Now that we’ve finally arrived in 2021, there’s cautious optimism for the future. With a unanimously hard 2020 behind us, we look at how the pandemic will affect marketing in the new year, where the advancement of the vaccine is giving many people hope, but there’s still a lot of anxiety and unrest about what’s to come. As marketers, we know that public sentiment and current events greatly affect how we interact with prospects and customers. COVID-19 brought a lot of change to digital marketing in the last year, and it’s important to anticipate what will stay and what will go.

Through the nature of necessity, the COVID-19 pandemic forced financial institutions to find ways to do nearly everything digitally and remotely. In making this transition, many institutions found improved, automated tools that will stick around long after social distancing recommendations are gone.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent effects on the economy brought financial safety and security to the forefront for many of us. Whether you’re struggling personally or not, you may have seen your favorite mom-and-pop restaurant down the street close or heard the drone of falling stock market statistics from your local news anchor. More so than usual, people are worried about money.

It’s here! The day that never seemed like it would come. The one we could hardly see from the depths of our quarantine stupor, sick with cabin fever and drunk on toilet paper power. Slowly but surely, however, a light began to shine on the horizon, and soon enough, it was time to ditch our robes, open the doors, and get back to work.

Social distancing is the hottest new term in our culture's arsenal. The unique side of this is that it is not so much of a social disconnection, as it is an experience of physical distance. We've had years of being social online, with people we have never met. Outside of your Mom wishing you and the kids would visit more, the pressures of distance have been eased by Facebook, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, and others. Yet, the challenge that so many are experiencing right now is not how to be more socially present, but how to cooperate and collaborate well in their space.

So, your sitting in a meeting and someone starts dropping acronyms like there's no tomorrow... You're reading the P&L, making sure you've got enough ROI on your SEO, and your COO starts talking about Q2 returns YOY, and how your MQLs have been outperforming your SQLs while your COS is climbing.

When creating your marketing messaging, it's kind of important you know who you're talking to. And by kind of we mean a whole helluva lot. The best way to do this is by creating a buyer persona. A buyer persona is the creation of a fictional buyer who fits the profile of your customers. This is more than just assuming general attributes, you are essentially writing up your own character based on the data you have. 

Last week we talked at length about how to use your website overall for better lead generation, and today we’re narrowing our sights on one of the best ways to do just that--landing pages and capture forms. They may sound fancy and complicated, but odds are you’ve come in contact with dozens (if not hundreds) of these bad boys, and can utilize them in your own business to better your lead generation.

When it comes to your space, there’s no doubt your environment plays a huge part in the kind of work that gets churned out of it. And while we don’t all have the budget of Google (a team can dream), there are infinite small touches you can most likely implement into your office right now, even on a low budget. To give you some inspiration, we’ve gathered together our favorite offices from around the world and highlighted what it is we love about each of them. So without further adieu, feast your eyes on our top five five picks of the coolest offices to work in.

As an agency ourselves, we’re the first to understand that picking a marketing agency to help your business is a massive decision, from the finances, to trusting someone to love your baby as much as you do. There are tons of marketing firms out there, some bad, some good, some great but maybe not a great fit for you. Finding the agency that’s right for you is a little like dating, to be honest. When you first meet someone, you’re curious about their history. And there are a few facts that will reveal to you if this person in front of you will be just some Joe Schmoe or a real Romeo. So, let’s take a look at the three major questions you need to ask when courting your marketing agency.