Gray Matter at White Space

My beloved New York Times left me bereft recently. I peeled away all the sections, looking for the meaty magazine and there it was, bigger and juicier than usual!

When we started White Space Marketing Group, we weren't focused on buzz words like inbound marketing. But, after years of working with large corporations, where moving brand performance was challenging and complex, we were moved by the use of metrics to guide marketing decision-making.

What does this have to do with business blogging? 

As you wrap up plans for 2017, with the newest bright and shiny marketing approach competing for your attention, you may be inclined to question blogging—especially when it's not a new idea, and the results aren't instant.

You should question the results of every marketing tactic—with a metrics-driven philosophy, so do we! But the impact of blogging is well established, and we wanted to share the latest data to illustrate why we continue to be fans.

I recently dug out a bookmarked New York Times article from several years back: Small Players Seek an Alternative to the Expense of Pay-Per-Click. 

The article profiles a few business owners who learn an expensive lesson. While early PPC (pay-per-click) results can be seductive, this initial success is often followed by diminishing returns. In the hunt for other avenues to qualified lead generation, the authors find inbound marketing, a path to generating more leads at a lower cost.

Today, twice as many growing businesses are using inbound marketing as when this article was written. Driving inbound marketing traffic to your website - driving unpaid traffic - is practically a mainstream philosophy. 

In the early days of White Space Marketing Group, we drank that Kool-Aid, too -- but today, I have a slightly contrarian view to share. 

We've found that paid ads - carefully tested and measured - can augment your inbound programs with efficient lead conversion. Here's how.

The essence of marketing ROI can be expressed in one word: PATIENCE. 

The typical delay between beginning a new marketing program and seeing those investments pay off can be 12 months or more. 

While the exact timeline varies for every business, the time lag is usually caused by one of three key factors: sales cycle length, building the marketing foundation, or budget.

Last week, we made suggestions about how to manage these three elements to get faster results.  

Today we'll look at three marketing tactics that also have a dramatic impact on your ROI timeline, and offer tips to accelerate results.

Marketing ROI isn’t a myth like some kind of marketing unicorn – but business owners and marketers can set themselves up to know what to expect.

Otherwise, waiting for marketing to pay off can be a recipe for frustration.

Many factors impact speed to business results. Some factors are in our control, others aren't. 

Here's a look at the most significant variables that impact your marketing ROI timeline, with a few suggestions to get results faster.

This week, over 14,000 business people have converged on Boston for the mother of all digital marketing conferences.  

I attended in 2012, 2013, and 2014 ... and this year, Bari and I are excited to be back.

Here's why I attend  INBOUND every year ...

and if you run a growing business, here's why you should pay attention to Inbound Marketing, too.