JUMP START Blog and Online Community

Catch up on what you've missed with the latest digital marketing news for December 2019. Here's a recap of some of the most shared, liked and discussed digital marketing content during the last month.

What is an Inbound Marketing Strategy: The Important Things to Know (Social Media Examiner)
Our friends at Social Media Explorer explain the basics about inbound marketing, including why personas and content are so important for success.

Page load time and crawl budget rank will be the most important SEO indicators in 2020 (SearchEngineLand)
Max Cyrek shares his thoughts about the most critical technical factors you should monitor and resolve in order to see success with SEO in 2020.

So you haven't created a 2020 digital marketing strategy yet? Never fear...we've got your back!

Here are five things you should keep in mind as you're developing your strategic plan for 2020:

1. Keep it simple. Don't have time to create a full strategic plan that includes all digital marketing tactics you need to implement this year? Start small and create a high-level summary.
2. Set goals. You absolutely must have clear, measurable and specific goals in mind as you head into the new year. Think about what your primary goals are for 2020...do you need more traffic, better leads or higher conversions (i.e. more customers)? Document those goals, including progress you plan to make by month or quarter.
   

I’m willing to bet you have some kind of automated best friend to help make your life easier. In fact, 20% of adults in the U.S. have access to a smart speaker.

According to Google, 72% of people who own voice-activated speakers say their devices are used as part of their daily routines. The percentage is even higher for people who use their mobile phones for search.

What this tells us is that people want answers to their questions in a way that’s faster and more convenient to them—and the switch to voice search is in full swing.

So you've probably heard a lot about digital marketing during recent years, and you may have even heard some similar terms like online marketing, inbound marketing or integrated marketing. But what does digital marketing actually mean?

We've looked into this for you and gathered some of the best definitions of digital marketing on the web from some of the biggest names in the industry. Check out our video below to learn more:

It's that time of year...the snow is falling here in Chicagoland, everyone's rushing to spend time with family and friends at various holiday gatherings, and the clock is ticking toward the end of the year.

If you're like most of our clients, though, you're also rushing to figure out what you're going to be doing in 2020 to get better results from your digital marketing. Well, we have one way to make that a little bit less stressful...

Many people are afraid of digital marketing. In a way, it’s understandable. There's a lot to do, a lot you have to know, and what you do know tends to change.

Because of this, digital marketing has a stigma surrounding it that it's something to fear. However, digital marketing is essential if you want to succeed in business. It's now a standard practice for any business that wants to be in front of a targeted audience.

Google is always tweaking its algorithm, so SEO strategies are always shifting.

There are some basic on-page optimization strategies that have stayed more or less the same for years now. However, there are also entirely new strategies that have greatly changed the approach to on-page SEO for 2020 and beyond.

Read on to learn more about which SEO tips will still be effective in 2020 and which tips you'll have to incorporate for the first time.

Are you starting to panic when you think about all of the things on your To Do list for the rest of the year? You're not alone!

This time of year, we always start getting a ton of calls from stressed-out clients who are worried that they're not going to get everything done AND have time to prep for the holidays and relax with their families before the end of the year.

Did you know that page speed is a major ranking factor in Google's algorithm?

It's true...if your web site's pages are loading too slowly, it could wreak havoc on your site from an SEO and ranking perspective. (Translation: you'll get less traffic and fewer visitors who will convert into leads and customers.) And that makes sense when you think about it...your site's visitors won't stick around if your site loads too slowly...would you? Of course not.

Are you confused about how to use HubSpot's prebuilt email sequences for your sales and marketing drip campaigns and workflows? Or are you not even sure what drip campaigns are (if so, you're not alone!).

Drip campaigns, or the process of continuing to nurture prospects and leads in a systematic way via emails, are a key part of moving cold leads and prospects more quickly through your sales and marketing funnel with less manual effort, time and resources.