ASSIGNMENT 3

ASSIGNMENT 3, TASK 1

Each organisation’s approach to inbound marketing

* Hubspot

Hubspot's inbound marketing approach is very subtle, they use a mix of photos of targeted buyer personas, colourful backgrounds and witty slogans to entice the consumer. They offer the basic software package up FREE, which is an effective CTA strategy to lure their target audience.

* Sage UK

Sage UK’s inbound marketing approach is more direct and utilitarian. Their website consists of a mix of video, photography & text promoting their services. There is a section displaying quite a lot of awards they’ve won, which conveys industry credibility. The free E-book offered “Ambition in Action” is an effective CTA. They offer links to their social media platforms, plus links to their blog where you’ll find current posts on a number of interesting topics & methods to grow your business.

Strengths and weaknesses of the inbound marketing approach used by each organisation

* Hubspot / Strengths

- Colourful, Engaging, Photos of targeted buyer personas

- Good use of imagery, girl holding astronauts helmet conjures thoughts of a business with futuristic, forward thinking ideals

- “All Systems Grow” witty slogan

-Higher domain & page authority, data accessed using Moz site explorer

* Hubspot / Weaknesses

- I found a general ambiguity in the products & services they offer

* Sage UK’s / Strengths

- Slogan “ The Secret of my success? It’s about being Sage”, conjures up a successful corporate image for the consumer coupled with the photo of Peter Jones, Dragon’s Den star and one of the UK’s most recognisable entrepreneurs, as its Ambition Ambassador.

- engaging video commercial advertising Sage’s cloud based business solutions

-strong Blog, with current, consistent posts

-Higher Website Grader score : 87

* Sage UK’s / Weaknesses

- web page is a bit plain and boring, lacking colour and originality

-In the awards section, the bottom row of award logos are cropped, which was probably overlooked when uploaded to their website

Which organisation was best at inbound marketing and why

In my opinion, Sage UK had the best inbound marketing approach.

Hubspot is colourful & arty, but leaves me guessing as to what it is they actually do which requires more digging and investigation, a process that some consumers don’t have the time or brainpower for.

Sage UK’s business ethos & practical solutions are right there in front of you the second you open up their website. Their homepage also includes a tv commercial advertising Sage’s products in use by their targeted buyer personas, the advertisement closes with a tracking shot of a woman looking extremely happy, the text reads “Be Sage.Build on.” I found it to have a strong, cementing message, communicating, this is the product for your business & there is no alternative.

Examples of how each organisation could improve its inbound marketing

* Hubspot

I feel that for Hubspot to improve their inbound marketing, they could definitely do with adding a video contingent to their homepage. This will keep the consumer on the website longer and offer a better overall image of the business.

* Sage UK

Improvements I feel Sage UK could make to their inbound marketing are to firstly fix the awards section so the bottom logos aren’t cropped. I think they could also come up with a bit more of an engaging colour scheme & maybe a better website template.