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You may think that because inbound marketing has been around for a while now that it probably isn't a field of study anymore. Everyone knows everything about inbound marketing right? Actually, there's still a lot that's misunderstood or unknown about inbound marketing, creating some common misconceptions to look out for. If you're researching inbound marketing as a possible solution to your marketing troubles don't fall for everything you read or hear. After all, according to HubSpot, 79% of companies that have a blog report a positive ROI for inbound marketing this year.

Sometimes, being a marketer means, well, being more than a just a mere marketer. One day you're a blogger, after that a social media socialite extraordinaire, and then, the next thing you know, you're a graphic designer working on mock ups and guides. Okay, maybe you won't really be creating client's website design mock ups, but truthfully, even marketers design and create visual content. For example, you could encountered situations where clients ask you to come up with infographics, CTAs, eBooks, guides, or memes for their website, and your company's true designer may not always be available.

Every blog should have a clear purpose, after all blogging is a tool that you are using in order to gain a rapport with your customers, website visitors, and prospective buyers. A blog should never be aimless, or left in shambles, or worse published half finished (gasp). You have to feel comfortable with your topic to ensure you will produce the best quality content you can. Coming up with a topic is hard stuff, we feel your pain, and trust me when I say that no one here has ever come in on a Monday morning (or any day really) and said, "I know what I want to blog about today yay!" Picking a blog topic takes planning, research, and time to select, and shouldn't be taken lightly. After all, it could be the difference between people reading it, or not. Need help getting started? Take a look at ImageWorks' best blog topic choosing practices!

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing has become a great way to provide free content to customers in exchange for their attention. In fact content marketing has become such a popular option that 90% of organization market with content.

Basically, the goal of content marketing is to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and publishing relative, original, and creative content. Content can come in many different forms, like: blog articles, infographics, videos, podcasts, white papers, eBooks, and (many) more. By providing this information about your products and services to your prospective customers, they may in turn reward you with their business and loyalty.

In the last four months, Google has made 10 different algorithm changes. Seriously, 10. Holy moly guacamole, that fact alone is enough to make any marketer's head spin. So believe me when I say, it's really not all that surprising that your head is flooded by questions like, "What does that mean for my SEO, my keyword data, my life?!"

By now, I'm sure you know about the immense power of inbound marketing. It has proven itself time and time again when it comes to increasing sales, traffic, and leads. Although inbound was designed to attract more prospects to your online presence, a great inbound marketing strategy can do so much more. With the right methods you can improve your businesses' credibility, brand awareness, engagement, and even your value to your customer.

Unlike Penguin and Panda, Google's latest update, Hummingbird, is an entire overhaul of the algorithm. Less than a couple of weeks old, it's already turning some Search Engine Optimization experts on their heads.

Marketing has evolved over the years, thanks to the internet. Now, people are turning to the web to find, research, and buy products, especially since it's all at their convenience. Even marketers are changing as they no longer have to rely solely on traditional advertising like billboards, commercials, direct mail or telemarketing to reach consumers about their products and services.

Here's something to think about: These days, A bad Website can be worse than no Website at all. Really! Think about that for just a moment. No Website at all means you might not believe in online marketing, and that's okay. Although many of my competitors (trust me, I've spoken to them...) would argue with me, even I am not convinced that every company needs a Website. However, a bad Website could mean so much more for your company.