In the old days when the web was young dial-up modems screeeeeeeeeched with reckless abandonment, eCommerce was basically the virtual equivalent of buying something from a vending machine.                         

It’s one of the most important yet misunderstood concepts in the marketing world, which explains why if you ask 10 marketing consultants or agencies “what is lead scoring?”, you might end up with 10 different answers. Heck, you might even get 11 (marketing people are a creative and inventive bunch). 

Before exploring retargeting best practices, let’s quickly recap what’s involved in this highly effective, yet often misapplied inbound marketing strategy. 

Retargeting -- which is sometimes referred to as remarketing -- automatically pushes targeted ads to specific prospects based on their previous interactions or behaviors, such as browsing web pages, watching videos, downloading ebooks, and so on. The purpose is to re-engage these prospects and pull them back into the customer journey. (For a more detailed look at retargeting, read our blog post.) 

Yes, you’re right: the title of this article is a bit…strange. Doesn’t every lead generation process create customers? After all, certain things in life should be safe to assume.

Whether you run a state-of-the-art recording and engineering studio, sell and service everything from school band xylophones to concert-quality amps, are launching a solo project or group and it’s Billboard or Bust, or in any other way provide goods/services in the multi-billion dollar music industry, this much is undoubtedly true: the worst thing that can happen to your business is that you become the “best kept secret in your marketplace.”

Let’s start with this: peer to peer marketing isn’t new. In fact, it’s ancient and probably goes back to the time when cavemen recommended saber-tooth tiger attack insurance to their neighbors.

And closer to our era, celebrity endorsements are also a form of peer to peer marketing, with companies seeking to associate their brand with a personality – and ultimately drive sales.

As you make your way across the inbound marketing landscape, you’ve likely come across the phrase “editorial calendar” a few times -- and may be wondering what the heck this is, and if it means that you need to start wearing one of those old fashioned editor's outfits (you know, those wacky green eyeshade hats, pinstripe shirts with rolled up sleeves, pencil behind your ear, etc.).

Creating and running a PPC campaign can be scary. You create these keyword lists and write up these ads so when enabled, your business starts spending money to hopefully generate leads. While you try to make the most educated decisions on what to target, how can you set yourself up for success? What's the best way to use Google AdWords in your preparation process?

If you’re in charge of marketing in an environmental services company, we’d like to offer you our sincere condolences. In fact, if we could, we’d give you a hug, a bowl of soup, and wrap you in one of those shock blankets that the paramedics use. We know what you’re going through.

Ask any elite athlete about how they consistently out-perform their peers and they’ll invariably all say the same thing in one way or another: it’s all about the game plan. 

What they mean is that their success isn’t dependent on their ability to execute or their world-class athleticism. It’s their approach and preparation to their craft – a.k.a. their game plan – that makes all of the difference. It tells them everything they need to know about moving forward: what to do, how to do it, when to do is, and even why to do it. Without a game plan, they’re just guessing. With a game plan, they’re on a mission!