Yearly Archives: 2023

 

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” – John Wanamaker

John Wanamaker was considered to be a marketing guru long before there were marketing gurus. (It would have been a real treat to see him use Twitter.) But Mr. Wanamaker had a great point.

In his time, it was a real struggle to quantify what worked and what didn’t. In the modern age, this seemed solved by third-party cookies, as data snippets revealed users’ online activities, helping marketers target better. 

But the rising tide of privacy concerns has changed the game. High-profile privacy scandals and education have made users wary.

With giants like Google planning to shelve cookies, we’re thrust into a new era: The post-cookie world. For brands, it’s adapt or fade away. 

In this post, here’s how you can navigate this new reality where user privacy reigns supreme.

What is a post-cookie world? 

A post-cookie world refers to a future digital landscape where third-party cookies are phased out. 

Cookies are small pieces of text sent to your browser by a website you visit. First-party cookies helped all of us, the users, to experience a website in a much more enjoyable way (by remembering preferences such as our default language or our preference for dark mode). They are one of the essential inventions that made the Internet easier to navigate and explore.

However, not all cookies are the same. 

Third-party cookies are among the most important inventions that made the Internet commercially viable by streamlining advertising. Unlike first-party cookies that had more of a user experience purpose in mind, third-party cookies are all about marketing dollars and optimizing advertising campaigns. Understanding and monitoring navigation across websites made determining whom to target and how easier. They are also, however, a powerful way to gather information, monitor and erode the privacy we used to have in the early days of the Internet. 

Is a post-cookie world definitely going to happen?

We shared at the top that John Wanamaker stated a century ago that half of all advertising budgets go to waste. Would he say the same thing if he knew about cookies? And about the Internet? Probably not. 

(Look on the bright side: At least it’s not more than the 97% of all lead gen spend that’s wasted.)

Over the years, cookies, particularly third-party ones, have raised privacy concerns due to their ability to track users’ activities across different websites. Tech giants like Google have announced plans to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome by the end of the year, moving towards a more privacy-focused model.

This digital privacy dilemma around cookies has become widely relevant and essential for users and organizations. We have more education and content that explains to average users what their data is worth such as The Social Dilemma or the Cambridge Analytica Scandal. As a result, many users and organizations have opted to block third-party cookies, making it once again challenging for marketers to understand digital behavior and optimize advertising budgets across campaigns. 

The trend is unstoppable. Privacy matters, and users everywhere are more aware of the power of their data than ever before. 

To remain relevant, brands have no choice but to adapt to the next stage of digital advertisement; the cookie-less digital experience.

6 ways a post-cookie world impacts marketing

Your marketing campaigns can still be effective even if you cannot access third-party information about your users and their online behavior. 

Marketers can leverage creative strategies to beat their competitors, connect their value propositions with their users, and successfully run advertising digital campaigns. 

Privacy-first products become more desirable

People are increasingly opting out of cookies across all types of websites and product innovations.

As an example, we can see how companies such as Apple launched its iOS system that allows users to keep their navigation private and opt out of tracking. In May 2021, it was reported that 96% of Apple users were opting out of in-app tracking. Surprisingly, this figure decreased to nearly 75% just a year later. 

Unlike a couple of years back, today, users are aware that their data is essential and that “free” products are platforms where the value comes from the user.

Digital products aligning with this new era of the Internet and privacy will have a better chance of becoming a trusted brand in people’s minds. 

Reduce ad personalization

It is time to get back to fundamentals and focus on the jobs our product or service solves to gain relevance.

Let’s say you own an online video editing tool and want to launch ads for two audiences. The first needs your product because hiring an in-house media specialist takes too much time, and the second needs it due to the high volume their internal team can no longer handle. While the reasons behind arriving at your solution might differ, both audiences share a similar job; their time is limited, and they need an app to produce videos.

Using the same ad for both audiences is an elegant solution that intuitively connects your value prop with the pressing job users need to solve. Just because personalization is reduced does not mean quality has to suffer. 

More reliance on first-party data

While most marketers know the importance of capturing data and constantly improving user experiences with the product, capturing first-party data is only sometimes a priority for organizations. 

Often companies ignore their users, skipping direct feedback and overlooking qualitative methodologies (interviews, focus groups, etc.) 

In a cookieless world, gathering as much valuable information as you can about your users can be the main lever that helps you grow.

According to the Pew Research Center, most Americans are somewhat concerned about how much data is collected about them by both companies (79%) and the government (64%). Being transparent about the data you collect, what you use it for, and how it may benefit people that are similar to your current users would allow your brand to stand out as a privacy-first solution. 

Note: Be sure to create clear policies regarding the type of data you want to collect from users. Skipping being privacy compliant can massively hurt your company and lead to fines. 

Greater emphasis on contextual advertising

Being thoughtful about the type of content a particular website has and creating contextually related ads will become more critical for sales and marketing leaders.

Before, with third-party cookies, you could rely less on contextual advertising because you could teach ad networks which segment to target and the type of ad. 

In the cookieless new-normal, prioritizing advertising that contextually relates to the website’s content will likely be more successful. 

Returning to the online video editing example, imagine you have an excellent SEO piece about the time you can save using the app instead of hiring an in-house specialist. Instead of leaving the page as exclusively SEO-focused, you can add an advertising campaign highlighting the job to be done of “saving time” on the article which can be highly effective. 

Marketing attribution will get more challenging in the short term

Marketing attribution will change dramatically in a world without third-party cookies. 

However, marketers and sales leaders must develop a set of contradictory skills to help them navigate this paradigm: relying on statistical models to find patterns and letting go of the need to control and attribute all digital efforts.

• Statistical models that help marketers find patterns, correlations, and causations between channels and tactics to improve advertising spend.
• Letting go of the desire to attribute all marketing efforts to results and being comfortable with qualitative and contextual information will gain more and more relevance without cookies. Not everything can be measured, but there are correlations and causations you can find with the right statistical models.

Shift away from paid channels to owned channels

Paid channels work because you can calculate the return on the investment via new opportunities generated. As long as the cost-per-lead (CPL) works for your organization and helps you accomplish your goals, paid channels are a great way to build a sales pipeline. 

When every marketing dollar needs to be as efficient as possible, switching to owned channels is a great idea to help you become more cost-efficient. We must unlearn what we have learned about content marketing in many ways to win the battle, but the long-run payoff is worth it. 

And how about a post-cookie world for data analysis?

As mentioned above, a world without cookies makes it more difficult for sales and marketing departments to understand how their marketing dollars impact the sales pipeline. 

With less information and access to digital footprints, marketing, and sales departments must think outside the box to measure what works instead of relying on retargeting ads. 

Emphasize collecting first-party data 

Ensure you have the right data-capturing systems in place to understand digital behavior. The more information you can obtain in an orderly manner that ties to the behavioral habits of your users, the easier you can launch successful marketing campaigns and improve your retention KPIs. Motivate users to opt-in to receive communications across channels, and keep your comms engaging and valuable at all times. 

On top of setting up the correct data-capturing systems, push your teams to learn as much as possible from your current users. Use mixed research methods, including quick and focused short surveys and in-depth open-ended conversations, plus everything you can think of in between. 

Some of the most insightful ideas to improve your product, marketing, and sales processes are already in your user’s heads. All your organization has to do is find a creative way to capture them.

Leverage less granular data and adopt attribution models

It’s easy to assume that the more granularity we have, the better. However, given that companies will now receive less information regarding their traffic source, there is a massive opportunity to find overlapping patterns.

Adopt marketing mix models (MMM) to improve campaign strategies using comprehensive data sets instead of personal information. Although these models have a lot of room for improvement, they provide valuable insights into the successes and failures of multiple variables. For instance, if you’re allocating the same level of spending across numerous channels, a marketing mix model can help you optimize your campaign by experimenting with the variables.

New models also leverage the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve attribution calculations further. There are several options, and many more created daily, that help marketing and sales teams implement AI. For example, your organization could adopt Project Robin, a ML-powered and semi-automated open-source MMM package, to figure out how to better allocate marketing dollars.

Adoption of new data tracking methods

There are multiple ways to track users and understand their digital behavior. While privacy is still crucial, there are respectful, privacy-first digital products that can help you improve your marketing campaigns. 

Ensuring you have set them up correctly will help you better understand your marketing efforts and double down on what works. Likewise, be sure to adopt Microsoft Clarity which allows you to track user behavior with heatmaps, session recordings, etc., and explore tools such as Heap, Glassbox, Mixpanel, etc., to keep an eye on product metrics. 

Once you have all of your monitoring apps in place, the job is to combine them, find patterns, and understand how to improve your marketing campaigns.  

Leverage market research tools 

There are multiple buyer-level intent platforms, like NetLine’s INTENTIVE, and market research tools that can help you gain clarity and improve your marketing campaigns.

As a general rule of thumb, prioritizing first-party data collection is a better path because the information you capture is truthful and private (not to mention owned and, therefore, cost-effective). 

Increased focus on consumer privacy and leveraging data clean rooms

There is no going back to a vigilant Internet where we know exactly where people are coming from. Privacy is here to stay, and governments and institutions ensure that digital products protect users’ data. 

As a response, organizations must become increasingly more thoughtful about privacy and how to empower users to do more without sharing more. An option that has gained traction in combining privacy and data-rich insights is adopting data-clean rooms. These are places (digital software) where you can compare your first-party data with the data that Google, Facebook, and Amazon can share while also ensuring data privacy. This practice allows you to identify whitespaces, opportunities, patterns, etc., that stay within the data-clean room but can influence your advertising efforts. 

Some key benefits of adopting data-clean rooms into your advertising efforts include better data security and quality levels while remaining data compliant.

10 ways to ensure your business thrives in the post-cookies world

Here are the ten things you can leverage to ensure a cookie-free strategy allows you to push your marketing and sales efforts forward:

• Put yourself in the shoes of the user – This is self-explanatory and yet worth pointing out. We are all digital product users, and we care about our data and whatever happens to it. Treat your user’s data as if it were your own.
• Invest in first-party data collection – Set up the correct data-capturing mechanisms in your organization. Keep a clean and tidy CRM with shared definitions between your sales and marketing teams. Run mixed-method research projects to improve your advertising campaigns, including conversations with current users.
• Adopt contextual advertising – Ensure the intent behind your digital assets connects with the advertising messages being presented. Build the right SEO content that connects with pain points and your users’ journey.
• Focus on owned channels – The less you can rely on platforms for your advertising, the more control and long-term impact you can have on your audience. It is crucial to own your channels and make sure people find them valuable and willingly want to provide feedback and share their data.
• Leverage data clean rooms – This alternative allows you to compare and contrast your first-party data with privacy-compliant third-party data to find patterns and opportunities.
• Invest in cleaning up your CRM – Everyone in the organization must have shared definitions of KPIs and CRM management. Doing this will help you streamline operations while improving your understanding of particular segments and clients. The more you understand your user, the more resonant your advertising campaigns can be.
• Build the best statistical models to get the most out of your data – Spend some time finding a suitable marketing mix model that works for your company. In some cases, it may not be a single one but a combination of several statistical models; what matters is that you can increase the attribution confidence across multiple channels.
• Lean into AI for predictive modeling – Look for AI tools and advancements that help organizations better understand marketing models. As we already mentioned, options such as Robyn or the models that Google offers for free can help you improve the quality of your marketing spend.
• Be comfortable in a privacy-first Internet with less certainty – Not a reality many sales or marketing leaders want to hear, but nonetheless, one we must embrace. The good-ol-days of following users with ads across networks are no longer what they were, and going back to marketing fundamentals, mixed method research, and robust statistical models are the best route now.
• Comply with data privacy laws – Be sure to keep your data privacy data laws up-to-date. Skipping this might result in fines and destroy the trust between your brand and its users. 

How NetLine can help you navigate in a post-cookie apocalypse

One of the best ways to get ahead in a post-cookie world is to focus on first-party buyer-level intent data.

NetLine INTENTIVE is the only buyer-level intent platform, purpose-built to help you supercharge your marketing efforts. It doesn’t just tell you “who” is showing interest in an account, it reveals “what” actions they’re taking, “when” they’re taking them, and uniquely, “where” these actions are happening. Start a free trial today.

Instagram‘s off-shoot app, Threads, is Meta’s answer to Twitter (now rebranded to “X” by Elon Musk).

Dubbed a “Twitter Killer,” Threads amassed 100 million users in just five days. Among new Threads users are content creators; many also use Twitter to interact with their followers, build community, and network with other creators and brands.

So how are content creators adapting to the new Instagram Threads? How do they believe it compares to Twitter? I asked several content creators who are early adopters of Threads for their perspectives. Here’s what they have to say.

How are content creators using Threads?

Content creator and cosplayer Kumar‘s use of Threads closely mirrors his strategy on Twitter. He posts videos, photos, random thoughts, and original Threads content.

“I post threads about what’s on my mind randomly — maybe it’ll be something I said as a tweet already or a one-off thought I had to post on Threads,” he explains. “I’ll repost things I’ve seen on Threads from others that I like or relate to, but I’ll still definitely recycle my content and post new content on there as well.”

Kumar says recycling his media on Threads can introduce his content to a new audience.

“It could potentially lead to a new set of eyes that didn’t get to see your content on your other platforms or could introduce people to you for the first time, and they can see what you’re about and what you create,” he says.

So, does this mean most content creators use Threads as a “second Twitter”? Author, podcaster, and creator Jacque Aye says that’s different from her approach.

“I don’t think my approach to Threads will be the same,” she says. “Twitter has more reach and an established vibe. [On Twitter], we’re a bunch of strangers sharing opinions and chatting around the clock.”

Aye notes her content travels farther on Twitter than on Threads, which makes sense considering Twitter’s longevity and 396.5 million users.

“I feel like Threads is a bit more contained than Twitter,” she explains. “With Twitter, I could reach one million people with a single tweet. I don’t think the same is possible with Threads yet.”

Threads’ more insulated environment is partially because the platform is exclusive to Instagram users. The platform also gives new Threads users the option to import their followers from their Instagram as followers on Threads.

Additionally, the platform lacks hashtags, direct messaging, and a “For You” page — features available on Twitter that help creators push their content to new audiences.

Threads’ ability to automatically transfer Instagram followers plays a role in how Aye uses the app.

“On Threads, my real-life friends, family, and Instagram followers are my audience,” Aye says. “They don’t know the ‘me’ on Twitter, so I’m a bit more tame on Threads.”

However, Aye notes her Substack links are not reaching as many people on Twitter as her other content. Substack is the platform Aye uses to support her newsletters.

“So, I plan to share more of my Substack articles on Threads, compared to Twitter,” she says.

Threads is still in its infancy, so many creators are still finding their footing on the app and deciding “who they are” on Threads compared to other platforms.

Content creator Jay Clouse of Creator Science sees the new landscape as a chance to experiment.

“Threads feels like an opportunity to show a different side of yourself,” he says. “I don’t think there’s any ‘right’ voice or tone for Threads yet, but I don’t think it should mirror the tone of other platforms.”

Like Kumar, Clouse uses Threads to share his thoughts, which may only sometimes be directly tied to his content.

“I’m approaching Threads much more as a place to share unpolished thoughts and real-time experiences – less declarative statements and platitudes,” Clouse explains. “But there’s an important idea to remember: Your content on Threads (or anywhere else) needs to provide some form of value to the reader.”

Clouse says it’s tempting to publish unpolished, self-interest posts on Threads because, as humans, we love to talk about ourselves and our experiences.

However, he warns that while our thoughts can be exciting to ourselves, they may be uninteresting to anyone else.

Therefore, Clouse is strategic with his thoughts on Threads, often opting to post off-the-cuff content that is still helpful to his followers. For example, Clouse posted his take on entrepreneurs, marketers, and creators as a target market.

The post starts as a “hot take” but ends by advising his followers to target a larger audience.

How are creators thinking about branding and partnerships on Threads?

According to a study released by IZEA Worldwide Inc., 90% of active Threads users believe the app will be a good place for brands and influencers, and 54% of social media influencers have already posted sponsored content.

However, both Kumar and Aye say Threads isn‘t the platform they’d turn to for branding or partnership purposes.

“To be honest, I’m not sure if Threads is where I’ll be initially looking for those types of opportunities,” Kumar says.

He explains, “I feel like companies would still look to promote those kinds of opportunities through already established apps like Twitter or Instagram or email an individual if they’re interested in partnering with creators for their brands.”

Aye explains, “As someone who has worked with and paid creators, I’d still pay more for a sponsored Tweet than a Thread — but time will tell!”

However, Kumar thinks Threads is as good as any other social media app for building connections.

“But that’s not to say I don’t think you can’t network and meet new people, make new connections, and make new friends on Threads like any other social media app like Twitter or Instagram,” he says.

What Content Creators Think of Threads

83.5% of social media influencers are open to monetizing their Threads posts, according to IZEA Worldwide Inc.

However, several apps like Hive, Mastodon, and Spill have popped up over the last several months to compete with Twitter, seemingly generating tons of buzz overnight before being swept aside for the next shiny new app.

So it’s no surprise that while many creators and influencers are open to leveraging Threads for business, creators like Aye still need to be convinced of its potential.

When asked about leveraging Threads professionally, Aye says she’d rather wait to see how the platform progresses.

“I have limited time, and I’ll keep pouring into apps I know will be around for a while. I’ve signed up for 3 or 4 apps that fizzled out, and I’m running out of space on my phone,” she jokes.

Clouse says social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook had advantages for early adopters building their social network from the ground up.

“People joining Twitter had to find people to follow on Twitter,” he explains, “so when new users joined Twitter, Twitter recommended all new users to follow certain profiles like Mark Hoppus, Ali Spagnola, or Michael Ian Black. That created an incredible advantage for those early adopters.”

Threads doesn‘t have those same advantages, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t perks, according to Clouse.

“The advantage of Threads is that you don’t need to build your network from scratch — it comes from Instagram,” he says. “So, the opportunity seems biggest for users who already built a large following on Instagram.”

YouTuber Jade Beason agrees.

“The decision to sync followers/following lists between Instagram and Threads accounts is super clever,” she says. “This feature has helped new Threads users build a quick community, which is not always easy to achieve with other apps.”

However, Beason notes more will need to be done on Meta‘s end to keep the Threads’ momentum going and retain users.

“Retention seems to be the biggest challenge for Threads at the moment,” she says. “Reports indicate a drop of 70% since launch. Meta will need to find effective ways to continuously re-engage Threads users to ensure the app’s long-term success.”

Final Thoughts

We‘re only weeks into Threads’ existence, so it’s hard to pinpoint if Threads is the app to dethrone Twitter.

Without private messaging, hashtags, or a concrete algorithm, creators could find it difficult to network, expand their reach, or promote their content.

With that said, the only way to navigate Threads is to relax, experiment, and keep an eye on the platform’s improvement over time.

“This is the time to play around with innovative uses of the platform,” according to Clouse.

He says the biggest winners will be creators willing to experiment to find a strategy that works.

“The risk, of course, is that the excitement dies down and fades into once-upon-a-time hype,” he says. “I am actually more optimistic than that, though.”

From the rise of AI to the growing popularity of shopping on social media, heightened data privacy concerns, and consumers tightening budgets due to recession fears, times are changing fast. 

To help marketers keep up and stay ahead of the curve, we’ve run biannual Consumer Trends Survey of 600+ US adults, to keep a pulse on:

• What trends they’re following.
• How they spend their time online.
• How and where they prefer to shop.
• What standards they’re holding their favorite brands to.

 

 

Top Consumer Trends of 2023 [Summer Update]

Digital and Online Trends

1. Consumers don’t trust AI, but one-third still use It.

AI is hands down the top trend of 2023, with one in three consumers already using chatbots and platforms like ChatGPT. 

But here’s the plot twist – only 26% of consumers actually trust content created with AI. 

As businesses leverage AI, building trust and maintaining transparency are key to fostering consumer confidence in AI-driven experiences.

Regardless, 40% of full-time employees use AI at work, and 75% of them say it’s effective. The top use cases for AI chatbots at work revolve around assisting people in their work rather than doing their job for them — helping with tasks like getting ideas or inspiration, summarizing text, and learning new things.

These are also among the most effective uses for AI in the workplace, with workers saying AI is most effective for analyzing and reporting data, learning new things, creating images/videos, getting ideas and inspiration, and conducting research. 

Lastly, we asked consumers which AI they plan on using in the future. 

Despite ChatGPT’s head start, over half of consumers see themselves primarily using Google Bard once it’s publicly available — followed by ChatGPT — with Bing in third place. 

2. Social media is the future of shopping.

Social media is quickly becoming the future of e-commerce, with social shopping growing in popularity across all age groups. Influencers are impacting more purchase decisions, while customers increasingly sliding into DMs for customer service.

Just in the past three months, 41% of consumers have discovered a product on social media. 

In fact, Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X prefer finding products on social media over any other channel.

When it comes to actually purchasing these products. 17% of social media users have bought something directly on a social media platform in the past three months, rising to 22% of Gen Z and 27% of Millennials since our January update.

On top of that, 24% of social media users have bought a product based on an influencer’s recommendation in the past three months, a 33% increase from when we ran this survey last year. 

For Gen Z, 40% have bought a product thanks to an influencer in the past three months, and (similarly to our January update) they say recommendations from influencers are more impactful to their purchase decisions than recommendations from their friends or family.

19% of social media users have also sent DMs to get customer service in the past 3 months, up 45% from last year. Not only that, but 1 in 5 Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X say DMs is how they prefer to get customer service from a company.

In past Consumer Trends pulse surveys, we continued to see that consumers don’t fully trust social shopping.

Today, they seem to be coming around. While just 47% of social media users feel comfortable buying through social apps and only 42% trust social media platforms with their card information, both of these are improvements over last year’s numbers. 

3. Younger social platforms gain steam as legacy apps stall.

Despite being the most used social media platforms, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram saw the least growth in users in our survey group year-over-year. 

Facebook usage remained flat, Instagram usage dropped by 5%, and YouTube usage dropped by 2%. Meanwhile, BeReal grew 333%, Twitch grew (43%), and TikTok grew (21%). 

(Note: We ran this survey just before Threads launched and expect it to be a big discussion point in our next bi-annual survey.)

Still, Facebook is the most popular social media app, used by 68% of consumers, followed by YouTube (61%), Instagram (40%), TikTok (34%), and Twitter (30%).

Although LinkedIn is towards the bottom of the list, B2B marketers shouldn’t panic or count it out. Although it saw a slight decrease in users year over year, the usage on this platform can vary (and even might be seasonal in response to how workplaces hire or promote). For example, in our January 2023 update, we saw that LinkedIn had 20% more consumers who reported active usage.

Overall, this data aligns pretty closely with data we’ve seen from App Stores, platform analytics firms, and reports directly from the respective platforms.

4. Social search and generative AI are disrupting traditional search engines.

While there’s no denying search engines are still dominant, social search is growing in popularity, especially among Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X.

Not only do 31% of consumers turn to social media to search for answers to their questions, but one-fourth of 18 to 54-year-olds prefer to search on social media over search engines. 

 

Another thing going for social search is the fact that 54% of consumers use their phones over any other device when looking something up on a search engine — jumping to 80% for Gen Z since our last survey.

But between search engines, social search, and AI, consumers still say search engines are the most effective way to get their questions answered. 

Ultimately, while social search and generative AI becoming more popular, traditional search isn’t going anywhere just yet.

Workplace & Budgeting Trends

5.. Flexible workplaces are more vital than ever for retention.

The past few years have seen dramatic shifts in how we work, with hybrid and remote work becoming more common while being in the office full-time fell out of favor.

Just 32% of full-time employees surveyed are in the office all week, down from 40% a year ago. 

Meanwhile, both fully remote work and hybrid work became more common, with 34% of workers saying they’re hybrid and another 34% saying they work remotely.

Not only that, but hybrid is the most popular work model (preferred by 41% of employees), followed by remote (32%), with in-person coming last (27%). 

What’s more, remote and hybrid employees aren’t interested in returning to the office full-time, with 47% saying they’d consider leaving if they had to come in five times a week. But, they’re more open to coming back than they were last year, when 54% said they’d rather quit.

The good news? Offering flexibility could result in great employee or team retention. The top reason people we surveyed want to stay in their job is to maintain their flexible work schedule, beating out competitive pay.

7. Company culture matters.

Not only do consumers need to see flexibility to stay loyal to employers, but they also need to see efforts made to build a positive and healthy company culture. 

A whopping 67% of employees say it’s important that the company they work for has a diverse and inclusive culture, up 20% from last year.

And it makes sense. As more people are asked to go back to the office — even part-time, they’re more heavily putting their work experiences into perspective. After all, why would you want to return to an office associated with negativity, unnecessary stress, uninclusive siloes, or psychological safety?

If poor culture, flexible work, or other negative things like overwork, lack of upward motion, or poor recognition of good performance aren’t handled, teams may run into a trend some leaders fear — quiet quitting.

At this point, one-third of employees surveyed are actively doing it — still on par with our research from the past year.

6. Consumers are tightening recession budgets.

64% of consumers think the US is currently in a recession and 63% are tightening their budgets in response. About half (49%) of US adults have taken steps to plan or prepare for a recession.

Additionally, with 42% of consumers expect the recession to for over a year. 

7. Consumers continue to fear layoffs and recession impacts.

Although many companies will save thousands, or even millions, on reducing office space and facilities costs with hybrid and remote work, half of consumers are still rightly concerned about being laid off from their current job.

For marketers, earlier research from this year showed that their departments were already working with less resourcing, headcount, and budget than past years. As some industries are still seeing the brunt of economic trends, this has likely continued.

Many also worry that AI — the very tool that streamlines their busy work — could take over their work entirely.

At HubSpot, we think AI should be used as a tool to help employees cut out busy work and drive results, not as a means to save money by cutting staff.  And, heads of other AI platforms, like Jasper.AI, agree.

Still, it’s understandable to worry how the combination of AI and economic could do to job security. After all, most employees we’ve surveyed compare AI to a modern-day Industrial Revolution. 

If you’re concerned about your role, zone in on skills AI can’t replace — like critical thinking. Meanwhile, use AI to give you and your team more time to earn a high-performance track record. This way, if your role does shift or dissolve, you’ll be able to pivot and adapt to change.

Privacy & Brand Perception Trends

8. Data privacy concerns are at an all-time high.

A whopping 84% of consumers say data privacy is a human right.

Not only are 81% of consumers worry how companies use their personal data, but 72% say they’re more likely to buy from companies they trust with it.

So, how should marketers (or any other area of business) build that trust? 

We asked what would make consumers more comfortable sharing data with companies, and it comes down to transparency, security, and ownership. 

Consumers want to be given a choice in whether or not to share their personal data and be told exactly how their data will be used. 

Another important factor is knowing their data is stored securely and that it won’t wind up in the hands of third parties. 

Lastly, consumers want to maintain ownership of their data with the ability to remove it from your database if they so choose.

Companies have a lot of work to do to build that trust, with over half (52%) of U.S. adults saying they usually decline to have their personal data tracked. 

Just 19% usually allow their data to be tracked, while 29% say it depends on the company.

Ultimately, embracing today’s privacy-first world will be positive for your brand perception — and most importantly — customer trust and safety. In a recent post, our CMO, Kipp Bodnar, explains why data privacy is far from just a passing fad.

9. Consumers increasingly support brands committed to diversity and inclusion.

Companies taking a stance on social issues has grown more important and influential on consumers’ purchasing decisions, with 49% of U.S. adults saying brands should do more regarding social advocacy. 

Affordable healthcare, income inequality, climate change, and racial justice are the most important issues respondents want to see companies take a stance on. 

For Gen Z specifically, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and climate change are the most important issues. On top of that, 20% of Gen Z say a brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is one of top five factors in their purchase decision.

Compared to last summer’s Consumer Trends results, respondents increasingly support brands committed to diversity and inclusion, as well as small businesses. 

42% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy a product based on the brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, up 17% from last year. 

Additionally, 37% chose a product based on the brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the past three months, up 23% from last May.

10. More consumers support small businesses.

52% of consumers say a product being made by a small business makes them more likely to purchase, while 46% have chosen to buy a product because it was made by a small business (both up 18% from last year).

Trends Discovered in January 2023

While the list above reflects data from our most recent consumer pulse checks in mid-2023, below you’ll find highlights (which still could impact marketers) from an earlier survey six months prior.

1. Consumers are investing less money into virtual worlds, items, and currencies. 

Despite the waning hype around the metaverse, attitudes haven’t changed much over the past six months. Both May and January’s surveys found only 8% of U.S. adults have ever visited a metaverse.

Public opinion on the metaverse has improved slightly over the past nine months. 36% of consumers now say the metaverse is the future of technology — up 6% since May. And 33% say the metaverse is an extension of reality, up 18% since May. 

However, investments in virtual currencies have seen a decline. In fact, among those who’ve ever visited a metaverse, only 50% reported buying cryptocurrency in January — which is a 35% decrease since May. Additionally, 60% of metaverse visitors reported buying NFTs in January 2023 … 13% lower than May’s respondents. 

The decrease in purchasing virtual currencies might have to do with today’s economic landscape. If people are generally more conservative with their spending, this could trickle into the virtual atmosphere, as well. However, it’s important to take note of the decrease as a potential signifier that virtual currency isn’t as popular as it was in 2022. 

2. Gen X and Boomers are warming up to social media product discovery. 

In January, we found that 46% of Gen X and 24% of Boomers had discovered a new product on social media in the past three months — that’s a 10% and 41% increase since May 2022, respectively. 

All of which is to say: continuing to invest in social media marketing as an opportunity for product discovery is a good idea as we near 2024. 

3. Gen Z increasingly differentiates itself from others.

One of the most fascinating things to dig into when looking at survey results were the vast differences between Gen Z and other age groups — including their closest predecessor, Millennials. 

When taking a deeper dive into our generation-by-generation data, we found that Gen Z:

• When it comes to shopping, generations are highly influenced by price, quality, and product reviews. Gen Z especially values brands that have active communities around them.
• TikTok and Instagram are the most used social media apps among Gen Z women, while men spend much more time on YouTube.
• Gen Z is all about YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Not only for social networking and entertainment but also for discovering (and buying) products.

The findings above weren’t the only interesting points to call out. Our lead researcher and analyst, Maxwell Iskiev explores the differences between how all age groups shop and discover products with this follow-up guide:

How Each Generation Shops in 2023 [New Data from Our State of Consumer Trends Report]

4. Some consumers are stepping into Web3, but most don’t even know what it is.

While some consumers, especially those in younger generations like Gen Z and millennials, are ready to throw their whole wallet into the metaverse and cryptocurrency, most are still getting their first taste of the Web3 world.

In fact, 51% of our survey participants from the May 2022 survey say they don’t even understand what Web3 even is yet.

While Web3 experts believe this technology will continue to grow in the coming years, businesses don’t need to pivot their whole strategy to get ahead of it right this second.

However, as the technology gets more prominent and accessible, it’s still helpful to learn about the potential opportunities and risks of the Web3 space. 

That’s why Caroline Forsey interviewed a handful of Web3 experts to learn more about how it could impact how consumers use the world wide web in the future.

Here is a quick, overarching summary of what Web3 could mean for future internet usage from Anna Seacat, VP of Marketing and Web3 Community at Proxy.

While Web3 might be a new concept to many, expect to hear more about it as the technology becomes more accessible to consumers and businesses in the coming years. For more expert predictions around this, hear what our CMO Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan, our SVP of Marketing, have to say about it in this episode of Marketing Against the Grain.

For more insights, check out these guides:

• How Web3 Technology Will Impact Consumer Trends [Expert Insights]
  
• How Businesses Could Shift in Web 3 [Executive Insights & Podcast]
• Everything Brands Need to Know About the Metaverse

6. Consumers crave video, and effective brands are taking notice.

By now, you know that video has played a powerful role in the lives of consumers. Not only do consumers stream more video than ever, but year-over-year, HubSpot researchers find that most brands consider it to be their most effective type of marketing content. 

But, not just any video will result in a conversion, purchase, or view. While you don’t need a huge budget to woo your audiences, you will need to create content they’ll actually enjoy, keep their attention on, and be persuaded by.

In fact, 69% of our January 2023 respondents say it is more important that a marketing video be authentic and relatable than polished with high-quality video/audio.

This video interview and post from Wistia CEO, Chris Savage goes into great detail on his tips for leveraging video to humanize your brand.

For more on how marketers are benefiting from video in 2023, also check out our 2023 Video Marketing Report.

7. Stores and online retailers aren’t going away, despite the growth of social commerce.

In January 2023, 69% of consumers preferred to purchase a product in-store, while 52% preferred to purchase through an online retailer selling a variety of brands (e.g. Amazon.com).    

Take Pink Tag Boutique for example. The Kentucky-based clothing and accessories business saw immense growth on the Facebook Shops. They attribute $44,448 in incremental sales from the tool, and have seen 66% greater average order value from social commerce buyers compared to those who bought directly from the company site.

For more examples of brands that are already excelling in social commerce, check out this post.

You can also find more shopping trend data in this follow-up report from Caroline Forsey: The Shopping Trends of 2023 & Beyond [State of Consumer Trends Data]

8. Many consumers consider themselves “creators.”

When looking at our survey results for the question, “Would you consider yourself a creator?”, we found that 30% of 18-24-year-olds and 40% of 25-34-year-olds call themselves content creators.

What’s great for brands here? Your very own audiences might jump at the chance to create content for you, which could in turn help them build online influence.

But, what exactly IS a “creator”? Check out this deep dive by Caroline Forsey to learn more: If Everyone’s a Content Creator, Is Anyone?

What’s Next for Consumers, According to Trend Analysts

Now that you’ve read through the biggest findings of our Consumer Trends Report, you might also be asking, “What trends and themes could come in the next six months — or beyond?”

To give you a taste of just a few trends to keep on your radar, we reached out to Julia Janks of Trends.co to learn what she and her team of trend analysts will be focusing on. Here are three of the nine trends they’re keeping on their radar.

1. Gifting strategies could catch the eyes of consumers.

Forget loyalty points — gifting is the new customer retention strategy. As remote everything continues to rise, keeping connected to clients and loved ones will be key.

Source: &Open

Gifting powerhouse 1-800-FLOWERS had a record-breaking year in 2020, and venture capital is flowing into startups like &Open ($7.2m last May) and Gracia (~$14m since its 2017 launch).

Companies will also use gifting to target employees, since worker retention is at an all-time low, and the average cost of replacing an employee is about seven months of their salary.

2. Voice search and audio SEO opportunities will grow.

The world of podcasts is growing faster than the entire internet did back in the early 2000s. Spotify alone now hosts 3m+ shows (that’s ~43x the number of titles on Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+, combined).

3. Consumers will visit pop-up shops — in the metaverse.

Pop-up shops in the metaverse are a thing now. And, brands like Hogan are already testing them out.

We could see the metaverse shopping industry continue to grow with consumer interest, as 30% of consumers HubSpot surveyed think more brands should consider virtual stores.

For the Julia’s full list of trends to watch, check out 9 Things Trends.co Analysts Will be Watching in The Next 6 Months & Beyond — and don’t forget to check out Trends.co for more business news, innovative ideas, and industry trend coverage.

Dive Deeper into Consumer Trends

In the post above, we gave just a few highlights of our State of Consumer Trends Survey, as well as our predictions for what’s to come. To learn more interesting themes, check out these follow-up posts:

• The Way People Search the Web is Changing: 4 Findings to Know
• The Top Shopping Trends of 2023 [State of Consumer Trends Data]
• The Top Channels Consumers Use to Learn about Products [New Data]
• How Each Generation Shops in 2023 [State of Consumer Trends Data]
• 9 Things Our Trends Team Will be Following in the Next 6 Months & Beyond
• How Web3 Will Impact the Future of Consumer Trends [Expert Insights]

Want to see how data’s changed since 2022? Click below to download the full findings of that survey in our State of Consumer Trends Report

Consumer Trends Post Authors

Whether you’re a blogger, social media marketer, or paid marketer — you have a healthy relationship with the landing page. Sometimes, you might go through rough patches where you wonder why landing pages exist. But they’re always there for you, increasing conversions, netting new leads, and driving traffic to the offers you’ve worked so hard to create.

But, to be honest, there are a lot of different types of landing pages, and not all of them serve the same purpose. Luckily for you, we’re not only going to break down each type of landing page, but we collected new data to help you pick the one that will make your next campaign successful.

We surveyed 101 marketing and advertising professionals to learn which landing page elements and strategies were most effective.

When asked, “What are you most commonly trying to generate with landing pages?” the top three responses were to gain:

• Leads through prospective customer contact information (44%)
• Customers or direct purchases (38%)
• Email subscribers (10%)

Businesses want to connect to customers and gain the ability to either guide them directly to purchase or to add them to a subscription where interest can be gradually built. But it’s important to consider that a landing page by itself may not be enough to convert — the elements on the page contribute to that success.

Surveyors also shared that multimedia elements like videos (39%), images or graphics (36%), and social media sharing icons (31%) positively impact conversion rates with present on a landing page. The more interactive or engaging that you make a website, the more likely visitors will want to spend more time on page and digest more of the information, product, or service you’re offering.

This survey not only showed the different results that marketing and advertising professionals could gain from a landing page, but that depending on your business need, you can include elements specific to your strategy if you use the right type of landing page to get there.

As we go through each type of landing page, remember this information to ensure you’re leveraging the right one for your next campaign.

While there are many fantastic landing page examples for you to check out, not all landing pages serve the same purpose, many of them achieve a variety of objectives.

1. Squeeze Page

A staggering 90% of B2B marketers say email marketing is either very effective or somewhat effective for reaching their goals, according to 2022 HubSpot Blogs report. So it’s not surprising that squeeze pages are one of the most important and effective landing pages out there.

A squeeze page is one in which the goal is to capture the user’s email address. Once you have the address, you can begin to nurture that lead with relevant content and other offers.

The most common type of squeeze page is gated content or a prompt to enter your email address to receive a newsletter, ebook, whitepaper, or other content offer.

Make sure your squeeze page is simple, your CTA is tempting enough to get your user to give up their email address, and you make it easy for users to click out of the page and onto the content that brought them to your site.

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2. Splash Page

A splash landing page doesn’t always have lead capture as the main goal. These pages are often used when someone clicks a social media or content link. Instead of being sent directly to the article or social media destination, the user is sent to an intermediary page: the splash page.

This page might share an announcement with the user, such as “We’ve just unveiled new dates for our marketing conference!” It might also ask your user for a language preference or to enter their age. The splash page might also present an ad, which the publisher benefits from, if the user clicks on the ad.

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The splash page above does two things really well: First, it offers a countdown to the end of the ad and the ability to easily click to the article once the ad is done. Second, it serves a clear purpose — to show the user an ad.

3. Lead Capture Page

A lead capture page is similar to a squeeze page, but generally sources more information. Name, business name, email address, job title, and industry are just a few things these landing pages seek to earn.

The information you request depends on the goals for the page and those of your sales and marketing teams, as well as where the customer is in the funnel. If your lead capture page is top of the funnel, step away from the eight-lined form, please.

If, however, your customer is landing on your lead capture page after demonstrating real interest in your product/service (i.e., they downloaded two case studies) you should be able to ask for more information to help qualify and direct them.

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4. Click-Through Landing Page

Every marketer knows you must provide value to your customer before asking them for money. A click-through landing page provides that value without pummeling your customer with a “Buy Now” button before they’re ready.

Often, this looks like a landing page that shares the benefits and features of your product/service with a CTA button encouraging your customer to try a free trial. Once they click on that button, they’re taken to another landing page which provides pricing details and requires payment information to begin the trial.

By the time your customer lands on this page, however, they’re primed and educated on why they should move forward with the trial. In the examples below, you see the click-through landing page, and then the payment landing page customers are sent to when they decide to embark on a free trial.

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5. “Get Started” Landing Page

A “Get Started” landing page should lead with your offer above the fold. Take this page, from Mailchimp, which explains their overarching benefits: tools that turn audience data into insights that will guide campaigns.

Hooked already? Great, because a “Get Started” button awaits. Need more convincing? Well, the details follow as you scroll a feature- and benefit-laden landing page.

Get started with HubSpot’s Campaign Assistant yourself

6. “Unsubscribe” Landing Page

Obviously, you’re not going to build a campaign around your unsubscribe page, but it’s important not to neglect it. Make sure it successfully unsubscribes your users, offers them a chance to manage their preferences or adjust the cadence, and consider including links to other areas of your website, like this example from Whole Foods.

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After all, just because they don’t want to receive your emails, doesn’t mean they might not want to browse your site. Consider adding a “second chance” button that prompts users to resubscribe in case they get cold feet.

7. Long-form Sales Landing Page

On a long-form sales landing page, brevity is not your friend. You want to think of every question your customer might have for you, every barrier to purchase they might face, and every benefit they’ll enjoy by making a purchase when they scroll to the bottom of the page.

Take this example, from Seth Godin’s altMBA.

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It starts with an informative video that tells you why now is the right time to apply. Then you see the names of companies and pictures of students who have benefited from the course.

Quotes follow, along with links to join mailing lists, learn more about the program, and read testimonials. Finally, at the bottom of the page is a CTA button for the application, and program dates that add a sense of urgency.

A sales landing page should be detailed and lack the minimalism of, say, a squeeze page, simply because your goal for the page is to close business.

8. Paid Advertising Landing Page

If you’re not sending customers who click on your paid ads to the right landing page, you’re throwing money away. Generally, you want to generate leads from these ads — not necessarily sales.

For example, while scrolling through Instagram, I clicked on this ad from HubSpot’s coming INBOUND convention.

When I clicked on the ad, I was taken to this squeeze page:

The ad didn’t take me to a page full of detail overload, it landed me strategically on a page that presented tickets.

It also featured a short description of the itinerary with visuals that instantly grab my attention and shows value rather than tells me why INBOUND is different and valuable.

9. 404 Landing Page

404s are never a good look, but it’s important you make them look as good as possible — and work for you a little as well. Get creative with 404s, use humor to offset the error, and always direct your audience to your homepage or other neutral landing page.

Then, put your 404 landing page to work as a lead generation tool. Take our own 404 page, here at HubSpot. We offer the user three options: visit our blog, learn more about our software, or sign up for a free demo.

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10. “About Us” Landing Page

Your “About Us” page doesn’t have to be a dead end. Make this landing page a lead generation page as well. Take this example from makeup company, Glossier.

They pack their “About Us” page with plenty of history, vision, and mission, but they also let the reader know how to move forward. The bottom of the page offers a reminder (and links) to shop, follow, email, and join the company, and an email subscription offer captures emails.

Image Source: Glossier

11. “Coming Soon” Page

Launching an exciting new product soon but aren’t quite ready to reveal the full offer — or the incomplete landing page? Set up a simple “Coming Soon” landing page instead.

Tease your offer, provide a launch date if you have one, and add a CTA that asks them for their email address in exchange for an email notification when your product or service is live.

Image Source: MiEvent

12. Pricing Page

If you’re unveiling new pricing or product tiers, you might consider pushing customers to your pricing landing page. Regardless, your pricing page should be one of the most heavily optimized pages on your site. Take this one, from Wistia, which clearly outlines their three tiered packages, with links to more information or to get started.

What I really love about their pricing page, however, are the two boxes right after a list of features and before a carousel of testimonials. They offer special callouts for interested parties who might not fall within the needs of one of the three boilerplate pricing templates.

And if even those additional CTAs don’t speak to your needs, scroll down to the bottom and find a CTA that offers customers the ability to “Choose your own adventure.”

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13. “Thank You” Landing Page

Too often, a “Thank You” page serves no real purpose. It tells you what you already know, “You’ve downloaded the greatest whitepaper in the world! Access it here.” Put your “Thank You” page to work by including additional offers or gifts.

You’ve been given an incredible opportunity to provide more value to a highly motivated, already-interested customer. Don’t waste it.

Take this example — another one from HubSpot. I downloaded the 2023 State of AI Report, and the “Thank You” page allowed me to check out HubSpot’s new AI tools to scale my marketing efforts.

The form I fill out to receive this advice asks for different, more detailed, information about my business needs, allowing HubSpot to better craft the next offer they send my way.

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How to Choose the Right Landing Page for Your Campaign

Now that you understand the most common types of landing pages, the question remains: What are some best practices for choosing the right LP for your next campaign?

Begin by asking yourself these questions:

1. “What are the business goals I’m trying to achieve with this landing page?“
2. “How are my competitors achieving these goals?“
3. “What are my audience’s goals when they land on this page?”
4. “How did my audience get to this page (i.e., what action or motivation brought them here)?“
5. “What do I want my audience to do when they leave this page?“

Once you understand the page’s goals, consider whether it should be a short- or long-form landing page.

Short-form landing pages lend themselves well to squeeze landing pages, “Thank You” landing pages, and “Unsubscribe” landing pages. These pages require a small ask or provide a small service to the customer.

Long-form landing pages are best reserved for sales landing pages, click-through landing pages, and pricing pages. If you have a big ask of your customer, you should probably design a long-form landing page.

So, what does this look like in practice? Let’s say I’m creating a brand-awareness campaign for my new startup that facilitates puppy snuggles for tired office workers (a girl can dream, right?). My business goals for this campaign are to capture new leads (email addresses) and drive impressions.

My competitors are running social media campaigns driving customers back to a sales landing page. But since impressions and leads are my goal (not purchases), I might choose to run social media ads featuring big images of snuggling puppies.

When customers click my ads, they’re wondering what these cute puppies are about, so I’ll take them to my “About Us” page to tell them more about SnugglePups Inc. Because I’m also hoping to drive email signups, I’ll include a link to our weekly newsletter, which promises a roundup of the best puppy pics available.

Choose the Right Landing Page for Your Next Campaign

So are you ready to put all of this knowledge to use? Not all landing pages are the same or serve the same purpose. It’s up to you to decide what you want customers to see and interact with, so make sure they land on a page that captures their attention, gets them in your pipeline, and keeps them wanting more.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in June 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

While email marketing may not get the attention some newer marketing channels get, it’s still a terrific way to generate leads and convert more prospects for your business.

With that in mind, I want to share some email marketing best practices you can use to generate more leads for your business.

Email Marketing Best Practices

Email Formatting 

Email Marketing Automation 

Email Marketing Metrics and Testing

Below are different best practices to remember at various points of your email marketing campaign. 

Email Formatting Best Practices 

When formatting your emails, make sure to: 

Avoid using ‘No-Reply’ in the sender’s email address.

Have you heard of CAN-SPAM? This longstanding piece of legislation is a popular and important guideline for all email marketers in the U.S.

One major rule in CAN-SPAM is never to use the words “no reply,” or a similar phrase, as your email sender’s name (for example, “[email protected]”).

“No reply” in an email message prevents recipients from responding and even opting out of further emails, which CAN-SPAM protects their right to do so at any time.

Instead, have your automated emails come from a first name (for example, [email protected]).

Your customers are much more likely to open emails if they know they were written by a human being, and it keeps you compliant with email regulations.

Stick to fewer than three typefaces.

The less clutter you have in your email, the more conversions you’ll get. Don’t junk up your email with more than two fonts or typefaces, as that can distract readers and ruin your email’s visual appeal.

In addition, you want to use web-safe fonts with sizes between 10-point and 12-point. This ensures your email will be legible on all readers and devices.

Check the email from Lazo’s Pizza as an example.

What We Like: Each typeface is distinct enough to guide your eye, but similar enough that it’s not jarring to readers.

Optimize the email’s preview text.

If you subscribe to a newsletter, you’ve likely seen a message like this at the top of your email: “Email not displaying correctly? Click here.”

While it’s a helpful warning, keeping it in the preview text of your email can drastically impact your email’s open rate.

One reason is that you’re telling recipients, “Hey, this email might not work.” Another reason is it doesn’t provide any insight into what the email is about.

Your preview text should supplement your subject line by adding details to capture your audience’s attention and encourage them to open.

By default, preview text pulls in the first several words of the email body and displays it next to the subject line before the person opens it.

The problem is that custom email templates often stick with conditional statements like “Can’t see images?” or “Not displaying correctly?” at the top banner, allowing it to slip right into the preview when it goes out.

As a rule of thumb, always write a custom preheader that teases what your email will offer.

Pro-tip: HubSpot users can fix this problem by customizing the preview text themselves in the backend of their email marketing newsletter.

Include an email signature.

Your newsletter is technically being sent to your contacts on behalf of the company, rather than an individual. However, the email should include the signature of a specific person.

Email signatures add a touch of personalization. People are naturally more inclined to read an email if they know it came from a human being, not just a collective marketing team. Your email signature is your ticket to their attention.

Notice the email signature from the weight loss app Noom. 

What We Like: The email signature includes the person’s first name, their role within the organization, and a photo for a more human touch.

Want a quick way to make a beautiful email signature? Use HubSpot’s Email Signature Generator. We also have an Out-of-Office Email Generator to make your response to incoming messages just as delightful.

Keep the main message and call-to-action above the fold.

Above the fold refers to the information that’s visible to the reader before they scroll down.

Even though recent research suggests that consumers scroll more than they used to – because of social media and vertical timelines – above-the-fold content still gets the most attention.

Place your message and CTA above the fold. It’s the first thing your recipients will see once they open your email, therefore increasing your conversion rate.

You can also run an A/B test first to validate the hypothesis and see if it works for your emails.

Personalize the email greeting.

How often do you read emails that begin, “Dear Member”?

You might segment your email audiences by the type of customer they are (member, subscriber, user, etc.), but it shouldn’t be the first thing recipients see in your company messages.

Personalization is a major key to successful email marketing. In fact, 47.2% of marketers in a recent HubSpot survey listed personalization as one of the most effective email marketing strategies for reach their goals. 

Personalizing the greeting of your emails with your contacts’ first names grabs the attention of each reader right away. For HubSpot users, this is called a personalization token, and creating one looks like this:

Then, the address line of your email would automatically produce the contact’s first name by fetching this personalization token in the email’s HTML, like this: Hi, !

Don’t worry, personalizing an email’s greeting line with 50 recipients’ names doesn’t mean you’ll have to manually write and send 50 different emails from now on.

Many email marketing tools today allow you to configure the greeting of your email campaign so that it automatically sends with the name of the people on your contact list – so everyone is getting a personal version of the same message.

Keep your email around 500 to 650 pixels wide.

If your email template is wider than 650 pixels, your email won’t show up correctly and will require users to scroll horizontally to read the full email.

This is a pain, to say the least, and will likely affect your conversion.

Having your template fit within the standard format will make for easier readability, better conversions, and an overall better user experience.

Include your logo.

Logos are a must when it comes to emails.

They establish legitimacy and trust, meaning the recipient will know the email is from a real brand, not a scam. Plus, like email signatures, they boost brand recognition.

This is because the logo is one of the first things the audience sees when they open their email.

With this in mind, add your logo to your email design to ensure that it’s always included.

Name the offer in your subject line.

When you include an incentive in your subject line, you can drastically increase your open rates.

“Free shipping when you spend $25 or more” and “Receive a free iPod with a demo” are examples of good, incentive-focused subject lines.

Another example comes from Five Star Pizza. The subject line for its email reads, “Yes, we’re still giving away FIVE FREE DOLLARS to anyone who can type 5off20.”

Pro Tip: While this is an eye-catching example, try to keep your subject lines short to avoid them getting cut off when first viewed in the recipient’s inbox. Keep subject lines between 9 and 60 characters.

If you’re struggling with email subject lines, HubSpot’s Campaign Assistant is a neat tool that can craft excellent and succinct subject line copy to capture the recipient’s attention. 

Furthermore, we have many email marketing tools to help you ideate, design, and carry out a successful campaign. 

Remember, don’t overwhelm your readers with savings- or product-related emails.

Customer loyalty starts with casual industry insights – only after nurturing should you start introducing offers. Here’s an example of an email with an enticing subject line and warm, welcoming body copy:

Write compelling (but concise) subject lines.

A good subject line should contain between 30 and 50 characters, including spaces. The reason why you do this is that email providers often cut off subject lines that go beyond this length.

Your email subject line should also create a sense of urgency while giving readers some indication of what to expect once they open the email.

Closely tie emails to landing pages.

Your landing page should match the email in terms of headline, copy, and content. The look and feel of your landing page should also match the email as consistency goes a long way toward a customer’s trust.

Just make sure you’re using tracking tools to see which emails and landing pages performed the best so you can keep sending what’s working.

Email Automation Best Practices

Be prepared for your readers to forget they opted in, so set up an auto-responder that reminds people they opted into your email database. The auto-responder should be sent out one day, five days, and 10 days after the person registers.

Each auto-responder email should also include additional content or bonus material to reward the reader for opting into the newsletter– or your readers might not feel they have enough incentive to actually opt-in.

Email Marketing Metrics and Testing 

If you can’t seem to increase your email’s open and click-through rates, a couple of things might be wrong: You’re not emailing the right people (are you buying your contact list? See the first tip at the top of this blog post), or the content needs to be improved.

To start, focus on the latter, and conduct an A/B test.

A/B tests can be used to improve almost any of your digital marketing content. In an email, this test splits your recipients into two groups: Group A receives the regular newsletter, while Group B receives the newsletter with a specific variation.

This variation tests to see if your audience would be more or less likely to take an action based on that element.

HubSpot Marketing Hub users can conduct email A/B tests on anything from the subject line to the call-to-action (CTA) inside it.

For example, you might change the color of your CTA from red to green to see if your email’s clickthrough rate increases. If it does, the test indicates that you should change your emails’ CTA color to green from now on.

Another best practice is to conduct a 5-second test.

Send a copy of the email to a friend or business associate. Can they quickly tell what your call-to-action is? If so, you’re golden. If not, keep working.

Many new tools are at a marketer’s disposal that are getting attention these days. But email marketing has stood the test of time regarding its influence on your users.

This old, reliable, and faithful tool can really ensure you get the most out of your marketing initiatives.

Now that you know email marketing best practices, you’re to craft your next successful email marketing campaign. 

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

 

Among listeners, podcasts are more popular than ever. But from a business standpoint, the industry has lost its way.

The golden age of podcasting spanned from 2015 to 2022. During this time, shows like Serial popularized the medium, and the COVID-19 pandemic led to a boom in podcast production and engagement. Media companies began putting a lot of money into the medium. For example:

• Spotify invested over $1 billion into podcasting, acquiring Anchor and Gimlet, and inking multimillion-dollar partnerships with public figures including the Obamas, Joe Rogan, and Meghan Markle.
• Amazon purchased Wondery, incorporating content from the podcast network into the Amazon Music platform.

Though 60% of adults in the U.S. identify as podcast listeners, the industry hasn’t demonstrated the same growth trend for profitability. Over the past year, we’ve seen investments in the podcast industry scale back. Markers of this include:

• Spotify’s string of layoffs shuttered Gimlet media and the podcasts it produced. The company has also ended its partnerships with Archwell and Higher Ground Productions.
• NPR’s layoffs led to the cancellation of four major shows.
• SiriusXM shutting down the once-popular podcast player Stitcher.

What happened? Podcasting has yet to find a sustainable path to profitability.

Podcast listenership is growing — who’s footing the bill?

Unlike other types of media such as radio and print, podcast production and distribution are pretty democratized. When you open your podcasting app or check out Apple’s New and Noteworthy section, you’ll see shows produced by individuals recording in their basements right alongside big-budget shows by media conglomerates like The New York Times.

Though how these shows are produced and their budgets may vary, the final product is roughly the same: it’s content that audiences expect to receive for free, minus having to listen to ads.

Sure, some shows have been able to successfully monetize their podcasts through crowd-sourced platforms like Patreon, but it’s worth noting the average Patreon creator makes between $315 to $1575 per month, which barely covers the production cost of a high-quality podcast (especially if including video, which is becoming a necessity).

Essentially, the most important end-users of the product (listeners) aren’t the ones paying to keep it afloat — corporations and advertisers are, and the market is in a state of correction.

Have podcasts been a good investment for companies?

The U.S. economy has been teetering on the edge of a recession for the past year. Typically when that happens, marketing and advertising budgets are among the first to go for companies that want to curb spending. The podcast industry has seen this in real-time and has been in its own recession since late 2022.

While companies are continuing to spend on podcast advertising (to the tune of $2.25 billion in 2023) what is considered a “good ROI” is changing.

Podcast advertising (along with other creator-focused mediums) is no longer about awareness or top-of-funnel exposure. Instead, companies are looking to invest in shows that can demonstrate an ability to convert listeners into customers — and quickly.

It’s also worth noting that advertising isn’t the only way companies have invested in podcasting. Exclusive deals with creators and the production of branded shows were also on the rise during the recent podcast boom. From 2018 through 2022, many companies were in experimentation mode as podcasting shifted from an emerging channel to a core medium.

So what’s next?

Podcasting is far from over, but the industry is in a period of transition where companies and creators should evaluate where their time and resources are most valuable.

If companies want to continue investing in the production of their own shows or funding creator-led shows, the path to ROI will need to be clear, swift, and able to provide more value than a high follower count.

It also means aspiring podcasters shouldn’t expect to be next in line for a blockbuster deal like Alex Cooper’s $60 million Spotify payday. However, exploring independent podcasting to connect with niche audiences can be a valuable channel for creators and entrepreneurs who are looking to expand and connect with their audiences and customers.

The podcast industry is primed for its next disruptor to help the business side be as democratized as distribution.

Microsoft Excel remains the go-to option for many businesses to perform data calculations and create charts based on the results.

The Gantt chart is a useful guide that isn’t naturally available in Excel. Great for project management and milestone tracking, Gantt charts can help companies better visualize operations and streamline current processes.

In this piece, we’ll dive into the basics of Gantt charts and explore their benefits, then provide a step-by-step guide to creating them in Excel, along with some useful examples. Before long, you’ll be able to use Excel like a pro.

What are Gantt charts?

The Benefits of Gantt Charts

How to Create Gantt Charts in Excel

Gantt Chart Examples

What are Gantt charts?

On the left-hand side, the Y-axis of the chart lists specific activities. At the top, the X-axis of the chart shows time.

There’s no fixed unit for time — it could be measured in weeks, days, hours, or minutes, depending on the tasks you’re tracking. In Excel, each task gets its own row.

As you can see in the example above from Microsoft, task 1 starts at time unit 0 and runs until just before task 2, which proceeds until task 3 begins.

It’s worth noting that tasks can overlap — the purpose of the Gantt chart isn’t to determine the order of tasks but to provide an easy way to see what’s happening, when, and how many processes are happening at once.

The Benefits of Gantt Charts

Gantt charts offer several benefits, including the following.

At-a-Glance Project Progression

Gantt charts let you see when projects began, how far along they are, if they’re reached specific milestones, and if they overlap with other projects.

This makes it possible to better understand how long processes will take and if concurrent processes may cause friction.

Actionable Insight

These charts also provide actionable insight for project management staff. Because teams can see project start dates and timelines at-a-glance, they can pinpoint potential bottlenecks and make changes.

In practice, teams might discover that three processes are due to start on the same day. By staggering start dates slightly, they can avoid possible performance issues.

Improved Time Management

Consider a Gantt chart showing multiple tasks with the same start date and team responsible for them. If left alone, this project framework could waste time, as one team is overworked, and others may not have enough on their plate.

A better understanding of what’s happening, when, and why can help companies improve their time management.

Reduced Risk of Resource Overload

Projects share a pool of finite resources. The more projects happening simultaneously, the bigger the resource drain and the greater the risk of resource overload.

Gantt charts offer a way to compare process resource needs and make adjustments that help keep projects on track.

While every Gantt chart differs, common features include task, taskbars, and milestones due dates. Charts may also include sub-task bars or use bar shading to indicate how far a task has progressed.

How to Create Gantt Charts in Excel

Despite their usefulness and ubiquity, Gantt charts don’t have a built-in template in Excel. As a result, users need to either download a pre-built Gantt chart or build their own.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a Gantt chart in Excel.

1. Enter your project data.

The first step in creating a Gantt chart is entering project data into a typical Excel spreadsheet. In our example, we will enter three data columns: Task Name, Start on Day, and Duration. The result should look something like this.

2. Make a stacked bar chart.

Next, we’re going to create a stacked bar chart. To do this, select the data in the Start on Day column (with the header). Then, under “Insert,” select “Bar Chart”, then “2-D Bar”, then “Stacked Bar” to get this.

3. Enter your duration data.

To enter duration data:

• Start by right-clicking on the chart.
• Choose “Select Data.” This will open a “Select data source” window containing the “Start on Day” series.
• Click the “Add” Button under “Legend entries (series),” then name your new series Duration.

Now, click the icon next to where it says “Series values,” which will open a new “Edit series” window.

Select the data from your Duration column (without the header) and your Start On Day column, then click OK to close the window, and click OK again to add the series to your chart.

 

4. Add your task descriptions.

Now we’re going to add task descriptions. This starts the same way as the last step: Right-click on your chart to open the “Select data source” window, then select “Start On Day” in the left-hand “Series” list.

Next, select “Edit” on the right “Category” list. This will open an “Axis labels” window. Select the cells in your Task column, then click OK on the “Axis labels” window, then OK on the “Select data source” window.

4. Fix the Order

Finally, we’re going to fix the order of our tasks. To do this, right-click on the list of Tasks on the left side of the chart to open a menu, then click “Format Axis.” From this menu, under “Axis Position,” check the “categories in reverse order” box.

And there you have it — a custom-built Gantt chart in Excel.

Gantt Chart Examples

If you prefer to download an existing template, there are multiple Gantt options in the Microsoft chart templates database. Some great Gantt examples include:

Date Tracking Gantt Chart

This Data Tracking Gantt chart template is completely customizable with your own images, titles, and text. It offers an easy way to track key tasks without having to build your Gantt chart from the ground up.

What we like: This Gantt chart is simple and streamlined. It has plenty of room for tasks, start dates, and durations to help you better manage tasks.

Simple Gantt ChartThis Simple Gantt chart is exactly that: Simple and easy to understand. It can also be tailored to different user groups, such as employees, managers, and stakeholders. You can include photos, graphics, or new fonts.

What we like: In addition to basic task information, this chart also adds the ability to break projects down by phases (denoted by the different-colored sections) and who is responsible for each task.

Agile Gantt Chart

This Agile Gantt chart example provides color-code task categories and visual reminders to help Agile teams meet deadlines.

Given the ongoing feedback loop that underpins Agile methodology, Gantt charts such as this are instrumental in task tracking.

What we like: The color-coded bars provide immediate visual feedback, while the ability to quickly publish and share this chart in Excel helps improve team collaboration.

Going the Distance with Gantt

Gantt charts are a great way to track project schedules and see at-a-glance where overlaps occur and where it may be necessary to make schedule changes.

While Microsoft Excel doesn’t come with a built-in Gantt generator, you can go the distance with Gantt charts by building your own from scratch with our step-by-step guide or downloading an Excel template that lets you customize data and headings on demand.

So you’re working on your resume. Maybe you haven’t submitted your updated resume anywhere yet, or maybe you have, and it doesn’t seem to get anyone’s attention. Either way, you might be missing one of the most important elements of any resume: Action verbs.

If you’re unfamiliar with action verbs, you might wonder how they’re different from those on your resume. If that’s the case, this article has some critical information you don’t want to miss.

The best part? Even if your resume is 100% complete right now, adding action verbs is as simple as replacing existing verbs with them. Keep reading to learn more about the best action verbs for your resume and how much you might miss out on without them.

Table of Contents

• How Action Verbs Help Your Resume
• The Benefits of Action Verbs
• Action Verbs at Work
• Resume Action Verbs

How Action Verbs Help Your Resume

So what are action verbs? Well, they’re words that express and describe things that someone or something does. In the case of your resume, action verbs can help you illustrate all the hard work you’ve put into your career.

Wait, isn’t that what every word on your resume should do? To an extent, yes, but action verbs do more than describe your achievements.

They explain everything you’ve done and how you’ve done them. Actions speak louder than words — and action verbs speak louder than everyday words.

Now before we look at some of the most powerful action verbs and how to use them, let’s dig a little deeper into how action verbs can make your resume catch the eyes of your next interviewer.

The Benefits of Action Verbs

If we wanted to detail every benefit of action verbs, we’d be here all day. To save you some time (time you can spend crafting the perfect resume), here are four of the best reasons to use action verbs.

If even one of these benefits could add something to your resume, it might be time to revise it with some powerful action verbs.

Action verbs show what you do (not just who you are).

Let’s think about the phrase “action verbs.” Verbs are straightforward enough: They’re words that describe doing or being something. Action verbs are more specific. They describe doing something, not any state of being.

This might not sound like a huge difference, but let’s look at an example of a regular verb you might see in a resume:

• “I was the general manager at a fine dining establishment.”

Let’s swap that boring “was” out for some exciting action verbs:

• “I supervised and managed the operation of a fine dining establishment.”

It’s a small change, but that should give you an idea of how more impactful action verbs can be compared to verbs that describe your state of being.

Action verbs make your resume more eye-catching.

Have you ever sifted through a stack of resumes? If you have, you might know how tedious and sleep-inducing that process can be. If not, imagine reading a book full of passive verbs — you know, the opposite of action verbs.

“I had many responsibilities… I was a department head…”

You get the picture.

While these might be great accomplishments, anyone reading that resume will probably move on to the next one in no time.

The language itself won’t win any awards, but the real issue is its overuse. You’re not just competing against subpar language. You’re competing against every resume that uses the same language.

Action verbs help your chances with tracking systems.

Like so many things these days, applying for a job might involve artificial intelligence. Depending on your stance, that might be a good or bad thing. One thing is for sure, though: You should write your resume with that in mind.

See, applicant tracking systems (ATS) streamline the application process for employers. These systems use AI to scan resumes for certain words and phrases. Some of these words and phrases include — believe it or not — action verbs.

While you may not need to include any specific words to pass through ATS, you should focus on using action verbs.

Action verbs make your resume easier to scan and read.

How long do you spend on a website before leaving? Is your mind made up after the headline?

Do you scroll through the page and look at the headers? Or do you scan the page in an instant, looking for one specific thing to tell you whether the page is worth your time or not?

Chances are you do one or all of those things — but did you know the same applies to your resume? That’s right. You can expect every employer reading your resume to scan through your resume like you would a website.

That’s where action verbs come in. Imagine someone scanning through dozens of resumes a day. What do you think would get their attention? Yep, action verbs — and the more specific to your industry, the better.

If you can get their attention with the right action verbs, you’re one step closer to having your resume read.

Action Verbs at Work

Before we get into some specific examples of action verbs, let’s see how and why they work so well on resumes. Here’s a quick example to better understand how action verbs compare to other verbs.

For this example, imagine this sentence is part of a resume:

• “I was in charge of multiple teams and had many responsibilities that changed daily.”

While it might sound impressive by itself, that type of language will get lost in a typical resume. Instead, let’s try the same sentiment with action verbs:

• “I organized teams and directed combined efforts, ensuring we cleared every deadline and secured more clients in the process.”

See the difference? Put yourself in the shoes of someone reading resumes all day. Which example would instill more confidence in the candidate? Keep that in mind as you write or update your resume; you’ll have an edge over the competition.

Resume Action Verbs

Now we’re ready to look at some action verb specifics. While knowing individual action verbs is crucial, you should also familiarize yourself with verb categories. These are different from passive and action verbs, though.

Here, we’ll look at some action verbs for your resume by category. Some of these categories may overlap, so use them as you see fit.

Achievements

Every employer is interested in your achievements. After all, achievements serve as proof of how hard you’ve worked and how much time you’ve dedicated to your career.

These action verbs should prop you up as an accomplished person who can help a business reach milestones and goals.

action verbs relating to achievements
Accelerated	Decreased	Won	Pioneered
Accomplished	Delivered	Founded	Produced
Achieved	Demonstrated	Generated	Raised
Advanced	Drove	Grew	Reached
Amplified	Earned	Improved	Saved
Attained	Enacted	Lifted	Sharpened
Boosted	Endeavored	Managed	Showcased
Capitalized	Enhanced	Maximized	Sparked
Completed	Established	Outpaced	Spearheaded
Consolidated	Exceeded	Outperformed	Steered
Converted	Expanded	Overcame	Stimulated
Created	Expedited	Overhauled	Streamlined
Targeted	Surpassed	Succeeded	Strengthened

Best for: Demonstrating your most exceptional accomplishments, placing you far ahead of the pack of applicants.

Responsibilities

Do you wear many hats at work? Good, leverage that in your resume. Some positions require quick thinking and flexibility; action verbs can demonstrate that on your resume.

These action verbs should give a potential employer a good idea of what you can handle.

Action verbs relating to responsibilities
Forged	Coordinated	Handled	Organized
Accomplished	Created	Headed	Partnered
Achieved	Delivered	Implemented	Performed
Acquired	Developed	Improved	Prepared
Acted as	Executed	Increased	Produced
Analyzed	Expanded	Initiated	Reached
Assembled	Facilitated	Instituted	Secured
Built	Finalized	Made	Simplified
Charted	Finished	Navigated	Succeeded in
Completed	Accelerated	Negotiated	Undertook
Constructed	Guided	Operated	Volunteered

What we like: Focusing on responsibilities with action verbs can posture you as the perfect candidate for leadership and more specialized positions.

Communication

You’ve heard it many times before: Communication is key. That’s because it’s true — in personal life and business.

So what could be better than some action verbs that communicate how well you communicate?

action verbs relating to communication
Addressed	Consulted	Explained	Performed
Advocated	Conveyed	Fielded	Persuaded
Apprised	Convinced	Formulated	Presented
Arbitrated	Corresponded	Illustrated	Promoted
Arranged	Counseled	Influenced	Proposed
Attested	Critiqued	Informed	Publicized
Authored	Defined	Instructed	Queried
Briefed	Developed	Interpreted	Reconciled
Campaigned	Directed	Lectured	Recruited
Clarified	Documented	Lobbied	Reported
Co-authored	Drafted	Marketed	Reviewed
Collaborated	Edited	Mediated	Spoke
Communicated	Enlisted	Moderated	Summarized
Composed	Enlivened	Negotiated	Trained
Translated	Wrote

Best for: These action verbs have the potential to show what a great team player you are, so they’re great when applying for anything like a managerial role.

Experience

Not much can overshadow experience. It’s undeniable proof of your career until now, and you should use that to your advantage.

After all, your experience might be the one thing that gets you hired instead of a comparable candidate.

Action verbs relating to experience
Adapted	Coordinated	Guided	Recommended
Administered	Critiqued	Individualized	Reorganized
Advised	Delegated	Informed	Reviewed
Analyzed	Developed	Installed	Scheduled
Assigned	Directed	Instructed	Simulated
Chaired	Enabled	Motivated	Stimulated
Clarified	Encouraged	Organized	Supervised
Coached	Evaluated	Oversaw	Taught
Communicated	Executed	Persuaded	Tested
Conducted	Explained	Planned	Trained
Consolidated	Facilitated	Prioritized	Transmitted
Contracted	Focused	Produced	Tutored

What we like: Experience-oriented action verbs can position you as an all-around great candidate with a proven track record.

There’s No Better Time for Action

Whether your communication skills are unmatched, your management style is cutting-edge, or you’ve just been in the game for longer than your competition, action verbs can tell employers what you’ve done and what you do.

There are countless strong action verbs for your resume as well, so you have many choices regardless of what you do or want to do. So which action verbs will go in your resume? Are you a creative genius, a rocksteady leader, or a communications expert?

A/B testing the pricing for your product is a little bit like Goldilocks.

Too high, and you could alienate the majority of your potential customers. Too low, and you won’t have enough revenue to sustain your business.

So how do you get it just right?

That‘s what we’re going to explore in this post. We’ll give you the ins and outs of A/B testing your pricing, plus some alternatives to A/B testing your pricing strategy.

Product pricing is undeniably one of the most important decisions for your company.

Your price can determine how consumers see you in the marketplace— as a value-based brand or a convenient and cheap alternative.

There are a few other factors to consider when choosing a price, including what competitors are charging (competition-based pricing), or how much it will cost you to produce your product or service, plus how much you want to profit (cost-plus pricing).

To learn more about different pricing strategies, take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Pricing Strategies.

However, even once you’ve chosen a pricing strategy that works for your business, you might be unsure if the specific dollar price is going to return maximum revenue.

For instance, your pricing strategy might show a range of $50-$60 is best for your product. However, you need to find the “sweet spot” within that range. Charge it for $50, and you might be missing out on the revenue you could‘ve received if you’d charged it at $60.

Charge it for $60, alternatively, and you might limit the number of people willing to purchase your product — which could also decrease the amount of revenue you can receive.

This is where A/B testing comes into play. Let’s explore how to A/B test your pricing, next.

How to A/B Test Your Pricing

It’s important to note — many advise against A/B testing your pricing, for a few reasons.

There are a few major disadvantages or pitfalls associated with A/B testing a price. These include:

• It introduces an element of unfairness to buyers. It doesn‘t seem fair that person A is able to purchase your product for less money than person B, which could cause harm to your brand’s reputation. Plus, it could ultimately dissuade a potential buyer from purchasing — for instance, if a prospect pitches a new software solution to her boss for $30/month, and then her boss logs onto the site and sees the product is $50/month, the confusion and frustration over the increase in price could prevent them from purchasing your product at all.
• You‘ll have a group of customers paying an outdated price for your product. Let’s say you ultimately decide to go with the $30/month variant of your test — but you already have 40 customers who are paying $50/month. What do you do with them? You‘ll need to either migrate them to the $30/month plan and potentially deal with reimbursement requests, or keep them on an outdated model … which could cause frustration and high turnover rates when those customers learn they’re paying more than others.
• It can be difficult to get statistical significance. You need a certain amount of people to purchase both price options for your test to be statistically significant, rather than pure chance. For many SaaS companies or companies that work with larger clients or more complex deals, you likely won’t have enough people to ensure your results are even useful.
• It requires the development of multiple SKUs and other systems functionality, which can be a large (and potentially unrewarded) effort.

However, if you are going to A/B test your pricing, here‘s how you’ll want to do it.

1. Choose two different products (or plans) within the same category type.

To ensure you‘re being ethical and fair with your prospects, you don’t want to test two different prices on the same product. Consumers will eventually catch that you‘re charging different users varying prices, and it could permanently damage your brand’s reputation.

One alternative to this is testing two different products, or plans, within the same category type to see how much people are willing to pay for your product.

For instance, if you sell social media software, you might choose a Basic plan and charge people $50/month. Within this plan, consumers receive 10 social accounts and 1 user. Then, you might choose your Professional plan, and charge people $140/month, which includes 20 social accounts and 2 users.

By doing this, you‘re testing how much people are willing to pay for a social management tool, and whether there’s a cut-off. Technically, the Professional plan offers double the value of the Basic plan, but charges more than double each month ($140/month for 20 accounts and 2 users can be broken down to $70 for 10 accounts and 1 user — whereas a Basic plan is $50 for 10 accounts and 1 user).

Then, you’ll want to track if the conversion rates are higher or equal on both Basic and Professional. If there seems to be a drop-off of buyers for the Professional tool, you might want to lower your pricing on that product and see if it can positively impact revenue.

2. Figure out the price points you want to test.

You’ll want to determine the prices you want to test within a given range based on a variety of factors, including competitor pricing and operational costs.

You’re hoping to gauge price sensitivity, or the degree to which demand changes after a certain price point. For instance, you might find if you price your product at $100, the amount of people who will purchase your product drops dramatically.

Ultimately, you want to choose realistic price points to figure out the highest price you can go, while still maintaining the highest number of potential customers.

3. Measure revenue to determine price.

A small but important detail — measure revenue, not conversions, to determine which price wins out on your A/B test.

You‘ll likely have much higher conversion rates on lower-priced products, but that doesn’t mean you‘re able to hit your revenue goals. If you price a product too low, you might still struggle to meet revenue goals even with thousands of additional customers. This is why it’s important to measure revenue, not conversions.

4. Iterate on results and re-test two new price points, if need be.

If you’ve tested $30/month against $50/month and found $30/month equates to the most conversions and possible revenue, consider re-testing between $30 and $40, or $30 and $35.

Iterating on your results enables you to find a highly specific price point that will provide you with maximum revenue.

5. Choose the price that equates to maximum revenue.

Finally, choose the price point that suggests maximum revenue by determining the highest price that still converts enough customers to meet your business goals.

Alternatives to A/B Testing

If the potential risks associated with A/B testing pricing outweigh the benefits for your own business, there are plenty of alternative options to test a product’s pricing.

1. Only test the product page.

For one, you could try A/B testing the pricing page — including different layouts and CTAs — to figure out the best page for optimal conversions and monetization. Maybe your pricing isn’t the issue, but your landing page is.

2. Limit the go-to-market plan.

Alternatively, if you’re releasing a new product, consider launching the product in one market only to gauge market reaction and performance, before rolling the product out on a broader scale. This enables you to make tweaks to your pricing or product before releasing the product to the entire marketplace.

3. Survey your customers.

Finally, you might consider conducting a survey and simply asking prospective customers how much they’re willing to pay for a similar product in the industry.

For instance, if you‘re selling a website design tool, you might ask: “What features are most important to you in a website design tool?” and, “At what point would a website design tool be too expensive?” or “What is the maximum price you’re willing to pay for a website design tool?”

Ultimately, pricing is about determining your product or service‘s value, and how much consumers are willing to pay for that value. It’s an incredibly important factor to consider when running a business, but it’s not always something you can A/B test without potentially losing consumers or damaging your reputation when consumers find different prices every time they visit your site.

Price Testing Methods

If you’re set on A/B testing your pricing, there are other price testing methodologies that can be combined with A/B testing to better understand why the strategy is performing the way that it is. After using the A/B test methodology, add one of these to your research to get even better insights into what your customers want and expect from your business.

1. Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter (PSM)

The Van Mestendorp PSM methodology uses a series of survey questions to determine price sensitivity by identifying price levels that are too low (“bargain”), too high (“expensive”), and acceptable (“too expensive” and “too cheap”).

Using this pricing method in action:

Let’s say a software company wants to launch a new subscription plan. They conduct a survey of their target customers, asking four questions:

• At what price is the subscription too expensive?
• At what price is it starting to seem expensive?
• At what price is it starting to seem like a bargain?
• At what price is it too cheap to be of high quality?

The company analyzes the responses and identifies the range of prices that the majority of customers find acceptable for the new plan.

2. Conjoint Analysis

This technique is used for assessing the value customers assign to different product features and price points. Creating various product profiles and analyzing consumer preferences allows businesses to estimate price elasticity and identify the most appealing pricing structure.

Using this pricing method in action:

A car manufacturer is planning to introduce a new model with different customizable features. They create several hypothetical car configurations with varying feature sets and prices. Then, they get a pulse on potential customers’ reactions by asking them to rank their preferences among different combinations.

The analysis reveals which features and price points have the highest value to customers, helping the manufacturer determine the optimal pricing structure.

3. Dynamic Pricing

The dynamic pricing approach involves adjusting prices in real-time based on factors such as demand, inventory levels, competitive pricing, and customer segmentation. By dynamically changing prices, businesses can optimize revenue and respond to market changes promptly.

Using this pricing method in action:

In this example, a ride-sharing company adjusts its prices based on demand and supply conditions in real-time. During peak hours or high-demand events, the prices increase to incentivize more drivers to be available, helping to meet the demand. Conversely, during low-demand periods, prices are lowered to attract more customers.

This dynamic pricing strategy works because it allows for the optimization of revenue without overhauling the price of the product or service permanently.

A/B Test Your Pricing Without Testing Your Customers’ Patience

If you are interested in A/B testing your pricing, we‘d suggest using this process, plus a few alternatives and additional methodologies, to test out the design of your pricing pages or product landing pages. Perhaps by altering how you display your product’s value on a page, you’ll raise the amount consumers are willing to pay.

Editors Note: This post was originally published in April 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

B2B demand generation marketers face a growing list of challenges, from navigating complex buyer journeys to breaking through the noise of a crowded marketplace. High-quality, validated, opt-in leads are essential to driving sales and revenue growth, but generating them is no easy task.

With that in mind, here are 25 rocket-fueled strategies and ideas that can help propel your pipeline and turbocharge your B2B lead generation efforts. Before we do, let’s have a quick refresher on what B2B lead generation is and define the different types of sales leads that exist in the B2B world. 

3… 2… 1… Blast off!

Image caption: Take your B2B lead generation to the moon! Made using Midjourney

What is B2B Lead Generation?

B2B lead generation is the process of identifying and capturing interest from potential customers in your product or service, with the ultimate goal of converting them into buyers. It plays a pivotal role in the sales process, connecting marketing efforts to revenue growth. Quality leads are essential for sales success, as they have a higher likelihood of becoming customers and generating long-term value for your organization.

What Are the Different Types of Sales Leads in B2B?

There are several types of sales leads in B2B, including:

• Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs): Leads that have shown interest in your product or service and meet specific criteria established by your marketing team showing that they have a strong likelihood of becoming a buyer. 
• Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs): Leads that have been vetted by your sales team and are deemed ready for direct sales engagement.
• Sales Accepted Leads (SALs): Leads that have been formally accepted by the sales team and are ‌being actively pursued as potential customers.

There are also other lead types defined by industry bodies, technology vendors, and research firms as part of their own frameworks. For example, one of the most popular is the SiriusDecisions Demand Waterfall (known also as the Demand Unit Waterfall since 2017). 

Image: Versions of the SiriusDecisions Demand Waterfall. Source: Forrester

Some of the lead types that have featured in versions of this model include:

• Inquiries (INQs): As the name suggests, these are leads that have come as the result of direct contact from potential customers. However, while they might be engaged, they might not be a good fit for your business.
• Automation Qualified Lead (AQL): As Forrester explains, this is “the stage where inquiries, both inbound and outbound, are loaded into the marketing automation platform (MAP). The AQL is the clearinghouse for capturing, cleansing, scoring, and routing the best inquiries to downstream functions.” In short, these leads have undergone some kind of assessment to prioritize them by value.
• Telephone-Generated and Telephone-Qualified Leads (TGLs and TQLs): These are leads that have either been generated by outbound phone calls or have been screened and qualified through a phone call or initial online meeting with a rep. In many cases, these leads will have been sourced or qualified by an external agency.
• Sales Generated Leads (SGLs): Any B2B marketer will know that reps are keen to source their own opportunities and leads. These are leads that are sourced by sales reps directly.

To add to potential confusion, the exact definition of what ‌a “lead” is will vary between technology vendors and organizations. For this reason, both B2B marketers and salespeople should be clear on the definition of a lead within their own organization —as well as being clear on the definitions of other stages within the buying journey. There will likely be specific criteria that have to be met for any contact, account, or sales conversation to be classified as leads, target accounts, or opportunities that count against pipeline.

Knowing exactly ‘what’ makes a lead in your organization is vital because only those that meet your company’s own definition will count towards your personal targets and KPIs. This equally applies to any other pipeline stage or metric. So ask around for the definition before you commit to an approach, and if your company doesn’t have one, get agreement on what will count and what won’t.

Ignite Your B2B Lead Generation with These Rocket-Fueled Strategies

Having covered some essential B2B lead definitions, let’s explore a few approaches to turbocharge your revenue growth and fuel up your pipeline. Each of these strategies could inspire countless articles, eBooks, and even entire career paths, so the information here serves as a brief introduction.

Strategy 1: Content Marketing for B2B Lead Generation

Buyers appreciate engaging with top-notch content, making high-quality, valuable content essential for B2B lead generation success. A study from Demand Gen Report and Demandbase reveals that 62% of B2B buyers chose to buy from a vendor that provided high-quality content. Moreover, NetLine’s 2023 State of B2B Content Consumption and Demand Report reveals that content marketing remains a top priority for B2B marketers. 

Image Caption: Great content remains key to effective B2B lead generation. Across the board, buyers are increasing their content consumption no matter their industry. Source: NetLine’s 2023 State of B2B Content Consumption and Demand Report

When it comes to types of content that B2B audiences are interested in, NetLine’s report also shows that eBooks, guides, and cheat sheets lead the pack. However, buyers are still educating themselves with white papers, case studies, and webinars. 

But even the best possible content will do little if it doesn’t reach your buyers. To maximize your content’s impact, focus on effective distribution and promotion strategies. Remember to meet your buyers on the channels they use. 

Strategy 2: Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

ABM is a targeted approach to B2B lead generation that focuses on high-value accounts rather than individual contacts. By pinpointing and targeting these accounts, you can streamline your marketing efforts and enhance the quality of leads and contacts you acquire. Target accounts are chosen using data such as first-party intent and engagement signals, as well as sales team-selected data and firmographics. As a result, some may argue that ABM doesn’t quite align with the traditional understanding of B2B lead generation.

Best practices for executing ABM campaigns include aligning sales and marketing teams, using data-driven insights and personalizing your messaging.

Strategy 3: Content Syndication

Content syndication enables quick and easy distribution of your content across various B2B media, trade publishers, and third-party websites. Instead of negotiating individual commercial agreements, content syndication platforms enable you to promote your content across an entire network of sites that use platforms like NetLine.

Because such networks have total audience sizes that reach into the millions, content syndication is a fast and highly effective method of expanding your content’s reach and visibility. Aside from network size and audience reach, some things to look out for when choosing B2B lead generation vendors for content syndication include:

• Which industries and audience profiles are available?
• How can you customize your campaigns to collect the right data and target the right audience?
• Are there program management features or services to monitor, analyze and optimize your campaigns?
• Are performance-based lead gen programs offered?
• Do they provide hyper-targeting and filtering so you only pay for leads meeting your specific criteria?

The good news is that you don’t even need to schedule a sales call to get started. As well as providing access to the largest content syndication network on the market, NetLine offers both self-service and managed B2B lead generation solutions. 

Strategy 4: Social Media for B2B Lead Generation

Social media platforms, especially LinkedIn and Twitter, play a crucial role in B2B lead generation and are perfect examples of meeting potential buyers on the channels they use. Optimize your profiles and engage with your audience.

Utilize social listening and engagement tools to understand what buyers are saying about your products or services, their opinions on your campaigns and events, and to stay updated on industry trends. These tools also provide valuable insights into audience discussions about your competitors.

Strategy 5: Email Marketing and Lead Nurturing

Email is far from dead. In fact, email marketing remains a powerful tool for B2B lead generation. To make the most of your email marketing, create compelling email campaigns and use lead nurturing to guide prospects through the sales funnel.

Timing is critical in the sales process, so when you send emails can have a significant impact. Keep in mind that there is a gap between when content is requested and when it’s actually consumed. Salespeople should hold back and not reach out too soon, giving potential leads time to consume and digest your content. 

Strategy 6: Identify Buyers with First-Party Intent Data and Lead Scoring

Today’s B2B marketing technology provides a huge amount of potential to know exactly “who” your buyers are. But to do so requires using data intelligently to sift out those who will only ever browse from those who might buy —and crucially when they might buy.

There are scores of suppliers who promise lists of buyers sourced from third-party data, but data that is collected directly (first-party data) offers a host of particular benefits. 

In short, first-party intent data offers unique insights into prospects’ online behavior —and because it’s collected directly, its quality and validity can be assessed transparently. This data presents a greater potential for identifying and prioritizing high-quality and verified leads. Unlike many third-party intent data sources that only offer vague indications of “intent” at an account level, leads sourced through first-party buyer intent data reveal “who” the buyer is, as discussed in a previous post on What Exactly Is B2B Intent Data and Where Does It Come From?

Since not all your first-party data will relate to buying signals, you should also use lead scoring (i.e. assigning a numerical value to leads based on predetermined attributes) to focus on leads with the highest potential to become buyers. You’ll also want to integrate intent data into your marketing automation tools for maximum impact. For example, here’s how to integrate your NetLine portal with Marketo.

Strategy 7: Search Engine Marketing

SEO and PPC are potentially powerful channels for B2B lead generation, as you can attract buyers to your content and website when they are actively searching for information through search engines like Google and Bing. The keywords they use can also reveal where they are in the buying journey, which is why focusing on high-intent keywords can be particularly effective, albeit expensive.

To stand the best chance of ranking organically (and to maximize your Quality Score for PPC), optimize your on-page and off-page SEO factors. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, some best practices for on-page SEO include using title tags, incorporating relevant and optimized headings, and prioritizing page load speed. For off-page SEO, be sure to include local SEO in your strategy and submit back-linked content.

When creating effective PPC campaigns that drive targeted traffic to your website, remember to set goals for your campaigns, carefully choose which keywords to bid on, and create attention-grabbing ads with a call-to-action. Continuously monitor your ads’ performance and make necessary adjustments to your keywords.

Strategy 8: Webinars and Virtual Events

Webinars and virtual events offer significant benefits for B2B lead generation. Research from last year shows that these two channels are considered the most effective top-of-funnel demand gen tactics by B2B marketers. 

However, a boring webinar or virtual event is unlikely to be successful at generating engaged B2B leads. To keep your audience interested and leave them wanting more, get them actively involved by using engagement tools such as quizzes, Q&A, and polls. Employ presenters who are both engaging and knowledgeable, especially for audiences that are likely to have deep subject matter knowledge such as IT professionals and healthcare providers.

Promoting your webinars or virtual events is also crucial to increase registrations and attendees. Maximize your reach using email invites and dedicated landing pages. Send a follow-up email a day or two before the event to capture last-minute sign-ups. Finally, make your webinars and virtual events on-demand so attendees can watch them whenever and wherever they prefer.

Strategy 9: Strategic Partnerships and Referral Programs

Partnering with complementary businesses can be highly effective in generating leads. Benefits include increased visibility and enhanced credibility. Strategic partnerships can also be a cost-effective way to reach new customers and generate leads by sharing resources for promotion. Indeed, even with NetLine’s own network at our disposal, we still work with partners such as ON24 and the ABMLA as part of our own marketing.

Creating and managing referral programs is another effective strategy for lead generation. These programs encourage existing customers (as well as partners such as authorized service providers and system integrators) to refer others to your business. Keep referral programs simple and straightforward. Offer incentives, and be sure to monitor and measure your program’s effectiveness, making adjustments as needed to ensure it generates desired results. 

Strategy 10: Online Communities and Networking

Online communities, such as industry forums and groups, can be valuable lead sources for B2B marketers. By engaging with these communities, you can establish yourself as an authority in your industry and build relationships with potential buyers.

Stand out in these online communities by being helpful and providing value to the community, sharing your expertise, and helping others solve problems. Remember, it’s essential to be authentic when interacting in the community and while networking.

Industry events offer opportunities to meet potential buyers face-to-face and establish relationships. These events provide the chance to forge personal connections with leads, as well as generate brand exposure and awareness. 

Image caption: The NetLine team doing face-to-face lead generation at Forrester’s B2B Summit

Strategy 11: Optimizing Existing B2B Lead Generation Efforts

Finally, it’s important to track and measure the performance of your existing lead generation efforts to make sure they are generating the desired results. After all, ramping up investment in B2B lead generation only makes sense when you are confident that you can deliver results.

At the most basic level, track KPIs such as conversion rate, cost-per-lead, and return on investment (ROI). By checking these KPIs and using data-driven insights, marketers can optimize their efforts and generate more leads. 

How to Generate B2B Leads: 14 Lead Generation Ideas for B2B Marketing Inspiration

Now that we’ve discussed some strategies that will boost your B2B lead generation, here are some ideas and tactics that will help fuel your efforts even further.

Idea 1: Offer a Free Tool or Resource

As any B2B marketer at a conference can confirm, swag and freebies attract buyers like flowers attract bees. But offers don’t have to be physical to lure in leads.

Free tools or online resources, like the Audience Explorer, can be highly effective for generating leads and overall awareness, in particular when you are offering something both useful and unique. Identify a valuable resource that resonates with your target audience and promote it to drive engagement.

Idea 2: Launch an Industry Survey and Share the Results

Conducting industry surveys can provide valuable insights as well as generate leads. A well-designed survey and resulting report have the added benefit of putting your organization at the forefront of thought leadership.

Create surveys that help you gain insight into your target audience. Promote your survey through email or even on a webinar or virtual event. Once your survey is complete, share the findings in a report, eBook, and/or infographic using your various content channels. 

Idea 3: Host a Joint Webinar with a Complementary Partner

Co-hosting webinars with complementary partners can expand your audience and generate new leads. Selecting partners is critical. Look for partners who share a similar customer base but are not your direct competitors. Choose topics of mutual interest that address the known pain points of potential buyers to show how your organization and your partner can alleviate those pains. 

Idea 4: Create an Interactive Quiz or Assessment

Interactive quizzes or assessments can generate leads by providing personalized insights and recommendations. These work well during webinars but can also be hosted on your website or through social media channels —and you can even use them on kiosks at in-person events.

Design engaging quizzes that resonate with your target audience while providing insight into their needs and pain points. A customized report or list of recommendations is a powerful incentive for a buyer to share their details with you.

Idea 5: Create an Online Course or Offer Certification

Offering online courses or certifications, like NetLine Academy, Salesforce Trailhead and certifications from Demandbase, can attract leads seeking professional development. Create valuable training materials and promote your courses to reach the right audience.

Give participants something to show for their efforts, such as a digital certification. These provide your audience with something to share on platforms like LinkedIn, boosting visibility and attracting further leads through social proof.

Idea 6: Host a Giveaway or Contest

Giveaways or contests can generate excitement, create positive feelings about your brand, and ultimately generate leads. Create and promote a compelling contest that aligns with your target audience’s interests. Ensure the rules are spelled out clearly and are easy to follow. Don’t forget to provide CTAs to guide participants toward what you want them to do next.

Idea 7: Use Influencer Marketing to Promote Your Content and Attract New Audiences

Make use of influencer marketing to expand your reach and build interest in your products or services. In B2B, having big names (e.g., Scott Brinker or Jay Baer) can drive more than net-new names and can potentially lower CPA even with any fees.

When choosing the right influencers to work with, first establish your goals for your influencer campaign and then pick influencers that align with those goals. Collaborate with your chosen influencers to create content and tap into their networks for increased exposure.

Idea 8: Gamify Your Content with a Competition

Much like giveaways and contests, competitions can drive engagement and create excitement around your brand, because, let’s face it, everyone loves a game. Gamifying your content means that buyers will stay on your website, engaging with your content and providing you with rich data so marketers can learn more about leads.

Savvy marketers will develop fun and challenging competitions that are not only engaging but also provide insights into what buyers are looking for. That information can be used to reach out in a much more personal way.

Idea 9: Develop an Augmented Reality Experience (or Something Else Futuristic and Attention Grabbing)

Although using Augmented Reality (AR) may seem novel or even gimmicky, innovative experiences like AR can generate buzz and bring in leads by helping your business stand out. With buyers spending an increased amount of time researching solutions and products on their own before getting in touch with sales, these experiences also provide buyers with the opportunity to see what your brand has to offer remotely.

Create a unique, immersive experience that aligns with your brand and product offering, and make sure to promote it effectively on channels such as social media and email.

Idea 10: Create a “Choose Your Own Adventure” Interactive Story

While creating a “Choose Your Own Adventure” interactive story may feel a bit left of field for the world of B2B marketing, it can be an effective and fun way for potential leads to engage with your brand on a deeper level and provide a memorable and enjoyable experience, leaving your brand top-of-mind with those who participate.

When creating an interactive story, it’s important to consider your audience’s interests and pain points. By tailoring your story to their specific needs, you can create a more impactful and engaging experience. Additionally, make sure you promote your story through various channels. Consider partnering with influencers or industry experts to help spread the word and reach a wider audience. 

Idea 11: Host a 24-Hour Livestream Event

We’ve already discussed the value of webinars and live events when it comes to B2B lead generation, but what about taking it up a notch and hosting a 24-hour livestream event? While this type of event will take a lot of planning and stamina (as well as potentially some pre-recording), it can be effective in attracting leads, especially if your target audience is global.

The key to the success of a 24-hour event is to make sure you have plenty of compelling content throughout, knowing that even if people are sleeping soundly in the US, leads in the APAC regions have started their day. This is also a great opportunity to enlist the help of partners to share the load and audiences. 

Idea 12: Launch a B2B Online Treasure Hunt with Hidden Prizes

Another fun and creative way to generate leads is to create and launch an online treasure hunt with hidden prizes. Treasure hunts are a highly interactive way to engage with your target audience while creating brand awareness and driving traffic to your website.

In creating your treasure hunt, it’s important to keep in mind that the main appeal is the excitement of the search and the potential rewards. Prizes should be desirable and relevant to your target audience. You can also increase the appeal by creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity, perhaps by limiting the number of participants or offering exclusive prizes for early participants.

Promote your hunt using channels such as social media and targeted email campaigns. During the execution phase, make sure it is easy to participate in and that the rules are clear and straightforward. Don’t forget to follow up with participants and leads in a timely and personalized manner to capitalize on the momentum created by the treasure hunt.

Idea 13: Create a Unique B2B Product or Service Mascot

While a mascot may not be able to generate leads on its own, what they do is help create brand awareness and recognition. Mascots like NetLine’s Luna, Salesforce’s Astro and Einstein, and MailChimp’s Freddy are memorable and are easily associated with their respective brands in the minds of buyers.

When developing a unique mascot, keep it simple and align it with your brand and its values. Use your mascot in your marketing content, but don’t overdo it. Even the most adorable mascot can become a nuisance if they show up too often or in the wrong kind of content. 

Idea 14: The Tried-and-Tested Fancy Dinner, Hot Tickets to a Show or Game, or an Invite-Only Event at a Swanky Resort

Not many people would decline a fancy meal, an exclusive event held at a resort, or tickets to the hottest show in town. Marketers and salespeople have been successfully using this tactic to lure prospects for years. Even in this highly digital age, buyers still like the face-to-face that comes with dinners and events.

The key to the success of this tactic is exclusivity. Make your guests feel special by sending invitations the old-fashioned way, through direct mail or, at the very least, through a highly personalized email.

Still Struggling? Here are Some Tips to Quickly Improve the Quality of Your B2B Sales Leads

• Revisit and refine your buyer personas: Buyer personas are essential for effective B2B lead generation. Revisit and revise these personas based on new insights and data.
• Implement a rigorous lead qualification process: Make sure your salespeople are focusing on high-quality leads that are most likely to convert by implementing a process that takes into account factors such as budget, decision-making authority, and purchase timeline.
• Continuously optimize your lead nurturing campaigns: Be sure that you are delivering the right content to the right people at the right time by using data and analytics to track the effectiveness of your campaigns 
• Regularly audit and update your existing content: Content is the fuel that powers your B2B engine, and regular audits and updates to your content will ensure that it remains relevant, accurate, and engaging. Look to customer feedback and analytics to identify areas for improvement. 
• Use data and analytics to make data-driven decisions: Use data and analytics to inform you of the effectiveness of your lead generation campaigns, identify areas in need of improvement, and let it guide you in making decisions. 
• Invest in ongoing sales and marketing alignment efforts: It cannot be overstated how important sales and marketing alignment is to the success of any B2B organization. Prioritize efforts to align your sales and marketing teams, including holding regular meetings and making sure communication channels are open.
• Test and iterate new lead generation strategies and tactics: Don’t be afraid to try new lead generation strategies and tactics like the ones discussed in this post. Test and iterate until you find the ones that work best for your organization. 

By implementing some or all of the above strategies and ideas and continually refining your approach, you can boost your pipeline and drive sales success. Be sure to share this post with others and don’t forget to provide your feedback. 

Want to know more about how NetLine can help you get B2B leads? Check out our range of lead generation solutions.

FAQs on B2B lead gen that might be on your mind

How much is a B2B lead worth?

It’s important to distinguish between cost-per-lead (CPL) and the value of a lead to your organization. Two companies targeting the same buyers, at the same time and on the same channels will have largely the same CPL —but if one of those companies converts leads to buyers more efficiently and/or makes far more profit per customer, the value of that lead will be higher. Aside from internal factors, the value of a B2B lead can vary greatly depending on the industry, the product or service being sold, and the quality of the lead. 

Starting from $9 per lead, NetLine offers a highly-efficient way of generating B2B leads with its targeted performance-based campaigns—especially when the average cost-per-lead across channels and industries is estimated to be almost $200. 

How much do B2B lead generation companies charge?

The cost of B2B lead generation services can vary depending on the company you choose and the specific services you require. Some companies charge a flat fee for a set number of leads, while others charge based on the number of hours worked or the specific tactics used.

Lead generation agencies (especially telemarketing agencies) often work on a retainer basis, with an initial setup fee followed by a rolling commitment. Some agencies will take a multichannel approach to lead generation, sourcing leads from a variety of channels.

As a rough benchmark, most firms that offer a managed lead generation service will charge at least $2,000 a month. Whether this works out as a good investment for your lead generation depends on a large number of factors. 

Why is B2B lead generation hard?

B2B lead generation can be challenging for a variety of reasons. One of the main challenges is the fact that B2B buyers are often more sophisticated and have higher expectations than B2C buyers. Additionally, B2B sales cycles tend to be longer and more complex compared to consumer purchase journeys, which can make it difficult to attract and convert leads. 

Without access to high-quality buyer intent data, it can be very difficult to separate those who are in market from those who have no desire to buy. That’s why NetLine emphasizes the importance of using first-party, buyer-level intent data compared to other forms of buying signals.

What is the number 1 challenge in lead generation?

Lead quality is often cited as the top challenge in studies of B2B marketers. A study by Ascend2 in 2022 found that 42% cited generating quality leads to be a top challenge, compared to just 33% that listed generating enough leads.

As B2B buyers consume increasing amounts of content, lead quantity is likely to become less of a challenge, although business pressures rarely reduce targets based on the number of leads.

How can I get B2B leads for free?

While there’s no magic formula for getting high-quality B2B leads for free, there are a few strategies you can try. One approach is to use your existing network by asking for referrals and recommendations from current and former clients, business partners, and industry contacts. You can also try creating high-quality content that’s designed to attract potential leads to your website or social media profiles. Finally, consider participating in online forums and groups where your target audience is likely to be active, and engaging with them in a helpful and informative way.

Remember that the cost of generating B2B leads and sales opportunities doesn’t only consist of paid spend. Factors such as headcount, capital spend, and even the cost of office space for marketing employees should be factored in, which is why many companies (and especially high-growth companies) track the ratio between Lifetime Customer Value (LTV) and Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) as a key metric, with CAC factoring in all total sales and marketing costs to the business.