Author Archives: i4lead

Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.

Switching careers can be daunting for anyone, but the challenges can feel particularly overwhelming for people of color. 

The tech industry, while brimming with opportunities, presents unique hurdles that must be navigated with determination and strategic planning.

The path is riddled with obstacles, from battling imposter syndrome to upskilling through certifications and boot camps and learning the industry’s language without a technical background.

However, with the right mindset and resources, these challenges can transform into stepping stones toward a fulfilling career in technology.

In this piece, I’ll explore common challenges people of color might face when breaking into tech and offer my advice for overcoming them based on my personal experience in doing the same.

1. Battling Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a pervasive issue that affects many professionals, and it can be especially prevalent among career switchers of color in tech. This feeling of self-doubt and uncertainty about one’s abilities can be crippling, often leading individuals to question their place in the industry.

I vividly remember the day I completed my Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) program. While the certification equipped me with a solid understanding of the product lifecycle and decision-making processes, I still felt an undercurrent of doubt about my capabilities.

It wasn’t until I started applying my skills in real-world scenarios that my confidence began to build. The key was acknowledging my achievements and reminding myself that I belonged in the tech space.

My Pro Tip: Combat imposter syndrome by celebrating small wins and seeking mentorship from those who have successfully navigated similar paths. Surround yourself with a supportive community that reinforces your value and potential.

2. Upskilling Through Certifications and Boot Camps

The tech industry is dynamic and continually evolving, making continuous learning essential. For career switchers, skilling up through certifications and boot camps can provide the necessary knowledge and credentials to make a successful transition.

Participating in the Scrum Alliance certification program was a game-changer for me. It not only provided me with a comprehensive understanding of key concepts but also instilled a sense of confidence in my ability to contribute meaningfully to projects.

This experience underscored the importance of targeted learning and its impact on one’s professional growth.

My Pro Tip: Research and enroll in reputable certification programs and boot camps that align with your career goals. These programs are designed to provide practical skills and knowledge that are highly valued in the tech industry. Additionally, they often offer networking opportunities with industry professionals.

3. Learning the Language of the Industry

Learning the industry’s language is one of the most significant challenges for career switchers without a technical background. Understanding technical jargon, industry-specific terms, and the overall landscape can be intimidating but is crucial for effective communication and career progression.

When I first decided to pivot into tech, I realized the importance of intentionality. I identified specific roles within the companies I was interested in and focused on mastering the language and skills relevant to those positions.

This targeted approach helped me gain a deeper understanding of the industry and made me more confident during interviews.

My Pro Tip: Immerse yourself in industry-related content such as blogs, podcasts, webinars, and online courses. Engaging with this material will help you become familiar with the terminology and concepts, making you more comfortable and proficient in professional settings.

4. Choosing a Growth-Oriented Career Path

It’s tempting to opt for the easiest route when transitioning into a new career. However, choosing a path that offers long-term growth and aligns with your interests and strengths is essential for sustained success.

In my career transition, pinpointing a specific discipline within the tech industry and dedicating my efforts to becoming proficient in that area proved invaluable. This intentional focus increased my chances of securing opportunities and ensured that I was on a path that offered continuous learning and growth.

My Pro Tip: Take the time to research various roles within the tech industry and assess their growth potential. Seek informational interviews with professionals in those roles to gain insights into their experiences and career trajectories. Make informed decisions based on your interests, strengths, and long-term goals.

People of color can successfully switch to tech. 

Navigating a career switch into the tech industry as a person of color comes with unique challenges.

However, by addressing imposter syndrome, investing in upskilling programs, learning the industry’s language, and choosing a growth-oriented career path, you can overcome these hurdles and thrive in the tech space.

My most important recommendation is to remember that intentionality always trumps non-focus. Be deliberate in your actions, seek out supportive communities, and continuously invest in your personal and professional development. 

If you’re ready to take the next step in your tech career, consider reaching out to someone already in the role you desire or even a career coach. Your career breakthrough is just on the other side of a new you; embrace the change; it’s the only way to grow.

We marketers know that creating a marketing strategy is essential to effectively nurture our customers, improve our business’s bottom line, and increase the ROI of our efforts.

A marketing strategy is especially critical if you want to use the highest ROI trends we’ve seen in 2024: short-form video and AI. To get powerful results, you must carefully weave both emerging trends and proven strategies into your plan.

I’ll share the critical components of a complete marketing strategy, followed by some examples for inspiration.

Table of Contents

• What is a marketing strategy
• Marketing Strategy Components
• Marketing Strategy Process
• Why is a marketing strategy important?
• Examples of Successful Marketing Strategies
• Recommended Resources

A completed marketing strategy typically includes brand objectives, target audience personas, marketing channels, key performance indicators, and more.

I’ve found a marketing strategy will:

• Align your team to specific goals.
• Help you tie your efforts to business objectives.
• Allow you to identify and test what resonates with your target audience.
• Empower you to capitalize on emerging trends.

The last one is especially important. Keeping up with marketing trends is important for your strategy, but it could be a full-time job.

Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Plan

I like to think of a marketing strategy as outlining the long-term goals and overall approach, while a marketing plan covers the specific actions and tactics to achieve those goals.

In other words, marketing strategy guides a business’s overall marketing efforts. It includes goal-setting, market and competitor research, and messaging and positioning for a brand.

For example, say you’re creating a marketing strategy for a new fashion brand. Your strategy might target young Gen Z students and position the brand as trendy and affordable.

But, a strategic marketing plan is a detailed tactical roadmap that outlines the specific actions and tactics that should achieve the marketing strategy’s goals.

For example, the marketing plan for the fashion brand mentioned above might include:

• Targeted social media campaigns.
• Influencer partnerships.
• Online advertising timeline.

Both a marketing strategy and a marketing plan are essential for a business’s success.

To succeed in the fast-paced marketing world — and maintain a sense of relevance with your audience — it’s vital to stay ahead of the curve.

Below, I’m going to show you step by step how to create a comprehensive marketing strategy. But first, let’s go over the individual components that make up a strong marketing strategy.

1. Marketing Mix

The marketing mix, also known as the four Ps of marketing, is the preliminary document you must create to understand what you will be marketing, where you’ll be marketing it, and how you’ll be marketing it.

The following P’s make up this framework:

• Product: What are you selling?
• Price: What is the price?
• Place: Where will you be selling the product?
• Promotion: Where will you be promoting the product?

You can then extrapolate this information into a full-fledged marketing plan for each promotional channel. It’s important to lay out the information in broad strokes so that you understand the overall direction of your marketing strategy.

2. Marketing Objectives

You can set your marketing objectives in conjunction with your four P’s, or right after. Either way, I recommend you outline your marketing goals before building upon your strategy. Why? Because your goals will inform other components of the plan, including the budget and content creation process.

With every objective, you should aim to be as specific as possible. Try to create SMART marketing goals divided by channel or promotional tactic, and don’t forget that you can always come back and revise your goals as your priorities change.

3. Marketing Budget

A marketing budget is an essential element of your strategy. Without allocating funds to hire the right talent, use the right software, advertise on the right channels, and create the right content, your marketing strategy won’t have a powerful impact. To get a high return on investment, you must first invest.

Pro tip: Remember that you can always start small — hyper-focusing your budget on one or two efforts — and build upon them once you generate an ROI.

4. Competitive Analysis

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Knowing your competition is key when creating a marketing strategy. Without conducting a competitive analysis, you risk “yelling into the void” without measurable results.

Worse, you won’t know whether you’re differentiating yourself enough from the competition to effectively draw the attention of your intended audience.

You might already have an idea of who your competitors are, but I think it’s still essential to sit down and find them. You might end up uncovering a surprise competitor who’s vying for your target buyer’s attention and engagement.

5. Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning

Segmentation, targeting, and positioning (STP) refers to the process of delivering “more relevant, personalized messages to target audiences.” In other words, rather than publishing posts and advertisements on a whim, you’ll go through a methodical process for creating content that resonates with your target buyer.

During the segmentation, targeting, and positioning process, you’ll take three steps:

• Identify your target audience. This process entails not only interviewing your current customers but also carrying out market research and creating buyer personas.
• Target a segment of your target audience. It’s better to speak to a narrow group of highly qualified buyers than to send your message out to everyone.
• Position your brand alongside other brands. What do you do better than your competitors? It’s essential to map this information when creating a marketing strategy.

6. Content Creation

Once you have your budget, competitive outlook, and STP information, it’s time to create your marketing content. But, it’s essential to be strategic with your content creation efforts.

For one, you don’t want to publish random content that doesn’t solve for the customer, and for two, you must aim to capitalize on emerging trends so that your brand enjoys high visibility in the marketplace.

The competition is fierce across all formats. According to HubSpot Research, 44% of marketers use short-form videos as part of their content strategy, and 31% say it generates the highest ROI of all content creation formats.

It’s even more essential to invest in trends that have a high ROI, such as short-form video, influencer marketing, and social media DMs.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in blogging, one of the most proven content marketing techniques. It’s simply important to know where to allot the most resources, in my opinion, especially if you have a limited budget.

7. Metrics & Key Performance Indicators

Last but certainly not least, your marketing strategy must include metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure its effectiveness.

The KPIs you choose will vary depending on your business type and preferred customer acquisition channels. Examples of KPIs include:

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC).
• Organic traffic.
• Conversion rate.
• Marketing qualified leads (MQLs).

Now, let’s dive into why it’s important to follow the steps of a marketing strategy.

Why is a marketing strategy important?

Without a defined strategy, you’ll essentially be throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. And that process will cost you money, time, and resources.

A robust marketing strategy will reach your target audience and have the power to turn people who’ve never heard of your brand into loyal repeat customers.

Here are just a few of the top reasons I think a marketing strategy is essential:

Offers Direction

A marketing strategy outlines clear goals and defines the path to achieve them. It pulls together all marketing efforts within an organization for optimal effects.

Targets the Right Audience

A well-defined marketing strategy helps you find and understand your target audience. This helps your business tailor your messaging and positioning to reach the right people at the right time.

Builds Brand Identity

A marketing strategy helps you create a consistent and cohesive brand identity. This makes it easier to align all marketing initiatives for increased brand recognition and loyalty.

Maximizes ROI

With analysis of market trends, competition, and customer behavior, marketing strategies help businesses find the most effective marketing channels and tactics to invest in. This helps businesses get the maximum return on investment.

Evaluates Performance

A marketing strategy defines key metrics and performance indicators. This makes it easier for your business to measure and track the success of marketing initiatives. It also gives you what you need to make data-driven decisions and optimize future campaigns for better results.

1. Conduct market research.

Before you can begin creating your marketing strategy, you need to gather useful data to make informed decisions. Market research is like playing detective, but instead of solving crimes, you uncover juicy details about your customers.

I think market research is important because it will help your business make data-driven decisions for your marketing strategy. It also makes it easier to understand your target market, find gaps, and make the most of your resources.

This process is essential for understanding your customers and adapting to changing trends. If you’re new to this process, this complete market research guide and template can help.

Once you have the data you need, you’ll be ready to set some marketing goals.

2. Define your goals.

What do you want to achieve through your marketing efforts?

Well-defined goals will guide your marketing strategy, whether you’re increasing brand awareness, driving sales, or diversifying your customer base.

Your marketing strategy goals should reflect your business goals. They should also offer clear direction for marketing efforts.

For example, say one of your business goals is to increase market share by 20% within a year. Your goal as a marketer could include expanding into new target markets, updating your brand, or driving customer acquisition.

Other marketing goals might be to increase brand awareness or generate high-quality leads. You might also want to grow or maintain thought leadership in your industry or increase customer value.

I find defining clear goals provides direction and clarity, guiding marketing efforts toward desired outcomes. It helps with resource allocation, decision-making, and measuring the success of marketing initiatives.

I recommend this SMART goal guide which can help you with more effective goal-setting.

3. Identify your target audience and create buyer personas.

To create an effective marketing strategy, you need to understand who your ideal customers are. I suggest taking a look at your market research to understand your target audience and market landscape. Accurate customer data is especially important for this step.

But it’s not enough to know who your audience is. Once you’ve figured out who they are, you need to understand what they want. This isn’t just their needs and pain points. It’s how your product or service can solve their problems.

So, if you can’t define who your audience is in one sentence, now’s your chance to do it. Create a buyer persona that’s a snapshot of your ideal customer.

Buyer Persona Example

For example, a store like Macy’s could define a buyer persona as Budgeting Belinda, a stylish working-class woman in her 30s living in a suburb, looking to fill her closet with designer deals at low prices.

With this description, Macy’s marketing department can picture Budgeting Belinda and work with a clear definition in mind.

Buyer personas have critical demographic and psychographic information. This can include:

• Age.
• Job title.
• Income.
• Location.
• Interests.
• Challenges.

Notice how I included all those attributes in Belinda’s description.

For B2B SaaS companies, keep in mind that buyer personas don’t apply solely to the end user. When you’re selling a product to another business, you also have to address the decision-maker, the financial buyer, and the technical advisor, among other roles, says Head of Marketing at Entrapeer, Hillary Lyons.

“You need to be able to tailor your message to each of these unique personas even though most of them will never actually use the product,” says Lyons. “You have to sell each of them on the unparalleled benefit you provide without muddling your [overall] message.”

You don’t have to create your buyer persona with a pen and paper. In fact, HubSpot offers a free template you can use to make your own (and it’s really fun).

You can also use a platform like Versium, which helps you identify, understand, and reach your target audience through data and artificial intelligence.

Buyer personas should be at the core of your strategy.

4. Conduct competitive analysis.

Now that you have an understanding of your customers, it’s time to see who you’re competing with to get their attention.

To begin your competitive analysis, start with your top competitors. Reviewing their websites, content, ads, and pricing can help you understand how to differentiate your brand. I think it’s also a useful way to find opportunities for growth.

But how do you know which competitors are most important? This competitive analysis kit with templates will walk you through the process. I like it because it will help you choose and evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, and strategies of your competitors.

This process will help you find market gaps, spot trends, and figure out which marketing tactics will be most effective. Competitive analysis can also offer valuable insights into pricing, positioning, and marketing channels.

5. Develop key messaging.

You’ve figured out who you’re talking to, what they’ve already heard, and what they want to hear. Now, it’s time to share your brand’s unique value proposition.

In this step, you’ll craft key messaging that shows the benefits of your product or service that resonate with your target audience. This process should show off the research and work you have done up to this point. It should also incorporate your creativity, inventiveness, and willingness to experiment.

In my experience, well-crafted key messaging:

• Sets businesses apart from the competition.
• Resonates with the target audience.
• Is flexible enough to be consistent across all marketing channels.
• Builds brand credibility.
• Creates an emotional connection with customers.
• Influences buying decisions.

The key messaging in your marketing strategy is critical to driving engagement, loyalty, and business growth. These value proposition templates can help if you’re not sure how to draft this important messaging.

6. Choose your marketing channels.

You know what you have to say. Now, decide on the best marketing channels for your message. Your top goal for this stage of your strategy is to align your channel choices with your target persona’s media consumption habits.

Start with media channels you’re already using. Then, consider a mix of traditional and digital channels such as social media, TV, email marketing, podcast ads, SEO, content marketing, and influencer partnerships.

To streamline this process, I like to think of your assets in three categories — paid, owned, and earned media.

Paid Media

Paid media is any channel you spend money on to attract your target audience. Most of this spending is on advertising. This includes online and offline channels like:

• Television.
• Direct mail.
• Billboards.
• Social media ads.
• SEM (search engine marketing).
• Podcast advertising.

Owned Media

Owned media refers to (mostly) online channels your brand owns, including:

• Blogs.
• Websites.
• Organic social media.

It also refers to the media your marketing team creates, such as

• Videos.
• Podcasts.
• Ebooks.
• Infographics.

Earned Media

Another way to say earned media is user-generated content. Earned media includes:

• Shares on social media.
• Posts about your business on X or Threads.
• Reels posted on Instagram mentioning your brand.
• Organic news stories about your company.

To decide which marketing channels are best for your marketing strategy, look carefully at each channel. Think about which channels are best for reaching your audience, staying within budget, and meeting your goals.

For example, a business targeting a younger demographic, like Gen Z, might consider using TikTok or Reddit to reach its audience.

Don’t forget to take a look at emerging platforms and trends as you complete this review. You may also want to look at the content you’ve already created.

I suggest gathering your materials in each media type in one location. Then, look at your content as a whole to get a clear vision of how you can integrate them into your strategy.

For example, say you already have a blog that’s rolling out weekly content in your niche (owned media). You might consider promoting your blog posts on Threads (owned media), which customers might then repost (earned media). Ultimately, that will help you create a better, more well-rounded marketing strategy.

7. Create, track, and analyze KPIs.

Once you have a clear outline of your marketing strategy, you’ll need to think about how you’ll measure whether it’s working.

At this stage, you’ll shift from marketing detective to numbers nerd. With a little planning and prep, your analytics can unveil the mysteries of marketing performance and unlock super insights.

Review your strategy and choose measurable KPIs to track the effectiveness of your efforts. Pick a marketing analytics software solution that works for your team to collect and measure your data.

Ideally, I recommend choosing an analytics platform that allows you to track data across all of your marketing channels — from emails to social media and your website. This centralizes all of your data, which makes it easier to understand how each channel contributes to your overall strategy.

You can then plan to check and analyze the performance of your strategy over time and identify the channels that bring the best results. This can help you refine your approach based on results and feedback.

Lexi Boese, an ecommerce growth strategist and co-founder of The Digital Opportunists, recommends making data a priority when building your marketing strategy.

“The more data you can use, the easier you can track your success,” she says. “This could be as simple as understanding which channels convert the highest amount of customers (to determine how your team should prioritize ad spend), or assessing whether you have a higher amount of first-time or returning customers to [determine] if you should focus on internal or external marketing.”

Analyzing KPIs helps businesses stay agile, refine their strategies, and adapt to evolving customer needs.

8. Present your marketing strategy.

A finished marketing strategy will pull together the sections and components above. It may also include:

Executive Summary

A concise overview that outlines the marketing goals, target audience, and key marketing tactics.

Brand Identity

You may want to create a brand identity as part of your strategy. Brand positioning, voice, and visual identity may also be helpful additions to your marketing strategy.

Marketing Plan and Tactics

Your marketing plan is the specific actions you’ll take to achieve the goals in your marketing strategy. Your plan may cover campaigns, channel-specific tactics, and more.

Not sure where to start? This free marketing plan template can help.

Download for Free

Budget Allocation

Defining a budget for your marketing strategy helps you show that your planned resource allocation aligns with business goals.

I think it’s important to get clear about your spending and how your proposed budget will impact the company’s overall business goals.

Timeline and Milestones

Marketing strategies can be complex and difficult for stakeholders to understand. Creating a timeline that outlines the different tactics, milestones, and deadlines can help.

Your marketing strategy is a living document. It will need constant reviews, revisions, and optimizations to meet your long-term goals. Prepare to revise your marketing strategy at least once a year to address market trends, customer feedback, and changing business objectives.

Examples of Successful Marketing Strategies

1. Regal Movies

Digital Strategy: Owned Media

Regal shares interactive Instagram content that’s not only relevant to its film-loving customers but also encourages them to interact with the content.

Regal’s Instagram post is an example of owned media because the company was in full control of the answers it shared with its followers. Interacting in the comment section was an opportunity for Regal to showcase its voice and brand to its audience.

And it clearly worked well. The post received half as many comments as it did likes, with an impressive 207 comments.

Best for: I think social media is a great owned channel to experiment with new ideas for your overall marketing strategy.

2. La Croix

Digital Strategy: User-Generated Content, Earned Media

I think user-generated content is one of the best ways to gain traction in your strategy.

It demonstrates your appreciation for loyal customers, builds community, and incentivizes other users to promote your products for the chance at a similar shout-out.

Plus, sometimes the content your brand loyalists create is really, really good. In this case, the consumer is creating a handmade needlepoint featuring the brand’s product.

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Pro tip: UGC isn’t reserved for consumer brands with visual products to share. B2B companies can also take advantage of UGC by sharing positive reviews of their product and incorporating them into their messaging.

3. Small Girls PR

Digital Strategy: Owned Media

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Small Girls PR is a boutique PR company based in New York, and one of the company’s talents is connecting with amazing clients. This post on Instagram is an effective marketing example, as it boosts awareness for their brand and offers social proof by featuring high-profile clients.

Pro tip: I find owned media in the form of PR is a great way to spotlight company executives and position them as industry leaders.

4. Tobii

Digital Strategy: Paid Media

Eye-tracking software company Tobii launched a LinkedIn ad to promote a lead magnet. While the brand may have created the guide specifically for paid promotions, it’s also possible that they repurposed a high-performing blog post into a downloadable PDF.

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In this case, all they had to do was repackage their current content, build an ad around it with creative assets, and run it.

What I like: In previous sections, I discussed the power of leveraging multiple forms of media in your marketing strategy. This is a great example of it.

5. Target

Digital Strategy: Owned Media, Influencer Partnership

If you’ve got the time for influencer partnerships, I encourage you to take full advantage of it.

Influencer marketing is when you partner with influencers to promote your content on their site. By doing this, your content reaches new audiences you might not be able to reach organically:

Target recently partnered with fashion expert and influencer Jeneé Naylor to collaborate on its Future Collective line. What made this campaign even more powerful was that Naylor was a former Target Team Member.

I love how this collaboration highlighted Target’s commitment to supporting its team members, even after they’ve moved on from the company.

Best for: Influencer marketing continues to have a strong ROI — 86% of marketers say influencer marketing was effective for their marketing strategies in 2023.

Recommended Resources

Here, I’ve curated a list of some tools with various functions that can help you track and measure the success of your marketing goals.

1. HubSpot Marketing Hub

The Marketing Hub allows you to connect all your marketing tools into one centralized platform.

Too often, you’ll find a tool that’s powerful but not easy to use. With this tool, you can attract users with blogs, SEO, and live chat tools. You can then convert and nurture those leads through marketing automation, the website and landing page builder, and lead tracking features.

With custom reporting and built-in analytics, you can analyze your data and plan out your next move.

What I like: HubSpot Marketing Hub integrates with over 800 tools, making it easy to create a tech stack that meets your specific business needs.

Pricing: Free plans are available; Starter – $15/month; Professional – $800/month; Enterprise – $3,600/month.

2. Trello

Trello keeps your marketing team on track and openly communicates about the projects you’re working on. You can create boards for individual campaigns, editorial calendars, or quarterly goals.

Built-in workflows and automation capabilities keep communication streamlined, and simplicity keeps your marketing team focused on the work that matters.

What I like: Trello’s visual elements and straightforward organization make it easy for everyone to stay on the same page.

Pricing: Free plans available; Standard – $5/month; Premium – $10/month; Enterprise – $17.50/month for 250 users.

3. TrueNorth

TrueNorth is a marketing management platform built to help you hit your marketing goals. Built specifically for marketing teams, TrueNorth turns your marketing strategy into a visual projection of your growth, which is used to create monthly milestones that help you stay on track.

What I like: TrueNorth centralizes all your ideas, campaigns, and results in one place, with everything tied back to your goal.

Pricing: Plans cost $99/month, with a free 14-day trial available.

4. Monday.com

Everything on Monday.com starts with a board or visually driven table. Create and customize workflows for your team and keep groups, items, sub-items, and updates synced in real time.

You can also transform data pulled from the timeline and use Gantt views to track your projects on Monday.com to make sure you’re meeting your deadlines.

Plus, with more than 40 integrations — from SurveyMonkey to Mailchimp and, of course, HubSpot — you can visualize your data and make sure your whole company is collaborating.

Best for: I think it’s best for companies with locations around the world or lots of remote workers, as it keeps everyone in touch and up to speed no matter where they’re located.

Pricing: Monday.com is free for two seats; Basic – $27/month; Standard – $36/month; Pro – $57/month. Contact Monday.com for Enterprise pricing. All plans are billed annually.

5. Semrush

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SEO continues to be a huge factor in the successful ranking of your website. But you need the right tools to do it successfully.

Semrush allows you to run a technical SEO audit, track daily rankings, analyze your competitors’ SEO strategy, research millions of keywords, and even source ideas for earning more organic traffic.

But the benefits don’t stop at SEO. I like that you can also use SemRush for PPC, building and measuring an effective social media strategy, content planning, and even market research.

Best for: Creating, implementing, and tracking your marketing strategy.

Pricing: Pro – $139/month; Guru – $249/month; Business – $499/month.

6. Buzzsumo

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BuzzSumo allows you to analyze data to enhance and lead your marketing strategy, all while exploring high-performing content in your industry.

Use the platform to find influencers who may help your brand reach, track comments, and find trends to make the most of every turn.

What I like: As your needs evolve, you can also use their crisis management and video marketing tools.

Pricing: Content creation plan – $199/month; PR & Comms plan – $299/month; Suite plan – $499/month; Enterprise plan – $999/month.

7. Crazy Egg

Need to optimize your website?

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I highly recommend getting started with Crazy Egg. You’ll be able to identify “attention hotspots” on your product pages, track ad campaign traffic on your site, and understand if shoppers are clicking where you want them to.

You can even make sure your “Buy Now” buttons are in the best place.

Crazy Egg also offers recordings, A/B testing, and more to help make sure your website is offering the best user experience.

Best for: If your marketing strategy includes optimizing your website, Crazy Egg is the tool for you.

Pricing: Plus – $99/month; Pro – $249/month; Enterprise – $499/month.

What to Expect After Following Your Marketing Process Steps

Ultimately, creating a complete marketing strategy isn’t something that can happen overnight. It takes time, hard work, and dedication to confirm you’re reaching your ideal audience — whenever and wherever they want to be reached.

Stick with it (and use some of the resources I’ve included in this post), and over time, research and customer feedback will help you refine your strategy to make sure you’re spending most of your time on the marketing channels your audience cares most about.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2019. It has been updated for freshness and accuracy.

Our master this week once led 40,000 people in one massive virtual dance party for Oprah. (Oprah!)

As someone whose dance moves resemble a malfunctioning robot, I’ll admit that the concept sounded incredibly awkward to me. But watching the vids made me realize Agrawal is onto something: People are desperate for connection.

Radha Agrawal is a community architect, public speaker, and entrepreneur, and she helps businesses (like Meta, Nike, and Campbell’s) create stronger communities within their workplaces. She’s also the founder of DAYBREAKER, a morning dance party in 33 cities around the world. 

Let’s jump into her three tips for cultivating a community of your own. 

How to Master the Art of Building a Thriving Community

1. You need a community architect. (And no, not the intern.)

Before you scoff at a big ol‘ fluff post on “community” and “friendship,” let’s take a good hard look at some numbers:

• In 2023, only one-third of employees were engaged in their work
• Disengaged employees account for $1.9 trillion in lost productivity
• 92% of execs say that high engagement = happier customers

Or, consider a personal example: I met my best friend, Kristen, in-office a few years ago. She‘s now a bridesmaid in my wedding, and I told Radha I’d turn down a job elsewhere even if I was offered $20K more because I’d much rather continue my weekly tradition of working gossiping in the coffee garden at HQ with Kristen.

Community has the power to keep employees happy, engaged, and willing to go above-and-beyond to keep the cash a-flowing for your business.

To cultivate a community, you have to prioritize it.

“You need to hire a community architect — and I don’t mean tasking the newbie intern with the job,” Agrawal told me. “Your chief community officer should be brought in with the same level of seriousness as a chief marketing officer or chief executive officer.”

Once you‘ve got your CCO, you’ll want that person to sit down with the head of each department to understand the needs behind each role.

“In a disaggregated work-at-home environment, it’s hard to build a sense of camaraderie and loyalty inside a company without first understanding who the humans are behind each department. You’ll need to know the miniature ecosystems inside the company, and bring them all into one cohesive value alignment,” Agrawal says.

2. Work is not just for churnin’ and burnin’.

Agrawal acknowledges that loneliness exists at every level — whether you’re a CEO, middle manager, or the new intern.

And Agrawal wholeheartedly believes work can be a solution to that loneliness. In fact, she met her own husband in an office.

“It’s important to remember that workspaces aren’t just spaces for churning and burning. They’re spaces to socialize, and it’s where you actually achieve and receive your social connections the most.”

Agrawal believes it‘s a leader’s responsibility to figure out how each person on her team wants to socialize.

For instance, she’s interested in the newbies on her own team: “I, as a founder of my company, want to understand and learn what the youngest team members on my team want. What do they need? How do they socialize? How can I support them in their camaraderie? That level of curiosity is so important inside of a team.”

My own socializing preferences? Two words: Margarita night.

3. Off-sites, off-sites, off-sites.

In the midst of the pandemic, I remember all too well the awkward attempts at connection.

Zoom happy hours. Remote scavenger hunts. Virtual trivia.

The effort was nice, but it wasn’t nearly as powerful as the one company off-site HubSpot hosted last March (which resulted in a team-outing to a karaoke bar, where we brought the house down with a moving rendition of Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On).

Agrawal emphasizes the importance of doing company off-sites as a chance to keep employees motivated and engaged. She also encourages more consistent in-person events if possible.

“The important part is to give it a name and give it a cadence. There’s a sense of belonging you’re creating when you consider energy and intentionality and space.”

Agrawal provided me with a few examples: Maybe your company hosts a monthly poker night, or creates a roller-skating team who roller-skate in silly costumes once per quarter.

If having everyone in-person isn’t an option, can you encourage mini meet-ups in various cities? And if not, how can you make virtual connections easier to make?

The easiest solution is to ask your employees: What would make them feel more excited to turn up to work each morning?

“Too often we think of community building just as butts-in-seats, but not as actually humans, with thinking, feeling souls.”

Remember, those thinking, feeling souls can account for almost $2 trillion in lost productivity — treat them like humans, and you could be shocked by how it sways the bottom-line.

When I started working with freelancers, I’d experience a sinking feeling when a first draft hit my inbox. Would this piece be any good? Or, would I be rewriting an entire article myself to get something usable?

Or perhaps, I found a gem — a freelancer who would make my day with a light edit, strong writing, and a grasp of the subject matter at hand.

I would do anything in my power to make them happy. Please don’t leave me, I’d whisper to my laptop as I typed a praise-filled thank you email.

Four years later, I’ve cracked the code. I now run HubSpot’s Freelance Network, a contract program with over 40 writers.

My team creates over 800 pieces every year. I feel like I have a collection of rare gems, each with their own specialized insights that can help our audience grow.

The best part? I’m finally ready to share how I made this program a reality.

But first, here’s a little about me. My name is Kaitlin. I’m a journalist by trade who’s made the transition into the wonderful world of content marketing. So, my first role working with freelancers was in that past life at business publications.

In 2022, I was recruited by HubSpot for a brand-new challenge. My mission was to build a robust group of freelancers to serve HubSpot’s full portfolio of English blogs.

Infrastructure is everything.

When I first joined HubSpot, I was introduced to 11 freelance writers. I also inherited a standard operating procedure (SOP) document that described how to write new posts and update existing ones. The rest was mine to build.

I spent most of my days creating the foundation to support freelancers at scale.

Before I joined the team, freelancers were an extra task that our writers and blog managers leveraged only when needed. Infrastructure was needed to standardize these processes.

Here’s what I worked on.

Investing in Personal Training

The SOP document I received on my first day was essential for helping me get oriented in my role. However, the document was 21 pages long.

Sure, all the information was helpful, but I knew our writers would skim the document at best. They had dozens of clients each and wouldn’t spend the afternoon reading the text closely over coffee.

So, we had to adjust. I split the SOP into two shorter documents — one for updates and the other for new posts. I then set up a learning management system with an onboarding course.

New writers would need to sign in and watch short videos about how to write for HubSpot, who our personas are, and how to use admin tools like our invoicing system.

I could see who actually completed the course and remind others that this video series was an essential part of onboarding.

The result was a lot faster than reading the document, and I was able to guarantee compliance. Plus, I still sent along SOP documents so the writers could review them at any time.

I then took training one step further. For each new writer, I created a customized Loom video about their first posts. In it, I would review every element of their assignment in Asana, our project management platform, explaining any HubSpot-specific jargon and how we expect submissions to be formatted.

When I started this process, I found that I received fewer email inquiries about simple questions. Instead, we were able to focus on hard-hitting editorial needs.

Beyond that, a few writers have told me this was the most organized onboarding process they’ve experienced, which always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Making Processes Light-Touch

Freelance writers are busy people, always on the cutting edge of an article or blog post. As a program manager, I want to make sure they can focus on what they love — writing — and breeze through any administrative challenges.

I began standardizing our assignments. I linked everything our writers would need, like relevant documents and resources, in an email sent at the start of every month. Each assignment had a clearly marked price, a link to an Asana task card with instructions, and a link to a Google Doc where they could write.

Writers no longer had to copy, paste, and format walls of text when working on updates. They didn’t have to dig in the annals of our website for relevant data points. They could peruse information in one place and then get to writing.

Pro tip: This may seem like a simple step, but as a leader, you should remove redundant, unnecessary tasks from your writers. You know your internal systems best. Make them as easy and light-touch as possible for your freelancers.

Rethinking Content Briefs

Finally, I completely shifted how we wrote content briefs.

As a team, we’ve tracked our blog assignments in Asana since the very beginning.

However, historically, the assignment instructions were short bullet points intended for in-house writers. For example, we would ask them to shorten intros, write new sections, or add links to relevant product mentions.

Those bare-bones briefs worked for in-house writers who spent months out of their role onboarding. However, freelancers needed more details to produce their best work.

I began translating posts for our external team. If an instruction had jargon, like “remove additional parameters to internal links,” I would reformat the bullet into standard language, like “remove UTM tracking codes from links.”

For new posts, I also began creating proposed outlines. That included how long intros should be, what subheadings we’d want to include, and how each section should be formatted.

The result? First drafts started to arrive in better shape, requiring fewer edits and fewer rounds of revisions from the writers.

With these elements in place, I was able to focus on staffing the program. I put out calls on LinkedIn for writers and vetted their portfolio pieces.

As the number of assignments I received grew, I brought writers with relevant B2B experiences on board.

Here are the ratios I used:

• 40 pieces for 11 freelance writers
• 60 pieces for 30 freelance writers
• 80 pieces for 50 freelance writers

That growth would have caused chaos without a strong foundation.

The Rise of AI — and Squashing Get-Rich-Quick Schemes

In November 2022, ChatGPT launched to the public. Anyone could write a short text prompt and generate … well, anything. That includes full-length blog posts with proper headings.

Yes, AI hallucinated, coming up with fake facts. Sometimes, the output sounded stilted, but that never stops grifters.

Shortly after ChatGPT launched, my TikTok was filled with get-rich-quick gurus selling courses on how to make passive income by freelance writing. Just type a prompt, have AI generate an article, and send it to program managers like me.

Sure enough, I started to receive pieces that were a little fishy.

That source’s company couldn’t be called “ABC Web Design Company.” The writing seemed too generic, with no distinct voice.

I began to feed submissions into Copyleaks, a plagiarism and AI content checker.

And guess what I found? Anywhere from 60% to 90% of the text in these posts was generated by AI.

In March 2023, I sent out a memo to our writers that stated AI could only be used in the research and brainstorming phases of writing.

For pieces that had already been submitted, I reached out if over 10% of the text was flagged as AI-generated. Writers had seven days to make changes to the AI portions of their writing.

If changes weren’t made within this timeframe, our editors would step in to rewrite the sections. In those cases, the editor received the byline for the article instead of the writer.

For all pieces assigned since March 2023, we implemented a zero-tolerance policy for AI-generated or plagiarized work. If a piece came back flagged, we required a rewrite of the post before payment was issued. We then removed the writer from our roster.

To many, this might seem strict. However, I believe that preserving human insight is essential to earning traffic.

Every two days, people create enough content to surpass the world’s population, according to Neil Patel’s session at our most recent INBOUND conference.

Of that, around 94% of web pages that rank on Google get zero traffic. AI exacerbates this challenge.

We built a program that pays people fairly for their human writing, filled with real tips and helpful advice.

AI-generated content could never be remarkable. It’s the average sum of all the writing on the internet. To earn engagement, I know we need that human touch.

Freelance Network 2.0: Pivoting to E-E-A-T

In April 2023, the content marketing realm shifted again, this time with an update to Google’s Core Algorithm.

One of the biggest changes was an increased emphasis on E-E-A-T — or expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness.

Instead of AI-driven content, Google began to prioritize work crafted from lived-experience. That means lots of “I” statements, personal anecdotes, and pro tips that could never be replicated by a content generalist.

Sites across the internet lost traffic in droves, including yours truly — the HubSpot Blog. We had to completely transform the Freelance Network in response.

To start, I needed to see who on the team was a secret subject matter expert (SME). That means I was looking for freelancers who had a job as a marketer, customer service representative, sales person, or web developer.

To do so, I sent out a survey to our current writers asking which fields they worked in previously and for how long.

I found that a number of our writers had experience that already made them SMEs. One of our writers spent years as a support rep, making him a great fit for Service Blog articles.

Another had spent eight years at a marketing agency, specializing in public relations and crisis management.

With this information at hand, I could pair our writers with assignments that matched their lived experiences. They could then weave in relevant stories and helpful tips a general content writer wouldn’t know.

Next, I shared the value of gathering quotes. We still had a number of great writers who could communicate complex ideas but lacked direct, professional experiences in the subjects we cover.

To fill the gap, these writers would need to act like journalists, gathering quotes from professionals in the field.

I asked who felt comfortable reaching out for quotes.

Our team began making connections to internal HubSpotters who could add their perspectives as sources in posts.

Beyond that, we shared our favorite resources (like Help a B2B Writer and Featured) to help our writers still making the transition.

After that, I had to find new writers who were active practitioners to staff the Blog. While quotes are helpful, there’s still a real place for thought leadership and how-to articles from people who lived the experience. I booked a meeting with each Blog’s managing editor to ask what they looked for in an SME.

Let’s use our Sales Blog as an example. Jay Fuchs, Sales Blog editor at HubSpot, said his ideal SME had spent time as a business development representative and an account executive. Management experience in the B2B space was a bonus.

I turned our conversation into a scorecard to avoid hiring bias and put out a call for writers.

That’s how we found Mark Burdon and Michael Welch, two of our SMEs on the Sales Blog. They’re able to share the experience of tracking sales metrics and running teams. They complement our staff’s journalistic efforts with wisdom straight from the source.

My 5 Biggest Learnings

So far, I covered the broad plays we made to build the Freelance Network. But I’ve learned so much over the last two-and-a-half years. Here are the five biggest lessons that I believe can help anyone running a freelance program.

1. You need to pay fair.

In the world of freelance writing, you often get what you pay for. In my experience, a low price tag leads to sloppy work. Or even worse, your writers may churn. So, we need to pay competitively and stay in line with industry trends.

If you have to test tools for an in-depth review or gather quotes, I’d plan for a higher price tag. I also encourage my writers to tell me if a post is more work or much longer than we expect. That allows me to adjust the price accordingly.

2. Editors are your make-or-break.

I am so fortunate to work with a team of great freelancers. However, even the best writers make mistakes. That can range from clunky sentences to typos or missing alt text to improper formatting.

That’s where editing comes in.

In addition to our freelance writers, the Freelance Network has two contract editors, Taylor Cromwell and Margaret Cousino. They make sure that all of the requests in the brief are fulfilled and that the final drafts are error-free.

Beyond that, our internal Freelance Network team does a quality review.

All of our freelancers — writers and editors — have multiple clients with different style guides. I advocate for having a final set of eyes within your organization.

Trust me, your internal team will catch the last little things others may miss.

3. Don’t staff what you don’t know.

In 2022, I was tasked with finding writers who could create coding tutorials for our Website Blog. I put out a call on LinkedIn and found a few developers.

Their work seemed good enough to me. The problem? I don’t know how to code and couldn’t fact-check their writing.

That was my biggest failure as a program leader. We had sub-par content that we had to shelve. Some of it never got published.

My biggest learning: Don’t find writers for subject areas you know nothing about.

I’ve started tackling this challenge again, honing in on HTML and CSS technical writers. However, I’m working hand-in-glove with Jamie Juviler, the Website Blog’s lead editor.

I’m playing the role of a recruiter, reaching out to potential candidates. Jamie actually reviews their work and decides who’s proficient enough to stay.

4. Feedback makes the world go round.

My program makes at least 60 assignments a month. Lately, we’ve been doling out upwards of 100 pieces. I’ve always found it difficult to give feedback with such lofty goals. That’s why I’m so grateful for my colleague Marja Vitti.

Marja joined our team in March 2024. Since then, she’s implemented a feedback program that allows us to give kudos for great work and correct inconsistencies early.

Our editors now write comments throughout the submitted Google Doc and tag the writer for review. Then, we make another clean copy and send it to our internal blog team managers for upload.

The writers get helpful feedback. Our property owners internally get an easy-to-read, easy-to-upload version of the text. It’s a win-win.

This system has proved especially helpful for our subject matter experts. They’re great writers with unique insights in their fields. However, they often don’t have a technical SEO background.

This commenting system allows them to learn as they grow with us.

5. Sometimes, you have to break up.

Not every writer is the right fit. In today’s landscape, you may have to say goodbye to your content generalists in favor of subject matter experts.

I’ve had to write many breakup emails in this role. It’s my least favorite part of my job, but sometimes, it’s essential.

You may have a writer that’s always late. Or perhaps, they can’t adapt to your new EEAT-driven strategy, even with all your training resources.

Your team should be lean and filled with great writers. You’ll need to say goodbye to those who don’t make the cut. And, that’s okay.

You’re Not Running a Farm

If I wanted to farm, I’d buy chickens! Horrible jokes aside, running a content farm sounds appealing on paper. You can find content generalists, pay them the bare minimum, and play the volume game. To me, that’s a huge mistake.

Your audience wants human insights from subject matter experts — preferably people who have spent years working in the field you cover.

We also know that Google rewards expertise under its E-E-A-T formula. So, even if you’re operating at a smaller volume, what you do create will have more impact.

If you need your own Freelance Network on a tight budget, here’s what to do:

• Find SMEs in your field who write insightful LinkedIn articles or posts for their company blog.
• Get them to write pieces based on their lived experiences, with anecdotes and their pro tips.
• Publish and promote their work.
• (Leave completely AI-generated posts behind.)

I don’t think of creating content with freelancers like farming. Instead, I think of myself as a museum curator, finding valuable gems and displaying them for the world to see.

Good luck! I hope you find as much joy as I did as you curate your own museum.

Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better.

Sometimes people start podcasts out of curiosity, the need to flex a creative muscle, or the drive to tell their story. But what happens after that initial experiment can be powerful: podcasting can create transformative business growth and consistent profit.

When people refer to podcasts as a ‘hobby’, they’re missing so much about what they can do for the entrepreneur, creative, side-hustler, storyteller, and ideator. In fact, podcasts generated over $2 billion in ad revenue in 2023 alone.

The power of podcasting is certainly not lost on me. What started with a nudge and a microphone from my older brother became an outlet for me during a very lonely season of entrepreneurship. It has also turned into the #1 thing I’m known for, The Goal Digger Podcast.

I pressed that ‘record’ button from the front seat of my car in my garage (so no one could hear the dogs barking in the house) and published my first few episodes. I felt like I was throwing a silly idea into the ether and hoping at least one person would listen to it. I didn’t even consider the ways it would help grow and support my business.

110+ million downloads over 800+ episodes later, I’ve witnessed just what consistent podcasting can really do.

Let’s dive into the journey of what it looks like to go from that initial spark of curiosity and the publishing of your first few episodes to building a 7-figure business with podcasting.

A quick spoiler here: This won’t require burnout. It also doesn’t mean you’ll have to shift who you are, what you do, or become a totally different human to see success.

Podcasting for Business Growth: How I Built a 7-Figure Business While Staying True to Myself

The Beginning of the Podcast Journey

Even though I was in the thick of running my photography business while getting my digital marketing business off the ground, I was apprehensive about starting a podcast. I joked about how no one wanted to hear my voice or learn from me!

But I couldn’t shake my curiosity. Then my brother gave me his old microphone and I felt like all my excuses had finally run out. What did I have to lose? So, I started scared.

I wouldn’t consider myself tech-savvy, so in those first few episodes, I ditched the pro microphone and used my iPhone headphones and my reliable Midwest phone voice, following a light outline I’d jotted down for myself with about six different rewrites. I was worried I would run out of things to say.

Even after I finished recording, I couldn’t bring myself to listen to it. I promised myself I would try. I didn’t want myself to get in the way of that.

From there, I started recording in my coat closet (a nice step up from the car), learning my own flow and comfort behind the microphone. I challenged myself to start asking for audience questions on my Instagram and inviting them to come subscribe to the show with growing confidence.

I sought out podcast guests and stayed consistent with my posting schedule. Eventually, I found a rhythm, building my show into what Goal Digger is today.

It can be hard to know where you start with your own podcast. I felt a little lost in all the details when I first started too. I stressed about nailing the right intro and sign-off for longer than I’d like to admit.

Instead of copying anyone else’s exact approach, what will help your podcast be something you like doing for 100 or 1000 episodes is to make sure it aligns with you. And remember, you can change everything as you learn and grow. You’ll evolve (I sure did), so don’t pressure yourself to get it right on episode one.

Staying Authentic in a Sea of Noise

One thing that has stayed fairly unchanged from the beginning for me was who I wanted to be as a podcaster. I was determined to be me. I didn’t want fluff or a show that felt like a time-waster. And I wanted my listeners to always know they were getting a genuine reflection of my personality and values. I have never shied away from the real talk.

I have loved online learning for a long time, so I envisioned every episode of my podcast as an opportunity for my listeners to learn. Charting out my episode outlines was a lot like planning a free masterclass every week. I wanted the experts on my show to shine and be seen for who they really are, too.

Eventually, I realized I wanted to share my own thoughts and insights, so I launched solo shows. I have expanded from sharing primarily about digital marketing and business to opening up about other aspects of my life, like seasons of navigating burnout, pivoting the business, motherhood, and loss.

I wanted to have a better connection with my listeners (since a podcast can feel one-sided almost always.) So, I launched a Facebook group for my podcast listeners called Goal Digger Insiders. That group is nearly 65,000 listeners strong.

My community comes together to not only talk about what they’re learning through the podcast, but they’re also a huge resource for each other. Through years of feedback and the usual internet playground of friends and critics, I learned how to find a balance between listening to what my audience wanted more of and staying true to my voice and vision.

Building a Podcasting Flow for Sustainable Business Success

As a busy entrepreneur, I knew I didn’t want podcasting to become a tangled, logistical mess. I craved a creative outlet, not a dreaded commitment every week.

Creating a process that fit into the flow of my week and worked well with my energy and schedule became a quick priority. I knew that juggling recording, scheduling guests, publishing episodes, social posting, and everything else could quickly burn me out.

While my podcast started with just me, I eventually added one team member. This helped me keep the system I built running, evolving, and feeling like a fun challenge for us through the seasons.

It’s only ever been just two people running it: me and my podcast producer who’s literally managing the entire show. It’s never been a big crew or a complicated production. I get to show up, talk into a mic, meet amazing people, and we get to share those episodes with the world. That was and still is the goal and that’s why I created a simple system for us to follow.

Podcasting for Business Growth and Evolution

While my core vision for Goal Digger hasn’t changed over time, almost everything else has. From our posting frequency to the kind of people I seek out as show guests to our branding, intro and outro, and the topics we cover!

Rather than big, sweeping changes, we adapt in small ways as we go. I don’t want to get stuck in a rut for so long that we fear change, so instead, we make it a habit to check in and make constant little tweaks to keep ourselves agile. On top of that, the small changes keep the work we’re doing feeling fresh and exciting!

Stay open to feedback, whether that’s internally with your team, from your listenership, or even your gut telling you something isn’t quite right. The way your show needs to evolve might not always be obvious or come from the latest podcasting stats. Your show might need to change in ways that are wholly unique to you. Maybe you’ll be the first person ever to do what you do in your podcast!

That’s exciting, but you won’t learn what that is if you don’t listen.

And in that process, don’t be afraid to try that new thing. Podcasting is and will always be primarily experimental. Trying new things is central to the kind of art form that podcasting is. If that new thing doesn’t work, I would still count that as a success for trying, learning, and pivoting.

Avoiding Burnout and Maintaining Balance

Most of the 800+ episodes of Goal Digger were recorded in my messy closet. I didn’t hit episode 100 and invest in a studio or pressure myself to change just because ‘that’s what success looks like.’ I felt the success of my podcast through the data and impact on my listeners.

I didn’t want to waste energy trying to make my show look successful when I’d rather funnel it into the episodes and conversations themselves. My energy is a valuable resource and I want to spend it where it really counts.

While I love my podcast, it is still just one facet of my business as a whole, so it truly cannot take up all of my time. That’s why creating a system is so important.

I set boundaries around how and when I would record my show. I prioritized rest while carving out focused time to batch-record our episodes. I look at one month at a time and lean into what feels exciting for me in that month so that our content feels fresh, alive, and relevant to the time the episodes are being aired.

Protecting my energy means I get to sit down and be in the right headspace every single time I hit the ‘record’ button. I feel present for my show guests and our conversations get to be genuine rather than rushed or jumbled. I am able to be mentally on track for my solo shows, which keeps me engaged. The more engaged I can be, the more confident I feel about every episode that goes live.

My passion for podcasting can be protected and fostered by good boundaries around my time and energy. I get to show up, pour out, and walk away knowing we’re creating something we’re proud of every time.

We’re not burdened or pressured by trying to do all the things, which is actually what has allowed me to turn my podcasting idea into a major, profit-driving branch of my business. Boundaries are what make room for success.

Monetizing Your Podcast: Thinking Beyond Sponsorships

It’s easy to assume that sponsorships are the main way podcasts can profit, especially since as listeners, we’re used to hearing a barrage of ads (depending on the podcast.)

Sponsors are important and effective but don’t have to be the only way a podcast can monetize. I’ve tested and tried several dozen ways of bringing in income through the podcast, and a handful have risen to the top as my trusted monetization strategies.

You can leverage your podcast into a multitude of profit-generating channels.

Talk about your own business offers (paid or free) to turn your listeners into buyers, or at least email subscribers you can sell to later.

You can use affiliate links and codes to generate income by talking about products and services you’ve tested and love.

You can launch a membership or Patreon community where you share unique content that your listeners and fans can’t get anywhere else.

When it comes to monetizing, I recommend weaving two or more of these methods together so that the effort that goes into every episode has a multi-level payoff for you in the long run.

As you build long-term consistency with your show, you’re not just keeping your listeners happy, but you’re establishing credibility, too. When other opportunities come knocking, you’ll have your podcast to help show what you’re really about.

Your expertise can literally speak for itself when you’ve been leveraging it for hundreds of episodes over multiple years.

Podcast Success Happens One Episode at a Time

Every time I sit down at my desk on a podcast recording day, I smile thinking about how I almost didn’t start this show. I laugh because I can’t believe I get to do this as a job. I’m relieved that this not only turned out to be a creative outlet for so many years but that it also became a chart-topping show.

It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t publish episode 1. And then 2. And then 3. And it would’ve fizzled out long before I saw success if I hadn’t chosen to stay true to myself and my vision the whole way through!

While the road may look long, I can say that all these years of podcasting felt far too quick. I often feel like I blink and we’re another 100 episodes along, celebrating yet another milestone.

If you’re at the starting line (or merely in the curious phase) of your own podcast, remember to keep celebrating your own milestones. That might mean buying your first microphone, finishing your first episode, getting your first review, or having your first podcast guest.

Building your show to a 7-figure success or whatever ‘success’ authentically looks like for you takes time. It takes doing it scared sometimes. It takes commitment to the consistency. It takes protecting your boundaries, time, and energy so that you can keep moving forward.

It means being intentional with who you work with, how you plan your ‘system’ for podcasting, and how you evolve. And it takes getting smart with how you layer your monetization so that your podcast can fuel your business … or become your business.

Can I help you turn your podcasting curiosity or existing show into podcast success (with your own definition of success leading the way?)

Check out my free podcasting masterclass, Podcasting 101: How to Start, Record, and Profit from Your Show. In this free masterclass, I’ll show you how to start, grow, and monetize your show — no fancy tech or massive audience needed — so you can turn your passion into a powerful platform!

Social media and video content are integral to any marketing strategy in 2024. 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, and 35% are committed to making more social media videos in 2024.

If you want to leverage social media videos in your marketing efforts but are unsure how you’ve reached the right blog. I gathered 16 social media video examples from different platforms to help inspire you and motivate you to create your own.

After reading and you‘re ready to create your own, check out HubSpot’s free AI-powers video maker, Clip Creator, which can convert text into professional videos.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

4 Instagram Reels Examples

1. Cecred

One of my favorite Instagram Reels to come out recently features my favorite icon — Beyonce!

Beyonce recently started a hair care line called Cecred, and to prove to the naysayers that the brand’s products work, she walked viewers through her usual hair wash day.

The video shows her using the Cecred products in her hair while her voiceover explains her process.

Video is a great opportunity to show you product at work, so think of ways to film people using your products. And get some employees or founders involved, showing your audience that you also trust your products.

Image source

What I like: I love that Beyonce, founder of Cecred, is using her own products. It adds legitimacy to her brand. I also enjoy the friendly, confident, and conversational tone she uses to make the video more personable.

2. Nike

Nike‘s video marketing almost always incorporates aspects of emotional storytelling, and its Instagram Reel “When I’m Hit, I Always Get Up,” is no different.

The Reel features professional basketball player Ja Morant through a normal day off the court. Morant can be seen playing street ball with his friends, planning dinners with family, getting his hair retwisted at the local salon, and hanging with neighborhood kids.

He narrates his story of being competitive and resilient since childhood. Throughout the video, everyone wears Nike shoes, showing that the brand has pairs for adults and children for sports and playtime.

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What I like: Nike‘s very good at what I like to call “I’m-not-selling-to-you” marketing. I‘m sure there’s a proper term for it, but I mean that despite the Nike products displayed throughout the video, it doesn’t feel like Nike is trying to sell to me.

Instead, it appeals to my emotions by showing a driven person surrounded by the community he loves and who supports him.

It tells a story while also letting me know that Nike shoes are built for every part of the human journey, from childhood playtime to professional athleticism.

3. Victoria‘s Secret 

Tyra Mail! If you‘ve ever binged America’s Next Top Model like I have, then you know the reference. Contestants on the reality show would always buzz with excitement when super model Tyra Banks left letter for them detailing a challenge.

And that same level of excitement was captured when Victoria‘s Secret asked it’s models how they felt about the return of Tyra Banks to the Victoria’s Secret runway.

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What I like: Victoria‘s Secret interviewed models participating in this year’s fashion show and got their genuine reaction. Consider sharing big news about your brand via a peek behind the curtain and genuine reactions to big news involving your company.

4. GoPro

The video below was shot using a GoPro camera and is from the perspective of Kilian Bron. The video shows how clear and high-quality GoPro videos can be, and subtly shows they’re incredibly portable and easy to use.

I mean, think about it: how many cameras out there are so easy to use that you can film with them while riding a dirt bike along the edge of a cliff?

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What I like: I‘m always a fan of social media videos that show the product in use, so this video gets major praise from me for that reason. However, I also enjoy this video because the angle and POV provide an immersive experience.

If I wobble around a bit, I’ll feel like I’m the one bike riding along the cliff.

4 TikTok Video Examples

1. Golloria

I am a huge fan of Golloria and her videos that tackle inclusivity (or the lack thereof) in the makeup industry. In her videos, Golloria tests products from popular makeup brands to see if they’re suitable for women with darker complexions.

Some brands fail the test and some pass with flying colors. Though Golloria herself isn’t a brand, your brand can take inspiration with how she quickly and simply demonstrates how the products work with real people.

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Brand’s also send Golloria their products specifically for her to review.

Think about an influencer or creator whose content aligns with your brand, and consider sending them samples to test. Just make sure they’re of the right quality because knowledgeable creators like Golloria will be very honest if your product isn’t up to standards.

What I like: Golloria is a trusted influencer in the makeup space, so when brand’s pass her test it establishes legitimacy and trust in the products.

2. DuoLingo

If there is one brand that rules TikTok, it‘s DuoLingo. The language learning app knows how to market itself by hopping onto the latest trends and adding its own flare.

For example, the song “MAPS” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs is seeing a resurgence on the app thanks to a new dance trend. The trend has only been going on for a few days at the time of publishing, but DuoLingo already made a short animation of its green owl mascot dancing along.

The caption of the video is a reference to Duolinger users often falling off and on their language learning habit.

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What I like: The video is short, humorous, and perfectly captures the latest TikTok trend while tying it back to the app’s mission, which is to get people committed to learning new languages.

3. Viz Media

Viz Media recently started a weekly series that provides a brief recap and roundup of the latest chapters of the series it distributes. It‘s been a hit among fans who may read multiple Viz Media titles and have a hard time remembering what’s out and what’s next.

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What I like: I included this video in my list due to its simplicity. It‘s not a high budget TikTok with a lot of bells and whistles. It’s straightforward, cost effective, and can be made in minutes.

4. Scrub Daddy

Some of Scrub Daddy’s most popular TikTok videos feature a narrator explaining new products in a straightforward, candid way with a sprinkle of dry humor. The video featuring its fall lineup of sponges is a great example.

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What I like: Similar to Viz Media‘s, the video is simple and has no frills, proving that you don’t have to have a heavy budget or high production value to create a great video that engages your audience.

4 YouTube Shorts Video Examples

1. Beardbrand

Beardbrand is a men’s grooming company that sells various products for beard and hair care. The company promotes its products via YouTube Shorts by showing how drastically a consumers look can change by using the products.

What I like: Beardbrand gets real consumers to participate in its videos and gives viewers a look at their hair before and after using the products. I also love that they pack genuine, candic reactions and moments into such short videos.

2. Tiffany & Co

This YouTube Short from Tiffany and Co is the perfect example of “show and don’t tell.” There is no narrator and hardly words on the screen. Just actress Elaine Zhong trying on Tiffany jewelry and marveling as the bracelets, necklaces, and rings sparkle in the light.

What I like: I love that the products speak for themselves. Sometimes, less is more, and you just need to allow your products and services to shine.

3. R.E.M. Beauty

This YouTube Short from R.E.M. Beauty behind the scenes of the launch of the brand‘s collaboration with the film “Wicked,” which stars the brand’s founder, pop star Ariana Grande.

What I like: The Short is very candid and shows the work that goes into promotion shoots. It also shows raw, unedited footage of how the makeup looks on the models.

4. UCLA

UCLA promoted its institution by interviewing its graduating class and asking students what they’ll miss about their time at the university.

What I like: As you can probably tell by now, I love videos that capture candid, genuine reactions and moments.

4 Facebook Reels Video Examples

1. Netflix

This Facebook Reel from Netflix announces the return of their live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The video shows cast members passing around a phone as they film their reunion on set.

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What I like: I love this video because it’s simple and shows the cast members filming it themselves. It seems genuine and fun and is a great way to get fans excited, too.

2. Red Bull

Red Bull’s famous slogan is “Red Bull gives you wings!” And they took that quote to new heights (pun intended) with the Reel posted to Facebook. The Reel shows a Red Bull helicopter lifting someone from the water and that person dropping from the helicopter and doing a flip back into the ocean.

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What I like: To be honest, there isn’t much in this video that can be replicated (unless you have the budget for a customized helicopter), making this video unique.

3. Ultimate Ears

Ultimate Ears is a brand specializing in in-ear monitors. In this Reel, a representative explains how to insert them.

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What I like: The brand explains how to use the product and others like it, establishing it as an authority on the subject.

4. Adobe

This Facebook Reel features an interview with actor, director, and producer Daniel Dae Kim, who discusses the mission of his company, 3AD, to provide mentorship opportunities for marginalized communities in the film industry.

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What I like: The full interview with Kim is longer, but the Reel highlights the most compelling quote. If you have a great interview with someone affiliated with your brand, convert the most interesting parts into short-form videos.

Pretty inspiring, right? Many of these videos show that you don‘t need a super high budget to create exciting content that shines a light on your brand’s products and services. Sometimes, less is more.

I love LinkedIn. It’s one of the best tools for my B2B business. Truly, I think everyone working in the B2B world should be on there.

I use the organic features of LinkedIn, but my brilliant co-founder, Leigh Buttrey, a PPC specialist, knows all about paid ads on LinkedIn.

Leigh would be the first to describe LinkedIn as a powerful ad platform. She’s not the only one reaping the benefits of paid LinkedIn, either. According to the State of Marketing survey, 37% of marketers use LinkedIn.

If you‘re already using pay-per-click (PPC) techniques to power your presence on Facebook, X, or Google, consider yourself lucky — you can add LinkedIn to that list, too. Advertising on LinkedIn is easy if you’re using the HubSpot ads tool.

For this article, I interviewed Leigh because I knew she’d teach us all a thing or two about advertising on LinkedIn. I asked her about LinkedIn’s ad targeting options, ad best practices, and how to start advertising on LinkedIn.

First, let’s review how LinkedIn Ads work.

In the above definition, LinkedIn targeting options are mentioned. Here’s some more information on how LinkedIn targeting actually works and what those targeting options are.

LinkedIn Targeting Options

I would credit LinkedIn for its targeting; it’s fantastic. You can narrow down your audiences to specific companies, locations, job titles, and so much more.

How does LinkedIn targeting work?

In the screenshot above, you can see what LinkedIn targeting looks like.

For the purpose of taking this screenshot, I’ve created an audience of people living in the U.K. who are also senior marketing personnel, Marketing Manager, and Marketing Director.

Ad targeting in LinkedIn helps you run a successful advertising campaign — that’s because when you target the right people, it leads to greater engagement and more conversions.

With LinkedIn, the process of selecting the audience you’re going to target works the same way, no matter which type of ad you select.

When establishing who it is you’re going to target, LinkedIn provides over 20 different audience attributes and targeting categories that you can select from — examples include company name, company size, member groups, member interests, member schools, job title, job seniority, and skills.

Top tips on targeting from LinkedIn paid ads expert Leigh Buttrey: “When you’re running a prospecting campaign, make sure you use relevant demographics to your target audience.

Consider things like the job title, industry, seniority, skills, and the company’s size. The beauty of LinkedIn is that you can get very targeted; there’s no point in showing ads to small companies, for example, if you don’t want to attract them.”

Advertising on LinkedIn is a two-step process: 1) setting up your LinkedIn campaign and 2) creating your LinkedIn ad(s).

In this section, I’ll walk through how to set up a campaign and build your ad(s) — plus some best practices and tips for each.

1. Create your LinkedIn ad campaign.

Your LinkedIn advertising campaigns live on the campaign manager section of LinkedIn. You can access your advertising platform via your personal LinkedIn account.

As pictured below, in the top right, you’ll see “for business,” click that, then click, “Advertise on LinkedIn.”

From there, you’ll be prompted to create a LinkedIn campaign. You’ll need to associate your ads with a LinkedIn company page.

The manager account can hold multiple accounts. As you can see in the screenshot below, I have three accounts: my own and two clients.

Next, you can start creating campaigns. You just need to select which account you want to create the campaign on.

Back to creating the campaign. On your dashboard — or “Campaign Manager,” as it‘s formally called — you’ll see a Create button. Click that button, and you’ll see options to create a campaign or campaign group.

Note: LinkedIn also has an “objective-based campaign creation experience.” I’ll cover that process in this article — to learn more, check out this page.

In most cases, I recommend setting up a campaign group because this will help you manage your campaign hierarchy. Leigh Buttrey, a LinkedIn expert, has already written a full article on campaign groups.

She says, “Start by organizing your campaigns into logical categories or objectives. Each campaign should represent a specific goal or outcome you want to achieve, such as lead generation, brand awareness, or website traffic.

“For example, you might create separate campaigns to promote different product lines, target different audience segments, or test different ad formats.”

Think of your campaign group as your category.

Next, click Campaign Group and name your campaign. Campaign Groups help you organize your campaign. You can leave the “Default Campaign Group” as-is or create a new Group.

The campaign name is only visible internally. I recommend you choose a highly informative name, especially if you have several different folks working on the campaign.

For example, if I was running a test to determine the best type of demographic targeting, I might use the title “Unicorn Food Ad Test — North America, 18 to 24, Female.”

That name describes exactly who I‘m targeting without having to view its details. Compare this to something like “Unicorn Food Test 1,” which doesn’t indicate anything about who the ad is targeting.

Once you choose your Campaign Group and name, you can start setting up your LinkedIn campaign.

A note on billing: Eventually, if you haven’t already, you’ll be prompted to enter your billing information, but you can play with the campaign setup without adding billing details. I really like this about LinkedIn because you can feel safe playing with the campaign manager and setting up targeting without feeling afraid of triggering an expensive bill.

That said, once you enter your billing details, you don’t need to worry, you won‘t be charged until your campaign is live — from there, you’ll be charged periodically for ad clicks and other engagements.

2. Set your LinkedIn ad campaign objective.

Next, choose your campaign objective.

Your objective is what you want people to do when they see your ads.

According to LinkedIn, choosing an objective helps them “customize your campaign creation, deliver the best ROI for your stated goal, and show you relevant reporting.”

There are three overarching campaign themes: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversions. Under those themes, some available campaign objectives are:

• Brand awareness will reach more people with your post. It would be great if visibility and boosting brand awareness were your goal.
• Website visits will drive traffic to your website and landing pages.
• Engagement will increase actions on your content and boost followers on your LinkedIn Company Page.
• Video views will increase the exposure of your videos to people who are likely to engage with them.
• Messaging will engage with your audience through messaging.
• Lead generation will show a LinkedIn lead generation form with pre-filled LinkedIn profile data to those LinkedIn users most likely to engage with the form.
• Website conversions capture leads and drive action on your website.
• Job applicants will help you drive more job applications.

3. Designate your LinkedIn ad audience.

Next, choose the parameters of your target audience. Targeting who sees your ad can help it fulfill its campaign objective — the more specific and relevant it is to your audience, the better it’ll perform.

LinkedIn allows you to target according to a few different categories — refer to the points on targeting options reviewed above.

You don’t have to use all of LinkedIn‘s targeting options — but the more specific the targeting criteria, the more relevant it’s likely to be to the audience you select.

And, therefore, the more likely you are to have a better ROI.

4. Set your ad budget and schedule.

Next, set up the budget, scheduling, and bidding options that work best for you.

You have a few options when it comes to setting up the LinkedIn budget and schedule.

First, let’s talk about budget optimization. I asked Leigh Buttrey about this. She said, “When you turn the Budget Optimization on, you’re handing over the control of the campaign’s group ad spend to LinkedIn’s algorithms. It will give more budget to your best-performing campaigns for better ROI.

“It sounds good, and in many cases, it is, but I prefer more control over my paid ads. Having set budgets per campaign allows me to give equal budgets to all campaigns, which in turn allows me to see which campaign has a lower CPC, engagement rate, or conversions.

In most cases, I’d recommend leaving ‘Budget Optimization’ off. Instead, you should closely monitor your ads and get a feel for what works for your company. You can switch ‘Budget Optimization’ on later and compare the ROI of campaigns with it on versus off.”

You can set schedules to:

• Run continuously from a start date.
• Set a start and end date.
• Set a start and end date with a budget.

As you can see in the screenshot above, I clicked “Set a start and end date with a budget.” LinkedIn recommends a budget of £30/day (or $40/day).

Budget

Regardless of LinkedIn’s recommendations, you set a daily budget for what works best for your company’s marketing spending. Before investing a lot into one campaign, I recommend testing and measuring the success of each campaign and ad variation.

You don‘t want to put thousands of dollars, for example, into an ad that doesn’t resonate with your target audience.

Let‘s say you’re the VP of Marketing at a high-end floral company. You assume that most of your target market is made up of soon-to-be brides, so you direct your LinkedIn Ads to bridal groups.

But after spending thousands of dollars, you only generate 10% of the leads you were hoping for.

Your subsequent research shows this was the wrong move, and you later learn that people near your store who are on LinkedIn are actually looking for flowers for corporate events.

It would have been nice to know that before spending a large amount of your budget on LinkedIn Ads, right?

That said, because of its extensive targeting opportunities, LinkedIn Ads can successfully target niche markets.

But cautionary experimentation is crucial to do early on — if you observe a campaign performing well, then you can put a larger budget toward it.

Top tips on budget according to LinkedIn paid ads expert, Leigh: “Start your budget small, then grow. Your aim is to see an ROI with a smaller budget. As soon as you get that ROI, you can confidently scale.”

Schedule

Choose a date for your campaign to start. You can indicate whether you want your campaign to be shown continuously until an end date.

5. Decide on your LinkedIn ad format.

Next, you need to add a campaign to your campaign group.

Once you’ve clicked this, you’ll basically repeat the steps above. You will name your campaign and set your audience.

Now, you get to choose your ad format. In the next section, I’ll unpack the different types of LinkedIn Ads you can create as part of your campaign.

When you toggle between the ad types, you’ll see that the Forecasted Results box on the right-hand side will change.

This feature analyzes your campaign parameters (objective, budget, targeting, start/end dates, etc.) and takes into account similar campaigns and advertisers. It also stimulates the ad auction to generate the numbers displayed.

Keep an eye on this box as you choose your LinkedIn ad type. If you’re first starting out, deciding on which ad type you want to choose may come down to budget.

Outline your priorities, and then you can decide which type works best for you.

Additionally, some ad types require you to link your LinkedIn Company Page and some tap into LinkedIn translation services.

6. Set your URL parameter if you’re using one.

URL parameters help you track traffic acquisition in your analytical tools, GA4, for example.

You decide what you want your URL parameter to be and drop it into the campaign tracking parameter in the box, as pictured below.

On tracking URLs, Leigh says, “Analytical tools do a good job of showing you where traffic is coming from, but with this functionality, you can track exactly which campaign traffic is coming from where. This will help you analyze which campaign is driving the most engagement, conversions, ROI, etc.”

7. Choose your LinkedIn ad placement.

Next, decide whether you want your ad to be displayed on the LinkedIn Audience Network, which gives your campaign more reach and exposure among LinkedIn’s third-party platforms and sites.

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Note: This option isn’t available for every ad type.

You can also choose to exclude or block certain categories, applications, and sites in the Network if you so choose.

8. Don’t forget conversion tracking.

You have the option to set up conversion tracking for your LinkedIn campaign, which will track and measure the actions people take after clicking on your ads.

Conversion tracking is an optional part of setting up your LinkedIn advertising campaign but is highly valuable for your business.

If you choose to set up conversion tracking, click + Add conversions.

A new window will pop up, where you’ll name your conversion, choose your conversion settings, and decide how you’ll track the conversions.

Note: The information on the right-hand side of the window is super helpful — it’ll answer any questions you have and walk you through the process.

For more help implementing and managing your LinkedIn Conversions, visit this help page.

Bravo! You’ve officially set up your LinkedIn advertising campaign … but you’re not done yet. When you’re ready to move on, be sure to click Save.

Beware: Your objective and ad format cannot be changed once you save, so be sure about your choices before moving forward.

9. Build your LinkedIn ad.

This section corresponds to what type of LinkedIn ad you chose for your campaign.

Once you establish the basic parameters for your ad in step one, you’ll be prompted to start building it and choose how LinkedIn will display and rotate your ad variations — if you create more than one.

To get started, click Create new ad.

A screen will pop up with the title “Create a new [Your chosen ad type] for this campaign,” on which you’ll create the copy for your ad, pair it with an image, and preview the different layout options.

You can see what that looks like below. I clicked “carousel ad,” and I can also add “cards.” Each card represents a slide of my carousel.

Here are a few guidelines around the copy:

• Ad image is the artwork or graphic that your audience will see for your ad. It must be 100×100 pixels and uploaded as a .jpg or .png file that is 2MB or smaller.
• Ad name is the main message your audience will see. You can write 255 characters but I recommend 60-100.
• Ad introductory text is the body of your ad. It can be up to 255 characters long, but I recommend 150. The text should be relevant both to the person viewing the ad and the offer or page to which you’re sending them.
• Destination URL is where your audience will go when they click your ad. Double check that the URL is accurate.

Once you input this information, and hit Save, you’ll be able to view your post.

Once you click Create, you’ll be directed back to the previous Campaign Manager screen. From there, you can create more ads and, eventually, review and submit your order.

Note: LinkedIn does review every submitted campaign order, so don’t expect to see your ads published right away.

To see the best results for your ads, consider creating a different ad for each of your buyer personas and tweak the copy accordingly.

For example, when promoting a book to college professors, leading the title with the words “College Professor’s Guide to…” may generate a higher click-through rate (CTR) than generic, un-targeted headlines and copy.

Here are a few copywriting tips for LinkedIn Ads.

CTA

Including an actionable CTA within your ad copy will also help you improve your ad‘s CTR. Consider asking people to “Download your ebook now,” or “Click now for free samples” instead of writing copy that’s devoid of actionable next steps.

Value

Incorporate your value proposition into your ad copy — this can make people more likely to click on your ad. By boasting something like “20% off your first purchase” or “Clearance sale ends today — Shop now,” you’re sending a clear signal of what someone will specifically gain when he or she clicks your ad.

Testing

Don’t be afraid to test your ad copy. You can create multiple variations of your ad in each campaign, which allow you to test different images and copy within ads to find what works best for your audience.

Pro tip: LinkedIn Ads is available within all HubSpot Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise accounts! Track visitor and contact engagement, run reports on closed-loop marketing, sync leads from LinkedIn lead generation forms, and MORE — all within your HubSpot account.

As I said above, deciding on what type of LinkedIn ad is best for your campaign can come down to many factors: budget, audience, campaign objective — just to name a few.

When building your LinkedIn Ads, you have four main types from which to choose. Within those formats, you can choose different formats based on your ad content and purpose.

1. Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content shows up in your audience’s news feed among organic LinkedIn content.

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These ads are similar to promoted posts that blend into social media feeds. Sponsored Content is available in three formats:

• Single image ads, which feature one image.
• Carousel ads, which feature two or more images.
• Video ads, which feature one video.

This type of LinkedIn ad typically has the highest average cost-per-click (CPC).

(Learn more about the advertising specifications for Sponsored Content, according to LinkedIn.)

Leigh recommends LinkedIn’s paid sponsored content ads for “increasing visibility and engagement for your brand, generating leads, or driving traffic to valuable content. Use these types of ads if you want to create single-image, carousel, or video ads.”

2. Message Ads

Message ads are delivered to your target audience’s LinkedIn inbox.

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With this type of LinkedIn ad, you can send your content directly to your audience from a personal account and better measure engagement based on recipient response and action.

(Learn more about the advertising specifications for Message Ads, according to LinkedIn.)

Leigh recommends LinkedIn’s paid sponsored messaging ads (or conversation ads) to “deliver personalized, direct messaging to specific target audiences. You may want to use these if you’re driving for event registrations, product demos, or time-sensitive offers.”

3. Dynamic Ads

Dynamic Ads are personalized ads that change content based on which audience member is viewing them. This type of LinkedIn ad uses member personal data to tailor its creative content.

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(Each LinkedIn member sees his or her own personal data; data isn’t shared with other members.)

Dynamic Ads are available in three formats, which are only available on the LinkedIn desktop platform:

• Follower ads, which promote your LinkedIn Company Page.
• Spotlight ads, which promote a special offering.
• Job ads, which promote open jobs.

(Learn more about advertising specifications for Dynamic Ads, according to LinkedIn.)

Leigh recommends LinkedIn’s paid dynamic ads for “offering hyper-personalized ad creation that automatically customizes the ad per viewer based on their profile details, such as name, photo, company or job title. These are ideal for campaigns focusing on brand awareness, event promotion, content downloads, or gaining followers.”

4. Text Ads

Text Ads show up on the right column or at the top of the page on LinkedIn.

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They’re the simplest type of LinkedIn ad but are still effective for boosting awareness and reaching your audience. Pay per click or per impression for Text Ads.

(Learn more about advertising specifications for Text Ads, according to LinkedIn.)

Leigh recommends LinkedIn’s paid text ads as a “simple and cost-effective approach for driving traffic, increasing brand awareness or generating leads. These ads are made up of a headline, description, and small image. They usually appear on the right-hand sidebar.”

Social ad campaigns can always be improved. Remember, your audience and content are always changing — as well as the platform itself. Here are some best practices to optimize your LinkedIn ad campaign.

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Before we dive in, here’s a quick tip: Set a reminder for yourself to analyze and optimize your campaigns each month.

1. Know your audience and the customer journey.

As your business grows, your audience also evolves and so does the customer journey.

It‘s crucial that you know and update your buyer personas and the customer journey map regularly — this will allow you to effectively target your personas at the right point in time (a.k.a. when they’re most likely to convert).

You may do this on a quarterly basis.

To help with the process, check out our buyer persona guide, free buyer personas templates, free Make My Persona tool, customer journey map guide, and free customer journey map template.

I also recommend considering your customer journey when deciding on which type of ads (more on this best practice in #4 below) you’ll create and share — not every type of ad is ideal for every part of the customer journey.

For instance, you may use a sponsored ad for audience members who have already engaged with your brand/content before rather than that being their first touchpoint with you.

2. Segment your customers.

On a similar token, segmenting your customers is a great way to prepare for effective and tailored ad targeting, whether on LinkedIn or any other platform.

You can segment your customers so that you know exactly how you’re going to target specific audiences on LinkedIn in order to increase engagement and chances of conversion.

For instance, you might know that specific audience segments are going to need a certain type of LinkedIn Ad at a certain point in the buyer’s journey — having your customers ready in segments makes this part of the ad targeting process easy and efficient.

3. Refer to your social ads on other platforms as well as your competitors’ LinkedIn Ads.

Getting some inspiration and gleaning information from your other social ads as well as the LinkedIn Ads of your competitors is a great way to help you navigate the process of creating and sharing your ads on LinkedIn.

Although LinkedIn is a unique platform, and your audience may not be the same across social platforms — it’s still good to take some inspiration from and, at the very least, identify which ads perform best on other social platforms like Google and Facebook.

Not only can this be a good starting point when planning your LinkedIn Ads, but it can also help you save time — maybe you want to repurpose content that’s on a Google Ad already for LinkedIn.

Additionally, you may not have the analytics to prove which of your competitors’ LinkedIn Ads are performing best.

However, you can at least identify which types of ads are getting a lot of engagement by looking at metrics like comments and reactions.

I think this is a helpful reference point when planning and creating your LinkedIn paid ads since you’re likely going to have a similar audience on the platform as your competitors do.

4. Carefully select the content you share based on the type of ad you’re creating.

As I mentioned earlier, you‘ll want to determine what content you’re sharing with audience members based on the type of ad you’re creating.

Refer to your customer segments here to help you effectively tailor content to those audience members and where they are in the customer journey when working through this step.

As a recap, here are the types of LinkedIn Ads you can create, along with examples of the content you may include:

• Sponsored content: Single image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and event ads; ideal for highly-engaged audiences in the LinkedIn Newsfeed.
• Sponsored messaging: Conversation Ads, Message Ads; ideal for engaging audience members in LinkedIn Messaging.
• Lead generation forms: Lead generation forms; ideal for creating pre-filled forms for LinkedIn Ads.
• Text and dynamic ads: Text ads, spotlight ads, follower ads; ideal for running ads in the LinkedIn right rail.

5. Use eye-catching and attention-grabbing visuals and language.

This content you‘re sharing shouldn’t just be selected by ensuring it works with the type of ad you’re creating, though.

It also needs to bring your audience members in and make them want to engage with it (e.g., read/watch more, click on it, open your gated offer, etc.).

Think about ad elements like:

• Colors
• Font
• Language and text
• CTA placement and style
• Images
• Videos
• GIFs

For more inspiration, take a look at these great LinkedIn Ad examples.

6. A/B test your LinkedIn Ads (and tweak one variable at a time).

Don’t be afraid to test different visuals, language, and text to determine what your unique audience on LinkedIn finds eye-catching and attention-grabbing.

You can test different versions of the same ad to see what factor is contributing to or hindering its success.

For instance, change the copy in your headline, change your featured image, or tweak the target audience attributes — just don’t do these all at the same time or you won’t know which one is the fix.

I find A/B testing makes this process easy and ensures you’re just changing one factor at a time.

7. Create gated offers using LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms.

Gated offers are those that require some sort of information in return for that offer — for instance, an audience member gets a free template or an ebook in return for sharing their email address.

To do this with your LinkedIn Ads, you’ll have to use their Lead Gen Forms.

LinkedIn allows you to create Lead Gen Forms for both Sponsored Content and Message Ads. They come pre-filled with LinkedIn profile data, so members are able to share their information with you in seconds.

Additionally, I like that the forms allow you to track important metrics such as campaign cost per lead, lead form fill rate, and how many leads you get certain audience segments.

8. Keep your budget in mind when creating LinkedIn Ads.

Like anything in business, you’re going to want to keep your budget in mind. LinkedIn uses objective-based pricing when it comes to advertising — meaning you only pay to achieve the specific marketing goals you have.

In other words, you’re charged based on your campaign objective.

You’ll select the activity you want to pay for, and then the campaign objective you picked will determine which ad formats and optimization goals you can focus on.

9. Determine each campaign’s click-through rate (CTR).

Is one campaign outperforming the other(s)? If so, you may want to pause the less successful campaign(s).

LinkedIn will automatically display less successful campaigns with lower frequency, so it makes sense to minimize any resources spent on them.

Instead, putting more resources into successful ad variations and campaigns is more likely to accomplish your marketing goals.

10. Measure and analyze your LinkedIn Ad campaign’s success.

LinkedIn makes it easy to track your progress in the Campaign Manager dashboard (under “Chart”), where you’ll see various charts that measure performance like clicks, expenditures, and CTR.

You can also keep track of conversions in the graphs toward the bottom of the dashboard.

When you finish setting up your first campaign, you‘ll see a lot of “0”s at first. Don’t worry; that’s only because your campaign is new (and don’t forget that LinkedIn usually has to approve your ads before they go live).

More advanced performance tracking is also possible, but you need to export data to third-party analytics software or databases, like LinkedIn Ads to BigQuery.

Ready to try a LinkedIn Ad strategy?

Now you’re equipped with a complete guide on how LinkedIn advertising works, you’re ready to start your own LinkedIn Ads strategy.

Remember: No harm can come from exploring the campaign options, setting up groups, and creating ads. Nothing happens until the ad is live, and you’re in complete control of that.

Unlike Leigh, I don’t run LinkedIn campaigns daily, but with her advice, even I feel comfortable using LinkedIn’s campaign manager! It is really good.

LinkedIn has a very powerful advertising platform; don’t leave this off your social campaign marketing list. A well-researched, optimized campaign has the potential to bring in thousands of new leads — and sales.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2013 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Twitter, now rebranded as X, stands out from all other social media platforms. At least, that’s what my experience of helping dozens of brands with their social media strategy tells me.

At its core, X marketing requires conveying ideas in the fewest words, publishing multiple times a day, and actively engaging your audience.

As you grow, more dimensions are added to this equation. It gets more challenging and complicated. That’s why I’ve created this guide to help you crack the code for X marketing.

What is an X (formerly Twitter) marketing strategy?

An X marketing strategy is a plan centered around creating, publishing, and distributing content for your buyer personas, audience, and followers through X.

The goal of this type of strategy is to attract new followers and leads, boost conversions, improve brand recognition, and increase sales.

Creating an X marketing strategy will require you to follow the same steps you would if you were creating any other social media marketing strategy:

1. Research your buyer personas and audience.
2. Create unique and engaging content.
3. Organize a schedule for your posts.
4. Analyze your impact and results.

So, you might be wondering what makes X unique. Why would you want to actually invest the time in creating a profile and content for the platform? I’ll answer that below.

What makes X unique?

X is a great marketing tool for a number of reasons.

The platform:

• Is free to use.
• Expands your reach.
• Lets you provide quick customer service and support.
• Allows you to share and promote branded content in seconds
• Works as a search engine tool for you to search for your competitors.
• Can be used as a search engine tool for prospects to find and learn about your company.
• Allows you to converse with your followers, share the latest updates about your company, and address your audience.

Now that I’ve reviewed what an X marketing strategy is and what makes the platform unique, let’s cover the ways in which you can use X for your business.

These tips will help you boost conversions, create lasting relationships with your followers, and improve your brand awareness.

As you begin using X for your business, there are some steps you’ll want to take to ensure you reach your target audience.

Depending on your goals, company size, and industry, you may or may not choose to work through each of the following steps (or you may have already completed some of them), so tailor them to your needs.

Let’s learn how to use X for business to better share, engage, and market on the platform.

1. Customize and brand your profile.

When someone looks at your company’s X profile, you want them to automatically know it’s yours.

You should customize and brand your X profile with your logo, colors, and other recognizable and memorable details you want to incorporate.

Here are a few ways to customize your profile:

• Handle. Your X handle is your username (for example, our handle is @hubspot) — this should include your company’s name so your followers, customers, and fans can easily search and find you on the platform. You create your X handle when you sign up for an account.
• Header. The header on your X profile is your background image. You might choose to create a unique image for your header, use your logo, or another branded image.
• Profile picture. Your X profile picture represents your company’s every move, interaction, and post on the platform. It’s the image that sits above your bio and might include a picture of your logo, company’s initials, or CEO.
• Bio. An X bio provides everyone who visits your profile with a brief synopsis of what they’re about to see in 160 characters or less. It might include your mission statement, a blurb about what your company does, or something humorous and engaging.
• Website URL. Beneath your profile picture and bio, there’s a location where you can include your URL to direct traffic straight to your website.
• Birthday. In the same location as your URL, you can insert your company’s birthday — or the day when the company was founded — so your audience gets to know your business on a more personal level.

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2. Create X Lists.

An X List — which any user has the ability to create and view — is an organized group of X accounts you’ve selected and put together in specific categories.

For example, at HubSpot, lists include Leadership Experts, Top Marketing Experts, Top Business Podcasters, and more. When you open an X List, you only see posts by the accounts on the list.

X Lists are great if you want to follow only specific accounts. You might segment your lists into groups such as business inspiration, competitors, and target audience so you’re able to easily review their posts, interactions, and content.

Here are a few lists available on HubSpot’s X profile:

3. Host an X Chat.

You can schedule and host an X chat to:

• Discuss a topic.
• Engage your followers.
• Create a sense of community.
• Ask your audience for their opinions.
• Get feedback on something you’re working on.

To host an X Chat (previously TweetChat), you’ll need to choose a topic, set a time and date for the chat to occur, and create a hashtag for the chat. Share this information with your followers in a post, on your website, in your X bio, and wherever else you choose.

Here’s an example by The SAS Collective. The post mentions what this chat is about, who will be participating, and a hashtag to track all conversations.

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Everyone who wants to participate in the chat should be able to view all responses, questions, and comments regarding your topic by searching this unique hashtag.

Plus, they can share their comments and thoughts by adding this hashtag to their posts.

4. Advertise on X.

Advertising through X is a great way to reach your audience. This will make your posts easily discoverable by thousands of people, helping you increase your influence and following. You can do this through Promoted Ads or X Ads.

Promoted Ads (formerly Promoted Tweets)

Promoted ads or tweets make your regular posts appear in the X streams or search results of specific users.

This is a great option for anyone looking to increase the number of people on a specific webpage. Your business will pay a monthly fee if you promote a post.

X will use your promoted posts in a daily campaign targeting the type of audience you want to reach, as previously indicated in your settings. All X users can interact and engage with promoted posts like your organic content.

Here’s a glimpse at a promoted posts:

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X Ads

X Ads is a great option if you’re using different types of tweets/posts to achieve one goal for your business. It’s ideal if you’re looking to grow your base of followers and brand awareness significantly through the platform.

Your business can decide between different objectives regarding your X ads, including app installs, video views, website conversions, and audience targeting for your campaigns. This decision will impact the price you’ll need to pay to run your ad.

Here’s an X Ad by the car manufacturer Kia:

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5. Drive traffic to your website.

X can help you direct traffic to your website. There are several ways to include your website’s URL on your profile and add links to your web pages and blogs in your posts.

Here are some ways to use the platform to direct traffic to your website and increase conversions:

• Incorporate links to your website in your posts.
• Embed posts on your website with an X Timeline.
• Add your website URL beneath your bio on your X profile.
• Repost any content that includes links to your website and blogs others have shared.

6. Buy a premium subscription to get verified.

Depending on the size of your company and industry, you might choose to get your X profile verified.

Previously, businesses and public figures applied for a verified blue checkmark, but now you can get a similar checkmark by subscribing to X Premium.

Anyone can get an X subscription, but X will double-check your account to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria.

Once the platform verifies your profile, a badge with a checkmark will appear next to your handle. This symbolizes an authentic account.

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Being verified prevents your audience members from following and being confused by impersonator accounts or accounts with similar content, usernames, and handles to yours. A verified account also makes your business look more legitimate and trustworthy.

7. Focus on building your follower count.

Needless to say, the more X followers you have, the more people there are looking at and interacting with your content. You’ll have a better chance to improve brand awareness and direct more traffic to your website when you build your follower count on X.

There are a number of ways you can increase your follower count on X — here are some to get you started:

• Ensure your content is shareable.
• Create engaging content (giveaways, contests, questions, surveys).
• Enlist the help of social media influencers.
• Include links to your X profile on your website.
• Interact with your current followers and repost their content so they’re more likely to do the same for you.

Now that we’ve reviewed how to use X for business, let’s cover some tips and tricks you can apply to your profile to improve your marketing efforts on the platform.

The following X marketing tips are universal, meaning they’re applicable to any type of business, in every industry.

1. Use keyword targeting in X Ads.

Keyword targeting on X is a critical component of X Ads.

Keyword targeting allows you to engage X users through the different words and phrases you’ve included in your content and they’ve searched for on the platform.

This means you’re able to reach your target audience at the exact time your business, content, and services are most relevant to them.

On X, there are two types of keyword targeting you can use including search and timeline.

Search Keyword Targeting

Search keyword targeting allows you to make your posts show up for users who are searching for the topics that you determined relate to your business.

For example, if you sell gluten-free cookies, you can target users searching for content about baking, cookies, gluten intolerance, or Celiac Disease.

Timeline Keyword Targeting

Timeline keyword targeting allows you to act on users’ specific feelings, thoughts, actions, and emotions they’ve posted about.

For example, if you’re a running gear company, you might target keywords and phrases users post about such as, “running a race,” “race day tips,” or “training for a marathon.”

2. Implement hashtags.

Posts (previously Tweets) with hashtags generate more engagement than ones without them.

Adding hashtags to your posts is a great way to expand your influence on X. However, there are some guidelines you’ll want to stick to when using hashtags to ensure that you reach the largest number of people possible.

• Create a hashtag unique to your business so your followers and target audience can easily find you and your content.
• Make relevant and memorable hashtags for other groups of posts, such as those related to a specific campaign you’re running.
• Use X Analytics to review your most successful hashtags so you can ensure their use in future posts.
• Don’t overuse hashtags. This may feel and look spammy to your audience (not to mention it isn’t aesthetically pleasing).

3. Design a content publishing schedule.

As you grow your base of followers, you’ll need to post on a regular basis to ensure they stay engaged with your business and content.

Not only do you want to post regularly, but you also want to post at the right times of the day.

Here are some details about the best times (on average) for businesses to share their X content:

• Between 8–10 AM and 6–9 PM (in correlation with commuter schedules) on weekdays.
• Around noon or between 5–6 PM on any day of the week.
• For B2C companies, the best days to post are weekends.
• For B2B companies, the best days to post are weekdays.

Here’s an X content calendar template I use to plan my posts:

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You can review X Analytics to examine your engagement on the days you post more or less content to determine what’s working well for your specific audience.

Once you’ve determined when and how often you’ll post your content, you can use a social media management tool. This will allow you to both create your posts and schedule them in advance so you can focus on other tasks you have to complete.

HubSpot’s social media management tool lets you:

• Schedule posts in advance.
• Connect directly with your audience.
• Understand how your X interactions help your brand.

4. Create an X campaign.

Social media marketing campaigns of any kind are a great way to reach your audience, drive sales, and increase your website traffic.

You can create a social media marketing campaign specifically for X to target users, increase your base of followers, and raise your brand awareness through the platform.

To create an X marketing campaign, you’ll want to follow the same steps you would with any type of social media marketing campaign:

• Research your competition.
• Determine how you’ll appeal to your target audience.
• Choose the type of content you’ll create.
• Share and promote your content.
• Analyze your results.

5. Write a strong profile bio.

Writing a strong and memorable bio for your X profile is crucial.

This is because your X bio is the first thing a profile visitor will read about your company — it’s your written introduction and should briefly explain what visitors can expect from your page and content.

You only have 160 characters to do this, so choose your words wisely to ensure your bio successfully represents your brand and reflects who you are as a company.

Here’s a great example of an X bio by beauty brand Rare Beauty.

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6. Use images and videos.

When possible, try to include quality videos and photos in your posts. It’s been proven that posts with images outperform posts strictly made of text.

Photos and images provide an eye-catching and engaging element in your content as X users scroll through their feeds.

Videos are proven to outperform posts with images as well. In fact, posts with videos are likely to get an average of six times the amount of engagement than posts without them.

Videos and images are a great way to show your audience your product line or how to use an item you sell as well as make your content feel more personal.

Plus, images and videos in posts are proven to help you increase your engagement — and who wouldn’t want that?

7. Interact with your followers.

Remembering to engage with your followers as your business grows and X follower count increases is crucial.

This will help you create experiences for your followers and audience members that feel personal and keep them coming back to your profile all while fostering a sense of brand loyalty.

For example, if someone reposts your post or comments on your posts, you can “Like” that person’s interaction or even reply back to them.

In some cases, you might have a ton of ghost followers who follow your account, but never interact with your content. If your interaction rates are low, it may make sense to use unfollow tools to clean your followers list from ghost followers.

8. Share media mentions.

If your business is mentioned in the media, share the article, video, URL, or image on X.

This will make your business feel more legitimate to anyone checking out your profile and show prospective followers how many other people already know about your company and are enjoying your products and services.

This is an exciting way to broadcast your success to your audience.

Take a look at how Scribe posts all media mentions of the brand and its founders.

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It also provides you with a way to incorporate backlinks in your posts which, when clicked, take your audience members to the original source of the mention.

Meaning you’ll also drive traffic to the website of the media outlet that mentioned you, likely boosting their follower count and/ or brand recognition.

This could potentially help you become mentioned, shared, or featured in one of their pieces of content again in the future.

9. Keep an eye on your competitors’ X accounts.

X is a great way to keep an eye on your competitors’ marketing efforts. You can follow them or simply search them to see what they’re posting.

You can also view basic details about their engagement such as their number of reposts, comments, and responses.

This is a simple way to see some of the X marketing strategies your competitors are implementing and whether or not they’re working.

10. Focus on followers’ interests when creating content.

If you want to reach your audience members and ensure your content resonates with them, you’ll need to focus on their interests and needs — whether that’s in relation to the way you share content, what you share, or how you present it.

When you meet the needs of your target audience and buyer personas, they’ll be more likely to continue to follow and interact with your company. You can build buyer personas with HubSpot’s free tool, Make My Persona.

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As you study your buyer personas and target audience, you’ll be able to determine the type of content they’re likely looking for you to share.

Additionally, you can always post questions, send out surveys, ask for feedback, or even create an X Chat to get more ideas about the type of content your audience is looking for from your business and X profile.

11. Promote your events.

X is a great way to promote your business’ events.

Similar to the way you might for an X campaign, you can create a unique hashtag for various events (such as launch parties, giveaways, and contests) or schedule a variety of posts (using one of your social media management tools) to promote any special occasion your company is hosting.

This way, audience members — whether or not they’re your followers — will have the opportunity to learn about your event and get all of the details they need to sign up, be in attendance, or participate.

12. Check your direct messages regularly.

Like other social media platforms, X provides users with a Direct Message inbox where they can contact you in a private message regarding any questions, concerns, or comments they have.

So, be sure to check your inbox regularly as this can contribute to the type of customer service and support your business is known for, as well as the type of care you provide your followers and customers.

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13. Keep track of your analytics.

With all of the work you’re putting into your business’ X marketing, you’ll want to ensure your efforts are successful in reaching your goals, whether they’re related to directing more traffic to your website, increasing conversions, or improving brand awareness.

You can determine your X marketing success in these areas (and many more) by analyzing your work. To do this, you’ll want to consider which metrics matter to you and then determine how you’re going to track them.

Which Metrics to Track on X

Due to every business being unique and having different goals, you might not be interested in tracking all of the following X metrics (or you might be looking to track additional metrics).

However, we’ve compiled the following list of possible metrics for you to consider to get you started.

• Engagement. Look at the number of reposts, follows, replies, favorites, and click-throughs your posts get (including all hashtags and links they include).
• Impressions. Review the number of times your posts appeared on one of your audience members’ timelines (whether or not they’re actually following you).
• Hashtags. Look at which of your hashtags are being used most frequently by your audience and followers.
• Top posts. Review your posts with the most engagement.
• Contributors. Keep up with the level of success each of your contributors — the people you give admin access to on your account — are having with their posts so you can implement some of their tactics more regularly or remove them completely.

How to Track X Analytics

You’ll find several social media management tools with analytics features that are automatically built in. This is convenient for those of you who were already planning on choosing a management tool to assist with scheduling your posts.

However, one of the most common analytics tools for X is the one created specifically for the platform: X Analytics.

X Analytics

X Analytics helps you understand how your content impacts your audience and the ways in which your activity on the platform can help you grow your business. The tool is free, accessible to all users, and shares information about:

• Engagement rate.
• Post activity.
• Impressions.
• Followers.

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Depending on your business’ needs, you have the ability to incorporate X Ads (if you pay for the option) data in X Analytics as well.

Lastly, there are a number of other third-party resources and apps you can download and use along with X Analytics to take a deeper look at specific types of data such as detailed hashtag performance information or how other X handles in your industry are doing.

4 X (formerly Twitter) Marketing Tools to Level Up Your Strategy

Ready to make the best out of X? Here are my top four X marketing tools to drive results for your business.

1. Hypefury: Best for scheduling and managing posts.

Hypefury lets you automate your X posting schedule and plan posts in advance. The tool is purpose-built for creators and marketers looking to build consistency on X and grow their audience.

One of Hypefury’s standout features is the ability to schedule threads. Create a sequence of posts to share long-form content through an X thread with an automated posting schedule.

Hypefury also reposts some of your most popular posts at optimal times when you don’t have any posts scheduled. You can enable the option to share evergreen posts, and the tool will take care of the rest.

Besides, the tool can even automate product promotion. If you sell a product/service, Hypefury will add a post promoting your business under your best-performing posts.

What I Like

• Advanced automation saves time and effort in managing a posting schedule.
• Allows cross-posting content across multiple platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
• Shares suggestions and writing prompts to inspire new posts when you’re out of ideas.

Pricing

7-day free trial. Paid plans start at $29/month. Check pricing here.

2. Audiense: Best for understanding your audience.

Audiense, a customer intelligence platform, collects real-time insights from multiple sources to help you understand the target audience.

You can create highly targeted audience segments based on demographics, psychographics, and behavioral data. The tool will use this segmentation to share specific information about each group for tailored X marketing campaigns.

You can also use Audiense to find the influencers your audience follows. This will help you connect with the right people and opinion leads to amplify your brand and grow your followers.

What I Like

• Built-in social listening tool to track brand mentions, conversations, and trends.
• In-depth reports on audience behavior to understand preferences and expectations.
• Updated data about audience segments with the latest insights to strategize your approach.

Pricing

Free forever plan. Paid plans start at £23/month. Check pricing here.

3. Tweet Hunter: Best for creating content and engaging with posts.

Tweet Hunter is an AI-powered content creation and publishing tool for X.

You’ll find personalized content ideas based on trending topics and your preferences. Use these suggestions to write new posts and predict their performance with TweetPredict. This feature analyzes a post in real-time and assesses how it will perform once published.

You can also automate the process of liking, commenting, and reposting. The tool puts engagement on auto-pilot and makes it easy to connect with your followers.

What I Like

• Easily ideate new content and schedule posts beforehand in a calendar.
• User-friendly interface with a minimal learning curve to get started.
• Integrates with your CRM tool to optimize X outreach.

Pricing

Paid plans start at $23/month. Check pricing here.

4. Circleboom: Best for accessing analytics and follower insights.

Circlebloom is an X management tool to manage your post archives and perform bulk actions like deleting posts. It also offers options for content scheduling and automation to post on X and other platforms.

What makes Circleboom a must-have X marketing tool is its advanced analytics.

You can get a pulse of your audience and understand exactly who you are targeting.

You can also discover articles and content ideas that resonate with your audience. These curated ideas help build a repository of new posts to maintain consistency.

What I Like

• Multi-platform management to integrate your X marketing efforts.
• Get detailed insights on follower activity and engagement like active/inactive followers.
• Access advanced search to find users via their bio and identify influencers in your niche.

Pricing

Free forever plan. Paid plans start at $9.99/month. Check pricing here.

Kickstart X Marketing Effortlessly

X is a powerful marketing tool and social media platform any business can take advantage of.

I’ve leveraged the platform to gain website traffic, boost brand awareness, and engage my target audience. I believe the key to succeeding on X is in building a data-informed strategy keeping your customers at the core.

Bookmark this guide to get a strong start with X marketing.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Easy, fast, and unified. We’ve talked to a lot of customers about what they need from their tools to grow, and it always comes back to these three words. So why does go-to-market feel so hard, slow, and disconnected? Two words: legacy CRM.

The concept of customer relationship management (CRM) has existed for decades, and there are more tools than ever for understanding and engaging with customers.

The problem is, legacy CRMs have never fully delivered on the promise of being the source of truth about your customer. They are too hard to use and adopt and, even in the base case scenario, they struggle to capture engagement data about your customer.

We now have many great tools to help fill in the gaps, but they’re disconnected, often creating more work and a worse experience for your team.

AI has the promise to change the way we work and engage with customers, but runs the risk of becoming a disconnected burden. The only way to grow is with a unified customer platform, with AI that has access to your customer data and powers your engagement tools. Everything is easy to use with fast time to value, so you can truly grow.

But I want to talk about one of those attributes in particular: easy.

Today, the average company switches between 15 separate apps just to manage their customer interactions. Let’s contrast this with the fact that 82% of customers expect immediate problem resolution from brands, while 78% want personalized interactions. When it’s hard to even manage the tools you’re using to interact with customers, it’s even harder to meet their expectations.

This is where AI comes in. It’s not just the topic du jour, we’re already seeing real value from customers when their AI is easy to use. Early adopters of our AI features are not just accelerating their productivity, but their growth.

Our customer Sandler used our AI tools for creating content and personalizing outreach. They cut their sales cycles by half — from 90 days to between 30 to 45 days. Another customer in the manufacturing space, Aerotech, is now winning one in every four deals because they use our AI to qualify leads and guide seller actions.

We want to make it easy for everyone to grow with AI, which is why we recently launched Breeze, our AI that powers the entire customer platform. We’ve made it easier than ever to use AI everywhere you work, and to get value fast.

4 Ways AI Can Help Teams’ Go-to-Market Strategies

Most GTM teams have spent 2024 trying to fit AI into their strategies. When AI is a breeze, it’s easy to implement and teams can see value fast. Here are my four tips for using AI in your GTM:

1. Start with Data Enrichment

Who it helps: Marketing, Sales, RevOps, Customer Service, Customer Success

How It Improves the Strategy

Your AI is only as good as the data that powers it. The problem is, data about your customers is all over the place. It’s scattered across the internet like puzzle pieces, and unless you can put it all together, you aren’t getting the full picture.

While the data in your CRM that captures your interactions with customers is great, just this data alone is no longer enough. You need to know what signals your customers are giving you based on their behavior on the internet, and you need to have a unified view of that behavior in your CRM.

Now, with Breeze Intelligence, you can get the most unified view of your customer yet. Breeze Intelligence includes a data set of over 200 million company profiles and buyer intent signals, and unifies that with data you have in your Smart CRM.

This complete customer picture just became the context that feeds Breeze, and your AI tools are now working with the most holistic and up-to-date information on your customers.

2. Analyze Customer Signals

Who it helps: Marketing, Sales

How It Improves the Strategy

As a sales rep, you want to spend your time talking to prospects who are most likely to close a deal. AI can analyze buyer intent signals like viewing a pricing page. Automated lead scoring helps sales reps understand who to focus on.

Lead scoring isn’t just for sales. AI can take dozens of data points about your lead’s behavior — what I like to call their digital body language — to assign them an engagement score and a fit score. With these signals, you can send segmented marketing content to nudge prospects to buy, re-engage, or buy again.

3. Create and Remix Content at Scale

Who it helps: Marketing

How It Improves the Strategy

Marketers tell us that finding ideas for new content is the number one challenge they face. Not anymore. AI tools can brainstorm, write, and illustrate relevant content. They can even create videos.

Embedding AI into your content strategy is more than just a volume play. It helps you reach different audiences.

Ask five customers for their favorite marketing channel, and you’ll get five different answers. AI can remix and reformat content for every channel where your customers spend time. You can turn a single video into a full AI campaign with clips, ads, audio for podcasts, and social posts.

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The marketing strategies that got you where you are won’t get you where you’re going. Producing more of the same posts or videos isn’t the end goal. AI-assisted content means you can adapt and react quickly to whatever comes next.

4. Put Agents to Work

Who it helps: The entire Go-To-Market and your Customers

How It Improves the Strategy

Nowhere is the promise of AI as great as Agents. Simply put, Agents are software that uses AI and tools to accomplish goals with multiple steps. They work for your business. You can think of it like automation 2.0, but instead of configuring a workflow, you simply ask the agent to do a task for you and it completes it from start to finish.

We just launched four new agents in Breeze: Content Agent, Social Media Agent, Prospecting Agent, and Customer Agent. Businesses can use these Agents to transform their growth. For example:

• Content Agent generates blogs, landing pages, podcasts, and case studies.
• Social Agent analyzes social performance, company details, audience, industry, and best practices to create social media content for multiple channels.
• Prospecting Agent engages leads by researching them, personalizing communication, and automating the outreach process.
• Customer Agent is the 24/7 service team member that responds directly to customer inquiries.

With these team members at the ready to help you automate the mundane work, you will free up time for the critical human touch in the most strategic areas of your GTM — and your growth will skyrocket.

How HubSpot Can Help

So, let’s return to our three essential growth ingredients: easy, fast, and unified. That’s where HubSpot comes in.

Instead of disconnected tools, we give you a total customer platform. Every feature is easy to use and works together, including over 1,700 apps in our ecosystem. We deliver value fast, so you can see results in days, not months.

Finally, we obsess over unifying the customer platform. Everything works in harmony together, and you always get a complete customer picture.

Whether you’re a marketer, a sales rep, or a customer success leader, remember this: You hold the key to growth in your business.

The only way to grow is with a platform that’s easy, fast, and unified. Period. We’re as obsessed with your growth as you are, and that’s why we promise to keep prioritizing these three things.

The future of brand tracking is here — and it’s powered by AI.

Brand tracking is an essential marketing strategy for measuring brand performance, customer loyalty, and market positioning.

Traditionally, companies rely on surveys, panels, and market research to gather this data. But these methods can be slow, often taking weeks or months to deliver insights, which makes it hard for businesses to adapt to market changes in real time. Brand tracking can also be expensive and time-consuming, putting it out of reach for smaller teams with limited budgets.

AI is a potential solution, offering more accessible, faster, and cost-effective results. But what practical marketing applications does AI have for brand tracking — and how accurate is it?

In a recent Marketing Against the Grain episode, Kieran and I used HubSpot as a test case to explore how generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude could streamline brand tracking. By comparing the AI-powered insights with our own internal company data, we also assessed how closely AI can match up to traditional tracking methods and its potential for broader use.

AI-Powered Brand Tracking Opportunities

AI offers a more efficient way to track and evaluate brand performance, providing faster insights faster, with more flexibility. Here, Kieran and I explore three practical applications.

Understand why customers choose your brand over competitors.

AI isn’t just about quantitative analysis; it also helps marketers understand the qualitative ‘why’ behind customer decisions by analyzing online customer feedback, reviews, and discussion forums.

When we prompted AI to analyze why customers choose HubSpot, it identified core themes like ease of use, integration capabilities, and customer support. These findings closely matched our internal data, showcasing AI’s ability to quickly extract accurate insights from public platforms.

This offers a valuable window into customer behavior, enabling marketers to improve brand messaging and shape acquisition strategies around the attributes that resonate most with their audience.

Estimate your NPS score.

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a key indicator of customer loyalty and brand satisfaction — but it’s often expensive and time-consuming to measure.

While AI isn’t a complete replacement for NPS surveys (yet), it can give quick, informal estimates by aggregating online feedback and analyzing customer sentiment. This helps marketing teams regularly monitor customer satisfaction and make timely adjustments between formal NPS assessments.

In our experiment, we asked AI to estimate HubSpot’s NPS using online data. The AI produced a score range that was surprisingly close to our actual figures, along with a detailed rationale, demonstrating AI’s potential as an effective proxy for traditional NPS tracking.

Measure aided brand awareness.

Aided awareness, or how familiar consumers are with a brand when prompted with its name or logo, is a key metric for evaluating brand visibility and competitive positioning in the market.

Traditionally, this involves hiring research firms to build and run extensive surveys, but AI again offers a faster, more accessible alternative by analyzing publicly available data and consumer sentiment.

In our experiment, we used AI to estimate HubSpot’s aided awareness within a target market segment — companies with 200 to 2,000 employees. Interestingly, the two models produced slightly different results, with Claude offering a more accurate estimation compared to ChatGPT-4.

This discrepancy highlights the value of consulting multiple AI models for a more well-rounded picture of your company’s brand awareness.

Tactical Tips for Optimizing AI for Brand Tracking

AI is great — but it’s not perfect. Being thoughtful about how you implement and manage your AI marketing tools maximizes the value AI brings to your brand tracking strategy.

Here are five actionable tips to ensure you’re getting the best results.

1. Craft precise prompts for accurate AI results.

The quality of AI output is directly tied to how well you structure your request. Clearly define your target audience, goals, and context to help AI generate more focused and actionable insights.

2. Monitor for outliers and know when to validate.

Set your AI agents to flag outliers and notify you when results deviate from expectations. This helps determine when you should invest in resources like manual analysis or additional surveys to validate findings.

3. Integrate AI with your existing tools and internal data.

Improve contextual accuracy by integrating your AI marketing tools with internal data — like sales calls, social media interactions, and website analytics—to capture more personalized AI insights that reflect your brand’s unique context and positioning.

4. Regularly evaluate and update your AI toolkit.

AI models are constantly evolving, so it’s essential to confirm you’re always using the most up-to-date version. Regularly check and update your AI tools to make sure they align with your marketing team and business goals, giving you the most effective results over time.

5. Build your marketing AI ecosystem now.

“AI is going to be exponentially better in 12, 18, 24 months,” says Kieran. Therefore, the time to build your marketing AI infrastructure is now, so you’ll be well-positioned and agile enough to integrate future AI improvements as soon as they are available.

Adopting AI in brand tracking empowers your team to react faster to market shifts and customer behaviors, while also future-proofing your AI marketing strategy. To learn more about AI for brand tracking, check out the full episode of Marketing Against the Grain below:

This blog series is in partnership with Marketing Against the Grain, the video podcast. It digs deeper into ideas shared by marketing leaders Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot’s CMO) and Kieran Flanagan (SVP, Marketing at HubSpot) as they unpack growth strategies and learn from standout founders and peers.