Category Archives: B2B

We see graphic design at work every day.

Everything from logos, posters, magazines, product packaging, ads, and more.

It’s an industry that’s always in demand. Why? Because brands always need designers, whether it’s to create branding assets or design an upcoming event flyer.

If it’s an industry you’re interested in, discover the steps you can take today to learn graphic design and find out what you need to keep in mind as you start your career.

1. Learn key design principles.

Graphic design is a visual communication tool that combines the use of graphics, typography, color, and illustration to communicate a message.

And while there are endless ways to communicate a message (that’s where the creative part comes into play), there are key principles that every graphic designer must follow:

• Hierarchy
• Alignment
• Contrast
• Space
• Color
• Proximity
• Repetition
• Balance

These fundamental concepts ensure that a design is cohesive, impactful, and clear.

In addition to these principles, there are other elements that come into play, such as typography and color theory.

The former relates to the way in which your copy (i.e. text) is arranged while the former refers to how people perceive color and how it impacts messaging.

Once you understand these concepts, you can then dive a little deeper. More on that in the next section.

2. Find a course.

Contrary to popular belief, having an eye for design isn’t an innate trait – it’s a learned skill.

Once you have a broad overview of graphic design, it’s time to dive in with an in-depth course.

A course will teach you about the history of graphic design, the various subdivisions within the discipline, the psychology behind design principles, and the tools you’ll need.

Here are the top online resources for graphic design courses:

• General Assembly
• Skillshare
• LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com)
• Udemy
• Coursera

Then, of course, there’s always YouTube University. The best thing about this university is that it’s 100% free.

The downside here is that you likely won’t find the same depth in the material on YouTube and you won’t have the support of a professor.

Plus, you’ll likely be tasked with finding your own homework to practice what you’ve learned. However, it can be a good place to start if you’re on a budget.

3. Master design programs.

It’s hard to think of graphic design without immediately thinking of the tools they use.

So much of graphic design work relies on the use of tools like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Sketch.

These are all powerful software that allow you to create everything from logos and illustrations to website designs.

While they aren’t free to use, consider them investments in your career, as you will likely use them for every project you take on.

4. Network with fellow designers.

In addition to the knowledge you’ll gain from your courses, it’s important to speak with designers who are currently working in the field.

This will help you get a 360-view of what it’s like working as a graphic designer and what it takes to succeed in your role.

Start on social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn. You’ll find plenty of design communities and groups that share information and opportunities.

You can also use sites like MeetUp to find designers in your area who are interested in meeting up as well as Eventbrite to find fun events you can join.

Networking across is as important as networking up. Make sure you lean on your community for support and advice as you develop your skills as a graphic designer.

5. Practice, then practice some more.

Now that you’ve learned everything you need to know, it’s time to put that knowledge into action.

When learning anything new, practicing is key. It’s not enough for you to take in the knowledge, you have to use it and learn how it works in real time.

So, now that you understand design principles and have learned from the experts, it’s time for you to gain your own experience. You can start by searching for graphic design exercises online.

For instance, Type Connection and KernType allow you to test your typography skills. You can also use sites like Sharpen to find design prompts to work on. They have prompts in various categories, from branding to marketing and user experience (UX).

Once you feel confident in your ability, consider taking on a design project of your own. It could be a passion project you give yourself or one you seek out.

This will help you get real-world experience in what it takes to start a project from start to finish and all of the non-design implications you must consider.

9 Tips for Learning Graphic Design

1. Always keep an ear to the ground.

As marketers, we already know how much there is to learn from influencers.

They are highly knowledgeable in their niche and are often willing to share the secrets to their success in their content.

If you seek out their content regularly, you’ll become more familiar with the graphic design world, discover more tips from industry leaders, become comfortable with relevant terminology, and stay on top of trends.

Wondering how to engage? Turn to YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.

And don’t be afraid to reach out to them. You never know who might respond to your questions – and any positive connection you make will only help you move further along in your journey.

What to Do Right Now

• Build a Twitter List of influential designers on Twitter, so you can follow their daily insights without having to pick out their tweets from a sea of friends, coworkers, and news sources on your timeline.
• Have a mix of well-known designers who personally inspire you and those whose work you do not enjoy. That last point may seem counterintuitive, but consistently observing the work of that group can help you understand why you don’t like it, which is a key part of understanding design.

2. Collect inspirational work.

Once you decide to learn design, start building a catalog of work you think is successful.

That can be as simple as bookmarking images in your web browser, making a Pinterest board, or saving items to a folder on your computer.

Sifting through a catalog of inspiring work will help you to identify trends – both past and present – and can inform your own personal style.

What to Do Right Now

• Get acquainted with leading designer portfolio sites like Dribbble and Behance. These platforms showcase an abundance of high-quality work from leading designers across the spectrum – everyone from web and UX designers, to graphic designers and typographers.
• Set aside time in your day to review these sites and use apps like Panda to make the collection process easier.

3. Dissect the process.

One of the most pivotal moments in my design journey was when I recognized that every single illustration, infographic, and icon I had ever ogled over was the product of someone mastering how to combine shapes and lines.

Analyzing the process behind a design will allow you to understand the steps required to produce a piece of work.

Depending on your current skill level, you may have a leg up in knowing which tools were used, or which aspect was created first. But if you’re a beginner, don’t let that stop you – examining the construction of a design will let you flex your creative muscle.

Educated guesses will do far more to teach you than doing nothing at all. Plus, you’ll likely find that:

1. You know more than you think you do.
2. When you identify holes in that knowledge, you’ll know what techniques or concepts you need to explore to narrow the gap.
3. There’s more than one way to achieve the desired result.

What to Do Right Now

• Download a free vector or PSD design resource, and dig through the layers to see how the designer constructed the object. You can find a number of those files here.
• Once you pick your file, open it in Photoshop, then open the Layers Panel (which you can learn to use here) and un-collapse some of the folders, so that you can see the layers contained within them.

By simply changing the visibility of the layers, you can begin to see how the designer used each shape to build upon one another. You can also begin to understand how to use Photoshop Effects, like drop shadows and strokes.

4. Get specific with your online search queries.

As you begin creating your own designs, you’ll likely hit an obstacle where you think to yourself, “Hmm, how the heck do I do that? “

Chances are, others have wondered the same thing.

Like many self-taught disciplines these days, the majority of my own technical design knowledge was gained by watching a YouTube tutorial while I actively followed along.

The key is to be really specific with your searches, so you can find a highly relevant tutorial.

Searching for something like “How to Create an Icon” might deliver really broad search results. Instead, type in exactly what you want to learn, like, “How to Create a Flat Icon with a Long Shadow.” Boom.

What to Do Right Now

Browse a design terminology glossary to find the specific terms for techniques you’re trying to learn.

That can help you find what you’re looking for online much more easily, in addition to helping you familiarize yourself with the language.

5. Reproduce your favorite work.

Let me be clear: Under no circumstances should you infringe on anyone’s copyrighted work. Never reproduce someone else’s work and try to pass it off as your own.

That said, re-creating a design you like, without advertising it as your own work, is helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of design techniques.

You’ll have to get creative with the method you choose to recreate the design. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t duplicate a design exactly – remember, the process is more important than the result.

What to Do Right Now

• Find a design piece you think is successful, which should be easy if you’ve created an inspiration catalog.
• Open up your go-to design software to recreate it.
• Start dissecting the design and recreating it using your own process.
• If you get stuck, use specific search queries and lean on your design community.

6. Embrace negative space.

The proper use of negative space is often overlooked by beginner and advanced designers alike.

What is negative space, or white space? It’s the space in your design that’s not occupied by any visual or written element. A design piece that doesn’t incorporate enough negative space is like a sentence with no spaces: itisdifficulttocomprehend.

What to Do Right Now

Learning to effectively use white space won’t happen overnight. You’ll have to try out different options to find what works for each design.

• Read some of the articles on this list, compiled by David Kadavy, author of Design for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty. Then, try to put some of these theories into action.

Remember, there’s no hard-and-fast rule to using white space. It takes practice. Eventually, you’ll find that exercises in resizing elements of your composition and changing the layout will lead to a natural understanding of the amount of breathing room required.

7. Don’t be afraid to get feedback.

On some level, everyone is afraid of criticism. We’re afraid our ideas will get shot down and we’ll be sent back to square one.

Learning to accept constructive criticism is no easy task, but it’s key to becoming a better designer.

Paul Arden, who was the creative force behind Saatchi & Saatchi at a pinnacle of its success, wrote this in his best-selling book, It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be:

“If, instead of seeking approval, you ask, ‘What’s wrong with it? How can I make it better?’ you are more likely to get a truthful, critical answer. You may even get an improvement on your idea. And you are still in a position to reject the criticism if you think it is wrong. Can you find fault with this?”

The takeaway: Design critics allow us to incorporate others’ viewpoints into our work and improve upon our ideas. You always have the option to reject the feedback but considering it in the first place is what’s important.

Design is subjective in nature, and just because someone else has a different opinion doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

In fact, trusting your intuition is equally important. Just make sure you have the means to back up your design decisions.

What to Do Right Now

• Have a one-on-one conversation with an experienced designer. If you don’t know anyone in the design world, join an online community of designers.
• Post on Reddit’s Design Critiques.
• Publish your work on social media and ask for feedback from fellow designers.

8. Pick a passion project.

If you only listen to one piece of advice from this post, let it be this one.

In your career, you’ll likely be involved in design projects you aren’t passionate about. And that’s OK.

So, in the beginning, give yourself the room to work on projects you can’t wait to get into. This is the time when you need the motivation to get you through those tough early days of learning something new.

When you get frustrated, a passion project can fuel you to push through.

It’ll also provide direction. Time and time again, the hardest part of learning design is not knowing what to design. Be decisive and choose something you can work on for an extended period of time.

What to Do Right Now

• Align your interests or current situation with your projects. If you’re a blogger, try creating the header image for your next post. V
• Voice your willingness to work on an offer with your content team.
• Looking for a job? Redesign your resume and try to further your personal brand by creating a logo.

There are a number of ways to work design into your day, but it’s up to you to pick something that matters to you.

9. Just start.

t’s easy to be intimidated by the sheer amount of learning associated with graphic design, but remind yourself that even the most talented designers were newbies once, too.

What makes the creative field so special is that everyone’s journey is unique – there’s no one way to approach DIY design. You’ll find your own means to discern what you want and need to learn.

Furthermore, design is an iterative process, so keep reworking your ideas and projects.

As you progress, you’ll develop your own workflow, and one day, that design that took you all day will only take you an hour.

Trust me, I’m living proof.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June of 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. 

Ask “What makes a great leader?” and you’ll get a different answer every time.

For me, a great leader is empathetic, adaptable, and inspiring. For others, a great leader should be decisive, intelligent, and relatable.

That meaning continues to evolve over time.

One concept that has long been debated is whether leadership is innate or learned.

Some see leadership as a black and white concept: Either you’ve got it or you don’t. But is that really true?

In this article, we’ll explore the trait theory of leadership and what critics say about it.

This idea, first introduced in the mid-1800s, looks at certain traits as inherited, such as:

• Intelligence
• Confidence
• Creativity
• Competency
• People/communication skills
• Trustworthiness
• Decisiveness

For a long time, this was the agreed-upon idea in society. You either had what it took to be a leader, or you didn’t.

The trait theory and approach have served as a benchmark for how we look at our leaders. It puts the emphasis on the person, rather than the followers or environment – which can be helpful in understanding why people gravitate toward particular leaders.

Then, about a century later in the 1940s, the narrative expanded.

Researcher Ralph Stogdill discovered that some people were leaders in some situations, and not in others. This contradicted the trait theory idea and introduced leadership as something that was influenced by the environment.

Think back to your group projects in college or high school.

Where did you fall in the roles? Were you the leader, the supportive but quiet contributor, the I’ll-do-everything-myself, the absent last-minute helper?

You might have been all four depending on the situation. Perhaps you only feel comfortable stepping up as a leader if no one else wants to.

With this in mind, there are several additional leadership theories:

• Situational leadership theories argue that leaders emerge based on need. If a situation requires it, one person will emerge as the leader. However, that same person may not rise to the occasion in another environment.
• Behavioral leadership theories suggest that leadership is a learned behavior that anyone can study.

Now that we know which theories are out there, let’s talk about what critics say about the trait theory.

Criticisms of the Trait Theory of Leadership

Many leaders today strongly disagree with the trait theory of leadership.

They believe that anyone can learn and build the skills needed to succeed as a leader. A small survey sample of U.S. consumers echoed this sentiment.

And there is some research to support this.

A 2008 study on heritability and human development found that 70% of leadership capacity is not inherited genetically, but rather learned through experience.

Additional research studies suggest that few traits differentiate leaders from followers. When comparing leaders with their followers, there are little differences in the traits they possess or have the potential to possess.

Another criticism of the trait theory is that it overlooks socio-economic inequities.

How do you determine who has the potential for leadership if your population doesn’t begin at the same starting line?

For instance, marginalized groups who grow up in underfunded and undersupported communities may not have the same opportunities to showcase their leadership abilities. Their abilities to develop this potential may also be limited.

With this in mind, some view the idea that leadership is inherited as flawed, as it does not factor in all variables.

Trait vs. Process Leadership

These two concepts fall on opposite sides.

The former argues leadership is innate, while the latter maintains that it builds over time as a result of the interactions between the leader and follower(s).

As a process leader, you are responsible for nurturing relationships with others and offering support. Through time, the theory states, you will gain the role of a leader and create an environment in which your followers can succeed.

When examining both theories, both theories can be true.

Leadership is nuanced, and as such, can operate within various models and environments.

For the trait side, everyone is born with personality traits, talents, and gifts, which make us more likely to succeed in particular environments and roles.

For instance, an extrovert can exhibit the qualities of a leader. They have little trouble in social settings and they communicate with confidence. With this in mind, they likely won’t have to work as hard as an introvert to engage with their peers, colleagues, and leaders.

However, an introvert can build those same skills through exposure and experience. On that same note, an introvert may rise to the occasion in more intimate settings.

What’s more, leadership is a constantly evolving concept. While the trait theory was initially the most popular way of viewing leadership, more theories have evolved that expand our understanding of it.

For instance, conversations surrounding psychological safety have only recently gained traction in the workplace. Leaders are now trained on creating an environment in which employees feel safe to share ideas, concerns, and mistakes.

As our understanding of what works best to motivate teams, leadership styles also evolve. As such, there will always be an educational component to being a leader.

There isn’t a right or wrong theory when it comes to leadership. All theories provide some insight into what it takes to be successful as a leader.

While the trait theory offers a rubric for the qualities of a leader, the process theory focuses on how to nurture relationships. The situational leadership model views leadership as a flexible concept that is heavily based on the environment.

If you’re working toward a leadership role, consider these models and use them as building blocks to find your own style.

As a brand, influencer, or creator on Instagram, you know how convenient it is to manage your profile within the app and on a device that sits in your pocket. However, if you ever wanted to view it on a larger screen, like your desktop, you probably had to use an external third-party tool.

Enter Instagram Creator Studio, where you can manage accounts using the familiar in-app tools but on your desktop. Plus, a bonus: the ability to schedule posts. In this post, discover how to use Instagram Creator Studio to manage your profile, from scheduling content to understanding your analytics to monetizing your content.

Specifically, marketers can use Creator Studio to:

• View all of your account’s content (IGTV, photos, Stories, etc.) on a desktop.
• Schedule all of your Instagram content to post at a later date so you can be consistently active in your feed.
• Understand insights for your profile and posts, like performance metrics, follower data, and engagement type, to ensure you’re creating content that your audience enjoys.
• Eligible accounts with over 10,000 followers can monetize content and manage brand collaborations.

Below we’ll outline everything you need to know to begin using Instagram Creator Studio to manage your profile.

How To Connect Instagram To Creator Studio

It’s important to note that you need to have a Business or Creator account to use Creator Studio and connect your account to a relevant Facebook page. Once you’ve done all of those things, here’s how to connect your Instagram account to Creator Studio:

1. Go to the Creator Studio website.

2. Select the Instagram icon on the top of the screen (as shown in the image below).

Image Source

3. Click the green Instagram Login button and follow the instructions in the pop-up window to log in to your account.

4. As mentioned above, you’ll need to connect your account to a relevant Facebook page. If you haven’t done so already, follow the on-screen instructions to connect one to your account.

Once you’ve successfully linked your account, it’s time to start using the platform.

How To Use Instagram Creator Studio

You can use Instagram Creator Studio to post content, schedule content, and get insights for your account. Below we’ll explain how to do all of those things.

When you first connect your account, you’ll land on the Creator Studio dashboard (as shown in the image below), where you’ll see an initial overview of your profile content library, including video, photo, carousel, Stories, and IGTV content. You can click on specific tabs to view each content type individually.

Please note that your page should show all of your posts and content; this is merely an example.

The menu on the left-hand side of the screen (as shown in the image below) has the following options: Content Library, Calendar, Insights (discussed further below), and Monetization.

Under the Calendar tab, you’ll see an overview of the posts you’ve scheduled for the future. Further below, we’ll discuss how to schedule posts so they’ll appear on the calendar.

Under the Monetization tab, you’ll be able to manage your brand collaborations. To have access to this feature, you’ll need an active, public account, 10,000 followers, consistent engagement over the past month, and no history of content violations.

The other tab on the Creator Studio dashboard is the Create Post button, and we’ll discuss how to use it below.

How To Post on Instagram Creator Studio

1. Click the green Create Post button on the top left-hand corner of the Creator Studio menu, as shown in the image below, and select the type of post you’re making: Instagram Feed or IGTV.

2. If you select Instagram Feed, you should see the pop-up window displayed in the image below. Upload the photo you want to post, and add a description to your image.

3. If you want to turn off comments on your post, select the Advanced Settings option on the right-hand side of your screen and toggle the Turn Off Commenting button into the on position.

Add Alt Text on Instagram Creator Studio

The accessibility features within the Instagram app are also available in Creator Studio. To add alt text to your content, follow the steps above for uploading your preferred content type.

Before publishing or scheduling a post to your Instagram feed, navigate to the Accessibility section in the Advanced Settings tab, as highlighted in the image below, and add your alt text.

4. When you’re satisfied with your upload, select the blue Publish button on the bottom right of the pop-up window.

To upload an IGTV video on Creator Studio, follow these steps:

1. Click the green Create Post button on the top left-hand corner of the Creator Studio dashboard and select IGTV from the drop-down menu. You should see the pop-up window displayed in the image below with an upload, title, and description box.

2. Upload your preferred video, and add a title and description.

3. If you want to share the IGTV video to your feed, check the box that says Share Preview To Feed underneath the Choose Where Your Post Will Appear Title.

4. Select the Cover Image tab on the right-hand side of your screen, and choose whether you want Instagram to create an auto-generated image, upload your custom frame, or use a video frame preview.

6. When you’re satisfied with all of your selections, click the blue Publish button on the bottom right-hand side of your screen to share your post on Instagram.

The steps outlined above will help you share a post to Instagram immediately after you upload it. Below we’ll go over how to upload content and schedule it to be posted for later on Creator Studio.

 

How to Schedule Posts on Instagram Creator Studio

To schedule a post on Instagram Creator Studio, follow the same steps you would as if you were going to upload content to your Instagram Feed or an IGTV video. Then,

1. Navigate to the blue Publish button on the bottom right-hand side of the screen and select the down arrow.

2. In the popup window, follow the on-screen instructions and select the date and time you want your post to be posted.

3. After you’re satisfied, click the blue Schedule button and schedule your post. You should then see a list of your scheduled posts in your content library, as shown in the image below.

After you’ve shared your content, you’ll want to understand the success of your content through your insights. Below we’ll explain the insights you can get and how to access them.

 

How To Get Insights From Instagram Creator Studio

The Creator Studio Insights tab gives you more information about your audience and how they interact with your posts. Here are the specific metrics you’ll get:

• Audience: Information about your followers and their gender, age range, and location (top countries and cities). You’ll also be shown when they’re most active, so you can schedule your posts when they’re most active on the platform.
• Activity: Information about how people engage with your account. This includes the reach your posts have, the number of impressions they get, and the actions people have taken (website clicks, taps to get directions, etc.).

1. Select the Insights tab on the right-hand side of the Creator Studio dashboard, as shown in the image below.

2. Select either Activity or Audience from the drop-down menu.

3. Navigate through either tab to learn more about the engagement on activity on your profile.

For example, if you select Activity, you should see the number of actions taken on your account over seven days, including website visits, profile visits, emails, accounts reached, and total impressions. The image below is an example of a Creator Studio activity insights page.

If you select Audience, you’ll see a bar graph displaying your followers’ age and gender breakdown, when they’re active on the app, and two location breakdowns.

Instagram Creator Studio boasts a unique feature not offered within the mobile app: scheduling posts. If you’re hoping to make the switch from managing on only your mobile device to a desktop, leverage the tips on this list to begin using the tool.

We’re all familiar with traditional brainstorming as a way to produce new ideas. You sit in a room with a whiteboard and work with whatever comes to mind. Maybe you play a few rounds of word association to strengthen your ideas, or pull up Google and use research to flesh them out.

But there are many alternative exercises for tackling problems and developing new ideas, both individually and in a group setting.

Ranging from structured to silly, here are the best creative brainstorming exercises and techniques to help you get your problem-solving juices flowing. This list is a modified excerpt from my guide Creative Ideation for Digital Marketers: Theory to Practice.

1. Storyboarding

If you’re trying to design a process, storyboarding can help you see where your collective understanding of a problem supports or conflicts with a proposed solution, and where more thought/research is needed. By developing a visual story to explore the problem as a narrative, your team will be able to see how ideas interact and connect to form a solution.

Sticky notes are your friend. Take a few minutes to write out your ideas as individual notes. These don’t have to be complete thoughts — physically pinning up quotes, pictures, user info, and the like can help you see new relationships between different components.

Once you have a group of sticky notes to work from, start arranging them on the board as a progression: first this, then that. Organizing your ideas as a continuous series will help you see new connections and eliminate extraneous material that doesn’t support your end goal.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• Storyboarding allows you to see your ideas in a sequential pattern.
• You’ll be able to see an overarching overview of a new or current process — without digging too deeply into the details.
• You can start from anywhere — the beginning, middle, or end — then fill in the blanks.

How to Use It in Marketing

Storyboarding is particularly useful for marketers. With it, you can:

• Outline the sequential process of a marketing campaign from beginning to completion.
• Improve an internal process such as backlink-building by drafting specific steps.
• Storyboard a marketing video from beginning to end.

2. Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a fairly common term nowadays — in fact, many types of software provide automated mind-mapping templates so you can better organize your data. Well, it also happens to be a great way to organize your ideas.

• To create a mind map for creativity purposes, write down the task or problem you’re trying to solve at the center of your idea sheet (feel free to do this on your computer, but whiteboards are ideal).
• Then, expand on this problem by surrounding it with terms that better describe what you need. If your problem is low website traffic, for example, some terms to write around this phrase might be “organic traffic,” “trusted content,” “SEO,” and “video strategy.”
• Once your mind map has this first layer, add a second layer to each of your needs describing how you might be able to solve for these individual challenges. Around “SEO,” you might write “topic clusters,” “dedicated SEO strategist,” and “video marketing course.”

Keep adding to your mind map using the steps above until you’ve sufficiently broken down your problem into manageable parts. It’s a fantastic problem-solving technique that fosters creative answers to subjects that might otherwise seem uninspiring.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• Mind mapping allows you to start from any point and create clusters of potential processes.
• You don’t need to have an order in mind; you can prioritize later.
• You can add a myriad of topically relevant ideas as you go; with mind mapping, you never feel boxed-in.

How to Use It in Marketing

In marketing, you can use mind mapping to solve problems, like in the example above. You can also use it to:

• Draft content maps for your entire blog or website. You can begin with an overarching topic, then begin creating branches for each subtopic.
• Come up with marketing campaign ideas divided by major topics and subtopics.
• Create Yes/No scenarios for placing different lead segments into specific drip campaigns.

3. Word Banking

If you assume “work banking” is a fancy term for “word association,” well, you’re right. But in a word banking session, what you do with the words you come up with is much more sophisticated.

While word associations often focus on pairs of words, word banking asks you to form big groups of terms that all describe just a few themes or topics. Creating word banks in a business setting can help you dismantle a project into manageable parts — kind of like a mind map.

Then, when your work bank is complete, you can retroactively form connections between the terms you came up with, and use those connections to craft ideas that are guaranteed to include all of your most important characteristics.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• Word association is a relatively natural, low-effort task — simply begin with a big idea, then begin jotting down anything that comes up for you.
• It doesn’t require you to know the when, why, or how of an idea.
• Word banking will surface gasps in your knowledge. If you find yourself stuck, it’s time to complete additional research.

How to Use It in Marketing

Word banking is ideal for content projects and can be a precursor for more in-depth keyword research. Use word banking to:

• Surface everything you know about a topic you’re thinking of tackling in your blog or website.
• “Word vomit” blog post ideas without feeling boxed into a formal keyword research process.
• Uncover where you and your teammates may need additional training. For instance, if you choose to start a word bank for “conversion rate optimization” and the term “A/B testing” never comes up, it may be time to sign everyone up for a CRO course.

4. S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

S.C.A.M.P.E.R. is essentially a process for expanding and improving upon ideas by testing and questioning them from different angles. For each letter of the mnemonic, ask yourself a related question about your project or the problem at hand:

• Substitute: What would happen to the project if we swapped X for Y?
• Combine: What would happen to the project if we combined X and Y?
• Adapt: What changes would need to be made to adapt this project to a different context?
• Modify: What could we modify to create more value on this project?
• Put to another use: What other uses or applications might this project have?
• Eliminate: What could we remove from the project to simplify it?
• Reverse: How could we reorganize this project to make it more effective?

This method forces you to approach your project or problem in unexpected ways. Each question asks you to dig a little deeper into the issue and consider new possibilities.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• S.C.A.M.P.E.R. will get you to think beyond predefined assumptions about your product or project.
• The series of “would” and “could” questions let your mind run free with minimal commitment to any actual change or alteration.
• It allows you to improve a process even if you believe the process has reached its optimal form.

How to Use It in Marketing

While S.C.A.M.P.E.R. might seem like a brainstorming activity for product development teams, it can serve marketing teams just as well. Use it to:

• Improve a current process — such as keyword research or market research — by substituting, combining, and adapting tasks.
• Optimize the copy of a blog post or campaign by crafting hypothetical changes that could improve the piece. These changes could make it easier to “template” the piece.
• Build a drip campaign that effectively gets leads to convert by modifying and substituting certain email messages.

5. S.W.O.T. Analysis

Entrepreneurs and business leaders know exactly what a SWOT analysis is. Well, it also happens to be a helpful brainstorming exercise.

S.W.O.T. stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. When launching a company, it’s your textbook starting point (literally — there isn’t a single business school textbook in the world that doesn’t have a version of it).

But while a company’s founder might use a SWOT analysis to create his or her business model, brainstormers can use the same diagram to better organize their ideas.

Your SWOT analysis doesn’t have to be all that complicated when brainstorming. In fact, it can simply be four columns on a whiteboard during your average “shout it out” ideas meeting. When thinking of a new logo design, for instance, ask yourself what you like most about your current logo (strengths). What do you dislike about it (weaknesses)? What should it have more of (opportunities)? What other company logos should you be mindful of (threats)?

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• A S.W.O.T analysis will effectively put you in problem-solving mode before problems ever arise.
• It takes into account competitive advantages and disadvantages — a consideration that often comes long after brainstorming.
• You’ll get a much more detailed and comprehensive overview of what can be improved.

How to Use It in Marketing

S.W.O.T analyses are typically used in business and entrepreneurship, but marketers can use it to:

• Improve a social or search engine campaign before launch and find out where you may have opportunities or be facing threats.
• Create a much better project plan for clients by analyzing the project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Audit an existing process within the team, such as handoffs to sales or content creation.

6. Zero Draft

The Zero Draft is an ideation technique often used by writers and is essentially a form of focused free-writing. For marketers and agency professionals, it can help focus the first stages of a new project by establishing what you currently know and getting your initial ideas out of your brain and onto paper.

Taking your central theme or topic:

• Write down everything you currently know about the subject.
• Write down what you need or want to know about the subject, but don’t currently know.
• Reflect on why the subject is important.
• Add anything else that takes your fancy — this is a chance to get whatever’s floating around in your head out into the world.

The Zero Draft method is all about getting everything you can think of relating to your topic down on paper, so don’t be concerned if it looks messy and unfocused. The goal is just to get past the initial block that often plagues creative professionals in the early stages of a new project.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• The Zero Draft method has minimal constraints while allowing you to make sense of your ideas in coherent sentences.
• It’s especially a good fit for those who like to write their ideas down.
• As opposed to a whiteboard session, Zero Drafting allows you to document your thoughts in a more permanent format.

How to Use It in Marketing

Zero Drafting has ample uses in marketing. Use it to:

• Draft a blog post, article, or page from start to finish without stopping.
• Create a preliminary outline for a marketing video or video advertisement.
• Map the sequence of a new client project or internal project.

7. Reverse Brainstorming

In certain corporations and government entities, data security is the highest priority. So high, in fact, that these organizations have been known to hire hackers — many of whom have committed internet crimes — to hack their systems and find out where the weaknesses are.

This “reverse” approach to security, wherein you hack your own company, is considered one of the best ways to secure a server from intrusion. And for us, it’s the inspiration behind this fourth brainstorming technique.

When you reverse brainstorm, you essentially work to create problems rather than solutions. “Why on Earth would you want to do that?” you might ask. Creating problems teaches you what not to do so you’re more intuitive to the needs of your project. Think of it like hacking your company to find out where the weaknesses are.

Say, for example, you want to drive awareness to a new product. As a marketer, you have many promotional channels at your disposal, but you don’t know how to use them or where to start. In a reverse brainstorming session, you might come up with the following:

• Avoid hyperlinks to the product’s purchase page
• Don’t tweet about the product
• Criticize the features of your product

Obviously, these are all horrible ideas if your goal is to promote the product. But, take the reverse of these ideas, and you’ve effectively created three excellent starting points for a supportive campaign: Link to the product in a series of blog posts, develop a Twitter campaign around the product, and identify specific features of the product that prospects would be most interested in reading or hearing about.

Why This Brainstorming Technique Works

• Reverse brainstorming tells you what to avoid from the get-go.
• It’s easier to start with what to not to do rather than what to do — the latter of which can make us feel stuck.
• It helps you avoid decision fatigue early on in the ideation process.

How to Use It in Marketing

As referenced above, you can use reverse brainstorming to come up with actions for promoting a new product. You can also use it to:

• Come up with the top worst clients you could attract to your company, which would tell you the types of leads you should pursue.
• Create the worst verbiage you could use in your ads, which would tell you the type of tone and wording you should use in your campaigns.
• Outline what failure looks like for your team, which you could then use to come up with new goals and objectives.

Are you brainstorming with your group or team? While all of the activities above could be used in a group setting, there are a few exercises that are made specifically for groups. Let’s take a look at the ones you could use below.

Group Brainstorming Techniques

1. Group Sketching

You don’t have to be an artist or a designer to benefit from sketching. Visual thinking can help to trigger and develop ideas that discussion and writing might otherwise leave unturned. Similar to brain-writing, group sketching involves participants building on each other’s ideas.

Each member of your team will sketch an image related in a central way to a concept, idea, or topic you want to explore further. Each sketch is then passed to someone else, who sketches another related image on the same piece of paper. This is repeated multiple times around the group. The final images are then reviewed and discussed with the aim of discovering connections that individuals hadn’t spotted on their own.

2. Brain Netting

Creative exercises and ideas meetings always go better the more people you have in the room. Unfortunately, that means remote employees might not be solicited for their input as much as they should be. Brain netting is the act of connecting with folks electronically to make sure everyone can offer their input and feedback on a project.

Brain netting doesn’t just have to be a group phone call, though. Company messaging platforms like Slack are the perfect way to get everyone into a chatroom to spill their ideas. As ideas are submitted, each chatroom member can vote for their favorites and combine the best qualities of multiple concepts.

3. Questioning Assumptions

We all carry assumptions with us — assumptions about what’s possible, what isn’t possible, what people want, what will work, and what won’t. This exercise forces us to challenge these assumptions and put everything on the table.

Draw up a list of all the assumptions you can think of about your current project — true or not — and discuss the list as a group, questioning each one. Doing this at various stages in your campaign development can spark fresh ideas, as well as identify knowledge gaps.

4. Wishing

This technique encourages your team to let imaginations run wild. Ask participants to dream up the most unattainable, extreme, and impractical solutions they can think of to a given problem. Create a list of a few dozen wishes pertaining to the task at hand.

Focusing on a selection of wishes, consider and discuss the ideas in detail, with the aim of triggering new but more realistic concepts to pursue. What makes them so impossible? How can that idea be scaled down? Which features of that wish could we integrate into this other approach? You might be surprised to discover applicable, real-world solutions among your team’s wildest wishes.

5. Alter-Egos / Heroes

This is a fun exercise where small groups imagine how they would go about solving a given problem if their team were led by a famous character, fictional or real. How would Cat Woman go about positioning your brand as a thought leader in virtual reality? What would Steve Jobs do to improve your latest communications package? How would Don Draper get your core messages across to millennials?

You can either choose someone you think embodies the right qualities for the job to help develop your vision, or someone at the opposite end of that scale, to explore less conventional ideas.

6. Six Thinking Hats

There’s a whole host of problem-solving exercises and tools that help participants to put themselves into the shoes of another. This particular tool was invented by Edward de Bono, a psychologist, author, and consultant who pioneered the technique in his 1985 book Six Thinking Hats. The method involves breaking down ideas into six areas of thought:

• Logic: The facts.
• Optimism: The value and the benefits.
• Devil’s Advocate: The difficulties and the dangers.
• Emotion: Feelings and intuitions.
• Creativity: Possibilities and new ideas.
• Management: Making sure that the rules of the hat are observed.

When approaching a new problem or project, have each member of your team put on one of these different “hats” for the discussion. Each “hat” represents a unique set of priorities and perspectives that will help focus your discussion and consider the project from a wide variety of angles.

For example, if you’re wearing the “Devil’s Advocate” hat, it’s your job to consider the project’s limitations and challenges. It may feel uncomfortable at first to temporarily adopt a very narrow form of thinking, but the extremes can help teams fully explore a project.

7. Forced Connections

This exercise involves bringing together ideas that serve very different needs or interests to form a new concept. You see this sort of thinking all the time in products like the Apple Watch, the Swiss Army knife, smartphones, or even sofa beds.

To put this method into practice, bring a bag of random items to your next meeting, or draw up two lists of unrelated items on the board. Ask team members to pick two or more items and explore different ways they can be connected. This technique can produce some silly results, but it’s ultimately a helpful way of getting your team out of a creative rut.

8. Brain-Writing

In this exercise, participants simply write down a few rough ideas for solving a particular problem on a piece of paper. Each piece of paper is then passed on to someone else, who reads it silently and adds their own ideas to the page. This process is repeated until everyone has had a chance to add to each original piece of paper. The notes can then be gathered, ready for discussion.

The big advantage of brain-writing is that it makes sure everybody is given the opportunity to have their thoughts and ideas thoroughly considered by the group. This avoids the loudest or most extroverted people unintentionally dominating the sessions.

For some teams, brainstorming might come easily — they might even have a process in place. For other teams, it’s not as easy, even if they have a handful of activities they know they’d like to use. Below, I’ll cover how you can get the most out of your brainstorming session.

1. Focus on quantity over quality.

Brainstorming is all about “vomiting” any and all ideas you have — no matter how silly they may seem. (And trust me, there are no silly ideas in a brainstorming session.) For that reason, don’t worry about coming up with quality ideas and instead focus on quantity.

Write down anything that you or your team have come up with. What may seem implausible now may be what your team chooses to pursue later.

2. Selectively apply constraints to keep the session focused.

While you should come up with as many ideas as possible, you shouldn’t run all over the place, crossing topics that are irrelevant or that are unattainable for various reasons. Consider creating budgetary constraints, establishing a timeline, and putting up guardrails that will keep your brainstorming session in line with your goals.

For instance, if your budget for a new marketing campaign is $2,000, but you know you don’t want to spend it on pay-per-click ads, you can spend your brainstorming power on other avenues.

3. Don’t prune ideas as you brainstorm.

Resist the urge to prune ideas as you come up with them. Even if you think you’ve got a much better idea at hand, let that old idea sit there — you might use it later on another project, or even in the second phase of your current project. Ideas that seem obsolete can also act as guardrails later on.

4. Never finalize or commit during the brainstorming session.

When you get an excellent idea during your brainstorming session, you might feel tempted to commit to it and set it aside, then continue brainstorming other ideas. The problem with that approach is that it limits you considerably, because now you’re brainstorming around that one idea rather than brainstorming freely. Without knowing it, you’ll anchor your brainstorming on that idea to make it come to fruition.

The goal of brainstorming, of course, is to finalize one final concept. But until you’ve tackled the concept from all possible angles, don’t commit to a certain idea until you’ve laid out all of the routes you could take.

5. Look to other sources for inspiration.

When you get stuck, it’s imperative to look at the competition to get inspiration — especially in marketing. What are they doing that you could imitate? Which ideas could you bounce off of? Even the most productive brainstorming sessions will come to a halt at one point, and inspiration will go a long way in jumpstarting your session again.

You might even print out certain images, articles, and campaigns to keep your team inspired as you work.

6. Use a whiteboard (and take pictures of each whiteboarding session).

Using a whiteboard might seem like the stereotypical brainstorming route, but it has its merits: It allows your team to get any and all ideas out in a seemingly impermanent way. No idea is too silly to write on a whiteboard because you can easily erase it.

Of course, I wouldn’t suggest erasing your sessions; take photos of your finished whiteboards to keep all of your ideas on record. Remember to pair whiteboarding with a creative brainstorming exercise. Instead of writing “[Topic] Brainstorming Session” up top and letting anyone chime in, create a chart for a S.W.O.T analysis, or list different alter-egos to detail how they’d promote your product.

7. Take breaks.

If you want to stay productive during your brainstorming session, it’s imperative to take breaks. Let your team take a walk, scroll through social media, or go out for a bite. Do brainstorming in short bursts, or do it in long blocks. Whatever you do, schedule breaks for your team to ensure everyone’s minds are as clear as possible during the process.

Use Creative Brainstorming Techniques to Ideate Better

Traditional brainstorming is dead. Your team no longer has to sit in a circle in silence while you try to write ideas on an empty whiteboard. Use the above exercises to come up with powerful marketing projects, advertisements, and campaigns that empower your team and your company to grow better.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

“Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?”

Of all the job interview questions out there, this has always been one of the most difficult.

These days, the next steps in your career aren’t always linear. The age-old corporate ladder model of putting in a few years as an associate contributor, becoming a manager of a small team, and climbing your way to the senior management or director level is not right for everyone.

And considering you’ll spend roughly one-third of your life at work, it’s critical you take the time to reflect and choose the best career path for you.

To help you figure out your short and long term career goals, I spoke with four career coaches. Here, we’ll explore how you can determine your own career goals for long-term professional fulfillment. Let’s dive in.

What are career goals?

Career goals are any short or long term milestones you hope to achieve throughout your career to get you where you want to be. While your personal goals might include starting a family or buying a house, your career goals are entirely focused on the trajectory of your professional life. 

Your long term career goals are the adult answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Perhaps you hope to become CFO, business owner, or VP of Marketing. Alternatively, maybe you want to become a lecturer at a college, open your own private practice, write a novel, or own a yoga studio. 

Once you’ve identified your long term goals, you’ll want to create a strategic vision for how to get there, which is comprised of lots of short term goals. For instance, maybe in your short term plan, you’d like to get your MBA, speak at conferences, take a writing course, or get your yoga certificate. All your short term decisions should be made, at least in part, with your long term career goal in-mind. 

Let’s dive into the difference between short and long term career goals, now. 

Short Term Career Goals 

A short term career goal is any professional goal that will take you a few months or few years to achieve. Your short term goals should fit into the roadmap you need to follow to eventually reach your long-term goals. 

Short term goals can relate to education, professional development, personal development, or leadership. For instance, a few short term goals might include: 

• Taking an Excel course to become more proficient in data analysis
• Signing up for your company’s professional development workshop to master new skills related to management 
• Enrolling in a Toastmasters class to become a more confident public speaker 
• Increasing your monthly sales by 30% 
• Collaborating more efficiently across departments 

From these examples, you can begin to see that short term goals are not the end-all, be-all of your professional development — they’re just a starting point. It’s often easiest to determine your short term goals by first discovering your long term goals, and then working backwards. 

For instance, if your long term goal is to become the VP of Marketing, you’ll want to identify an appropriate leadership roadmap and start with relevant short term goals, like taking a public speaking course, strengthening your leadership skills, or networking within the industry to find appropriate mentors. 

When devising your short term goals, you’ll want to ensure you’re following the SMART framework: Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. 

The SMART framework can help you create more specific goals that are typically easier to achieve — for instance, you might modify your short term goal, “I want to create a stronger team culture” to “I will improve our team’s culture by implementing weekly team lunches and facilitating various ice breakers or games during these lunches. At the end of the quarter, I’ll send out a survey to team members to measure employees’ satisfaction levels with team culture.”

Long Term Career Goals 

A long term career goal is your long-term vision that drives your career and professional development decisions, and typically takes years to achieve. 

Oftentimes, your long term career goals can be the motivating factors in your day-to-day. For instance, perhaps you don’t love your current role as a content marketer — but it’s necessary for you to learn the ins and outs of marketing, since your long term goal is to become a VP of Marketing. 

A long term goal should drive your professional decisions and career conversations with your manager, since long term goals are only achievable once you’ve crossed off a series of short term steps. Of course, you’ll want to ensure the long term goals you articulate with your manager are possible at your current company. 

For instance, if you’re in a marketing-related role, it’s appropriate to communicate to your manager that your long term goal is to become a VP of Marketing. It’s less appropriate to tell her that your long term goal is to write a science fiction book, since that demonstrates to your manager that you don’t plan on staying at your current company for the long haul. 

A few examples of long term goals include: 

• Become an executive at a company 
• Lead the financial team at a start-up 
• Become a thought leader in the SEO space 
• Start your own company 
• Take courses to switch career paths and become a product manager 
• Build a consulting business

Ultimately, your long term goal is the desired end result of many strategic, short-term decisions. 

If your long term goal is to become a product manager, some short-term decisions might include taking a college course on product management, conducting informational interviews with product managers to learn more about necessary skills for the role, and taking a few courses related to the core requirements. 

If your long term goal doesn’t relate to your current role, consider how you might level up outside of work to break into a new industry. For instance, if a long term goal is to become a novelist, perhaps you take some fiction workshops outside of work. Alternatively, if your long term goal is to start your own business, maybe you create your business plan on the weekends.

How do you know what your career goals are? 

It’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? Many of us hope to know what our career goals are as soon as we graduate college — but, as we try out certain roles and uncover our professional strengths and weaknesses, these goals likely change over time. 

To get some insight here, I spoke with Nicole Palidwor, a certified career coach and resumé specialist at Ama La Vida.

Palidwor told me she typically urges her clients to focus on the following five areas when considering a career change: 

• Values: What do I care about? What is important to me?
• Interests: What topics do I find fascinating or intriguing?
• Work Environment: What industry and/or company type interests me?
• Status: What is my desired professional recognition and achievement?
• Compensation: What is my long-term desired income?

Palidwor says, “Different priorities will lead you down different paths. For example, if interests rank highest, you’ll look for careers that allow you to explore your passions or reflect your training. If overall compensation is your motivator, you’ll pursue titles and qualifications that move the salary needle.”

She adds, “It’s also important to recognize potential tradeoffs. High compensation doesn’t necessarily align with working for social causes. Ideal work environments may not always provide the status you’re looking for. Non-profit work, tech startups, Fortune 500s, engineering firms, and executive opportunities all await you, but they may not all make sense.”

Senior Director of Student Affairs for Penn State University and career development strategist for Mentor Me Ashley A. Adams, PhD, agrees that figuring out your values is a critical step in choosing a career path.

Adams told me, “The first step in determining career goals is to focus on your values. Values serve as a compass and should guide your decision-making in all things, but particularly in your career.”

“For instance,” She adds, “if you value family, identify industries that have structured or predictable work schedules that allow you to plan appropriate family time. Alternatively, if you value wealth, find organizations that have lucrative benefits, high % matching 401K, and above-average salaries. Once you’ve identified your values, then you can focus on your strengths and weaknesses.”

Once you’ve made a list of your values and interests, you can begin to identify your most powerful professional skills. You’ll then want to determine a career that aligns all three of these areas. 

Additionally, Sho Dewan, who was listed one of the top career coaches globally on LinkedIn’s Top Voices list and is CEO of Workhap, recommends breaking down your goals into three parts: 

• What is the result I want? (Example: “I want to earn a promotion in six months.”)
• What is the action I have to take every day or week to achieve that goal? (Example: “I will arrange feedback meetings with my manager, learn new skills, organize team-building events, etc.”)
• What is the thought I need to remind myself to achieve that goal? (Example: “I am skilled at what I do, my manager wants to see me succeed, and I am a valuable asset to the team.”)

Dewan says, “If you can think these thoughts consistently, then you will be motivated to take the required action — which will lead to you getting your desired results.”

Heidi Siegal Kogon, Founder and Career Coach at Kogon Coaching, also encourages her clients to understand their core values and innate strengths. She says you can do this by asking those closest to you, leveraging personality or strength assessment tools, or thinking about what you most enjoy doing. 

She adds, “You’ll want to take the time to figure out what you truly want — not what someone else wants for you, or what you think you ‘should‘ do. Many people live their lives based on what other people think they should do. Those people may think they have your best interest at heart, but it still may not be the best decision for you.”

If you currently work at a company, or you’re interviewing for a new position, follow these tips to decide what your career goals are:

• Look at the organizational structure
• Know the company’s hierarchical lingo
• Ask what a typical career trajectory might look like in your role
• Consider long term goals such as becoming an executive or owning your own business
• Think about what motivates you

This means that you’ll want to think about what motivates you and then consider what the next step would be at the company you’re working for. You should know how the organization structures its hierarchy and the lingo that’s used.

Then, you can lay out a basic plan for a career trajectory from one role to the next. Once you have an idea of the roles you want, then you can focus on deciding what skills and education you might need to get there.

5 Career Goal Examples

Now that we’ve explored what career goals are, let’s put this into practice. Here are six examples of career goals to get you started writing your own.

Alternatively, here’s how you might want to answer the question, “Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?” during a job interview. 

Example One: A Leadership Career Goal 

“Over the next couple of years, I’d like to enroll at a university to earn my MBA in finance. I hope to one day become CFO at a company, and I believe my MBA will help me achieve that goal. I have always been interested in a career in finance, and I also have strong leadership skills. Becoming an executive for a financial department would combine these interests well.” 

Short Term Goal: Get an MBA in finance

Long Term Goal: Become CFO at a corporation

Use Case: Interview or performance review

Example Two: An Independent Career Goal 

“My ultimate dream has always been to write a book and become a novelist. To help myself achieve this goal, I am going to sign up for a local writer’s fiction workshop so I can receive feedback on my writing from my peers.” 

Short Term Goal: Take a fiction workshop 

Long Term Goal: Write a book 

Use Case: Personal 

Example Three: A Skill-based Career Goal 

“Over the next five years, I’d like to gain enough experience to transition into a role on the SEO team. During my conversations with SEO strategists, I’ve learned one weakness I have is minimal knowledge of Excel, so I’d like to take an Excel course to strengthen my skills. This excel course, along with seeking out collaborative projects with the SEO team, should help me achieve my goal.” 

Short Term Goal: Learn Excel 

Long Term Goal: Become an SEO consultant 

Use Case: Performance review 

Example Four: An Outside-of-Work Career Goal 

“Within the next five years, I want to open a yoga studio. To accomplish this, I am going to start by getting my yoga teacher’s certification. This will enable me to break into the yoga industry, and after a few years working at a yoga studio, I can learn the ins and outs to better equip myself to open my own studio.” 

Short Term Goal: Get my yoga certificate 

Long Term Goal: Open a yoga studio 

Use Case: Personal 

Example Five: A Business Owner Career Goal 

“I’ve always dreamed of one day opening my own public relations firm. This goal influenced my decision to attend X University and get a degree in Public Relations with a minor in Management. In the short term, I’d like to join your team as a public relations associate and work my way up the ladder. Experience at your company would be invaluable to me as I begin my career.” 

Short Term Goal: Get a job as a public relations associate

Long Term Goal: Open my own public relations firm

Use Case: Interview 

How to Write Career Goals 

Once you’ve determined what your career goals are, you’ll want to write them down. Perhaps you’ll mention them on your resumé if your goals align with the role for which you’re interviewing.

Alternatively, maybe you write your career goals down before a performance review with your manager for a more constructive, guided conversation. 

Finally, even if your goals don’t align with your current role, you’ll still want to write them down for personal reflection. 

Here are four steps you can follow when writing your career goals:

1. Consider where you want to improve your career.

2. Use SMART goals formatting.

3. Write short term and long term goals.

4. Be detailed with your plan.

1. Consider where you want to improve your career.

Before you write your goals, think about the areas you want to advance. There are four main categories that I like to think about:

• Improving work performance.
• Developing skills that will help you become a leader/manager.
• Self-improvement focused goals.
• Learning about something new and different in your field.

When you write out your career goals, think about each of these areas. 

How can you improve your work performance? What kind of skills do you need to develop to get where you want to go? How can you improve yourself and grow? What can you learn about that’s new in your industry?

Thinking about these questions will help you begin brainstorming if you’re not necessarily sure where you want to end up.

2. Use SMART goals formatting.

An easy way to write out your career goals is to format it like a SMART goal, like mentioned above. Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.

Being as specific and relevant as possible is important for you to communicate with your manager or a potential employer.

3. Write short term and long term goals.

When you’re writing out your goals, write out a few short term and long term goals. It’s important to consider what type of goals you want to achieve in the next few years, as well as goals for the distant future.

You can come up with a career trajectory, and then write out short term goals that will help you get there. Additionally, when writing out your long term goals, consider why you want to become an executive or own a company. Thinking about what motivates you can help you maintain focus.

4. Be detailed with your plan.

Writing out your goals doesn’t just mean writing out a wish list. You should also come up with a plan of action for how you’re going to achieve your goals. This plan will consist of a basic trajectory, and the short term goals you need to achieve to get there.

I asked Nicole Palidwor about the “do’s” and “don’ts” when it comes to writing career goals.

Palidwor told me, “You’ll want to write career goals that make sense for your current lifestyle, available bandwidth, and the urgency of a professional change. People often get ambitious, but come to realize sending out 50 applications a week isn’t realistic.”

“Instead, create action steps that reflect what you can and want to do by establishing smaller, but still relevant, achievable, and appropriately ranked goals.”

Palidwor adds, “Don’t make too large or ambiguous goals. Break them down. Additionally, I’d quantify your expected results to hold yourself accountable, and give yourself deadlines so that you stay on track to achieving your goals. The more you break down and organize your goals, the easier they seem (and are!) to accomplish.”

When writing career goals for a resume, however, you’ll also want to ensure you make it clear how you plan on helping the company hit its own business goals — not just your own.

As Marcy Williams, Founder and Career Coach at Coach Marcy Life Coaching Services, tells me, “When writing out my career goals for a performance review or for a resumé, I make talking points of what I contribute to the role within the organization first. I discuss how I love working as a team to improve processes and the experience for all versus speaking of just myself.”

Williams adds, “Do not talk about yourself first when jotting down career goals because it will give the employer the feeling that you are only in it for yourself and not for the betterment of the organization.”

And there you have it! You’re well on your way towards creating more actionable, tactical career goals to get you where you want to be. Keep these tips in-mind, and don’t be afraid to iterate over time as you learn more about what you like — and don’t like — about your current career path. 

Crucial aspects of being a great marketer are being able to measure your success and measure your impact. No matter which metrics you use, you want to prove to your boss (and the company) that you’re worth your salt.

You deserve your budget — and maybe need more of it — and you deserve to dedicate time to the marketing activities that work. Building UTM codes that track your campaigns’ success is the best way to prove it.

In this blog post, you’ll learn what UTM codes are, how to use them, and how to build them in both Google Analytics and HubSpot.

UTM codes are also known as UTM parameters — or tracking tags — because they help you “track” website traffic from its origin.

Now, you might be thinking, “Ginny, I have HubSpot, so I already know if my website traffic is coming from Google, email, social media, and similar marketing channels. What does a UTM code tell me that I don’t already know?”

HubSpot Marketing Hub provides you with these high-level sources of traffic, but UTM also helps you drill down into specific pages and posts within these traffic sources.

UTM Code Example

If you’re promoting a campaign on social media, for example, you’ll know how much traffic came from social media.

Building a UTM code, however, can tell you how much of that traffic came from Facebook or even a particular post on Facebook.

Here’s an example of a URL with its own UTM code highlighted in orange at the end of the URL below:

http://blog.hubspot.com/9-reasons-you-cant-resist-list?utm_campaign=blogpost &utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook

In the example above, you’re saying that once traffic comes in from people who click this link, the traffic should be attributed to Facebook. The “medium” is social media, while the “source” is Facebook.

Adding these snippets of code after the question mark above doesn’t affect anything on the page — it just lets your analytics program know that someone arrived through a certain source inside an overall marketing channel, as part of a specific campaign.

UTM Tracking

UTM tracking entails adding a UTM code, a snippet of code, to the end of a URL in order to track the performance of your marketing campaigns and content as well as your website’s traffic sources. 

UTM Tracking Best Practices

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when creating and using UTM tracking URLs: 

• Make your URLs and links are consistent, clean, and easy to read (you may create a standard for link tagging/UTM parameter guide to ensure consistency here). 
• Keep a list of your UTM links so everyone on your team knows which tagged links currently exist. 
• Connect UTM tracking to your CRM (like HubSpot) to gain insight into how your bottom line looks. 
• Be specific with your URL UTM parameters so your tags clearly state what you’re tracking and where. 
• Stick with all lower or upper case — UTM codes are case-sensitive. 
• Keep names short but descriptive (e.g. “U.S.” versus “United-States”). 

UTM Parameter Examples & Use Cases

UTM codes can track a medium and a source within that medium. Where it gets more flexible is in the language you use to describe that source. Maybe you want to attribute website traffic to a social network, a type of content, or even the exact name of an advertisement on the web.

Here are the five things you can track with UTM codes and why you might track them:

1. Campaign

Campaign-based tracking tags group all of the content from one campaign in your analytics. The example UTM code below would help you attribute website traffic to links that were placed as a part of a 20% discount promotion you’re hosting.

Example: utm_campaign=20percentpromocode

2. Source

A source-based URL parameter can tell you which website is sending you traffic. You could add the example code below to every link you post to your Facebook page, helping you to track all traffic that comes from Facebook.

Example: utm_source=Facebook

3. Medium

This type of tracking tag informs you of the medium that your tracked link is featured in. You can use the example UTM code below to track all traffic that comes from social media (as opposed to other mediums, like email).

Example: utm_medium=socialmedia

4. Piece of Content

This type of UTM code is used to track the specific types of content that point to the same destination from a common source and medium.

It’s often used in pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns or with two identical links on the same page, as shown in the sample UTM code below.

Example: utm_content=sidebarlink or utm_content=headerlink

5. Term

A term- or keyword-based tracking code identifies the keywords you’ve paid for in a PPC ad. If you pay for a Google Ads campaign to rank under the keyword, “marketing software,” you might add the following UTM code to the end of the link you submit to Google to run this ad.

Example: utm_term=marketing+software

The best part about UTM parameters is that you can make any combination you like of these codes — use the bare minimum (campaign, source, and medium) to track all of your links, or use all of them to get super specific about your tracking.

Clearly, you can use a combination of UTM parameters in lots of ways:

• Track the success of certain marketing initiatives.
• See how well your social channels promote your content versus when your followers promote your content.
• Measure the effectiveness of guest posting referral traffic.
• Track the same piece of content across multiple marketing channels.
• See where most people click on your internal links in a blog post.

Okay, so you’re on board with UTM codes … but how the heck do you set them up? It’s easy.

Below are instructions for setting up and measuring UTM parameters in Google Analytics and HubSpot.

How to Build UTM Codes in Google Analytics

Here are the steps involved in building UTM codes in Google Analytics. 

1. Open Google’s Campaign URL Builder.

There are three different types of tracking tags you can create in Google, two of which help you track traffic to new apps on app marketplaces. You’ll be using the Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder — the third option on this list.

2. Fill in each link attribute in the following form.

Visit the page linked above and click the link to see this URL builder. Then, you’ll see the UTM builder shown below. Add the URL, Campaign, Source, and Medium information into their respective boxes.

3. Use the link in your marketing campaign.

If you’d like to shorten it, you’ll need a tool like bit.ly … or just use HubSpot’s URL Builder if you’re a HubSpot customer.

4. Measure your success.

If you already have Google Analytics set up for your site, Google will automatically track incoming campaigns. Like in HubSpot, you can access them under “Audience,” then “Sources,” then “Campaigns.” Click on each campaign to view the source and medium.

And that’s it — you’ll have custom tracking codes set up and running in no time! In a few weeks, you’ll be able to make a case for what you need because you’ll have the right metrics available.

How to Build UTM Codes in HubSpot 

Here’s how you’d go about building UTM codes in HubSpot. 

1. Navigate to your Analytics Tools.

In your Marketing Hub dashboard, select “Reports” on the top navigation bar. Then select “Analytics Tools” in the dropdown, as shown below.

2. Open the Tracking URL Builder.

In the menu of analytics tools that appears, look to the very bottom-righthand corner. You’ll see the option, “Tracking URL Builder.” Click this option at the bottom of the page, as shown in the red box below.

3. Open the Tracking URL form to create a new UTM code.

Whenever you create a web campaign that includes at least one UTM code, you’ll see this campaign listed on the page shown below.

This page outlines a tracking tag’s source, medium, term, content, and creation date, which you can see along the bottom of the screenshot below. Click “Create Tracking URL” in the top-righthand corner.

4. Fill in each attribute of your UTM code and click “Create.”

In the form that appears, fill in the URL, Campaign, Source, and Medium fields. If you’d like to add Content and Term, you can do so in the bottom two fields of this form. When you’re done, you’ll see an orange “Create” button become available at the bottom.

Click it, and HubSpot will log your UTM code as a new campaign, and this link will be ready to include on any webpage from which you want to track the traffic.

5. Use the shortened link in your marketing campaign.

6. Measure your success.

You can track your UTM parameters in your Traffic Analytics dashboard under “Other Campaigns,” as shown below. Click on the individual campaign to break down the source and medium.

As you can see in the second image, below, the name of the campaign appears to the left — based on the text in the UTM code you created — with the traffic from people who used each URL to arrive at your campaign’s main webpage.

Start Creating UTM Tracking URLs

Use the steps, best practices, and tools above to start creating and using UTM tracking URLs so you’re able to track the performance of your marketing campaigns and content. 

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

In 2010, there were over 2 billion internet users worldwide. In 2021, there were over 4.6 billion. 

To attract and engage this growing base of online users, websites are being created at a rapid pace. In 2010, there were a little over 210 million websites. Today, there are over 1.8 billion. 

To stand out in this crowded online space, you need to understand the latest technologies and trends in web design, as well as consumer behaviors and expectations. To help, we’ve covered the most essential web design statistics of 2021. Let’s get started.

Web Design Statistics

Mobile Web Design Statistics

1. In the first quarter of 2021, mobile devices generated 54.8 percent of global website traffic. (Statista, 2021)

Mobile traffic has been hovering around the 50 percent mark since the beginning of 2017. That means it’s more important than ever to optimize your website for mobile devices as well as desktops. It’s also important to consider whether offering a mobile app would provide a better experience to your users.

2. 32% of small businesses already have a mobile app and 42% plan to build one in the future. 26% of small businesses, on the other hand, are unlikely to ever release one. (Top Design Firms, 2021)

Some small businesses have already created a mobile app, while others plan to in order to improve their customer service or streamline the purchasing process for their customers. But over a quarter of some small businesses aren’t planning to — now or ever. Some don’t have the budget or marketing capabilities to create and promote their app. Others don’t think it makes sense for their business or audience.

Whether your small business should invest in building a mobile app or not depends on a wide range of factors, including your industry, target audience, and budget.

3. 50% of smartphone users are more likely to use a company or brand’s mobile site when browsing or shopping on a smartphone because they don’t want to download an app. (Google/Ipsos, 2019)

When deciding whether to invest in building a mobile app, consider that half of smartphone users prefer to browse or shop on a mobile site because they don’t want to take the extra steps required to download an app.

4. In a study commissioned by Google and conducted by 55 and Deloitte, decreasing mobile site load times by just one tenth of a second resulted in major increases in conversion rates — specifically, 8.4% for retail sites and 10.1% for travel sites. (Deloitte, 2019)

55 and Deloitte analyzed mobile site data from 37 retail, travel, luxury and lead generation brands across Europe and the US over a four-week period. Results showed that a 0.1 second improvement in load time can influence every step of the user journey and ultimately increase conversion rates. On average, conversions increased by 8.4% for retail sites and by 10.1% for travel sites.

This proves that website speed matters and should be considered a key performance metric.

Responsive Web Design Statistics

5. 73.1% of web designers believe that a non-responsive design is a top reason why visitors leave a website. (GoodFirms, 2021)

Considering that billions of people are accessing the internet using their mobile devices, it’s essential that your website is optimized for smaller screen sizes as well as desktops. In fact, not having a responsive design is rated as a top reason visitors might leave a website, according to a survey of 200+ web designers and freelancers. Other reasons are slow load times, bad navigation, and poor content structure.

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6. 53.8% of web designers cite “not being responsive on all devices” as a top reason for a website to be redesigned. (GoodFirms, 2021)

If your website isn’t responsive, then it’s time for a redesign, according to that same group of  200+ web designers and freelancers. The other top reasons — low conversion rate, high bounce rate, and “needs better UX” — could be addressed by a responsive design as well.

Web Design Industry Statistics

7. In 2020, the total number of web developers and designers in the United States was around 178,900. By 2030, this number is projected to reach over 205,000. (Statista, 2021)

In this study, web developers and designers were defined as those “responsible for the design and development of websites or interfaces including the overall layout, graphics, font type, etc.” The market is expected to grow by over 20,000 jobs in the next decade.

8. Employment of web developers and digital designers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021)

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of web developers and designers will grow at a much faster rate than the average for all occupations. It believes that demand will be driven by the continued popularity of mobile devices and ecommerce.

9. The median annual wage for web developers and digital designers was $77,200 in May 2020. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021)

The median annual wage for web developers and designers was over $77,000 in 2020. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics defines median wage as “the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.” In the case of web developers and designers, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $40,750, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $146,430.

10. The web design services market is estimated to be worth $40.8 billion in the US in 2021. (IBISWorld, 2020)

The web design services market is estimated to be worth over $40 billion in the US. Since 2016, it has grown an average of 4.4% per year.

Modern Web Design Statistics

11. 50% of consumers believe that website design is crucial to a business’s overall brand. (Top Design Firms, 2021)

In a survey of 500 consumers, half said that website design is important to a business’s overall brand. That suggests businesses should prioritize website design (or a redesign) to meet consumers’ expectations and strengthen their brand identity.

12. When asked what visual elements they value on a company website, 40% of consumers said images, 39% said color, and 21% said video. (Top Design Firms, 2021)

Images, color, and videos are the top visual elements that consumers value on a company website. Considering that nearly 40% said images and color and 21% said video, your business should prioritize adding images and picking a website color scheme first. Then, focus on incorporating video as well as other visual elements mentioned — namely, typography, infographics, and animation.

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13. 84.6% of web designers believe crowded web design is the most common mistake made by small businesses. (GoodFirms, 2021)

An overwhelming number of web designers (84.6%) believe crowded web design is the most common mistake that small businesses make when creating a website. That means you want to incorporate images, color, video, and other visual elements that consumers value — but not overdo it. Taking a minimalist approach can help.

14. 42% of people will leave a website because of poor functionality.  (Top Design Firms, 2021)

Web design isn’t just about making pretty websites — it’s about making websites that are easy to use and navigate. If yours isn’t, then it’s likely that many visitors will abandon your site. In a survey by Top Design Firms, 42% of respondents said they’d leave a website that had poor functionality.

15. 38.5% of web designers believe that outdated design is a top reason why visitors leave a website. (GoodFirms, 2021)

In addition to a non-responsive design and functionality issues, web designers cite outdated design as a top reason for visitors abandoning a website. You might be wondering when  a design becomes “outdated.” According to Business 2 Community, the average lifespan for a website is 1.5 to 2.5 years. Past that range, a website will need to incorporate new design trends and technologies to feel “fresh” and competitive.

16. 39% of consumers appreciate color more than any other component of a website’s design. (Top Design Firms, 2021)

39% of website visitors care about color more than any other component of a website’s design. That means companies should prioritize picking a website color scheme. Ideally, your color schemes will reinforce your brand, make your site easy to read and navigate, and also look good.

17. Only 8% of consumers notice whitespace when viewing a website for the first time. (Top Design Firms, 2021)

When viewing a website for their first time, only a fraction of visitors notice whitespace. That doesn’t mean it’s not important, however. This critical design element can help draw visitors’ attention to certain elements, like CTAs, and make it easier for them to understand and digest your content.

18. 26% of consumers prefer primary color schemes, 21% prefer complementary, and 20% prefer analogous. (Top Design Firms, 2021)

Consumers are split about which type of color scheme they prefer: some want primary, others want complementary, while others want analogous. To understand the difference, you need to be somewhat familiar with color theory. A primary color scheme is made up of one or more primary colors (red, yellow, and blue). A complementary color scheme uses two colors directly across from each other on the color wheel (like orange and blue) and relevant tints of those colors. An analogous color scheme is created by pairing one main color with the two colors directly next to it on the color wheel (like green, purple, and blue.

When selecting a color scheme, companies should consider their products, services, and audience.

19. 22% of consumers visiting a website for the first time look for eye-catching colors. But 21% of consumers will leave a site with “outlandish” colors. (Top Design Firms, 2021)

Since 22% of consumers visiting a website for the first time look for eye-catching colors, but 21% will leave one with “outlandish” colors, it’s important to strike the right balance. To help choose eye-catching — but not garish — colors for your website color scheme, opt for a neutral background color. Then choose primary and secondary colors. Don’t be afraid to look at businesses in your industry for inspiration.

20. When looking at a website for the first time, 38% of consumers look at a page’s layout or navigational links. (Top Design Firms, 2021)

38% of people visiting a website for the first time look at the layout or navigational links on a page. If the layout is confusing or the navigation menu is hard to find, then visitors may leave your website.

21.  As of June 2021, Google.com is the most popular website worldwide, with 86.9 billion total monthly visits. (Statista, 2021)

For the last decade, Google.com has been the most popular website worldwide. In June 2021, it racked up 86.9 billion total monthly visits. That means you can learn a few things from their website’s design if you need inspiration. YouTube, Facebook, and Wikipedia are the next most popular websites across the world.

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Ecommerce Web Design Statistics

22. In 2021, 53.9 percent of all retail ecommerce is expected to be generated via mobile devices. (Statista, 2021)

Mobile is not only responsible for the majority of global traffic this year — it’s also making up the majority of retail ecommerce sales. That adds even more incentive for ecommerce sites to ensure they are fully responsive and mobile-friendly.

23. 23% of small retail businesses don’t have a website. (Digital.com, 2021)

With ecommerce growing year-over-year, it might surprise you that 23% of small retail businesses don’t have a website. Some believe they don’t need one — but they are likely missing out on key opportunities to generate revenue. According to Statista, revenue from ecommerce in the United States amounted to 431.6 billion U.S dollars in 2020. It’s estimated to increase to 563.4 billion dollars by 2025.

24. 24% of small retail businesses without a website responded that their reason for not having one was that they don’t know how to create/run a website. (Digital.com, 2021)

While some businesses doubt the necessity of having an online presence, others simply don’t have the resources to create one. 24% of small business owners without a website said the reason was that they don’t know how to create and run one. The rise of user-friendly and affordable content management systems and website builders could help overcome this objection and get more small businesses online.

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25. As of June 2021, Amazon was the most popular ecommerce site in the United States, with approximately 2.45 billion total monthly visits. (Statista, 2021)

Since Amazon has had unprecedented success in driving traffic to their site, Amazon.com can provide inspiration for your website’s design. It’s become the go-to platform for many online shoppers due to its broad assortment of goods, third-party selling, and other design and functionality choices.

26. 85% of shoppers say product information and pictures are important to them when deciding which brand or retailer to buy from. (Google/Ipsos, 2019)

Online shoppers use a variety of factors to decide which brands and retailers to buy from. The majority cite product information and pictures as an important factor, so make sure your ecommerce site’s product pages are optimized for copy and imagery.

27. 60% of consumers rate usability as an important design characteristic for an online shop. (Statista, 2020)

In a survey of almost 1,000 US consumers, 60 percent stated that website usability is important for them in an online shop. You can improve the usability of your website by using visual hierarchy, colors, and consistency to make it as easy to use as possible. If you’re not sure where to start, HubSpot’s Website Grader and other usability testing tools can help identify improvement opportunities.

Preparing for the Future of Web Design

The web design industry is growing and so are user’s expectations of what websites and online shops look like and are capable of. Will you be prepared to meet them?

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

As your business grows and evolves, you’ll inevitably find yourself adding more applications to your tech stack. If those applications run on different platforms and can’t communicate effectively, you’re going to run into issues with data loss, duplication of efforts, and bottlenecks that slow your team down.

If you’ve decided you want to invest in an iPaaS tool but aren’t sure where to start, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll go over some of the best iPaaS vendors, so you can discover one that fits your company’s unique needs and budget. Let’s dive in.

iPaaS Vendors: Top Features to Look For

iPaaS — which stands for Integration Platform as a Service — helps you connect the tools and systems that power your business in one place, so information can be shared without high-maintenance, one-off integrations, or manual data entry.

When considering iPaaS vendors and companies, you should know what to look for to get the most out of your investment. While some solutions are free, others can come with a hefty price tag.

Here are the top features you should look for.

User-Friendly Workflows Tool

iPaaS solutions allow you to integrate two or more apps to automate a process that otherwise takes longer to complete. It’s a critical tool to have in your workflow automation arsenal. As such, it should allow you to build workflows and connect apps in a user-friendly, no-code workflows tool.

The exception would be if you’re planning to create highly personalized workflows and integrations using code.

API Management Tool

You may be looking for an iPaaS provider that can help you build and deploy an API. You may also wish to create a unique integration tool using APIs from various apps and platforms. Some iPaaS services offer an API management feature either within the platform or as an add-on.

Templated Integrations

For small-to-medium businesses without an integration workflow, it’ll be critical to choose a tool that offers at least a few basic templated integrations to get you off the ground. Whether you want to create a simple or complicated series of integrations, the iPaaS vendor should offer a jumping-off point.

Top-Notch Security

iPaaS vendors will be handling your company’s confidential data, so they should offer end-to-end security and encryption. Most iPaaS vendors list their certifications and describe their security measures on their websites. If you have any doubts or special concerns about the security of your data, be sure to bring up any questions during the demo or consultation.

Ready to dive into the best iPaaS vendors of this year?

We wrote a deep dive on iPaaS here if you’d like to learn more about the basics of iPaaS services, view a complete glossary of iPaaS terms, and better understand what iPaaS can potentially offer your business.

Now, it’s time to check out the best iPaaS vendors you can use to integrate your business’s apps and services.

1. Dell Boomi

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Acquired by Dell in 2010, Boomi offers a cloud-based integration and API management solution with all the bells and whistles you could ask for: workflows, API design, application deployment, B2B/EDI management, and much more. Within Boomi, you can design end-to-end workflows and process data across multiple applications. Suitable for enterprise and small businesses from many different industries, Boomi has been considered a leader in the iPaaS space for the last six years by Gartner.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Boomi has a drag-and-drop UI for creating integrations and workflows.
• API management tool: Boomi includes an API management tool to design and deploy APIs.
• Templated integrations: Boomi includes templates and a process library for the easy creation of integrations.
• Top-notch security: Boomi details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Because of its low starting price and robust features, Dell Boomi is a great fit for small-to-enterprise businesses that have any need for integrations. There are, however, free tools that have similar capabilities.

Price: Starting at $50/month.

2. Oracle Integration Cloud

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If you’re looking for a straightforward iPaaS solution with industry best practices and premade integration flows baked into the product, Oracle Integration Cloud might be an option to take a deeper look at. Oracle serves up an extensive library of out-of-the-box adapters to different SaaS and on-premises applications, making the initial set-up less time consuming for your team.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Oracle Integration Cloud offers a drag-and-drop tool for creating connections between apps. There are, however, more user-friendly tools out there, such as Workato.
• API management tool: Oracle offers an API platform.
• Templated integrations: Oracle Integration Cloud includes a vast library of premade integrations.
• Top-notch security: Oracle details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Oracle Integration Cloud is a great fit for enterprise businesses that can benefit from the premade integrations Oracle offers in its library.

Price: Choose from several different pricing structures, including a pay-as-you-go plan starting at $1.2097/message, and a monthly flex plan starting at $0.3226/message.

3. Workato

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This iPaaS solution was designed to enable better connection between business users and IT, allowing both groups to plan, create, and easily maintain integrations between different systems. Workato provides pre-built integration flows between 300 of the most popular SaaS products, and the ability to design custom integrations in a simple, drag-and-drop interface.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Workato has a user-friendly tool for integrating apps and creating workflows.
• API management tool: Workato has an API Platform.
• Templated integrations: Workato has a library of community-made “recipes” for launching integrations.
• Top-notch security: Workato details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Workato is a great fit for small-to-medium businesses that use the apps listed in the Workato community recipes page.

Price: Contact Workato for a quote.

4. TIBCO Cloud™

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TIBCO Cloud prides itself on providing an easy-to-use iPaaS solution that simplifies the creation and management of integration flows in your business. They consider themselves to be an “application neutral” technology partner for their clients — meaning, they won’t try to push you towards using a particular application or ecosystem. Instead, they’ll work with you to build a solution that connects the on-premises tools and cloud-based applications your business already prefers to use.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: TIBCO Cloud Integration has a visual UI for building workflows and integrations. It does require some knowledge of code, so it’s not recommended for beginners.
• API management tool: TIBCO Cloud offers an API management tool that’s sold separately from its Integration tool.
• Templated integrations: TIBCO Cloud has a library of premade connectors.
• Top-notch security: TIBCO Cloud details its approach to data security here.

Best for: TIBCO Cloud is a great fit for large-to-enterprise businesses that need extensive custom integrations.

Price: Starting at $400/month for a Basic Plan, $1500/month for a Standard Plan, and custom pricing for Hybrid plans based on your unique needs.

5. Elastic.io

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Elastic.io promises to remove the laborious product management component of custom integrations and reduce the amount of time spent on integrations at your company by up to 80%. This iPaaS vendor also takes an as-a-service mentality to how they work with customers, helping you support feature roll-outs and upgrades, bug fixes, and connector updates.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Elastic.io has a user-friendly integration flow designer.
• API management tool: Elastic.io offers an API integration tool that allows you to integrate APIs from other services.
• Templated integrations: Elastic.io has a library of premade connectors.
• Top-notch security: Elastic.io details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Elastic.io’s lower investment and user-friendly integrations builder makes it a great choice for medium-to-large business just starting to create app integrations.

Price: For system integrators, the monthly plans start at €199/month; for enterprise customers, the yearly plans start at €1,499/month; and for software vendors, they offer the platform as OEM with customizable pricing (i.e. on request).

6. Modulus Data

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This iPaaS vendor specializes in integrations for the Human Resources industry, offering a comprehensive library of pre-built connectors aimed at helping your HR department align their applications and tools in one seamless, secure hub. Modulus Data has out-of-the-box connectors with most popular HR applications and software tools, including Workday, Greenhouse, Monster, and Oracle HCM.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Modulus Data offers a visual integrations builder tool.
• API management tool: Modulus Data uses an API-to-API connection to integrate apps; however, it doesn’t offer an option for managing or creating custom APIs.
• Templated integrations: Modulus Data offers a library of prebuilt connectors.
• Top-notch security: While Modulus Data doesn’t have security documentation, it indicates its level of security in its terms and conditions.

Best for: Modulus data is a great fit for recruitment firms and HR departments looking to streamline workflows and integrate the apps in their tech stacks.

Price: Contact Modulus Data for a quote.

7. Informatica

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Informatica has been around since 1993, and still continues to be an industry leader in helping businesses manage their data effectively and securely. Specializing in enterprise level iPaaS solutions, Informatica lists big companies like GE, Unilever, and L’Oreal among their clients. If you’re a large company looking for hands-on support on your custom iPaaS journey, Informatica might be a good fit for your needs.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Informatica has a visual integrations builder tool.
• API management tool: Informatica offers an API management tool to build and deploy APIs.
• Templated integrations: Informatica offers a library of prebuilt connectors.
• Top-notch security: Informatica details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Informatica is a great fit for enterprise businesses with legacy applications that they’d like to integrate with their cloud-based apps and services.

Price: Contact Informatica for a quote.

8. IBM AppConnect

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IBM’s iPaaS solution markets itself as an easy way to connect apps, build APIs, integrate data, and act on events. AppConnect comes equipped with a series of templates made up of common patterns you can use to quickly set-up integration flows for your business, and start getting value immediately. SMBs looking to get started with iPaaS and explore the possibilities of new applications might benefit from using AppConnect.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: AppConnect features a visual, no-code integrations builder.
• API management tool: AppConnect offers an API management tool to build and deploy APIs.
• Templated integrations: AppConnect has a library of prebuilt connectors.
• Top-notch security: IBM details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Due to its free starting price, AppConnect is a great fit for small-to-medium businesses that want to try a hand at app integration. The iPaaS vendor then allows you to upgrade as your needs grow more sophisticated.

Price: AppConnect offers a free lite package. Professional packages start at $500/month.

9. SnapLogic

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For companies seeking an enterprise-level iPaaS solution that can handle a lot of data quickly, SnapLogic offers a way to automate integrations across on-premises and cloud-based applications on a large scale. But don’t let the hefty capabilities of SnapLogic mislead you into thinking the product itself is for the extremely tech-savvy only — this iPaaS solution is designed with user accessibility in mind, so even teams with less technology experience can build, manage, and scale custom integrations and workflows.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: SnapLogic features a drag-and-drop low-code integrations builder.
• API management tool: SnapLogic offers an API management tool to build and deploy APIs.
• Templated integrations: SnapLogic has a library of premade “Snaps,” their name for “connectors.”
• Top-notch security: SnapLogic details its approach to data security here.

Best for: SnapLogic is a great fit for enterprise businesses that need to automate processes across their IT, sales, marketing, HR, and accounting departments.

Price: Contact SnapLogic for a quote.

10. Zapier

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One of the more user and wallet-friendly options in the iPaaS space, Zapier gives businesses of any size the ability to design and manage custom integration solutions that fit their exact needs. Zapier adds new integrations (called “zaps”) to their massive integrations library each week, so chances are, there’s already an out-of-the-box solution available for you to start using today.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Zapier has a visual workflows builder and is extremely user-friendly.
• API management tool: Zapier does not offer an API management tool.
• Templated integrations: Zapier has the biggest integrations library of this list. Each app has hundreds — if not thousands — of premade workflows.
• Top-notch security: Zapier details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Due to its ease-of-use, Zapier is a great choice for small businesses and freelancers who want to create simpler workflows.

Price: Zapier offers a free basic package. Starter packages start at $19.99/month, and Professional packages begin at $49/month.

11. Jitterbit

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According to G2 ratings, Jitterbit is one of the more user-friendly and cost-effective iPaaS options out there. This iPaaS vendor offers support for a wide breadth of connectors, advanced workflow capabilities, real-time integrations, and a range of data security features. Additionally, Jitterbit has an easy-to-use visual designer to help make the setup and monitoring processes run smoothly — even for teams without a dedicated developer on staff.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Jitterbit features a visual drag-and-drop workflows builder.
• API management tool: Jitterbit offers an API management tool to build and deploy APIs.
• Templated integrations: Jitterbit has pre-built templates inside the platform.
• Top-notch security: Jitterbit details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Jitterbit is a great fit for medium-to-enterprise businesses in the energy, financial, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and transportation industries.

Price: Contact Jitterbit to get a quote.

12. Amazon API Gateway

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Built with developers in mind, Amazon’s iPaaS solution enables teams to create and manage APIs that act as a “front door” for applications to access data and share information. Amazon API Gateway is unique because you only pay for the API calls you use, rather than most other iPaaS vendors which rely on monthly or annual pricing models. This iPaaS vendor is one to consider if you have a developer on staff and want more direct control over the API calls your company uses.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Amazon API Gateway offers a visual API manager.
• API management tool: Amazon API Gateway is specifically an API management tool; this is its core strength.
• Templated integrations: Amazon API Gateway doesn’t offer any templated integrations.
• Top-notch security: Amazon API Gateway details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Amazon API Gateway is a great fit for medium-to-enterprise businesses that need to build and manage custom APIs at scale.

Price: Pricing is determined by the quantity and type of API calls used.

13. Pabbly Connect

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Pabbly Connect enables you to seamlessly integrate applications from multiple niches such as marketing, CRM, finance, and more to create automated workflows. Additionally, you can create multi-step calls, set instant triggers, apply conditions using various filters, add unlimited applications, and do a lot more in your workflows.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Pabbly Connect offers a visual integration creator.
• API management tool: Pabbly Connect offers an API modules tool for connecting apps, but it doesn’t offer a standalone API management tool.
• Templated integrations: Pabbly Connect doesn’t have a library of premade integrations.
• Top-notch security: While Pabbly Connect doesn’t have security documentation, it does describe some of its security measures in its privacy policy.

Best for: Pabbly Connect is another great tool for freelancers and small businesses; whether you choose it over Zapier depends on which apps you’d like to integrate.

Price: Free and paid plans available. With the basic plan that comes at $9/month, you get unlimited workflows.

14. Celigo Integrator.io

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If you aren’t sure how an iPaaS solution will work for your company and are wary of hefty fees, Celigo offers a free version of their iPaaS product. Their Integration Marketplace is stocked with plenty of prebuilt, supported integrations with common applications, and their “flow” subscription model means you can start off with the free version and only start paying if you increase your usage and add new integrations into the mix.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Celigo offers a visual no-code flow builder.
• API management tool: Celigo includes an API management tool to build and deploy APIs.
• Templated integrations: Celigo has an integration marketplace with prebuilt connectors.
• Top-notch security: Celigo details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Celigo is a great fit for large-to-enterprise businesses that want to create custom integrations and APIs.

Price: Packages start at $7,200/year.

15. Tray.io

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This iPaaS vendor was designed with the intention to better connect the tools and workflows used by your marketing, sales, product, and services teams. They offer out-of-the-box integration solutions developed with these specific teams in mind, and aim to empower your teams to manage and create the integrations they need without requiring developer assistance every step of the way.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Tray.io offers a visual drag-and-drop workflow builder.
• API management tool: While Tray.io uses APIs to connect apps, it doesn’t offer a standalone API management tool.
• Templated integrations: Tray.io offers a library of prebuilt connectors.
• Top-notch security: Tray.io details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Tray.io is a great fit for businesses that need to foster greater collaboration between its teams, since it allows you to share workflows between teams.

Price: Contact Tray.io for a quote.

16. Xplenty

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If you’re seeking a straightforward way to visualize your workflows, integrations, and data flows, Xplenty might be a good option to consider. Their simplified dashboard enables you to manage how your tools and data are working together in one central place, and your developers will love that they can connect Xplenty with their existing monitoring systems using service hooks.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Xplenty offers a visual user interface; however, it still requires some coding.
• API management tool: Xplenty doesn’t offer an API management tool.
• Templated integrations: Xplenty offers a library of prebuilt connectors.
• Top-notch security: Xplenty.io details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Xplenty is a great fit for small-to-enterprise businesses with a team of developers to build custom integrations.

Price: Contact Xpenty for a quote.

17. Mulesoft

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Used by tech giants like Netflix and Airbnb, Mulesoft offers a wide range of customized iPaaS solutions for different industries and tech setups. Their selection of out-of-the-box connectivity options means your team will spend less time initially building out new integrations, since prebuilt integrations are easier to get up and running fast.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Mulesoft features a visual workflows “composer” for creating integrations without coding.
• API management tool: Mulesoft offers an API manager.
• Templated integrations: Mulesoft has a library of prebuilt connectors.
• Top-notch security: Mulesoft details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Mulesoft is a great fit for large-to-enterprise businesses that are looking to integrate apps and deploy APIs in one convenient platform.

Price: Contact Mulesoft for a quote.

18. Cleo Integration Cloud

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Cleo Integration Cloud offers a user-friendly, easy-to-use platform for automating processes across various teams in your businesses. The integration platform is focused on breaking down silos so that there’s utmost clarity between your business processes. The platform offers an integration environment called CIC Studio that helps you create workflows and integrations in an intuitive way.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Cleo offers a visual drag-and-drop workflows editor for creating integrations without coding.
• API management tool: While Cleo uses APIs to connect apps, it doesn’t offer a standalone API management tool.
• Templated integrations: Cleo offers a library of prebuilt connectors.
• Top-notch security: Cleo lists its security certifications here.

Best for: Cleo Integration Cloud is a great fit for B2B businesses that need to create sophisticated integrations with different protocols.

Price: Contact Cleo for a quote.

19. Talend Cloud Data Integration

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Talend Cloud Data Integration is an iPaaS solution for hybrid information systems — it can connect both cloud-to-cloud applications and cloud-to-on-premise applications, which makes it a great pick if your team isn’t looking to go full cloud just yet. You can develop and launch integrations in a central dashboard.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Talend uses a visual “pipeline designer” to create workflows.
• API management tool: Talend offers API services for creating and deploying APIs.
• Templated integrations: Talend has a list of supported connectors; however, it’s more limited than others in this list.
• Top-notch security: Talend details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Talend is a great fit for large-to-enterprise businesses that want to connect on-premises solutions with cloud apps.

Price: Contact Talend for a quote.

20. Blendr.io

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Blendr.io offers a low-code visual builder to create complex enterprise-grade or standardized self-service integrations. They also provide a set of features to embed integrations in the UI of your platform (including HubSpot) into the UI of other SaaS platforms.

Blendr.io integrates marketing, sales, events, productivity, and 300+ other cloud platforms. If you end up not finding the integration you need in their library, you can ask the Blendr.io team to add it at no additional cost to your plan.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Blendr.io has a visual no-code automation builder.
• API management tool: Blendr.io allows you to manage API integrations, but doesn’t allow you to build and deploy APIs.
• Templated integrations: Blendr.io has a list of premade connectors.
• Top-notch security: Qlik, Blendr.io’s creator, details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Blendr.io is a great fit for SaaS businesses that need to automate internal processes and are also interested in embedding an integration feature into their own software. Blendr.io allows you to embed their UI into your SaaS product.

Price: Contact Blendr.io for a quote.

21. RudderStack Cloud Extract

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Formerly called Blendo, RudderStack Cloud Extract is a self-service iPaaS solution that can connect applications from your sales, marketing, and financial teams and flow directly into a number of popular data warehousing options. RudderStack Cloud Extract was designed to make reporting across multiple applications more straightforward, so they ensure you can access your data in your preferred reporting platform.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: RudderStack Cloud Extract has a user-friendly no-code integration builder.
• API management tool: RudderStack Cloud Extract doesn’t offer an API management tool.
• Templated integrations: RudderStack Cloud Extract has a list of premade connectors.
• Top-notch security: RudderStack doesn’t have any security documentation on their website, though they do provide some details in their service agreement.

Best for: RudderStack Cloud Extract is a great fit for B2B businesses that need to aggregate customer data from both cloud apps and internal databases.

Price: Starts at free, while Pro starts at $750/month.

22. Skyvia

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Last but certainly not least, we have Skyvia, a no-coding cloud data integration platform that offers both ELT and ETL approaches. It has both visual tools for simple integration cases and powerful mapping and transformation settings for more complex scenarios. The platform also offers no-coding OData and SQL web API layer and has ADO.NET provider and ODBC driver for accessing your data via these APIs over the web. Skyvia supports all major data sources — from SaaS apps like Salesforce and BigCommerce, to databases like MySQL and SQL Server.

Features

• User-friendly workflows tool: Skyvia has a user-friendly no-code integration builder.
• API management tool: Skyvia doesn’t offer an API management tool.
• Templated integrations: Skyvia has a list of premade connectors.
• Top-notch security: Skyvia details its approach to data security here.

Best for: Skyvia is a great fit for small-to-large businesses because of its free plans and robust data management tools. You can easily integrate both cloud and on-premise data.

Price: Choose from a Data Integration Free plan (free), a Data Basic Integration plan ($19/month), and a Data Integration Standard plan ($99/month).

Choose an IPAAS Vendor to Break Down Silos

An iPaaS vendor can help you integrate disparate apps, streamline processes, create collaborative workflows, and unify all of your customers’ data. The result is that your team will no longer be working in silos, empowering you to grow better.

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

One of the things we often hear from prospects and clients is that they wish they had a better idea of what their own audience, prospects, and customers were really thinking when they requested a piece of content.  

For example, our client wanted to better understand where their prospects were in their overall buying journey and what pain points they were experiencing. Said another way, they were attempting to identify their potential buyer’s intent.

Buyer intent data has long been relegated to company-level observations associated with IP address mapping and tracking users across web pages without their consent. Such intent data is helpful in understanding extremely top-of-funnel behavior but lacks the discrete context and depth of learnings that buyer-level intent data can deliver. Buyer-level, and fully permissioned, intent data builds on those fundamentals and delivers invaluable directly provided by buyers as they consume content specific to their various business and technical challenges. 

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

The Challenge

As shared in a recent blog, businesses across the globe are being forced to accelerate digital business transformation plans by at least five years through 2024 to survive in a post-COVID-19 world. This shift involves a permanently higher adoption of remote work and digital touchpoints for customers and employees alike.

Meeting the needs of this transformation requires a modern hybrid cloud solution that unifies infrastructure and frees data to move where it needs to be, allowing a data-centric business to adapt and change direction quickly in the name of gaining a competitive advantage.

But making a decision on cloud technology investment can be challenging. Factor in the number of technology options being added every week and IT decision-makers are left wondering if they’ve made the right decisions. 

The Goal

Identify and understand how leading IT decision-makers are attempting to simplify their cloud management landscape and progress through their cloud journey. 

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 content universe, the client put to good use all 12,000+ 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 400+ senior-level IT decision-makers to assess their experiences and cloud management aspirations.

These data results are the responses from their unique feedback.

1. What are you most interested in accomplishing in your cloud journey?

While many professionals were merely doing their research on the specifics of cloud management—46% of Senior decision-makers shared that they were just roaming for information when answering what they were looking to accomplish in their cloud journey—there were plenty of insights to be extracted. 

For instance:

• More than 34% of all Computer as Technology professionals said that Cloud Migration was their top priority, as did 30% of Biotech and Pharmaceutical pros.
• IT decision-makers in the Manufacturing sector were 357% more likely to cite Cloud Migration as their number one target to accomplish in their cloud journey.
• 50% of Legal and Automotive employees, respectfully, were most interested in gaining a better grasp on their Hybrid Cloud options. In comparison to their peers in other industries, they are 146% more likely to share this sentiment.
• 29.41% of Media and 21.05% of Government professionals, however, were most interested in shoring up their Backup and Data Recovery capabilities.
• Insurance industry IT leadership were purposeful and 42% less likely to state that they were “Just Roaming” indicating a predisposition to be further down the funnel in their personal cloud journey. 

While this is merely an educated guess, it’s safe to say that professionals from the Construction, Corporate Services, and Travel/Hospitality/Entertainment industries are just now trying to get a handle on how a cloud strategy makes sense for their businesses. For the Travel/Hospitality/Entertainment field specifically, this guess is further supported by the answers provided in Question 2.

2. What’s your biggest frustration with the public cloud?

For this question, there were two very clear frustrations associated with the public cloud: The high cost and the data protections and security issues.

Here are some of the other highlights:

• 100% of responses captured by IT buyers within the Construction and Manufacturing industries stated the High Cost was their greatest frustration
• IT leadership within the Corporate Services vertical were 836% more likely to cite Data Silos as their largest frustration associated with public cloud solutions.
• 50% of respondents from the Biotech and Pharmaceuticals and Travel/Hospitality/Entertainment fields listed the public cloud’s Lack of Compliance as a major challenge.
• Overall, the primary concern for all respondents around the public cloud was Data Protections and Security, accounting for 41.15% of all answers. Professionals from the Automotive (58.33%), Insurance (57.9%), Legal (50%), Education (47.46%), and Utility/Energy (45%) fields were the five most represented industries in this group.
• The High Cost of the public cloud was a big concern for 34.38% of participants. Construction and Manufacturing fields aside (100% each), the Travel/Hospitality/Entertainment (50%), Retail and Consumer Goods (48.72%), Media (47%), Healthcare/Medical (46.3%), and Computers and Technology (36.6%) fields were the five most represented in this group.

At a macro-level, (beyond the overwhelming answers to data protections and security and the high costs associated with the public cloud) there doesn’t seem to be any hardline connection of one’s industry’s perceived need to protect their data at all costs vs. the need to keep cost in mind. 

For example, while Insurance professionals said data protections (57.9%) was more of a priority than the high cost (31.58%) of the public cloud, professionals in the Healthcare/Medical field leaned more toward the cost side of things (46.3% to 38.89%). 

The Results

What our customer now has, beyond high quality, first-party leads every client can generate through NetLine, is a greater understanding of where their potential clients are in their unique buying journey. 

They now know that 58% of Senior Leaders in the Automotive industry Data Protections and Security as their biggest frustration. They also are aware that IT leaders within the Pharma and Travel industries are 262% more likely to state that a “Lack of Compliance” is their biggest frustration with the public cloud.

From a price perspective, they now know that IT buyers within the Construction and Manufacturing industries are 190% more likely to be highly sensitive to costs associated with public cloud solutions. Curiously, and perhaps paradoxically, IT decision-makers within the Government sector were 43% less likely to have sensitivity to price. All of this is extremely useful for their business and allows their Marketing and Sales teams to refine their messaging to become more impactful.

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.

Image is an important aspect of brand awareness, which influences whether your potential customers know, like, and trust you. Where publicity is outside a brand’s control, public relations (PR) is an effective way to contribute to the conversation.

There’s an old saying: “Advertising is what you pay for; publicity is what you pray for.”

Public relations isn’t an easy profession to define. In fact, in 2012, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) accepted a few thousand submissions before finally agreeing on one:

So how can an organization take its beneficial relationship to the public and turn it into good press? Are you really “praying” for something, like the old saying goes, if you’re using a strategic process to get results?

If public relations is a bridge for that relationship, then public relations professionals are the bridge builders. Let’s talk about them a little more specifically:

What is a public relations professional?

A public relations professional is in charge of creating and executing a PR strategy, helping a business or individual cultivate a positive reputation through various unpaid or earned channels and formats, including press, social media, and in-person engagements. They also help clients defend their reputations during crises that threaten their credibility.

In order to understand this, you must first consider the two sides of PR: the positive storytelling side and the negative damage-controle side.

Positive Public Relations

If an organization is proactive about their image, they will likely be investing in positive public relations where a PR professional helps portray the brand’s reputation, idea, product, position, or accomplishments in a positive light.

So, in a sense, you can think of PR professionals as storytellers. Unlike advertisers, who tell stories through paid methods, PR professionals tell their stories through unpaid or earned media.

These unpaid or earned avenues include:

• News and press
• Media outreach
• Social media
• Speaking engagements

Keep in mind that a PR professional isn’t just trying to reach a paying customer … they’re trying to reach everyone.

Example of Positive PR

Let’s say you work for a small interior design company, and your business just won an award: “Best Interior Design Company in Chicago.” A PR specialist might draft a press release and conduct outreach to reporters to write a story about this accomplishment to spread the news to the public.

Along with building a credible reputation for your interior design business, the PR professional is also helping the public receive relevant information about this accolade. If I’m a consumer looking for an interior designer, this announcement could help me, too.

Public relations extends to government, too. PR professionals can execute political campaigns or explain a government’s new policy to the public. In this case, you can see how PR professionals work to maintain a healthy and productive relationship between their client (the government) and the general public, who have a right to hear about new policies.

Damage Control in PR (Negative Public Relations)

PR isn’t just used for positive storytelling. It’s also used to mitigate any damage that could weaken a client’s reputation.

If public discourse around a particular brand has a negative sentiment, perhaps as a result of negative publicity or news, a PR professional’s job is to advise the organization on how to proceed.

After all, if conversations are being had, then an organization should share their side of the story. However, how they respond will have an impact on the public’s perception. If done poorly, it could make the situation worse.

A PR professional will then be tasked with:

• Crisis communications
• Damage control
• Response and/or apology messaging
• Reputation restoration strategy

Example of Damage Control in PR

In the early 1980s, numerous bottles of Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol product were laced with cyanide by an unknown person, killing seven people. This led to widespread panic and could have resulted in the end of Tylenol products.

Johnson & Johnson took aggressive PR measures to mitigate the damage: First, the company pulled all of its Tylenol products off the shelves and issued a national statement warning consumers not to purchase or use Tylenol. Then, Johnson & Johnson created a new tamper-resistant seal and instructed 2,000 sales personnel to deliver presentations to the medical community to reintroduce these new, safer Tylenol bottles.

This effective PR strategy saved Johnson & Johnson’s reputation as well as their product — in fact, Tylenol shares climbed back up to 24 percent just six weeks after the cyanide crisis.

In the case of Johnson & Johnson, a simple advertising campaign wouldn’t have worked. Instead, PR was necessary: PR professionals were able to spread a story that portrayed Johnson & Johnson as a company that puts consumers ahead of profit. Along with mitigating damage to Johnson & Johnson’s reputation, PR was used to save more people from consuming cyanide-laced Tylenol, and then used to inform the public that Tylenol was safe again. A win-win-win.

PR as an Important Marketing Strategy

In these examples, you can see PR professionals are adept at handling a wide variety of both good and bad circumstances and must address these events so the public and client can maintain a beneficial relationship. PR specialists also play a role in advising management on the best policy decisions or actions to take and conducting programs, such as fundraising or networking events, to help the public understand the organization’s goals.

PR isn’t just used to influence a story after it happens — it’s also used to write that story in the first place.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in April 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.