Inbound and
Digital Marketing Insights

2016 was a roller coaster ride for everyone—from the presidential elections (both local and in the US), to the big revelations in the media industry, such as Facebook allegedly misreporting ad metrics and spreading misinformation. For all the lows, however, the year also had its high points—including for corporate creativity. Some companies have made it a point to communicate more than just sales pitches, with messages ranging from public advocacy to support for the arts. These efforts are in some ways culminations of long effort, and in other ways, scarcely-explored frontiers. However you choose to see them, they’re worth a few words for commemoration.

It’s been almost a month since StraightArrow’s trip to HubSpot Inbound 2016. The rush of the event may be over but the learning and practice of inbound never stop. As a business development and client relationship manager for StraightArrow’s HubSpot clients, I went to Inbound this year with the goal of immersing myself in inbound sales, extending my knowledge of the HubSpot software, and also getting a chance to meet my clients. I would say that I definitely covered all of that. Bringing home these new experiences gave me the motivation to become a more effective sales rep.

As a marketer keeping up with the times, you may have seen a few articles alleging that Facebook is falling fast. Like Icarus, they say, Facebook has flown too close to the sun and its impending downfall will end in an ugly splat. A few of the reasons they name are sluggish monthly returns on investment, declining reach over time, and the threat that fake fans pose to engagement.

We’re writing this to show that Facebook’s supposed fall is, like the Icarus story, a myth.

The lines separating Youtube and Facebook are slowly becoming blurred. The former is a video-sharing platform, while the latter is a social network, but recently each one has been dipping its toes in the other’s waters. And as consumers’ interest in social media and video overlap, marketers are turning to video to draw their leads closer. And so, the battle for the best social video platform has begun.

Ahh, December. Christmas is coming upon us once again. But for the Philippines, it arrived months ago—on  the 1st of September, to be exact. That’s right. Filipinos have a penchant for celebrating Christmas way ahead of everyone else, and for celebrating it long after December has passed.

You’re probably familiar with all the usual suggestions from blogs and eBooks on improving landing page performance. Make sure that your value proposition is seen at a glance. Show social proof. Use videos. Change your CTA colour. The list goes on.