As a marketer, you are likely driven by the thrill of innovation. When a new social media platform shows signs of capturing critical market share, you begin assessing its ability to generate new business. 

 Considering the volume of attention marketing automation platforms receive, it may seem as though these platforms are ubiquitous. But the data tells a different story. Indeed, according to recent research, 51 percent of companies now use the technology, with 58 percent of B2B organizations planning to adopt the technology in the future.

A little while back, we published a post entitled “3 Benefits of Using a Small Business Marketing Consultant (you can read that post here). In some of our recent conversations with prospects and industry peers, we realized that many organizations are still unsure of what a marketing consultant or consulting agency actually does.

You know what’s concerning? The fact that 89 percent of B2B and 86 percent of B2C companies use content marketing, yet less than half are clear on what an effective content marketing program looks like. For the least successful of these organizations, this number drops to as low as 13 percent.

 In many of the conversations we have with both prospective clients and small business owners in general, a common theme emerges around marketing. These small-and-medium-sized business (SMB) leaders are looking for ways to improve brand awareness and increase lead generation efficiently and cost-effectively but often lack the time or marketing expertise to do it themselves. It is a perfectly understandable conundrum, because if you own a automobile service station, for instance, you are probably an expert at fixing cars — but not necessarily at marketing your business.   

 If you work as a marketer (or even if you don't) you have likely heard somebody say "Content Is King!" over the past few years. And good content is essential to a robust and successful marketing strategy. High-quality content serves many purposes, including educating your customers and prospects and improving your search results. 

 It's always nice to catch up with old friends, especially those who are setting their own path and making their mark on the business and marketing worlds. I recently had the distinct pleasure of being interviewed by an old friend, colleague and content marketer extraordinaire, Allison Boccamazzo, for her blog. For this Q&A, we spoke about some of the most important basics of SEO and SEM, and how to apply some these principles to your business.

 Welcome to The Forward Marketer blog! We are thrilled to be able to begin sharing our insights and expertise, and with 2017 just a few weeks old, it makes sense to start by discussing what we think marketing will look like in the year to come.