[THE LATEST] I can't be trusted 😔

Here's THE LATEST from the marketing, business, and tech world...

Marcus Sheridan on Inbound in 2019, GEICO's Genius Lead Generation Campaign, & Google Makes It Easier for Customers to Contact You ...This is THE LATEST! I can't be trusted. Yet another house plant has died under my care.  I thought this time it would be different, you know? "Hey, Liz. You're 36 years old. You've somehow managed to keep two dogs, a cat, and a husband alive for the past few years. Surely, you should be able to handle a little indoor house plant that doesn't require you to take them on walks or make them a salad because, 'Salads just taste better when you make them.'" Wrong. It only took 13 days for my latest victim to succumb to my black thumb. As a friend once told me, "Liz, you're like hospice care for house plants -- you help them transition to the next chapter of this crazy thing we call life." Sigh.   You know what isn't dead, at least? Inbound. But as we kick-off 2019, we need to accept that many of the traditional, championed ways of achieving success with inbound just don't cut it anymore. 🥇Marcus Sheridan Shares What It Takes to Succeed with Inbound Marketing in 2019 (Interview) World-renowned author and keynote speaker Marcus Sheridan has spent years obsessing about what it takes for marketers and businesses to succeed with inbound, so he knows what works and -- most of all -- what doesn't. That's why IMPACT VP of Marketing Kathleen Booth invited Marcus to join her as her first Inbound Success guest of 2019 to discuss what it really takes to succeed with inbound marketing. Learn the inbound marketing playbook Marcus Sheridan says everyone should be following.  🎓 GEICO Best of Campaign Is a Master Class in Creative Lead Generation Strategies It's not exactly news when GEICO hits the airwaves with yet another hilarious advertising campaign. However, their recent "Best of GEICO" campaign is much more than a buzzworthy bit of branded kitsch. In fact, IMPACT Sales Operations Specialist Shandia Drummond says the "best" part of GEICO's strategy was its creative approach to lead generation. Here's why marketers need to take notice of GEICO's "Best of" lead generation campaign.  👋 Google Is Making It Easier for Customers to Message Your Business with a New Test Most marketers spend their days anxiously waiting to hear about the latest way Google is going to make their lives more difficult, if not completely miserable. They might announce a new algorithm change, or roll out a featured snippet or SERP "innovation" designed to keep people on Google's site. For once, however, Google is testing a feature we think businesses will love -- the ability for customers to contact a business directly through Google My Business.  👀 ...When You're All Ears (& Eyes) "What It Will Take to Succeed with Inbound Marketing in 2019" (Inbound Success, Ep. 72) "A Mini-Episode to Start Your New Year" (Hubcast, Ep. 207.5) "How Divvy Gets 95% of Its Leads from Inbound" (Inbound Success, Ep. 71) 📅 Save the Date  How do you create brand loyalists out of your current customer base? On Thursday, January 24, Will Harris of Real Thread will show you. During this interactive webinar, you'll learn how to retain your customers and what you need to do from first-touch to signed contract (and beyond) to transform those customers into lifelong brand loyalists. Register for this webinar today. IMPACT Client Success Specialist Myriah Anderson will be a featured speaker for Sales Hacker's Accelerating Sales with Video: Lessons Learned from Those Seeing Success live web event on January 17. Limited spots are available, so snag yours today. Chicago HubSpot User Group: In Chicago? Ready to win at social media? Join the Chicago HUG on Wednesday, January 23 at 6:00pm as Dan Gingiss, speaker and author of Winning at Social Customer Care, shares how to identify what will get shared on social media. Space is limited so register for the Chicago HUG today.  Congratulations! You made it to the bottom of this issue of THE LATEST. That's no small feat for a busy Tuesday. To reward your commitment, here's a special surprise, from me to you... 🎁 Cheers, Liz Murphy Director, Web & Interactive Content @naptownpint Share the Awesomeness.    I'm not interested at this time Sent by IMPACT, 470 James Street, Suite 10, New Haven, CT