3 Demand Generation Tips from the New York City HUG Event
As marketers, one of our jobs is to connect networks of people to companies and products they love. However, sometimes we forget to step back, take a breath, and connect ourselves. Luckily, we have opportunities like the recent New York City HubSpot User Group (HUG). On March 29, 50 inbound marketers came together to learn best practices surrounding lead and demand generation, and discuss the technology that supports it.
Here are some of our favorite demand generation and content marketing tips from speakers Dave Snyder, VP of Accounts at SmartAcre®, Sonya Hansen, Program Director of Global Demand Generation at IBM Watson and Janessa Lantz, Principal Content Marketing Strategist at HubSpot. See all of the HubSpot User Group presentations.
1. Use UTM Tags or tracking URLs to track the source of each and every lead. According to CMO.com, 50% of marketing executives find it difficult to attribute marketing activity directly to revenue results. If they can’t confidently identify the source of leads and attribute it to marketing spend, it can be very hard to justify budgets, accurately determine ROI, and ask for additional spend.
In his What’s the Deal with Lead Attribution? talk, Dave Snyder recommends using UTM tags and tracking URLs as a starting point. A UTM is a simple code that you can attach to a custom URL in order to track the source, medium, and campaign name. This information can be tied directly to Google Analytics, your marketing automation platform, and your CRM, allowing you to accurately report on the success and direct impact of your marketing tactics.
2. Build Thought Leadership to Generate More Leads. For small teams and startups, Sonya Hansen recommends using your in-house subject matter experts to create high-value marketing content that speaks directly to your audience.
“More often than not, startups have a wealth of knowledge inside their four walls. Make it a team effort. Schedule an hour every month with your developers, product managers, and others to brainstorm content ideas based on what they’ve been hearing from customers and prospects. Then, schedule a half hour with each of them and have them riff on a particular topic. Boom. You have a blog,” said Hansen.
The high-value, reputable information you can share by publicizing the content of those conversations can lay the groundwork to position your business as a thought leader in your industry and provide instant value to your key audience. Your knowledge will speak for itself.
3. Use Content Metrics to Identify the Best Content to Create. More often than not, the top 5-10% of blog posts get more page views than the next 90% combined. Janessa Lantz suggests that marketers should scrap their low-performance blogs, and instead focus on creating quality content over quantity. The key is identifying the content your target audience desires most.
What’s the first step? Conduct a content audit using metrics from your marketing automation platform, blogging tools, Google analytics and others. List the top blogs and look for patterns. Are there overlapping topics or themes among the top performing content? Did you promote it in a different way to drive the success? Once you can answer these questions, consider breathing new life into your content by repurposing the high-performers. Put old content into new formats such as video, webinar, infographics and more.
The opportunity to learn from your peers and continue to expand your knowledge is invaluable. Find your local HUG group and join the conversation. In the New York City area? Join the NYC HUG now and stay connected to learn about future HUG events: