In a digital landscape where change is the only constant, staying ahead means adapting and innovating. To uncover the secrets behind exponential business growth, we turned to twenty-six industry veterans—digital marketing directors and marketing strategists—who have mastered the art of online engagement.

We’ve distilled their expertise into actionable strategies that you can implement right away, providing you with the tools to elevate your digital marketing game. Whether you’re looking to enhance your brand’s visibility, foster deeper customer relationships, or drive measurable growth, these proven tactics are your blueprint for success.

• Harness Email Marketing Campaigns
• Optimize Local SEO Tactics
• Collaborate with Aligned Influencers
• Engage in Reddit and Quora
• Generate Backlinks with Digital PR
• Create Personalized Video Content
• Offer AI-Powered Virtual Tours
• Establish Authority with Content Marketing
• Anticipate Demand with Strategic Assets
• Nurture Leads with Email Marketing
• Build Credibility with Client Testimonials
• Double Business with Humorous Ads
• Increase Engagement with Social Proof
• Manage Your Google Business Profile
• Drive Engagement with Content Repurposing
• Boost Leads with LinkedIn Paid Media
• Grow Through Authentic Storytelling
• Attract Leads with SEO-Optimized Videos
• Improve UX with Heat Mapping Insights
• Promote Growth with Multifaceted Marketing
• Drive Sales with Personalized Emails
• Boost Engagement with AI Personalization
• Segment Audiences for Email Success
• Rank Higher with One-Page SEO
• Target Ads for Real Estate Growth
• Engage Parents with Social Content

Harness Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing is still alive and well! It’s the best way to keep your brand at the top of mind for prospects because they’ve already indicated an interest in something you have to offer by opting into your email list. However, there’s a right way and a wrong way to launch an email marketing campaign: you’ve got to be committed to list segmentation, creation of engaging content, and funnel stage alignment.

When you’re thinking about a new email marketing campaign, remember that specificity sells—so segment your recipient list to a single buyer persona or use case and use everything you know about that reader to craft an email that will add value to their day. You want to send the right message at the right time. Consider: How does this specific segment of your audience make decisions? What time of day do they check their inbox? What do they want from your brand—special offers, interesting insights, limited-time deals, or something else?

Whatever content your buyer persona is looking for, make sure you’re focusing on making it engaging! Deliver the kind of content they’re expecting from you, and use compelling CTAs to entice clicks. Calls-to-action like “Learn more,” “See more,” or “Read more” don’t work. Instead, use a CTA that tells the reader exactly what will happen when they click. Think action words like “Download the Guide,” “Get Your Coupon Code,” or “Build Your Package.”

Last but not least, make sure your email marketing messages are meeting prospects where they are in the funnel. Using insights from a CRM like HubSpot, you’ll be able to determine whether your prospects are in the top, middle, or bottom of your funnel. Make sure that your content and offers are aligned with the funnel stage your prospects are in. For example, even a financial incentive, like a 50% discount, will fall on deaf ears if most of your prospects are still at the top of your funnel where they’re just becoming aware that they have a problem.

Madonna Kilpatrick, Digital Marketing Director, Peer Sales Agency

Optimize Local SEO Tactics

Local SEO was a real game-changer for us. I remember working with this small Italian restaurant that was getting buried in search results. We started by optimizing their Google My Business listing—added mouth-watering food photos, updated their menu, and encouraged customer reviews.

The turning point came when we created location-specific landing pages. We targeted neighboring areas, not just their city. It was a bit of a chance, but it paid off big. Their organic traffic increased by 70% in just three months.

We also got them to partner with local food bloggers for some authentic backlinks. It wasn’t easy convincing the owner at first, but seeing those referral traffic numbers changed his mind quickly.

This strategy worked so effectively that we’ve reproduced it for other local businesses. It’s not always easy, but when it works, the consequences are fantastic.

Jitender Nunia, Digital Marketing Specialist, Gowide Solutions

Collaborate with Aligned Influencers

One digital marketing strategy that has really boosted business growth for my clients is influencer marketing. The truth is, I partner with influencers whose values and audience align with the brand (my client’s brand). Most of the time, we are able to tap into the trust of their followers and credibility to promote products or services authentically.

This strategy has helped increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and generate leads through targeted influencer collaborations. The personalized content created by influencers has greatly resonated with their audience, and this has resulted in higher engagement rates and conversion rates for the brand. In the end, leveraging influencer marketing as a digital strategy has proven to be highly effective in expanding brand reach and driving business growth.

Kartik Ahuja, Digital Marketer, kartikahuja.com

Engage in Reddit and Quora

We’ve seen that Google prioritizes sites like Reddit and Quora on the first page, so we’ve allocated more resources to be active in those conversations.

Roxana Motoc, Head of Marketing, SocialBee

Generate Backlinks with Digital PR

One digital marketing strategy that has notably boosted business growth for my agency is using digital PR by creating and promoting a survey on how people search for lawyers. This approach generated valuable insights and led to significant engagement and numerous backlinks.

We designed a comprehensive survey to understand the behaviors and preferences of individuals searching for legal services. The survey covered various aspects, including popular search methods, key decision-making factors, and common pain points. Once we gathered the data, we transformed it into an engaging and informative report.

We then crafted a compelling narrative around the survey findings, emphasizing the new, original findings of the data. This approach piqued the interest of legal professionals and potential clients, making the report more than just a presentation of statistics. We pitched this unique story to relevant online publications, legal blogs, and industry influencers, further enhancing its appeal.

The campaign’s success was evident in the substantial media coverage it received. Prominent legal blogs and news sites picked up the story, intrigued by the fresh data and its implications for the industry. Each feature included backlinks to our website, significantly boosting our domain authority and driving a surge in traffic.

Additionally, the survey report served as a practical and valuable resource for our audience. Legal professionals used it to refine their marketing strategies, while potential clients found the insights helpful in their search for legal services. This dual appeal ensured the content was widely shared and discussed, further amplifying its reach and empowering the audience with actionable information.

Digital PR also facilitated targeted audience engagement in an interactive manner. We reached a highly relevant audience by promoting the survey findings on legal-specific forums and social media groups. The feedback and discussions generated additional content opportunities, creating a cycle of engagement and visibility that made the audience feel actively involved.

Leveraging digital PR through creating and promoting a survey on how people search for lawyers was a game-changer. It provided valuable insights, established our authority, enhanced SEO, and drove targeted traffic, ultimately leading to significant business growth.

Chris Rossi, Digital Marketing Consultant, Attorney Sluice

Create Personalized Video Content

One digital marketing strategy that has significantly boosted our business growth is leveraging personalized video content. By creating customized videos tailored to our target audience’s interests and pain points, we’ve seen a remarkable increase in engagement and conversions. Personalized videos foster a deeper connection with viewers, making our brand more relatable and trustworthy. This approach has not only enhanced our customer experience but also driven higher retention rates and word-of-mouth referrals.

Mike Vannelli, Creative Director, Envy Creative

Offer AI-Powered Virtual Tours

One digital marketing strategy that has helped boost enrollment at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) over the past few years is our personalized virtual campus tour. Using advanced AI, we tailored the tour to match prospective students’ interests, highlighting programs that align with their passions.

Through the virtual tour, the BMCC campus comes alive with 360-degree panoramic images and videos showcasing academic and support service locations, state-of-the-art facilities, and success stories from students and faculty. Accessible on all devices, viewers can navigate the streets of downtown Manhattan and explore campus buildings interactively. An audio “tour guide” shares engaging anecdotes and commentary about each location.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the virtual tour became an invaluable tool, allowing us to reach potential students when in-person visits were impossible. It provided immediate engagement and made BMCC more appealing and accessible to prospective students, both local and international, without requiring time, money, or travel. The tour also helped new students and staff acclimate to the college, despite the limitations imposed by the pandemic.

Rosslynn Pieters, Marketing Director, Borough of Manhattan Community College

Establish Authority with Content Marketing

One digital marketing strategy that has significantly boosted our business growth is leveraging content marketing through high-quality blog posts and resource guides. By consistently creating valuable, informative content tailored to our target audience, we have improved our search engine rankings, attracted more organic traffic, and established ourselves as industry experts. This approach has not only increased our website visitors but also converted them into leads and customers, driving substantial business growth.

Arslan Abdul Rehman, Digital Marketer & SEO Expert, Siznam.co

Anticipate Demand with Strategic Assets

Demand anticipation has been a game-changer for our marketing agency. We realized its value during COVID-19 when we knew our clients’ businesses would be severely impacted. To counter this, we proposed a strategy to forecast demand for new services and products during and post-COVID-19. We worked with clients to create future-ready marketing assets, which proved successful once things normalized.

For example, we helped a healthcare client predict long-term health trends and developed content around them. This foresight not only restored but doubled their traffic within three months of normalization. The new pages we added drove over 40% of their website traffic for a long time. Demand anticipation has consistently delivered results, securing long-term client relationships and boosting our business growth. We certainly vouch for this as a game-changing strategy for our business.

Pratyush Ranjan, Digital Marketing Manager

Nurture Leads with Email Marketing

Email marketing is one digital marketing strategy that I’ve seen boost my business growth!

I first attract people to join my email list by inviting them to sign up for my lead magnet. (I share about my lead magnet on social media, Pinterest, and my website.)

Then, my email marketing strategy comes into play! I use it to nurture my email list by sending out weekly emails that provide 100% value for them. Oftentimes, I share a “one-minute marketing tip” and what I would tell them if I were their CMO. I also incorporate a fun story from my week or a lesson I’ve learned, or even what I’m currently loving, so they can get to know me better. I’ve seen firsthand how these types of emails help build a relationship with potential clients.

At the end of every email, I ask for some type of action. Most of the time, I invite them to reply to the email with a word in exchange for how I can further help them. This opens up the door to potential clients and allows me to personalize my approach to them.

Sometimes, people do unsubscribe from the list, but that’s okay! They weren’t my ideal clients and wouldn’t have gained anything valuable from what I was sharing. It allows me to focus on the people who are my ideal clients and give them as much value as possible!

Email marketing is such an important digital marketing strategy that has helped my business to grow, and I recommend it for every business!

Madelyn Furlong, Marketing Strategist, Madelyn Victoria Co

Build Credibility with Client Testimonials

One digital marketing strategy that has significantly boosted our business growth at SmartSites is our focus on testimonials. As a top agency on Clutch for 2024, we have amassed hundreds of reviews and case studies on our website. This strategy works exceptionally well because testimonials provide social proof, building trust and credibility with potential clients.

When prospective clients see positive feedback from satisfied customers, it reassures them about the quality and reliability of our services. These testimonials serve as powerful endorsements, showcasing real-world success stories and the tangible benefits of partnering with us. Additionally, being highly rated on a reputable platform like Clutch enhances our visibility and reputation in the industry, making us a go-to choice for businesses seeking top-tier digital marketing services.

Our extensive collection of reviews and detailed case studies also helps in demonstrating our expertise across various industries and project types. This not only attracts new clients but also aids in converting leads by providing them with compelling evidence of our capabilities and the results we have delivered for other businesses. Overall, leveraging testimonials has been a cornerstone of our digital marketing strategy, driving sustained growth and establishing us as a trusted leader in the market.

Michael Melen, Co-Founder, SmartSites

Double Business with Humorous Ads

When I was running my last SaaS business, I really wanted to figure out Facebook ads. But because of my background in filmmaking, I decided to shoot two commercials that would emphasize the pain points my software solved in a really humorous way. We ran the two commercials as Facebook ads and then ran normal retargeting ads after they had watched the commercials. These specialized ads had a massive impact, essentially causing the business to double in size in less than six months, and the business was acquired shortly thereafter.

Adam White, SaaS Growth Consultant, Landing Page Whisperer

Increase Engagement with Social Proof

As people become inundated with ads and content in their feeds, social proof (likes, shares, comments) becomes ever more important for your product to stand out. People want to know that what they are looking at is not only popular but also valuable. Whether it’s a trusted service provider or a high-quality product, no one is looking to be scammed or feel like they made a poor investment. Social proof is one of the best ways to prove the value of your offer.

By adding Engagement Campaigns as part of your evergreen strategy, you are able to build up those actions on your ad at a very low cost. We have seen ads that previously underperformed become top drivers for consultations and sales after running in engagement campaigns.

Bonus tip: increase positive social proof on ads by targeting first-party lists in your engagement campaigns to reach current/past customers who already love your brand.

Amber Krigbaum, Director – Paid Social, collystring

Manage Your Google Business Profile

As a marketing expert, one digital marketing strategy that consistently delivers the highest ROI for our clients with minimal effort is keeping your free Google Business Profile up to date and actively managed.

Google aims to provide the best search experience for its users. If they fail, people will turn to other platforms. That’s why Google offers straightforward advice on managing your listing. It’s how Google learns about local businesses and how local businesses can stand out in search results. By actively managing your Google Business Profile, you can capture attention and drive more customers to your business.

All you really need to do is complete all the available fields with your essential contact information, continuously gather more reviews, and keep adding photos showcasing your work. This is true whether you’re just getting started with local marketing or have been around for years. Managing this free listing is the easiest way to attract customers.

If you can use social media, you can manage your Google Business Profile. It’s just as simple. So, invest a little time in maintaining your profile, and you’ll see significant returns.

Joe Darragh, CEO, Pillar Digital Marketing Agency

Drive Engagement with Content Repurposing

Repurposing content is an excellent way to leverage multiple areas of digital marketing to boost the growth of your business. If you are spending the time and money to develop a piece of content, it’s essential to see how you can leverage it across multiple platforms and channels to drive engagement.

As an example, we have a client that creates several e-books each year. Of course, it’s important to promote the e-book as a standalone content piece for lead generation and re-engagement, but you can also promote the e-book in a variety of other ways to drive engagement, including:

• Blogs: Take segments of the content from the e-book to create new blog content. This will boost organic traffic and email engagement if you send your blogs to subscribers by email.

• Video: Have a subject matter expert at your company take snippets from the e-book to create short videos. You can use these on social media and on your website to promote the new content.

• Email and Social: Share your e-book with your audience by email, organic, and paid social to engage your followers.

As you can see, there are many ways to repurpose your content as a digital marketing strategy across platforms to drive business growth and continued engagement.

Elyse Flynn Meyer, Owner & Founder, Prism Global Marketing Solutions

Boost Leads with LinkedIn Paid Media

One digital marketing strategy that significantly boosts business growth is leveraging paid media campaigns on LinkedIn.

We begin by creating multiple target audiences on LinkedIn based on our offering, each with assets explicitly designed for the audience. This tailored approach ensures that each segment and job seniority feels understood, leading to a 70% increase in ad engagement and a 67% boost in lead generation.

This targeted approach not only enhanced brand visibility but also led to a substantial increase in followers and qualified inbound leads. Its overall performance led to a 10x ROAS over a three-month campaign, reassuring us of its effectiveness.

LinkedIn paid media has proved to be a powerful tool for connecting with the right audience and driving business growth for our business and many clients. This is evidenced by the 10x ROAS we achieved over a three-month campaign.

Tom Edwards, Founder, Bit Quirky Consulting

Grow Through Authentic Storytelling

Millions of posts are flooding our feeds daily, so how can you stand out and grow as a business? It’s simple: be authentic and tell your story. Whether it’s sharing the journey behind your brand, highlighting customer success stories, or showcasing behind-the-scenes moments.

When done effectively, storytelling can drive significant growth for businesses. By creating compelling content that resonates with their audience, brands can attract new followers, increase engagement, build brand loyalty, and ultimately, drive conversions.

How to approach storytelling as a marketing strategy? There are three ways to do that: interactive storytelling, segmented documentary storytelling, and telling your brand story.

Katharina Garmon, CEO & Founder of Socialkind Studio, Socialkind Studio LLC

Attract Leads with SEO-Optimized Videos

One digital marketing strategy that significantly boosted our business growth at Breadnbeyond is content marketing with a strong focus on SEO, link-building efforts, and optimized animated videos. We create valuable blog posts, guides, and engaging videos that showcase our expertise in explainer videos.

By optimizing this content with relevant keywords and implementing effective link-building strategies, we attract organic traffic and establish ourselves as industry leaders. This approach not only enhances visibility but also educates our audience, builds trust, and drives qualified leads, contributing to substantial business growth and a robust online presence.

Andre Oentoro, Founder/CEO, Breadnbeyond

Improve UX with Heat Mapping Insights

We tried heat mapping last year to boost our digital marketing efforts—essentially, it shows areas that visitors click or view and also highlights elements that are not capturing their attention. With heatmaps, we were able to identify patterns in user behavior that we hadn’t noticed before.

I can say that the insights provided by the heat mapping tool proved invaluable to us as they guided us on our on-page digital marketing initiatives. For instance, we observed a number of visitors neglecting to click on our call-to-action buttons, which were originally positioned at the bottom of our page. With this information, we opted to relocate the call-to-action buttons to a spot above the page fold and picked a more prominent color that would not go unnoticed.

This small adjustment resulted in an uptick in user engagement and conversion rates. With this, I can say that because we are leveraging data-driven insights from heat mapping tools, we were able to make choices that improved user experience and optimized our digital marketing efforts.

Vikrant Bhalodia, Head of Marketing & People Ops, WeblineIndia

Promote Growth with Multifaceted Marketing

A thorough digital marketing plan uses a variety of platforms and techniques to promote business expansion. Content marketing is the first step in the process. This involves producing high-quality content, such as blog posts, videos, and e-books, that speaks to the needs of the target audience and is shared via email, social media, and the company website. Researching keywords, optimizing pages for search engines, constructing backlinks, and making technical advancements are all essential components of search engine optimization (SEO). To increase efficacy, email marketing should combine segmentation and personalization with automation and A/B testing.

Social media marketing calls for picking the appropriate channels, interacting with followers, and using sponsored advertisements to reach a specific audience. PPC, display ads, retargeting, and larger ad networks are examples of advertising. Effective marketing communications depend on multichannel communication, consistent branding, and crisis management. Account-based marketing focuses on high-value accounts, while influencer marketing and website optimization expand reach and improve user experience.

Optimization requires regular reviews, well-defined KPIs, and data analysis. SMART goals, thorough buyer personas, and engaging social media content all help to match efforts with corporate goals. Precise targeting, interesting ads, cautious budgeting, and ongoing optimization are all necessary for paid advertising. Growth and visibility are aided by backlink tactics, brand alliances, and blogging. Analyzing data and gathering feedback from customers allows businesses to better target their efforts and enhance the customer experience. All things considered, a successful strategy necessitates ongoing data-driven optimization, a multifaceted approach, and a thorough understanding of the target audience.

Brainerhub Solutions, SEO Executive, Brainerhub Solutions

Drive Sales with Personalized Emails

We had a client, a mid-sized e-commerce store, struggling with low engagement and flat sales. They had a good customer base but couldn’t connect effectively with them. Our goal was to revamp their email marketing and drive growth.

We started by segmenting their email list based on customer behavior, purchase history, and demographics. This allowed us to send personalized and relevant emails. We then created a welcome email series for new subscribers, introducing the brand and offering a discount on the first purchase. This series included engaging content about the brand’s story, best-selling products, and customer testimonials.

Next, we designed visually appealing newsletters highlighting new products, special promotions, and industry news. Each newsletter had a clear call to action, encouraging readers to visit the website. To recover lost sales, we set up abandoned-cart emails. These emails reminded customers of the items they left behind and offered a small incentive to complete the purchase.

Using customer data, we sent personalized product recommendations based on past purchases and browsing behavior. This made the emails more relevant and increased the chances of conversions. We also sent surveys to gather feedback and understand customer preferences, helping us improve our email content and overall customer experience.

The results were impressive. Segmenting the email list and personalizing content led to a 25% increase in open rates. Engaging content and clear CTAs boosted click-through rates by 30%. Abandoned-cart emails recovered 20% of lost sales, significantly increasing revenue. Regular, relevant communication built stronger relationships with customers, leading to a 15% increase in repeat purchases. Surveys and feedback provided valuable insights, allowing us to tailor future campaigns even more effectively.

Through this experience, we learned some key lessons about email marketing. Personalization is important! Tailoring emails to individual preferences boosts engagement and conversions. Consistency matters. Regular communication keeps your brand top of mind and builds lasting relationships. Testing and optimizing different elements of your emails (subject lines, CTAs, etc.) helps identify what works best. Listening to customers by gathering feedback and acting on it is essential for continuous improvement.

Tim Jones, Founder, TKX Media

Boost Engagement with AI Personalization

Marketing experts, you ask for one digital marketing strategy that has boosted our business growth? Buckle up, because here’s a juicy tidbit from our playbook: leveraging AI-powered personalization.

You see, once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past, we were like everyone else—throwing generic content into the digital abyss, hoping for a nibble. Then we had an epiphany: what if we used AI to actually understand our audience and tailor our messages?

We started using AI to analyze customer behavior, preferences, and interaction history. With this data, we crafted hyper-personalized content and offers. It was like moving from shouting in a crowded room to having a cozy one-on-one chat. Suddenly, engagement rates soared, and our conversion rates followed suit.

But the real magic happened when we combined this personalization with a well-timed email campaign. Picture this: a customer browses our site but leaves without buying. Thanks to our AI overlord, they receive a friendly email shortly after, featuring exactly the product they were eyeing, with a discount to sweeten the deal. It’s almost spooky how effective it is—but in a good, non-creepy way.

In essence, using AI to deliver personalized experiences has been a game-changer. Not only does it make our customers feel valued, but it also drives significant growth. Plus, it gives us a break from the soul-crushing task of churning out generic content. Win-win!

Francisco Gonzalez, CTO, Le Website Tech

Segment Audiences for Email Success

Over the years, I have found that leveraging personalized email marketing has been a game-changer in my digital marketing arsenal. Early in my career, while heading sports marketing at Reebok, I implemented a targeted email campaign during the launch of a new running shoe line. We segmented our customer base into different personas based on their purchase history, engagement levels, and preferences. Each segment received bespoke content that spoke directly to their interests and needs.

One particular incident stands out where we identified a group of avid runners who had previously bought our running gear (shorts and vests) but had not yet tried our latest shoe. We crafted a series of emails that highlighted the new shoe’s technical superiority and included testimonials from renowned athletes, personalized discount codes, and invitations to exclusive virtual events where these customers could interact with our product designers and professional runners/marathoners.

The response was overwhelming. Not only did we see a significant increase in sales, but the campaign also boosted our engagement metrics, with open and click-through rates far exceeding industry averages. More importantly, it fostered a deeper connection with our customers, as they felt valued and understood. This personalized approach has since become a cornerstone of my digital marketing strategy, demonstrating the power of understanding and catering to individual customer needs.

Priyanshu Pande, Managing Partner, Purple Patch Management

Rank Higher with One-Page SEO

One digital marketing strategy that has significantly boosted business growth is the “one-page, one-keyword” philosophy, which comes from SEO. Now, this must be understood very carefully because web pages can and should rank for many keywords. However, those keywords should be closely related variations on the target, primary term. Each page should have a unique keyword focus. No single page should try to rank for two different primary keywords, and no two pages should have the same keyword focus.

For example, many site owners think that since they use all of their service keywords on their home page, they can rank for every term. In most cases, they’ll rank, but not well. The home page will typically represent brand queries as well as your business category, and a dedicated page for every service will give Google the uniquely focused content it needs to rank you higher. Dedicated pages also tend to get more links.

Think of it this way: if someone wants to link to information on your site about one of your services, what is better—linking to a home page where users will have to find the part of the page being referred to, or a dedicated page where the only content is what the site linked to?

Overall, knowing what keywords you want to rank for and ensuring you have a dedicated page for each is an exercise many site owners forget to do, but it is one of the most important and most beneficial to your growth as a business.

Sarah Kuchar, Creative Director, Kuchar

Target Ads for Real Estate Growth

The use of targeted ads on social media platforms like Instagram is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies that has helped us boost the growth of our real estate business. We clearly define our target audience segments according to their demographics, buyer behavior, interests, etc., and leverage these ads to reach prospective homebuyers and investors efficiently.

Moreover, we incorporate engaging visuals (photos or videos) as well as attention-grabbing ad copies in these posts to increase engagement and generate more high-quality leads. In order to achieve a greater number of conversions, we utilize retargeting campaigns to re-engage users who have shown interest in our properties earlier.

With this strategy, we have been able to drive more traffic to our website, increasing the number of inquiries we receive and accomplishing more closed deals due to the improved conversion rate.

Sultan Saleh, SEO, K Raheja

Engage Parents with Social Content

One digital marketing strategy that has boosted our growth at Explorers Playgroup is creating engaging social media content. We post fun and educational content for kids on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. By sharing these regularly, we keep parents and children excited about our edutainment programming and services.

We’ve also run targeted ads on social media to reach local parents. Personalized email campaigns keep our current members informed and engaged. We’ve optimized our website with SEO to attract more organic traffic. Lastly, encouraging reviews and testimonials from satisfied parents has helped build our online reputation.

Brandi K, Founder and Program Director, Explorers Playgroup, LLC.

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The post What Digital Marketing Strategies Boost Business Growth? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

In the quest to optimize business expense management, we’ve gathered invaluable insights from ten finance leaders, including CEOs and Presidents. They share their top software picks, from streamlining payments with Bill.com to tracking construction expenses with Buildertrend, to help you keep your company’s finances in check.

• Bill.com: Streamline Payments
• Cube: Automate FP&A Tasks
• Xero: User-Friendly Expense Management
• Oracle NetSuite: Integrated Financial Tools
• Expensify: Simplify Expense Reporting
• Excel: Customizable Financial Modeling
• SAP Concur: Automated Expense Management
• HubSpot Analytics: Marketing Expense Tracking
• QuickBooks: Comprehensive Financial Management
• Buildertrend: Construction Expense Tracking

Bill.com: Streamline Payments

One piece of financial software that has significantly helped manage business expenses is Bill.com. This platform streamlines the process of managing vendor bills and payments, offering an efficient and automated solution for handling accounts payable.

With Bill.com, our firm can easily track invoices, schedule payments, and maintain an accurate record of all transactions. The software integrates seamlessly with our existing accounting systems, reducing manual data entry and minimizing errors. Its user-friendly interface and robust features allow us to focus on strategic financial planning while ensuring timely and accurate payments to our vendors.

Jack Perkins, Founder and CEO, CFO Hub

Cube: Automate FP&A Tasks

I recommend Cube as a robust FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) solution that has significantly improved how we manage business expenses, as well as enhanced the efficiency and precision of our financial forecasting, budgeting, and accounting processes.

Cube integrates seamlessly with spreadsheets, which has been a game-changer for our finance team. This integration enables us to make more informed business decisions by automating time-consuming manual tasks and minimizing errors, which is crucial in finance.

With Cube, the complex and tedious activities that are typical in FP&A and accounting, like financial consolidation, are automated. This allows our finance teams to focus more on strategy, planning, and improving corporate performance. As financial professionals, we appreciate being able to continue working within the familiar environment of spreadsheets while also taking advantage of the advanced features offered by a contemporary FP&A tool.

Since Cube is based in Excel, it allows for easy adjustments and facilitates quick analyses or changes in forecast drivers. We did require some external assistance to become fully operational with it, but the benefits have far outweighed this initial hurdle.

Eric Croak, CFP, President, Croak Capital

Xero: User-Friendly Expense Management

One piece of financial software that I see significantly helping in managing business expenses is Xero. Xero is a staple for many, and for good reason.

Personally, and based on much of the feedback I’ve heard over time, Xero is indispensable for several reasons. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to track expenses, reconcile bank statements, and generate detailed financial reports.

Additionally, Xero’s real-time data sync and integration with various third-party apps streamline processes, such as our bookkeeping methods. This helps in reducing manual entry errors and saving valuable time.

The ability to access financial data from anywhere is also great, as that improves our efficiency and responsiveness to clients’ needs.

Overall, Xero’s comprehensive features and ease of use make it a powerful tool for managing business expenses effectively, for both seasoned finance professionals and newbies alike.

Kim Maine, Chief Numbler, Numble Bookkeeping Services

Oracle NetSuite: Integrated Financial Tools

I’ve been using Oracle NetSuite in my work as a commercial lending expert, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate its integrated financial management tools. This cloud-based software is incredible! It has real-time tracking of costs, budget creation, and financial report generation, which are absolutely essential for managing complex business operations.

One of the best parts of NetSuite is how it automates many of our financial processes. This automation not only cuts down on errors but also keeps us in line with financial regulations—a big relief for any business. I’m especially fond of the thorough analytics and the customizable dashboards. They really help me make informed decisions that are important for our company’s financial health.

What’s more, the ability to consistently integrate with various financial and banking systems has drastically improved our financial visibility and efficiency. For a pro or a large company like ours, NetSuite’s capability to handle increasing workloads and its advanced features are indispensable for boosting our business performance.

Gary Hemming, Commercial Lending Director, ABC Finance Limited

Expensify: Simplify Expense Reporting

As the founder of Leverage, managing business expenses efficiently is very important to me. One tool that’s made a huge difference for us is Expensify.

Expensify has made expense reporting and tracking so easy. Our team can just snap a photo of their receipts with the app, and it automatically sorts them into categories like meals, transportation, or lodging. This has been a lifesaver, especially when we travel for client meetings or conferences.

What I love about Expensify is how well it integrates with QuickBooks, our accounting software. This means all our expenses are accurately recorded and synced up, making our quarterly reviews a lot smoother. I can quickly pull up detailed reports on our spending and see where we might need to make some adjustments.

We’ve also customized Expensify to fit our specific needs at Leverage. We set up different categories for things like marketing expenses, client entertainment, and operational costs. This helps us keep a close eye on where our money is going.

Another big plus is how Expensify has sped up our reimbursement process. Employees submit their expenses through the app, and I can review and approve them quickly. This has made reimbursements faster and keeps everyone happy.

Rhett Stubbendeck, CEO & Co-Founder, Leverage Planning

Excel: Customizable Financial Modeling

I’ve found Excel to be a real workhorse. It’s incredibly versatile and lets you customize things exactly for your business. You can build models for cash flow, valuations, profit and loss, balance sheets—the whole gamut. While there are definitely other options out there, the beauty of Excel is that you can set it up exactly how you need it. Manually entering expenses by category and income by invoice might sound tedious, but it really helps you understand the big picture—where your money comes from and where it goes.

For things like general ledgers and bookkeeping, I use Wave. But for tracking expenses and seeing how things are trending month to month, Excel allows for easy forecasting and lets you see if you’re hitting your targets. Plus, you can even automate some tasks with queries, making it even more efficient.

Echo Wang, CEO & Co-Founder, EpicBooks

SAP Concur: Automated Expense Management

SAP Concur has revolutionized how businesses handle travel and expense management. Its automated processes take the headache out of tracking receipts and filing reports. Instead of manually entering data, the software captures information from receipts and then automatically matches it to the corresponding expense report. This not only saves time but also reduces errors, ensuring that the financial team can focus on more strategic tasks.

Compliance is another area where SAP Concur shines. It integrates company policies directly into the expense reporting process, flagging any entries that don’t comply with the rules. This minimizes the risk of fraudulent claims and keeps everything in line with organizational standards. Streamlining these processes means that finance advisors can spend less time on administrative work and more time advising their clients or managing financial strategies.

Mary Tung, Founder & CEO, Lido.app

HubSpot Analytics: Marketing Expense Tracking

I’ve found HubSpot’s Marketing Hub to be incredibly useful for managing our marketing expenses. While it’s primarily known as a CRM and marketing platform, its built-in analytics tools have been a game-changer for tracking our digital marketing spend. I love how it breaks down our expenses by campaign, channel, and even individual content pieces. The AI-powered features help us predict ROI on future marketing investments, which is crucial for our budget planning. Plus, its integration with our other tools gives us a holistic view of how our marketing expenses translate into leads and sales.

Ryan Doser, Co-Founder, AI Insider Tips

QuickBooks: Comprehensive Financial Management

We use QuickBooks, and it has been a phenomenal system for us. One thing to note about software usage: take the time to build processes around it and really stick to them.

QuickBooks has capabilities beyond simple accounting, and we use it for bill paying and keeping track of our clients’ expenses. It has paid and unpaid versions, which also makes it great for those early entrepreneurs who are bootstrapping and need to save where their tech stack is concerned.

We have tried a number of different software for managing business expenses, and this is far and away the best. If you have passed it up thinking it is not robust enough, there are also specialists who can set it up to align specifically with your business. Give QuickBooks another look.

Matthew Capala, CEO, Alphametic

Buildertrend: Construction Expense Tracking

For our real estate investment company, we’ve found Buildertrend to be invaluable for managing renovation expenses. This construction management software has a robust financial tracking component that helps us stay on top of costs for each property we’re flipping. I particularly like how it allows us to create detailed budgets for each project and track actual expenses against our estimates in real time. The ability to categorize costs by property and type of work has given us much better insight into where our money is going. Plus, the mobile app makes it easy for our team to submit expenses and update budgets right from the job site.

Adam Seguin, Owner, Myrtle Beach Home Buyers

The post What Financial Software Helps Manage Business Expenses? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

• Intercom Boosts Customer Engagement
• Live Chat Enhances Real-Time Support
• Sentiment Analysis for Customer Insights
• Zendesk Streamlines Multi-Channel Inquiries
• Zoho Desk Centralizes Customer Queries
• Webex Contact Center Elevates Support Experience

Intercom Boosts Customer Engagement

One tool that has significantly improved our customer support operations is Intercom. By leveraging Intercom’s comprehensive suite of features, we have proactively engaged with our customers, addressing their needs and concerns more efficiently.

The platform’s robust customer messaging, automation, and data integration capabilities have empowered our team to deliver personalized support at scale. This proactive approach has not only streamlined our support processes but has also resulted in a substantial increase in customer satisfaction.

Specifically, our Net Promoter Score (NPS) has seen a remarkable 12% uplift, reflecting our enhanced ability to meet and exceed customer expectations. Intercom’s intuitive interface and powerful analytics have driven these improvements, making it an invaluable asset to our customer service strategy.

Terence Daniels, Customer Success Manager

Live Chat Enhances Real-Time Support

Live chat software has significantly transformed the landscape of customer support. By enabling real-time, personalized engagement, it ensures that customer inquiries are addressed promptly and efficiently.

This tool has been crucial for businesses looking to provide exceptional service, as it allows for immediate problem-solving and a more interactive, engaging customer experience. This not only boosts customer satisfaction but also enhances loyalty and trust in the brand.

Dan Ponomarenko, CEO, Webvizio

Sentiment Analysis for Customer Insights

Sentiment analysis has been a game-changer in customer support. This tool enables us to evaluate customer feedback and interactions to grasp their emotions and perspectives on our products and services.

By monitoring customer sentiment in the moment, we can promptly tackle problems, give attention to matters, and boost satisfaction levels. The integration of sentiment analysis has boosted our responsiveness, enriched our comprehension of customer requirements, and allowed us to personalize our support strategies with precision.

Mark McDermott, CEO & Co-Founder, ScreenCloud

Zendesk Streamlines Multi-Channel Inquiries

Zendesk is my favorite tool when it comes to helping out with the customer service process. This platform helps me manage customer inquiries through multiple channels. Whether I get inquiries from email, chat, or social media, Zendesk consolidates all of them in one place.

It’s a very user-friendly platform, so my support team can quickly respond to customers. The adoption of the platform was also very quick because of this. It has several useful features, including automated ticketing and a great knowledge base. It has made the customer service process much faster and more organized.

Simon Brisk, Founder & SEO Strategist, Click Intelligence

Zoho Desk Centralizes Customer Queries

Zoho Desk has been pivotal. We needed a tool to centralize, assign, and track customer queries in real-time. With all customer interactions from all channels built into a centralized location, our agents are better equipped to offer personalized and relevant responses. In addition to this, the app is ready out-of-the-box and has an incredibly easy setup. It also has a rich list of functions, such as SMS integrations and VOIP, which help us meet increasing customer expectations without lagging behind.

Shaju Devessy, Managing Director, Intellect Outsource

Webex Contact Center Elevates Support Experience

One tool that has significantly improved customer support is Cisco’s Webex Contact Center. The platform offers capabilities like AI-driven analytics, real-time customer interaction monitoring, and seamless integration with CRM systems. It enables support teams to provide personalized and efficient service, enhancing the overall customer experience and satisfaction. It has helped the company I work for achieve five stars on our review platform.

Annabelle Earps, Digital PR Manager, The Workplace Depot

The post What Customer Support Tools Help Increase Revenue? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

• Cultivate Cybersecurity Awareness
• Utilize Strong Passwords for Protection
• Implement MFA for a Simple Security Upgrade
• Establish a Robust Data-Backup Strategy
• Consider a Virtual CISO Solution
• Educate Employees on Phishing Techniques
• Regular Data Recovery Protocols for Safety
• Apply Regular Software Updates and Patches

Cultivate Cybersecurity Awareness

Empowering individuals to become proactive participants in cybersecurity applies to both small and big businesses. By striving to cultivate a deep understanding of cybersecurity principles and risk management strategies within our team, we equip individuals to effectively identify and mitigate cyber threats, ultimately strengthening our collective defense.

One practical example is fostering the ability to discern spoofed emails from legitimate ones. To achieve this, ongoing education and continuously expanding our knowledge base of emerging cyber threats, best practices, and industry trends are key.

Trevor Horwitz, CISO, TrustNet Inc.

Utilize Strong Passwords for Protection

Small businesses can no longer rely on the principle that they are “too small to be targeted.” Enhancing cybersecurity for small businesses is crucial. Implement strong password policies and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect against unauthorized access.

Even with limited resources, these measures significantly improve security with minimal investment and maximal impact.

Chris Watson, Information Security Manager, Choice Solutions, LLC

Implement MFA for a Simple Security Upgrade

Keeping your small business safe online can feel overwhelming. But here’s a simple, powerful tool you can use to seriously upgrade your security: multi-factor authentication (MFA).

Think of it like adding an extra lock to your door. With MFA, even if someone guesses your password (the first lock), they still can’t get in because they’ll need another piece of information, like a code from your phone or a fingerprint scan.

MFA can block over 99.9% of attacks that try to steal passwords! It’s a cost-effective way for small businesses with limited resources to make a big difference in their cybersecurity.

Hodahel Moinzadeh, Founder & Senior Systems Administrator, SecureCPU Managed IT Services

Establish a Robust Data-Backup Strategy

A crucial step to improving cybersecurity for small businesses is to implement a robust data-backup strategy. Regularly backing up data ensures that, in the event of a cyberattack such as ransomware or a data breach, your business can quickly restore critical information and maintain operations with minimal disruption.

By keeping secure, up-to-date copies of your data both onsite and offsite (using cloud services or physical backups), you create a safety net that mitigates the impact of potential security incidents. This not only helps in recovering lost data but also strengthens your overall resilience against cyber threats.

Alex Tray, Cybersecurity Consultant, NAKIVO

Consider a Virtual CISO Solution

Small businesses face a unique set of challenges when it comes to implementing measures to enhance cybersecurity. They have very limited time and capacity—CxOs just don’t have the capacity to assess, design, implement, and maintain cybersecurity solutions on top of their day jobs while they’re trying to grow a business.

There’s also a lack of expertise—they don’t have the technical subject matter experts in-house to resolve cybersecurity challenges. They also don’t have the sizeable budgets that multimillion-pound enterprises have to fix their security. Small businesses need to be smarter with their cash.

Finally, they often don’t know where to start when implementing measures to enhance cybersecurity. Without access to cybersecurity experts, it can be challenging to know which controls/measures and strategic direction are best for their business, and without help, they risk heading off in a direction that is detrimental to the business, wasting both time and money.

Consequently, one key measure to enhance cybersecurity that can uplift the overall cybersecurity for small businesses is taking on a virtual CISO (chief information security officer). Small businesses can’t just hire a CISO full-time because the salary costs can be prohibitive. They also often don’t actually need a full-time employee there five days a week, all year round.

Taking on a virtual CISO (vCISO) on a fractional basis can give them the strategic direction and operational traction on risk remediation that a small business needs in its early stages. The reason why this measure can be so effective in enhancing cybersecurity for small businesses is because of the breadth of cybersecurity controls and measures that can be implemented through them. They can drive improvements to both strategic and operational cybersecurity controls and risk reduction measures.

A vCISO can provide not only the expert advice (on demand and independently) on strategic cybersecurity issues, but they can also run cyber incident management processes, help support regulatory compliance and audits (such as Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, and SOC 2), raise security awareness with staff, and make tangible improvements to risk reduction across the organization by implementing new controls on the technologies used.

Jonny Pelter, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Founder, CyPro

Educate Employees on Phishing Techniques

Small businesses have to prioritize educating their employees on phishing techniques. It’s the most common way that systems are breached, and the majority of breaches involve small businesses.

It costs nothing to keep security at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and it’s the best protection possible. Policies should include ongoing training. Make certain that everyone knows to consult a security expert when they receive strange communications, especially when those communications request unusual actions.

Bill Mann, Privacy Expert at Cyber Insider, Cyber Insider

Regular Data Recovery Protocols for Safety

One of the key measures to enhance cybersecurity for small accounting businesses is implementing regular data recovery protocols. During my 19 years as CEO of Tech Advisors, we’ve seen firsthand how critical regular backups are in mitigating the impact of cyber-attacks. In one instance, a client experienced a ransomware attack that encrypted their financial records. Fortunately, we had established a robust backup system that allowed us to restore their data quickly and minimize downtime.

Small accounting firms often handle sensitive financial data, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals. Ensuring data is backed up regularly and stored securely can protect against data loss and provide a safety net in case of an attack. It’s essential to store these on-site and off-site backups to safeguard against physical disasters like fire or flooding. Recovering quickly from a cyber incident can make a significant difference in maintaining business continuity and client trust.

Additionally, regularly testing these backup systems is crucial. More than backups are needed; they must be reliable and up-to-date. We recommend that our clients conduct periodic tests to verify that their data recovery process works effectively.

Konrad Martin, CEO, Tech Advisors

Apply Regular Software Updates and Patches

For Local Data Exchange, a key cybersecurity strategy has been the rigorous application of regular software updates and patch management. Keeping our systems and applications up to date is crucial in defending against new vulnerabilities and attacks.

This practice, although straightforward, effectively closes potential security gaps that could be exploited by cyber threats. Ensuring that updates are applied promptly across all devices has significantly bolstered our network’s security, providing a robust shield against potential cyber incursions.

Joshua Odmark, CIO and Founder, Local Data Exchange

The post What Key Measures Enhance Cybersecurity for Small Businesses? appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.