sales and customer retention. By providing your audience with industry specific content that can benefit their lives, such as e-books or e-guides, you also have the opportunity to collect lead information. For example, you can create content that your community needs to download in order to access, and in order to download this content, they will have to provide their contact information this allows you the opportunity to collect leads which will help

In 2019, the global spend on social media ads increased by 18%,and continues to increase for good reason. Social media has come a long way since MySpace, mIrc and the early Facebook days. As the social media landscape has evolved, marketers are now able to access vast social media user information which makes these platforms perfect for targeted advertising campaigns and lead generation initiatives. Social media paid advertising provides incredibly high conversion rates with significantly low costs - making return on investment that much more profitable. The top social channels are now providing the most advanced lead generation specific advertising options which allows marketers to gain leads through highly targeted social media ads - based on demographics, user behavior, careers, likes, dislikes, location, interests and more. Not only are marketers able to reach the ideal buyer persona through these platforms, they provide lead generation specific advertising formats to help businesses generate quality leads directly through social platforms. For example, when a user clicks on a lead specific advertising they are provided with an opt-in or lead generation form where they can place their contact information. This makes the process of gaining lead information easier - and allows for greater lead nurturing campaigns and email drip campaigns, which leads to increased sales. When it comes to B2B marketing, LinkedIn offers a similar strategy by providing LinkedIn lead generation forms, making it easier for prospects to share their information with businesses. By investing in social media targeted campaigns you can improve your lead quality - taking your sales to greater heights.

Create Competitions to Gain Lead Data Everybody is looking for a good deal and social media competitions help your brand engage with your audience and obtain important information relating to their specific lifestyle and buying behaviour. To ensure your campaign gets the best results make sure that your prize has value and make every participant feel like a winner (eg: offer them a discount when they enter). By implementing a contest, not only will you increase your following, grow your community and increase brand awareness - you gain valuable lead information to use for future remarketing campaigns and lead nurturing campaigns. 17

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Track and Measure your Campaign Success What is great about social media marketing is that you are able to track and measure your lead generation efforts through social media monitoring tools. By keeping track of your campaigns you are able to sharpen your strategies and make your campaigns reach their true potential. This can be done through social listening which tracks your audience engagement, and informs you every time your brand is mentioned. By investing in social listening you are given actionable insights which allows you to reach your audience at a greater level, and you are able to learn about them and their buying habits through this tactic - allowing you to optimise your campaigns and gain even greater success.

In Summary Social media is not just a way to increase brand awareness and engage with consumers, it is a platform that allows you the opportunity to reach the highest quality leads, increase conversions and make more sales. Lead generation continues to evolve with the times, and if you put time and effort into your lead generation campaigns by understanding your audience, creating relevant content, promoting that content on powerful platforms, and continuing the conversation, you will attract quality leads and convert those leads into loyal customers.

The B2B Sales Pipeline 2021: How to Grow Yours Using Digital Marketing & Telesales By: Toni Becker

ales processes continue to shift, change and evolve as the digital landscape continues to develop. The entire customer journey has been forever altered thanks to search engines, social media and information accessibility. Today, sales processes are more organic and personalised, and need to be more accurate and on point than ever before. Today, Customer Relationship Software has taken centre stage when it comes to sales because this technology allows marketers and salespeople to examine, track and measure leads and the sales pipeline in greater detail than ever before. When it comes to the B2B sales pipeline, CRMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are able to provide much needed insight into targeted key accounts, nurture relationships with these prospects and help salespeople drive the buyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey without being pushy about it. 18

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In the past, the sales pipeline was difficult to manage, lacked detailed lead information and was time consuming on salespeople - which in turn, impacted their sales growth. The sales pipeline of the past was overly simple and consisted of: • • • • • •

Lead generation Scheduled meeting or call Request a quote (or something similar that indicated a prospect may be interested) Proposal sent Negotiation Closed-lost or closed-won

That was it. Today, the sales pipeline is vastly different and thanks to CRMs, analytics and measurement tools, the B2B sales pipeline offers greater data, provides important insights and helps with performance and business growth.

The B2B Sales Pipeline Today

A CRM platform is able to store all your leads in a single place, where they can be segmented based on where they are at within the buying cycle. Ensuring that sales teams and marketers are aware of what kind of engagement these leads require.

Connect with Leads Once you have segmented your leads, it is time to connect with them. A connect call is made and is when a salesperson introduces the offering and engages with the lead to understand what they require and how the offering can fix their problem or add value to their business. This call is not a typical sales call, it is used to gain important information and figure out what the lead requires. This kind of call helps salespeople direct a lead through the sales pipeline, but this is not pushed on to the lead. Rather, at this stage, the salesperson tries to gain greater understanding of the lead in order to know where they are within the sales pipeline.

Discovery Call

Thanks to modern technology such as HubSpot sales Hub, management now has access to more information about the progression of sales, which allows them to identify potential problems, which can be amended before becoming a problem.

Once you have engaged with a lead, the next step is to make what is known as a “discovery call.” This is when you gain even greater insight into what the client requires and the perfect time to discuss their objectives and goals. Once you understand what they need, you are able to figure out if you can assist them and deliver on what they expect.

The sales team also benefits from this as they are able to track their work and keep up to date with all their leads, potential customers and high quality leads.

Opportunity Stage

The Modern Day B2B Sales Pipeline:

Thanks to the discovery call, you are able to identify opportunities and this leads you into the opportunity stage of the pipeline. And this is the time to begin forming a deal or proposal. Once you chat to the lead in greater detail and tell them why they should buy from you, you will be able to determine whether you can close the deal.

Identify Lead Type You may know who your ideal clients are, but you can now track their buying cycle in greater detail and identify when they are ready to become a client.

Lead Progression: Suspect Company: A lead that fits into your client profile and would have the potential to become a client. Prospect: A contact or decision maker at the suspect company that may be searching for your services. Lead: A prospect that has taken a specific action and shown a certain level of interest in your offering. There are a variety of leads within the pipeline: Inbound leads: A lead that converts via your digital platforms such as your website or social media platforms. Marketing Qualified Leads: Leads who require nurturing through content, email campaigns, newsletters etc. Sales Qualified Leads: These leads display certain behaviours that require a sales follow up - be it an email or a call.

Put Together a Demo When it comes to B2B sales, leads usually request to see your offering in action so they can understand what it is you do, and how you can add value to their business. This can be done by presenting them with a case-study, taking them through your processes, or showing them your product/service in action. At this stage the lead may not want to continue with your business, or shows greater interest in your offering.

The Buy-In Now that the lead understands the value your business can bring, you will set up a time to meet with the decision maker of the company. This is known as the “influencer buy-in.” Without the company’s decision maker signing off on your offering, you will not be able to close a deal - so this stage is vital. Once the decision maker buys-in to your offering, you are able to move on to the negotiation stage.

Closed Leads: Previous customers Ghosted Leads: Opportunities that have gone cold. 19

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Negotiation At this point, the final price and terms are being discussed and agreed upon between your team and the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legal team or decision maker. During the negotiation page it is important to continue to nurture your relationship with the key account, follow up, and keep your business top of mind.

Closed-lost or Closed-won

In Summary When it comes to B2B sales, you need to track every step of the sales pipeline in great detail. This can be done through CRM solutions such as HubSpot Sales Hub. This kind of insight helps you understand your target market in greater detail, allows your team to identify warm leads, and in turn, leads to greater sales and business growth.

If the prospect has signed the dotted line - you have a closedwon and can continue to the onboarding process. On the opposite end, if the prospect declines your offer, you can mark them off as a closed-lost lead.

B2B Lead Generation & SEO - How One Leads to the Other By: Toni Becker

earch Engine Optimisation is the practice of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or web page from the search engines. All too often, SEO is viewed as a single and isolated digital marketing effort when in fact, SEO is vital for every part of your marketing endeavours, from content creation and social media to lead generation. When it comes to B2B lead generation, SEO needs to be considered as part of the process, and is one of the most effective ways to drive potential clients to your business and capture them as leads. However, most B2B marketers do not view these two processes as united, and these teams only collaborate when new content needs to be developed - if at all. The problem is that most people only view SEO as a way to help a website - not a business in its entirety. However, websites generate massive leads and while lead generation may be different from SEO, lead generation needs SEO in order to thrive.

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As the digital age progresses and changes, marketers and salespeople have had to find new ways to reach their audience, and because of this, lead generation has also had to evolve. From email campaigns, social media ads and lead forms, lead generation has had to take a new face in order to meet new expectations. But there is one element that many marketers overlook at their detriment - and that is the benefit of Search Engine Optimisation alongside lead generation.

SEO to Reach the Right Audience Before we take a look at how SEO and lead generation can work together, it is important to understand what SEO actually is. We all know about SEO keywords and content creation - but lead generation specialists need to understand User Intent in regards to SEO. “User Intent” is the name of the game when it comes to SEO and there are two types of user intent that lead generation marketers need to understand if they want to work alongside SEO Inform: SEO content is created to inform an audience about a topic they are looking to learn about. For example: SEO content will be created around topics your desired target audience will be researching online. Purchase: SEO is also created for when a user is actively seeking your services or to make a purchase. SEO is about understanding what words your audience uses when they are searching for your business offerings. This is an important part of SEO and will help direct users who are either looking to learn about your business or skill set, as well as users who are looking to purchase your services. Essentially, SEO experts will create content using keywords that the users are using to find your business offerings. The pages that rank highest for a specific keyword will represent the type of content a user is searching for. By understanding what users with the intent to purchase are searching for, and by understanding what users in the research phase are searching for online, you can steer them to content that meets their needs through SEO practices.

Lead Generation and User Intent Before the age of instant information, buyers were not as informed as they are now, in fact, they are now able to self educate and drive themselves further into the sales funnel. They no longer require a strategically crafted buyer journey that you have put together as they can now enter the buyer funnel whenever they choose and they are able to move through it at their own speed and in their own time.

Of course, creating content and sharing it across platforms is important but lead generation experts also need to understand that most buyers turn to search engines such as Google when they want to research a service or offering, or make a purchase. This is especially true when it comes to B2B sales. With this in mind, content needs to be created for every stage of the buyer journey and this content will then have to be optimised to suit the unique buyer intent. And SEO, as we know, is all about understanding buyer intent and crafting content around a variety of intents through the buying funnel. Therefore, in order to generate leads and guide them to the relevant web pages - lead generation specialists will require the help of SEO specialists.

Search Engine Optimisation for Lead Generation SEO drives users to your website, which in turn gives you the opportunity to convert prospective clients into leads through lead generation tactics. These two tactics need to work alongside each other to ensure business growth and below, we outline how your lead generation efforts and SEO strategy work together to achieve this goal.

Rising up the Google Ranks In the past, SEO used to be about stuffing content with as many keywords as possible. This made the users online experience frustrating as they would be led to pages that didn’t actually answer their questions or provide the content they were looking for. Businesses simply used industry related keywords to drive traffic to their website in the hopes that a few of the visitors would convert into customers - and let’s not forget, they completely disregarded where the user was in the buying cycle. Today, Google is smarter than ever before, and so is the user. Google ranks pages based on the quality of their content and how much the content relates to a users query. Of course, keywords are still relevant however, they should never be used for the sake of keyword stuffing. They should be woven into relevant, high quality content that informs user intent. SEO specialists and lead generation experts need to find keywords and keyphrases relevant to every part of the buyer›s journey and create content that speaks to every stage in the journey. SEO specialists will use tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner, or Google Trends to ensure you find the right keywords for your industry and users.

Obviously marketing experts have had to acknowledge this and adapt to it, especially when it comes to lead generation. Today, lead generation experts are focusing their efforts on developing helpful, intent based content to drive a user to take action or engage with the business. This is a great step, however, they need to concentrate on reaching buyers with the right content, at the right time.

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Lead Data for Lead Nurturing It is vital that you create quality content designed to reach every stage of the buyer’s journey, from informative helpful blogs that provide insight into the benefits of your offering (perfect for the research phase), to downloadable e-books and e-guides, to sales related content and product and services pages. With strong, optimised content, your webpages will rise up the Google ranks. This means that quality prospects will click on your webpages and you need to take advantage of the window of opportunity when you are at the top of a prospects mind. This is the perfect opportunity to create website lead forms, e-book downloads or newsletter sign ups. By adding this Call to Action on your web pages, you are able to capture relevant lead data which allows your lead generation team and marketing team to nurture relationships with these leads through email marketing campaigns and remarketing campaigns.

In order to pull this off seamlessly, you should consider investing in automated email workflows as this tactic ensures you don’t miss any opportunity for nurturing or engaging with a prospect. For example, HubSpot offers a Workflow app that creates personalized and automated emails that are triggered in a variety of ways ie: when a contact is added to a list, clicks a link in an email, submits a form to your site, views a specific page on your website or is marked as a qualified lead.

In Summary The digital landscape is constantly changing and marketers need to grow alongside these changes in order to keep up with the target audience. SEO and lead generation work alongside and help businesses attract and acquire only the highest quality leads - the priority of all businesses and marketers.

How to Create a Digital Marketing Strategy in 2021 By: Toni Becker

hen you say “digital marketing” you may instantly think of marketing a website to the public, and this sounds simple enough however, we live in the digital age and digital marketing has evolved rapidly, going from being about promoting a website to becoming one of the biggest lead generation tools available for business today. There are a variety of ways to use digital marketing to get your website to your target market, acquire leads and convert those leads into loyal customers and there are so many options when it comes to beginning your digital marketing strategy that it can quickly become overwhelming when deciding where to place your budget. From search engine optimisation and paid advertising to social media marketing and email campaigns, digital marketing has many variables and it all comes down to what you want to achieve through your campaign. So, where do you begin? 22

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The Six Pillars of Digital Marketing As stated above, there is more than one way to market your brand online but you do not have to be overwhelmed in the decision making process, you can divide all these options into different marketing categories and discover which tactics will work well to achieve your specific digital marketing objectives and grow your business.

Digital marketing can be categorised into 6 primary disciplines:

the results required. Ensure that the goals developed for the digital strategy are suitable for the business and they should always be measurable to ensure objectives are being reached.

Content Creation and Blogging High quality content is vital for any digital marketing campaign, and this means that every piece of content on your website needs to be helpful and inform your audience. Blogging is one of the most important content marketing strategies because it performs certain critical functions which include bringing more traffic to your site, reinforcing your brand presence, providing content for your social media platforms, positioning you are a thought leader in your industry above your competitors and helps you rank well in the search engine results which ultimately leads to more sales.

Content Marketing: This refers to the creation, publication and distribution of helpful, informative and quality content that is strategically designed to educate, engage, and maintain, and convert your target market.

Look at your Existing Digital Marketing Channels

Native Advertising: This is the use of paid ads that match the aesthetic of the media format in which they appear. Native ads are often found in social media feeds, or as recommended content on a web page.

Examine the digital channels and online assets that you are currently using such as your social media platforms, website, native advertising or blog etc. And then take a look at how effective they have been for your business and how you can optimise them for greater reach.

Pay Per Click (PPC): This is a paid marketing strategy that involves online ads and a fee will be paid every time a user clicks on the advert. Search Engine Optimisation: Also known as SEO, this is the practice of optimising a website in order for it to be search engine friendly and recognised in search results.

For example, if your social media platforms have great engagement, make use of it and improve your social media content to reach your objectives - essentially, amplify what is working for you!

Automate your Process

Email Marketing: This is a marketing strategy that makes use of email as a way to nurture leads and stay in touch with existing customers.

You have probably heard about digital marketing automation and you have heard about it for a reason - it works and it works well. Technology is consistently getting better and todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading digital marketing automation platforms such as HubSpot, can do amazing things for your strategy such as making it easy to automate your content, lead generation, email marketing campaigns and social media marketing.

Once you know what each pillar is, it is time to create your digital marketing strategy, and the below 10 steps will form the foundation of your strategy.

Another bonus is that this kind of software can be integrated with your sales CRM, improving your sales process and increasing your bottom line.

Know your Audience

Optimise for Mobile Devices

In the beginning of the digital marketing take over, marketers would collect quantitative and qualitative data about their target audience, and this included age, interests, occupation and location. However, this kind of targeting has been taken to new heights in the age of social media and we are now able to understand the â&#x20AC;&#x153;buyer personaâ&#x20AC;? in more depth. Every marketing strategy needs to begin by knowing your buyer persona and how to reach them effectively.

There is a big chance you are reading this blog while on your phone, and it is vital that you create your digital marketing campaign for mobile as well as desktop use. You can optimise your website for mobile easily, ensuring the user has a good experience with your brand on all devices. Make sure to review your mobile responsive design, from your website to your email templates, you do not want to alienate your target audience because they are using a different device.

The buyer person describes a businesses ideal customer, and is a user-centred approach to digital marketing. For example, a marketer will build a fictional character that represents a buyer type that would probably engage with a site, product or brand. Marketers will work with personas as well as market segmentation, where the persona is constructed to be representative of specific segments.

Ensure Customers are able to Reach your Business

Social Media: This refers to promoting a business via social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or SnapChat.

Identify your Digital Marketing Goals This is without a doubt, the most important stage of the digital marketing process because without understanding a businesses goal and objective, a strategy could easily fall flat and not get

The reason digital marketing is so effective is that it reaches your target audience on a more personalised level therefore, your strategy should always make it easy for leads and website visitors to get in contact with your business. For example, creating a lead form on your page, having a chat pop up on your page and having your contact details readily available is vital (this is why strong call to actions are key), while responding quickly to clients via social media is also a necessity. We live in the age of instant gratification and your target audience will expect you to respond timeously to them. 23

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Technology is Key Your marketing efforts will be worth nothing if you do not implement them correctly by using the right technology and platforms. This is why marketing automation is vital - and there are a variety of tools available to assist you at every stage of your digital marketing journey including tools that will help you define your goals, track your audience, collect their data and track where your visitors are coming from.

Know your Competitor and Stand Out

attention of your target audience. In order to do this you need to put in time and research, and ensure you incorporate this differentiator in all your content and marketing plans going forward.

Track your Progress Make sure to monitor your campaign from the beginning in order to see what is working and what can be amended, this can be done by assigning teams to report on your strategy. Make sure you are able to measure all your campaigns, whether SEO and PPC or Social Media marketing - all can be measured either through the platforms themselves, through Google, or through platforms such as HubSpot.

You need to investigate what it is your competitors offer on their online platforms and differentiate yourself from them establishing yourself as an industry leader. Reinforce what sets you apart in your content and come up with unique lead generation tactics and unique selling points that will grab the

Is for Real Estate Effective By: Toni Becker

nbound marketing is the latest digital marketing tactic and is designed to draw the consumer to your business as opposed to pushing your business onto the consumer.

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In days gone by, real estate marketers would place adverts in print magazines, construct massive billboards and create pole ads in hopes of attracting leads. The problem with this traditional tactic is that marketers begin to spread too wide a net, and it becomes difficult to find high quality leads. Inbound marketing has changed all of this, and is focused on attracting, engaging, and delighting high quality leads. It has now become essential for real estate marketers to take advantage of inbound marketing and the tools available to help manage successful inbound marketing campaigns. There are a variety of tools available on the market, with HubSpot being the most effective for the real estate industry. HubSpot is a Customer Relationship Management software that offers a centralised place for your marketing team to create campaigns and content, engage with customers, analyse data, store lead information and close sales. This marketing, sales and service solution is particularly effective for the real estate industry and is a tool you should consider when launching your inbound marketing strategy. Before we dive into the tools available through HubSpot, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a look at the benefits of inbound marketing for real estate.

Why Inbound Marketing is Important for Real Estate Strong Online Presence When a potential customer requires information regarding the property industry, the first place they will look is online. Previously, if potential buyers were interested in learning a little about real estate they would have used traditional means to gain information including newspapers and magazines. Today, 90% of real estate agencies have websites, and many of these websites are complete with property listings to help the consumer research and understand the property market. The buying journey begins online, and if you do not have a strong online presence, from a website to social media presence, how do you expect to reach the consumer? Inbound marketing strategy is designed to help you build a powerful online presence so that when potential buyers begin the research phase of the buying journey, they are able to find you and your business effortlessly.

Better Targeting Means Better Returns As mentioned previously, real estate marketers cast too wide a net with traditional marketing tactics and this makes it difficult to reach the right audience. With television adverts and billboards, marketers can only hope to find a few people (out of hundreds) who may actually require the services of an agent.

Content Creation: By producing high quality, informative and helpful online content you are able to reach your audience while they are actively seeking information regarding your industry and your services. Search Engine Optimisation: By creating consistent and relevant content you build search engine authority and will rise up the search engine ranks. Ensuing your audience finds you at the right time. Lead generation forms: You are also able to collect important lead information including contact details through lead forms which gives you the opportunity to further nurture relationships with leads which in turn, leads to increased sales and business growth. As a result of being able to reach your target audience at the right time, your return on investment is substantially greater than traditional marketing.

Build Trust and Establish your Business as an Industry Leader Content creation is an important part of inbound marketing. Not only does content drive relevant traffic to your website, but high quality, informative content helps your business establish itself as a real estate thought leader. As we keep reiterating, homebuyers will always go online to do their research and they are looking for helpful information when they do this. You want to be the business providing them with this information in order to gain their trust. This can be done through a variety of tactics including blog creation, social media posts, e-books, newsletters and more.

Nurture Leads and Build Relationships Buying a home or property is not an impulse buy and you need to nurture and inform your leads if you want to convert them into clients. Through inbound marketing, you are able to build relationships with your leads by nurturing them personalised emails and newsletters that reach them at the right time, with the right message. CRM software allows you to send automated emails to your leads that allow you to provide them with regular content that relates to their specific needs and where they are in the buying funnel. This strategy keeps your business front of mind and when they are ready to make a purchase - they will reach out to your team which results in greater sales and business growth.

HubSpot for Real Estate HubSpot is a free inbound marketing solution, with extra features that come at an added cost. Countless businesses across the world use HubSpot for their Customer Relationship Management as this marketing, sales and service platform significantly improves the ability to market your services to the right people - at the right time - with the right message.

However, inbound marketing has stepped in to fix this. This strategy targets specific audiences through a variety of tactics including: Social Media Ads: These ads target a specific audience as you can use specific demographics to reach your audience.

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What HubSpot will do for your Real Estate Business Track your Leads HubSpot software is designed to collect and organise your lead contact information, helping you track their online behaviour and buyer intention in real time. This makes it easy for your marketing team to customise marketing campaigns to address the specific needs of your leads. For example: if a lead visits your website and browses through your property listings (which indicates they are looking to make a purchase), you are able to tailor your email campaigns and marketing message to suit their specific needs.

Automated Sales Platform Not only does HubSpot offer a marketing platform, it also has a sales platform that allows you track all your clients and leads. This makes it easier for your sales team to track, organise and manage your sales data by syncing your lead data in a single place and logging sales activities effortlessly.

Personalised and Automated Email: Customised email templates, audience segmentation to ensure you send your leads content that is relevant to them, email and newsletter scheduling, automated responses to repetitive inquiries. Click to Call: You are able to add call-to-actions to your property listings. HubSpot offers Call-to-actions that allows clients to fill out a lead form or call your business at a specific number however, this takes effort and a few more clicks than a client wants. HubSpot offers click-to-call as an option which allows leads to call you immediately. All they have to do is click on the CTA and your number will automatically be dialed for them. Meeting Scheduling: HubSpot helps with time management which is especially important for your sales team. All team members are able to access their calendars through the platform which ensures they do not double book themselves or forget a meeting. Team Cohesion: Through HubSpot you are able to assign tasks and leads to your team members and you are also able to track their progress. These are just a few of the tools that HubSpot offers, all of which benefit Real Estate businesses and help lead to business growth.

HubSpot also has a feature that allows your team to view the sales pipeline of every customer or lead and you can create your deal dashboard to suit your real estate sales strategy.

Manage Campaigns for your Property Listings HubSpot gives you the opportunity to create and manage the campaigns for your property listings. This will improve your ability to attract, engage, delight and nurture leads. Take a look at some of the below HubSpot tools that allow you to manage your property listings through the platform:

In Summary Inbound marketing has become vital for real estate marketing success and HubSpot makes the process that much easier. By using HubSpot for your real estate marketing you will be able to convert leads, create team cohesion, and nurture your prospects and current clients.

Facebook (Finally) Removes Text Space Rules on Ad Images By: Toni Becker

f you have ever tried to create an advert for your Facebook page, you have surely felt the frustration that comes with the rules regarding the amount of text allowed on your advert images. This limit (also known as the 20% rule) has caused tons of grey hair for advertisers as they struggle to get their point across successfully in the ad image space.

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What is the 20% Rule? If 20% of an ad image’s area is text, it will not be approved to run on Facebook, Instagram or the Audience Network. The purpose of this rule is to reduce unnecessary noise in Facebook News Feeds because Facebook believes that adding a lot of text to an image had the potential to make the Facebook experience more cluttered and overwhelming. But as we all know, the social media space continues to grow and evolve and what was once deemed “clutter” can now be seen as an opportunity - and marketers no longer have to worry about grey hairs associated with advert text anymore!

In Summary It is important that marketers take text into consideration when it comes to their Facebook ads. No one wants to see cluttered text based images on their newsfeed, so try to limit your image text - but not so much that your audience doesn’t know what you are actually advertising. Take Facebooks advice and try limit your text, but you don’t have to dumb your content down just to soothe the Facebook rule makers any longer.

The Times are Changing We have some good news for 2021! The Facebook rule makers have discreetly done us all a favour and removed the rule that limited text space on an advert image to only 20%. Social media expert Matt Navarra first broke the news with the world when he tweeted «BIG news for Facebook advertisers. Facebook is killing its “<20% text in image› rule for ads.” Facebook itself has stated that it will no longer penalise adverts with higher amounts of image text in auctions and delivery. However, Facebook also said that advertisers are still encouraged to reduce the amount of text on their images. “We have found that images with less than 20 per cent text generally perform better.” 27

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HubSpot also has a feature that allows your team to view the sales pipeline of every customer or lead and you can create your deal dashboard to suit your real estate sales strategy.

Digital Growth - Jan 2021

DIGITAL GROWTH November 2020 | ISSUE 2 29

DIGITAL GROWTH January 2021 | ISSUE 4

Digital Growth Magazine - January 2021

Articles inside

Facebook (Finally) Removes Text

Is HubSpot for Real Estate E ective

How to Untap High Value Leads Using

B2B Lead Generation & SEO

Social Media Lead Generation

Employer Branding is Key

Understanding Account Based Marketing

Video Content Trends

MarTech in the News

Letter from the editor