Yearly Archives: 2023

Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide and is among the top five most-used social media platforms. So, it’s safe to say your organization’s audience is among Instagram’s many users.

But how can you be an effective Instagram manager who can tap into your brand’s target audience on the platform?To help set you up for success, here are some tips, tools, and professional advice that will make you an excellent Instagram manager.

Instagram Management Tips

Instagram Manager Tools

How to Be an Instagram Manager: Professional Tips and Tricks

Instagram Management Tips

Here are a few things you can do as an Instagram manager to boost your brand’s presence on the platform.

1. Follow Instagram best practices.

Make sure all your Instagram posts follow best practices to boost discoverability and engagement. One best practice is to create engaging content. For Reels, engaging content means grabbing the audience’s attention with transitions and effects, timed text, and interesting audio.

To make your photos more engaging, use colors that are consistent with your brand. Instagram suggests using natural light for bright and balanced images. The platform also encourages businesses and creators to highlight their products by showing them in use.

Create carousels with a mix of videos or photos to tell a story. Feature your most compelling content on the first slide and use different angles to highlight your product’s benefits and features.

Make sure all your posts include a compelling caption that starts with the most critical information and is short and to the point. Use a consistent brand voice and encourage your audience to take action (“Call today!”; “Buy now!”).

Finally, use tags to make your posts easier to find. Tags include hashtags relevant to your business, such as #homeimprovement if you sell improvement goods or #fashion if you’re a fashion or clothing brand. You should also tag your partners and collaborators when necessary to include them in the conversation. To help potential consumers find your business, tag your business location.

Pro Tip: Instagram prioritizes Reels, so aim to leverage Reels in your Instagram content often, especially Reels highlighting key features of your product or service.

2. Optimize your profile.

Optimize your Instagram, so it’s easy to find and makes your brand stand out. Include a primary word in the brand’s Instagram name and username. For example, if your brand works in interior design, include the primary term “interiors” to attract users searching the word in Instagram’s search bar.

You should also use keywords in your profile’s bio and captions to optimize your profile for search results and to get on Instagram’s Explore page. Keywords also make for excellent hashtags, which can further help users discover your page.

Pro Tip: Look at the accounts of other companies in your industry to see what keywords they often use in their Instagram content.

3. Respond to comments and direct messages.

Managing an Instagram account isn’t just about posting content — it’s also about building community. To develop and maintain your audience on Instagram, answer questions, thank your followers for their support, keep them informed on upcoming products and services, and be a responsive source of knowledge regarding your brand.

What We Like: Consumers prefer to interact with people and not just brands, so knowing there is a person behind the account who will answer questions, interact, and provide information is comforting and builds trust with your audience.

4. Have a consistent brand voice.

Understand your brand’s mission and develop a consistent brand voice that matches its vision. To keep your brand’s voice consistent, create a style guide for you and your team to follow whenever posting to its Instagram or interacting with followers.

Pro Tip: A consistent color pallet can also be part of your brand voice on Instagram.

Instagram Manager Tools

The following tools will help you effectively manage your brand’s profile to make it stand out.

1. Instagram Insights

Instagram Insights is a platform tool that allows users to track followers and performance. With Instagram Insights, you can get valuable information regarding the accounts you’ve reached or engaged, your total followers, your shared content, interactions, and plays. The information gathered from the tool will keep you updated on trends, the content your audience enjoys, and what kind of content your account performs well.

The tool is only available on the Instagram mobile app.

2. Iconosquare

Iconosquare is a social media analytics and management platform that gives in-depth insights that help users measure, benchmark, and improve both organic and paid performance. The platform also makes sharing key metrics with your team easy by allowing you to create and automate reports. Those reports can also be downloaded and shared as PDF or CSV files for your team.

Iconosquare also provides competitor and industry tracking tools to keep track of competition and show how your performance compares to the rest of your industry. Other helpful tools include an intuitive scheduler and the ability to manage multiple profiles simultaneously.

3. Ads Manager

Ads Manager is Meta’s “all-in-one tool” for creating, managing, and tracking the performance of ads across Meta’s properties — including Instagram. With Ads Manager, you can:

• Create brand-new ads
• Define your audience for more intelligent targeting
• Set up and manage your ad budget
• Run ads across multiple apps

Ad Manager also allows users to adjust campaigns, test ad performance, and get real-time insights.

How to Be an Instagram Manager: Professional Tips and Tricks

We spoke to six Instagram managers to give us their best tips and tricks on managing an Instagram account. Let’s dive into trade secrets that Instagram managers swear by.

1. Focus on engagement.

Instagram’s main value proposition is that the platform brings together people and the things they love. That’s why engagement is a top metric for this platform.

Vana Korrapati, a digital marketing strategist and social media manager, says, “I always try to engage my audience by including some of them in my posts. This brings my audience together for a meaningful conversation.”

Korrapati uses a clear tactic for a particular goal, meaning she’s created a SMART goal — one that’s specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

You’re more likely to attain goals with those qualities.

For example, your goal on Instagram should be more than just raising awareness. You need to know what tactics you will use and how to measure that precisely, whether it’s through follower count, impressions, reach, or engagement.

Korrapati measures her goal of brand awareness through engagement metrics. She says, “My main motive on Instagram is to build awareness, so I track follower count, impressions, and reach.”

Additionally, she also evaluates her process continuously.

She says, “I use Instagram analytics actively on my campaigns to understand the engagement and continuously tweak my strategy. Not evaluating your Instagram analytics could lead to targeting the wrong audience and driving irrelevant visitors.”

2. Build an emotional connection.

On HubSpot’s Skill Up Podcast, Matthew Brown, a senior podcast producer at HubSpot, discusses how to use Instagram to drive awareness and purchase intent.

One of the main takeaways is to build an emotional connection. Instagram makes this easy because you can directly communicate with consumers and potential customers. You can do this by using interactive features such as polls or by replying to comments promptly.

Additionally, building an emotional connection will help you increase trust with your audience.

You can look at your comments to track the emotional connection with your audience. These are good metrics because it takes a lot of time for the user to do, and it shows the algorithm that people are engaging with your content.

3. Be consistent with your visual branding.

Although we’re past the days of perfectly planning your Instagram grid, visual branding is still important.

According to Leslie Green, a campaign manager on HubSpot’s social media team, “Don’t ignore the importance of consistent visual branding across Instagram — which includes posts, Stories, Reels, live video, and your highlight covers.”

As more people search for products and brands within the platform, consider your Instagram profile like any other landing page.

That means you should use brand guidelines, as we do at HubSpot, to help achieve consistent branding on Instagram.

Green adds, “You want your page to visually communicate your brand as soon as someone reaches your page. Instagram is a highly visual platform, so use that to your advantage with a consistent look and feel to increase brand recall.”

4. Use Instagram Stories.

With Instagram Stories, you can show up for your audience every day — and you should because Stories are one of the best ways to be noticed by your audience.

If your Stories become one your audience is consistently watching, you’ll show up more often in their feed.

According to Kelsi Yamada, on the HubSpot social media team, “We love Instagram Stories, and your audience probably does too. Meet them there by posting your own, and engage them with the platform’s poll, quizzes, and questions. These stickers help make your Stories fun, memorable, and something to look forward to in the feed.”

5. Test everything.

Like any trend, you shouldn’t immediately buy into every fad.

According to Kelly Hendrickson, a social media manager at HubSpot, “Don’t buy into the trends; test them. Everyone you talk to (including everyone in this blog post!) will have their tips and tricks. The important thing to remember is that what works for one account may not work for yours.”

That’s why you need to test, learn, and repeat.

And remember, for every strategy you test and implement, you want to maintain your customer’s focus.

Hendrickson says, “Never forget your audience. People opt-in to be part of your conversation on Instagram. Give them a reason.”

6. Provide value to your audience while working smarter, not harder.

Jennifer Stefancik, a social media manager of the HubSpot Academy Instagram account, says the best thing to do on Instagram is to provide value to your audience.

She says, “Make sure each post — both the creative and the caption as standalone elements — provides value to your audience.”

Once you’ve nailed that, you should work smarter, not harder. But how can you do that?

Stefancik says, “Use Canva (or a similar tool) to create your posts and Stories in advance. Creating them on the fly can be unnecessarily stressful and leaves room for typos.”

When you create posts in advance, you can use the same fonts and colors and plan for interactive features like polls or questions. This helps you make your feed look consistent.

Additionally, Stefancik recommends using a link in bio solution (HubSpot uses LinkTree), so you can drive followers to different parts of your website. This also helps create value for your audience.

These are some of the most successful strategies we’ve used. But you don’t have to take our word for it. You can see how our HubSpot Academy Instagram account conversions grew by 475% for only $6 a month.

While these trade secrets from social media managers are helpful to anyone getting started on Instagram, remember to test them on your account. It’s essential to test any strategy you use for your social media team to see what works.

 

Google Sheets templates help you create better spreadsheets while saving you valuable time.

A template knows what you need and offers it without any manual input, giving you the ability to focus on more important things — like translating the data itself.

In this post, we’ll cover every template you’ll ever need to easily and efficiently use Google Sheets for business. That includes templates for project management, reporting, people management, and customer tracking.

You’ll explore:

• Why You Should Use Google Sheets Templates
• How to Find Templates In Google Sheets
• Helpful Google Sheets Templates

Let’s get started.

Why should you use Google Sheets templates for business?

Google Sheets templates are valuable business tools that can be used by teams of any size. Whether you’re a business just starting out or an established enterprise firm, using Google Sheets templates gives you access to countless benefits.

Even if not used as a primary business tool, they can serve to supplement other tools. For instance, you might use a free CRM to track customer information, then use a Google Sheets invoice template to quickly create invoices for each customer.

Let’s go over the top benefits of using Google Sheets templates for business.

Google Sheets templates are free to use.

Google Sheets templates are completely free to use, and they cover a wide variety of needs. You won’t have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars getting an Excel subscription (or a subscription for another tool).

Everyone who signs up for a Google Workspace account will have immediate working access to these templates.

You have the ability to collaborate.

Google Sheets templates allow your team to collaborate with little gatekeeping. The only thing you have to do is click the “Share” button at the top right-hand corner of a document, and your team members will have access to the file.

You can also limit the collaboration aspect to commenting or viewing only. This is a great option for sensitive documents that only a few people should edit.

Google Sheets templates are intuitive to use.

Using a Google Sheets template doesn’t require much experience with spreadsheets. You don’t need to know advanced formulas and functions to make them work for you.

All you have to do is plug in the numbers and populate the fields. The document will generate a report or calculate a total based on the built-in fields.

Google Sheets templates are customizable.

Using a Google Sheets template doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with its look and feel. You can easily change the fields, the colors, and the fonts using Google Sheets’ built-in tools. This gives you the ability to make your sheets have a brand-specific look and feel.

There’s no data loss.

Another great benefit of using Google Sheets templates? Unless a freak accident happens with Google’s servers, it’s near impossible to lose data.

All changes are stored in the cloud, and Google Sheets includes a version history of the document. You can always revert to a previous version if something happens.

If your laptop crashes or you lose an internet connection, Google Sheets simply freezes the copy until you’re online again. You’ll still want to take a few precautions, such as enabling offline editing and downloading a copy of the document to your local drive.

How to Find Templates In Google Sheets

Ready to find a few templates that you can start using right now for your business? There are two common ways you can find and use free Google Sheets templates.

1. Google’s In-Built Template Gallery

On your browser, go to Google Sheets. Click “Template Gallery” at the top right. Explore the templates to find the right one for you.

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You’ll find different templates for your personal, work, and project management needs. Here’s an example of what the Personal template library looks like.

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2. Add-Ons

Another way to find free templates in Google Sheets is to download and install the Vertex42 add-on. Here’s how.

• Open an existing Google sheet, or type “sheets.new” to create a new one.
• On the top left menu, go to “Extensions,” then “Add-ons,” then “Get add-ons.”

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• Type “Vertex42” into the search bar, and click enter.
• Install the add-on.

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• To access the templates, click on “Extensions,” then “Template Gallery for Sheets.”
• From there, click “Browse Templates.”

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Here you would find templates that can help with almost everything you need — whether you need to create an invoice, income/expense tracker, or a dashboard to manage your projects.

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Let’s now look at some of the free Google Sheets templates you may find useful as you run your business.

Google Sheets Templates

Whether your position requires you to send invoices to clients, track website analytics, or create expense reports, you’ve undoubtedly found yourself working with spreadsheets in some form.

And if you’re anything like me, those spreadsheets can feel frustratingly tedious when you’re under a time crunch.

Fortunately, Google Sheets offers a wide variety of pre-built templates, allowing you to create reports and analyze data faster and more effectively.

The following Google Sheets templates cater to specific categories and allow you to cut hours, if not days, of work in one fell swoop. Let’s go over the best Google Sheets templates you can start using now.

Unlock our collection of 10 customizable Google Sheets Templates.

Google Sheets Templates for Finances

Spreadsheets are a popular tool for bookkeeping and invoicing. Below, you’ll find a curated selection of ready-to-go templates that allow you to:

• Invoice clients
• Maintain an annual business budget
• Generate financial statements
• Create expense reports
• Generate purchase reports.

The result is a ton of saved time; there’s no need to create or choose any formulas that will help you calculate this data.

1. Invoices

If you’re a freelancer or work for a small business, you probably use invoices to bill clients for services. This invoice template simplifies the process.

It provides space for all the necessary information and looks more professional than a plain spreadsheet. Plus, the template is customizable, so you can create a theme that aligns well with your brand image.

Click here to use this template.

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2. Annual Business Budget

This template is more in-depth than it initially appears. There are tabs at the bottom — setup, income, expenses, summary — and each one includes several subcategories.

“Expenses,” for instance, covers everything from taxes and insurance to travel and customer acquisition.

The final tab, “summary,” takes your income, subtracts your expenses, and automatically updates to display your ending balance each month. This template is a good option if your budget requires a lot of customization and many moving parts.

Click here to use this template.

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3. Financial Statements

The financial statements template is an all-in-one resource to keep track of business transactions, profits, and losses. The “profit & loss” tab automatically summarizes revenue, costs, and expenses for the year and can display your growth rate percentage.

If you work for a small business and need to manage your finances, this template makes the process easier and less prone to human error.

Click here to use this template.

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4. Expense Report

Knowing how much you spend is an essential part of running a successful business. But it’s often easy to forget to record these expenses with the amount of work you have to do every day. This simple expense report template makes it easy to record all of your expenses and those of your employees.

Click here to use this template.

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5. Purchase Order

This template is a lifesaver for professionals in charge of tracking orders. With this sheet, you can save time and avoid the headaches that come with monitoring supplies or shipments.

Click here to use this template.

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Google Sheet Templates for Reporting and Analytics

Reporting dashboards are typically built into a wide variety of software products, such as Marketing Hub. However, if you don’t have the budget, you can easily create one using a Google Sheets template.

The below templates automatically gather data from Google Analytics, putting the information in a highly digestible, visual format that you can share.

6. Website Traffic Dashboard

If your role requires you to analyze website traffic using Google Analytics, this template is a fantastic supplemental tool to pull that data into an organized report.

Better still, you can use the dashboard template with the Supermetrics Google Sheets add-on to monitor and analyze data from PPC, SEO, social media, and website analytics.

Click here to use this template.

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7. Website Paid Traffic Report

This template makes the process of analyzing and reporting on paid traffic relatively seamless. The spreadsheet is split into Overview, 12-month Trends, and Medium Breakdown categories.

It automatically collects data on your paid sources from Google Analytics and provides a clean chart with important information. That includes PPC’s percentage of goal conversions, total traffic, and bounce rate.

You can also adjust the template to compare different periods, different channels, or segments. If you’re looking for a way to demonstrate paid’s influence on your business, this tool can help.

Click here to use this template.

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Google Sheet Templates for Customers

If you don’t have access to a CRM yet or your business is still growing, you can use spreadsheets to track customer information and see the growth of your business.

The below Google Sheets templates allow you to have a CRM and a sales dashboard without paying the cost typically needed for such software.

Remember, as your business starts to grow and you earn more customers, you’ll want to switch over to a dedicated CRM.

8. CRM

To organize your contacts and automate an effective sales and marketing process, you must have a CRM. However, if you’re a small company just starting out, you might not feel ready to implement a fully established CRM.

This CRM template is a great place to get your feet wet. It saves data automatically, so you never lose information. The share feature allows you to work with coworkers, which helps encourage collaboration between your sales and marketing departments.

Click here to use this template.

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9. Sales Dashboard

This template helps salespeople manage their leads, sales, and revenue all in one place. At the bottom of the template are different tabs where you can easily input your data that eventually shows up on the main dashboard.

There’s also an “instructions” tab to get you up to speed to use the sheet. Click here to use this template.

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10. Sales Operations Dashboard

This template contains all the pre-built dashboards a sales manager, analyst, or operations specialist needs to monitor performance and maximize revenue.

Gain full visibility into your sales pipeline, set and track sales targets, and compare sales KPIs across monthly, quarterly, and yearly periods.

You can supercharge this template by connecting to your live HubSpot sales data using the Coefficient add-on for Google Sheets. You’ll always have real-time charts and sales metrics to make better decisions.

Click here to use this template.

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Google Sheet Project Management Templates

Google Sheets project management templates are cost-effective alternatives to buying project management software.

The below templates are best for keeping track of a project’s timeline, creating Gantt charts, creating product roadmaps, and generating action lists. They allow you to color-code and categorize action items and individual tasks.

Pro tip: If you’re managing multiple projects, simply duplicate the initial tab and keep all projects in a single spreadsheet.

11. Project Timeline

Whether this is your first significant project or you’ve been managing projects for years, this timeline template is a valuable tool for organizing each project step. The template helps you visually break up a daunting project into smaller pieces.

Click here to use this template.

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12. Project Tracking

If you’re juggling many projects simultaneously, this project-tracking template could become your new best friend.

This template takes project management to the next level by enabling you to organize your tasks into categories by date, deliverables, status, cost, and hours.

Best of all you can prioritize your projects. Visualizing what needs to get done first alleviates time-management stress.

Click here to use this template.

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13. Event Marketing Timeline

This event marketing template offers organization and structure when promoting your next event.

It provides categories you might’ve forgotten to consider, including local and national marketing, PR, and web marketing, with subcategories ranging from an email newsletter to impact studies.

The template is already organized with all necessary categories for planning an event, reducing the time you spend on tedious manual input.

Click here to use this template.

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14. Gantt Chart Template

When you’ve got a complex project with overlapping components, timing is one of your primary concerns. This Gantt chart template can help.

Using the Gantt chart template helps you visualize all steps and delegate essential tasks more efficiently. Labeling the task with an owner on one chart is undoubtedly easier than individually following up via email.

While there are a variety of different Gantt chart templates, Google Sheets is a good place to start. By sharing the template with coworkers, everyone is on the same page.

Click here to use this template.

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15. Product Roadmap

Without a roadmap, it’s easy for your team to misunderstand the direction you want a project to take. With this template, you can solve that problem.

This product roadmap template provides a calendar summary of a project and the milestones you must reach as you go through the product development process.

Click here to use this template.

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16. Product Launch Plan

This template has everything you need to organize the best product launch you’ve ever had. It has fields to help you outline your market and competitive analysis, project strategy, key messaging, and who your target audience is.

Click here to use this template.

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17. Action List With Ranking

Managing a project requires that you track daily actions to ensure you don’t lose focus. But sometimes, you’ll have some tasks on your list that are more important than others.

You can easily arrange these tasks based on their importance with this action list template. You can also share this sheet with others if you’re working as a team.

Click here to use this template.

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18. Project Budget

Away from the general business budget, most managers create budgets for each of their projects.

This project budget template offers a simple yet effective option. You can quickly estimate how much revenue a project would generate and how much it would cost.

Click here to use this template.

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Google Sheet Templates for Leading a Team

Managing a team is easy and simple with Google Sheets templates. No need to send emails back and forth, or check in individually with each team member over Slack.

With this template, you can set employee shifts and track how many hours employees have spent on a certain project.

Plus, these templates are collaborative — meaning that your employees call fill out forms on their own time. The changes will immediately be reflected in the shared copy.

19. Employee Shift Schedule

Keeping track of who works what hours and how much each employee gets paid, can feel confusing.

This template includes slots for employees’ names, hours worked, and monthly wages, keeping your paycheck process straightforward and organized.

Click here to use this template.

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20. Weekly Timesheet

Like the employee shift schedule, the weekly timesheet helps you track time and know how much to pay employees or subcontractors.

This weekly timesheet template works better if you want to quickly find out how much time each employee spends on a project.

Click here to use this template.

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21. Contact List

This template comes in handy if you want to create a contact list database.

You can easily use the template to store your contact information (say, phone number and email address), your employees’ contact, and those of emergency services like the ambulance or fire department.

Click here to use this template.

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Start Using Free Google Sheets Templates

No matter what your job is, using a suitable spreadsheet simplifies the process, and makes it a more enjoyable experience.

So what are you waiting for? Get started with using these free Google Sheets templates to save time and effort, and download ten additional ones to exponentially improve your productivity.

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

According to our 2023 Marketing Strategy Trends Report, 42% of marketers leverage social media, and it has the highest ROI of any channel. With this in mind, sharing content on social media is a no-brainer.

Whether you’re looking for a strategy refresh or leveraging the channel for the first time, this post is your guide to the different types of social media content and the benefits it’ll bring to your business.

Different Types of Social Media Content

1. Video (short form, specifically)

Short-form video is the top trend marketers will be leveraging in 2023, and HubSpot’s 2023 Social Media Trends Report found that it is the highest ROI format for social media marketing.

With this in mind, creating short-form videos is a worthwhile investment, and some common examples are TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts. The TikTok below is a video from Topicals, a skincare company, which talks about the different uses for one of its products.

Long-form video is also popular, but it doesn’t come close to the ROI of short-form. Live video gained steam during the pandemic, allowing people to participate in events remotely. Twitch is a popular live-streaming platform where people can interact with their favorite creators in real time.

2. Audio chat and live rooms.

Audio chat is another type of social media content, and many platforms have native features like Twitter Spaces, LinkedIn Live, or Facebook Live Audio. It’s also the top content type marketers plan to leverage for the first time in 2023.

This makes sense, as audio chat rooms let brands directly communicate with audiences and develop closer relationships than seeing a billboard or watching a YouTube video. And, during a time when customers value connections with brands more than ever, audio chat rooms are a valuable tool.

Audio chat rooms are trendy among Gen Z. A Spotify study found that 80% of Gen Z enjoy audio content because it allows them to express their individuality and explore different sides of their personalities.

3. Content that represents brand values.

Content that represents brand values is anything that shares what your company stands for in addition to and outside of the products you sell, such as commitments to sustainable production practices, treatment of employees, or any causes you support.

Consumers care more than ever about what the brands they buy from stand for and the values they have. They want to know the causes that businesses support and the commitments made to bettering the world.

The image below is a Tweet from Ben & Jerry’s that expressed its commitment to environmentalism and combating climate change, which aligns with its stated core values of environmental protection.

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Brand value content helps you draw in people whose values align with yours, and marketers also say that it has the 5th biggest ROI of any trend. 44% of marketers are also already posting this type of social media content.

4. User-generated content.

User-generated content (UGC) is content your audience creates that features your business/brand that is not paid for by your business. For example, someone shares a non-sponsored TikTok about how much they like your product or posts a picture wearing your clothing and tags your business.

This type of content is great to share on social media because it helps your audiences see that people use and like your products, vouching for you in a real-life way.

UGC pays off, as customers trust reviews from friends and family more than they trust branded ads, and 79% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchase decisions, considerably more so than branded content and influencer content.

When you do use UGC, the platforms it performs best on are Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

5. Funny, trendy, and relatable content.

Funny, trendy, and relatable content on social media can be hopping on viral memes, relating them to your business, and using trending hashtags or sounds. This type of content requires awareness of what’s happening on social media, cultural moments, and current events and creating buzzy content related to that.

36% of marketers already share funny, trendy, and relatable content on social media, and 66% say that funny content is the most effective, followed by relatable, trendy content. Consumers say that funny content is the most memorable.

6. Shoppable content.

Shoppable social media content allows consumers to browse through products on your accounts, discover things they like, and even make a purchase without leaving the app. The image below is an Instagram storefront for Ink Meets Paper, where someone can browse its products, find what interests them, and make a purchase.

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This is a valuable content type as social shopping is currently on the rise, and consumers are discovering new products and buying products on social media apps more than ever before.

In fact, social media is the most popular way for Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X to discover new products, and over 1 in 5 have made an in-app purchase in the past three months. If you share shoppable content, the most effective platforms for selling in-app are Instagram and Facebook.

7. Educational content.

Educational content shares helpful information with audiences that helps them reach their goals and meet their needs. Educational content can come in infographics, videos, text-based posts, images — any of the content types we discussed in this post.

HubSpot often shares educational content through YouTube videos, where viewers can learn more about concepts of interest. The video below is a recent video that educates viewers on creating a brand style guide.

8. High-quality images

Images are a must on social media platforms, capturing attention and drawing people in. Images can be things like high-quality product photos or even a trending meme that relates to your business.

Our recent Marketing Strategy Report found that 47% of marketers leverage images as a media format and work well on all social media platforms.

9. Text-based content

We see text-based content on social media every day, like Tweets or thought-leadership posts on LinkedIn. The primary goal of text-based content is to share insight through text rather than an image or video. For example, you can pair a Tweet with an eye-catching image, but the point of the post is in the text.

Blogs are popular text-based content where people read longer posts and discover helpful information. Some popular types of blog posts are:

• How-to posts that introduce a problem, offer a solution, and discuss steps to reach a desired result.
• Lists posts that focus on a particular topic, offer several points, and provide a brief conclusion.
• What-posts that provide further information on a specific topic, with many articles surrounding comparisons of one thing to another.
• Why-posts that typically provide readers with a reason or purpose and provide details that support a focused conclusion.

10. Infographics

Infographics are a content type with the shareability and visual appeal of photos but are filled with helpful data and information. It’s an impactful form of social media content and educational content.

The image below is a post from HubSpot’s Instagram account that is an infographic that informs viewers about the most effective traits of a sales leader.

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Infographics are effective, too, with 56% of marketers that regularly use them saying it’s their most effective content type.

11. Ephemeral/disappearing content.

Ephemeral/disappearing content is content that only stays up for a certain amount of time, like Instagram Stories that disappear after 24 hours. Users only have a set period to engage with it, so they might be more eager to keep track of your profiles and keep returning to experience what you share.

Creating quizzes and polls in your Stories is a great way to leverage this type of content. People only have a certain amount of time to respond, generating excitement and immediate action and inspiring respondents to come back and see results.

Repurposing Content Is Still A Valuable Strategy

Social media marketers say they use an average of four platforms, each with its best practices and norms to follow. It can be challenging to create individual pieces of content for every single platform, so many marketers share similar content on each platform but repurpose it to fit the tone and requirements of each one.

The key to success, however, is repurposing content, not resharing. People don’t look fondly at brands that share the exact same thing on each platform. 48% of marketers already share similar content across platforms with tweaks to make it more relevant to the platform’s demands.

Want More Social Media Insights?

Learn more about the State of Social media with more of this data, videos, and exclusive industry tips on our State of Social Media Hub— which will come with a free downloadable resource.

There’s no two ways around it: Social media is hard.

Nowadays, social media marketers are inundated daily with information on evolving trends, social platforms that are gaining or losing steam, and new types of content. 

It can be hard to keep track. As a social media marketer, you might be asking yourself: 

• Which social platform is going to offer me the highest ROI in 2023? 
• When is the best time to post on social?
• Should I invest in micro-influencers? Should I hire creators? Should I do neither?
• What’s all the fuss about social media communities? 
• Do my customers care about customer service on social media, or not really? 

To help you identify which trends matter most to your business, and how you can shape your social strategy accordingly, HubSpot Blog Research polled 1,000+ social media marketers globally to learn the biggest trends, challenges, and opportunities of social in 2023. 

You’ll also hear from social media experts at G2, Dropbox, Vimeo, Aircall, Rakuten Advertising, HubSpot, and more on how you can effectively engage audiences, cultivate communities, and drive revenue on social in 2023. 

Keep reading, or skip to the section(s) that pertain to you: 

Important Findings & Takeaways for Social Media Marketers 

To start, let’s go over some of the biggest trends social media marketers will see in 2023, and how to shift your strategies accordingly. 

1. Social media communities will be critical for increasing engagement. 

A whopping 90% of social media marketers say building an active online community is crucial to a successful social media strategy in 2023. 

Social media communities enable your followers to engage and learn from each other — which helps them perceive your brand as even more valuable. 

Think of it like this: You know that one friend who is a “connector”? That friend who is the best party host, and goes out of her way to facilitate interesting conversations and forge deep connections with everyone around her? 

By cultivating social media communities, your brand can be that person — the “connector” for your prospects and customers. And that’s a brand worth investing in. 

(Hear more from Mat Cruz and other experts by reading How These 6 Social Media Marketers & Creators Built Loyal Brand Communities.)

Back in 2020, HubSpot launched a private Facebook Group, Marketer to Marketer. With just 2,000 followers, the group is much smaller than HubSpot’s Facebook Page. But it allows for unique conversations. 

As former HubSpot Social Media Community Manager Krystal Wu puts it, “The HubSpot Group gives us a more direct way to interact with a more engaged audience. The Group content gets preferential placement in followers’ news feeds, whereas our normal Page content is a different content angle … In short, we consider our Group followers as our VIPs.”

Wu adds, “The Facebook Group also gives our members an outlet for more niched conversations, providing security and privacy to open up about any struggles, techniques, opportunities, or new information they’ve discovered about their industry.”

(Hear more from Amy Porterfield and other experts by reading How These 6 Social Media Marketers & Creators Built Loyal Brand Communities.)

Corresponding Content: 

• Are Brands Investing in Social Media Communities in 2022? We Asked 1,000+ Marketers
• How These 6 Social Media Marketers & Creators Built Loyal Brand Communities

2. Amazon, watch out: Social media is becoming the preferred e-commerce platform for consumers. 

When was the last time you bought something on Instagram or TikTok? If you’re anything like me, I bet it was recently.

And you’re not alone. 25% of social media users age 18-44 have bought a product on a social app in the past three months, and social is the preferred product discovery platform for consumers age 18-44. 

Perhaps what is most shocking is that 80% of social media marketers believe consumers will buy products directly in social apps more often than on brands’ websites or third-party websites, like Amazon, in 2023.

 All of which is to say: If you work in the e-commerce or B2C space, you’ll want to ensure you’ve launched shopping capabilities on your social platforms so your consumers can purchase your products where and when it’s most convenient for them.

The biggest inhibitor to social shopping is a lack of trust — only 42% of social users feel comfortable making purchases on social media platforms, and a mere 21% report the products they purchase in-app are high-quality. 

To build trust with your social audiences, you’ll want to: 

• Share customer reviews so they can hear from real people about your products or services. 
• Work with trusted influencers who can verify that your products are high-quality to their audiences. 
• Make sure your social channels don’t become pure advertisements. Instead, provide value upfront through helpful content, and let your consumers decide for themselves when they’re ready to buy. 

Or click here to listen to HubSpot Podcast Networks’ 2023 Social Media Trends playlist, or save for later.

Corresponding Content: 

• How 3 Companies Grew Revenue With Social Media Shopping Tools [New Data + Case Studies]
  

3. Re-sharing the same content across platforms won’t fly in 2023.

In prior years, it’s been tempting to simply post a message or video to one platform, and copy-and-paste it to another. But social media platforms don’t reward re-posted content — and your audiences likely won’t prefer it, either. 

Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you need to make brand-new content for each platform. You can use the same foundational content for each platform as long as you tailor the tone, language, and visuals for each social channel. 

48% of social media marketers do just that — sharing similar content across platforms with some tweaks. Another 34% make unique content from scratch for each platform, and just 17% continue to share the exact same content across platforms.

Click play above, or use this link to access HubSpot YouTube channel’s complete social media strategies playlist. 

Mat Cruz, HubSpot Social Team’s Community Management & Growth Specialist, believes reposting can be a good idea, but only when properly executed. 

As he puts it, “When creating content, especially with limited resources, it’s important we are using our time and effort efficiently. Still, having a brand in today’s social media landscape often means being on multiple platforms to reach various audience segments. With wanting to offer all of them content, reposting seems like a fair solution, but like every business decision, the “right” choice for you comes from weighing your team’s goals against the pros and cons.”

He adds, “In short, reposting content across channels can be a great way to spread valuable information while also lightening the production load, but it requires thoughtful execution to truly resonate and add value.”

If you’re considering reposting content, Cruz recommends you consider some of these questions to better inform your decision:

• Does the content you want to repost fit each platform you’re on?
• A simple copy and paste, while being a timesaver, can put a bad taste in an audience’s mouth if the content seems out of place. A tweet may also fit LinkedIn, but not Instagram. You have to take a step back and ask, “Does this message make sense on this platform?”
• Does reposting a piece of content echo value or add noise? Users follow brands to get value from the content they post. If the content doesn’t bring value to the audience, don’t repost it. Social is a noisy place. Don’t add to it for the sake of posting.
• Can reposting be a tool in production, not just publishing?

Cruz says, “If reposting content is going to be something you are incorporating into your strategy, make that decision from the start. The more consideration there is in ideation and production to fit various platform needs, the fewer ‘tweaks’ you’ll have to make. Think of it similarly to the idea of ‘measure twice, cut once’. A piece of copy for LinkedIn reposted on Twitter could have very few tweaks if done well.”

Cruz adds, “Overall, reposting can be a tool to work smarter, not harder. Still, one must be reminded it should always be seen as a tool, not a crutch. In the end, great content can carry itself when created with strong strategy and care.”

Corresponding Content: 

• 10 Social Media Trends Marketers Should Watch in 2023 [Data + Expert Tips]

4. SEO gives way to social search. 

When I hear about a new interesting brand, I don’t start with Google anymore: I start with Instagram. 

Perusing their social profiles helps me get a clearer and more authentic sense on their mission and products. And I’m not alone — 36% of Gen Z and 22% of millennials prefer to search for brands on social media more often than through search engines. 

This means, while SEO is still a critical component of any marketing strategy, having a social presence is increasingly vital, too. People use social media nowadays to search for content that is interesting and inspirational, as well as to find people, products/services, and brands. 

Here are three top strategies used by social media marketers to optimize your social media accounts for social search:

• Include relevant keywords and hashtags in your social posts
• Include relevant keywords and hashtags in your bio 
• Make sure that your username is easily searchable 

Corresponding Content: 

• 8 Data-Backed Recommendations for Social Media Marketers in 2023 [Insights from 1,000+ Professionals]

5. Relatable and funny wins in terms of ‘most memorable’ type of content. 

Consider this: The last time you scrolled through your social feeds, what made you stop? 

For many, the answer is simple: When something seemed funny or made them laugh. 

In 2023, many social media marketers might struggle to identify the type(s) of content that performs best with their audiences — which is why we asked over one thousand social media marketers globally what type of content they post most often. 

45% of social media marketers most often post content that reflects their brand values; that’s followed by relatable content (42%), educational (39%), trendy (39%), and funny content (36%). 

However, when asked which type of content is most effective, 66% of social media marketers reported funny content to be the most effective for their brand — followed by relatable content (63%), and trendy content (59%). 

This is supported by our Consumer Trends report, as well, which found 49% of consumers reported funny content as being the most memorable, followed by relatable content as #2 (36%). 

Consider, for instance, brands like Chipotle, which currently has over 2 million followers on Chipotle’s TikTok thanks to its dedication to creating the type of content TikTok audiences crave: Short, funny, engaging clips, like the one below: 

Of course, you don’t want to adopt a tone or persona that doesn’t fit your brand voice. If your brand voice is more serious, you don’t want to start telling random jokes that don’t align with the rest of your content. However, you might be able to find subtle ways to inject humor or lightness into your social content. 

But, most importantly, it’s critical you remain authentic to your tone and your audience when creating content. 

Corresponding Content: 

• Social Media Platforms Marketers Should Watch in 2023
• Which Social Media Channels are Gaining and Losing Steam? [New Consumer and Platform Data]

6. 6 PM to 9 PM, along with 12 PM to 3 PM, are the best times to post across social channels. 

Every year, we survey social media marketers to figure out what time(s) they find most effective for posting on each social platform — and each year, their answers change slightly. 

The best times to post on social media in general, across all industries and platforms, are 6 PM to 9 PM and 12 PM to 3 PM. And Friday is the best day to post. 

This makes sense. Between 6 PM to 9 PM, many social users are done working, and looking for a chance to re-charge or wind down with interesting, engaging content.

And anywhere between noon to 3 PM is typically when you hit a lull in your workday. While some might use that as an opportunity to take a walk or eat lunch, others might spend a few minutes scrolling on social before returning to work. 

We also collected the best times to post on each individual channel: 

• Instagram: Mid to late evening and mid to late afternoon, specifically from 6 PM – 9 PM, 12 PM – 3 PM, and 3 PM – 6 PM. The best day for Instagram is Saturdays. 
• Facebook: Evening and mid-to-late afternoon, specifically between 6 and 9 PM and 12 PM – 3 PM. The best days are Friday and Saturday.
• Twitter: 9 AM – 12 PM is the best time to post on the platform, followed by 12 PM – 3 PM, then 3 PM – 6 PM. The best day is Friday, followed by Wednesday. 
• LinkedIn: 9 – 12 PM, 12 – 3 PM, or 3 – 6 PM. The best day is Monday, followed by Wednesday. 
• Pinterest: Between 3 PM and 6 PM. The best day is Friday. 
• YouTube: 6 PM and 9 PM, 3 to 6 PM, and noon to 3 PM. Fridays and Saturdays are the best days to post. 
• TikTok: 6 to 9 PM, 3 to 6 PM, and 12 to 3 PM. For B2B brands, Saturdays and Thursdays are the best days to post; for B2C, its Saturdays and Sundays. 

To fully explore this data — along with the worst times to post for each channel — take a look at the full post here. 

In general, of course, you still want to do whats best for your audience. You can use your own social analytics to uncover which days and times got the most engagement on your platform. It’s important to test and iterate when it comes to your own personal audience. 

Corresponding Content: 

• The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2023 [New Data]
• 22 LinkedIn Hacks That’ll Make You More Productive
• Will Marketers Continue to Use Twitter in 2023? [New Data]

Important Findings & Takeaways for Brands 

Next, let’s explore the social platforms on which marketing execs can expect to see the highest ROI, plus some big-picture strategy intel (like whether you should hire content creators) to help marketing execs successfully lead a social team. 

1. Investing in micro-influencers is more effective than leveraging celebrities. 

If you’re a marketing leader wondering where to invest your budget, time, and resources in 2023, it’s imperative you consider influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing has proven to be one of the most effective strategies for social media marketers. However, over the past year, we’ve seen a major shift among social professionals towards micro-influencers. 

In fact, 80% of influencer marketers work with smaller creators and influencers with under 100K followers, and just 16% work with celebrities who have over one million followers. 

Micro-influencers are less expensive, so it’s easier to work with them long-term. Equally importantly, micro-influencers have tight-knit, niche, loyal communities, and can be seen as more trustworthy compared to celebrities. Plus, 37% of social media marketers say micro-influencers see higher engagement with their content.

Social media marketers are placing big bets in 2023 on influencer marketing. In fact, a whopping 81% predict most companies will have a creator or influencer as the face of their brand in 2023, and 47% are increasing their investment in influencer marketing in 2023. 

Corresponding Content: 

• Influencer Marketing Stats to Know in 2023

2. Instagram can help you achieve the highest ROI out of any platform. 

If you’re a marketing or social media leader wondering where to invest most of your time or energy to get the highest return-on-investment, Instagram is a strong contender to consider. 

Out of all social platforms, Instagram takes the winner’s spot for ROI and engagement, and social media professionals predict it will see the most growth in 2023. Social media marketers also believe that Instagram has the most accurate algorithm, and the best potential for brands to grow their audiences. 

In fact, 29% of social media marketers plan to invest the most in Instagram over any other platform and 52% plan to increase their investment in the platform in 2023, while another 39% will keep it the same.

When asked which platform social media marketers plan to invest the most in for 2023, the majority said Instagram — that’s followed by Facebook (23%), YouTube (14%), and TikTok (14%). 

If you’re unsure how to measure social media ROI, you’re in luck — I spoke with social media experts at G2 and Dropbox to explore the best ways for brands to effectively measure ROI in this post. 

(Hear more from Jenny Gardynski and other experts by reading How to Measure Social Media Marketing ROI [with Expert Advice].)

Corresponding Content: 

• How to Measure Social Media Marketing ROI [with Expert Advice]
• Which Channels See The Most Social Media ROI? [New Data + Expert Tips]

3. It’s a good idea to create a customer service strategy on social.

With 76% of social media marketers already offering customer service on social, it’s a good idea to consider it for your own strategy in 2023. 

Many social users already expect to be able to communicate with brands via social when it comes to their customer service queries. One in five Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X users have contacted a brand through DM for customer service in the past three months alone. 

You might even consider creating a separate channel for customer service, like Wix did with its Wix Help Twitter account, so users know where to go to get their questions or concerns resolved. 

Leveraging social media for customer service can help you meet your customers where they’re at on the channels they prefer. It can also help you minimize the amount of requests you get on a given topic: If you’re able to post an answer to a commonly-asked question to your entire community through social media, then they don’t need to reach out to a representative. 

Which leads us to the next question: Who is answering those DMs? 43% of companies that offer customer service through DMs have a customer service rep respond to the messages — but 41% leave it up to the marketer who is in charge of that platform. Another 13% use automated tools like chatbots. 

I spoke with Julie Fernandez, Aircall’s Global Senior Communications Manager, to learn how her team approaches social media as a customer service channel. 

Fernandez told me, “When it comes to customer support, we see social media platforms as a huge opportunity to proactively communicate with prospects and customers alike, whether it be Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook.”

In terms of best practices when it comes to customer support on social media, Fernandez advises, “We carefully monitor our mentions, and if we notice someone needs help or is experiencing an outage, we respond as quickly as possible and connect them with our support team directly. We want to make sure they receive the best quality support, and we find that when our team can talk about the issue over the phone, it’s far more impactful than going back and forth over social media or using a text-based channel like chat or email.”

She adds, “We also monitor relevant feeds to see organic opportunities for Aircall to share product information, answer product questions, participate in industry conversations, and celebrate our partners.”

She also encourages brands to consider whether creating a community can help you facilitate conversations that help your prospects and customers grow. As she puts it, “Would it make sense to start a community of your own? If you notice an opportunity to create a shared space, it could pay off in a positive way for your brand and even your product as a whole.”

If you’re willing to invest in leveraging social media as a customer service platform, you’ll want to ensure you have the resources, time, and tools required to create a streamlined, efficient process for both your customers and your employees. 

Corresponding Content: 

• Social Media Customer Service 101: The Beginner’s Guide

Important Findings & Takeaways for Content Creators and Influencers 

1. The quality of your content matters more than the amount of followers you have when it comes to getting hired. 

If you’re a creator looking to work with a brand in 2023, you’ll want to consider the factors that matter most to those looking to hire. 

Most importantly, influencer marketers want to see you can create high-quality social content. Additionally, influencer marketers are concerned with your follower/subscriber count, and whether you align with their company’s values. 

HubSpot’s Creator program was launched in 2022, and HubSpot writer Erica Santiago spoke with HubSpot’s Head of Creators Partnerships, Alanah Joseph, as well as Brandon Huang, Partnerships Lead for the Creators Program, to learn what they both look for when hiring creators. 

One of the biggest factors is your authenticity as a creator.

As Joseph told Santiago, “Authenticity is key. Authenticity builds trust, so when a creator brings their full selves to their content, their audience trusts them. This is important for a brand looking to run advertisements within the creator’s content. If the audience trusts the creator, they will be more likely to trust the creator’s recommendations.”

Additionally, when working with businesses, you’ll need to think like a business leader and come prepared with a results-driven approach. Huang says, “I take a close look at all the quantitative metrics that I can regarding a creator: their reach, their engagement, how consistent they are with posting, and how consistent the results are on the content they create.”

Corresponding Content: 

• What to Look for When Hiring Creators, According to HubSpot Experts

2. The most popular influencer niches include fashion, lifestyle, and fitness/health.

If you’re interested in becoming an influencer, it can be helpful to know which industries are most popular for hiring influencers. 

Influencer marketers work with influencers/creators in fashion (41%) the most, followed by lifestyle/vlog (40%), fitness/health (37%), food (34%), travel (33%), and family (33%).

Of course, you’ll want to choose an industry that excites you. If you’re not passionate about the topic at-hand, it won’t resonate well with your audience. Plus, it will be difficult for you to create content long-term on a topic you don’t find interesting. 

3. Marketers prefer working with influencers on Instagram compared to other platforms. 

It’s important to know which platform(s) are most preferred by influencer marketers if you hope to work with businesses in 2023. 

As far as platforms, influencer marketers see the highest ROI through Instagram, with YouTube and Facebook tied for #2. These are also the three most popular platforms for influencer marketing.

If you’re interested in working with brands, then, it’s critical you can demonstrate success on Instagram in particular. Knowing how to create high-quality content that performs well with Instagram’s algorithm is vital. 

Corresponding Content: 

• Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist & Template

Social is Always Changing

Understanding trends related to social is imperative for the success of your social strategy because social media users’ preferences and expectations change — fast. 

Hopefully, this page gives you a leg-up on your competition and helps you identify the biggest opportunities for growth when it comes to your social accounts in 2023. 

Ultimately, social media is one of the most powerful opportunities for you to connect directly with your prospects and customers. It also enables you to build strong communities and increase brand value and loyalty. 

But there’s no ‘quick fix’ to social. It takes time, resources, and intention to reach and resonate with audiences. For a more comprehensive list of the data points we collected, read HubSpot’s 2023 Social Media Marketing Report [Data from 1000+ Global Marketers].

For the full Social Media Trends in 2023 report, check back on March 3, 2023. 

The Super Bowl teaches us a lot about healthy competition each year — but we don’t always see it play out on the football field.

Some of the biggest game-day face-offs occur when the commentators send us to a commercial break. While football teams compete for trophies, companies spend millions trying to get more views, leads, and revenue than other brands advertising in their industry on the same day.

You can learn much from the top Super Bowl ads, even for a small brand, if you’re a video marketer.

Although these ads have budgets we couldn’t imagine, the brands behind them still leverage creativity and cleverness, allowing them to grow mass awareness and stand out among their fiercest competition.

To help you zone in on key takeaways from the Super Bowl ads that resonated most with viewers, we asked more than 150 U.S. consumers to vote on their favorite big-game ads within four major product categories this year.

The 4 Most Popular 2023 Super Bowl Ads, According to 150+ Viewers

Below are four consumer favorites, plus takeaways that any marketer can leverage to fend off their biggest competition.

Consumers’ Favorite Food and Beverage Commercial

Dunkin’ – ‘Drive-Thru’ Starring Ben Affleck

For years Ben Affleck has jokingly been referred to as Dunkin’s unofficial spokesperson — dating back to his 1997 breakout role in Good Will Hunting.

So it makes sense the Academy Award-winning actor decided to take over a Dunkin’ drive-thru in his home state of Massachusetts for the brand’s latest Super Bowl commercial — much to the surprise of some unsuspecting customers.

According to our survey, 34% of consumers said this commercial was their favorite Super Bowl ad from a food and beverage brand.

 

The ad takes inspiration from a popular internet meme from numerous photos of Affleck walking around with Dunkin’ products. The commercial also includes the real-life reactions of actual Dunkin’ customers when they realize a Hollywood star is taking their order.

The ad ends with fellow megastar Jennifer Lopez making a cameo to scold her husband and demand an order.

While your brand may not have the budget to book two A-list celebrities for your next video marketing campaign, it’s still possible to recreate this strategy.

If you know of an influencer or content creator who is constantly using your products or shouting out your brand, feature them in your next campaign.

Consumers’ Favorite Technology and e-Commerce Commercial

Amazon – Saving Sawyer

31% of consumers listed Amazon’s commercial about a family trying to live with their rowdy dog as their favorite Super Bowl ad from a tech or e-commerce company.

The ad, Saving Sawyer, shows a dog who became used to constantly being around his family as they worked from home or engaged in remote learning.

What makes the commercial stand out from its competitors is relatability. More than 23 million American households adopted pets during the pandemic as people tried to cope with the loneliness of lockdowns.

And as millions of Americans return to working and learning outside their homes, many of those “pandemic pets” have become co-dependent and unruly as they adjust to being home alone for the first time.

Amazon reflects this common phenomenon in its new commercial by showing a family dog named Sawyer destroying his family’s home and belongings after they go back to the office and school.

To solve the problem, the family orders a dog crate from Amazon and uses it to bring home a new puppy that will keep Sawyer company while everyone is away.

The commercial features a common issue many people face and then presents Amazon and its services as a solution.

Think about a common problem your target audience faces. What products or services does your brand offer than can solve their problem? Use the answer as inspiration for your next video marketing campaign.

Consumers’ Favorite Automobile Commercial

Jeep – The Jeep 4xe ‘Electric Boogie’

With its upbeat soundtrack, hilarious animals, and clever showcasing of product attributes — it’s no wonder 33% of consumers listed Jeep’s 4xe commercial as their favorite automobile-related Super Bowl ad.

The commercial mainly focuses on the attributes of Jeep’s new vehicles. Audiences see the vehicles easily navigate the rough terrain while the driver uses their built-in sound systems to listen to “Electric Boogie.”

The sound system is so crisp and clear that nearby animals can’t help but dance along. And when one overzealous snake gets a little too close to the Jeep, the Jeep’s cameras turn on to alert the driver of the wiggly obstacle.

Finally, the commercial ends with the drivers stopping to charge their respective Jeeps — because they’re electric!

Find a way to showcase your product’s attributes for your next video marketing campaign.

Consumers’ Favorite Commercial Relating to Entertainment.

YouTube TV – ‘Football Cat’ NFL Sunday Ticket is Coming to YouTube TV

Sometimes it helps to keep your ad short and straightforward, like YouTube TV’s Super Bowl ad about NFL Sunday Ticket coming to the platform. 34% of consumers said the ad was their favorite Super Bowl commercial relating to entertainment.

The 30-second commercial features one of the most viral videos on YouTube — keyboard cat. The video is edited to make the cat look like he’s playing the NFL theme, and it ends with white words on a black screen that reads “A modern, simple way to watch.”

The commercial tells viewers that watching football on YouTube TV will be as simple as the ad.

If you’re not looking to break the bank with your next campaign, feel free to opt for something short, simple, and to the point.

Takeaways for Video Marketers

Celebrities, music, and cute animals aren’t why the above ads stand out among the 57 commercials aired during the Super Bowl. All four ads contained at least a few of the following elements that any brand can incorporate into its video marketing materials.

Relatability

Both Dunkin’ and Amazon feature relatable content in their respective ads. Dunkin’ showed real-life customers reacting to a celebrity taking their orders. And Amazon highlighted a real issue millions of pet owners face as they return to work.

Humor

While many Super Bowl ads in past years had heavier tones, all four of the commercials on the list above – and many of this year’s ads – won audiences over with a lighter, optimistic, and funny tone.

Relevance

Dunkin’ leaned into a popular online meme about Ben Affleck’s love for the brand. Amazon referenced a current phenomenon resulting from a pandemic we’re all still reeling from.

Jeep featured a popular song played at almost every family function and cookout. And YouTube leveraged a viral video viewed by more than 70 million people.

By leaning into relative topics and elements, these brands were able to create ads that were memorable and engaging.

Even without a million-dollar ad budget, you can keep these themes in mind and create affordable video content that caters to consumers and draws your audiences in.

 

Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team.

The facts on Snapple bottle caps are getting an AI-powered glow-up.

In a recent press release (partially written by AI) the beverage company debuted the Snapple fAIct Generator, an online tool that allows users to discover and share fun facts at the click of a button.

The rollout of the tool coincides with the 20th anniversary of Snapple Real Facts®, and now the brand is inviting customers to create their own facts by visiting the website or scanning the QR code on a bottle of Snapple. The AI-generated facts will be saved and fact-checked by Snapple, and some of them may be featured on bottle caps in 2024.

Interactive marketing has been a part of Snapple’s marketing strategy for decades. In the 90s the brand ran a string of successful commercials featuring Snapple employee Wendy Kaufman, who became known as the Snapple Lady, reading fan mail from customers.

Over the past 20 years, the Snapple team has shared 1,677 facts, though the accuracy of some of the facts has been widely debated. Snapple joins Mint Mobile as an early adopter of openly using generative AI in its marketing.

Marketing Snippets

The latest marketing news and strategy insights.

TikTok adds new features to its Promote service aimed at helping small businesses run campaigns smoothly.

Twitter has seen a decline in ad spend from over half of its advertisers.

Battle of the AI tools: what marketers need to know about ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Microsofit’s Bing Chatbot.

Snapchat ads: the best ad formats for new advertisers.

Super Bowl ads: a round-up of the 30 best ads of all time.

40% of podcast listeners use an in-app search bar to discover new podcasts. The trend is clear: if you want more reach, you need to optimize your podcast for search.

One way to get there is with podcast SEO. Think of it as invisible levers you can pull to boost your ranking and drive more traffic to your podcast. 

In this post, we’ll cover how to optimize your podcast for Spotify, YouTube, and search — plus uncover how to find great topics for your next episode.

Table of Contents

How to Optimize a Podcast for Spotify

How to Optimize a Podcast for YouTube

How to Optimize a Podcast for Search

How to Find Topics for a Podcast

How to Optimize a Podcast for Spotify

Update your show page.

Every podcast on Spotify has a show page. You can think of it as a landing page for your podcast.

According to Spotify, the purpose of a show page is to give listeners everything they need to know about your podcast, including:

• Its title
• Its cover art
• Its show description
• A “Follow” button
• A list of recently published episodes

The show page isn’t something to rush through — or leave to collect dust. Ensure each element is up-to-date, accurate, and as compelling as possible.

Include sub-topics in your show description.

Show descriptions are typically short and concise, so you need to make every word count. To get an SEO boost, incorporate phrases or sub-topics that match what your potential audience is searching for. 

For instance, the health and wellness podcast Maintenance Phase includes sub-topics like “health fads,” “wellness scams,” and “nutrition advice” in its description. These are search teams that could lead someone to the podcast. 

Front-load key information in your episode description.

Writing an episode description is another way to optimize your podcast, but many skip it. This space offers keyword opportunities, meaning you can rank individual episodes in search.

Spotify recommends using the first 20 words of your description to hook new listeners. Don’t repeat information in your episode title or general podcast description. Instead, jump right into the episode’s topic or guest.

How to Optimize a Podcast for YouTube

Add video chapters.

A few years ago, Google began surfacing YouTube content in search results. For instance, a quick Google search of “How to have a breakthrough” populates a list of relevant videos — including a video chapter from the Tony Robbins Podcast:

To show up in search results, start by dividing your podcast into different sections, also known as video chapters. This creates a structure for Google to understand your video.

It’s not enough to add video chapters — you also need to optimize them. The key is adding relevant keywords in the title of each chapter.

In the video below, the primary keyword is “email marketing,” but, by leveraging video chapters, it also targets the keywords email list and email segmentation.

Besides the search benefits, video chapters also improve user experience. For instance, have you ever skimmed an entire video to find a particular conversation or topic? By adding chapters to your podcast, viewers have a roadmap to skip to the topics that most interest them.

Create playlists.

If your podcast covers a range of topics, consider creating a playlist for each topic. Why? YouTube populates playlists in its search results, giving your content another chance to be seen.

Playlists can also organize your podcast library and send viewers down a content rabbit hole, encouraging them to spend more time watching related videos.

For example, the Jay Shetty Podcast has a number of playlists on its YouTube channel, including health tips, money habits, and relationship advice. If you’re interested in one of these topics, you could spend hours listening to a single playlist.

Add the target keyword to your video’s file name, title, and description.

Before hitting “Publish” on your next YouTube video, make sure the following areas are optimized:

• The file name. You should first mention your primary keyword in the video’s file name. Here’s why: YouTube can’t actually “watch” your video to see how relevant it is, but it can read your video’s file name, which is one (of many) context clues.
• Video title: When possible, naturally incorporate your target keyword in the video title. On top of that, keep your title clear, compelling, and short (aim for 60 characters or less).
• Video description. Front-load your video description with the most crucial information — such as a keyword-rich summary, crucial links, or a CTA. Keep in mind that YouTube only displays the first two or three sentences before viewers have to click “Show more” to see the entire description.

Now let’s take a look at how to optimize your podcast for search.

How to Optimize a Podcast for Search

Plan your episodes around specific keywords.

Keywords are the name of the game when it comes to podcast SEO. After all, the number one way people discover new podcasts is via the search bar.

By planning your episodes around keywords, you can put your show (or individual episodes) in front of users who have specific intents.

For instance, if you have an entrepreneurial podcast like The Side Hustle Show, you might target keywords like “side hustle,” “print on demand,” and “affiliate marketing.”

Always include written content for Google to index.

Never skip out on writing a title or description for each podcast episode. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but it gives Google something to “read” and understand in more detail. 

It’s also a good idea to add a transcript to your podcast. While Google’s text-to-speech capabilities are improving, it’s not always accurate.

By adding your own transcript — either manually or automatically — Google can better understand the content of your episodes. Plus, with the right topic, keywords, and keyword placement, you can boost your podcast’s discoverability and ranking.

Create a website for your podcast.

While this isn’t necessary — especially when you’re just starting out — having a dedicated website for your podcast has SEO benefits. A website offers more real estate for keywords and gives search engines more information about your podcast beyond just the title and description.

You can also create blog content that compliments your podcast. This is a great way to cross-promote across multiple channels and build a bigger following in the process.

How to Find Topics for a Podcast

Whether you’re just starting a podcast or have been in the game for years, it’s essential to find good topics to talk about.

Podcasts cover a range of subject matters. Here are the three main types:

• Trending topics — these are topics that receive higher-than-average attention and engagement on social media. 
• Evergreen topics — these are topics with consistent search demand and interest.
• Interviews — these are topics that relate to an interviewee and/or their area of expertise.

How to Find Trending Topics

The best way to find trending topics is by checking what words, phrases, or stories are trending on social media. Twitter is a great place to start.

You can also leverage keyword research tools such as Google Trends, Moz, and Semrush to spot trending keywords and gauge the popularity of certain topics.

How to Find Evergreen Topics

Here, the goal is to find topics that are tailored to your audience and achieve a particular purpose. For instance, you might be a real estate investor looking to offer advice to new professionals in the field. 

This requires doing a deep dive into your audience. What are their interests? Needs? Pain points? These questions are key when finding evergreen content.

In addition, use a keyword research tool (like the ones listed above) to find topics relating to your niche, industry, or expertise. Always check to see if demand is consistent or fluctuates throughout the year.

Back to You

As the popularity of podcasts continues to surge, so does the need to optimize them for maximum reach. Following the tips above, you can ensure your podcast content is properly optimized for search engines. 

Ah, Instagram Stories — the one-stop-shop to find short, engaging content from high school friends, celebrities, and major brands alike.

With over 500 million daily active users, Instagram Stories is an undeniably powerful opportunity to connect with new audiences.

And, if you’re not using Instagram Stories as a marketing tool, you should be. In fact, Instagram reports that of the 500 million accounts using Instagram Stories, one-third of the most viewed stories come from businesses.

I can personally attest to the power of Instagram Stories to incentivize purchasing decisions. For instance, the other day I was mindlessly scrolling through Stories when I came across an ad for Crest 3D whitestrips — with a $50 off coupon attached. I swiped up to purchase without ever leaving the app itself.

Here, let’s dive into what Instagram Story ads are, and how you can run Instagram Story ads for your own business. Plus, we’ll explore examples of Instagram Story ads and best practices to ensure your ads are as powerful as they can be.

What are Instagram Story ads?

Instagram Story ads are vertical ads you can run on Instagram’s Stories feature. (To recap, Instagram Stories are photos and videos visible to an Instagram account’s audience for 24-hours, and is published separately from the content found on your Instagram profile.)

Instagram allows you to target your ads by reach, video views, traffic, conversions, app installs, and brand awareness. Additionally, unlike an organic Instagram Story, an Instagram Story ad doesn’t disappear after 24-hours — instead, you can choose the length of the campaign and frequency of ads on Facebook’s ad platform, like any other ad created for Instagram or Facebook.

An Instagram Story ad is immersed seamlessly into a user’s Stories viewing experience. Additionally, a user doesn’t have to follow your account to see an ad from your brand. For instance, I don’t follow Crest on Instagram, but I was still shown a Crest ad.

You have a few different options for ad formatting, including video, photo, or carousel. A video ad plays for up to 15 seconds, an image ad will play for five seconds, and a carousel ad lets brands play three separate pieces of content (video, photos, or both) within one ad.

If you aren’t sold on running ads on Instagram Stories yet, consider these facts:

• Instagram users have high disposable income. In fact, 42% of U.S. Instagram users make more than 75k per year. 
• Instagram is the social channel with the second-highest ROI among marketers. 
• Videos on Instagram get 21.2% more interactions compared to images and 18.6% more interactions compared to carousels.
• 71% of U.S. businesses use Instagram. It surpassed Twitter in business users in 2017.
• 500 million Instagram users use the app daily.

If you’re convinced Instagram ads could be a good platform for you, let’s dive into how you can run your own Instagram Story ads, next.

For the full rundown on all things Instagram advertising, make sure to check out our guide below:

How to Run Instagram Story Ads

1. Go to your Ads Manager, and click “Create”, which will bring you to “Quick Creation”. If you’d prefer, you can switch to “Guided Creation”, instead.

2. Next, select a marketing objective — your options for Instagram Stories include “Brand Awareness”, “Reach”, “Video views”, “Conversions”, “App installs”, “Lead Generation”, or “Traffic”.

3. In the Placements section, you’ll want to select “Automatic Placements”, where Instagram Stories is selected by default. However, if you choose “Manual Placements”, check the box for “Stories” under Instagram.

4. Next, set your ad’s budget and schedule. 

5. Next, you’ll want to choose “Single Image or Video” or “Carousel” as your ad’s format.

6. Add videos or images to your ad, and finish including any other details, including headline and description. If you’d prefer, you can use Stories Templates, which will transform your image into an ad automatically, and add movement to grab a viewer’s attention.

7. Once you’re happy with your ad, select “Confirm” to finish the process.

Instagram Story Ads: Cost, Specs, & Length

There are three separate areas you can place an ad on Instagram: Stories, Feed, and Explore.

For the purposes of this post, we’ll focus on the cost, specs, and length of an Instagram Stories ad.

First, all feed photo and video dimensions are supported in Stories (anywhere from 1:91 to 4:5). However, 9:16 ratio is encouraged to fit the full-screen, vertical format of Stories.

Additionally, .mp4 or .mov is recommended for video ads, and .jpg or .png file type is recommended for photo ads.

If you’re creating a video ad, 4GB file size is encouraged — and, for a photo, 30MG file size is suggested.

If you’re creating a video ad, the length can’t surpass 120 seconds. For a photo ad, five seconds is the default for how long the image will be shown.

Finally, the recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920, with a minimum dimension of 600 x 1067.

Instagram ads, including Instagram Story ads, cost between $0.70 to $1.00 per-click on average — although cost varies depending on industry, days of the week, time of year, targeted ages and sexes, ad placement, and plenty of other factors. In some cases, Instagram ads can exceed $5.00 per-click.

Fortunately, you have plenty of control over how much your ads cost by setting a pre-determined budget. You can choose your budget based on how much your company is willing to spend daily, or the total cost you’re willing to spend over a campaign’s lifecycle.

What Consumers Want to See in Instagram Story Ads [New Data]

It’s important to note — if you’re planning your own Instagram advertising campaign, you’ll want to consider the type(s) of ads that perform best on the platform.

For instance, in a recent survey HubSpot conducted, we found 50% of Instagram users prefer image-based ads that show product shots and light text — which is followed by 31% who prefer video-based ads that showcase real customers.

Perhaps most intriguing, the majority of people (80%) don’t necessarily care if an ad includes a discount or coupon. This suggests that Instagram users are more interested in appealing, engaging content that highlight a product’s benefits. 

User preferences will vary depending on your audience, industry, and message, but consider keeping this data in-mind when preparing your own Story ad. When in doubt, try A/B testing to figure out which types of ads your own audience prefers.

Let’s dive into some other best practices, now. 

Instagram Story Ads Best Practices

With four million active advertisers on Stories as of January 2020, it’s going to take a lot to ensure you’re able to stand out and drive results.

Here, let’s dive into a few best practices to follow when designing your own Instagram Story ad.  

1. Pay attention to speed.

Facebook reports that Instagram Stories are consumed faster “than any other mobile format”. People’s attention is severely limited when perusing Stories, especially since the content has a 24-hour time limit before disappearing forever.

For that reason, you’ll want to ensure you get straight to the point and capture a viewer’s attention from the first frame. Unlike other forms of content, suspense isn’t usually effective here, especially since images can’t surpass five seconds, and videos have a 120-second limit. You’ll want to jump the viewer right into the message you’re hoping to deliver.

2. Include motion in your ad.

Facebook reports that “ads that use motion perform better.” Motion captivates the viewers’ attention and can help you tell a story faster than you could with a static image. Even if you’re using animation, consider how you might add motion to create more engaging content.

3. Ensure you’re using sound in your ad.

60% of Stories are viewed with the sound on, so you’ll want to ensure you use sound in your ad to provide optimal value to your audience. Consider how you might use music, sound effects, or voice-over to capture viewers’ attention in a new way. If you’re unsure which types of sound work best in your ad, try A/B testing to conclude what your audience prefers.

4. Create your ad for Stories first — rather than attempting to repurpose an existing ad made for another vertical.

It can be tempting to simply copy-and-paste the ad you’ve already created for Facebook or Instagram news feed, but that could result in a less-than-ideal experience for those viewing your ad in Instagram Stories. For one, your ad might not follow Instagram Story sizing best practices, resulting in key parts of your ad being cropped out. Additionally, you’ll want to play around with features exclusive to Stories to ensure your ad is as effective as possible.

5. Use your call-to-action wisely.

Ultimately, your Instagram Stories ad won’t be effective if you don’t include a clear call-to-action you want viewers to follow. You might use language like “Learn More”, “Shop Now”, or “Swipe Up” to encourage viewers to take action, depending on your goal — for instance, if your goal is brand awareness, “Learn More” tells viewers you simply want to educate them about your brand’s offerings, which is a very different CTA from “Shop Now”.

Take a look at the examples, mentioned above, for more CTA inspiration.

6. Include text to emphasize key message.

Including text is a best practice for accessibility in general, as it helps viewers’ who are hard-of-hearing decipher your ad’s message. Additionally, text can help emphasize your key points — for instance, Aveeno’s “Get Healthy Looking Skin Every Day” text illustrated their main point, and convinced me to purchase.

7. Test out mobile shots.

Facebook reports, “Mobile shots outperform studio shots for ad recall and intent, while studio shots tend to drive higher brand awareness.” For this reason, consider forgoing fancy studio equipment for video shot and edited straight from a mobile phone.

The majority of users consume Instagram’s content from their own smartphones, so you might as well try creating content on the same device. And, when in doubt, don’t be afraid to A/B test this theory for your own brand, as well.

For more best practices related to advertising in general, take a look at The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Basics of Effective Social Media Advertising.

Examples of Instagram Story Ads

Below, I’ve collected a few impressive examples I found on my own Instagram Story feed. While most of these examples are bigger brand names, there are plenty of small-to-medium sized businesses using Instagram

1. Aveeno

Aveeno’s Instagram ads are clean and simple, with neutral colors — apart from the brand’s signature green — drawing attention to the brand’s daily moisturizer. The ad features a short clip of a hand pointing to a shopping cart, with a “Shop Now” swipe-up link. The ad focuses on the brand’s product and doesn’t distract with people, making it effective for anyone scrolling who’s in the mood to refill their moisturizer.

2. Miller Lite

This is an example of an ad that felt tailored towards me, a 27-year-old female in the Boston area. First, the ad features a call-out to the Boston Celtics, immediately capturing my attention. Once I’m intrigued, the ad segues into a picture of their Lite drink, with the text, “Great taste, only 96 calories, 3.2G carbs”. In this example, the ad does a good job drawing my attention to the things I care about most: namely, low-calorie alternatives to beer (and Celtics).

3. Trunk Club

This engaging, fast-moving ad shows a few different outfit options on the screen with the text, “Keep what you love, send the rest back”. The ad shows a few different outfits, ranging from dresses and cardigans to dress pants and heels, to capture the attention of a wider range of people than it could if it featured only one style. With the plain white background and easy-to-read black text, it’s simple, clean, and hard to miss.

4. Febreze

I mean, come on … who doesn’t love a puppy? This fun, clever Febreze ad shows an adorable puppy on a couch with the text, “Refresh wherever they roam”, with their Febreze product at the bottom of the screen. While most of the other ads in this list featured subdued, plain colors, Febreze goes all out with light blues, greens, and purples, inviting a sense of playfulness and fun into the user’s feed.

5. Tractor Beverage Co.

What I love most about Tractor Beverage Co.’s Instagram video is the end, which features a different call-to-action from most of the others in this list. Rather than “Shop Now,” this ad reads, “Now Available at Chipotle” with a “Learn More” swipe-up function. As a lesser-known brand, Tractor Beverage Co. wisely aims to use their ad space to increase brand awareness, so that next time you’re at your favorite nearby Chipotle, you might give their drink a try.

6. Crest

If you have the means, it makes a lot of sense to include a coupon or discount in your Instagram Story ad, like Crest does in its 3D Whitestrips ad. The $50 off encourages viewers to purchase immediately so they don’t miss out on the deal, and the fun, bright colors effectively capture viewers attention. With the limited time allotted in an Instagram Story, it makes sense for these brands to get straight to the point.

7. Kayak

Kayak, a travel search engine, created this impressive, engaging Instagram Story video ad to demonstrate how easy it is for Kayak users to filter flights depending on airline, price, cabin seating, and destination. Kayak served the ads to lookalike audiences based on the characteristics of its current website customers, and saw 5X increase in sales conversions, as well as a 50% increase in overall ROI, with combined ad placements on Instagram Stories, Instagram’s news feed, and Facebook’s news feed.

And there you have it! You’re all ready to begin creating an inspiring Instagram Story ad of your own. Just remember — you know your brand, and your audience, better than anyone. Use these best practices and examples as inspiration, but feel free to A/B test to figure out what works best for your unique business goals and social media objectives. Good luck!

Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love in all its forms, be it romantic love, platonic love, familial love — or your love for marketing. Okay, that last one might be a little out of place, but you get the point.

This year, we’re showing love to our favorite creative Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns from brands across various industries.

If you’re in need of some inspiration for your next Valentine’s Day campaign, you’ll love the following examples.

20 Effective Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns

1. Toblerone – The Love Insurance

2. Cadbury 5 Star – Valentine’s Day Alibi

3. Gucci – Love Story Zine

4. Pandora – Real Couples Explain What Valentine’s Day Means to Them

5. Etsy – Show Love to Small Businesses

6. Stella Artois – Valentine’s Day

7. Dunkin – Valentine’s Day Trivia Promo Code

8. Hotels.com – Anti-Valentine’s Day

9. Cadbury Silk – How Far Will You Go to Make Them Blush?

10. Tyson – Chicken Nugget Bouquet Contest

11. Lancôme – Valentine’s Day Advent Calendar

12. El Paso Zoo – Valentine’s Day ‘Quit Bugging Me’ Event

13. Gü Desserts – Love-themed Packaging

14. Ranch Dressing – Customized Bottle

15. Pandora – Little Acts of Love Ad

16. 1-800-Flowers – Galentine’s Day

17. Target – Valentine’s Day Haul Instagram Post

18. MeUndies – Match Me Valentine’s Day

19. Winc – Be Wine Instagram Post

20. OpenTable – Millennial Experiences

Honorable Mention: Match.com’s “Match Made in Hell” campaign.

Valentine’s Day Campaign Takeaways

20 Effective Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns

Here are 20 Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns that stole our hearts.

1. Toblerone – The Love Insurance

To address the fear and uncertainty that can come witha new romance, Toblerlone’s 2023 Valentine’s Day marketing campaign offers consumers a little reassurance in the form of “love insurance.”

Image source

To get their “love insurance,” couples can visit Toblerone.co.uk to buy the brand’s special edition Valentine’s Day chocolate bar, which comes with its own insurance. If the relationship ends, the couple can register the purchase with @TobleroneUK on Instagram and they’ll receive a voucher to redeem online. This way, neither the Toblerone nor their relationship feels like a waste.

2. Cadbury 5 Star – Valentine’s Day Alibi

Those without a Valentine often find themselves struggling to dodge the dreaded question “What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?” Fortunately, Cadbury 5 Star’s 2022 Valentine’s Day campaign tooksome of the pressure off.

The Indian chocolate brand took over an island off the coast of Karnataka and renamed it “My cousin’s wedding.” So, consumers without a Valentine couldsay “I’m not in town, I’m going to my cousin’s wedding” when asked about Valentine’s Day plans.

For a chance to access the island, consumers could scan the special Cadbury 5 Valentine’s Day packs, which tookthem to a website to mine coins and gain an opportunity to bid for the island.

3. Gucci – Love Story Zine

For Valentine’s Day 2022, Gucci released a limited-edition zine that consisted of visually stunning photos telling the love story ofa fairy and giant. Each photo in the zine showcased items from the fashion house’s Valentine’s Day collection.

The marketing campaign intrigued customers, offered an exclusive item (a physical copy of the zine), and it showed the beauty of the brand’s clothes and accessories.

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4. Pandora – Real Couples Explain What Valentine’s Day Means to Them

In 2021, Pandora asked real-life couples and friends to share the little (and not-so-little) things they’ve done to express their love. Some acts of love were tiny, such as a peck on the cheek or a hug; others were huge steps in the relationship, such as moving in together or adopting a dog.

The YouTube video included a link to the company’s website and a message that the company can help viewers show their loved ones how much they’re appreciated with Pandora charms and gifts.

5. Etsy – Show Love to Small Businesses

To show love and support to its community of sellers, e-commerce platform Etsy offered a ready-made graphic sellers could use to promote their Valentine’s Day products on social media. Sellers could also combine the graphic with the hashtag #MakeItMeaningful to draw attention to their Etsy store.

The pre-made graphic grabbed audience attention and fostered a sense of community among Etsy sellers.

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6. Stella Artois – Valentine’s Day

In 2020, beer brand Stella Artois created a 15 second YouTube that shows the growth of a couple throughout the years and the role the brand’s beer played in their love.

The video is simple, heartfelt, and captures the spirit of Valentine’s Day. It was a huge hit and garnered almost 3 million views on YouTube.

7. Dunkin – Valentine’s Day Trivia Promo Code

For Valentine’s Day, Dunkin invited its followers to play a trivia game via Instagram Stories for a chance to unlock a secret promo code. The ad campaign delighted consumers with a fun game testing their knowledge of Dunkin and it rewarded customers with a chance to save on their favorite items.

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8. Hotels.com – Anti-Valentine’s Day

Hotels.com’s Valentine’s Day marketing campaign took a clever approach to the holiday by urging users to visit its V-Day Dumpster Stay web page and write about an ex they believe should vacation in a dumpster.

All stories were entered into a competition for participants to win a $300 Hotels.com gift card.

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9. Cadbury Silk – How Far Will You Go to Make Them Blush?

In 2022, Cadbury Silk placed QR codes on its Cadbury Silk Heart Blush chocolate pack which led consumers to its website where buyers can write a secret message to a loved one. Said loved on could then see the secret message by scanning any Cadbury ad.

10. Tyson – Chicken Nugget Bouquet Contest

A bouquet of flowers is the quintessential Valentine’s Day present, but food brand Tyson decided to put a fresh spin on a classic gift. In 2021, the company challenged consumers to create their own chicken nugget bouquet for Valentine’s Day.

The contest winner would win a package of Tyson Nuggets of Lovelimited edition heart-shaped chicken nuggets only available through the contest. To enter, participants had to create their best nugget bouquet and post a picture of the bouquet on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #NuggetBouquetContest and #TysonNuggetsofLove.

Other prizes included $5,000 and a year’s supply of Tyson chicken nuggets.

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11. Lancôme – Valentine’s Day Advent Calendar

Every year, cosmetics company Lancôme releases a Valentine’s Day advent calendar filled with products for consumers to try and discover. From lotion to mascara to perfume — the advent calendar contains a wide variety of products. The idea is excellent because it introduces consumers to new products that they may want to buy more of going forward.

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12. El Paso Zoo – Valentine’s Day ‘Quit Bugging Me’ Event

Every year, the El Paso Zoo holds a Valentine’s Day event where scorned lovers can name a cockroach after an ex. The cockroach would then be fed to a zoo animal. The event is so popular it’s been referenced on Saturday Night Live.

 

13. Gü Desserts – Love-themed Packaging

In 2020, British brand Gü Desserts released a series of love-themed packaging called “Love Notes” for selected desserts. The packaging was adorned with a love song title adapted to the brand.

For example, the brand’s salted caramel cheesecakes came with packaging that read “I’m in love with the shape of Gü.”

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14. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing – Customized Bottle

Nothing says Valentine’s Day like giving someone a bottle of — Ranch Dressing?

In 2021, while flower companies and B2C brands were highlighting the romantic gifts partners could give to each other, Hidden Valley took a funny approach to this strategy by offering audiences customized Valentine’s Day-themed bottles of Ranch salad dressing.

While this seems like an odd gift to some, Hidden Valley knows it has fans out there that just love to cover everything they eat with Ranch dressing. To those audiences, this gift is funny, personalized, and potentially useful.

15. Pandora – Little Acts of Love

In 2022, Pandora revisited its successful”Little Acts of Love” campaign with an ad placement featuring more couples doing small acts of love for each other.

The ad shows couples displaying acts of kindness towards one another that would be appreciated any day of the year. This ad reminds us all that thoughtful gestures can go a long way.

16. 1-800-Flowers – Galentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for significant others, and 1-800-Flowers wants friendships to be celebrated as well.

This ad depicts two friends talking about how they established their friendship, reminding the viewer that platonic love also deserves to be celebrated. The two friends in the ad ask each other thoughtful questions about their friendship and how much they mean to each other.

It’s an emotional ad that will inspire you to call your best friend, and maybe send them some flowers.

17. Target – Valentine’s Day Haul Instagram Post

Many people have experienced walking into Target without a list, relying on Target to tell them what they need. This user-generated post on Target’s Instagram account captures the spirit of what we all love about Target — how easy it is to load up on fun items (though our bank accounts may not share the love).

In the video, the original poster fills their cart with festive Valentine’s Day merchandise at their local Target. Though it isn’t a traditionally produced ad, it’s a relatable post for Target shoppers who may have been inspired to visit their local store and pick up some of the items they saw featured in the post to celebrate.

18. MeUndies – Match Me Valentine’s Day

This relatable MeUndies ad from 2021 captures the spirit of communicating via Zoom that many people have become familiar with since early 2020.

In the ad, couples talk about some of their pre-pandemic plans including travel and weddings. Though many of those events didn’t go as planned, the couples talked about ways they’ve grown closer despite the challenges and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic all while wearing matching merch from MeUndies.

19. Winc – Be Wine Instagram Post

Wine is a popular Valentine’s Day gift that is up there with roses and chocolate. Wine subscription company Winc typically devotes real estate on itssocial channels for Valentine’s Day-themed posts in the weeks leading up to the holiday.

In 2021, the Winc Instagram account had a series of posts consisting of unique and user-generated content related to Valentine’s Day. The “Be Wine?” post was among the most popular. We loved the punny caption and heart-themed visuals.

20. OpenTable – Millennial Experiences

If you’ve ever marketed to millennials, you may know that millennials value experiential gifts. Or, as OpenTable says in this 2020 ad, dates.

In 2020 OpenTable released 14 ads as part of a two-week countdown to Valentine’s Day, encouraging customers to make reservations early to avoid the holiday rush.

Each of the ads targeted a different audience that could benefit from using OpenTable to make Valentine’s Day reservations, with a clear call-to-action and messaging that appeals to the ideal viewer.

Honorable Mention: Match.com’s “Match Made in Hell” campaign.

Technically, this campaign wasn’t created for Valentine’s Day specifically. But, many of our marketers thought it had all the perfect elements of a great Valentine’s Day campaign.

In the commercial, directed by actor Ryan Reynolds, Satan sits in Hell using Match’s app when he sees he’s matched with a woman named 2020. When he meets up with her on Earth, he nervously says “Hi 2-0-2-0.” She replies, “Please, call me 2020” — pronouncing it like the year.

As the commercial continues, 2020’s character appears to be the epitome of everything that happened in 2020.

For example, the ad shows Satan and 2020 causing mischief, stealing toilet paper from store shelves, having a picnic in empty stadiums, and ultimately posing for a selfie in front of a dumpster fire.

The couple frolics to the familiar sounds of Taylor Swift’s hit song, “Love Story,” which also sparks a sense of rom-com nostalgia for millennials.

On the same day of this ad’s December release, Match and Reynolds also shared another commercial showing the pair explaining how they met in couple’s counseling.

In this video, Satan explains how he found 2020 on Match:

“I started by using the Match custom search filter. I filtered out joy, happiness, toilet paper, and reason,” Satan says in the video below:

Although this didn’t launch in February, it was a very clever newsjacking example that many of our marketers say they enjoyed when they were asked to share their favorite Valentine’s campaigns.

While 2020 was a difficult year for many, Match and Reynolds identified a tasteful way to create content that audiences could relate to. At the same time, they still told an epic, hilarious love story with a pleasant, entertaining tone. Although they discussed a truly terrible year, they did so in a way that felt like escapism for the viewer.

Valentine’s Day Campaign Takeaways

As you create and launch Valentine’s Day campaigns, take note of these strategies many of the brands above used:

• Grab your audience’s attention:Like with any holiday, marketers around the globe are churning out content around it. To compete with this overly saturated Valentine’s Day ad landscape, you’ll need to grab and keep your viewer’s attention with entertaining elements or valuable information.
• Be relatable: Around this time of year, many people are inundated with high-budget Valentine’s Day ads that offer them no useful information or value. Even if you want to tell a mushy romance-fueled love story with your content, make sure it still feels relatable or authentic. To do this, you can leverage tactics like telling a story your audience will relate to, or leveraging user-generated content from your followers — like Twitter has.
• Test out different platforms: While some companies on this list took to Instagram, others embraced physical campaign strategies like special products or billboard use.

Now that you have some ideas for your next Valentine’s Day marketing campaign, you’re ready to find new ways to make consumers fall in love with your brand.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in Feb. 2013, but was updated for comprehensiveness.

On November 30, 2022, OpenAI launched a conversational AI service called ChatGPT.

ChatGPT blew up in popularly practically overnight. Within five days, it had already reached one million users. By comparison, it took Facebook roughly 10 months to hit one million users.

All of which is to say: There is clearly demand for these conversational AI services. And both Google and Microsoft have taken note.

While both companies have invested in AI for years, it seems that ChatGPT has sparked an urge for Google and Microsoft to speed up the launch of their own conversational tools. On February 6, Google announced it’s own conversational AI service, called “Bard”. And, just one day later, Microsoft launched its own new version of Bing, powered by AI.

And, from a consumer perspective, I get it. These tools are fun. Consider the adorable answer I get to the query, “Can you tell me a joke about a cat?”

At its core, these tools could upend how marketers search for relevant information and distill that information into content for their audiences. Here, let’s explore the differences between Bard, AI-powered Bing, and ChatGPT, plus the pros and cons of each.

First — What is ChatGPT?

The “OG” in the space, ChatGPT launched in November 2022. It’s owned by OpenAI, and is a free, publicly accessible tool (although, as of February 1, there is now a paid subscription version called ChatGPT Plus).

ChatGPT uses a natural language processing tool to pull information from across the web to answer search queries, or even full content requests like “Can you write an email to my boss to tell her I am out of office on Friday?”

Unlike a search engine, the answers it provides you are original, meaning it isn’t just a copy-and-paste from somewhere else on the web, but instead distills that information into its own conversational language.

However, one of the biggest drawbacks of ChatGPT is that the tool isn’t capable of discerning correct from incorrect information it pulls from the web, which means your answers could be incorrect. OpenAI admits as much, stating “ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers.”

Additionally, ChatGPT is limited to 2021 data, so the information it pulls from is not always the most up-to-date.

Despite its limitations, ChatGPT is a powerful tool for helping marketers draw inspiration, or create a strong first draft for a piece of content.

For instance, a marketer might search “pros and cons of AI” and use ChatGPT’s answers to inspire a future blog post on the topic; alternatively, a marketer could search “write a blog post on the pros and cons of AI”, and use the response as a first draft to a blog post.

It’s important to note: I emphasize ‘first draft’ because marketers should still read through and edit the content for tone of voice, as well as ensuring the information is accurate and helpful for your audience.

Pros:

• Can help marketers draft emails, blog posts, essays, product descriptions, or even code.
• Can provide inspirational content for marketers who aren’t sure how to begin a blog post on a topic, or aren’t sure the angle they want to take on a given topic.
• Can pull sources across the web to provide marketers with a strong starting point when conducting research (however, that content should be vetted to ensure accuracy).

Cons:

• Can pull from inaccurate sources and provide incorrect information.
• Guesses the users’ intent, but is not capable of asking clarifying questions to get the right answer to the user, so it’s up to the user to ensure their query provides the right result.
• All data provided from ChatGPT is from 2021, so it could be outdated depending on the topic.
• Does not necessarily give complex or nuanced answers to queries.

Okay … What about Google’s “Bard”?

Google’s own experimental conversational AI service, which is powered by LaMDA, is called “Bard”, and is currently accessible to select, trusted partners in a beta phase — but Google has promised it will become available to the public in coming weeks.

Bard could shift the way marketers use search engines. It’s similar to a search engine in that it pulls information from across the web to provide new, high-quality responses — but it’s meant to provide more nuanced responses to users’ search queries.

In essence, it could make a marketer’s job easier by providing different perspectives in one place for a marketer to sift through, versus spending hours clicking through different articles on a given topic.

One of the most compelling features of Bard is that it is trained to find patterns in sentences to create dialogue with the user, versus simply cutting-and-pasting information from the internet.

In the Bard announcement, Google also mentions rolling out new AI-powered search features soon. AI-powered search results could help you get answers to questions that don’t have a clear right and wrong answer.

In the example Google provided, a user could search “Is the piano or guitar easier to learn, and how much practice does each need?”

Right now, if you search that query, you get a response like this one:

However, the featured response (like the one shown above) isn’t always a fully comprehensive answer to a complex question.

Instead, when leveraging the help of AI, you might get an answer along the lines of, “Some say the piano is easier, as the finger and hand movements are more natural … Others say that it’s easier to learn chords on the guitar and you could pick up a strumming pattern in a couple of hours.”

Image Source

Pros:

• Enables marketers to engage in a conversation with Bard to ask clarifying or follow-up questions, which will allow marketers to get deeper insights on a given topic.
• Helps marketers quickly understand all sides of a topic by reading nuanced responses, versus just one straightforward response.
• Marketers can feel reassured that the information Bard pulls from the web is more up-to-date than ChatGPT.

Cons: 

• Like other AI-powered conversational services, Bard is imperfect and can serve up inaccurate, false, or biased information. In fact, Google has already lost $100 billion in shares after the chatbot made an error during the demo.  

Is Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing the Clear Winner?

Finally, let’s discuss Microsoft’s new, AI-powered search features that are already available on Bing, leading me (and plenty of others) to hastily make an account to get on the waiting list.

Unlike ChatGPT and Bard, Microsoft’s Bing chatbot isn’t a conversational AI service: Instead, it’s a search engine boosted by AI, which enables Bing to provide users with more complex, chat-like responses to queries.

Additionally, users are able to respond to the search queries with follow-up questions and have a full conversation with the chatbot on a given topic. Microsoft’s labelled it a “AI copilot for the web”.

Even though Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI, the company tells users that their version is much more powerful than ChatGPT.

As they’ve stated in their announcement of Bing’s AI search features, “We’re excited to announce the new Bing is running on a new, next-generation OpenAI large language model that is more powerful than ChatGPT and customized specifically for search. It takes key learnings and advancements from ChatGPT and GPT-3.5 – and it is even faster, more accurate and more capable.”

Consider, for instance, the answer you get from AI-powered Bing when you search, “I am planning a trip for our anniversary in September. What are some places we can go that are within a 3 hour flight from London Heathrow?”

As you can see, Bing has provided a robust response — even separating the answer into categories of interest, like beaches versus nightlife — and, at the end of the result, has given the user a chance to click on a follow-up prompt like “How can I book a flight to Malaga”? Alternatively, you can click “Let’s chat” to ask your own follow-up question.

By comparison, take a look at a response to the same query from ChatGPT:

While it’s still provided a strong answer, ChatGPT hasn’t infused its response with as much “human” language, like the phrases “delicious tapas” and “stunning scenery” which you see from Bing’s AI chatbot. Additionally, ChatGPT currently doesn’t have the functionality to converse with users like Bing’s does.

Pros:

• Can provide marketers with in-depth, nuanced responses to their search queries to help them research faster, obtain well-rounded information on a given topic, or even spark inspiration for articles.
• Can work as a marketer’s “assistant” by conversing with the marketer to ensure the marketer is getting the exact information he or she wants.
• Can generate content so marketers can spend less time drafting blogs, e-books, product descriptions, emails, and more.
• Is able to respond to harmful premises; for instance, when given the prompt, ““Create a fitness routine and meal plan for me over the next 3 months. I’m a 125-pound male who is 5 feet 8 inches, and I’d like to gain 25 pounds of muscle.”, Bing’s AI-powered chatbot is able to tell the searcher that it isn’t healthy to gain 25 pounds in three months.

Cons: 

• Like other chatbots, can provide inaccurate, false, or biased information. As Microsoft warns its users, “Bing will sometimes misrepresent the information it finds, and you may see responses that sound convincing but are incomplete, inaccurate, or inappropriate. Use your own judgment and double check the facts before making decisions or taking action based on Bing’s responses.”
• Currently requires people to install the Edge browser for MacOS or Windows.

Ultimately, all three of these new AI services offer an exciting glimpse into the potential future of AI: A future where marketers can spend less time on menial tasks, and more time strategizing, creating high-impact content, and engaging directly with prospects and customers.

But right now, there are major downsides to these tools. When used without checking the information, a marketer might end up publishing false, biased, or inaccurate content to its audiences, which could lead to distrust in the brand at-large.

While there are clear benefits to each tool, it’s critical marketers use good judgment and embed their content with their own perspective, stories, and tone to continue resonating with their audiences and cultivating a sense of legitimacy with all of their content.