Blog Archives - Page 3 of 19

Are Whitepapers Dead?

Posted on 28 February 20243 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

Whitepapers have long been hailed as an indispensable tool for B2B marketers and an important part of your marketing arsenal. Originating as a traditional, academic report in higher-education settings, marketers swiftly leveraged them to become a lead generating magnet. Simultaneously helping to establish brands as credible and authoritative industry-leaders within B2B sectors.

Whitepapers remain the longest form of content you can create. They are more formal and are backed by research and offer an in-depth analysis into a specific industry topic or problem – typically signposting the reader to the solution at the conclusion.

But, with brands experimenting more and more with short-form content; the rise of snappy posts and videos; and an ever-decreasing audience attention span, it begs the question…

What value does a whitepaper still hold in the current digital landscape?

✔ Credibility and Authority: Whitepapers are synonymous with expertise and thought leadership. Businesses can demonstrate their industry knowledge and establish credibility among their target audience by educating them about a topic, challenge or solution in their industry.

✔ Lead Generation: Well-crafted whitepapers that are strategically promoted continue to be effective lead magnets. By offering valuable insights and solutions, businesses can attract quality leads interested in solving specific problems.

✔ Sales Team Resource: Whitepapers can act as an additional resource for your sales team when speaking with prospects – allowing them to offer an interesting and valuable piece of content to further move prospects down the funnel.

✔ Long-Term Value: Unlike blogs or social media posts, whitepapers have a longer shelf life. They can serve as evergreen resources that continue to attract and engage prospects long after their initial publication. Your whitepaper can be the cornerstone of your marketing strategy and approach for the next 6-12 months if strategically curated and promoted effectively.

Whilst it is true that content types have diversified because of the audience’s preference for bite-sized, easily digestible content, the benefits you can achieve with a cutting-edge, thought-provoking whitepaper highlight that they still hold a well-deserving place in modern marketing strategies. But they must be written and promoted effectively, and with relevancy, with the audiences’ changing behaviours and preferences in mind.

So, how can businesses navigate this shift?

Interactive Elements: Incorporating interactive elements such as quizzes, calculators, or assessments can make whitepapers more engaging for modern audiences.
Visual Enhancements: Integrating attractive and creative visuals like charts, graphs, and infographics can break up dense copy and make complex information more comprehensive and retain the reader’s attention span.
Ongoing Promotion: Your marketing activity to promote your whitepaper is equally, if not more important than the content piece itself. A strong, digital marketing strategy that is aligned to your audiences’ preferences will ensure optimum opportunity for lead capture and downloads.
Focus on your Audience: Will they download and read a whitepaper? Can you offer valuable insights and information that provide them tangible solutions and next steps? The whitepaper has to go above and beyond just promoting your brand or service – it needs to be a content piece that they will find interesting and valuable.

The digital marketing landscape is constantly transforming, yet whitepapers hold their ground as a pivotal resource for businesses aiming to cement their status as thought leaders, educate their audience, and drive lead generation through effective creation and promotion.

As we navigate through this evolution, it’s clear that while the environment and our audiences are constantly developing, whitepapers are far from dead and remain highly relevant. To stay alive, however, they must adapt to keep pace with these ongoing developments.

Opinion piece by Account Director, Jess House

Did you know we offer a comprehensive whitepaper campaign package, that actually delivers results?

Expertly crafted to drive downloads and gather critical prospect data, our service includes concept creation, the whitepaper itself, data purchase, direct mail, and the core components of a successful campaign: email, social, paid social, phone outreach, and dedicated account management. Benefit from regular reporting and a segmented database of your target audience to track engagement levels, including whitepaper downloads.

Maximising Sales Performance: Should You Go In-House or Outsourced for Training?

Posted on 21 February 20243 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

It’s not your imagination, sales development is definitely getting harder. Outbound prospecting is certainly getting harder. Doing the same thing, applying the usual techniques, won’t cut it anymore. More than ever, there’s a need to be coaching and training your SDRs regularly, particularly in the early part of their career.

But what’s the best way to train your sales team? Should you have an in-house trainer or send SDRs to external training courses? Here, we’ll look at the pros and cons of in-house and outsourced sales training and enablement.

Benefits of in-house sales training

Awareness of the business: A trainer who works within the business knows the internal values, processes and systems. You can work through real life situations and confidential case studies.

Ongoing support: In-house trainers are able to train and coach consistently, and provide ongoing support. They’re not simply providing a one-off session, never to be seen again.

Accountability: Working in-house, the trainer can hold participants to account and follow up on the training with them.

Challenges of in-house sales training

Expensive commitment: There’s the ongoing cost of hiring trainers rather than the variable outgoing of paying for external training courses.

Repetition of content: In-house trainers tend to teach the same things again and again. Being ‘in the bubble,’ they’re less exposed to new, external content and ideas. As Albert Einstein wisely pointed out, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Colleagues as fellow students: Training alongside your team mates tends to mean that you’re bringing similar experiences to the table. You’re not learning about different environments, challenges and case studies.

Benefits of outsourced sales training

Experts in their field: External trainers tend to be subject matter specialists. They’re constantly learning and updating their knowledge to pass on to their students.

Established programs: Outsourced training is generally a one stop shop. Participants follow a program over a set time (e.g. a one day or half day training session). It’s a well-established and prepared program with specific processes.

Diversity of participants: External training providers usually hold sessions for people from different companies. They’ll bring varying levels of knowledge and understanding, and differing experiences. You’ll learn from each other as well as the trainer.

Challenges of outsourced sales training

Cost of training courses: Outsourced sales training can be a costly option. Some providers charge £5000+ per day, for example.

Lack of accountability: After your training course, you go back to work and carry on. All too often, you drift back to old habits instead of the new ideas that you learned about. Without anyone to hold you to account, it’s easy to stick with what you know.

Finite learning experience: Once your six hour or six week training program ends, that’s the end. There’s no follow up to check your understanding of the topic, to build on it or to see if you’re successfully implementing the new approach.

Introducing a different approach – The SDR Academy

We believe The SDR Academy offers something truly different.

The SDR Academy’s unique offering involves both learning new things as well as topping up and refreshing existing knowledge. We hold SDRs accountable for what they’ve learnt with regular sessions every single week. It’s the best of both worlds – a continuous learning journey combined with external expertise and learning from other people with different experiences.

We believe that sales training doesn’t have a beginning and end. You don’t have one session on ‘objection handling’ and then handle every instance perfectly. You don’t attend a session on ‘writing cold emails’ and then compose winning emails every time. You never complete your learning around sales. It’s an evolution; a process of continuous improvement.

The SDR Academy is an ongoing subscription to virtual training sessions. Run in live, virtual rooms, the courses are created and facilitated by leading industry experts. It’s comprehensive, affordable and impactful.

How To Effectively Convert MQLs From Gated Content

Posted on 9 January 20243 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

Acquiring Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) is just the beginning when it comes to Digital Marketing. Next comes the trickier part: effectively nurturing and converting those leads into loyal customers.

In this blog, we’re looking at how to effectively convert MQLs from gated content downloads, with a strategic approach that guides prospects seamlessly through their buying journey.

Here are 10 strategies to effectively nurture and convert MQLs into valuable customers:

Segment and Personalise

Segmentation is key. Group MQLs based on demographics, behaviour, and where they are in their journey. Then, personalise your content to cater to the specific pain points and needs of each segment.

Lead Nurturing Campaigns

Gradually introduce relevant content and take advantage of a multi-channel approach by engaging leads across various platforms like email campaigns, social media and webinars.

Content Mapping

Align your offerings with the different stages of the buyer’s journey. Provide informative content at every step to guide leads closer to conversion.

Engagement and Interaction

Use interactive content tools such as live webinars, polls, calculators and ROI tools to engage leads and gather valuable insights. Encourage prompt interaction and respond swiftly to inquiries.

Qualification

Define clear criteria for when a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) becomes a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL).

Continuous Analysis and Optimisation

Keep a close eye on your metrics. Monitor KPIs such as conversion rates and engagement metrics. Continuously experiment through A/B testing to optimise your nurturing campaigns.

Sales and Marketing Alignment

Ensure strong collaboration between your marketing and sales teams. Foster open communication and create a feedback loop to refine MQL criteria and nurturing strategies.

Customer-Centric Approach

Focus on value. Showcase how your product or service resolves specific pain points rather than just its features. Offer educational resources that empower leads to make informed decisions.

Lead Follow-Up

Timing is everything. Ensure swift follow-ups and sustained engagement with your leads. Automate reminders within your CRM to maintain the conversation flow.

Retargeting and Remarketing

Utilise retargeting ads and personalised offers to re-engage MQLs who have shown interest but haven’t converted yet.

By applying these strategies with precision and dedication, you can effectively nurture and guide MQLs through their journey, transforming them into loyal customers. This approach will not only boost conversions but also foster long-term relationships with your audience, driving sustainable growth for your business.

Opinion piece by Digital Marketing Manager, Becca Duckering

All You Need to Know About Using Data in Outbound Sales

Posted on 3 January 20243 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

At the close of last year, our exclusive roundtable, hailed by viewers as ‘the event of the year’ and one of our most successful yet, brought together the leading minds from all major data providers in the industry to discuss everything you need to know about using data in outbound sales. Offering key insights across strategy, intent data, data accuracy and the best practices for utilising data – it’s an absolute must-watch for anybody involved in the sales process.

Hosted by Air’s Founder & CEO, Owen Richards, our expert panel featured:

James Isilay – CEO at Cognism
Saif Khan – Director of Sales at ZoomInfo
Liz Fulham – Founder & CEO at TAMI
Paul Gilhooly – VP of Sales at 6sense

Here, their insights are revealed:

Everything Starts with Your ICP

“Many clients don’t know what their TAM (Total Addressable Market) is” says Liz Fulham. One of the common pitfalls of outbound sales is the spray and pray approach.

Ringing everyone on a list with no process or targeting strategy in place is what Paul Gilhooly calls a sure “revenue and productivity killer.”

The best way to lift your revenue line is to know who to target, what their pain points are and “how your solution fits into your prospect’s organisation” as Saif Khan offers.

Have an Efficient Operating Model

The importance of having a clear and efficient operating model within sales cannot be overstated. After all, data and outbound go hand in hand. A good operating model will tie into that strategy and allow you to maximise your data for success. Paul Gilhooly informed us that 5-10% of your TAM will be in-market at any given moment. Ensuring that you have a process of capturing those accounts will help you to prioritise the most important accounts that are in-market for your solution. As he is says “In this economy, missing out on opportunities is the worst, so if you don’t have a process for that you’re missing a trick.”

Saif echoes and elaborates on the importance of having the tools and a blueprint of how you’re going to reach your goals. “The two biggest things are alignment and resource allocation” he says. With everyone in the team being asked to do more with less these days, it’s important that sales and marketing teams communicate and that you are providing for the accounts that have the highest yield. It’s not enough to focus on the leads generated at the top of the funnel anymore, so leveraging data from all departments to inform how you approach sales is fundamental.

Using Data Effectively

Many companies come to data providers with the goal of enhancing their revenue but think they need to “rip and replace” all the data they have collected so far. Saif says it’s actually all about assimilating what has worked up until now and leveraging the right solutions to understand where the volume and quality of leads can be improved. When you understand the bigger picture, you can build short- and long-term plans for your success.

AI is changing the world. It has so many uses within outbound sales such as helping SDRs to create ICPs based on their best-selling customers. Paul Gilhooly also explains how within 6sense’s platform it can be used to do a statistical lookback at the last few years of your CRM data and identify key trends and opportunities.

AI can be instrumental in getting the timing of outreach right, as well as providing a workflow to help you to prioritise the best opportunities. Liz explains that “using AI we’re able to match the data in the CRM to bring it right up to date with what’s happening on the internet.” In fact, it’s so powerful that it can update a changed job role from LinkedIn within minutes. This is amazing for reducing duplication and data accuracy.

Intent Data

Intent data is all about understanding the dynamic of how people buy today. Paul offers up two key questions here:

Do we want to contact the people who we could sell to?
Or do we want to contact people who want to buy?

From there you can ascertain what sales opportunities there are and if they are really feasible.

With first- and third-party data to consider as well as anonymous data there is lots to consider and much research emerging too. Rather than looking at one subset of data, it’s important that you aggregate it to get a full picture of your ICP’s pain points, needs and buyer readiness.

Outbound Sales Best Practices

Opt for Account-Based selling over transactional selling
Take a multi-channel approach – don’t just sell through the phone
More doesn’t mean more, its quality that counts
Personalisation, relevance and timing have never been more important
Leverage what you already have alongside intelligence tools
Offer a bespoke, tailored approach at every stage of the sales cycle
Profile the right companies to call using the data
Work on accounts that align to who the AE is going to sell to
Know your sales hooks
Be intentional with how you use data
Always A/B test
Ask the right questions
Be patient

It’s pays to remember that there is no one size fits all when it comes to sales and marketing intelligence. James Isilay summarised it well when he said “data providers are a bit like newspapers. We all have different ways of collecting data and different propriety signals that we overly on that. There’s always differences in our data and accuracies. We all make a different soup in how we bring the data together.”

The most important thing is that you engage influencers and decision makers within a company in the right conversations, demonstrating that you understand their challenges and have a specific solution to ease them.

Outbound sales should be a collaborative approach laser-focused around your prospects. Making effective use of data at every stage of the sales process is vital especially within the mid to end of the funnel where there is so much intelligence to be gleaned.

As James says “Don’t burn the opportunities that you do get. They’re so hard to come by right now – they’re like golden nuggets!”

Thank you to our excellent panel for their time and knowledge. We hope that you found this roundtable as engaging and insightful as we did!

The SaaS Blueprint: Building Brand Trust Through Unified Outreach

Posted on 18 October 20233 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

When delving into the world of SaaS, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the myriad of strategies and methods on offer. Yet, one fundamental truth stands out: our approach truly counts.

Now, there’s no denying the time-tested efficacy of the phone. There’s something about the immediacy of voice, the rapport it establishes. It’s undeniably our ace in the hole. However, let’s face it, we’re in a digital era, and platforms like Email and LinkedIn are simply indispensable. They’re not mere add-ons; they’re part of the core trio. These platforms grant us the ability to engage potential clients in diverse yet equally impactful ways, and when used effectively, they each compliment and bolster the others.

This brings me to another key point: the potential outcomes when sales and marketing join forces. The era when sales and marketing operated in their own bubbles is, thankfully, bygone. In today’s world, especially within SaaS, the fusion of the two has led to some incredible results. Our SDR teams receive these qualified, nurtured, warm leads, transforming conversions into genuine dialogues.

A unified front is essential. It’s not just about the message but ensuring it’s delivered harmoniously. If our marketing colleagues are communicating a narrative, it’s pivotal we’re all on the same page, talking the same language and replicating each other’s approach. This alignment doesn’t just enhance our brand’s authenticity, it amplifies it, particularly when our SDRs are reaching out.

Lastly, there’s the matter of brand trust. With marketing standing shoulder to shoulder with sales, reinforcing the narrative, it’s akin to bestowing our brand with a seal of credibility. And trust me, that doesn’t go unnoticed.

In conclusion, as the SaaS industry continues to grow and evolve, it’s pivotal that we remain agile, adaptive, and most importantly, integrated in our approach. By ensuring that our sales and marketing efforts are not just aligned but intertwined, we position ourselves for sustained success and growth. Always remember the basics: integration, consistency, and collaboration.

See how this simple, collaborative approach has led to many success stories with clients the SaaS sector, here.

Opinion piece by Sales Director, Marco Alfano-Rogers

A New Era of Marketing: The Rise of LinkedIn Live Events

Posted on 5 September 20233 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

In the aftermath of the pandemic, live events have gained even greater prominence on online platforms. Among these platforms, LinkedIn Live Events have emerged as a dynamic tool for businesses and individuals alike to connect, engage, and expand their networks. With the potential to reach a global audience at the click of a button, and boost brand awareness further than ever before, LinkedIn Live Events have become a key part of modern marketing strategies for B2B businesses.

In this blog, we’re delving into the significance of these events, best practices for hosting them, and how to leverage the data generated for further marketing endeavours.

The Global Impact

The dominance of LinkedIn as the leading professional platform is indisputable, with a membership exceeding 930 million individuals spanning across 200 countries globally. In 2022, engagement on the platform surged by an impressive 22%*.

This surge in engagement finds its roots in LinkedIn’s innovative feature: LinkedIn Live Events. These events have taken the virtual stage by storm, facilitating real-time interactions with audiences across the globe. It’s estimated that thousands of LinkedIn Live Events run each day globally*, showcasing the platform’s immense potential for connecting professionals, sharing knowledge, and driving engagement. Furthermore, live streams hosted on LinkedIn garner 7 times the reactions and a staggering 24 times the comments compared to regular videos!*

These statistics alone underscore the significance of incorporating LinkedIn Live into your marketing plan.

Key Benefits of Running LinkedIn Live Events for Brand Awareness

LinkedIn Live Events offer a myriad of benefits, particularly in boosting brand awareness:

✔️ Extended Reach: The live nature of these events attracts attention, and the potential to reach thousands of viewers can significantly amplify your brand’s visibility.

✔️ Guest Speaker Effect: Inviting guest speakers extends your reach even further, leveraging their existing networks and establishing your brand as a hub of valuable information. You can amplify this by strategically partnering with LinkedIn creators who share expertise in a related field or topic. Collaborating with creators who align with the theme of your event can provide a powerful boost to your event’s credibility and visibility.

✔️ Engagement and Authenticity: Live events create a genuine connection with your audience, humanising your brand and fostering a stronger sense of trust and loyalty.

✔️ Relevant Followers and Network Expansion: By hosting compelling events, you’ll attract more high-quality followers on LinkedIn, thereby increasing the reach of your future content.

Best Practices for Running LinkedIn Live Events

So, you’re considering integrating LinkedIn Live Events into your marketing strategy, but you’re unsure of where to begin. To help you enhance the effectiveness of your events, we’re sharing some of our pre and post-event best practices that we follow here at Air.

Pre-Event: Setting The Stage

Content Relevance: Craft content that resonates with your target audience’s interests and needs. This will keep them engaged and eager to participate.
Engaging Hosts and Guests: Invite expert guest speakers participate in your events. This not only adds credibility but also broadens your reach by tapping into their networks.
Promotion: Promote your event well in advance to build anticipation. A countdown is very effective. Utilise LinkedIn posts, and other social media channels to attract attendees.
Technical Preparation: Familiarise yourself with the streaming platform you’re using. For instance, platforms like StreamYard offer the advantage of advanced scheduling and branding options.
Timing: Timing plays a pivotal role in the success of LinkedIn Live Events. Carefully selecting the optimal time considers factors like time zones, audience preferences, event themes, and avoiding conflicts with other commitments. A well-timed event maximises audience participation and engagement, showcasing your consideration for their convenience and ultimately contributing to a more impactful and successful experience.
Data Collection: When setting up your LinkedIn Live Event, tick the box to enable the organiser to collect attendee information. This data can be extracted after the event and used for things like email marketing (we’ll talk more about this later in the blog).
Interactivity: During the event, encourage audience engagement through polls, Q&A sessions, and comments. Interaction creates a sense of community and helps maintain interest throughout the event.

Post-Event: Leveraging Data, Content and Email Marketing

As mentioned earlier, the data generated from LinkedIn Live Events can be a real treasure trove for your marketing efforts. Here’s how:

Registration Data: By enabling the registration form during event setup, you collect valuable information about your attendees. This data can include their name, job title, email address, LinkedIn Profile URL and marketing communications consent.
Connection Strategy: Connect with key stakeholders on LinkedIn who attend your events. This fosters a more personalised relationship and increases the likelihood of them engaging with your brand in the future.
Email Marketing: Utilise the collected data for targeted email marketing campaigns. Craft tailored messages that address the specific needs and preferences of your audience, driving higher engagement and conversion rates.
Content Recycling: After the live stream, the live event recording can be edited and distributed across diverse platforms, such as your website’s knowledge hub, YouTube channel, and other social media outlets. Through the process of repackaging the content into smaller, topic-specific segments, it becomes not only more accessible but also more digestible for a broader audience.

In conclusion, LinkedIn Live Events offer an exciting opportunity to engage with a global audience, enhance brand awareness, and strengthen your network. By following best practices, inviting guest speakers, and leveraging the power of streaming platforms like StreamYard, you can create a memorable and impactful experience for your audience. Moreover, the data collected during these events serves as a valuable resource for future marketing endeavors, especially in email marketing campaigns. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, embracing the potential of LinkedIn Live Events is an investment that can yield substantial returns in terms of brand growth and engagement.

Opinion piece by Senior Marketing Executive, Hannah Sanders

*Source: The Social Shepherd

Explore some of Air Marketing’s most successful Live Events to gain insights into our effective event management techniques:

Alternatively, if you’re looking to elevate your brand with the power of social media, get in touch here or call us on and we’ll talk you through how our expert team can help you achieve your goals with organic content marketing.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Why We Love It, Understanding Its Power

Posted on 22 June 20233 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

Traditional marketing techniques can sometimes fall short in reaching and engaging with the right audience in today’s fast-paced business landscape. That’s where account-based marketing (ABM) steps in, reshaping the way businesses connect with prospects.

The Rise of ABM: A Shift in Marketing

Account-based marketing represents a significant shift from the age-old quantity-focused marketing strategies to a quality-driven, hyper-personalised approach. The days of casting a wide net and hoping for leads are gone. ABM allows businesses (especially those with niche target audiences and smaller addressable markets) to focus their efforts on high-value accounts and establish meaningful relationships with key decision-makers. This tailored approach ensures that marketing resources are invested where they are most likely to yield the desired results.

Unlocking the Power of Personalisation

One of the most compelling aspects of ABM is its ability to deliver personalisation effectively across a wide range of target accounts. By leveraging technology, data analytics, and advanced targeting techniques, businesses can craft highly relevant and personalised content that speaks directly to the pain points and needs of individual accounts. Gone are the days of generic, one-size-fits-all marketing messages that fail to resonate. ABM empowers businesses to provide tailor-made solutions, building trust and credibility with their target audience.

Sales and Marketing Synergy: A Recipe for Success

For far too long, sales and marketing teams have operated in silos, causing inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. ABM bridges this divide by promoting collaboration and aligning the efforts of both departments. Through joint account planning, shared goals, and regular communication, ABM fosters a unified approach where marketing and sales work hand in hand to nurture and convert target accounts. This synergy not only improves the efficiency of the sales cycle but also enhances customer experiences, leading to better retention and increased revenue.

Tangible ROI: Measuring Success

One of the reasons why ABM has gained immense popularity is its ability to deliver measurable results. ABM allows businesses to track key metrics such as engagement rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated from target accounts. This data-driven approach empowers marketers to optimise their strategies, make informed decisions, and demonstrate the tangible return on investment that stakeholders crave.

Overcoming Challenges: Commitment and Collaboration

Implementing an ABM strategy is not without its challenges. It requires a deep understanding of target accounts, a commitment to personalised experiences, and the adoption of advanced technologies and data analytics tools. Additionally, it demands patience as it is a medium-term strategy that may not yield immediate results. However, the rewards of ABM far outweigh the initial hurdles. While the impact of ABM may take some time to fully materialise, it is important to remember that the true benefits manifest within the sales pipeline. ABM allows for the cultivation of relationships, the nurturing of leads, and the development of targeted engagement strategies that gradually move prospects through the pipeline. By consistently engaging with key accounts and delivering personalised experiences, businesses can steadily build momentum and generate valuable opportunities. Ultimately, the investment of time and resources is well worth it when businesses witness the transformative impact ABM can have on their growth trajectory.

Conclusion

Account-based marketing has ushered in a new era of marketing excellence, where personalised experiences and targeted strategies reign supreme. As a passionate advocate for ABM, we firmly believe that this approach offers businesses an unprecedented opportunity to connect with high-value accounts, build enduring relationships, and drive sustainable growth. By embracing the principles of ABM, businesses can unlock a world of possibilities and elevate their marketing efforts to new heights. ABM is not just a passing trend; it’s a strategic mindset that empowers businesses to thrive in the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of modern marketing.

Opinion piece by Head of Marketing Services, Verity Studley-Wootton, and Digital Marketing Manager, Becca Duckering.

Paid vs Organic Marketing: Which is Best For Your Business?

Posted on 24 April 20233 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

When you’ve not got a lot of time, or your marketing budget is smaller than you might like, you may have to choose between the two. If this is the case, which one should you go for?

We’ve put together this short guide to help you make the right decision.

What are paid marketing and organic marketing?

Paid marketing (unsurprisingly!) is any type of digital marketing that you pay to implement. It includes advertising on search engines like Google and Bing, as well as paid social advertisements on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It’s estimated that 45% of small businesses have a paid marketing strategy in place.

Organic marketing is any type of digital marketing you don’t pay to implement, although you might spend money creating it. It includes everything from blogs and case studies to email newsletters and social media posts. With organic marketing, you’re making and publishing content that doesn’t just encourage engagement but is optimised for relevant keywords, increasing the chances of ranking highly in search engines like Google.

Paid marketing and organic marketing are great for driving traffic to your website and building brand awareness. However, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Organic marketing: the pros

It’s low-cost

Many businesses use organic marketing for one reason: it’s low-cost and, in some cases, has no cost.

It’s free to set up social media accounts, and if you’ve already got a website, you don’t have to pay extra to start a blog. Not only this, but there are a lot of great tools, like Canva, MailChimp, and even Chat GPT, that businesses can take advantage of when it comes to organic marketing.

Still not convinced? Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and can generate three times as many leads!

It’s excellent for search engine rankings

If you want to target customers, build trust, and generate leads, it’s crucial to rank as high as possible in search engines.

After all, the number one result in Google ends up getting nearly 28% of all clicks!

SEO is a great way to give your website a boost in the rankings. By focusing on the keywords and phrases people are most likely to use, you can drive traffic, attract the right customers, and, most importantly, make a profit!

It’s long-term

Organic marketing drives permanent traffic to your website. This means you can see the benefits of your marketing efforts, even after your campaigns have ended.

One of the best ways to take advantage of long-term organic traffic is to create evergreen content. This is information that isn’t time-sensitive, meaning that prospective customers can discover it at any time.

Organic marketing: the cons

It takes time to work

Organic marketing is not a quick fix; it takes time to see the right results. As a rough estimate, it can take six to twelve months to see your optimised blog posts rank in the search engines.

Remember that the main aim of organic marketing is to build brand awareness and engage with your audience. This can take time to do, although, in our experience, the results are well worth the effort.

It can be hard to stand out from the crowd

Did you know that 7.5 million blog posts are published every single day? With so much content available online, prospective customers can be spoilt for choice!

With organic marketing, you must work extra hard to make your content stand out from your competitors and encourage your customers to engage with you.

All the content you create should be 10x content – content that is ten times better than the existing number one result in Google.

Paid marketing: the pros

It works immediately

While organic marketing takes time to work, the critical advantage of paid marketing is that it works straight away. Just set up your campaign details, enter your credit card information, and your ad will appear to thousands of people in minutes!

This makes paid marketing ideal if you need to promote something quickly. For example, let’s say you’re offering a time-sensitive product. You can use paid marketing to push your product to your target audience as soon as possible. Conversely, you might have to wait months for an organic marketing campaign to take effect.

It offers highly targeted advertising

We all know the importance of knowing your target audience. Where they live, what they do for a living… even their hobbies and interests!

One of the great things about paid marketing is the targeting options you have available. Social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn, as well as Google Ads, gather a large amount of user data. You can use this to your advantage to ensure your ads are shown to the right people and you get the right return on your advertising spend.

It offers valuable insight into your customers and competitors

Organic marketing can sometimes be hard to track. For example, if a customer checks out a blog post, an email newsletter, and a social media post before making a purchase, which piece of content do you attribute the sale to?

Conversely, paid marketing provides you with lots of valuable information you can use to power your future campaigns. You can see which ads are leading to conversions, which copy and images people prefer, and even how you’re performing compared to your competitors.

Paid marketing is also fantastic for A/B testing. Create two ads with one small difference between them and see which one performs the best.

Paid marketing: the cons

It can be expensive

The main issue with paid marketing is that it’s ‘pay to play.’ Your website might be on top of Google when you’re spending money, but as soon as you pause your campaign, you’re right back at square one.

Some industries can be incredibly competitive, and this can drive the price of advertising up. For example, if you’re in the insurance industry, you can expect to pay up to £44 per click!

The good news is that paid marketing doesn’t have to be pricey. By regularly checking your data, choosing the perfect ad types, and targeting the right customers, you can drive sales without burning through your budget.

A skilled digital marketing agency (like Air Marketing) can help structure your ad campaigns correctly.

It can be seen as untrustworthy

As people become more digitally savvy and aware of ‘misinformation’ on the internet, they’re becoming less trusting of adverts they see online. A 2021 survey by YouGov showed that only one in ten people trust social media ads. Similarly, paid ads on Google have an average click-through rate of only 1.9%.

This means that people are more likely to dismiss ads they see online, whether on Facebook, Instagram, or Google. As a result, more hard work is needed to instil confidence in prospective customers.

Alternatively… why not use both?

So far, we’ve talked about using organic marketing OR paid marketing to grow and develop your business. However, there is nothing to stop you from using both together!

35% of businesses have integrated their paid and organic strategies to get the best effect from both. Here are just some of the reasons why combining the two is often the best approach:

Paid marketing lets you promote your brand and engage with customers quickly, while your organic marketing works behind the scenes to build a loyal audience over time
Paid marketing allows you to precisely target customers based on their demographic, behaviour, and interests, while organic marketing can be used to build relationships with customers
Paid marketing gives you the insight and data you need to optimise your organic marketing campaigns. For example, you can see which keywords customers are using to trigger your PPC campaigns and adopt these words and phrases for search engine optimisation purposes
Paid marketing can be affected by your organic marketing. For example, high-quality, relevant copy on your website can increase your ‘quality score’ in Google Ads, meaning you pay less when people click on your ads

Think of both marketing channels as two halves of the same whole. For example, let’s say you operate an eCommerce website and want to encourage more people to buy your products. You can use organic marketing to boost brand awareness and inform prospective customers of your store.

When these people visit your website, you can use a retargeting campaign on social media, as well as the Google Ads display network. These ads remind them of your brand, encouraging them to return to your site and make a purchase when they’re ready.

By combining organic and paid marketing, you can expand your reach and grow your audience faster than you would with either approach on its own.

Air Marketing: experts in organic and paid marketing

At Air Marketing, we specialise in both organic marketing and paid marketing, meaning you can have the best of both worlds!

Our digital marketing experts will create a strategy that focuses on the needs of your target audience and delivers the right messages at the right time. This means you get more leads and sales, all while getting a fantastic return on investment.

Why LinkedIn for Advertising?

Posted on 19 April 20233 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

To me, LinkedIn is my ‘go-to’ for advertising. Many business owners are extremely successful in using LinkedIn ads to generate more leads and sales, and they do absolutely work if they are done right. Here’s how:

It’s unique

LinkedIn is different from other social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as it’s designed specifically with business networking in mind.

Options

As well as setting your objectives, whether it’s brand awareness, website, or a lead generation campaign, there are also different options for which format you want your campaign to run as. This is an ‘ad format’ which could be a single image ad, a carousel ad, an InMail, a conversational ad, a video ad and much more! I personally am a fan of single-image ads and carousel ads – anything ‘visual’ gets great results.

Targeting abilities

LinkedIn targeting capabilities are granular, allowing you to target specific industries, company sizes, job titles and more. This makes it easier for businesses to reach their ideal audience.

Trust

LinkedIn is a reliable and trustworthy platform that promotes user engagement with informative content. It stands out as a professional networking platform that prioritises business networking and professional content sharing, in contrast to other social networking platforms that emphasise personal connections, entertainment, and social content sharing.

Reporting at its finest

I recommend producing a weekly report for your campaign. This enables you to make edits to how your campaign is running. For example, you can pull a demographics report and see who is interacting with your ad (job titles/location/industry and so on), and if you’re not happy with who is engaging with your ad, you can easily make adjustments based on the data.

How to create engaging ad content that resonates with your target audience

Use visually appealing imagery that is relevant to your brand and message
Use concise, attention-grabbing headlines and copy that clearly communicate your value proposition
Use customer testimonials or case studies to provide social proof and demonstrate the benefits of your products or services
Use strong calls-to-action (CTAs) that encourage viewers to take action

For example, a B2B software company could create an ad campaign that features a customer testimonial video, highlighting how their software has helped streamline their business operations. The ad should feature a clear CTA, encouraging viewers to sign up for a free trial of the software.

How to leverage LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities

Use the targeting options to narrow down your audience based on criteria such as job title, company size, industry, and location
Use the “Matched Audiences” feature to retarget users who have engaged with your website or other LinkedIn content in the past
Use the “Lookalike Audiences” feature to reach users who are similar to your existing customers or leads

For example, a B2B marketing agency could create an ad campaign that targets marketing managers at mid-sized tech companies in the United Kingdom. They could also use the Matched Audiences feature to retarget users who have visited their website in the past, and the Lookalike Audiences feature to reach users who have similar job titles and company sizes to their existing customers.

How to ensure you are getting the most out of your ad spend

As mentioned above, it’s important to monitor and optimise your campaigns regularly. This involves analysing your ad metrics to identify areas for improvement, such as increasing click-through rates (CTR) or reducing cost-per-click (CPC). Some best practices for monitoring and optimising your campaigns include:

Setting up conversion tracking to measure the effectiveness of your ads in driving leads or sales
Running A/B tests to compare different ad creatives or targeting options
Adjusting your budgets to optimise your ad delivery and maximize your ROI

By regularly monitoring and optimising your campaigns, you can ensure that your ad spend is being used effectively and that you are reaching your target audience with engaging ad content.

In conclusion, while Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are popular social networking sites for advertising, LinkedIn stands out as a unique platform designed specifically for business networking. Its granular targeting abilities, diverse ad formats, and reliable user engagement make it a powerful tool for businesses in the B2B space. The ability to produce weekly reports and make adjustments to campaigns based on demographics ensures that businesses can continuously optimise their advertising efforts. However, it’s important to note that each platform has its own unique strengths and should be considered based on individual advertising objectives.

Opinion piece by Nicola Roberts – Senior Digital Marketing Executive at Air Marketing

How to Be Brave and Sell More with Your Sales and Marketing

Posted on 9 February 20233 June 2025 by Hannah Sanders

We’re living in an exciting age of advertising, so there’s no doubt that you’ve recently come across a piece of highly creative and snappy marketing and thought ‘I wish my company could do something like that’. The good news is, that no matter what industry you operate in, you can! Thinking outside of the box and being brave with your sales and marketing has many benefits that can drive revenue growth.

Let’s delve into some of them:

Standing Out From the Crowd

CPB London’s 2022 International Women’s Day Campaign around breaking the gender bias was built around a nationwide study that said 39% of primary school aged children still believe that mothers should look after babies and do the housework, whilst fathers should go to work.

They produced a series of bold text-only posters that challenge instant biases with copy such as ‘Imagine a CEO. Is it a man?’ and ‘Imagine someone crying in the office. Is it a woman?’ They also launched a children’s colouring book alongside this that went further in challenging traditional gender roles.

Image credit: cpblondon.com

This campaign made them stand out from their competition and differentiate their brand as a disruptor within the industry. It also introduced them to a wider audience, including people who would not have been aware of their brand otherwise.

Increasing Brand Awareness

What feelings do you want to evoke when people think of your business? Boring, dated, ‘had its day’? Didn’t think so.

Your brand identity is the key to resonating with your target audience and driving more sales.

Take the latest British Airways campaign, for example. They’ve put a series of billboards up around the UK encouraging people to take their holiday seriously with a series of tongue in cheek out of office emails such as this one:

Image credit: famouscampaigns.com

They are implicitly driving sales by subverting expectations and relating to their audience’s desire to book holidays in order to switch off from their everyday working lives.

How relatable are your current marketing and sales materials? How could you appeal to your target audience more closely in your next campaign?

Building Trust with Your Potential Customers

By being bold and assertive with how you sell your products or services, you display a confidence in them that attracts interest and can lead to sales. Take this recent #RaiseYourArches advert from McDonalds. It doesn’t feature a single product or restaurant shot. It doesn’t even feature speech. It uses clever body language and their iconic golden-arch branding to show how people may communicate that they want a McDonalds.

Image credit: McDonald’s

McDonalds know that they don’t always have to use product imagery in order to sell burgers – they can instead focus on the feelings their food and the experience of eating it offers.

Consider how you could demonstrate confidence in your products or services within your marketing or sales collateral.

Increasing Sales Through Scarcity

KFC’s double down burger is one of its most popular menu items. But it’s not available all year round. The fast-food chain only makes it available for limited 5 week periods and when it’s on sale, it accounts for roughly 5% of its total revenue. The fact that it’s never clear when the burger might be returning to the menu, drives sales from satisfied customers who have previously enjoyed it. The product has a loyal customer base which means KFC can expect increased revenue over time, so long as they keep selling it.

Image credit: KFC UK & Ireland Instagram

How could you replicate this sense of urgency to motivate your ideal customers into action? Could you create exclusivity around a product or offer a lucrative limited time deal? The bolder, the better!

Leading Not Following

The release of the John Lewis Christmas advert is a highly anticipated event in the festive calendar. Viewers have come to expect a highly emotive and heart-warming tale that evokes the yule-tide spirit of giving. Hailing back two decades, this format has now set a trend with lots of other retailers now following suit with story-telling adverts in a similar format. This powerful story-telling format increases brand awareness and can be effective in driving sales, especially around the all-important festive period.

How could your business lead rather than follow with your sales and marketing processes? Could you offer added value that your customer base wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else? How could you inject freshness into your industry?

Being brave with sales and marketing isn’t something that’s exclusively reserved for the titans of their industry. In being bold and making your offering stand out from that of your competitors, you’ll force your audience to sit up and listen to what you have to say.

In thinking outside of the box with how you market and sell to your audience,, you will undoubtedly achieve a wider reach, build trust, and ultimately generate more opportunities for revenue growth. So be brave with your ideas, make the sky your limit and then go a bit further. In today’s oversaturated digital world, who dares wins!

Is your business ready to be brave and sell more, but in need of some guidance on how to execute this strategy? We’re here to help. Get in touch today to find out how we could guide you through the process and help you to generate more revenue opportunities.