Shirin MacDonald

The Value in Measurement report from JICMAIL and DMA (Data & Marketing Association) UK is available and is an informative and interesting read for anyone looking to understand effective cross channel measurement for marketing campaigns. Staggeringly 65% of respondents still report a misalignment on measurement and reporting across channels. That's a crazy figure but does highlight challenges of measuring each marketing channel fairly. The report provides recommendations on how to create an aligned view for looking at performance. You can access the report at the following link. I would thoroughly recommend https://lnkd.in/ehXasu4C #jicmail #dma #paperplanes #measurement

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Marketing Cloud Growth is now available in EMEA with data residency to be in Frankfurt, Germany. Not yet available in the UK although it is good to see data residency will be in London for UK customers. This is helpful because there's a European GDPR and a UK GDPR which are similar, but different. #DataCloud #MarketingCloud #SalesforceEinstein

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One of the benefits of modernising your B2B Sales team is the ability to use tools like this from Databox I've created a group of almost 300 businesses with B2B sales teams in our ideal sized client of up to 200 employees and a turnover of £10M If you'd like more insight into the 20 benchmarks I've created, let me know and I can send you the link. If you've got HubSpot you can plug your own data in and compare with almost 300 other businesses in your sector. If you've not got HubSpot - think about getting it. This chart is showing the range and median of the number of new customers B2B sales teams are winning each month How does it make you feel?

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🚨Google is probably ignoring lots of your links 🚨 Last week’s Google documentation leak gave us an insight into the type of links their algorithms could be ignoring. Here’s what me and Liv Day found in the documents and the types of links you should be earning. 👇 Google has long said its algorithms ignore ‘spammy’ links, but the leaked documents have given us a glimpse into how and what is probably being ignored. When links are ignored, it means they’re not contributing to increasing your organic rankings, nor are they harming them. But if you’re investing into tactics to earn or build links, you don’t want these to be ignored. You want these to contribute to growth. My gut feeling is that far more links are being ignored than many SEOs would like to admit 👀 In last week’s Google documentation leak, we found references to a number of ‘demotions’ that relate to links (referred to as ‘anchors’ in the documents). The first of these relates to relevancy, something that’s maybe the hottest topic in digital PR right now. There’s a demotion called ‘anchorMismatchDemotion’ that looks to ignore links where there’s a mismatch between the source and target pages. This is almost certainly when there’s a relevance mismatch, meaning Google could be ignoring links that come from within irrelevant pages. What leads us to the conclusion that this is a relevancy mismatch? At the page-level we also see an attribute of ‘topicEmbeddingsVersionedData’ within this same module. What are topic embeddings? They’re a type of representation used in natural language processing (NLP) to capture the semantic meaning of topics within documents, in this instance webpages. It makes total sense, therefore, that the mismatch demotion happens when the link source and target pages aren’t topically aligned. How aligned? We don’t know. But usually, common sense is all it takes to determine whether or not a link is relevant. Further analysis can be carried out using NLP to take a closer look at the topics a page is relevant to. The learning here is pretty simple. Relevant links matter a lot. We also see that Google’s link index is divided into three tiers… TYPE_HIGH_QUALITY, TYPE_MEDIUM_QUALITY, and TYPE_LOW_QUALITY. Those marked ‘low quality’ are defined as being from low quality pages. We also see that sourceType “can be used as an importance indicator of an anchor”, giving us clear indication that Google is using this information to determine the relative importance. Ultimately, this means that you want your links to be coming from fresh, high-quality content – which reinforces why we as digital PRs place such importance on obtaining links from trusted sites. There’s no getting away from the fact that Google is ignoring links, almost certainly from pages that are either low quality and/or not relevant. If digital PR wasn’t part of your strategy before, it absolutely should be now. #SEO #digitalPR #google

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45% of leadR’s email conversions come from a follow-up sequence. Here’s how we’ve mastered follow-ups. ⬇️ Many fail to realise the potential of follow-up emails. They put all their energy into crafting their first email and completely neglect any strategy in their follow ups - “just following up” springs to mind. They’re a crucial part of email outreach that help: ☑️ Build trust and relationships ☑️ Showcase more authority ☑️ Increase touchpoints to conversion ☑️ Stand out in a crowded inbox Nobody, really, is an impulse buyer in their day-to-day lives. A buyer would have had multiple subtle touch points in their buying journey, to the point where they think they have made their own mind…when the reality is far different. Why do advertising billboards still exist… Emails are slightly different. It’s more direct but human buying behaviour still follows the same patterns. We’ve A B tested hundreds of follow-up variations, and our best converting copy always follows these best practices: Personalisation at the core: ➡️ I’m not talking about using templated properties / variables to include their first name & company name. Anyone can see right through that. I’m talking about doing adequate research on them and their company and tailoring the copy to their pain points and needs. Disarming in nature ➡️ You are intruding in their inbox and you should behave as such. Have belief that what you offer is beneficial (your data targeting should help this) but still realise that you are reaching out. Clear call to action ➡️ Do not make the prospect work to understand what you want them to do. It’s just unnecessary friction and more time out their day. In our latest blog we break down the tips and tricks that have helped us to achieve such a high follow-up email conversion rate (both content and technical sides to it). Give a read to learn how to create winning email sequences. https://lnkd.in/eag6TYf5

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A question for those with opinions on #ABM. When does 1:Few or 1:Many ABM become 'just' traditional demand generation? When do you lose the essence of a ABM campaign, and end up with 'just' a bit of personalisation. I'm interested in where people think the line starts or ends? #abm #digitalmarketing #enterprisetech #survey

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😳 I'm not sure how I keep finding my way into these posts alongside so many incredibly smart people. But, happy to share my thoughts on the Google API leaks and what it means for SEO. TL;DR (my take): SEO is extremely multifaceted and complex. The API documentation supports that. Anyone glomming onto a single tactic like "just increase CTR!" is missing the forest for the trees. My advice: Take this info as 100 small signals about all of the important things. Invest in holistic strategy (not a pile of random tactics). Oh, and watch out for the folks selling anything as the "secret" to SEO or taking this information as definitive proof of the value of any particular action or metric. Shortcuts are short-lived. Thanks to chima mmeje🏳️‍🌈 for including me. https://lnkd.in/g5Ghjs3k

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'Listen to your sales calls' is general B2B marketing advice you see a lot on LinkedIn. Not only is the advice vague, it assumes most companies have this capability set-up - which more often than not is the case. To really cut through the noise & save time, I'd recommend starting by listening to the qualified inbound calls that fit your ICP. Here's a video on how you can set this up from start to finish using CallTrackingMetrics. You can also integrate directly with GA4 & trigger 'qualified' based events. #b2bmarketing #conversiontracking

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I've worked with 50+ investment companies on lead-gen. 90% struggled with passing ad regulations. Here's 3 tips to ensure that your ads pass: 1. FCA - Google Ads to the UK need an FCA number - If you don't have one, run campaigns overseas to English speakers Want an up-to-date list on which countries you're allowed to target? ↳ Message me 'COUNTRY' and I'll send the top-performers over. 2. Ad content - Ads are not allowed to be misleading - Don't advertise any guarantees that you can't fulfill - Your content must be correct to your services/ products 3. Compliance - If you have a compliance team, have them sign ads off - Train them up on the FCA advertising regulations Following the FCA regulations is so important. Use the tips above to keep yourself out of trouble.

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SEO content writing is a bit like hosting a proper British dinner party. You want your guests (readers) to feel welcome and stay for pudding, not dash off after the starter! 🍽️ Here's the thing: You can spend ages faffing about with keywords and meta descriptions (vital stuff, mind you), but if your content reads like a robot's had a go at Shakespeare, your visitors will scarper faster than a banker at bonus time. The secret sauce? Write like you're having a chinwag with your ideal client over a cuppa. Yes, the technical bits matter - they're your invitation to Google's party, after all. But it's the conversational tone that keeps leads hanging about, reading more, and ultimately picking up the phone. Remember: Your website isn't the Yellow Pages (showing my age there). It's your digital shop window, and every word should feel as welcoming as a warm pub on a rainy day. Ready to transform your website content from corporate waffle to lead-generating gold? Let's chat about making your SEO work harder while keeping your readers thoroughly engaged. Drop a comment below or DM me for a free 30-minute content strategy session! ☕ #DigitalMarketing #SEOTips #ContentStrategy #LeadGeneration

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it is what it is

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The problem with most "Over the counter" SEO advice is that it's BASIC and often voiced as something "arbritary". That's absolutely NOT how SEO works. That's the same as describing fixing a car: 1. Lift the bonnet 2. Diagnose the engine fault 3. Take out spanners 4. Repair It's honestly getting boring now watching mundane guidance thrown around about "creating topic clusters" or "write high quality content". In SEO - the car analogy above could be 1 of over 100,000 models...... Every scenario in SEO is different because you have: 1. Domain history 2. Domain trust factors / brand trust factors 3. SERP establishment 4. Shifting algo weighting You can take 2 websites and run the EXACT same strategy and see different results. There's VERY LITTLE COMMON GROUND in SEO - the common ground is: • Website crawlability/content accessibility • Rendering • Indexability • SOME tech compliance The rest is randomised. Testing is how you find what works, not repeating someones 5 minute bullet list throw together that's probably been written by AI and partly humanised. Define "write high quality content" What about - produce content users that has a higher probability of satisfying the end users need in a format the promotes positive behaviour. What about - you will need to test your content production, output and uptake. You MAY benefit from better performance IF you get the right balance of good content (content that is both helpful and has unique added value). Generic SEO tips NEED SOME FORM OF CONTEXT. Also - if something reads in the sense of "JUST DO THIS" or if the author of a post offers you to "STEAL SOMETHING" than the probability of BS advice goes through the roof. #seo

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We’ve sifted through 5,768 ads (yes, really) to find out how cyber security companies are using LinkedIn campaigns to engage customers in the UK. 🇬🇧 The State of LinkedIn Advertising reveals which formats are trending (and which are not), what content features in ads most (and what doesn't), and exactly how many LinkedIn ads brands are pumping out every month. If you’re curious about the latest trends or want to see if you're missing any opportunities, our report is full of practical tips for B2B marketers. Check it out below! 👇 #CyberSecurity #B2BMarketing #DigitalMarketing #LinkedInAds #InfoSec

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One of the features from my “blue print guide” to success as a Rec Biz Ldr Data is a key part of “top of the funnel” marketing success Here is a summary and some product suggestions we love Remember RDLC Pirates get deals on these tools and help plan the ideal stack for our members across soooo many sectors and styles of business Winning Olympic style

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Generally speaking, it has probably never been easier to succeed in marketing than today. Why? How can you say that, with rising customer aquis... First, because of advertising practice. Today we know way more than before about how advertising actually drives revenue. There is now *tons* of evidence that a *balance* of true brand building efforts (that make people think of you when you want to buy) and short term harvesting (helping people buy) is best. And yet people generally misinvest. Underspend the long term and then get increasing costs per sold unit because the short terms doesn't bite. The figure shows the latest WARC report - spending on the short term just keeps rising. And it is likely far worse. My experience is that companies tend to "cheat" in calling things brand builders when they are not, e.g. overreport it. It is not rocket science. And to explain it to leadership teams requires them to be able to understand that a two phase model is a better model than a direct response model. That this is not understood is beyond me. It is like having a management team question why you need to build a factory before you manufacture products, can't we just skip that factory thing? Bottom line: IF YOU SIMPLY MOVE HALF YOUR BUDGET TO GOOD BRAND AWARENESS BUILDING YOU WILL MAKE MORE REVENUE IN TOTAL. Second. Marketers everywhere seem to have lost all semblance of ambition to be anything but promotional managers. I have taught marketers at universities for 15 years and I find this atrocious. We compete with everything we've got, you as a marketer leads the discussion in your companies how to be more competitive. Period. Bottom line: TAKE AT LEAST 25% OF YOUR TIME AND RESOURCES TO THINK AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT OTHER THINGS THAN ADVERTISING. I am angry. This deterioration of marketing is bad for everyone: the consumer gets shittier offers, and are chased by aggressive and intrusive pitches. The marketer is drained of her soul. THe company gets less revenue. And the whole economy gets stifled innovation. If you hear me and want a partner in doing it right, reach out to us. We want to meet the people who still have dreams and ambitions left.

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Have you ever had an unsolicited direct email from someone offering a free 'SEO audit', or you've been offered one from an agency in what feels like an attempt to open a door for a future sale opportunity? If so, then my latest article on my website is probably for you! Within my guide, I explain the differences between free & bespoke SEO audits, how free audits can do more harm than good, and 10 reasons why you should almost always get a bespoke SEO audit. #SEO #SEOAudit #Marketing #OnlineMarketing #SearchEngineOptimisation https://lnkd.in/eUZWwvhv

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Shock news for MSPs. This marketing strategist doesn't think you need to refresh your positioning regularly. Is Martin Bailie talking himself out of a job? Have a quick listen to find out! Watch our short clip below or you can listen to the full podcast here>> https://bit.ly/3zpfGqS #b2bmarketing #mspmarketing #b2b #b2bgrowth #marketing #b2bbranding #b2bstrategy #b2bleadgeneration #b2bvideo #msp #B2Bmarketingbites

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WARNING **RADICAL HONESTY POST** 😅 So today marks the second day in my new journey of reducing my screentime. But you work at a computer, I hear you say! Yeah but that's the thing. I have been looking at my job as 'separate' to any screen time consumed in the morning or evening and in the endeavor of radical honesty, this became a pretty big issue for me! Those of you who know me will know I'm raw-dogging life without ADHD meds (a personal choice) and there are pros and cons to this. One of the cons is that even though I am an absolute Pro with a capital P at masking, sometimes my impulses take over and I form really bad and unhealthy habits that are hard to break. For what it's worth, when I'm with my kids, it's rare I look at my phone unless it rings but that means that when I'm not I have a million notifications and end up getting sucked in. I also love ❤️TV and film❤️ so many evenings are spent devouring HBO's latest offering or maybe a Prime Home Premier if I'm feeling spicy. I started feeling really low recently and when I thought about it, the amount of hours that my eyes were focused on a screen were really totting up😅The thing is, when you have ADHD you kind of live your life with racing thoughts every waking moment of the day and I realised that my recreational screen use was me trying to self-medicate my exceptionally busy brain, which for obvious reasons isn't great. I mean, what therapist ever recommended more screentime as a means to treat ADHD symptoms? 🤣 Ironically, I've always been really strict on my kids using devices (they only have the telly or laptop for schoolwork) and my 11 year old only has a burner phone as I don't want his social development to be stunted by a screen and internet use, which surprisingly, he's cool with. So I'm owning my shit and making a decision to reduce my out of work hours screentime down to an hour a day and TV is going to become a treat after the gym or at weekends once my kids are in bed. I want to rediscover my creativity away from a screen and I'm hoping this will only enhance the passion and ideas I already bring to my job, which I love! Is anyone else out there just feeling that we are all spending way too much time looking at screens or is it just me? 😅😂 #partialdigitaldetox

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Thought I’d weigh in on the Google leak having had a few days to review it. I've seen plenty of posts with a lot of info but not much practical advice, so here's a few (6) concise takeaways and how we'll be adapting our SEO approach as an agency going forward: 1️⃣ Click data matters 📊 Previously, click data was thought to have minimal impact. The leak reveals it significantly influences rankings. We'll be implementing A/B tests across titles and descriptions to improve click-through rates (CTR). 2️⃣ Site authority is key 🌐 It wasn’t confirmed that Google used site-wide authority metrics. The leak shows “siteAuthority” impacts overall site ranking. This doesn’t necessarily change our approach; we will continue to develop holistic content strategies and pursue high-authority backlinks. 3️⃣ Chrome data utilisation 🔍 SEOs were unaware of the extent Google used Chrome data. The leak confirms its influence on rankings, highlighting user experience metrics. We will continue to optimise page load times, ensure mobile-friendliness, and enhance site navigation. Again, no real change in approach here. 4️⃣ Content freshness is crucial 📝 SEOs knew freshness was a factor but not the specifics. Google uses multiple date-related metrics to evaluate content freshness. We already have resource ring-fenced on a monthly basis to keep key pages up to date for clients so it's good to have this validated as a strategy. We will continue this practice, refreshing old posts with new information and updating key ranking pages with re-optimised content. 5️⃣ Detailed link evaluation 🔗 We all knew links were important but lacked detail on evaluation. The leak shows metrics on link diversity and relevance, with low-quality links potentially ignored altogether. We’ll continue to acquire backlinks from reputable websites through our digital PR activity, but we can maybe start running campaigns to specifically target certain domains where we know average domain authority is high i.e. university and charity sites. Obviously continuing to target the big news sites as well. It could also be worth exploring more ways to create ongoing relationships with the most relevant websites in each niche to ensure we're consistently generating links with high relevancy scores. 6️⃣ Brand presence is essential 📣 The direct impact of brand recognition on SEO was unclear. The leak highlights the importance of building a strong, recognisable brand. An omni-channel approach is potentially the key here and reinforces the point that marketing shouldn’t be a single channel strategy. Display and PPC will naturally improve brand visibility over time, so should probably be considered for clients expecting to see significant results through SEO alone. #SEO #GoogleLeak #Marketing #SEOTips

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