Category Archives: B2B

If you’ve ever visited a website that served you an error page, you know how frustrating it is.

One of the worst things you can do as a brand is not meet your audience’s needs and expectations. If your website visitors see an error page when they’re looking for help or information, they could get frustrated and lose trust in your brand, permanently damaging your reputation.

The 504 Gateway Timeout Error is one type of error that can hurt the user experience in this way. To help you avoid losing brand sentiment and consumer trust, we’ve fleshed out exactly what this error means and what its most common causes and solutions are.

Here’s how a 504 Gateway Timeout Error might appear in your user’s browser:

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504 Errors Wording

The screenshot above depicts how a 504 Gateway Timeout Error appears in one server. Below are some other common ways a 504 error might appear, depending on the server, operating system, or browser you’re using.

• In Google Chrome, a 504 error will appear as HTTP ERROR 504. This code will appear below a message that reads something like: “This site can’t be reached. _____ took too long to respond.”

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• In Windows-based programs, a 504 error will appear as ERROR 504, HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT, or “The request was timed out waiting for a gateway message.” Here’s how it may appear when using Excel:

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• During a Windows Update, a Gateway Timeout Error generates a 0x80244023 error code. The message will be: WU_E_PT_HTTP_STATUS_GATEWAY_TIMEOUT.

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• In other operating systems, web servers, or browsers, a 504 error may also result in the following message — although it’s less common: “The proxy server did not receive a timely response from the upstream server.” Here’s a slight variation:

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So now we know how the 504 error is worded — but what does it mean exactly? Let’s decode it below.

What does 504 gateway timeout mean?

When visiting a website, your server sends a request to another server where that site is hosted. This server — known as the “upstream server” — receives the request and responds with whatever resources are needed to load the website on your browser.

However, a 504 Gateway Timeout error means that your server didn’t receive a quick enough response from the upstream server. Because its request timed out, your server is unable to load the web page and, ultimately, fulfill its role as a gateway — hence the name “Gateway Timeout” error.

You might be wondering what exactly causes the delay in the upstream server’s response — and that’s a good question. Let’s address it below.

504 Gateway Timeout Causes

504 Gateway Timeout Errors are among the most frustrating HTTP status codes you can receive. They indicate what happened to your website, but they don’t tell you why it happened, making it challenging for you to pinpoint its cause and ultimately correct the issue.

Below are a few possibilities.

Server Connectivity Issues

Most websites live on multiple servers or third-party hosting providers. If your server is down for maintenance or any other reason, your website could serve visitors a 504 Gateway Timeout Error page.

DNS Changes

If you’ve recently changed servers or moved your website to a different IP address, it’ll make changes to your website’s DNS server. This could cause your website to serve its visitors a 504 Gateway Timeout Error page. Your website won’t be up and running until these DNS changes take full effect, which can take a few hours.

Faulty Firewall Configurations

Your firewall is your website’s gatekeeper, protecting your site from malicious visitors or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Sometimes, a faulty firewall configuration will cause your firewall to deem requests from a content delivery network as an attack on your server and reject them, resulting in a 504 Gateway Timeout Error.

Errors in Your Website’s Code

If there’s a mistake in your website’s code, your server might not be able to correctly answer requests from a content delivery network.

Network Connectivity Errors

Since a 504 error is the result of a timeout during the processing of a request between servers, the problem likely lies with them — not the user’s internet connection or device. However, if only one user reports seeing a 504 error on your site, it could have to do with their modem, router, or another device. or their internet connection.

Since there are multiple reasons why a 504 error might occur, it will ultimately be up to you to rule each one out until you find the true cause. Fortunately, there are five common and effective solutions for fixing most 504 Gateway Timeout Errors’ causes.

1. Look for server connectivity issues.

If your server is down for maintenance or any other reason, then your website will likely serve visitors a 504 Gateway Timeout Error page. The only way to troubleshoot this issue is to wait for your server to finish maintenance or fix the problem causing the error.

2. Check for any DNS changes.

If you’ve recently changed hosting providers or moved your website to a different IP address, then your website’s DNS server will need to be updated. These DNS changes take a few hours to process so in the meantime your website might serve visitors a 504 Gateway Timeout Error page. The only solution is to sit tight while these DNS changes take effect.

3. Sift through your logs.

If the problem is not your server’s connection or DNS information, then check out your server logs. These logs provide details about your server’s health and status. Sifting through them may uncover other issues that could be causing a 504 error.

4. Fix faulty firewall configurations.

A faulty firewall configuration may be the reason behind your 504 Gateway Timeout Error. To rule it out as the cause, you can temporarily deactivate your firewall.

If your device runs on Windows, then navigate to your control panel and click Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Manage Settings. On this settings page, you can deactivate your firewall.

If your device runs on Mac OS, then simply navigate to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Firewall to deactivate it.

Once you’ve deactivated your firewall, check to see if the 504 error is resolved. If it is, you can either reconfigure the settings of your existing antivirus program or switch to a new one.

If the error is not resolved, don’t forget to reactivate your firewall before moving onto the next step.

5. Comb through your website’s code to find bugs.

Comb through your code to find any bugs or copy your code into a development machine. It’ll perform a thorough debug process that will simulate the situation in which your 504 Gateway Timeout Error occurred and allow you to see the exact moment where things went wrong.

6. Contact your hosting provider.

Contacting your hosting provider should be a last resort. But if you’ve tried the steps above and are still seeing the 504 Gateway Timeout error, they may be able to solve the issue or provide valuable insight.

How 504 Gateway Timeout Errors Affect SEO

Fixing a 504 Gateway Timeout Error can take time — but it’s well worth the effort considering how it can impact your site’s technical SEO.

Like an HTTP 500 Internal Server Error, 503 error, or any other 5xx error, a 504 Gateway Timeout error prevents your website from loading. This not only hurts the user experience — it also hurts your SEO performance.

If a web crawler attempts to crawl one of your pages and is served a 504 error, then it can’t crawl the page. If that page has already been indexed, then it might be lowered in the search engine results. Or it might be deindexed if the error persists.

Resolving the 504 Gateway Timeout Error

There’s no foolproof way to prevent 504 Gateway Timeout Errors on your site, but there are steps you can take to resolve them. By fixing this error as quickly as possible, you’ll ensure that visitors continue to have seamless experiences on your site and mitigate any negative impacts on your SEO.

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

Strikethrough text is like body language in your writing. It allows you to convey subtext or your true opinion about something, without explicitly expressing it:

If the guest post pitch doesn’t have a draft attached, I will put in the extra effort to permanently delete it from my inbox probably won’t respond.

It’s also a great way to copyedit your content and the content of your peers, collaborate in a document, remind yourself of changes that had to be made (or need to be made) in a document, teach someone else who’s working in the document, and more.

Below, we’ll cover the simple steps involved in adding a strikethrough in your Google Doc manually as well as with an available shortcut.

How to Strikethrough on Google Docs

To leverage one of writing’s most popular tools on Google Docs, follow the instructions below:

1. Highlight the text you want to strikethrough.

2. Click the “Format” section in the header.

3. Hover over the “Text” button.

4. Select the “Strikethrough” button.

Strikethrough Shortcut on Google Docs

If you want to strikethrough text in a more efficient way, use the keyboard shortcut for it:

• On Mac, highlight your text and ⌘ + Shift + X.
• On PC, highlight your text and press Alt + Shift + 5.

Strikethrough Your Text In Google Docs

Striking through your text in Google Docs is easy — there’s even a shortcut available to expedite the process. Start crossing out whatever you need to in your documents using the steps above.

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

Terminology is everything. Marketing, Sales, Product, Service — virtually every function in a business relies on some common terminology to do their best work. One area where alignment on terminology is essential is goal setting.

Whether you use the OKR model, the KPI framework, the Golden Circle, or another methodology, everyone in the company should understand the difference between a goal and an objective. Without this shared knowledge, teams could risk wasting time on irrelevant activities, at best, or working against a common purpose, at worst.

“Goals” and “Objectives” often seem like two interchangeable phrases on the surface. “We have ambitious goals for 2019,” you might tell your marketing team, following up with, “Our objectives are aggressive but entirely possible.”

To make your strategy crystal clear and gain alignment, it’s vital that your employees are up-to-date on the two most-used terms when outlining your quarterly and yearly strategy.

Here, we’ll explain the difference between goals and objectives and discuss some of the most effective goal-setting frameworks used by marketing professionals today. You’ll also find measurement tactics to track your progress. By the end of this post, you can wave goodbye to ambiguity when it comes to your long-term and short-term marketing plans.

Goals are undoubtedly critical to your business’s success. Ultimately, your company’s goals should align with your vision and mission in order for employees to best guide their own actions and decisions.

For instance, let’s say this year your leadership team has outlined three broad goals for your company:

1. Create a more inclusive workplace culture
2. Grow international brand awareness
3. Increase customer retention by 40%

Great…now what?

Here’s where objectives come into play — objectives are essentially the measurable actions you can take to achieve your overall goals. Typically, you’d use the S.M.A.R.T. criteria to define and measure specific objectives.

Featured Resource: Free SMART Goal Template

Download this Template for Free

“Create a more inclusive workplace culture” is an admirable and important goal to have, but it’s vague and too broad to measure. Does “more inclusive” mean one diversity and inclusion panel discussion, or does it mean a 10% increase in women in leadership positions?

Ultimately, your objectives will help your employees understand exactly what you expect from them.

In another example, let’s say you inform your marketing department that your overall goal is to “grow international brand awareness”.

Now, when your social media marketing manager is crafting her quarterly video campaign, she’ll think to herself — Hmm. How can I increase international brand awareness?

She can cater her objectives to fit company goals, as well as her own personal vision. Perhaps she decides, “To demonstrate my success at increasing international brand awareness, my objectives for my video marketing campaign will be a) 10% of all form submissions come from outside the U.S., and b) an increase in engagement from Spanish-speaking Facebook fans by 5%.”

Your social media marketing manager can then use her unique objectives to measure whether or not she’s contributing to the larger company goal of increasing international brand awareness.

As you can see, objectives can be uniquely tailored to fit each departments’ needs, and allow for a large amount of autonomy. By instilling clear and firm company goals, you can feel confident that your employees are all working in the same direction, but taking largely different steps (e.g. objectives) to end up at the same finish line.

There’s one more term differentiation you need to know — objectives versus strategy.

Referencing our example above, let’s say your social media marketing manager decides one of her objectives will be “an increase in engagement from Spanish-speaking Facebook fans by 5%”.

This is aligned with your company’s goal to increase international brand awareness.

A strategy, then, tells your employee or team how she can accomplish her objectives. For instance, your social media marketing manager might decide to focus her paid efforts on Spanish-speaking countries, using Facebook’s location targeting features. Alternatively, maybe she decides to cultivate partnerships with international companies and posts videos in Spanish on Facebook specifically highlighting the work of those international organizations.

Both of these options are examples of strategies.

Her strategy might change over time. She might decide her paid efforts aren’t working, and try something else. Ultimately, however, her objective (increase engagement from Spanish-speaking Facebook fans by 5%) should remain the same.

Types of Goals

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to communicating goals. There are many things businesses want to measure, especially from a marketing perspective, so it’s important to have several types of goals to choose from when setting the course for the year ahead.

Time-Based Goals

The first type of goal that businesses use to set a strategic direction is the time-based goal. This goal type provides a high-level explanation for what teams or individuals should be striving toward within a certain timeframe. Time-based goals can be short-term or long-term depending on the needs of your organization.

Time-based goals help teams and individuals plan and execute urgent tasks. Some goals are time-sensitive and the primary outcome of achieving these types of goals is that they’re completed on time.

An example of a time-based goal might be “Increase revenue by 10% to qualify for the best-in-class awards ceremony in August.” Because the award’s ceremony has a fixed date and the action stated in the goal is a requirement of the ceremony, this goal should be time-bound to increase the likelihood of reaching it.

Outcome-Oriented Goals

Outcome-oriented goals are independent of a specific timeframe and typically outline what the business is aiming to achieve at some point in the future. The objectives for outcome-oriented goals provide more context around when this goal should be completed and how to measure the success of the goal.

For big picture changes, leadership transitions, and other types of major business milestones, outcome-oriented goals are used to communicate a new vision and era within a company. Objectives for this type of goal communicate actionable changes for employees, and therefore, pair well with process-oriented goals which we talk about next.

Process-Oriented Goals

If your business is aiming to set the direction for new workflows and processes, a process-oriented goal is the best choice. A process-oriented goal does not explain what outcome is being achieved. Instead, this goal type is prescriptive and explains what the team is responsible for doing in order to achieve an outcome.

Objectives that are process-oriented can provide the tactical guidance employees need to do their day-to-day work. This goal and objective type works well during transition periods where change management is underway in a company. Process-oriented goals may be short-term or even temporary because once they’ve been achieved, the new and improved processes can be put into action on a regular basis.

How to Measure Goals

Measurement is a key component of any S.M.A.R.T. goal, but how exactly do you measure one? There are a few ways to determine if your actions yielded the desired outcome of your goals. Let’s take a look at them below.

Ask a Closed-Ended Question

First, the simplest way to measure a goal is by asking whether or not you met it. If your goal was written clearly, this should be fairly simple. Process-oriented goals are the easiest to measure in this way because they’re usually yes or no answers.

For example, if your goal is to hold a quarterly alignment meeting between your department and another, you can answer “yes, the two teams had a quarterly alignment meeting” or “no, the quarterly alignment meeting didn’t happen.” For goals that weren’t met, be sure to note the reason why so that you can revisit the goal at your next planning session and determine if it’s worth trying again in the future.

Use a Points System

Multi-faceted goals can be difficult to measure, but if you have a guideline to follow when writing the goal, you can use that same guideline to measure it. For example, if your goal is to launch a new website by quarter three, you can split this goal into two measurable parts: the action and the deadline. If the team launches the website on time, the goal can be measured by awarding it two points — one for the action, and one for completing the action on time. If the website was launched late, the goal can be measured by awarding it only one point for completing the action and none for the deadline.

The points system should be specific to your organization and align with a larger measurement system that is connected to performance or revenue. Don’t forget to communicate the points system before you begin planning goals so that everyone is aware of how the goals will be measured.

Follow a Rubric

Qualitative goals and goals without strict deadlines are difficult to measure because there are fewer numbers involved. In this case, you may find a rubric system useful when measuring these types of goals. With a rubric, you’ll have an opportunity to evaluate the context surrounding the goal and adjust the way it is measured.

For instance, your team was working toward a process-oriented goal that, unfortunately, didn’t make the process easier. Instead, the team has reported longer workflows and more bottlenecks than they had before. In this case, a rubric can help determine what you expected the outcome of this goal to be and document what actually happened in order to report this goal as unsuccessful.

How to Measure Objectives

Because objectives are more specific than goals, they’re more straightforward to measure. To measure objectives, you can use one of the following concepts.

Measure Attainment

Most objectives will feature quantitative data like units, numbers, and figures. This means you can measure the progress you’ve made toward the outcome you expected to achieve.

Let’s say your team wanted to generate 500 leads from a marketing campaign, and they managed to get 475. The attainment of that original 500-lead goal is 95%.

(475/500*100) = 95% Goal Attainment

As with any measurement, your organization can determine what is below average, average, and exceptional attainment which may differ by team or department.

Measure Qualitative Data with Surveys

For objectives that aim to change behavior or are affected by people in another way, quantitative measurements may not tell the full story of whether or not you met your objective. Surveys, focus groups, and other behavior measurements can provide the data you need to measure success.

In HR functions, the team may want to improve employee satisfaction within the sales team. There isn’t a sole quantitative metric that can be used to measure this objective. Surveys like the eNPS can be a great way to measure a shift in culture that leads to changes in the company culture.

Measure Past Performance vs. Current Performance

Can you name a company that doesn’t want to improve its brand awareness? Neither can I. This is one of the most common objectives to measure on marketing teams, but it’s also one of the most difficult to measure. Everyone tracks it differently, so how do you know for sure if you’re measuring it correctly? How do you know if someone is aware of your brand now compared to a month ago without asking every single person in your target audience?

For objectives like this that hold valuable insight, you’ll have to get creative and define your own metrics to measure. In this example about brand awareness, one way to measure it is by comparing how many direct searches or branded search terms you’re receiving now compared to a point in time in the past. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it is constant — that means you’ll have a fixed number to compare against. As long as your stakeholders agree on what metrics and numbers to compare, you’ll find that measuring these types of objectives isn’t so hard after all.

Examples of Goals and Objectives

Scenario 1: A Milestone Goal

Goal: Open a new company HQ in Phoenix, AZ by Q4.

Objective: Obtain all licensing and permit documents by Q2.

In order to open a new HQ, you’ll need to do a lot of planning before Q4 to achieve the goal. Objectives will help keep you on track so that every step of the way is accounted for.

How to Measure a Milestone Goal

To measure the goal and objective in this example, you can use either the “closed-ended question” framework or the “points” framework. Did you open the new HQ? If so, you’ve met the goal according to the “closed-ended question” measurement. Did you open the new HQ on time? If not, award yourself one point for completing the activity and zero points for completing it late.

By the end of Q4, each objective will have been built upon one another to reach the overall goal of opening the new HQ.

Scenario 2: A Growth Goal

Goal: Increase company market share by 10%.

Objective: Grow customer base by 22% month-over-month for the next 12 months.

We see that the goal and the objective are dependent on one another, and one way to grow market share is to acquire new customers.

How to Measure a Growth Goal

Because this goal is high-level and slightly vague, you may try to measure it by itself using the “closed-ended question” framework, but I’d suggest you don’t — here’s why. A goal like this can be affected by several other factors that aren’t outlined in your objectives. Those factors may even be outside of your organization’s control.

When Popeye’s launched its chicken sandwich campaign, it didn’t expect to gain market share in the chicken sandwich category so quickly. Due to factors outside of its control, the company met its goal, but that success probably had little to do with the objectives the company originally set to achieve that goal. While it’s not a bad thing that the company achieved its goal, it’s important that your objectives explain why that goal was achieved.

Measuring the objective in this example using the attainment framework will not only give your stakeholders an idea of how closely you met the goal due to activities within your control, it’ll highlight any factors that affected your goal but weren’t included as objectives. This will inform your team on what to include during the next goal planning session.

Scenario 3: A Quantitative Goal

Goal: Reduce donut cost by 18% in the next five years.

Objective: Switch to a lower-cost sugar provider in the next six months.

The goal in this example is outcome-based and time-based while the objective is process-oriented. The goal and objective are closely related to one another, but the two will need to be assessed differently in order to measure success.

How to Measure a Quantitative Goal

Use the attainment framework to measure the goal and the past vs. present metric for the objective. As each objective focuses on lowering the cost of the materials that make up the product referenced in the goal, the closer you’ll be to achieving the goal. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure to compare the new vendor’s price of sugar, in this case, to the previous vendor’s price. At the five-year mark, use measure attainment to the goal of 18% to determine if you met or exceeded the goal.

Set Effective Goals and Objectives For Your Team This Quarter

Goals and objectives are often used interchangeably, but they serve different purposes in business. Using the same language to describe the direction and progress within your organization will keep everyone on the same page and working toward the same outcome.

Although these two terms have specific definitions, don’t get too caught up in the semantics — remember the most important part of goal-setting is getting the work done and showing results. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve got you covered. Download the free marketing goal-setting template below to get your team moving in the right direction.

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

According to Career Builder, 40% of recruiters look for a cover letter when they’re considering job applicants.

But if you had to flip through a hundred cover letters a day, and each one began, “To whom it may concern, I am applying for the digital marketing position at your company …”, how important would you rank them?

Your cover letter is an opportunity to showcase your personality, display your interest in the job, and include relevant information that otherwise wouldn’t be surfaced in your application. An ideal cover letter leaves the hiring manager with a positive and memorable impression of you, something a resume alone won’t always do.

To help you overcome writer’s block and hook your reader right away, take a look at some sharp opening sentences you can use for inspiration.

Read on to find out 14 ways to grab an employer’s attention with an exceptional cover letter introduction.

Featured Resource: 5 Free Cover Letter Templates

Download the Templates

Start off your cover letter (and finish it) with a bang with 5 Free Cover Letter Templates. The templates are professional and completely customizable to help you get your dream job. 

How to Start a Cover Letter

1. Start with humor.

Employers are humans too, and they’ll often appreciate a good joke, pun, or funny opening line as much as the next person. If done tastefully and respectfully, starting your cover letter off with a joke can be an excellent way to stand out.

Plus, a joke can still include a powerful explanation for why you’re the right person for the job, without coming off as boastful. For instance, think about something you love to do or something you’re really good at, and then imagine how friends or family might make a joke about it — if you’re really good at analyzing data, for example, a joke or pun related to that might be a good way to exemplify both your skills and personality.

Here’s a good example of using humor to bring attention to your skills, from The Muse (you’ll notice this is one of our picks for most creative opening lines, earlier in this article):

“I considered submitting my latest credit card statement as proof of just how much I love online shopping, but I thought a safer approach might be writing this cover letter, describing all the reasons why I’m the girl who can take Stylight’s business to the next level.”

Why This Works

Right away, the personality displayed here grabs the reader’s attention. Even better, this applicant uses humor to convey an important message to the employer — she loves shopping, and she’s well-versed in ecommerce as a consumer — which might’ve otherwise not come up on her resume or phone screening.

2. Start with passion.

For an employer to know you’ll stay dedicated to the role and company, they’ll want to ensure you’re passionate about what the job entails. Passion is more incentivizing than a paycheck.

For an employer, demonstrating how your passion matches the required skillset is a promising sign that you’d enjoy your job — if you enjoy your job, you’re more likely to stick around longer, help drive company growth, and become a dedicated member of the team.

Consider starting your cover letter with a few lines that showcase your passion: “I’ve been passionate about writing since I was ten years old. My love for writing has led me to write two personal travel blogs, get published in a local newspaper, and pursue two summer internships at publishing firms. Now, I’d love the opportunity to combine my writing skills with my interest in storytelling as a content marketer at Company A.”

Why This Works

If you don’t have extensive work experience in the industry you’re trying to break into, but you’ve been unofficially preparing for years, let the employer know. In the above example, the candidate’s resume would probably look weak, with only internships indicating professional experience. Her cover letter introduction, however, shows the employer she’s been writing for audiences and advancing her natural ability for years.

3. Start with an accomplishment.

Employers like seeing numbers. It isn’t enough to mention you’re a “digital marketer with proven success in SEO strategies.” Proven success? Okay, can we see?

It’s more powerful to provide statistics. You want to show the employer you’re capable of solving for long-term results. How have you contributed to your company’s bottom line? For instance, did your Facebook marketing campaign grow your social media following, or has your blog content increased organic traffic?

Consider starting your cover letter with something like this: “Over the past year as digital marketing manager at Company A, I’ve generated $30k+ in revenue, increased organic traffic to our blog by 14%, and almost tripled our social media ROI.”

Even if you don’t have the work experience to report impressive numbers, you can still offer proof when opening with an accomplishment. Think about the qualitative feedback you’ve received from employers. For instance, how would your boss compliment you or tell you you’re doing a good job? An accomplishment can be as simple as your boss sending you an appreciative email regarding your diligent meeting notes.

In this example from The Muse, the applicant provides an example of a skill for which he’s been previously acknowledged: “My last boss once told me that my phone manner could probably diffuse an international hostage situation. I’ve always had a knack for communicating with people — the easygoing and the difficult alike — and I’d love to bring that skill to the office manager position at Shutterstock.”

Why This Works

Even though the applicant doesn’t offer numbers as proof of success, they do manage to highlight some proof of their past performance in the form of a former boss’s praise. The candidate’s candid and funny explanation — that his last boss liked his phone manners — is another good way to brag about accomplishments without, well, bragging.

4. Start with excitement for the company.

Employers want to know why you like their company, and they’ll appreciate an explanation on why you’re interested. But it’s imperative your reasoning is thoughtful and considerate, and specific to the company. For instance, if you’re applying for a financial position, don’t write about your interest in finance; write about how your interest in finance relates to the company’s goals.

You don’t want to just say, “I’m excited to work at Company A because I’m passionate about finance, and I think my skills and experiences will be a good match.” Sure, you’ve explained why you want to work in the financial industry, but you’ve done nothing to explain why Company A specifically suits your interests.

Instead, you’ll want to mention something about the company and culture in correlation to your interest in finance. Take a look at this example from Glassdoor: “When I discovered Accounting Solutions was hiring, I knew I had to apply. I’ve been waiting to find a company where I feel like I can make a difference while working as an accountant. Not only are your clients awesome, but the overall mission of your company is something I believe in, too.”

Why This Works

This candidate shows they’ve done their research and care about Accounting Solutions in particular. Remember, employers want to hire people who have a demonstrated interest in working at their company. They want someone who will enjoy the nature of the work, but just as importantly, they want a candidate who enjoys the work culture and the company mission as well.

5. Start with news about the company.

Mentioning company news in your introduction indicates you’ve done research on the company. Plus, including company news might give you the chance to incorporate your own values, as well. If the company just won an award for its innovative solutions in the computer industry, for instance, you might add how you value forward-thinking methods in technology, as well.

Here’s an example of an introduction that uses a newsworthy event, from Indeed: “When I saw that Company ABC was featured in Fortune Magazine last month for its commitment to renewable energy and reducing waste in the workplace — all while experiencing triple-digit revenue growth — I was inspired. With my track record of reducing costs by 30%+ and promoting greener workplaces, I’m excited about the possibility of taking on the account executive role to expand your company’s growth and work towards a more sustainable future.”

Why This Works

The candidate does a good job demonstrating how Company ABC’s news aligns well with the candidate’s personal achievements. She shows she’s done her research on the company, and also indicates she values similar environmental efforts in the workplace.

6. Start with what they don’t know.

According to one seasoned hiring manager, a cover letter that begins, “I am writing to apply for [open position] at [name of company]” is grounds for nearly instant rejection. Of course you’re applying for this job — why waste your lede with something so boring and obvious?

Your cover letter should never directly state what they already know — or restate what’s already listed on your resume. Instead, start your cover letter by offering something new, expanding on what the employer already knows about you, and presenting new details about what you can bring to the company. Impress employers by telling them something about your skills or experiences they don’t already know.

To offer new information not displayed on his resume, one of my colleagues at HubSpot wrote this cover letter introduction: “My resume will tell you I’m Content Marketing Certified. Your records will tell you I’ve interviewed for a few different HubSpot positions in the past. What neither one will tell you is that I’ve been working with your customer success team to build a new campaign strategy for my company — one of your latest (and largest) clients.”

Why This Works

The candidate wrote an introduction that captured the reader’s attention and demonstrated he wasn’t interested in wasting anyone’s time. This is a memorable and impressive tactic. Consider writing a similar introduction, where you provide information absent from your resume.

7. Start with what you can bring to the table.

A hiring manager here at HubSpot told me she always looks for cover letters to tell her how the company and applicant can benefit each other.

Any employer is going to want to know why you think you can grow from the position you’re applying to. An employer is more inclined to hire you if she thinks you have a genuine, intrinsic motivation to work hard in the role.

A hiring manager is also going to want to know how you’ll contribute to the company’s larger vision and goals. It’s important for the manager to know what you want to get out of the role, but it’s equally important to know how you’ll help the company grow. How will the company benefit from you, over someone else?

Here’s an example: “I am seeking opportunities to improve my writing ability in a forward-thinking environment while growing organic traffic and optimizing content to beat out competitors in search engines. At Company A, I believe I will find that match.”

Why This Works

See how it works? In the example above, the candidate explained how she’d benefit from the role. She also explained what Company A could get out of the transaction — increased organic traffic, and optimized content — so the hiring manager is informed of the equality of the potential relationship.

8. Start with a statement that surprises them.

When applying for a role at HubSpot, one of my colleagues began her cover letter like this: “I like to think of myself as a round peg thriving in a square hole kind of world.”

Doesn’t that make you want to keep reading? It certainly kept me interested. Of course, you’ll only want to include a bold statement if you can follow it up with some concrete supporting information. My colleague, for example, continued by writing this: “What does this mean? It means that my diverse background makes me a well-rounded candidate who is able to comprehend, develop and execute various functions in business.”

Why This Works

While the rest of her cover letter veered on the side of professional, her opening line was casual, quirky, and surprising. Plus, you feel her personality in the line, and when an employer feels like a real person is behind the cover letter, she’s going to want to keep reading.

9. Start with a lesson you’ve learned in your career.

A great way to start a cover letter is with a lesson you’ve learned in your industry from your experience.

For example, you might say something like, “As a [current job position] with high-level management experience in the [industry], I learned that the best way to achieve success was to [biggest lesson you’ve learned].”

Why This Works

This opening sentence lets a recruiter know your experience level. Not only that, but it starts off with how you can benefit the company, not how the company will benefit you.

10. Start off with intrigue.

When you’re applying to larger corporate companies, you know that recruiters are getting hundreds of applicants for one entry-level position.

It’s important to intrigue the hiring manager and recognize that they’re looking at several applicants.

For example, you could say, “I understand that you have been deluged with resumes since you’ve been listed as one of the best companies to work for. Mine is one more, but I do have experience that is hard to come by.”

Why This Works

After this, it’d be great to list examples, stats, and experience that set you apart from other candidates and will benefit the company.

Recruiters see countless resumes and cover letters every day. It’s important to start your cover letter in a unique way so you can stand out amongst the crowd.

11. Start with a mutual connection. 

If an internal employee suggested you apply for a role at their company, don’t be shy about highlighting that fact. Hiring Managers will want to see that you’ve been vetted — even informally — by someone else at the company. Recognizing the name of someone they know internally will likely persuade them to give you another look. 

To do this tactfully, start with something like this: “At the suggestion of my old colleague Jane Smith, I am submitting my resume for your consideration for the senior copywriter position. Jane’s knowledge and enthusiasm for Company X further convinced me that this is a company where my communication skills, passion for travel, and desire to be challenged can be met.”

Why This Works 

When the hiring manager sees a fellow employee can attest to your work ethic, it helps assuage any risk she might feel she’s taking by hiring someone she doesn’t know personally. Plus, it shows you’ve done your research and you’re truly interested in the company itself — rather than sending off a slew of generic cover letters, you took the time to identify an internal connection.

12. Begin with your personal mission statement. 

Don’t have a personal mission statement? You might want to take some time to create one. A good mission statement can help hiring managers understand why you’re passionate about what you do — which goes a long way towards ensuring you’ll work hard in your next role. 

A few examples on how you might start a cover letter with a personal mission statement look like this: “As a content creator, I believe inspiring readers through creative, persuasive copywriting is vital for helping them excel professionally.”

Or: “As a leader, I believe encouraging innovation and creativity is critical for ensuring my employees can do their best work and improve the lives of our customers.”

Why This Works

A manager can help you level up on certain key skills, but she can’t teach you to love your job. By demonstrating an intrinsic motivation, you’re essentially telling the hiring manager, “I know the importance of this role — so I won’t slack off on it.”

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

Perhaps one of the most challenging parts of making an impact on social media is coming up with something profound to say, especially in a 280 character Tweet. Crafting one often leaves us staring blankly at that little blinking cursor, hoping for a way to rephrase the Tweet to let up some characters for an image, a link, or that ever-essential hashtag.

Unsurprisingly, a Twitter bio is equally challenging. You mean to tell me that I only have 160 characters to explain to the Twittersphere who I am and what I do?

It might not seem like a big deal, but keep this in mind: Your bio is one of the main things people use to decide whether or not to follow you on Twitter — so what you write needs to count. Here are a few quick steps to help:

As we’ve mentioned, leaning on humor can be a quick way to show off your personality and make you seem relatable to audiences. To give you some inspiration, we’re taking a moment to highlight 31 high-quality, and sometimes amusing, Twitter bios that get the job done.

31 of the Funniest Twitter Bios We Could Find

1. @Twitter

Why this works:

You can’t have a list of great Twitter bios without including Twitter’s Twitter bio. It reads, “what’s happening?!” which is a clever play on the words displayed in the draft box before you type a Tweet. It’s humorous because Twitter is a busy and active platform, so it’s not uncommon to long on to the app, see a storm of tweets about something you don’t yet understand, and internally say, “What’s happening?!?”

2. @TheMikeTrainor

Why this works:

Comedian and writer Mike Trainor makes my inner seven-year-old want to ask him to pull my finger. Also, imagining Mr. Trainor saying, “He who smelt it,” while looking as dapper as he does in his profile picture is a little slice of added amusement. Plus, we can’t help but love this bio’s self-deprecation, in its allusion to the fact that one of his shows is “still airing somehow.”

3. @topicals

Why this works:

Skincare can sometimes be intimidating as there are a wide variety of products to choose from.

Topicals’ main goal is to remove that potential anxiety by creating products that are fun and exciting to use, and their Twitter bio tells us exactly that: “Skincare for funner flare-ups.”

4. @UberFacts

Why this works:

UberFacts fills our brains with seemingly unnecessary information all day, every day. Though with the rise of popularity in bar-hosted trivia nights and games like Trivia Crack, I wouldn’t say we’ll never need to know things like this:

Berserk llama syndrome is a real condition where a llama believes its human owner is also a llama, causing the animal to become aggressive.

— UberFacts (@UberFacts) August 21, 2017

5. @FranksRedHot

Why this works:

If you’re as big a fan of Frank’s RedHot as we are, then you know how easy it to actually but that — ahem — [stuff] on everything. Of course, as marketers, we agree that the brand might as well put it on Twitter, too.

6. @mikeindustries

Why this works:

Mike Davidson, former VP of Design at Twitter, is a connoisseur of sorts — and while he has an impressive background, we do enjoy his present credential of, “Currently chillin’.”

We also can’t help but wonder: Does the Twitter bio 160 character limit have to do with the aesthetics of a Twitter page’s design? Is Mike Davidson to blame?

7. @LabMuffin

Why this works:

Dr. Michelle Wong’s mission is to educate the public on the chemistry behind beauty products to help consumers make informed decisions. When you read her Twitter bio, you get a straightforward understanding of what you can expect to see in her Tweets.

She also includes links to other social profiles, helping her build legitimacy and drive traffic to other platforms to build her audience.

8. @SocialDriver

Why this works:

Social Driver is an agency that helps businesses with their marketing and communication needs, from websites to brand messaging to content creation. Their Twitter bio reads, “Experience digital with us,” and it works because it tells audiences what they can expect from doing business with them — a partnership that brings results.

The bio also includes a unique business hashtag, #BeADriver, letting users know that they can join in the conversation in their own Tweets.

9. @Arbys

Why this works:

Arby’s puns its slogan, “We have the meat.”, by replacing meat with tweets. This is a great way of reminding people of your slogan while making a funny joke about the platform you’re on.

10. @BlkGrlSunscreen

Why this works:

Black Girl Sunscreen targets an audience often left out of sun safety discussions. Its Twitter bio is short and sweet and gets straight to the point: “Revolutionary SPF for all people of color.”

11. @popchips

Why this works:

We wish eating popchips was in our job descriptions — since, when they’re around, we certainly eat them like it’s part of our collective responsibilities.

12. @sweetestsara

Why this works:

Sara Rubin is a former producer at BuzzFeed. You can thank her in part for many of the fantastic BuzzFeed videos you see circulating around social media and love are obsessed with. If you’ve seen any of the videos in which she’s, you know she’s an overall lovable and whimsical character — not to mention, hilariously awkward and anxious, like a good handful of us.

Her Twitter bio is just as imaginative and adds a touch of fantasy that I think provides a welcomed breather from some of the more serious Twitter bios out there.

13. @YouTube

Why this works:

YouTube’s Twitter bio is an excellent example of a humorous statement that gets the job done straight away: “Like and subscribe.” If you watch videos on YouTube, you’ve likely heard content creators say those words because it helps them generate engagement on their channel.

You can’t like and subscribe to accounts on Twitter, but those familiar with YouTube will know that the bio is asking you to follow and like their Tweets.

14. @JamieAmacher

Why this works:

Some people aim to save neglected pets. Jamie Amacher aims to save neglected houseplants. Buffalo, NY resident (and coworker of mine at Mainstreethost), Amacher knows the importance of keeping plants alive indoors — especially since, here in the Northeast U.S., we don’t get to see much plant life outside during winter.

I must say, it’s a noble act; sacrificing a Twitter bio front-loaded with accomplishments. for the sake of our forgetful nature and thirsty houseplants.

15. @Canva

Why this works:

Graphic design takes skill, but it’s a huge part of marketing. Canva presents itself as a solution to this challenge as an easy-to-use design tool for creating infographics, email templates, flyers — really any marketing material you may need. Its Twitter bio expertly conveys this as a way to attract its audience: “Amazingly simple design.”

16. @Pepsi

Why this works:

It’s pretty funny to imagine a social media manager getting distracted from their job duties because the product they’re supposed to be marketing is just so delicious.

17 & 18. @arnettwill & @batemanjason

Why this works:

First off, it’s clear to me that BFF Twitter bios are the BFF necklace of 2017. Actors Will Arnett and Jason Bateman wear their BFF-dom proud for all of the Twitterland to see — but it’s not the first time they’ve taken their affinity for one another to the public eye. In 2013, they were seen strolling down the street on a sunny afternoon in 2013 while having some fun with the nearby paparazzi:

19. @JohnCleese

Why this works:

John Cleese is an English writer, actor and tall person (according to his website). As he is also a comedian, we’re allowed to find it incredibly humorous that he mentions in his Twitter bio that he’s still alive, contrary to rumor. Plus, he’s doing “the silly walk” in his app, and we invite you to see for yourself just how silly it is. (Monty Python fans, rejoice.)

20. @TheOnion

Why this works:

The Onion is probably the most well-known and popular satirical news site. They publish gag headlines and goofy articles for the sake of humor. In this bio, they sarcastically claim that they are the opposite of a joke site by calling themselves the, “America’s Finest News Source.”

21. @Lesdoggg

Why this works:

What do we love about comedian Leslie Jones’ Twitter bio? It’s simple and to the point. Plus, we can’t help but snicker at the humor in its simplicity — she lets us know about her line of work, without any jokes. That’s okay; luckily, her on-screen work and actual tweets provide plenty of hilarious fodder.

22. @APStyleBook

Why this works:

If you write a lot, you’re probably familiar with the AP Style Book. As a refresher, it’s an English guide to writing and grammar that was created by journalists working for the Associated Press, but it’s used in many different industries. Its Twitter bio reads “A full suite of products to help you stay in style, whether on your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet.”

It’s clever and it works because the stylebook is typically hard-copy but Twitter brings those tips to the digital landscape, accessible on desktop, laptop, smartphone, or tablet.”

23. @shondarhimes

Why this works:

For many of us, Shonda Rhimes is a legend — and our Thursday nights would be so much less interesting without her. She’s the writer behind such hit shows as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” and yes: People love to tweet their plotline opinions to her. She stops that madness with a concise, funny quip in her bio: “It’s not real, okay?” Yes, Ms. Rhimes.

24. @Charmin

Why this works:

Charmin, as we know, sells toilet paper. We’re all adults here, and we all know what it’s used for. Charmin’s Twitter bio is entertaining because, considering its industry, the brand gets the awkwardness out of the way immediately, letting us all know that, hey, quality toilet paper is a good thing … and a good bathroom trip — or, “the go,” as it’s called here — should be enjoyed.

Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a good, TP-related riddle?

#NationalTellAJokeDay
Q: Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom?

A: Because the “P” is silent!

— Charmin (@Charmin)
August 16, 2017

25. @ComedyCentral

Why this works:

Because we see what you did there, Comedy Central. Also, this:

A great way to deal with your problems is to melt some cheese on them.

— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral)
August 21, 2017

For some of us, cheese is always the answer, no matter what the problem.

26. @YourAwayMessage

Why this works:

Are we the only ones who remember the days of AOL Instant Messenger, a.k.a., AIM? Think back, if you can, to a time before Slack, Twitter, and even Facebook — and maybe, just maybe, it’ll all come back to you.

If looking at this bio (and its accompanying profile image) gives you an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia, then you already know why it’s amusing. Remember AIM profiles? And sub-profiles? And away messages?

Also, the location being “the den” is on point. If this doesn’t hit home for you, view this BuzzFeed article, or move on to the next!

27. @TheEllenShow

Why this works:

Ellen DeGeneres entertains us on social media, television, real life, etc. She’s just plain amusing. So it should come as no surprise that her actual bio on Twitter is pretty darn amusing. According to her bio, she has a second job as an ice road trucker — hmm — and her tweets are both real, and spectacular. Well, she’s not lying about her tweets. After all, see below. So, what does that tell us about her second job? We buy it.

I just invested in an eclipse sunglass company. Does anyone know when the next one is?

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow)
August 21, 2017

28. @Alexa99

Why this works:

This is the official account of the Amazon Alexa voice assistant. The bio is funny because it reads as if a robot wrote it. For those who have an Alexa, they might also know that Alexa is bad at puns and tells bad jokes when asked. So, her interests, along with the sci-fi Star Trek, make sense for her.

Because she is a robot, the most hilarious thing in this bio is how it ends with “Tweets and opinions are my own.”

29. @tomhanks

Why this works:

Fame didn’t get to Tom Hanks’ head. He’s a normal person, just like you and I, having issues with fluctuating weight. Sometimes, he gains people’s approval — and other times, not so much. To that, we say, “Tweet on, Tom.”

30. @aparnapkin

Why this works:

Comedian Aparna Nancherla’s Twitter handle (@aparnapkin) is seemingly a play on her name, which is silly enough on its own. Based on her bio I’d be willing to guess that her Twitter feed is equally as amusing.

31. @notzuckerberg

Why this works:

In case you haven’t already guessed, this is NOT Mark Zuckerberg. But that doesn’t stop @notzuckerberg (a.k.a., Twitter user @afterthatsummer) from tweeting as if (s)he were the “Zuck.”

The fake Mark Zuckerberg is pretty funny, as proven by his Twitter bio and tweets like this:

Facebook beat Wall Street’s target again. I am a wizard making mad coin from the most abundant thing on earth—your desire to procrastinate.

— Not Mark Zuckerberg (@notzuckerberg)
January 29, 2015

 

Find Your Twitter Humor

It’s true — exercising humor while also tweeting as a responsible business is often a fine line to walk. But as these examples show, it’s possible to be both self-deprecating and funny on social media, as long as it aligns with your brand.

As the examples show, it’s possible to craft a relevant bio on Twitter that can be humorous, and still let users know what to expect from your profile.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a stunning product picture is worth a thousand website visits. Although I don’t have data to back up that statement (yet), product photography can be extremely valuable to your ecommerce website strategy.

To reach your target audience members whoprefer buying online, you also need to give your audience clear, eye-catching photos of your products.

But product photography isn’t as simple as pointing and shooting. Even the most basic products need the correct equipment, lighting, and space to produce beautiful images that sell shoppers right from the purchase page.

6 Product Photography Tips (and Examples) for Taking Pictures That Sell

Here are the tips, examples, and supplies you’ll need to effectively photograph and market your products in a way that makes your visitors and prospects want to convert.

1. Don’t be afraid to use your smartphone’s camera.

This is the part where I’m supposed to convince you to invest in a high-end, 50-megapixel (MP) camera with a 100-millimeter screw-on lens. But I’m not going to do that.

If you already own a camera that fits this description, take advantage of it. But for many types of products, it’s completely acceptable to shoot product photos on a smartphone.

Newer smartphones boast powerful camera lenses and settings that allow you to optimize your shots for the different types of light and environments you might shoot in.

If you need more convincing, just check out Apple’s Shot On An iPhone campaignand the photos that have resulted from it over the years such as this one:

Source

2. Shoot from a tripod for photo consistency.

Before explaining tripods, I’m obligated to start with a cardinal rule: Don’t prop your phone against something sturdy to aim your lens toward the subject.

It’s just too easy for this makeshift setup to slide around during the shoot and cause inconsistencies in your photos’ appearance. If you rest your camera on, say, a stack of books, just be sure this arrangement doesn’t change over the course of the shoot.

There’s no harm in holding your camera yourself when shooting just a few product photos for your ecommerce website. But as your business grows, and you take more photos of more products, it can be difficult to standardize the product’s orientation in each photo when shooting handheld.

To ensure consistency across your products, you’ll need a tripod. And luckily, buying one isn’t always the big, industrial-sized investment it used to be.

Here are two types of tripods to consider.

Traditional vs. Flexible

This is a tradition tripod — there are traditional tripods available for both cameras and smartphones.

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A flexible tripod can be manipulated in a number of ways. You can bend its legs and place it on different surfaces to get the angle you need.

Source

Mobile Grip

There’s often a screw on the top of your tripod which attaches to your camera to hold it in place. The underside of most professional-grade cameras has a screw hole just for this purpose, but smartphones can use the following adapter:

Source

The adapter grips the sides of your smartphone and can screw into either type of tripod, allowing you to operate the camera controls with the phone screen facing outward and toward you.

Once you determine which mount you’ll need, set it up in front of your product, and consider putting three pieces of tape on the ground to mark where you’d like to keep each leg of your tripod over the course of the shoot.

3. Choose natural light or artificial light.

Never underestimate how certain types of light can improve (or hinder) your product photography. Remember, buyers get the best look at an item in person, where they can see everything they need to before purchasing. The right lighting arrangement helps you reveal those critical decision-making product features when all website visitors have to go on is a photo.

A single lighting setup might not work for every product — a lighting arrangement that works for some products might weaken the appearance of others.

There are two types of light you can choose as your main light source: natural and artificial light.

Natural Light

Natural light refers to sunlight — simple as that. It’s also known as “soft light” because the sun casts a larger, softer range of light than, say, a lamp shining directly on the product. Ecommerce product shots thrive in natural light if:

• The product is shot outside or meant to be used outside.
• The product is used by, worn on, or shot with a person (people tend to look better in natural light).
• You’re trying to emphasize the product’s surroundings, rather than specific attributes of the product.

Here’s an example of a shot using natural light:

Source

Artificial Light

Artificial light includes candles, fire, and more commonly, light bulbs. It’s also referred to as “hard light” because it produces a smaller but more focused light surface. This type of light caters to products with physical details that need to be highlighted to impress an online shopper.

Here’s an example of artificial light being use to shoot:

Source

As a general rule, stick to just one type of light per photo — natural or artificial. Adding natural light to an artificially lit photo can soften a product that’s meant to look sharp, and adding artificial light to a naturally lit photo can sharpen a product that’s meant to look soft. You don’t want to get in your own way.

4. Fill or bounce your light to soften shadows.

Whether you use natural light or artificial light, you’ll need to lessen the shadows that any potential hard light casts on the opposite end of a product.

There are three ways to do this:

Fill Light

Include another, less-intense light source to supplement your main light. This additional light is called your fill light and is used as a counterbalance to soften the natural shadow your main light produces behind an object.

To do this, place your fill light opposite your main light so your product sits between both light sources.

Flashbulb Bounce Card

A bounce card, or reflector card, is a small card that “reflects” or “bounces” the main light back onto the surface beneath your product to reduce shadows.

Some bounce cards attach to the flashbulb of a professional camera lens to diffuse the light from the camera’s flash. This card splashes a softer light onto the subject from above your set — rather than straight at it — so you don’t have long shadows trail behind the object you’re shooting.

See two versions of this item below — both white (left) and foil (right) screens can diffuse the flash.

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Standalone Bounce Card

If you’re shooting from a smartphone, a flashbulb bounce card isn’t an option, since you don’t have a physical flash you can attach it to. Instead, make your own standalone bounce card positioned opposite your main light source.

For beginners to product photography, this bounce card can effectively replace your fill light, which counters the hard light from the camera flash or lamp that’s facing toward the front of your product.

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5. Use a sweep or portrait mode to emphasize the product.

There isn’t one right way to position your product, lights, and bounce cards – they can change dramatically depending on your background. But don’t choose a background based on what’s easiest to create. Backgrounds should resemble how you want your buyers to perceive your product when viewing it online.

Consider first whether you’d like a white background or a more dynamic, real-world background. There’s an easy way to achieve each one.

White Background: Sweep

For white backgrounds, it’s not as simple as setting up a table against white drywall. Even smartphone cameras can pick up little blemishes on a white wall that you wouldn’t notice with the naked eye. To capture a perfect white background with no corners or blemishes, use a sweep.

Source

A sweep is a large bendable sheet of paper, whose bottom acts as the surface beneath your product and then curves up into a white wall behind the product.

On camera, the sweep’s curve is invisible, emphasizing key product details and allowing the item to own all of a website visitor’s attention.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison showing why a sweep matters:

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Real-World Background: Portrait Mode

Dynamic, real-world backgrounds are very appealing when shooting products that have a specific use or are being modeled by a person — as you saw in the picture of the briefcase earlier in this guide.

But, it’s easy for a real-world background to steal the focus of the photo, making it unclear which item in the photo you’re actually selling.

Give your product depth and emphasis with portrait mode, a picture setting on most professional cameras, and also available on many new smartphones. This setting blurs the background so the context of the product is clear but not competing against the product itself.

Below is a super awesome photo of a HubSpot pen taken in portrait mode on a Google Pixel 2 (I took this picture myself). You can tell the pen sits on a desk with a computer behind it, but the pen is still the focal point for viewers:

“It’s such an incredible photo, Braden. I totally want my own HubSpot pen now.” Get one here!

6. Shoot a variety of images.

My last ecommerce photography tip to you is to not stop at one photo per product. Just as your customers look, hold, use, and even try on merchandise in a store, your website should shoot a variety of images to simulate this very experience.

If you’re shooting clothing, for instance, capture the garment of clothing alone — that is, spread out on a white surface — as well as on a mannequin whose color contrasts the color of the product.

Then, for additional photos, have the clothing modeled on a person, allowing you to take pictures of the product from the person’s different poses and angles.

Source

Product Photography Set-Up

Next, let’s summarize what we just received — here’s a list of quick product photography set-up tips that you can refer to and share on your team:

1. Decide on a camera — whether or not that means using your smartphone.
2. Get a tripod that works for your camera of choice.
3. Choose natural or artificial lighting — think about which option is best for your product and environment.
4. Determine whether you’ll fill or bounce light.
5. Select sweep or portrait mode.
6. Take several different images to offer your viewers variety.

Get Started With Your Product Photography

Don’t feel obligated to invest in every tip and piece of equipment at once. Apply these product photography tips gradually to see what makes your store look the most presentable, and change your approach as your photography chops get better.

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

Are you a marketer looking to sharpen your expertise and increase your earning potential?

Great! You’re in the right place.

It’s no secret that individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher are more likely to find employment and earn higher incomes than those who do not. But did you know that earning a certification can follow this same trend?

Now, I’m not saying that a certification and a master’s degree hold the same weight in the eyes of a hiring manager or a client who’s considering working with you on a marketing project. What I am saying is that having specialized education in your field won’t hurt and it’ll typically help you.

I know what you’re thinking, “I can learn on the job — experience is more valuable than a certificate.” And you’re not wrong — 15 years of experience compared to five years of experience and a certification isn’t exactly a one-to-one comparison. For entry-level generalist roles, promotions, and freelance work, though, certificates can be the fastest and most affordable way to get ahead.

Given the frequency at which new digital marketing technologies and software are developed, it can be overwhelming to continue learning through blog posts and ebooks alone. That’s where self-paced online courses come in — but which do you choose?

Don’t fret, I’ve done the hard work for you. Below are the best free online courses you can take to strengthen your digital marketing skills. I’ve taken many of them myself and can assure you they’ll be worth your while. Each of these offerings varies in time commitment, but many are self-paced so you can learn on your time. The topics these courses cover include:

• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• SEO Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Web Development and Site Design
• Online Advertising Courses
• Other Digital Marketing Courses

Want to learn more about brands and organizations that offer the courses on the list below? Scroll to the end of this post, or click here, to find affordable online marketing courses.

Free Online Marketing Courses

Free Content Marketing Courses

1. HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification – HubSpot Academy

2. HubSpot Content Marketing Certification – HubSpot Academy

3. Internet Marketing for Smart People – Copyblogger

4. Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content – Coursera

5. The Strategy of Content Marketing – Coursera

6. Copywriting Blunders – Udemy

7. Content Marketing for B2B Enterprises – Udemy

8. Semrush Content Marketing Toolkit Course – Semrush

9. Copywriting Quick Start: Top FREE Writing Tools & Hacks – Udemy

 

Free Social Media Marketing Courses

10. Free Social Media Certification – HubSpot Academy

11. Developing an End-to-End Instagram Marketing Strategy For Your Business – HubSpot Academy

12. Diploma in Social Media Marketing – Alison

13. Facebook Blueprint – Facebook

14. Social Media Analytics – Quintly

15. Social Media Quickstarter – Constant Contact

16. Semrush Social Media Toolkit Course – Semrush

17. Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate – Facebook

 

Free SEO Marketing Courses

18. SEO Training Course – HubSpot Academy

19. Google Digital Marketing Course – Google

20. SEO Training Course by Moz – Udemy

21. SEO – QuickSprout

22. SEO Specialization Course – Coursera

23. Semrush SEO Toolkit Course – Semrush

24. Online SEO Training – Yoast

 

Free Email Marketing Courses

25. HubSpot Email Marketing Certification – HubSpot Academy

26. Email Marketing Course – Sendinblue Academy

27. Email Marketing Made Easy for Beginners – Udemy

28. Email Marketing for Beginners – Skillshare

 

Free Web Development and Site Design Courses

29. Make a Website – CodeAcademy

30. Learn Javascript – CodeAcademy

31. Learn Ruby – CodeAcademy

32. Learn Python 3 – CodeAcademy

33. Learn HTML & CSS – CodeAcademy

34. Learn to Code Awesome Websites – General Assembly 

 

Free Online Advertising & PPC Courses

35. What Digital Advertising Is and How to Do It – HubSpot Academy

36. How to Build a Paid Media Strategy – HubSpot Academy

37. PPC University – Wordstream

38. Advertising Your Business Online – Alison

39. Advanced Competitive Research Practices with Semrush

40. Copywriting 101: Crafting Your First Ad Campaign – Skillshare

41. Semrush Advertising Toolkit Course – Semrush

 

Other Free Digital Marketing Courses

42. Graphic Design Basics – Canva

43. Graphic Design Specialization – Coursera

44. Photoshop 2020: One-on-One Fundamentals – LinkedIn Learning

45. InDesign 2020: Essential Training – LinkedIn Learning

46. Video Marketing Course- HubSpot Academy

47. Event Marketing Course and Certification – Eventbrite

48. Event Sponsorship Course and Certification – Eventbrite

49. Affiliate Marketing for Beginners – Udemy

50. YouTube Ads Certification – YouTube

Benefits of a Digital Marketing Certificate

The most well-known benefit of earning a marketing certificate is the potential for better pay and career advancement, but there are plenty more rewards to reap by honing your skills. Here are a few of the top advantages of earning a digital marketing certificate.

Specializing in a Marketing Niche

The “jack of all trades, master of none” mantra is the marketer’s enemy. Any experienced marketing professional will advise someone looking to enter or grow into the field to narrow their focus. There are simply too many types of marketing to do all of them well. Certifications come in handy because they’re narrow enough in scope to give you a high-level overview of how the skill fits into a larger marketing strategy but tactical enough to show you exactly how to execute the skill in your day-to-day work.

Communicating Advanced Marketing Concepts

Whether you’re interviewing for a marketing role or pitching a client, one thing’s for sure — you’ll need to sound like a skilled marketer. Sure, you can fake it ‘till you make it, but I don’t advise this route. Shibboleths will only get you so far before someone notices a gap in your experience. Certification courses are comprehensive education tools that will teach you essential marketing lingo and exactly what it all means. Best of all, you’ll be able to communicate advanced concepts confidently without over or under-explaining which can undermine your credibility.

Building Your Resume

When it comes down to it, your resume will almost always precede your presence. Before an interview or a client meeting, people will look to your resume and portfolio first to verify your skills. Adding the certifications you’ve received after completing marketing courses is a smart way to get picked up by resume scanners and it’ll catch the attention of human eyes, too. Even if you have several years of experience, a certificate can still help get your foot in the door so you can speak in detail about your experience during an interview.

Where to Find Free and Affordable Courses

The free courses we mentioned above are amazing resources for budget-conscious marketers. They’ll teach you the basics of the subject and give you some tactical knowledge you can apply right away. If you want to become more competitive in the job market or if you have a bit more time and resources to dedicate to furthering your education, check out the following courses. They’re not all free, but they’re affordable and will provide you with up-to-date course material.

HubSpot Academy

HubSpot Academy offers certification and training courses to teach people how inbound marketing and HubSpot software work. Classes are often taught by marketers at HubSpot and are made up of video lessons, quizzes, and tests. Most HubSpot Academy classes are available free of charge, and if you pass the certifications, such as the two below, you get a nifty certificate and badge to share on your social media profiles.

Copyblogger

Copyblogger is a content marketing company that creates content about content (so meta). Its blog provides a ton of great resources about digital marketing, and this class, “Internet Marketing for Smart People,” is made up of ebooks and emailed lessons and other course materials. Copyblogger espouses four pillars of content marketing success, which it delves into over the course of this class.

Coursera

Coursera offers MOOCs (massive online open courses) created and taught online by universities such as Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California system. These courses start at various times throughout the year, so browse the catalog to see when one lines up with your schedule.

Udemy

Udemy is another online learning platform that focuses specifically on courses related to skill building for working professionals. One thing to note about Udemy: The classes we’ve highlighted are free, but the site features a myriad of other paid options for as little as $10, in some cases. If you have a good experience with a free course, try a paid one to get even more value from the content on this site.

Wordstream

Wordstream is a search engine and social media marketing software company that helps marketers drive the greatest ROI from their paid search and social media campaigns. These free guides and ebooks distill learnings and best practices for users with varying levels of expertise running pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Here are some of its topics and offerings:

Social Lock

Social Lock is a social media consulting, management, and strategy agency that also provides educational content and courses. The Standout Social Content Course is a comprehensive guide for small business owners who want to grow sales through social media. Although this course isn’t free, it’s available at an affordable rate and can even be paid in installments if you’re on a tight budget. If you need free resources that can teach you how to generate revenue that can pay for a course like this, Social Lock offers a Hustle with Hashtags eBook and Social Media Post Ideas.

edX

edX is another MOOC provider that features courses offered by top-tier universities, including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston University. Like Coursera, classes are taught online and start at specific times throughout the year. Here are just a few of the many courses you can find on edX:

The 4-day Creative Brief

Before a marketing campaign is launched, you’ll need to get your design team onboard, and one of the best ways to do this is by developing a creative brief. The four-day creative brief is an online, self-paced course designed to hone your writing skills and help you convey your unique ideas. Advertising and branding expert Yadira Santana-Dowling condenses this process into just seven lessons so that by the end of it, your creative team has all the information they need to bring the campaign to life.

Alison

Alison offers free online classes in various professional skills users can take at their own pace. This content repository includes courses that lead to certificates and diplomas — you choose which is best for your goals. For an even more rigorous curriculum, you can choose a learning path that combines several lessons and courses into one learning track that gives you a well-rounded learning experience.

Facebook Blueprint

At this point, you probably already know what Facebook is and what it does. What you might not know is that the company offers several training and certification programs. Facebook Blueprint offers self-paced and live e-learning courses for marketers seeking to grow their organizations using Facebook. Blueprint offers classes in different languages on how to use Facebook and Instagram.

quintly Academy

quintly is a social media analytics tool that offers courses through quintly Academy. The self-paced course provides an overview of social media analytics, benchmarking, and goaling using downloadable written materials and video lessons. These courses are available to take at no cost — simply sign in to enroll for free.

Google

Google is another company you’ve probably heard of before, and its digital marketing course offers a ton of valuable information if you plan to advertise on the search engine. You can even take a Google AdWords certification at the end of the process that helps you beef up your resume. Google has expanded its course offerings to include other types of digital marketing, too, so check out the site for up-to-date insights in the marketing world.

Codeacademy

Codeacademy offers free, interactive coding classes that take you from bare-bones to building a fully functioning website. The courses we’ve highlighted below just scratch the surface, though. Codeacademy offers a variety of course topics so you can truly focus on your niche. These classes include lectures and a workspace in the same browser window so you can see the effect of your work as you create it — how cool is that?

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General Assembly

General Assembly offers live online courses that can be accessed for free or for a fee. These courses specialize in technical skills and disciplines like the fundamentals of HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript. Each one is categorized as one of five types that range from full-time immersive learning to on-demand learning. Once you choose your time commitment, simply find a course that works with your schedule.

Canva

Canva helps people easily make beautiful images for web design, and Canva Design School offers design courses that are valuable for any kind of storyteller. The Creativity course explores the challenges of constant creation and innovation and how to do it well — with visuals, of course.

Become a Marketing Powerhouse with These Free Certifications

I’m sure all marketers (myself included) can agree that furthering our education in this field is a worthwhile way to advance our careers or businesses. And earning a certificate from a reputable online course is one of the most convenient ways to accomplish this. Whether you want to take a free online marketing class or you’d like to devote more time and resources to a paid one, you can’t go wrong with one from this list. Just remember to focus your studying on a specific sector of marketing and develop a niche skillset — you’ll be well on your way to success as a consummate marketer.

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in May 2018, but was updated in July 2020 for comprehensiveness and freshness.

Recently, Lululemon announced its program “Like New”, an initiative aimed at collecting gently-worn Lululemon gear and reviving the clothing to re-sell on Lululemon’s online resale shop:

At first glance, the move might seem a bit random coming from the athletic apparel brand — but it makes a lot more sense when you consider buyer personas. 

More than likely, Lululemon has identified its buyer persona as someone who lives an active lifestyle and enjoys getting outside. Lululemon’s buyer persona doesn’t just have one interest or value; she has many. And I’m willing to bet the brand has identified that their buyer persona cares about nature, and the importance of sustainability. 

This is why buyer personas matter: They help you appeal more authentically and personally to your consumers, expand your reach, and create lifelong brand advocates. 

Here, let’s dive into what a buyer persona is. 

What is a buyer persona? 

A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.

When creating your buyer persona(s), consider including customer demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and goals. The more detailed you are, the better.

Try Our Make My Persona Tool to Create Your Own

Buyer personas provide tremendous structure and insight for your company. 

A detailed buyer persona will help you determine where to focus your time, guide product development, and allow for alignment across the organization. As a result, you will be able to attract the most valuable visitors, leads, and customers to your business.

Ready to put this definition into practice? Learn how to create a detailed buyer persona for your business.

After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, Johnny Boufarhat was no longer able to leave the house—let alone go to in-person events—and was looking for a better way to connect with others. In 2019, Boufarhat founded Hopin to bring meaningful connections to virtual and hybrid experiences.

Hopin—one of the fastest-growing companies—is a virtual experiences platform redefining how people around the world connect through immersive video experiences. Hopin’s founding product was a virtual event platform that mirrors the interactive nature of in-person events, conferences, and meetups.

By early 2020, Hopin had over 20,000 event organizers on the waiting list. Today, Hopin employs a fully remote workforce of over 550 people in 42 countries, has over 95,000 event organizers using its platform, and has secured $565 million in Series A-C funding. The company has also impressively reached $80M ARR.

Its exponential growth is fueled by its remote-first workforce and customer-centered acquisition strategy. Hopin has extended its vision to create more engaging video experiences into three new verticals through multiple strategic acquisitions with a product portfolio that spans events, live streaming, content hosting, and team-based collaboration.

An Industry Propelled by the Pandemic

In 2019, the virtual events market was valued at $77.98 billion. But in-person events were still the norm. From scientific conferences to sales summits, job fairs, and networking events to concerts, virtual events weren’t yet commonplace.

But by March of 2020, as lockdowns and travel regulations began, organizations were at risk of event cancellations. Event organizers had two choices: they could either cancel events entirely or adapt and pivot online. In response, the virtual events industry skyrocketed overnight.

As a company focused on recreating the in-person experience online, Hopin was well-positioned for the task at hand. Hopin is an event management software company allowing individuals and organizations to build and host virtual and hybrid conferences, trade shows, career fairs, and more. The company is committed to driving authentic human connections and replicating the in-person experience online with video and integrated tech tools like virtual whiteboards and live polls.

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Hopin uses subscriptions for event organizers to access the event software. Meeting multiple price points and customer needs, Hopin offers different subscription tiers, with the starter option beginning at $99/month. Business and enterprise options give customized packages and subscriptions for larger organizations.

Subscriptions create a sustainable revenue model for Hopin, bringing some income predictability to the company. Hopin brings in additional income through ticketed events on Hopin Explore—a platform similar to Eventbrite helping users discover events—with a 7% commission fee on ticket purchases.

Forward-thinking and perceptive, founder Johnny Boufarhat continues to uncover customer needs and prepare Hopin for the new generation of events. What started as a response to his diagnosis evolved into a hybrid platform that completely revolutionized the virtual event space.

Even as vaccines roll out and travel restrictions adjust, the virtual events market is expected to keep growing at a rate of 23.2% and reach $404 billion in the next six years. Hopin is here to stay.

Launching 6 Months Early with a Fully Remote Workforce

In early 2020, Hopin had 12 employees. The original plan was to launch in the fall of 2020, allowing Johnny time to focus on raising funds and developing the company’s suite of services. However, spurred on by in-person event cancellations in March, Johnny and his then small team decided at midnight on a Friday to launch for a conference at risk of cancellation the following Monday.

Hopin could have waited to launch until everything was “ready,” but if ever there was a moment to launch a platform that mirrored in-person interactions and connections, now was the time. Johnny and team stepped in when thousands of event organizers so desperately needed the help.

At this point, no completely remote company had grown so quickly and exponentially. There was no roadmap to follow. No go-to-market strategy. The company had launched in such a short amount of time with a fully remote, growing workforce. It was full speed ahead and growing at an astonishing pace.

Johnny Boufarhat, CEO and Founder of Hopin said:

“Speed has become one of Hopin’s superpowers both in scaling our multi-product platform and incredible, fully-remote workforce. At Hopin we prioritize impact measured by the success of our customers. Our mission is to provide the best possible platform for organizers to create meaningful experiences so the world feels smaller and more connected.”

 

Early on, the majority of Hopin employees came through referrals from other employees. Johnny attributes Hopin’s success to his hiring strategy and leadership philosophy: providing flexibility and autonomy for a fully remote workforce.

Johnny is more concerned about hiring the right people over hiring people from a certain timezone. Having remote talent allows you to bring in the BEST of the best—and find the right culture fit—instead of needing headquarters in a certain country or city to get the right talent. Remote gives you a massive talent pool to build an effective team.

So how does Hopin continue to attract a global pool of top product and engineering employees? With its company culture. Between its very own Vibe Team, active Slack channels, and twice-a-month game nights called ConnectFest, Hopin fosters connectedness for its employees, too.

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For Hopin, business norms aren’t necessary. Working across time zones means employees have flexible schedules. The where, how, and when of working doesn’t matter to Johnny; there’s no digital shoulder-tapping or micromanaging. Hopin’s leadership is mostly concerned about serving the customer, not wondering whether employees sit in their desk chairs between designated hours.

Instead of fearing a loss of control over the business, Johnny places trust in his team. Giving them autonomy and empowering them to take responsibility/ownership. Hopin’s success demonstrates the power of trusting in your remote workforce. With a commitment to remote-first forever and employee autonomy, Hopin draws top talent from across the globe.

Invest in Ecosystem Partners

Using integrated technology, Hopin aims to foster lasting connections among its users. Over the course of one year, Hopin has rapidly built an infrastructure to prepare for the future including an aggressive acquisition strategy to become a multi-product platform leading the way in hybrid events.

As part of its multi-product strategy, Hopin acquired mobile app development company Topi in 2020 as well as video streaming company StreamYard, adding StreamYard’s 3.6 million video content creators to its base.

In early 2021, Hopin acquired video hosting provider Streamable as well as video technology company Jamm. Furthering its mission to become the leading hybrid event platform, Hopin acquired event management company Boomset this June.

Johnny’s merger and acquisition strategy is helping Hopin create a digital ecosystem; a collection of interconnected technology to serve its customers. Rather than operating in silos—or having customers lean on multiple platforms that don’t necessarily communicate well with each other—Hopin makes every component of event planning, execution, and attending, easier.

Having an ecosystem is critical for software growth, as the integrated technologies function together to create a seamless experience for customers.

Hopin’s M&A strategy is twofold: increasing its capacity and improving its brand awareness. Through acquisitions, Hopin’s grows its capacity to serve customers with new tools while introducing a new audience to Hopin’s platform.

Like Hopin, companies need to weigh the financial and opportunity costs of acquisitions. What’s the cost of developing technology on your own? What’s the cost of waiting to bring your customers what they need right now? How much of an audience will the new company bring in?

Johnny knows the value of deciding and acting quickly—the faster he provides a better solution for his customers, the bigger the moat he creates around Hopin.

Hopin’s acquisition approach is to serve the virtual and hybrid event market from every angle and entry point, leveraging technology to help users connect with each other, experience global events together, and build lasting relationships across the world.

Growth During a Time of Economic Uncertainty

Johnny recognized the need for virtual and hybrid events well before the pandemic. As a trailblazing business owner, he didn’t let the murky waters of last year stop him from growing Hopin’s impact.

The company quickly positioned itself as THE virtual and hybrid events platform. Johnny leads Hopin to continuously improve its product suite and provide a memorable experience to expand Hopin’s brand awareness. With the backing of his investments in talent and acquisitions, Johnny carved a new moat in the events marketplace.

Hopin continues to establish its moat by refining and expanding its products. What sets Hopin apart is its emphasis on mirroring the dynamic, interactive nature of in-person events and bringing those experiences online as well as investing in technology to lead in the future of hybrid events.

With 1:1 networking, digital reception lobbies, expos, and even coordinating virtual swag bags, Hopin considers every piece of the event production process to provide memorable and interactive experiences for organizers and attendees alike.

Last spring, when The Atlantic searched for a platform for its festival, the company knew it needed something that wouldn’t cripple under the weight of thousands of attendees. Hopin’s platform can handle 100,000+, making the product an easy choice for event organizers with a significant number of attendees.

Its tech capabilities have made all the difference: leading to quick customer acquisition and expansion. The Wall Street Journal hosted its first virtual event on Hopin last year. So did the United Nations. Hopin has taken SEO rankings by storm with extensive backlinks from reputable sites, every event driving visitors and leads to Hopin’s website:

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When big-name organizations flocked to one platform, the market paid attention. Small and large organizations across sectors now depend on Hopin to host virtual and hybrid events, including Poshmark, TechCrunch, WeTransfer, and many others. In March 2021 alone, the company saw active event organizers grow from 85K to 90K.

One thing is certain: new moats aren’t impenetrable. Once business owners create a new position in the market, the work isn’t done. Companies need to anticipate the changing tides, rather than waiting for inevitable shifts. Where are there gaps in your product or service offerings? How can your company go above and beyond for its customers?

Even now, Hopin is preparing for the world to go back to normal by expanding its products and services to execute hybrid events—blending in-person and virtual elements to serve a wider audience.

Johnny shows us the importance of understanding every facet of your market; he aims to meet needs and exceed expectations for event organizers AND event attendees alike. Hopin notices what’s missing in the market and brings every piece of the event puzzle together as the one-stop shop for a full-service video event platform.

Leading the Next Generation of Events

At first, catapulted by the pandemic, virtual events were used out of necessity. But now, event organizers see the opportunity in hybrid events: serving a wider audience and making a bigger impact. Founder Johnny Boufarhat aims to make events more accessible and create an environment for connections as natural as an in-person. He’s bringing in the next generation of events through three key strategies:

1. Committing to remote-first.

Hopin isn’t concerned about when, where, or how team members complete their work. The company fully leans into remote-first, allowing flexibility and autonomy for every employee. Above all else, Boufarhat trusts his team to take ownership and do what it takes to get the job done.

2. Investing in strategic M&A.

When it comes to mergers and acquisitions for Hopin, there’s no ego involved. More than anything, Hopin is focused on solving customers’ problems and frustrations—finding innovative solutions to help customers create meaningful experiences and make the world feel smaller.

3. Carving and expanding a new moat.

Hopin didn’t stop at creating a new position in the market. The company is committed to continuously discovering new ways to fill gaps in service and expanding its product offerings to meet customer needs in one place.

Through strategic acquisitions and investments, Johnny Boufarhat demonstrates his careful consideration of customer frustrations, combined with his ability to anticipate future possibilities and act quickly. Rather than waiting for customers’ needs to show themselves, Boufarhat goes beyond what’s in front of him and anticipates the bend in the road ahead: hybrid events that promote scalability and greater access.

No matter how many products or services you sell and offer, or how small or large your business is, no two customers are exactly the same.

Because of this, it’s important to ensure you’re always identifying the trends and patterns that exist among your customers and target audience. In doing so, you’ll have the data and information necessary to effectively target, reach, convert, and retain those people.

To help you with this, turn to the process of behavioral segmentation.

Behavioral Segmentation

In this blog post, we’ll review the definition of behavioral segmentation (which is a process that’s part of behavioral marketing), a tool that can help you group your customers based on their behaviors and actions, as well as examples of behavioral segmentation.

Behavioral Segmentation

To support your behavioral segmentation efforts, we recommend implementing a tool like HubSpot’s Behavioral Targeting software.

With a tool like HubSpot, which comes in a free or paid version with one of the premium Marketing Hub plans, you can collect data about how your target audience interacts with your website, content, and other marketing materials.

You can also take advantage of the active list feature which is used for advanced customer segmentation, targeting, and audience building.

By incorporating HubSpot into your behavioral segmentation workflow, you’ll send targeted messages and relevant material to your audience members at the right time. This process is also automated with audience triggers.

With HubSpot’s Behavioral Targeting tool, you can also:

• Create hyper-segmented lists based on persona and their engagement.
• Leverage CRM data (via your connected, all-in-one CRM platform) to customize your content.
• Share well-timed and engaging nurture campaigns.
• Consistently identify and record specific behavioral events throughout the buyer’s journey that lead to conversions among your prospects.

Pro Tip: Use HubSpot’s Behavioral Targeting tool to personalize outreach at scale and make every interaction you have with prospects and contacts feel special.

Behavioral Segmentation Variables

The behavioral segmentation variables that you need to consider while working on the categorization of your audiences include:

• Sought-after product/service benefits of your audience members.
• Audience member’s product/ service usage rate.
• Audience member’s loyalty status.
• Stage of the buyer’s journey an audience member is in.
• Size of your market segment.
• Level of accessibility your market segment has to your product or service.
• How niche your market segment is.

Next, let’s take a look at some behavioral segmentation examples.

Behavioral Segmentation Examples

There are a number of behavioral segmentation examples — a.k.a. ways to segment your customers based on behavior. Here are some common examples.

1. Purchase Behavior/ Transaction History

Look at a customer’s purchase behavior and transaction history. This provides insight into how and why they decide to convert as well as which stages of the buyer’s journey go smoothly whereas where a prospect may come to a bit of a roadblock along the way. It also gives you an idea of which behaviors are likely to accurately predict a conversion.

2. Occasion

Was it a specific occasion or point in time that influenced your customer’s decision to convert? For instance, is there a specific point in time during the year that they’ll interact with your brand (e.g. if you’re an online greeting card service, you may get repeat customers around the winter holiday season every year). Is a purchase decision based on the time of day or even life stage?

3. Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty provides a solid look at customer behavior — loyalty relates directly to a customer’s habits, actions, needs, usage, and the timing of their actions.

To use customer loyalty when segmenting customers based on behavior, think about: 1) which parts of the buyer’s journey are so delightful that they result in loyalty, 2) how you currently keep loyal customers feeling delighted, 3) which prospects are most likely to become loyal, and 4) which attributes do your loyal customers share.

4. Benefits Sought

Identify what your customers are looking to get out of your product or service — of all of your features, which do they need most to resolve the challenge(s) that they’re experiencing? What specific benefits do they get out of your product and which of those benefits are most important to them?

Determine which of those benefits are influencing their decision to use your product/service most.

5. Customer Journey Stage

Understanding which stage of the customer journey leads to the most conversions or which stage prospects get hung up on most frequently is beneficial information when predicting behavior and segmenting customers based on those behaviors.

However, it’s important to note that using customer journey stages in behavioral segmentation can be difficult because there are so many stages — and within those stages are multiple touchpoints that contribute to behavior or decision to remain in a stage, or move forward to a new stage, of the buyer’s journey.

That’s why it’s recommended to use a platform like your CRM or an AI/ machine learning tool — they record and track all interactions throughout the buyer’s journey to ensure you’re getting a complete view of your customers’ buyer’s journey behavioral data.

6. Engagement

Engagement refers to the type and frequency of engagement you see from certain customers. You might segment your customers based on high engagement versus average engagement versus occasional engagement.

Highly engaged individuals are those who have incorporated your brand into their lives regularly.

Average users may engage with your brand or product/ service fairly regularly but may not take advantage of its full potential and capabilities.

Occasional users may just engage with your brand or product/service randomly based on their specific need but don’t rely on it.

7. Usage

Usage refers to how and/or how much a customer uses your product or service. This may entail segmenting your customers based on how they actually use the product/service, how frequently they use it, how long they use it for in a single session, or which features they use most.

You might choose to segment your customers further into more specific usage categories — for instance, heavy users versus average users versus light users.

Grow Better With Behavioral Segmentation

Behavioral segmentation is a great way to effectively and efficiently target your leads and customers to increase conversions. It helps you time your communications and follow up, and tailor your content in a way that feels personal. Be sure to keep behavioral segmentation variables in mind and incorporate a tool like HubSpot for further support throughout the process.