SmartBug Media - Podcast Details

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SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow Healthcare Organizations Can Stay Ahead of Healthcare Compliance Changes with HubSpotIn this episode, we dive deep into how healthcare organizations can leverage HubSpot to modernize their marketing, sales, and service operations while staying compliant with ever-evolving healthcare regulations, including HIPAA.Join HubSpot experts Paul Schmidt and Casey Peddicord as they explore:✅ Why more healthcare orgs are adopting HubSpot now than ever before✅ What HubSpot’s HIPAA compliance means for storing PHI and building forms✅ Real-world examples from medical device companies, vein clinics, and more✅ How healthcare CRMs integrate with EHR/EMR systems like Epic and Athena✅ What to look for in a HubSpot pa...2025-03-2736 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogBranding and Messaging for Senior Tech: How to Connect with the AgeTech AudienceCreating messaging that resonates with older adults, caregivers, and influencers is a critical yet often overlooked factor in the success of senior-focused technology. In this episode, SmartBug’s Paul Schmidt is joined by AgeTech expert Tonia Speir and Senior Director of Copy Erin Hardy to explore the branding and messaging strategies that drive engagement and adoption in the AgeTech space.🔹 Why branding and messaging are often overlooked in senior-focused technology🔹 How to balance features and benefits to create compelling messaging🔹 The unique challenges of marketing to older adults and their caregivers🔹 Strategies for building trust and empa...2025-03-1833 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogCracking the AgeTech Market: GTM Strategies for Innovation and AdoptionThe senior tech industry is rapidly growing, with new innovations designed to improve the lives of older adults, caregivers, and healthcare providers. But how do you successfully market and sell senior tech solutions to a diverse audience that includes seniors, adult children, and healthcare professionals?SmartBug Media's AgeTech expert, Tonia Speir, joins host VP of Marketing Paul Schmidt to break down:✅ What AgeTech is and the biggest misconceptions about seniors and technology✅ The decision-making process in AgeTech purchases: seniors, caregivers, and adult children✅ How to build trust and drive adoption in an industry where...2025-03-1028 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow HubSpot Can Help AgeTech Companies Scale Faster and Retain CustomersWith 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day, the opportunity in AgeTech has never been greater. However, AgeTech and senior living organizations face unique challenges in marketing, sales, and customer retention—whether selling to seniors, caregivers, or healthcare providers.In this podcast, we explore how HubSpot’s CRM, automation, and AI-driven tools can help AgeTech companies overcome these challenges and scale effectively.What You’ll Learn:✅ The Unique Challenges of Scaling an AgeTech Company – Navigating long sales cycles, trust-driven decision-making, compliance hurdles, and high customer acquisition costs.✅ How HubSpot Solves These Challenges – Using AI-powered lead scoring, automation, co...2025-03-0334 min

Agency Forward010 Jen Spencer: Building Culture and Customer-Centricity at SmartBugHey everyone, today I’m joined by Jen Spencer.Jen is the CEO of SmartBug Media. At Inbound a few years ago, I’d met some of the SmartBug team and they raved about working there. So, when an opportunity arose to interview their fearless leader, I jumped at the chance.Jen took over as CEO after being SmartBug’s VP of Sales and Marketing and then CRO. She has a wealth of agency knowledge from multiple fox holes and provided so many great insights in this episode.In this episode, we discuss:How...2024-06-2546 min

Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson l Presented By MarigoldEp. 123 - What is a Marketing FLYWHEEL? GUEST: Jen Spencer [CEO SmartBug Media 2x HubSpot Partner of The Year]In this episode of "Do This, Not That", host Jay Schwedelson interviews Jen Spencer, CEO of SmartBug Media, about the concept of the marketing "flywheel" and how to build company culture with a fully remote team. Listeners can expect to learn what a flywheel model is, why it's important for business growth, and practical tips for implementing it. The discussion also covers best practices for maintaining strong remote work culture.=================================================================Best Moments:(05:02) What is a marketing flywheel and how can it help you?(07:55) Practical example of a flywheel 2024-05-2425 min

Demand and Ops UnboxedMarketing, Sales, and Customer Success Alignment: The Key to Boosting Revenue with Ali LillieAli Lillie from SmartBug joined the Demand & Ops Unboxed podcast to dive into the fascinating topic of how alignment between sales, marketing, and customer success teams is the often-overlooked key to driving revenue growth. Ali, who has worked in all three revenue departments at SmartBug, shares her valuable insights on the different priorities and processes of each team. It was interesting to hear how her experience has shaped her understanding of the importance of alignment.During the conversation, we touched on some other interesting topics as well, including lead scoring, the difference between customer success a...2023-10-1139 min

Metrics & Chill - Predictable Growth for B2BBTB: Offering the right services to the right customers (w/ Jen Spencer, SmartBug)Databox is an easy-to-use Analytics Platform for growing businesses. We make it easy to centralize and view your entire company's marketing, sales, revenue, and product data in one place, so you always know how you're performing. Learn More About DataboxSubscribe to our newsletter for episode summaries, benchmark data, and moreJen Spencer (CEO of SmartBug) shares how they've grown by serving the right clients, with the right services, managed by the right team. Learn how this segmentation has been a huge factor in their success, and get insights you can use at your company.L...2023-08-3148 min

Half Geek Half HumanSmartBug Media: Becoming an Elite MarketerIn this episode of the Half Geek Half Human podcast, we are joined by Jen Spencer of SmartBug Media. Over Jen’s career, she has built several demand generation and sales enablement programs from the ground up and has experience working within tech startups, publicly traded companies, mid-market organizations, and the not-for-profit space. Jen subscribes to the notion that “we’re all in this together” and that great communication leads to great partnership. Outside of SmartBug, Jen is the mother of twin boys and two dogs, she loves football, good wine and scotch, and activating her mind and body through...2023-03-0641 min $Global Tech Leaders\' Podcast$ Global Tech Leaders' PodcastWomen in Tech Series: Jen Spencer CEO at SmartBug Media shares the power of making room for experimentation.Welcome to the Women in Tech Series from the Global Tech Leaders Podcast. Today we are speaking to Jen Spencer CEO at SmartBug Media, HubSpot Partner of The Year. SmartBug Media is a globally award-winning intelligent inbound marketing agency that helps businesses grow revenue by generating leads, engaging accounts and building brand loyalty through inbound marketing, sales enablement, revenue operations, web development, digital strategy, marketing automation, and public relations. We kick off by asking Jen to share her career journey and what has led her to where she is today. “I wanted to be in charge.” Volu...2022-10-2042 min

Enterprise Eyeballs: Innovative B2B Marketing StoriesInbound marketing can help you take your business full circle - from lead to sale | Jen SpencerInbound Marketing is probably the best thing you probably never heard of.Smartbug Media is an intelligent inbound marketing company whose CEO, Jen Spencer, reveals the ins and outs of the inbound methodology. Smartbug Media is HubSpot's partner of the year and Klayvio Master Elite.If you are new to inbound marketing, this episode will set you up with a foundation to learn so much more!In this episode:➤ The role of the inbound marketer is simple - bring visibility to your business using content➤ The expe...2022-09-1341 min

Ready Set SellHow to Bring Authenticity to Any Role featuring Stephanie Valenti, Chief Revenue Officer at SmartBug MediaWhen it comes to growing, scaling and developing an excellent sales team, there’s truly a fine art to it that can’t be learned overnight. In this episode, Hannah and Tony sit down with Stephanie Valenti, the Chief Revenue Officer at SmartBug Media. In her role, Stephanie leads sales, marketing, and all client services and delivery departments at the company. She’s also spent more than 15 years learning the best strategies for fostering sustainable growth, leading a team, and helping B2B sales organizations scale up, so she has plenty of wisdom to share about leadership and the custom...2022-09-0644 min

Startup Selling: Talking Sales with Scott SambucciEp. 145: When NOT to Hire a Marketing Agency for Your Startup & What to Do Instead: A Conversation with SmartBug Media's CEO, Jen SpencerIn this episode of the Startup Selling Podcast, I interviewed Jen Spencer. Jen Spencer is the CEO of SmartBug Media®, a leading Intelligent Inbound® marketing agency that assists both B2B and B2C e-commerce businesses in growing revenue by generating leads, scaling revenue operations, and building market awareness through digital content, design, and web development. Jen is an influential thought leader in the sales, marketing, and revenue operations space, regularly speaking at B2B conferences as well as serving as a mentor for revenue leaders through Pavilion's Rising Executives Program. She also sta...2022-06-2849 min

Accelerate MomentumTVAprende Live Night Show with Ryan Malone, CEO and Founder of SmartBug MediaWelcome to TVAprende Live Night Show, Podcast Edition. Today we have an individual that we so appreciate and look up to. Ryan Malone is a trailblazing CEO. He founded Smartbug Media over 10 years ago and has grown it to over 110 employees, oh and they are still growing. But growing Smartbug is not the only thing that makes Ryan special, no, not at all, it's the way he has done it based on principals that are trailblazing as well. His views on employee engagement and community are some of the things that...2021-03-0650 min

The Ramped PodcastHow I Sell 01: Jen Spencer, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at SmartBug MediaJen Spencer is the VP of Sales and Marketing at SmartBug Media and a stellar human. In today's episode, Manoj and Jen discuss what kickstarted her career in sales. They touch on her commitment to learning and embracing data, why she ties sales and marketing closely together, her competitive drive, and how to advocate for yourself in the workplace. We are honored to host Jen as our inaugural guest on The Ramped Podcast & How I Sell.2020-11-1032 min

SmartBug on TapWhy SmartBug Media Decided to Become HubSpot Advanced CMS Certified In this episode of SmartBug on Tap, Jen Spencer shares why SmartBug Media® decided to become HubSpot Advanced CMS Certified. 2020-10-0605 min

SmartBug on TapSmartBug on Tap Season FinaleOn the season finale of SmartBug on Tap, I announced our summer hiatus and share how you can quench your Intelligent Inbound® thirst until we return with Season 2 in September of 2020. I also encourage listeners to expand their podcast library to include voices that are sharing important information about diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Links Mentioned SmartBug Website Code Switch She+ Geeks Out Pod Save the People 2020-06-0403 min

SmartBug on Tap4 Tips for Staying Productive While Working RemotelyAt SmartBug, we know a thing or two about working remotely. In fact, it’s one of the foundational cornerstones of our company. Over the years, we’ve found the secret recipe that enables us to spend ample time with those we love, while still having fulfilling careers. When working from home is done right, we know that remote workers can be more productive than those in an office. On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I share four tips for staying productive while working from home.2020-05-1907 min

People at Work10-years of remote work with Ryan MaloneI think we’re all wondering what our new normal is going to be after COVID-19. Personally, I don’t think everyone is going to go back to the office. Remote work won’t necessarily become the norm, but it’s going to become way more common. So what can we expect? SmartBug Media has been fully remote for 10+ years and I recently had the chance to chat with Ryan Malone about all things remote work. Some key takeaways? Being productive is one thing, b...2020-04-2934 min

Belkins PodcastInterview with Jen Spencer, a Vice President of Sales and Marketing at SmartBug Media.Today’s guest is Jen Spencer - Vice President of Sales and Marketing at SmartBug Media. Jen runs a series of weekly podcasts called “SmartBug on Tap” with thousands of listeners. Over her career, Jen has built demand generation and sales enablement programs from the ground up and has experience working within tech startups, publicly traded companies, mid-market organizations. Michael and Jen talk about: the role of the podcast in modern b2b, Jen’s experience in starting and growing a podcast, and what makes a good podcast great. Enjoy listening!2020-03-1330 min

B2B Growth#BestOf2019: Why & How to Do Solo Episodes for Your Podcast w/ Jen SpencerIn this episode we hear from Jen Spencer, Host of SmartBug on Tap and VP of Sales and Marketing at SmartBug Media. No. 8 in our countdown of the Top 20 episodes of 2019. Jen shares... Why she chose to focus her podcast on doing solo episodes instead of interviews. Two specific ways she develops topics for each episode. The amount of time it takes her to prep each episode and what that prep looks like. How she thinks about the length of each episode. The super simple setu...2020-01-2000 min

SmartBug on TapHow to Present Your Marketing Reports to Your CEOIf you’re no stranger to SmartBug, you’re not new to the conflict between sales and marketing. We talk about the misalignment between marketing and sales all the time, but the same conflict can exist between marketing and the C-suite as well. CEOs are focused on revenue generation and business growth, and they want their teams to be laser focused on an upward trajectory of revenue. A critical element of helping the C-suite find value is in how you present the data to them. On this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I’m going to be s...2019-12-2406 min

The B2B Sales Show51. Why People are the #1 Differentiator Between Agencies w/ Jen SpencerJust like the number of SaaS solutions that’s out there, agencies seem to be popping up all the time. How can you tell the difference between them? Is there even a difference? In this episode of The B2B Sales Show, co-host Kevin Warner speaks with SmartBug Media’s VP of Sales & Marketing, Jen Spencer. Through her extensive experience, she’s able to share the #1 differentiator between agencies: the people. Plus, Kevin and Jen cover: The value in viewing every opportunity through a revenue lens SmartBug’s approach to working with a wide variety of partners How SmartBug’s people mar...2019-12-1925 min

The Hard Corps Marketing ShowABN Always Be Nurturing - Jen Spencer - Hard Corps Marketing Show #110After a marketer puts in the work to send a lead over to sales, is there job finished, so they can move onto generating more leads? A Marketer, Podcast Host, named one of the Top Sales Women to Watch in 2019, and the VP, Sales and Marketing at SmartBug Media, Jen Spencer, challenges marketers to continue to nurture their buyers along every step of the buyer’s journey. A marketer’s job is never done. This episode is full of strategy for marketing to partner with sales, takeaways on podcasts in marketing, and career advice for every...2019-12-051h 07

SmartBug Media Audio Blog5 Bases You Should Cover to Produce an Influential B2B Podcast 2019-10-1606 min

Remote WellBuilding an Award-Winning Diamond Inbound Agency 100% Distributed With Ryan Malone (EP 1)Today, my guest is Ryan Malone. Ryan is the Founder and CEO of SmartBug Media SmartBug is the #1 rated inbound marketing agency and a Diamond HubSpot partner. Ryan started the agency over 10 years ago when building a distributed team was something that most people thought was absolutely crazy. Now approaching 60 full time employees, Ryan and his team are redefining what a successful agency looks like. In this episode, we cover: -The terrible former boss that influenced Ryan’s future cultural values -How SmartBug has scaled thei...2019-10-0400 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog6 Tips for Collaborating With a Marketing Strategist 2019-09-3005 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogThe Difference Between Direct and Organic Website Traffic Sources 2019-09-2807 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogWhat Is Progressive Profiling and How Does It Work?2019-09-2804 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHanding Leads Off to Sales & the MQL vs SQL Difference 2019-09-2806 min

SmartBug on Tap3 Steps to Achieving Frictionless Selling in Your OrganizationI'm happy to report that the SmartBugs are all back in our respective cities after a few of us were in Boston last week for HubSpot's INBOUND 2019 conference. We had a great time visiting with everyone there and really walked away with some great key takeaways. One of the highlights for me was the launch of HubSpot’s frictionless selling framework. The framework is a road map to reducing friction and improving the effectiveness of your sales team. So, on this episode of SmartBug on Tap I’m wal...2019-09-1006 min

Agency UnfilteredBuilding an Agency Team Structure for ScaleRyan Malone discusses SmartBug’s team structure and how his agency’s org chart has changed over time to accommodate growth. We talk about team (or “pod”) structures, career pathing, and how SmartBug split up responsibilities by role.2019-08-2814 min

Hire Power Radio ShowRyan Malone: Building a High Scale, High Performing Remote Company!Today we are talking about building a high scale remote company. Try this on for size, a 75-person company without an office! The advantages are different than you might think yet you really must be mindful of who you are hiring. A remote workforce is a time to talent advantage not a save money advantage Today’s Quote: “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” — Stephen Covey Guest Bio: Ryan Malone is the CEO of SmartBug Media, which he foun...2019-07-3121 min

SmartBug on TapHow Marketers Should Prepare Their Sales Teams for a Campaign LaunchOn this episode of SmartBug on Tap, I’m talking about how marketers can better prepare their sales team for a campaign launch. And since my role oversees both marketing and sales, this topic is near and dear to me. As you can imagine, our internal sales and marketing alignment is extremely tight here at SmartBug Media. So, I thought you'd appreciate hearing the way we roll out a marketing campaign and what types of enablement resources we provide our sales team. 2019-07-3007 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Incorporate Consideration and Decision Stage Content Into Your SiteHow do you incorporate new content into your existing website? Think back to the last piece of marketing content that your team created. Does it target a specific buyer persona? Does it align with a stage of the Buyer’s Journey and move that persona forward to the next stage? If not, chances are that it fell flat because it wasn’t specifically written to resolve the problems people in your audience have at the exact moment they are trying to solve them.Incorporating new content into your existing website isn’t complicated. However, with careful consideration and pl...2019-07-0412 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog5 Real-World Examples Why Your Senior Communities Should Have Different Marketing StrategiesWhen marketing multiple senior living communities, it often makes sense to introduce as much consistency as possible across locations. As a marketer, this is hugely appealing to me. The mantra “Find what works, then do it again” is one that I have shared more times than I can count.But as a marketer, I’ve seen some funny things happen, particularly for senior living communities, when marketing becomes too cookie-cutter—even for communities under the same brand.2019-07-0206 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogThe Components of an Effective Case StudyCase studies are a great and necessary piece of content for your brand. They validate the value of your company and serve as a strong testimonial to prospects and leads. The best part? They’re relatively easy to put together! Outlined below are all of the components that make up a great case study.2019-06-2803 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogStart Using These Psychological Triggers In Your CopywritingPsychology is a science founded in human motivation and behavior, and is essentially all about what makes people tick.As a marketer, if you can understand what drives somebody and why someone may behave a certain way, the better you’ll be able to understand them, work with them, and ultimately influence them.So let’s look at four proven psychological triggers, showing examples of each, and discuss how you can incorporate them into your copywriting and overall marketing.2019-06-2808 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogWhat Percentage of Organic Search Should Be Converting into Leads?At one point or another, every marketer, agency, business owner, and inbound enthusiast has asked this question: “How much of my organic traffic should really be converting into leads?” This question has good reason behind it: organic visit-to-lead conversion rate is a great benchmark of inbound success. Not to mention, leads obtained from inbound activities (such as organic leads) have a much higher closing or conversion rate than their outbound counterparts: SEO leads have a 14.6% conversion rate, while outbound leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) have a 1.7% conversion rate, according to Eric Siu for Search Engine Journal. 2019-06-2806 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog3 Ways to Marketing Your Small Accounting FirmAs a marketing strategist, one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned throughout my career is that there isn’t always one way to reach your small business goals. I’ve worked with a lot of small accounting firms on digital and inbound strategies over the past decade, and the advice I have always known to be true is this: Don’t kill what’s already workingGet rid of what doesn’t workFind new and innovative ways to complement your marketing strategiesA big struggle for most small accounting firms is having the time, budget, and resources nee...2019-06-2804 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogAre You Already Doing Recruitment Marketing?How do you fill an open job position at your company? Do you post a job on Indeed, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn, and hope for the applications to start pouring in? How is that working for you? Are you getting a good quantity of applicants, but lacking quality? Or maybe you are getting my personal favorite: applicants with no cover letters. Why does this usually happen? Because they have no clue who your company is.So, why did I just ask you about eight questions in the first paragraph? HR and recruiting are changing, and it is important...2019-06-2104 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogUsing Facebook Ads to Promote Move-Ins to Senior Care CommunitiesGenerating new move-ins is the ultimate goal for any senior care community. Paid social is the ideal channel for driving cost-effective brand awareness campaigns and top-of-the-funnel leads. Ads can also be used to move potential residents further through the Buyer’s Journey. Let’s take a look at some of the campaign objectives and strategies that senior care communities can use to support marketing and sales goals.2019-06-1805 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog7 Cold Email Tips That Will Increase Response RateAre you sick and tired of acquiring lists full of potential, high-quality prospects, devising a cold emailing plan, and having no one respond? What if you reach out again, will it be awkward? Is there any hope left to turn even just one of those prospects into a customer? Has all of the hard work and research you put into acquiring those email addresses gone to waste?Not necessarily.2019-06-1806 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogBest Practices for Adding Medium to Your Blog StrategyIf you regularly publish on your company’s blog, you may already be seeing the benefits of business blogging. On top of posting regularly and promoting content on social, there are other strategies to increase your content’s discoverability, including posting on Medium, a publishing platform launched in 2012 by Twitter’s former CEO, Ev Williams.Medium was designed to be a platform where anyone could read, share, and exchange ideas on a vast range of topics in the form of “stories,” or blog articles. Today, you’ll find everyone from freelance writers to well-known brands publishing and engaging wit...2019-06-1813 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Prepare for Customer Buyer Persona InterviewsHow well do you know your buyer personas? Do you thoroughly understand their needs and pain points—and why they decide to purchase from you instead of your competitors? This information is the cornerstone of a successful inbound marketing strategy. With it, you can fine-tune your messaging so that it truly speaks to your audience and their needs. Without it, you run the risk of sending a generic or off-target message that doesn’t resonate with your audience. Which would you rather have?2019-06-1806 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Transition Your Sales Team from Outbound to InboundInterested in implementing an inbound sales methodology? There are several steps you can take to make the process smoother while transitioning your team from an outbound to inbound sales approach.Let’s start by defining outbound sales. Outbound sales is an older, more traditional approach to sales. It is where a sales rep reaches out to a prospect, whether by networking or by cold-calling a list, to sell a particular product or service. The actions of the sales rep may be outlined in a sales process document and tracked in a sales tool such as a CRM (cu...2019-06-1405 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog5 Ways to Empower Your Marketing Manager (and Get Better Results)Imagine you’re looking to buy a new product but you aren’t quite sure which brand to go with. You research a bit online before realizing a few of your friends just bought the same product. What’s your next step? If you’d pick up the phone and ask for their opinion, welcome to the club. We are all creatures of habit—constantly looking to others for advice and validation. The people we surround ourselves with become examples without us even realizing it.2019-06-1406 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogWhat is the Future of Recruitment Marketing?In the old days of recruitment marketing, you put a job posting on your careers website, Indeed, and maybe LinkedIn, and that was it. However, job applicants today are looking for more. Are you giving it to them?In today’s age, there are so many options for a job seeker that you have to work harder to stay relevant and top of mind.Today, you are probably on par with many other organizations if you are still only posting jobs to job boards. But will you soon be outpaced? What does the future hold fo...2019-06-1405 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Build (and Run) a Content Marketing Calendar“It’s all about content.”You’ve probably heard this phrase uttered from your agency or marketing department sometime in the last several years, but it’s one that can’t be overstated.Today’s consumer spends more time researching before making a purchase than ever before, and companies who are willing to provide the best and most helpful content to these consumers are usually the ones rewarded over time.But creating a successful content marketing strategy takes time, planning, analysis, and repetition—all of which take a commitment from your content marketing team.In t...2019-06-1309 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogThe Importance of User-Facing Content When Your “Customer” Is Actually DistributorsHaving personally worked with distributors in a variety of industries, I have a great appreciation for the business model and, specifically, how user-facing content can be of great value to those that work in this field. Your distributors may sell to other distributors, or they may sell to end users. Regardless of the ideal customer profile, even those that sell to other distributors are still marketing to people, and people are users. User-facing content answers questions and helps solve problems for end users of a particular product or service, but it also is a great way to gain trust...2019-06-1305 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog9 Steps for a Successful CPL CampaignPaid media is a great opportunity for just about anyone—especially businesses that are just getting started in the world of digital marketing. If your contact database is lacking and you are looking for a relatively quick way to expand your contacts, a cost per lead (CPL) campaign may be perfect for you.A CPL campaign is when an advertiser pays a publisher any time a user takes an action on the publisher’s website that generates a lead for the advertiser. It is one of several types of pricing models you can choose from in the paid...2019-06-1306 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog8 Ways to Gain New Members When You’re Competing with Big BanksWhether you’re a privately owned credit union or small town bank, competing with big banks can be a daunting task. Although big banks often have much larger marketing budgets, you likely have an edge on them for more reasons than one.Here are eight ways you can gain new members while competing with big banks.2019-06-1205 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog5 Powerful Content Marketing Case Study Interview QuestionsCase studies are vital content marketing tools because they tell a compelling customer story and provide the same authority as white paper marketing, but in a format short enough to capture most prospects’ attention.The first step to an effective case study is research. Conducting a case study interview with your customer will ensure you have accurate, detailed information, which will be the basis of your final piece of content. To unlock the most important kernels of information during a case study interview, try adding these five key case study interview questions to your list:2019-06-0704 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Write SEO-Friendly Blog PostsIf you’re actively publishing relevant blog posts on your company website, you’re already making big strides toward stronger SEO for your site’s domain. Blogging can be a huge driver of SEO—especially when you know how to set up each post for search engine success! To get started, here are seven tips for writing SEO-friendly blog posts.2019-06-0709 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Run an Effective Sales and Marketing Alignment MeetingYou may have heard the terms “smarketing” or “sales and marketing alignment” but do you really know what these terms entail when it comes to implementation? For many organizations, there are a variety of reasons why it is difficult to align the sales and marketing departments. This is especially true for larger organizations that may have several locations across the company or even across the globe that make meeting more difficult.2019-06-0706 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Measure The Quality of Your Website TrafficQuality traffic is an outcome of providing the right content and experience for your visitor. It is only with clearly defined business and marketing goals that you can measure the quality of your traffic. Traffic, leads generated, interactions, and sales are a few ways companies measure the success of their website.By defining what success looks like for your website you can then identify which signals are most important for reaching your goals.Once your goals are defined, here are 5 signals that can help you measure the quality of your website traffic.2019-06-0702 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog12 Trust Signals to Boost Your Conversion RateYour customers seek validation before they buy. The more risk involved with the purchase, the more sources of validation or trust signals they need to feel safe buying from you.Here are 12 trust signals to boost your conversion rates:1. Case studies2. Testimonials3. Social proof statistics (number of customers, number of users, number of widgets you’ve sold)4. Industry association logos5. Client/customer logos6. Logos of publications where your company is mentioned7. Employee certifications8. Number of five-star ratings fr...2019-06-0705 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog4 New “Google My Business” Features You Should Be UsingWhen’s the last time you optimized your Google My Business profile? During the last 6-9 months, Google has been testing new features that local businesses can use to enhance their local search presence. With last month’s announcement from Sparktoro about mobile click-through-rate (CTR) plummeting over the last couple of years, every business needs to think about how they are going to provide accurate information to their customers, regardless of whether users are researching you in Google My Business or on your website.2019-06-0703 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog4 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Marketing Project ManagementIf you’ve been doing marketing in a professional capacity for any bit of time (three months, 20+ years—you get the idea), you’ve probably dealt with the case of misaligned resources, expectations from stakeholders, and a whole bunch of tasks and deliverables to complete with not enough time in the day. Although things will always fall through the cracks from time to time, there are easy ways to simplify your organization’s marketing project management tactics.2019-06-0706 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Build a Decision Making Model for Your Marketing StrategyWe’ve heard this question before, “I’m looking for ‘X’ and I need it done by ‘Y’”. Where do you begin? How do you answer those questions?Forty or fifty years ago, you would either call information, look in the yellow pages or the newspaper and hope that something relevant was available. Nowadays, we can find everything with an available connection and a couple of clicks. With this kind of power in the hands of consumers, more and more people are doing basic and extensive research on the almighty ‘X’ before the purchase process even begins. Within the buying pr...2019-06-0705 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogThe 4 Essential Elements of a Great Case StudyMore than 67 percent of respondents in a recent survey indicated that online reviews impact their purchasing decisions in some way, shape, or form. Although online reviews can help tell a part of story for your organization, a case study can help tell your audience an entire success story (start to game-changing) of one of your customers using your products or services.2019-06-0706 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog5 Tips for Leveraging Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool: Your Employees!Whether you’re selling hang gliders in Hawaii or lead generation services in Georgia, marketing is everyone’s job—and we mean everyone.Although the belief that customer-facing employees are the only ones responsible for marketing your company has been around, basically, forever, this strategy couldn’t be further from the truth or best practices. Yes, it’s crucial for the C-suite, marketing, and sales to pitch your product and sell your service like pros, but the rest of your team plays a crucial role, too.2019-06-0606 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog3 Critical Details You May Be Overlooking in Your MarketingIf you are a marketing executive or mid-level manager in your organization, you know how important your marketing campaign tactics and the all-encompassing strategy behind them are to your continued success. With all of the tools and mediums at your disposal, it’s easy to overlook certain pieces of your marketing as you take your campaigns from inception to execution.2019-06-0406 min

Sales Leadership PodcastEpisode 49: #49: Jen Spencer of SmartBug Media - How to Align Your Sales and Marketing Efforts to Maximize RevenueIn this week's episode, Jen Spencer of SmartBug Media joins us to talk about team. She describes, in detail, a good, authentic approach to creating a "team." According to Jen, you should build a team that compliments your own strength and overshadows your weaknesses. Her advice is to stay close to the Market, close to your staff, and find ways to level your people and compensate for their weaknesses. If you can do these things, you can build the right team to spur growth. 2019-06-0451 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Create a Blogging Strategy for a SaaS StartupIs your SaaS startup looking to drive more traffic to its website? Establish itself as a thought leader in the industry? If so, marketing should play a significant role in your product-first SaaS company. Blogging is a great place to start.When was the last time you purchased new software without researching it first? More importantly, where do you go for your research? You look online. One of the best ways to establish an online presence is to include a blog on your website—and, there’s never been a better time to start blogging. In October of 2...2019-06-0306 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogBusiness Blogging: Boosting Your Financial Institution’s Organic TrafficIs business blogging a part of your financial institution’s marketing strategy? If the answer is yes, continue reading to learn how to utilize this tactic to boost organic traffic. If the answer is no, keep reading to learn how blogging can help drive traffic to your website.2019-06-0107 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog4 Signs You're Working with the Right AgencyYou’ve been working with a marketing agency for the last year or so, and things seem to be OK. The only problem is, you have a nagging feeling that’s making you wonder if you’re working with the right agency. Because this is such a significant investment—in terms of not just the expense of your engagement, but also the opportunity costs associated with your overall revenue enablement plan—it’s important to be confident that you're partnering with the right people. Take the time to stop and consider these four signs that you’re working with the right agen...2019-05-1304 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Create Content for Technical or “Boring” IndustriesSo, you’ve been hired as the in-house talent for a company specializing in dental mouthguards or a brand known for its award-winning supply chain software. Congrats on the gig! However, if you’re already experiencing night sweats wondering how you’re going to write day in and day out about the world’s most technical or boring industry, I promise you, it will be OK. 2019-04-1005 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogWhat's the Difference Between Lead Scoring and Lead Qualification?I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if you’re reading this, there’s less than a 50 percent chance that you are ready to implement lead scoring, and yet there is an 80 percent chance that either you’ve already done it or it’s on your to-do list. OK, I completely fabricated those statistics, but the reason for my boldness in this hypothesis is I have had countless conversations with marketing and sales leaders who don’t need lead scoring as much as they need lead qualification.So, what’s the difference between lead s...2019-04-0706 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogPartner Enablement 101: Top 3 Must-Haves For Your SaaS Partner ProgramAs your SaaS company matures, the development of a partner program is one enhancement you’ll likely want to make to your go-to-market strategy. You’ve proven product-market fit, you have a predictable direct sales pipeline, and your customer success team is growing your existing customers while keeping churn at a minimum. Adding a partner channel is a very natural next step as you scale. 2019-04-0508 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogMapping Out Your Instagram and Facebook Ad Funnel (Free Template)If you’re not already running Facebook and/or Instagram ads for your business, there are probably six different people who have encouraged you to move some of your advertising dollars to paid social. But where should you start? And if you are advertising on Facebook and Instagram, are you following a sound strategy that mirrors successful inbound marketing principles?Facebook and Instagram advertising is both an art and a science. You need to think like a scientist when it comes to testing, while using your creative brain to generate fresh ad copy and design. That’s what...2019-03-2605 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow Content Marketing Fits into a Sales Enablement StrategyMarketing teams all over the globe use content to make users aware of products and services or to nurture a prospect through the Buyer’s Journey—through content, they meet the buyer on their terms in a way that feels natural. Salespeople can pull from these same pieces of content when engaging with a prospect. For example, a marketing department may send out a weekly newsletter with all of the content that was published on its blog. That same week, salesperson Sally may be conversing with a prospect and be able to utilize one of those recent blog posts to h...2019-02-1806 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog4 Ways to Use Video in Your Marketing EffortHey, you! Yeah, you! The one that’s been living under the rock! Did you know that video is a great way to increase visitors, convert leads, nurture the qualified, and even help promote your awesome business? Okay, okay, it’s 2019. I’m pretty sure that almost everyone knows that. But in all seriousness, almost 50 percent of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store, according to HubSpot’s Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics for 2018. So here’s the question: Why haven’t you dipped your toe in the water and experimented with video m...2019-01-3005 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogWhat Role Should Marketing Play in a Product-First SaaS Company?If you’re the leader of a product-first SaaS company, it can be easy to make the mistake of ignoring marketing and believing that it isn’t necessary for the success of your organization. This is a common occurrence in the SaaS vertical where marketing has a tendency to be not only held at bay while the product is perfected, but flat-out ignored post-funding when initial investments are made in sales and sales alone. That is, until revenue plateaus and marketing is brought in to boost performance.Read this blog instead.2019-01-2105 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Write For Increasingly Distracted ReadersIt’s been a long time since people sat down and read blog articles word for word. In fact, it’s possible people never did this, but, as marketers, we convinced ourselves they did. Content best practices have run the gamut since the advent of the blog—from writing short, keyword-packed 300-word blog articles full of sales and self-promotion to writing long-form, 1,500-word blog articles that avoid keyword stuffing, focus on education, and only sell at the end of the post.Either way, the reality is that people don’t read online content—they scan it. In fact...2019-01-1606 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogSocial Media Strategy for ABM: The BasicsAccount-based marketing (ABM) seems to be on everyone’s minds as we move into the new year. There are endless ABM tools and technologies to evaluate, events around ABM best practices, and strategies that can be put in place to grow your ABM program. In this post, we're going to delve into one piece of the ABM puzzle: social media.If you’re reading (or listening to) this, you probably already use social media to share your content with relevant users, build your network and thought leadership, and research prospects and buyer personas. Now it’s time to app...2019-01-0406 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog3 Ways a Sales Team Survey Can Help Boost Your Content's SuccessI’m sure we’ve all received a customer survey—whether it be from a store after we’ve made a purchase or from a doctor’s office after a recent visit. These are common, and businesses find a ton of value in the resulting data. However, if we look at the success of this type of initiative and try to translate it into a sales and marketing function, there’s an interesting opportunity that organizations of all sizes are beginning to capitalize on: sales team surveys. Maybe your sales team has hit a wall or maybe they’re entering a new...2019-01-0404 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Increase Your Conversion Rate On a Mobile WebsiteAccording to Google, more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries, including the U.S. and Japan. With all those eyeballs coming to your website from a mobile device, it’s a good time to capture their attention and converting them into leads. Sure, you probably have some type of conversion mechanism on your website, such as a white paper or free demo ... but have you thought of ways to increase your conversion rate from your mobile visitors?Here are five ways you can make sure your website is ready to capture th...2018-10-2205 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogThe Evolution of Inbound MarketingInbound marketing is more than a buzzword. It’s a way of life for marketers, and it’s undoubtedly the most effective form of marketing used today. The question is, where did inbound marketing come from? And how did it evolve into the marketing powerhouse it is now?Read this blog instead.2018-10-1704 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogUnderstanding the Buyer’s Journey: When Should Sales Get Involved?Let’s cut right to the chase. The answer to the question, “At what point in the Buyer’s Journey should sales get involved?” is simple. Sales has the opportunity to get involved at every stage in the Buyer’s Journey, although the way in which sales engages should change based on where the buyer is in his or her journey. Before we dig into some tactical examples of how sales can engage at each stage of the Buyer’s Journey, let’s take a step back and make sure we’re on the same page when it comes to the Buyer’s Jour...2018-10-0104 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog3 SEO Strategies That Don’t Require an Expert to ManageMarketing professionals are always fighting to stay up to date on search engine optimization (SEO). Google’s frequent algorithm changes put a significant amount of pressure on SEO specialists to react quickly in order to avoid any drastic dips in search engine ranking. With so many “experts” on the web claiming to be top-notch SEO gurus, the plethora of SEO content can be overwhelming for companies looking to take positive steps forward. Who should you trust? Are you getting a fair price? Are these strategies going to be relevant six months from now? All of these questions are great ones to ask...2018-09-1205 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogTips for Setting Your Inbound SDR Team Up for SuccessAccording to InsideSales.com’s The State of Sales Development” report, the sales development (SDR) role lends itself to more automation than any other role within the sales team due to the very nature of the position. In fact, as part of the report, companies shared that their average spend on sales technology was $3,827 per rep, per year. That’s a lot of technology. While a powerful and agile tech stack is fundamental to any sales and marketing strategy, the technology alone won’t help your team achieve its goals. Here are three tips for setting your inbound SDR team...2018-08-0104 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog3 Strategies to Consider Implementing to an E-Commerce Post-Purchase Follow-UpJust like a chef tailors their cooking style and menu items to the clientele, a marketer must adapt to specific situations and target unique personas with applicable messaging. The context we will discuss today is e-commerce—something that we are all familiar with, largely due to internet giants such as Amazon and Jet (Walmart). What these companies do incredibly well is build a data set about their audience and continue to market to them with personalized messaging and content—all at the optimal times and on the channels that the audience is most comfortable with. If you look in your inbo...2018-07-1704 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogIs Pinterest Worthwhile for B2B?I get this question a lot, so I’m excited to shed some light on the subject. Pinterest presents an interesting opportunity for B2B companies to drive traffic to their websites and convert those visitors into leads. Users on this platform tend to be well-educated with above-average income, and 93 percent of them utilize Pinterest to plan purchases, while another 87 percent of users indicated that Pinterest helps them decide what to buy. Sounds great, but what if you aren’t selling visually appealing jewelry or cute dog toys? Hopefully you weren’t expecting a direct yes or no answer, because like m...2018-07-0606 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHubSpot's New Instagram Feature is a Game Changer for Social Media ManagersFor social media managers, community managers, or anyone else responsible for the social media success of an organization, tools such as HubSpot, Hootsuite, and Buffer are important components to daily operations of a marketing team. These tools save hours each week by allowing social media managers to publish and schedule posts to multiple social channels at once. Until recently, however, many of these tools have not offered the ability to publish to Instagram. For those of us who drink the orange HubSpot Kool-Aid, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the ability to publish social content to Instagram. In February, inbound prayers we...2018-05-1406 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog10 Tips for Using Pinterest to Grow Traffic and LeadsIf you’ve ever been on Pinterest, you know what I’m talking about when I say the Pinterest rabbit hole. No matter what you’re into, Pinterest is a visual smorgasbord of beautiful, inspiring images tailored to your interests. Apart from being a great way to kill one hour of waiting in line at the DMV, Pinterest can drive traffic to your website and help you generate leads. How, you ask? I’ll share real advice on the best strategies for using Pinterest as a viable platform to drive visits and leads. But first ... Read this blog instead 2018-05-0705 min

The Software Field Manual#002 – An intro to inbound marketing with Jen Spencer from SmartBugThe post #002 – An intro to inbound marketing with Jen Spencer from SmartBug appeared first on The Software Field Manual.2018-04-2300 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogHow to Spam-Proof Your Inbound Strategy with Marketing Automation WorkflowsHave you ever ended up on a company’s email list and for the life of you couldn’t recall ever subscribing or filling out any sort of form on that company’s website? Alternatively, have you ever looked at a list of new contacts added to your marketing automation system or CRM and noticed there were new contacts that were added via “offline sources?” If you’re like me, you probably answered “yes” to both of these questions—or perhaps you haven’t been paying attention, and answered that you don’t know. Here at SmartBug, our marketing strategy is 100% inbound, but t...2018-04-1707 min

SmartBug Media Audio Blog3 Examples of Buyer Personas to Help You Create Your OwnBuyer personas. You’ve heard about them over and over again. You know you need personas in order for your marketing to be successful, but you still haven’t created them. What’s holding you up? Is it because you don’t know where to start? Or perhaps you’re just not quite sure what a finished persona should look like ... Well, it’s time to take off your procrastination pants and put on your persona pants, because I’ve put together three sample personas that you can use as a guide to build your own. Read this blog 2018-04-1008 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogThree Ways Marketers Can Use Call Recording to Be a Better Sales PartnerMarketers are known for their gift of gab. After all, a marketer’s job is to persuade, to influence. If you’re familiar with DISC assessments and have ever reviewed team profiles, you know your marketers will likely exhibit a high “I” (influence) on their reports. Enthusiastic, warm, and persuasive, a “high I” thrives on engaging with others. We (yes, we, as I’m a proud, “high-I” marketer) thoroughly enjoy convincing others to see it our way. However, sometimes the best thing we can do for ourselves and our teammates is stop and listen. Hear me out (I get the irony of this). 2018-04-0306 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogThe Facebook Apocalypse is Here: What You Can Do to SurviveOver the past year, Facebook organic reach has dwindled. Even pages with thousands of followers had to think through different strategies for trying to outsmart the algorithm, or others have given up and moved their focus to Instagram. On January 11, this Facebook Newsroom article confirmed marketers’ fears and finally put in writing the algorithm changes that have started to and will continue to more drastically impact Facebook organic reach. Mark Zuckerberg took to Facebook (naturally) to inform people about the update. Read this blog instead 2018-04-0309 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogThe 3 Stages of a Typical Buying Process (i.e. The Buyer’s Journey)What is the buyer’s journey? It is the journey buyers go through to become aware of, evaluate, and purchase a new product or service, and it consists of three stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. Analyzing the buyer’s journey through the inbound marketing lens allows marketers to conceptualize the path of a prospect as a framework. The result? Persona-targeted content for each stage of the buyer’s journey. (Of course, this means you need to have buyer personas in place to begin.) Read this blog instead 2018-03-2605 min

SmartBug Media Audio BlogCreating Binge-Worthy Content Experiences for Your On-Demand AudienceGame of Thrones. Lost. Arrested Development. Downton Abbey. All TV shows I’ll admit I totally binge-watched. Can you blame me? Such great storytelling and acting, and the next episode would queue right up, without me having to lift a finger. So what do these TV show-watching behaviors have to do with your inbound marketing efforts? In both cases, the audience is expecting to consume content on demand and, potentially, en masse. Netflix has mastered the art of catering to the on-demand audience; one episode ends and the next is queued up for you. How many times have you thought yo...2018-03-2304 min

Sales Pipeline RadioHow to enable your entire go-to-market team: Best practices and advice to increase conversion rates and sales success Don't miss this week's guest, Jen Spencer, VP of Sales & Marketing at SmartBug Media. We'll be live at 11:30 PST Thurs. 1/4. Check back here for the recording no later than 1/8/18 and read the transcript on the Heinz Marketing blog on Mon. 1/15/18. We'll talk about: How to enable your entire go-to-market team: Best practices and advice to increase conversion rates and sales success Some Highlights: Intelligent Inbound - Data-oriented - Not just blogs and whitepapers -- web design, PR, sales enablement, creative working together to grow re...2018-01-0325 min

Better PR Now with Mark Phillips011 - Why PR and Marketing might become synonymous - Doreen Clark of SmartBug MediaDoreen Clark, Director of Public Relations at SmartBug Media, shares some of her secrets to generating great press coverage, coaching executives to communicate more effectively, and the intertwining of PR and Marketing. Media relations: According to Doreen, public relations is a powerful tool and that we should, “Communicate in a way that is not just beneficial for us, but also for the people we’re reaching out to.” This forms a trifecta of solid media relations that comes together when we understand and communicate: What our audience needs to learn, The information reporters need to know to cove...2017-12-2135 min

Leadership and Business95 Ryan Malone - The Remote WorkforceOver the past few years, organizations have wrestled with the concept of remote employment - having employees who work from home. Much has been written about the effectiveness of the remote worker, and how to lead a remote - or virtual - team. A recent Gallup study revealed that more Americans are working remotely, yet not all industries and organizations have embraced the concept. As many companies struggle to find the sweet spot, one organization has gone all in with a 100% remote workforce, and it’s been a big success. SmartBug Media is an award-winning, full-service inbound marketing agency wi...2017-11-0818 min

Find My Catalyst PodcastWhy Patience Matters in SalesGuest - Jen Spencer - Vice President of Sales & Marketing, SmartBug Media Jen Spencer joins us on the Catalyst Sale Podcast this week to discuss partners - where to start, what works, common errors, and how to reduce risk. Mike and I also share our experience with partners, both as a partner and a company looking for partners. Jen shares her expertise, and fills in the blanks.Partners can accelerate your path to revenue. They can open up new markets, and provide an opportunity to test feasibility and fit. Questions we address 2017-08-2225 min

Agency JourneyRyan Malone from SmartBug MediaAre you trying to grow a large inbound agency with a remote team? If so, this is the episode for you! Listen to Gray's conversation with Ryan Malone, CEO of SmartBug Media!2015-12-1538 min