During the daily grind of copywriting, communicating and computers it can be easy to forget what we are thankful for. So here’s a list of the inbound marketing and nerdy website things for which I am most thankful this Thanksgiving.
Be it your coworker, your friends, the person on the other end of the telephone solving your current website is down (#devcom5) question, or the barista handing you yet another cup of coffee—I'm thankful for the people who give us support on a daily basis. Sometimes you just aren’t thinking things through clearly, and that one supportive person helps you find resolution. It’s a good feeling.
The rise of Twitter use over the last few years (and even in the last few weeks) is really worth being thankful for when you consider the positive impact it can have in helping more people communicate in a real-time fashion. People can get more help when they need it most, like when #Sandy hit a few weeks ago. The part we might be the most thankful for is the #hashtag – which removes the need to have full, complete sentences just to include the post in a thread of conversation. #awesomeidea
Everyone needs a break at some point during the day; this year, be thankful for all the laughter you had with your colleagues watching HubSpot’s Gangnam style video or what it’s like to work at a marketing agency (in a world without stop signs) or even the unrelated (but wonderful) My Little Pony vs. Game of Thrones intro. Laughter is the best medicine.
Like capturing the intangible flag of the business arena, capturing leads can seem daunting to most small businesses, let alone evaluating the worth of that lead and how long it takes them to get through the sales funnel. There are definitely systems to make that process easier now. On the HubSpot dashboard you can set custom goals for traffic and leads, which can help you track conversions in real-time in comparison to the previous month.
How could you not be thankful for new tools that make your life easier? No matter what funnel someone comes down, gets imported through, or filters in to, the website software automatically places them in the right queue. It takes the standing in the long line to get something you want, only to realize you’ve been standing in the wrong line for 2 hours (#truestory #thanksdmv) out of the equation. This helps deliver lean digital content directly to those who want it most.
Ever have a debate over something and you’re unable to come to a consensus on who is right? Ignore the argument and solve this with a dance-off. This spirited activity can lighten the mood, get people up and moving and put a positive spin on a conversation that could have lasted for hours.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember how lucky we are that we love what we do, we believe in what we do and we’re able to do what we love. Not everyone gets to brainstorm, unwind, and work with really creative people on a regular basis.
There’s that old saying about learning something new on a daily basis; we strive for that. It also comes pretty easily when you’re constantly trying out new ideas and creative concepts. There’s an ongoing joke around here that if we could actually have a week off from learning new things that might be a real vacation—but what fun would that be?
Along with lead data capturing and ongoing efforts to make websites better, there’s a connection point called “smart forms.” When returning users come back to your site, they aren't necessarily presented with the same questions over and over again—instead the form senses what fields they’ve already filled out in the past and gives them new fields to complete, which makes form filling more interesting and fun for the user and makes lead data more useful for the inbound marketer.
We’d be remiss not to include this on the list for this year. It’s not fully main-stream, but it’s going to be that way soon in the market. And knowing about it out of the gate can help in how you design and think about your website experience. The biggest aha! Moment for most people is realizing that you build a website for your users, not for yourself.
Nothing makes this list more complete than including all the people that “love your blog!” Thanks everyone for reading, for contributing and for tirelessly promoting inbound marketing among your circles.
Happy Thanksgiving!
photo credit: Sugar Daze
