3 Mobile Trends Every Marketer Must Know, and Other Marketing Stories of the Week

We usually use this time to round up some marketing stories that we think you'd like to hear. But before we get into that, I think it's important we take some time to thank some veterans for their service.

HubSpot has a number of extraordinary employees who served before joining us at HubSpot. So we thought it would be interesting to hear what they had to say in terms of which inbound marketing stories most interested them this week. So before we get into our traditional weekly roundup, I'd like to introduce just two of the HubSpot employees who have served for the United States -- we're very proud to have you with us.

First, we have Shawn Segundo, a support engineer with HubSpot, who helps customers get more out of the product and more out of their businesses as a whole. He served in the Navy from 2002-2006 in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and served as a radar and weaponry specialist onboard guided missile cruiser, USS Chosin CG-65.

Next, we have Steve Haase, an ecommerce inbound marketing consultant with HubSpot, who helps new customers gain some serious marketing superpowers. He served from 2002-2008 in the Navy Band in Washington, D.C., performing at concerts and ceremonies throughout the D.C. area and around the country, including the inauguration of President Bush and the funeral of President Reagan.

Steve said, “I'm proud to have served my country; one where innovation and entrepreneurship are so strongly supported. Starting my own online marketing agency in 2007, then coming over to the rocket ship that is HubSpot in 2012, I must say there is nowhere I would rather be in order to make a difference in the radically transforming world of communications, marketing, and business.”

Thank you, veterans and your families, for all your hard work and sacrifice!

Now, please enjoy some of the top stories of the week from the inbound marketing world, brought to you courtesy of two HubSpotters and U.S. veterans.

Mobile Ad Revenue Outlook: Local Search Leads the Way, From Search Engine Watch

Earlier this week, Search Engine Watch reported that U.S. mobile local advertising will grow from its $664 million number in 2011 to $5.8 billion in 2016. Mobile local advertising includes examples such as display ads or search queries that are refined by GPS or geo-modifier. You know, so when you search for “coffee” on your Google Maps app you conveniently receive information about the coffee shops in your current location so your searches are more relevant.

Search Engine watch also reported that search is the largest mobile local revenue component and its compound annual growth rate will be at around 52% throughout the forecast period, from $390 million to $3.2 billion. Wow. With numbers like these, it’s easy to see that the mobile local advertising industry is growing quite rapidly. Are you surprised by these numbers? Maybe a little intrigued? To see more data regarding the state of mobile local advertising, check out the full story here.

3 Mobile Trends Every Search Marketer Must Know, From Search Engine Land

Based on the previous story, it’s very clear that mobile local advertising is becoming more and more popular in the U.S. As it happens, Shawn Segundo, one of HubSpot’s USN Veterans, recommended this story of the week from Search Engine Land with three significant trends to be aware of when optimizing for mobile search.

First, mobile traffic is rising faster than you think. In fact, up to 25-30% of all paid search traffic is now mobile. Also, tablets currently have a much higher ROI than desktops. It’s actually quite amazing because the cost-per-click (CPC) for ads on tablets are 30% lower and convert 20% better than on desktops. Finally, ROI can vary significantly by mobile device. Data shows that ROI on iOS devices is actually 2X better than on Androids.

Did any of these trends surprise you? If you feel you need to better prepare to make your mobile search marketing program more effective, Search Engine Land also provides marketers with 5 actionable tips to improve. Read the full story here for more interesting data and tips.

How to Use Facebook for Mobile Marketing, From HubSpot

Now you’re probably saying, “Yeah, yeah. I get it. Mobile is kind of important. But what should I actually do about it?” A great place to start would be Facebook. Our latest ebook explains the current state of mobile usage, how to optimize Facebook for mobile, and how to use advertising on Facebook mobile, leaving you with some answers to your mobile marketing questions. Did you know that one in seven searches are from a mobile device? Or that 61% of customers who visit a site that isn’t mobile-friendly are likely to visit a competitor’s site? Yikes! If your company isn’t leveraging mobile in some form, it’s time to get moving. Download How to Use Facebook for Mobile Marketing to get started.

3 Powerful Email Marketing Lessons From the 2012 Elections, From WhatCounts

In addition to mobile marketing being a hot topic this week, we found that marketing lessons from the 2012 presidential elections were quite popular, as well. In fact, Steve Haase mentioned that he was a big fan of the election stories because, “there are almost an infinite number of things marketers can learn from the campaigns, regardless of your political leanings.”

To start, we have a story about three email marketing lessons based on the elections. These three lessons included identifying easy win backs, testing, and tracking and analyzing. WhatCounts reported that, “people who had unsubscribed from the 2008 campaign email lists were top targets, among the easiest to pull back into the fold with some personal attention.” What a great way to reengage your audience! Additionally, testing or experimenting and then measuring and analyzing your marketing campaigns will help you improve your marketing messages for the future. Would you like to see more? Check out the full story from WhatCounts here.

5 Content Marketing Lessons Learned From the 2012 Election, From Business 2 Community

With three email marketing lessons to kick us off, there are 5 more important lessons to learn from the 2012 presidential election that relate specifically to content marketing:

• Branding is very effective for defining competitors.
• Social media can spread your content more effectively.
• Use characterizations to package a message without details.
• Content doesn’t need a lot of weight for it to be interesting.
• Choosing how and when to use content is key.

This story by Business 2 Community makes it very clear that campaigns (whether they are political or not) are best driven by high-quality, relevant content ... and that content strategies can also be very flexible. So, how strong is your content? To learn more, check out the full story here.

How Not to Spend $35 Million on Marketing, From HubSpot

We're very excited to share that we recently raised $35 million through our mezzanine round of financing, giving us more capital to invest in our product, our team, and our European office. We’re very excited about it, but we want to be very clear that we will NOT be spending that money to buy 30,000 hours of TV infomercials, send 50 million pieces of direct mail, or make 140 million cold calls. Additionally, we will not buy 35 billion Twitter followers or wrap 20,000 cars in the HubSpot logo. What are some other ways we could waste our $35 million? Read the full story about our mezzanine round here and leave your ideas in the comments!

We’d like to extend a Veterans Day 'thank you' to all who served or are currently serving our country. Everyone at HubSpot, and I'm sure everyone reading this article, is thinking of you, and thankful for your service to the United States.

Image credit: Steve Haase