James Hipkin, a marketing expert with over 40 years of experience, is the CEO of Inn8ly. A one-stop-shop for websites. James has worked with global companies such as Sprint, Apple, Wells Fargo, and Toyota. Today he brings his no-nonsense digital marketing approach to the companies he works with. Listen today and hear James’s One Big Tip on why a comprehensive marketing approach is the way of the future. 

James Hipkin is a marketing expert with over 40 years of experience. James has worked with  Fortune 500 companies such as Apple, Wells Fargo, and Toyota.  Today he is the CEO of Inn8ly, where he implements the Hub and Spoke strategy into every campaign he creates. James shifted into digital marketing 15 years ago from a direct marketing background. Today his focus is designing websites for large companies and small businesses alike. Inn8ly helps scale 6 figure businesses by providing website design, maintenance, and hosting using a subscription model. 

James recognized a pain point for small businesses owners who didn’t want to put their time and effort into building and maintaining a website. He created a company based on the done for you model. James implements one strategy when working with a company. It’s what he calls the Hub and Spoke strategy.  This strategy is about pulling together all the moving parts of digital marketing, e.g., website, tactics, and message, to integrate seamlessly and become a part of something greater. 

To understand the Hub and Spoke strategy, James breaks it down. Think of the marketing campaign as a wheel, where the hub is the website, the spokes are the tactics, and the rim is the content or message you are trying to convey. When everything is done right, the marketing strategy will roll out smoothly. This comprehensive approach changes the way most companies do business. 

Your website is your platform, you control the message, and it’s where all business should start and end. When business owners say they don’t need a website, they have a Facebook page; the response is Facebook is rented space. The different channels you can use, direct mail, PR, Facebook ads, all need to flow back into the website; that's why they are the spokes. The rim is the content strategy. Combining these components strengthens the marketing campaign message to create significant value. Once he explains his strategy to his clients, they usually end up culling down the different legs of their campaign until the essential assets show ROI and growth. 
Understanding that marketing is holistic and comprehensive is the best way to grow and scale a business. Join me as James shares his knowledge and understanding of why a comprehensive marketing campaign is necessary. In this episode, you’ll learn about the ins and outs of this strategy, why it works so well, and how you can incorporate it into your own business.

In this episode

• [1:30], James tells us a bit of his background in marketing and advertising and his work today.
• [5:20] James says that what makes his business stand out to small business owners is that they don’t have to lift a finger when it comes to their website - and that frees up a lot of valuable time and energy.
• [8:17] James breaks down the Hub and Spoke strategy. It’s all about using your website as a hub that all your other social media channels flow into. 
• [12:49] While SEO is important, James says there are other things small business owners should be focusing on. He shares the success story of one client who shifted their focus.