Ross Simmonds

📆 2025 budgeting is underway. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. 📊 Your marketing plan has got to move the needle. You’re playing the long game. Your content marketing is starting to get traction after eight months. Your opportunities are creeping up and the pipeline is getting better. But you’ve got to do more than rinse and repeat the same plan. You need to experiment. You need to dedicate a portion of your budget to gamble on something new. Experimenting will be slightly different for everyone. Will it be:  🤖 Diving into AI-managed Google Ads? 🎯 Expanding your LinkedIn ads to include retargeting? 🎧 Getting that industry podcast going? Experimenting isn’t: 🙅🏽‍♀️ Interviewing clients for additional insights 🖇 Tacking on another blog, video, or case study 📜 Trying different sales flyers at the same trade show you’ve attended for 17 years No matter how you experiment—you may not even know WHAT you want to experiment with yet—fight for it in your budget. The experiment may not succeed, but it has an equal chance of blowing the doors off everyone’s expectations. What marketing tactic is on your radar? Or is 2025 going to be a "team building" year and get the existing house in order?

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Content Can Fuel Growth: Chalet Market's 105% Shopify Traffic Boost https://lnkd.in/g67s7574 Tired of stagnant online traffic with your Shopify Store? Chalet Market, a Montana-based gourmet food purveyor, faced the same challenge. They partnered with Content Basis to revamp their blog strategy and the results speak for themselves: a 105% increase in Shopify traffic in just months! This case study examines the strategy behind their success, showcasing how a weekly content plan fueled significant growth. Want to learn how to drive your own Shopify traffic? Check out the full case study. #ecommerce #contentmarketing #shopify #digitalmarketing #casestudy #foodandbeverage #businessgrowth

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When Gary Vaynerchuk launches a new book, Canadians go for it! 👏🏻 #1, #2 and #3 in Business Dev. Amazon Canada 🇨🇦 If you’re building a brand or a personal brand, this is a must read. It's practical and easy to understand 🚀 Big thanks to Gary for this gem, understanding that Attention is the ultimate currency will help you drive business results in today’s social-first consumer landscape💪🏼 VaynerMedia VaynerX #daytradingattention #brandsarebuiltinsocial #garyvaynerchuk #businessdevelopment

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To underscore the significance of speed to lead in B2B outreach, let's take a look at some compelling statistics: *) 80% Decrease Odds of Qualifying Leads: According to Vendasta, the odds of qualifying a lead decrease by 80% if the lead is not contacted within the first five minutes. *) 10X Less Likely to Have Leads Respond: Research shows that leads are 10 times less likely to respond if they don't hear back from a sales representative within the first five minutes of expressing interest. *) 73% of Leads Never Get Followed Up With: Shockingly, InsideSales reports that a staggering 73% of leads never receive any form of follow-up from sales teams. *) 30% of Prospects Go to Competitor if Not Contacted: Website Builder found that 30% of prospects will go to a competitor if they are not contacted promptly by a sales representative. Here are some strategies to Improve Speed to Lead Given the compelling statistics, it's clear that improving speed to lead should be a top priority for B2B sales organizations. Here are some strategies to achieve this: *) Utilizing Automation Tools: Implementing automation tools such as chatbots and email autoresponders can help acknowledge leads instantly and initiate the sales process. *) Implementing Immediate Response Systems: Establishing protocols for immediate response to inbound inquiries ensures that no lead is left waiting for a follow-up. *) Prioritizing Lead Engagement: Training sales teams to prioritize lead engagement and providing them with the necessary resources to respond promptly can make a significant difference. #AImarketing #AIforB2B #AIautomation #AIChatBot #AIworkflow

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Scaling vs failing: How KPIs can effectively enable your growth when deployed correctly. I've spent over two decades working as a CMO, CGO and CEO scaling nearly a dozen DTC and B2SMB businesses from zero to $200M+. Here are 3 things I learned about properly using KPIs to drive real growth. 𝟏. 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐊𝐏𝐈𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐏𝐈𝐬: Ensure that your team is aligned on the same Growth KPIs across all functional teams (demand-gen and sales teams, for example). Functional teams chasing different siloed functional KPIs can be detrimental to your growth. Get everyone on the same page and moving in the same direction, then move to functional KPIs. 𝟐. 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: Constantly review KPIs to ensure they are aligned with your business goal. The discussion around the trendlines (and understanding the whys of those trends) matters as much as the numbers themselves. Make sure key functional teams are represented and ensure ownership is clear in the discussion. 𝟑. 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬-𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐊𝐏𝐈 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: Don’t be afraid to change the goal taking into account market conditions or financial constraints to ensure your team is in sync with your business. What worked last quarter might not be right for this one. In fact, don’t be afraid to change your KPI if the current one isn’t serving you anymore. By following these guidelines, you’ll be able to structure your growth function in a healthier way and eventually de-risk your growth strategy. When your KPIs are ingrained in your daily operations, growth becomes the driving force behind every decision and action. How do you currently manage the KPIs for your growth team? Feel free to share in the comments below.

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Two weeks ago, I started the r/CanadianBacon sub on Reddit so Hardbacon expertise can be found on Google. (PS: For those of you that are not aware, Google search result now mostly display Reddit threads for any query, which basically relegates websites like Hardbacon to the second page of search results) There are already 630 Canadians in this sub and I personally answered dozens of personal finance questions from the members. We are also getting better at paid acquisition and running campaigns on Facebook, Bing and Google (yes, the irony is not lost on me). We launched 2 Linkedin newsletters (Canadian Bacon in English and Gras Dur in French) that generated 15,000 articles views so far. We are also running multiple ads campaign to grow our email newsletter and are currently working on a soon to be launched SMS-based newsletter. My point is there are always other ways. Thanks Google for teaching me importance of traffic diversification :)

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I recently spoke with a prospect who started using Shopify Audiences to dip their toes into digital marketing and has seen solid success so far. Shopify Audiences is a no-brainer for Plus merchants looking to get started or optimize their marketing efforts. It uses millions of commerce intent signals to create hyper-relevant target lists that lists integrate seamlessly with major ad platforms like Meta, Google, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, and Criteo. Here are a few key benefits: Improve ad performance through more precise targeting, leveraging curated insights from every stage of the buyer’s journey. Reduce CAC by reaching high-intent buyers. Shopify claims brands see up to 50% reduction. Benchmark performance against stores or industry groupings to optimize your strategy. Seamless integration to your connected ad accounts with automatically exported custom audience lists. + If you're looking for ways to maximize your ad performance by reaching the right potential customers, it's worth checking out Shopify Audiences.

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𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝟱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 🚀 (You won't believe how easy it is!) Having scaled my Shopify store from $0 -> $1.5M as a COMPLETE beginner. In this video I unveil five powerful strategies designed to dramatically increase your Shopify sales and revolutionise your eCom approach. Each strategy is crafted to build a robust, sustainable eCommerce business that stands out in the competitive online marketplace. Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/ecUuBvwS Let’s turn your Shopify store into a sales powerhouse! 🚀 𝗣.𝗦. What’s your biggest challenge with eCom? Let’s discuss! #shopifysales #ecommerce #digitalmarketing

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An excellent series of tips + Eric Doty's sample freelancer onboarding deck is a shining example all those who hire freelancers should aspire to!

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🚀 Elevate Your B2B Game with Powerful Brand Storytelling! 📈 In today's competitive landscape, it's not just about what you sell, but the story you tell. 🎤✨ 🔑 Key Strategies for Impact: 1️⃣ Authenticity: Be genuine. Prospects connect with real stories. Example: Shopify shares success stories of entrepreneurs using their platform to build and grow their businesses, highlighting the journey and challenges faced by real users. 2️⃣ Emotional Connection: Touch hearts, not just minds. Example: Apple's "Shot on iPhone" campaign showcases stunning photos taken by everyday users, creating an emotional bond with the audience by celebrating their creativity. 3️⃣ Value-Driven: Showcase the real-world impact of your solutions. Example: Cisco Networking showcases how their networking solutions are enabling remote learning and telehealth, providing real-world benefits and improving lives during the pandemic. 4️⃣ Consistency: Ensure your message is cohesive across all channels. Example: HubSpot consistently shares content that aligns with their mission to help businesses grow better, maintaining a unified message across their blog, social media, and customer communications. 5️⃣ Engagement: Foster two-way conversations with your audience. Example: Zendesk uses community forums and social media to engage with users, offering support, sharing user stories, and building a community-driven brand experience. ⭐️Transform your brand narrative to resonate deeply with your prospects and watch your relationships flourish.🤝 cc PIABO #B2BMarketing #BrandStorytelling #CustomerEngagement #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth

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How determined are you to upgrade your multichannel strategy? Where there's a will, there's a way—or so they say. But hang on a moment. There are other factors at play. It becomes a challenge to answer the million-dollar question: Does my service or product improve clients' lives, and to what extent? What will happen if you're not there? In most cases, the answer is simple—people will move to a substitute, and the market won't miss you for a second. For this reason, your growth strategy must be a two-way street. First, solve the added value dilemma by upgrading your product or service to offer additional value. Remember, this is a continuous process that never stops. At the same time, your sales strategy must adopt a multichannel outbound approach to make some noise. You need to stay relevant and top-of-mind for the low-hanging fruit in your existing funnel. However, the devil is in the details. Your outreach is driven by intentionality to provide value, solve problems, and create "aha" moments for your ideal customer profile (ICP). This is where most salespeople fail. Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to this demanding aspect of the game. The show will go on regardless. The invisible hand is ruthless... #sales #growth #b2b #strategy #marketshare

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Is top-down content the best option for your marketing? Most B2B content follows a top-down approach—start with one big piece like a whitepaper and break it down into blog posts and then break that into social posts. The risk here is that you have A LOT of time and resources invested into content that you're not sure your audience is even interested in. But there's a different approach you may want to consider: bottom-up content. By creating social assets first, you can quickly test topics and formats to see what resonates with your audience. This method helps you know which topics gain attention before investing heavily in any one topic and it keeps your social presence more active as part of the process. Knowing your audience's preferences in advance is a huge advantage for marketing teams with scarce resources.

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