Unleashing Potential,
Powering Success

Unlocking the Power of Connectivity for Your Business

Oftentimes, those who work day-in and day-out with CRM data find themselves wanting to make process improvements but are unsure if it’s a mountain, or a mole-hill to rectify what they’re seeing. 

What if you could choose your own website development journey? Imagine being able to sit down with a developer and a designer and say, "Hey, I want to do this as quickly as possible with minimal effort on my part, go forth and make a thing and I will review it when you're done!" Or: "Yo, I'm actually really into this whole process and would love to have a collaborative approach every step of the way." Or anything in between!

Live from HubSpot INBOUND 2023!

Greetings from HubSpot INBOUND 2023, where innovation in sales technology is in the air and everyone is buzzing about the new and improved HubSpot Sales Hub. As a Diamond HubSpot Solution Partner, 1406 Consulting couldn't be more thrilled to unpack the fresh capabilities and features that Sales Hub has to offer.

A Front-Row Seat at the Intersection of AI and Marketing

Welcome to HubSpot INBOUND 2023, the playground of innovation and the birthplace of tomorrow’s marketing solutions. This year, as a Diamond HubSpot Solution Partner, 1406 Consulting is more excited than ever about the arsenal of AI-powered features that HubSpot has rolled out. Let’s delve into what these AI enhancements mean for marketers and how they are redefining the future of customer engagement.

Ah, the thrills of HubSpot's Inbound Conference! A place where marketers and tech aficionados gather like kids in a candy store, eagerly awaiting the next shiny object. But this year, the brightest gem was hiding in plain sight—please welcome CommerceHub to the stage.

A Glimpse into the Future at HubSpot INBOUND 2023

Welcome to HubSpot INBOUND 2023, where the spotlight is on innovation, growth, and the rapidly transforming landscape of customer relationship management. As a Diamond HubSpot Solution Partner, 1406 Consulting is thrilled about HubSpot's bold strides into becoming a full-fledged Customer Platform.

Website Maintenance Just Got So Much Easier

Picture this: multiple teams within your organization working in parallel, each with its own goals, metrics, and processes. It's a recipe for chaos and inefficiency. And it’s also the reality of countless companies. 

In the digital age, ending up with multiple tools and platforms in your tech stack has become a given. But as businesses enlist tools to simplify and optimize the management of operations, marketing, sales, and customer relationships, getting fractured pictures of the whole can happen all too easily.

In the realm of digital marketing, HubSpot has positioned itself as an industry leader, providing an all-in-one solution for marketing, sales, customer service, and CRM needs. By partnering with a HubSpot-accredited agency, like 1406 Consulting, not only ensures you access to HubSpot's extensive tools but also provides the benefit of tailored solutions. This article will delve into what 1406 Consulting's HubSpot Custom Integrations and Onboarding Accreditations mean and why they are crucial for businesses striving for growth.

In the digital age, data privacy has become a cornerstone of every online interaction we partake in. One of the notable examples is Instagram Threads, an app developed by Facebook for sharing photo messages with your Instagram Friends. With the rise of these interactive platforms comes the pressing issue of data privacy. This blog post will dive deep into data privacy as it pertains to Instagram Threads, outline how it works, and what to be wary of to ensure your data remains as private as possible.

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, businesses face a constant conundrum – which platforms should they invest in for maximum impact? Recently, Instagram introduced "Threads," a companion app designed for more intimate sharing with select friends. However, amidst these new tools, one platform has remained a stalwart in marketing outreach: Twitter. This article will delve into why Twitter, even in the face of newer platforms like Threads, continues to be an excellent choice for marketing outreach.

Implementing HubSpot can be a transformative journey for businesses. As one of the most user-friendly CRM platforms, it makes sales and marketing alignment accessible and straightforward.  

Yesterday marked a significant moment in the realm of social media marketing, as Instagram unveiled its innovative application, Threads. As 1406 Consulting, a HubSpot Diamond Solution Partner, we are excited to delve into this development, explicate what it means for businesses, and discuss its potential impact on your social media campaigns.

Have you ever found yourself drowning in spreadsheets and contact logs, trying to keep track of all your client interactions? Then you’ll know - trying to keep track of client relationships manually can be a real pain in the you-know-what. That’s why CRM automation is so important. By automating customer relationship management, you can do far more than save time. You can use automation to get renewed insight into the trajectory of your leads and opportunities, and find new ways to make it even better.

Marketing is often compared to a marathon: a long and arduous journey that requires endurance and perseverance. But it’s an analogy that isn’t entirely accurate. Well at least not effective marketing. 

Unlike a marathon, marketing strategies should never rely on a single-person putting their head down and pushing through to the finish line. That element of long-winded entrepreneurial stamina is commendable no doubt, but it doesn’t make for an effective or sustainable marketing approach. Effective marketing has far more in common with a relay race, where multiple team members and marketing avenues come together to win the race. So lace up your running shoes and get ready to whip your marketing strategy into shape.

You’re Creating Tailored Experiences For Your Audience, Right?

In the world of marketing, where every click, scroll, and tap is a potential opportunity to connect with your audience. But let's face it, sometimes it feels like you're trying to hit a bullseye with a rubber band. With retargeting, hitting your target becomes so much easier. Retargeting tracks your website visitors and serves them the ads tailored specifically to their interests and browsing behavior to create a more engaging experience as they interact with your brand. So instead of shooting rubber bands all over the place hoping to hit your mark, let’s show you how your marketing can hit the mark with HubSpot retargeting. 

Hitting the target with retargeting. Before you start tailoring your marketing, let’s talk about the two retargeting options available:

“Keep your eye on the prize.” That’s the advice we’re given whenever we’re struggling. The shiny reward at the end of the struggle. But when it comes to long-term goals, it’s easy to feel like Sisyphus rolling his boulder up the hill and never reaching the top. That’s why we think Mr. Miagi’s advice to young Daniel in Karate Kid is far more valuable: “Wax on, right hand. Wax off, left hand. Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth.” It’s that mindfulness of the here and now that helps us reach our goals without even realizing how close we are. Because the truth we so often forget is that, in life and in business, it’s the journey that makes things worthwhile, not the destination.

The blind date - a peak romantic adrenaline rush in a pre-Tinder world. You could know every single resume detail about your date and still not be prepared for the reality of meeting them. Would there be sparks, awkward pauses, or catastrophe? But the most delightful surprise was  hitting it off with someone you thought you’d have nothing in common with. Those were the dates you walked away from with not only a new connection with another person, but a renewed sense of yourself.

HubSpot integration is pretty much like that. t’s a learning journey. And even though you know which boxes will be ticked during the process, you’ll be amazed at how enriching the experience of seeing it all come together can be. 

So how does the HubSpot implementation process change the way you see your business and its possibilities? Glad you asked!

What are sales really? If you answered that they’re business transactions or the exchange of products for revenue, you’re definitely not wrong, but, to us, sales have always been the offering of a helping hand. 

It’s because successful sales are built on an understanding of a client’s journey, not a successful sales pitch. It’s a simple mindset shift that carries with it a wealth of benefits. It changes how you approach clients, how you interact with your team, and how you see yourself in the context of your industry. So let’s take a closer look at how you can embrace the help journey. 

The business world has changed. Today's market enables customers to greatly influence products and services, in turn impacting how a company works—and rightfully so.

There is no better way to promote a business than through a happy customer. That is why it’s time to shift gears and apply a more customer-centered approach to growing your business.

The power that social media and reviews have on your business is huge. A whopping 90% of customers seek out products or services with online reviews, and 88% trust the reviews they read.

What do your reviews say about your company?

Everyone loves positive reviews, but negative reviews are sometimes hard to hear and frustrating. Don't worry. We're going to show you how they can actually be an opportunity to showcase your work ethic, character, and professionalism.

If you’ve had a negative review and are trying to figure out the best way to handle it, here’s what you need to know.

The twenty-first century ushered in new opportunities as information became even more accessible to the public. Consumers now have more control over their buyers' journey, and this presents a challenge for modern-day marketers as old methods are no longer effective.

“SEO” may just seem like a trendy buzzword, but it’s actually the key to growing your business. Why? Because with millions of search-engine results, it’s more important than ever to ensure your business pops up first for your audience. Otherwise, it’s too easy to get lost in the crowd.

Remote work isn’t going away any time soon. In fact, 85% of managers believe that having teams with remote workers will become the new norm in the coming years. And guess what? Remote workers are happier! They report feelings of happiness in their jobs 22% more than in-office employees—a figure sure to grow as more offices embrace remote work.

With everyone working remotely during the COVID-19 Pandemic, most people are feeling a bit stir-crazy. Office employees are especially feeling the pressure of staying at home and having to adhere to a new routine. They aren't able to leave the house as much, cleaning routines are borderline religious, and social distancing practices have become more like straight-up isolation.

Building your small business brand by connecting with people on social media is an excellent way to add a personal touch. Did you know that as of 2018, nearly 68% of adults use Facebook according to the Pew Research Center? Use these simple secrets to create a strong and effective voice for growing your business on social media.

HubSpot's Sales Quotes feature allows you to seamlessly create and send quotes to potential customers, as well as collect a signature and payment all in the same place.

Creating new content and publishing it to a website seems like an easy thing to do, but it can be time-consuming, difficult, and expensive. That’s why many teams turn to automation or delegation of the task—but that’s not always the best strategy. If you want your content to be informative, trustworthy, and engaging, it needs to come from within your team and reflect your brand’s voice and tone, even if that means doing it yourself.

Chatbots are transforming the way businesses interact with customers, and according to HubSpot, companies that use them report increased sales conversions, lower customer service costs, higher engagement rates, and more opportunities to upsell existing customers. Here are five surprising uses for chatbots that will save you time and money in your own business.

Tips and tricks from a small-but-mighty marketing-consulting firm.

Every team wants to create quality content that sparks its audience's interest, ranks high in SEO, and showcases their product or service in a way that allows their brand to grow consistently. It’s no secret that content creation takes time and does not always come easily, but small-but-mighty teams are always finding ways to create new content without reinventing the wheel.

Most entrepreneurs starting a new business also wear the hat of a lead salesperson for their new venture. Working in sales is a tricky business, especially in today's market, and doing so successfully while handling everything else on your plate requires an efficient and organized approach.

The key to any successful start-up is to learn from mistakes - not only your errors but also the mistakes of others. As with anything new, some things will undoubtedly go wrong, giving you plenty of opportunities to learn and grow.

The companies that succeed at growing their business aren't always the ones with the best product. However, they're almost always the ones that do a better job of communicating with their market than the competition does (of course having a good product helps too!).

Communication in the workplace, whether with clients, vendors or employees, is crucial to the productivity and growth of your small business. In a recent blog about reducing phone time in the office, we discussed different ways to manage both incoming and outgoing phone calls. But when you need to send an email, there’s a right way and a wrong way to get your message across. Before you hit send on your next email, review this detailed email guide to make sure your email is as effective as possible

As a leader of a small business, you know the importance of hiring people who share your vision and who will help you grow. Too many entrepreneurs and small business leaders hire employees instead of building a team.

We all know those last-minute shoppers that aren't interested in Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales (maybe you're one yourself!). Regardless of when or where they go shopping, people are in the mode to search for what they need. This means as a startup, your marketing strategy needs to be intentional and holiday-focused to make the most out of this consumer-focused season. Here are six last-minute holiday marketing hacks to help you make the most out of this holiday season.

In the beginning stages of your business, it’s easy to give each and every customer the personalized attention that will make them feel valued and turn them into a loyal customer. But as your company grows, it can become harder to provide that same level of service to everyone while juggling all the tasks associated with a growing business. So how do you provide the same level of personalized attention while still using your time effectively and getting stuff done? Here are a few things to remember when striving to provide your new and existing customers with the personal attention that really makes a difference.

One of the million-dollar questions many owners of small businesses find themselves asking is how to get their customers to leave reviews or offer feedback. Not only is this crucial information for the betterment and growth of the business, but it gives potential, future customers inside information about how your company operates, what your products or service is like, and how you served others.

There are countless ways you could describe each member of your team and how their characteristics influence the company's persona. Maybe your team members tend to be high-energy, cohesive, and pros at customer service. Perhaps they're data-driven, goal-oriented, and analytical. One way or the other, the success of your business is based heavily upon the team of people you've chosen to make it happen. 

When it comes to planning your company’s next event or outing, there is a lot to think about. You want to plan something that will promote team building and boost office morale, while also allowing coworkers to mingle in a fun, stress-free environment. You’re in charge of creating an event that people will actually want to attend and is good for business, will boost productivity, and will address common workplace issues in a neutral environment at the same time.

As a small business owner, you understand the power of social media in the success of your business. If you haven’t already, you’ll quickly see the impact of social media’s expansive reach and how it can take your message, service or product to a large, yet specifically targeted audience. If you’ve had a Facebook or Instagram account of your own for years, you have a basic understanding of how it works. You also know what things cause you to finally say “enough already!” and search frantically for the “unfollow” button. Social media is a popular method to reach your target audience, but used incorrectly could do more harm than good. Here are the four things that you could be doing right now to drive your audience nuts and result in a decreased customer base, and some tips on how to fix it.

Running a startup is no small feat. It requires organization, dedication, focus, teamwork, patience, self-discipline, and hard work. The first step in setting your startup for success is making sure it’s led by someone who is qualified and competent. Granted, you could do without the smoke machines and stage lighting, but who doesn't want a 'Rockstar' team member leading their customer projects?  Whether you’re looking to hire one, or find yourself wearing multiple hats and filling the PM role yourself, make sure that your project leadership demonstrates these 5 character traits to guide your business to success:

The key to profit is productivity, and if you and your employees are wasting time on unnecessary tasks, like phone checking and emails,  it could be costing you. Did you know that on average, Americans check their phones 80 times a day? And that a study done by Carleton University found that employees spend a third of their day checking and responding to emails? Here are the six biggest time wasters that could be hindering your startup’s success:

When you're in the midst of starting up a new business, it feels like there are an overwhelming number of things on your "To-Do List" for getting off the ground.  From business plans and marketing strategies to hiring employees, picking a workplace, and focusing on your branding, starting a small business is a big deal. In all of the craziness, many business owners overlook a crucial element in reaching their audience, expanding their brand, and increasing their online presence: blogging. Maybe the thought of writing something that your audience will want to read is enough to make you break out in hives? Or for those who like to write, blogging can get pushed to the bottom of the “To Do” list because it seems like a time-consuming task that doesn’t produce a measurable ROI.  But your startup needs a blog!  And not a half-done blog that you update as an excuse to avoid some other task you like even less. Your startup needs a solid, relevant, and consistent blog to accelerate lead generation!  And with a few easy setup tricks using the right marketing software or website analytics tracking, you'll know EXACTLY how much ROI you're getting from the time you invest.  Here’s how it works: 

Small businesses face unique challenges when it comes to marketing their company to a wider audience and building a sales pipeline of qualified leads. You may find that limited marketing resources make your business feel at a disadvantage when compared to major players in the industry. But don’t worry, you’re not alone. You can overcome this challenge by using 3 simple but effective marketing techniques that generate higher quality leads for nurturing through the process of inbound marketing.

Most people think remote work is full of flexibility and effortless productivity, but many are finding out that's just not the case. There's always something to distract yourself with, whether it's kids running around, laundry staring at you from across the room, or your neighbor who insists on cutting down a tree during your 2 o'clock meeting.

Life and business as we know it has changed over the last few weeks. Some businesses are being hit hard while others are hanging in there. In either case, it’s natural to go on the defense, cut expenses, and prepare for the worst.

Think social media campaigns are only for the big brands with thousands, if not millions, of followers and fans? Convinced you need massive internal resources to even get started? Think again!

Not every social platform makes sense for every business, so it’s important to understand which ones to target for growing your small business, while offering also customers an outstanding social media experience.

Inbound marketing can have a substantial impact on small businesses that hope to reach new clients and build their company's online brand. Inbound marketing differs from traditional advertising by focusing on cultivating personal relationships with people that are genuinely interested in their product or services. 

Trying to gain web traffic, convert leads, and grow your business without content marketing is difficult. But, content marketing without a quality SEO tool and keyword research is like taking a shot in the dark every time you go to blog.

Marketing is the key to any business's qualified lead generation success, and it should be both calculated and creative; a tool that allows your product or service to reach your target audience and make an impact in their lives.