Digital Marketing From The Coalface

The Google Ads PPC platform is a monster that can gobble up your budget and spit you out with absolutely nothing to show for it. But this is very easy to avoid, and in this episode of the show, we offer some very simple, easy-to-follow advice for getting a return on your PPC investment. This is a great episode for B2B brands, not so much for B2C's coz that's not our area of expertise. So if you're...

In this episode, which is episode 100, Alex and Dave have a moan about the garbage people post on their company websites and social media and offer some thoughts on how not to be one of those people. It's a gentle stroll through the subject with some useful, we think, insights.

The term Revenue Operations, often shortened to RevOps, is well used in the USA and quickly gaining traction here in the UK, but what does it mean? If you Google it, you'll find lots of stuff, but it's all a bit woolly, so we decided to decipher the code and explain it as only we can. It's a great episode for anyone who wants a very simple overview.

Ask business owners about their CRM and they will either extol the virtues or pull a face. People that pull a face have often tried and failed so in this episode we distil it right down and talk about why a CRM is a low or no-cost option for generating more revenue and should be at the heart of your marketing and sales operations.

If you are a B2B organisation, your website should be generating revenue, if it isn't, you're doing something wrong. In this episode of the show, we discuss how to make sure you're not missing the opportunity to increase revenue as a direct result of your website. It's a good listen if you're confused about your site's lack of performance.

Alex and Dave take an irreverent look at the murky side of SEO and explain why the missing link or links are preventing your website from reaching its full potential. It's a relaxing and plain English chat that will give business owners and marketing managers the overview they need about this much-misunderstood and spammy side of web-based revenue generation.

We've rescued enough websites to know there are plenty of have-a-go types out there, and that's putting in politely. But why trust something as important as your website with one of these people or teams in the first place? In this episode, we muse on this general topic and discuss what to do if you're in this situation.

Google's ad platform is a great way to generate business. It's also a great way to waste your marketing budget. In this episode, we discuss doing the former and avoiding the latter.

For decision-makers in high-stakes sectors like oil and gas , nuclear , and engineering , hiring a digital agency often feels like visiting a "used car salesman"—a necessary evil fraught with risk and skepticism . In this episode of  Digital Marketing From the Coalface , we strip away the "black magic" of SEO to reveal the honest, process-driven B2B digital marketing good practices required for su...

In this episode of  Digital Marketing from the Coalface , the team—joined by senior developer Dave Marshall—dissects a critical risk facing decision-makers in the tech and engineering sectors: the "fake agency" model . The discussion empowers CTOs and business leaders to look beyond the sales pitch and determine if a potential marketing partner is a cohesive, in-house unit or a single individual (...

Nobody cares about your website or your business. So, it's your job to make them care, at least a bit, by telling a compelling story and having a clutter-free website. Unfortunately, too many businesses expect their website's visitors to join the dots and find what they need. They won't. This is a good episode for people who are perhaps getting website traffic but not getting enquiries.

Somewhat controversially, for a digital agency, we're advising people not to trust a design agency with a website project. In reality, we're saying don't trust a pure design agency because, in our view, you're very unlikely to get the website your business needs. This is great episode for businesses owners and marketing managers about to embark on a web development project.  

It's annoying when your website doesn't appear high in the search results for a search term you think it should rank for. In this episode, Alex and Dave discuss why and provide insights on how to improve things. It's a great episode for business owners and marketing professionals who are getting frustrated by a lack of progress in Google searches.

We believe digital marketing engagements stand a much better chance of succeeding if the CEO gets involved. By that, we don't mean approving every design iteration, and piece of copy requires their approval; we mean at the start when the strategy is being created. Although CEOs are busy people, we believe smart ones find the time to understand and engage with digital marketing initiatives, and boy...

A lot of client-agency relationships deliver incredible growth, but it's still common to hear people say that they're struggling to make their engagement bear fruit. In this episode of Digital Marketing From The Coalface, Dave and Alex talk about sure-fire ways of making sure that your agency partners are doing their best work, including advice for setting goals and staying up to date with their w...

When a business outgrows its website and decides to redevelop it, there's one mistake that's often made that causes lots of pain, but it's 100% avoidable. For a CTO or technical lead , approving a website replatforming project is a strategic move to gain flexibility and scalability. But what happens when that new "shiny" CMS causes your organic traffic and lead generation to "drop off a cliff" ove...

Like any aspect of life, spending money creates an emotional response, and it's no different in business. Hiring an agency to help you grow your business requires a sensible budget; therefore, you'll likely experience certain emotions as a result of that. Alex and Dave discuss this subject and explore the things businesses might perhaps consider before hiring an agency.

Sometimes you can get tied in knots thinking about how to generate enquiries from your website, so in this show's episode, we go back to basics. It's a great episode for people whose web-based lead gen has gone awry or people who have finally decided to start the process. Alex and Dave plough through the basics of SEO and the golden rules of web-based lead gen in a fast-paced plain English style -...

To kick things off in 2023, our first podcast looks at the year ahead and specifically at some of the things we're doing. We discuss content upgrades, ChatGPT, potential agency collaborations, the possibility of joining an agency network, projects, retainers and a few other things. It's a nice easy listen with some useful insights.

In this episode, Alex, Caron, Julie & Dave discuss Google's useful content update. The discussion wanders around a bit but there are some useful, we think, thoughts on the whole "pleasing Google" aspect of digital marketing.

Although we love HubSpot, and we're HubSpot partners, which means we get commission payments, there are problems with the platform and the way some businesses use it. We are regularly contacted by businesses who are paying for but not using the tool effectively and, therefore not getting a good return on their investment. This is a great episode for people who are not getting the most from their i...

Between the revolving door on Number 10 Downing St, the petrol shortage in France and the rocketing price of food in the USA, it's fair to say, we live in interesting times. So how can you get great value from your marketing budget and persuade the budget holders to cut you some slack? In this episode, we discuss why cutting back on marketing is not always a good idea.

SEO is often bought and sold as a commodity product, but this approach rarely generates results. To make a real difference, Julie and Alex argue that any work that's undertaken to optimise your website for a search engine has to be part of a larger and more holistic marketing effort. Find out why here. 

In this episode Alex, Dave & Julie explain inbound marketing. They discuss the pros and cons and provide some very simple real-world examples of how the inbound methodology generates revenue. It's a great episode for business owners and marketing managers who need a high-level understanding of how the right strategy can deliver great results.

Marketing, and in particular digital marketing, isn't the only profession where people think they're an expert by osmosis, but sometimes it feels like it. In this episode of the show, we let off some steam but keep it positive and offer some advice about how a respectful relationship with your agency will yield the best results. It's a great episode for people who are up their own ar.....no, stop...