I recently attended my fifth Inbound conference in Boston. It had about 30,000 attendees this year. And some exciting lessons, insights, and innovations happening in the world of inbound marketing, sales, and service were shared. 

The Content Marketing Institute recently released their 2019 Trends Report for the manufacturing industry, providing manufacturers with a wealth of information that they can use to improve their content marketing strategies.

MCR Safety has over forty-five years of experience as a leader in the field of personal protective equipment (PPE). Their three focus areas are gloves, glasses, and garments. All of their products are of the highest quality and they have a huge variety of options to choose from. For someone looking for specialized, high quality products in these areas, they have many options and can answer any related question. Not only is the business highly specialized, but the team is also incredibly innovative and growth-driven. They are always staying ahead of the curve with new technologies and styles their customers want and they are the most driven group of individuals I have had the pleasure of working with yet. Best of all, they couple that with some classic values such as loyalty and personality like the town they are based in and the home of Elvis Presley's Graceland: Memphis, Tennessee. So there are a lot of things their team knows very well and they excel at. But when I started working with them, inbound marketing was not at the top of that list. All of these factors made them such a perfect fit for companies my team and I are able to help the most, which is why I was so grateful to be referred to them by another manufacturing client and excited to work with them to help them grow their business.

Digital Marketing Direction is all about helping our clients grow in innovative, customer-centric ways, a.k.a. “inbound.” Inbound is the opposite of interruption marketing. So, a natural next step after personalization and automation on businesses' websites is live chat. Below is our exclusive Q&A with Jared Fuller, Senior Director of Partnerships at Drift, to help explain more about their company and their leading conversational marketing platform.

Receiving information digitally is quickly becoming the nation’s most popular way to review material. One of the most popular formats is a podcast. We all want the ability to consume content on the go and they are a great way to do just that. Podcasts are also fantastic for inbound marketing as you’ll create brand awareness, show yourself as an industry expert, and you can create blog posts from the transcripts. If you’re looking to reach a wider audience and you don’t have one yet, it’s time to get on it! 

Inbound marketing is all about content; exceptional, attractive, remarkable content that draws people to your website. Your trade show booth should not be any different. Of course, you will want large signs and an open, welcoming space, as well as your knowledgeable staff. 

The changing landscape of SEO comes from both the search engine itself and from the searchers. On top of that, the content strategies of millions of marketers are evolving to address those same changes. All this puts you in a tough spot. How do you keep up and respond to the competition for viewers?

The foundation of inbound marketing is “always be helping.” That starts with providing guidance on how to succeed and doing so without the traditional “always be closing” sales mindset. This is a key factor to look for in any HubSpot partner agency. Here’s our list of what to look for when choosing a partner agency for your manufacturing company, or other type of specialized business, and a little bit of relevant feedback about our approach.

As you well know, nearly everything we do starts with a web search. That includes finding the nearest restaurant or looking for a new supplier. Or, perhaps the boss sends us off on a new project and we need to get up to speed fast. First step, open Google and type in your search terms.

This has been an exciting year in digital marketing. As technology continues to improve and more businesses invest in digital, the competition for attention online is increasing, but the consumer experiences continue to get better and better because of it. It is proof that competition in the marketplace can be a great thing and make us all better at what we do. Here are some digital marketing trends your company should be thinking about for 2017 to stay in the game and come out ahead: