The Real Reason Your Cold Emails Go Unanswered—And What to Do Next
Your inbox is a battleground. Right now, you’re probably sitting on 47 unread emails. Half of them are cold outreach from people you’ve never met, pitching services you don’t need, using templates you’ve seen a dozen times before. You’ve learned to scan subject lines in milliseconds, deciding what deserves attention and what gets deleted without […]
The State of Small Business Marketing in 2025: What You Need to Know to Stay Competitive
The world of small business marketing has fundamentally changed. What worked even two years ago may be costing you opportunities today. If you’re feeling like marketing has become more complex, more expensive, and less predictable, you’re not alone. The data confirms what many small business owners are experiencing firsthand. Let me walk you through what’s […]
What I Learned Analyzing 15 Auto Repair Websites in Flathead County
Last month, I spent several hours doing something that probably sounds incredibly boring to most people: I systematically analyzed every auto repair shop website I could find in Flathead County. Why would I do this? Two reasons. First, I’m always researching local marketing trends to better serve the businesses we work with at Hill Media […]
ManyChat Instagram Summit 2025: Day 1 Recap – What Small Businesses Actually Need to Know
A small business owner’s honest take on the Instagram Summit – separating the hype from the helpful I spent Day 1 of the ManyChat Instagram Summit with 20,000+ creators (virtually) learning how to maximize Instagram for business growth. But here’s what I was really doing: filtering everything through one critical lens – what actually applies […]
Black Friday Operators Online: Marketing Breakout Session Recap
Deep-dive strategies from the tactical breakout sessions at the Marketing Operators Conference Following the main stage presentations at Black Friday Operators Online, the Marketing Breakout Session delivered granular, actionable tactics from brands executing at the highest level. Led by Connor Rowland and featuring insights from teams at Hexclad, Jones Road Beauty, and other leading e-commerce […]
Black Friday Operators Online Conference Recap: 15 Game-Changing Strategies from E-commerce’s Top Minds
Complete insights from the Marketing Operators Digital Marketing Conference on Black Friday Cyber Monday Success The Black Friday Operators Online conference (9ops.co/black-friday) brought together some of e-commerce’s sharpest minds for a rapid-fire masterclass in holiday marketing. With no slides and just five minutes each, 15 industry leaders shared their most powerful tactics for winning the […]
The Service Business Owner’s Guide to Winning the Holiday Season: 10 Strategies to Cut Through the Noise
How Local Service Businesses Can Leverage Black Friday Through New Year’s to Build Momentum That Lasts I just finished attending the Marketing Operators Digital Marketing Conference, where some of e-commerce’s sharpest minds, including leaders from ILIA Beauty, Tushy, Portland Leather, Grüns, Ministry of Supply, Obvi, birddogs, SET ACTIVE, and Hexclad, shared their battle-tested strategies for […]
WordCamp US 2025: Insights from Portland on the Future of WordPress, AI, and Digital Marketing
After a decade-long hiatus from WordCamp events, I returned to WordCamp US 2025 in Portland with renewed purpose. As the founder of Hill Media Group, managing over 100 WordPress websites for small businesses and nonprofits, I wanted to reconnect with the community that has been central to my work since WordPress version 1.5 introduced themes […]
How to Dominate AI Search Results: The New SEO Strategy Small Businesses Can’t Ignore
The way customers find businesses is fundamentally changing. While most business owners are still focused on traditional Google rankings, a small group of smart entrepreneurs has discovered something remarkable: according to a study by SEMRush, customers coming from AI recommendations are worth 4.4 times more than regular Google clicks. This isn’t just a minor shift […]
Why Your Marketing Tools Are Working Against Each Other (And What to Do About It)
Last week, I had a conversation with a local restaurant owner that perfectly illustrates a problem I see with almost every small business I work with. Sarah runs a successful café here in Montana, and when I asked her about her marketing setup, here’s what she told me: “Well, we use Square for payments, MailChimp […]