Blog

Understanding your audience is a hard job, but decoding the Gen Z, Gen X, Boomers, and Millennial shopping habits is where the real challenge lies. All generations shop differently, so you need to do some deep research to find out how things function in their “worlds.”

To help you determine where to meet audiences where they are, we surveyed thousands of U.S. consumers of all generations to learn about their shopping habits, media consumption, and the latest trends they’re following.

For those in a rush, we’ve put a quick generation-by-generation overview below with links to the deep dive of each age group. To see a broader side-by-side comparison of how all generations handle each stage of product discovery and purchases differently, jump to our comparison section.

Millennial Shopping Habits

Gen Z Shopping Habits (ages 18-24)

• Social media, searching on the internet, and word-of-mouth are the top ways Gen Z discover new products.
• Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are the top social media apps among Gen Z.
• Of Gen Z, 37% have bought a product based on an influencer’s recommendation in the past three months, and 43% have bought through an in-app shop.
• One in two Gen Zers want companies to take a stance on social issues, specifically racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender inequality, and climate change. When companies advocate for these issues, it has a strong impact on Gen Z purchase decisions.
• Ads on streaming services beat cable TV for reaching Gen Z. Retail discovery is still relevant but less frequent than digital channels.

Jump to our Gen Z deep dive >>

Millennial Shopping Habits (ages 25-35)

• Social media, internet search, and YouTube ads are also the top ways Millennials discover new products.
• Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok are the top social media apps among Millennials.
• Of Millennials, 43% have bought a product through an in-app shop in the past three months, and 36% have bought based on an influencer’s recommendation.
• Of Millennials, 47% want companies to take a stance on social issues, specifically racial justice, income inequality, climate change, affordable healthcare, and LGBTQ+ rights. When companies advocate for these issues, it has a strong impact on Millennial purchase decisions.
• Ads on cable TV beat streaming services for reaching Millennials by a small margin. Retail discovery is still relevant but less frequent than digital channels.

Jump to our Millennial deep dive >>

Gen X Shopping Habits (ages 35-54)

• Gen X prefers to discover new products through search, social media, and in retail stores.
• Gen X discovers new products on social media more frequently than any other channel, even though it isn’t preferred.
• Of Gen X, 90% use social media — Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are their favorite apps.
• Of Gen X, 19% have bought a product through an in-app shop in the past three months. The same number bought based on an influencer’s recommendation in that period.
• Of Gen Xers, 40% say companies should take a stance on social issues, specifically climate change, affordable healthcare, racial justice, and income inequality. Further, 40% say companies shouldn’t engage with social issues, and 20% aren’t sure.

Jump to our Gen X deep dive >>

Boomer Shopping Habits (ages 55+)

• TV ads, internet search, and retail stores are the top ways Boomers discover new products.
• Social media falls flat for boomers — just 20% have discovered a product on it in the past three months, and only 11% have purchased a product on a social app in that time.
• About half of boomers say companies should not take a stance on social issues. When it comes to influencing their purchase decisions, social issues simply have no impact on a majority of Boomers.

Jump to our Baby Boomer deep dive >>

A Generational Comparison of Today’s Shopping Trends [Side-by-Side Data]

Where do consumers discover products?

Social media, internet search, and YouTube ads are key for reaching Gen Z and Millennials, while TV, search, and retail are favored by Gen X and Boomers.

As far as social media, Boomers and Gen X use Facebook more than any other app.

Meanwhile, Gen Z is all about YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Not only is Gen Z communicating with friends and being entertained, but they’re also discovering (and buying) products on social media more than any other generation.

What drives consumers to buy products?

When it comes to making purchase decisions, all generations are highly influenced by price, quality, and product reviews. Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X also value brands that have active communities around them and a social media presence.

Additionally, whether a percentage of the proceeds from their purchase will be donated to charity is highly important to Gen Z.

Where do consumers like to buy products?

All generations favor buying products in person at a store over any other channel, but this preference decreases significantly with age. Buying through online retailers like Amazon and directly from a company’s website is also popular.

Gen Z and Millennials are most interested in buying through social media and from a company’s mobile app.

Ready for more of the insights you need to reach your target audience?

Let’s take a deep dive into the shopping habits of today’s consumers, as well as how each generation compares, based on data from our 2024 Consumer Trends Survey of over 700 consumers in the U.S.

Shopping Trends by Generation (A Detailed, Data-Driven Breakdown)

Gen Z Shopping Habits in 2024 (ages 18-24)

So, where is Gen Z discovering new products? Let’s start with the digital elephant in the room: social media.

Social media drives Gen Z product discovery.

Our most recent survey shows that 40% of Gen Z has discovered new products on social media in the past three months, and 41% of them say it’s where they discover products most often.

Social media is also the number one way Gen Z prefers to discover new products, according to 40% of those aged 18-24.

All of this really isn’t surprising considering 93% of Gen Z use social media, for an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes per day.

You may also be wondering which platforms they’re using, so let’s take a glance:

YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have reigned as the top three platforms by usage in the past six months. Over half of Gen Z have used Snapchat and Facebook in the past three months, and 38% have used X.

When it comes to the social media apps Gen Z uses most, TikTok, IG, and YouTube come out on top again, but in a different order.

TikTok is used most, likely due to its focus on short-form videos and powerful algorithms, making it hard to put down.

But TikTok and Instagram are only the most used social media apps among Gen Z women, while men spend much more time on YouTube.

Lastly, we asked Gen Z which social media app is their favorite. TikTok is used most, and it’s also a favorite social media app among Gen Z.

But there are so many ways to interact with Gen Z on social media that it’s more important than ever to use a format that captures their attention and makes your brand stand out.

We asked how Gen Z consumers prefer to discover new products, and here’s what we found:

Our research from earlier this year shows that short-form video and social media marketplaces are the top marketing trends of 2024, so the fact that Gen Z is fully embracing these channels to discover products isn’t surprising.

Of Gen Z, 48% say they prefer to discover new products on social media through short-form videos, and 1 in 4 prefer to find out about products from influencers.

On top of that, 27% of Gen Z have made a purchase based on an influencer’s recommendation in the past three months, the highest of any age group.

The signs to invest in these channels couldn’t be clearer. Did I mention that they also have the highest ROI of any marketing trend? Another powerful trend we identified in our Social Media Trends 2024 research is selling directly on social media.

Considering 43% of Gen Z has bought a product on social media directly on the app in the past three months, and 29% prefer to discover new products through social media shops, there’s never been a better time to get started.

Our recent Instagram Marketing Report explains why the app presents such an incredible opportunity for social selling, and we even published a data-backed guide on the top tools and strategies for selling on Instagram.

YouTube Ads trump social media for reaching Gen Z men.

Of Gen Z, 21% have found new products through YouTube Ads in the past three months, and 19% say it’s where they discover products most often.

Overall, YouTube Ads are a good way to reach Gen Z, but they still can’t dethrone social media.

Gen Z women prefer to discover new products on social media, while discovering products through YouTube Ads is strongly preferred by young men.

SEO still matters for Gen Z.

Of Gen Z, 28% have found new products by searching the web in the past few months.

Sixteen percent of Gen Z say searching the internet is their preferred way of discovering new products, but how exactly is Gen Z searching online? A whopping 74% of Gen Z use their mobile phones most often when shopping online, while just 16% use a computer.

Additionally, 67% of Gen Z use their phones most often when looking up a question on a search engine.

This means you should be optimizing your website to be mobile-first to offer the best experience to your users. To learn more about the top SEO strategies, check out our Web Traffic & Analytics Report.

Retail discovery is less frequent, but still relevant for Gen Z.

While 21% of Gen Z has discovered new products in retail stores in the past three months, when we asked where they discover new products most often, it came in at #4.

So Gen Z is still visiting retail stores, but they’re discovering products through online sources much more often.

Does that mean hope is lost for retail? Not quite. Of Gen Z, 14% still say it’s their preferred way to discover new products, behind social media, YouTube ads, and searching the web.

Ads on streaming services beat cable TV for Gen Z.

Of Gen Z, 36% have discovered new products on film/TV show streaming services in the past three months. Beyond that, 22% of Gen Z have also discovered new products on music streaming services like Spotify, with 12% of them saying that music streaming is where they prefer to discover new products most often.

Does that mean cable TV ads are lost on Gen Z? Considering less than one in five have discovered a new product through their television in the past three months, it isn’t the best channel to reach those ages 18-24 (though still very relevant for older age groups).

Half of Gen Zers say companies should take a stance on social issues.

Gen Z is known to be vocal about the causes they believe in, but does that tenacity for the environment and social justice translate to their purchase decisions? Let’s take a look.

We asked whether companies should take a stance on social issues, and 40% of Gen Z say they should.

We then asked those who want companies to take a stance on social issues which issues are most important to them. Racial justice was by far the top issue for Gen Z (36%) as well as climate change (36%), followed by gender inequality (33%), and LGBTQ+ rights (17%).

The burning question is whether these sentiments translate to purchase decisions, and we found that they have a significant influence on Gen Z, dwindling slowly with each generation.

• Of Gen Z, 16% have chosen a product based on it being owned by a small business in the past three months
• Only 2% of Gen Z prefer to choose a product based on the brand’s commitment to diversity/inclusion.
• Of Gen Z, 49% have chosen a product based on the brand being owned by a person of color in the past three months.
• We found that 43% of Gen Z have chosen a product based on the brand being woman-owned in the past three months.
• Of Gen Z, 30% have chosen a product based on the brand being owned by a member of the LGBTQ community in the past three months.

Not only that, but brands taking a stance on these issues also make a significant portion of Gen Zs more likely to purchase. Below are just a few of the factors that impact Gen Z purchase decisions, aside from the product itself.

• Corporate Trust: 84% of Gen Z say they‘re more likely to buy from a company that treats its employees well, while 83% say they’re more likely to buy from a company that they can trust with their data
• Economic and/or Environmental Impact: 60% of Gen Z say they’re more likely to buy from a brand actively trying to reduce its environmental impact, while 46% are more likely to purchase products from small businesses.
• High DI&B Standards: 53% of Gen Z say they‘re more likely to purchase based on a brand’s commitment to diversity/inclusion, while 51% say a brand advocating for racial justice makes them more likely to become a customer. Additionally, 39% of Gen Z say they’re more likely to buy products from brands owned by a person of color.
• Gender and LGBTQ+ Advocacy: 42% of Gen Z say brands that advocate for gender equality are more likely to get their purchases, while 37% of Gen Z are more likely to buy from brands that advocate for LGTBTQ+ rights.

While Gen Z is strongly influenced by Environmental, Social, and Governance (or ESG) initiatives, there are other factors in their purchase decisions that are even more important – let’s take a look.

What drives Gen Z’s purchase decisions?

The top factors in Gen Z’s purchase decisions are unsurprising, with price, quality, and look/feel taking the lead.

But, when we ask Gen Z to choose the three most important factors in their purchase decision, we find some interesting insights. Take a look at the top eight most important factors when Gen Z is forced to choose just three of those they consider:

While price and quality still lead, we see that donations to charity, an active community, recommendations from influencers, and how brands treat their employees rise to the top.

Granted, these are nowhere near the top factors in this group’s purchase decisions, but for those who consider them, they are critical.

One other thing to note is that recommendations from influencers drive Gen Z purchase decisions even more than recommendations from their friends and family (55% vs. 24%, respectively) – yet another reason to leverage influencer marketing.

How does Gen Z prefer to purchase products?

When it comes to making purchases, 55% of Gen Zers still prefer to buy things in-store (the lowest of any generation), but online channels are close behind.

One in two Gen Zers prefers to make purchases through online retailers like Amazon, while 37% like to go directly to a company’s website.

Of Gen Z, 23% prefer to buy through social media apps, while 22% favor going through a company’s mobile app.

How does Gen Z like to pay?

Of Gen Z, 47% have purchased a subscription for a physical product in the past three months, the highest of any generation. But when we asked which payment model they prefer, Gen Z still largely favors buying a product for full price as needed.

And that wraps it up for Gen Z! Now we can talk about their slightly older, yet noticeably different counterparts, Millennials.

Millennial Shopping Habits in 2024 (ages 25-34)

Social media drives Millennial product discovery.

Of Millennials, 43% have discovered new products on social media in the past three months, and 34% of them say it’s where they discover new products most often. Social media is also the primary way Millennials prefer to discover new products, according to 34% of those 25-34.

Similar to Gen Z, 90% of Millennials use social media for an average of 4 hours per day, slightly lower than that of Gen Z.

As far as the platforms they use, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are the top platforms by usage in the past three months. Over half of Millennials have used TikTok in the past three months, and 37% have used Snapchat.

When it comes to the social media apps Millennials use most, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram lead the way.

But just like with Gen Z, the app used most differs sharply by gender. Millennial women use Facebook the most, followed by Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Meanwhile, Millennial men use YouTube the most, followed by Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok fourth.

We also asked Millennials which social media platform is their favorite. When it comes to Millennials’ favorite social media app, Facebook stays at number one but Instagram pulls ahead of YouTube.

Now that you know which platforms Millennials prefer to find new products on, here are the formats they want to see on social media among those who use it.

Millennials favor feed posts, ads, and social media marketplaces when looking to discover new products. They also turn to influencers and social media shops to discover and buy things.

Since Millennials tend to favor Facebook and Instagram, building a presence on these platforms is key. Setting up an online shop on both platforms and leveraging influencer marketing are among the highest ROI strategies you can use to get your products seen and bought.

Millennials Discover Products Through Search Slightly Less Than On Social

Discovering new products through searching the internet comes fourth on the list.

Of Millennials, 32% say they discover new products most often by searching the internet, just 11% behind social media.

When we asked what Millennials’ preferred channel for discovering new products is, 23% said searching the internet, lagging behind social media by 11%.

So search is a leading channel for product discovery for Millennials, but how are they searching? Seventy percent use their mobile phones most often, compared to just 20% who use a computer, highlighting the importance of optimizing your site to be mobile-first.

When it comes to online shopping, 73% of Millennials use their phones most often, while 16% use a computer.

YouTube Ads are the third-best way to reach Millennials, especially men.

Of Millennials, 41% have found new products on YouTube in the past three months, and 29% say they discover new products on YouTube the most.

On top of that, 29% of Millennials say YouTube is their preferred channel for discovering new products.

Overall, YouTube ads are the third best way to reach Millennials, but just like for Gen Z, when it comes to targeting Millennial men, YouTube rises to the top.

Retail discovery is less frequent, but still relevant for Millennials.

While 43% of Millennials have discovered new products in retail stores in the past three months, when we asked where they discover new products most often, retail comes in at number six.

Like Gen Z, Millennials are still going to retail stores, but they’re finding products online more often. We found that 22% of them say they prefer finding new products in retail stores, behind social media, searching the internet, YouTube Ads, and word of mouth.

Cable TV is slightly better for reaching millennials than streaming services.

Of Millennials, 27% have discovered new products through TV/film streaming services in the past three months, and 17% of them say that’s where they discover new products most often. Additionally, 9% of Millennials say podcast ads are how they prefer to discover new products.

When it comes to cable TV, 29% of millennials have discovered new products through their television in the past three months, and 17% of them say that’s where they discover new products most often, comfortably ahead of streaming services.

Additionally, 18% of Millennials say cable TV is where they prefer to discover new products, beating video streaming services.

Advertising on music streaming services is also a great way to reach Millennials — 27% of them have discovered new products through music streaming services in the past three months. Of that group, 8% say that’s where they discover new products most often.

ESG matters to millennials.

Of Millennials, 47% say companies should take a stance on social issues.

We also asked Millennials who want to see companies engaging in advocacy which social issues they want to see companies have a stance on most.

Among Millennials who want companies to advocate for social issues, 44% want to see brands take a stance on racial justice, followed by income inequality (38%), climate change (32%), affordable healthcare (39%), and LGBTQ+ rights (24%).

While racial justice is top of mind for both Gen Z and Millennials, Millennials put less of a priority on other identity-based issues like gender and sexual orientation.

Instead, they prefer to see companies tackle issues like income inequality, climate change, and affordable healthcare.

This might be because Millennials are older and more likely to be part of the workforce than Gen Z, making them more conscious of wealth inequality and the cost of healthcare.

While a sizable group of Millennials wants to see companies taking a stand, do these sentiments actually affect their purchase decisions? Just like with Gen Z, the answer is yes.

• Of Millennials, 59% have chosen a product based on it being made by a small business in the past three months.
• We found that 49% have chosen a product based on the brand’s commitment to diversity/inclusion in the past three months.
• Of Millennial respondents, 47% have chosen a product based on the brand being woman-owned in the past three months.
• Forty-two percent of Millennials have chosen a product based on the brand being owned by a person of color in the past three months.
• Of Millennials, 27% have chosen a product based on it being owned by a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the past three months.

On a 5-point scale from much less likely to much more likely, we asked all Millennials in our survey how the following attributes impact their purchase decisions, if at all. Here’s what we found:

• Corporate Trust: 82% of Millennials are more likely to buy from a company that treats its employees well, and the same amount are more likely to buy from a company that they can trust with their data.
• Economic and/or Environmental Impact: 51% of Millennials are more likely to buy a product made by a small business, while 48% are more likely to buy from a company that actively tries to reduce its environmental impact
• High DI&B Standards: 47% of Millennials are more likely to purchase from a brand committed to diversity/inclusion, while 43% say a brand advocating for racial justice makes them more likely to become a customer. Additionally, 42% of Millennials say they’re more likely to buy products from brands owned by a person of color.
• Gender and LGBTQ+ Advocacy: 46% of Millennials say brands that advocate for gender equality are more likely to get their purchases, while 36% of Millennials are more likely to buy from brands that advocate for LGTBTQ+ rights.

While ESG strongly matters to Millennials, let’s see how these issues stack up against other factors in their purchase decisions.

What drives Millennial purchase decisions?

Just as they do for all generations, price and quality are the top factors when it comes to Millennial purchase decisions.

Now let’s see which of these are most important to Millennials by forcing them to choose just three of the factors they consider.

Unsurprisingly, price, quality, reviews, and features remain in the lead. But a brand’s social media presence, whether a brand has an active community around it, whether the brand donates to charity, and recommendations from influencers rise.

While these aren’t even in the top eight factors in Millennials’ purchase decisions, among those who consider them, they are highly important.

How do Millennials prefer to purchase products?

Of Millennials, 52% prefer to buy products in-store, while 46% favor going through online retailers like Amazon. About one in three like to purchase directly from a company’s website.

When it comes to mobile apps, 39% of Millennials prefer purchasing through social media, and one in five like to go through a company’s mobile app.

How do Millennials like to pay?

When it comes to the payment model they prefer, 41% of Millennials say they favor buying products at full price when they need them.

On the other hand, Millennials prefer purchasing a product in payment installments (26%) and on a subscription basis (34%).

Now that we’ve covered Millennial purchase habits, let’s take a look at how Gen X likes to shop, which differs significantly from what we’ve seen so far from the younger age groups.

Gen X Shopping Habits in 2024 (ages 35-54)

Gen X prefers to discover products through social media, with other channels close behind.

One in three Gen X’s say they prefer to discover new products through social media and 28% say that social media is how they discover new products most often — tying with internet search as the channel they discover new products on most frequently.

Additionally, 35% of Gen X have discovered new products through online search in the past three months, placing it among the top discovery channels.

So, we know Gen X is all about searching online, but which devices are they using most when shopping on the web?

Two-thirds of Gen Xers say they use their mobile phones most for online shopping, while 16% are on a computer and 11% use a tablet most frequently. This is similar to what we saw with Gen Z and Millennials.

But unlike those younger age groups, where social media is the clear favorite channel for product discovery, Gen X likes to find items through a much wider range of channels, so let’s take a look at the others that have a meaningful impact on those ages 35-54.

Television ads are relevant for Gen X.

Of Gen X, 33% have discovered new products through TV ads in the past three months, and 55% of them say that TV ads are where they discover products most often, slightly behind social media and searching the web.

Additionally, 16% of Gen X say they prefer to discover new products through TV ads.

Retail has the widest reach for Gen X, but digital channels are seen much more frequently.

Retail is the top channel Gen X has discovered new products in the past three months. But while 35% of Gen X found a new product in a brick and mortar store in that period, when it comes to the channels Gen X discovers new products on most often, retail is behind social media.

Does that mean that retail is being forgotten by Gen X? Not exactly, because 27% of Gen X still prefer to discover new products in retail stores, tied in second with social media.

But it does signal that Gen X is shopping online more often than they visit retail stores, even if they prefer the latter. While this could be about convenience, a symptom of the pandemic, or a reflection of our increasingly digital world, it is important to reach Gen X virtually while keeping in mind their affinity for a real-life shopping experience.

Gen X Discovers Products On Social Most Often & It’s Most Preferred

Social media is the number one channel Gen X discovers new products on, according to 40% of those 35-54. And, at the same time, 28% of Gen Xers say they prefer to discover new products on social media, coming in at number one on the list of their favored channels.

This can be explained by the fact that 92% of Gen X use social media. While 14% spend under an hour on it every day, the rest average 3 hours and 25 minutes of daily use. So, Gen X is using a lot of social media and seeing ads on it more than anywhere else.

Regardless, 40% of Gen X have discovered a product on social media in the past three months. On top of that, 26% of Gen X have bought a product directly in a social media app in that same period. So let’s take a look at which social media apps Gen X is using.

So Gen X is definitely on Facebook and YouTube, while a little over half are on Instagram, and 45% visited TikTok and Twitter in the past three months. Now let’s take a look at which social media platforms Gen X uses most:

Facebook and YouTube stay in the lead, a trend that continues when we look at Gen X’s favorite social media apps.

Now that we know which platforms are most popular among Gen X, here’s a look at how the age group prefers to discover new products on social media among those who use it.

While the current trend for advertising to Gen Z and Millennials is “make content, not ads,” Gen X isn’t bothered by being advertised to more directly, preferring to see ads on social media.

But since the trend is to make ads as enjoyable and un-intrusive as possible, you should still try to make your Gen X ad campaigns feel authentic, fun, and relatable, making for a better experience regardless of generation.

Coming in second, 32% of Gen X also favor discovering new products through social media marketplaces where purchases happen outside of the app. This reinforces the previous insight we uncovered about Gen X preferring real-life shopping experiences, even if they’re discovering products on social media.

Still, 30% of Gen X prefer to discover new products through in-app shops, but keep in mind this is only among consumers.

In the past three months, 26% of Gen X consumers have bought a product directly on a social media app, and the same amount made a purchase based on an influencer’s recommendation.

The impact of influencers is surprising here — 29% of Gen X prefer discovering new products through influencers, which is a higher percentage compared to Gen Z, where only 22% prefer buying based on influencers.

One in three Gen Xers say companies should take a stance on social issues.

Of those in Gen X, 40% say companies should take a stance on social issues, while 40% say they shouldn’t, and 20% aren’t sure.

We also asked those who want to see companies take a stance which social issues are most important for businesses to champion. Here’s what they said.

Among factors like climate change, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, gender, and income inequality, affordable healthcare appears to be the most important social issue for Gen X (51%).

Now, let’s take a look at whether these ideals actually impact Gen X’s purchase decisions. Among all Gen Xers in our survey:

• Of Gen X, 42% have chosen a product based on it being made by a small business in the past three months.
• We found 36% of Gen X have chosen a product based on the brand’s commitment to diversity/inclusion in the past three months.
• Beyond that, 28% of Gen X have chosen a product based on the brand being woman-owned in the past three months.
• Additionally, 28% of Gen X have chosen a product based on the brand being owned by a person of color in the past three months.
• Twenty-one percent of Gen X have chosen a product based on the brand being owned by a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the past three months.

While these numbers are lower than what we’re seeing with Gen Z and Millennials, social factors are present factors in Gen X’s purchase decisions. We also asked all Gen Xers in our survey how the following attributes impact their purchasing decisions, if at all, using a 5-point scale from much less likely to much more likely.

• Corporate Trust: 70% of Gen X are more likely to buy from a company that they can trust with their data, while 74% are more likely to purchase from brands that treat their employees well.
• Economic and/or Environmental Impact: 43% of Gen X are more likely to buy a product made by a small business, and 60% are more likely to buy from a business that actively tries to reduce its environmental impact
• Moderate DI&B Standards: 36% of Gen X are more likely to purchase from a brand committed to diversity/inclusion, and 54% say a brand advocating for racial justice makes them more likely to become a customer. Additionally, 32% of Gen X say they’re more likely to buy products from brands owned by a person of color.
• Gender and LGBTQ+ Advocacy: 57% of Gen X say brands that advocate for gender equality are more likely to get their purchases, while 44% of them are more likely to buy from brands that advocate for LGTBTQ+ rights.

We know that social issues are part of Gen X’s purchase decisions, but which other factors do they consider, and which are most important? Let’s take a look.

What drives Gen X’s purchase decisions?

Unsurprisingly, price and quality are the top factors when it comes to Gen X purchase decisions. But let’s take a look at which factors Gen X finds most important when forced to choose just three of those they consider in their purchase decisions.

Whether a brand has an active community around it, a brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and whether a brand donates a portion of its profits to charity all rise to the top. While these are nowhere near the top factors in Gen X’s purchase decisions, for those who consider them, they are highly important.

How does Gen X prefer to purchase products?

Of Gen Xers, 62% prefer to purchase products in-store. 47% favor online retailers like Amazon, while about one in four like to go directly through a company’s website, and 26% prefer to purchase products through social media apps.

How does Gen X like to pay?

Of Gen Xers, 60% prefer to purchase a product for full price as needed, while 20% favor payment installments, and also 20% like to use a subscription plan.

Now that you know all about Gen X purchase habits in 2024, let’s end with a deep dive into the shopping habits of Baby Boomers.

Pro tip: Commerce Hub Software offers handy tools that make billing customers and collecting revenue super easy.

Baby Boomer Shopping Habits in 2024 (ages 55+)

Cable TV drives boomer product discovery.

Boomers’ shopping habits stand out the most of any generation. While Gen X shares some similarities with Gen Z and Millennials in terms of frequently shopping on social media, Boomers are discovering products in their own way — through cable TV ads.

Over half of Boomers have discovered new products through television advertisements in the past three months, and 40% of them say their TV set is where they discover products most often.

Leveraging online search is second-best for reaching boomers.

Boomers are better than younger generations when it comes to searching the internet, with 46% of them having discovered a new product through online search in the past three months.

Of those who discover new products through online search, 39% say it’s the channel they find things on most often, coming in second after TV ads. It is also the second most preferred channel for product discovery among Boomers.

So, which devices are Boomers using most often when shopping online? Unlike all other generations, 41% of Boomers use their computers most often for online shopping, while 46% use their phones more frequently.

Boomers prefer retail shopping more than any other generation.

Of Boomers, 50% have discovered new products in retail stores in the past three months, and 39% of them say that’s where they find new items most often. Additionally, 33% of Boomers prefer discovering new products in online stores over any other channel.

Social media falls flat for Boomer product discovery.

When we ask Boomers about their preferred way to discover new products, just 17% say through social media, and it ranks behind all the channels we just mentioned, as well as word of mouth and direct mail (snail mail).

On top of that, just 20% of Boomers have discovered a product on social media in the past three months, and only 8% have purchased a product on a social app.

Regardless, two in three Boomers use social media. While about a third of them spend less than an hour on social media a day, the other 65% are spending over an hour on it daily.

But which apps are they using?

70% of Boomers who use social media are on Facebook. Over half use YouTube; about one quarter are on Instagram, Pinterest, and X. 59% of Boomers who use Facebook also say it’s the app they use the most, with YouTube coming in second at 24%.

So you know where to find Boomers on social media, but what kind of content do they want to see when discovering new products?

Similar to Gen X, Boomers are perfectly content with being advertised to more directly, though the current trend of “making content, not ads,” popular with Gen Z and Millennials, is sure to improve their experience.

Boomers also favor buying through social media marketplaces where purchases happen outside of the app, showcasing their preference for real-life shopping experiences.

Unsurprisingly, Boomers are the least interested of any generation in discovering new products through in-app shops or through influencers, with 10% saying they prefer to find products this way.

Almost half of Boomers say companies shouldn’t take a stance on social issues.

Boomers are often considered the polar opposite of Gen Z, and in the case of whether companies should take a stance on social issues, the two groups are completely at odds. While one in two Gen Zers think companies should engage in advocacy, about half of Boomers say they shouldn’t.

Still, one in four Boomers want to see companies taking a stance on social issues, so let’s take a look at which ones they want to see businesses speak on the most.

The social issues Boomers want to see companies advocating for most are climate change, affordable healthcare, racial justice, and income inequality. This is right in line with the issues we saw were important to Gen X, though climate change is significantly more important to Boomers than any other generation.

Keep in mind the above is only among Boomers who want to see companies take a stance on social issues, which is just 26% of them. For the rest, social issues are either irrelevant or simply aren’t something they want to hear about when interacting with brands.

• Of Boomers, 4% have chosen a product based on it being made by a small business in the past three months.
• Further, 3% of Boomers have chosen a product based on the brand’s commitment to diversity/inclusion in the past three months.
• We found that 6% of Boomers have chosen a product based on the brand being woman-owned in the past three months.
• O f Boomers, 5% have chosen a product based on the brand being owned by a person of color in the past three months.
• Five percent of Boomers have chosen a product based on the brand being owned by a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the past three months.

While one in five Boomers have chosen a product based on the brand being a small business in the past three months, identity-based issues are clearly not resonating with Boomers.

But is that due to Boomers being averse to companies taking a stance on social issues, or is it because they simply don’t consider them in their purchase decisions?

To find out, we asked all Boomers in our survey how the following attributes impact their purchase decisions, if at all, using a 5-point scale from much less likely to much more likely.

When looking at issues related to identity, from the middle to the right side of the graph above, Boomers are overwhelmingly likely to say they have no impact on their purchase decision. A small percentage of Boomers say they are more likely to purchase when it comes to identity-related issues, while an even smaller group says they’re less likely to buy.

So it’s much less about whether they’re for or against a certain social cause — these issues are simply just not part of their purchase decisions, with a few exceptions.

It turns out Boomers are overwhelmingly more likely to buy from companies they trust with their data and those that treat their employees well.

Boomers are also more likely to buy from companies that donate a portion of their profits, try to reduce their environmental impact, and are small businesses, though many also say these actions have no impact on their purchase decisions.

Since Boomers generally aren’t impacted by ESG initiatives, let’s dive into the factors they do consider in their purchase decisions and find out which are most important.

What drives Boomers’ purchase decisions?

Price and quality are the most considered factors in Boomers’ purchase decisions, far above any other generation.

But which are the most important? Let’s take a look at what Boomers prioritize when forced to choose just three of the factors they consider when making purchases:

Here, we see a similar picture as before, with the addition of the way a brand treats its employees and whether a product is a necessity or a luxury.

While the latter is part of 21% of Boomers’ purchase decisions, just 3% of them take how a brand treats its employees into consideration, though it is highly important for those who do.

How do Boomers prefer to purchase products?

Of Boomers, 78% prefer to purchase products in-store. Fifty-six percent favor online retailers like Amazon, and another 33% like to shop directly from a company’s website.

Boomers also prefer using a company’s mobile app over ordering by phone or through social media.

How do Boomers like to pay?

Boomers overwhelmingly prefer buying products at full price whenever they need them, according to 78% of those over age 55. Eighteen percent of Boomers prefer paying in installments, and just 4% favor a subscription model.

Still, 13% of Boomers have purchased a subscription plan for a physical product in the past three months:

Consumer Spending by Generation

When the economy takes a hit, everyone adjusts their spending. And here’s how different age groups are handling it, based on our January 2024 research with 701 U.S. consumers:

Gen Z balances saving, spending, and enjoying.

Gen Z strikes a good balance between saving and spending. Almost half (43%) are saving more carefully, maybe because of student loans or wanting to be financially secure.

On the flip side, 17% are spending more freely. This flexibility might be because they feel able to adjust everything easily or because they’re getting more independent.

They’re all about finding deals (43%) and cutting back on non-essential stuff (34%), which is, frankly, surprising for this generation (in a positive way). I’d say that Gen Z is spending on what they need for life but still leaving some room for fun and enjoyment.

Millennials manage money, love deals, and savor life.

Millennials are mirroring Gen Z’s cautious optimism. They’re exercising financial responsibility, with 43% of them tightening budgets but also allowing some flexibility — 14% loosening budgets.

This could be due to factors like starting families or managing mortgages while still wanting to enjoy life’s experiences.

Just like Gen Z, they‘re adept at finding deals (41%) and being mindful of their spending (37%). As a Millennial, I’d say we’re all about balancing our financial aspirations with living our best lives in the moment.

We‘re aware of our responsibilities but still want to invest in great experiences because life isn’t just about surviving; it’s about living.

Gen X prioritizes stability through smart spending.

Gen X seems to be the very conservative generation when it comes to spending, which is not necessarily bad. Actually, if we all played safe with the money like Gen X does, we could avoid overspending.

With a significant portion (51%) tightening their budgets, it’s possible that Gen X witnessed economic downturns. That’s why they want financial stability more than anything.

Their focus on seeking deals (45%) and cutting back on non-essentials (47%) shows a strong commitment to smart financial practices.

Only 13% are willing to loosen their budgets, which may indicate potential fear or even trauma from debt repayment. They may also worry they‘ve reached their peak earning potential and won’t receive further salary increases.

Baby Boomers are playing safe.

Baby Boomers definitely have the most cautious spending habits of all the generations.

With 68% tightening their budgets, it‘s pretty clear they’re taking a conservative approach, possibly due to factors like retirement planning or going through an uncertain economic climate.

Their expertise at finding deals (54%) and extremely careful spending habits (71%) likely come from years of financial responsibility. With only 7% spending more freely, it shows how careful Boomers are with their money.

Meeting Your Targets Where They Are

While this guide has what you need to know right now, consumer shopping habits change rapidly — that’s why we’ll be running this same survey every few months and reporting back on any trends you need to be aware of.

And, for even more data on the key consumer trends that could impact your marketing strategy in the next six months, check out our State of Consumer Trends Report.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in July 2022 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

 

Digital marketing quotes are an invaluable source of insight and direction to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of the digital landscape.

My favorite, “The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing,” is a quote from Tom Fishburne, the founder and CEO of Marketoonist.

This quote reminds me that if done right, marketing should seamlessly integrate into the customer’s experience without ever feeling intrusive or forced.

And this is just one of many nuggets of wisdom I’ve discovered over the years.

I’ve curated this list of my favorite quotes across various categories. And as a bonus, I’ve also included at least one quote from a HubSpot employee who’s an expert in each category.

Let’s dive in.

Why use marketing quotes?

Quotes are a powerful way to tap into the wisdom and experience of others. They offer valuable perspectives and capture the essence of important concepts in a concise, impactful manner.

Whether it’s an inspiring quote to motivate your team or a content marketing quote to provoke discussion about one of your strategies, quotes can be a powerful way to help guide you and your team toward achieving your goals.

The abundance of marketing quotes include content marketing quotes, famous marketing quotes, branding marketing quotes, inspirational marketing quotes, storytelling marketing quotes, social media marketing quotes, and digital marketing quotes.

1. “It’s not what you sell that matters as much as how you sell it!” – Brian Halligan, CEO and co-founder, HubSpot

In today’s competitive landscape, customers have their pick when it comes to purchasing a product. The difference you can make is how you sell your product to stand out from competitors.

2. “Many companies have forgotten they sell to actual people. Humans care about the entire experience, not just marketing, sales, or service.” – Dharmesh Shah, CTO and co-founder, HubSpot

Successful businesses treat their prospects and customers as humans, not just numbers. Keeping the humanity of your customers foremost in mind will transform the way you do business.

3. “Ignoring online marketing is like opening a business but not telling anyone.” – KB Marketing Agency

In the Internet Age, it is vital to your business’s success to have a presence online. Online marketing is the name of the game.

4. “Marketing’s job is never done. It’s about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.” – Beth Comstock, former CMO and vice chair, GE

It may be tempting to sit back and relax after launching a long-worked-on campaign, but marketers always need to be a step ahead of their customers, preparing the next campaign or piece of content.

5. “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” – Peter Drucker, management consultant, educator, and author

This is the heart of inbound marketing: selling your product or service to those who are already looking for it — whether they know it or not.

6. “Integrated marketing offers opportunities to break through to consumers in new markets.” – Betsy Holden, senior advisor, McKinsey and Co.

Be on the lookout for integrated marketing opportunities so you can expand brand awareness to new, relevant audiences.

7. “The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.” – Tom Fishburne, founder and CEO, Marketoonist

Everyone is tired of being sold to. We are constantly bombarded by ads, so we tend to ignore them. Instead of fighting for customers’ attention, create content that captures their interest and offers them real value.

8. “To continue winning the internet marketing game, your content has to be more than just brilliant. It has to give the people consuming it the ability to become a better version of themselves.” – Michelle StinsonRoss, MD of marketing operations, Apogee Results

People want to know what’s in it for them. What value does your product or service offer them that it’s worth their time, attention, and money?

9. “Business has only two functions — marketing and innovation.” – Milan Kundera, writer and playwright

Innovation creates new ideas while marketing sells them. Master both to achieve all your goals.

10. “Build something 100 people love, not something 1 million people kind of like.” – Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO, Airbnb

The quality of your customers is more important than the quantity. Those who love what you offer will be far more loyal and likely to spread positive reviews than those who are only mildly pleased by your offering.

Digital Marketing Quotes

The world of digital marketing is ever-changing — the following quotes will help you think about ways to ensure your digital strategy remains relevant and impactful for your target audience.

11. “Businesses get blinded by the allure of a large subscription list, but unengaged subscribers aren’t just not interested in what you’re sending, they’re actually harming your deliverability.” – Meghan Keaney Anderson, vice president of marketing, HubSpot

It’s often tempting to hang onto every hard-won subscriber you’ve ever gained. However, it’s essential to regularly clean your list because email service providers (ESPs) use engagement signals to decide if your emails go to the inbox or spam folder. Focusing on quantity over quality can hurt your email performance in the long run. Instead, prioritize engagement.

12. “Marketers need to build digital relationships and reputation before closing a sale.” – Chris Brogan, president, Chris Brogan Media

In the digital age, customers have access to endless choices and information. As a marketer, you must prioritize creating digital touchpoints for potential buyers to know, like, and trust your brand. Differentiating your brand and building trust is crucial in today’s oversaturated market.

13. “Less is more. Keeping it simple takes time and effort.” – Jeff Bullas, CEO, Jeffbullas.com Pty Ltd.

It can be tempting to jump on every platform and follow every trend, but spreading yourself too thin is counterproductive. Instead, prioritize mastering a few key strategies or channels before expanding further.

14. “Instead of one-way interruption, web marketing is about delivering useful content at just the right moment that a buyer needs it.” – David Meerman Scott, keynote speaker and author

Good marketing should never feel like an interruption. Instead, it should enhance your audience’s experience at each touchpoint. Timing and relevance is the name of the game.

15. “Content, in all its forms, is the single most critical element of any marketing campaign.” – Rebecca Lieb, founding partner and analyst, Kaleido Insights

Content, whether articles, videos, or social media posts, forms the foundation of every digital marketing campaign. No matter how great your strategy, channels, or timing, they can never make up for poor content quality.

16. “Inspiration is the most important part of our digital strategy.” – Paull Young, charitable giving lead, Facebook

Let your marketing be driven by and inspire creativity. Aim for original ideas and innovative approaches that resonate with your audience.

17. “Digital marketing is not the art of selling a product. It is the art of making people buy the product that you sell.” – Hecate Strategy

As a marketer, your job is never to “push a product onto an unwilling consumer.” Instead, it’s about understanding your audience thoroughly enough to craft messages, experiences, and campaigns that seamlessly connect their needs/pain points to your product.

18. “Don’t build links. Build relationships.” – Rand Fishkin, founder, SparkToro

Link building can sometimes feel impersonal and spammy. Instead, build genuine connections with influencers, partners, and customers. Nurturing these relationships cultivates a strong network and naturally increases opportunities for more “organic” link placements.

19. “Discoverability equals sales in the digital world.” – Dev Chandan, founder, Dev Chandan

This one is self-explanatory. Potential customers can’t buy from you unless they know you exist.

20. “Before you create any more ‘great content,’ figure out how you are going to market it first.” – Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett, co-authors

Creating high-quality content is only half the battle. A solid distribution strategy ensures your content reaches the right people at the right time. No matter how “great” your content is, it has no value if your audience never sees it.

Sometimes, you might want to lean on the words and experiences that a successful person you admire once said or described. Here are some famous quotes you can apply to your business’s marketing efforts to help you do just that.

21. “Instead of interrupting, work on attracting.” – Dharmesh Shah, CTO and co-founder, HubSpot

Honey attracts flies better than vinegar. Don’t push your way into a prospect’s life; they’ll find the interruption annoying and so be more likely to write you off. If, on the other hand, you attract customers, they’re more likely to stick around because they are there of their own accord.

22. “Just because you are the loudest, doesn’t make you right.” – Brian Halligan, CEO and co-founder, HubSpot

Focus on the clarity and truth of your message, not the noise you can make.

23. “Content is king.” – Bill Gates, co-founder, Microsoft

Content that educates and helps prospects solve their problems is more likely to lead to a purchase and long-term customer satisfaction.

24. “Master the topic, the message, and the delivery.” – Steve Jobs, co-founder, Apple

You will only convince others if you are convinced and knowledgeable yourself. Be sure you know what you’re selling, why you’re selling it, and how it can help your prospects.

25. “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about.” – Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States

This quote is pretty self-explanatory, but it’s revolutionary when you apply it to marketing.

26. “It’s important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away.” – Douglas Warner III, former CEO, J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.

In this day and age, it’s easier than ever for consumers to choose the provider they like best from the comfort of their sofa. One bad experience can send them fleeing to your competitors. Be sure to give a reason for your customers to stick around.

27. “Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.” – Walt Disney, co-founder of The Walt Disney Company

The magic of a good product or service, along with an excellent customer experience, will keep customers around and lead them to tell others about your business.

28. “Brand is just a perception, and perception will match reality over time.” – Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO, SpaceX

Don’t underestimate the power of brand perception. Starting with a clear, strong brand vision can help you guide brand perception, but you have to stay vigilant about how others perceive your business.

29. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou, Civil Rights activist and poet

Focus on making people feel good about your company and your offer to create lasting positive impressions.

30. “Marketing is really just about sharing your passion.” – Michael Hyatt, NY Times best-selling author

We can all smell marketing that isn’t sincere. The best thing is to be selling something you believe in and are passionate about. People will buy your authenticity.

Content Marketing Quotes

The following quotes provide new ways for you and your team members to approach creating, publishing, and distributing your content and ideas — no matter the products or services your company produces and sells.

Check out our Content Marketing Strategy: A Comprehensive Guide for Modern Marketers to learn more about content marketing for your business.

31. “When it comes to content, the best marketers know that self-promotion is good!” – Kieran Flanagan, vice president of Marketing, HubSpot

While many marketers shy away from self-promotion for fear of seeming “spammy,” when executed effectively, promoting your content should be a win-win for you and your audience. The key is simply to focus on the value and relevance of your promotions.

32. “What separates good content from great content is a willingness to take risks and push the envelope.” – Brian Halligan, CEO and co-founder, HubSpot

Don’t be afraid to explore new ideas, formats, channels, etc. It’s essential to strike a healthy balance between maintaining what’s currently working and being willing to innovate and experiment.

33. “Quality content means content packed with clear utility and is brimming with inspiration, and it has relentless empathy for the audience.” – Ann Handley, CCO, MarketingProfs

Understanding your audience — their needs, pain points, goals, etc. — is crucial for creating high-quality content that effectively engages them. Without this deep understanding, crafting content that genuinely resonates and adds value is impossible.

34. “Marketing is telling the world you’re a rock star. Content Marketing is showing the world you are one.” – Robert Rose, chief strategy officer, The Content Advisory

One significant advantage of content marketing is that it allows you to “demonstrate” rather than “proclaim” expertise. Rather than simply telling your audience you can solve their problem, you have several avenues and formats to showcase your product and expertise “in action.”

35. “Content marketing is really like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date.” – David Beebe, founder and CEO, Storified Hospitality Group

It’s always about your audience — their problems, needs, and how your product can help them meet their goals. Your content must center your audience at every stage, from messaging to marketing.

36. “Focus on the core problem your business solves and put out lots of content and enthusiasm and ideas about how to solve that problem.” – Laura Fitton, INBOUND and influencer relations, HubSpot

This is a foolproof way to create relevant, high-quality content consistently. Creating content around the core problems your product solves ensures you’re attracting, engaging, and creating value for your ideal audience.

37. “Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” – Andrew Davis, author and keynote speaker, Monumental Shift

Content is a powerful way to attract, engage, and build relationships with prospective customers. Every content touchpoint is an opportunity to educate, build credibility, and establish trust with your audience. The byproduct of this trust is the eventual decision to buy and recommend your product.

38. “Content marketing is the gap between what brands produce and what consumers actually want.” – Michael Brenner, CEO, Marketing Insider Group

Content marketing acts as a bridge between products and consumers. As a marketer, your role is to use your content to demonstrate how your products or services solve your audience’s specific challenges. This means crafting messages directly addressing your audience’s pain points and illustrating how your offerings can solve those problems.

39. “One of the best ways to sabotage your content is not to tie it to your goals. Know why you’re creating content.” – Ellen Gomes, senior content marketing manager, Glint Inc.

All content should have a goal, whether broad or specific. It’s crucial to understand why you’re creating content, how you expect it to perform, and where it fits into your overall strategy or sales funnel.

40. “There are three objectives for content marketing: reach, engagement, and conversion. Define key metrics for each.” – Michael Brenner, CEO, Marketing Insider Group

When setting content goals, it’s essential to determine which metrics you’ll be paying attention to. A simple trio to monitor effectiveness is reach (how many people see your content), engagement (how many people interact with your content), and conversion (how many people take the desired action your content encourages.)

Inspirational marketing quotes exist to help you spark new ideas and excite your team members about the endless number of opportunities in the field. They also can positively motivate your team to produce unique marketing content for your audience.

41. “Recruiting great marketers should be your number one priority.” – Kipp Bodnar, CMO, HubSpot

A talented, hard-working, and collaborative marketing team is key to the success of all your marketing efforts.

42. “Do the right thing as marketers to build trust.” – Jon Dick, vice president of marketing, HubSpot

Trust is the foundation of any relationship, including between a business and prospective customers. As marketers, we’re often the first point of contact a person has with our brand, so it’s essential we start the relationship off right by building trust.

43. “Take a risk and keep testing because what works today won’t work tomorrow, but what worked yesterday may work again.” – Amrita Sahasrabudhe, vice president of marketing, FastMed Urgent Care

Marketers are tasked with relentless creativity. Risk-taking and trial-and-error will eventually lead to success.

44. “Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.” – Joe Chernov, vice president of marketing, Pendo.io

At the end of the day, it’s not about you — it’s about the customer. Aim to change the way customers feel about themselves when they use your product or service.

45. “Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz, former football coach at Notre Dame

All three — talent, motivation, and attitude — are key to being an accomplished marketer.

46. “The creative process is fueled by divergent thinking — a breaking away from familiar or established ways of seeing and doing.” – The Innovator’s Toolkit, Harvard Business Essentials

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box — even if it means failing several times before finding success.

47. “If you take a risk and it doesn’t go as planned, welcome to the club.” – Fran Hauser, startup investor, advisor, and author

Failure sucks, but it happens to the best of us. Only those who get back up and try again will see success.

48. “The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” – Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook

Risk-taking is the first step in innovation. Be prepared for both success and failure, but don’t fail to act.

49. “We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in and be what people are interested in.” – Craig Davis, co-founder, Sendle

Davis’s perspective offers us a paradigm shift; it’s not about stealing people’s attention, it’s about winning it.

50. “Speak to your audience in their language about what’s in their heart.” – Jonathan Lister, vice president of global sales solutions, LinkedIn

Getting personal is the best way to a prospect’s heart. Make sure you know who you’re selling to, what their story is, and how your solution can help them.

Marketing Career Quotes

A marketing career is both exciting and challenging. These quotes are tidbits of advice from industry leaders and trailblazers to inspire you and foster resilience. They are potent reminders to embrace growth by taking risks, running experiments, and being willing to pivot when necessary.

51. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” – Steve Jobs, co-founder, Apple

It’s important to create things you’re genuinely proud of. Ensure that every piece of content, campaign, or project reflects your commitment to your craft and aligns with your values.

52. “Execution and failure are a part of the process. You have to accept that.” – Morgan Debaun, CEO, Blavity

Planning is essential, but avoid getting stuck at this phase. You’ll never feel completely ready, so you need to take the leap at some point. Sometimes things will work out, and other times they won’t. But when they don’t, remember that failures are learning opportunities and a natural part of every journey.

53. “The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.” – Robert Greene

Always keep learning and expanding your skillset. Stay adaptable, curious, and open to new ways to apply your knowledge.

54. “Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.” – Denis Waitley

The digital landscape is dynamic. Staying ahead in this niche requires staying current on new technologies, platforms, and shifts in consumer behavior. However, it’s crucial not to follow every latest trend mindlessly. Instead, prioritize strategic adoption over reacting impulsively to changes.

55. “Always deliver more than expected.” – Larry Page

Do your best to exceed expectations in every interaction with your audience, clients, and partners.

56. “My advice for anybody who is trying to learn to do marketing is to niche yourself down in a specific industry…if you pick something, be the best at it.” – Brittany Thompson, social marketing and media manager, Virtual Resort Manager

The age-long debate is whether to niche or not. While there are compelling arguments for both, niching down at the start of your career is a great way to build expertise quickly, understand the nuances of that particular market, and position yourself as an expert.

57. “I’ve spent my entire life relying on light bulb moments and jumping in full-force.” – Emily Weiss, founder, Into The Gloss and Glossier

Embrace moments of creativity and inspiration. Learn to trust your instincts, embrace bold ideas, and recognize timely opportunities.

58. “I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow.” ― Marissa Mayer, co-founder and CEO, Sunshine

No matter how long you work on a strategy or a project, there’ll always be something that can be further improved or tweaked. Learning how to recognize when to stop refining and start implementing is important.

59. “Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” – Tony Robbins

Beware of the sunk cost fallacy. If data shows your current approach isn’t working, don’t hesitate to pivot. Stay focused on your goals, but remain flexible in your methods.

60. “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength.” – Sara Blakely, founder, Spanx

Starting with a blank slate allows you to approach ideas, strategies, and platforms without preconceived notions. This means you can evaluate every opportunity with fresh eyes, free from biases experienced marketers may have. It opens the door to seeing unconventional opportunities they might overlook.

Branding Marketing Quotes

Branding marketing quotes will help you consider how you share and promote your content and think of new and exciting ways to establish your business’s image.

Read our Ultimate Guide to Branding to learn more about branding your business and content.

61. Don’t push people to where you want to be; meet them where they are.” – Meghan Keaney Anderson, vice president of marketing, HubSpot

Tailoring your content to meet customers at every stage of their buyer journey is crucial. By consistently focusing on adding value and enhancing their experience, you strengthen the relationship while guiding them smoothly through the sales funnel.

62. “People will ignore or skip anything they don’t like. So brands have to start making things they love.” – Steve Pratt, partner, Pacific Content

Your audience is spoiled for choice. The only way to break through the noise is by giving them something worth paying attention to. This means crafting authentic, relevant, and engaging content.

63. “Smart marketers and smart brand managers understand the importance of leveraging frame of reference to build their brands.” – Mark Shapiro, chair, Vistage Worldwide, Inc.

Use familiar ideas and contexts to align your brand and offering with what your audience already understands or believes.

64. “Brand equity is the sum of all the hearts and minds of every single person that comes into contact with your company.” – Christopher Betzter, brand strategist

Everyone who interacts with your brand is a potential advocate or detractor. That’s why it’s crucial to consistently deliver positive experiences across all touchpoints, whether with customers, partners, or the public.

65. “A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is — it is what consumers tell each other it is.” – Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit

Brand perception and word of mouth heavily influence a new buyer’s purchasing decisions. Ensuring that every interaction leaves existing customers satisfied is essential for managing your brand’s reputation and cultivating a loyal army of advocates.

66. “Products are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.” – Walter Landor, founder, Landor

Consumers’ perception of a brand often carries more weight than its utility. For marketers, this highlights the importance of strategic positioning and messaging in influencing consumer behavior and loyalty — especially within competitive markets.

67. “Branding is about signals — the signals people use to determine what you stand for as a brand. Signals create associations.” – Allen P. Adamson, co-founder, Metaforce

Your brand’s signals include everything from visual representations to core messaging. Be strategic and deliberate about how these signals align with your brand’s identity.

68. “Never lose sight of your brand, its value, and its inherent need to be fed, nurtured, and placed above all else!” – Chet Baker, senior vice president of corporate development, Entrinsic Health Solutions

Your brand is an asset that will outlive any individual promotion, strategy, or product. For this reason, it’s essential to never lose sight of your brand’s values.

69. “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO, Amazon

Again, the importance of your brand perception and reputation can’t be overstated. When the dust settles, and a funny ad or discount promotion isn’t there to actively influence the audience, what do they say about you?

70. “Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touch points.” – Jonah Sachs, author

Every customer interaction with your brand counts. From the first point of contact to post-sale communication, each interaction shapes customer opinions and experiences.

Email Marketing Quotes

If you’re looking for some inspiration about getting the most out of your email marketing campaigns, here are a few of my favorite quotes to get your wheels turning.

71. “Your email list is one of your most valuable assets.” – Amy Porterfield, online marketing expert

Unlike social media or blogs, your email list is a channel you wholly own and control. It allows you to bypass third-party platforms, algorithms, and noise and open up a more intimate line of communication with your audience.

72. “Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches — at scale.” – David Newman, marketing expert

Email is one of the few channels that enables direct, personalized communication with your audience. When executed well, each email can feel like a one-on-one conversation, even when reaching a large audience simultaneously.

73. “Personalization — it is not about first/last name. It’s about relevant content.” – Dan Jak, marketing consultant

For content to be effective, it needs to be relevant to the person consuming it. As marketers, we must leverage data to profile, segment, and engage our audience. This means moving past the basics of personalization to craft and deliver experiences tailored to each email recipient.

74. “I want to do business with a company that treats emailing me as a privilege, not a transaction.” – Andrea Mignolo, executive and team coach

Would you prefer emails from a brand that builds a relationship with you or one that sees you only as a sales target? As marketers, we must step back, put ourselves in our audience’s shoes, and ask, “Would I want to receive this email?”

75. “Email is the most effective channel for keeping customers engaged over time.” – Megan Marrs, marketing specialist

Email marketing is based on opt-in consent. This means that the people who receive your emails have specifically indicated an interest in hearing from you directly. Combined with a consistent, personalized, and value-focused content strategy, this creates a powerful opportunity to nurture and sustain long-term relationships with your audience.

76. “When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” – David Ogilvy, advertising tycoon

Like most people judge a book by its cover, most of your audience will judge your content by its headline. No matter how great your content is, your headline will often make or break its performance.

77. “Your goal should be to own quality time in your customer’s inbox.” – Andrew Davis, marketing speaker and author

Getting into your customer’s inbox is just half the battle; you must also earn their attention and trust once you’re there. Most people receive hundreds of emails every day, so make sure you’re giving them a reason to care specifically about yours.

78. “Marketing without data is like driving with your eyes closed.” – Dan Zarrella, author and social media scientist

Leveraging data, whether from CRMs, social analytics, or ESPs, is crucial for making informed decisions and optimizing campaign performance.

79. “Email marketing is like a first date. If you’re too pushy, you won’t get a second one.” – Neil Patel, co-founder of Neil Patel Digital

Have you heard the saying, “You only get one chance to make a first impression”? Well, email marketing works the same way. If your initial email feels like another item cluttering your recipients’ inboxes and demanding their attention without payoff, you risk being sent to the spam folder or ignored altogether.

80. “Reaching the inbox isn’t your goal — engaging people is.” – Matt Blumberg, author and tech entrepreneur

Your most important email marketing metric shouldn’t be your list size. Instead, focus on how much of that list engages with your content and converts consistently.

Storytelling Marketing Quotes

Storytelling marketing quotes can improve the impact of the stories you and your fellow marketers tell about your business, branding, and products on your customers and target audience.

Develop your storytelling skills with our Ultimate Guide to Storytelling.

81. “Nothing sticks in your head better than a story. Stories can express the most complicated ideas in the most digestible ways.” – Sam Balter, senior marketing manager of podcasts, HubSpot

Storytelling is a great way to communicate or simplify your message. Weaving compelling stories into your content engages your audience’s emotions and makes your message more memorable.

82. “If your stories are all about your products and services, that’s not storytelling. It’s a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.” – Jay Baer, content marketer and co-author

Your story shouldn’t feel like a sales pitch. Instead, it should seamlessly integrate your product or service into a broader narrative that resonates with your audience.

83. “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.” – Steve Jobs, co-founder, Apple

Stories are powerful tools that shape the audience’s sentiments and actions. Learning how to weave stories effectively is an important skill that will be invaluable for crafting your brand’s identity and perception.

84. “You can’t sell anything if you can’t tell anything.” – Beth Comstock, former CMO and vice chair, GE

In today’s saturated digital market, you must craft a compelling narrative about your product or service that conveys why your audience should care about it and what sets it apart.

85. “The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” – Brandon Sanderson, author

Rather than outrightly telling your audience what to think, prompt them to engage with the ideas in your stories and deeply engage with the narrative.

86. “Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.” – Jean Luc Godard, director, writer, and editor

Stories are a great way to convey the impact and value of your solutions without making them too complex. Framing marketing messages within a narrative context makes your offer more understandable and compelling.

87. “Make the customer the hero of your story.” – Ann Handley, chief content officer, MarketingProfs

Your story’s focal point and protagonist should always be the customer rather than your product. In this narrative, the product is simply the catalyst propelling the customer forward on their hero’s journey.

88. “Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.” – Robert McKee, author

With so many messages vying for our attention simultaneously, stories have become one of the most powerful ways to cut through the noise and create an impactful narrative.

89. “And do you know what is the most often missing ingredient in a sales message? Storytelling. Good storytelling is a vital component of a marketing campaign.” – Gary Halbert, author

A great story transforms a sales message from a “transactional pitch” into an engaging narrative. It allows the marketer to drive the sale in an impactful and enjoyable way for the audience.

90. “The brands that win are the brands that tell a great story.” – Mitch Joel, author and founder, Six Pixels Group

A great story humanizes your brand, makes it memorable, and allows your message to resonate more deeply with your audience.

Social Media Marketing Quotes

Social media marketing quotes are a great way to influence the strategies you implement at your company and provide thoughts about how social media can positively impact your marketing efforts.

Learn everything you need to know about social media marketing in our Ultimate Guide to Social Media Marketing Campaigns.

91. “Social media marketing is about creating content that brings your audience together as a community and inspires authentic conversations while increasing your brand’s awareness.” – Krystal Wu, social media community manager, HubSpot

Social media is a powerful channel for creating genuine interactions and discussions with your community. Sharing content on these platforms allows you to leverage real-time engagement to nurture the relationship with your audience and increase brand visibility.

92. “It’s important to be where your audience of potential customers is today, and where they might be tomorrow.” – Andrew Delaney, senior manager of social media, HubSpot

Not all social media platforms are created equal. You also don’t need to be on every major platform. When choosing where to focus your effort, you need to understand where your audience currently spends time, where they might be gravitating, and how they consume content on those platforms.

93. “Social media requires that business leaders start thinking like small-town shop owners.” – Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO, VaynerMedia

Don’t be afraid to do things that don’t scale. Allow your business’s soul and personality to shine through in your interactions. Create genuine, personal relationships with your audience and adopt a long-term approach rather than fixating on quick wins.

94. “Social media was designed to SHARE what you’re doing and who you are, not BE what you’re doing and who you are.” – Richie Norton, author

Social media should amplify your brand, not control it. It should complement your strategy, not dictate it. Avoid getting caught up in performing for the algorithm and losing your authenticity and unique brand identity.

95. “I use social media as an idea generator, trend mapper, and strategic compass for all our online business ventures.” – Paul Barron, Foodable Network CEO

Social media is a great way to stay up-to-date on emerging trends, competitor performance, and current market sentiments.

96. “Going viral is not an outcome; it’s a happening. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Just remember, fans are vanity, and sales are sanity.” – Lori R. Taylor, founder, Rev Media Marketing

Virality is very hard to predict and not a reliable measure of success. Focus on what is within your control and optimize for tangible business results like conversions and sales.

97. “Social media is about the people! Not about your business. Provide for the people, and the people will provide for you.” – Matt Goulart, founder, Ignite Digital

A great social media strategy is an “audience-centric” strategy. Every piece of content should be framed around your audience’s needs, interests, challenges, etc. This shows your audience that you care about them and are not just promoting your business.

98. “Social marketing eliminates the middlemen, providing brands the unique opportunity to have a direct relationship with their customers.” – Bryan Weiner, board of directors, Cars.com

Social media interactions provide the rare opportunity for real-time, one-on-one conversations with your audience. Leverage this opportunity to build authentic relationships, directly address feedback, and create deeper human connections with your audience.

99. “Our head of social media is the customer.” – McDonald’s

The customer is king. This means that how you strategize, optimize, and engage should be directed by the feedback you receive on every interaction.

100. “Don’t use social media to impress people; use it to impact people.” – Dave Willis, writer and pastor

Always prioritize content quality over chasing trends or engagement farming. But remember, creating meaningful interactions and impactful content doesn’t mean you can’t inject fun and creativity into your messaging.

Start Using Marketing Quotes to Inspire Your Team

Marketing quotes can inspire your team members to produce their best work, drive home the points you make in meetings, and help you shed light on any situation at work. No matter what your company does, there are several quotes you can use to help you work towards your specific marketing goals both individually and with your team.

So, review the sections above and find some quotes to save on your desktop, write them down in your notes, or share them with your co-workers today.

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

If you‘re a business owner looking to build your start-up from the ground up, you’ve likely read plenty of blogs looking for advice on marketing your business—but I‘m guessing there’s sometimes been a frustrating lack of resources for your particular challenges.

Most marketing guidance centers on the perspectives of brands that are already established or have a sizable following. But what about the business owners who are starting from zero?

We chatted with start-up expert Annie Katrina Lee, whose previous experience includes marketing for Twitch, Pinterest, Amazon, and various start-ups.

If you want advice on marketing from the ground up, you’ve come to the right spot.

1. Start with the customer.

When learning how to build your start-up, you probably want a step-by-step guide that provides instant, tangible results.

That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?

Except Lee says that’s not the correct approach.

“A very common fallacy is when startups feel like they have to take a very specific piece of advice, whether it’s a best practice or something that they read in a blog,” she says. “I think when things are so definitive like that, it’s a bit misleading.”

Lee notes that start-ups that take straightforward, one-size-fits-all advice will often be disappointed when their journey doesn’t unfold as planned.

(And, trust me, I see the irony: Here I am, in a blog post, telling you not to take definitive advice from a blog post. But please bear with me.)

Rather than looking for step-by-step guidance, try approaching your marketing strategy as a framework that starts with your customer.

Lee says speaking to your core audience and customers is one of the best ways to develop that framework.

“If you don’t know who your customer is, then you don’t know what their needs and motivations are,” she explains. “And if you don’t know what their needs and motivations are, how could you communicate with them?”

Which brings us to our second point:

2. Get feedback.

Wistia‘s CEO, Chris Savage, told us that if a brand’s marketing resonates with 10 of its customers, it will resonate with 10,000 — and Lee says there’s some truth to that.

“The thing about marketing that’s hard is it is a blend of art and science,” Lee says. “The qualitative feedback of 10 people in a focus group is the art. What are you hearing? And how are you translating that feedback?.”

It also doesn’t hurt to pull feedback from a larger pool of respondents.

“If you survey 1,000 people, both potential customers and existing customers, you can compare, evaluate, and synthesize that feedback together. Which, to me, gives you a bigger picture than just one focus group.”

3. Start organically.

Lee says you want to build an organic audience… Meaning, you don’t want to rely on paid advertising to get your earliest customers.

“That should come in a much later stage,” she explains. “I’m 100% in the camp where you want to jumpstart things pretty grassroots and organically.”

That early organic stage could involve crafting a basic framework for your brand’s voice, tone, or visuals.

“That will allow you to simultaneously create organic content, test it, and get it out there while also collecting feedback,” Lee says. “I don’t think it needs to be such a linear process in the beginning, but I do believe that paid advertising would be a little too soon for that early of a stage.”

It all goes back to learning about your audience. By organically appealing to your target consumers, you can accurately assess the best channels to reach them so you’re not spending money and time in the wrong places.

“If you know who your audience is, you’ll know which channels to prioritize,” Lee says. “I think a lot of early-stage companies make the mistake of trying to do too much at once, which can muddle your message.”.

4. Focus on your product.

Of course, marketing is crucial in the early stages of any business, but you have to have a product that your audience can believe in and connect with. You can’t just sell people a bag of air.

“I’m always of the belief that it starts with the products,” Lee explains, adding that she believes product-market fit must come before any attempts at marketing

According to Lee, this part of the process involves early interviews and gathering information from consumers, which can be applied to your product’s positioning and messaging.

She says, “Partnering with product teams to set that foundation will make the marketing process much easier.”

5. Get personal.

With the rise of AI, consumers want more authenticity from brands before investing in them. That said, you may want to find a way for your brand to get personal with consumers and display its unique personality—a challenge that many established brands struggle with.

“I have yet to see a brand do it extremely well,” Lee says. “Maybe Duolingo because its face is the owl.”

Duolingo’s iconic owl, Duo, has taken on a life of its own, especially on TikTok. The language learning company is among the most followed on the platform and connects with its audience by having the owl participate in online trends (or by acting comedically unhinged).

Don‘t worry; you don’t have to be unhinged on TikTok to get your brand off the ground.

“I think people generally resonate with personal stories,” Lee says. “And I think there’s always a way to get your story out there.”

As Lee said earlier, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to building a brand from the ground up.

However, if you develop your products and brand voice and build a solid, organic relationship with your target audience, you’ll create a solid framework to help set your business up for success.

As people, we all have big goals — both personal and professional. I’ve been asked in countless interviews about my five-year plan for my career.

I’ve also had lengthy internal monologues about whether I want to buy a house, the countries I want to travel to, and the mountains (literal and figurative) I want to climb.

However, a desire without a plan is just a dream. I want to make sure I make my long-term goals a reality. That’s why I love five-year plans. That’s enough time to take the steps to prepare for lofty accomplishments.

So, in this post, I’ll share my tips for creating five-year plans that you can actually stick to. I’ll also share examples of what these steps look like in practice. Let’s dive in.

Table of Contents

• What is a Five-year plan?
• Benefits of a Five-Year Plan
• What to Cover in a Five-Year Plan
• Five-Year Plan Tips
• Five-Year Plan Template
• How to Make a Five-Year Plan
• Five-Year Plan Common Mistakes
• Five-Year Plan Example

Benefits of a Five-Year Plan

1. It can give you a fresh start.

Whether professional or personal, a five-year plan can serve as a reset for your life. Who doesn’t like a fresh start?

After all, that’s why New Year’s resolutions are so popular. They give us something to look forward to. There’s also something to be said about writing out a detailed plan. It can be a great motivator to put something in motion.

Personally, I’ve said countless times that I want to be fluent in Spanish. However, it’s not until I write a detailed plan for how that will happen that it feels real.

2. It gives you clarity.

Sometimes, a path seems scarier than it actually is because we don’t know what it looks like.

Creating a plan is like pointing a flashlight on a dark road. A more accurate description is that it turns that dark, twisty road into a clear path forward. This doesn’t mean there won’t be any bumps in the road, but at least you’ll know exactly where you’ll land and how to get there.

For example, working for HubSpot was a longtime goal of mine. I took the time to assess why I wanted to work for the company — the great culture and renowned blog pulled me in. Then, I made a plan on how to get here. I started by taking Academy classes and networking.

I never knew if my plan would work out precisely, but I did have time for introspection, giving me clarity on why I liked a company.

3. It serves as a reminder of what’s at stake.

In your daily life, it can be easy to forget that every day, we’re shaping our future. The decisions we make today affect what our lives will look like years from now. Having a visual reminder of this can keep you focused on your goals.

For example, I spoke to my colleague, Kaitlin Milliken about five-year goals she has had. She mentioned that she wanted to see the Philippines and explore the country her family immigrated from.

“When I first made the decision, I was still in college and didn’t have the money or time to make that trip,” Milliken says. “That goal was a great motivator for a lot of smaller choices, like saving, being smart with my vacation time, and making the space to plan the trip.”

4. It helps with professional development.

Having a five-year plan encourages you to think about and plan for the necessary skills and knowledge you will need in the future. This can guide your professional development journey and activities, such as training, education, or gaining specific experiences.

If you need a plan designed to help you with this, grab HubSpot’s free professional development plan to help you understand where you’re at, where you want to go, and how you’ll get there.

5. It helps with risk management and mitigation

If you’re a business owner, having a five-year business plan can help you manage and mitigate risks as much as possible.

By forecasting potential challenges and market changes over a five-year period, you can develop and implement contingency plans, diversify your income streams, adjust your business model in response to market demands, and maintain financial stability.

A five-year business plan makes it easier for you to navigate through potential pitfalls more effectively and sustain growth even in fluctuating economic conditions.

What to Cover in a Five-Year Plan

Before you get started with your plan, there are a few things you’ll need to figure out ahead of time.

1. Areas of Focus

Your five-year plan can cover various areas from education, career development, finance, hobbies, or even health. It’s up to you. Don’t feel stuck having to stick to one category and choose the ones that best interest you and fit your needs.

For example, one of my goals is to learn a second language, specifically Spanish. This is a personal goal for me that’s right at the intersection of education and my hobbies.

2. Values

Putting down your values in writing will help you discover your “why” (more on that later). This step will also help you narrow down what’s most important to you and shape the goals you set for yourself.

Why do I want to learn Spanish? Well, it’s a super helpful language to know if you live in the U.S. Beyond that, I really want to travel throughout Spain. Being fluent in the language would help me better connect with people throughout my journey.

3. Goal Path

Your five-year plan is only as successful as the effort put into creating it. To create a viable plan, it has to be actionable. Once you’ve got an idea of the goals you’d like to include, start researching the path to attaining them.

For example, if you’d like to set a career goal to become a marketing director, start looking at the steps and credentials required. Do you need to skill up? Is there a pathway at your current job? Doing some initial research will set you up for success.

Learning a language involves lots of steps. I decided to buy a few language textbooks and download Duolingo on my phone. Beyond that, I’m researching if there are local classes in my area that I can sign up for. A structured classroom setting can often be helpful for adults learning a second language.

4. HARD Goals

Tackling heartfelt, animated, required, and difficult (HARD) goals can be a rewarding but challenging part of a five-year plan. These types of goals will push you out of your comfort zone and help you achieve things you didn’t think were possible before. Think of these goals as highly ambitious but achievable with a five-year timeline.

Think of HARD goals this way:

• Heartfelt — what reasons are behind achieving this goal?
• Animated — what gets you excited about achieving this goal? Get specific.
• Required — what is it going to take to achieve this goal? What will you need to accomplish in six months to a year to stay on track?
• Difficult — what skills will you need to accomplish this goal, and how will you obtain them?

Let’s apply this to my desire to learn Spanish:

• Heartfelt — I want to learn Spanish so I can communicate with folks who may not be fluent in English and so I can travel to Spanish-speaking countries.
• Animated — the idea of visiting Spain and speaking with the locals gets me excited to learn.
• Required — I know that finding a local Spanish class will help me stay on track and develop a basic understanding of the language. Beyond that, I want to practice every day.
• Difficult — I need to know a substantial number of vocabulary words to become fluent. I will spend time drilling flashcards every day to help me learn more helpful verbs and nouns.

Now that we’ve covered the groundwork, we’ve got more tips to help you create a five-year plan that keeps you motivated and inspired.

Five-Year Plan Tips

If creating a plan from scratch makes your eyes glaze over, check out these tips to help you start getting some ideas on paper. I also asked Kaitlin Milliken, a senior program manager at HubSpot, to share how these tips help her shape her five-year plans.

1. Give yourself space to brainstorm.

To help you focus better when creating your plan, do a bit of pre-work.

Give yourself time to really think about what you’d like to accomplish and the things that are most important to you. For example, you could write out a list of potential goals or ideas and rank them in order of importance, including notes about why they are important.

Milliken often works through this exercise. This helps her decide what she wants to work on, which goals can be accomplished quickly, and which are most complicated and need to be a part of her five-year plan.

“I always start broad. I sit down with a note book and write out what I want to accomplish — totally blue sky. I can organize and narrow this list down later,” she says.

2. Consider separating long-term and short-term goals.

Once you’ve jotted down some goals, decide which are better suited for short or long-term ones.

Completely paying off debt might be a long-term goal, but deciding which debt to tackle first could be a short-term goal. It may also help to divide them up into a 30-60-90 day plan to help best set a timeline.

I asked Milliken how she decides which goals fall into each category. For example, Milliken says she wants to run a half marathon. However, that’s a goal she can work toward in a year.

In contrast, “I want to learn Tagalog — a language I don’t have a background in — and to build the program I run at work to support different departments at HubSpot. These are loftier goals that fit better in a five-year timespan,” she says.

3. Break down annual goals into monthly ones.

Tackling lofty goals can be overwhelming. This is why it’s important to break them down into smaller tasks that are manageable so you don’t get discouraged along the way. Let’s say you want to save $10,000 in a year. You can break that amount down into a recurring monthly payment of $833 or even split it into smaller weekly payments.

Milliken told me that she starts off each year with a lofty set of goals — like writing a few short stories, saving a certain amount of money, and getting a promotion at work.

From there, she decides which goal posts she needs throughout the year to check her progress. For example, she’ll set a savings goal every month.

“I also check in on my long-term goals every six months. Am I spending enough time on professional development to build my leadership skills? Am I on track to manage a team within the next five years?” Milliken explains.

4. Find an accountability partner.

Sometimes, life gets in the way and throws us curve balls — greatly impacting our ability to stay motivated and consistent. Having an accountability partner can help you stay on track.

This could be someone you check in with monthly, a close friend, a family member, or a mentor. Whoever you choose, just make sure it’s someone who will keep you honest. Perhaps they’ll even have their own five-year plan, and you can take this journey together.

“No matter the goal, I tell my best friend Meg. She encourages me to put in the time, celebrates my wins, and is the perfect accountability partner,” Milliken says. “If you’re looking to find your own accountability partner, you’ll want someone who can both keep you on track and be happy for you when you reach your goals.”

5. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments.

Remember that your five-year plan is yours. You can make adjustments as you see fit once you start tracking your progress. If your priorities change, update your plan.

Milliken says her first job out of school was in journalism, so her initial five-year plan for her career focused on being a great reporter. However, “as I worked in the field, I discovered that I loved editing and working with other people,” she says. “I adapted my goals to reflect those new discoveries.”

Milliken notes that her five-year plan changed from working for a top newspaper to finding a role that allows her to work with writers, giving them feedback for improving their work.

Five-Year Plan Template

If you‘re ready to create your own five-year plan, we’ve got you covered.

HubSpot created the following five-year plan template for you to download.

In it, you’ll find a short and long version, both designed to help you break down your plan into actionable goals for each year.

Download this five-year plan template

Next, let’s dive into how to fill out your plan.

How to Make a Five-Year Plan

1. Know your “why.”

This is single-handedly the most important step in creating a plan.

A clear “why” is your North Star. It’s what will guide you throughout your journey and motivate you to keep moving forward.

It can take a while to narrow this down. You’ll know you have the answer when it’s linked to a core value or belief. Otherwise, you have to keep digging.

One way to get to this is by just asking the question over and over again. For instance:

• I want to learn American Sign Language. Why?
• To become more connected to another culture. Why?
• To broaden my perspective. Why?
• To be a more understanding, tolerant, and inclusive person.

Now, we’ve taken something at surface level and brought it down to a personal, human level.

2. Choose your objective.

When creating a five-year plan, you want to review your life as a whole and decide what your objective will be.

Are you focusing on your professional career, your financial goals, your business, or your spiritual growth? Or perhaps you’re taking a more holistic approach and combining all of these elements.

If you don’t know where to start, use this: “In five years, I want to be [fill in the blank].” This will help you figure out goals that you may not have vocalized before.

Here are four core pillars you should always consider:

• Career.
• Health (physical and mental).
• Finances.
• Relationships (with self and others).

Depending on your goals, you can also add categories for religious or spiritual development, recreation, and service.

Don’t forget bucket list items. Have you been wanting to learn a new language? Or perhaps you want to visit every country in the world. Bucket list items are perfect for five-year plans because you can spread them out over a long period of time and have fun tracking your progress.

3. Start with the big ideas, then narrow your focus.

When you’re first writing your five-year plan, start with an end goal for each year.

From there, break it down by:

• Process — what steps will you take to meet this end goal?
• Success metric — how will you gauge success?
• Benefit — how does this end goal bring you closer to your five-year plan?
• Resources — which resources will you leverage to achieve your goal?

This process will help you turn your broad ideas into clear action items that can be executed.

Research will play a big role in this, as you will need to identify resources and set a structure to meet your goal.

For instance, say your five-year financial plan is to be debt-free.

That’s the big idea, but you need to dive deeper. How exactly will you achieve that? Your research will likely suggest setting a budget, paying off your most expensive loan first, consolidating your debts, and more.

Once you know the key action items, you can break them down by year.

This is a S.M.A.R.T. goal in action. The more specific you are, the better you will be at fulfilling your five-year plan.

More on that in the next section.

4. Make it S.M.A.R.T.

To give you the best chances of success, every goal should pass the SMART test. That means being:

• Specific — the vaguer your goal, the harder it will be to reach.
• Measurable — you must be able to quantify your goals because otherwise, how will you know you’ve reached them? This doesn’t always mean assigning a figure to a goal. It can also be a feeling.
• Achievable — while it’s good to push yourself beyond your limits, your goal should be attainable and realistic based on where you stand currently.
• Relevant — how does this goal fit within the bigger picture? Does it align with your personal values? What’s the impact on your life?
• Time-bound — it’s not enough to say it’s a five-year plan. You have to create a timeline and set milestones at specific points within your journey.

5. Allocate your resources.

Determining the resources (financial, human, technological, etc.) you need to achieve your goals, be it growing your business, getting a sound education, improving health, buying a home, or traveling, is a vital step in your Five-year plan. Here’s how to do this:

Financial Resources

• Budgeting. Calculate how much money you’ll need for different phases of your plan. For instance, if you plan to buy a home within five years, you would start by budgeting for the down payment, closing costs, and any potential renovations.
• Savings and investment. Determine how you’ll accumulate the necessary funds. This could involve setting up a savings account specifically for a large purchase or cutting back on unnecessary expenses to increase your savings. For a business plan, you’ll have to identify sources of funding, such as internal profits, loans, investors, or grants.

Human Resources

• Staffing plans. If you’re running a business, plan for hiring based on the skills and personnel required at different phases of your plan. If your goal is to increase production capacity, you might need to hire additional production staff. Also, consider the training needs to upskill existing employees to meet future challenges.

Informational Resources

• Research. Spend time researching the best strategies and tools for achieving your goals. This could include reading books or talking to people who have achieved similar goals. With business, you might need to allocate time and funds for ongoing market research to stay ahead of industry trends and consumer preferences.

Educational and Developmental Resources

• Learning materials. Invest in the necessary books, courses, or seminars needed for personal development or education. For example, if you’re aiming to learn a new language, you might reach your goals quicker if you participate in advanced language classes or immersion experiences.
• Professional development. If you’re looking to move up the career ladder, you can attend workshops, networking events, or conferences.

6. Monitor and adapt.

Finally, establish a system for regularly reviewing and evaluating your progress. There are many ways to do that, including the following.

Tracking Progress.

You can set regular intervals (monthly, quarterly, or annually) to review your progress against the goals and milestones you’ve set.

This could involve checking if you’re on schedule to save a certain amount for a down payment on a house, assessing improvements in your physical fitness, or reflecting on your advancement in learning a new skill.

Feedback Mechanisms

Use tools like apps, spreadsheets, or simple checklists to measure your progress quantitatively and qualitatively. For example, if your goal is to improve fitness, you might track workout frequency, diet changes, and body measurements.

Journaling or Documentation

Keep a journal or log of your activities and achievements. This not only helps in tracking progress but also in reflecting on what you have learned and what strategies have been most effective.

External Feedback

Sometimes, getting perspectives from your friends, family, or mentors can provide insights into how well you’re doing and what you need to adjust. They can provide objective feedback on areas you might not have considered.

Remember that circumstances change—financial situations can shift, personal interests may evolve, and unforeseen challenges might arise. Be prepared to adapt your goals and plan accordingly.

For instance, if a career opportunity requires moving to a new city, you might need to adjust your financial or personal development goals to align with this change.

Five-Year Plan Common Mistakes

We’ve covered what to do and best practices. Next, let’s talk about what not to do. Here are some five-year plan pitfalls to avoid.

1. Not Setting Clear Goals

If your goals are vague, it’s going to be nearly impossible to hit them. You can’t accomplish a goal that’s not clearly defined. When it comes to setting your five-year plan, specifics are key.

In the past, my goal was to “find a job I’m truly passionate about.” That goal was way too vague. What type of job makes me feel energized? What about my past jobs did I love, and what do I want to focus on? My broad goal didn’t cover these areas.

To refine that goal, I switched it to “find a job that allows me to build out a new content property and run that new program.” That helped me find my current role where I run HubSpot’s AI blog.

2. Not Doing Enough Research

If you’ve set any formal education or career goals, thoroughly researching requirements is a must. Skipping this step could cause you to miss important prerequisites and derail your goals completely.

One of my close friends wanted to become a licensed therapist. He needed to do the research to see what programs were available, how much they would cost, and how long they last. Without this information, he never could have moved forward and achieve his goal.

3. Failing to Set a Timeline

To achieve your goals you must track them. In order to track your progress, you need deadlines in place. Without deadlines you run the risk of aimlessly moving along (or not at all) without hitting important milestones — hindering you from accomplishing long-term goals.

I’ve tried learning Spanish in the past. However, I had no real timeline for that goal. I pushed off taking classes and working on flashcards because I had no timeframe for my goal.

4. Keeping a rigid plan that no longer suits you.

Yes, staying on task with your plan is important, but it is meant to serve you. If the plan you originally set no longer suits your needs, it is perfectly fine to make adjustments. The plan is not set in stone, and it should be revised as needed.

“One of my goals was to get a dog — one that I finally accomplished after years,” Milliken says. “Getting a dog took so long because I needed to move across the country. I was looking at shelter dogs at the time but ultimately decided to wait until after I moved.”

Milliken noted that if she had stuck to her original timeline, a pup would have made her move much harder. She also would have raised her dog in a small apartment instead of waiting for a place with a yard.

Now that we’ve covered our bases, let’s look at some plan examples and templates to help you quickly get started on your own

Five-Year Plan Example

Don’t let the task of creating a plan from scratch in Excel put you off. There are plenty of ready-to-use templates that will make light work of formatting so you can focus on hitting your goals.

1. HubSpot

Best for: Personal or professional use

Using our downloadable five-year plan template, we were able to create a detailed five-year plan, broken down by year, process, success metric, benefit, and resources.

What I like: I like that this template allows you to specify your goals, the resources you need to achieve them, the process you’ll take to get there, and how these goals will benefit you.

I also love how, in addition to a five-year plan template, you also get four other templates for skill development, SMART goal-setting, management by objective, and performance improvement plan.

2. 24 Slides

Best for: Professional use

If you’re looking to create a more visual plan to help you stay on track, 24 Slides has an easy-to-customize five-year business plan template.

This template has space to include both short and long-term business goals, plus it includes a variety of charts to help you build an engaging presentation.

It’s a good option if you’d like to create a five-year plan that can be presented to stakeholders within the company.

Image Source

What I like: I love how comprehensive this five-year business plan PowerPoint template is. With 14 slides, it allows you to define all the touchpoints in your business, where you plan to go, and how you plan to get there.

I also like how it allows you to track important metrics like revenue, gross profits, sales, tax, and interest expense over a span of five years.

3. Template.Net

Best for: Personal use

This personal five-year personal development plan from Template.Net offers a quick way to jot down your goals and strategize how to achieve them.

The categories are simple: objective, goals, timeline and activities, and have additional space for you to write out any reminders you’d like to set.

Be sure to include your “why” in the objective section to keep your reasons for creating the plan top of mind.

Image Source

What I like: I like how this template allows you to divide your life plans into several categories and define your goals, timelines, and activities to guide you. I also like how it urges you to keep a journal that details your daily activities, aspirations, and learnings in both life and art.

Accomplish More With a Plan

If you want to add more structure to your life and play a more active role in shaping your future, consider creating a five-year plan. While things may not pan out exactly as you‘ve expected, you’ll be surprised at how close you’ll get to what you wished for.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in May 2022 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

 

As a business, focus and alignment are everything.

There are so many things you can do to move the needle, but which ones should you act on? With so many people working on so many projects, how do you keep everyone moving in the same direction?

Unlocking these answers is the difference between disconnected work efforts and forward progress to achieve your mission.

As we continue to scale, we need to encourage self-motivation and execute on more cross-functional work to help our customers drive growth.

But let’s face it — autonomy without alignment leads to chaos.

That’s where the OGP framework comes in. Your strategy is only as good as how you execute against it. And having a framework to enable aligned execution is critical.

Ours allows us to continue providing autonomy with clear alignment on priorities from the top.

The OGP Framework

OGP stands for Objectives, Goals, and Plays. 

Before you start identifying your OGPs, you have to understand your mission, your values, and align on the strategy that guides you.

Think of it as your operating system. These are the elements that will inform your Objectives and help you understand what success looks like at each milestone.

And all of this is driven by who you serve — your customers, your buyer persona, the people you’re ultimately solving for.

Our executive team uses the following slide to drive our OGPs from the top:

• Mission: What is our big-picture vision?
• Values: What beliefs and principles drive the way we work?
• Strategy: How are we going to reach our vision?
• Strategic Objectives: What long-term, company-wide bets are we making over the next ~3 years
• Goals: How will we accomplish our objectives at the functional level over the next 12-18 months?
• Plays: How will we achieve our goals at the team level through specific deliverables over the next 3-6 months?

Your Mission and Values don’t change very often (if at all). They stay pretty consistent year to year.

Your Strategy and Strategic Objectives change roughly every three years. Each year at HubSpot, we review our Objectives from the previous year and decide whether we’re going to keep them consistent for the upcoming year.

On the other hand, your Goals and Plays get updated more frequently. We update our Goals every year and revisit our Plays on a half-yearly or quarterly basis.

More on OGPs

Alignment starts with an understanding of our long-term strategy, and our Strategic Objectives are determined at the executive level.

We choose to stack rank our Objectives to provide clear prioritization for the whole business. For example, we have seven Strategic Objectives for 2025, and we have them organized by order of importance.

Why? To make sure our teams have a clear sense of priorities and guidance on how to make necessary trade-offs.

Each Objective has a certain amount of Goals associated with it. We like to categorize our Goals based on priority:

• Priority 0 (P0): Critical to achieving Strategic Objective (likely fails without). There are fewer of these (~5 per Objective). They are often highly cross-functional, and these goals are reviewed by our C-suite on a monthly basis to ensure progress and remove any blockers.
• Priority 1 (P1): Important to driving progress toward Strategic Objective. There are more of these (~20 per Objective). They are often specific to one function, and these goals are reviewed by our functional leaders on a monthly basis to ensure progress and remove any blockers.

Then, there are Plays that roll up into each Goal. These are associated with the “how” — the specifics around what you’re going to do to accomplish your Goals.

Sounds like a lot of work, right? It is, but trust me — it’s worth it.

An important way to keep things running smoothly is through accountability. One critical way we’re holding people accountable is through our refreshed DRI model.

The DRI Model

In the OGP framework, the DRI (or Directly Responsible Individual) is the one person responsible for moving a Strategic Objective forward. They set the vision for the objective, define the success metrics and work to be done, align cross-functional teams, and navigate any blockers that arise.

Accountability and transparency are the keys to understanding whether we’re actually executing our strategy throughout the year.

We use mechanisms — like Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and monthly reports — to create space for status updates, address blockers proactively, and ensure we’re hitting our milestones.

So, there you have it. Just pop some ideas onto a few slides, and you can check strategic planning off your list!

…not so fast.

OGPs are a means to an end. They can help create focus, but true alignment comes from doing the hard work of thinking, planning, and communicating.

For us, the strategic direction is set by the executive team, but the execution of that strategy is very bottoms-up. Every VP is working with their directors, managers, and individual contributors to solve the “how” of each goal.

This is where the alignment from the top meets the autonomy of functional experts — and this is where the power of OGPs comes from.

How We Make OGPs Work For Us

At the core of strategic planning at HubSpot, we set out to identify the most important problems to solve for our customers. This allows us to focus our energy on the work that matters and align our teams on the work to be done.

The HEART of Success

What really works for us throughout this whole process is this: Direction and clarity about our priorities comes from the executive level, but the whole company is involved in the “how.”

Everyone at HubSpot is an important part of strategic planning.

Our Goal Drivers are collaborating with their teams to write memos that outline why their goals are important, how we’re going to achieve them, and what resources are needed to be successful.

And our executive leaders are setting direction at the highest view.

That’s how we create focus and alignment at every level of organization.

How We Continue to Evolve

Our approach to strategic planning evolves every year. It’s important that we tweak our framework based on new learnings and feedback from our employees.

We’re constantly using data to hold ourselves accountable to the strategy we laid out as a company. For example, we conduct eNPS surveys and interviews with people around the business to understand where we’re excelling and where we’re coming up short.

It’s comforting to slap an “approved” framework onto your business. It gives you a lot of confidence, but you can’t just stop there. You need to figure out what works for you as the industry grows and your customer needs evolve.

Focus doesn’t just happen. It’s a byproduct of shared vision. And vision comes from talking, sharing, looking at data, and updating assumptions.

If you’re not doing that work upfront, don’t bother with OGPs or any other goal-setting framework. None of them will work.

Give It a Try

In our culture code, we talk about hiring people with HEART (Humble, Effective, Adaptable, Remarkable, Transparent). We define effective as people who get sh*t done and take ownership for their success. You might also call this autonomy.

And in an autonomous culture, people can only thrive when they have a clear direction on where the company is going. This is where so many companies end up wasting top talent.

Focus and alignment are everything — and our framework is an incredibly valuable tool to keep employees focused on the path forward.

This post was adapted from MSPOTs: the Secret to Focus and Alignment, and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

I don’t like boring newsletters any more than you do. So whether you want to become an SEO expert fast or stay on top of changing Insta algorithms, here are 23 free marketing newsletters that you’ll actually look forward to opening.

Table of Contents

• HubSpot Newsletters
• Best Free Marketing Newsletters
• Best Free Social Media Newsletters
• Best Free SEO Newsletters
• Best Free Newsletters About Newsletters
• Best Email Deliverability Newsletters
• Best Creator-focused Newsletters

HubSpot Newsletters

1. The Hustle

Image Source

I’ve been a Hustle subscriber since before I started working at HubSpot. So it’s not just professional allegiance when I say that it more than lives up to its promise to be “your five-minute brief on business and tech news.”

It’s a newsletter powerhouse that doesn’t take its readership for granted. Hustle Managing Editor Ben Berkley tells me that his favorite recurring section is Weird Patents, which “captures the entrepreneurial spirit at the heart of our audience.” Absurd visuals guaranteed.

Editor: Ben Berkley

Frequency: Six days a week (we give Ben a break on Saturdays)

The longer Sunday stories are an extra-special treat for your inbox. My recent fav was about the cat-and-mouse game that is buying Hermès bags, and it’s a wild ride.

Cost: Free

Best for: Anyone who wants to sound more interesting when they’re talking about business.

Popularity: 2M+ subscribers

Sample subject line: ✨ Is Disney losing its magic?

RIYL: weird business stories, interesting people with big ideas, wordplay

Sign me up!

2. Masters in Marketing

Image Source

Masters in Marketing relaunched in June 2024 with the goal of sharing untold marketing stories, first-hand advice, and curated marketing trends. And frankly, we’re killing it.

So far, we’ve talked to the CEOs of Oatly and Liquid Death, Moz’s Chima Mmeje, and a GM at Microsoft. I just took a look at our planning spreadsheet, and we’ve got a fun few months ahead. Come join us.

Authors: Caroline Forsey and <ahem> yours truly. Yes, this is shameless self-promotion. Yes, it’s also a good newsletter.

Frequency: Every Tuesday

Cost: For you? Free.

Best for: Digital marketers, early- and mid-career marketers eyeing leadership positions.

Popularity: 350K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: 🕯️How Liquid Death reinvented marketing

RIYL: marketing stories and advice you haven’t already heard a hundred times

Sign me up!

3. Trends

Image Source

HubSpotter Cyan Zhong is like your chronically online friend who’s always the first to spot trends. Case in point: She tracked down the label designer of the Wirecutter-recommended Graza olive oil to talk about product design trends.

Subscribe for the latest data-backed business trends, research insights, and industry analyses. Stay for the fun.

Author: Cyan Zhong

Frequency: Every Tuesday

Cost: Free

Best for: Anyone who wants to stay ahead of the curve or build better businesses.

Popularity: 350K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: How Media Leaders Will Make AI Work in 2024, from HubSpot’s VP of Media

RIYL: internet rabbit holes, actionable business ideas, trendy niches

Sign me up!

You won’t find us gatekeeping. The newsletter platform — and other marketing tools — that we use here at HubSpot is available for your own use.

Best Free Marketing Newsletters

Heavy hitters in the “general” category include Marketing Brew, tl;dr Marketing, and Lenny’s Newsletter.

There’s a good chance you’re already subscribed to one or more of those, so here are six more we like:

4. The Black Guy in Marketing

Image Source

The Black Guy in Marketing is “a resource for diverse professionals who are the first, the only, or just trying to break through at work.”

Author Andrew McCaskill tackles well-worn topics like AI, total compensation, and networking, but with a perspective I haven’t seen in any other newsletter.

For instance, the newsletter on networking has stats from recent studies, offers four actionable networking strategies, and talks about opportunities and challenges specific to professionals of color.

Author: Andrew McCaskill, a self-described “culture analyst, inclusion champion, and marketing executive.”

Frequency: Monthly, and it’s on LinkedIn — not your inbox.

Cost: Free

Best for: Although the newsletter is largely written for Black marketers at any career level, McCaskill has written issues on Pride, Latino marketers, and more.

Popularity: Nearly 13K subscribers

Sample subject line: “White People Love Pastries!” & The Case for Building a Diverse Professional Network

RIYL: LinkedIn, career advice, fresh takes

Sign me up!

5. Kevan Lee

Image Source

Kevan Lee’s self-titled newsletter is a pastel oasis in a neon world.

A newsletter about startup marketing suggests an appetite for the hardcore, but Lee’s “playbooks, case studies, stories, and links from inside the startup marketing world” have a gentle and accessible vibe.

Even on topics like OKR templates, product versus brand differentiation, and account-based marketing, you’ll find fun reads and useful advice regardless of your marketing niche.

Author: Kevan Lee

Frequency: Every Monday

Cost: Free, with an upgrade option for $7/month or $70/year. The paid version includes access to Lee’s personal Notion workspace, discounts, and more.

Best for: People who are “into startup marketing and brand-building.”

Popularity: Unknown

Sample subject line: Bad ideas: How to brainstorm headlines, strategies, solutions, and more.

RIYL: startups, advice columns, self-titled albums

Sign me up!

6. Marketing Examples

Image Source

Marketing Examples does exactly what it says on the tin: Each newsletter includes six examples of great marketing.

Author Harry Dry breaks that down into three short examples, two copywriting tips, and one favorite tweet. Truly a something-for-everyone newsletter, Dry’s marketing examples span social media, ads, content, SEO, and sales.

And it’s just plain fun to read. This recent opening line wouldn’t be out of place in a hardboiled detective novel: “The story starts in California. 1981.”

Author: Harry Dry

Frequency: Every Monday

Cost: Free

Best for: Marketers at any level in their career; curious non-marketers.

Popularity: 130K subscribers

Sample subject line: The marketing genius of Lil Nas X

RIYL: success stories, marketing inspo, digital marketing

Sign me up!

7. Marketing Millennials

Image Source

Marketing Millennials casts a wide net, covering product positioning, success stories, email open rates, and more.

The bouncy tone will be familiar to anybody who spends too much time online, but behind all the “marketing bestie!”s and “LOL”s is a newsletter packed with timely features and legit marketing advice.

Author: Professor Millennial, aka Daniel Murray

Frequency: Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday

Cost: Free

Best for: Millennial marketers; Gen X and Boomer marketers still perplexed by millennials.

Popularity: 100K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: 🔥 You’re Doing Positioning WRONG.

RIYL: the word “bestie,” pop culture references, a sense of community

Sign me up!

8. Stand the F*ck Out

Image Source

With a name like this, it could’ve easily been the shock jock of marketing newsletters, but Stand the F*ck Out brings style and substance to the table, er, inbox. Each email contains one “super-practical” tip, and author Louis Grenier’s tone no-nonsense tone is straightforward but never boring.

Author: Louis Grenier, “a recovering Frenchman who helps marketers stand the f*ck out”

Frequency: Daily, Monday – Friday

Cost: Free

Best for: Freelance marketers, in-house marketers, and creative business owners.

Popularity: 13K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: 3 IRRATIONAL messages that stand the f*ck out | STFO 🤘

RIYL: swearing, contrarianism, lots of real-world marketing examples, Lady Gaga

Sign me up!

9. Why We Buy 🧠

Image Source

🧠 Why We Buy claims it will teach you buyer psychology in three minutes a week.

Short, punchy emails describe concepts like confirmation bias with real-world examples. Author Katelyn Bourgoin follows that up with actual science, data, and conversations with experts.

The best part: She also tells you how to apply each concept.

Author: Katelyn Bourgoin, “The Buyer Psychologist”

Frequency: Weekly

Cost: Free

Best for: Anybody who wants a fun, accessible deep dive into concepts like the empathy gap, the pratfall effect, expectancy theory, and more.

Popularity: 62K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: The BIG question 🧠 Why We Buy

RIYL: psych 101 class, GIFs, practical advice, science-based knowledge

Sign me up!

Best Free Social Media Newsletters

10. Future Social

Image Source

Future Social, a favorite of the social media managers I spoke to, delivers “award-winning case studies, theoretical social strategies, and follow-the-bouncing-ball content breakdowns to help build the best social.”

With more than 100 emails in the archive, you can catch up on trust-building, real-time influencer marketing, and so, so much more.

Author: Jack Appleby

Frequency: Weekly

Cost: Free

Best for: Social media managers and strategists; influencers and solopreneurs; digital marketers interested in social media even if it’s not their full-time job.

Popularity: 70K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: The Sesame Street Twitter Strategy: We should all be authentically Elmo.

RIYL: TikTok, #brands, impressing your boss who doesn’t use social media

Sign me up!

11. ICYMI

Image Source

ICYMI is an essential subscription for the social media manager who’s doing three jobs at once and doesn’t have time to read about every update to Instagram algorithms or new Threads features. Each newsletter has plenty of “pro insights to make you better at your job” in just a few minutes a week.

Author: Lia Haberman

Frequency: Every Friday

Cost: The free version includes a weekly email plus access to the ICYMI events database.

Upgrade for $6/month or $60/year, and get two bonus newsletters each month plus an invitation to the ICYMI Slack channel and access to social resources and reports.

Best for: Social media and audience engagement folks who want personable, highly skimmable roundups of relevant news and updates to all the major social media platforms. It’s a favorite among HubSpotters.

Popularity: 22K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: ICYMI: 5 Brands Taking a Social-First Approach

RIYL: social-first marketing, platform updates, recaps

Sign me up!

12. Link in Bio

Image Source

A wise marketer once told me, “Viral is an outcome, not a strategy.”

That person probably subscribed to Rachel Karten’s Link In Bio, “a newsletter about working in social media, creating clever content, and making sure your boss never asks you to ‘go viral.’”

The free version of this email is limited to every-other-week interviews, but the interviews are so in-depth and relevant that you’ll still be thinking about them during the off weeks.

Author: Rachel Karten, who previously led the social media teams at Bon Appétit and Epicurious.

Frequency: Every other week.

Cost: The free subscription sends out every-other-week interviews “with people who actually press post.”

There’s also an upgrade option for $8/month or $80/year, which adds a Discord invite and a weekly Logged On email (sample subject line: How to Build a Content Calendar).

Karten also comps a number of paid subscriptions for students or others who can’t swing the fees.

Best for: Social media managers at any level in their career.

Popularity: Unknown

Sample subject line: This Politician is Very Good at Social Media

RIYL: case studies, pop culture, social media inspo

Sign me up!

Best Free SEO Newsletters

I tried guesstimating how many SEO newsletters are floating around the ethernet right now, but I am not confident I count that high.

It’s a lot. Which makes sense — SEO is a rapidly evolving field, and it’s essential for any digital marketer to stay informed.

But even if you live, breathe, and eat SEO, it’s impossible to consume even a fraction of these newsletters.

Here’s three winners — one for experts, one for newbies, one for those of us somewhere in the middle:

13. SEOFOMO

Image Source

SEOFOMO is to SEOs what ICYMI is to social media managers. Each newsletter includes brief recaps of SEO news and updates as well as free SEO resources, trends, and tools. If your job title includes “SEO,” add this one to your inbox.

Author: Aleyda Solis

Frequency: Weekly

Cost: Free

Best for: Pro SEOs — when I asked HubSpot SEOs for their favs, SEOFOMO came up every time. “She’s amazing,” said one HubSpotter of Aleyda Solis.

Popularity: 33K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: 🍿 Google Leaks, AIO Updates, Impact & More

RIYL: search news, search updates, search trends

Sign me up!

14. SEO for the Rest of Us

Image Source

If your job doesn’t have “SEO” in the title, or if you’re just new to the world of search engine optimization, SEO for the Rest of Us is the newsletter you want in your inbox.

Author Brendan Hufford means it when he says “SEO for beginners.” The emails are explanatory but never patronizing, and he even provides worksheets designed to give you immediate hands-on experience.

Author: Brendan Hufford, a SaaS SEO consultant who also has 10 years of classroom teaching experience.

Cost: Free

Best for: Digital marketers who aren’t SEO experts but want to understand how it works.

Popularity: 2.4K subscribers

Sample subject line: If SEO is NOT a numbers game…?

RIYL: pop culture GIFs, doing homework for extra credit, atomic age design

Sign me up!

15. WTF is SEO?

Image Source

“Enjoyable” is a lofty goal in technical fields like SEO, but WTF is SEO? cranks out consistently enjoyable reads every Monday.

“A newsletter about search strategies for news publishers” somewhat undersells the community-building that’s central to WTF is SEO?’s ethos, with regular mailbag and AMA-style features among the more-typical newsletter fare.

Even if you’re not strictly a news publisher, there’s plenty here to learn and to love.

Authors: Jessie Willms and Shelby Blackley, who also host hour-long community calls for subscribers.

Frequency: Every Monday

Cost: Free

Best for: News publishers who want a one-stop shop for SEO news roundups, deep dives and how-tos, and interviews.

Popularity: Unknown

Sample subject line: Half the world votes in 2024. Our guide to election SEO

RIYL: a sense of community; current events and timely topics; long, thoughtful emails

Sign me up!

Best Free Newsletters About Newsletters

Let’s get meta. Newsletters about newsletters is another crowded category with a frankly overwhelming number of options. (Also overwhelming: Writing subject lines. Here’s 100 that we actually clicked.)

If you’re starting your own newsletter, we have a few great resources for you, like this ultimate email newsletter guide and our fav newsletter examples.

Here’s four great newsletter newsletters:

16. 9 Things Sunday

Image Source

Emily Ryan’s weekly newsletter is a sweet Sunday tidbit for your inbox. Filled with “fun, useful email tips and more cool things from around the net,” 9 Things Sunday collects ideas, inspo, and advice into a skimmable numbered list that you’ll look forward to every week.

Author: Emily Ryan, founder of Westfield Creative

Frequency: Every Sunday

Cost: Free

Best for: Email marketers, especially (but not exclusively) those who use Mailchimp.

Popularity: Unknown

Sample subject line: 8 Things Sunday 📫🙊

RIYL: Mailchimp, numbered lists, email tips

Sign me up!

17. Email Love

Image Source

If your role is more creative than technical — or if you just want a break from SEO and social algorithms — Email Love belongs in your inbox.

It’s a “newsletter crafted for marketers, designers, coders, and anyone keen on exceptional email design, content ideas, news, and interviews,” and every issue is packed full of beautiful design and creative inspo.

Better yet, author Andy King writes a brief explanation of why the design works, so you can incorporate your favorite elements into your own work.

Author: Andy King, who describes his role as “curator”

Frequency: Once or twice weekly

Cost: Free

Best for: Newsletter writers and marketers in search of design and content inspiration.

Popularity: Unknown

Sample subject line: Warning: This email may brighten up your day ☀️

RIYL: mood boards, Pinterest, typography, email

Sign me up!

18. Inbox Collective

Image Source

Dan Oshinsky describes Inbox Collective as “the newsletter for people who make newsletters.” With a minimalist but text-heavy design, it’s not much to look at, but that won’t matter once you dig into interviews with other newsletter writers, growth strategy advice, and some quick hits from Oshkinsky’s own reading list.

Author: Dan Oshinsky, formerly the Director of Newsletters at Buzzfeed and The New Yorker.

Cost: Free

Best for: People who make newsletters. But seriously: It’s also great if you don’t want to subscribe to a dozen newsletters about newsletters — Inbox Collective ticks a lot of boxes, with interviews, industry news and updates, a job board, and expert advice.

Popularity: 10K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: Three secrets I’ve learned about great newsletters

RIYL: real talk, clear advice, making newsletters

Sign me up!

19. Newsletter Operator

Image Source

Newsletter Operator is for the money-motivated marketer.

Each email has a lesson that will help you “learn how to grow and monetize your newsletter.” Some of the subject lines would be clickbait (“How To Get Your First 1,000 Newsletter Subscribers In 30 Days”) if they weren’t backed up with deep dives, step-by-step guides, and useful examples.

Author: Matt McGarry (who is, full disclosure, a former HubSpotter, though he left before I started)

Cost: Free

Best for: Solo and small-biz newsletter creators

Popularity: 20K+

Sample subject line: How To Make a “Subscriber Flow” That Will Increase Your Conversion Rate, Open Rate, and CTR

RIYL: technical details, growth strategies, making money

Sign me up!

Best Email Deliverability Newsletters

20. Send It Right

Image Source

“Email deliverability” isn’t a topic that inspires a lot of warmth. Lauren Meyer is ready to change that with her new newsletter, Send It Right, which she calls “a newsletter for marketers and email practitioners who want to reach the inboxes — and hearts — of email recipients.”

Meyer’s human-first approach is apparent in the details, like this note about Send It Right’s confirmation email:

“Please … click the link to confirm your interest before I send you more email. I respect your privacy, and you can unsubscribe at any time because sending spam is bad. If you don’t agree, this newsletter isn’t for you.”

Preach.

Author: Lauren Meyer

Frequency: Weekly

Cost: Free

Best for: Early-career email marketers or anybody looking for clear, accessible, step-by-step guidance on email deliverability.

Popularity: Unknown

Sample subject line: How to know if you have a deliverability issue

RIYL: teachers, myth-busting, avoiding spam folders

Sign me up!

21. Spam Resource

Image Source

Spam Resource is your no-nonsense, one-stop subscription for the latest in email deliverability. Recent topics include complying with Yahoo! and Google email requirements and how to send email successfully without looking like a spammer.

And if the overabundance of deliverability-related acronyms leaves your head spinning, check out the archives, where Al Iverson decodes DMARC, DKIM, SPF, and more.

Author: Al Iverson, who has now written more than half a million words on email deliverability

Frequency: Every Monday

Cost: Free

Best for: MarTech folks, email senders, and brand marketers who are neck-deep in email deliverability and want guidance.  

Popularity: 1K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: Google sending requirements: What of B2B? + more from Spam Resource

RIYL: email marketing, troubleshooting, hating spam

Sign me up!

I know Al Iverson IRL, so I asked him why he writes a narrowly focused email newsletter.

“Deliverability guidance can slip into an unhappy groove of constantly saying ‘no’ and being endlessly negative. I intentionally wanted to turn from a negative voice to a positive voice.”

Best Creator-focused Newsletters

Digital marketing isn’t just for companies. As any content creator is well aware, marketing yourself takes a lot of time and know-how.

Here’s two newsletters with some marketing gems for content creators:

22. Passionfruit

Image Source

Passionfruit is a fully formed online publication for content creators, and its newsletter reflects the depth of expertise and breadth of topics you’d expect from a staff of five (a rarity in the newsletter world).

It delivers “advice from up-and-coming creators and the internet’s most seasoned business leaders” with an eye on the most recent online discourse (which, as of this writing, was brat summer).

The newsletter isn’t exclusively about marketing, but if you’re a content creator, you know that the lines between “marketing” and “everything you do” are pretty blurry.

Authors: Drew Grant, Grace Stanley, Rusama Islam, Steven Asarch, and Rachel Kiley

Cost: Free

Best for: Influencers, content creators, and digital marketers who work with influencers and content creators. Job seekers take note, because newsletters often include a job board.

Popularity: Unknown

Sample subject line: Tik(tok) Tik(tok)…Boom Goes the Creator Economy

RIYL: industry gossip, business advice, monetization, personal branding

Sign me up!

23. The Publish Press

Image Source

Where Passionfruit takes a higher industry-level view of creator culture, The Publish Press gets more personal. It stays “up to date with the business of creators” with loads of creator stories about beating the YouTube algorithm, disrupting the pet industry, and more.

Authors: Hannah Doyle and Nathan Graber-Lipperman

Frequency: Three times a week

Cost: Free

Best for: Content creators and influencers.

Popularity: 100K+ subscribers

Sample subject line: BTS of Building a Creator Beverage Brand

RIYL: case studies, game streamers, inside stories

Sign me up!

Use Newsletters to Become a Better Digital Marketer

We all need a little continuing education to stay in peak condition at our jobs.

Subscribe to a few — or all 23 — of these marketing newsletters, commit to reading them, and regale your co-workers with fun facts and brilliant marketing ideas galore.

If you thought velocity was only fundamental in physics, think again. 

Sales pipeline velocity is integral to the health of a company, especially for B2B sales and marketing teams.

A thorough understanding of pipeline velocity is vital for B2B lead generation. It allows you to increase conversions, close more sales, and drive more revenue. 

By tracking your current pipeline velocity—and optimizing it—you can create a higher-performing sales process that improves your bottom line.

In this post, we’ll explore the role of pipeline velocity in B2B sales and marketing, along with actionable tips to increase pipeline velocity for your business.

What is pipeline velocity in B2B sales and marketing?

Pipeline velocity in B2B sales and marketing refers to the speed with which prospects move through the sales pipeline, also called the sales funnel. 

Tracking for pipeline velocity begins the moment a lead demonstrates an expressed need and ends when they finally convert. Like an actual pipeline, any barriers within the sales funnel will slow down the pipeline velocity. Fewer barriers in the pipeline equal faster conversion speeds.

For B2B sales and marketing teams, achieving higher pipeline velocity means faster execution on profitable business objectives.

What is the goal of pipeline velocity?

The goal of pipeline velocity is to have prospects enter and successfully exit the sales funnel as quickly and efficiently as possible. 

However, for sales and marketing teams (even product development teams), pipeline velocity can also reveal where leads get stuck while moving through the funnel. It helps teams visualize hurdles within the nurturing and onboarding processes to identify and eliminate them.

Likewise, because pipeline velocity relies on real-time funnel data, continuous measuring helps improve the accuracy of sales forecasting.

Here’s how to increase your sales velocity pipeline

The more you increase your sales velocity pipeline, the more leads you can enter into the sales funnel (and the faster you can convert them), helping to meet and exceed sales objectives easier. Consider these ten practical steps to increase the pipeline velocity for your business.

1. Identify where and when prospects exit the pipeline

Before you can increase your pipeline velocity, you need to determine exactly where prospects are dropping out of the funnel and slowing it down in the first place. 

Evaluate the key metrics associated with each stage of your pipeline, such as the number of qualified leads and win rate, to identify the weakest links. 

From here, investigate the reasons why prospects are leaving—is it the price of the product? Do the features not align with the marketing? 

Once you discover why leads are exiting the pipeline, you can address it. For instance, you may need to craft new marketing materials that better spotlight your product’s features.

2. Minimize data silos between different teams

Because your sales pipeline is reliant on current data, it’s vital to minimize data silos between different departments to increase your pipeline velocity. Anytime different teams have access to differing data, the chances of informational inaccuracies skyrocket. 

Not only can these inaccuracies impact sales success, but they can also waste valuable time and resources. Instead, enact proper data sharing with a centralized customer relationship management (CRM) tool. 

For example, you can quickly minimize data silos by investing in a shared CRM that standardizes customer data across multiple departments.

3. Eliminate points of friction in the sales cycle

Now that you’ve identified the weak links in your sales pipeline and have better informed each team, you can locate and eliminate points of friction in the sales cycle. 

Picture that you have ten qualified leads in the pipeline with an average sales cycle of 20 days. Seven of the leads converted within that time, but three have stalled due to friction in the sales cycle, such as multiple discovery calls split between various sales reps and account managers. 

To make the sales cycle seamless, ensure that you get the sales handoff right and that leads don’t have to repeat their pain points during numerous interactions.

4. Create an ideal customer profile (ICP) to simplify targeting

If your organization harnesses account-based marketing (ABM) for the sales cycle, you’re likely familiar with the concept of an ideal customer profile (ICP). 

An ICP consists of the behavioral, firmographic, and environmental characteristics of accounts that can become an organization’s most valuable customers. Creating an ICP with the information from your current sales funnel can help simplify targeting to easily connect with best-fit prospects. 

By using a detailed ICP, you can better personalize marketing messages on the path to purchase that help unclog your sales pipeline of unqualified leads faster. (NetLine’s Audience Explorer is one of the best tools to use to review your ICP.)

5. Focus on higher-quality leads

With an ICP prepared for sales and marketing teams, you can focus efforts on targeting high-quality leads—even if that means attracting fewer total leads. 

High-value accounts protect against wasted resources spent on bad leads who drop off at the top of the sales funnel or midway through the pipeline. Beyond an ICP for ABM, you can also source high-quality leads by fine-tuning your top-of-funnel marketing channels. 

Assess which touchpoints your most valuable accounts accessed to enter the marketing funnel and ramp up similar initiatives, such as LinkedIn ads or PPC campaigns.

6. Improve your win rate percentage

As the name might suggest, your win rate percentage is the number of deals you closed in relation to the number of qualified leads in your pipeline. For instance, if you closed 30 deals out of 100 last month, your win rate would be 30%. 

For most B2B businesses, a win rate above 50% is ideal. The higher your win rate, the better your pipeline velocity. To improve your win rate, you must focus on nurturing leads with expressed intent to buy. Simple tactics to nurture high-quality leads include defining clear next-steps for sales reps and involving the primary decision-maker as early in the pipeline as possible.

7. Shorten the length of your sales cycle

Along with improving your win rate percentage, shortening the length of your sales cycle is integral to increasing pipeline velocity for your business. The best way to shorten your sales cycle is to reduce the gaps between the various steps in the sales process. 

For instance, automate repetitive tasks for sales and marketing teams to accelerate their campaigns. Set agreed-upon goals like scheduling a date for a demo for each sales call. 

Likewise, make it easy for leads to convert from any device. Offer mobile-friendly contracts and optimize your lead generation forms for all devices.

8. Provide incentives to quicken conversions

Though shortening the length of the sales cycle is essential for increasing pipeline velocity, it’s not always easy. To help quicken conversions, consider providing incentives that sweeten the deal. 

Price, for example, can be a major point of friction in the sales funnel. 

Advise sales reps to be clear about pricing as early in the pipeline as possible and cushion the potential negative impacts of pricing with beneficial incentives, such as product discounts that can speed up conversions. 

Experiment with time-sensitive incentives—such as limited-time promotions on pricing—to help further decrease the average length of your sales cycle and boost your pipeline velocity.

9. Increase your average deal size

While pipeline velocity hinges on the speed with which prospects move through the sales funnel, it does take into consideration the average deal size for your business. In fact, boosting your average deal size can help with increasing your pipeline velocity (but more on that math in just a moment). 

To enhance your typical deal size, focus on your prospects’ noted pain points and determine how your business can provide more value with each transaction. 

If software setup has been a typical issue for previous customers, offer after-sales services like product training to drive up your average deal size.

10. Follow-up and remarket to stagnant leads

As with any B2B sales and marketing initiative, increasing the pipeline velocity for your business always benefits from remarketing to qualified but stagnant leads. It’s no secret that sourcing new leads is more expensive (and difficult) than retaining current ones, so remarketing to pre-qualified leads can be a lucrative process. 

To take a proactive approach to remarketing, be sure to utilize your organization’s shared CRM to keep track of all active leads. From here, keep your business top of mind for buyers by creating a segmented email list, following up in a timely manner, and sending over helpful resources like whitepapers.

4 key sales pipeline velocity metrics to track

To calculate your sales pipeline velocity, you must track four key metrics:

• Number of Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) in the pipeline. Rather than the number of total leads (many of which will not convert), track the quality of leads who have already interacted with your marketing materials and explicitly expressed interest in your business’s service or product.
• Sales win rate percentage. Monitor the number of sales won in relation to the total number of SQLs in the pipeline over a set period, such as one month, to calculate your win rate.
• Average deal size (deal value). Track the monetary value of each sale completed (closed-won deals) over a set time period to determine the average deal size of leads in your current sales pipeline.
• Length of the sales cycle. Assess the number of days it takes for your sales and marketing teams to move SQLs from the early stages of the sales pipeline through to conversion.

Of the above four metrics, your sales cycle is the only factor you do not want to increase when attempting to boost pipeline velocity for your business. The longer your sales cycle, the longer it takes to convert. Instead, aim for creating a more efficient sales process to shorten the sales cycle.

On the other hand, even minor improvements in your number of SQLs, win rate percentage, and average deal size can increase your general pipeline velocity. Take a look at the formula in action.

Sales pipeline velocity formula

Now that you understand which key sales pipeline velocity metrics to track, it’s time to put them to use. Like calculating velocity in physics, calculating pipeline velocity for B2B businesses means you must find the rate of change of position in relation to a specific period of time.

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

First, multiply the number of SQLs in your pipeline by your average deal size and the average win rate percentage for your sales team. Next, divide the result by the number of days in your sales cycle.

As a formula, calculating sales pipeline velocity looks like this: 

Pipeline Velocity = (# of SQLs x $ Average Deal Size x % Win Rate) ÷ (# of Sales Cycle Days)

What is an example of pipeline velocity?

To better understand the sales velocity formula in action, consider a B2B company that had 10 SQLs in their sales pipeline last month. The win rate for the SQLs was 40% with an average deal size of $5,000. This company had a sales cycle that lasted 25 days. 

In this case, the business’ sales velocity equation would look like this:

Pipeline Velocity = (10 x $5000 x 40%) ÷ (25 days)

Pipeline Velocity = (20000) ÷ (25 days)

Pipeline Velocity = $800

So, according to the above formula, this B2B company has a pipeline velocity of $800.

How NetLine can help with your pipeline velocity rate 

If you are looking to increase your pipeline velocity, a great first step is to focus on sourcing more intent data.

NetLine’s INTENTIVE is the only first-party buyer-sourced intent data platform. With 11,000+ topics, 329k keywords, and 100 million activities via Informa events, the platform is primed to support marketers and sellers, alike.

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

Want to succeed on Instagram but struggling to see success and meet your business goals? For most business owners, the secret ingredient isn’t strategy — it’s time management. You likely know that consistent, frequent posting is key, but that’s now coupled with the need to create more complex content, like Reels.

How does anyone have time to run a business and plan, film, and edit a fun video every single day? We long for the days when a simple, singular photo could give us the engagement we were looking for!

But I have good news, weary creator. Asking you to spend more time isn’t actually the answer (and let’s hear a big sigh of relief for that!). A goal for me as I navigate changes in the online business, digital marketing, and social media worlds is to get crafty and figure out how to make an impact without losing time.

Time is our most valuable resource, and without it, we don’t have much space to enjoy what our work is meant to give us! The “fruits of your labor” are pretty meaningless when you don’t have time to eat.

Over the last few years of navigating the Instagram and video content game, I’ve found a workflow that not only delivers results consistently but also helps me manage my time well. If you’re looking for a way to get better at (or get into) working with the Instagram algorithm without the headache, keep reading.

Save Time by Knowing Your Posting Vision

Trying to make last-minute decisions truly is not my forte. When I sit down at my computer or pull up a social media channel isn’t the best time for me to figure out my posting plan. Beyond a schedule or to-do list, I need to have a library of inspiration to pull from when I’m mapping out my content.

Start a habit of saving posts and videos you see on Instagram that grab your attention. Carve out time when you don’t have the pressure to make any quick decisions and simply scroll around the app for a few minutes, saving whatever sparks inspiration.

If your main feed isn’t serving you the inspiration you’re looking for, don’t be afraid to scroll through the search page or ask the Meta AI feature to show you fresh posts from new-to-you creators. As a helpful assist, if you have a team member, you can grant them separate access to your account to save posts, too.

The goal here isn’t to copy and paste other creators’ ideas, but to get smart about what’s working, and then fully make it your own. For example, I saw a post about the things that spark joy in someone’s life and it had nothing to do with their work.

I felt like that let me get to know them beyond their business in a 10-second video which inspired me to share some behind-the-scenes shots of my own life.

When you tap the ‘flag’ icon that saves a post for you, you can drop it into a collection. I’ve separated and named my collections into categories that help me know why I’ve saved them in the first place, especially since I’ll be coming back to them later on when I’m creating content.

This also means I don’t have to hunt them down or fuss to find them in the mix of a bunch of recipes or home decor ideas.

Turn Your Inspiration into a Plan

You’ve got new ideas swirling around in your head, but now it’s time to pull them out of your Instagram saved collections and plug them into your posting plan.

Dig through what you’ve saved and organize them outside of the app, wherever you like to content plan. My team’s favorite place to batch-work our Instagram posts is on a collaborative board on Notion.

Batchworking your plan here is key because you don’t need to worry about the final product yet and can blaze through creating the general plan for a month’s worth of posts in a very short amount of time. The focus is on the concept, not the finished product.

In my process, I want to lock in on what I want to create so that when it’s time for me to shoot that content, I have a quick checklist of everything I need and don’t waste time overthinking or shooting content I won’t end up using.

I go through each of the ideas dropped into the posting calendar in Notion and give myself whatever info I’ll need to create well. Each post gets its own planning space where I save the audio from the Instagram post and the post’s URL/link.

I drop the ‘hook’ (i.e. the angle of the text/concept that gets a follower to want to read, watch, and find out more.) I also quickly note the context for the caption of the post that is unique to me and my brand.

When you’ve got your plan, hooks, context, and links in place, you’re more likely to follow through with creating content that may be out of your comfort zone. This is the part of the plan that helps you get over the hump of “I just don’t know what to post!”

Trust your plan, because you do know what to post, and now it’s time to create.

Batch-Create Your B-Roll

Your plan is in motion, your ideas are flowing, and now you’re ready to hit the record button and capture your content. This might feel like the most time-consuming part of your process, but I’ve actually found it to be the easiest, most low-key process if done right!

Instead of overthinking your footage, flip the script and remember that it’s your hook and your caption that’ll do the heavy lifting for you.

I like to carve out a little time to capture ‘b-roll’ footage of my life. This is where I get the majority of my content and create videos that I can use for weeks to come. I’ll film short clips on my iPhone of myself doing things like getting ready in the morning, working out or stretching, gardening, meditating, or slicing up my pizza for lunch.

You don’t need to be a cinematographer to captivate your online audience — they’re not there for your camera work!

Consider what your unique b-roll could be. Shoot your daily life, whether it’s working from your desk, packing your work bag, planning your calendar, walking your dog, or watering the plants in your kitchen window. Think about the time you want to put into this part and don’t overspend.

Often, I’ll pick one or two days a week where I know I’ll have my phone out a little more to capture this footage. Beyond that, I don’t have to think about whether or not my life is ‘content-worthy’.

A major benefit here is that once I’ve spent a day catching little glimpses (and I mean like 10 20-second clips), I load them into a b-roll video folder in my Google Drive and always end up having clips I can re-use for other posts in the following months.

This kind of workflow is the kind that pays off even more as you go, because when you’ve got a library of content to pull from, you can spend way less time creating in the future.

If you want to see how I use the B-roll videos in my posts, here are a few posts for you to check out:

Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3 | Post 4 | Post 5

Plan Your Drafts for Posting Day

Once your b-roll folder is looking stocked, it’s time to batch-work your video editing. If you’re not a professional video editor like myself, don’t overthink this part because you’ve got everything you need for a successful post!

I like to create my Instagram Reels right in the Instagram app and save them for safekeeping by storing them as a draft. We drop the caption into the post’s space on our Notion board and select a cover photo (also from a folder filled with photos of myself that I fill as often as I can!).

When it’s time to post, I check our publishing schedule and begin my prep. I grab everything I need from Notion, like my caption and cover photo, and then make sure my Reel is formatted correctly with the right audio.

You can optimize your post by adding a location, hashtags, and categories. You’re giving your content the chance to reach people beyond your follower community!

If you’ve followed these steps up to this point, you’re ready to hit ‘publish’ on your own post. Pull your Reel from the drafts, drop in that beautiful caption, optimize it, and share it with the world. Your video is ready, your hook is perfect, and your next month of posts is already waiting for you.

Trust Your Plan So Your Posts Can Do the Rest

A well-worked plan is not about cutting corners and making your work easier, it’s about getting your business and your results further ahead than any last-minute creation could ever do for you.

Creating from a mindset that isn’t in a hurry, isn’t trying to be decisive when you’re overwhelmed, means you’re going to create more posts that help your messages land with your audience.

Showing up on Instagram in a new way doesn’t have to suck all your time, energy, and creative ideas. Start by fueling yourself with inspiration, giving yourself the space to plan, plug in your ideas, and connect the dots for a month (or more) at a time, and you’re creating a process you can learn from.

My ultimate vision is to optimize my process as I go. I want to look at what works and what doesn’t so I can take what isn’t worth my time right off my to-do list.

I believe productivity, especially with a social media presence, can be defined as learning and refining as you go. We have to let our methods evolve as the apps and marketing techniques and digital world evolve, but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our time or peace because of it.

Trust your plan and don’t be afraid to boldly tap that ‘publish’ button and see what happens next.

I‘m far from the most organized marketer you’ll ever meet — but I‘m working on it! In my quest to become a more organized person, I’ve discovered something super helpful — I can make content calendar templates in Google Sheets.

You read that right — Google Sheets. Perhaps you use spreadsheets to collect data, track campaigns, or organize weekly assignments. But have you ever thought about using a calendar template in Google Sheets to manage and track your work?

Below, we’ll review how to make a calendar in Google Sheets and include tips to help you elevate the design. So, open up Google Sheets and prepare to create your calendar.

Table of Contents

• Why Create a Calendar in Google Sheets?

• How to Make a Calendar in Google Sheets

• How to Insert a Calendar in Google Sheets

• Google Sheets Calendar Templates

• How to Make a Calendar Using a Google Sheets Template

Why Create a Calendar in Google Sheets?

I know Google Sheets may not be the first tool that comes to mind when creating a calendar.

But, the truth is that there are many compelling reasons to use Google Sheets as a calendar.

Here are my favorites:

1. Easy Collaboration: Google Sheets makes it exceedingly easy to collaborate with team members. By creating a calendar in Google Sheets, I can share it with my team, allowing everyone to contribute and make updates in real-time.

This ensures everyone is on the same page and can stay organized and informed.

2. Accessibility: With Google Sheets, my calendar is accessible from anywhere with an internet connection (and even offline! Here’s how to turn offline access for your documents). I can easily access and update my calendar on any device, whether at the office, working remotely, or on the go.

This flexibility ensures that I’m always up-to-date and can make necessary changes.

3. Customizability: Google Sheets offers a range of formatting and design options to make my calendar entirely my own (in comparison with a premade calendar tool, for instance).

I love that I can choose different colors, fonts, and styles to make my calendar visually appealing and easy to navigate. This level of customization ensures that my calendar aligns with my team’s branding or reflects my unique style.

4. Integration with Other Tools: Google Sheets seamlessly integrates with other Google tools, such as Google Calendar and Google Drive.

This means I can easily sync my Google Sheets calendar with my Google Calendar and link to and organize relevant files and documents within the spreadsheet, keeping everything in one centralized location.

5. Cost-Effective: My favorite reason to use Google Sheets as a calendar? It’s free. This is particularly important for small businesses or individuals who may not have the budget for a dedicated calendar tool.

If you’re looking for a simple yet powerful way to stay organized and manage your schedule, try Google Sheets. Next, we will cover how to create one in your Google account.

Making a calendar in a tool commonly used for spreadsheets sounds intimidating, but don’t worry; the process is pretty intuitive. And with the help of some tips, you can easily make a functional calendar that you can sync your schedule with.

At the end, your calendar will look something like this:

1. Open a new spreadsheet and choose your month.

First, open a new spreadsheet.

Then, choose your month.

I did January [YYYY] for this example and filled that into the first cell. What’s great about Google Sheets is that it automatically recognizes dates, so typing in a month, followed by the year in YYYY format, will tell Google that you will be working with dates.

2. Begin to format your calendar.

Next, format your calendar. I selected the January [YYYY] text in Column A, Row 1. I highlighted seven columns (A) and clicked Merge to span that cell across the entire column. You can find this button to the right of the Fill tool.

Here, I also center-aligned my text using the tool next to Merge. Later on, I’ll increase the font size and bold the month.

3. Use a formula to fill in the days of the week.

Next, fill in the days of the week in each column (A-G). You can do this manually, but I decided to use a formula. Sheets has a function that lets you type in recipes to complete specific actions at once.

To fill in the days of the week, in the cell where you want your first weekday to be, type: =TEXT(1, “D”). This tells Google that your number will be replaced by a date or time, and the format you’re using is weekdays.

Highlight the number 1 in the formula and replace it with COLUMN(). Then, press enter and select your first day. You will copy the formula in Sunday’s cell by dragging the selector to the end of your row (A-G) and pressing enter again.

Pressing enter should automatically fill in the rest of the week. Remember, if this doesn’t work for you, you can always fill in the days manually.

4. Fill in the numbers.

Excellent! You have your days of the week. Now, we‘re going to fill in the numerical values. Before this step, I added color to the days’ row and changed the font to one I liked a little more.

For the numerical values, we’ll simply identify the first day of the month and click and drag to fill in the rest.

How?

Place the number 1 on the box right underneath the first day of the month, then click and drag horizontally. Depending on the day of the week, you may need to follow this process using the second day of the month so you can click and drag horizontally.

For this example, we’ll use Sunday as the first day of the month, but remember that the first day will vary yearly.

5. Fill in the rest of the numbers.

Note: In this step, I filled in the calendar numbers in every other row to help with my formatting later.

Now that you’ve filled out your first row, it’s time to complete the rest. Manually insert the following number, then click and drag horizontally to fill in the rest.

Repeat the process for the following rows. You’ll insert the first number manually, then click and drag down the row. Here’s what that looks like for the next row in January.

Note: Make sure to end the month on the correct number! For January, that would be the 31st.

6. Reformat your calendar if necessary.

Everything is starting to look like a calendar, right? At this stage, I reformatted things to clean up the look of my calendar a little.

Remember those extra rows in between the numbered rows? I expanded those rows to create boxes underneath the numbers. To do this, I simply dragged the rows down to make those cells bigger.

Here are some additional formatting tips:

• Select the empty rows underneath your numbers and center them using the center text alignment tool.
• Select your entire calendar and vertically align all elements so they’re in the center of their cells. To do this, use the vertical alignment tool.
• Bold your day numbers.
• If desired, lightly shade your numbered rows.
• If desired, gray out the Saturday and Sunday columns so that your workdays stand out.

7. Add design elements to professionalize the look.

Finally, you can add some fun design elements to personalize the look and feel of your calendar. You‘ll want to incorporate the necessary launch days here if it’s for a client or an upcoming project.

For this step, I added a few fun images, included a few hypothetical calendar events, and played with font sizes.

8. Repeat the process from February to December.

It’s time to repeat for February to December. Simply duplicate your January calendar once you’ve designed it how you want it to look. To do this, right-click the sheet’s tab and select Duplicate from the menu.

To fill in the numbers, you’ll only need to know the beginning day, then click and drag to fill in the rest of the rows. Here are the first days for every month for the year 2024:

• January: Monday
• February: Thursday
• March: Friday
• April: Monday
• May: Wednesday
• June: Saturday
• July: Monday
• August: Thursday
• September: Sunday
• October: Tuesday
• November: Friday
• December: Sunday

Next, you’ll want to know how many days you must fill in. Here are the number of days you’ll need for each month:

• January: 31
• February: 28 or 29
• March: 31
• April: 30
• May: 31
• June: 30
• July: 31
• August: 31
• September: 30
• October: 31
• November: 30
• December: 31

And then, you’re done!

It’s handy to use Sheets because you can open your calendar on your browser. You can also keep track of your schedule separately from your phone.

You can either make a calendar manually, as we covered above or use a template, as we cover below. You can also insert a calendar into Google Sheets using an add-on.

Google Sheets has a built-in timeline view that could be useful for calendar-making. By itself, though, it’s not as helpful. You can insert a timeline-view calendar containing all your events with the right add-on.

We’ll use the add-on Calendar Timeline View for this simple tutorial.

1. Install Calendar Timeline View into Google Sheets.

Make sure you’re logged into your Google account. Then, install Calendar Timeline View into your Google Workspace. Simply click Install in the upper right-hand corner.

You can also go to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons on a Google Sheets spreadsheet. Search for Calendar Timeline View and install it from there.

2. Open the Calendar Timeline View sidebar.

An icon will appear on the Google Sheets sidebar for the add-on we just installed. Click it to open up the sidebar.

3. Pull your Google Calendar events into Sheets.

This add-on will pull your Google Calendar events into a Google Sheets timeline view.

The best part? You can create a Google Sheets timeline for any date range, including the next month, quarter, or year. I recommend creating a different timeline for different quarters or half-years.

In the sidebar, select a specific calendar (like your calendar, the US holiday calendar, or another calendar).

Then, at the bottom, click Pull Events.

4. Clean up your calendar data.

At first, the result might look funky. The tool pulls in everything from your Google Calendar, including Zoom descriptions, which can make your timeline look cluttered.

You can clean up the data the tool pulled directly on the spreadsheet. For example, I deleted the event descriptions so that the descriptions didn’t show up on my timeline.

I also deleted the guests because I didn’t need them.

5. Enjoy your timeline Google Sheets calendar.

The add-on automatically creates a timeline after you pull your Google Calendar events. I then changed the settings in the Timeline tab to the correct start dates, end dates, and card titles.

We’re all done! Here’s the final result.

If you don’t have the time or the patience to create a calendar from scratch or install an add-on, below are Google Sheets calendar templates to download for free.

Google Sheets Calendar Templates

Good news: You’re not limited to Google Sheets’ built-in templates, which we share below. If you need a more functional annual calendar, I’ve got you covered with these marketer-friendly options.

1. Free Editorial Calendar Template for Google Sheets

Download the Free Template

This editorial calendar template is designed for Google Sheets and covers all of your editorial planning needs. This template lets you strategically lay out daily and monthly editorials in one accessible, scannable sheet.

Designed for utmost usability and readability, it includes a vertical layout for the dates, and coluto can add details such as the Author, Topic, Content Details, and Keywords.

Best For: A vertical, year-long design like this one can also be used for other efforts, such as professional and personal goals. You can change the columns to fit your and your team’s objectives for the upcoming year.

2. Free Spreadsheet Social Media Content Calendar Template

Download the Free Template

This Excel-based social media calendar template is ideal for marketers who want to build a strong social strategy for the upcoming year. The best part? It comes bundled with a user guide for those new to social media strategy planning.

If you already have a social plan, you can use this calendar for any multi-channel effort, such as content marketing across multiple platforms and guest blogging on different publishers’ websites.

Simply change the titles on the tabs to fit your goals.

Pro Tip: This template can easily be converted into a Google Sheets document. To upload it into Google Drive, simply head to drive.google.com and drag the file from your file explorer into your list of Google Drive documents.

Alternatively, head to sheets.new to create a new Google Sheets spreadsheet. Then, click File > Import > Upload. You’ll be able to import the Excel file without losing quality.

3. Monthly Calendar for Google Sheets

Need a simple monthly calendar? No worries, this monthly calendar template from smartsheet is easy to use and allows you to keep track of deadlines, appointments, and important milestones.

Best For: Tracking simple deadlines associated with campaigns. However, you may want a more robust calendar to meet your needs.

4. Yellow Project Calendar

This Yellow Project Calendar template gives a vibrant approach to the project plan while promoting organization and efficiency.

What I Like: The calendar’s layout makes project coordination, productive resource management, and timely delivery possible.

5. Light Daily Calendar

I love this template because it‘s a simple way to track daily tasks. Plus, the cool colors create a calming vibe, making the day’s to-do list seem less daunting.

Pro-Tip: Adjust the color palette to shades that you find calming.

6. 2024 Monthly Lined Calendar Template for Google Sheets

Image source

A lined Google Sheet calendar template like this one from smartsheet makes it easy to track daily, monthly, and weekly tasks.

What I Like: I really love this lined template because it’s perfect if you need to make notes digitally or if you want to print them to handwrite your notes. 

7. 2024 Monthly Planner Template for Google Sheets

I know the print is super tiny, and you may struggle to read it, but this a planner-style Google Sheets calendar template with the days of the week types in a column on the left-hand side. 

Best for: If you need a day-by-day breakdown of your monthly tasks, this template will prove useful. 

8. 2024 Quarterly Calendar 

Image source

What I Like: This purple, aesthetically pleasing calendar is perfect for tracking quarterly business goals. It also includes holidays to help you avoid accidentally booking a day when everyone is out of the office.

9. Yearly Calendar Template

Image source

What I Like: This calendar gives a straightforward view of the year ahead and it includes a sidebar for additional notes.

How to Make a Calendar Using a Google Sheets Template

Google Sheets provides a built-in template for calendar-making. The only downside is that customization options are limited — you can only use Google Sheets’ themes. This is an excellent option if you’re in a hurry.

1. Go to sheets.google.com.

Ensure you’re logged into your Google account or log in when prompted. This will take you directly to the Sheets home page, where you can access the templates.

Alternatively, go to drive.google.com, tap New, click the right-hand arrow next to Google Sheets, and tap From a template.

2. Access the template gallery.

You won’t need to take this step if you access the Google Sheets templates via Google Drive.

Otherwise, tap the Template gallery in the top banner titled Start a new spreadsheet.

3. Find the annual calendar template.

Templates are divided into “Work” and “Project management.” Scroll down until you reach the Personal section, then tap Annual Calendar.

4. Change the formatting as needed.

All done! Your calendar has been created. Next, it’s time to change the formatting using Google Sheets’ available themes. You can also change the fonts as you’d prefer.

An alternative option to using Google Sheets’ built-in template is third-party templates such as HubSpot’s below, allowing you to create essential business documents such as social and editorial calendars.

Our editorial calendar helps you lay out a strong strategy daily. With a bit of customization, your editorial calendar will run smoothly, leaving you more time to focus on the quality of your content.

Pro-Tip: You can also connect your calendar to HubSpot to sync meetings, notes, and more. Just thought you should know.

Featured Resource: Free Editorial Calendar Templates

Download the Free Templates

Use a Google Sheets Calendar to Organize Your Tasks

If you’re handy with Sheets and want to give it a shot, create a Google Sheets calendar. And if you’re not so handy, I’m confident this step-by-step guide will help you out.

Google Sheets calendars are a great option if you need to create a clean calendar to track an internal marketing campaign, organize a client’s upcoming projects, or share an event calendar with critical stakeholders.

But if you don’t want to create one from scratch, I suggest checking out our editorial calendar template to jumpstart your planning and organization efforts immediately.

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

Like most of you, I have fallen down countless rabbit holes in Google searches. “How to make a latte?” turns into “Latte vs. americano?” which turns into “How bad is caffeine for you?” and ends with “Coffee alternatives.”

Often, though, I’ve found myself frustrated by how many times I have to reword the same query in traditional search engines to nudge the browser to comprehend what I’m asking.

Not to mention how exasperating it is to scroll through unrelated sponsored ads before getting to the meat of my search.

Enter AI-generated search engines.

Table of Contents

• What are AI search engines?
• How I Test AI Search Engines
• 7 Best AI Search Engines

What are AI search engines?

AI search engines are search engines that use some combination of web crawlers, innate artificial intelligence, and user data to improve users’ search experiences and provide more pertinent responses. They have become some of the top search engines today due to their intuitiveness.

You’ll find less of a need to clarify your query with AI search engines because they are built to better understand human intent. And, your responses will often be summed up in AI-generated copy with cited sources, rather than forcing you to click through several URLs to check their relevance.

Want to improve your company’s performance in today’s search landscape? Our new AI Search Grader takes your site and summarizes how your company will perform in AI search. The tool then recommends how you can perform your performance.

How I Test AI Search Engines

Since all these tools have the same purpose — answering your question by scouring the web for suitable sources and links that can be combined with innate AI knowledge or chat capabilities to provide the most accurate answer — it was easy for me to test them all in the same way.

I simply used the same two questions across every AI search engine and measured the success of the search engine by how it answered the questions. One being more of a straightforward, factual question and the other a broader question. Below are the seven best options from my research.

7 Best AI Search Engines

1. Perplexity

I kicked off with Perplexity, which has been all the rage lately. There’s a lot to know about this search engine, but most importantly, many are admitting Perplexity has replaced Google in their lives.

It’s like a mix of ChatGPT and Google. Meaning that it can answer your questions in a human-like manner, but it pulls its facts from a quick search of all the articles available, rather than having an innate knowledge base.

I started with my straightforward question: What’s the biggest city in America? The first thing I noted was that Perplexity has a very similar interface to ChatGPT since it uses OpenAI’s language models.

Outside of the sources linked at the top and referred to throughout the answer, Perplexity also shares relevant images on the right-hand side, with an option to search videos or generate images.

After this search result, I tested out a more thought-provoking question. I wanted to gauge how AI search engines perform when asked a question that doesn’t have a specific, singular answer. I asked, “How do I become a better blog writer?”

What I Like

• ChatGPT users like myself will appreciate that Perplexity’s interface is familiar, as it eases the transition period.
• Unlike ChatGPT, though, Perplexity promises answers that are always correct and cited from many sources, including academic research and Reddit threads.
• Perplexity links to several references at the top and cites sources throughout its response. Decades of English and History teachers drilling into me to cite my sources in papers have helped me develop an appreciation for this kind of verification.
• The visual sources are helpful for those who prefer Google Image and Video results over Web results.
• At the bottom of your response, you will find a section called “Keep exploring,” where Perplexity suggests similar questions that you can automatically search and get an AI-generated response. For someone like me, who typically has dozens of tabs open when researching a single topic, this feature would keep all my research in one place.

What Needs Improvement

• Honestly, nothing. I have already started using this in place of my usual relentless Google searching.

Pricing

• Standard plan: Free
• Professional plan: $20/month

2. Google Gemini

Gemini, formerly known as Bard, is Google’s AI chatbot, and it may be attractive to those who have grown accustomed to Google’s many revolutionary products.

Some may have noticed that Google has incorporated an “AI Overview” into some of its search results. Still, Gemini is a separate tool that can be used for specifically AI-generated responses.

In my first question test, I noted how quickly Gemini pulled up an answer, and how short it was.

In comparison, I noticed a huge difference in the results for my second question. It’s clear Gemini answers questions very differently based on how direct or abstract they are.

What I Like

• Gemini’s design is aesthetically pleasing, and I like that the homepage opened up with a message stating, “Hello, Swetha” which showcases its humanity and personalization.
• Gemini answered my first question, “What’s the biggest city in America?” as short and sweet as I had hoped for. I appreciate that it didn’t try to give me any unnecessary information.
• It has a “Double-check response” feature, in which you can have Google perform a secondary search of your question to ensure its accuracy.

What Needs Improvement

• Gemini provides text-only responses, which is very dissimilar from Google’s image, video, and news results, so it surprised me.
• The search engine has a disclaimer at the bottom, stating, “Gemini may display inaccurate info, including about people, so double-check its responses.” While I appreciate the honesty, it doesn’t hold up against Perplexity, which promises complete accuracy.
• At the bottom of your search results is a “Search related topics” feature, which is helpful if you want to keep your research going. However, these take you out of Gemini and back into Google, which I saw as a sign that Gemini hasn’t been fully flushed out yet and still relies on Google.

Pricing

• Free of charge plan: $0
• Pay-as-you-go plan: Price varies based on a cost-per-token model.

3. Brave Search

Brave Search is a search engine that boasts security and privacy while browsing the internet. It does this by not tracking users or their queries. Brave Search can’t share or sell personal data because it never gets collected.

Thus, it already proves beneficial to those who may work on public computers or networks. But, recently, Brave Search introduced a privacy-focused AI answer engine to put it in the running against other AI search engines on this list.

I dove into my first test question to see how Brave held up against Perplexity and Gemini.

Brave Search resembles Google and other classic search engines since that’s what it inherently is. In this way, it may be more attractive for search engine traditionalists wary about trying out a brand-spanking new AI tool.

After this, I tested out my second question on the search engine and was met with a similar look and style of response.

What I Like

• Brave Search is incredibly conventional in appearance, which I actually appreciated. I’m so used to Google’s interface when searching random queries, and it’s helpful that Brave Search is modeled similarly.
• The emphasis on privacy and security is essential. There’s nothing more frustrating than when you mean to search something on Incognito mode and forget, or when you desperately want to avoid being served dozens of ads about Bali just because, one time, you searched “flights to Bali.”
• Brave Search shows you “Context,” in which it links to all its references. I like that these are all at the bottom of your search result, so they don’t distract from your reading experience.
• If you like Brave Search, you can make Brave your default browser.

What Needs Improvement

I searched normally and with the “Answer with AI” feature for both questions and received identical search results in both modes. This doesn’t exactly encourage people to use the AI feature if they feel their results will be the same.

Pricing

• Data for AI plans:

• Free plan: $0
• Base plan: $5 CPM
• Pro plan: $9 CPM

• Data for Search plans:

• Free plan: $0
• Base plan: $3 CPM
• Pro plan: $5 CPM

• Data w/storage rights plans:

• Base plan: $26 CPM
• Pro plan: $45 CPM

• Autosuggest and Spellcheck plans:

• Free plan: $0
• Pro plan: $0.50 CPM

4. Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot is an AI companion tool specifically meant to be paired with Microsoft 365 apps, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

It reminds me a lot of ChatSpot, HubSpot’s chatbot and AI Assistant, in that it is best used when paired with our own products.

Copilot seamlessly integrates into Microsoft 365 apps to help with the most appropriate tasks, from writing thought-starters in Word to design help in PowerPoint to email inbox efficiency in Outlook.

Copilot also has a web version that functions similarly to Perplexity. You enter a question, and it curates a response by scouring the web for references.

In my second search, Copilot included a lengthier response with a relevant video that auto-played at the bottom of the page.

What I Like

• Copilot is, first and foremost, a companion for Microsoft 365. I use Outlook every day, so the idea of an AI tool that is both a search engine and a match to my existing apps is exciting.
• The Copilot web interface is beautiful and inviting, with its sleek white background, colorful logo, and generated artwork.
• The sources are linked but don’t pull away my attention. I like that they appear as short URLs, and I can hover over the URLs to see the full article name.
• It didn’t overwhelm me with tons of images and videos but instead shared one relevant video to coincide with its text-based search results.

What Needs Improvement

• Compared to other search engines I tested, I didn’t think the search results for my second question were as thorough or informative.
• Being a search engine is not Copilot’s primary or best feature, so it can’t necessarily be as trusted as other tools on this list.

Pricing

• Web-only plan: Free
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 plan: $30/user/month

5. Komo

Komo is another AI search engine with a clean UI that pumps out detailed search results. It resembles Perplexity in its ease of use and reference to factual source information.

Komo has options to Ask, Search, Research, or Explore anything. Toggling to each of these four modes changes the format of your responses. I tested this out with my first question, searching it in all four modes.

For my second question, I tested it in “Ask” mode only.

What I Like

• Komo’s four search modes allow you to easily search any type of query. I like that the language in each version also differs. I preferred the concise language in “Ask” mode, but academics might prefer “Research” mode, for instance.
• Search results reference several sources, which shows the importance of fact-checking and knowledge to the search engine.
• The “Opinions” feature links to an endless stream of useful links, no matter how simple or complex the prompt may be.
• The “Learn More” feature lists follow-up questions to continue your search.

What Needs Improvement

• Searching in “Research” mode is very limited in the free version, with a strict once-daily limit. This mode is very unique to Komo and would be ideal if made more available to free users.

Pricing

• Free plan: $0
• Basic plan: $8/month
• Premium plan: $15/month
• Business plan: Contact the Komo team for pricing.

6. You.com

You.com, aptly named for how it can be personalized for how you best want to use it, is an AI search engine with four AI assistants and the ability to explore 16 AI models.

Clicking “More” above opens you up to the sheer number of assistants and models you can try out with You.com. You can see a snapshot of some of the AI models below.

Like Komo, you can search various queries in each AI assistant based on the prompt type. For instance, Smart Assistant is for any questions, Research Assistant is for topics requiring deep analyses and explorations, and Genius Assistant is for multi-step problems.

I used Smart Assistant to ask my first question since it’s simpler and more direct.

I used Research Assistant for my second question since it’s a bit more complex and can be explored more deeply.

What I Like

• You.com’s four AI Assistants are extremely intuitive and understand their specific search mode well. It makes perfect sense what kinds of questions, topics, and prompts to search in each of the four Assistants.
• This is the right option for any dedicated AI fanatics, as you can explore most industry-leading AI models in one place.
• The Research Assistant is my favorite feature. I love that You.com shows exactly where it’s searching for the information, which offers me more understanding and patience while waiting for my search results to load.
• I found my search results for “How do I become a better blog writer?” to be the most detailed and informative on this search engine.

What Needs Improvement

• It’s not as intuitive for new users. With so many modes, Assistants, and models, it may take some time to figure out your groove and your preferred searching methods.
• You only get three free premium queries per day, which includes any searches outside of Smart Assistant.

Pricing

• Free plan: $0
• YouPro plan: $20/month (or $15/month when billed annually)
• Organizations plan: Contact the You.com team for pricing.

7. Yep

SEO Tool Ahrefs launched Yep, an AI search engine that mimics the format of a standard search engine with a unique, funky look and coloring.

What sets Yep apart is that it shares 90% of its ad revenue with content creators in an effort to support high-quality content. Yep offers an unbiased, private search experience that encourages and financially supports the minds behind the content.

Outside of its positive mission, Yep looks and feels similar to Google when conducting searches. You can search any query and filter by All results, Images, or News.

You can also use the “Chat” feature on the top right-hand side if you’d prefer an AI-generated response.

I searched my second question to see how it fared on Yep.

What I Like

• Yep is the most like a traditional browser, but without any ads. I’m so used to scrolling through sponsored URLs on Google, that it’s refreshing to only receive links in order of how applicable they are to my question.
• You can toggle between search browser and chat to maximize the best of an AI search engine and chatbot in one tool.
• The UI is super easy to follow and learn, which is helpful for someone like me who isn’t always the most patient at learning a completely new version of a tool I already use daily.
• The bonus of Yep’s mission to support high-quality, authentic content makes you feel good about using it as your main AI search engine.
• If you like Yep, you can make it your default browser.

What Needs Improvement

• While I appreciate its simplicity, it could do with a few additional features to create a more well-rounded experience. It’s still in beta mode, so I expect more updates to come, but it’s not yet on par with other options on this list.
• It doesn’t have access to the breadth of information that Google or Bing (or even other search engines on this list) do, since I only received a handful of relevant URLs to both my questions. However, Yep is powered by two web crawlers (YepBot and AhrefsBot), so it has the potential to improve its knowledge base with time.
• The AI chat feature doesn’t cite its sources, which has been something I’ve come to expect based on other search engines on this list.

Pricing

• I couldn’t find information about pricing, which may indicate it only has a free plan (for now).

Where There’s A Will, There’s A(I) Way

As a marketer, I’ve realized the importance of practicing what I preach. I can’t promote a product if I don’t believe in its mission and use it — if applicable. After all, I do work for Nickelodeon and can’t say I consume kids’ television daily.

That’s why it’s important to believe in the efficiency and efficacy of the search engine you’re using, so you can best integrate it into your search engine marketing strategy.

I now see the value of AI search engines, especially Perplexity and You.com, and will absolutely incorporate these into my day-to-day as a user and marketer.

There’s no need to waste precious time explaining your queries and coaxing appropriate responses out of your browser. I was amazed by how easily I received answers to my two test questions on each of the above seven search engines when I usually would have needed to read a few articles to ensure correctness.

For those wary about AI’s impact on society, you can see how beneficial it can be for marketers and users in streamlining our work, weeding out the noise, and creating more meaningful, relevant experiences.