Category Archives: B2B

Think back to a time you had to solve a problem but didn’t have all of the right information. What did you do? Situations like this pop up all the time at work and put your problem solving skills to the test.

As a marketing manager, one may think your job doesn’t revolve around problem solving. But it’s an essential part of putting out fires at work — and making sure there’s a process in place to prevent issues from happening again.

Whether you’re making decisions that affect an entire team or simply creating solutions for yourself, strong problem solving skills can help you grow as a person and a professional.

In this post, we’ll cover what it means to come up with creative solutions and how to hone the skills to approach problems like a pro.

What are problem solving skills?

Problem solving skills allow you to notice an issue, identify the root cause, design an effective solution, and successfully implement it. This includes the skills to evaluate whether or not your plan achieved the results you wanted.

The best problem solvers can anticipate problems before they arise and take action to prevent them or lessen the impact. They use logic to define what needs to change and creativity to propose innovative solutions.

Having strong problem solving skills can help you impress your manager, contribute unique ideas, and achieve your goals. It also means you can work through the core steps of solving a problem:

1. Identify and define the problem.
2. Come up with possible solutions.
3. Evaluate the options.
4. Choose the best solution.
5. Implement the solution.
6. Evaluate the outcome.

While there are many types of problem solving skills, many are considered soft skills that you develop over time. Think communication skills, people skills, social skills, and personality traits. For example, a marketing manager needs to be able to solve a conflict between team members or devise a plan to keep their campaigns going if the company marketing budget is cut.

While problem solving skills can require you to use your technical ability, you have to establish a number of specific soft skills to identify issues and implement solutions.

Problem Solving Skills Examples

No matter your career path, being an effective problem solver is beneficial for personal and career growth. Here’s a look at the skills you may use when solving a problem:

• Analysis
• Creativity
• Judgment
• Communication
• Organization
• Teamwork
• Evaluation

Problem Solving Skills Marketing Managers Need

A marketing manager who notices issues and makes decisions to solve them is a valuable addition to any company. This type of person gets things done and motivates others to do the same.

The further you grow in your career, the more problem solving skills you need to have in your toolkit. The higher up you get in an organization, decisions become riskier, solutions are often more vague, and the potential impact can be monumental to the company.

Let’s look at the top problem solving skills you need to be a successful marketing manager.

1. Analytical Skills

Solving any problem starts with analyzing the issue — you have to go beyond the symptoms of the problem to find the root cause.

Maybe your team is routinely going over budget on social campaign spend. Instead of micro-managing every detail, analytical skills help you dig into the problem to see what may be going wrong. You find that your social media coordinators can set up campaigns correctly, but they lack the basic budgeting skills to keep spending on track. So you devise a training program to teach them about profit, loss, and financial forecasting.

Being analytical can include a number of essential problem solving skills for marketers:

• Attention to detail
• Data collection
• Forecasting
• Research
• Fact-checking
• Historical analysis

2. Creativity

Once you discover the true problem, you can come up with the ideal solution. This is where you put your creative problem solving skills to the test. And for those who question whether creativity plays into solving problems, creativity is one of Indeed’s top 20 in-demand skills for 2021 across all industries and fields.

Sometimes the solution to a problem is not always straight-forward, and can require creative thinking and other points of view to be resolved.

Creativity comes in many styles. Engineers can create innovative code, and writers can come up with new blog styles. For marketing managers, creativity plays out in a number of problem solving skills:

• Brainstorming
• Curiosity
• Project design
• Project planning
• Editing the aesthetics of marketing materials
• Creating new promotional methods for products
• Planning and executing events

3. Judgment

With dozens of solutions before you, how do you choose the best one? Through exercising sound judgment. Developing good judgment lets you consider the nature of a problem, possible setbacks, costs and resources, decision makers, and how to implement a solution. You can compare between options and select the solution that’s right for each unique situation.

As a marketing manager, you can showcase your judgment skills through:

• Critical thinking
• Deduction
• Prediction
• Decision-making
• Discussion
• Corroboration
• Test development
• Authenticity
• Leadership

4. Communication

Communication skills are the foundation of problem solving and one of the top leadership skills. As a manager, you need to be able to articulate your opinions, brainstorm with a colleague, and give feedback to a direct report. Being a good communicator also helps you relay your decision on a solution and align everyone to tackle it together.

Without specific problem solving communication skills, issues can’t be resolved quickly and efficiently. That’s why to be an effective leader and expert problem solver, it’s important to make sure you have the following communication skills:

• Active listening
• Patience
• Persuasion
• Negotiation
• Mediation
• Clarity of expression
• Public speaking
• Reading body language
• Verbal communication
• Written communication
• Building rapport

5. Organization

Once you’ve chosen a solution to a problem and communicated it to your team, you still have to create a process to carry out your plan. Organization skills help you implement the steps everyone needs to take, which can improve alignment and efficiency.

Setting up a strategy for your solution uses a number of problem solving skills including:

• Prioritization
• Initiative
• Project management
• Project planning
• Time management
• Meeting facilitation
• Recording and filing information
• Creating strategic schedules

6. Teamwork

No marketing manager is an island. Teamwork is essential for working with others and contributing to a company’s mission. It’s necessary for exchanging ideas, delegating tasks, and working toward a solution.

Even if your role is largely independent work, you still need teamwork to collaborate with colleagues in different departments and keep your goals on track. But as a marketer, your role usually involves interacting with multiple people (if not dozens) per day. So you need to develop the skills that will make everyone want you on their team.

• Collaboration
• Delegation
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Goal setting
• Dependability
• Resource allocation
• Prioritizing tasks
• Setting expectations
• Assessing employee strengths and weaknesses
• Setting expectations
• Performance evaluation
• Identifying outcomes
• Trust
• Respect

7. Evaluation

When problem solving, evaluation skills let you assess if a solution is working and help you make the necessary adjustments. These are similar to analytical skills, but often require more patience and flexibility in case your strategy didn’t go as planned. It’s important to know whether or not your plan is working as quickly as possible so you can pivot and try another solution.

• Data analysis
• Adaptability
• Creating and evaluating surveys
• Customer feedback
• Follow-through
• Troubleshooting
• Resilience
• Integrity
• Identifying patterns
• Open mindedness

How to Improve Problem Solving Skills

Developing your problem solving skills isn’t as straightforward as mastering Excel. But marketing managers can take several steps to improve their skills and advance their careers.

Question your decisions.

Relying on your gut instinct isn’t the path to expert problem solving skills. Instead, try taking time to consciously question why you make decisions and what the outcomes may be if you choose one option over another. You can ask yourself:

• How important is this decision?

• How will this impact me a year from now?
• What’s the worst thing that could happen?
• What effect will this decision have on my team and the company?
• What can I do if I make the wrong decision here?

Look for opportunities to solve more problems.

Many experiences in your personal and professional life help you hone your problem solving skills, often without you even realizing it. You can gain or improve your skills by doing any of the following:

• Figuring out a technical problem with your phone or computer.
• Taking up a DIY project you’ve never tried before.
• Resolving a customer or employee complaint.
• Organizing a team bonding activity, overcoming obstacles along the way.
• Acting as a mentor for direct reports and helping them tackle their problems.
• Re-budgeting your finances to fund an out-of-the-blue trip.
• Finding out why there’s been a dip in activity on your company’s social media channels.

Find models and games to improve your problem solving skills.

A combination of proven models and fun mental games can help you develop problem solving skills. Some can hone your decision-making abilities, while others let you determine the cost of the possible solutions. Depending on which set of skills you want to improve, look to options like:

• 5 Whys (root cause analysis)
• Fishbone diagram (cause and effect analysis)
• Brainwriting (brainstorming technique)
• Starbursting (exploratory brainstorming)
• Hurson’s Productive Thinking model (creative problem solving)
• Lego Master (decision-making and communication)
• Escape Room (group communication and collaboration)
• Line-Up (non-verbal communication)
• Hackathons (brainstorming and creativity)

Demonstrating Problem Solving Skills

Knowing how to solve problems at work is not only crucial for contributing to company goals — it’s also a must-have for moving to management positions. That’s why it’s important to highlight the skills you already have. This includes adding problem solving skills to your resume and showcasing your abilities during job interviews.

Whether you’re looking for a marketing manager role or wondering what to say next time an opportunity to advance at your current company opens up, start with the STAR method. It’s designed to help you think through your experiences so you can articulate your specific problem solving skills. Make sure to give an overview of a challenge you had to overcome, how you approached it, what solution you found, and what outcome you achieved.

Honing your problem solving skills makes you more valuable as a manager and team member. So putting in time to develop the skills most relevant to your current (and future!) roles can make it easier to climb the ladder and come up with efficient, effective solutions.

Have you ever visited a website, looked at a product, left the site, but then seen an ad for that exact same product you were looking for on Google? I come across ads like this multiple times per week.

The reason we see these ads is because we’re placed on remarketing lists — we’ve shown interest in a product and a business wants to remind us that it’s still available for purchase if we’re interested.

As a business, using remarketing lists helps you make contact with pre-qualified prospects in an attempt to drive a conversion. In this post, we’ll explain how, as a business, you can leverage remarketing lists for search ads to draw in interested site visitors for conversion, and best-practices for using these lists.

RLSA Audiences

RLSA audiences are created by adding a snippet of code (called a tag) to your website that automatically adds your audiences to specific lists based on the action taken on your site. Once the tags are placed, you can bid on these segments and add them to your marketing campaigns. Here’s a guide from Google on how to set these up.

Creating specific RLSA audiences helps marketers leverage the already interested highly-valuable audience members, as it may not be as difficult for them to convert. As a result, you’ll increase conversions, revenue, and profits. You’ll also make the most of your budgets because these users are more qualified, so you’ll spend less on brand awareness.

If you’re feeling a bit confused, consider this example: you sell fiberglass pools and a user on your site has started a work order for pool maintenance, but then they bounce. Since they came so close to conversion, you can add them to a remarketing list and serve them ads for your business every time they query “fiberglass pools,” or related keywords.

Let’s go over some best practices for using RLSA campaigns in your marketing.

RLSA Campaign Best Practices

1. Know your audience before beginning.

As with any marketing process, it’s critical to understand your audience before creating your RLSA lists and running your ads. Consider creating buyer personas and customer journey maps to learn what customers are thinking about in different stages of your journey for better targeted ads.

An additional step could be to modify your bids based on audience demographics. If your users are signed in to Google when making their searches, you’ll be able to further segment and adjust your bids and lists based on available information, like age and gender.

2. Change bids by user stage.

If you’ve created accurate journey maps, you likely know which customer actions are most critical to driving conversions for your audience — this is where you should use RLSA. Use your website codes to track where your users are in their journey, and bid higher for those closer to conversion, a.k.a the closer they are to completing a purchase.

3. Match messaging to user action.

Ensure that the messaging in your RLSA ads matches the action you want the user to take or the action they have already taken that got them placed on your list.

For example, if a visitor landed on a pricing page, you can share an ad with them that calls attention to an upcoming discount.

To do this, you can create specific tags within your Google Ads account that note which action a user took and modify your bids to show relevant copy based on the action taken.

4. Upsell to converted users with related products and services. 

You may not think to use RLSA on converted users, but it’s a worthwhile strategy if you sell products or services that enhance experiences if used together.

For example, if you sell cameras, you won’t advertise camera equipment to users that haven’t checked out on your site. Once a user has made a purchase, though, and you have a unique list for those that have taken that action, you can serve them ads for camera equipment in an attempt to upsell.

With this tip, it’s important to note that not all converted users are worth retargeting with RLSA. For example, suppose you have a user that is currently in negotiation with a sales rep. In that case, it could be a waste of money to retarget them because they may be ready to convert after conversations with your team.

5. Bid for broad terms.

While it’s important to bid for terms directly related to your business, it’s also worthwhile to bid for broad search terms related to your business that your audiences may search for as well. For example, if you sell SaaS, your audiences may be searching for your competitors before deciding, so you can bid on competitor brand names.

If you choose to go this route, ensure that you’re not spending all of your money on broader terms, as your business-related keywords are the most relevant.

RLSA Campaign Example

A few weeks ago I was working with my friend’s mom to surprise him with a birthday present. He likes to travel, so we decided that a TSA-approved suitcase was the way to go. I spent a lot of time doing research on different sites and visiting multiple pricing pages.

I placed a product from a brand called Away in my cart, but we ended up purchasing from a different company. Away likely tracked how close I got to conversion and added me to an RLSA list. Now I see this a paid targeted ad from Away in search results for the words “luggage” and “TSA suitcase,” as shown in the image below.  

Over To You

The users that you choose to place in your remarketing lists should help you drive conversions.

Take the time to create detailed customer journey maps to know critical points of conversions and create corresponding lists. As a result, you’ll likely find your RLSA campaigns drawing in leads and increasing business revenue.

Looking to grow your marketing team? As you embark on the hiring process, don’t neglect the importance of providing clear, well-written job descriptions for your team’s open roles.

Having accessible and easy-to-understand job descriptions can make or break the quality of candidates that apply for a job. According to Indeed, 52% of job seekers say the overall quality of a job description is an influencing factor when they decide to apply for a job. That means if you want a pool of high-quality applicants, it’s imperative to provide a high-quality job description.

As you embark on writing job descriptions for open roles on your team, make sure you include the following pieces of information.

Marketing Job Requirements and Qualifications

What kind of experience will the ideal candidate have? Factor in the level of seniority needed for the role, as well as realistic asks for your candidate pool given your compensation budget.

Job requirements and qualifications can include desired education level, and areas of previous experience a candidate would need to have to be successful in the role. It’s worth noting that the requirements and qualifications section can be intimidating for some job applicants, and if it’s too extensive you could scare off candidates who may be a good fit for the role even if they have a different level or type of experience.

Marketing Job Responsibilities

This section should clearly outline what tasks and duties the person in this role will be responsible for. When a candidate reads the job responsibilities section, they should be able to clearly understand what the role entails and how the role fits into the broader organization.

Marketing Job Skills

Similar to job requirements and qualifications, this section should state what technical and/or soft skills are needed for a candidate to perform in the role. For example, if you’re looking to hire a content marketer you may list “strong writing skills” as a mandatory skill. Or if you’re hiring a marketing analyst, you may list “data analysis” as a skill needed to be successful in the role.

Now that you understand the basics of crafting a marketing job description, let’s discuss the ways a job description will need to be customized for a particular role.

Types of Marketing Jobs

The job description you craft will need to be highly tailored to the role you’re hiring for. After all, if you’re hiring for a technical SEO role you don’t want to create a description that will attract aspiring social media managers. Here are some of the most common types of marketing jobs available for modern marketers:

• Digital Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Product Marketing
• Brand Marketing
• Event Marketing
• Marketing Analysis

Ready to write a job description that attracts stellar candidates? Check out this list of sample descriptions for common marketing roles.

1. Marketing Assistant Job Description

The marketing assistant role is key to helping a marketing organization run smoothly and effectively. Individuals applying for this role should have demonstrated the ability to handle a variety of administrative tasks efficiently and independently.

Job Description:

Our team is hiring a marketing assistant to keep our organization running smoothly. The ideal candidate will have experience managing multiple projects for key stakeholders and maintaining excellent communication.

Responsibilities:

• Support the marketing leadership team through the organization and administrative support for various projects.
• Maintain strong communication between marketing executives and internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate employee meetings and communications for the marketing department.
• Maintain executive schedules and oversee project load.
• Plan, prepare and deliver presentations on behalf of the marketing team.
• Conduct research for key marketing campaigns.

Requirements:

• High School Diploma or equivalent experience. BA/BS is a plus but is not required.
• Experience managing multiple projects and adhering to deadlines.
• Clear copywriting and editing skills.
• Strong organizational, communication, and customer service skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office or Google Workspace.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Marketing Assistant

An effective marketing assistant should be organized, communicative, and able to prioritize while working on various projects. Candidates who can demonstrate these abilities through work experience could be a good fit for a marketing assistant role.

2. Marketing Coordinator Job Description

Do you have someone on your team making sure marketing activities are organized and cohesive? If not, consider hiring a marketing coordinator. In this role, an individual is responsible for managing various projects within the marketing organization to ensure they are on time and within their budget.

Job Description:

Our team has a suite of exciting projects underway and we are looking for the right candidate to help us execute them in the marketing coordinator role. With various campaigns and initiatives on the horizon, we’re hiring a skilled marketing coordinator to design and oversee marketing campaigns across platforms to reach company goals and increase brand awareness.

Responsibilities:

• Work directly with project managers, designers, social media, and content teams to design and implement key marketing campaigns.
• Perform competitive research to understand what’s happening in the market, and incorporate your findings into each campaign for better results.
• Facilitate cross-functional communication among project stakeholders.
• Conduct analysis to determine the effectiveness of each marketing campaign, and report key findings to stakeholders.

Requirements:

• BA/BS or equivalent working experience.
• Working knowledge of customer relationship management (CRM) and content management system (CMS) platforms.
• Demonstrated project management experience.
• Research and analytical skills.
• An understanding of digital marketing tools and tactics.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Marketing Coordinator

A qualified candidate for a marketing coordinator position should have experience supporting marketing campaigns and conducting research to understand the company’s customer base and ability to reach campaign objectives.

3. Graphic Designer Job Description

If your content isn’t designed well, you risk detracting people from reading and enjoying it — even if it’s beautifully written. Someone on your team may have a natural eye for design, but hacking designs together in PowerPoint isn’t scalable. Professional graphic design is an investment that goes a long way.

Plus, there’s a lot more to great design than making things look good.

Job Description:

We are seeking an experienced graphic designer to own the creation and maintenance of both our marketing assets and content created to support the product and other marketing goals. From concept through execution, this candidate will improve our user experience by bringing our brand to life and keeping it consistent across all our various touchpoints:

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with marketing and product marketing teammates to support our website design and content marketing (blog, social media assets, and more).
• Help bring new ideas for design and content creation to the team using your expertise and eye for great design.
• Scope and create templates for our marketing team to be more efficient in their posting on social media, the blog, email, and other channels.
• Manage other design needs such as presentations, signage, and trade show collateral as needed.

Requirements:

• BA/BS or equivalent working experience.
• Past experience as either an in-house designer or at a marketing agency. (We require work samples to apply for this position.)
• Experience designing for a content management system (like the HubSpot CMS). This person must create assets for our web team that are mobile-, tablet-, and desktop-friendly and provide a user experience that fits on all three screens.
• Expert in Adobe Creative Suite or similar technologies.
• Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is a major plus.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Graphic Designer

A great graphic designer is also really good at solving problems. They use their creativity and skills not just to make marketing materials more attractive, but to improve user experience, create brand consistency, and get specific results.

4. Social Media/Community Manager Job Description

Social media has become an integral part of business, with over 91% of retail brands having an active presence on at least two platforms.

So if you aren’t yet using social media marketing to your advantage, it’s time to start. And to do so, you need a social media manager who not only knows social media platforms like they know the alphabet, but who also knows how to develop strategies specific to various social networks, track the right metrics, and integrate the best tools and practices on those platforms.

Job Description:

Do you tweet, share, and post to social media in your sleep? Do you know what it takes to grow an online community? We’re looking for a social media manager to manage our social media accounts by implementing strategies and tactics that grow our followers, engage and retain them, and help convert them into leads, customers, and active fans and promoters of our company.

You should have command of best practices and trends in social media marketing, enjoy being creative, and understand how to both build and convert a digital audience.

Responsibilities:

• Build and manage the company’s social media profiles and presence, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and additional channels that may be deemed relevant.
• Create shareable content appropriate for specific networks to spread both our brand and our content.
• Monitor and engage in relevant social discussions about our company, competitors, and/or industry, both from existing leads and customers as well as from brand new audiences.
• Run regular social promotions and campaigns and track their success (e.g., Twitter chats, LinkedIn discussions, etc.).
• Work alongside other marketers and content marketers to help distribute content that educates and entertains our audience and supports marketing goals.
• Drive consistent, relevant traffic and leads from our social network presence.
• Explore new ways to engage and identify new social networks to reach our target buyers.
• Track, measure and analyze all initiatives to report on social media ROI.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent work experience.
• Active and well-rounded personal presence in social media, with a command of each network and their best practices.
• Excellent communicator and creative thinker, with an ability to use both data and intuition to inform decisions.
• Proficiency in using social media software (e.g. HubSpot’s Social Inbox) to monitor social media conversations. You will be our ear to the ground to route the appropriate marketer, sales rep, and/or support rep to social conversations.
• Bonus experience and skills include Adobe Creative Suite, demand generation, inbound marketing, and blogging.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Social Media/Community Manager

A genuine interest in the latest social media trends, and the ability to implement and carry out relevant social media campaigns.

5. Blog Manager Job Description

Did you know that, according to HubSpot’s State of Inbound Report, marketers who have prioritized blogging are 13X more likely to enjoy positive ROI? If you aren’t taking business blogging seriously enough, now would be the time. And hiring a dedicated blogger or blog manager is crucial in creating remarkable content.

You need someone who is not only a great writer and editor, but who can also keep your brand’s voice consistent across daily published content and understand how to use your blog to generate qualified traffic and leads for your business.

Job Description:

We are seeking a savvy wordsmith to join our blogging team. Candidates must have a knack and love for writing, a comprehensive understanding of the industry, and experience in blogging to achieve business goals. The blogger will be expected to sustain and develop the company’s voice across all blog content.

Responsibilities:

• Writing various types of articles on a wide range of topics for our blog.
• Providing feedback to other contributors, and editing other writers’ content.
• Optimizing content for search engines and lead generation.
• Contributing to long-form content projects such as ebooks.
• Conducting analytical projects to improve blog strategies/tactics.
• Growing blog subscribers, converting visitors into leads, and expanding our blog’s overall reach.

Requirements:

• A passion and strong understanding of the industry and our business’ mission.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills, as well as the ability to adopt the style, tone, and voice of our business’ various types of content.
• An analytical mind and interest in using data to optimize/scale blog marketing strategies and tactics.
• Excellent organizational skills to work independently and manage projects with many moving parts.
• 2-3 years of marketing and content creation experience.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Blog Manager

An ideal blog manager will understand your buyer personas so well that published content addresses their needs, wants, and problems.

6. Inbound Marketing Manager Job Description

If your marketing department is just starting to make the shift to an inbound approach, it’s possible you’ll still need to prove the success of your inbound marketing program.

If this is the case, you’ll likely be looking to hire an all-in-one inbound marketer — someone who can build and grow your inbound marketing strategy from the ground up.

Job Description:

We are looking for an amazing, data-driven inbound marketer to own the majority of the marketing funnel for our company. You will be in charge of attracting site traffic, converting that traffic into new leads for the business, and nurturing those leads to close into customers, the latter of which sales leadership will help you accomplish.

Responsibilities:

• Build and manage a rich content/editorial calendar that attracts a qualified audience to our owned properties (including blog posts, whitepapers, ebooks, reports, webinars, infographics, etc.).
• Grow new leads, including marketing-qualified leads, by converting site traffic through calls-to-action, landing pages, and lead generation content (including offers).
• Optimize our marketing automation and lead nurturing processes through email, content, and social channels.
• Establish closed-loop analytics with sales to understand how our inbound marketing activity turns into customers, and continually refine our process to convert customers.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent work experience.
• Some past experience in marketing is preferred.
• Excellent communicator and creative thinker, with an ability to use data to inform all decisions.
• Proficiency in marketing automation and blogging software in order to generate traffic, convert visitors into leads, and then nurture them (using dynamic workflows) into converted customers.
• Bonus skills: HTML/CSS, Adobe Creative Suite.

What Hiring Managers Look for in an Inbound Marketing Manager

Look for someone who is very self-motivated and versatile…and gets stuff done. (And if you’re still trying to convince your boss to make the shift to inbound in the first place, download these 100 stats, charts, and graphs to help you get inbound marketing buy-in.)

7. Content Marketing Manager Job Description

Marketing offers and downloadable content are the backbone of inbound marketing, serving as the fuel for all your inbound marketing strategies, including email, social media, search, lead generation, etc. Without marketing offers, your website visitors would have no reason to convert on your website and provide you with the contact information you need to segment, nurture, and close them into customers.

Marketing offers can include everything from educational ebooks to webinars, to free trials … the list goes on. Designing and creating this type of content is time-consuming and specialized. Time to call in a new member of your dream team to support your content marketing efforts.

Job Description:

We are looking for a prolific and talented content creator to write and produce various types of downloadable content and blog regularly, to expand our company’s digital footprint, awareness, subscribers, and leads. This role requires a high level of creativity, attention to detail, and project management skills.

Responsibilities:

• Create 1–2 free resources each month to drive leads, subscribers, awareness, and/or other important metrics (examples include ebooks, whitepapers, infographics, guides, templates, etc.).
• Blog on an ongoing basis to support and promote your offers and to attract site visitors through search, social media, and email subscribers.
• Grow our subscriber base by providing them with regular, helpful content that’s aligned with their needs and interests.
• Collaborate with designers, product marketers, sales professionals, and external influencers, and industry experts to produce relevant content that meets the needs of both key stakeholders and our audience.
• Convince others that your creative ideas are worth investing time and effort in. This role is at the core of the marketing team, and others will rely on your work every single day.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent working experience.
• Past experience producing content for the web specifically, as well as channel-specific knowledge (blog, SlideShare, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
• Past experience building audiences either online or offline.
• A dual-minded approach: You’re highly creative and an excellent writer but can also be process-driven, think scale, and rely on data to make decisions.
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite (particularly Photoshop and InDesign).

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Content Marketing Manager

Ideal candidates for the content marketing manager role should have experience creating and implementing effective content strategies. For candidates seeking this role, have a portfolio of content you’ve created and be prepared to talk about how the content performed and supported overall business objectives.

8. SEO Manager Job Description

Today, there are more than 5.6 billion Google searches per day. That means keywords are your new best friend…or the right search engine optimization manager at least.

Job Description:

We are hiring a talented SEO manager to join the marketing team. You will be responsible for identifying and executing opportunities to improve our company’s and our content’s search rank for key terms at the top, middle, and bottom (branded) of our marketing funnel.

Responsibilities:

• Manage both on-page SEO and off-page SEO for the company.
• Collaborate with content marketing and blog contributors to create high-quality content around important, relevant terms.
• Manage and improve organic search engine performance and goal-setting based on clickthrough rates, traffic, and conversions.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and changes with SEO and major search engines.

Requirements:

• BA/BS or equivalent working experience.
• Thorough knowledge of search ranking and optimization factors and key algorithm updates.
• Proficiency in web analytics software and keyword tools.
• Experience with data-driven SEO analysis and optimization.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

What Hiring Managers Look for in an SEO Manager

Your future SEO manager should be obsessed with checking and tweaking your keyword strategy. Moreover, they should be able to develop a solid on-page SEO strategy from scratch if need be. They should also be able to execute strategies and tactics to improve your off-page SEO, such as building inbound links. A valuable SEO pro will keep up-to-date with SEO blogs and best practices, through resources like Moz and Google Webmaster Tools.

9. Email Marketing Manager Job Description

When it comes to email marketing, there are a lot of moving parts. On top of making sure your emails are CAN-SPAM compliant, you also have to optimize for mobile devices, nail timing, and frequency, organize your segmentation and personalization strategy, and craft great email copy (just to name a few).

With so many email obstacles, you really need a professional on the job to make sure your emails are being delivered, opened, and clicked on. Or you need someone to figure out why they aren’t being delivered, opened, and clicked on. An all-star email marketer will get jazzed up about optimizing and building a top-notch email marketing program.

Job Description:

Do you have a knack for getting the right emails into the right inboxes at the right times? Do you live to see those open and click-through rates climb higher and higher? We’re seeking an expert email marketer to join our team. You’ll be expected to develop and track email campaigns to ultimately increase our business’ email marketing success.

Responsibilities:

• Grow our email list organically, not through bought or rented lists.
• Manage various email campaigns, including the template designs, calls-to-action, and content used in our email sends.
• Segment lists based on behaviors like past email engagement and website interactions (content downloads, site page visits, etc.).
• Measure results and optimize the lead nurturing workflows for these segments to convert leads into customers.
• Work to minimize list decay and unsubscribes while increasing the productivity of our email sends.
• Develop documentation and road maps for processes, A/B tests, and promotions that succeed through email.

Requirements:

• BA/BS or equivalent working experience.
• Past experience with email marketing, lead nurturing, marketing automation, and web analytics.
• Excellent understanding of email marketing concepts and metrics such as Sender Score, deliverability, and sender reputation.
• Proficiency in email marketing and marketing automation technology.
• Highly analytical and able to derive meaning from data through A/B testing and email optimization.
• Excellent writer and communicator (in both written and verbal form).

What Hiring Managers Look for in an Email Marketing Manager

An email marketing manager should have a unique set of skills. They must be able to craft and edit enticing content, while also understanding the data and analytics behind email performance. The ideal candidate will be constantly looking for ways to experiment with new email marketing strategies to find what works best for their audience.

10. Product Marketing Manager Job Description

Whether you manufacture lawn mowers, sell software, or offer bowling lessons, your customers are customers because your product or service makes a difference in their lives. That’s pretty special. Product marketers play a crucial role in positioning products/services the right way to the right people because they have a deep understanding of your target customers and how your products and services fulfill their needs.

Job Description:

As a product marketing manager, you will be a leader on the team responsible for telling the world (and company) the story of our product. You will be expected to be our chief advocate for a specific feature set and its benefits. Additionally, you will be charged with crafting the strategy around the messaging and marketing for new launches.

Responsibilities:

• Together with the product team, educate both internal and external stakeholders about our product features and their benefits.
• Create product content (e.g. sales enablement documentation, case studies, product videos, website copy, blog posts, Quora/forum responses) to articulate the benefits of our products to the world.
• Assist members of our sales team on calls with prospects when appropriate to provide deeper dives into the product.
• Speak and present both internally and externally to promote the story of our product.
• Measure and optimize the buyer journey as it relates to product feature adoption and usage.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent working experience.
• Past experience in digital marketing, product marketing, and/or product management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills — there is a heavy amount of writing and presenting/selling ideas in this role.
• Proficiency in content management systems. You will be expected to build product pages, optimize the conversion paths on those pages, and use dynamic calls-to-action to create and test buyer stage-specific calls-to-action.
• Prefer working in a collaborative, cross-team capacity. This role requires you to work across functions and departments to bring the product to life. You are at the center of our entire organization, constantly interacting with teammates and prospects.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Product Marketing Manager

Since product marketing managers work with cross-functional stakeholders, they must be collaborative. Candidates seeking a product marketing manager role should be prepared to share examples of times they have successfully worked on project teams across an organization.

11. Paid Marketing Manager Job Description

While you may be building up your inbound marketing team, paid marketing strategies, in moderation, can help you grow and scale your organic inbound marketing efforts. And a paid marketing professional is exactly what you need to cover all your bases, since paid marketing tactics like pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and retargeting can involve a lot of day-to-day maintenance.

Job Description:

We are seeking a paid marketing manager to help acquire new leads and customers through online pay-per-click and cost-per-acquisition campaigns. You will be in charge of all external, online acquisition marketing, managing the strategy, execution, and optimization across channels.

Responsibilities:

• Manage the strategy and setup of all paid campaigns.
• Measure and optimize our paid marketing using vendor-specific dashboards, Google Analytics, and marketing analytics reports.
• Research and test partnerships with new vendors to expand our reach and/or lower our cost-per-acquisition.
• Collaborate with marketing teammates to maintain a consistent brand voice and message across all paid programs.
• Craft landing pages and lead generation forms for our content to distribute through relevant paid programs.
• Stay up-to-date with digital marketing trends and potential new channels and strategies to keep us ahead, including updates to social media marketing, attribution, and programmatic media buying.

Requirements:

• BA/BS or equivalent working experience.
• In-depth knowledge of the various paid marketing channels and technologies, including paid search (Google AdWords), retargeting, social network advertising (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and more), and content distribution and placement networks like Outbrain and Taboola.
• Excellent communicator with the ability to sell and convince. You will manage all relationships with vendors and ensure we get the most efficient cost possible.
• Experience handling marketing budgets and forecasting/reporting results.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Paid Marketing Manager

A thorough understanding of pay-per-click strategies, and experience creating consistent brand messaging across multiple marketing channels.

12. Public Relations/Media Relations Manager Job Description

That’s right: One of the oldest marketing tactics, public relations is still alive and kicking — even within inbound marketing. But to make sure you’re executing a modern public relations strategy that’s not stuck in the dark ages, you need a modern-day public relations manager.

Job Description:

We are seeking a media relations manager to play an integral role in public/media relations, corporate communications, and content creation for our company.

Responsibilities:

• Connect with influential media outlets and journalists to place stories about company news and other initiatives.
• Assist with event planning, including working with vendors, event coordinators, and design teams for on-site collateral.
• Create content regularly to grow the company’s footprint (press releases, corporate announcements, and creative content).
• Collaborate with prominent members of the company, including executives, to craft and pitch press releases and thought leadership columns.
• Establish a sustainable, strategic approach to PR based on adding value to media outlets and event managers, not just asking for it.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent working experience.
• Past experience in public relations, corporate communications, content marketing, or relationship management.
• Skilled in creating, editing, and promoting written and visual content.
• The ability to work and thrive in a fast-paced, rapidly changing work environment.
• Ideal candidate will have experience pitching, crafting, and placing content externally through guest blogging or op-ed development and experience with event management and sponsorships.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Public Relations/Media Relations Manager

To be considered for a public or media relations role, candidates must have expertise in developing strategic PR campaigns. Having a strong network of media connections is also a plus.

13. Marketing Operations Manager Job Description

You know how every group of friends has that one person who serves as the glue that holds everyone together? Every marketing team needs glue, too. Reflective, analytical, strong, strategic Gorilla Glue.

Marketing operations professionals are charged with monitoring, measuring, and analyzing the effectiveness of marketing initiatives as they relate to the overall company’s goals. Marketing operations staff work closely with sales teams, and sometimes also have a sales operations counterpart. Together, they manage the relationship between marketing and sales to ensure that both sides are optimized to deliver (marketing’s role) and work (sales’ role) the highest quality leads, something we at HubSpot have grown fond of calling “smarketing.” Marketing operations staff make predictions about the quality of the sales and marketing pipeline and spot efficiencies that will make the company work better as a whole.

Job Description:

As a marketing operations manager, you will work to create scalable processes that ensure best practices in lead generation and database management. You will also conduct complex data analyses that will be used to inform strategic decisions by stakeholders from across the company. You will be working in a fast-paced environment managing multiple projects at once.

Responsibilities:

• Manage technical aspects of key marketing systems (marketing automation, CRM) used to generate, distribute, and report on leads.
• Establish and maintain scalable processes that ensure best practices in campaign and lead management.
• Create and maintain metrics reports on marketing and sales activities, effectiveness, and business impact.
• Analyze marketing and sales data to develop insights and make recommendations on areas for optimization.
• Monitor and maintain data quality within the marketing database.
• Evaluate new technologies and add-on applications to improve and optimize marketing team performance.

Requirements:

• BA/BS or equivalent working experience.
• Strong analytical skills (including mastery of Microsoft Excel) and experience with reporting and data analysis.
• Proficiency in marketing automation systems (like HubSpot) and integrating those systems with other technologies.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at the same time in a fast-paced environment.
• Technically capable, excellent communicator, and a desire to improve processes.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Marketing Operations Manager

Strong analytical skills and confidence working with large sets of data is a plus. When applying for a marketing operations role, be sure to call out experience creating and optimizing systems and processes for improved business outcomes.

14. Web Developer Job Description

Maintaining and innovating on an effective, lead-generating website requires a dedicated developer. DIY solutions don’t work for professional brands, so having an expert on your team to improve website functionality and UX is a must.

Job Description:

We are seeking a web developer to work on our company website and other projects as needed. This role is expected to bring an eye for design, along with practical web development abilities. You will work closely with our graphic designers, product marketers, and other internal stakeholders to bring to life our brand, product information and collateral, and other website content, via the code you write.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement front-end web code and design standards for writing clean, semantic code.
• Wireframe and mockup revamped or brand new site pages and present to senior management.
• Collaborate with marketing teammates, senior management, designers, and other project stakeholders.
• Create and optimize our web project management, hitting all deadlines and improving efficiency while maintaining the highest standards of quality web development.
• Proactively scope and present new ideas to improve our website experience for prospects, leads, and customers.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent working experience.
• Strong background with HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and jQuery.
• Domain expertise in UI/UX best practices. You are a problem solver with everything you develop to improve our site’s experience and drive action.
• Certified on our Content Management System, used to create automatically responsive webpages for mobile, tablet, and desktop. Your work must appeal to all three.
• Personal interest in staying up-to-date on the latest trends, including agile methodology and emerging best practices in the UI community.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Web Developer

Look for someone who has expertise in building sites on the platform or CMS you use, maintains an attractive portfolio, is deadline- and detail-oriented, and can work well with your graphic designers and product marketers.

15. Director of Marketing Job Description

Effective marketing teams need insightful leadership. As your marketing team grows and your business scales, consider hiring a director of marketing to oversee all marketing plans and promotional activities.

 

Marketing director candidates should have a combination of hands-on marketing and people management skills, as they will need to develop and motivate a team to create and implement successful campaigns.

Job Description:

Our team is hiring a skilled marketing director to drive the creation of promotional strategies and manage the team that will execute. The director of marketing will be tasked with understanding our audience and offerings to deliver effective marketing solutions and ultimately grow our business. This individual will lead a team of talented marketers to raise brand awareness and generate quality leads.

Responsibilities:

• Work with marketing teams and stakeholders to oversee the development of strategic marketing plans.
• Lead the execution of agreed-upon marketing plans and campaigns from concept to final analysis.
• Manage a team of senior marketing managers to ensure all campaign and employee development activities are on track.
• Conduct regular meetings with company leadership to report status on all marketing-related activities and how they perform in relation to overall company goals.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent working experience. A Master’s degree is a plus, though not required.
• Strong background in senior marketing and campaign-driven roles.
• Refined communication, management, leadership, and analytical skills.
• Proficiency using marketing and content management systems.
• Experience working cross-functionally with content, event, and social media marketing teams.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Director of Marketing

The ideal candidate for a marketing director role should have a variety of marketing roles under their belt, with experience leading capable marketing teams and delivering results-driven campaigns.

16. VP of Marketing Job Description

This is a senior executive role for an experienced marketing professional. The vice president of marketing should have an extensive background in marketing and demonstrated ability to set long-term strategic goals for their team.

Job Description:

We are seeking a talented, experienced vice president of marketing to lead our marketing organization. In this role, you will oversee all marketing activities to ensure the growth and long-term success of the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Manage the development of a strategic, multi-prong marketing plan to support company-wide initiatives.
• Work with fellow company leaders to determine long and short-term goals and key metrics.
• Determine headcount and staffing needs for the marketing team.
• Oversee all marketing projects and activities to ensure they stay on track and on budget.
• Create and maintain the company’s marketing budget, allocating resources to each project and department as appropriate.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent working experience. A Master’s degree is a plus, though not required.
• Prior experience as a VP of marketing, or senior executive role.
• Effective leadership, communication, analytical, and decision-making skills.
• Hands-on experience creating, implementing, and analyzing marketing campaigns.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a VP of Marketing

Those who are successful in a VP of marketing role are typically career marketers who have a variety of experience in the field, and who have spent time driving results in a marketing director role.

17. Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Job Description

The chief marketing officer is the most senior role within a marketing organization. To be considered for a CMO role, the ideal candidate should have demonstrated experience leading marketing campaigns that directly support a company’s business objectives.

Job Description:

Our company is growing rapidly and we are looking for the right chief marketing officer (CMO) to join our dynamic leadership team. This individual will be in charge of creating the marketing strategy for the company and building a robust, capable team of marketing professionals.

Responsibilities:

• Management of all marketing operations within the company.
• Design, plan and implement all marketing campaigns across the company.
• Hire and develop a team of marketers to execute the marketing strategy.
• Work closely with other members of the executive team to ensure the marketing function is contributing to company goals.
• Represent the company during public-facing events and initiatives.

Requirements:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent working experience. A Master’s degree is a plus, though not required.
• Expert-level industry knowledge and competitive analysis skills.
• In-depth understanding and working knowledge of key marketing systems and platforms.
• Demonstrated experience leading and implementing effective marketing campaigns.

What Hiring Managers Look for in a Chief Marketing Officer

When applying for the role of chief marketing officer, candidates should have proven experience driving revenue through marketing-related activities.

Marketing Job Description FAQs

Here are some commonly asked questions you may get from applicants during the hiring process. Try incorporating these explanations into your job descriptions to minimize confusion for those applying for roles.

What’s the difference between sales and marketing?

Sales and marketing are two different functions that work in tandem with one another. Put simply, marketing is responsible for raising awareness for a brand and generating viable leads who may be interested in their company’s products and services, and sales is responsible for converting the leads to paying customers.

Once marketing has generated leads, the leads are then connected with the sales team. The sales team then nurtures potential customers until they are ready to make a purchase.

What’s the difference between advertising and marketing?

Advertising is a facet of marketing and advertising roles often sit within marketing organizations. However, it is worth noting there are differences between advertising and core marketing roles.

The primary goal of advertising is to increase brand awareness, promoting a company’s offerings through various channels for exposure. On the other hand, core marketing roles focus on the unique needs of the ideal customer for their product and carry out tactics to position their product as the solution to the customer’s problem.

What makes a great marketer?

Since marketing and marketing channels are constantly evolving, great marketers are those who love to learn and experiment. What worked for one campaign may not work for the next campaign, and great marketers are constantly looking for data and information to support the best possible outcomes for their efforts.

Who does a marketer report to?

Depending on the size of the organization, a marketing professional will often report to a marketing manager or marketing director.

Building Your Marketing Dream Team

For those currently looking for work, a well-written job description can be an early indication of the amount of time and care a company is willing to invest into the role.

If you’re looking to hire a stellar marketer on your team, having high-quality job descriptions is a non-negotiable part of the hiring process, and our templates are designed to streamline your efforts.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2014 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

When I start a TV show, I immediately try to identify each archetype.

Who’s the protagonist? Who’s the villain? Who’s the unsung hero saving the day at the last minute? Sometimes, it’s clear from the very beginning and others, you can’t tell until the very last scene.

The point is that these archetypes are universally known personas that are used to tell a story. They help us as viewers understand what’s going on and help us get emotionally invested in the characters.

In real life, brands use archetypes to shape their narrative. Let’s cover the 12 brand archetypes, how to define yours, and review some examples from popular brands today.

The archetype model is credited to Author and Thought Leader Carol S. Pearson, who outlined the 12 archetypes in her book “Awakening the Heroes Within.”

An archetype is more than just a persona or character – it’s tied to a larger theme, concept, or emotion that transcends time and culture.

For instance, everyone, regardless of culture or generation, can identify with the concept of a hero. Brands like Nike embody that archetype because it tells a scalable and sustainable story, tapping into human nature.

It’s easy to confuse a brand archetype with a brand identity. While the two may seem similar in concept, their compositions are completely different.

Your brand identity is a holistic view of how your brand presents itself to the world, from logos and colors to messaging and promises. An archetype, on the other hand, is the personification of your brand values, mission, and story.

In simpler terms, your identity says “Here I am.” Your archetype says, “Here’s my story.”

Why should you use brand archetypes?

Brand archetypes are helpful for all brands, regardless of size and success.

For emerging companies, an archetype can help mold your brand perception. Because an archetype is tied to a theme, it’s easier for consumers to wrap their heads around.

Too often, brands seem far away from their target audience. An archetype can help bridge that gap and create an emotional tie between you and your audience.

Now let’s say you’re an established brand that’s having trouble connecting with its target audience. In this case, building an archetype can help you create a narrative around your brand that your audience can rally behind.

In addition, archetypes help you set expectations for interactions with your brand at every touchpoint.

Brand Archetypes Wheel

1. The Innocent craves safety and looks at things from a glass half full. The main themes for this archetype are happiness, trust, and purity.
2. The Sage craves understanding. For them, the pursuit of knowledge is the priority. Education-focused companies, like Coursera and Discovery, typically exhibit this archetype.
3. The Explorer craves freedom. With this archetype, it’s all about what’s daring and exciting. Think of outdoor and adventure brands.
4. The Outlaw craves liberation. They believe in the saying, “Rules are made to be broken.” The main themes for this archetype are rebellion and disruption.
5. The Magician craves power. They’re dreamers who believe anything can happen. You’ll also find this often in entertainment brands as well as beauty.
6. The Hero craves mastery. They don’t back down from a challenge and display courage, honesty, and bravery – a common archetype in sportswear brands.
7. The Lover craves intimacy and focuses heavily on the senses. Popular lover archetypes are found in indulgent brands like chocolate, wine, fragrance, and cosmetics.
8. The Jester craves enjoyment. They bring the fun to the party every time, and they’re not afraid of a little mischief.
9. The Everyman craves belonging. They are warm, friendly, and humble. This is perhaps the most flexible archetype and you can see it in a variety of industries.
10. The Caregiver craves service. The main theme of this archetype is altruism. Nonprofit and sustainability brands depict this archetype often.
11. The Ruler craves control. They value organization, power, and status. You’ll often notice this archetype in luxury vehicle brands.
12. The Creator craves innovation. They’re bold, creative, and aren’t afraid to try new things. Technology brands like Apple and Adobe are perfect examples of this archetype.

How to Define and Create Your Brand Archetype

1. Look at your values and mission.

The industry you’re in may inform how easy it is for you to define your archetype.

For instance, if you’re a camping gear company, your archetype can easily tie back to the “Explorer” archetype, as that’s all about adventure. Or if you’re a non-profit, the “Caregiver” is a natural fit. However, it’s not always that easy.

In most cases, you’ll have to dig deep and refer to your values and mission statement for some direction. They serve as the thematic pillars of your brand and will help you determine which archetype fits you best.

For instance, say you’re a jewelry brand with a sell-one-give-one model and your mission is to empower

They tell us the “why” behind your business. Perhaps it’s sustainability, empowerment, celebration, or something entirely different.

Answering these questions will help you determine which archetype makes the most sense for your brand.

2. Build on emotion.

We know through research that emotional appeal works. And storytelling is the perfect vehicle for conveying emotion.

That’s why archetypes can be so successful — they’re tied to emotion.

With that in mind, consider what emotions you want your audience to feel when connecting with your brand.

Chocolate is often associated with love. As such, many chocolate brands embrace the “Lover” archetype and create commercials that emphasize texture, building sensory experiences.

That leads us to the next tip below.

3. Think of your audience.

While your brand archetype can be strongly influenced by your company values and mission, it’s also important to consider your audience in this process.

Will they connect with this archetype? Do they see themselves in it? How will they respond?

Asking these questions will help you shape your brand archetype and mold it to fit your target audience.

For instance, you might find that your brand displays both “Jester” and “Everyman” archetype qualities. However, based on your understanding of your audience, you may decide to lean more on one for a particular campaign.

If your company is going through a rebranding process, you may also reconsider which brand archetype fits your brand the best.

Brand Archetypes Examples

1. Godiva

This one is an easy one.

Godiva is a chocolate brand that represents the “Lover” archetype.

Their brand, as reflected in their commercials, is all about intimacy, indulgence, and feeling the senses.

Take this commercial.

It’s filled with pinks and reds, colors commonly associated with sensuality and intimacy. The shots play with different textures meant to arouse the senses.

And if by the end of the commercial, you’re still not clear on the archetype, they lay it out in the tagline: “Chocolate never felt so good.”

2. Hanahana Beauty

Brands that are socially conscious often fit into the “Caregiver” archetype. Hanahana Beauty is no different.

This beauty and wellness brand has a clear mission: Disrupt the beauty industry with clean products and sustainable practices that improve the shea trade.

In their latest video ad, Hanahana Beauty introduces a new product called “skin nutrition.”

One standout line from the ad is this: “For me, one thing you can do to show love is through giving.”

The narrator goes on to say that self-love is also a form of giving, it’s giving to yourself.

Overall, the ad is inviting and warm – mirroring the archetype beautifully.

3. Saysh

“Like so many of us, I was told to know my place.”

When you hear this quote from Olympian and Saysh founder Allyson Felix in the company launch ad, you’re immediately invested in her story.

This ad tells the story of a “Hero” archetype, facing challenges and addressing them head-on. Felix explains how her journey as a female athlete and mother showed her that her biggest competitor is inequality.

With her brand, she fights against it.

It’s everything you expect in a hero archetype: Candid, brave, and inspiring.

4. Netflix

If you follow this streaming channel on any social media platform, you probably would have already guessed that they follow the “Jester” archetype.

Whether it’s in a Tweet or in an ad, Netflix relies heavily on humor to attract and captivate its audience.

 

The brand is based entirely on enjoyment – specifically sitting back and relaxing to watch your favorite TV show or movie. So, it’s only right that their archetype match.

If you want to create video commercials like these based on your brand archetypes, consider tools like Wistia, Vidyard, and Hippo Video. These tools help you create high-quality videos to reach audiences in both B2B and B2C. 

Building your brand archetype is just another way to connect with your audience. As your brand evolves, many things may change, including your products or services, your messaging, and even your target audience. Your archetype ensures that you tell a story that can resonate with any consumer.

Every year, as soon as Halloween is behind us, it seems like the floodgates open. Without warning, there are holiday marketing campaigns everywhere, with countless businesses rushing to cash in on a spending frenzy. There are holiday emails, social media posts, and TV ads — oh, my.

It might seem like holiday marketing is out of control. But some brands do it very, very well.

How? Well, these brands create campaigns that actually delight customers instead of adding to holiday noise. They evoke emotions and promote sharing, sometimes even connecting people with their loved ones, or partnering with a charitable organization.

Great holiday marketing campaigns come in many different shapes and sizes. Check out our favorites below, and use these ideas to fuel your own holiday marketing ideas.

What To Expect This Holiday Season

Before we get into the examples, let’s talk about what this holiday season will bring for marketers.

A June 2021 survey by Google and Boston Consulting Group revealed that this year, online shopping will play an important role in consumers’ buying journeys.

In 2020, there was a sharp shift toward e-commerce due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, in 2021, over 80% of consumers are seeking out in-person shopping experiences.

With this new balance, brands have to create marketing campaigns that cater to the omnichannel shopper – building offline and online touchpoints.

When it comes to social media, Sprout Social estimates that retailers across all business sizes will receive about 18% more messages per month.

To prepare, brands should develop a strategy to account for the increase in communication, such as:

• Making FAQs readily available to your followers, whether it’s on your Instagram Highlights, pinned on your TikTok page, in your profile link tree.
• Having a system in place for social media managers to field requests and concerns.

The holiday season is also a perfect time to engage your audience through gifts. With Sendoso, you can nurture your audience with custom e-gifts, company swag, handwritten notes, and more. The platform automates prints, delivers, and fulfills orders for you so you can focus on the results.

Another great tool to nurture your customers in the holiday season is Rybbon. The digital rewards management system allows you to automate your rewards program with a user-friendly dashboard, advanced workflows, reporting tools, and more.

Now, let’s get to some examples of great holiday campaigns from recent years.

1. Apple: Make Someone’s Holiday

This commercial gives all the feels.

It starts out in a very relatable way, showing a family traveling during the holiday to visit family.

The magic of the commercial is that throughout their entire journey, the iPad seems to be the one thing helping to maintain the peace.

And just when you think that’s the point of the commercial, it takes a bittersweet turn as the product is used to create a gift for a loved one.

Why it works: Apple often creates feature-heavy commercials, highlighting function over all else. In this ad, they prioritize emotional appeal and use the product as a vehicle to tell the story.

2. Coca-Cola Canada: Give Something Only You Can Give

In a recent holiday commercial, Coca-Cola brings us the story of a dad doing everything possible to deliver his daughter’s letter to Santa.

The dad enjoys a Coke while deciding what to do with the letter. We can sense that he’s not sure whether he’ll get there in time.

We see him sail through a sea, hike through a forest, ride across a desert, and climb a snowy mountain as he searches for Santa. Finally, he gets there, but Santa’s closed for Christmas. Just when we think the situation’s hopeless, Santa saves the day by cruising in on a Coca-Cola-branded truck and taking the dad home.

His little girl’s wish? For him to be home for Christmas. (This ad will definitely make you cry.)

While we’re always tempted to give expensive gifts, the best thing that you can give to your loved ones is your presence and time.

This installment is just one of the latest in the Coca-Cola company’s legendary holiday marketing campaigns — I mean, who doesn’t love the annual debut of the Coke-drinking polar bears?

3. Microsoft: Find Your Joy

The year 2020 was difficult for many of us. We spent more time on Zoom than ever before, and we heavily relied on technology to distract us from the COVID-19 pandemic. But that doesn’t mean we still shouldn’t celebrate the holidays and make the most out of it with our loved ones and pets.

Microsoft’s holiday commercial takes a fun spin on this theme. The commercial begins with a puppy named Rufus. Rufus longs to play and approaches each member of the family, but everyone, from the mother to the grandpa, is enjoying a Microsoft product and doesn’t pay attention.

Rufus grabs his best bud, a puppy from next door. Together, they go on an imaginary adventure involving the games and activities their humans had been enjoying. The ad not only showcases Microsoft’s offerings, but reminds us to cherish our loved ones (and to pay attention to our pets!).

4. Macy’s: In Dad’s Shoes

Macy’s campaign offers a new spin on what might be considered an overdone gift: socks.

“In Dad’s Shoes” takes a little girl through a “Freaky Friday“-like adventure, where she finds herself literally walking in her dad’s shoes for a day. Even though we see her as the daughter, everyone else, from neighbors to passerby, greets her as if she’s her dad.

Throughout the ad, she realizes how much work her dad does and how many places he frequents throughout the course of the day. He spends a lot of time walking. That’s how she gets an idea for what she’ll get him: socks. We all know that you can’t get anywhere without a good pair of socks.

We love that Macy’s showcases a simple gift borne out of empathy. This ad tells us that gifting doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or over-the-top.

5. Airbnb: Airbnb Hosts Ring Our Opening Bell

This is a great example of an ad that doesn’t explicitly allude to the holidays, but rather emphasizes the value of community and gratitude.

Airbnb celebrates the season by thanking its four million hosts for opening their homes to strangers all over the world. The video shows various hosts from different countries ringing the bell and opening the door. We go from the United States to Japan, from Kenya to New Zealand, from Brazil to Spain. (We love that each of these countries were listed in their original languages!)

This campaign demonstrates that you don’t need string lights or artificial trees to create an amazing campaign that embodies the holiday spirit. You can uplift your company’s values, celebrate your wins, and appreciate those who’ve played a role in your success.

6. Amazon: The Show Must Go On

If you lived through the 2020 pandemic (which you most likely did if you’re reading this), then you know how much it derailed any and all plans. Being quarantined keeps us from achieving things, it turns out. Unless it requires alone time.

In this ad, Amazon effectively punches us in the gut with the story of a ballerina who was chosen to play the lead in her dance school’s winter show. The girl is thrilled to be chosen, but as the months pass and the pandemic gains traction, the event is canceled. Ballet classes are moved online. The girl’s initial thrill fades, a feeling we can all relate to.

Her little sister remedies the situation by putting together a DIY event next to their apartment building. All of the tenants look down on her as she dances. The event is socially distant, and the girl gets to dance the ballet she’d been practicing for since the beginning of the year.

What we love most is Amazon’s tasteful product placement. Rather than showing everyone ordering all supplies from Amazon, the ad showcases the purchase of a single product: a flashlight. The flashlight is the critical piece that allowed the tenants to watch the show from their balconies.

7. Woodie’s: #WereAllHomemakers

This one made us cry. Woodie’s, an Irish home improvement store, reminds us of what the holidays are about through the story of Mrs. Higgins, an elderly woman who’s beloved in her neighborhood.

Throughout the ad, we see multiple people greet her. Neighbors and passersby are fond of her. Even the rowdy teens who loiter in front of her house love her. She has one problem: the door that leads to her yard is missing a hinge. In the United Kingdom, homes typically have a fence with a gate. Every time she leaves and comes home, she struggles opening and closing that door, as one corner drags across the ground.

 

When Mrs. Higgins comes home on one particularly snowy day, she finds that her door opens smoothly. The picture focuses on the new hinge that had been installed.

Who fixed it? It turns out it was one of the teenagers who loitered in front of her home. With this advertisement, Woodie’s not only subverted expectations but also effectively communicated what’s so wonderful about the holidays.

8. Hinge: See What We’re Thankful For

This holiday season, what are you thankful for? Recently, dating app Hinge sent around an email posing the same question to its members, using the opportunity to talk about its recent rebrand and subsequent growth — something for which Hinge itself has enormous gratitude, according to the email.

The timing for this sort of marketing is impeccable. The holidays are notorious for the sentimentality they invoke among the masses, and the desire to spend them with “someone special.”

Hinge used this email to harness the holiday spirit and redirect attention to an app that helps people find meaningful relationships, instead of, well, shorter-term alternatives.

[Click here to see the full email]

9. Lagavulin: Nick Offerman’s Yule Log

This one is an oldie but a goodie. Actor, writer, and humorist Nick Offerman loves his whisky. He’s sung about it before, and during a previous holiday season, he joined his favorite whisky brand, Lagavulin, to film a 45-minute video of — wait for it — Offerman sitting in a leather chair next to a crackling fire, drinking whisky and looking calmly at the camera. Where do we sign up for that gig?

“This is smart branding on Lagavulin’s part,” Kristina Monllos wrote for AdWeek. “Creating an extended ad that can serve as a conversation starter — should consumers swap the traditional Yule Log video for Offerman’s at parties — will also get everyone talking about the brand.”

Since the video was initially released, a new 10-hour version of it became available. Consider it our gift to you.

10. BarkPost: Yappy Thanksgiving Eve

Holidays are traditionally a time to be spent with family. For many of us, that includes our dogs.

BarkPost is no stranger to marketing campaigns that help “dog ruvers” include their furry friends into day-to-day life. In November, the pet-friendly brand showed how to do that at Thanksgiving, with a clever email that included holiday-themed cartoons and videos, feeding safety tips, and other holiday survival techniques — which, of course, involve your dog.

Plus, check out that adorable call to action at the bottom of the email: “Stop getting cute dogs in your email. Unsubscribe.” I mean, who would want to unsubscribe from that?

11. reMarkable: Keep Your Goals for the New Year

You may not have heard of reMarkable, but no matter: this company is the definition of cool and simple. Their single offering is a tablet that acts as a “digital notebook.” When you jot anything down, the reMarkable tablet automatically turns your writing into typed notes. Pretty cool, huh?

In its New Year email ad, reMarkable embodied the simplicity of its product by creating an equally simple campaign. In the email, they entice you to splurge with a $50 discount. Everyone knows that New Year is a time to make plans, set goals, and get your things in order.

reMarkable presents its product as the way to do that. They want to help you save time, which will help you spend more time with your loved ones and pets in the upcoming year. And who likes transferring notes from a notebook to a tablet?

Image Source

12. Kool-Aid: All I Really Want for Christmas feat. Lil John

In a music video-style ad, rapper Lil John quietly sits down to drink a glass of Kool-Aid as the Kool-Aid man smashes through his wall.

At that moment, the bass drops as a festive music video begins, showing Lil John rapping in front of a family Christmas gathering. The video goes on to show Lil John, the Kool-Aid Man, and Santa dancing along with shots of holiday food, presents, and Lil John’s Christmas list.

By launching a full-fledged music video with a prominent rapper, Kool-Aid both entertains prospects and demonstrates how “Kool” their brand is. Along with being humorous and entertaining, this ad also reminds you that you can still drink Kool-Aid during a time of the year where you’re mostly thinking about hot beverages.

13. Resy: Where to Spend New Year’s Eve

Don’t want to cook for New Year’s Eve? We don’t want to, either—mostly because washing dishes is a chore.

That’s what Resy bets on in a recent New Year email campaign. In a short but effective email, the company invites its subscribers to the best places to dine in the San Francisco Bay Area for the New Year. (If you’re not in San Francisco, you have the option to look for local eateries near you, also curated.) Like OpenTable, Resy allows you to make effortless reservations for you and your loved ones.

We love that this simple email keeps the focus on what we can do to celebrate New Year’s Eve. And what better way to do that than through delicious, local food that we don’t have to cook ourselves?

Image Source

14. Erste Group Bank: #EdgarsChristmas #believeinlove #believeinchristmas

You might not recognize this company, but you’d definitely recognize their holiday ad from 2018. Remember the cute porcupine who couldn’t get any friends because his spikes were, well, spiky? The short film has more than fifty million views on YouTube and touched millions of people’s hearts on other social media platforms.

Erste Group Bank did it again during their 2020 holiday campaign. This time, they made it just a little bit more clear what they offer: loans that can help you purchase something that may feel out of reach, but that may help bring your family together.

The ad begins with a granddaughter handing her grandfather his hearing aids. Throughout the video, the grandfather seems unhappy. We later find out that it’s because he’s been wanting to play music, but has no way to because he doesn’t own a piano.

The granddaughter purchases a piano for him. In the end, the grandfather gets to play a song he’d written for his mother. The entire family joins in, and they play the song together.

15. Sonos + Spotify: #PlaylistPotluck

One great way to celebrate the holiday season is with an event. And with events typically come music. Spotify is aware of that tradition, which is why it created #PlaylistPotluck.

It started with a partnership with Sonos. The brands got together to turn playlists into something like a potluck in which everyone contributes something to bring the event together (the tagline of the campaign is “One home. One host. Everyone brings a dish.”) Only, instead of contributing food or drink, everyone contributes a tune to a collaborative playlist.

Oh, look. That feature is available with Spotify!

The idea is delightfully interactive. Instead of using traditional invitations, guests RSVP to the potluck by adding songs to the collaborative playlist. And the cherry on top? Both brands also partnered with the PBS series “Mind of a Chef” for a televised holiday special, in which various celebrity chefs will be using the feature for their own meals.

What we love about this campaign is the fact that it incorporates several different elements and media formats to make it cohesive — a speaker system, a music-streaming app, and a televised special. Plus, if you participate, you’re entered for a chance to win your very own dinner party, hosted by a world-renowned chef. Bon appetit — and rock on.

16. Google: Santa Tracker

While Google’s Santa Tracker has been around for a few years now — and we recommend checking out the back story here — its features have evolved over time. Now there are interactive mini-games such as “Santa Selfie,” “Wrap Battle,” and “Build & Bolt.” Additionally, you can watch delightful short films such as “A Day at the Museum,” so you can see what Santa’s day-to-day looks like.

It’s hard to narrow down what makes the Santa Tracker so delightful, but if we had to summarize it, we’d say this — it combines the holiday wonder of a belief in Santa with real-life technology. What a wonderful way to teach kids about the web, while also allowing them to be kids. (Although, we adults certainly appreciate it, too.)

Google even introduced a B2B element of the Santa Tracker by sharing the code with developers and releasing other elements of the tool as open source. Why make all of that information public? To inspire developers to create their “own magical experiences based on all the interesting and exciting components that came together to make Santa Tracker,” writes Google’s Developer Programs Engineer Sam Thorogood.

Up until Christmas Eve each year, visitors can have a peek at the “North Pole,” to see what Santa’s elves are up to as the holiday approaches.

17. Disney: From Our Family to Yours

Culture, history, and holiday cheer come together in this holiday advertisement from Disney. The media giant takes advantage of their long-standing name to take us back to 1940, when a young girl gets her first Mickey Mouse plush toy.

As the video goes on, we see the little girl grow older until she becomes a grandma. She hands down the plush toy to her granddaughter, who doesn’t appreciate it as much as she becomes a young adult.

The granddaughter realizes how much it means to her grandma and restores the toy back to its former glory. We definitely did not cry when the grandma opened her holiday gift and saw her old toy fixed and restored.

We expected something quite touching from Disney, and this one did not disappoint. We especially love how Filipino culture has been showcased to three million viewers and counting.

18. Black Owned Everything: Jingles and Things (with “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey”)

Black Owned Everything, an Instagram curator of Black-owned businesses and brands, creates the perfect gift guide in Jingles and Things.

Done in partnership with Netflix and the musical “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” Jingles and Things curates the very best gifts for the holiday season, including items ranging from fragrance to dishware to dolls. There’s truly something for everyone here—and the best part is that we can support Black businesses while completing our holiday shopping.

Zerina Akers, the owner and head curator of Black Owned Everything, introduces us to the shop by explaining that it’s not just a marketplace but an inclusive platform.

There’s nothing more that encapsulates the holiday spirit than inclusivity, community, and belonging, and we love that Jingles and Things uplifts that theme.

19. Heathrow Airport: The Heathrow Bears Return

This adorable holiday commercial from Heathrow Airport shows the journey of two grandparent teddy bears as they decide to pack up, leave their sunny home, and go visit their teddy-bear grandchildren for Christmas.

At the end, you see the bears reunite with their family in London’s Heathrow Airport.

For many, these bears are both nostalgic and relatable. They remind you of the bears you might have played with as a child and the average grandparents.

When you see the teddy bears join their family, you might also remember the happiness you felt when your grandparents came and brought you gifts or hugs during the holidays.

This commercial is a sequel to a similar ad Heathrow Airport launched a year before, titled “Coming Home for Christmas.” This ad follows the bears riding and exiting the plane to meet up with their family at a Heathrow Airport Gate:

This series of commercials has all the great aspects of an ad campaign because it’s relatable, nostalgic, and incredibly heartwarming.

20. Walkers: All Mariah Carey Wants for Christmas

While the holiday season is a time for caring and sharing, Walkers shows musician Mariah Carey doing the exact opposite.

After filming a music video for her famous song, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey gets angry with an elf for taking her Walkers chips. To fend him off, she sings a high note which makes him block his ears and let go of the chips.

This is a hilarious commercial because it shows that the only thing you might not want to share on Christmas is Walkers products. It also shows how even stars, like Carey, enjoy the brand.

Go Forth and Be Merry

Out of all the things that we appreciate about these campaigns, there might be one thing we like the most — the fact that they put the fun back into holidays. This season, don’t let the stress get to you. Have a laugh or a cry with these examples, and please, be merry.

From our family to yours, happy holidays.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December 2015 and was updated in January 2021 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

When searching for a soul mate, you look for someone that’s smart, funny, caring, but above all — consistent. Because if you’re going to invest your life in a person, you want someone you can trust, right?

Falling in love with a brand isn’t all that different. Brands pull us in with witty slogans and timely discounts, but that’s not the only reason we stick around. Think about it, inbound marketing is all about content and communication that people love. The key to being your leads’ and customers’ soul mate, then, is providing brand consistency they can count on.

But how? What’s at the heart of brand consistency is your message, and marketing plays a huge role in that. In this post, we’ll dive into what branding consistency is, its importance, benefits, and share 15 businesses that have done a stellar job showing it.

The Importance of Branding Consistency

Branding consistency sets the stage for a business to gain and maintain credibility and trust. You have to position your brand and its content in a way that appeals to its target audience and carry that same messaging over time. After all, your customers are putting their trust in you, and like any relationship, you want the foundation to be dependable and consistent.

So, not only is this concept important in business strategy, but the benefits speak for themselves.

Benefits of Brand Consistency

Maintain customer expectations.

When creating marketing content, your team can share collateral that delivers the same visual cues from logo, color, and tone that won’t negatively impact customer perception. This standardization of branding let’s them know exactly what to expect every time they come across your business.

Align separate business units.

In creating a uniform brand identity, business teams create varying forms of content across departments that still ring true to clearly specified brand guidelines. While each team won’t be working on the same projects directly — the brand’s story will still shine through.

Establish a more visible, uniform identity.

Brands that are consistently presented are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience brand awareness and visibility. Just think about the iconic Nike swoosh, or Adidas’ signature stripes, these consistent visuals let customers know what brand a product comes from in the blink of an eye.

Now that we’ve gone through the importance and benefits of branding consistency, let’s look at some brands that have used it successfully.

Branding Consistency: 15 Brand Examples

1. GymIt

Fitness centers can be intimidating to the average person. GymIt gets it, and takes the intimidation out of the equation by talking to its clientele like real people. The Boston-based gym calls itself “hassle-free” and keeps working out simple.

One of the brand’s slogans is “Get In, Work Out” — clean, to-the-point, and clever. To prove that GymIt doesn’t cater to protein-shake, bodybuilder types, its marketing doesn’t take itself too seriously, either. Below are some snapshots of GymIt’s playful copy across social media, merchandise, and unintimidating website.

2. Dropbox

The cloud-based file sharing platform, Dropbox, is great at consistent design and personalization across channels.

You won’t find any Dropbox communication or platforms without its signature open, blue box logo nearby. This style is behind all of the brand’s designs, whether it’s a sleek homepage or a creative error page. Dropbox’s email marketing aligns with that fun, artsy messaging. See the screenshot below of some colorful collateral found across.

3. charity:water

This organization donates 100% of its donations to building water wells in Africa where women and children use yellow jerry cans to carry water back to their villages. charity:water’s logo is a stylized jerry can and not only keeps the branding present across channels, but keeps the issue the charity is helping solve top of mind, as well.

While many traditional nonprofits stick to old-school marketing tactics, charity:water recognizes that in order to inspire people to support a cause, you need to have inspired marketing. The organization’s birthday campaign has attracted supporters in fashion which charity:water uses to show how nonprofits can be trendy — using jerry cans in annual Charity Ball runways. This brand consistency makes it a leader in reinventing nonprofit marketing.

4. Naked Pizza

Naked Pizza — a revealing name for an honest brand. This business offers healthier pizza than the average chain by using only all-natural ingredients and a crust packed with grains and probiotics. Naked Pizza’s promise of all-natural is enforced by its refreshing style and tone seen across its marketing assets.

Like GymIt, Naked Pizza suggests it doesn’t take itself too seriously and that pizza can be guilt-free and fun. The brand is lovably sarcastic and keeps its design clean and appealing while communicating its delicious message.

5. Wells Fargo

You don’t have to use conversational tones or playful designs to be a lovable brand. Wells Fargo, a leading bank worldwide, keeps its messaging traditional and old-school — in a good way!

The brand is committed to its core values, including ethics and putting customers first, and they communicate this consistently through font, colors, layout, and keeping its logo ever-present across channels. Its slogan “Together we’ll go far” inspires copy that is rooted in family and building relationships.

6. World Wildlife Fund

This organization fights for a great cause with great marketing. The WWF’s style and imagery create a mood across channels that forces you to reflect for a moment on how we treat our wildlife and ecosystems.

Below are three examples of how the brand communicates that same strong message in creative, thought-provoking ways. Its logo, print ad, and interactive piece all have a darkness to them through suggestive messaging or tone because of how serious the issue is.

7. Warby Parker

Warby Parker “creates boutique-quality, classically crafted eyewear at a revolutionary price point.” The brand communicates this boutiquey vibe through all its promotions and marketing assets.

For example, Warby Parker offers a luxurious touch to prospective customers by sending five pairs of glasses to try on for free (top left). Attention to style is also evident across channels: its website (bottom left) is clean and easy to navigate. Even its annual report (bottom right) feels “classically crafted.” The brand calls its style “vintage,” and its Citizen’s Circus event at SXSW was dripping with vintage touches from signage to tents.

8. Lush

The international handmade cosmetics company, Lush, believes in “making effective products from fresh organic fruits and vegetables,” and in “happy people making happy soap.” Lush stores, products, packaging, and employees (top right) all tell that story.

Lush’s commitment to natural, organic ingredients is totally aligned with how it displays its products (bottom left); Lush’s soaps, powders, and shampoos sit in their raw form in-store until the cashier wraps the product up once it’s purchased. Foregoing packaging oozes a natural vibe. Products that require packaging, like face masks (top left), don’t hide the ingredients and encourage customers to recycle after use. All packaging also has a sticker on it with the face and name of the employee who packed it. Every piece of marketing collateral at Lush has a personal, no-frills approach.

9. Boloco

Boston-based burrito company, Boloco, pays attention to consistency in detail in its online and offline marketing. The brand’s slogan is ‘inspired burritos’ and its menus, flyers, napkins, events, website, and other collateral all have a playful, hand-made touch that suggests the business is fueled by more than tortillas and guacamole. Boloco partnered with Life is Good by making a yummy Life is Good burrito with 50 cents of each purchase donated to the company’s charity, Life is Good Playmakers; this partnership fits with Boloco’s inspired brand perfectly.

Boloco keeps branding present by using a playful signature font. No matter the marketing channel, we go loco for Boloco’s consistency.

10. Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts promotes its brand throughout the city and under its own roof with such finesse in execution, that the brand’s presence is always incredibly recognizable, yet still subtle. All MFA Boston marketing assets are easy to connect to the source.

The brand has a two-tone color palette on all collateral, with red being the MFA’s signature color. Below are examples of its use of color, as well as its consistently minimalist design on an employee’s apron, outdoor banners, website, and brochure. With a museum full of colorful exhibitions and impressive canvases, the MFA keeps its own branding simple but strong.

11. Intercom

Intercom is a web-based customer service platform. “Treating customers with respect will always be good for business,” the brand says. “And we believe that making customers jump through hoops to try to get help is incredibly disrespectful.” Looking at Intercom’s various forms of communication and marketing tactics, it’s visually apparent how much it doesn’t want its customers to “jump through hoops.”

The brand presents information in a clear, comprehensive way by using imagery instead of written explanations. After all, a picture says a thousand words. Intercom introduces its company with photos other content with simple graphic design. Enticing me with visuals definitely takes hoops out of the equation.

12. Innocent Drinks

Innocent Drinks is a playful smoothie and juice brand from England that keeps its innocent reputation strong with marketing that will make you feel like a kid again. The meta description reads: “hello, we’re innocent and we’re here to make it easy for people to do themselves some good (whilst making it taste nice too).” How cute is that?

Below are examples of more lovable approaches to branding like its Facebook game (top left), product images (bottom left), and inventive website navigation for the brand’s annual event, Fruitstock. Innocent Drinks stays true to its personality in its tone and creative execution.

13. Zendesk

Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service software system that has built a charming brand through sleek, bright design. The “zen” in this company’s branding can be seen through its mellow yellow and natural color palette.

It’s important to communicate a consistent brand image to the world, but Zendesk recognizes that consistency comes from within as well. Its office carries the theme to keep the feeling strong within company walls. The brand’s signature green is used consistently across channels and compliments the brand’s identity.

14. Lululemon Athletica

Sportswear brands often promise that their products will make you a better athlete, but the process and hard work it takes to get there is sometimes forgotten. Lululemon Athletica, a yoga and sportswear brand, keeps the act of working out alive across its assets. The brand hosts free yoga classes in its stores, as well as public outdoor classes.

Its confirmation email (top left) for joining its mailing list is a large image of a woman doing yoga, and the brand’s Twitter profile (top right) displays yoga mats waiting to be rolled out. The brand designs yoga clothing and gear, so why skip to the gratification of doing it when you can cultivate a feeling around the process?

15. ZocDoc

ZocDoc is an online service for finding and booking appointments with physicians in your area. The brand aims to improve access to healthcare, and it communicates the ease of the process with cartoon mascots across all of its marketing communication channels.

After all, cartoons make us feel like kids again, and boy, were things easy when we were kids. See ZocDoc’s charming collateral on the website’s personal account page.

Build Better Branding Consistency

Now that’s soul mate material, right? A lot of these brands use playful, creative, and conversational tones, while others prefer more serious, thought-provoking approaches. Whatever the tone, be sure to keep it consistent across all channels to give your customers a brand they can count on.

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

In 2022, 51% of B2C marketers plan to increase their marketing budget.

The question is where is that budget going? Will marketers reinvest in the same strategies or try new trends?

To understand what trends B2C marketers are leveraging in 2022, we surveyed 1,067 global marketing professionals working in B2B and B2C companies. 

From influencer marketing to virtual events, there are so many efforts brands can focus on. Let’s see what our latest research says about what worked well for B2C marketers this year and where they plan to invest in 2022.

1. Short-form video will be a priority.

Short-form video took off in early 2020 and shows no signs of slowing down.

Back then, TikTok was the number one place to go for short-form content. Today, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts are also competing for users’ attention.

This is good news for brands, as the short-form video trend content offered the second-highest ROI for B2C marketers in 2021, behind influencer marketing.

Despite coming in second for ROI, it’s the trend marketers plan to invest in the most in 2022. Roughly 33% of B2C marketers already invest in short-form content, while one-third of those who haven’t will do so for the first time in 2022.

Why now? Well, short-form video is such a key feature in social media today. And according to the data, social media takes the lead in marketing investments for businesses.

That’s likely because three key goals B2C brands will have when running marketing campaigns in 2022, will be increasing brand awareness (49%), advertising products (44%). and increasing revenue (43%). 

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With social media, you can accomplish at least two out of three. Brand awareness was always the main benefit of using social media but things have evolved.

Today, with so many platforms offering in-app shopping experiences and advanced ad formats, brands can meet more of their marketing goals.

2. Influencer marketing will still be a key lead/revenue driver.

For most B2C marketers, the power of influencers is clear.

In 2022, 61% of B2C marketers surveyed in the study plan to leverage it in 2022. In fact, it’s the third-highest trend they plan to prioritize, behind short-form video content and inbound marketing.

This is because in 2021, it offered B2C brands the best returns. When asked to select their top ROI driver from a list of 27 tactics and strategies, 11% of B2C marketers chose influencer marketing. 

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What might be different in the future is the type of influencer brands focus on. Historically, brands have focused on the biggest and most popular influencers to partner with.

However, some data suggest that micro-influencers with under 100K followers may be more effective.

While the verdict is still out on that, one thing is clear: Influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere.

3. Audio content will take a front seat.

Data suggests that video is the leader when it comes to content marketing. However, audio is slowly creeping up into the mix.

According to the survey, only 19.1% of B2C marketers use podcasts or other audio content in their marketing. Of those who do use it, 37.4% find it to be one of their most effective trends.

Even though adoption was seemingly low in 2021, the data suggests that more B2C marketers will add audio content to their marketing efforts in the new year.

Roughly 43% of B2C marketers plan to increase their investment in podcasts in 2022 while 38.4 plan to keep it the same. Another interesting fun fact is that this particular piece of data is virtually the same for B2B marketers.

This suggests that across all industries, brands recognize the power of audio content.

4. Social responsibility will be more important.

Now more than ever, consumers want and expect brands to be more transparent and take a stand on social media.

In fact, a 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer survey revealed that many consumers see trust as a leading factor in their purchasing decisions.

In the past two years, particularly in the height of the COVID-19 crisis and calls for social justice, consumers have started holding brands more accountable. In 2022, brands will be addressing that demand.

Currently, only a third of B2C marketers surveyed find social responsibility to be an effective marketing trend. Despite that fact, 45% plan to increase their investment in 2022.

5. Brands will continue to apply inbound marketing strategies.

Inbound marketing is all about meeting consumers where they are. Instead of marketing efforts that push messaging out to consumers, this focuses on attracting them toward you.

Behind short-form video, inbound marketing is the top trend marketers will invest in next year.

In fact, over 80% of marketers plan to keep the same budget or add more for this strategy.

This is done by following the “Attract, Delight, Engage” model that leverages content marketing, SEO, marketing automation, social media, and more to nurture consumers at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

There you have it – some of the top trends B2C marketers will invest in 2022. Between publishing regular video/audio content on social media and developing a strong inbound marketing strategy, marketers have a busy year ahead.

To keep up with the latest trends in marketing, stay tuned for more upcoming marketing strategy research posts, download the 2021 HubSpot Not Another State of Marketing report to learn what marketing professionals focused on this year. 

If  I could go out to dinner with any brand, I think I’d have to choose Trader Joe’s.

Now, I know that may sound weird, but stay with me. Nike, as you know, would be too energetic, which would embarrass me — let’s play it cool here, okay, Nike?

Apple, on the other hand, would be both sophisticated and a little pretentious, which would make me nervous.

And Timberland is just too outdoorsy and gritty. We wouldn’t have much in common.

By comparison, Trader Joe’s is unique, earthy, and a little playful. We could discuss its fantastic seasonal selections, like its Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce or Butternut Mac & Cheese Bites, and I would thank TJ (because we’re at the nickname level by now) for its generous cheese prices.

While we all know I can’t actually go out to dinner with Trader Joe’s (or any brand, for that matter), I’m willing to bet you’re able to picture what it would be like to hang out with your own favorite brand — or how a dinner with Peloton might differ from a dinner with Netflix.

That’s the power of brand personality. It helps you relate to certain brands that mirror the characteristics you value most. And it also inspires you to connect with certain brands that demonstrate characteristics you hope to develop.

Here, let’s explore why brand personality matters. Plus, how to create your own brand personality, examples of powerful brand personalities, and tricks of the trade from HubSpot’s Brand Strategy team.

What is brand personality?

Simply put, a brand’s personality is the set of human characteristics you attribute to that brand. Or, put another way — it’s how you’d describe a brand if it were a person.

A brand’s personality shines through in brand messaging, images, and overarching marketing campaigns.

Additionally, consistency is key. If your brand’s personality differs on your company website compared to your social channels, it will be more difficult for consumers to learn who your brand is, and what it stands for.

As Ben Harmanus, EMEA’s Head of Brand Marketing, puts it, “A brand’s personality is a set of human traits that define a brand. These traits set one brand apart from others, and make it unique.” 

Harmanus adds, “These characteristics should be chosen wisely, since they help build an emotional connection to a specific target group.”

Harmanus told me, “Brand personality is the essential foundation for brand identity and brand marketing — and has a huge impact on the sales process.”

To understand how brand personality infiltrates a brand’s marketing materials, let’s take a look at a few examples.

Brand Personality Examples

1. Nike 

Nike’s marketing materials – from its slogan “Just Do It”, to its mission statement “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world — embody excitement, passion, and energy.

You know who Nike as-a-person would be: A passionate sports fan, an avid athlete, and someone who is innovative and forward-focused. Nike as-a-person is interested in the newest and best when it comes to wellness and fitness.

Consider how this plays out in Nike’s marketing strategy. The caption of a recent Nike Instagram post begins, “No more waiting…”

The images and videos across Nike’s website and social pages are colorful and fast-paced, with Olympic athletes running and Serena Williams swinging a racquet.

And if you watch a Nike ad on TV, you’ll be shown the same personality — someone who is excited, active, and ready-to-go.

2. Chanel 

If you’re looking for a brand personality that exemplifies sophistication, look no further than Chanel.

For starters, take a look at the brand’s mission statement: “To be the Ultimate House of Luxury, defining style and creating desire, now and forever.”

Additionally, let’s consider their Instagram page – the Chanel team uses soft blues, light yellows, and plenty of black space to draw attention to one focal point.

Their minimalist, vintage theme effectively suggests a sophisticated brand personality.

You know who Chanel is — Chanel as-a-person is someone who cares deeply for fashion, is highly polished and never says the wrong thing, and is both refined and worldly.

3. REI 

There aren’t many brands as polar opposite to Chanel as REI, so let’s dive into their personality next.

REI is rugged, outdoorsy, and tough.

Their website’s homepage currently reads, “Celebrate the power in you”, and the About Us page says, “At Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) we believe a life outdoors is a life well-lived! We believe that it’s in the wild, untamed and natural places that we find our best selves, so our purpose is to awaken a lifelong love of the outdoors, for all.”

REI as-a-person is your “Earthy-crunchy” friend who enjoys camping, hiking, swimming — you name it, as long as it takes place outdoors. Because of their love for outdoors, REI is also dedicated and focused on the environment, and solely purchases sustainable products.

4. Volvo 

Volvo as-a-person is reliable, sturdy, and dependable. Volvo prides itself on “their years of leadership in automotive safety”, and is disciplined, responsible, and principled.

Take a look at the following Volvo commercial, which highlights the safety of the cars above all else:

Additionally, if you take a look at Volvo’s About Us page, you’ll read statements like, “For nearly a century we have been making life easier, better and safer with cutting-edge technology”, and “Volvo Cars is a brand for people who care about the world we live in and the people around us” — all of which suggests a personality of dependability.

While other car dealerships might focus on a car’s fancy features, Volvo stays committed to one key value: Safety.

Dimensions of Brand Personality

In The Journal of Marketing Research, Jennifer Aaker outlines five dimensions of brand personality: sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness.

These five pillars can be jumping-off points when identifying your own brand’s personality.

However, there will be unique personality traits that fall under each broader dimension, and the more specific you can be when identifying which traits belong to your brand, the more authentic and unique your brand’s personality will become.  

Let’s explore some specific personality traits that fall under each dimension, now:

Traits that relate to sincerity:

• Wholesomeness
• Trustworthiness
• Honesty
• Authenticity
• Cheerfulness

Traits that relate to excitement:

• Passion
• Adventurousness
• Enthusiasm
• Boldness
• Imagination
• Daring

Traits that relate to competence:

• Intelligence
• Dependability
• Success
• Principled
• Conscientious

Traits that relate to sophistication:

• Elegance
• Composure
• Worldliness
• Confidence
• Tact

Traits that relate to ruggedness:

• Toughness
• Athletic
• Sturdy
• Outdoorsy
• Reliable

How to Create a Brand Personality        

Now that we’ve explored some examples and traits of brand personalities, you might be wondering how you can create your own brand personality.

Ultimately, you’ll want to do this as early as possible. A brand personality can help guide your marketing team’s decisions and ensure your entire team remains consistent across channels — and consistency is key for brand recognition and long-term customer loyalty.

Whether you’re creating a personality for the first time or interested in re-vamping your existing brand personality, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn the six steps you’ll need to take to create a strong, lasting brand personality.

1. Figure out your values.

Like any real human being, values can shape who your brand is, the decisions your brand makes, and how your brand acts.

So you’ll want to start by outlining your core values. What matters most to your brand? (Hint, hint: It should be whatever matters most to your target audience.)

Once you’ve identified your brand’s values, write them out in a value statement. Your value statement will be the foundation of your brand’s personality.

For instance, consider Life is Good’s mission statement: “To spread the power of optimism.” I’m willing to bet Life is Good’s mission statement helps drive all marketing decisions — for instance, as a marketer for Life is Good, I’d want to ensure my Instagram captions or ad copy were positive and hopeful.

2. Use your audience as inspiration — since they already are who your brand should be.

REI’s brand personality works because its target market is an audience of outdoors enthusiasts. The brand’s personality would be entirely ineffective, on the other hand, if the brand was targeting office employees.

This is why it’s vital you consider, first and foremost, your audience’s preferences, behaviors, and expectations.

You’ll want to conduct qualitative and quantitative research on your target audience to ensure you have a strong understanding of your buyer persona. 

To begin understanding your buyer persona, you’ll want to ask questions like these:

• Does my audience care more about luxury, or affordability?
• Are they driven by emotions, or logic?
• When purchasing products, what matters most to them? Sustainability? Safety? Entertainment?
• What does my audience do in their free time?
• What do they care about?
• What do they like? What do they dislike?

The deeper you understand your audience, the easier it will be to construct your brand’s personality. Your brand should reflect and reinforce who your buyer persona is — or who they want to be.

Chanel’s brand personality, for instance, resonates so strongly with its audience because it reflects traits that matter to its audience, including luxury and sophistication. If Chanel was targeting an audience that cared more about affordability, then it wouldn’t succeed.

3. Ask yourself questions as if your brand were a human.

Once you’ve constructed a loose outline for your brand’s personality, you can refine it by asking yourself (and your team) questions as if your brand already were a person.

This might sound silly, but consider asking yourself:

• How does my brand act when they go to a party?
• What does my brand talk to its friends about?
• What excites my brand? What scares my brand?
• Why does my brand behave X way? What drives it?

It’s critical you’re able to describe, in great detail, who your brand is. This information doesn’t have to be public-facing — in fact, it most likely won’t be. Instead, this information will be used on the back-end so your marketing team can create materials that resonate with your audience and begin building strong brand loyalty. If done effectively, your audience will begin connecting to your brand without realizing why they feel as emotionally compelled as they do.

4. Create a brand style guide for your team.

Over time, your team will change. New people will join, others will leave. If you don’t have strong guardrails that outline who your brand is … and who it isn’t … you risk diluting the brand personality over time.

To combat this, ensure you create a brand style guide that outlines how the brand personality will display itself through your marketing materials. For instance, what font demonstrates your brand’s personality? What about colors? Language, voice, tone? Visuals?

The more specific you can be with your brand style guide, the more likely you are to see consistency across channels. Additionally, you’ll want to take the time to outline who your brand isn’t. These guardrails will ensure your brand doesn’t sound and act different on your social channels compared to your website.

As HubSpot’s Global Head of Brand Marketing Amy Marino puts it, “A brand personality can inform everything from how you write marketing copy to how you design your website to where your brand shows up in real life.”

Marino adds, “Developing a brand personality is an important element that can guide your company’s brand marketing … and ensure prospects and customers feel elements of continuity across every brand interaction.”

5. Iterate.

Over time, as you conduct market research, you’ll want to remain open to iterating on your personality if it no longer serves your audience or meets your audience’s needs.

For instance, perhaps in market research you find audiences feel your brand is a little too aggressive. To fix this, you might soften your brand’s personality and use more calming language across your channels.

With these tips in-mind, you’re now well on your way to developing a strong, unique brand personality that works best for your brand. 

Ultimately, your brand’s personality has a direct impact on how emotionally invested your consumers are in your business — and how willing they are to stick around for the long-haul. 

If your business has a blog, sending out an email newsletter is essential. Not only is it a simple way to distribute your content, but it can also help you better understand what type of content is resonating with your target audience so you can optimize your content strategy.

Beyond content distribution, an email newsletter can also help generate paying customers for your business. 31% of B2B marketers report that email newsletters are the best way to turn leads to customers, and 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach customers once converted.

So, you’re cranking out content on your WordPress site, and you know you can grow your business through an email newsletter … Wouldn’t it be great if you could send this newsletter directly within WordPress?

With plugins, you can. Some of the most popular WordPress plugins available are for email marketing. With an email plugin, you can generate leads, segment your contacts, and nurture them into customers, all within WordPress.

To ensure you’re able to use WordPress for all your content distribution and email marketing needs, we’ve made this list of the best WordPress email plugins.

1. HubSpot WordPress Plugin

Sure, the HubSpot WordPress Plugin includes forms and pop-ups, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. On top of the ability to develop forms and pop-ups with a simple drag-and-drop interface, HubSpot collects submissions from any form you have on your WordPress site and automatically adds those leads into your CRM, so you can begin nurturing them into loyal customers immediately.

The plugin includes a live chat tool, so you can begin engaging with site visitors, and even generate leads off of those conversations. You can also deploy bots to answer simple questions that your visitors have, ensuring that you’re supporting your website visitors even when your team is offline.

Once someone submits their information on one of your pop-ups, you can automate a simple kickback email to get in touch with that lead and deliver the content you promised them. You can also upgrade to a paid version of Marketing Hub to begin emailing those contacts right away.

Best for: We recommend the HubSpot WordPress Plugin for anyone. Between forms, pop-ups, live chat, and a fully integrated CRM, there’s no better free email subscription plugin available for WordPress.

2. MailPoet

MailPoet is one of the most popular free newsletter plugins for WordPress. To manage your subscribers, you can easily import an existing list from your CRM or another marketing automation tool, or create forms and add them to your site using widgets. Plus, the drag-and-drop email editor lets you quickly create responsive emails that look great on any device or email service.

MailPoet is free for anyone with less than 1,000 subscribers but becomes more powerful upon upgrading. Premium users can see exactly which subscribers have opened an email and what links people are clicking on within your email, among a number of other advanced features.

Best for: Those who want a popular, free, and versatile email newsletter plugin for WordPress should try MailPoet and experiment with its subscriber management, email builder, and automation tools. Those with smaller lists can leverage premium features for free as well.

3. Newsletter

Newsletter is an email marketing tool built specifically for WordPress, and everything you need to get started is included. The plugin allows you to add a subscription form or pop-up to your site, compose emails in a drag-and-drop builder, segment your leads using multi-list targeting, and send newsletters to distribute your blog content.

Additionally, the tool has built-in reporting, so you can see exactly how your emails are performing. You can even automate newsletters to go out on a regular cadence to ensure you are consistently engaging with your subscribers. Newsletter also integrates with other tools, such as Mailgun and Spark Post, so you can optimize your email strategy based on your needs.

Best for: The Newsletter plugin is best for WordPress bloggers looking to automate their newsletters and track performance. It’s another popular, well-received option that’s worth trying out for free.

4. Sendinblue

Sendinblue offers cloud-based digital marketing tools to over 50,000 growing companies around the world, and its WordPress plugin brings the power of the platform directly into WordPress.

With the Sendinblue WordPress plugin, you can create forms to capture leads, manage lists of subscribers, create and send email marketing campaigns, and measure your success over time using the included reports. The plugin features a drag-and-drop email editor, and you’re able to personalize components of your email to increase engagement with subscribers. The free version lets you send up to 300 emails per day.

The Sendinblue WordPress plugin also includes transactional email. Using the wp_mail function, you’ll be able to send transactional emails using Sendinblue’s SMTP. This feature is great for sending order confirmations or updating your customers on important changes to their accounts.

Best for: WordPress business owners in need of a simple but inclusive email marketing plugin will enjoy Sendinblue for its tools, support, and integration with its other advanced marketing tools. You can get decent mileage from the plugin for free before reaching your send limit.

5. Sumo

Sumo has over 60,000 active installations within WordPress — and for good reason. Beyond just pop-ups, welcome emails, and automated drip campaigns, they also have a number of other features to help you grow your business.

The plugin features a “share” button that you can add anywhere on your site, which allows your site visitors to easily share your content on social. The plugin also integrates directly with WooCommerce so you can create discounts and unique offers to increase your order value, and minimize the number of abandoned carts you have.

On top of all the plugin’s features, Sumo offers free customer support, and even one-on-one onboarding for all customers (free and paid) to ensure you’re getting the most out of the plugin.

Best for: Sumo works great for ecommerce websites and WooCommerce that run regular email campaigns. New businesses will appreciate the generous free version, which allows up to 10,000 emails per month and unlimited subscribers.

6. Email Subscribers & Newsletters

Email Subscribers & Newsletters is a plugin that lets you easily notify your subscribers when you have new blog content available. With it, you can add a subscription box to your site and get notified every time someone signs up for your newsletter. You can then notify your subscribers whenever a new post is published, or create a custom newsletter to share your content.

Email Subscribers & Newsletters is also serious about the health of your email lists. They offer double opt-in functionality so you can ensure that you’re only reaching out to people interested in what your website has to offer. You have the option to add captchas to your subscription box to prevent bots from ruining your email lists. The tool offers list cleanup and spam testing services too.

Best for: Email Subscribers & Newsletters is best for bloggers who want a simple plugin to notify readers when a new blog post is published, along with some simple metrics and a custom newsletter option.

7. Subscribe2

Subscribe2 lets you send either simple notifications to your blog subscribers whenever you post new content, or a recurring digest of posts. Through the plugin, you can also exclude specific categories of posts from being included in your emails, or even exclude posts on an individual basis.

The tool lets you create simple plain text emails, or create custom HTML emails. You can also upgrade to its paid service (MailOptin) to send emails to your contact lists in Mailchimp, AWeber, or other email service providers.

Best for: Subscribe2 is another WordPress email plugin that’s ideal for bloggers who want to send email alerts to subscribers, or to compile their most recent blog posts into a digest.

8. SendPress

SendPress is a simple, easy-to-use email newsletter plugin. With it, you can import contacts and content from your WordPress site directly into the plugin, making it easy to create a blog notification email.

SendPress features several styling and editing options so you can send professional emails without any coding skills. They also have a service called AutoCron, which will check your site on a regular schedule to make sure your scheduled emails are being sent.

Note that for features like advanced analytics, bounce handling, and campaign tracking through third-party software like Google Analytics, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid version.

Best for: SendPress provides a simple email automation subscription for small WordPress sites that want to grow their audiences.

9. OptinMonster

The widely popular and powerful OptinMonster plugin, as the name suggests, helps you grow your WordPress email list and get more subscribers through a variety of pop-ups and static forms. The tool comes with a drag-and-drop editor that lets you build your form from scratch, or select from a pre-built template.

What sets OptinMonster apart from other plugins is its targeting options. Using exit intent technology, OptinMonster will deploy a pop-up based on when a user is getting ready to leave a page. The plugin also has page-level targeting options, so you can tailor your content offers to a visitor’s location and behavior on your site. You can then use this information to tailor your email campaigns using any one of OptinMonster’s many integrated email service providers.

Best for: Marketers who want to implement popups in their marketing strategies (especially for exit intents), and implement advanced tracking on their forms and email campaigns to drive conversions.

10. Thrive Leads

Like OptinMonster, Thrive Leads is focused on growing your subscriber list, and growing it fast. This tool includes a long list of pop-up types, including full-screen overlays and even multiple-choice forms. It also includes the targeting options that you’d expect out of an email subscription plugin.

Additionally, Thrive Leads offers A/B Testing so you can see whether a different design, or an entirely different content offer performs better — allowing you to greatly increase your conversion rates.

Best for: Thrive Leads is a comprehensive tool to help online businesses grow subscribers, increase conversions, and target the right visitors at the right time. If that’s you, try it out. Also note that Thrive Leads is more of a form tool than anything else — email is just one part, and the plugin works best when integrated with another email tool.

11. WP Subscribe

WP Subscribe is built by MyThemeShop, a company that builds WordPress themes and plugins that are fast, reliable, look great on any site, and are SEO-friendly. WP Subscribe checks off all those boxes. They have optimized the code on the plugin to ensure that it loads fast, and doesn’t slow down your site.

With WP subscribe, you can add your subscription form anywhere on your site, and feel rest-assured that it will be fully responsive to whatever screen size your site visitor is viewing your site on. The plugin is also compatible with several popular email service providers, such as AWeber and MailChimp, so you can begin leveraging your email lists immediately.

Best for: Use WP Subscribe to build custom forms and grow your email list — for anything else, you’ll need to integrate with another email automation tool.

12. Ninja Forms

Ninja Forms has over one million installations on WordPress, making it one of the most popular form plugins available. Ninja has all the features you’d expect in your email subscription form builder, plus a few extra features that make it stand out. Namely, its acclaimed builder tool lets anyone make professional-looking forms without touching any code.

The plugin features several different anti-spam options, including Google’s reCAPTCHA, to ensure the validity of your form submissions. They also let you collect payments via integrations with PayPal Express, Stripe, and Elavon. The plugin integrates with a long list of the most popular mailing list tools, so you can start emailing your new leads right away.

Best for: WordPress users who need a reliable form builder tool to grow their email subscriber list should put Ninja Forms on the list — it’s one of the leading options available, and it’s flexible enough that you can use it for other cases beyond email signups.

13. Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce

The Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce plugin extends the functionality of the WooCommerce plugin by allowing you to customize the email template. Build out emails with a library of useful elements specific to WooCommerce, like order, billing, and shipping details.

Everything is drag-and-drop, and the plugin can be used by anyone who already knows WooCommerce. Thanks to the tool, sending transactional emails, order confirmations, and shipping confirmations. With the paid version, you can also recommend products in emails, give coupons, and send target emails based on orders that match certain criteria.

Best for: WooCommerce site owners should try Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce as a solution to build custom emails to customers.

14. WP Mail SMTP by WPForms

The developers behind the popular WPForms plugin have also created an email-specific plugin, WP Mail SMTP. This plugin aims to solve email deliverability issues by configuring WordPress to follow SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), the standard for sending emails, instead of PHPMailer, the WordPress default.

With over 2 million downloads to date, WP Mail SMTP has helped improve deliverability for many WordPress sites. It helps authenticate your emails to email clients, avoiding the spam folder or a failed delivery. The plugin works by reconfiguring the wp_mail() function to integrate with a credited SMTP provider.

If that sounds like gibberish, don’t worry — the plugin walks you through the process and provides documentation in case you’re stuck.

Best for: WordPress marketers who are experiencing email deliverability issues may consider trying this plugin.

Upgrade your WordPress emails.

It’s important to choose the plugin that works best for you. Whether you need a plugin that is highly customizable, or one that simply drives submissions so you can get your email newsletter off the ground, the options here provide a great starting point for you to explore as you consider how you can start building out your subscribers list.

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

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most talked-about topics in the world of technology. One search for “artificial intelligence” on Twitter and you’ll be introduced to articles on how AI is shaping the future of healthcare, productivity, art, and food. Beyond the Twittersphere, searches for the term AI have doubled over the past six years according to data from Ahrefs.

All of this digital activity must mean that everyone is ready to adopt AI into how we manage and operate our businesses, right? Right?

what most describe as “artificial intelligence” is really just an if statement

— excelhumor.xlsx (@ExcelHumor) October 25, 2021

It’s well worth noting that while AI is poised to augment our future in a big way, there is still a lot of work to be done. Many companies use AI as nothing more than a Marketing message; a siren, knowing that for some people the allure of artificial intelligence outweighs its actual output, allowing them to get away with empty promises. 

For as many good jokes as this opens the door for, there are still many companies fully capable of providing high-quality AI software. Of course, all of this leads us to a natural question: When will everyday businesses and professionals use AI software to enhance their work?

Fortunately, this is something that NetLine has greater visibility into. 

The Challenge

• Better understand the AI software market beyond its current buyers, especially the big names like Apple, Amazon, and major car manufacturers.
• What kind of obstacles stand in the way of AI software solutions providers further permeating the market?

The Goal

• Identify and understand how leading IT decision-makers use or intend to use AI software and whether they intend to increase their investment any further within the next 12 months and beyond.
• Such observations should exclusively be captured via first-party interactions with IT buyers as they voluntarily registered and consumed related content. 

How This Data Was Captured

By tapping into dramatic scale beyond the limitations of their own content, our customer leveraged NetLine’s Intent Discovery product to secure first-party sourced intent-rich data squarely aimed at accelerating sales outcomes. Empowered by NetLine’s entire universe content, the client put to good use all 13,000+ assets, billions of data points, and the 35,925,120 different ways of filtering buyers actively performing research.

Unlike traditional intent data, Buyer-Level Intent Discovery helps you better understand the challenges, priorities, and purchase timeline of your ideal targets. Nothing is hidden behind obfuscated datasets and/or black box proprietary scores. 

Perhaps most importantly, Intent Discovery acts as an always-on monitor of all B2B content consumption behavior as professionals are actively researching content specific to their challenges. Monitoring activity is then mined on a real-time basis, and intercepted once a buyer has met or exceeded each element required to define intent—capturing custom, intent-rich, customer-specific insights directly from the prospect.

The Questions

To answer the questions, we engaged nearly 2,000 senior-level IT decision-makers to assess their desire to invest in AI software and what their priorities are with this technology.

Here’s a sampling of some of the insights we uncovered from their responses.

What are Your Top AI Software Priorities You Are Allocating Resources Towards?

Perhaps the best way to summarize the needs of B2B professionals when it comes to how they’d like to deploy AI software comes down to two things: The mundane and the complex.

As you can see in the responses above, this is what the data tells us; if AI software can knock out the simple, monotonous tasks people spend a large portion of their time (which it can), while also supporting some pie-in-the-sky type analysis, (yep) then there’s a market just waiting to be tapped.

Of course, if it were that easy, we’d already see a wider-permeation of the market. What other challenges face this market? More on that in the next section.

Some of the other notable insights include the following:

• Automating Routine Tasks (28.79%) and Managing risk, fraud, and cybersecurity threats (27.63%) drew the most votes from all respondents.

• Incredibly, only 2.7% of all respondents prioritized the responsible and ethical use of AI—meaning that nearly two-thirds (61.9%) of all responding industries didn’t even consider this option a priority. Given what AI can do in the wrong hands or when left unsupervised, the apparent lack of concern in regards to ethics is shocking.

• The Healthcare/Medical industry was 124.4% more likely to say Automating Routine Tasks with AI was more important to their profession compared to the Telecommunications field
• 14.57% of Finance industry respondents said that Operationalizing AI was the top priority they had with any AI software, the largest percentage of any industry for this priority

What’s the Timeframe for Additional Investment for AI Software?

It’s one thing to talk about AI in theory and how you might use it. It’s an entirely different, and ultimately more compelling, thing to see when and even if you’ll put your money where your mouth is.

As we mentioned in the intro, AI has primarily been a luxury employed by large companies thanks to its price tag. According to Analytics Insight, AI tools can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $1 million dollars, essentially putting it out of range for any business not employing thousands of people. Even with this knowledge, the responses paint a much more encouraging picture of what future implementation might look like.

Let’s find out where the market current sits:

31.92% of all respondents have an AI-related investment event occurring within the next 12 months.

• 5.85% of respondents said they were looking to make an additional investment within the next 3 months, meaning that respondents were 1034.45% more likely to say they were more inclined to wait Over 1 year to invest compared to Under 3 months.
• Respondents were 213% more likely to say that any additional AI investment would come after 2022 (beyond 12 months)

While a third of the market is preparing to make additional, if not initial, forays into the world of AI software in the coming year, the remaining two-thirds are biding their time. There are a number of ways to interpret this, including not having the potential budget, not having the staff or business to support it, or perhaps they’re simply not ready to take on the commitment of what AI entails. 

With how strange 2020 was with the way 2021 has unfolded, it’s not terribly surprising that professionals are looking to defer until 2022 at the earliest. Still, if there’s one thing AI vendors should take from this Intent Discovery Trends Report, it’s that nearly 6% of a $62 billion market is ready to make a move in the next quarter. 

The Results

For businesses in the AI software space or even for those flirting with the idea of adding AI to your arsenal, you now have a superior and more accurate understanding of where your potential clients/peers are in their unique buying journey. 

For example, through Intent Discovery, we found that:

• 100% of Utility/Energy respondents said that Managing risk, fraud and cybersecurity threats was their sole priority when it comes to AI software utilization.
• Compared to their peers, the Automotive field looks to be quite bullish on AI software, with 11.11% of their employees saying they expected additional investment to be made within the next 6 months or less—with an additional 25.93% believing that moves will be made within 12 months.
• Professionals within the Transportation industry are 754% more likely to be making an AI investment decision in under three months vs. their peers across other industries, there’s a clear trend across the world of travel that AI software businesses need to be aware of.

Buyer-Level Intent Discovery removes the guesswork that comes with every lead and instead provides context to what each prospect needs and what your buying audience craves. Insights like these are more valuable than gold, as they set the table for more productive and more fruitful interactions, relationships, and, hopefully, sales.

How Your Business Can Better Understand the Intent of Your Audience

In today’s hyper-competitive vendor market, it is more important than ever to understand the real-time pain points and in-market tendencies of your future buyers.

NetLine’s Intent Discovery product helps businesses accelerate its sales cycle by capturing first-party intent data by intercepting and engaging the buyer with customized validation questions. With this one-of-a-kind product, B2B Marketers can gain first-party insights for immediate activation and seamless remarketing/sales acceleration. 

For more information on how you can move beyond account-level insights and start your buyer-level intent discovery journey, contact us, or visit our website.