Explore-our-blog



Our Blog.

Explore. Discover. Engage.

Sarah Campagna


Recent posts by Sarah Campagna

6 min read

Trade Show Strategy: The Best and Worst of SPIE Optics + Photonics 2016

By Sarah Campagna on Fri, Sep 09, 2016

Optics + Photonics is a well-executed conference set in the beautiful city of San Diego. The weeklong event is known for its technical presentations and proclivity for attracting R&D enthusiasts. It’s also known for lead generation, not in volume but in quality of leads.

Traffic on the exhibition show floor on Tuesday was phenomenal—aisles so thick with attendees that at times it was hard to make it to the next booth. If you were working a booth that day you could easily forget that this wasn’t Photonics West.

Topics: Trade Show Strategy
3 min read

Sales & Marketing Alignment – 4 Roadblocks to Inbound Sales Lead Follow-up & How to Get Past Them

By Sarah Campagna on Wed, Aug 03, 2016

 

When a tree falls in a forest and there is no one around to hear it...

Marketing can generate hundreds or thousands of leads through brilliant inbound marketing content, catchy banners, enticing emails, and stellar social media strategies, but if no one ever follows up with these leads, should they really be called leads? And what purpose do they serve?

Before you throw in the online lead generation towel, first reflect on the roadblocks that might be keeping Sales from following up on these leads. Once you understand the real challenges, you can then find ways to improve Marketing and Sales alignment for better follow-up.

Topics: Inbound Marketing Lead Generation Marketing Metrics Sales Marketing and Sales Alignment
3 min read

Is HubSpot Worth It? The Answer Your CEO Doesn't Want to Hear

By Sarah Campagna on Wed, Jul 27, 2016

You’re nine months into a one-year contract with HubSpot, and suddenly your CEO has noticed the quarterly charge on the corporate card. He seems to have forgotten all of the “long game” conversations you had when you sold him on the idea and now just wants metrics. Is it working? What’s the ROI? Is it worth it?

The answer to these questions might be a simple and very common one: We haven’t put enough effort into it to actually tell.

Topics: Inbound Marketing Marketing Strategy HubSpot
2 min read

When Jury Duty Brings Your Business to a Standstill

By Sarah Campagna on Tue, May 17, 2016

A Lesson in the Value of Cross-Training

Could the absence of one key team member cause your sales or operations to grind to a stop?

Topics: Business Insights
2 min read

Four Critical Missteps Established Companies Should Avoid When Entering a New Market

By Sarah Campagna on Tue, Mar 22, 2016

Well established companies face a unique set of challenges when entering a new market. Although these companies have already proven their ability to launch and sell their products or services, this experience can actually be a hindrance. Overconfidence from success in other markets can breed oversight.

Topics: Marketing Strategy Content Development Positioning
5 min read

15 Signs Your Marketing Strategies are Old-School

By Sarah Campagna on Tue, Mar 15, 2016

Typewriters, boom boxes, floppy disks. What we thought would never be replaced, well, have been. Technology and media are constantly changing, and inevitably so are customers’ buying behaviors.

Topics: Marketing Mix Marketing Strategy
5 min read

Best and Worst of the Photonics West 2016 Exhibition Floor

By Sarah Campagna on Tue, Feb 23, 2016

According to my pedometer, I covered over 20,000 steps on the Photonics West trade show floor this week, and though that’s certainly not enough to see every booth, I felt pretty good about what I did see. There were some clear winners in my book this year—booths that were clearly a step ahead of their neighbors in creativity and lead generation effectiveness.

Topics: Trade Show Strategy Branding and Identity
2 min read

A Competitive Landscape All Covered with Cheese

By Sarah Campagna on Tue, Dec 15, 2015

Fromage Frenemies

Recently I was at my local mall’s food court waiting for a grilled cheese when I noticed that an employee dressed in the uniform of another food vendor was picking up an order from the register. I overheard their conversation and decided that these two employees were a step ahead of some business owners.

Topics: Business Insights Positioning
5 min read

One Wheel, Four Wisdoms – Lessons from Unicycle Guy

By Sarah Campagna on Tue, Dec 08, 2015

Though the gentleman that rides a unicycle through my neighborhood isn’t wearing a Darth Vader costume like the guy in Portland, he has still captured my attention and my imagination. For over a year now, I have watched him practice his craft, up and down the country roads near my home, occasionally while juggling small objects. Though I don’t know what he does for a living, I like to imagine that he is a corporate VP who has taken up this bizarre hobby as a means of self-disciple – to reinforce the lessons in success that are a must for his business.

Topics: Business Insights
5 min read

Marketing Budget Planning — 8 Things We’re Budgeting for in 2016

By Sarah Campagna on Tue, Nov 10, 2015

When I sit down to develop my marketing budget for the coming year, I begin by looking at what worked and what didn’t during the past year. I review my business plan and reflect on new tactics that may help achieve business objectives in a new way. I review my budgeting notes from the previous year to see if there is anything I cut out last year that I might be able to include this year.

Topics: Marketing Mix Marketing Strategy
2 min read

The Uncertain World of Google Updates: Why Phantom 2 Has Left Us Uneasy

By Sarah Campagna on Tue, May 19, 2015

A Search Update That's Shaking Things Up from the Shadows

Google_Phantom_2

When we heard about Mobilegeddon we prepared our clients, checking their competitors’ mobile compatibility and monitoring traffic closely as the April 21st roll-out date approached. We were especially worried for a couple of our clients who have yet to make the shift to mobile-friendly websites, because the much-publicized Google search algorithm update was supposedly intended to punish non-mobile-friendly sites. But April 21st came and went, and we did not see the shifts in traffic patterns we expected.

Topics: Content Development SEO
3 min read

When is a Marketing Retainer the Right Choice? [Infographic]

By Sarah Campagna on Fri, May 15, 2015

Retainers vs. Project-Based Arrangements

Considering the next big step in your marketing plan? Marketing retainers offer 25-30% more bang for your buck compared to project work, but they are not for everyone. This mini-assessment can help you decide if a monthly marketing retainer makes sense for your company. (Try the following quick decision tree, or take the more detailed quiz below.)

Topics: Marketing Strategy