People used to refer to the Internet as "The Wild Wild West." It was a time you could try anything, break all the rules, with a no-holds barred attitude.  But just as the West was tamed, eventually the Internet "settled down," rules were put in place, resulting in more structure and less "black hat."   (Yes, some people still call traffic driving methods "white hat" (legitimate) or "black hat" (can get you banned by the search engines).

Often businesses who are trying to expand their internet presence are unsure how to market themselves.  It really doesn't matter if the business is brick and mortar or online only, it can be frustrating to determine which direction to go.  You wouldn't just jump in your car and drive without an idea where you're going, the same thing applies to marketing your business online.  This is why it's critical to implement a game plan for your website.

In a study of 650 multi-channel marketing campaigns, personalized campaigns consistently and overwhelmingly beat out static campaigns in generating a high response rate from recipients. (MindFire).  See a breakdown by industry.

Failure to respond via social channels can lead up to a 15% increase in churn rate for existing customers (Gartner_inc).  From a business perspective, 15% is a big number for a churn rate. No business wants to lose customers because of failing to interact with them via social media.

Does your business use HubSpot for inbound marketing? Have you ever wondered how it could be made easier and more powerful to use?

For all those inbound marketing enthusiasts out there, we’ve got some great news for you. There are a lot of exciting Milwaukee inbound marketing events coming up, and you're invited. You don’t want to miss out on these awesome opportunities to brainstorm, collaborate, and network with fellow inbound marketers in your industry.

Most people know and understand traditional or outbound marketing -- after all, we're inundated with it in the form of radio and television commercials, print advertising, billboards and constant online advertising.  But how many companies really know what inbound marketing is, and have a deep understanding of how to effectively generate loyal customers and convert "lookers" into buyers? 

Traditionally, small and medium sized businesses have been placed at a marketing disadvantage. Television, radio, and even print advertising, can often be too expensive for most locally owned businesses, therefore making any kind of traditional advertising out of reach. However, with the popularity of inbound marketing teaming up with online marketing, now small and medium sized businesses have discovered that it's a game changer.

The following infographic was created as part of our Inbound Marketing series focusing on the parts of the marketing sales funnel: TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU.