5 Animated HubSpot CTA Buttons

HubSpot CTA:  Doesn't Need To Be Sad and Boring

Default HubSpot CTA button styles can be pretty limiting,  but they don’t have to be!

HubSpot CTA button code can be adjusted to do almost anything.  This makes it really easy to bring a professional looking design to your HubSpot pages.

Take a look at these 5 Hubspot CTA’s with Rollover Effects, CSS Transitions, Hover Animations and unique styles.  These buttons are all done with pure CSS.  Which means there are even more fun possibilities when we look at HubSpot CTA image buttons.

If you see a button that you wish could be a CTA on your site, leave a comment and we will try and HubSpotify it for you and add it to our list. 

Additional Design Resource: Adding Custom Styles to my CTA

Awesome CTA Gif

Hover Square HubSpot CTA

See the Pen HubSpot Hover Effect Button by Joe Henriod (@joehenriod) on CodePen.

Pro Tip: HubSpot Techniques. 

You may want to delete the “background-color: #0fc;"  or change it to have it match your site.

Do not write your button text in the text editor.  Hit the Source Code button “<>”, and then cut and paste this code.  If you need to change the CTA text, make your edits in this mode or Hubspot will strip important information when you save.

If you wish to change the color of your link text, make that the last change you do.  You can edit the color with the normal “Text Color” button in the Design panel.  Your colors get set back to black every time you make a change in the Custom CSS panel, so you will need to do this again if you made any changes to the css.

The Fancy Click CTA

See the Pen Fancy Click Hubspot CTA by Joe Henriod (@joehenriod) on CodePen.

Pro Tip: HubSpot Techniques. 

You may need to adjust or completely eliminate: “margin-top: 6%” so that the button is where you want it on the page.  This line puts extra padding above the button.

Do not write your button text in the text editor.  Hit the Source Code button “<>”, and then cut and paste this code.  If you need to change the CTA text, make your edits in this mode or Hubspot will strip important information when you save.

If you wish to change the color of your link text, make that the last change you do.  You can edit the color with the normal “Text Color” button in the Design panel.  Your colors get set back to black every time you make a change in the Custom CSS panel, so you will need to do this again if you made any changes to the css.

Animated Transition with Text Reveal Hubspot CTA

Pro Tip: HubSpot Techniques. 

Do not write your button text in the text editor.  Hit the Source Code button “<>”, and then cut and paste this code.  If you need to change the CTA text, make your edits in this mode or Hubspot will strip important information when you save.

If you wish to change the color of your link text, make that the last change you do.  You can edit the color with the normal “Text Color” button in the Design panel.  Your colors get set back to black every time you make a change in the Custom CSS panel, so you will need to do this again if you made any changes to the css.

Hubspot Rollover and Click Effect CTA

Pro Tip: HubSpot Techniques. 

Do not write your button text in the text editor.  Hit the Source Code button “<>”, and then cut and paste this code.  If you need to change the CTA text, make your edits in this mode or Hubspot will strip important information when you save.

If you wish to change the color of your link text, make that the last change you do.  You can edit the color with the normal “Text Color” button in the Design panel.  Your colors get set back to black every time you make a change in the Custom CSS panel, so you will need to do this again if you made any changes to the css.

Hubspot Red Pill vs Blue Pill inset click CTA

Pro Tip: HubSpot Techniques. 

Do not write your button text in the text editor.  Hit the Source Code button “<>”, and then cut and paste this code.  If you need to change the CTA text, make your edits in this mode or Hubspot will strip important information when you save.

If you wish to change the color of your link text, make that the last change you do.  You can edit the color with the normal “Text Color” button in the Design panel.  Your colors get set back to black every time you make a change in the Custom CSS panel, so you will need to do this again if you made any changes to the css.

Remember to leave a comment with your favorite button - so we can HubSpotify it for you!


Featured Exhibitor One Wheel: Outdoor Retailer 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNqOU4jx62I

Onewheel launched on Kickstarter in January 2014, and since then they have kept rolling!

Onewheel cruises at up to 12 miles per hour, and is a board that you can take anywhere.  It's fun on the beach, mountain trails, or just cruising down the street.

Onewheel is a self balancing electronic skateboard.  It has lights to illuminate the ground while your cruising at night, and even connects to your phone to let you know the battery level.

To learn more visit Onewheel's booth at 39066.

Harness Consulting


Featured Exhibitor So iLL: Outdoor Retailer 2016

https://vimeo.com/27502746

At the intersection of Fashion, Art, and Climbing sits So iLL.  This climbing brand creates products that will grip you as much as you grip them. Daniel Chancellor created the brand 12 years ago, starting with 6 people, a bunch of product and a van.

They have come a long way since then.  With 33,000 followers and climbing on Instagram, they are a must watch for anyone with an interest in indoor climbing.

Visit So iLL's booth at 2035 to learn more.

Harness Consulting


Featured Exhibitor Bright Path Led: Outdoor Retailer 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTRJKvPaFPU

A simple idea, a powerful product.

Bright Path Led is a perimeter security lantern for camping.  Everyone who has slept in a tent knows the fear that an animal will coming scratching at the tent door in the middle of the night.  This lantern helps alleviate that fear with a motion detector system large enough to cover your entire campsite.  If anything large is moving through your camp the light will activate.

It's also great not to have to grab a flashlight when you want to go check on the kids tent.  And with recent battery tests showing the battery can last over 30 days, the reliability of this camping lantern is off the charts!

Check out Bright Path Led's booth at PV3140 to learn more.

Harness Consulting


Featured Exhibitor Bureo: Outdoor Retailer 2016

https://vimeo.com/169451082

You have never seen a skateboard like this! Is it a skateboard, a surfboard, or just a crazy hybrid  where imaginative designs meets having fun on the street?

Bureo is all about sustainability. The teams initiative 'Net Positiva', was the first fishnet collection and recycling program in Chile.  It is a beautiful partnership where fisherman get ecologically sound disposal, and Bureo receives durable raw materials that they use to create their unique boards.

The three founders Ben R. Kneppers, David M. Stover and Kevin J, funded the production of the first wave of skateboards through a highly successful Kickstarter.

Check out Buero's booth V02072 to learn more.

Harness Consulting


Featured Exhibitor Tentsile: Outdoor Retailer 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgx6lN5F6g4

Why can't a tent be a tree house?  Alex Shirley-Smith founded Tensile with a simple vision to build a portable tree house that would make people happy.  Today Tensile is rapidly expanding to make that vision a reality.

Tentsile combines everything you love about a hammock: comfort, versatility, and extreme portability with a huge increase in security and sleeping capacity for up to 8 people.  By lifting your tent off the ground you will not be affected by wet, rocky or frigid surfaces.  It's not just fun and comfortable, you can also pack lighter and leave the bulky cushions and air mattresses that are used to make hard surfaces palatable.

Check out Tentsile's booth PV3005 to learn more.
Featured Image By Linked Ring Photography

Harness Consulting


Video Marketing and Marketing Automation

Making sense of marketing: focus on the basics of communication.

When companies begin to consider the process of creating and nurturing new business relationships, they are often bombarded with endless offerings from various software providers, agencies, and other outlets that throw around jargon such as CRM, automation, CPA, CAC - the list goes on and on. The truth is, however, business remains relatively simple when you remember one basic thing - people still buy from people even in our technology-driven culture. 

People buy from people.

Whether you are focused on a digital campaign or outside sales, there are individual humans at each company that are making the decisions about which products and services will best solve their problems.  You simply need to figure out the best way to reach those individuals and let them get to know you as a fellow human.  What makes you special and how should you communicate that in the most efficient and effective manner?

If you are marketing to a large list of prospects, it can be daunting to consider how to go about developing and nurturing relationships with each person at the end of each email address.  However, there are tools that allow you to do that in a way that is still very human with one-to-one communication.  Which tools you ask? The answer: marketing automation combined with video.

The importance of results-driven video

Video marketing has an immeasurable impact on marketing initiatives. In fact, Forbes named it #1 of the Top 7 Online Marketing Trends that Will Dominate 2016. A few of the numerous major benefits of video are:of

  • SEO - Having unique video on your site makes it 50x more likely to appear on top of Google search results
  • Email Marketing - Click-through rates increased as much as 300%
  • Conversions - Prospects that watch video on your site are 64% more likely to make a purchase

If you are not already convinced that the critical nature of video playing a key role in your marketing efforts, be sure to watch the video above.

What is marketing automation?

The power of marketing automation is rooted in an ability to tailor a specific solution for a business based on the business’s unique sales model, marketing funnel, products and/or services sold and the unique behaviors of each lead.  Automation allows companies to optimize and grow their business through nurturing leads from initial awareness through all stages of the sales funnel at substantially reduced marketing costs.  According to Forrester Research, companies that utilize this technology are able to generate 50% more qualified leads at a 33% reduced cost - that is certainly worth noting.

As we have mentioned in other articles such as Email Marketing Refined, email is still a very viable marketing channel if utilized properly.  This is important to realize because email plays a vital role in marketing automation especially when combined with video.  By utilizing results-driven videos, we have seen our clients increase their click-through rates in email marketing by as much as 300%! We try to use video in nearly every email campaign - it just works.

Where do you start? At the finish Line!

So now that you have decided to utilize marketing automation with video, where do you begin? The answer: start at your goal and work your way back. Are you hoping to generate new leads, increase traffic to your site, or increase conversions on your e-commerce platform? Once you identify your ideal result, you can establish the metrics needed to reach that target.

One simple example of these metrics would be to use video analytics such as engagement rate or rewatches in order to score your leads and segment your list.  In doing so, you can send subsequent touch points to each list based on their engagement levels.  For instance, if a person watched 100% of the video, then they are exhibiting deeper interest than a person who bounced after 30 seconds.  These individuals should receive different marketing materials to nurture the respective relationships.

We like to use video heat maps to see areas where individuals watch, rewind, fast-forward, and rewatch to segment our targets.  If a person rewatches an area of the video that is focused on a particular product or service, we can automatically send them subsequent emails that focus on that service.

An example: one of our clients manufactures a men's luxury clothing line.  We sent out a video promoting a new Autumn clothing collection. We created a follow-up touch points around each of the products highlighted in the video in advance of sending the first video campaign.  That way, if a user watched or rewatched a section of the video that highlighted a type of pants, we had an automated workflow to send follow up emails illustrating additional features, advantages, and benefits of those products.  

Using video to create new leads

Video can also be used to create new leads by utilizing a signup form inside the video player to capture email addresses of viewers. If users are interested and want to keep in contact, they can provide contact info, which is then synced with our customer relationship management software as a new account. From there, we are able to cultivate the relationship over time with appropriate materials.

Nurturing with video: awareness, consideration, & decision stages

How do you nurture that new relationship with video? We build our video marketing campaigns over time to cater to each step of the funnel as the individual continues to search for a solution to his or her problem or need.  From broad awareness style videos to more precise videos highlighting an individual value proposition, we walk buyers through the sales funnel from awareness to decision and then later with after-sale service videos.

Further, our automation software will allow us to place the individual accounts into a visual funnel so we know precisely where each buyer is in that process. Most leads fall into the awareness or consideration stage, and may stay there for a short time or longer depending on your particular sales cycle.  The important part is knowing where they are on that journey so that you can send them timely, relevant information to assist them in making the best decision possible.

Awareness

In the awareness stage, we send our leads more broad educational content about the features advantages and benefits of our services.  Who we are, what we do, how we do it, and what makes us so special compared to others. Those are the basics to build that awareness and establish credibility.

Consideration

Once a buyer moves into the consideration stage, we work to build a deeper relationship with them.  Let them get to know you a bit. This still stays high-level, but gives them more depth into how we can help them solve their problem by answering questions they have about our solutions.

Decision

In the decision stage, we like to leverage the selling power of our current clients by letting them speak for us.  We like to use testimonials and case studies to really paint a picture for our prospects and allow them to see how our relationship will take shape if they work with us.

Scoring leads

Another important aspect is lead scoring, which is another way for us to identify the quality of the lead and their position in the buyer’s journey. A quick example - we assign 20 points to a lead that fills out the form on our site to receive our emails.  We give 50 points to someone that watches our first video in our video marketing series.  We assign 50 points for each subsequent video they watch in the series.  If someone completes all of the videos, we consider them to be in the decision stage and market to them differently than we would a brand new subscriber.

Bring it all together

Another important aspect is lead scoring, which is another way for us to identify the quality of the lead and their position in the buyer’s journey. A quick example - we assign 20 points to a lead that fills out the form on our site to receive our emails.  We give 50 points to someone that watches our first video in our video marketing series.  We assign 50 points for each subsequent video they watch in the series.  If someone completes all of the videos, we consider them to be in the decision stage and market to them differently than we would a brand new subscriber.

Marketing automation has been around for a few years.  As mentioned above, it can have a profound impact on generating and building relationships. Internet video has been around for several years as well and has become critical for any successful marketing campaign.  By combining these two technologies, we are able to help our clients build substantially deeper relationships that allow us to anticipate needs and create recurring revenue from repeat buyers.


A Brief Guide Using Facebook for Business

Facebook is the ubiquitous king of social networking, universally accepted into nearly all of our lives.  Scanning a user’s timeline reveals stories of relationships, birthdays, wins and losses and connects us in a way never thought possible prior to its invention. As such, Facebook is often used as a Social Media home base for many businesses because of the profound marketing insights the networks provides.

facebook_for_business

Facebook is used for a congregation, conversation, and publication with users engaging with brands that they feel a social connection to rather than those that simply sell toa them.  The Facebook newsfeed algorithm gives preferential treatment to brands that receive significant interaction with their posts, which makes it hard for new businesses to gain any impressions or interaction when their fan base is small.  

In order to solve this issue, Facebook introduced several tools for business to utilize in order to increase their exposure on the platform:

Facebook for Business is an excellent resource to how to advertise on Facebook and grow your sales with Facebook Advertising.  For example, A boosted post is a post from your business page that can reach a larger audience for a fee based on the amount of exposure needed to reach your target.

Facebook Page Insights provides comprehensive analytics of your business page.  By analyzing this data you are able to hone your content based on your audience demographics, the content they engage with most, and the optimal times to share. Ignoring these analytics is most certainly to your detriment. For instance, we noticed that our clients that utilize video were receiving 80% higher engagement.

Facebook Studio is a tool that exhibits the most successful marketing campaigns on Facebook. Each year, the most successful campaigns get recognized by Facebook and this resource can be used for marketing inspiration for your campaigns. See what works and how you can adapt such ideas to your unique marketing goals.

That leads us to Facebook advertising tools:

Facebook Ads are advertising that can be targeted to users based on location, demographics, behavior, and interests. The purpose of these ads can be to grow your fan base, drive traffic to your website, increase a specific conversion (which can even be tracked with a piece of code) or download your app.  Whatever your call to action might be, Facebook offers template-based campaigns that marketers will certainly find useful.

With that in mind, social is one aspect of a successful campaign that must be part of a larger marketing effort in order to generate any measurable results.  HARNESS works with our clients to develop an overall marketing strategy based on their unique goals by identifying value propositions, designing a campaign catered to their audience, and drawing on a variety of tools including those mentioned above.


3 STEPS TO CREATING GREAT MARKETING CONTENT

Content Marketing integrates very well with Social Media marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  Here is what you need to do before you start creating content:

Identify Your Audience

To do that, you have to:

  • Select your niche: This is a particular group of people who are interested in the topic you write about.
  • Refine your niche - for example, "fitness enthusiasts" is a niche, but it is relatively broad. "Mountain sports enthusiasts" is a more targeted niche and would make a more precise target.
  • Dig down! Micro-niche is a subset of your chosen niche. For example, "Sports climbers" or "ice climbers" are micro-niches in the "mountain sports enthusiasts" niche.

Conduct Research

That being said, you need to spend a good amount of time to get an idea of what the trending topics are.  Platforms such as Buzzsumo, Reddit, Feedly are excellent resources to gain insight of what’s trending in today’s market.

Decide On Your Content

What do you think your customers will be more interested in - a blog post, videos, podcasts, newsletter, reports, white papers, tutorials, infographics?   Different types of content work better on certain platforms versus others.  For example, if you decide to create a video, you have to keep your distribution method in mind.  Each platform has specific requirements technically, aesthetically, and within the expectations of your viewer.

Your prospects will consume media in any method THEY choose.

Just because you choose to utilize a white paper does not mean that your particular prospect engages with that type of content.  You must be sure to cater to all types of content consumption across all platforms.

Strategize, execute, manage, and analyze your content.

Timing is everything in today's digital market, and optimal sharing time is different from one channel to the other.  The only way to perfect your content sharing timing is to analyze your social media data and find out when your audience is most engaged. Â