Yearly Archives: 2021

Finding someone with the perfect combination of mentor traits is no simple task.

A good mentor is inspiring, yet accessible. They have the time to listen and also have their own successful career. They’re empathetic and give honest feedback.

With so many qualities to consider, it’s no wonder people feel overwhelmed when looking for a mentor.

The thing is, not all mentors have the same impact. Think about the ones you’ve had in your life so far. Some may have been amazing (lucky, you!) while others may have been more concerned about their problems and egos.

Finding a good mentor is important for building a successful career. Mentors can share which skills you need to get promoted, give tips for managing workplace relationships, and introduce you to their expansive network. The benefits are endless.

Now, you need to find someone who fits the bill. You may even be working to become a mentor yourself. Either way, we’ll walk through what a mentor is and which traits to look for so you recognize a great mentor when they cross your path.

What is a mentor?

A mentor is a trusted advisor who provides you with the tools, guidance, and feedback you need to succeed in your career. Almost anyone can be a mentor – a peer, a manager, a friend, a boss, a school alumnus, or a family member.

But a mentor isn’t an influencer or someone you only follow online. They need to be connected to your life and consistent enough to advise you over a period of time. That said, a mentorship relationship can last for years or a short period of time.

The longer you know a mentor, the more they get to know your learning style, personality, and long-term goals. This lets them share advice that’s more relevant to you and full of context. On the other hand, short mentor-mentee relationships are great for handling specific situations or challenges. For example, you may meet a mentor through an informational interview while job hunting. If all goes well, they might offer you a referral or connect you to the hiring manager.

Both short and long-term mentorships can help you grow and expand your network. Chances are, you’ll have both types of mentors throughout your career. As you look for your go-to people for career guidance, keep these top nine mentor traits in mind.

9 Qualities of a Good Mentor

1. Identifies Your Needs and Strengths

Everyone has unique strengths and weaknesses. A good mentor understands this and works to learn what makes their mentee tick.

While you likely have an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, it’s helpful to hear what someone else thinks. For example, I consider myself a strong communicator. But a few years back, one of my mentors recommended that I incorporate more empathy into my feedback.

My direct style wasn’t always the best approach. So before sending feedback, I’d ask my mentor to look over my points and make recommendations. In time, I learned how to share feedback that was more considerate, clear, and empathetic.

A great mentor knows how to build your weaknesses and expand your strengths so you fill in important skill gaps.

2. Shares Room for Improvement

It’s tough to give honest feedback. It requires incredible communication skills and a level of openness that not many people are comfortable spending time in.

That’s why a mentor who “finds ways for you to grow in areas inside and outside the workplace” is irreplaceable, said Ashlie Benson, Chief of Staff for Agricycle Global. This trait is what differentiates a mentor from a cheerleader.

A mentor knows your career progression, your desired path, and your strengths and weaknesses. They can see the gaps that need to be filled to achieve your goals. A cheerleader, on the other hand, is only there to offer encouragement.

While a mentor can be a cheerleader at times, their role is to make you better – not just make you feel better.

3. Gains Your Trust and Respect

A mentor is someone you can look up to. You respect them for their work, their ethos, and their unique personality.

You also may share information with them that you don’t share with anyone else, which is why they have to be trustworthy. For any mentor-mentee relationship to last – and be beneficial for both sides – you need to be able to have difficult conversations. This can include talking through issues that arise at work (such as salary negotiations, promotions, difficulties with a colleague or manager, quitting a job, or getting let go).

Trusting someone enough to share challenges takes time. So look for a mentor who respects this time and doesn’t push you to spill personal information right from the start. The goal is to build a relationship that’s open, respectful, and professional.

4. Expresses Empathy

Empathy is important for every working relationship, but it’s an essential quality for mentorship.

Mentors with high levels of emotional intelligence listen to and empathize with you. They understand that you’re human and make mistakes. And they make you feel comfortable talking about both the good and the bad things happening in your life.

That’s why it’s best to look for a mentor who understands that life happens, people get sick, and priorities change. They should be willing to show their humanity and offer guidance in a way that resonates with you as a person.

5. Has Relevant Knowledge and Skills

Of all the traits to look for in a mentor, this one usually matters most.

Mentors with relevant knowledge and skills have been in a similar position as you, so they can offer role or industry-specific advice as you navigate your career and achieve your goals.

I looked for a mentor with this specific quality when I started my own company. I didn’t have much experience negotiating contracts, managing budgets, or handling unpaid invoices. I needed guidance beyond Google.

Fortunately, I found Austin Adesso, who had been successfully running his creative agency Partners in Post for several years. His advice helped me learn to negotiate longer contracts and charge a competitive price for my work.

Find a mentor with the skills and experience you’d like to have, and rely on them for knowledge. Just remember that your journey is unique, so do what feels right for you when considering the tips they offer.

6. Listens and Reflects

It’s easy to hand out advice. But it takes skill to know whether or not that advice is great for the person you give it to.

Great mentors understand the importance of active listening and intentional guidance. They ask questions to figure out every angle of a situation before offering suggestions. Sometimes, they simply listen.

Mentors who can listen and reflect on the information they’re given often understand more about you as a person. They know your specific history and situation, so their suggestions are more relevant to you. One mentor of mine often lets me talk through issues without offering a single piece of advice. Instead, they ask questions to help me come to my own conclusions. This has developed my problem-solving skills, as well as my confidence in decision-making.

If you know someone who is a great listener and offers thoughtful advice, they may be a good mentor for you.

7. Invested in Your Growth and Development

Mentors help you grow both personally and professionally by sharing ways to improve and offering timely advice.

But what sets the best mentors apart is the ability to focus on your development as well as their own. Of course, you want a mentor who has been in your position and who can help you grow. If a mentor also puts time into developing themselves and breaking out of their comfort zones, you’ve found a gem.

These types of people often have their own mentors. They constantly work to improve themselves and are usually life-long learners. Not only do they pursue their own passions, but they also encourage your goals and creativity.

8. Strong Relationships and Networks

Not all mentors are older or more experienced than you. Personally, I have a mentor who is younger than me but with many more years of experience in a particular niche.

The one thing you do want to consider, despite age or experience, is your mentor’s relationships. Do they have a strong network? Are they connected to influential people in your industry? Are they willing to introduce you or recommend you for a role?

A good mentor has spent years developing solid relationships with people – and they’re willing to bring you into their close circle. This can help expand your network and open up opportunities you may not have had otherwise. One of my mentors, Meg Prater – a Senior Manager of Content at HubSpot – has connected me to a number of people when I’ve been looking for job recommendations or new business clients.

As in all relationships, mentorship isn’t one-sided. Mentors also look for mentees with strong networks to expand their professional connections. So put time into developing your relationships and growing your network. You never know who may be of interest to a mentor.

9. Ability to Devote Time to Mentorship

Many people have the traits to be good mentors but can’t devote the time it demands. A mentor-mentee relationship takes effort from both sides. Without dedication, it won’t work.

A good mentor should be willing to hop on a call, send a thoughtful email, or meet up for coffee. If they’re not, the relationships can quickly fizzle. Of course, there’s plenty of legwork the mentee has to do to keep the relationships strong. But the mentor must be able to offer support in exchange for the mentee’s efforts.

That said, there’s no predetermined amount of time for good mentorship. It depends on the people involved and the nature of the relationship. You might talk to a mentor once a quarter or meet up once a month for lunch. Some of your mentors may only be around for a short time, while others may be around for life. Ultimately, it’s up to you and your mentor to decide the cadence that works best.

Once you do find someone with these mentor traits who inspires you, work on developing a relationship with them, rather than asking them to be your mentor right away. In time, you won’t feel the pressure of asking them to be your mentor – you’ll simply be getting guidance from a friend.

Your LinkedIn profile is a place for you to build your professional brand, showcase your achievements and skills, share content with other professionals, and connect with colleagues, business partners, and potential employers.

People come across your profile in a variety of ways. They might be searching for employees at your company or in your industry, remember you from a conference and remind themselves about your work, or simply want to learn more about your accomplishments. No matter how or why they end up on your LinkedIn page, however, there’s a shared and simple goal: Your LinkedIn profile needs to capture — and keep — their attention.

So what makes a profile stand out? How do you get more recommendations? What features can help you enhance your profile? Our step-by-step guide can help you craft a (near) perfect LinkedIn profile.

How to Craft the Perfect LinkedIn Profile

What is the perfect LinkedIn profile? Ideally, it’s one that gets you noticed for all the right reasons and helps you achieve your goals – whether this means expanding your reach, finding new contacts, or getting a job offer.

And while true perfection isn’t possible, there are steps you can take to help your profile stand out. From simple things like making sure you’ve uploaded a great picture to more in-depth efforts such as creating a compelling headline and bio, you’ve got options when it comes to perfecting your profile.

Ready to make the most of your LinkedIn profile? Get as close to perfect as possible with these LinkedIn profile guidelines.

1. Upload a great profile picture.

First up? Upload a great profile picture. According to Senior Content Marketing Manager at LinkedIn, Jane Deehan, your profile picture should be recent, look like you and your face should take up around 60 percent of the total space. The goal here is to look like you normally look at work, in turn making it easier for prospective contacts who may have only met you virtually to recognize you from your profile picture.

2. Add your pronouns.

Pronouns are an important part of the remote and in-person work ecosystem, and by adding them up-front you can avoid any awkwardness later on. Whether it’s she/her, he/him, they/them or another combination that best fits your identity, including your pronouns is always worth it on your LinkedIn profile.

3. Set a background photo.

Along with your profile photo, you can also set a wider background photo that showcases a bit more about you. Here, it’s not as important that you (or your face) are in the shot, but you want to make it something that’s memorable and tells visitors more about you as a person. If you’re a freelancer working from home, for example, you might include a picture of you in your office hard at work. If you’re a professional fitness instructor, meanwhile, you might opt for an action shot of you in the gym.

4. Create a great headline.

Your headline can also help boost your profile impact. While this short description is often used for job titles, you can take it a step further by adding a bit more detail about your current role, what it means to you or what you’ve accomplished.

“Creative and passionate, results-driven go-getter that helps brands think outside the box.”

5. Cut the buzzwords.

These types of self-promotional sentences are common on LinkedIn, but they’re ultimately shallow. Full of buzzwords and jargon, they don’t offer any real insights into your accomplishments or professional connections — instead, they’re a generic rehashing of terms recruiters have seen hundreds of times before. Best bet? Cut the buzzwords. Instead, be clear and specific about your accomplishments.

6. Tell your story.

You’ve got a story to tell, and your LinkedIn summary lets you tell it however you want. And while some professionals simply use it as a way to list their recent job titles or most valuable skills, it’s got potential as a way to connect with prospective employers and colleagues by providing more information about who you are — what led you to your current job. Why? What are you looking for next?

7. Sync your profile.

It’s also worth syncing your profile with your email address book — though make sure you’ve got company permission if you’re using your assigned work email address. Equipped with this email data, LinkedIn can recommend connections that might share similar interests or offer endorsements for your skills, and since you get to vet all connections you’re always in control of who gets contacted.

8. Highlight Your Skills.

One of the most important parts of your LinkedIn profile is your skill list. The platform makes it easy to search and select skills that match your experience and expertise, but this comes with a word of caution: The sheer number of skills available on LinkedIn makes it easy to go overboard and inundate your profile with talents that are only tangentially related to current or prospective work. While highlighting your skills is critical, make sure they’re relevant.

9. Share relevant content.

Speaking of relevancy, profiles don’t exist in a vacuum. As a result, it’s worth sharing relevant content, such as thought leadership posts you’ve created yourself or those from industry influencers as part of your profile page. If potential connections find and click through on great content from your profile, they’re more likely to come back.

10. Stay connected.

It’s also a good idea to stay connected once your profile is up and running. Stop by for at least 15 minutes a week to see what you’ve missed, make comments on relevant stories and answer any messages.

11. Post new content.

Put simply? While a solid LinkedIn profile is a great start, it requires regular maintenance to perform over time.

Although LinkedIn is distinctly different from social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter, it still relies on content updates to keep things fresh and interesting. As a result, it’s worth posting new content — either material you’ve created on your own for public consumption or the work of other leaders in your industry that you find interesting.

12. Go public.

If you want connections to find you and recruiters to track you down, you need to make your profile public. It’s an easy process: Head to your LinkedIn page and click on the “Me” button under your profile picture at the top of the page, then select “View Profile”. Now, you’ll see an option for Edit Public Profile and URL — select this option and you can toggle your public profile status on and off, and control who can see your profile picture.

13. Keep your location updated.

It’s also worth keeping your location up-to-date to help connections and recruiters find you more easily. For example, let’s say your name is John Smith and you’re a software developer in Houston, Texas. When recruiters go looking for new talent, location is a key factor — including your location helps companies narrow their search more quickly and increases your chances of getting a message.

14. Get a custom URL.

While you’re on the Edit Profile and URL page, it’s worth customizing your URL to make finding your profile easier. When you join LinkedIn, you’ll typically be assigned a URL that contains parts of your first and last name along with a random string of numbers. Where possible, remove the numbers and make your URL your full first and last name. If this is taken, try adding a middle initial or the industry you work in.

15. Update your contact info.

In the example above, John Smith might change his assigned URL to something like www.linkedin.com/in/JohnSmith. If that’s not available, he might try JohnCSmith or JohnSmithSoftwareDev.

If your contact info is out of date, you may miss opportunities. While some recruiters and connections will use the built-in LinkedIn messaging platform, others prefer emails or phone calls. By keeping your information current, you increase the chances of getting connected.

16. Request recommendations.

Although skill endorsements are great to highlight your areas of expertise, recommendations take things to the next level with a personalized testimonial about time spent working together, projects completed or skills developed. Consider reaching out to close contacts for recommendations that are relevant to your current role — or next career goal.

17. Follow your interests.

LinkedIn serves a huge variety of professionals with a myriad of passions, meaning there’s something there for just about everyone. To ensure that you’re both engaging with the platform at large and connecting with the right people for your career and brand goals, it’s worth finding and following people who share similar interests. Even if they don’t directly align with your job role or prospective positions, cultivating a broad interest base can help boost the impact of your profile.

18. Spotlight your services.

Maybe you’re a freelance writer, software developer, or marketing guru. Maybe you have specialized certifications or training that sets you apart from the crowd. Your LinkedIn profile is a great place to highlight these services and let people know that you’re more than just your job — you’re a talented, interesting, and knowledgeable individual that brings significant value to any role.

19. Customize your invites.

While many connections occur organically on LinkedIn, there will be situations where you’ll want to reach out and make specific connections. For this to be effective, however, you need to create a customized invite that provides a snapshot of your profile highlights — who you are, what you do, and why it matters — along with a personalized message about why this connection matters to you. With so many users and so many requests, it’s important to stand out from the crowd.

20. Curate your network.

Big networks are great. Networks that are too big, however, can take focus away from the primary purpose of your profile: Connecting with like-minded and skilled individuals to expand your industry impact and potentially advance your career. The result? Make sure to occasionally curate your network so your profile remains aligned with your goals.

21. Make regular improvements.

Last but not least? Don’t let your profile sit idle for too long. In addition to regularly interacting with the site to make new posts and engage with new connections, it’s a good idea to regularly update your profile with new information about your current job or job-seeking status, new skills you’ve obtained, or projects you’ve completed. Not only does this demonstrate consistency, but it also shows that you’re continuing to grow and learn — something prospective employers or partners are always looking for.

Practice Makes (Almost) Perfect

The better your LinkedIn profile, the better your chances of connecting with thought leaders, capturing the attention of other professionals, and finding new growth opportunities. And while there’s no such thing as a “perfect” LinkedIn profile, you can get close to the mark with these tips.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Have you ever had to hype yourself up to send an email? Because, same.

There’s something that feels monumental about sending an email that you don’t always get with other forms of communication. And if you’re a non-native English speaker, that task can seem even more daunting.

This article will provide some helpful tips to help you improve the overall quality of your emails, no matter your perspective. Once you’ve applied these simple strategies to your writing, you should be able to confidently send emails to anyone and get rid of that post-send anxiety.

Let’s get started.

• How To Write An Effective Email
  • Have a compelling subject line.
  • Start with an appropriate greeting.
  • Have a strong attention grabber.
  • Keep your message short and concise.
  • Be consistent with your font.
  • Write a simple closing.
  • Schedule your emails.
  • Do a final spelling and grammar check.

• Email Writing Tips for International Teams

1. Have a compelling subject line.

Subject lines can make or break your email’s success. It’s often the deciding factor on whether someone will open your email.

Unfortunately, a lot of people struggle with this part.

Take a look at this example:

This particular subject line (real-life example by the way) is vague, indirect, and does not hint to me at all what the content of the email will be about.

The result? I might delete or ignore it altogether.

Here’s a better option:

It’s descriptive, specific, and tells me that this is an introduction.

Subject lines are especially important if you’re reaching out to someone for the first time. The recipient doesn’t know who you are, and can only judge you from your subject line.

Even if you’re sending emails internally at your company, it still pays to write a great subject line so your recipient has an idea of what to expect. Like any busy person, your teammates receive a ton of emails every day, and would certainly appreciate the extra effort of a descriptive subject line.

So, how do you write a good subject line?

Be clear, direct, and describe the content of your email. Don’t be afraid to take up the whole subject line. Here are some good examples of subject lines:

• [Action Required] Monthly Marketing Meeting
• FYI/Informational
• Request for [Insert here]
• [Reminder] Survey to Complete | Will Take 2 Minutes
• [Name] suggested I reach out to you
• I’m going to be in town next Tues – are you available?

If you’re sending a promotional email, avoid deceptive subject lines like:

• RE:
• FWD:
• Urgent
• Order confirmation
• Account Status

There’s no need to resort to sneaky tricks or clickbait titles just to induce an open. They make recipients feel cheated and tricked, according to a 2019 Litmus survey. You’ll lose trust and may end up in their junk mail as a result.

You want to associate positive feelings with your email, not anger and disappointment.

2. Start with an appropriate greeting.

To kick off the email, you should begin with an appropriate greeting. There are two components to the greeting: the salutation and the opening sentence.

The appropriate salutation actually depends on the situation. If you’re writing a formal email to a bank or government institution, it would be better to start off with “Dear [X].”

If you’re sending an email to someone you know, or work in a casual environment, then it is perfectly fine to go with a “Hi [name]” or “Hello [Name].”

There’s also “To Whom It May Concern,” when you’re sending an email to a group email and not sure who will be reading it.

One thing you want to avoid is using gendered and non-inclusive terms like “Hi guys” and “Mr./Ms/Mrs.” in your salutation.

To help you out, here is a list of salutations you can open in your emails:

• Dear [First Name]
• [Name]
• Good morning/afternoon
• Hi team
• Hey
• Hi there

3. Have a strong attention grabber.

Once you’ve gotten the salutation out of the way, it’s time to start your email.

While the subject line determines whether your email is opened, your opening sentence determines whether your email is read till the end.

If it’s an introduction, you can open with something you know will interest your recipient. You can find this out through a little research on their social media profiles. Perhaps they Tweeted something interesting or recently posted something on LinkedIn you can reference.

This will help you build rapport and show that you’re not sending a generic email to multiple people.

Of course, this is not necessary if you’re emailing a colleague or someone you know, but it is still important to establish some kind of context so that they know what’s happening.

With a colleague, start with the “why.”

No one has the time (and patience) to guess what an email is about. The sooner you answer the “why,” the faster you’ll capture their attention.

Quick tip: If you’re sending out sales emails and need inspiration of exactly what to say, take a look at HubSpot’s free email templates. With this tool, you can access a library of built-in templates designed for each stage of the customer journey.

4. Keep your message short and concise.

According to Statista, we send and receive roughly 319 billion emails a day worldwide.

This statistic makes one thing very clear: We spend a lot of time reading emails. And because of this, many people simply scan emails to get the essence of the message and move on to the next.

With this in mind, you want to optimize your email for readability and scannability. This will look like:

• Keeping paragraphs short.
• Adding bullet points.
• Using visuals to break up the text.

While you may feel like you need to tell them everything in one email, don’t.

No one is eagerly awaiting a three-page essay arriving in their inbox. Think about it this way: What’s the main takeaway from your email and is there a particular action you want your recipient to take?

From there, draft your email and when you re-read it, make sure every line you add is helping you meet this goal. If it’s not, remove it.

When you need to include a lot of information in an email, it’s probably better to suggest a phone call or a meeting instead. You can use this free meeting tool to schedule your meetings faster and avoid back-and-forth emails.

5. Be consistent with your font.

If I get an email like this, I’m immediately deleting or assuming it’s a scam.

Emails can be fun. You can add images, GIFs, and colors. However, there’s a way to do it that’s not too jarring or distracting.

This is an example of what not to do. There are several fonts used in the email, different font sizes along with different colors. As a result, the eye doesn’t know where to go and it’s a bit overwhelming.

Furthermore, the message gets lost, as your recipient is too distracted by all these elements fighting for their attention.

So, as a rule of thumb: Stick to one font. If you want to use a secondary one, use it sparingly. Follow the same rule for color.

If you’re using a non-English keyboard, your fonts may not show up properly on the other person’s device. Instead, use web-safe email fonts like:

• Arial
• Courier
• Georgia
• Helvetica
• Lucida Sans
• Tahoma
• Times New Roman
• Trebuchet MS
• Verdana

In fact, this is the exact list Gmail gives:

This will ensure that your recipient will receive your message in a regular font, regardless of device or operating system.

6. Write a simple closing.

Once you’re done with the content of your email, it’s time to close it off.

You don’t have to make it fancy – just keep your closing simple and straightforward.

So, nothing like this:

Instead, stick to the safe, proven closing lines and you should be good.

You can choose from some of the most common closing lines below:

• Sincerely
• Best regards
• Best
• Warm regards
• Warm wishes
• Kind regards
• Kind wishes
• Thank you
• Take care

7. Schedule your emails.

One 2020 survey by Sleep Advisor found that around 54% of Americans check their work email immediately after or within an hour of waking up.

Another study by Litmus on the State of Email Engagement in the United States in 2021 supports this. It reveals that the most popular time for reading emails is in the morning. Open rates start around 6 a.m. but usually peak between 9 a.m. and noon local time.

Given this information, you can follow one of two strategies: Send your email in the morning when you know they’re scrolling or wait for a less busy time.

On one hand, your email runs the risk of being buried if you send it in the morning. However, if you wait for a later time, your email may never get opened.

It takes trial and error to figure out what works best when emailing with your team.

If you’re writing an email to someone in another state or country, you also have to factor in time zones. Noon for you may be 7 p.m. for someone else. As such, keep in mind who your recipient is and when they would be most receptive to your email.

Pro-tip: You can use our free email scheduling tool to ensure that your emails are sent at the right time.

8. Do a final spelling and grammar check.

You’re almost there – don’t mess up at the last stretch.

Imagine spending time crafting a perfect message, only to be ignored because the email riddled with spelling and grammar errors.

Here’s how you avoid this: Once you finish drafting your email, copy and paste it into Microsoft Word or Google Docs to give it a quick grammar, phrasing, and spelling check.

Alternatively, you can also use free checkers like Grammarly to automate the process while you’re drafting.

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In addition, read the message out loud to make sure the sentences aren’t too long, sound clunky, or robotic. You want your email copy to sound human.

All of these tips help the reader focus on your message, not the other elements of your email.

Email Writing Tips for International Teams

Most people won’t tell you this, but crafting a good email begins even before you put down a single word. It starts with your mindset.

When you’re in the correct frame of mind, you’ll be able to write effective emails that communicate and persuade.

Sounds logical … but how do you enter the “correct frame of mind”? Well, there are two ways: Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes and write the way you talk.

More on that below.

Imagine receiving the email you’re writing.

Have you ever received an email that it was so incoherent you couldn’t even finish reading it, let alone even consider replying? Or included a completely irrelevant proposition?

Image Source

Ahrefs is an SEO tool, yet they received an email from a fishing company.

One of the biggest problems when it comes to email writing is the lack of empathy for the recipient. Ask yourself these questions:

• Why am I emailing this person?
• Is this the right person to contact, considering what I’m trying to achieve?
• Is my message clear and to the point?
• Would this be better discussed in a meeting?
• Does each line help or hurt my goal?

This is especially important when emailing someone new but still valuable when contacting a colleague.

Write like you talk.

If you’re not a native English speaker, it’s normal to feel like you should be more formal when it comes to your email writing.

However, this results in emails that are too formal, and come off as awkward or stiff. For example:

Native English speakers write more informally — their writing sounds like one person talking to another.

Here is a quick grammar tip that will always help you sound more native: Write in an active voice and avoid the passive voice.

An “active voice” shows that a subject is performing the verb’s action, e.g.: “Marilyn mailed the letter.”

In contrast, the “passive voice” shows that the verb is acted upon by the subject, e.g.: “The letter was mailed by Marilyn.”

Instead of writing “your feedback would be much appreciated”, try saying “I would appreciate your feedback.” Instead of writing “your request has been received”, try “I received your request.”

Notice how writing in an active voice sounds more human.

Writing an email shouldn’t be daunting. With these simple tips, you’ll make sure your email is effective every time.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Pop quiz: If you had to define product marketing right now, what would you say?

A lot of folks have difficulty answering this question, but it’s not your fault. Although product marketing is a prominent department across both B2B and B2C companies, it’s pretty hard to find a good definition of it anywhere — even on Google.

What makes it especially difficult is that it’s one of the few job functions that touches product, marketing, and sales. It all comes down to knowing the target customer and testing to find ways to learn more about them and how best to interact with them.

Product marketing doesn’t stop once the product has gone to market (if it did, well, product marketers at a one-product company wouldn’t have much to do after the product’s launch). The process of marketing a product as the final step is to ensure the right people are aware of the product. Those people who know how to use it, according to the needs and feedback of customers are being listened to over the product’s lifecycle.

Let’s talk about where to start in product marketing and what other aspects of your business can support this product as it grows.

A good way to begin brainstorming your campaign is through implementing inbound marketing methodology into your strategic plan. We mentioned before that product marketing is continual, and your approach should be the same. Inbound marketing is a strategy that focuses on attracting your audience and turning them into loyal customers that advocate for your product.

This is demonstrated in our “Attact, Engage, Delight” model below.

You can attract, engage, and delight your customers with other aspects of your business including strategies that identify your target audience, provide a clear positioning or marketing message, and countless other ideas. But in short, starting your product marketing plan with this model and an understanding of inbound methodology can set your business up for success.

Now that we have a sturdy foundation to build upon, let’s get into it.

What does a product marketing process look like before, during, and after a product is launched?

Product Marketing Starts With Your Customer

HubSpot’s early years faced a challenge that many small businesses face: product ambiguity. Except for the slight majority of people who perceived HubSpot as “marketing services” — which is indeed part of our product stack — our perception consisted of numerous other terms that our audience used to describe us.

This is a primary reason businesses implement a formal product marketing operation, and it starts with your buyer persona.

A great product means nothing if it doesn’t get the attention of the people who would benefit from it. So, who’s your audience for this product? How (and where) are you reaching them, and what’s the story you’re telling to present this product to them? When preparing to launch a product, working with the rest of your marketing team to identify your customer and develop the messaging is critical.

Seven Critical Steps of Product Marketing

When product marketers know exactly whom their product caters to, the marketing can begin. Here are seven things product marketers may do before, during, and after their product enters the market:

1. Product Research: A helpful and well-made product isn’t made in a vacuum, and it also isn’t marketed in one. In the weeks and months before a product launch, product marketers work with the product’s developers to test the product both internally and externally through controlled beta environments.

2. Product Story: Products are also brought to market in the form of a story. What problem does the product solve? Who’s facing this problem? How does it solve this problem? What does it do that competitors don’t?

3. Product-Focused Content: Product marketing’s next stop is at the desks of the content creators. Here, product marketers may create and A/B test various marketing copy, blog content, case studies, and landing pages on their website — all dedicated to describing the product.

4. Product Launch Plan: No product marketing team is complete without a written launch plan, spelling out every last stage of the marketing process and who’s responsible at each point.

5. Product Launch Meeting: When the product is launched, everyone involved meets the day it’s rolled out. Much like a rocket launch, this is the product marketer’s finest hour — it’s the climax of a product marketing campaign.

6. Community Engagement: As product marketing generates enough buzz around the product within the industry, it’s common for the marketing team to capitalize on what the market is saying about them. This includes reaching out to partners, influencers, and existing customers for commentary.

7. Sales Enablement: As a product is being prepared for the marketplace, the sales team is waiting in the wings to develop a sales strategy around this new business opportunity. It’s the product marketing team’s job to meet with sales staff before, during, and after the product is rolled out to the public. This ensures the messaging created for this product is consistent through to the first sales call.

With all of this in mind, you may be wondering what exactly a product marketer has to do to see these projects to completion. Let’s dive into it.

Product Marketer Job Description

A Product Marketer, or Product Marketing Manager, promotes products and their features to an organization’s target audience. Their duties include studying the company’s products, highlighting key features to attract customers and creating marketing campaigns for products.

Product Marketer Responsibilities

A product marketer’s main responsibility is to promote a product’s value to the target audience. This goal is achieved through a combination of strategy and ideation such as:

• Determining the mix of marketing content for creation and distribution
• Creating and managing budgets for marketing campaigns
• Working with content creators to make content that reflects the product and brand image
• Managing a calendar of content and creating the schedule

Product Marketer Salary

A product marketer, or product marketing manager’s salary in the United States varies greatly depending on the experience and tier. According to 2021 industry averages, the median salary of different tiers are as follows:

• Entry-Level Product Marketer or Product Marketing Assistant: $43,630
• Product Marketer or Product Marketing Manager: $111,890
• Director of Product Marketing: $166,928

Promote Your Product with a Plan

As you develop your product marketing team and strategy, think about how the elements above might take shape, and who you’ll need to work with to make it a success. Take these questions into consideration in your next great product marketing plan.

Building a website is an exercise of willpower. The bells and whistles of the design process are tempting to focus on, but compelling content is what makes a website work for your business.

There are few pieces of content on your website that are more compelling than your mission, vision, values, and team. And all of these elements are typically found on the About page of your website.

By the end of this post, you’ll have the latest best practices on crafting a stellar About Me and About Us page on your website that shares where you’ve been and where you’re headed. Use these links to jump ahead to each section:

• What makes a good About page?
• How to write an About page
• The Best About Us Page Templates and Examples
• The Best About Me Page Templates and Examples

Featured Resource: Our 29 Favorite ‘About Us’ Pages

Download the guide to review what we love about these amazing ‘About Us’ page examples, plus a few tips about how to make one of your own.

What makes a good About Us or About Me page?

A remarkable About page is genuine, approachable, and distinguished. It should give the visitor a glimpse into what working with you and your business might be like. You can include personal interests, stories, and photos that convey the unique story of your business.

Since About pages are creative and personal to you and your company, there are several ways to construct one, however, the process is generally the same. So, let’s create an About page one step by step.

It’s tough to establish one all-encompassing template for your About page — there are so many ways you can go about telling your company story. The good news is, there are some tried-and-true steps to get you started.

1. Establish a mission statement.

Your About page can and will be more comprehensive than a single mission statement, but to draw people in, you need to succinctly state your goal in the industry upfront. What is your business here to do? Why should your website visitors care? This information will give the reader something to remember about your company long after they leave your website.

2. Outline your company story.

Every business has a story to tell. Even if you’re running a start-up, you might not have a long history of changes and growth (yet), but it’s a nice touch to talk about how you got to where you are on the About page. So, isolate the milestones before your company’s founding, and use them to give readers some backstory on your current venture.

3. Reveal how you’ve evolved.

There’s no shame in admitting how your business strategy — or even your way of thinking — has changed since you began. In fact, these evolutions can improve the story you tell to website visitors.

About pages are perfect spaces to talk about where you started, how you’ve grown, and the ideals that have helped your organization mature. Use these moments to further your company story and show people that you’re always ready to change and adapt to the needs of your industry.

4. State your “aha!” moment.

Every good company was founded on an idea — something the current marketplace might not yet offer. What was your idea? Use this “Aha!” moment as a pivot point when telling your company story. What was a challenge you faced while developing your company? How did this challenge or discovery shape what you are today?

5. Explain who you serve.

As much as you want as many eyeballs on your About page as possible, you won’t do business with every single one of them. That’s why you must identify and mention your core customer. This lets your visitors know what your business is dedicated to helping them meet their needs and goals.

6. Explain what you’re offering them.

As you’re explaining who you serve, make it clear what it is you’re offering. Companies often generalize their products or services in the website copy, making it hard to understand what it is the customer is actually paying for. Sometimes, businesses are afraid that the literal explanations of their products aren’t interesting enough or will sound unappealing in writing. And that’s a fair concern.

However, investing just a sentence or two into telling your potential customers exactly what they’ll receive can keep them on your website for longer and get them interested in learning more.

7. Cite examples of clients you’ve served.

Got some loyal customers in your portfolio? Use your About page to let the world know who already trusts and benefits from your work. A great way to showcase this is through a case study.

Knowing about your company’s past successes can influence your prospects’ purchasing decisions because they will be able to envision their success in the success of your past customers.

8. Describe your values.

Customers want to be treated like human beings. For that to happen, they need to feel that they’re being served by human beings. When finishing your About page, describe who you are as a person or a team, and what your personal values are. What’s your company culture like? What bigger picture in life drives your business?

Keep in mind a secondary audience of your company’s About page consists of your future employees. This is another reason describing your personal values is a good idea — the key to your job candidates’ hearts is to show them you have one too.

About Us Page Template & Examples

About Us Template

You can create an About Us template for your company website fairly easily. Check out the standard About Us template below or use one of the done-for-you website templates that can be installed and customized in minutes.

Mission Statement – This describes the purpose of your business as it relates to the industry or market you serve.

Vision Statement – The future of your business is outlined in this section.

Values – Core values help the reader connect with you and your business on a personal level.

Target Market Summary – Your site visitors want to know that they’re in the right place and that your company can help them.

Brief Company History – In addition to piquing the interest of your target market, a brief company history can help the press talk about your business accurately.

Done-For-You About Us Page Templates

Copy is an important element of an About page. However, you’ll also want to keep user experience in mind as you showcase your brand story and identity to the world. Here are some of the top About Us and About Me page templates to use or draw inspiration from.

1. Touraza Template (WordPress)

If you want something with a little flavor, the Touraza template is a tasteful choice. With the “meet the team” section near the top, geometric designs, and striking typography, you’ll be able to showcase the humans behind your brand.

2. Logan Template (Shopify)

This template makes use of large images in a modern layout to break up the ample white space. The result: A clean and enjoyable reading experience. The top of the page puts the brand story (or other introductory text) first, supported by a large image that speaks for itself. The pops of color can be customized to your brand style, drawing emphasis to the most important elements you want to highlight.

3. Coax Template (WordPress)

The advantage of the Coax template is that it’s powered by Elementor, a page builder that makes customization easy. Even if you want to keep some of the defaults, though, this template is beautiful, letting the typography and copy take center stage. Ideal for a personal brand, you can choose to layout your content similarly to a resume with big subheads on the left and descriptive text on the right.

Best About Us Page Examples

1. Yellow Leaf Hammocks

When you have a great story about how your product or service was built to change lives, share it. The About Us page is a great place for it to live, too. Good stories humanize your brand, providing context and meaning for your product. What’s more, good stories are sticky — which means people are more likely to connect with them and pass them on.

Yellow Leaf Hammocks tells users about its product by describing how the hammocks empower artisan weavers and their families. The company breaks down different pieces of the story into sections that combine words and easily digestible graphics, painting a picture instead of big chunks of text. Yellow Leaf is clear about why its brand is different: “Not a Charity,” the page reads. And then: “This is the basis for a brighter future, built on a hand up, not a handout.”

Why this About Us page rocks:

Every company has a story to tell, so break out your storytelling skills from that random English class you took years ago and put them to work on your About Us page. Using descriptive and emotive copy and gorgeous graphics, an About Us page with a story works harder for your business than a generic one.

2. Eight Hour Day

People tend to think that About Us pages have to sound formal to gain credibility and trust. But most people find it easier to trust real human beings, rather than a description that sounds like it came from an automaton. It should always sound friendly and real.

Trying to sound too professional on your About Us page results in stiff, “safe” copy and design — the perfect way to make sure your company blends in with the masses. Instead, take inspiration from Eight Hour Day. This brand showcases the people behind the company and humanizes its brand.

Why this About Us page rocks:

Introducing the founders with inviting photos on this About Us page drives home the point that Nathan and Katie are — as they so astutely put it — “two individuals with a passion for creativity — creativity makes us happy.”

3. Apptopia

People want to know what your business does and how it can help them. After all, if people can’t figure out what you do, how will they know they need your product or service?

So, skip the industry lingo — that’s what Apptopia does on its About Us page. The startup’s simple but polished language effectively communicates the company’s offering while still allowing the Average Joe to understand it.

Why this About Us page rocks:

Apptopia uses short and punchy sentences to explain complex products and ideas in a way that isn’t patronizing. The copy on this About Us page leads with empathy.

4. Moz

Instead of following the classic About Us script and writing a few paragraphs about the company’s mission and origins, try something different — there are plenty of ways to make your brand more compelling to someone who doesn’t know about you.

Take Moz, for example. A lot has happened since it was founded in 2004, so the company chose to share those milestones using a fun, clean design that incorporates clear headers, concise blurbs, and little graphics to break up the text.

Why this About Us page rocks:

We especially love the humble references to how Moz received funding, how it switched its brand positioning — and most importantly, how it switched back to its original model. This speaks volumes to the value honesty and humbleness can play to your customers. Don’t be afraid to talk about your ups and downs; your customers will trust what you say that much more.

5. Yokel Local

Yokel Local does a few things well on its About Us page: The company spotlights its clients, its story and mission, and the team behind the brand. This last element is key because Yokel Local knows that its “vibe” wins over prospective clients. After all, when you hire an agency, you’re hiring its people. And people have personalities.

Why this About Us page rocks:

Because “Yokel Local” is a bit of a kooky name that gives people pause, the company pokes fun at it by providing the definition, which then leads into photos of the team at work (and at play), the agency’s story, its mission and values, and the people who make the magic happen. This magic is included all over the about page as its employees make goofy faces, wear ugly Christmas sweaters, and work/play hard.

6. Nike

Nike might seem like a company that’s too big to inspire smaller businesses. You might even wonder if Nike even still has an About Us page. As a matter of fact, it does, and it hasn’t forgotten the company’s roots.

Nike began on the campus of the University of Oregon by the hand of the college’s track coach, Bill Bowerman. And even though he no longer works at the company, one of his beloved quotes still brands the bottom of Nike’s About Us page below: “If you have a body, you are an athlete.”

This bold sentence, referenced by the asterisked “Athlete” in the words right above it, sheds important light on Nike’s audience. The brand may be big today, but Nike is all about the rising stars — whom the company depends on, according to the rest of its About Us page, to “expand human potential.”

Why this About Us page rocks:

Nike clearly knows its audience and makes their mission obvious to them as soon as they land on the About Us page. There’s no question that the visitor is in the right place and understands exactly what Nike has set out to do.

7. Bulldog Skincare

What’s the difference between “average” marketing and lovable marketing? It’s the difference between creating generic webpages that provide great information, but in a straightforward, black-and-white kind of way — versus creating webpages that provide great information and are infused with color, personality, and stay true to a company’s unique brand voice. When you create lovable marketing, you can start a movement of brand evangelists and advocates who will help you grow.

Where does this fit into a company’s About Us page? The folks at Bulldog, a men’s skincare company that was named for the colloquial “man’s best friend” — a dog — could have typed up a few paragraphs about where the brand came from and how it was one of the first in the space to redefine and eliminate stereotypes around men’s grooming. But that text alone would have been a bit, well, average.

Instead, the About Us page is pithy, colorful, and leads with an adorable bulldog — fitting the name and the brand. And it states the purpose of the products — to help customers from waking up with the (admittedly adorable) wrinkly face you see when you visit Bulldog’s website.

Why this About Us page rocks:

Bull Dog isn’t afraid to have fun with its brand. That bit of fun and humanity adds personality and humor that makes this About Us page anything but typical. It primes visitors for a story in a way that makes them immediately feel connected to Bull Dog’s mission and vision. That’s how you create memorable, lovable marketing.

8. Doomtree

One minute of video is worth 1.8 million words, according to Forrester Research’s Dr. James McQuivey. But what about audio and visual, too, all combined with a really cool story? Well, that’s one way to tell your story in an engaging way — through multimedia.

Doomtree is built on a bit of an innovative concept: That a group of talented artists can each have thriving solo careers, but can still come together on a regular basis to create great music. It’s not a band — it’s a crew. It’s an unconventional concept with an equally interesting backstory that “started as a mess of friends in Minneapolis, fooling around after school, trying to make music without reading the manual.” And as soon as you arrive on Doomtree’s About Us page, you’re greeted with big, bold photos of those friends.

Why this About Us page rocks:

As you scroll down, users are treated to even more interaction with the crew’s events and music tracks. That makes sense because it gives visitors an instant sample of Doomtree’s product.

9. Below the Fold

Below the Fold is a company committed to “sharing news stories you aren’t hearing anywhere else.” With that in mind, the big headline on the page introduces Below the Fold and what the company’s purpose is. Further down, you’ll find four core values, how the business generates revenue and more details about the team behind the scenes.

Why this About Us page rocks:

It gets straight to the point about what Below the Fold is, who it serves, and why it exists. The simple design lacks color, embellishments, and sensational imagery so the reader can focus on what the company has to say — a direct nod to the mission statement.

10. Ceros

Ceros’ About Us page is interactive and engaging. As you scroll, the images move across the page with punchy designs. Additionally, Ceros’ uses these images of its impressive, unique office space to further personalize the page.

Why this About Us page rocks:

Ceros keeps the text on the page short-and-sweet, with powerful statements like “We exist to unlock creativity”. The Culture section further demonstrates Ceros’ playful brand voice, with core values like “We wear our chicken suits”.

11. Marketive

Rarely have I seen a more powerful opening statement than the one Marketive uses in its About Us page: “Got a solid product? We tell your target audience that you exist.”

Additionally, Marketive’s About Us page displays original designs rather than photos to support the text, and the page is simply fun to scroll through. Marketive’s layout tells a story in itself — starting with what the company does, moving into which types of industries it serves and ending with the company’s earlier milestones.

Why this About Us page rocks:

The interactive milestone calendar at the bottom is especially impressive. It authentically represents some humble beginnings (including two unsuccessful startups that inspired present-day Marketive) and features a fun scroll element that highlights various dates throughout the calendar.

12. Sweet Loren’s

Start-to-finish, Sweet Loren’s About Us page is playful, engaging, and colorful. The page starts with a 60-second video and even incorporates cookie dough-scooping gifs. As you scroll, you’ll move through some of Sweet Loren’s impressive values, including inclusivity and refusing to compromise.

Why this About Us page rocks:

Sweet Loren’s yummy products are last on the page, ensuring you’re fully primed to purchase only after learning about Sweet Loren’s mission and differentiating factor: creating non-GMO, gluten-free, plant-based, and delicious cookie dough.

13. TalEx

TalEx has an interesting origin story, in which two women left a major recruiting firm to build their own and ended up landing AOL as a major client of theirs — which was previously their old employers’ client.

TalEx has since seen unprecedented growth at 4,900% in the three years since it began. You’ll learn all this and more on the company’s About Us page.

Why this About Us page rocks:

What makes the TalEx About page stand out is the company’s emphasis on social responsibility, which takes up nearly half the page and explains the company’s dedication to giving 5% of its net profit annually to various philanthropic organizations. People who visit the website will know that giving back and paying it forward are important to the people at TalEx.

14. SkinnyDipped

SkinnyDipped’s About Us page features a few sweet, polaroid images of the employees (including three of the co-founders as young children), and a moving nod to Josh Dickerson, a family friend whose death inspired the family to start the business.

This About Us page is well-written and inspiring — for instance, the page reads, “We decided to start a business … That it would be centered around food was obvious. For us—family, friends, food, and love are all tangled up.” By the time you finish reading the story (and the individual employee bios), you’ll be as impressed by SkinnyDipped’s brand values as you are by its delicious products.

15. LoveBug Probiotics

LoveBug Probiotics’ About Us page features an image of the founder’s four young children wearing “Chief Fun Officer”, “Chief Giggle Officer”, “Chief Silly Officer” and “Chief Humor Officer” t-shirts. I’ll admit — there aren’t many About Us pages with cuter introductions than that.

Why this About Us page rocks:

The page effectively includes all the information you’d need on the company to make an informed purchasing decision — including how the founder came up with the idea, her personal ties to the vision, the science behind her probiotics, and even an opportunity to find local stores that carry LoveBug probiotics.

Plus, while the products are science-backed, the About Us page doesn’t confuse visitors with difficult-to-understand facts: instead, the page is simple, straightforward, and helpful.

16. Brown and Coconut

Sometimes, simpler is better — as is the case with Brown and Coconut’s About Us page, which features a photo of the two co-founders alongside a few paragraphs of text, outlining the purpose and vision behind Brown and Coconut.

The opening sentence is incredibly relatable and draws the reader in: “After years of suffering from severe acne and frustrated by the lack of effectiveness and further damage they experienced with popular skincare products, Brown and Coconut founders and sisters, Letisha and Zeena Brown embarked on a journey to heal their skin from the inside out.”

Why this About Us page rocks:

Brown and Coconut’s About page uses no-fuss language to describe the business. Rather than ending with a CTA directing visitors to its products, the co-founders instead choose to include a CTA to follow the business on Instagram, promoting a more effective, long-term lead generation strategy that starts with brand awareness.

17. Kuno Creative

Kuno Creative’s About Us page effectively focuses on what makes the company different: its people. While the first paragraph describes the origin of the digital marketing agency, the majority of the page is taken up by black-and-white shots of all its employees along with descriptions of each member, like a modern-day yearbook.

Why this About Us page rocks:

The page looks sleek and clean, with plenty of white space and large blue lettering to draw attention without overwhelming visitors. If you’re unsure what you want to include in your About Us page, consider taking note of how Kuno Creative focuses on its people, rather than its product, in the About Us page — a great way to humanize your brand.

About Me Page Templates & Examples

About Me Template

About Me pages vary in detail, but most great pages include a few standard elements. Below is a template of the most common elements of an engaging About Me page:

Your Purpose – This describes your purpose for doing the work you do. What gets you out of bed each morning? Try using the Ikigai map for guidance here.

Vision Statement – Who are you and where are you headed? Believe it or not, people are looking to you for leadership in some way. Show them how you’re leading your life and what inspires you to move forward.

Personal Core Values – Personal core values help the reader connect with you and find common ground.

Brief Personal Statement – Whether you share your hobbies, family life, or fun facts, a brief personal summary helps the reader relate to you on a personal level.

Next, you’ll see these elements in action on the best About Me pages examples on the web today.

1. Joe Payton

About Us pages might encompass the values of more than one person or entity, but they’re no more important to the image of a business than your personal about page. Take Joe Payton’s About Me page, below.

Not only does Joe’s illustrative self-portrait give him a personal brand that customers will remember, but it also demonstrates his expertise as a designer and animator. His website visitors can learn not just what he does, but why he does it, in an easily digestible way.

Why this About Me page rocks:

Joe freely expresses his values as a creative professional succinctly on a well-organized page. He tells a story that guides the reader through each section of the page without having them scroll endlessly to the bottom of the page.

2. Kero One

Kero One is a hip-hop artist and DJ from San Francisco, and his About Me page carries a valuable lesson to personal brands who cater to more than one audience — especially if those audiences speak different languages.

Kero One’s story starts in his childhood, when he was six years old and first discovered a passion for hip-hop. Knowing how old and genuine his love for the genre is adds tremendous value to his own music in the eyes of his listeners.

Why this About Me page rocks:

While this entrepreneur’s childhood interests help to deepen his audience, the second screenshot below helps Kero One widen it. His About Me page first tells his story in English, then in Japanese, then in Korean, then in Chinese. Accommodating these Southeast Asian audiences makes his brand more inclusive of all the audiences he identifies with.

3. Aja Frost

Alright, we might be biased in highlighting this professional, as Aja is our very own Head of English SEO at HubSpot. Nonetheless, the ingenuity she brings to the company isn’t lost on her website’s About Me page.

Being a data-driven professional, Aja knows her clients are looking for more than her writing skills — they want to see how her content has performed. With that in mind, her About Me page tells a story of her career growth, which peaks — no pun intended — at an impressive line graph showing the result of an SEO strategy she implemented for the HubSpot Blog. (The graph’s sharp decline in September indicates when she stopped collecting data.)

Why this About Me page rocks:

Aja understands the value of being personable even in a digital space like an About Me page. She closes out her about page with a personal note on what she does in her spare time — a great way to humanize yourself in the eyes of your potential customers.

4. Madison Butler

Madison Butler is an HR change-maker “committed to deconstructing the status quo and rebuilding corporate America, one organization at a time.” She does this through her DEI work and her advocacy.

The About page, which doubles as the site’s homepage, calls this out at the very top in one bold statement: “I’m here to ensure organizations know how to make space for everyone.”

Why this About Me page rocks:

Madison’s About page is effective because it stays true to her mission while being simple, effective, and to the point. The second sentence in the headline, “You belong here.”, underscores the inclusivity of Butler’s mission and work. It’s even emphasized further where the phrase is repeated in the footer.

5. Sara Dietschy

This professional YouTube content creator has an eclectic collection of videos related to technology and cultureand expresses that diversity all over her About Me page.

In addition to the vibrant self-portrait at the top of the page, Sara’s first sentence tells you just how many people subscribe to her channel: 780,000. This is an important number to know for her potential video advertisers and collaborators who want to know how much exposure they’d get by working with her or advertising on her channel.

Why this About Me page rocks:

The colored tiles lining the page — starting with the red one, as shown below — do a terrific job segmenting her work by the types of projects she takes up and for whom she’s done them. This helps the reader navigate the page and understand what’s important for them to know.

6. ShaDrena

ShaDrena is a graphic artist whose mission is to “visually build creative rebellious brands beyond a logo.” She exemplifies this mission for her own brand on her About page.

In three sections — About, Bio, and Random Facts — the audience gets the full ShaDrena experience, which is more than just design. It’s also about voice and personality. As a self-described “creative hustler,” “rule-breaker,” and “designer of dope brands,” the language ShaDrena uses on her site comes across as edgy and authentic, a perfect way to make her copy mirror her personality.

Why this About Me page rocks:

ShaDrena’s About page is intriguing because it’s counterintuitive to what someone might expect from a graphic artist. Most of the content is presented in black, white, and gray which puts all the focus on the composition of her design.

7. Marc Ensign

This branding expert does two things incredibly well on his about page: He takes his work seriously without taking himself too seriously. Marketers know there’s value to keeping a casual tone in the content they create, but to attract customers, you need to prove you have discipline and integrity. This often proves to be a tough balance to get right.

Why this About Me page rocks:

Marc Ensign nails the balance between friendly and formal with a confident opening statement. This not only draws the reader in but also establishes Marc as a relatable partner to work with.

8. Miracle Inameti-Archibong

With an excellent design that emphasizes her copy, Miracle Inameti-Archibong’s site is a masterclass on how to do a one-page website well. The content is presented with large clear images, cool and bold colors, dynamic angles and blocks, and simple typography.

Why this About Me page rocks:

This structured design supports the story in Miracle’s About Me section, which spans over a decade but is laid out in just four sentences so that the reader understands her career span without being overwhelmed with too much information. That’s when she dives further into her expertise and the meat of the About section which is thoughtfully paired with testimonials on the right that provide social proof for it.

Tell the World All About You

We hope that creating an About Us page doesn’t seem like a daunting task. Take the best practices, templates, and examples you’ve seen so far, and have some fun with them. With a good story to tell, creative copy, humility, and digestible visuals, you’re on your way to an eye-catching user experience.

You’ll be standing out from a sea of About Us and About Me pages in no time. So, tell us, What makes you different? We’re eager to learn more… about you.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

 

Your employees know your business processes well. They understand your brand messaging and vision and feel a general sense of connectedness to your organization.

Given this, many businesses choose to insource and have existing employees undertake new tasks rather than hiring freelancers or other agencies that don’t have an existing connection to your business.

In this post, discover exactly what insourcing is, the benefits it can bring to your business, and examples of scenarios that would cause you to use the strategy.

Insourcing brings a variety of benefits to companies, like:

• Having more control over the decisions that go into tasks and projects because everything is kept in-house.
• Existing employees are experienced with brand messaging and the brand experience, so you don’t have to spend extra resources getting others up to speed.
• Communication isn’t tricky as you don’t need to reach out to third parties.
• You don’t need to share critical business information with external sources.

However, insourcing can also become costly if it requires hiring new talent or creating new departments to be responsible for specific tasks and projects. Employees can also become burnt out if they are assigned a heavier workload to accomplish projects, so some businesses elect to use outsourcing.

Insourcing vs. Outsourcing

Insourcing and outsourcing are opposites.

With outsourcing, a company hires an external third party, like a public relations firm, to complete a task, project, or take over a continuous function for the company. With insourcing, all tasks, projects, or continuous processes are done by internal employees, even if it means hiring new talent or creating new departments.

A common use case for outsourcing is payroll needs. For example, if a business is smaller and doesn’t have the resources to create a payroll department, or nobody on staff is trained in payroll needs, they may outsource the task to an experienced payroll firm.

Businesses may choose to use outsourcing over insourcing for a variety of reasons, like:

• Eliminating the costs associated with hiring new employees,
• Reducing workload for internal teams to avoid burnout,
• Allowing employees to focus on core business functions while external parties cover less critical operations,
• New needs that arise due to scaling.

A business may choose to use insourcing over outsourcing as the ladder often requires handing over internal systems and processes to a third party, which can pose a significant risk when dealing with sensitive information, and communication can sometimes be challenging to navigate.

Insourcing Examples

Let’s go over some examples of insourcing that may provide additional insight into the practice.

• A business is scaling to different territories, but its current marketing teams aren’t familiar with the language in the new area. So, it hires a new team in the territory that is familiar with the language and will be responsible for creating marketing strategies that speak to the needs of the new audience.
• An organization wants to expand its line of products, so it works with internal product teams to brainstorm new ideas and bring them to fruition instead of outsourcing the work to an external unit. This ensures that teams working on new products have expertise on current business practices, and confidential systems don’t need to be shared with outside sources.
• After scaling, a business CEO can no longer be responsible for payroll as it is a more significant task than before. So, instead of hiring an external payroll firm, the business hires new talent experienced in payroll duties and creates an in-house payroll department.

Over To You

If you want your business to undertake new projects or scaling has required you to need new processes, consider using insourcing if your overall goal is to have everything done in-house.

Your internal teams, or newly hired talent, will take ownership of new tasks, bring them to fruition, and contribute to your business success.

As a marketer, we’ve been talking about personalization and responsive advertising for some time now. And that trend isn’t going away.

In 2019, 72% of display ads were responsive (more than double what they found just two years previous).

Additionally, the ways people search are changing. Google found that 15% of search queries every day are new searches they’ve never seen before.

That’s why starting June 30, 2022, responsive search ads will be the only search ad type that can be created or edited in Google standard search campaigns. The goal is that this change will help simplify the way you create search ads and make it easier to drive performance.

To prepare for this upcoming change, let’s discuss what responsive search ads are and the best practices for creating them.

The goal is to show a different combination of titles and descriptions for different users depending on their unique queries and search history. Google will alternate between the titles and descriptions, showing 32,760 different versions of the ad. Then, the search engine will find the most effective title and description combination and use it the most often.

Responsive search ads are a simple and strategic way to create an effective PPC marketing strategy. You can boost your engagement and reach more potential customers with the most effective version of your ad.

 

Responsive Search Ads vs. Dynamic Search Ads

While they’re similar, responsive search ads and dynamic search ads are different. Again, responsive search ads are when you create multiple versions of your title and description, and Google will alternate between them.

On the other hand, dynamic search ads are when Google itself issues a headline for an ad — one you didn’t write — depending on the content and search query.

Responsive search ads are great to use for brand awareness and lead generation, while dynamic ads are helpful for content and keyword-based pages.

Now, you might be wondering what the benefits of responsive search ads are — let’s review below.

1. Personalized search ads.

One of the main benefits of responsive search ads is personalization. Since 90% of U.S. consumers find marketing personalization very or somewhat appealing, it’s important to make your ads as personalized as possible.

Responsive search ads are displayed based on a user’s search history, past clicks, device type, and search query (keywords used). Google will use the title and description you wrote that is most relevant. Additionally, responsive search ads can be tailored depending on a user’s current location, regular location, or location of interest.

This means that with responsive search ads, you’ll benefit from a more personalized ad experience.

2. Optimized search ads depending on the device type.

Similar to the point above, when a user is searching on their mobile device versus the computer, the size of the device is different (shocking, I know).

This means they can see less of the title and description of your ad. With responsive search ads, you can allocate smaller-width headlines and descriptions for the mobile experience.

Ultimately this can help you have more room to share your message and will hopefully increase your click-through rate (CTR) on all device types.

3. Simple A/B testing.

As discussed, with responsive search ads, Google will use thousands of variations of your search engine ads. This means that Google will automatically be testing the different versions of your ad, so you don’t have to micro-analyze CTR or impressions anymore.

Interestingly, according to Google, responsive search ads have also resulted in 6% more clicks and 5% higher CTR. This ad type will save you time since Google will do the testing for you, and drive higher results.

4. Compete in more auctions and reach more customers.

With more headlines and descriptions, your ads will compete in more auctions, match more queries, and ultimately reach more customers. Increasing your reach while also increasing your results is one of the main benefits of using responsive search ads.

So, now we know that responsive search ads are here to stay and can help change your PPC strategy. But, how can you write the best responsive search ads to guarantee results? Let’s look at some best practices below to help you get started.

1. Write unique titles and descriptions to create variation.

Since one of the main benefits of responsive search ads is the variation in writing 15 headlines and four descriptions, it’s important to make those titles and descriptions unique.

The goal is to have as much variation as possible. Test different CTAs, call out different features, include different keywords, have different header lengths, etc. Having unique titles and descriptions (instead of very similar ones) will drive higher results as Google can see which ones are more effective.

2. Experiment with different header lengths and types of descriptions.

As we discussed above, it’s important to experiment with different header lengths. You’ll want to include shorter versions of your titles for mobile devices, and longer versions for those on a desktop.

Additionally, you should experiment with different types of descriptions. These can include descriptions that have special offers, discount codes, savings, or product benefits and features.

3. Entice users with different offers in your descriptions.

Using offers and discounts is a great strategy for responsive search ads. You can test which special offers or discounts work the best by using several different ones in your descriptions. Depending on which performs better, Google will begin showing that description more than the other versions.

4. Have concise and straightforward CTAs.

The best responsive search ads have concise and straightforward CTAs. These should be short-form CTAs like “Save Now,” “Get Free Shipping Now,” or “Why Pay Full Price? Save 70% Today!”

Short and concise CTAs tend to perform better on PPC ads in general, so it’s important to continue using those types of CTAs for your responsive search ads.

5. Include keywords, product features, and benefits, where you can.

To drive results with responsive search ads, it’s important to include keywords in your headlines, and add product features or benefits to your descriptions. This will help you match several different queries, increase your reach, and ultimately drive more results from your responsive search ads.

6. Use existing content from high-performing ads.

You’ve most likely already done PPC advertising before this. Look for your high-performing ads, and use some of that existing content in your responsive search ads. This is the best practice for many types of PPC advertising, and it’s no different with responsive search ads.

Responsive search ads are becoming more popular and more important in the world of search engine advertising. Think about how you can implement these ads to drive results and improve your PPC strategy.

As a marketer, you know how important it is to have a marketing strategy — but have you thought about the impact your marketing message can make in it?

Your strategy has to align with your audiences’ needs and interests, and understand the required approach for each channel you use, whether it’s social media or email. This strategy also informs the content you create and how to share it so your audience has a greater likelihood of seeing it.

But how do you bridge the gap between this strategy and the content itself? What you need is a marketing message, and it’s just as important as your overall strategy.

In this article we’ll discuss the definition, provide real-life examples and ways to make your own excellent marketing message. But if you’re in a pinch, feel free to jump straight to what you’re looking for instead:

• What is a marketing message?
• What is messaging in marketing?
• Marketing Message Examples
• How to Craft a Marketing Message

Because of this, you should craft your marketing message with care, specifically for the audiences you’re trying to reach. It should also address their pain points and present your business as a solution.

Think of it like this: if you know you want to post about a new product launch on Instagram, how will you prove to your audience that they need to buy this new product? Your marketing message. Essentially, no marketing message means no way to execute your strategy.

When your message speaks to their needs, you’ll build trust with your audience and inspire customer retention. It’s worth investing time in crafting the perfect message, especially when 59% of shoppers prefer to buy from brands they trust.

But you may be thinking, what is messaging in marketing, anyway?

What is messaging in marketing?

Messaging in marketing is how a brand communicates what customers want to know about your brand. It goes beyond just sharing information about the product or service available; it builds your brand identity through the “why” of your company; its mission, vision, and values.

Marketing messaging lets customers see your brand’s beliefs and ideas — helping the customer make an impression of your business. This type of communication can be a decision point between buying from just any company or buying from an authentic and engaging one instead.

Every business engaging in marketing needs a marketing message, whether you sell B2C or B2B, software as a service (SaaS), or clothing. Let’s take a look at some brands that made clear and enticing messaging.

Marketing Message Examples

Successful marketing messages attract leads and convert them to paying customers. Below we’ll go over some real-life examples of effective marketing messages.

1. Nike

As a clothing and apparel brand, Nike is committed to providing equipment to everyone who needs it, regardless of the sport they play and who they are.

Nike’s marketing message is “Where All Athletes Belong,” and it speaks to its target audience and lets them know that they have something for everyone —from professional athletes to first-time players.

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2. Black Girl Sunscreen

Black Girl Sunscreen targets an audience often left out of sun safety discussions: women of color. Their message lets that market know they’re there for them: “Protect your melanin. Sunscreen is always in season.”

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3. Chipotle

People with dietary restrictions or food preferences that don’t align with mainstream ideas of nutrition are often unable to find food they can eat at fast-food restaurants.

Chipotle’s marketing message, shown in the image below, reads “Find your plant power.” The brand is speaking directly to those with diverse needs, inviting them to try its expanded menu with plant-based options and letting them know that they recognize the gap in the market for their needs.

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4. Lab Muffin

Ingredients in beauty and cosmetic products can be hard to understand if you don’t have a scientific background or relevant experience. Lab Muffin’s marketing message speaks to those who want to understand the chemistry behind the products they use: “The science of beauty, explained simply.”

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5. Zoom

Zoom is a virtual meeting tool that allows users to connect virtually. It markets to an audience who wants to continue having fulfilling conversations, regardless of their physical location: “Meet OnZoom. A marketplace for immersive experiences.”

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All in all, these marketing messages capture attention and, in just a couple of words, explain why Zoom’s business is the best fit to meet its audience’s needs.

How to Craft a Marketing Message

As mentioned above, a well-crafted marketing message helps convert your audience into customers. All businesses should aim to have one, and below we’ll discuss how to create a compelling marketing message for your own business.

1. Know your target audience.

Just as with most marketing practices, you can’t begin creating your marketing message without identifying your target audience. When you know who they are, you’re not marketing to customers you think are interested in you, but rather to those you know are interested in you.

In brief, your target audience is a group of consumers with similar characteristics and purchasing intent, and stand to gain the most value from your products. While your overall target audience is probably defined by the industry you’re in, it’s important to have a deeper understanding.

To learn more about your target audience and narrow down who they are, you can conduct buyer persona research, analyze your competitors, practice social listening, and invite people to participate in focus groups or interviews.

Overall, what you want to learn from identifying your target audience is understanding what they “look” like. This can be simple demographic information, like age and location, to what they like, desire, and want from the businesses they buy from.

Having this information then makes it easier to personalize your strategies and create a marketing message that will resonate with them, especially when addressing their pain points.

2. Understand your audience’s pain points.

Your persona research should tell you about your audience’s pain points and challenges.

As a refresher, pain points are issues that affect your target audience’s day-to-day routines, business tasks, or general life desires. These challenges are typically things that your audience is actively seeking solutions for.

For example, if you’re a business selling marketing SaaS, you may discover that your audience has trouble managing their campaigns because they use multiple platforms throughout their process. When you create your marketing message, you should speak to your ability to streamline their efforts with your easy-to-use, all-in-one platform.

If you’re a B2C business that sells eco-friendly clothing, a customer pain point could be that they struggle to find brands without significant environmental impact. In your marketing message, you should speak to their desire to minimize environmental pollution through sustainable shopping opportunities.

When you understand pain points, you don’t have to guess why your customers need you — you’ll know why they need you. As a result, you can create a marketing message that addresses their needs.

The first two steps on this list involve gathering the necessary background information, and the following steps will help you begin crafting your message.

3. Define value propositions.

Value propositions highlight your product or service’s unique value and tell customers that your brand is tailor-made to meet their needs. It clearly says why they should do business with you instead of a competitor, and that is precisely the point of a marketing message.

When creating your message, present your product or service as a cure for their pain points, and prove it. Continuing with the eco-friendly business example, you can specifically mention that your clothing is locally produced, separating you from the competition that mass produces its goods abroad.

This message tells consumers that you’re solving their pain point, which is a lack of sustainable clothing brands, because you design ethically produced and environmentally friendly products.

4. Prioritize clarity and concision.

Your marketing message needs to pack a punch, you need to say a lot in as few words as possible. You shouldn’t beat around the bush. Instead, get to the point and explain how your product is a solution.

Customers should read your message and find answers to their questions without needing to overanalyze your statements. Prioritize being clear, concise, and easily understood, as you want your words to speak for themselves. To reiterate, get to the point.

You can think of it like this: I said a lot in this explanation just to tell you to get to the point. If this were a marketing message, you would’ve moved along already. However, if I wanted to follow the tips I’ve mentioned, I would simply say, “Tell me why you’re the best – no ifs, ands, or buts.”

5. Use familiar, conversational language.

Even though your customers are in your industry, you shouldn’t assume that they know or understand the technical jargon related to what you sell. Therefore, it’s important to sound conversational and use familiar and palatable language to most audiences. Your message copy should be simple, straightforward, and not require an industry-specific dictionary.

For example, you can use technical terms to describe the features in your latest automobile model. Still, car enthusiasts would be the only ones that genuinely understand what it means to have a 600 horsepower engine and AAA uniform tire quality grading (I certainly don’t know what this means).

Aim to write as people speak during conversations, maintain a friendly tone, and make customers feel welcomed. Robotic and technical language may be confusing and lead them to think that doing business with you will be complicated and confusing as well.

In sum, by being conversational and familiar, you’re reaching everyone, from first-time industry customers to seasoned CEOs.

6. Showcase your brand’s originality.

Your marketing message’s overall intent is to attract your target audience, but it’s also to set you apart from your competitors. Given this, a key pillar of your final message is originality.

Run-of-the-mill marketing messages seem like they could belong to any of your competitors, and original ones showcase what makes you unique. This can be your brand’s personality, the features that set you apart from your competitors, or a combination of the two.

Your marketing message is unique to your business, your solutions are unique to your business, and your words should prove that.

7. Use user-generated content (UGC).

Consumers are 14% more likely to trust recommendations from someone like them (another consumer) over a brand employee. With that in mind, using UGC in your messaging, like testimonials and reviews, can help you support your products’ value.

As your target audience likely shares the same challenges, seeing that someone like them has benefited from your product can help them make their final decision. For example, you could say, “95% of our customers love [xyz], and you will too.”

8. Appeal to customer emotions and logic.

There are a variety of consumer behavior models that explain how people make purchasing decisions. Some models say that it’s through logical reasoning, and others say that it’s purely emotional. In reality, it’s probably a combination of the two, and you should use this to your advantage.

Through tactics like humorous copy, you can showcase your brand’s uniqueness to appeal to customer emotions, and use value propositions to appeal to logical reasoning and show customers how you’ll solve their problems.

Reach Your Customers through Your Marketing Message

The key takeaway here is that your marketing message should convince your audience to do business with you.

Focus on showcasing your brands’ individuality, creating an emotional connection, and clearly showing your customers what’s in it for them. If you do this, you’ll likely find yourself with a marketing message that speaks directly to your target audience and helps you grow your list of clients.

The pandemic has forced the traditional holiday office party to go virtual. But things are different this year — now, a variety of workplaces include remote and in-person employees (or a hybrid of both).

So here’s the challenge — how can you host a fun holiday party that satisfies everyone? What activities can you plan? What logistics are involved?

There’s certainly a lot to think about, but don’t stress. Here are some tips from HubSpot’s remote workforce on how to host a virtual or hybrid-friendly holiday party.

1. Use a spreadsheet to organize your activities.

Planning a virtual holiday party requires plenty of logistics. That’s why you should use a spreadsheet to stay organized.

Kara Korosec, a remote senior customer success manager at HubSpot, says, “I used to coordinate Secret Santa at my last company, a 100% remote company. I set up a spreadsheet where everyone listed some of their interests, then we used a random generator to assign secret Santas. Everyone had a budget of $50 and used the spreadsheet as inspiration for what to get. After the gifts were mailed, we had a Zoom where we shared our gifts and guessed who our secret Santa was.”

2. Make it interactive.

Virtual events might automatically feel “hands-off” — but this doesn’t have to be the case. In Korosec’s secret Santa example, they opened the gifts on a live Zoom call.

The goal here is to be creative.

Eimear Marrinan, a director of culture at HubSpot, says, “There are a ton of amazing remote vendors and minority-owned businesses that we partner with in the Culture Team. They are doing amazing work. If your budget allows for it, consider outsourcing to the experts. A few brilliant events I have seen: Ski Chalet Experience, Walkthrough Christmas Markets, Cocktails in a Winter Wonderland!”

There are several online games and activities you can use for your virtual holiday party. Below are some of our favorite interactive remote activities:

• Virtual MasterChef: Ask one person to host and send out a list of ingredients (or modified ingredients for dietary restrictions) and supplies. On the cooking night, have everyone dial into the Zoom to cook the same meal together as the host walks them through the recipe. Once the recipe is ready, sit down and have a virtual dinner together!
• Ugly Sweater Contest
• Virtual Escape Rooms, like Puzzle Break and Mystery Escape Room

• Airbnb Experiences
• Patchwork Adventures
• Pinturillo
• Virtual Tea & Coffee Tasting
• Virtual Floral Arrangement Class with Alice’s Table: They deliver farm-fresh flowers to your door.
• Travel to Paris and tour the Musée d’Orsay or pop over to London and tour The British Museum
• Goat 2 Meeting: Virtual Farm Tours & Animal Cameos in Zoom Meetings
• Two Bit Circus
• Splash
• ON24

3. Incorporate food.

When hosting an in-person event, providing food is typically part of the gig. Why can’t this be true of remote holiday parties too?

Emily Tong-Sanchez, a remote revenue operations specialist at HubSpot, says, “Let people comp their meal!”

This gives people a reason to celebrate and enjoy the party.

Marrinan adds, “Ask questions if you’re incorporating food. Are there allergies or preferences? If you’re arranging a cocktail hour, does everyone drink alcohol? This is all about being inclusive in how you’re arranging your event.”

If you’re sending food, it’s important to be aware of any restrictions so your event is inclusive of all participants.

4. Encourage people to dress up.

Holiday parties are usually fun events where everyone can dress up and celebrate. Being remote shouldn’t change this — so don’t ditch the ugly holiday sweater just yet.

Tong-Sanchez says, “Encourage people to dress up. We like having a reason to put on fancy clothes!”

5. Always lead with an inclusive mindset.

A major obstacle with remote meetings is that it’s hard to feel included.

Marrinan remarks, “We are working in a distributed and remote world right now, so when thinking through a holiday event for you and your team think big & think global. Will the timezone work for all on your team? Do ‘The Holidays’ resonate across the globe? Make sure you plan something fun, and inclusive that everyone can get involved in!”

6. Plan in advance.

If you’re planning a virtual holiday party, it’s important to give yourself enough time to plan. Send invites in advance, finalize an agenda, and test-run activities.

Marrinan says, “The end of the year is busy. Really busy! Give people advanced notice and book time in advance. A lot of people are juggling right now, so being protective of time is important! Similarly, be mindful of caregivers on your team, or anyone that may have blocked time in their day.”

7. Send something physical.

Just because your event is remote, doesn’t mean you can’t include a physical element in your virtual holiday party.

“Can you send something out to the team in advance to spur some excitement? This doesn’t have to be a physical gift — maybe it is a handwritten card or a note of gratitude,” Marrinan remarks. “A holiday event doesn’t have to be a big, big thing. Sometimes it’s the simple acts of kindness that go a long way for people.”

8. Pick a goal.

When you’re planning your holiday party, it’s important to decide what your goal is. For example, it’s hard to play a game while also getting to know each other.

Caroline Merewether, a strategy and operations manager at HubSpot, says, “The biggest takeaway is to figure out if it’s more about deepening relationships or playing a game.”

One of Merewether’s favorite events her team put on was an Airbnb experience which was a virtual escape room.

“That was fun to do something different and it was a fun mental shift. But it wasn’t great for getting to know people because we were trying to solve for clues. For our next party, we wanted to drive conversation between us,” she adds.

For her team’s next virtual holiday party, they’re going to send international candies that will be a great conversation starter for breakout rooms. Then, they’re going to do a costume contest and online trivia.

Jeff Boulter, an engineering lead at HubSpot, decided to combine the interactive activity with a way of getting to know each other via an interactive trivia game.

To start, Boulter sent out a Google Form with a mixture of icebreaker questions. A few examples included:

• What was your first online handle or email address?
• What course did you do the worst at college?
• What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever had?
• What’s your least favorite song?
• What’s your favorite conspiracy theory?
• What’s an unusual skill you have?
• Star Wars or Star Trek?
• Yanni or Laurel?
• If you could commit any crime and get away with it, what would it be?
• What’s the worst gift you’ve ever received?
• Who would get eaten first if we all got stuck in the 1C elevator?

Then, they used a free online trivia site called MyQuiz. Here, the answers were either picking one person from their squad (who’s least favorite song is “It’s a Small World,” for example) or picking the correct answer amongst three other made-up answers. They ended up with 54 questions. See the picture below for what this looked like.

5 Tips for Hosting a Hybrid Holiday Party

The best hybrid holiday parties engage both virtual and in-person guests in a meaningful way. But if you’re unsure about the logistics, check out these tips to build connections among coworkers near and far:

1. Think digital-first.

When planning the activities and agenda of your hybrid holiday party, your virtual attendees should stay front of mind. Consider how your virtual employee can interact and remain engaged at each step.

2. Find the right venue.

The venue for your party can either make or break the hybrid experience. Pay close attention to your venue’s internet stability and sound — and make sure you have access to the right equipment for video conferencing.

3. Prioritize hybrid-friendly activities

A common mistake when hosting hybrid parties is organizing activities for in-person guests and simply broadcasting the festivities for virtual attendees. Instead, look for hybrid-friendly activities that everyone can enjoy together, while apart. Here are a few examples:

• A Funny Team Awards Show
• Holiday Trivia or Game Night
• Secret Santa
• Paint Party
• Festive Talent Show

Remember, hybrid holiday parties should actively engage both in-person and virtual attendants — so prioritize activities that can achieve this goal.

4. Share the ambiance.

Sometimes virtual guests can feel like they’re missing out on the fun because they’re remote. To help counteract this, hosts should create a shared experience and ambiance for all attendees. For example, if your in-person decor includes paper snowflakes and vanilla candles, consider sending virtual guests a smaller-scale version of these items for their home or office.

5. Put in-person and remote guests in groups or pairs.

One way to encourage engagement between in-person and virtual guests is by placing them in groups or pairs. For example, if you play holiday trivia, consider breaking up your guests into groups, with each group containing in-person and remote guests. Take this one step further by encouraging groups to brainstorm creative team names.

When it comes to planning remote and hybrid events, it may take more time and effort to nail the logistics. But when done right, you can host a party that inspires camaraderie and belonging within your team.

So, you’ve finally got your foot in the door at your dream company. You’ve submitted the perfect resume and made a lasting impression during the phone screen. All there’s left to do now is to win over the hiring manager in the face-to-face interview.

As a well-informed candidate, you’re doing your research on the company and preparing your answers to the most important interview questions you can think of — the most notorious of them all being: “What is your greatest weakness?”

You don’t want to respond, “I tend to work too hard,” or “I am too much of a perfectionist.” That can easily come across as scripted and insincere at best and lacking in self-awareness at worst.

Alternatively, you don’t want to respond with weaknesses that will prevent you from succeeding in the role. For instance, if you’re applying to be a project manager, you don’t want to admit that you’re “not very good with time management.”

Fortunately, there are ways to answer this question that will help you demonstrate your value as a candidate. Here, we’ve cultivated some incredible answers to the mainstay, “What is your greatest weakness” question — and don’t worry, these answers aren’t “perfectionism”.

1. Choose a weakness that will not prevent you from succeeding in the role.

When an interviewer asks, “What is your greatest weakness?” they want to find out:

• Whether you have a healthy level of self-awareness
• Whether you can be open and honest, particularly about shortcomings
• Whether you pursue self-improvement and growth opportunities to combat these issues, as opposed to letting these weaknesses hold you back

Ultimately, you’ll want to use this question to demonstrate how you’ve used a weakness as motivation to learn a new skill or grow professionally. Everyone has weaknesses — your interviewer doesn’t expect you to be perfect.

If you’re applying for a copywriting position with little necessity for math skills, you might admit, “I struggle with numbers, and don’t have much experience with data analytics. While math is not directly tied to my role as a writer, I believe it’s important to have a rudimentary understanding of Google Analytics to ensure my work is performing well. To tackle this weakness, I’ve been taking online courses in data analytics.”

An answer like this shows the hiring manager that you recognize your areas for growth and are able to act on them without being told to do so. This kind of self-starter attitude is a plus for virtually any team.

2. Be honest and choose a real weakness.

The answer “perfectionism” won’t cut it when talking about your biggest weakness because it’s not a real weakness. Perfectionism can never be attained — it’s a fear-based pattern that leads to short-term rewards like getting the job done early and exceeding expectations. However, in the long-term, trying to attain perfectionism leads to burnout, low-quality work, and missed deadlines. Burnout is one of the biggest contributors to decreased productivity, turnover, and low employee engagement — all of which cost a company money, time, and talent.

Instead, choose a real weakness. Underneath the desire to do perfect work may lie a weakness of trust. Perhaps you don’t trust that you’ll be able to make mistakes on the team, so you strive to do everything perfectly. That’s a real weakness that you can definitely overcome.

3. Provide an example of how you’ve worked to improve upon your weakness or learn a new skill to combat the issue.

Hiring managers don’t expect you to overcome your weaknesses completely overnight. Everyone has areas they must constantly work on to keep them sharp. Think of it this way — if you’ve dedicated six months to working out, you won’t be able to stop one day and maintain your progress. It’s an ongoing process that you have to work at.

4. Think about weaknesses in your own personal life.

If you humanize yourself in the interview, it’ll allow your interviewer to connect and visualize working with you in the future. It’s not just about weaknesses that pertain to the job. For example, if you are an introvert and you notice your preference for quiet time stops you from taking risks, this is a relatable weakness. When you demonstrate your self-awareness this way, it shows you understand that self-improvement correlates to work performance.

5. Think of where you’d like to be and what support you need to get there.

Overall, growth is a part of life. Think about people you look up to that may be related to the field that you’re in. Ask yourself what character traits those people have and what work you might need to do in order to get there. By providing an example of how you’re working to improve your area of weakness, you’ll give the interviewer a glimpse into a few positive attributes about your awareness, including that:

• You know how to identify and mitigate issues that come up.
• You’ve found a helpful solution to a problem that you and perhaps others on the team face, which means you can be an immediate resource to the team.

• You demonstrate self-awareness and an ability to take feedback from others.

More often than not, you’re going to need to look outside of yourself to overcome a weakness. Whether you look to your supervisor, the HubSpot Blog, or a mentor for help, the simple act of seeking help demonstrates self-awareness and resourcefulness — two skills that are hard to teach, but valuable to learn. Tapping into your resources shows the interviewers that you can solve problems when the answer is not yet clear. That’s a character trait that has a place on any team.

Briefly share an example of a time when you asked someone for help in an area that you’ve identified as a weakness. This gives the hiring team a clear picture of how you’ll work with the team to balance out that weakness.

6. Don’t be arrogant and don’t underestimate yourself.

The most important thing you can do when responding to the question “What is your greatest weakness?” is exhibit confidence in your answer. (If lack of confidence is your weakness, keep reading.) Even if you’re not the most confident person, I’m going to assume you’re at least honest with yourself. If you’ve identified an area of weakness and you’re sure about it, let that assurance shine through in your answer. There’s no need to feel embarrassed about something you’re genuinely not good at as long as you’re working to get better.

Before you start expressing a genuine weakness to your interviewer, get comfortable with the types of answers that make hiring managers want to work with you. Take a look at the following examples and find a few that fit your personality and work style. Then, practice reciting them aloud so they come naturally to you.

Ready? Here are examples of how you might answer “What is your greatest weakness?” and why they work.

1. Lack of Patience

Sample Answer:

“I don’t have much patience when working with a team — I am incredibly self-sufficient, so it’s difficult when I need to rely on others to complete my work. That’s why I’ve pursued roles that require someone to work independently. However, I’ve also worked to improve this weakness by enrolling in team-building workshops. While I typically work independently, it’s important I learn how to trust my coworkers and ask for outside help when necessary.”

This answer works because the weakness — the inability to be patient when working with a team — doesn’t hinder your ability to perform well in the role, since it’s a job that doesn’t rely on teamwork to succeed. Additionally, you display an eagerness to develop strategies to combat your weakness, which is a critical skill in the workplace.

2. Lack of Organization

Sample Answer:

“I struggle with organization. While it hasn’t ever impacted my performance, I’ve noticed my messy desk and cluttered inbox nonetheless interfere with my efficiency. Over time, I’ve learned to set aside time to organize my physical and digital space, and I’ve seen it improve my efficiency levels throughout the week.”

Plenty of people have messy desks. This answer works because it’s a relatable and fixable weakness. You note that disorganization doesn’t interfere with your ability to do your job, which is critical, but you also acknowledge it might make you less efficient. To ensure you’re performing at 100%, you mention personal steps you’ve taken to improve your organization skills for the sake of self-improvement alone, which suggests a level of maturity and self-awareness.

3. Trouble with Delegation

Sample Answer:

“I sometimes find it difficult to delegate responsibility when I feel I can finish the task well myself. However, when I became manager in my last role, it became critical I learn to delegate tasks. To maintain a sense of control when delegating tasks, I implemented a project management system to oversee the progress of a project. This system enabled me to improve my ability to delegate efficiently.”

This answer allows you to demonstrate an ability to pursue a new skill when a role calls for it and suggests you’re capable of flexibility, which is critical for long-term growth. Additionally, you are able to showcase a level of initiative and leadership when you mention the successful implementation of a new process that enabled you to succeed in your past role, despite your weakness.

4. Timidity

Sample Answer:

“Oftentimes, I can be timid when providing constructive feedback to coworkers or managers, out of fear of hurting someone’s feelings. However, in my last role, my coworker asked me to edit some of his pieces and provide feedback for areas of improvement. Through my experience with him, I realized feedback can be both helpful and kind when delivered the right way. Since then, I’ve become better at offering feedback, and I’ve realized that I can use empathy to provide thoughtful, productive feedback.”

This answer works because you’ve explained how you were able to turn a weakness into a strength through real-world experience. Typically, timidity can be seen as a flaw in the workplace, particularly if a role requires someone to provide feedback to others. In this case, you’re able to demonstrate how timidity can be used as a strength, through thoughtful reflection and practice.

5. Lack of Tactfulness

Sample Answer:

“My blunt, straightforward nature has allowed me to succeed over the years as a team manager, because I’m able to get things done efficiently, and people often appreciate my honesty. However, I’ve recognized my bluntness doesn’t always serve my employees well when I’m delivering feedback. To combat this, I’ve worked to develop empathy and deeper relationships with those I manage. Additionally, I took an online leadership management course, and worked with the professor to develop my ability to deliver feedback.”

Oftentimes, facets of our personalities can help us in certain areas of our work, while hindering us in others. That’s natural. However, you must demonstrate an ability to recognize when your personality interferes with the functions of your role, and how you can solve for that.

In this example, you first explain how your blunt nature allows you to be successful in certain situations. Then, you mention that you understand your bluntness can be seen as a lack of empathy and provide examples of how you’ve attempted to solve this issue. Ultimately, your awareness of how you might be perceived by others shows a level of emotional intelligence, which is a critical asset for a team leader.

6. Fear of Public Speaking

Sample Answer:

“Public speaking makes me nervous. While I don’t need to do much public speaking in my role as a web designer, I still feel that it’s an important skill — especially when I want to offer my opinion during a meeting. To combat this, I spoke with my manager and she recommended I speak at each team meeting for a few minutes about our project timeline, deadlines, and goals when developing a website for a client. This practice has enabled me to relax and see public speaking as an opportunity to help my team members do their jobs effectively.”

In this example, you mention a skill that isn’t applicable to the role, but one which you nonetheless have been working to improve. This shows your desire to meet more business needs than necessary in your current role, which is admirable. Additionally, it’s impressive if you can show you’re willing to reach out to your manager with areas in which you want to improve, instead of waiting for your manager to suggest those areas of improvement to you. It demonstrates a level of ambition and professional maturity.

7. Weak Data Analysis Skills

Sample Answer:

“I’m not great at analyzing data or numbers. However, I recognize this flaw can prevent me from understanding how my content is performing online. In my last role, I set up monthly meetings with the SEO manager to discuss analytics and how our posts were performing. Additionally, I received my Google Analytics certificate, and I make it a point to analyze data related to our blog regularly. I’ve become much more comfortable analyzing data through these efforts.”

In this example, you’re able to show your desire to go above and beyond a job description and actively seek out skills that could be helpful to the success of your company as a whole. This type of company-first mentality shows the interviewer you’re dedicated to making yourself a valuable asset, and try your best to understand the needs of the whole department, rather than just your role.

8. Indecisiveness

Sample Answer:

“Sometimes I struggle with ambiguity and making decisions when directions aren’t clear. I come from a work environment that always gave clear and direct instructions. I had such a strong team and leadership that I haven’t had much practice making decisions in the heat of the moment. I’m working on this by leaning more into my experience and practicing listening to my gut.”

This answer works because you’re demonstrating that you can both follow a leader and sharpen your leadership skills. It’s alright to not know what to do in the moment. Admitting that you relied on strong leadership shows that you can be a follower when needed, but knowing when to step up is important, too. With this answer, you’re showing that you’ll step up if a situation calls for decisiveness.

9. Harsh Self-Criticism

Sample Answer:

“My inner critic can be debilitating at times. I take pride in producing good work, but I feel like I struggle feeling satisfied with it, which has led to burnout in the past. However, I’ve started to push back against this inner voice by taking care of myself before and after work. I’m also learning to recognize when my inner critic is right and when I need to dismiss it.”

This answer works because your interviewer may relate; we all have harsh inner critics. It’s also effective because 1) It shows that you’re willing to work on your weaknesses outside of work, not just during business hours, and 2) It demonstrates your inner critic may have valid points. Discerning when to dismiss it is key to prevent burnout and increase productivity. Realizing how the inner critic may inhibit good work ethic demonstrates your willingness to grow and be an effective worker.

10. Micromanaging

Sample Answer:

“I used to work in industries where I had to cultivate a solid work ethic in my employees. This style of training has been so ingrained in me that I’ve forgotten to discern who may need that coaching and who does not. I’ve been reading books on effective delegation and team building to work on this shortcoming. One technique that works for me is assuring myself that if I establish clear expectations, then my team will follow. I’ve also learned to trust my team members.”

This answer works best if you’ve been in a leadership position before and are applying to a managerial role. However, you can still apply it to past experiences where you did have to show leadership. This answer shows that while you may be used to running your crew or team a specific way, you’re willing to admit when your method isn’t the most effective. Showing your flexibility demonstrates your ability to grow.

11. Talkative

Sample Answer:

“I enjoy developing a relationship with my coworkers by engaging in conversation, and that’s a great team-building skill. However, I have a habit of carrying on a conversation to a point where it may distract other coworkers. I have learned since then that there are other ways to connect with my coworkers, and that if I’m asking about their day, I need to keep it brief and redirect myself back to my work. “This answer works because it shows you’re aware of how your talkative tendencies may be distracting in the workplace. It takes a lot of courage to admit that. It also shows you are willing to develop a relationship with coworkers but not at the cost of productivity.

12. Trouble Maintaining a Work-Life Balance

Sample Answer:

“I’ve struggled with work-life balance, especially after I started working remotely during the pandemic. This increased my stress levels to the point where my productivity was at an all-time low and I didn’t bring my best self to work. Because I want to continue working remotely, I’ve started adding more structure to my day and instituted a sharp start and end time. I’ve already seen improvements in my levels of focus during work hours.”

At first, this might seem like a “strength” weakness — pouring yourself into work is great, right? That means you love your job. But if it impacts your productivity and your relationships with coworkers, that is not so great. This answer works because it doesn’t just say, “I work a lot, so my home life suffers.” It says, “I work a lot to the point of burnout, and I’ve realized that I need to structure my day.” If you’ve struggled with work-life balance issues in the past, it’s important to state how you’re restoring that balance and how it has impacted your work.

There’s Strength In Every Weakness

Regardless of whether you’re bad with numbers or you tend not to speak up in group settings, there’s a strength behind every weakness. The strength is in how you work to overcome it. Leaning on your teammates who excel in those areas is a great way to show that you’ll work well on the team and that you know how to use your resources to solve problems. Taking professional development courses shows that you’re willing to work toward improvement. No matter which of these answers you share with the hiring team, they’ll be more than happy to help you grow and exceed the expectations of the role.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.