Blog

I doubt that the shift to entirely online shopping experiences would’ve happened as quickly as it did without the pandemic.

But, the rapid shift showed us that the factors influencing consumer purchasing decisions are always changing. In this piece, I’ll go over consumer behavior statistics I’ve pulled from our 2024 Consumer Trends Report to explain what’s driving consumers this year.

Consumer Behavior Stats

1. Social shopping is an ecommerce standard.

We’ve talked a lot about social shopping on the HubSpot Blog because it’s the new face of ecommerce. I don’t see its popularity slowing down, especially since marketers are seeing the benefits: 59% report more social sales in 2023 than they had in past years.

Image Source 

Our latest consumer trends survey found that social media is Gen Z and millennials’ preferred channel for product discovery, and 33% have discovered a new product on social media in the past three months.

In the past three months, 1 in 4 social media users have also directly bought a product on a social media app, which is a 39% YoY change. More than 80% say that they’re satisfied with their latest social media purchase, and they were most likely to have transacted on Facebook or TikTok since they offer the best in-app shopping experiences.

Despite its growth, consumers are still wary. Only 47% feel comfortable buying through social media apps, and 45% trust social media platforms with their card information, likely because the main worry is that these companies aren’t legitimate.

Featured Resource: If you’re developing your ecommerce strategy, our free Ecommerce Planning Kit gives you all the tools you need to be successful, from market research templates to abandoned cart emails.

2. Gen Z heads the social shopping pack.

Gen Z leads the social buying pack, as they’re more engaged in social commerce than other generations. Some stats:

• New product discoveries for Gen Z happen most often on social media
• 43% have bought a product directly within an app in the past three months.
• They prefer to discover products on social media in short-form videos and social media marketplaces with off-app purchases (like Facebook Marketplace).
• They do most of their social shopping on TikTok and Instagram, which they say offer the best in-app shopping experiences.

If Gen Z is your target audience, offering social shopping opportunities or shopping-forward content is more important than ever.

I do want to say that you can still look into and consider social shopping if your target audience is made up of other generations, as there are always people who have different preferences.For example, I should be totally on board with social shopping because of my millennial-gen-z-cusp generational alliance, but I’m incredibly weary and skeptical of it.

On the other hand, my mom’s generation has consistently shown minimal interest in social shopping the past three times we’ve run our Consumer Trends Survey. Still, she’s more interested in it than I ever would’ve expected. I had to give her the same “Don’t trust every ad you see on the internet” talk, which I’m sure sounded just like the “Don’t believe everything you read online” talk she gave me when I was a child.

All that to say — even if your audience isn’t entirely on board with social shopping, you still might have some segments of your audience that would be interested in shoppable opportunities if you offered them. To learn more about how to make social shopping work for you, I recommend reading our Consumer Trends Report.

3. Social media search is growing in popularity.

Search engine usage decreased by 12%, while social search usage increased by 4% between May 2023 and January 2024. 21% of consumers prefer to get answers to their questions online through social search, which is a 40% YoY increase from that same period.

I’m not saying search engines are dead and to throw your SEO strategy out the window, especially because consumers still say that search engines are the most effective way to get their questions answered. Instead, with the rise of social shopping, consumers are interested in a seamless buying experience that happens all in one place, from searching for products to post-purchase customer service.

My Pro Tip: Create a social media SEO strategy to adapt to this new consumer behavior.

4. Consumers like socially responsible brands.

Corporate social responsibility is when companies have thoughtful practices and initiatives that contribute to the betterment of the world.

I ran a survey in April 2024 about corporate social responsibility, and 90% of respondents said that companies should practice social responsibility. They are increasingly choosing to support brands that take a stance on social issues like fair treatment of employees, diversity and inclusion, and sustainable business practices.

So, why this desire? I attribute it to people wanting to spend their money with brands that let them uphold their day-to-day values. For example, it makes sense that someone committed to sustainability in their day-to-day life would want to buy from a sustainable business that uses eco-friendly packaging and sustainable production methods.

People also want to see themselves represented and support brands that support people like them. It makes sense that a Black consumer would want to purchase from a brand that supports the Black community.

5. Consumers seek personalization.

Consumers want personalized experiences, but most say that the content they see from brands isn’t personalized to their interests.

Marketers feel similarly and say that the experience customers get from their brand is somewhat personalized, but this is at direct odds with their belief that offering a personalized experience increases the likelihood of repeat customers.

Image Source

Offering product recommendations is an easy way to provide a personalized experience, as is offering usage recaps (think Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign) or smart content.

Generative AI is a new tool for marketers to boost personalization, and those who already use it say it helps them create more personalized content (77%) and personalize customers’ experiences with their company (72%).

6. Consumers have concerns about data privacy.

While consumers want personalization, they’re also weary about how companies use their data, and 50% usually decline to have their personal data tracked.

Image Source

76% of respondents to our survey reported being concerned about how companies use their personal data and strongly agree that they should have complete control over how it’s used. The main determining factor when deciding who to share data with is their level of trust in said company.

I am with consumers on this, as there’s a 99% chance I’m clicking “Reject All” when a website asks me about cookies. But, this is at odds with what I know as a marketer — having data about users is the best way to give them the personalized experience they want.

The best way to accommodate these privacy concerns but continue to deliver on expectations is to give users control.

Consumers told us that they want to choose whether to share their data and to be able to delete it from your database whenever they want. They also want to ensure that you store it safely and that you have their best interests in mind when safeguarding their data from unauthorized access.

7. Consumers are seeking support in DMs.

One in five Gen Z and Millennials has contacted a brand through DMs for customer service, and 70% of social media marketers say their companies already offer service on social media to accommodate the support requests they’re getting.

Consumers are turning to social media DMs for customer service, which makes sense considering the social shopping boom. If they’re buying a product on Instagram Shops, why wouldn’t they want to send a DM to ask a question within the same app? It eliminates additional actions, like finding a phone number to make a phone call or visiting a website.

8. Friends and family offer the most trusted recommendations.

As marketers, we know that influencer marketing is powerful and impactful.

We know that influencer marketing is powerful. Consumers like and trust influencers and their recommendations, but reviews from their friends and family are still more impactful than recommendations from influencers.

This tracks for me as a consumer. I follow a few influencers but still take their recommendations with a grain of salt. I’m much more likely to indiscriminately purchase something if my best friend or mom told me they liked it.

From a marketer’s perspective, I view this as a signal that consumers want to hear from buyers like themselves. I recommend sharing customer reviews and promoting UGC on your profiles, as testimonials from relatable people can go a long way.

This doesn’t mean abandoning influencer marketing. If you choose to use it, make sure the influencers’ niche aligns with your audience, and let the influencers be themselves and share their own personality—authentic and relatable content on social media is more important than anything else.

Give Consumers What They’re Looking For

I just went over a few of the key consumer behavior statistics that stood out to me from our latest iteration of our Consumer Trends Report.

Now that you know what’s influencing consumer behavior, you can craft a marketing strategy that appeals to your audience’s most pressing needs and interests.

Austin, Texas sure is hot right now.

I mean it in every sense of the word and phrase. 

At the time of writing, it’s 92° in Austin. Although it never reached 90° during our stay, the entire NetLine team definitely felt the Texas heat—especially on the floor of the Austin Convention Center.

The Gang Goes to Forrester 2024

A group of us attended Forrester’s 2024 B2B Summit in Austin during the first week of May. NetLine sponsored the event and had a prominent booth (702!) and two speaking sessions with clients. 

These days, our first order of business upon arriving at our booth is getting our mascot, Luna, squared away. No other vendor has an astronaut on display; we feel lucky to have her.

Over the next three days, we reconnected with old friends and made new ones. While content syndication and lead generation were hot topics, the primary focus was on intent data.

Unlike most other events, Forrester attendees were exceptionally engaged; every conversation was insightful and elevated. They had a deep understanding of the industry landscape and knew exactly what actions were needed—and which to avoid—to drive business growth.

It was extremely refreshing and confirmed both our messaging approach and our belief in the bridging of content consumption and intent.

Texas Friendship

NetLine hosted two sessions during the event, each featuring world-class speakers and clients.

Intercept

The first highlighted Andrew Au of Intercept and how his agency leveraged INTENTIVE to transform Telus from a traditional TelCo to a dynamic TechCo. 

By employing buyer-level intent data, Telus engaged untapped accounts and permeated buying committees. Ultimately, this mix of online and offline intent data allowed Telus to effectively engage in new market segments and address B2B buying challenges with confidence.

Andrew’s case study resonated with all in attendance, with his big takeaway being to focus on quality over quantity. (Also, a few of us worked out with Andrew the next morning and the man is a beast.)

ON24

Our closing session featured our good friend Tessa Barron of ON24. Tessa shared ON24’s experiences using INTENTIVE to transform her team’s GTM motions and acceleration of customer engagement.

Just like Andrew before her, Tessa dropped some real dimes on those in attendance, stressing the need for marketers to be able to deliver for their sales counterparts. Again, the message of quality over quantity was echoed.

Perhaps the strongest bit of information NetLine shared during the entirety of the conference came during this session. As an early adopter of INTENTIVE, ON24 has seen the benefits of the platform first-hand.

In preparing for the session, we discovered that INTENTIVE bested all of ON24’s traditional ABM benchmarks—including the improved identification of high-potential accounts. 

Such a head-to-head test proves that buyer-level intent data allows businesses like ON24 to prioritize and engage with buyers more effectively, leading to better conversion rates and higher-quality engagements.

Did I mention that Gary Clark, Jr. performed Tuesday night? Man, that guy can shred.

3 Lessons NetLine Took from Forrester 2024 

You can’t have a recap blog without identifying specific takeaways from the event. 

Fortunately, this year’s takeaways were easy because each team member witnessed the same experiences.

The Time for Buyer-Level Intent Data is Now
The narrative around buyer-level intent data is beginning to shift.

Last year, when NetLine arrived in Austin in support of our INTENTIVE launch, buyer-level intent data was a secondary, if not tertiary consideration for many attendees. “We already have an intent vendor,” many told us. Besides; they were focused on AI.

Oh, how things change in 11 months.

When we introduced INTENTIVE last June, it required a good bit of preamble. This year, attendees walked up to our booth saying, “I was talking to someone about intent and was told I had to come see you.”

This happened multiple times. The entire team, while ecstatic, was floored. 

So what changed?

While AI grabbed all the headlines, the likelihood of it changing any business outcomes in 2023 and Q1 2024 was slim. That left businesses with the same tech stacks and datasets they had originally, which wasn’t ideal.

What many B2B marketers and sellers realized was that account-level data simply isn’t good enough anymore. Many marketers are feeling that pain.

In an era where every dollar spent needs to be tracked and optimized for ROI, and privacy is key for consumers, why would you continue to knowingly spend precious resources on tactics that don’t yield the best outcomes?

Buyer-level intent delivers this and then some. Just ask ON24.

Become an Actionable Partner

Our conversations revealed a major sticking point: the necessity for businesses to ensure all of their datasets and tools work seamlessly together.

Many attendees mentioned they already have an intent tool like Demandbase or 6Sense. However, the real challenge lies in integrating these tools effectively to drive actionable insights and more informed decision-making. What good is intent data if our colleagues don’t know how to use it?

It’s crucial for businesses to bridge the gaps between different technologies and datasets to create a cohesive and powerful ABM/GTM strategy. That, right there, is the keystone for any data strategy moving forward.

Quality Over Quantity Forever

Although there was less volume than last year, the stronger engagement with multiple prospects asking how to buy was notable. We’ll take quality over quantity every day.

Foot traffic is always nice to have. But demos pave the way to money in the bank—we will certainly be keeping an eye on conversion rates from these booth conversations.

Personally, the booth visitor-to-demo ratio is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I know many of my colleagues shared similar perspectives. It seemed as if one out of every two people we spoke with  I’m eager to see how things continue to pan out.

Events Still Matter

Our Chief Strategy Officer, David Fortino, always leaves events buzzing. The man who sleeps, eats, and breathes passion for marketing walks away with ideas from clients, prospects, and partners. “A million new marketing narratives need to be vetted, and product ideas must be prioritized,” he said.

He also gets quite sappy about his appreciation for his team and the NetLine explorer at large. “I cannot overstate how humbling it is to work with them,” he said. Dave mentioned there were a few times during the conference when he stepped away from the booth and admired from afar: a dozen prospects at a time while delivering concurrent demos. “My eyes welled up, and my arms tingled with goosebumps. The smiles and occasional tears as we parted ways confirmed what we have built together.”

Indeed, it is a joy to be part of this team. I’ve had a few stops in my career and my time at NetLine has been my favorite, hands down.

Our team may be small, but we are mighty. Dave continued to share his appreciation with the group, thanking everyone for, “consistently punching above your weight and budgets. Most vendors in the space are in awe of what you’re capable of.”

There will be more events to come this year. But for now, the lessons of Forrester are good ones that will guide us through the rest of 2024.

As ad costs have exploded in the last year, founders and CMOs are seeking alternatives to paid acquisition.

HubSpot recognized the value of organic search early, enabling our growth alongside the expanding search landscape.

While AI-powered search experiences are reshaping the search landscape, we’re still firm believers in search. To vet whether organic search is an opportunity for you, you need to understand your Search TAM (Total Addressable Market).

Most CMOs are familiar with the concept of Search TAM, but from my experience, most marketers artificially limit their opportunities when calculating it. Kieran and I recently dove deep on how we calculate Search TAM in an episode of Marketing Against the Grain.

Before going into the specifics, let’s first cover why paid ads typically won’t scale forever.

Why Paid Advertising Doesn’t Work Forever

Most of the reasons to deviate from paid advertising come down to cost. After all, paid advertising gets more expensive as it scales.

As Kieran shared in our recent episode, you can scale paid ads indefinitely if the unit economics are in your favor. For most companies, if you continue to scale the channel will saturate.

To put some numbers behind it, let’s say you’re spending $100K per month on paid media to generate demand. A year from now, you’re not going to be spending $200K per month and getting twice as many leads. You’re going to be spending $200K to get 50% more leads. It’s key to diversify before that point.

Organic marketing isn’t like paid ads, it’s not about direct LTV to CAC. Instead, it’s about diversifying marketing strategies for sustained growth.

Nailing Your Search TAM Starts with Your Product

Most companies fail with organic search because they don’t have the right content path back to their products to monetize a visit. To do this, you start with the feature, then move up one level of abstraction at a time to build a chain of related topics that visitors would want to learn about.

Let’s use an example Kieran referenced in the episode — HubSpot’s paid advertising product, which allows marketers to manage Facebook advertising campaigns.

If you move up one level from the product, into the education phase, people are trying to learn how to manage and optimize their Facebook ad campaign. Move up one level from that, and people are trying to learn how to develop a more effective paid media mix.

The beauty of laddering up is that it opens the door to a wider variety of content. For instance, you can create content around the following topics that are adjacent to Facebook ads:

• How to create a dashboard for paid social
• How to measure your cost per click
• Understanding a ROAS-to-LTV model

This technique will allow you to design a content acquisition funnel that attracts readers through related blog content, introduces them to a ROAS calculator template, and finally nurtures them into messaging about the HubSpot’s Ads software.

Define Your Topic Clusters

Creating a content path based on your feature map is enormously powerful. Just taking this approach will be a game-changer for your business. Most marketers tend to do this in the opposite order — create content first, then figure out how to get people interested in their product.

Understanding your Search TAM requires understanding the content path for all of your important topic clusters. The content path we just mapped ladders up to the “Paid Ads” topic cluster, but at HubSpot, we also have topic clusters for email marketing, social media marketing, and a long list of others.

To estimate our true Search TAM, we had to define these topic clusters, then look at all the main keywords we wanted to rank for across all of them. This exercise gave us the total monthly traffic that’s available across all of our keywords. Of course, we knew we wouldn’t get all of that traffic, which is where growth models come in.

Build Growth Models

Once you quantify the total available traffic for the topics you care about, you can model out the traffic you expect to get. There are many ways to do this, and it definitely requires some assumptions. When we do it, we estimate where we might rank for a given topic (e.g., 3rd to 6th).

From there, we factor in average click-through rates from Google to determine how much traffic we can expect, then apply conversion rates based on how we’ve been able to convert customers historically. From that, we can start to understand how many customers we can expect to generate from each topic.

Step-by-Step: How to Find Your Search TAM

To get started building your own Search TAM, download our Search TAM Analysis Template, and follow the steps below.

1. Create a content feature map.

In Kieran’s words: “I create a map of all the features within my product, and then I back out to topics that are associated with those features. What is the job to be done for that feature? And then what are the topics that someone would want to educate themselves about?”

2. Conduct keyword research.

Use a keyword tool like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz Keyword Explorer to research keywords. This should give you a mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords your target audience uses.

3. Estimate search volume.

Analyze the search volume for each keyword. This will help you calculate the potential reach of your target keywords.

4. Analyze competitor keywords.

Find which keywords they rank for and how they target their search audience. This will help identify gaps in your keyword strategy and opportunities for growth, as well as the resources needed to compete on various keywords.

5. Evaluate for trends and seasonality.

Take into account any seasonal trends or fluctuations in search volume that may impact your industry. For example, say your business relies on holiday shopping. Search volume for holiday-specific keywords rises and falls throughout the calendar year. Mapping these fluctuations will lead to a more accurate Search TAM.

6. Calculate total search traffic.

Once you’ve gathered data on keyword search volume, competitor keywords, user intent, and trends, you can calculate an overall view of the potential organic traffic in your market.

7. Apply growth models to calculate Search TAM.

Make assumptions to determine how much traffic you can expect to generate across all topics, then apply benchmark click-through and conversion rates to determine the impact on revenue.

8. Track changes in your Search TAM.

Some keyword volumes are relatively stable, but most will fluctuate with trends and time. This makes it essential to monitor your Search TAM and content strategy to respond to the pace of change.

Check out the full Marketing Against the Grain episode below for a 40-minute explainer on what it takes to build an organic marketing engine:

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

SEO has always been an essential part of my work as a content marketer, but I’ll admit that certain parts of keyword research and formatting posts become tedious. The good news is there are plenty of powerful AI SEO tools that streamline my optimization process and improve rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs).

It can take a long time to fully optimize content for Google, and in my experience, one of the main reasons is there are so many ranking factors to consider. Keyword usage, page load times, content quality, metadata, media — the list goes on for miles.

The whole game changed when marketers adopted AI SEO tools to automate the more repetitive parts. Building and maintaining an SEO content strategy can now be streamlined to consistently deliver results at scale, even with a small team.

If that’s your ideal, I’m here to help. In this guide, I’ll share how AI tools can improve SERP rankings, how marketers are using AI in 2024, and the best AI SEO tools on the market today.

Table of Contents

• How Marketers Use AI
• What Is AI in SEO?
• How to Use AI for SEO
• What Are AI SEO Tools?
• 13 Best AI SEO Tools
• Free AI SEO Tools

How Marketers Use AI

As a content marketer, I use AI tools for help with a range of tasks, from research and brainstorming to project management and analytics. Digital marketers also use AI to support content creation, most commonly writing copy for social posts, blogs, and websites.

A huge caveat is that AI-generated content usually isn’t ready to publish right away. It’s best to put AI drafts through human review to ensure accuracy and quality.

In short, instead of marketing coming down to AI vs. humans, the two should work together.

Treat that list as a teaser of the perks you can enjoy. Still, I’m often asked whether marketers should use AI for SEO in the first place.

According to research by seoClarity, 86% of enterprise SEO professionals have already implemented AI into their SEO marketing strategy. However, don’t walk into it blindly. There are both advantages and drawbacks to incorporating AI SEO tools into your marketing operations.

Potential Drawbacks of Using AI for SEO

While AI helps me speed up repetitive workflows, it lacks human judgment. This can present risks because SEO is fundamentally about delivering content with relevant value to human beings.

Research by seoClarity revealed that content quality and authenticity are concerns for 65% of enterprise SEOs. Meeting these two ideals is the biggest challenge of using AI in SEO.

Another issue to look out for is over-optimization. For example, keyword stuffing will lead to a negative reader experience by making content unreadable, regardless of what an AI tool recommends.

Advantages of Using AI for SEO

In my experience, one of the main benefits of using AI in SEO is how much time you can save. In our survey of over 1,350 marketing professionals, 90% of respondents said that AI and automation reduce time spent on manual tasks so they can focus on the best part of the job — the creative work!

AI tools also have a wide variety of applications; I use them to improve multiple ranking factors, including user experience, content quality, and technical SEO.

One thing’s for sure: To use AI, you inevitably need to pick a software tool.

What Are AI SEO Tools?

AI SEO tools are software solutions that leverage artificial intelligence features like machine learning and natural language processing (NLP). Their goal is to support digital marketers’ SEO efforts like brainstorming, strategy, content optimization, and performance tracking.

You’ll get a clearer picture with some real examples. Here are my favorite AI-driven SEO solutions to help you reduce manual tasks and improve search engine rankings.

In this list, I included tools to help with all parts of the SEO process, including strategy planning, content optimization, and technical SEO.

Only interested in free tools? Skip to the next section.

1. HubSpot AI Tools

Price: Create a bundle to get a quote.

Image Source

I use HubSpot’s suite of AI tools to work more efficiently, develop my SEO strategy, and create optimized content that ranks high in SERPs. What I love about these tools is that they are specifically designed to allow for easy transitions between manual and AI-assisted creation, giving me the best of both worlds.

The most impressive thing about HubSpot’s AI-driven content generation tools is that they’re adept at generating copy for a wide range of needs, from blog posts to landing pages to marketing emails and beyond.

Here’s how I use HubSpot in my day to day:

• I scan my website using the SEO suggestion tools to automatically identify optimization opportunities. This tool ranks recommendations by priority, so it’s easy to see which actionable insights will be the most impactful.
• I leverage the AI content writer, which helps me brainstorm topics and fill out my editorial calendar. It’s also useful for drafting email copy and pitching guest posts to chase high-quality backlinks.
• Once I have ideas, I turn to the AI blog writer to transform them into comprehensive, engaging blog posts. All I have to do is feed the tool an outline or a set of bullet points, and it creates well-structured content that follows SEO best practices. From there, I can review each post and add final touches — this tool is invaluable for maintaining a consistent blog output without sacrificing quality.
• The AI paragraph rewriter is my go-to tool to update existing content and maximize its reach, effectiveness, and longevity. It rephrases and revitalizes copy, ensuring my posts remain relevant, engaging, and SEO-friendly.

What I like: HubSpot’s AI-powered tools are designed to complement your creative process, offering the flexibility to toggle between manual and AI-assisted creation. It facilitates enough efficiency to produce high-quality content at scale.

2. AlliAI

Price: Starts at $299 per month.

Image Source

AlliAI helps you easily optimize your website experience for SERPs. One feature I particularly enjoy is its bulk on-page optimization; I use it to set up SEO rules for my entire website. The program also handles code changes on individual pages.

I’ve also gotten a lot of use out of AlliAI’s automated SEO A/B testing, which leverages user behavior data to optimize search page titles and boost organic traffic.

What I like: This AI SEO tool works with all CMS platforms and doesn’t require coding experience, which makes it an excellent choice for anyone new to the technical side of SEO.

3. RankIQ

Price: $99 per month.

Image Source

RankIQ is an SEO toolset that I like recommending to content creators and business owners who focus heavily on a blog for marketing. The platform includes several features that make it easier to create SEO blog posts, including the SEO content brief creator, which I use to identify relevant keywords and generate a blog outline in minutes.

I also like using the content-optimizing writing assistant to see which supporting keywords I can add to my posts so they’re more likely to rank at the top of SERPs. If you want to refresh older or underperforming posts, RankIQ’s tools can help you do that in less than 30 minutes.

What I like: RankIQ has an extensive keyword library of low-competition, high-traffic search terms that make it easy to find high-ROI opportunities.

4. INK

Price: Starts at $39 per month.

Image Source

INK is an AI writing tool that looks at top-ranked content and helps you generate posts that outperform other brands. In that way, INK is an SEO assistant because it finds keywords that will enhance your content. This tool is especially helpful when I’m optimizing posts that target high-competition keywords.

What I like: Ink AI offers keyword clustering features, which aren’t offered on many other platforms.

5. Jasper

Price: Starts at $49 per month (per user).

Image Source

Jasper is an AI writing assistant that turns one brief into a comprehensive set of marketing assets, including SEO blog posts, emails, and social copy. One thing I love about Jasper is that it makes marketing team collaboration simple through its intuitive campaign dashboard.

What I like: Jasper allows for tone-of-voice customization that helps keep your brand consistent across content.

6. Paraphrasingtool.ai (All-In-One Bundle)

Price: $20 per month.

Image Source

Paraphrasingtool.ai is a writing assistant I use to paraphrase content while ensuring it’s grammatically correct, human-written, and highly clear.

The AI tool also includes detailed definitions of the words used in paraphrasing, which makes it good at speeding up research for topics that require more technical knowledge.

What I like: You can paraphrase recorded audio, which is super helpful for video-based research and repurposing content like webinars and interviews.

7. NeuronWriter

Price: Starts at $23 per month.

Image Source

NeuronWriter offers AI content creation, internal linking, and competitor analysis. More specifically, it uses natural learning processing (NLP), Google SERP data, and competitor insights to help you create high-ranking blog posts that take search intent into consideration.

Since NeuronWriter includes project management and collaboration features, it’s an excellent choice for teams that focus mostly on content marketing.

What I like: NeuronWriter simplifies content management by combining SEO features with an editorial calendar.

8. OutRanking (SEO Writer Plan)

Price: $79 per month.

Image Source

OutRanking uses AI SEO software to power your entire SEO content strategy. In addition to features that improve individual pieces of content, OutRanking provides in-depth keyword research tools that focus on building topical authority.

While there is a starter plan, it’s limited to five SEO documents. I recommend the SEO Writer Plan, which offers 15 documents, automated optimization, and internal linking.

What I like: OutRanking helps you create a prioritized content calendar tailored to your SEO goals. It builds topical authority, an otherwise daunting task.

9. Surfer SEO (Scale AI Plan)

Price: $219 per month.

Image Source

Surfer SEO is a comprehensive tool that speeds up content creation. How? The SEO strategy platform uses AI to generate outlines and blog posts. One thing that impresses me about Surfer’s AI content generation is that it can produce articles in ten different languages.

Not to mention, Surfer AI can automatically scan SERPs to choose the best tone of voice for each article. Alternatively, have the tone match your brand’s signature. Either way, using Surfer correctly will boost your organic traffic and search engine rankings.

What I like: Surfer SEO generates an outline first so you can review and make changes before it creates a full blog post.

10. Scalenut

Price: Starts at $39 per month.

Image Source

Scalenut offers a suite of SEO marketing tools, including a keyword planner, SERP analyzer, article writer, and content optimizer. With Scalenut’s feature-rich software, you can analyze the search volume and relevance of potential keywords using AI.

I like using the article writer to generate outlines based on SERP data. In the post editor, the real-time feedback and recommendations provide an easy way to increase the visibility of your posts.

What I like: Scalenut’s customer support is exceptionally fast and friendly. The company often releases new features to keep up with the latest AI SEO trends.

11. Pictory

Price: Starts at $29 per month.

Image Source

Pictory is an AI video generator that creates high-quality videos in a matter of minutes. All you have to do is upload a video script to the platform; Pictory uses it as the foundation for the video’s content. You can make final tweaks before saving or publishing it.

One way I increase website retention time and engagement on blogs and socials is by adding videos that complement my written content. Honestly, I don’t have much experience creating videos manually, so I use Pictory’s AI tools as an efficient shortcut.

Pictory comes in handy when I want to repurpose webinars, podcasts, and even Zoom meetings.

What I like: Pictory is remarkably user-friendly, and its short learning curve makes for a faster ROI.

12. NitroPack

Price: Starts at $21 per month.

Image Source

Page speed is another key element of SEO success, and NitroPack is an AI-driven tool that takes the guesswork (and the coding work) out of improving your website’s performance.

As someone who has more experience with content than code, having a tool that streamlines technical SEO tasks is a game changer.

NitroPack automatically resizes and compresses images to ensure your website loads faster. I also enjoy using the automatic caching tool and code optimization features to speed up page load times.

What I like: This AI SEO tool offers a test mode so you can try out new features without actually affecting your website’s user experience.

13. NeuralText

Price: Starts at $19 per month.

Image Source

NeuralText is a comprehensive SEO and content tool for keyword research, AI copywriting, and content optimization. It uses data from top-ranked pages on SERPs to generate high-quality, well-researched content.

I like that the AI copywriting features include over 50 content templates spanning blog posts, social media ads, and brand slogan ideas.

I also use NeuralText’s content optimization editor to improve both new and existing blog posts based on its tailored recommendations.

What I like: The keyword research tool makes it easy to identify long-tail keywords and uncover search intent.

Free AI SEO Tools

If you want to get started without breaking the bank, check out my favorite free AI SEO tools. They’ll still save you time and boost SERP rankings.

ChatGPT

Image Source

ChatGPT is one of the most popular AI-powered chatbots, partly because it has many uses, including some SEO tasks. While I don’t recommend ChatGPT for long-form content generation, I do use it as a quick escape from writer’s block. Specifically, it’s helpful for ideation, keyword brainstorming, and quickly generating ideas for titles and meta descriptions.

It’s worth noting that with generative AI, the quality of the output depends on the quality of the input. To up your ChatGPT prowess, browse our 70 AI prompts for marketers to use.

What I like: You can save conversations by topic or project, which keeps ideas organized.

Perplexity AI

Image Source

Perplexity is one of my favorite tools for research because you can upload PDF files to receive a summary of key insights. The free version allows you to upload three files per day, and you can ask multiple questions related to the files you upload.

What I like: The focus feature lets you specify which types of sources you want the tool to use when generating an answer.

QuillBot AI

Image Source

When you need a quick paraphrasing tool, use QuillBot — it lets you paraphrase up to 125 words at a time for free. The free plan also provides basic summaries and text generation with a limit of 50 AI prompts per day.

It’s a handy little refining tool I like to use when I have writer’s block, or when I want to summarize an article for a social post or email marketing copy.

What I like: It offers a Chrome extension, so you don’t need to switch back and forth between tabs.

Level Up Your Marketing With AI SEO Tools

If there’s one thing I know after years of working in SEO, it’s that it’s always changing, whether with search algorithm updates or user preferences. Outranking the competition means keeping up with the latest best practices.

Fortunately, advances in AI mean that the tools we use to execute our SEO strategies are also evolving and getting more efficient. To learn more about unlocking your SEO potential and boosting productivity, explore HubSpot AI tools today.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2023 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Want to launch your own podcast (or a podcast for your company) but don’t know where to start? I’ve put together a podcast launch checklist you can use to get your project up and running, along with tips gathered from my personal experience and insights from members of the HubSpot Podcast Network.

Let’s rewind before 2018, when I started my own show, Balanced Black Girl. I was one of the estimated 120 million people listening to podcasts monthly. Eventually, I had an idea of my own and was able to launch with no prior audio experience — and if I can do it, you can, too.

In fact, starting a podcast is easier than ever as the medium has increased in popularity and profitability. Here’s the ultimate checklist to help you start a successful podcast.

Table of Contents

• Starting a Podcast Checklist
• Things To Know Before Starting a Podcast
• Everything You Need to Start Your Podcast Today

Starting a Podcast Checklist

• Determine your niche.
• Identify your ideal listener.
• Name your podcast and secure social media handles.
• Decide which format and publishing schedule you’d like to follow.
• Select a podcast hosting service.
• Create podcast cover art.
• Get your podcasting equipment.
• Create a roadmap and reach out to potential guests.
• Plan your launch episodes in more detail.
• Record and edit your first three episodes.
• Write the show notes for your launch episodes.
• Create a podcast trailer.
• Upload and schedule your trailer and launch episodes.
• Submit your podcast to online podcast directories.
• Market your podcast and celebrate your launch.

1. Determine your niche.

If your show is too general, listeners will never know what to expect for your show. If they don’t know what they’ll get, they tune out. Kyle Denhoff, Sr. Director of Marketing at HubSpot, echoes this sentiment.

“The more focused you are, the easier it is to build an audience. For example, be the strategy show for B2B marketers or the news show for AI enthusiasts,” says Denhoff, who oversees demand generation for all channels, including podcasts.

For my show, I started by figuring out the genre and niche that my podcast would fall under. This made it easier for platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify to categorize my content so my target audience could find it. For instance, my podcast show falls under the broader wellness genre, with a more specific focus on the experience of Black women.

Other popular podcast genres include:

• Arts.
• News.
• Music.
• Finance.
• Business.
• TV and film.
• Education.
• True crime.
• Society and culture.

Pro tip: Determine which genre best describes the podcast you’d like to create or the industry you’re in, and keep this topic in mind as you plan out your content and prepare for launch.

2. Identify your ideal listener.

After choosing the wellness genre, I took time to zero in on my ideal listener, which I found similar to creating a buyer persona. Creating an ideal listener helped me hone my messaging and create a clearer focus within my genre.

Here are some characteristics I recommend considering when describing your target audience:

• Age.
• Income.
• Interests.
• Hobbies.
• Occupation.
• Education level.
• Geographic location.

I also found it useful to brainstorm. I asked myself the following questions.

• What is this listener interested in?
• How often do they listen to podcasts?
• Where do they learn about new podcasts?
• If you were having a conversation with this listener, what questions would they ask?
• What other podcasts is this person listening to, and what does that tell me about what they want to hear?

The answers to these questions helped me craft content that was especially relevant for my potential listeners.

Pro tip: If you have friends or colleagues who fit your ideal listener profile, it can be helpful to survey them to get their feedback on your podcast idea and learn more about their media consumption habits.

3. Name your podcast and secure social media handles.

At this point, you know what your podcast is about and have identified your ideal listener. Now, it’s time to choose a name.

Whether your podcast name is related to your business or something entirely new, perform an extensive search to ensure the name you want is available. You don’t want to pick a title already associated with any other podcasts, brands, or registered trademarks.

At this stage, I also recommend registering the domain name and social media accounts you’ll be using to promote the podcast and engage your audience. While you won’t need them right away, the last thing you want is to create artwork and produce your podcast, only to find out that the handles you want have been taken.

Pro tip: Running a search in the U.S. Patent and Trademark websites can help you ensure there are no existing trademarks on the name you want.

For more insights on choosing the right niche, naming your show, and more, you can check out HubSpot’s video on nine pro tips for starting a podcast.

9 Pro Tips to Start Your Podcast in 2024 (FREE Guide)

4. Decide which format and publishing schedule you’d like to follow.

After naming your show, it’s time to get into the weeds of what your podcast will look like by choosing the format type and your publishing cadence.

Common podcast formats include:

• Scripted.
• Interviews.
• Storytelling.
• Documentary.
• Conversations.

When considering the publishing cadence you’d like to follow, note that the most common podcast publishing schedules are weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly. That said, consistency is more important than frequency when it comes to podcasting. Above all, choose a schedule you can maintain.

Pro tip: Denhoff recommends starting with your podcast’s purpose, suggesting that you “define the value your podcast aims to provide. Are you filling a need for news, education, or entertainment? Your content should align with the role it plays in your audience’s life.”

For instance, if the value you provide is entertainment, then a scripted or storytelling format might work best. Conversely, since one of my goals is to amplify the voices of Black women in the wellness space, most of my show uses an interview format.

5. Select a podcast hosting service.

Now, you want to select a podcast hosting platform. These platforms help you store episodes and make them available in RSS feeds so you can distribute them on platforms like Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

I think Buzzsprout is an excellent place to start, as it offers a free plan and low-cost paid tiers. If you want more advanced features like monetization options, listener analytics, and subscriptions, premium services like Captivate or Libsyn could be a good fit for you.

Pro tip: Get your own website. This way, you can switch hosting services if need be while providing a seamless transition for your listeners.

6. Create podcast cover art.

Your cover art gives podcast listeners a first impression of your show before they press play, so you want it to be good. I like using tools like Canva to create my cover art and templates for different types of episodes.

Before I started to work on my own graphics, I found it helpful to browse directories like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts to identify common visual elements among the top-rated shows and add those that suited my brand.

Image Source

When creating your artwork, make sure that:

• It’s easy to read in smaller sizes.
• It’s consistent with your branding.
• It’s a clear image that doesn’t appear blurry.
• It doesn’t contain any copyrighted images or logos of non-affiliated companies.

Pro tip: It’s also imperative that your podcast artwork is the correct size. Apple suggests using a 3,000×3,000-pixel image to future-proof your artwork.

Incorrect sizing can impact your podcast’s ability to publish and display in directories correctly, so you’ll want to make sure your artwork is the right size. So, when your artwork is complete, upload it to your podcast hosting service to ensure it shows up correctly across platforms.

7. Get your podcasting equipment.

Your podcast recording setup can be as complex or as simple as you’d like. If you’re opting to record at a local studio, this would be the perfect point in the process to research options near you and book a recording session.

If you plan to record at home and are looking for a straightforward setup, you’ll need the following:

• Headphones.
• A laptop or computer.
• Recording software such as Squadcast, Zencastr, Zoom, or Riverside.
• A USB or XLR microphone (if you use an XLR microphone, make sure you get a mixer to connect the mic to your computer).
• Editing software such as Alitu, GarageBand, Audacity, Adobe Audition, or Descript.

Pro tip: You don’t need to break the bank on recording equipment to start a high-quality podcast. Check out this list of recommended podcast tools and find the items that fit your budget and experience level.

8. Create a roadmap and reach out to potential guests.

While you may be itching to get behind the mic at this point (I know I was), I found it helpful to create a high-level outline of your show’s first 10 to 20 episodes before you record.

When I spoke with Joe Fier of The Hustle & Flowchart podcast, he described one way you can break down the first 20 episodes based on their purpose:

• Introduction: 1 episode (5%).
• Value episode: 6 episodes (30%).
• Community episodes: 3 episodes (15%).
• Offer episodes: 2 episodes (10%).
• Guest appearances: 4 episodes (20%).
• Repurposed content spotlight: 4 episodes (20%).

This is just one example and can be adapted based on your genre and the content types you’ve chosen to create.

If you plan to interview guests, I recommend creating your guest list and reaching out at this stage. I found that confirming availability with guests helps me plan out my podcast schedule in advance so I can stay consistent with my publishing schedule.

Pro tip: If you plan on featuring other people in your podcast, look at your existing network for potential guests. It’s tough to get people on board with cold outreach if you don’t have any existing material people can review before they agree to the interview.

9. Plan your launch episodes in more detail.

Once you know your overall plan, you can map out more details about the episodes that will accompany your launch. Yes, episodes.

After all, getting podcast listeners isn’t that different from how music artists draw attention to their work — you lure them in with a good song, but it’s not until they’ve listened to the other songs in the album that you have truly caught them.

Fier agrees and states, “Launching with two or three episodes is best because you want to keep your audience in that momentum.”

In my experience, starting with a few episodes also gives you a chance to earn more downloads, ratings, and reviews in a shorter period of time, which can be helpful for discoverability and ranking on the charts.

Fier goes on to recommend using the first episode as an introduction that “highlights your expertise and then shows people where you’re going to take them in your podcast.” From there, you can use the follow-up episodes to show them what that looks like.

Pro tip: If you plan to feature guests in your show, Fier suggests bringing your first guest early on to introduce your audience to the type of interviews they can expect. “It’s also a great marketing strategy to get a guest to introduce you and your show to their audience,” he says.

10. Record and edit your first three episodes.

With the outline of each episode in your launch plan, it’s time to record and edit. Before recording, I like to create a script for each podcast episode outlining the points I want to make (if it’s a solo show) or the questions I’d like to ask the guest I’m interviewing.

Creating a solid script or outline is especially helpful when you’re a new podcaster getting used to the medium.

Once your scripts are ready, record your launch episodes in your recording software of choice. You can then edit them yourself or hire an editor to do so. When editing, be mindful of background noise and filler words that could distract the listener.

Pro tip: Read your scripts out loud to hear how they sound. This will help you imagine your content as a podcast before you start recording.

11. Write the show notes for your launch episodes.

Now that your first few episodes are recorded, it’s time to write the show notes.

Show notes are essentially short blog posts that accompany each podcast episode. They are a great place to put a general description of the episode along with community links, such as an email sign-up.

When I write show notes, I like to include:

• A general summary of the episode.
• Time-stamped chapters of different topics we cover.
• Information about my guest (if it’s an interview).
• Links to sponsors and any mentioned resources.

While it can be tempting to gloss over show notes, it’s worth putting in some effort. I’ve found that besides helping with SEO, which can bring new listeners to your show, show notes can also keep your audience engaged and ready to follow your content on other platforms.

Pro tip: Include links to relevant resources, such as books or studies you mention during the show. This creates more value for listeners and can increase engagement.

12. Create a podcast trailer.

As one final step before uploading your first show, record a trailer. A trailer is a short audio clip that introduces your podcast to new listeners and gets them excited to tune in. In your podcast trailer, you’ll want to include:

• An introduction to your podcast and what it’s about.
• When listeners can expect new episodes.
• A teaser of what’s to come or highlights so the audience knows what to expect.
• A call-to-action inviting the listener to come back.

Pro tip: Keep your trailer engaging and informative but concise. One to two minutes in length is all you need.

13. Upload and schedule your trailer and launch episodes.

Now that you have your first three episodes, show notes, and a trailer, you’re ready to publish. Upload your audio files and show notes to your podcast host, and schedule your episodes to publish on your desired launch date.

Pro tip: Your launch date should fall on the day of the week you plan to publish moving forward so your audience knows right from the start when to tune in.

14. Submit your podcast to online podcast directories.

Once your first episodes are uploaded to your podcast service, it’s time to submit to podcast directories so listeners can tune in to your show. Remember that directories can take a few days or a couple of weeks to approve your podcast. You’ll want to factor that time into your launch plan.

I recommend starting with the platforms that have the widest reach. The top three podcast directories based on number of listeners are:

• Spotify, with 25% of total listeners.
• Apple Podcasts, with 20% of total listeners.
• Google Podcasts, with 16% of total listeners.

Streaming your podcast to other platforms such as Stitcher, Castbox, Pandora, and Amazon Music can be managed within your podcast host settings.

Pro tip: Revisit step two to see which streaming services your ideal listener uses to discover and follow their podcasts.

15. Market your podcast and celebrate your launch.

Congratulations — you just launched your first podcast! Now, it’s time to get the word out by marketing your show to your ideal listeners and celebrating your hard work.

I’ve found that short-form videos are excellent ways to promote my podcasts, so I use Instagram reels to highlight top clips from my interviews.

Pro tip: Fier suggests leveraging YouTube as a podcast marketing channel, saying, “Video is going to be a piece of podcasting in this day and age. YouTube will be where a lot of momentum is happening for podcasts because of their algorithm.”

For even more information on organizing, producing, and marketing your podcast, download our Ultimate Guide to Starting a Podcast for free. You’ll even get email outreach templates and tips on the best ways to measure success.

Things To Know Before Starting a Podcast

After publishing more than 270 episodes of my show, I can say that the journey has been exciting, surprising, and rewarding. When I recall my early days, there were plenty of things I had yet to learn.

Here are a few things I recommend knowing before you start a podcast.

Know the value of guests.

Getting used to the podcast format can take some time. To give yourself a head start, Fier says, “Guesting on other shows can be the best first step because you get to practice the muscle.”

Plus, guesting is also an excellent way to reach a wider audience and promote your own show in the long term.

Listeners don’t mind ads as much as you think.

Compared to other marketing channels, podcasting is one of the more advertising-friendly options. One survey showed that 46% of podcast listeners don’t find ads intrusive at all. In contrast, 77% of people find ads somewhat or very intrusive on YouTube, and 64% find ads somewhat or very intrusive on TV.

As such, don’t feel shy about working with sponsors who are a good fit for your brand. In a podcast setting, ads are less likely to be a turnoff for listeners. If you can tie ads into the theme of your show or episode, they can be especially valuable for your audience.

Podcasts take preparation.

Podcasts are an excellent way to build community with your target audience, but if you want to grow your show’s audience, you must prepare. From identifying your ideal listener and drafting a launch plan to crafting outlines for each show, the importance of research, planning, and preparation never goes away.

That said, you don’t need to achieve perfection to be prepared. Trust me, though, I know the temptation of getting every detail just right. Once you’ve done the work, the best thing you can do is to get started. Over time, you can adjust your strategy based on your metrics and listener feedback.

Everything You Need to Start Your Podcast Today

I honestly love the podcast medium and believe more and more people should give it a try. And remember — if you’ve got a podcast idea that’s chomping at the bit, this podcast launch checklist can serve as a roadmap to turning it into a reality.

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

If you’re a graphic designer, I have to give you praise because, without your creativity and your keen eye for design, it would be a struggle for marketing to create campaigns that catch their audience’s attention.

And what better way to show my appreciation to graphic designers than to write a post with helpful graphic design resume examples and tips that can help you land your next job?

You’ve come to the right place if you’re a graphic designer looking for your next gig or want to refine your resume. Let’s dive in!

Graphic Design Resume Best Practices

Graphic Design Resume Examples

Graphic Design Student Resume Examples

Graphic Design Resume Best Practices

Before I discuss the graphic design resume examples below, I’ll outline some best practices for putting your resume together.

Use a clean layout.

Graphic design is a field that naturally attracts creative people like yourself, so you might be tempted to create a colorful, unique layout that shows off your eye for design.

However, your resume should have a clean layout that is easy to read and won’t confuse any applicant tracking systems (ATS) your potential employers use.

In her YouTube video, “The Resume That Got Me Hired As A Designer,” graphic designer Victoria Gillerlain says a clean layout is the way to go.

“If your resume is hard to read, hard to look at, overly contrasted, or just makes people [wince] when they look at it because it’s so overwhelming — that’s not good,” she explains. “[Recruiters] are probably not going to even bother to look into the content itself, and you want them to look at it!”

Gillerlain uses her own resume as an example of what to do, and she notes the absence of color in her document.

Image Source

“The reason behind that is that your resume is a professional document, and although you’re in a creative field, using this as a creative document—not everyone who is looking at your resume is going to necessarily be in a creative field,” she says. “Lots of times, there are going to be HR managers or recruiters who are looking at your resume and have nothing to do with the creative field.”

Gillerlain says those people may look at an overly colorful resume and think, “Why does it have so many colors and graphics?”

“On top of that, if you’re going to be in an on-site role at all, a lot of times people will print out your resume … there’s a chance that none of that is going to actually print, and they might just print it in black and white — so it might now look as you intended it,” she says.

Include links to your portfolio.

Even the most well-put-together resume in the world can’t replace a glowing portfolio.

So, make sure your resume includes links to your work. Graphic design is a creative and visual industry, and including links to your portfolio will allow recruiters to see your experience and qualifications in action.

Tailor your resume for every application.

This is golden advice for any industry. You should always tweak and tailor your resume for each job you’re applying for. This means incorporating keywords from the job posting and highlighting relevant experiences and skills.

One graphic design job opportunity may require a skill that isn’t as relevant in other opportunities in the industry, and you don’t want your resume to leave out that key detail.

So, read the job description closely and tailor your resume so that it applies and sets you up for success.

Mention your education.

“If you have a degree, even if it’s unrelated, list it,” Gillerlain says. “Having a degree shows that you’re credible and committed, and a lot of places like to see that you have one nowadays.”

Gillerlain suggests listing your degree, your minor (“If you want,” she says), where you got it, and when.

To learn more general resume best practices, regardless of industry, check you my colleague Martina Bretous’s post about resume tips that will help you get hired.

Graphic Design Resume Examples

1. Victoria Gillerlain’s Graphic Design Resume

Image Source

I mentioned this resume earlier, but I want to dig a little deeper. Notice how the resume is simple, easy to follow, and to the point.

It’s not very colorful but still includes small, unique design elements (like the large V logo in the corner) that help it stand out without being distracting.

Gilerlain also includes a link to her website portfolio, so recruiters can find her work without having to do any additional digging.

Pro-Tip: It’s okay to add unique elements to your resume to show your creativity, but keep those elements simple, like in the example above.

Cool-toned colors for headlines and a simple logo can be just enough to separate you from other applicants without overshading the contents of the document.

2. Anna Chen’s Graphic Design Resume

Image Source

The above resume features a minimalist design that keeps the recruiter’s focus squarely on the applicant’s experience, qualifications, skills, and work history.

Pro Tip: While I like this resume for its simple design, I notice it doesn’t include a space for Chen’s education history, such as if she has a degree or is actively working toward one.

A simple design is excellent for resumes, but you should still include space for your education credentials.

Also, notice the most recent work experience is not bulleted. Applicants should include bullet points to make their resume more readable.

3. Charles Bloomberg’s Graphic Design Resume

Image Source

This resume is excellent because it’s clean and includes all relevant information. I especially love how the applicant made sure to include his education and relevant certifications.

Pro Tip: Notice the small icons at the top symbolizing his location, email, phone number, and LinkedIn.

This information is a must-have, but icons and symbols can confuse applicant tracking systems and can harm the chances of your resume getting the attention of a recruiter.

So, avoid symbols and icons in your resume whenever possible.

4. Clara Thompson’s Entry-Level Graphic Design Resume

Image Source

This resume includes a pop of color that catches the eye without distracting from its contents. Thompson’s contact information is listed neatly in the upper right corner of the page, leaving plenty of room for her work experience.

What I Love: The resume is an excellent example for individuals just starting their careers. I love how it highlights relevant projects the applicant completed before freelance work.

5. Samantha Angel’s Senior Graphic Designer Resume Example

Image Source

I’m biased because purple is my favorite color, but this is one of my favorite examples. Samantha’s resume includes her work experience and a bulleted list of responsibilities. It also features her activities outside work and degree, adding more legitimacy to her application.

Pro Tip: Like Samantha, consider adding activities and certifications you’ve completed outside of your career to beef up your resume and show you’re a well-rounded candidate.

Graphic Design Student Resume Examples

If you’re a student trying to break into the graphic design industry, here are some examples to get you going in the right direction.

1. Minimalist

Image Source

The sample resume is an excellent example for graphic design students looking for entry-level opportunities. If you’re new to the field but have internship or volunteer experience that applies to the role, include them as your work experience.

What I Love: The resume is simple and clean, with nearly all relevant information listed.

2. Black and White

Image Source

Like the previous example, this resume lacks color—that’s okay! As I mentioned earlier, it’s not essential to have color. A pop of color can show you creativity, but there’s no guarantee a recruiter or hiring manager will see it or care.

What I Love: I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having a clean, easy-to-read resume. This format will pass ATS without issues and neatly display your qualifications.

3. Traditional with a Pop of Color

Image Source

If you want a pop of color in your resume, this example is an excellent template to emulate. It showcases the applicant’s creative flair while highlighting all the essential information.

However, be mindful of adding odd symbols and icons. Again, they can pose a problem for ATS.

Pro Tip: If using color, use it sparingly and pick a color that isn’t too jarring. Like the one in the example, a calming blue is a great choice.

Graphic design, like most creative fields, can be a harsh industry to break into. However, you have the best chance if you have a portfolio, skills, experience, and a clean resume to vouch for you. Good luck!

If you’re like me and waste far too much time on Instagram, you’re well acquainted with the phrase “link in bio.” So why does seemingly everyone use a linktr.ee URL, and what is Linktree exactly?

In this post, I’ll tell you everything worth knowing as you decide whether to use Linktree or its alternatives. I’ll also give you advice on how best to use Linktree for social media marketing and more.

Here’s exactly what I have in store:

• What Is Linktree?
• How Does Linktree Work?
• Should You Use Linktree for Marketing?
• Alternatives to Linktree
• How to Set Up Linktree
• Linktree Tips to Thrive
• Great Linktree Examples

What Is Linktree?

Linktree is a tool for creating a personalized link that acts as a menu — in other words, a page that lists several other links of your choice. There’s a free plan and a paid plan. People typically put a Linktree link in their profile description on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and other social networks. Users click it to navigate to a homepage, shop, other accounts, and more.

With over 40 million users, Linktree is a hugely popular fixture on social media profiles. I’ve noticed it in the Instagram bios of everyone from small business owners to A-list celebrities. If you want your followers to navigate to your Patreon, business webpage, ecommerce page (e.g., Amazon, Etsy), podcast, or another social media platform, Linktree is perfect.

Still confused? Hold tight. You’ll find out more as I walk you through setting up Linktree.

Should You Use Linktree for Marketing?

If you have a social media presence for your brand, I recommend using Linktree as a digital marketing tool, whether you’re a content creator, ecommerce store owner, or working for a marketing agency.

Here are the features I appreciate the most when I use Linktree.

Free Linktree Features

When you’re running a marketing campaign, you need to move quickly. Linktree lets you do that; as you’ll see soon, there are no roadblocks to setting up Linktree. Even a free account lets you easily add all your links to a customizable, branded Linktree page.

Sure, the free version doesn’t allow you to change the button and font styles or hide the Linktree logo. In my opinion, that doesn’t matter, especially for a freebie.

Paid Linktree Features

If you’re serious about Instagram marketing — or you leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, X, or TikTok to build an online presence — you may need the paid version of Linktree to reap the max marketing rewards.

The starter plan ($5 per month) supports affiliate marketing. It has a handful of other features, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

I was much more impressed with the additional features of the Pro version ($9 per month). With this option, I can connect Linktree to my Google Analytics account and access Linktree’s array of built-in analytics features, like conversion tracking and location-based analytics.

However, I was disappointed that, on the Pro plan, I couldn’t export any of my analytics data. For that, you’ll need the Premium plan ($24 per month).

Alternatives to Linktree

Unsurprisingly, Linktree isn’t the only link-in-bio tool on the market. I’ve had a look at the top contenders to see if they’d make good homes for your links.

Later

Later’s Link in Bio should win a prize for having such an original name. Overall, Later specializes in social media management and influencer marketing, and I’ve heard a lot about how Link in Bio is great for ecommerce. When I tested it out, I found its free page customization options to be much better than what Linktree offers on its free plan.

Milkshake

With Milkshake, you use an app to create a custom website that houses your links. Personally, I prefer to use my trusty laptop more often (I find phones too awkward for the task), so the app isn’t a huge draw for me. That being said, I like Milkshake’s Cards feature: Users can flip through links just as you would with an Instagram Story.

Bear in mind that I haven’t noticed any Linktree alternatives actually popping up on people’s social channels.

I’d be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention the less obvious alternative to Linktree. Erica Hartwick, CEO of Big Cat Creative, had this to say: “In all fairness, it’s just a landing page with a bunch of links on it; surely we could easily create our own.”

When you have your own website, there’s nothing particularly special about what Linktree is. Sure, it does have some extra perks, but I don’t see the point in getting them from Linktree if you use other marketing tools.

And I think you’ll agree. It’s easier to capitalize on traffic to your own landing page compared to a Linktree one.

These steps are pretty straightforward, but I’m sticking around to help you plant your first Linktree.

Here’s a more detailed walkthrough with screenshots.

1. Head to Linktree to create your free account.

I did this on my laptop, but they have an app, too. I recommend choosing a username that’s memorable and reads well as a link; your username will be your Linktree URL.

2. Give Linktree information about your account category.

I chose Fashion & Beauty here, but you have the option to select Entertainment, Business, or even Other. Hit “Continue” when you’ve chosen.

 

3. Select your plan type.

I don’t even mind that Linktree automatically recommends the Pro plan instead of Free or Starter. Pro is packed with features and a good bang for your buck.

4. Choose your page’s appearance (or put it off till later).

On the Free plan, Linktree lets me upload a profile image and choose from about eight themes. Of these basic themes, nothing really stood out to me — but hey, did I mention it’s free?

5. Add your first new link.

I added the HubSpot Blog link here to show you how it’s done.

6. Add a title, header, and thumbnail (optional).

7. Add as many links as you want, then see what your Linktree looks like.

I added one link here for visual reference, but I strongly recommend you add multiple. Otherwise, there’s not much point in creating a Linktree, as it’s meant to condense several links.

8. Copy your Linktree URL or directly share it to your social media account.

It’s pretty easy for me to copy my Linktree URL and add it wherever I like. Linktree has other options that streamline the sharing process if you feel inclined. You also get a snazzy QR code.

Linktree Tips to Thrive

Choose relevant names for your links. I recommend being concise and descriptive when choosing your link title. For the above example, I used “HubSpot Blog” (original, right?). Most importantly, stay consistent with capitalization to create a clean, professional look.

Only include the most important links. Overloading on links is counterintuitive to what Linktree is. Marisa Messick, founder of Quill & Co Design, agrees.

“People forget that [Linktree is] supposed to act as a stepping stone to your main links. You want to keep it within three to five links so people don’t feel overwhelmed and ultimately don’t go where you want them to.”

Continually monitor your Linktree. Occasionally revisit your page to ensure you don’t have old, irrelevant, or broken links in there. Even if you plan to show the same links all the time, I recommend you change the order up occasionally. That way, the lonely links lower down the list get some love.

Great Linktree Examples

Patsy’s

My first example is a Brooklyn, New York-based dessert company called Patsy’s. The business, which makes Caribbean rum cakes from high-quality ingredients, has a Linktree in their Instagram bio.

What I like: Patsy’s Linktree is short but sweet (pun intended). It includes a button for ordering, a contact page, and a link to stockists. It also links to a Brooklyn Magazine article the company is featured in.

Sean Garrette

Sean Garrette is a New York-based content creator, skincare expert, and esthetician. Their X account features a Linktree URL, which drives audience engagement.

What I like: I appreciate the info-packed link descriptions. For example, there are clearly marked affiliate links — and even discount percentages and codes — without looking too busy. Sean also included a link to the content pieces people seek out most.

HubSpot

While we are looking at great uses of Linktree, it would be a shame not to check out HubSpot’s Instagram as well.

What I like: HubSpot’s Linktree design is branded to a tee, leveraging everything from our famous orange to a branded hashtag. With social links, and a lot of content links, this is a very ambitious Linktree setup, but HubSpot manages to keep everything clean and actionable.

The Final Verdict on Using Linktree

Now that you know what Linktree is and how it works, should you use it because everyone else does? Probably.

Linktree is easy to set up and has decent customization options, even on the most basic plan. The layout is clean. The URL is recognizable to many social media users, helping you drive traffic without users worrying about suspicious links.

Sure, you could build your own link-sharing landing page, but it’ll take more time. What’s more, I know many big brands with high-quality websites and a Linktree — make of that what you will.

The basic navigational menu has branched out with some nifty features for under $10 a month. You won’t lose a cent by testing the free plan, so what are you waiting for? You’ll be able to share multiple high-impact links with your audience all at once, giving them more ways to interact with your business and become engaged in what you have to offer.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in Dec. 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness

Social buying. Everyone and their mama is doing it — or maybe it‘s just me and my family. I’m consistently tagged in posts (thank you, cousin) about adorable gifts, must-have outfits, and the like.

Now, I’m a content marketer who knows when I’m being sold to, but even I get lured by social posts with irresistible products. And I know I’m not alone — as of 2024, over 110 million Americans (roughly 42% of internet users) are fellow social buyers.

So, if you’re a brand selling products to consumers and you’re not already using social selling, 2024 is a superb year to start.

Not convinced?

Let’s explore the social commerce landscape, best practices, and fun examples of brands already seeing success. Plus, I’ll share insights from experts I talked to about the future (and present-day) of social commerce.

Social Media and Online Shopping — Today’s Landscape

7 Social Media Online Shopping Trends

Tips for Making the Most of Your Social Media

Social Media and Online Shopping — Today’s Landscape

Salespeople. Marketers. Brands. They’re all jumping aboard the social selling bandwagon for good reason. Global social commerce sales could reach an astounding $2.9 trillion by 2026.

I know it’s a staggering number, but forecasts aren’t always enough to convince the gatekeepers of our selling and marketing budgets, are they?

So, let’s look at some facts and numbers straight from the horse’s mouth (buyers and brands):

• Salespeople reveal, “Our highest quality leads come from social media, so we’ll prioritize this channel.”
• Consumers say, “36% of us use social media to find new products, plus 28% of us Gen Z and Millennials purchased directly from social media apps within the past three months.”
• 80% of social media marketers agree that “consumers are buying our products directly from social apps more than they purchase from our brand websites or third-party resellers.”
• 87% percent of brands confirmed that “social selling has been effective for their business.”
• Instagram says that “71% of Gen Z are likely to buy directly from [Instagram] compared to 68% for YouTube and TikTok.”

And if that’s not enough to convince you, check out this chart illustrating how well sales improved year over year for brands using social selling.

In a nutshell, social media commerce is on the rise, widely accepted by young consumers, and drives sales for brands.

7 Social Media Online Shopping Trends

What’s the secret behind the success and rapid growth of social media selling? Well, there isn’t one. Like any other marketing channel, you must monitor competitors and test different strategies.

But to give you a leg up, I gathered the top trends I’m seeing based on responses from experts and my own research.

1. Seamless In-App Shopping Experiences

As I noted above, consumers are buying from brands directly on social media platforms, so it makes sense to build a seamless in-app shopping experience for your customers.

No one wants to jump through hoops to make a purchase they thought would take only a few seconds.

But since you don’t have control over the development of these apps, or how well they’ll work for your customers, be sure to choose platforms already two steps ahead.

For example, I see social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok enhancing in-app shopping. Facebook has a marketplace and shops you can use to build your digital storefront.

(In our recent study, we found this feature to be highly important to 36% of marketers.)

Instagram also has shopping features that could be used by over 46 million American social buyers in 2024. Both Facebook and Instagram allow users to checkout directly on the platform.

TikTok Shop is also available, but has been slow to gain traction in the U.S. In the summer of 2023, it generated $3 million to $4 million daily.

If you decide to use the platform, know that users can shop from multiple brands at once and add products to a single shopping cart.

But don’t rely on platforms to deliver seamless social media shopping experiences. I recommend taking it further by creating shoppable social posts. You can also use Likeshop.me to tie your shop to your social posts.

World Market wins with shoppable Instagram posts.

Like all the decor you see in a photo-rific post on Instagram? You can buy everything in one sitting. Below is an example of a highly shoppable post from World Market created using Likeshop.me.

Image Source

This shopping feature turns your Instagram posts and TikToks into mini-shops where you can tag and add products for shoppers to explore (and more importantly, purchase).

Gift Delivery also saw great success using shoppable videos.

“By integrating direct purchase links into our video content, we’ve made it seamless for customers to buy products as soon as they see them featured,” shares Billy Parker, Gift Delivery’s managing director.

Parker continues that preliminary campaigns with this feature yielded “a 20% uptick in sales attributed to shoppable video content alone.”

Parker also notes that “the success of these campaigns lies in their ability to not only showcase products in action but also in the convenience they offer, significantly shortening the customer journey from discovery to purchase.”

Are you wondering which platforms you should focus on?

The top social networks offering the highest ROI (according to 1,000+ social media marketers) include:

• Instagram (33%).
• Facebook (25%).
• YouTube (18%).
• TikTok (12%).
• X/Twitter (6%).

2. Short-Form Product Videos to Drive Engagement and Sales

Product demos, teasers, and similar videos are a money-maker on social media for 66% of video marketers. The beauty of this trend is that it’s short and sweet, and allows you to toot your own horn.

According to 36% of video marketers, three minutes or less is all you need. Done right, 40% of video marketers state that videos help customers understand your product better.

But how do you create engaging videos that feature your product without it coming off as an ad?

One option is to get an influencer involved. Tying social proof into the video makes it less sales-y — even more so if you partner with a small, trusted content creator (more on that later).

Examples of short video content you can create include:

• Behind the scenes (BTS). Show you’re human and relatable.
• Product teasers. Showcase a new feature or product.
• How-tos. Share a quick tip to improve a process using your product.
• User-generated content (UGC). Demonstrate how others are using your product.

• Highlight reels & montage. Show the multiple benefits of your product in action.

• Customer reviews. Leverage customer success stories as social proof.

• FAQs. Answer questions about your product.

• Influencer collabs. Partner with an influencer to feature your product in their content naturally.

You get the idea. So what does short video content look like in the real world? Let’s take a look.

Irresistible Me lets its hair down on TikTok.

Irresistable Me is a hair extension boutique that makes short videos on TikTok.

“TikTok is where we let our hair down — literally! It’s all about fun, quick, engaging content,” says Irresistible Me’s Marketer Kate Ross. “We jump on trends, create challenges, and use TikTok shopping features to link back to our products. It’s like the energetic party everyone wants to be at.”

Here’s an example of a TikTok using user-generated content, or should I say influencer-generated content, with Audrey Boos.

The video did well, with over 2K likes, 700+ bookmarks, and nearly 100 comments.

“TikTok has been huge for us. We’ve been getting creative, jumping into challenges, and teaming up with influencers who just get what we’re all about,” continues Ross. “It’s all about fun videos that show off what you can do with our products. This approach has brought a bunch of new faces to our site and helped us stand out in a pretty crowded market.”

3. More Team-Ups With Nano- and Micro-Influencers to Build Trust

I’m seeing fewer big influencers and more micro-influencers in my feeds lately. And I kinda like it. Okay, I really like it. Like most, I enjoy seeing real and relatable content creators.

It appears more brands are taking this approach, too, which is better for their bottom line — it reduces the marketing spend and potentially boosts their revenue.

Roughly 67% of influencer marketers work with micro-influencers and 24% team up with nano-influencers. The top social platforms they plan to do most of their partnerships on are:

• Instagram (27%).
• Facebook (19%).
• YouTube (18%).
• TikTok (15%).

So far, 47% of marketers report successful micro-influencer partnerships. This is not surprising when 21% of social media users between 18 and 54 buy products based on influencer recommendations.

So how can brands put this to use?

Glossier uses UGC to show how everyday women use its products.

Glossier, a renowned makeup company, regularly partners with nano- and micro-influencers. The following IG reel shows Sky Mejias applying its lip products. It’s a mix of a tutorial and social proof to get followers to give the items a try.

The video generated 320K views and nearly 7K likes, so we know it got good reach. This influencer is considered a nano-influencer since she has just over 3,500 followers.

It’s also promising that 1 in 3 Gen Zers bought from an influencer-founded brand in the past year. This proves how much our younger generation of buyers trusts influencers.

“Micro-influencers have been our secret weapon. We’ve seen incredible engagement from collaborations that feel genuine and personal,” shares Ross. “One campaign that stands out involved partnering with a micro-influencer who shared her journey from short to long hair using our extensions. Her story resonated with many, leading to a spike in visits and sales.”

Ross shares that they also leveraged AI: “What’s cool is how we can test using AI to match our products with the right influencers, ensuring their audience aligns with our target customers.”

4. Social Media Becomes a Top Search Channel

Gen Z and millennials continue to break the mold, this time with how they find brands and products. The old way: Google, Bing, and Yahoo. The new way? TikTok and Instagram.

Our State of Social Media Marketing 2024 report shows that 36% of Gen Z and 22% of millennials search social media more than they do search engines.

To conform to this new trend, brands must treat social media posts like they would SEO content.

“I can confidently say hashtags and reels are among our top performing Instagram strategies,” shares Michael Nemeroff, co-founder of Rush Order Tees. “We use targeted keywords as hashtags for our posts. However, we specifically prioritize keywords that still have less than 100k uses as hashtags to increase our chances of reaching more narrow, niche audiences.”

The Ordinary and its partner influencers use keyword-focused hashtags.

The best way to demonstrate the keyword-focused trend is to do it. So, I typed #acneskincare into Instagram and found the following reel by Joy Mercy Michael.

What makes this post work? It’s 100% user-generated content. It’s unsponsored and naturally refers her viewers to The Ordinary’s product (among a few others in the description, making it feel more authentic).

And since she tagged the brand in the post, it’ll reach its audience too. It also helps that she has over 100K followers.

Pro tip: Since it’s not just your own posts customers will find featuring your products, I recommend selecting a hashtag directly related to your product.

By promoting this hashtag in every post, you increase the likelihood that customers will use it too, which in turn increases the odds of prospects finding your products.

The more of your posts users see in the results, the higher the odds they’ll click on one.

5. Live Streaming Continues to Grow

Publishing images, reels, and carousels on social media keeps your audience engaged. But there’s nothing like the experience of interacting with a brand and other shoppers in real time.

Live streaming allows retailers to connect with customers and potential buyers on a more personal level, which humanizes your brand and offers the attention they need during the customer journey.

I believe brands should do more Q&A-style lives to invite viewers to interact and get answers that may keep them from hitting the buy button. The stream could feature an employee or an influencer.

Hallmark Timmins, a Canadian gift shop, partners with the latter.

“My brand has tested live-stream shopping events and found sales conversions to be three to four times higher than traditional social media posts,” explains Shawn Stack, Founder of Hallmark Timmins.

Stack continues that, “Viewers seem to find the real-time, interactive nature of live streams highly engaging, and the option to buy with one click reduces purchase friction.

We’ve also built personal connections between our influencers and their viewers, who regularly tune in to not just shop but also chat and get style advice.”

Your stream doesn’t have to be all sales. It can be a product demonstration or a Q&A session. If you have a product line, hire models or influencers to use the items so your audience can see how it works/looks before buying.

But don’t turn your stream into an infomercial. Instead, use “quiet selling,” where models wear shoppable items viewers can purchase during the stream. There’s no overt selling — just valuable discussions.

In a recent HubSpot study, we found that 27% of marketers want to use platforms that offer live-streaming features.

Are you wondering if live streaming actually works? According to CivicScience data, 25% of Gen Zers and 14% of millennials have purchased from live shopping streams.

Additionally, by 2026 live shopping sales will make up 5% of ecommerce in the U.S.

Aldo uses live shopping mixed with influencers to drive engagement.

Canada is already seeing success with live streaming. For instance, Aldo launched a successful live shopping pilot, partnering with influencers Mimi Cuttrell and Nate Wyatt to showcase its spring 2021 collection.

The interactive livestream allowed viewers to explore products from home, achieving a 308% engagement rate and driving 17,000 page views to Aldo’s website in the following five days.

I expect to see this trend become mainstream in America soon, especially with social commerce on the rise.

6. Augmented Reality is Enhancing Shopping Experiences

The pandemic normalized shopping for and purchasing everything entirely online — even houses and cars.

Brands that took notice are adopting augmented reality (AR) to attract shoppers who enjoy the convenience of online shopping, but still want the in-store shopping experience.

This AR shopping experience works by overlaying a digital product image on a real-world image of a store or the customer’s home (or face). Like that lamp? Use your smartphone or tablet to see how it’d look on your bedroom nightstand.

Peeping that pair of glasses? Mirror yourself in selfie mode wearing the shades to see if they’re your style.

It’s the same for hair products. “We’re currently working on implementing Augmented Reality (AR) on our website,” shares Ross, “so that customers can see how they’d look in different hair extensions or wigs without leaving their couch.”

It’s a smart move — it gives shoppers what they want, increases sales, and reduces returns.

I predict brands will drive traffic to their website using AR experiences on social media. However, many will create these tools within their apps and websites to keep consumers shopping in their online stores.

American Eagle partnered with Snapchat for “Dress Yourself” AR and VR experience.

In 2021, fashion brand AE used Snapchat to launch its Dress Yourself AR campaign — a unique experience where customers could use their self-facing camera to try on and shop various looks within its back-to-school collection.

They could even share the looks with their friends.

AE also partnered with Bitmoji to create a first-of-its-kind virtual reality clothing line that customers could purchase on Snapchat and wear on their avatars.

This wasn’t its first dabble in the metaverse — AE also launched a virtual store on Snapchat during the holiday season of 2020. After raking in $2 million, it chose to go all in, hiring an in-house metaverse team.

Now, it’s a matter of when other retail brands will follow suit.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Social Media

Ready to dive head first into some of these social commerce trends? Before you do, be sure to read the following best practices I gathered from retailers and marketing experts.

Use interactive content to engage and collect first-party data.

Posting on social media can help with brand recognition. But if you’re trying to sell on social media platforms, engagement is the name of the game.

You can use a mix of videos to drive views and interest, but there’s another way I found to be quite effective: quizzes.

These are not just your typical “take this quiz to see what type of dog you are” kind of content. I’m talking about quizzes that tie directly into a purchase.

I believe this is a game changer — it got me to purchase a face wash cream from IL MAKIAGE (and they got me with an upsell for its cream before checking out, too).

According to PopSmash, a Shopify quiz app tool, quizzes have helped:

• A haircare brand increase Shopify store conversions by 41%.
• A cosmetic brand increase ad revenue by 200%.
• A home goods brand increase their average order value by 60%.

“Instead of trying to sell directly on social media, we’ve found success in targeting engagement that sells for us,” explains Gabe Mays, founder of PopSmash. “For example, when posting about products, we have merchants share a link to a product recommendation quiz where users can find the best variant of that product for them.”

According to Mays, this works better because people are on social to be entertained, not buy. The quiz engages them while helping them discover the best products for them and can drive conversions.

The opt-in rate: Out of those who comment on a social post, around 30% will take the quiz and opt-in.

Craft engaging, authentic live sessions.

Live streaming is a growing trend, but it won’t work well if your streams are … well, boring. It’s tempting to jump in and showcase your products, but remember — consumers want to be entertained, not sold to.

As I stated earlier, you shouldn’t create infomercials. Use themes, trends, and edutainment content to attract viewers and then quiet sell to them with shoppable items in the video.

I’d also recommend teaming up with influencers across platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Kick (the new kid on the block).

Then, when a sales event comes around — such as during the holidays or a new product launch — you can partner with influencers to showcase the goods.

“For Mother’s Day, we did something special,” shares Ross. “We teamed up with moms who are also influencers to chat about something many moms go through but don’t always talk about: hair loss after having a baby. These amazing moms shared their own stories … which helped a lot of our followers feel understood and less alone.”

These influencers didn’t just talk about the problem, though. Through their videos, they also showed how Irresistible Me’s hair extensions could help.

“What made this campaign a hit was how real and open it was,” continues Ross. “Plus, offering a special deal for Mother‘s Day was the cherry on top. It was all about connecting, sharing real stories, and showing that there’s a simple way to feel great about your hair again.”

Use giveaways to increase reach for quizzes and improve personalization.

“The new key approach we‘ve found (especially for DTC brands) is not to just think of ’social selling’ as selling since often users are on social to be entertained, not to shop,” says Mays. He says that you have to first engage them, and then take an “oh by the way, maybe you’ll like this” approach.

Image Source

According to Mays, giveaways like this activate your social audience, who drive organic engagement and funnel it to the quiz. The quiz captures contact details (e.g., name, email) and product preferences to get them into a higher-converting channel like email or SMS.

Mays advises, “The key thing here is that ‘social selling’ isn’t just about trying to drive sales in the moment, but giving yourself leverage (personalization and contact data) to consistently drive longer-term sales.”

Don’t just generate customers — grow a community.

At least 20% of people have joined and participated in an online community. Some of them belong to communities created by their favorite brands.

It’s a fun way to connect with customers, get feedback, and share products and information they care about.

It’s about building relationships and loyalty — and hopefully, brand advocates — to increase your brand awareness and sales.

Our research shows that in 2024, 86% of social media marketers will prioritize building an active online community.

“One major trend is community-driven curation and influencer marketing. Our ‘DoDo Crews’ program taps into passionate communities, giving them tools to share looks and inspirations directly with their followers,” shares Mark Sheng, project engineer at DoDo Machine.

Sheng shares that, “Early results show a 25% bump in conversion when shoppers discover products through these trusted sources.”

Sheng’s advice is to put the community at the center. Facilitate authentic connections among brands, creators, and shoppers. Use trusted voices and native video. Social shopping should feel like genuine sharing between friends.

Community & Connection = Clicks & Conversions

Social selling isn‘t about shoving products down people’s throats. It‘s about fostering genuine connections and cultivating communities of passionate fans.

The brands winning are those making their customers feel like they’re sharing between friends (or at least, trusted advisors).

User-generated content, influencer partnerships, community curation — these are what will continue to drive social sales. When trusted voices do the selling for you, it turns a promotion into a friendly recommendation.

Tie in immersive tech like AR try-ons and shoppable videos to meet customers exactly where they are: scrolling on social, ready to be entertained and inspired to spend.

Brands putting community first will unlock clicks, purchases, and meaningful loyalty. They’re the ones who understand the future of social commerce is all about human-to-human connection, not brand-to-consumer broadcasting.

As I started taking leadership roles in my career, I thought I had to copy the exceptional leaders I’m inspired by. Over time, I realized that authentic leadership contributes to the biggest positive impact on my teams. It turns out the key to being a great leader is learning to be yourself, just in a leadership position.

HubSpot asked marketing leaders about the most important qualities they consider when deciding to promote an individual to a senior position. Of respondents, 39% said leadership, making it the top factor.

Like you, I was motivated to become a better leader, so I sought guidance. In this article, I’ll go over what authentic leadership entails, why it’s important, and how to discover which type of leadership feels most genuine to you.

Table of Contents

• What is Authentic Leadership?
• What is Authentic Leadership Theory?
• Why Authentic Leadership is So Impactful
• The Challenge of Authentic Leadership
• How to Be an Authentic Leader

Common authentic leadership characteristics include:

• Humility.
• Integrity.
• Empathy.
• Discipline.
• Transparency.
• Self-awareness.
• Commitment to personal development.

These qualities help those in charge inspire their teams, which is crucial for anyone who wants to be an effective leader. In a survey of marketing leaders, 39% of respondents listed “motivating and empowering their team” as the number one thing they can do to make the biggest impact in their role.

What is Authentic Leadership Theory?

In Bill George’s book Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets To Creating Lasting Value, the highly successful former CEO outlines five leadership principles he believes comprise an authentic leadership style: Purpose, values, heart, self-discipline, and relationships. He argues that authentic leaders create far more value than leaders who rely solely on financially oriented decision-making.

While reading this book, I made the discovery that started my journey to authentic leadership: Compassion and matters of the heart aren’t weaknesses for leaders. They’re superpowers.

Here’s a closer look at the puzzle pieces of authentic leadership, according to Bill George.

1. Purpose

Authentic leaders have a strong sense of purpose that drives their work. Examples of purpose in business can be innovation, product excellence, or even social change.

Having a clear purpose makes it easier to identify priorities when I have an endless list of tasks and not enough time. In those moments, I ask myself which strategies and projects most align with my business’s long-term goals.

2. Values

In addition to having a clear purpose, authentic leaders honor their values by incorporating them into decision-making and actions. Doing the right thing from a moral perspective has always served me better than focusing on what I’d want for myself in particular. In short, authentic leadership is also ethical leadership.

3. Heart

Heart refers to the compassion that authentic leaders have for others and their well-being. It may sound like a soft skill, but it has paid off in dividends on my team. I don’t think leaders can ever go wrong by treating others with kindness and caring about the people who work for them.

In fact, the opposite mindset can be harmful in terms of motivation, satisfaction, and productivity. In our recent survey, 30% of people listed unsupportive management as the most significant cultural barrier to high performance.

4. Self-Discipline

Leaders who exercise self-discipline stay engaged in their work and see projects through to the end. I find this especially important in today’s age of digital work; it’s easy to be swayed by constant distractions.

As a leader, it’s my job to set the tone for my team by remaining focused on the priorities that align with my purpose and values.

5. Relationships

To truly foster authenticity, authentic leaders remain genuine and straightforward, which involves giving honest feedback.

That might seem counterintuitive. How will you become close to your team if you point out their shortcomings? Trust me, it works in your favor in the long run since your employees can trust that you aren’t hiding your true feelings about their performance.

Why Authentic Leadership is So Impactful

A big reason authentic leadership is so important is that it allows business leaders to establish trust and improve team performance from the top down. When the foundation is built on trust, people are more likely to perform well individually, collaborate effectively as team members, and support one another.

Trust isn’t simply a nice word to mention when discussing company culture. In my experience, it’s essential for creating a high-performance environment and building a business that can succeed in the long run.

When surveyed, 79% of marketing leaders said that company culture is either very or extremely important to reaching organizational objectives. Furthermore, according to a PwC survey, 93% of business executives say their ability to build and maintain trust improves the bottom line.

What does that actually look like? As I developed genuine good boss energy, practiced empathy, and actually listened to my team, I built a productive work culture that empowers people to achieve their goals.

If you want to use authenticity to create a more enjoyable and productive work environment, I recommend starting with the basics of authentic leadership theory, which you’ll learn shortly. First, let’s be aware of the hurdles to leading authentically.

The Challenge of Authentic Leadership

Each person is unique, so it’s impossible to create a color-by-numbers guide to authentic leadership. As Meghan Keaney Anderson, HubSpot’s vice president of marketing, put it, “It’s funny that something so basic as being yourself starts to become harder as you gain responsibility and scope. But the truth is, being authentic as a leader has to be consciously worked at.”

Unlike some other types of leadership styles, Anderson explains, “There are no examples of what’s authentic to you (until you get there). So, you have to search for it.”

Personally, it’s been hard to fumble around, fail at times, and figure out what works for me. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, there are some steps you can take to train your intuition.

How to Be an Authentic Leader

Consciously searching for authenticity is a journey I’m still on, and I find it rewarding. Well, there are some tips I wish I knew sooner. Here’s what I found helpful in discovering what resonates with me in a leadership position.

Get to know yourself more and more.

Being a successful leader is overwhelming at times. That‘s why it’s crucial to understand your strengths, weaknesses, and core values. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this first step, as it‘s difficult to demonstrate authenticity when you’re shaky about who you are and what you stand for.

Remember, it’s okay to take the time to reflect and connect with your inner self. It’s not a delay; it’s part of becoming a more genuine and effective leader.

By displaying both your strengths and weaknesses to your team, you can demonstrate that you have nothing to hide and don’t play games. How does this facilitate trust? For example, when your employee makes a mistake, they’ll feel more comfortable admitting their error to you.

“Understand yourself better” is much easier said than done. That’s why I like using the three steps from Practicing Authentic Leadership by Tara S. Wernsing and Bruce J. Avolio:

• Ask colleagues about your strengths and weaknesses. According to our recent survey, 55% of marketing leaders use input from direct reports to evaluate manager performance. Have you capitalized on feedback lately?
• Self-reflect about your past behavior. In particular, analyze scenarios in which you’ve felt proud of your actions or wish you’d handled something differently.
• Regularly check in with how you feel. Imagine seeing a recent campaign’s results and noticing you’re frustrated. What would you do before debriefing your team members?

Over time, I’ve found that self-awareness is a critical component in evolving and growing as an authentic leader. By acknowledging my weak areas, I can take steps to rectify them — or hire accordingly to ensure that my team has the skills I lack.

Ask for input.

It’s critical that you create an environment in which employees feel safe and encouraged to share their opinions. This ties back to self-awareness. You must be self-aware enough to accept that your opinion may be biased or at least partial.

When making major decisions, it‘s important you ask for alternative opinions and remain open to discussion. While it’s important you stick to your values, it’s equally critical you seek out opposing viewpoints, which can help you see flaws in your initial course of action or enable you to strengthen your argument by understanding all points of view.

Embrace honesty, even when it’s uncomfortable.

If you want to be an authentic leader, your actions need to encourage transparency and honesty, even when it’s uncomfortable. I find that the best leaders are those who aren’t afraid to face uncomfortable truths.

One of my favorite examples of championing honesty and transparency is former president and CEO of Ford Alan Mulally. He implemented a color coding system where business leaders produced charts at each meeting — green to signify success, red to signify failure. This good idea had some issues in execution, as I’ll explain.

One year, Ford’s forecasts projected the company would lose $17 billion. Yet, Mulally saw that every chart was entirely green. He then realized that Ford’s culture led to managers hiding problems and avoiding transparency because they feared for their jobs.

When one leader, Mark Fields, handed over a chart with some red on it, Mulally began clapping. His surprising reaction signifies a concept: Honesty about failure should be rewarded because it’s an opportunity for growth.

The following week, Mulally saw charts varying from green to yellow to red. This transparency allowed teams to get a true understanding of where the company’s problems were and what needed to be improved.

Lead by example.

At the end of the day, it’s not enough to call yourself an authentic leader and be on your way. Your actions have to back up your words.

After all, if you aren’t known for tactfully admitting your shortcomings and fears, it’s tough to imagine that your employees will feel comfortable coming to you with their concerns and dilemmas.

“It’s demonstrating through your actions that you practice the same values and behaviors you expect from your team,” notes Emmy Jonassen, HubSpot’s director of acquisition.

She goes on to say, “For example, if you ask your team to come to meetings on time and be prepared, you should as well. If you impress upon your team that no task is beneath anyone if it works toward team goals, you should help out with team ‘grunt work’ every now and again by being the notetaker, cleaning up after a team birthday celebration, and so forth.”

When I’m more engaged and focused, my team follows suit. This seems to be true at other organizations; 78% of marketing leaders agree that leadership teams are responsible for preventing high levels of disengagement (also known as quiet quitting). At the same time, disengagement still affects 58% of the organizations we surveyed.

Permit yourself to be vulnerable.

If you’re anything like me, it can feel quite scary to admit that you don’t have the answer, especially in front of the people you’re supposed to lead. That said, I’ve found that I gain more trust by being honest and vulnerable instead of trying to cover up the things I don’t know.

For this tip, I take inspiration from Anderson, who says, “You have to create touch points in the course of meetings, presentations, and management that remind you of yourself — who you are and where you’re strongest.”

To put vulnerability into action, Anderson says: “When I give speeches, I tend to start with a personal story to set the tone for the rest of the talk because there‘s no way to tell a personal story without being myself. When I’m out of my depths on something or need time to think before a decision, I make sure to say so, ensuring my team knows I don’t always have the answers.”

You don’t need to share all your life stories to be vulnerable. Simply reminding your team that you’re human can be enough to foster camaraderie and trust.

To ensure you‘re able to empower your team, it’s critical you remain focused on demonstrating authenticity whenever possible. To learn more about how authentic leadership works, download Lessons on Leadership by HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah.

Setting up Success with Authentic Leadership

Ultimately, authenticity is a leadership skill like any other; it can be developed and honed over time. In my own leadership development journey, I find that being genuine and leading by example has always served my teams and me well.

Do you celebrate International Cat Day, Pizza Day, or Talk Like a Pirate Day?

There are so many observance days worldwide that we, as marketers, can use to share content relevant to our industries. But odds are, you probably don’t acknowledge these days until you see your favorite brand posting about it.

That‘s why I’ve compiled a list of social media observances for your marketing holiday calendar in 2024 — so you don’t have to.

Table of Contents

• Why use a marketing holiday calendar?
• Downloadable Social Media Holiday Calendar
• Rolling Social Media Holidays
• National & Global Social Media Holidays: 2024
• Tips for Using Marketing Holidays on Social Media
• Examples of Social Media Holiday Posts

Why use a marketing holiday calendar?

A marketing holiday calendar can help you plan for trending social media holidays, and identify the observances that are most relevant to your brand.

For example, you can find opportunities to connect with new and existing followers who share an affinity for a specific food — like popcorn lovers on Popcorn Lover’s Day in March.

Or you can tap into a common interest — such as Super Bowl Sunday for the football fans in your target audience.

While I don’t suggest sharing content on social media and then adding an irrelevant holiday hashtag to it, you can leverage these marketing holidays to promote your brand in a meaningful way.

Not doing so could cause you to miss valuable opportunities where your brand can join the conversations taking place among members of your community.

Downloadable Social Media Holiday Calendar

To help you keep track of all these unique holidays, here’s a free Social Media Holiday Calendar.

This easy-to-use Excel template will help you plan out your content and format it for different channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Pinterest.

Use the Above Template to Plan Out Your Social Media Holiday Posts

Rolling Social Media Holidays

First up, I‘ll cover the social media holidays that will roll around every year but can drastically change dates. The following holidays don’t have the same date each year — but they’re absolutely worth adding to your social media calendar.

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August (see August 2024 Social Media Holidays)
• September
• October
• November
• December

January

• Clean Off Your Desk Day #CleanOffYourDeskDay: Second Monday of January
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day #MLKDay: Third Monday of January
• Get to Know Your Customers Day #GetToKnowYourCustomersDay: Third Thursday of Every Quarter (starting in January)
• Community Manager Appreciation Day #CMAD: Fourth Monday of January

February

• Chinese New Year #ChineseNewYear: First Two Weeks of February (Varies Each Year)
• Safer Internet Day #SID2024: First Tuesday of February
• Super Bowl Sunday #SBLVIII #SuperBowlSunday #SuperBowl: Second Sunday in February
• Presidents Day #PresidentsDay: Third Monday of February
• Mardi Gras #MardiGras: Last Week of February – First Week of March (Varies Each Year)

March

• National Employee Appreciation Day #EmployeeAppreciationDay: First Friday of March
• National Day of Unplugging #NationalDayOfUnplugging: First Friday of March
• Popcorn Lover’s Day #PopcornLoversDay: Second Thursday of March
• Daylight Savings #DaylightSavings: Second Sunday of March
• National Napping Day #NationalNappingDay: The Day after Daylight Savings
• Equal Pay Day #EqualPayDay: Varies Between March and November Each Year
• World Sleep Day #WorldSleepDay: The Friday Before Spring Vernal Equinox
• American Diabetes Association Alert Day #AmericanDiabetesAssociationAlertDay: Fourth Tuesday of March
• Earth Hour Day #EarthHour: Last Saturday of March

April

• National High-Five Day #NH5D: Third Thursday of April
• Get to Know Your Customers Day #GetToKnowYourCustomersDay: Third Thursday of Every Quarter (April)
• Denim Day #DenimDay: Last Wednesday in April
• National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day #COUNTONME: Fourth Thursday in April
• Arbor Day #ArborDay: Last Friday in April (May Vary by State)

May

• World Asthma Day #WorldAsthmaDay: First Tuesday of May
• National Teacher Appreciation Day #ThankATeacher: First Tuesday of the First Full Week of May

• World Password Day #WorldPasswordDay: First Thursday of May

• Space Day #SpaceDay: First Friday of May
• Mother’s Day #MothersDay: Second Sunday of May

• National Receptionist Day #NationalReceptionistDay: Second Wednesday of May

• National Bike to Work Day #BTWD: Third Friday of May
• Endangered Species Day #EndangeredSpeciesDay: Third Friday of May

• National Red Nose Day #RedNoseDay: Last Thursday of May
• Heat Awareness Day #NoFryDay: Last Friday of May

• Memorial Day #MemorialDay #MDW: Last Monday of May

June

• National Donut Day #NationalDonutDay: First Friday of June
• National Cancer Survivors Day #NCSD2024: First Sunday of June
• International Children’s Day #ChildrensDay: Second Sunday of June

• Father’s Day #FathersDay: Third Sunday of June
• Take Your Dog to Work Day #TakeYourDogToWorkDay: First Friday after Juneteenth
• National Handshake Day #HandshakeDay: Last Thursday of June

July

• Get to Know Your Customers Day #GetToKnowYourCustomersDay: Third Thursday of Every Quarter (July)
• Talk in an Elevator Day #TalkInAnElevatorDay: Last Friday of July

September

• Labor Day #LaborDay: First Monday of September
• Stand Up To Cancer Day #KissCancerGoodbye: Second Friday of September
• National Grandparents Day #NationalGrandparentsDay: First Sunday After Labor Day
• National Women’s Health and Fitness Day #FitnessDay: Last Wednesday of September

October

• World Habitat Day #WorldHabitatDay: First Monday of October
• World Smile Day #WorldSmileDay: First Friday of October

• World Sight Day #WorldSightDay: Second Thursday of October
• Get to Know Your Customers Day #GetToKnowYourCustomersDay: Third Thursday of Every Quarter (October)

November

• National Stress Awareness Day #StressAwarenessDay: First Wednesday of November
• Daylight Saving Time Ends #DaylightSavings: First Sunday of November
• National Entrepreneurs Day #EntrepreneursDay: Third Tuesday of November
• Thanksgiving Day #Thanksgiving: Fourth Thursday of November
• National Day of Listening #DayOfListening: The Day After Thanksgiving
• Small Business Saturday #ShopSmall: Last Saturday of November

December

• National Salesperson Day #SalespersonDay: Second Friday of December

National & Global Social Media Holidays: 2024

The list isn’t exhaustive (there are a lot of food-specific holidays out there), and these dates and hashtags may still be subject to change.

But this is a great starting point for social media marketers who want to learn more about what’s trending and how they can plan their content in a way that will be fun and engaging on social platforms.

• January 2024 Social Media Holidays
• February 2024 Social Media Holidays
• March 2024 Social Media Holidays
• April 2024 Social Media Holidays
• May 2024 Social Media Holidays
• June 2024 Social Media Holidays
• July 2024 Social Media Holidays
• August 2024 Social Media Holidays
• September 2024 Social Media Holidays
• October 2024 Social Media Holidays
• November 2024 Social Media Holidays
• December 2024 Social Media Holidays

January 2024 Social Media Holidays

• January: Financial Wellness Month #FinancialWellnessMonth
• January 1: New Year’s Day #NewYearsDay
• January 2: Science Fiction Day #ScienceFictionDay
• January 4: National Trivia Day #NationalTriviaDay
• January 5: National Bird Day #NationalBirdDay
• January 11: Human Trafficking Awareness Day #HumanTraffickingDay
• January 13: National Sticker Day #NationalStickerDay
• January 15: National Hat Day #NationalHatDay
• January 20: Cheese Lovers Day #CheeseLoversDay
• January 21: National Hugging Day #NationalHuggingDay
• January 24: National Compliment Day #NationalComplimentDay
• January 25: Opposite Day #OppositeDay
• January 28: Data Privacy Day #PrivacyAware

February 2024 Social Media Holidays

• February: Black History Month #BlackHistoryMonth
• February 2: Groundhog Day #GroundhogDay
• February 2: World Wetlands Day #WorldWetlandsDay
• February 4: World Cancer Day #WorldCancerDay
• February 5: National Weatherperson’s Day #NationalWeatherpersonsDay
• February 7: National Send a Card to a Friend Day #SendACardToAFriendDay
• February 8: National Boy Scouts Day #BoyScoutsDay
• February 9: National Pizza Day #NationalPizzaDay
• February 11: Inventors Day #InventorsDay
• February 13: World Radio Day #WorldRadioDay
• February 14: Valentine’s Day #ValentinesDay
• February 17: Random Acts of Kindness Day #RandomActsOfKindnessDay
• February 18: National Battery Day #NationalBatteryDay
• February 20: World Day of Social Justice #SocialJusticeDay
• February 20: Love Your Pet Day #LoveYourPetDay
• February 21: International Mother Language Day #IMLD

March 2024 Social Media Holidays

• March: Women’s History Month #WomensHistoryMonth
• March 2: National Read Across America Day #ReadAcrossAmerica & #DrSeuss
• March 3: World Wildlife Day #WorldWildlifeDay
• March 4: National Grammar Day #NationalGrammarDay
• March 6: National Dentist’s Day #DentistsDay
• March 7: National Be Heard Day #NationalBeHeardDay
• March 7: National Cereal Day #NationalCerealDay
• March 8: International Women’s Day #BeBoldForChange
• March 8: National Proofreading Day #NationalProofreadingDay
• March 10: National Pack Your Lunch Day #NationalPackYourLunchDay
• March 10: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day #NWGHAAD
• March 11: National Worship of Tools Day #WorshipOfToolsDay
• March 12: National Girl Scout Day #GirlScoutDay
• March 14: Potato Chip Day #NationalPotatoChipDay
• March 14: Pi Day #PiDay (To go the extra mile, post this at 1:59, as Pi equals 3.14159…)
• March 15: World Consumer Rights Day #WorldConsumerRightsDay
• March 16: National Freedom of Information Day #FreedomOfInformationDay
• March 17: St. Patrick’s Day #StPatricksDay
• March 18: Awkward Moments Day #NationalAwkwardMomentsDay
• March 19: National Let’s Laugh Day #NationalLetsLaughDay
• March 20: International Day of Happiness #InternationalDayofHappiness
• March 20: World Storytelling Day #WorldStorytellingDay
• March 20: First Day of Spring #FirstDayofSpring
• March 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination #RacialDiscriminationDay
• March 21: World Poetry Day #WorldPoetryDay
• March 22: World Water Day #WorldWaterDay

• March 23: National Puppy Day #NationalPuppyDay
• March 25: Tolkien Reading Day #TolkienReadingDay
• March 26: National Spinach Day #NationalSpinachDay
• March 26: Purple Day #PurpleDay

• March 30: Doctor’s Day #NationalDoctorsDay
• March 30: National Take a Walk in the Park Day #NationalWalkInTheParkDay
• March 31: World Backup Day #WorldBackupDay
• March 31: Transgender Day of Visibility #TDOV

April 2024 Social Media Holidays

• April: National Stress Awareness Month #NationalStressAwarenessMonth
• April 1: April Fools Day #AprilFools
• April 2: World Autism Awareness Day #WAAD
• April 3: Find a Rainbow Day #FindARainbowDay
• April 4: Hug a Newsperson Day #HugANewsperson
• April 6: National Walking Day #NationalWalkingDay
• April 7: World Health Day #LetsTalk
• April 10: National Siblings Day #NationalSiblingsDay
• April 10: Encourage a Young Writer Day #EncourageAYoungWriterDay
• April 11: National Pet Day #NationalPetDay
• April 12: International Day of Human Space Flight #InternationalDayOfHumanSpaceFlight
• April 15: National Tax Day #TaxDay
• April 16: National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day #PJDay
• April 17: Haiku Poetry Day #HaikuPoetryDay
• April 18: National Columnists’ Day #NationalColumnistDay
• April 20: National Look-Alike Day #NationalLookAlikeDay

• April 21: National Administrative Professionals Day #AdministrativeProfessionalsDay

• April 22: Earth Day #EarthDay2024
• April 23: National Picnic Day #NationalPicnicDay
• April 23: World Book Day #WorldBookDay
• April 25: National Telephone Day #NationalTelephoneDay
• April 25: World Malaria Day #EndMalariaForGood

• April 29: International Dance Day #InternationalDanceDay
• April 30: National Honesty Day #NationalHonestyDay
• April 30: National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day #AdoptAShelterPetDay
• April 30: International Jazz Day #JazzDay

May 2024 Social Media Holidays

• May: Asian Heritage Month #AsianHeritageMonth
• May: Mental Health Awareness Month #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #MHAM2024
• May 1: May Day #MayDay
• May 1: International Workers Day #IntWorkersDay
• May 3: World Press Freedom Day #WPFD2024 #PressFreedom
• May 4: Star Wars Day #StarWarsDay & #Maythe4thBeWithYou
• May 4: International Firefighters Day #InternationalFirefightersDay
• May 5: Cinco de Mayo #CincoDeMayo

• May 6: National Nurses Day #NursesDay
• May 9: Europe Day #EuropeDay

• May 12: National Limerick Day #NationalLimerickDay
• May 15: International Day of Families #FamilyDay
• May 16: Love a Tree Day #LoveATreeDay
• May 17: International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia #IDAHOT2024
• May 21: National Memo Day #NationalMemoDay
• May 24: National Scavenger Hunt Day #NationalScavengerHuntDay
• May 28: Hamburger Day #NationalHamburgerDay
• May 29: Paperclip Day #PaperclipDay

• May 31: World No-Tobacco Day #NoTobacco

June 2024 Social Media Holidays

• June: Pride Month #PrideMonth
• June: Men’s Health Month #MensHealthMonth
• June 1: Global Day of Parents #GlobalDayOfParents

• June 5: World Environment Day #WorldEnvironmentDay

• June 6: Higher Education Day #HigherEducationDay
• June 8: World Oceans Day #WorldOceansDay
• June 8: Best Friends Day #BestFriendsDay

• June 14: World Blood Donor Day #GiveBlood
• June 14: National Flag Day #FlagDay
• June 19: Juneteenth (Freedom Day) #Juneteenth
• June 20: World Refugee Day #WithRefugees
• June 20, 21, or 22 (Depending on the Year): First Day of Summer #FirstDayofSummer
• June 21: National Selfie Day #NationalSelfieDay
• June 21: World Music Day #WorldMusicDay
• June 21: International Yoga Day #InternationalYogaDay

• June 27: National Sunglasses Day #NationalSunglassesDay
• June 30: Social Media Day #SMDay

July 2024 Social Media Holidays

• July: Disability Pride Month #DisabilityPrideMonth
• July: National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month #MinorityMentalHealthMonth
• July 1: National Postal Worker Day #NationalPostalWorkerDay
• July 2: World UFO Day #WorldUFODay
• July 4: Independence Day (United States)
• July 7: World Chocolate Day #WorldChocolateDay
• July 8: National Video Games Day #NationalVideoGamesDay
• July 11: Cheer Up the Lonely Day #CheerUpTheLonelyDay
• July 12: Malala Day #MalalaDay
• July 15: Give Something Away Day #GiveSomethingAwayDay
• July 17: World Emoji Day #WorldEmojiDay
• July 18: Nelson Mandela International Day #MandelaDay
• July 30: International Day of Friendship #DayOfFriendship

August 2024 Social Media Holidays

• August: Black Business Month #BlackBusinessMonth
• August: National Wellness Month #NationalWellnessMonth
• August 1: Respect for Parents Day #RespectForParentsDay
• August 2: National Coloring Book Day #NationalColoringBookDay
• August 8: International Cat Day #InternationalCatDay
• August 9: National Book Lovers Day #NationalBookLoversDay
• August 10: National Lazy Day #LazyDay
• August 11: National Sons and Daughters Day #SonsAndDaughtersDay
• August 12: International Youth Day #YouthDay
• August 12: World Elephant Day #WorldElephantDay
• August 13: International Lefthanders Day #LefthandersDay
• August 15: National Relaxation Day #NationalRelaxationDay
• August 16: National Tell a Joke Day #NationalTellAJokeDay
• August 19: World Photo Day #WorldPhotoDay
• August 19: World Humanitarian Day #WorldHumanitarianDay
• August 20: National Lemonade Day #NationalLemonadeDay
• August 26: National Dog Day #NationalDogDay
• August 26: National Women’s Equality Day #WomensEqualityDay

September 2024 Social Media Holidays

• September: Self–Care Awareness Month #SelfCareAwarenessMonth
• September 4: National Wildlife Day #NationalWildlifeDay
• September 5: International Day of Charity #CharityDay

• September 6: Read a Book Day #ReadABookDay
• September 8: International Literacy Day #LiteracyDay

• September 11: National Day of Service and Remembrance #911Day

• September 12: National Day of Encouragement #DayOfEncouragement
• September 15 – October 15: Histrongic Heritage Month #histrongicheritagemonth
• September 18: Civic Day of Hacking #HackForChange
• September 19: Talk Like a Pirate Day #TalkLikeAPirateDay
• September 21: International Day of Peace #PeaceDay
• September 21: Miniature Golf Day #MiniGolfDay
• September 22: Car-Free Day #CarFreeDay
• September 22: Hobbit Day #HobbitDay
• September 22 or 23 (Depending on the Year): First Day of Fall #FirstDayofFall
• September 26: National Pancake Day #NationalPancakeDay
• September 26: European Day of Languages #EDL2024
• September 27: World Tourism Day #WTD2024
• September 28: World Rabies Day #WorldRabiesDay
• September 28: National Good Neighbor Day #GoodNeighborDay

• September 30: International Podcast Day #InternationalPodcastDay

October 2024 Social Media Holidays

• October: Cybersecurity Awareness Month #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth
• October: National Bullying Awareness Month #NationalBullyingAwarenessMonth
• October: Domestic Violence Awareness Month #DVAM

• October 1: International Day of Older Persons #UNDOP
• October 1: International Coffee Day #InternationalCoffeeDay
• October 1: World Vegetarian Day #WorldVegetarianDay
• October 2: International Day of Nonviolence #InternationalDayOfNonviolence
• October 3: National Techies Day #TechiesDay
• October 4: World Animal Day #WorldAnimalDay
• October 4: National Taco Day #NationalTacoDay
• October 5: World Teachers Day #WorldTeachersDay

• October 10: World Mental Health Day #WorldMentalHeathDay
• October 11: International Day of the Girl #DayOfTheGirl

• October 14: National Dessert Day #DessertDay
• October 15: Global Handwashing Day #GlobalHandwashingDay
• October 16: World Food Day #FoodDay
• October 16: Bosses Day #BossesDay
• October 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty #EndPoverty
• October 20: World Statistics Day (Held every 5 years; it will next be celebrated in 2025) #StatisticsDay
• October 21: Reptile Awareness Day #ReptileAwarenessDay
• October 24: United Nations Day #UNDay
• October 25: Greasy Foods Day #GreasyFoodsDay
• October 30: National Publicist Day #NationalPublicistDay
• October 30: Checklist Day #ChecklistDay
• October 31: Halloween #Halloween

November 2024 Social Media Holidays

• November: National Novel Writing Month #NaNoWriMo
• November 1: National Authors Day #NationalAuthorsDay
• November 1: World Vegan Day #WorldVeganDay
• November 1: National Cook For Your Pets Day #CookForYourPetsDay

• November 3: National Sandwich Day #NationalSandwichDay
• November 4: National Candy Day #NationalCandyDay
• November 8: National Cappuccino Day #CappuccinoDay
• November 8: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM) Day #STEMDay
• November 11: Veterans Day #VeteransDay
• November 13: World Kindness Day #WKD
• November 14: World Diabetes Day #WDD
• November 15: Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day #CleanOutYourRefrigeratorDay
• November 15: America Recycles Day #BeRecycled

• November 16: International Day for Tolerance #ToleranceDay
• November 17: International Students Day #InternationalStudentsDay
• November 19: International Men’s Day #InternationalMensDay
• November 20: Universal Children’s Day #UNChildrensDay
• November 21: World Hello Day #WorldHelloDay
• November 26: National Cake Day #NationalCakeDay

• November 29: Electronic Greeting Card Day #ElectronicGreetingCardDay
• November 30: Computer Security Day #ComputerSecurityDay

December 2024 Social Media Holidays

• December: National Learn a Foreign Language Month #ForeignLanguageMonth
• December 1: World AIDS Day #WAD2024
• December 3: International Day of Persons with Disabilities #IDPWD
• December 4: National Cookie Day #NationalCookieDay
• December 5: World Soil Day #WorldSoilDay
• December 6: Microwave Oven Day #MicrowaveOvenDay
• December 8: Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day #PretendToBeATimeTravelerDay
• December 10: Human Rights Day #HumanRightsDay
• December 10: Nobel Prize Day #NobelPrize
• December 11: International Mountain Day #InternationalMountainDay
• December 21: Crossword Puzzle Day #CrosswordPuzzleDay
• December 20, 21, or 23 (Depending on the Year): First Day of Winter #WinterSolstice
• December 27: No Interruptions Day #NoInterruptionsDay
• December 31: New Year’s Eve #NYE

Tips for Using Marketing Holidays on Social Media

1. Prioritize your holidays in advance.

As I mentioned above, the goal isn’t to participate in every social media holiday out there. You’ll want to choose the observances that make the most sense for you and your brand.

Create a list at the start of each month — or better yet, each year — of the holidays you’ll be creating content for. This will make it a lot easier to work this strategy into your content calendar.

And try to spread the love throughout the different months of the year. That way you can capitalize on seasonal trends, too.

2. Keep your audience segments in mind.

It‘s possible that all of the people who interact with your business won’t care about all of the holidays you decide to post about.

That‘s why it’s important to make a thoughtful decision about which observances and conversations you choose to join on social media.

Use insights from your buyer personas to tap into the holidays that align most closely with the interests of your audience.

3. Track the success of your marketing holiday calendar.

As a marketer, I like to try a bunch of different tactics to see what sticks.

I‘d recommend doing that with social media holidays. Especially if this is the first time you’re considering building our a promotion calendar based on observances.

Here’s what that might look like:

• Over the course of a year, you could pick a few observances each month to join in on social media.
• Then, track key metrics like impressions and engagements to see which holidays are getting the most traction for your business.
• And finally, use those insights to inform your social media holiday participation for the next year.

Also, don‘t be afraid to peek at what other brands are doing for inspiration. It’s amazing what goes viral these days.

Examples of Social Media Holiday Posts

Speaking of inspo, are you ready to get inspired? Check out some of my favorite examples of social media holiday posts below.

1. December Holidays — HubSpot

Image Source

In this post from HubSpot’s very own social media team, we created a holiday gift guide for marketers.

Of course, this is one of our buyer personas and also a group of people we very much love (we create software products just for them, after all! Shout out to Marketing Hub).

This is one example of how you can make a social media holiday post relevant to your target audience while integrating light humor.

2. Valentine’s Day — Afterlight Books

Image Source

Afterlight Books is a romance book box subscription service that hit the nail on the head with their Valentine’s week campaign.

You read that right — they turned a social media holiday into a social media week.

Not only is that delightful for their loyal subscribers, but it also capitalizes on one of their main selling points. All of their books are romantic, so it makes sense to make a big deal out of the most romantic holiday of the year!

If your product or business aligns with a specific holiday, feel free to go all out on your campaign.

3. Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month — Spotify

Image Source

For Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Spotify featured a diverse panel of artists who are of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.

In the spirit of the holiday, the brand also asked each artist why representation matters to them, which not only uplifts API voices but also honors what heritage months are all about.

Whenever you make a social media holiday post, consider tying the content you’re publishing very closely with the essence of the holiday.

4. Mother’s Day — Mark and Fold

Image Source

Stationery brand Mark + Fold kept it simple with this Mother’s Day post, which reminds their followers to order a lasting gift for the wonderful mothers they know.

This post features minimal photography and embodies the brand’s professional, polished tone (with a bit of sass, of course).

It’s a great example of how to keep it simple — no need to go over the top, especially if your brand is more understated in nature.

5. First Day of Summer — Brown University

Image Source

If you’re looking for an example of a no-fuss social media holiday post, look no further than this example from a university.

It celebrates the first day of summer, which for most students means a welcome break from school. To encapsulate that spirit, it includes an image of an empty, peaceful, and quiet green (which is, in fact, called the Quiet Green).

With a brief Instagram caption and a dedicated branded hashtag, this social media holiday post is both effective and simple, and absolutely worth imitating if you’re not sure what to post next but know that another holiday is coming up.

6. Halloween — Meta

Image Source

For its Halloween post, Meta published a reel titled “Haunted House: Trick-VR–Treat,” which effectively advertises its VR headset product.

It also encapsulates the spooky spirit of the holiday by inviting viewers to join them in a virtual haunted house created by Eli Roth. This is an excellent example of how to tie a holiday post into an experiential marketing campaign.

7. December Holidays — JetPens

Image Source

Let’s be honest: December is chock-full of social media holiday opportunities, so it warrants a second example on this list.

JetPens, an online stationery store, delighted its followers with a gift wrapping tutorial (which is just about the hardest thing to do) featuring a few of its stationery items. What a win!

The brand both advertised its products and provided useful information to its followers. Consider taking a similar approach with your posts, where you both honor the holiday and help out your viewers.

8. National Pink Day — Crumbl Cookies

Image Source

Crumbl Cookies won the social media holiday game with this post about National Pink Day. Its brand color is pink, so it created a giveaway campaign to celebrate the holiday and invited their followers to tag others for a chance to win.

This is a great example to follow if your brand colors align with any one of the national color holidays.

Just remember that many of those holidays are aligned with a specific cause.

For instance, Purple Day (March 26th) is designed to raise awareness about epilepsy, while National Dress in Blue Day (first Friday in March) aims to raise knowledge about colon cancer.

Social Media Holidays Will Help You Grow Your Brand

Partaking in social media holidays will help you create a stronger brand voice and share posts about trending topics, helping you earn more followers in the long run.

While it’s not important to celebrate every single social media holiday, being aware of the holidays can help you brainstorm ideas for your marketing and implement fun, themed posts into your social media content calendar.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2017 but is updated annually for comprehensiveness.