A FREE Inbound Marketing Software Solution for Businesses

Who doesn’t like a FREE alternative to marketing? We bet you most start-ups are interested in solutions that help minimize costs. At the same time, companies don’t want to sacrifice their marketing – after all, how else will they generate revenue?

Now there’s always HubSpot; all-inclusive software that helps you market and promote your business online. In short, HubSpot is a platform that allows you to join and connect with every marketing tool to attract customers and clients to your site, and ultimately to create conversion. This is what we call Inbound Marketingwhich is a special approach that focuses on bringing in the visitors rather than having to attract your prospect’s attention.

Some of the elements of online marketing include things like blogging, social media, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), key word search etc. Through HubSpot you are able to manage and assess your leads, to ultimately convert them to possible revenue opportunities. The point is to make marketing efficient, simple and convenient.

While time and speed are biggies for most business owners, ‘money’ is no small issue. For many businesses, HubSpot is just too expensive and advanced. HubSpot has acknowledged this and as a result, there is a cheaper platform to help businesses get started with their inbound marketing.

LeadIn: Introducing the FREE Alternative to Inbound Marketing

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Goodbye 116 Spadina, Hello 1 Robina

Last week we said goodbye to Jar’s previous location of five years at 116 Spadina and moved in to our new location at 1 Robina Ave.  Not just a change in office, our new neighbourhood of Regal Heights Village near St.Clair West and Oakwood in midtown Toronto is quite the scenery change from Adelaide and Spadina. So far I’ve enjoyed taking quick breaks to enjoy the new sights and sounds of St.Clair West, plentiful open park spaces and ample free street parking. Inside the new space, large, afternoon-sun facing windows fill our new work area with much welcome light.

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A Look Inside FITC Toronto 2014: Highlights from the Conference

I was extremely excited to attend this year’s FITC Toronto technology and creativity conference. Excited and grateful, as I won a contest FITC held giving women in the field an opportunity to create an original work for their #WomenAtFITC initiative in exchange for a conference pass.

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The 2014 Digital Mastermind Group Meet-up in Tampa, Florida

The Digital Agency Mastermind group is a wonderful opportunity for small agencies from across North America to share best practices and industry insights. The average agency size is small – about 10 to 15 people in most cases with a few of larger agencies. There is also mix of focuses including web design, online advertising and pure technology. The group meets approximately twice a year for two days, with the latest edition happening in Tampa, Florida.

The thing I appreciate most about this gathering is how Jeff Kline, the original organizer of the group, has inspired a truly noncompetitive dialogue around how to improve our business– from hiring practices to client services to the latest in new technologies.

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Mobile Retail Email Marketing- Best Practices Part 1

This blog will have two parts. In the first part we review challenges facing retailers with mobile email marketing.  In the second part we will discuss best practices in mobile retail email marketing.

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6 Steps to Mobile SEO Success in 2014

There’s no reason in 2014 here to spell out why any website shouldn’t already have, or is in the process of having, a mobile website.

 

I’m here today to get you thinking of SEO for your mobile website in 2014. Google’s recent Hummingbird algorithm and the arrival of KitKat are forcing a shift of search strategies.

 

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#UNSELFIE: Our Holiday wishes from Jar Creative

2013 was the year of the selfie. Literally. ‘Selfie’, was not only just added to the Oxford dictionary in 2013, but was also chosen as the international word of year. From the book itself:

selfie noun, informal
(also selfy; plural selfies)

a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website

They are absolutely everywhere. In our Facebook and Instagram feeds, in marketing campaigns … Even President Obama got in on the action recently with the most infamous selfie of the year when he took out his phone and snapped a shot of himself with fellow heads of state during the Nelson Mandela memorial. Somehow, even in the deepest reflective moments, we’ve put ourselves at the centre of it all. Then, the reaction. The Unselfie.

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It’s Movember! And our new project manager Simon is participating!

Meet Simon, our new project manager at Jar Creative.  Simon may have a busy background involving marketing and the Canadian music industry, but this month his most awesome contribution to the team is his participation in the annual men’s health movement, Movember. He’s currently growing a lip sweater for Movember Canada in support of the various men’s health issues Movember draws attention to such as prostate and testicular cancer and mental health issues.
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Employee Spotlight – Russell Holley

While we might be an agency on the smaller scale, we’ve got some major talent in house.  Because of this, I wanted to introduce a new monthly blog feature where we put the spotlight on everyone behind the scenes here at Jar.  Now…to find the first victim interviewee.

Russell Holley.  He could be be the most focussed, and expedient designer in the western hemisphere, I swear.  This guy is truly a design machine, churning out dozens of design projects at any given time whilst always managing to maintain an easy-going-never-stressed-vibe.

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Jar Creative is Going to Inbound 2013

It’s that time of the year again…

HubSpot’s annual conference, Inbound, will be in Boston on August 19th to the 22nd, and both Jeremy and myself will be there soaking up all things HubSpot [and squeezing some sightseeing in as well!].

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