There are a lot of ways to determine the success of a blog. When it comes to marketing, the more views a blog gets, the more opportunities it has to generate opportunities for new customers.
At Simple Machines, we write blog posts to aid our clients and share useful information with our audience. If the data from 2018 tells us anything, it’s that you’re a bunch of over-achievers who strive to be better at your jobs and help your organizations.
So, in the spirit of furthering education and helping you meet your goals and grow professionally, here’s a recap of our most popular marketing blogs from 2018. Click on each image or the title of each post to view the full blog.
1. GDPR: What U.S. Small Businesses Need to Know
If updates from GDPR regulation caught your company off guard, you’re not alone. Given the escalating nature of privacy with data, we expect further changes to roll out over the next several years.
Our blog shares a fundamental understanding of what changes GDPR introduced for U.S. businesses and will help catch you up-to-speed on the state of data protection laws.
2. Is IGTV Worth Your Small Business’s Time?
This year saw the launch of Instagram’s new companion app, IGTV, and many people wondering if they should invest in this “new” app or not.
Essentially, IGTV is Instagram’s attempt to make their own YouTube, only using vertical video, which is ideal for smartphones.
This blog post breaks down if your business should consider implementing IGTV into their marketing plans or hold off for now. Spoiler alert — looks like our initial reaction has proven to be correct.
3. Here’s What to Expect When Getting Started with HubSpot
We’re big fans of the marketing automation software HubSpot. As a HubSpot Gold Certified Agency Partner, we’ve helped get many small business clients get up and running with the tool.
This blog post breaks down what the setup process for HubSpot looks like, what you need on-hand to ensure a smooth transition and how much time you should commit to using the tool.
4. How Much Are Your Competitors Spending on Marketing?
Understanding how much other companies are spending on their marketing allows you to get a better sense of what resources your biggest competitors may be investing in marketing.
We took a look at the CMO survey conducted by Deloitte, the Fuqua School of Business at Duke and the American Marketing Association to see just how much each industry is budgeting and broke down what these numbers might mean for your business.
5. How Often Should You Update Your Website?
The old method of completely redesigning your website every two or three years isn’t always the most effective tactic.
Instead, we argue that by following a growth-driven design (GDD) template, your business can make frequent improvements to your website, saving you time and money on project costs and providing your customers with a better platform.
Where do You Need Help?
Whether you’re a company president juggling several responsibilities or an in-house marketing manager, our blog will be here in 2019 to answer your questions and share our marketing insights.
