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When I started my content creation journey, one of my friends said over brunch, “Erica is officially in her influencer era.” I love it when my friends inflate my ego, so I let the comment slide and raised a glass to celebrate my first YouTube video.

However, the reality is that though I am a content creator, I’m not an influencer. While the terms influencer and content creator are often used interchangeably, they’re not always the same.

My friend didn’t need to know that, but marketers definitely should since both serve different purposes in the marketing world.

So, let’s dive into the differences between creators and influencers and which you should invest in.

Influencers vs. Creators

When to Use Influencers in Your Marketing Strategy

When to Use Creators in Your Marketing Strategy

When to Use Both in Your Strategy

Influencers vs. Creators

Comparing influencers and creators is like comparing squares and rectangles. Not every creator is an influencer, but all influencers are creators. Let me explain.

Content creators are individuals who craft media to entertain or educate viewers. The term especially pertains to digital content, such as YouTube videos, TikToks, Reels, blogs, or social media posts.

Some content creators create it as a hobby, while others do it to earn income.

Modern Millie is a content creator who occasionally features products and services in her YouTube videos, but her content is always sponsored by the items she’s mentioning.

For example, Modern Millie’s video shows viewers how to use a service called STAN, but she mentions early on in the video that she is not being paid to promote the service.

She simply enjoys using it and thinks the information could be helpful to her followers.

Conversely, influencers are individuals who amass sizeable followings on social media and create content meant to promote or sell products and services.

Influencers typically have partnerships or deals with brands and use their online presence to advertise on the brand’s behalf.

For example, beauty and lifestyle influencer Jackie Aina is often sent PR packages from makeup and skincare companies to review the products on camera and influence viewers to purchase.

In the video below, she reviews products sent from Makeup by Mario. A link to purchase the products is in the video, and it’s possible she may receive a commission for each purchase.

So, how are all influencers creators, but not all creators are influencers? Well, every influencer must create and distribute content to advertise a product, service, or brand.

However, not every creator crafts content to promote a brand or generate income.

For example, I’m a YouTuber who creates content about things I enjoy (movies, anime, manga, etc). Still, I do not work with any brands, nor do I have any professional obligation to promote anything on my channel.

Thus, every influencer is a content creator, but not every content creator is an influencer.

When to Use Influencers in Your Marketing Strategy

I think most brands could benefit from influencer marketing. There is no right time, especially considering that 69% of consumers trust influencers more than they trust information coming directly from a brand.

Moreover, 81% of consumers say social media posts from influencers, family, or friends drove their interest in an item in the past year.

However, if you‘re still on the fence about incorporating influencer marketing into your strategy, here’s a quick breakdown of when to know it’s time to give it a shot.

When You’re Trying to Tap into Gen Z

One thing you need to know about Gen Z is that they hate blatant advertising. A recent report found that 99% of Gen Z consumers will skip an advertisement if given the option, and 63% use blockers to online ads altogether.

So, how can you reach a generation that wants nothing to do with advertisements? The answer is to have an influencer reach them for you.

33% of Gen Z consumers have bought a product based on an influencer’s recommendation in just the past few months, and 72% of Gen Zers follow influencers on social media.

So, if you want to gear your marketing efforts toward Gen Z, influencers are your golden ticket.

When You Want a Low-Cost Way to Promote Your Product or Service

When you think of influencers, you might think of people like Jackie Aina or Bretman Rock, who have millions of followers. Influencers with more than 1 million followers are celebrity influencers or mega influencers.

And they are very pricey to work with.

Fortunately, influencer marketing is still accessible if you’re a marketer on a tight budget. Micro-influencers have 10,000 to 100,000 followers and are much more cost-effective to work with than their celebrity counterparts.

Even better, micro-influencers are known to have a higher ROI than influencers with larger followings, and they have higher engagement rates.

This is because the online communities they’ve built are smaller than other influencers so they can form a more intimate bond with their audience.

In 2023, 64% of marketers who worked with influencers chose micro-influencers, making them the most popular type of influencer.

Furthermore, 44% say micro-influencers are less expensive to leverage and easier to establish long-lasting partnerships with. All of this is according to our latest 2024 State of Marketing Trends Report.

To Market on Hard-To-Reach Channels

Social media channels like TikTok can be challenging to tap into with influencers because consumers are flocking to these channels to interact with their favorite creators or join online communities.

So, consider partnering with an influencer to grab users’ attention on any of these platforms.

For example, Hershey collaborated with Twitch influencers Ninja and DrLupo to promote its Reece’s Pieces chocolate bar. The influencers, who each have over 1 million followers, would livestream themselves tasting the new product.

When to Use Creators in Your Marketing Strategy

All of the situations I mentioned above can also be good times to use creators in your strategy.

However, you‘ll also want to consider collaborating with creators or hiring them in-house, if you’re looking to find unique, authentic, and meaningful ways to connect with consumers.

For example, if you want to leverage blogging in your content marketing strategy, you should look into collaborating with a blogger or hiring one in-house.

Content creators also come in the form of graphic designers, videographers, filmmakers, and more — all of whom can make engaging digital content that can be shared across multiple platforms and generate buzz for your brand.

When to Use Both in Your Strategy

If you have the budget to leverage both content and influencer marketing, and you’re looking to execute a strong marketing campaign for an upcoming product or service — why not partner with both creators and influencers?

Now that you know the difference between the two and what both can bring to the table, you’re ready to find a creator or influencer who is aligned with your vision and who will help your brand reach new audiences. Raise a glass!

As Jerry Maguire once said — “Show me the money.”

That phrase is probably something you’ve thought of as a marketer who has invested in paid advertising. With paid advertising, you want to enhance your marketing campaign by showing up in the right place, at the right time, with the right content.

But sometimes, running paid ads — like pay-per-click (PPC) on Google — feels like you’re spending a lot of money without seeing any results. And with 70% of consumers seeing irrelevant ads from brands at least once a month, it’s no wonder so many are put off by online ads.

Contextual targeting is the solution to that problem.

Below, let’s review contextual targeting and the difference between contextual and behavioral targeting. We’ll also explore contextual keyword targeting and how to get started with contextual ads.

Table of Contents:

• What is contextual targeting?
• Contextual Targeting vs. Behavioral Targeting
• Contextual Keyword Targeting
• Contextual Ads
• Benefits of Contextual Targeting

Imagine you’re the proud owner of a local coffee haven, and you’ve whipped up a PPC ad to stir up some buzz. Now, picture a coffee enthusiast nearby, scouring the web for the best brews.

They stumble upon a blog about coffee wonders, and there’s your ad — like a welcome sign to your coffee shop.

Google’s not just throwing your ad anywhere. It’s selectively showing it to folks who can practically smell the coffee from their backyard.

This person’s already got coffee on the brain, so your ad isn’t a cold splash in the face — it’s a warm invite to come and sip with you.

Contextual targeting isn’t just a single-flavor technique; it’s got a variety to suit your advertising palate. Here’s a taste of what’s on the menu:

• Category Contextual Targeting. Think of this as your buffet option — it’s broad, serving up ads based on general categories like lifestyle, automotive, or tech. While it gets your ad out there, it might sit next to unrelated content, like a dessert fork at a soup setting.
• Keyword Contextual Targeting. Here’s where you get to order à la carte. You handpick target keywords, and your ads find their way to web pages that feature these select terms. It’s a more tailored fit, like finding a table at a restaurant that caters to your specific cravings.
• Semantic Contextual Targeting. Welcome to the chef’s table of contextual targeting. This method is all about the nuances, using machine learning to dig deep into the page’s content, understanding the context, and then deciding if your ad should take a seat there. It’s sophisticated, refined, and ensures your ad is more than just seen — it’s understood and relevant.

In the big picture, contextual targeting is about placing your ad into conversations where it naturally belongs.

Whether it’s activewear sidling up next to articles about high-intensity workouts or gym gear ads flexing on pages reviewing the latest protein powders, it’s all about relevance.

The goal? To make your ad feel less like an ad and more like part of the content, people are there to enjoy.

Contextual Targeting vs. Behavioral Targeting

Alright, picture this: You’re in the digital marketing ring, and in one corner, you’ve got contextual targeting, duking it out with topics and keywords. In the other corner? Behavioral targeting, squaring up with a user’s online activity.

Behavioral targeting is a bit like a detective. It’s been tailing you online, keeping tabs on your digital footprints — like what links you’ve clicked, how much time you’ve spent on a page, and what you’ve been searching for. It’s smart to use your online behaviors to figure out exactly what ad to throw at you next.

Take retargeting, for example. Say, I’ve got a thing for sneakers. I’m on the hunt, checking out “running shoes” and “hiking boots,” but I’m just window-shopping. The next thing I know, my social feeds are like a personalized shoe store, thanks to behavioral targeting.

Now, flip back to contextual targeting. Here’s how it rolls: I’m deep-diving into an article about the best running shoes, and bam! There’s an ad for the latest kicks or a local shoe shop on the page. It’s not stalking my behavior; it’s just smart enough to be in the right place at the right time.

But how does contextual targeting really work? One word — keywords.

Contextual Keyword Targeting

Let’s cut to the chase with keywords. They’re the compass for contextual targeting — pointing your ads in the direction of relevant sites.

Here’s how you get in the game: Start with your PPC campaign in Google, and choose those keywords like a pro. You want to be specific but not so niche you’re invisible.

Imagine you’re promoting dumbbells. You’d go for keywords like “dumbbells” and “strength equipment,” making sure your ad flexes its muscles on related sites. But hey, don’t let your ad crash the barbell party — throw “barbells” into your negative keywords.

If you play the topic card instead, say “health and fitness,” it’s like casting a wider net. You might catch more fish, but will they be what you really want?

Google’s two cents? Keep your ad group tight — think 5 to 50 keywords. And don’t get tangled up in long-tail keywords like you’re fishing for organic clicks. Keep it short and strong.

So, what do contextual ads look like in action? Let’s review a few examples.

1. Coffee Maker Example

Roasty is a free blog that focuses on finding and brewing delicious coffee. While I was reading an article, “50+ Different Types of Coffee Drinks Explained,” I came across an ad for a Gevi pour-over coffee machine.

This ad wasn’t disruptive to my reading process because it fit in well with the content I was reading.

See the image below for what the ad looked like:

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Pro tip: Seamlessly place your ads in contextually appropriate places so that it plays into viewers’ interests to increase the likelihood of clicks.

2. Pizza Cutter Example

Kitchn is an online daily food magazine. While reading, “How To Make Perfect Pizza at Home,” I came across an ad for a pizza cutter.

This is a great example of contextual ads in practice:

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Pro tip: When choosing your target keywords, brainstorm lots of possible scenarios and keywords which are relevant to your product or service, then narrow them down to the most relevant ones.

3. Gucci Example

Recently I was reading a Conde Nast Traveler article, “All of Our Best Packing Lists in One Place,” when I came across an ad for Gucci.

This is a contextual ad because I was reading an article about travel, and then I saw an ad for Gucci showcasing luggage and travel bags — it’s likely Gucci chose “travel” as a keyword to target for their ads.

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Pro tip: When you’re running a paid advertising campaign, it’s important to be as specific as you can with your targeting options. Ultimately, your targeting can make or break the success of your ad.

Benefits of Contextual Targeting

In my time in the trenches of digital marketing, I’ve cracked the code on why some ads just work. It’s not just about showing up; it’s about showing up with style and ensuring you fit the room you’re walking into.

I’ve rolled up my sleeves and got my hands dirty with every kind of ad campaign you can imagine, and it’s this down-to-earth approach that’s shown me contextual targeting is the real deal. It’s all about making sure you’re adding to the conversation, not interrupting it.

Peek into the toolkit of any shrewd marketer, and you’ll find a gem called contextual targeting — a tool that’s about as close as you can get to a “welcome” mat in the digital ad space.

It’s like finding the right groove in a sea of tunes, where your ad dances to the same beat as the content surrounding it. Here are some of the benefits I’ve found this strategy has to offer.

Tuning Into a Receptive Audience

Imagine placing your ad not just anywhere but in a spot where eyes are wide with interest. That’s the power of contextual targeting.

Whether it’s woven through related categories or sprinkled among specific keywords, your ad lands on pages that resonate with the reader’s current vibe.

It’s the marketing equivalent of reading the room — your ads don’t just show up; they belong, increasing the chances that intrigued users will waltz right into your call-to-action.

Vitaly Pecherskiy says, “Reaching a user in the contextual environment inherently means that they’re in the moment researching relevant topics.”

A Wallet-Friendly Serenade

That’s music to every marketer’s ears: cost-effectiveness.

Contextual targeting sings the tune perfectly. With an approach that’s simpler on the wallet than, say, its high-maintenance cousin, behavioral marketing, it’s a method that lets even the leanest of budgets dance to the beat of broad exposure and relevance.

The Quick-Step Setup

In the dance of marketing strategies, contextual targeting is the easy-to-learn waltz that gets you on the floor in no time.

Forget about collecting and analyzing heaps of data before making a move. With platforms like Google Display Network leading, you can have your ad gliding across screens swiftly with just a few simple steps.

Choreographing Personalization

Digital marketing’s open secret? Personalization is the key to the audience’s heart.

In fact, 71% of consumers actually expect companies to deliver personalized interactions, and 76% get frustrated when that’s not their experience.

Using contextual targeting to create more personalized experiences offers a great way to connect with your audience and build a long-lasting relationship for a repeat buying journey.

Boosting Sales With Graceful Precision

Every business’s ultimate tango is with sales, and contextual targeting twirls you closer to that goal.

It’s about placing your ad on the right stage where the audience is already applauding, guiding more traffic to your virtual doorstep, and setting the stage for an encore performance — a conversion.

Future-Proofing with Cookie-less Cadence

In today’s world, where digital privacy is a headline act, contextual targeting moves to the forefront.

It sidesteps the legal limelight that cookies have found themselves in, offering a performance that respects privacy laws like GDPR and dances smoothly with the audience’s expectations.

Hersh Patel says, “With the demise of the cookie, advertisers need to leverage a powerful use case of contextual, which is positive targeting — to target articles that are aligned with the tops of campaigns and align with the values of the products being advertised.”

Unlock the Power of Context With Targeted Ads that Resonate and Deliver Results

Ready to jump into contextual targeting? Start by getting cozy with the topics that get your audience talking.

Pin down where these chats are happening, and set your ads to sashay into the scene right alongside the content your audience is already loving. Quick tip: Tailor your keywords to match the content topics your audience digs into.

Remember, when your ad lands on a page that’s already sparking interest, it becomes part of the landscape, not a billboard blocking the view.

When I first started posting about my writing processes and marketing insights on LinkedIn, I felt exhilarated.

It helped me build an engaged following over time and allowed me to share my ideas and experiences with thousands of people in my network. And the best part is, it helped me avoid the hassle and lengthy process of writing, editing, and publishing full-fledged articles.

That’s when I realized the impact of microblogging. It gives you the ability to capture your fleeting thoughts and share them with the world in real time.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

• What is microblogging?
• What Microblogging Is Not
• 5 Reasons Why Microblogging Is an Important Aspect of Content Marketing
• 8 Best Microblogging Sites & Tips to Create Engaging Content [+ Examples]

Some popular microblogging platforms include X (formerly Twitter), Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook. You can also publish microblogs on Medium or WordPress. It allows for swift dissemination of thoughts, news, updates, or any piece of information that the author deems share-worthy.

Here’s an example of me microblogging on LinkedIn:

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Microblogging has become a big hit these days because people prefer consuming shorter content. Most of us don’t spend enough time to read even a couple of paragraphs in an article. With microblogging, you can create crisp content optimized for shorter attention spans.

This form is best used when:

• The topic or post has low search intent but a high potential for virality.
• You want to take advantage of the communities on common microblogging platforms.
• You’re covering a live event and want to provide timely updates.
• You’re using your microblog to deliver multimedia content without a lot of accompanying text.

When it comes to microblogging, HubSpot Marketing Manager Pamela Bump discusses the importance of catching your reader’s eye fast.

“Draw immediate attention to your piece. Include an interesting image, chart, or graphic. Or, hook the reader with an interesting first line, like a statistic, question, personal anecdote, or zesty take,” she notes.

Microblogging sites have tons of posts competing for attention. While this may mean a larger audience is exposed to your content, you also have more competition.

“Unlike a blog on a website, a microblog on sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, or other social media channels will compete on a feed with all sorts of other interesting content that algorithms have handpicked for your reader. You need to do what it takes to capture their interest,” Bump says.

What Microblogging Is Not

After talking to several folks in the content industry, I feel the definition of microblogging isn’t very clear. People perceive this writing technique differently. So, it’s important to clarify what isn’t included in a microblog.

A full-fledged website with a blog section doesn’t qualify as a microblog. While it’s easy to set up a blog site from scratch with HubSpot’s free blog maker, you’re going beyond the scope of microblogging if your content is anywhere more than a few hundred words.

Privately shared articles or detailed breakdowns on any topic/theme also don’t fit the definition of microblogging. Besides, I know that social media and microblogging platforms share some similarities, but the latter isn’t a substitute for networking or content sharing.

5 Reasons Why Microblogging Is an Important Aspect of Content Marketing

I’ve personally found that microblogging works well for sourcing + documenting knowledge. It’s also a great tactic for building social proof when you incorporate direct client feedback or testimonials.

I chatted with other microbloggers in my network to discover these five main reasons for embracing this format today.

Building a Niche Audience

You can appeal to a specific user segment and build a hyper-engaged audience for your thoughts by consistently posting microblogs. It’ll add more credibility to your name and expand your network.

For example, this U.K.-based bookstagrammar posts micro-reviews for all the books she reads, along with a recommended reading list. She has close to 30K followers on the platform.

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Creating a Localized Impact

The geo-tagging function on platforms like Instagram is perfect for sharing region-specific ideas. As opposed to full-fledged articles, you can reach your intended audience quickly and drive conversations locally.

Collecting Real-Time Insights

I’ve also seen early-stage brands getting positive ROI with microblogging. Small teams expected to do more with less can use this technique to share updates, get feedback, and build marketing momentum.

Here’s a cool microblogging example I found on X. This early-stage fintech startup uses X as its microblogging site to keep users in the loop.

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Testing Ideas Quickly

Given that microblogs help you reach a broader audience in a short span of time, they’re great for testing new ideas about your work, life, and everything in between. Explain your ideas in detail and take others’ views on the matter.

Engaging Users at Scale

While most articles take time to rank on search engines, brands can create microblogs to educate and engage users at scale. These blogs can improve visibility and make your brand more discoverable, too.

Here’s an example by Gong, a revenue intelligence platform, on LinkedIn. The SaaS brand posts these helpful microblogs to educate its target users (sales reps) and boost engagement.

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Now that we’ve discussed what microblogging is and how it can benefit you, let’s uncover the best microblogging platforms.

8 Best Microblogging Sites & Tips to Create Engaging Content [+ Examples]

I experimented with and closely observed several microblogging sites to shortlist these eight top sites for creating an active microblog. I’ll break down each platform with an example and actionable tips.

1. X

X (formerly Twitter) is the OG of all microblogging sites and one of the most popular platforms around. It originally focused on the concept of conveying every idea in 140 characters or less, encouraging users to write crisp and clear posts on any idea.

You can include text, links, photos, videos, GIFs, audio, and more in your posts. The platform also lets you enhance discoverability with hashtags. Premium users can also use up to 25,000 characters to share their thoughts.

However, when it comes to X, you’ll want to keep your words poignant. There’s no need to be lengthy if something more succinct works.

“Make content fast-paced and feed-friendly. Once you’ve caught the reader’s attention, you have a few seconds to retain it on these fast-paced platforms,” says Pam Bump. “Don’t overwhelm them with big blocks of text or heavily worded commentary. Explain your points concisely in short paragraphs or listicles with bullets or numbers.”

If my experience of building an audience on X has taught me anything, it’s that you need to post and engage consistently to get some traction and see engagement on your posts.

While you’ll find multiple microbloggers on X, Justin Welsh, a personal growth strategist and business advisor, presents the perfect example of sharing knowledge nuggets in microblogs.

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2. Tumblr

Tumblr is another one of the most insanely popular hubs of short-form content. This microblogging site lets you write a short blog and include multimedia in your posts.

When you follow other blogs, their posts will show up in your dashboard. You can also comment on and reblog other blogs’ posts on your own blog.

Despite the growing popularity of other platforms, Tumblr continues to be a hit among loyal users and an ideal choice for microblogging.

“I actually am one of those folks who was on Tumblr in high school and came back as an adult,” says Kaitlin Milliken, a program manager at HubSpot. “I run a small productivity blog where I track my different methods for getting things done.”

When asked why she enjoys the platform, Milliken shares the specificity of her niche.

“My posts and others about productivity share the same hashtags. I can make sure I reach the right audience,” Milliken says. “My feed also reflects my interest, so I’m not sifting through random posts just to get to the one that’s relevant to me.”

Here’s a great example that showed me why this platform is so great. A user named Sikfan Kitchen shares their recipes of different food items with ingredient lists and detailed steps.

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3. Pinterest

Unlike most microblogs, Pinterest is purely visual. The platform lets you create boards as collections of pictures curated around a specific topic. You can also post Pins of your favorite pictures and add Tries, which are notes and photos of ideas you tried.

You can also follow other people’s profiles and topics, the most popular Boards covering specific topics. The platform has separate profile options for individuals and brands to create specific content types.

I personally found Etsy’s Pinterest profile to be an excellent microblog. The brand spotlights many sellers in each post and showcases their craft.

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4. Instagram

Instagram is the go-to tool for creators and influencers. But turns out microbloggers love the app just as much. The flexibility of creating content in different formats gives Instagram an edge over all other platforms because people can share their thoughts and stories in many ways.

The potential to go viral on the app also makes it an appealing choice for many. But instead of chasing virality, it’s best to focus on delivering value through your microblogs.

For example, a health creator named Selma has 790K+ followers on Instagram because of her recipe microblogs shared via reels.

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5. Facebook

You might know Facebook as the most popular social media network in the world. But it’s also the most robust microblogging platform out there.

The platform works the same way as most other social media apps. You can share text-based updates, photos, GIFs, videos, an emotion you’re feeling, an activity you’re currently doing, and the location you’re currently in.

You can also ask for recommendations on where to go when you’re about to visit a location, tag friends and events in your updates, poll your friends, support and donate to a nonprofit, answer a question about yourself, create fun lists, and a lot more.

Microbloggers — like The Artidote, an artist collective — use this app to share regular updates for their audience in multiple formats.

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6. LinkedIn

Having tried and seen the power of LinkedIn, I personally consider it the #1 platform for working professionals, service providers, and freelancers.

Whether you want to demonstrate your expertise or share consistent updates on building/learning in public, LinkedIn lets you share long posts, images, carousels, and even polls. You can also share more detailed articles or start a newsletter to share content consistently.

My active presence on LinkedIn has enabled me to share my learnings with thousands of users and earn followers organically.

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When it comes to LinkedIn, you want your copy to be both professional and interesting. That’s also true, as LinkedIn posts have a longer life cycle than those on other social media. When asked for LinkedIn tips, Amanda Sellers, a blog strategy manager at HubSpot, emphasizes the importance of choosing your words wisely.

She notes that humans are curious and love mystery. According to Sellers, you can tap into that natural curiosity by using a technique called open loops.

“Open loops implant a question into the current paragraph without immediately answering it. This helps build momentum and keep them hungry for the next paragraph where the answer may lie…” she says. “The next paragraph answers that but implants another open loop (and so on).”

7. Mastodon

Mastodon is a decentralized social network similar to X. Users can post toots — short status messages — to communicate their opinions or ideas on any theme. The platform is also made up of various communities (like Reddit) to make your microblogging more public and reach a specific audience with every blog.

Mastodon differs from every microblogging site in this list in terms of its privacy settings. You can choose to share content publicly, show it to followers only, or send it via direct messages.

You can also find others’ toots based on a federated timeline and engage with their posts.

Here’s a great example of a Mastodon microblog from Zach Weinersmith, an American cartoonist known for his geeky comics and writing style. He posts his thoughts on human psychology and behavior with these short blurbs.

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8. Threads

Threads is a comparatively newer microblogging platform similar to X. You can post photos, videos, or text-based content with an Instagram-like interface. It’s great for visual bloggers who want to document their ideas visually instead of writing text-heavy posts.

You can become more discoverable on Threads using similar tactics as Instagram — use hashtags, geo-tags, and collaborate with other more popular bloggers.

Here’s a Threads user named plantedinthegarden sharing their experiments and progress from all gardening adventures. This account shares gardening tips and posts pictures of their own garden to help others learn.

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You’re all set to start your microblog.

Microblogging is a unique subset of blogging where brevity reigns supreme. Unlike long-form blogs and videos, microblogging captures your ideas in limited text.

This format is becoming more popular because of a tangible shift in the way people consume content. They’re more drawn toward bite-sized posts that don’t take too much time and effort to understand.

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

Want to know a secret? Customer retention is much more critical to your company’s success than customer acquisition.

In fact, Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company found that as little as a 5% increase in customer retention can increase company revenue by as much as 25–95%.

Whether you’re a team of one or more, strategic relationship marketing can help you connect with your customers and engage them long-term.

As a result, you can boost customer retention, increase revenue, and run a successful business without all the costs associated with getting new customers.

Let’s dive into the benefits of relationship marketing, examples of excellent companies that build lasting relationships with customers, and relationship marketing strategies you can employ.

Importance of Relationship Marketing

If customers feel satisfied with their interaction with you, they’re more likely to become a repeat customer and return to your business repeatedly.

After all, existing customers are 50% more likely to try a new product and spend 31% more than new customers.

That’s why relationship marketing is essential for every business that wants to increase revenue long-term without spending more.

Starting at the right time is also crucial. The perfect time to start a relationship marketing strategy is when a customer has made a purchase (or several).

And your goal with relationship marketing is to convert customers to brand-loyal patrons of your business.

To do that successfully, take a personalized approach to client retention and integrate into their lives in a natural and genuine way.

What are the benefits of relationship marketing?

There are various benefits attached to using relationship marketing strategies for your brand. Done right, the most impactful ways to improve your business through relational advertising include:

• Strengthening customer loyalty and increasing your customer retention rates.
• Generating greater brand awareness and equity through customer referrals.
• Scaling up cross-selling and upselling opportunities to an audience who already values you.

Let’s look at a few firms that have adopted a relationship marketing strategy to retain customers. Afterward, we’ll explore how you can implement a strong relationship marketing strategy today.

1. Capital One

Capital One understands its customers deeply — down to the minor inconveniences that plague them most. And one of those is the long TSA line at the airport.

Capital One reimburses all venture cardholders up to $100 when they pay the TSA PreCheck fee. All they have to do is pay for it with their Capital One credit card.

TSA PreCheck expires after five years, and this benefit applies every time the cardholder wants to renew their PreCheck status.

Here, Capital One is demonstrating its brand value to its current audience through:

• Offering a perk that’s universally appealing to their base — free money.
• Mitigating a prevalent issue, customers face a long-term resolution.

This benefit speaks to a relevant pain point for Capital One customers and makes keeping an account open with Capital One well worth it in the long run.

2. Delta

Speaking of TSA lines, as the oldest operating airline in the United States, Delta is no stranger to relationship marketing strategies that preserve the brand loyalty of its customers.

One of their most effective methods remains their customer loyalty program, the SkyMiles program.

Customers who sign up for this program earn “miles” based on the money they spend with Delta, which can be redeemed for future travel purchases like airfare, seat upgrades, and more.

They’ve also partnered with credit card companies like American Express to expand their miles offering. They offer bonus miles and accruement when customers use their SkyMiles credit cards to purchase.

In fact, if you qualify for the Amex Reserve card, you will also receive complimentary access to the Delta Sky Club.

By employing these relationship marketing strategies, Delta has been able to:

• Build a loyal customer base that continues to choose them over competitors.
• Seamlessly integrate their business into the lives of their customers through platforms they use daily.

3. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation

Buying a home is one of the most important decisions a person can make. During the purchasing process, buyers typically shop around for the lowest rate. But they’re also shopping for a reliable team to smooth the process.

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation is an excellent example of a business that takes the relationship marketing approach. For instance, I received a birthday email from Fairway when I needed to make a lending decision.

In addition, the loan consultant sent over some marketing documents with their value proposition and benefits for me as a buyer. Their relationship marketing strategies improved my experience as a consumer by:

• Retargeting their audience via email on a major life event like a birthday.
• Enforcing their service offering with valuable supporting documents.

Their retention strategies show they are committed to being responsive, respectful, helpful, and, most importantly — closing on time.

This is a recipe for success in the mortgage industry, as referrals are the “bread and butter of any successful loan officer’s business.”

4. Fenty

When pop star Rihanna made her professional pivot to a businessperson in the fashion and beauty industry, the “Talk That Talk” vocalist also kept people talking about what would come of her brand, Fenty, once it made its debut.

Well, Fenty distinguished itself to the point of changing the industry landscape through inclusivity.

For instance, the popular Fenty Beauty foundation includes shades such as “Vanilla” capturing some of the palest tones, and “Espresso” embracing some of the deepest.

Also, her Savage X Fenty lingerie sends messages of size inclusivity and body positivity to their customers through the wide range of sizes (from XS to 4XL) they offer.

Models and celebrities of all shapes and sizes model the clothing during the Savage X Fenty Show streamed on Amazon.

Customers can also sign up with a membership program that offers first dibs on product launches, exclusive content, and access to VIP-only sales. By applying these strategies for customer retention, Fenty has been able to:

• Present the brand as a solution and product for all through inclusivity.
• Showcase their messaging globally and connect with consumers across borders.

By sending an impactful brand message to its audience, backed up with product offerings, Fenty can stand out from the crowd.

5. GE

Relational advertising offers valuable content to potential and existing customers, regardless of where they are in the buyer’s journey.

GE does a great job of diversifying its content and the platforms on which they’re promoted to ensure its relationship marketing strategy satisfies as many people as possible.

For instance, GE created two sponsored podcasts in the sci-fi genre. It seems strange, but GE positions itself as an “inventor of the future of the industry,” so it makes sense that it dabbles in the world of what-ifs in the sci-fi genre.

Also, the company has a popular YouTube channel that features historic, innovative stories from the perspective of GE employees.

This is because good relationship marketing should appeal to first-time viewers as powerfully as it appeals to long-term customers to ensure your customers grow with you over time.

By consistently offering a diverse range of quality content, GE shows its desire to satisfy its long-term customers even at the expense of short-term wins.

6. Domino’s

In the past couple of years, Domino’s has taken certain risks with its relationship marketing strategy. All for the sake of innovation and improvement.

This includes a series of ads called Pizza Turnaround, where they showcased a series of negative customer reviews before promising a new and improved recipe.

These self-deprecating ads appeal genuinely to viewers but go against any traditional sales playbook, which is why they work. By admitting an area of opportunity, Domino’s re-invented its brand as transparent and honest.

Who wouldn’t want to buy from a company like that?

Domino’s has also done a fantastic job tapping into its digital audience. In fact, 70% of Domino’s sales are now through digital channels. Ultimately, Domino’s has taken innovative steps to cultivate a loyal, long-term customer base through:

• Slowly and strategically re-inventing their product and their brand.
• Engaging with their customers on their favorite digital platforms.

7. Panera

Panera’s commitment to health and convenience has resulted in 40 million loyal Panera members.

In 2014, Panera issued a statement promising its customers it would remove all artificial flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives from all Panera products by the end of 2016.

The company remained transparent throughout the process, publishing progress reports to demonstrate its level of accountability and transparency to customers.

Though it was a risky decision, their promise paid off big-time in 2016 when the brand could officially say, “100% of our food is 100% clean.”

Also, the brand focused on building customer relationships through personalization. For instance, Panera alerts loyalty members about new food offerings that meet their “flavor profile” based on past purchases.

Panera thus builds lasting customer relationships by:

• Making a brand promise and fulfilling this pledge to their customers.
• Improving the quality of their products for customer satisfaction.

The company also meets its customers where they are — starting an online grocery business due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Panera even offers home and business delivery, rapid pickup, and catering to improve customer service.

8. Marriott

Undoubtedly, a 35-minute film is not the most traditional avenue a hotel can take to increase sales. And yet, that’s what Marriott chose to do with their film, “Two Bellmen Three.”

This film enables Marriott to appeal to a younger demographic and build brand awareness on dominant platforms like Snapchat. Best of all, their retention marketing content rarely resembles an advertisement.

Instead, it’s typically focused on providing their audience with fun or helpful information on various travel destinations.

9. ArmorSuit

ArmorSuit’s warranty policy begins like this — “Most warranties are limited to 30 days or one year, but with our Lifetime Replacement Warranty, our customers can request a replacement screen protector for a lifetime.

This way, you never need to purchase a whole new kit when a replacement is needed.”

While it might seem ridiculous to offer a lifetime warranty, it makes sense with retention strategies for two reasons:

• Maintaining customer satisfaction with their products.
• Building strong relationships with their base for the long term.

Now, when their customers need other tech-related products, they’ll most likely check out ArmorSuit’s website first.

Next, let’s explore how to create a strong relationship marketing strategy for your business.

1. Provide personalized, customer-focused service.

Don’t focus on your product or service to create a relationship marketing strategy and engage your customers successfully. Instead, make the customer your primary concern. Always ask:

• Would the customer want to see this ad?
• Would the customer be excited about this Instagram post?
• Does our new product delight the customer?

In addition, create channels for direct support when your customers need help. Your retention strategies can include implementing a Facebook Messaging Bot for service-related concerns.

Or maybe you want to answer your customers’ questions via Instagram DM.

By meeting your customers on platforms they currently use, you demonstrate your willingness to help them wherever that takes you. And that’s a tenet of successful customer retention.

2. Engage with the customer where they are.

The reason Marriott’s strategy works is not only because of the content they create but also because of where they post that content. Creating videos specifically for Snapchat is a great marketing strategy example.

It enables Marriott to appeal to a younger demographic on a popular platform with that audience.

So, research which platforms are most popular for your ideal demographic. You’re demonstrating helpfulness and understanding by reaching out to them through their preferred channels.

And it’s this sentiment that will encourage users to interact with your brand.

3. Incorporate technology to work more effectively.

Technology might seem counterintuitive to building personalized organic relationships, but it can be the key to solving customer pain points.

As your company grows, it’ll become more difficult to manually connect one-on-one with each customer and satisfy them.

Using an automated marketing system can ensure every customer receives communication from your business and has the opportunity to engage.

Tools like HubSpot’s Marketing Hub can automate workflows and email cadences so you never miss a customer milestone.

4. Offer incentives and rewards for customer loyalty.

To cultivate a long-term relationship with your customers and create lasting brand loyalty, keep engaging with customers after they’ve purchased a product. Consider what you can offer them once they become customers.

For example, a discount on additional products or personalized recommendations based on their preferences, and so on.

By creating a loyalty rewards program, Panera’s customer relationship marketing continues to motivate its customers to purchase additional products.

With information gathered about each customer, they offer unique suggestions based on individual food preferences. And also form a more meaningful relationship in the process.

5. Create valuable content that tells a compelling story.

Customers who have already purchased your product don’t need to see additional product advertisements to become brand loyalists. Instead, make them feel your business offers value, regardless of their purchase intent.

Firms that adopt a relationship marketing strategy attempt to provide quality to their customers continuously.

Marriott’s film isn’t meant to immediately convert viewers into paying customers. The purpose is to increase brand awareness.

And, down the road, when that viewer is ready to book a hotel for an upcoming trip, they’ll remember the compelling film they saw and think of Marriott.

6. Collect feedback regularly.

A relationship works in two ways. To truly develop a meaningful connection with your customers, you must ask for feedback:

• What do they want to see from your brand?
• What do they like about your product?
• What do they wish you wrote about on your blog?

This information improves your relationship marketing strategy so you can meet the needs of your specific audience.

7. Concentrate on building customer relationships for the long term.

There will always be a time for marketing strategies like Pay Per Click ads that generate instant sales gratification. But this moment isn’t one of them.

To foster meaningful relationships that cause customers to connect with your brand, create purposeful content. And also deliver quality service to guide them throughout the relationship.

Doing so will establish brand trust and show your audience you’re not just after a quick buck. This will also demonstrate your commitment to their success, not just your own.

Play the long game with relationship marketing.

Quicker marketing strategy wins have their place and are paramount for hitting goals and KPIs each quarter. However, your marketing, sales, and service teams work better while playing the long game.

Relationship marketing won’t score you consistent, quick wins that you can measure with complex numbers on a dashboard.

But staying the course and nurturing customers through relational advertising will produce happier and more loyal brand advocates for quarters and years.

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

“So it begins.”

In the first few quiet days of 2024, Google began disabling cookies for 1% of users on its flagship browser, Chrome.

Considering that Chrome is the primary browser for 64.73% of global Internet users according to StatCounter, that’s no ordinary 1%.

The future has arrived. Not with a bang, but a whisper.

The Cookieless Future is Here

We’ve been talking openly about the cookieless-future for years now.

For this author, one of the first articles I wrote for NetLine dealt directly with this topic four years ago.

“What Google’s Cookie-Tracking News Means for B2B Marketers”

Despite nearly half a decade of lead time and discussion, many professionals and businesses find themselves unsure of what exactly wil happen.

You need look no further than LinkedIn to see how this is playing out.

What’s truly remarkable is just how little understanding there is of what’s to come at a macro level.

Why Now?

In October 2023, Search Engine Journal wrote the following about Google’s deprecation plans.

“Google wants to eliminate this tracking capability while introducing new standards that support key needs like fraud prevention and delivering relevant ads.

Google says this change will improve user privacy and security while providing website owners tools to sustain their businesses without third-party cookies.”

We can’t pretend that Google will do everything in its power to protect your privacy. But the move does align with the actions of its users.

Reject All Cookies

One of the biggest catalysts for this change has been the behavior of consumers.

Like millions of others, anytime I’m presented with the opportunity to reject all cookies like an unwelcome invitation to prom, I do it. 

Sorry, Marcy, but I don’t want you to follow me.

I’m sure your behavior has been quite similar to mine in recent months and years.

Because of this (long before Google announced its intention to disable cookies), businesses have had to pivot.

Finding New Ways to Reach Your Target Audience

The shift towards enhanced user privacy, while challenging, presents an opportunity for innovation in the greater marketing and advertising ecosystem.

It’s crucial for website owners, especially those in our field, to proactively audit their current use of cookies. 

This audit is the first step in preparing for the upcoming changes in 2024, ensuring that their services continue to operate effectively and efficiently in a post-third-party cookie environment.

From there, businesses have options for how to best carry forward.

Prioritizing First-Party Data in Today’s Privacy-Conscious World

What was written in 2019 still holds true today. When obstacles present themselves, so too do opportunities. 

Google’s actions affect millions of businesses and billions of consumers, but your marketing shouldn’t be limited by one organization’s decisions. 

Let’s review some of your options before the cookies continue to crumble.

Prioritizing First-Party Data in Today’s Privacy-Conscious World

In our increasingly privacy-conscious world, the importance of gathering first-party, fully-consented data cannot be overstated.

As established by CASL over a decade ago, consent is crucial for when building a marketing communications approach. With consent, your messages are not just delivered; they’re welcomed, enhancing the likelihood of acceptance with each interaction.

Re-evaluating Your Database
If your customer and audience data could talk, what stories would it tell?

Beyond the surface-level metrics, do you know what truly drives user engagement, lead generation, and sales conversions?

Understanding these narratives is key in applying a ‘first-party data-first’ approach effectively.

Examine your current data reserves and be honest with yourself and your team as to whether your database is healthy enough for the Privacy Present and Future.

Enhancing Acquisition Strategies
Historically, retargeting emerged as a solution to the limitations of traditional display advertising.

While retargeting can still be a valuable tactic, it cannot be the primary method of staying in front of your target buyer.

Instead, focus on investing in high-quality, content-driven marketing strategies that resonate and deliver value in the right contexts. 

NetLine’s Portal, for instance, presents a prime opportunity for B2B businesses seeking meaningful engagement. These buyers voluntarily share their first-party data as they engage with over 700,000 content pieces monthly, drawn from a pool of more than 125 million visitors.

A New Era of Data Transparency
Contrast our approach with the practices of numerous B2B ‘Intent’ players, who often trade consumer data without proper consent or disclosure, and the significance of this shift becomes clear.

Embracing transparent, consent-based data practices is vital not only for consumer trust but also for the credibility and future of the AdTech industry.”

Top 10 Tactics for Flourishing in a Post-Cookie Digital Landscape

Beyond recalibrating to focus on the needs of a more privacy-conscious public, there are a variety of methods you can use to get the buyer information you need.

1. Embrace User Empathy
   
   Always view your strategies through the user’s lens. Respecting and protecting user data as if it were your own is fundamental in today’s digital landscape. 
2. Embrace First-Party Data
   
   We might be approaching broken record territory, but we have good reason for stressing this.
   
   Implement effective data capture mechanisms within your organization.
   
   Maintain a streamlined CRM system, ensuring alignment between sales and marketing definitions, and conduct mixed-method research to refine your advertising efforts. 
3. Implement Contextual Advertising
   
   Align your digital content with your advertising messages. Develop SEO strategies that resonate with your users’ needs and their journey. 
4. Capitalize on Owned Media Channels
   
   Focus on building and controlling your own channels.
   
   This reduces dependence on external platforms and enhances direct engagement with your audience. 
5. Utilize Data Clean Rooms
   
   Employ data clean rooms to safely analyze and compare your first-party data with compliant third-party data, uncovering valuable insights and patterns. 
6. Optimize Your CRM
   
   Standardize KPIs and CRM management across your organization.
   
   A well-managed CRM leads to a deeper understanding of customer segments, enhancing the effectiveness of your campaigns. 
7. Develop Advanced Statistical Models
   
   Invest time in identifying or creating the most suitable marketing mix models for your business.
   
   Utilize a combination of models to accurately attribute success across various channels. 
8. Explore AI for Predictive Analysis
   
   Leverage AI tools for predictive modeling in marketing.
   
   Tools like Robyn or Google’s free models can significantly improve your marketing investment’s effectiveness. 
9. Adapt to a Privacy-First Digital World
   
   Accept the new normal of a privacy-focused internet with reduced tracking capabilities.
   
   Return to marketing basics, employing mixed-method research and robust statistical models. 
10. Stay Compliant with Data Privacy Laws
    
    Regularly update your knowledge and compliance with data privacy regulations.
    
    Neglecting this aspect can lead to legal penalties and damage trust between your brand and its users.

CONCLUSION

The days of third-party cookies are numbered. If you’re still basing your 2024 marketing and advertising plans around the capabilities they provide, you’re well behind the eight ball.

Take advantage of the new, private frontier and bolster your first-party and intent data strategies.

Without them, you’ll be left with nothing but crumbs.

And no one is ever happy with crumbs.

Whether you’re setting up a brand new Facebook Page for your brand, or just want to make the most of your existing one, it’s probably a smart move — Facebook is home to nearly 2 billion monthly active users.

It should be easy enough, right? Just slap together a photo, a couple of posts, and expect the leads and customers to roll on in, right?

Wrong.

If you’re not creating a Facebook Page with a comprehensive strategy to get noticed, Liked, and engaged with, the chances of actually generating leads and customers from it are pretty slim. For example, you can’t just choose any picture — you have to choose one that’s the right dimensions, high-resolution, and properly represents your brand.

But it doesn’t end there — so we compiled the tips below to make sure you’re creating an engaging page that takes full advantage of everything Facebook marketing has to offer.

13 Facebook Business Page Tips

1) Don’t create a personal profile for your business.

We’ve come across many well-meaning marketers and entrepreneurs who create personal profiles for their brands, instead of an actual Facebook Business Page. That puts you at a huge disadvantage — you’re missing out on all of the content creation tools, paid promotional opportunities, and analytics/insights that come with a Facebook Business Page. Plus, a personal profile would require people to send you a friend request in order to engage with you, and the last thing you want to do is make that more difficult for customers.

And while you’re at it — don’t create an additional public, “professional” profile associated with your business. For example, I already have a personal profile on Facebook that I largely keep private; the practice I’m talking about would be if I created a second, public one under the name “AmandaZW HubSpot,” or something along those lines. People usually do that to connect with professional contacts on Facebook, without letting them see personal photos or other posts. But the fact of the matter is that creating more than one personal account goes against Facebook’s terms of service.

2) Avoid publishing mishaps with Page roles.

We’ve all heard those horror stories about folks who accidentally published personal content to their employers’ social media channels — a marketer’s worst nightmare. So to avoid publishing mishaps like those, assign Facebook Business Page roles only to the employees who absolutely need it for the work they do each day. And before you do that, be sure to provide adequate training to those who are new to social media management, so they aren’t confused about when they should be hitting publish, what they should be posting, if something should be scheduled first, who they should be posting it as.

To assign these, on your business page, click “Settings,” then click “Page Roles.”

Also, when sharing content on behalf of your brand, make sure your posting it as your brand, and not as yourself. You can check that by going into your settings and clicking “Page Attribution.”

3) Add a recognizable profile picture.

You’ll want to pick a profile picture that’s easy for your audience to recognize — anything from a company logo for a big brand, to a headshot of yourself if you’re a freelancer or consultant. Being recognizable is important to getting found and Liked, especially in Facebook Search. It’s what shows up in search results, pictured at the top of your Facebook Page, the thumbnail image that gets displayed next to your posts in people’s feeds … so choose wisely.

When choosing a photo, keep in mind that Facebook frequently changes its picture dimensions, which you can find at any given time here. As of publication, Page profile pictures display at 170×170 pixels on desktop, and 128×128 pixels on smartphones.

4) Choose an engaging cover photo.

Next, you’ll need to pick an attractive cover photo. Since your cover photo takes up the most real estate above the fold on your Facebook Page, make sure you’re choosing one that’s high-quality and engaging to your visitors, like this one from MYOB’s Facebook Page:

Keep in mind that, like profile images, Facebook Page cover photo dimensions also frequently change, so we advise keeping an eye on the official guidelines. As of publication, Page cover photos display at 820×312 pixels on computers, and 640×360 pixels on smartphones.

5) Add a call-to-action (CTA) button.

Since Facebook first launched the feature in December 2014, the options for brands to add call-to-action buttons to their Facebook Page’s have vastly expanded. These are things like “Watch Video,” “Sign Up,” or “Book Now” — and each can be customized with a destination URL or piece of content of their choosing.

It’s a great way for marketers to drive more traffic to their websites, or to get more eyeballs on the Facebook content they want to promote. This is a great way for marketers to drive traffic from their Facebook Business Page back to their website. Check out how Mandarin Oriental uses the “Book Now” button in this way, to make it easier for viewers to make reservations.

To add a call-to-action to your Page, click the blue “Add a Button” box.

You’ll then be able to choose which type of CTA you want to create, and which URL or existing content on your Facebook Page you want it to direct visitors to. To get data on how many people are clicking it, simply click the drop-down arrow on your button and select “View Insights.”

6) Fill out your ‘About’ section with basic information, and add company milestones.

We’ve arrived at one of the most important sections of your Facebook Page of all: the ‘About’ section.

Although visitors no longer see a preview of your “About” text when they land upon your page — instead, they have to click on the “About” option on the left-hand column next to your content — it’s still one of the first places they’ll look when trying to get more information about your page.

Even within the “About” section, however, there are many options for copy to add. Consider optimizing the section that best aligns with your brand — a general description, a mission, company information, or your story — with brief, yet descriptive copy. By doing so, your audience can get a sense of what your Page represents before they decide to Like it.

You might also want to populate sections that allow you to record milestones and awards — like when you launched popular products and services — as well as the day/year your company was founded, or when you hosted major events.

7) Post photos and videos to your Timeline.

Visual content has pretty much become a requirement of any online presence, including social media channels. After all, it’s 40X more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content.

And while photos are a wonderful way to capture moments and an actual look at your brand, you should probably invest a good amount of time and other resources into video. State of Inbound 2017 cited video as the “main disruptor,” with 24% of marketers naming it as a top priority.

“Watch video” is one of the CTAs that Facebook allows brands to add to their Pages for a reason — because it’s becoming one of the most popular ways to consume content. But it’s not just pre-recording videos. According to the social media channel’s newsroom, “People spend more than 3x more time watching a Facebook Live video on average compared to a video that’s no longer live.” So don’t be afraid to give viewers an in-the-moment look at what your organization does, but do make sure you’re prepared.

Not sure what your videos should look like? Here’s a fun one that we put together on business lingo.

8) Determine the ideal timing and frequency for your posts.

An important consideration in your Facebook content strategy should be how frequently you post, and when. If you don’t post frequently enough, you won’t look as reliable or authentic — after all, how much faith do you put in a brand that hasn’t updated its Facebook Page for several months? Post too often, however, and people might get sick of having their feeds flooded with your content.

Here’s where a social media editorial calendar can be particularly helpful. Like any other online content, it can you establish a schedule for when you share particular posts according to season or general popularity. You’ll probably have to adjust your calendar several times, especially in the earliest stages of setting up your Page, since you’ll want to check the performance of your updates in your Facebook Insights (which you can navigate to via the tab at the very top of your page). Once you’ve observed popular times and other analytics for your first several posts, you can tailor your posting frequency and strategy accordingly.

Wondering how to schedule posts? You can either use an external publishing tool like the Social Inbox in your HubSpot software, or through the Facebook interface itself. For the latter, click the arrow next to the “Publish” button and click “Schedule Post.”

9) Leverage Facebook’s targeting tools.

Facebook allows you to target certain audiences with specific updates — be it gender, relationship or educational status, age, location, language, or interests, you can segment individual page posts by these criteria.

Just click this small bullseye symbol on the bottom of the post you want to publish, and you can set metrics for both a preferred audience, and one you want think might not want to see your content.

10) Pin important posts to the top of your page.

When you post new content to your Facebook Page, older posts get pushed farther down your Timeline. But sometimes, you might want a specific post to stay at the top of your page for longer — even after you publish new updates.

To solve for this, Facebook offers the ability to “pin” one post at a time to the top of your page. You can use pinned posts as a way to promote things like new lead-gen offers, upcoming events, or important product announcements.

To pin a post, click on the drop-down arrow in the top right corner of a post on your page, and click ‘Pin to Top.’ It will then appear at the top of your page, flagged with a little bookmark. Just keep in mind that you can only have one pinned post at any given time.

11) Decide whether you want Facebook fans to message you privately.

If you want your Facebook fans to be able to privately message you directly through your page, definitely enable the messages feature. You can do so by going to your settings, clicking on “General” on the left-hand column, and then looking for “Messages” on the list of results.

We recommend enabling messaging on your page to make it as easy as possible for your fans to reach out to you — but only do so if you have the time monitor and respond to your messages. Facebook Pages now have a section that indicates how quickly a brand responds to messages, so if you don’t want that section saying that you’re slow to answer, you might just want to skip enabling that feature.

12) Monitor and respond to comments on your page.

Speaking of monitoring the interactions your fans have with your page, don’t forget about comments. You can monitor and respond to comments via the ‘Notifications’ tab at the very top of your page. While it may not be necessary to respond to every single comment you receive, you should definitely monitor the conversations happening there (especially to stay on top of potential social media crises.

12) Promote your page to generate more followers.

Now that you’ve filled your page with content, it’s time to promote the heck out of it.

One of the first things you can do is to create an ad promoting your Page. To do that, click the three dots at the top menu bar above your posts and select “Create Ad.” From there, Facebook will let you start creating an ad from scratched based on your goals — things like reach, traffic, or general brand awareness. Choose yours, then scroll down and click “continue.”

After that, you can choose your targeted audience (similarly to what you did with your promoted posts above), where on Facebook you want it to be placed, and your budget — you can learn more about paying for Facebook Ads here.

You’ll probably also be asked to add some creative assets or copy. Remember, you’re paying for this, so choose something that’s going to grab attention, but also has high quality and represents your brand well.

13) Measure the success of your Facebook efforts.

There are a couple of ways to execute this step. You can use something like the social media reports tool in your HubSpot software, and you can dig into your Page’s Insights, which allow you to track Facebook-specific engagement metrics. Here, you’ll be able to analyze things like the demographics of your Page audience and, if you reach a certain threshold, the demographics of people engaging with your page and posts. As we mentioned earlier, the latter is especially helpful to modify your Facebook content strategy to publish more of what works, and less of what doesn’t. You can access your Facebook Page Insights via the tab at the top of your page.

How have you set up top-notch Facebook Pages? Let us know in the comments.

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

Dry January. It sounds like the next scary impact of climate change. In reality, it’s part personal challenge and part social movement.

Dry January refers to the growing trend of taking the month off from drinking alcohol. Consider it a four-week vacay for your liver.

But it’s not meant to be a detox. Instead, the creators say the goal is to reframe your relationship with alcohol as “a conscious choice, not a default.”

It might seem like bad news for alcohol sales– already reeling from the post-holiday slump– but actually, Dry January is one way booze sellers can tap into a half-billion-dollar market.

Why ask why? Try going dry.

Though the Dry January trend is currently having a moment, it’s actually existed in some form for decades. In 1942, Finland promoted “Raitus Tammikuu” or “Sober January” as a way to ration resources.

It took its current shape in 2013 when the London-based charity Alcohol Change UK launched it as a personal challenge.

Since then, searches for “Dry January” have grown exponentially to an average of 18,000 per month. Although, in a sign that people are as bad at planning as me, the searches only appear around January.

And that seasonality is masking the popularity by dragging the monthly average down. Take a look at these screenshots from the SEO tool Ahrefs, and you’ll see that there were over 140,000 searches in January of 2023.

But are those searches turning into participants? According to a survey by the business intelligence firm Morning Consult, 21% of Americans over 21 will be trying Dry January this year.

A different survey by NielsenIQ puts that closer to a whopping 44% of American adults.

That’s a buttload of buyers bailing on the booze!

So, what does that mean for alcohol makers and sellers?

Businesses and Participants Turn to Non-Alcoholic Alternatives

A common complaint you’ll hear from participants is finding a replacement for the sense of community and ritual that comes with having a drink.

People still want to meet co-workers at a bar. They still want that ceremonial first sip that transitions from work to play.

And so, the rise of Dry January also brings a rise in demand for non-alcoholic alternatives.

This makes the movement a great introduction for new consumers into the non-alcoholic beverage market that topped $510 Million in annual domestic sales, according to Nielsen.

That represents a 31% increase in sales year-over-year.

Globally, the IWSR puts retail sales for low- and non-alcoholic beverages at $13 Billion annually.

That’s enough to make some major brands sit up and take notice. White Claw, Tanqueray, Guinness, and even Budweiser have all started serving up non-alcoholic versions of their products.

Even celebs are getting in on the action. Blake Lively, Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, and Bella Hadid have all recently launched lines of alcohol-free wines or spirits.

And the data shows that this trend isn’t likely to go away. A Gallup poll from 2023 found that the percentage of young adults (18 to 34) who drink alcohol – ever – has fallen from 72% to just 62% over the last two decades.

But if you’re too late to jump in on Dry January, don’t panic. You’ve got plenty of time to plan your Sober October.

Every time I think I have this whole marketing thing down to a science, something changes in the blink of an eye. And if you’re a marketer like myself, you’ve probably experienced the same feeling of whiplash as marketing trends continue to shift.

Keeping up with the latest marketing trends isn’t always easy. But, to succeed in the fast-paced marketing world — and maintain a sense of relevance with your audience — it’s vital to stay ahead of them.

Fortunately, I gathered all the information you need on the latest marketing trends — straight from industry experts and HubSpot’s survey of 1,400+ global marketing professionals — and crafted this guide just for you.

Let’s take a deep dive into marketing trends for 2024, shall we?

1. Short-form Video Content (TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts, etc.) will continue to rule.

Who hasn‘t spent way too much time scrolling through TikTok? I’m not afraid to admit I‘ve bought clothes, pet supplies, and other products after watching a few too many reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts. And I’m not alone.

According to a recent survey, 56% of U.S. consumers said they bought something based on an ad they saw on TikTok, and 36% said they were willing to.

“Video creates a deeper connection with your potential customer base, and it is easy for brands to repurpose video content into podcasts and text-based content,” Neil Patel, CMO and Co-Founder of NP Digital says.

So, it‘s no surprise our survey found that 53% of marketers are leveraging short-form videos like TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts in 2024, and 38% are continuing to invest the same as in previous years.

Only 8% say they’ll decrease their investment.

Long-form videos can offer depth and large amounts of information about a product, brand, or service to audiences.

However, both B2C and B2B marketers have learned that getting to the point with short-form videos can actually be much more effective.

Not only does it take less bandwidth to create a short-form video, but this type of format aligns well with the fast-paced attention spans of online audiences in a variety of demographics.

This is likely why platforms like TikTok, Reels, and — in previous years — Snapchat have gained quick growth and marketing interest.

“Our company, Jotform, has been ramping up our video efforts on YouTube. We have over 16,000 subscribers and have seen a huge increase in site traffic and signups from investing in video on this platform,” says Aytekin Tank, Founder & CEO of Jotform.

2. Creating content reflecting the brand’s values will be key to retaining your customers.

According to Consumer Goods Technology, 82% of shoppers want a consumer brand’s values to align with their own. Furthermore, 75% of shoppers say they’ve cut ties with a brand over a conflict in values.

To keep on the good side of their target audience, brands will make a point of showcasing their values and stances on topics that are relevant to their audience.

Our survey shows 45% of marketers will increase their investment in creating content that shows their brand’s values, and 43% will invest as much as they did in 2023. Only 9% will decrease their investment.

3. Native advertising/sponsored content is still valuable.

More than a third (36%) of marketers plan to increase their investment in native advertising in 2024, and 56% plan to continue investing the same amount. Only 9% say they’ll decrease their investment.

These numbers don’t surprise me at all, considering the value of native advertising.

When your brand pays to feature content on a third-party website, you’re investing in native advertising.

Unlike traditional advertising, which is designed to interrupt and stand out, native advertising is designed to blend in and promote your brand to a new audience who might otherwise never learn about you.

Because native ads don’t “feel” like traditional ads, consumers are more likely to consume them — in fact, consumers view native ads over 50% more than banner ads.

Examples of native advertising can be found on social media, through search engine results, content recommendation platforms, or in campaigns.

For example, Instagram is a popular social media network that routinely partners with brands for native advertising.

By taking advantage of the Instagram Story or Shop features, brands are able to share posts that look similar to the average user’s followers’ posting style, while subtly advertising a product.

4. Influencer marketing is still crucial.

Influencers were everywhere in 2023. I couldn’t scroll through social media without seeing influencers promoting all kinds of products. One of my favorite influencer marketing campaigns in 2023 came from skincare brand La Roche-Posay.

The brand partnered with influencers like Jae Gurley to promote its sunscreen products at the US Open, where attendees would be out in the sun to watch the matches.

I don’t see this trend slowing down in 2024, and neither do the marketers in our survey. 84% of marketers in our survey (48%) say they will increase their investment in influencer marketing in 2024, almost as many as last year (89%).

When marketers collaborate with influencers and industry thought leaders in their industry, they can expand brand awareness and gain fans from the influencer’s own audience.

Are you worried collaborating with a famous influencer could break the bank? No problem!

Micro-influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers are a more affordable solution and often yield more success than if a brand were to work with celebrities or macro-influencers.

Of the marketers who worked with influencers and creators in 2023, 64% worked with micro-influencers, making them the most popular choice for influencer marketers.

5. Leveraging AI will only increase into the new year.

Of course, I’d be a fool to exclude the giant waves artificial intelligence made in 2023 and the changes it will bring in 2024.

In 2023, 48% of marketers we surveyed reported using AI for content creation, such as writing blog articles, website, and social media copy, as well as landing page CTAs and product descriptions.

Amazon even started using AI to summarize key points from consumer reviews, definitely saving me from a few questionable purchases.

Image source

Fast forward to 2024, and 88% of marketers plan on investing the same amount or more into leveraging AI this year, and 15% plan to leverage it for the first time.

AI is especially popular among marketers for its ability to streamline processes and allow marketers time to pursue other tasks or projects.

Though there are concerns surrounding the use of AI, if you want your company to remain competitive in 2024 and keep up with demand, you‘ll likely want to look into leveraging different AI tools if you haven’t already.

I recently tried using AI to create a TikTok video, and it was surprisingly quick and easy. So, I‘d say it’s worth a shot.

6. VR and AR could be making a comeback.

It looks like virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) could make a comeback in 2024. Back in 2021, 35% of marketers were leveraging AR or VR in their strategies, and of those marketers, almost half planned to increase their investment in 2022.

But by 2023, more than a quarter (27%) of marketers planned to stop using VR and AR altogether.

However, only 13% of marketers plan on decreasing their investment in VR and AR in 2024, and 84% plan to invest as much as the previous year or more.

Generally speaking, this is a trend marketers may have been slower to adopt due to pricey equipment and bulky headsets. But, as VR glasses and AR apps became more accessible, the trend is experiencing a turnaround.

Content Marketing Trends

At least 47% of buyers view three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep, and most expect brands to create content to gain their interest. That’s why brands worldwide have only grown their investments in content marketing.

But what content strategies are brands investing in? Below are just a few trends you’ll want to follow in 2024.

Featured Resources

• 386+ Content Creation Templates
• 5 Free Blog Post Templates

7. Podcasts and other audio content are still on the rise.

2023 was an excellent year for podcasts. According to a 2023 report by Edison Research, 42% of Americans ages 12 and older have listened to a podcast in the past month — up 5% from 2020 and 30% from 2013.

Furthermore, 75% of Americans ages 12 and older have listened to online audio in the past month, while 70% have listened in the past week, according to the same report.

So, of course, marketers are taking note.

In our survey, 82% of marketers plan to either increase or maintain their investment in podcasts and audio content in 2024.

8. Blogging isn’t going anywhere.

Yes, the professional blogger is telling you that blogging isn‘t going anywhere, but I promise I’m not being biased. 92% of marketers in our survey plan to maintain or boost their investment in blogging in 2024.

Blogging has been a common marketing strategy since brands started building their websites. But the age of this tactic shouldn‘t be a sign that it’s out-of-date.

In fact, blogging has been used for so long simply because it works. So much so one in three marketers leverage their blog or website.

On top of that, our research suggested that most consumers read 1-4 blog posts a month and have purchased something from a brand after reading the company’s blog.

Aside from providing consumer engagement and potential conversion, blogs also offer a crucial benefit to your website or online pages: search discoverability.

Ultimately, sites with robust blogs have more search potential and can implement SEO strategies much easier than sites that don’t.

Think about it this way. Suppose a prospective client wants to hire a virtual accountant, and your firm’s site has a blog post highlighting tax tips or strategies your accountants use.

In that case, this person might find your post or website via Google search, read your post, explore your website, and then decide that they want to contact you for a consultation or accounting assistance.

If you haven’t considered a blog by this point but are intrigued by this data, check out these resources to help you build out your strategy:

9. Case studies will continue to drive leads and brand credibility.

More than a quarter of marketers (26%) leverage case studies as part of their content strategy, according to our survey.

Case studies help establish transparency and trust between brand and consumer. They also offer prospects an incredibly deep and exclusive look into how people or brands benefit from a product, service, or strategy.

Some businesses place them publicly on their web pages to persuade a potential buyer as quickly as possible. Others might gate them as free PDFs that require a lead conversion to be downloaded.

No matter how it’s done, marketers will still see the value of case studies in 2024. Our survey found that 87% of marketers will maintain or increase their investment in case studies in the new year.

10. Marketers will continue to leverage infographics.

If a picture paints a thousand words, infographics could paint at least double.

Infographics have the shareability and visual appeal of a nice photo and are packed with helpful data and informative information. This makes them incredibly engaging to web visitors and social media audiences alike.

88% of marketers say they will increase or maintain their investment in infographics in 2024.

Credible data can help marketers, bloggers, and content creators tell compelling and persuasive stories. Why else do you think we surveyed hundreds of marketing professionals to create this content?

Featured Resources

• How to Start a Successful Blog [Free eBook]
• The Complete Collection of Content Marketing Templates
• Free Editorial Calendar Templates

Social Media Marketing Trends

In the U.S. alone, 90% of the population actively uses social media.

This is why social media marketing is a popular channel that’s become a part of almost every business’s greater marketing strategy.

Social media marketing allows you to authentically connect with your audience on a personal level, humanizing your brand.

11. Selling on social media will be even more normalized.

Many social media platforms are vying to become the next go-to shopping destination. Instagram has Instagram Shopping; Facebook has Facebook Shops; and TikTok is testing new e-commerce and partnership features.

This shift is already impacting consumer shopping habits. For instance, 71% of Gen Z-ers prefer discovering new products on social media. The same is true for 51% of Millennials.

So, it‘s safe to say social media shopping will continue to become the new norm this year. Still don’t believe me? Well, almost half of the marketers in our survey (47%) will increase their investment in social media shopping tools.

40% will keep investing the same as last year.

12. TikTok will continue to gain brand interest.

TikTok will experience even more growth in 2024, as 56% of marketers who currently leverage the platform plan to increase their investment this year, the highest of any social media app.

Moreover, almost a quarter of marketers in our survey (24%) say TikTok yields the highest ROI compared to other social media channels.

Brands have been trying to tap into the true power of TikTok since it first began to go viral four years ago. With well over 1 billion global users, TikTok has positioned itself as an app for various audiences and marketers.

Of course, if you think TikTok is just for younger demographics, think again. 50% of Millennials report visiting TikTok in the last three months, along with 38% of Gen X-ers, according to HubSpot’s 2022 Consumers Trends Report.

We predict these numbers will continue to rise as TikTok becomes more mainstream.

13. Most marketers will focus on three to five social media platforms.

On average, marketers leverage four social media platforms in their roles. Facebook is the most used social media platform, operated by 57% of marketers, followed by Instagram (55%), YouTube (52%), X (39%), and TikTok (42%).

Managing three to five platforms is realistic.

This range allows brands of all sizes to expand their reach to different audiences while also giving social media marketers a realistic list of platforms to master without stretching their bandwidth during the workweek.

Here are a few questions that can help you determine how many platforms you should be on:

• How many social media marketers are on your team?
• Which social media platforms have audiences that best align with your targets?
• How long will it take to master a strategy on each platform you’re targeting?
• Are there platforms that won’t benefit your overall marketing strategy right now?
• Are there any platforms you can easily repurpose engaging content between? (such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts)

By asking yourself some of the questions above, you can determine how much time your social team and brand will need to build an effective and engaging strategy on each platform and prioritize which platforms you should focus on.

Featured Resources

• How to Use Twitter for Business (+ Follower Growth Tracking Template)
• 30 Days of Instagram: A Guide for Businesses
• How to Attract Customers With Facebook

Search Engine Optimization Marketing Trends

92% of marketers plan on maintaining or increasing their investment in search engine optimization in 2024, according to our survey.

Are you one of these marketers? Have you figured out how exactly you plan to improve your SEO and organic presence? When you optimize for specific types of consumer behavior, you’ll help your business become more discoverable online.

14. Web teams won’t forget about video and image SEO.

SEO doesn’t just involve changing the text on a page. It can also include choosing and optimizing suitable videos or images for a page to help it rank in Google images or search engine video carousels.

While optimizing images involves compressing files to increase page speed and adding keyword-optimized alt text to an image, video optimization strategies involve embedding a video with a similar topic or keyword into a blog post.

Currently, 53% of marketers who leverage SEO have a strategy for optimizing videos and images. Of those marketers, 49% say image and video optimization is their most effective SEO tactic.

15. Link-building will help brands grow authority — and search rankings.

When sites with solid rankings begin to link to yours, Google’s crawlers note that your site might be credible and also have solid authority in your space. This can then trick your Google ranking to go up.

This, ultimately, is the goal of link-building — or getting other sites to link to yours.

Although writing highly shareable content, reaching out to share it with other websites, or ensuring that your post gets links can be time-consuming and challenging, research shows that this time and effort pays off.

Of the 48% of SEO marketers that use backlinking and link building, 63% say it‘s their brand’s most effective SEO tactic,

16. Historical optimization will help old web pages get new traffic.

Instead of developing new ideas, marketers will take what’s worked in the past and optimize it for the present.

In SEO, keeping your content up to date and full of rich, engaging content will outweigh older work that needs keyword relevancy with old statistics and links.

Not only that, but taking existing content and repurposing it for a new podcast, webinar, or blog post can be an efficient way to keep it relevant in search engines.

While one in four SEO marketers leverage historical optimization in their strategy, 29% say that those marketers use it as an effective SEO strategy.

17. Voice search optimization could become more of a priority.

41% of marketers plan to increase their investments in voice search optimization in 2024, and I predict it could become more of a priority in 2024.

Over a quarter (28%) of marketers say they will stop leveraging voice search optimization in 2023. However, that number has dropped to 14% regarding their 2024 plans.

You may be wondering, “How can I leverage voice search optimization?” The answer is simple: by framing your content around questions.

Think about it: these digital assistants answer short, informational queries such as “Who is the actor in Mission: Impossible?” or “What’s the weather in Boston today?” they’ve also started to process more local, conversational, and customized searches.

These may sound like, “Where’s a nearby coffee shop I can work from today?” “How late is it open?” and “Do they serve iced coffee?”

Aja Frost, Director of Global Growth at HubSpot, says:

“Businesses should look at a topic and say, ‘What questions could users ask about this?’ Then, they should plan sub-topics accordingly and look for opportunities to insert questions as headers.

This will allow voice assistants to easily grab questions and recognize content as solutions.”

Featured Resource

• Complete SEO Starter Pack
• How to Conduct a Technical SEO Audit
• 22 SEO Myths to Leave Behind in 2019

18. Chatbots will continue to streamline conversational marketing.

As much as I am a marketer, I’m also a consumer. And, like most consumers, I hate waiting. In a report from Tidio, 53% of respondents said waiting too long for replies is the most frustrating part of interacting with a business.

That same report shows 62% would rather speak to chatbot than wait 15 minutes for a response.

So, I think it’s safe to say chatbots will be leveraged more in 2024 to keep up with consumer demands. The majority of marketers in our survey (58%) say they will increase their investment in chatbots in 2024.

Bots are powered by a computer program that automates specific tasks, typically by chatting with a user through a conversational interface.

Artificial intelligence makes bots possible, which helps them understand complex requests, personalize responses, and improve interactions over time.

Bots provide the perception and dedication of a 1:1 service experience while working with hundreds of customers — something that no customer service representative or team would ever be able to do.

To the consumers who hate repeating themselves to multiple sales or service representatives, listen up — chatbots are and will continue making your lives easier.

If used correctly, they manage conversations at scale and aggregate data from multiple data sources, from calendars to knowledge bases to blog posts and videos.

Jon Dick, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot, says: “It’s on you to make things as easy as possible.”

“Do your buyers want to use live chat? You should give it to them. They’ve had the same problem three times in the last month? You should already know and have a plan to fix it,” Dick concludes.

Featured Resource

• How to Stay Current on Emerging Technology Trends
• 10 Affordable AI Tools for Businesses (+ How to Implement Affordable AI)
• Supercharge Your Clients’ Growth With Chatbots
  

Privacy Marketing Trends

19. Brands will need to give customers more control over their data.

In the marketing world, data is highly valuable — and not just valuable to you as a marketer or business owner.

Whether it’s an email address, credit card information, or smartphone location, consumers also view their data as precious and privileged — and it’s your responsibility to take care of it.

Every business operates using data, whether a software company, bank, government agency, or lemonade stand. It’s the lifeblood of marketing, sales, service, and more.

But, when precious information is misused or siphoned into the wrong hands, it leads to a strong distrust in businesses and potentially exploited consumers.

That’s why the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enacted.

GDPR is an effort by the EU to give greater control to consumers over their data.

Under the GDPR, organizations must ensure that their data is collected legally and safely and that those who collect and manage said data will protect it and respect consumers’ rights.

Following the GDPR guidelines might seem like a burden, but being fined for non-compliance will feel much heavier; fines range from 10 million euros to 4% of a company’s annual global revenue.

And — GDPR isn’t the only entity enforcing privacy mandates in 2022. In fact, companies like Google and Apple are now taking stands for user data as well.

In 2021, an Apple IOS launch enabled iPhone and iPad users to determine which apps could track their third-party data, which is often used for hyper-targeted ads.

In 2022, Apple finished rolling out another IOS update with additional email privacy protection features for Apple Mail users.

Meanwhile, Google will discontinue using third-party cookies on Chrome while encouraging advertisers to leverage its Privacy Sandbox instead.

Ultimately, brands and governing bodies are increasingly aiming to give users more choices when it comes to releasing their data.

And, while it is great for the consumer, businesses who leverage personal data to run campaigns will need to create alternative strategies and pivot plans in case they lose access to crucial data points.

With all that said, is it really surprise that 87% of marketers in our survey plan to maintain or increase their investment in giving consumers greater control over their data?

Use Marketing Trends to Grow Better

You’re up to speed… for now. And, as long as you’re keeping a thumb on the pulse of marketing trends — and always remain open to change — your business won’t fall behind.

But, if you‘re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of keeping up with all these insights, don’t worry.

The HubSpot Blog will be publishing regular Marketing Strategy research pieces with data from hundreds of marketing professionals in the coming months and will continue to update this post as new trends emerge.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2019 and was updated in November 2024 with updated HubSpot Blog trends data.

In my experience, sales and marketing Excel templates can help you expedite your data analysis and reporting.

To help those of you looking for a way to sharpen your Microsoft Excel skills, I’ve put together a detailed list of templates you can start using to simplify your sales and marketing tasks.

Know what’s even better? You can download a kit of Excel templates in one fell swoop.

Jump ahead:

• Marketing Excel Templates
• Sales Excel Templates
• Project Management Excel Templates

Why use sales and marketing Excel templates?

Many of us can recall a time in high school when we were sitting in math class and thinking, “When am I ever going to use this stuff in the real world?”

And then we suddenly find ourselves in the real world, only to realize that numbers do play a pivotal role in what we do. At least that’s true for me when it comes to digital marketing and sales.

The trouble is, many Excel templates and spreadsheets are riddled with numbers and formulas that aren’t all that inviting. And making them from scratch can be especially intimidating.

While I won’t argue with that, I will say that the advantages of using Excel to organize information and streamline tasks are unparalleled.

Benefits of Microsoft Excel Templates

Microsoft Excel has many capabilities, formulas, and shortcuts:

• It stores data and has tools for data analysis.
• It performs calculations and allows you to use code for automation.
• It allows you to create social media schedules, editorial calendars, campaign trackers, and more.

Before I start talking about all things Excel templates, now’s your chance to refresh your knowledge with this helpful crash course on Microsoft Excel fundamentals.

Marketing Excel Templates

Whether you need a source-of-truth for stakeholders to look at or a way to track the progress on a specific marketing plan or campaign, here’s a list of my favorite Excel templates to help get the job done.

1. Marketing Planner Excel Template

Download Your Free Excel Marketing Planner Template

This marketing planner template for Excel contains everything you need to plan a wide variety of email marketing campaigns. It contains specific columns for the emails’ topic, owner, status, and subject line.

You can supplement this template with a full-on marketing plan, written in Word or Google Docs format.

What I like: You can easily use this template to plan any other progressive marketing effort, such as blogging, content writing, or social media marketing. Simply change the titles of the columns to fit your specific marketing plan, and use the column to the left to track the dates of implementation.

Featured Resource: Microsoft Word Marketing Plan Template

Download Now

2. Excel Marketing Budget Templates

Download Free Marketing Budget Templates for Excel

If you want to avoid a budgeting mess at the end of the month or quarter, take a look at this collection of marketing budget templates designed to help you better organize your marketing spend.

Check out the master marketing budget template which allows you to generate a high-level visualization of your monthly and quarterly marketing budget.

What I like: From product marketing and website redesign to content marketing and events, these templates serve as a guide for marketers to visualize and track their expenses to avoid overspending.

3. Marketing Dashboard for Excel

Download Your Free Excel Marketing Dashboard

This particular tool allows you to enter metrics by campaign to auto-populate visual and easy-to-read charts. As a result, you can visualize the effectiveness of spending and activity across multiple initiatives.

You can also track the progress of different campaigns and marketing efforts, such as website content and email marketing, as well as ad spend and sales by platform.

What I like: There is no shortage of data to monitor when it comes to marketing. This template makes it easy to understand your marketing ROI and prove the effectiveness of your campaigns to stakeholders and leaders at your company.

4. Excel Monthly Marketing Reporting Template

Download Free Excel Marketing Reporting Templates

To simplify your reporting, check out these monthly marketing metrics templates and the corresponding PowerPoint template. Each month, you can update them quickly and easily to reflect your monthly visits, leads, customers, and conversion rates.

From there, you’ll have everything you need to track and report on which channels are performing best.

What I like: I mean, come on — is there a feeling sweeter than hitting all of your goals for the month? Leadership loves to see ROI, and these spreadsheets can prepare comprehensive reports of your marketing metrics to send to your boss.

5. SMART Goal Excel Marketing Template

Download Your Free Excel SMART Goal Template

Whether you’re planning for a new year, quarter, or month, defining a clear set of goals is critical for driving the direction of your marketing efforts..

Start with these SMART goal planning templates. Rooted in specificity, measurability, attainability, relevancy, and timeliness, these templates will help you set your team up for success.

What I like: Its user-friendly and readable format makes it one of the most shareable options on this list. You can easily send it over to your stakeholders without worrying about formatting.

6. Excel On-Page SEO Template

Download Your Free Excel SEO Marketing Template

When it comes to SEO, there‘s a lot for marketers to remember to see results.If you’re looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, pull up this handy SEO template created in Excel.

Designed to make the process of managing your SEO efforts a whole lot easier, marketers can use this template to guide their strategy step-by-step or pass it off to their webmaster to serve as a helpful guide.

What I like: This template focuses on keywords and SEO best practices, while also providing tips and tricks to identify nuances and increase productivity.

7. Google Ads Campaign Excel Tracker

Download Your Free Excel PPC Campaign Tracker

If you’re doing your Google Ads campaigns right, they probably aren’t “walks in the park.” This Google Ads tracking template is a marketing campaign template that can keep you on top of your Google Ads game.

It‘ll help you catch mistakes and implement best practices across all the different campaigns and ad groups you’re running — for the top, middle, and bottom of the funnel.

What I like: It’s a perfect complement to that SEO template you’ve started using. Plus, this tracker will help you get the most bang for your buck from all of those ad campaigns you’re running.

8. Excel Lead Tracker Template

Download Your Free Excel Marketing Template for Lead Tracking

It’s no secret that sales and marketing have a pretty rocky relationship history.

With this customizable lead tracking template in your toolbox, you’ll have the information you need to reduce tension and define a concrete monthly lead generation goal. You’ll also be able to track and measure the success of specific lead generation channels and keep close tabs on your current sales close rates.

What I like: You can easily supplement this lead tracker with a marketing-sales SLA template to better align your sales and marketing teams — and get one step closer to crushing your goals.

Featured Resource: Microsoft Word SLA Template for Marketing & Sales

Download Now

9. Excel Sales Conversion and Close Rate Calculator

Download Your Free Excel Conversion Calculator

You have to set a conversion goal, but you don’t know where to start. It sounds like you could use a hand in calculating your leads and traffic goals. Luckily, there’s an Excel template for that.

What I like: You won’t have to sort through these numbers on your own. This template will take care of the math and give you a clear picture of what you need to accomplish to achieve your conversion goals.

10. Excel KPI Dashboard Template

Download Your Free Excel KPI Dashboard

If you’re a fan of the monthly metrics template, you might want to grab a copy of this template as well. The essential KPI tracker, shown above, takes the metrics your marketing team has agreed to track and describes them in more detail.

What I like: Using this template, you can assign specific employees to each KPI, define the frequency at which you’ll monitor each KPI’s performance, and assign each KPI a color that reflects the quality of that KPI’s performance.

For example: Let’s say one of my company’s KPIs is organic traffic. I could set up my template such that 100 page views per month are red (poor performance), 500 page views per month are yellow (stable performance), and 1000 page views per month are green (great performance).

Sales Excel Templates

Sales is a number-heavy field. Whether we’re talking about sales goals or closed-won ratios, here are a few of my top templates to help expedite the process.

11. Excel Ecommerce Planning Template

Download Your Free Excel Ecommerce Planner Template

Ecommerce stores come with many moving parts. This template, which also includes an ecommerce sales plan and go-to-market template, includes dedicated space for each of your ecommerce vendors.

The kit also includes a marketing plan that guides you through market research, target market analysis, channels and vendors, and more.

What I like: Once your ecommerce store is live and running, you can use the conversion template to track performance across vendors and platforms where products are listed to give you a holistic view of your efforts.

12. Excel Contact List Template

Download Your Free Excel Contact List Template

In a business, the most important people are your customer or client base. Although your current customers constantly need to be nurtured, focusing on your contact or prospect list is also essential.

The information needed to build a prospect list is elementary. You can use this template to start building this list with the person’s name, title and company, location, and contact information. Additional information could include their industry, employee size, company description, and pain points.

What I like: Once you’ve used a template like this one, you’re ready to upgrade to a CRM, which stores the same information in a more user-friendly format.

13. Excel Sales Forecasting Template

Download Your Free Excel Template for Sales Forecasting

Sales forecasting is similar to weather forecasting. Without the proper tools, it’s impossible to get an accurate idea of what’s ahead.

Excel sales forecasting helps with business planning, budgeting, and risk management. Using this template will help you track business sales, accurately predict your sales revenue, and plan for future growth.

What I like: Sales forecasting is challenging, but this spreadsheet formula makes the process easier. Ultimately, it helps strengthen the sales strategy that you build for your company.

14. Excel Sales Metrics Calculator Template

Download Your Free Excel Sales Metrics Calculator

Sales are complex. Once you add sales metrics into the picture, the complications increase.

Not only does this template help you keep track of sales, but it keeps track of your salespeople too. With the sales metrics calculator template, you can calculate customer retention rate, win rates, product revenue, and employee turnover rate.

What I like: I know there are many numbers and figures to calculate, track, record, and document when it comes to sales. This interactive Excel spreadsheet will help you get the job done.

Project Management Excel Templates

Specific projects require a specific setup, but sometimes, the setup itself can be the most exhausting part. I’ve compiled the following templates to help you manage general projects and track your progress for specific tasks.

15. Excel Social Media Planning Template

Download Your Free Excel Social Media Planner

You might already use a social media scheduler to manage and publish your posts every week, but you still need a place to draft your social copy and decide which posts will go to which social networks.

This social media posting schedule allows you to draft each social post — the time it will post, the message you want to publish, and any link you want to accompany your message (blog post, registration page, an ebook landing page, etc).

What I like: Most social media schedulers allow you to upload social post copy in bulk from a spreadsheet. Once you’ve drafted all of your social posts for the week, month, or quarter, you can easily sort them by social network and import them into your social media platform of choice.

16. Excel Blog Editorial Calendar Template

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Blogging plays a significant role in your ability to attract visitors and leads to your website. But managing a blog is one of those responsibilities that’s easier said than done.

Use this editorial calendar template as the starting point for keeping track of all of your business‘ content. It’ll help you be more mindful of topic selection, buyer personas, keyword inclusions, and CTA alignment.

What I like: When I’m struggling with ideation, consistency, or simply just lacking organization, an editorial calendar helps me refocus my blogging efforts to generate even more traffic and leads.

17. Excel Work Log Template

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How do you keep track of the day-to-day progress of your company, especially when there are people, tasks, and timelines to monitor? A work log template is essential to keeping track.

This template provides you with a project overview that makes tracking easier than ever. The work log template tracks tasks, time, status, and comments.

What I like: If you’re not ready to commit to a project management software, you can still monitor the life cycle and progress of your projects with this spreadsheet.

18. Excel Social Media Content Calendar Template

Download Your Free Excel Social Media Calendar

Since you’re probably generating tons of clicks from your Google Ads campaigns and writing amazing content, I’d imagine you’ll need some help figuring out how to spread the love on social media.

The social media calendar template is the perfect resource for helping you scale and streamline your social media marketing.

What I like: When you use Excel to break out separate worksheets for each social network you‘re using, you’ll be able to keep a repository of content ideas, so you‘re never struck by writer’s block and always have something to post.

19. Excel Product Launch Plan Template

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A well-executed product launch can be a key differentiator for successful marketing and early adoption. This product launch plan can help you organize your thoughts around competitive analysis, positioning, and product strategy.

What I like: This template even goes so far as to help you brainstorm pains, proof points, and key messaging for campaigns. That’s a huge win in my book.

Excel your marketing process.

Data is any marketer‘s friend. Even though spreadsheets seem like they’ve been around forever, Microsoft Excel has so many capabilities that still make it an amazing resource for displaying, organizing, analyzing, and parsing data.

With a little bit of Excel magic, you can streamline your workflow and arrive at some a-ha moments from data insights.

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

Determining which of your marketing efforts are driving conversions and sales can be challenging — but it’s critical if you want to increase ROI, revenue, brand awareness, conversions, campaign success, and more.

That’s why marketing attribution software is so important.

In this blog post, we’ll explain what marketing attribution software is and why these tools are so powerful. Then, we’ll explore the three main types of marketing attribution tools as well as 18 top marketing attribution software tools for 2024.

There are several benefits of marketing attribution. These tools can help you:

1. Determine the most effective areas to focus your marketing efforts and budget
2. Understand your target audience and their needs
3. Improve your chances of reaching and resonating with your audience through personalized experiences
4. Increase ROI

Three Types of Marketing Attribution Software

Of course, there’s more than one approach to marketing attribution.

So when you’re setting your attribution goals and deciding which software solution is best for you, you’ll want to consider the following three types of marketing attribution software.

1. Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA)

Multi-touch attribution identifies which of many possible customer touchpoints is responsible for a sale. It’s important to realize that while most MTA tools include some channel data, they’re designed to test specific touchpoints.

For instance, a multi-touch marketing attribution tool may evaluate your touchpoints in the following ways:

• First-Touch Model: A first-touch model assigns all of the credit to the first webpage or digital asset that led a customer to your site. This model is great for understanding what brings people to your door.
• Last-Touch Model: Last-touch attribution is the opposite of first-touch. It gives 100% of the credit to the last asset a customer sees before making a purchase. This model is great for evaluating bottom-of-the-funnel content like CTAs and landing pages, but it’s not much help when it comes to the top or the middle.
• Last-Interaction Model: The last-interaction model is similar to the last-touch model, but it differs in an important way: Last-interaction modeling gives all the credit to the last touchpoint that produces a conversion. For instance, in the last-touch model, the final blog post a customer viewed would get the credit — while in the last-interaction model, it would not.
• First-and-Last Model: Unlike the three prior models, the first-and-last attribution framework splits the credit. Automation platform Ontraport recommends this model because the first and last touch points tend to stick out the most in a customer’s mind.
• Simple-Decay Model: This model gives the most credit to the last touch point and progressively less to prior ones. With this model, you’ll need to think about whether those weights correspond accurately to the customer’s experience.

Any attribution model is better than none, but MTA models can sometimes have substantial gaps or rely on flawed assumptions.

For example, a customer might have seen a television ad or received a friend’s recommendation, and digital tracking tools wouldn’t be able to account for that.

Multi-touch attribution is also getting more difficult thanks to platform restrictions. Google, Amazon, and Facebook — the three largest ad networks — have placed limitations on cross-platform tagging.

Pixel-based solutions face similar limitations due to browser updates from leaders like Mozilla and Apple, which have eliminated tracking pixels due to speed and security concerns.

2. Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM)

Marketing (or media) mix modeling takes a more complex approach than MTA.

Rather than using a tag or pixel to follow individual users around the web, MMM uses multivariate regressions to predict how much of an impact certain sales and marketing tactics had on customer behavior.

A top-down model, MMM looks at historical data from both online and offline sources. It also attempts to account for external influences, such as seasonality, pricing data, and broader economic conditions.

This type of attribution is most popular among enterprise companies, and because it requires a large amount of data and complex algorithms, the MMM space is somewhat dominated by enterprise vendors with roots outside of marketing.

3. Multi-Channel Attribution (MCA)

Multi-channel (sometimes called cross-channel) attribution is a blend of the MTA and MMM approaches. Multi-channel attribution uses individual-level data, but it attempts to evaluate the impact of certain tactics similarly to marketing mix modeling.

MCA seeks to paint a full picture of how a consumer’s online and offline activities lead to the sale. In the simplest MCA model, any channel that the customer accessed en route to the sale gets credit.

If a customer searches for a product via desktop, reads a blog post on mobile, visits a physical store, and then finally purchases after a social media referral, each channel gets weighted credit depending on the amount of time that user spent on it.

Tools like tracking pixels allow marketers to evaluate channels like search, social media, and ad retargeting. Additionally, people-based attribution techniques tie channel and touchpoint data to individual customers.

Today, the main challenge is connecting customers’ online and offline behavior, but there are several techniques that can help you address this:

• Foot Traffic: Mobile marketing companies use beacon technology to determine where smartphone users are. Mobile device IDs are then matched with customer profile data to give credit to certain campaigns.
• Point-of-Sale Data: When a user makes a credit card purchase at a physical location, the credit provider works with data companies to attribute the purchase to prior channels.
• Customer Panels: Some companies ask users to opt-in via an app that transmits data about their location or offline behaviors to the marketing team.
• Multi-Source Matching: Simply looking at a purchase, a location, or declared data won‘t tell you the whole story. That’s why companies that invest in MCA cross-check data for an accurate picture of which offline channels a customer might have engaged with. For example, companies can use point-of-sale data to begin tracking customer behavior and then use those numbers to influence future campaigns.

Clearly, there are lots of ways to approach marketing attribution. Below, we’ll dive into 18 leading examples of marketing attribution software tools that can help you with attribution reporting, analysis, and more.

18 Marketing Attribution Software Tools for 2024

1. HubSpot Marketing Analytics Software & Dashboard

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HubSpot’s Marketing Analytics & Dashboard software measures and analyzes the performance of your campaigns and marketing efforts with built-in analytics, reports, and dashboards.

With HubSpot, all of your CRM data and Marketing Software data are located in one place, at your fingertips — no SQL or coding required. This allows you to easily identify, review, organize, and share your marketing attribution data (among many other types of data) directly on your all-in-one CRM platform.

HubSpot offers granular Attribution Reporting for Contact Attribution and Revenue Attribution.

In terms of Contact Attribution Reporting, each customer interaction, and any revenue generated from that interaction, is recorded in that contact’s record. This is also helpful because it helps ensure everyone is getting credit for their work.

As for Revenue Attribution Reporting, you can pinpoint the specific channels that are hitting or surpassing their goals, and which channels need improvement. This way, you can identify the areas where you should focus your attention and budget.

In addition, HubSpot offers some other notable features that have the power to simplify marketing attribution reporting.

What we like:

• The Custom Report Builder brings together all of your data so you can access contact, company, and deal data plus your landing page, blog, and email data, all in one place.
• Custom Objects provide data that’s unique to your business in order to create new segments and create custom reports, campaigns, and workflows.
• Reporting dashboards are customizable and flexible — they have pre-built, drag-and-drop templates that you can share from HubSpot or via email or Slack — and you can also create dashboards from scratch if you prefer.
• Behavioral Events track custom interactions that are unique to your business and indicate when a customer is ready to move to the next stage of the buyer’s journey.
• Account Based Marketing (ABM) closes the gap between Marketing and Sales so you’re able to close more high-value target accounts.

Finally, if you’re already using other marketing attribution software, it’s worth checking whether there’s an integration available between HubSpot and that tool. The HubSpot App Marketplace offers more than 1,200 app integrations, so you can easily sync your HubSpot marketing data with other apps.

2. Ruler Analytics

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Ruler Analytics is a marketing attribution and call tracking software. It provides closed-loop marketing attribution, giving you access to all of your revenue and conversions in a single location.

This multi-channel marketing attribution platform comes with online and offline conversion tracking to help you determine your return on ad spend (ROAS); identify which campaigns, channels, and keywords are leading to conversions; and get a better understanding of your customer journey.

Pro Tip: With Ruler Analytics, you can compare various rule-based models including first click, last click, and linear attribution. You can also map your customer journey to identify the marketing channels that are leading visitors to find your business, to make purchases, and to convert in other ways (e.g. to complete an online form or chat with a sales rep).

This tool also makes it possible to pull customer data from any form submission and automatically match it to the marketing source it came from. Integrate your data with Google Analytics using Ruler’s Google Analytics and Google Adwords integration, and upload your marketing attribution.

3. Branch

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Branch is a cross-channel attribution and mobile linking platform that offers insight into all of your team’s marketing efforts. This tool connects customer touchpoints from all of your channels with conversions that occur on any platform.

What we like: Branch‘s Predictive Modeling feature is anonymous and uses historical attributions to identify accurate attribution when there’s no universal ID. This is helpful because Apple now enables users to block identifiers on apps (known as IDFAs, or Identifiers for Advertisers), which work similarly to cookies that track activity on web browsers.

Branch also tracks referral and ad attribution, as well as measuring email, web, and social media marketing success. You can use cross-platform, cross-channel cohort analysis to compare attribution across all of your marketing campaigns and channels, including email, ads, social media, and web.

Branch displays your data on analytics dashboards and segments that data by device, platform, channel, campaign, conversion events (e.g. installs), or metrics (e.g. clicks).

4. Active Campaign

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ActiveCampaign is a customer experience automation platform with attribution reporting capabilities that allow you to identify which traffic sources and touchpoints cause your leads to convert.

The tool‘s contact records include lists that are updated with all conversions a contact makes and the specific touchpoints that played a role in that conversion. There’s also a Segment Builder that tells you which traffic source (e.g. ad or campaign) a contact who converted actually visited your website from.

Best for: ActiveCampaign is particularly effective if you’re looking to set up automatic triggers to take certain actions once a contact has converted in a specific way, and to create attributed values for your conversions. For instance, if one in 10 customers who completes the web form on your landing page spends $500, you can set the attribute value for a web form conversion as $50.

Use ActiveCampaign to determine attribution from a wide range of traffic sources that are both paid and organic.

In terms of paid touchpoints, ActiveCampaign can help you track Facebook Ads, AdWords, and more.

As for organic touchpoints, ActiveCampaign can help you track product reviews on any site aside from your own, blog posts by guest contributors, social media posts, or even responses on Quora.

5. C3 Metrics

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C3 Metrics is an attribution reporting tool that focuses on enterprise cross-platform advertising attribution. It offers attribution solutions for businesses across a range of industries, including ecommerce, automotive, financial services, pharma, and travel.

Pro Tip: The comprehensive C3 Metrics Attribution Data Cloud works across digital, TV, radio, and direct mail.

This tool’s Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) considers external factors, such as competition or changing industry trends, when pulling attribution data.

You can also connect users anonymously cross-device and cross-platform with ease, and analyze attribution with online reporting dashboards and offline reports that can be delivered when you want them.

6. Windsor.ai

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Windsor.ai is a multi-touch marketing attribution software tool that integrates all of your marketing data and metrics and runs attribution models.

This tool measures ROI from attribution across multiple channels, campaigns, and keywords.

What we like: Multi-touch attribution modeling maps and optimizes the customer journey, empowering you to make data-driven decisions about how and where you spend your budget. Windsor.ai also provides your ROAS for all touchpoints by combining multi-touch attribution with customer journey data that’s matched to cost data.

Use Windsor.ai’s Keyword Optimization tool, its Google Ads Optimization tool, and its TV Ads Performance tool to enhance all of the different channels and touchpoints for your unique target audience.

You can also access and pull marketing and CRM data from any tool with one of Windsor.ai’s many integrations and APIs.

7. Attribution

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Attribution is an enterprise multi-touch attribution software that identifies the specific impact of your marketing funnel‘s touchpoints.

It includes features ideal for both B2C marketers looking to optimize marketing ROI and B2B marketers looking to streamline the path to purchase.

The tool’s automated data collection feature organizes all of your online and offline touchpoints and combines that information with your budget spend.

Pro Tip: Use this tool to manage affiliate marketing, report on and improve partner performance, and compare affiliate performance to the performance of your other marketing touchpoints and channels.

Attribution also enables you to build automated attribution models with machine learning algorithms that surface any patterns in your data and touchpoints.

In addition, its dashboards and reports can segment your data by campaign, touchpoint, or channel, and sync all of that data to your other software tools (e.g. your CRM, marketing tools, or business intelligence tools).

8. Dreamdata

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Dreamdata is a B2B revenue attribution platform which gathers, joins, and cleans all revenue-related data to present transparent, actionable analysis of what drives B2B revenue.

The platform integrates with users‘ techstacks and tracks every recorded touch to build end-to-end B2B customer journeys.

Dreamdata’s application then gives you comprehensive insight into these journeys through visualized interactive timelines of every account in your pipeline.

Best for: Dreamdata offers data, ops, and BI professionals free access to its data platform, including all the data on BigQuery, the B2B data models, and maintenance-free data pipelines. Users are also free to connect their favorite BI tools and dashboards to report and query data on BigQuery.

The Dreamdata platform enables you to run all touches through customizable multi-touch attribution models — across and between pipeline stages — revealing which channels and campaigns are generating revenue, and when.

This helps marketers and growth leaders track ROI on all activities, benchmark growth, predict revenue, and plan what efforts to scale next.

9. Factors.AI

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Factors.AI is a B2B marketing attribution solution that provides marketers with wide-ranging insight into how different activities across sales and marketing impact your pipeline — and your revenue.

Its dashboard offers a unified view of all your marketing metrics, as well as multi-touch attribution with an analysis of ROI across channels and campaigns.

What we like: Factors.AI uses no-code integrations that make it easy to break down data silos, so you can see key metrics related to search, ads, web, and more all in one place.

With root-cause analysis powered by machine learning and AI, this platform is able to identify anonymous website visitors, develop automated reports, and deliver actionable insights to help marketing teams optimize their spend.

10. CallRail

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The CallRail platform makes it possible to track performance across form responses, chats, texts, and calls.

From paid search to print ads, CallRail helps marketers optimize their campaigns with insight into exactly where customers are coming from.

Pro Tip: CallRail can save you time by helping you create call transcripts, highlight keywords from conversations, and automatically qualify leads.

CallRail offers a powerful dashboard where you can view marketing attribution data, review customer histories, and fine-tune your marketing messages based on performance data.

It also offers a single system of record, helping keep your entire team coordinated and up-to-date.

11. Demandbase

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The cloud-based Demandbase solution is designed to help marketers bring attribution insights into every stage of the B2B buyer’s journey.

This tool gives you access to reliable, detailed, account-level data, making it easy to see what’s working (and what isn’t).

Best for: Demandbase helps B2B marketing and sales teams optimize their pipelines from end to end, driving conversions through meaningful customer engagement and personalized content.

You can use Demandbase across your organization to measure how your various marketing campaigns and sales activities are driving revenue, from the top of the funnel to the final deal close.

Ultimately, this makes it possible to reduce friction in the buying process and provide a top-notch customer experience to prospects and customers throughout your pipeline.

12. Invoca

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Invoca uses AI-powered conversational intelligence software to give marketers greater visibility into which campaigns drive the best phone leads, whether you’re losing sales due to bad call experiences, and other critical business questions.

What we like: Phone calls are a critical channel for many organizations. With Invoca, you can be confident that you understand how calls are leading to conversions, which kinds of conversations are resonating the best, and what it takes to drive revenue through the phone.

This powerful attribution tool eliminates wasted ad spending and boosts campaign performance by ensuring your team can effectively attribute every call that’s driven by your marketing efforts.

13. CAKE

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CAKE is a marketing attribution tool that offers solutions in three key areas: affiliate marketing, multichannel marketing, and lead generation.

Pro Tip: Measure and optimize the performance of your marketing campaigns in real time with CAKE’s performance tracking platform.

When it comes to affiliate marketing, CAKE empowers marketers to track key metrics, optimize profitability, and attract the most valuable partners.

Similarly, this platform’s multichannel marketing tools make it possible to measure the true cost of customer acquisition across various channels, boosting campaign performance across the buyer’s journey,

Finally, CAKE helps marketing teams boost their lead generation efforts by offering a comprehensive view into traffic sources and lead quality, in turn leading to increased revenues and more efficient lead generation efforts.

14. WhatConverts

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WhatConverts is a lead tracking software solution that helps marketing agencies and their clients determine how effective their marketing efforts are.

This tool includes chat tracking, call tracking, and form tracking, all of which makes it possible for organizations to get a better sense for where their leads are really coming from.

Best for: Beyond call tracking, WhatConverts also provides extensive support for lead reporting and management, making it a useful option for marketing teams large and small.

With auto-organized leads, marketing attribution for all types of conversions, and reports listing actionable, data-driven insights, the WhatConverts dashboard puts all the information you need right at your fingertips.

Plus, WhatConverts offers more than a thousand integrations with different marketing tools and platforms, making it easy to incorporate it into your existing workflows.

15. Flowcode

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Flowcode offers an attribution tool focused specifically on QR code marketing for direct-to-consumer businesses. This solution is particularly powerful when it comes to connecting the dots between your customers’ offline and online activities.

What we like: Flowcode provides mobile-first landing pages for first-party customer data collection, geo-reporting, and seamless API integrations.

With its comprehensive platform, Flowcode provides marketers with all the data and insights they need to optimize conversions, drive ROI, A/B test their funnels, and analyze their audiences.

16. CallTrackingMetrics

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CallTrackingMetrics provides comprehensive conversation analytics services, making it possible for marketers to track every lead and attribute exactly which campaign or activity it came from.

The tool uses call recordings, transcripts, and live conversations to uncover key insights about customer behavior and preferences.

Pro Tip: You can choose whether you’d like to analyze the data manually, set up automated rules, or leverage CallTrackingMetrics’ AI-driven solutions to better understand conversation data.

It can be hard to tell which ads are driving the highest-value conversions or the most qualified leads. That’s where CallTrackingMetrics can help.

Its automated call tracking tool uses closed-loop attribution to connect every form, chat, text, and call to the specific ad that drove it.

17. impact.com

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A wide-ranging partnership management platform, impact.com leverages data from across the customer journey to help companies optimize their collaborations with affiliates, influencers, publishers, and other B2B and B2C partners.

Best for: This tool helps you automate every stage of your pipeline and maximize the value of your partnerships strategy.

Partnerships can be a powerful revenue driver for many organizations — but only if managed effectively. impact.com takes the risk out of these critical relationships and gives marketers the tools they need to invest in their partnership efforts with confidence.

18. Triple Whale

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Triple Whale is an analytics and attribution platform focused specifically on ecommerce businesses. This tool provides marketers with visibility into key attribution data, and integrates smoothly with other common applications and tools.

What we like: Triple Whale offers mobile apps for both Android and iOS, enabling marketers to easily access critical performance data in real time whether in the office or on the go.

This tool makes it possible to track customer purchases at the ad level, giving marketing teams insight into where shoppers are coming from and which advertisements are most effective at driving conversions.

It also offers automated reporting via Slack or email, unlimited users, and the transparency marketers need to ensure their campaign decisions are driven by data.

Choosing the Right Software

When it comes to marketing attribution, there are countless software solutions that can help you get started.

To choose the best tool for your unique business, determine what your marketing attribution goals are and what types of reports would be most helpful for your business.

You’ll then be ready to begin using one of the many marketing attribution tools available today to grow better through data-driven marketing.

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