Category Archives: B2B

Looking for landing page design examples and tools to create high-converting pages? There are so many elements that a top-notch landing page design needs, and making those elements the “best” they can be often depends on what your landing page goals are.

If you’re looking to up your landing page game, knowing what goes into a great one is helpful.

In this post, I’ll explain how to make a landing page work in your favor and provide you with a list of landing pages I love so you can see these impressive designs in action and implement their tactics on your own landing pages.

Table of Contents

• What Makes a Landing Page Effective
• Examples of Great Landing Pages
• Enterprise Landing Pages
• AI-Generated Landing Pages: A Personal Perspective
• Landing Page Ideas

Pro tip: HubSpot’s free content tools enable you to create your own website from scratch, with plenty of customization options available so you can tailor your website to your branding.

What makes a landing page effective?

A truly effective landing page immediately captures attention with a compelling value proposition that speaks directly to the visitor’s needs or desires. It then guides them down a frictionless path to a single, clear action through strategic design, persuasive copy, and social proof that builds enough trust to overcome hesitation.

But to get a broad overview, we can break it down into 6 elements, let’s go through them.

Content Management Software

Landing pages can be built from scratch, but it’s often quicker and more effective to use content management software with free landing page builder tools. 

For example, with HubSpot’s Landing Page Builder, you’ll access a drag-and-drop website builder with free landing page themes and templates. These features let you hit the ground running with your landing pages and start ranking on SERPs and converting visitors into contacts. Get a demo or get started for free today.

If you’re a WordPress user, there are plenty of themes that support landing page templates, like Pearl, as well as dedicated landing page builders like Instapage.

Catchy Headlines

Make a headline that grabs attention. It should be around ten words short and tell visitors what they’ll get from your page.

Source

Use numbers, be specific, and choose strong words.

If you need some inspiration for word choice, I found a fantastic OptinMonster blog post with 700+ converting and attractive words.

From the long list, I chose this one because catchy terms keep me engaged every time:

Source

Pro tip: Emotional headlines grab attention. For example, “Master Time Management” is transparent, but “Best Tool for More Time with Your Kids” hits differently, straight to the heart.

Eyeflow Design

Make sure your page looks neat and is easy to use.

First, categorize everything you can.

Then, put up excellent videos or pictures that fit your brand. Don‘t use too many colors and elements — it can make things messy and make it hard to notice what’s important.

Play with neutral colors, contrast, white space, and directional cues to make your CTA pop.

Here’s a bit of inspo from Duda:

Source

Scroll down to see pictures with the same colors and fonts, keeping the brand’s style consistent.

Source

Pro tip: Consider spicing things up with new elements like VR, AR, or 3D images. Shopify’s research showed a 94% increase in conversions with these visuals.

Short and Sweet Writing

Just like with headlines, keep your landing page text brief. In this case, we’re talking around 250-300 words — unless you’re selling something super complex.

The shorter text makes it 11.8% easier to read and understand.

Keep it simple and direct.

Explain why your offer matters to them.

When writing landing page content, start with an outline.

I love Patrick Cumming’ s LinkedIn carousel, where he shared the AIDCA outline for crafting effective landing page content.

Source

Also, don‘t be boring or too pushy with your CTA. Instead of “Sign up for a Trip,” go for “Join the Trip of Your Life.” It’s more fun and promises something amazing ahead.

Pro tip: Don’t sound like a robot. If your copy is too ChatGPT-ish, most people will probably leave the site (including me :)). Show you care by writing in a way that connects with your audience.

Testimonials and Reviews

Include quotes from happy customers or stories about good experiences. It helps people trust that your thing is great.

You can use different types of testimonials — short quotes, video stories, case studies, ratings, before-and-after pictures, social media posts, influencer endorsements, employee feedback, expert recommendations, or interactive content.

And who says you need to choose one type only?

Very Good Copy mixes both video and written testimonials, and it works great:

Source

According to the Reputation X study, business needs more than just showing up in search results:

• 49% of people want at least a four-star rating.
• People read about 7 reviews before trusting a business.

Trust leads to purchases, and online reviews can make or break that trust.

Pro tip: Try to use video testimonials whenever possible. 93% of marketers think videos work as well or even better than other content types.

I like it when there’s a real person talking on a site — way cooler than reading quotes and names, especially on some new site where you end up Googling if that person is even real.

A/B Testing

You need to regularly do checkups to see what’s working on your landing page.

A/B testing helps you compare two web page styles with the same web address. Some visitors see one style, and the rest see another. By looking at how well each version does, you can pick the one that works better.

Keep changing little things on your page to make sure it’s always a crowd-pleaser. Whatever the problem is, A/B testing can help you figure it out and find the best solution.

Use quality tools for this purpose to find out where users are having trouble. For instance, with our Marketing Hub and Content Hub, you can A/B test your landing pages.

Source

You can put things into context with marketing analytics. It helps identify more info about your audience and how your landing page contributes to your overall marketing efforts — details useful to create relevant A/B tests or to further refine your page.  

Pro tip: If your page is in multiple languages, you can run a test for each language version with our software.

Now, check out the best 45 landing pages to inspire yourself.

Examples of Great Landing Pages

1. Shopify

Tool used: Shopify’s own platform

Source

Like many of the other landing pages in this post, Shopify’s trial landing page for sellers keeps it simple. It’s not too text-heavy but still manages to persuade users by noting a few key points about its top-notch product.

Visitors come away knowing that Shopify is an all-in-one platform that is easy to use and trusted by many.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Clean interface: The user-oriented headline is just a few words, for example, and the page relies on simple graphics and short paragraphs to communicate the trial’s details and benefits.
• Concise CTA: There are only a few fields you need to fill out before you get started. All of this makes it easier for you to quickly get started selling online with their tool.

What Could Be Improved

• Emphasizing security: The last column states that the platform is safe, but doesn’t explain why. Instead, it mentions that over a million businesses use it. A few words that speak to site security would improve this section since the number of vendors is already stated at the top of the page. Additionally, it would eliminate friction for visitors with security concerns.

2. Great Jones

Tool used: Shopify Plus

Source

Great Jones offers up a landing page that’s as beautiful as its Dutch Ovens. It’s very aspirational and taps into all of our ideal kitchen dreams.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Use of color: Great Jones’ site is colorful, just like its cookware. The use of bold colors quickly draws visitors in and makes the cookware stand out.
• Prominent CTA: You can’t miss the $10 Off coupon. Who wouldn’t want a discount on these gorgeous pots?

What Could Be Improved

• More Variety: Great Jones’ catalogue is vast, from pots to pans to utensils, but only highlighting its blue sheet pan can be a bit limiting upon first glance.

3. Muzzle

Tool used: Custom development

Source

Muzzle, a Mac app that silences on-screen notifications, fully embraces this show-and-tell mentality on their otherwise minimal landing page.

Landing pages help users decide whether or not your product or service is actually worth their precious time and energy.

What better way to clearly and straightforwardly communicate your value proposition than by confronting visitors with the very problem your app solves?

Why This Landing Page Works

• Show rather than tell: Visitors to the page are greeted with a rapid-fire onslaught of embarrassing notifications in the upper left of the screen. Not only is the animation hilarious, but it also manages to compellingly convey the app’s usefulness without lengthy descriptions.
• Cohesive visual experience: Even the text on the page is a muted gray color, mirroring the function of the product.

What Could Be Improved

• Could be difficult to read: While the light gray text on the white background is great at mimicking the product’s function, it may be harder to read for some.

4. DoorDash

Tool used: Django

Source

Takeout enthusiasts are no doubt familiar with DoorDash, the app that lets you order food from a variety of restaurants from your phone.

Well, instead of customers, this landing page is geared towards recruiting partners and Dashers who make the deliveries.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Emphasizes dasher autonomy: This landing page really plays up that Dashers are independent and free to work when they want.
• User-friendly: Just enter your address in the search bar, and voila! Instantly find the best local restaurants near you.

What Could Be Improved

• Advantage over competitors: DoorDash is not the only delivery game in town. They could highlight what sets them apart from a competitor like UberEats.

5. Wise

Tool used: Wise platform

Source

Wise allows you to send or receive money in different currencies and countries. Its landing page separates customers into two categories — either Business or Personal. You‘re not distracted by options that don’t apply to you.

There’s even a short video to show visitors how the service works before they try it. Since they’re dealing with money, it’s important to get the customer experience right the first time.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Highlights safety: The security information is out front and center on this page, helping to ease any hesitancy a potential customer might have and assuring them that Wise is a safe service to use to send and receive money.
• Emphasizes value: In several places on the page, in both text and video, Wise reiterates that it’s less expensive than transferring money through a traditional bank.

What Could Be Improved

• Adding an FAQ: Putting an FAQ section at the bottom would be great, especially for such finance-related stuff where people often have many questions.

6. Airbnb

Tool used: React

Source

To help convert visitors into hosts, Airbnb offers a search bar pop-up. You can enter additional information about your potential accommodations into the fields to get an even more customized estimation.

Source

If you visit the page already convinced, the clear call-to-action at the top of the page makes it easy to convert on the spot.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Personalization: Airbnb shows you right at the start what you could potentially earn based on your area and the size of your home. This is useful for potential new hosts who may still be figuring out how much they should charge and what they can expect to earn.
• Straight to the point: Minimal information against a clean white backdrop keeps the focus sharp.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: The page is clear and concise, reassures potential hosts Airbnb is safe to use, and offers a personalized experience.

7. Wag!

Tool used: Servicesx

Source

Wag! is a service that connects dog owners with dog walkers and sitters. This page gets right to the point with a large font encouraging prospects to join and puts the sign-up form prominently on the right half of the page.

The green background color makes the white font and other elements on the page pop. The addition of a QR code on the form is also a nice touch, enabling visitors to scan it, quickly download the app, and sign up.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Efficient form: Leaving the form field open on the page means visitors don’t even have to click on a CTA to access it. The QR code further expedites the process.
• Emphasizes credibility: Including caretaker photos and the fact that more than 400,000 caretakers currently use the service nationwide makes Wag! more trustworthy.

What Could Be Improved

• It’s not compelling: Unlike DoorDash mentioned earlier, Wag! makes no mention of why people should join. What are the perks? Are the hours flexible?

8. Wistia

Tool used: Wistia’s own platform

Source

Right off the bat, you notice the baby blue background with the pop of darker blue in the form of an “Explore Plans” button. The page gets right into the action with a video describing the services.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Ease of use: The form itself allows users to quickly fill it out by linking to their Google account. Doing so enables the autofill feature, which cuts down on friction for the user.
• Capitalizes on visuals: As a video host, Wista does a great job of showcasing its capabilities using a variety of mediums. There are colorful graphics, videos, and even a link to marketing-focused cartoons.

What Could Be Improved

• Including an FAQ: Testimonials are great, but sometimes customers have a few concerns that could be answered quickly with an FAQ section. That way, they can decide whether or not to sign up without having to leave the page to search for answers.

9. Webflow

Tool used: Figma

Source

Webflow, a design tool for web developers, packs a lot of information into just one GIF. As with Muzzle, Webflow also gets right to the point and demonstrates what its tool can do, rather than just talking about it.

The animated GIF is visible in the same frame on the website, so users can see how the product works and sign up without scrolling.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Show rather than tell: Being able to view Webflow’s tool in action gives potential customers a clear idea of not only what it does but how their user experience will be.
• Removes risk: In several places on the landing page, visitors are reminded that the service is free. There’s no trial to sign up for. They can build their site for free and decide whether or not to sign up for a plan when they’re ready to launch.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This landing page is the perfect balance of information, usability, and visuals.

10. Talkspace

Tool used: Twilio

Source

Talkspace, an online therapy service, really focuses on trustworthiness with this landing page. All of the information on this page emphasizes that customers will have access to licensed therapists.

It drives home that the service is secure and confidential. This is a great way to reassure those who may be hesitant to participate.

Source

Source

The use of shapes is also a clever idea. Overall, the layout is clean, inviting, and informative.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Color palette: Calming pastel colors perfectly match the brand’s message.
• Provides value: In addition to providing details about how Talkspace works, this page also provides several mental health resources and articles.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This page has a great user interface and serves as a great starting point for mental health resources.

11. Nauto

Tool used: Databricks

Source

Nauto, a data platform for self-driving cars, helps make autonomous driving safer for companies that manage fleets of self-driving vehicles.

Naturally, its customers would need all kinds of information to sell them on this platform. Nauto has it packaged into a super-simple ebook.

Its landing page gives you both a brief contact form and some preview statistics to prove why this resource is so important.

Source

The green “Submit” button might’ve even been on purpose (on the road, green means go, after all).

Why This Landing Page Works

• Simplicity: No distractions on this landing page, which is perfect given the company’s focus on safe, self-driving vehicles.
• Smart white space usage: Nauto effectively uses a white background, showcasing a clean and purposeful design.

What Could Be Improved

• The form: 10 fields is too overwhelming.

12. Industrial Strength Marketing

Tool used: WordPress

Source

Right off the bat, this landing page pulls me in with a compelling, punchy header: “Don’t Make Me Zoom.” It directly speaks to a common experience most of us have had when we‘re browsing on our phones or tablets — and it’s a little sassy, too.

But that‘s not the only thing keeping me interested in this landing page. Notice how the color red is strategically placed: It’s right at the top and bottom of the form, drawing you even closer to the conversion event.

Source

Why This Landing Page Works

• Voice: The language is punchy and relatable, quickly drawing the reader in.
• Minimalist: The black and white color scheme with just a few pops of red really makes the sign-up sheet stand out. Additionally, the minimalist design works beautifully on mobile and desktop, with no pinching required.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: Both the mobile and desktop versions illustrate the perfect execution of a minimalist layout, which helps the reader navigate the site with ease.

13. Inbound Emotion

Tool used: HubSpot

Source

Even if you don’t speak Spanish, you can still appreciate the conversion capabilities of this HubSpot partner site. My favorite feature of the page? The form stays in a fixed, prominent position as you scroll through the site.

I also love the simple layout and warm colors.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Fixed form: Having access to the form while scrolling provides a better user experience. No need to scroll back up to the top of the page to find it.
• Simple interface: The layout is simple but effective. The use of only two shades of orange gives a monochrome feel and keeps the focus on the benefits of the ebook.

What Could Be Improved

• Make the form brief: There were six items to fill out, not including the checkboxes option at the end. Longer forms could be a turnoff for some visitors.

14. IMPACTBranding & Design

Tool used: Wix, Squarespace

Source

Full disclosure: IMPACT is a HubSpot partner — but that‘s not why they’re included here.

IMPACT’s landing pages have long been a source of design inspiration.

I love the simple layout of the page, from the large headline copy and detailed featured image, to the outline that surrounds the form, to the colors and fonts that are very pleasing to the eye.

Source

The free guide IMPACT is offering for download here also doesn’t emphasize the download itself in the blue button that allows you to submit your filled-out form.

Rather, IMPACT is inviting you to “generate more conversions” — putting the focus on what you stand to gain as a result of reading the guide.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Clever messaging: You’re not downloading an ebook. You’re learning how to “generate more conversations.” This rephrasing is far more enticing than simply putting a regular download button.
• Simple use of color and fonts: The blue tones work really well on this landing page, giving it variety while keeping the look cohesive. Since there’s lots of text on the page, a simple font is perfect.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This page encourages downloads in a clever way using a simple layout and colors.

15. Unbounce

Tool used: Smart Builder AI

Source

It‘s no surprise Unbounce made this list — they’ve actually written the book on creating high-converting landing pages.

Although there are many amazing things about this landing page, I absolutely love the sidebar menu and lots of visuals.

Unbounce is really skilled at providing visitors with the information they need, but also what they didn’t know they needed until they landed on the site.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Gives visitors options: When it comes to accessing the course, users can either click the main button above the upper half of the page or, if they’ve been scrolling, click on the course from the sidebar on the left. Eliminating the need to scroll back up to the top of the page.

• Sometimes more is more: In addition to the course, Unbounce provides visitors with industry-specific reports and answers to other landing page-related topics. Providing even more useful information sets Unbounce up as a trusted authority in their field.

What Could Be Improved

• The descriptions: The course offers several modules, and it would be helpful if some offered a brief description. The sidebar menu offers a course list, but a short sentence summarizing what visitors can expect to learn would be helpful.

16. Bills.com

Tool used: Amazon Quicksite

Source

Often, people think landing pages are static pages on your website. But with the right tools, you can make them interactive and personalized.

Take the example above from Bills.com. To see if you’d benefit from their consultation, you answer three questions before you are shown a form.

Then, you answer two more questions, like the one below:

 

And here’s the final landing page form where you fill out your information:

I‘m not sure how the algorithm works (or if there’s one at all), but while I was filling it out, I had some anxiety about not qualifying.

Once I found out I did, I was excited to fill out the form, which I’m sure most people who are in debt and using this tool are.

By making this offer seem more exclusive before the form appeared on the landing page, I’d bet that Bills.com increased conversions pretty significantly.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Exclusivity: Everyone likes to feel special, which is why exclusivity works so well. The page gives the impression that the offer isn’t given to just anyone. You have to qualify first.

• Interactivity: Anytime you can get users to interact with the page, even if it’s something as simple as using a form with a sliding bar question.

What Could Be Improved

• More color: While the site is geared toward not-so-fun topics like bills and debt, it doesn’t mean it has to be boring. The gray leaves much to be desired.

17. Zillow

Tool used: Microsoft SQL Server, MongoDB

Source

Zillow did something very similar to Bills.com with their landing page. It starts with a simple search bar asking for a neighborhood, city, ZIP code, or address. Sounds creepy, but don’t worry.

This form field is set on top of a hero image featuring a woman stepping out from home.

Of course, the address itself won‘t be enough to get a true appraisal value of a home. It just denotes the home’s neighborhood. It’s a bit like playing The Price is Right.

You can guess how many homes in the area are worth and then type in an address to see how close you are. If you want to learn more info about a property, Zillow then prompts users to sign up to continue.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Simple access: Users can get all the information without signing up.

• Establishes authority on the topic: Zillow has access to so much housing and neighborhood data. It’s no wonder they are one of the top home search sites in the nation.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: The Zestimate page is simple but effective. Those with concerns about what a Zestimate is and how it’s calculated have easy access to the homebuying FAQ on the second half of the page.

18. Landbot

Tool used: Smart Builder AI

Source

Landbot, a service that creates chatbot-based landing pages, puts its own product front and center on its chat-fueled landing page.

Visitors are greeted by a friendly bot —complete with emojis and GIFs —that encourages them to provide information in a conversational format instead of via a traditional form.

Why This Landing Page Works

• It’s fun: From the bright colors to the GIFs, this page keeps visitors engaged and entertained.
• Show, not tell: By having the chatbot right on the page, doing its thing, potential customers can see exactly what they’re getting. The whole experience simulates what it’s like to use Landbot’s product.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: Landbot’s use of a live demo, testimonials, highlighted integration features, and detailed breakdown of how the product works leaves new customers ready to sign up at first glance.

19. Webprofits

Tool used: WordPress

Source

Like Industrial Strength Marketing mentioned earlier, Webprofits also makes great use of a predominantly black, white, and red color scheme. The result is a clean layout that makes great use of the pops of color on the page.

It’s a testament to the organization’s expertise in digital marketing and UX design.

Source

They also make it easy for you to figure out what Webprofits actually does. The rest of the page offers detailed case studies.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Informative, but not overwhelming: There’s a lot of information and text on this page, but the use of well-placed graphics and videos helps break things up.

• Multiple CTAs: Placing the same CTA throughout the page makes it so visitors don’t have to scroll all the way to the top to “Talk with Webprofits” or “Get in Touch.”

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: Webprofit makes great use of the long landing page format, packing in all the pertinent information visitors would need in one place with a visually appealing experience.

20. Native Poppy

Tool used: Shopify

Source

Sometimes, you‘ve just got to stop and admire a landing page for being beautiful. Using high-resolution photography and lots of white space, Native Poppy’s landing page is a pleasure to look at.

Aside from its beauty, the page has some great elements: a clear and delightfully pink CTA, an informative “How It Works” section, testimonials, and an FAQ at the bottom.

Best of all, it plays with language, ditching the phrase “become a subscriber” for “become a wild flower.” I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather be a “wild flower” over a subscriber any day.

Source

Source

Why This Landing Page Works

• Captures brand voice: The layout of Wild Poppy mirrors the whimsical vibe of the brand. From the photos, font choice, and “wild flower” subscription, all the messaging works in harmony.

• Persuasive: By highlighting all the perks and discounts of being part of the subscription program, it entices customers to join.

What Could Be Improved

• Form visibility: While there are multiple CTAs, it would have been nice to have the form fields on the page for faster sign-up or as a pop-up after clicking.

21. Conversion Lab

Tool used: WordPress

Source

While I wouldn’t typically include an example of a homepage with a form on it in a post about landing pages, this website is special. The homepage is the entire website — the navigation links just take you to the information below.

When you click “Get My Free Consult,” the entire page darkens to highlight the form. See what it looks like before you click on the photo above.

Source

And, when you click that CTA, check out how the form appears:

It’s a similar function when clicking on any of the headings on the page. Instead of taking you to a different page, it simply jumps to the corresponding section on the homepage.

I love how you don’t have to leave the page to fill out the form or view any of the features, creating a seamless user experience.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Creative: Having a homepage that also functions as various landing pages makes Conversion Lab unique. Best of all, it still provides a pleasant user experience.
• Organized layout: Despite having the homepage and landing pages as one, the page doesn’t feel cluttered or busy at all.

What Could Be Improved

• Form placement: It would be nice if the form maybe opened up on one side so visitors could still read the content on the rest of the page.

22. Taboola

Tool used: Custom development

Source

The first thing that grabs attention on the Taboola page is the big headline in capitalized letters. The message really stands out against the dark background, and I love the pop of the yellow bubble around the CTA button.

Plus, there‘s a super easy-to-spot “Learn More” button, so you don’t have to scroll through the whole page for more info.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Bold message: The big headline immediately convinces visitors.
• Simplicity: Clear and simple design makes it easy to understand and navigate.

• Color combination: The black, yellow, and white combo is effective for improving readability and conveying a modern and energetic vibe.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: The page is already great with its clear message and eye-catching colors.

23. Casper

Tool used: Shopify Plus

Source

Casper usually has big discounts right on the main page that change depending on the season and collection.

For instance, in this example, we can see the final snooze sale offering a 30 percent discount on everything, perfect for those in need of a new mattress or bedroom upgrade.

The design is minimalistic and kinda relaxing, matching their vibe of selling good, quality sleep.

Keep scrolling, and you’ll find a cool section I love on the site — UGC. Those TikTok videos make the site feel real and leave you wanting to try products.

Source

Why This Landing Page Works

• Quick access: Product categories are right at the page’s center, making it easy to find things quickly.
• Highlighted CTA: The “Shop Now” button catches the eye with its vibrant red color against the light tones.
• User-generated content and reviews: Real TikTok videos and customer feedback make the site authentic and trustworthy.

What Could Be Improved

• No pop-up chat: The chat button only pops-up on the mobile version. It would be great if it was also on the desktop for easy access to customer support.

24. Merrill Edge

Tool used: Adobe Experience Manager

Source

If you need inspiration for your finance site, check Merrill Edge.

The first thing you notice here is a personal retirement calculator that prompts you to click and make some calculations. Although it seems like a calculator at first, it’s actually an image that you need to click, leading you to the real calculator.

In my opinion, that’s a minor drawback.

The combination of colors is effective, showcasing the colors of the US.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Matching colors: The page has nice colors that match the US flag, making it visually appealing.
• Sign-up form: The sign-up form is right there, easy to see, making it simple to get started.
• Dual search bars: With two search bars — one for quotes and another for site navigation — finding information is simple and efficient.

What Could Be Improved

• Visual appeal: The website would be more attractive if it had more images. Even though finance and stocks involve a lot of written information, adding pictures can make the content more engaging and easier to understand.

25. Munchery

Tool used: Custom development

Source

For discovering awesome recipes, check out Munchery. When you land on the website, there’s a handy search bar where you can find the recipe you want with just one keyword.

I love the cool, dark background with real people enjoying their food at a table.

Right below the search bar, there’s a subscribe button and a chance to win a free gift worth $154 — super enticing!

When you scroll down, you’ll find neatly organized recipes, from burgers and grilling to vegetarian dishes.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Easy recipe search: Find recipes quickly with a simple keyword search.
• Attractive colors: The vibrant orange colors break the monotony of black and white.
• Clear categories: Well-organized recipes and simple navigation.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: Munchery has a great page setup, making it easy to find what you need while looking pretty cool.

26. Zoom

Tool used: Custom development with React

Source

When you go to Zoom’s page, the first thing you see is the Zoom AI Companion. The page is simple, showing how this AI makes you better at your job.

The buttons like “Sign Up” and “Contact Sales” are easy to find, so you don‘t have to search around. On the right side, there are cool sliding pictures, showing real people, numbers, and features. It’s a friendly start, inviting you to explore more.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Nice colors: The white and blue combo looks fresh and clear.
• Credibility: Partners and trust site reviews give the site credibility and trust.
• Good copy: The short and snappy writing is on point—easy to understand and grabs attention.

What Could Be Improved

• Information overload: The abundance of information and resources on a single page might be a bit overwhelming for users.

27. Domo

Tool used: Marketo

Source

Domo turns data into super-smart decisions. The landing page is user-friendly and packed with helpful information.

And the colors? Soothing baby blue and vibrant orange — so easy on the eyes.

Cool visuals, quotes from happy customers, and buttons like “Watch Demo” and “Try Free” are right where you need them.

Domo also highlights industry recognition and real ROI stats, emphasizing the platform’s credibility.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Clear menu: Easy navigation with categorized sections.
• Engaging visuals: Images, quotes, and logos improve visual appeal and credibility.
• Simple actions: Prominent buttons encourage immediate engagement.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This page is clear and uncomplicated. It’s easy to absorb information and visuals.

28. Netflix

Tool used: Custom development

Source

Netflix’s landing page cannot be simpler and better at the same time.

It strategically places the email sign-up feature right in the center. After you enter your email, it takes you to the account setup or login page (if you already have an account).

Crystal-clear CTA and slick, streamlined steps ensure hassle-free navigation for users of all ages.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Easy talk: Netflix talks in simple words. No need for a dictionary — just straightforward info.

• No puzzle: Everything in the offer is laid out neatly and cleanly.

• Attractive design: Cool movie and series pics in the background, and that irresistible red and black combo makes the page look fantastic.

What Could Be Improved

• Pricing plan: It would be a good idea to put the prices where people can easily see them, instead of FAQs.

29. Constant Contact

Tool used: WordPress

Source

Upon opening Constant Contact, I fell in love with the clear and organized layout.

The tagline, “This year, don’t just hit send–send hits,” also caught my eye immediately.

Simple. Effective. Amazing.

Explore what you need by entering your email and testing out a 14-day free trial.

Also, you can’t miss the badge proudly declaring Constant Contact as the top email marketing agency in summer 2023, so you know they mean business.

Although there are many colors on the site, Constant Contact strikes that sweet balance for an awesome user experience.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Cool words: The writing is catchy and makes you want to learn more about the offer.
• Easy to get around: Finding stuff is easy because of flawless organization and categorization.

What Could Be Improved

• Communication choices: You can call or email for help, but adding a chat option would offer a better way to communicate.

30. WordStream

Tool used: WordPress

Source

Talking about good copies, WordStream also knows how to capture attention with a single catchy sentence.

Right on the landing page, there’s a freebie with the Google Ads Performance Grader. The laptop flaunts a bold image, drawing attention to quick audit reports and tempting you to hit the “Grade My Account” button.

If you keep scrolling through the page, you’ll see the Free Keyword Tool and many helpful blog posts.

Trust builds up with impressive stats on LocaliQ’s success, while features like demo scheduling and newsletter sign-ups improve the overall experience.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Effective messaging: Clear and compelling copy on the landing page to communicate the value proposition.
• Visual appeal with data: Engaging graphs and numbers for credibility and persuasive impact.
• Bullet points: Quick and easy scanning of key information.

What Could Be Improved

• Contact section: It’d be good to add an email option in the contact section, as many users prefer email communication over phone calls.

31. Lyft

Tool used: Custom development

Source

The Women+ Connect by Lyft page looks cool and has a girly vibe — nice pics, minimalistic design, catchy messages, and a clear layout.

It talks about rides for women and how they can make money with Lyft. The words are short and simple, saying women can drive on their own terms.

Lyft’s landing site also talks about fun things like different ways to travel and special benefits for members.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Clean design: A simple, clutter-free design for easy navigation.
• Real-life pictures: Images with real people add an authentic feel.
• Easy option exploration: Find and understand all choices with a user-friendly layout.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: I don’t want to play favorites, but the girly vibe on this landing page is just awesome. Everything is clear, easy to find, and super cool.

32. OptinMonster

Tool used: WordPress

Source

OptinMonster is one of those sites that might not sweep you off your feet in terms of design, but its functionality is top-notch. I like the tidy layout — everything is well-categorized and structured.

There are pictures and videos next to the explanations to help you understand the features better.

When you scroll down a bit, you can see the results and figures constantly cycling and updating.

Source

Why This Landing Page Works

• Page sections: Well-organized page sections and categories.
• Live chat: If you have further questions, you can get answers immediately.
• Testimonial slider: Real customer opinions in a cool sliding format, making it look attractive and reliable.

What Could Be Improved

• The copy: The copy would be better with a stronger emphasis on “you” instead of relying heavily on “our” or “we.”

33. Codecademy

Tool used: Custom development

Source

Codecademy‘s landing page is a mix of authenticity and functionality. They kick things off with a real person’s testimonial, adding immediate credibility.

“Build your tech career” copy screams ambition right from the headline.

But what really rocks here are the videos featuring real learners sharing success stories. That’s the most relatable inspiration and motivation to get intrigued.

I also love the color scheme on the site. White, blue, and yellow always make me happy for some reason. They have a good vibe and can influence people to choose your service.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Testimonials: Video testimonials of previous successful learners give you a real feel of what’s possible.

• Content: The landing page clearly shows what Codecademy has without making you read a lot.
• Nice colors: The mix of white, blue, and yellow looks good and makes you want to stick around.

What Could Be Improved

• CTA: The first button you notice on this page says “Compare prices.” However, it’d be good to replace it with a more engaging option like “Become the best tech expert in the country.”

34. Semrush

Tool used: Custom development with React

Source

I can’t get enough of Semrush’s landing page for a few key reasons.

Firstly, they promise measurable results from online marketing, setting the tone and message right away.

The central search bar makes it super easy to jump into action by entering keywords or URLs. Right below, we can see partnership muscles with global giants like Amazon, Tesla, and Samsung.

The breakdown of services into categories with visuals and bullet points is informative and easy to catch. The testimonials and numbers add weight to their claims, showcasing the platform’s popularity and awards.

Something that’s too cool to ignore is the CEO’s presentation with a cartoonish hat.

Source

Semrush simply knows how to make it playful and professional at the same time.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Visual and Informative: Clear categories, images, and bullet points for an effortless understanding of the content.
• Credibility: Impressive testimonials and numbers highlight the platform’s popularity and accolades.
• Coolness: The CEO’s presentation adds a fun and cool vibe that sticks in your memory.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: No complaints at all.

35. Eiger Extreme by Mammut

Tool used: Custom development

Source

The most interesting site I explored is definitely the Mammut website for Eiger Extreme. The way they use moving pictures and that science lab font is absolutely fantastic.

I like how the top menu stays in place while you scroll down.

The small animations, like the temperature dropping, are also amazing and engaging.

Source

As you keep scrolling, different parts of the page show up, and it’s easy to add things to the cart. The page has good pictures and sounds, telling a story about adventures.

So, once you open the site, you won’t feel like you’re in a typical online store; it will make you want to go outside and explore. And that’s the best part of it.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Visually appealing: Moving pictures and special fonts look amazing.

• Fun animations: The little things, like the temperature dropping, make the site fun to check out.

• Tells a story: The pictures and sounds tell a neat story about adventures.

• Unique: Something you haven’t seen before.

What Could Be Improved

• Loading and scrolling issues: The page takes a while to load — it’s a bit frustrating. It also stutters a bit when scrolling.

36. Hint

Tool used: Shopify

Source

Hint’s landing page is a showstopper with its lively aesthetic. The imagery of ingredients and bottles pops against the serene baby blue background.

Placing the one-dollar-per-bottle offer in the focus is a brilliant move, instantly grabbing attention and interest.

There’s also an ability to put bottles into your cart directly from the landing page—not a common but definitely a convenient feature.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Smart offer placement: The one-dollar-per-bottle deal grabs attention right away.
• Easy shopping: Adding items from the landing page is super handy.
• Consistent brand look: The colors stay true to the brand’s product.
• Organized sections and categories: Each part of the site is neatly laid out for a user-friendly experience.

What Could Be Improved

• Shift focus: Instead of so many discounts and offers, I’d like to see the product’s qualities and benefits to provide people with a reason to buy.

• Real-life images: It would be good to include images of influencers and UGC showcasing how people enjoy the product. It makes it more relatable and appealing to potential customers.

37. Linkfluencer

Tool used: Leadpages

Source

Linkfluencer helps you succeed on LinkedIn.

I like the friendly video from the founder explaining how things work. The whole site feels real with actual people, testimonials, and success stories.

The site is well-designed, using dark blue as the primary color to align with LinkedIn’s aesthetics.

B2B sites should always have some valuable resources for free, so they put a free guide button at the end of the page.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Real and genuine: The friendly video with the founder and testimonials makes the site feel real.
• Credibility boost: Conference images show Linkfluencer is involved and knows their stuff.
• Effective copies: The content is clear and gets the message across.

What Could Be Improved

• Autoplay video: The video starts right away, and I don’t like that. It would be better if you could choose whether you want to watch it or not.
• No chatbot: It’d be good to have a chatbot for instant replies and help.

38. Chanel

Tool used: Custom development

Source

The Chanel landing page screams luxury. But not luxury like kitsch and tastelessness, but luxury like elegance and timeless sophistication. The landing page showcases various collections, one below the other.

Each collection features background images of fragrances, jewelry, eyewear, watches, and fashion shows.

If you want to learn more about each, there’s a “See more” button that takes you to more details.

What I particularly like is the option to enable high contrast, turning the entire site into a dark mode. It is a thoughtful and eye-friendly feature.

Source

Why This Landing Page Works

• Luxurious style: The page looks classy and fancy, perfectly in line with the brand’s image.
• Good overview: The page provides a clear and systematic display of collections.
• Chat: Live chat option for quick assistance.
• Dark mode: You can switch to a dark mode for a more comfortable viewing experience.

What Could Be Improved

• Layered navigation: One button leads to another button until you finally reach the information/product you want.

39. Lamborghini

Tool used: Custom development

Source

Lamborghini’s landing page features a dynamic background with scenes of cars, car parts, and the whole production process.

The site looks great, with a simple layout and clear categories. You can also see the latest Lamborghini news right on the main page, keeping enthusiasts informed and engaged.

The website focuses more on pictures than words, which makes it enjoyable to explore.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Background videos: Big moving videos show cool car stuff, making the page interesting.
• Easy layout: The site is simple and easy to use, with clear categories.
• Lots of pictures: The website has many images, making it attractive.
• Nice colors: The landing page is mostly black, with bright-colored cars breaking the monotony.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: No issues at all. Lamborghini’s site scrolls smoothly despite the motion background, with no glitches.

40. Apple

Tool used: Custom development

Source

The Apple landing page boasts the best design among all companies selling similar products.

Typically, pages for brands selling devices aren‘t stunning. I mean, don’t get me wrong — they’re all high-quality — but Apple has the most beautiful look.

The landing page is well-organized, with easy-to-spot sections. They always showcase the newest product first, taking up most of the landing page.

Why This Landing Page Works

• User-friendly navigation: It’s easy to explore, making it hassle-free for visitors.

• Visual focus: More pictures, less text, giving a visually appealing experience.

• Spotlight on new products: The latest items in the main focus for quick attention.

• Concise and impactful writing: Short, effective sentences to keep you interested.

What Could Be Improved

• Nothing: This page serves as an amazing starting point for anyone looking for a new device.

41. Hubstaff

Tool used: WordPress

Source

Hubstaff’s landing page brings value, has a clear CTA, and includes trust-building elements like partnerships and testimonials.

The page uses cool visuals, important stats, and key features to highlight how great Hubstaff is. What I especially love is focusing on the benefits, not only the features.

The “Free 14-day trial” stands out in the blue button on the white top bar, making it easy for users to notice.

Why This Landing Page Works

• Sharp look: Sleek design with different shades of blue and easy-to-read fonts.
• Good pictures: Awesome choice of images with real people, keeping it genuine and relatable.
• Smart layout: Well-placed CTA and account creation fields.

What Could Be Improved

• FAQ: It’d be good to add an FAQ section on the landing page to address common user queries.

Enterprise Landing Pages

Enterprise landing pages require specific elements to effectively convert high-value B2B prospects. Unlike standard landing pages, enterprise pages need to demonstrate credibility, security, scalability, and compliance features while maintaining a sophisticated design that resonates with corporate decision-makers.

42. Salesforce

Tool used: Salesforce Experience Cloud

Salesforce’s enterprise landing pages are masterclasses in B2B conversion optimization. They balance comprehensive information with clear calls to action.

Why This Landing Page Works:

• Social proof emphasis: Features logos of major enterprise clients and industry-specific case studies to build immediate credibility
• Segmentation: Offers industry-specific paths that tailor content to different enterprise verticals
• Security credentials: Prominently displays compliance certifications (SOC 2, GDPR, ISO) that enterprise clients require
• Enterprise-specific benefits: Highlights scalability, customization options, and integration capabilities

What Could Be Improved:

• Form length: The demo request form could be shorter while still qualifying leads

43. Microsoft Azure

Tool used: Microsoft’s custom CMS

Microsoft’s Azure landing pages effectively communicate complex cloud services to enterprise decision-makers.

Why This Landing Page Works:

• Visual simplification: Straightforward layout for businesses looking to access Azure services
• Technical documentation: Provides in-depth resources that technical decision-makers need to evaluate the platform
• Compliance center: Dedicated section for regulatory and compliance information essential for enterprise adoption
• Migration path: Clearly outlines how enterprises can migrate from existing systems

What Could Be Improved:

• Nothing: This page is a one-stop shop for all FAQ and business inquiries and doesn’t need to rely on aesthetics to succeed.

44. Oracle Cloud

Tool used: Oracle Content Management

Oracle’s enterprise landing pages effectively target C-suite executives while providing the technical depth needed by implementation teams.

Why This Landing Page Works:

• Executive summaries: Provides concise business value propositions for C-level executives
• Technical specifications: Includes detailed specifications and benchmarks for technical evaluators
• Enterprise pricing transparency: Clearly explains enterprise licensing models
• Integration ecosystem: Showcases enterprise-level integration capabilities

What Could Be Improved:

• Load time: The page could load faster by optimizing some of the heavier interactive elements

45. Slack Enterprise Grid

Tool used: Custom development with Webflow

Slack’s enterprise landing page effectively communicates the platform’s capabilities for large organizations.

Why This Landing Page Works:

• Security focus: Prominently features enterprise-grade security credentials and compliance information
• Admin controls: Highlights the advanced administrative features that enterprise IT departments require
• Organization visualization: Uses effective visuals to demonstrate how Slack scales across large organizations
• Integration emphasis: Showcases enterprise system integrations (SAP, Oracle, Workday)

What Could Be Improved:

• Case study depth: Could benefit from more detailed enterprise implementation stories

AI-Generated Landing Pages: A Personal Perspective

I’ve been watching everything evolve from basic HTML to the drag-and-drop builders we all got comfortable with. And now? AI is stepping into the ring, and honestly, I’ve got mixed feelings about it.

Look, tools like HubSpot’s Campaign Assistant can generate a complete landing page copy in seconds — which is pretty cool when you’re staring at a blank page with a deadline looming. Wix, Unbounce, and others are jumping on this AI train too.

Here’s the thing though, I’ve noticed a lot of these AI-generated pages are starting to look like cousins, if not twins. After checking out dozens of newer landing pages, I couldn’t help but notice the patterns. There’s definitely an “AI tone” emerging — kinda formal, heavy on the benefits, following these predictable structures.

When everything starts looking the same, it’s harder for any single page to grab attention. That’s just marketing 101. And AI is really good at creating “average” content based on what worked before, but not so great at those creative leaps that can make conversion rates skyrocket.

But it’s not all downhill, I actually think AI has solid advantages:

• It’s a huge time-saver when you need to get something up quickly
• It provides a good foundation that you can build upon
• It rarely misses basic conversion elements that humans might forget
• It can help overcome writer’s block when you’re stuck

My approach these days? Use AI as a starting point rather than the finish line. Let it generate that initial draft, then roll up your sleeves and make it yours. Add your unique brand voice, throw in some unexpected elements, and bring that human creativity that sets you apart.

I’m thinking the winning formula is going to be this AI-human collaboration, like using tech for the heavy lifting while humans focus on adding those creative touches that really connect with people.

With that being said, I want to leave you with some ideas to consider before you start working on your own landing page.

Landing Page Ideas

A well-optimized landing page can transform prospects into leads by gathering information that can help you better understand, market to, and delight visitors.

Since landing pages are crucial for conversions, it‘s important to make sure they’re well-planned, designed, and executed.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating landing pages:

• Appealing aesthetics. Giving your landing page color and a clean UI can only help. Visitors will want to learn more about your products and see evidence of the value you’re offering. Take a look at #18 on our list, Landbot, for a great example of a stunning web page.
• Less is more. Let the offer or images do most of the talking, but be sure to include any and all descriptive headlines and supporting text to make your landing page clear and compelling. HubSpot’s Campaign Assistant does the heavy lifting for you and generates landing page copy in a few clicks. This goes for just about all the components on the page: try white space, simple copy, and shorter forms.
• Keep visitors on the page. By removing the main navigation or any distracting backlinks, it’s less likely there will be any lead generation friction that could cause visitors to abandon your page.
• Offer social sharing options. A simple way of getting visitors to engage with your landing page is to include social media sharing buttons so that they can spread your content to their social followers. After all, customers are the center of your marketing flywheel.
• A/B testing. Landing pages are important to get right, and since consumer psychology can sometimes be surprising, it’s always better to experiment with different versions of your pages to see which has the highest conversion rate (CVR). Test the positioning of the offer, kinds of CTAs, or even the color scheme.
• Call-to-action. The CTA is where the meat of the landing page is, or the tipping point where prospects become contacts. CTAs could ask visitors to subscribe, download, fill out a form, share on social media, and more — but, overall, CTAs are necessary for getting your audiences more engaged with your offering. To generate leads, CTAs should be bold and eye-catching, but most importantly, they need to effectively communicate value.

Creating Landing Pages That Shine

Landing pages aid in growing your customer base and increasing conversions. Create a page that delights customers with a user interface so great they continue to come back for more.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on April 2020, and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

SEO is dead, long live SEO!

That’s how it feels, at least, as both AI-powered search and user-generated content take hold in our digital lives. Today’s master in marketing knows a thing or two about user-generated content and how brands can make it work for them.

(And read to the end to find out whether she thinks SEO is actually dying.)

Meet the Master

Shelagh Dolan

Content marketing lead, Quora for Business

Lesson 1: Find conversations that are already happening.

Whatever your marketing channels are, don’t reinvent the wheel.

One of the benefits that businesses can find in communities like Quora, Dolan says, is that there are a lot of conversations already happening. Instead of building a campaign anew, businesses can start where the users are, regardless of where that is in the funnel.

Even if it doesn’t make sense for your marketing strategy to target users at every point in the funnel, use existing conversations (on Quora or elsewhere) to meet your users where they’re at.

Think about somebody who wants to learn a language, she says. Maybe it starts with, “I want to go to Italy.” Somebody else has been dreaming of a trip to Italy for months now, and they’re starting their research with an idea of the specific tours they want to go on. And a third person has everything planned and is ready to start learning some Italian.

Dolan says that her most successful clients are the ones that can target all of those people — ”an awareness campaign paired with a retargeting campaign” combined with genuinely helpful content (we’ll get to that in a moment).

Lesson 2: Build authority by being helpful.

Now, about that genuinely helpful content.

Dolan says that brands can build authority and trust on public forums by genuinely answering people’s questions — when they use a trusted individual, not a corporate entity, to do so.

She gives the example of a healthcare company running a marketing campaign on Quora. To answer user questions, they could use a licensed provider — not their CMO — whose expertise will build trust. The goal is to jump into those existing conversations with something that will solve problems, not promote a product.

(But keep it brand relevant. Please don’t answer medical questions if your job is hocking used Crocs. —ed.)

Honestly, it’s a little bit how we think about the Masters in Marketing newsletter — we want to provide genuinely helpful, good advice on marketing. Self-promotion comes second.

Lesson 3: Embrace multichannel, multi-format distribution.

Last year, Dolan started publishing the Quora Ads newsletter natively on LinkedIn.

Existing subscribers to the newsletter already knew about Quora’s ads platform, so Dolan went off in search of an unsaturated audience. She asked herself, “How can we draw in net new people who maybe don’t know that Quora even has ads?”

Let’s bring this full circle.

Part of this strategy stemmed from Dolan’s own advice to find existing conversations and leverage individuality — she’d noted the popularity of LinkedIn influencers who have a steady drumbeat of posts based on their own experience and expertise.

Find those existing conversations, think outside your usual channels, and look for a fresh audience.

Lingering Questions

This Week’s Question

Will SEO be obsolete in three to five years? —Brian Morrissey, Founder, The Rebooting Show podcast

This Week’s Answer

Dolan says: Honestly? Yes.

Traditional, organic SEO has always been a challenge — it required constant research and maintenance with no guaranteed returns, not to mention being beholden to an algorithm that could tank your strategy at any moment.

AI Overviews and zero-click search have made it 10 times harder to drive organic traffic, and in three to five years, there will be no reason for anyone to ever scroll through pages of results to find themselves on a company-sponsored blog post reading a long-winded, H2-clad overview of an industry topic — and I say this as a long-time company blog writer (with a heavy heart)!

I think about how my own information-seeking behavior has completely changed over the last year with AI, from finding quick answers and technical troubleshooting at work to making recipes and getting TV/movie recommendations at home.

I don’t have a technical background, but I get a daily behind-the-scenes look at the AI product the Quora team is building (it’s called Poe, and it’s a central place to access every AI model and create your own customized bots). The biggest shock has been how quickly new models and capabilities roll out — announcements and launches are measured in minutes and hours, not days.

I think marketers — probably especially B2B marketers — are hyper aware of AI’s capabilities and its impact on SEO, among other aspects of marketing, but it won’t be long before the general public catches up and becomes accustomed to the deeply personalized experiences possible through AI.

Soon everyone will gravitate to their preferred method of finding and consuming information, whether it’s scanning an AI Overview, messaging a chat app (which can already do so much more than chat), conversing out loud with AI, or referencing a handful of trusted sources.

In three to five years I think we’ll be far away from scrolling through SERPs and much closer to a Her [the 2013 sci-fi movie in which a man falls in love with his AI] situation.

Editor’s note: Kudos to Dolan and Morrissey for giving us an opening to tackle this very complex issue. If you haven’t already, subscribe to Masters in Marketing, as we’ll be exploring this question from different angles in the future. —Curt del Principe

Next Week’s Lingering Question

Dolan asks: Besides AI, what marketing trends or technologies are you keeping your eye on or planning to try this year?

Reddit is inherently simple — think old-school internet forums. And despite — or perhaps because of — that simplicity, it can be overwhelming. I can’t tell you how many rabbit holes I’ve found myself surfing down, only to realize I’ve lost a ton of time or that I’m not doing what I set out to do.

While the time lost to the scroll can feel like just another social platform, thinking of Reddit like LinkedIn or Facebook is a mistake, especially when you put on your marketing hat. While Reddit has a TON of social media marketing potential, it needs a specific strategy to help you build trust with your audience — and avoid comments like “Nice ad, Bro.”

I’ll take you through mistakes to avoid while advertising on Reddit so you can show up authentically and make the most of your brand presence on Reddit.

Table of Contents

• Reddit Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
• When Reddit Marketing Works

Reddit Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Marketers are starting to take Reddit seriously and with good reason. Social media platforms are increasingly unpredictable. Reddit shows up near the top of most Google search results, and over 101 million people use Reddit daily.

So, what exactly does it mean to take Reddit seriously? In our 2025 State of Marketing report, 57% of marketers surveyed plan to maintain or increase their investment in Reddit, and 8% plan to start using it for the first time.

The signs are clear — if you have the time and budget, Reddit is worth a look, especially with people putting a growing emphasis on authentic marketing. In our 2025 research, 28.78% of marketers reported creating content that reflects brand values as a top strategy in 2024, and that number is holding strong in 2025.

Reddit fits right into that shift. But before you dive in, make sure you read the room and stay away from the biggest pitfalls.

Mistake #1: Treating Reddit Like “Just Another” Social Platform

I have to say, using the words “Reddit” and “social media” in the same sentence doesn’t quite feel right. Even though it predates most social platforms we use today and is inherently social, Reddit doesn’t have the same polish that comes to mind when I think of social media.

My friend Jenn Prochaska, a copywriter and brand messaging specialist, made me laugh out loud when she described Reddit as “Metallica before The Black Album” because it feels much more underground than mainstream.

When I interviewed Bryan Grover and Martin Ceisel — both B2B writers and marketers — for an article exploring Reddit user demographics, they both independently called it the “Wild West.”

Suffice it to say, Reddit is not built for pretty photos or look-at-me style marketing. Instead, communities expect you to pull up a chair, sit down, listen, and share something real.

So, don’t copy-paste your Instagram or LinkedIn strategy and think it will work. Redditors want you to bring value, not shamelessly self-promote.

As Roshni Shaikh, product marketer and GTM strategist, shares, “Platforms like Reddit are the last corners of the internet where we can find authentic experiences that aren’t shadowed by social media’s flaunty nature.”

What to do instead: Lurk in the communities where you want to engage, get a sense of what’s expected, and create a specific strategy to build authentic connections.

Mistake #2: Poorly Timed or Irrelevant Engagement

I caught up with Garrett Gottlieb, founder of Pulse, a tool designed to help brands market on Reddit through authentic conversations. He shared that timing is everything on Reddit, and that “particularly on high-engagement posts — being among the first commenters greatly enhances visibility and impact.”

But, being first to comment doesn’t do you any good if you’re engaging with the wrong conversations. Gottlieb, like others I’ve talked to, offered words of caution: “Redditors quickly detect and dismiss inauthentic promotion, so offering real, meaningful value through relevant conversations is crucial.”

Gottlieb is solving this problem by ensuring his platform “uses advanced logical operations (to filter out irrelevant discussions, pinpointing not just good communities but the perfect places to engage” so brands can be more effective in their conversations.

What to do instead: Whether you use a tool to help you “listen” and find the right conversations or you do it all manually, make sure you hit the right mark and find the right thread.

Mistake #3: Ignoring Subreddit Rules

Reddit looks like the Wild West, but every subreddit has rules, and they’re strictly enforced. What flies in one community might get your post removed and leave you downvoted into oblivion elsewhere.

Moderators take their roles seriously, and they’re not the only ones paying attention. Post the wrong content, and the community will roast you. Instead of chucking rotten tomatoes at you, they’ll make sure to humble you.

That said, most communities on Reddit tend to value thoughtful discussion. As Prochaska explains, even when people disagree, the tone tends to stay more intelligent and respectful, especially compared to platforms like Facebook. But that higher standard also means there’s less tolerance for off-topic posts or low-effort content.

What to do instead: Before you post, read the rules. Lurk a bit. Better yet, comment before you create original content. It builds goodwill and gives you a sense of how things actually work.

Mistake #4: Missing Out on the Context

Reddit comments aren’t isolated questions or opinions. They’re part of threads and even larger ongoing conversations. At a minimum, don’t jump in until you’ve read the full post. Doing so is a rookie mistake, and without the context, whatever you share could land flat and kill your credibility.

If you’re using Reddit for market research, don’t take one comment at face value. The full context can help you better understand your audience and how they feel about the topic at hand.

What to do instead: Whether you’re using Reddit to market your business or using it to gain market insights, slow your roll. Read the original post and scroll through the comments. If you need to, ask some clarifying questions. A thoughtful approach will be rewarded.

Mistake #5: Ghosting a Discussion

When I’m talking about any marketing strategy, especially email or social media, I often tell people to avoid hit-and-run situations. While I’m usually explaining the importance of consistency and not only showing up when it’s time to sell, it applies to Reddit marketing, too.

The principle is the same — cultivate relationships by offering value. If you drop a post and then promptly abandon ship, never returning to the comments, people take notice. Things happen, but if failing to stick around and engage becomes an ongoing issue, I can promise you that you’re sending the wrong message.

What to do instead: Recognize that Reddit is not usually a quick-win space. It’s about the long game, so be sure to participate.

Mistake #6: Blatant Shilling

Everywhere you turn, you’re bombarded by marketing messages. So, believe me when I say that Reddit users have seen it all. And they are not here for your marketing funnel. If your content sounds like a pitch, Redditors will downvote it before you’ve finished your sentence.

In fact, in our recent Reddit survey, users said fake organic posts are their #1 marketing turnoff (49.5%), far more than obvious promotion (20.4%) or irrelevant content (18.4%). It’s not just what you say — it’s how honest you’re being about your intentions.

“If you’re being promotional, you lose credibility on Reddit because people want to hear about raw and real experiences, not orchestrated posts from marketers,” says Shaikh, and she shared an example of this thread where a user asked for career advice.

Instead of selling anything, the host shared her personal experience. She was honest, specific, and didn’t try to steer the conversation toward her company.

What to do instead: Post like a person. Everyone I’ve spoken with echoes this advice. Focus on being a helper first, delivering valuable insights and experiences. If people want more info, they can check out your profile (which you’ve optimized, right?).

Mistake #7: Cherry Picking Conversations

This is two-fold. If using Reddit for market research, don’t pick and choose. Make sure to get the whole picture instead of focusing on the pieces that best fit your narrative.

The same goes for participating. It’s tempting to only engage in threads that serve your brand goals. But Reddit communities are too smart for that. If you’re only showing up when it benefits you, people will notice.

Ultimately, yes, Reddit has some people on the fringe. However, remember that it’s full of people who are there to share, not to rank on Google. You can join them.

“Reddit conversations often include people with deep expertise who identify their credentials. It’s often more informed and balanced than a simple Google search, or even the news, because these people aren’t commenting for SEO,” says Prochaska.

What to do instead: Take a wide-angle view, whether you’re researching or engaging. If you’re mining Reddit for insights, look beyond the convenient quotes and recurring complaints for patterns and outliers.

And when you’re participating, show up with the same curiosity and contribute where it counts.

Mistake #8: Not Being Transparent

Reddit doesn’t tolerate fakes, and that includes your profile. Trying to fly under the radar without disclosing your brand affiliation might feel like a smart way to avoid negative publicity or downvotes. However, it’s one of the fastest ways to lose credibility.

According to our Reddit user survey, 61% of users said a brand feels most authentic when it clearly identifies itself. Transparency ranked higher than even providing valuable insights (54%) or actively participating in discussion threads (47%).

What to do instead: Be clear about who you are and who you represent, starting with your profile. You don’t need to lead with your brand every time you comment, but don’t hide it, either. Transparency is the first building block of trust on Reddit. Without it, even your most helpful contributions can feel manipulative.

When Reddit Marketing Works

Reddit marketing can work if you create the right strategy for it. If you’re hoping for quick wins or to go viral, this isn’t your best bet. But if you’re in it for credibility and trust, Reddit can be incredibly effective.

Here’s when it tends to work best:

• Building authority and credibility in a specific niche.
• Building word-of-mouth buzz.
• Getting beta testers and authentic feedback (even when it’s brutally honest).
• You’re willing to show up consistently, not just post and disappear.
• Mining real market research data.
• Putting your finger on the pulse of industry discussions (and using that information to create content).

“Reddit is powerful for sharing reporting, storytelling, and micro-doses of insight,” says Shaikh, who explains that these types of posts tend to be the most real, which is what users crave.

She goes on to suggest that businesses consider starting communities or subreddits around the problems they are solving. In other words, if you can’t find a space, create one.

Because lots of people I talked to are copywriters and marketers, many use Reddit for getting a deeper understanding of a subject matter or for message mining. It offers unfiltered language straight from people’s mouths.

Because of the anonymity, they don’t censor themselves. Unlike SEO-optimized Google results or polished LinkedIn comments, Reddit gives you the real stuff: questions, frustrations, and moments of clarity in people’s own words.

“Reddit is a great source for idea generation. I’ve been able to look over the discussions in some relevant subreddits to find common questions people ask. In addition to answering them on Reddit, they’ve inspired posts I can share on social media,” says Nikita Morell, copywriter and messaging strategist for architects.

Reddit is not a shortcut.

One of the biggest appeals Reddit has is its value to build trust, if and only if you play by the rules. Because people who use it are often skeptical, I find it can be a real proving ground for your business.

With no flash or glamor, there’s no way to fake authenticity or automate your way into trust. By showing up as a real human, even when you represent a brand, you can form real connections and establish a great reputation.

The bottom line? Give Reddit a shot if you’re willing to show up with value and be transparent. It might just become one of your best marketing channels.

When it comes to AI, it’s easy to get distracted by all the flashy demos and headlines that are constantly splashed across social media. But the fact is, most people still aren’t leveraging AI in one of the simplest, most impactful ways it can be used: by creating an AI project assistant.

An AI project assistant can help you manage a wide range of projects across a wide range of business environments. It can dramatically boost your productivity and efficiency. Best of all, it’s much easier to set up than you might think.

In this article, I’ll walk through our simple, three-step approach to building an AI-powered project assistant, giving you the tools you need to create an AI assistant that will set you and your business up for success.

What is an AI project assistant?

Broadly speaking, an AI project assistant uses a generative AI platform like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to manage a specific project within your organization.

For example, in our roles at HubSpot, some of our core projects include overhauling how we create demand, driving internal transformation via AI, and augmenting our go-to-market strategy. Each of these projects is associated with a desired outcome, and each one comes with lots and lots of people, communications, and all sorts of other data.

In our case, we’re managing huge teams with hundreds of people, but projects don’t have to be that massive to benefit from an AI project assistant. Whether you’re leading a thousand-person department or running a small business with just one or two employees, an AI-powered project assistant can help you act on the extensive data that is associated with your projects.

And how does it do that? There are three core parts of an AI project assistant: your context, your templates, and your instructions. Below, we’ll go through each of these vital components, sharing best practices and recommendations to help you set up an AI assistant like a pro.

1. Upload context data.

The foundation of your AI project assistant is all the structured and unstructured data you have access to that’s associated with your project. As such, the first step to build out your assistant will be to upload all of that context.

That means all your Google Docs, your Google Slides, reports, strategy documents, meeting transcripts … Any time someone on your team creates a document that’s relevant to your project, it should go straight into the AI’s context.

Importantly, this isn’t just your own data. You can collect meeting transcripts from meetings that you yourself couldn’t attend, so your AI assistant knows about every conversation related to the project. You can also include transcripts of Loom videos, as well as any other resources your organization has created or accessed, from internal reports and in-depth external research to important emails or Slack messages.

Ultimately, the context data is your chance to leverage all of the incredibly valuable data that your organization has created related to your project. So, when in doubt, upload! The AI assistant will use all those files to get smarter about your business, empowering it to offer recommendations and support that are tailor-made for your unique situation.

2. Build your templates.

The next step is to build the templates that the AI assistant will use to format its responses. This is where you define how you want the AI to present information to you for the common asks that you’ll have.

There are a few standard templates that we’ve found can be especially helpful. One is a Weekly Blockers template. Weekly Blockers is a list of all the issues or obstacles that are currently slowing down a project, and that should be solved within the next week. We use this template to get a summary at the start of each week, so we know what we need to do to continue to build momentum that week.

Another useful template is a Monthly Status Update. This template is designed to drive accountability: It lays out what we said we’d do over the last month, where we fell short, what the reasons were for those missteps, and what the plan is going forward.

Other common templates include Executive Memos (a summary of key metrics, deliverables, and status updates for a project), as well as Biweekly Momentum Drivers (docs that share what we shipped in the last two weeks, any items we said we’d ship but didn’t, and what we plan to ship in the next two weeks).

Once you’ve developed these key templates, you can upload them into the project files alongside your context data. Then, whenever you ask the AI assistant to complete one of those standard tasks, it will respond using the exact format and structure you’ve specified in the template.

3. Define your instructions.

Finally, once you’ve uploaded your context data and templates for frequent tasks, it’s time to add some instructions. The instructions are where you specify how the AI project assistant can best help you with your project.

For example, you can start by asking it to be clear, concise, and insightful in its responses. You can ask it to prioritize clarity. However, don’t sacrifice details or accuracy when nuance matters. You can ask it to surface blind spots. You can ask it to always back up its recommendations with evidence. You can even ask it to cite specific documents from your context data when making a recommendation.

This last instruction is especially important because it can help ensure that the assistant doesn’t hallucinate, or make up things that aren’t true. By telling the AI assistant to explain its recommendations and pull specific data from your documents, you can verify that its suggestions are informed by your situation.

In addition, beyond just responding to your prompts, you can also ask the AI project assistant to be proactive in identifying risks, missed opportunities, or potential second-order effects. You can instruct it to challenge your thinking respectfully, to point out when your assumptions or logic may be flawed, and to offer (and explain) a better alternative.

In other words, you can encourage the assistant to act as a real strategic partner. You can ask it to bring in external perspectives where they are valuable, and to connect patterns and trends it finds in your internal information with external insights. You can also ask it to show you overlap across teams, or places where disconnected teams may be working on the same thing without realizing it.

Part of what makes AI so powerful is that it has the ability to spot patterns that are really hard for humans to see. By explicitly instructing it to find those trends — and to turn them into actionable recommendations with clear steps and options for you to consider — you can build a tool that will uncover valuable hidden insights and work with you exactly how you want.

The Future of AI Project Assistants

With the three steps we’ve outlined above, you’ll be on your way to creating an incredibly impactful AI project assistant. But what’s next in the world of AI-powered productivity tools?

There are a few additional features that we expect AI providers like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic may consider developing in the near future. For example, the ability to capture all emails and Slack messages and automatically include them in the context data would be really helpful.

Similarly, if these tools were able to ingest Google Docs dynamically, as they are updated in real time (rather than needing us to remember to re-upload documents whenever we change them), that would also make the process even more efficient.

But really, all of that would just be a bonus. Already, the AI tools available today make it possible to increase your productivity and work more efficiently than ever before. As long as you upload all of the relevant context data, build out the right templates, and define clear instructions, you’ll be on your way to unlocking incredible new value and supercharging your productivity.

To learn more about lead-scoring tactics and marketing growth strategies, check out the full episode of Marketing Against the Grain below:

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

 

I still remember how uncomfortable I felt the first time someone suggested I needed to “build my personal brand.” It seemed so … self-promoting. Weren’t my ideas and work supposed to speak for themselves?

But as I looked around at who was actually gaining traction in my industry, I noticed something important. The most talented people weren’t necessarily getting opportunities. The ones who showed up as themselves, shared what they knew, and helped others along the way truly thrived. Then, I realized being authentic isn’t just nice to have — it’s essential.

My breakthrough came when I stopped trying to sound like everyone else in my industry. I stopped using jargon that made me feel important but put distance between me and the people I wanted to help. Instead, I started writing and speaking exactly how I talk to my closest friends. The response was immediate and powerful. Here’s what actually worked for me.

How An Authentic Personal Brand Leveled Up My Career

When I first opened LinkedIn, it felt like a corporate graveyard. Everyone sounded the same. Buzzwords. Status updates dressed up as leadership. That’s not what my personal brand is, and I don’t think that’s what a personal brand should be.

A personal brand isn‘t just a logo or catchy tagline attached to your name — it’s the authentic expression of who you are, what you stand for, and the unique value you bring to others. It’s the intersection of your genuine expertise and distinctive perspective that creates an impression in people’s minds when they encounter your work or hear your name.

When I was newly promoted to head of social content at Gymshark, I didn’t want to fall into the brag-post trap. I wanted to create content with value.

I posted five times a week — win or flop, rain or shine. Some posts got 10 likes. Some got 10,000. But the rhythm built trust. It built recognition. And recognition, over time, became credibility. Here’s my guide to building that authenticity online.

How I Built Authenticity on My Social Channels

1. Getting Crystal Clear About What I Do

For years, I tried to be everything to everyone. I was afraid of niching down, thinking I’d miss opportunities. But, I was drowning in a sea of sameness. Nobody could remember what made me special.

So, I forced myself to complete this sentence: “I help [specific people] achieve [specific outcome] through [my unique approach].”

It took me about 27 attempts to get it right. But once I had that clarity, everything else became easier. People finally understood what I was about in seconds. And more importantly, they started thinking of me when specific opportunities came up.

This wasn’t just a statement — it became my operating system.

Tactical approach: I developed three specific questions to achieve this clarity:

• What am I really good at helping with? (My genuine expertise.)
• Who do I most want to help? (My ideal audience.)
• Why should someone choose me over others? (My unique difference.)

The people who stand out focus on ONE thing. Think about how Seth Godin is instantly connected to marketing ideas or how Gary Vaynerchuck is known for helping new entrepreneurs. They’re remembered because they don’t try to be everything.

Action you can take today: Write your one-sentence description: “I help [specific people] achieve [specific outcome] through [your unique approach].” Test it with five people who know you well — if they say, “That’s so you,” you’ve nailed it.

2. Showing Up Until I Couldn’t Be Ignored

Consistency was never my strong suit. I’d get excited about sharing ideas, post a flurry of content, and then disappear when client work got busy.

The turning point came when I committed to sharing an idea everyday on LinkedIn, no matter what. Even when I was tired. Even when I thought nobody was listening. I picked this one platform where my ideal clients actually spent time, and I became a fixture in their feed.

This approach eventually led me to becoming part of the 1% that drives 99% of all LinkedIn engagement. It wasn’t an overnight success — these results were the compounding effect of consistent presence.

Tactical approach: I focused on three specific content strategies:

• Share what you know. I started passing along helpful tips, lessons I’d learned, and stories that demonstrated expertise — not theory.
• Join the conversation. I identified where people in my field were already talking and became an active participant rather than just starting new threads.
• Pick my spot. I focused exclusively on LinkedIn because that’s where my audience spent time, rather than diluting my efforts across multiple platforms.

I didn’t focus on follower count. Instead, I measured success by the quality of conversations my posts sparked. The most meaningful posts weren’t the ones that went viral — they were the ones where someone messaged me saying, “It’s like you were reading my mind. I needed to hear this today.”

Action you can take today: Choose your primary platform (LinkedIn was mine) and commit to sharing valuable content at least three times per week. Make each post something that could stand alone as your manifesto.

3. Giving First, Asking Later

The most counterintuitive lesson I learned was that the less I focused on selling, the more business came my way.

I started each week by asking myself: “How can I add value to my community today?”

Sometimes, that meant sharing a resource I‘d created. Other times, it meant making an introduction between two people who needed to know each other. Often, it was simply shining a spotlight on someone else’s great work.

Tactical approach: I focused on three specific giving strategies:

• Share what you know freely. I published insights that others in my industry charged for. People remember those who helped them without strings attached.
• Shine a light on others. I became known as someone who celebrated others’ wins and amplified their voices. The reciprocity effect was powerful.
• Solve actual problems. Instead of posting for engagement, I identified real challenges my community faced and provided actionable solutions.

Action you can take today: Identify three specific ways you can add value this week. That can be sharing a resource, making an introduction, or helping someone in your industry solve a specific problem. Do this before asking for anything in return.

Authenticity Helped Me Level Up

The more I gave without expectation, the more opportunities, partnerships, and business flowed back to me — without any awkward asks.

This approach became the foundation of my personal brand’s growth, amassing over 500 million impressions, 9 million engagements, and 350k followers. I was ranked as the number one most influential marketing creator globally on LinkedIn and second overall in five years.

That success translated to real value for my business. When I launched Butterfly Effect, my marketing business, we generated £2 million (about $2.5 million U.S.) without needing a traditional sales team. So remember, your digital self can drive dividends beyond what you expect. Just be sure to be authentic.

Hot take: I don’t think everyone needs a personal brand. Plenty of businesses have expanded their reach with company social accounts as their mouthpieces. However, executives and founders can create personal brands that supercharge growth. How do I know? I’ve done it myself.

I founded newsletter Morning Brew, which gives business updates with personality. Each send has a lighthearted, but informative, tone — a style consistent with social posts from the brand and my account. Later, I launched storyarb to drive demand for high-growth B2B businesses. My personal brand helps position the agency as a leader and piques interest in potential clients.

Of course, building a compelling, consistent personal brand is no walk in the park. That’s why I wrote this article. In this post, I’ll share a step-by-step guide with tips to help you get started. Let’s dive in.

Benefits of Building a Personal Brand

When I think about a company, I’m not picturing a faceless brand. Instead, I think about a person who is related to that company.

For example, when I hear Airbnb, I think about Brian Chesky posting on X. When I hear HubSpot, I think about CMO Kipp Bodnar and his podcast. And when people think about StoryArb, they’re likely thinking about me. That’s personal branding at work.

In a nutshell, a personal brand gives your company a face and a personality that people can interact with. That helps your brand feel more human.

Building a great personal brand isn’t easy. But in my experience, that work has more than paid off. Cultivating a brand on social media has generated so many career opportunities both for me and for my businesses.

At storyarb, 90% of our impactful moments have come through my personal LinkedIn. Even my cofounder, Abby Murray, first connected with me on the platform. Most of our employees were introduced to us through this channel, and my team still sends cold recruiting DMs from my LinkedIn today.

People may think of a personal brand as something that just drives customer acquisition, but it’s incredibly multi-functional. Beyond just directly boosting business opportunities, it also supports hiring, partnerships, career development, and so much more.

A Three-Step Guide to Creating a Personal Brand

So, what does it take to create a personal brand? Here’s a step-by-step guide that you can use as a founder, executive, or B2B professional.

Step 1: Understand your why.

The first step is to understand your reason for creating content. Remember: There is no “right” answer — it’s all about what’s right for you.

For example, I know some people who view content as a creative outlet or a way to share their ideas with the world. Other people use it to build a network: A friend of mine built an entire podcast, not because he cared about how many downloads it got, but just as a way to connect with interesting people and build relationships.

Another common reason is to build credibility. Many professionals build up their personal brands on social media to help them get an advance for a book deal, or to reassure potential customers that they’re qualified.

In my own case, I’ve invested in my personal brand for two reasons: to help me build my businesses and to meet interesting, nerdy people. Ultimately, it’s up to you to figure out why you want to create — and then to make sure that all your downstream choices reflect that core motivation.

Step 2: Identify your “market of one.”

The next step is to figure out exactly who you want to create content for. I call this your market of one. Rather than defining a target market in vague, generic terms, a market of one refers to an actual, specific person who you can pull up on LinkedIn.

In my case, my market of one is HubSpot’s CMO, Kipp Bodner. I ask myself: What do I think Kipp wants? I put myself in his shoes.

Through this exercise, I speculate that Kipp wants content about media and marketing that will help him stay up-to-date and keep a pulse on the future of the industry. But he’s also probably really busy managing a multi-hundred-person team, which can make it hard to keep up. My job is to help him with that.

When I was creating my newsletter business, I was always thinking, “How can I help Kipp level up HubSpot’s newsletters for his customers and prospects?” In each post I wrote and each decision I made, that was the lens I looked through. What can I do to make sure that my product is as valuable to Kipp as possible?

Step 3: Find your content ikigai.

Once you know why you’re creating and who you’re creating for, it’s time to figure out what exactly you want to create. To do that, I’ve found it can be helpful to use the Japanese concept of ikigai.

Ikigai is a simple framework that’s meant to help people determine their reason for being, or the thing that gets them out of bed in the morning. To do so, it asks people to find the overlap between:

• What they love doing.
• What they’re good at.
• And what the world needs.

A similar approach can help you determine what kind of content to create: Simply ask yourself the following questions:

1. What do I know a lot about (or what would I like to learn about)?
2. What kind of content would be helpful for my market of one?
3. What would I have fun creating content about?

The intersection of that Venn diagram is the content you should focus on. For example, here’s how I answered each of those questions when building my own personal brand.

Question 1: What do I know a lot about?

I started by reflecting on what I knew a lot about. After some brainstorming, I came up with the following list: I knew a lot about building newsletter businesses, creating a niche on the internet, how to bootstrap a business, content marketing, Legos, skiing, and mental health.

Question 2: What kind of content would be helpful for my market of one?

Next, I asked myself what kind of content would help my market of one — Kipp Bodner, the CMO of HubSpot — solve a problem.

Again, after some brainstorming, I came up with a list: I guessed that Kipp would be interested in learning about the creator economy, the future of media, how small companies approach marketing, the impact of AI on marketing, and how to create world-class content.

Question 3: What would I have fun creating content about?

Finally, I asked myself what kind of content I would actually enjoy creating. Remember: building a personal brand is a long-term project. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you may burn out long before you can make much of an impact.

After some reflection, I came up with the following list of topics: the media industry, the creator economy, mental health, and content marketing.

Finding My Content Ikigai

Based on the overlap between these three lists, I was able to land on three topics: the creator economy, the future of media, and content marketing. So, that’s what I focused my personal brand content on.

How to Create Content Like a Pro

Once you’ve identified the core topics that you’ll focus on — your content ikigai — it’s time to start creating. There are several strategies and considerations that I’ve found can help take your content creation to the next level.

Ask smart questions.

First, I’ve found that creating great content almost always starts with asking smart questions.

I might ask myself, “What is one thing I believe about content marketing that most people don’t?” By asking this question, I land on my belief that value-driven content without any desire to sell is actually the best sales mechanism long-term.

If you ask the right questions, the answers that come out of your mouth are likely to be really interesting ideas, analyses, and opinions that are directly relevant to your content ikigai.

Leverage AI to create efficiently.

I’ve also become a big proponent of leveraging AI tooling to create content more efficiently.

My process looks like this:

• First, I pick a question and jot down a few bullet points to answer it.
• Next, I record myself talking about it for a few minutes. I use the Notes app on my Mac, which automatically transcribes the recordings.
• Then, I take that transcript and ask Claude to use it to create a short- or long-form post for X or LinkedIn.

Importantly, I tell Claude that I don’t want it to change any of the language. I ask it not to invent any new words, but simply to act as an editor, making sure the post has good flow, formatting, and rhythm without changing the essence of my ideas.

Then, I take just a few minutes to edit the post, and I’m done!

Choose the right platforms.

What you make varies by platform, so you’ll need to decide where to share your content and what kinds of content you’ll create.

To start, ask yourself where your market of one consumes content. So, in my case, I would ask myself where Kipp gets information. I’ve seen him post on LinkedIn. I’ve DMed with him on X, and he hosts a podcast. So, I’d guess that the best ways to reach Kipp would be on LinkedIn, X, and podcasts.

Next, ask yourself what kinds of content you enjoy working with. After all, as noted above, all of this only works if you’re able to stick to it long-term. Personally, I like creating on many platforms, but short-form and long-form text (like this article) are my favorites.

Finally, you should always aim to balance your efforts between platforms that you own (e.g., a newsletter or website) and platforms where you can only rent space, like social media.

Social platforms are built for discoverability and shareability, so they’re a great way to expand the top of your funnel. However, because you don’t own the platform, there is inherent risk involved. That’s why I always recommend investing in an owned audience as well.

Track the right metrics.

As with any new initiative, your content can only be as effective as your ability to measure its success. In particular, when it comes to social media, I think that the number of people who like your posts is less important than what I call in-niche engagement.

For example, if I got five likes on post A and 25 likes on post B, I might assume post B is a better post — but that’s not necessarily the case. If all five likes on post A were from CMOs of B2B companies (e.g., people like my market of one), but only one of post B’s 25 likes fit that profile, then post A delivered the most value.

Being thoughtful about the metrics you track will help ensure that you better understand engagement. Then, you can use that data to determine what’s working and what isn’t … and iterate accordingly.

Content Creation Tips and Tricks

Alright, we’ve gotten through the basics. Now, it’s time for some of my personal favorite tips and tricks. Here’s how you can craft high-quality content to boost your personal brand.

1. Pass the palm test.

Your voice should be unique enough that if one of your readers were to cover your name with their palm and look at your writing, they would still know that it came from you. If you don’t feel like they could do that, then you’re not speaking with enough specificity or enough voice to really stand out in the market.

2. Take your brain off autopilot.

All too often, founders and executives struggle to create content because they don’t think they have anything interesting to say. But of course, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, the real problem is that their brains are on autopilot. They go about their days doing lots of interesting things, but they fail to notice any of it.

To build a compelling personal brand, you have to take your brain off autopilot and start bringing a new level of awareness to everything you do.

Rather than just going with the flow, constantly check in and ask yourself: What am I learning from my experiences? How might these learnings inform content that could benefit my market of one?

3. Stay in the game.

Content follows a power law: Just a few posts are likely to drive outsized returns. You don’t know which of your posts will turn out to be runaway successes, so you have to stay in the game for the long haul. Each time you step up to bat, give it your all. Eventually, you’ll get a home run.

4. Don’t aim for likes.

As noted above, in-niche engagement is far more important than likes. While it can be tempting to view the number of likes as a measure of a post’s success, a more relevant metric is likely to be saves, bookmarks, or likes from particularly relevant readers.

For example, on X, one of the metrics I care about most is the ratio of bookmarks to likes. If a post has a high bookmarks-to-likes ratio, that means people are hoping to revisit it later, which suggests that the post was extremely valuable to my audience.

5. Squeeze the lemon.

When most people have an idea for a piece of content, they turn it into a single post. The problem is, we don’t have great ideas that often. When you do have one, it’s important to squeeze that lemon dry.

When I come up with a great idea, I’ll turn a five-minute recording of my thoughts into 15 different posts. I might even repost a highly successful social media post three months later. After all, no one will remember a post from three months ago. If I’ve gained a lot more followers in the meantime, it will be brand new to them.

6. Embrace VANS.

Great writing is VANS: It’s Voicy, Actionable, Niche, and Specific. When you’re creating content, imagine that you’re a painter with a blank canvas. Your job is to fill that canvas in with content that’s so specific, unique, and memorable that no one ever will forget the painting you created.

7. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

I constantly draw inspiration from formats or ideas that have worked well in other industries or contexts. For example, I’ll take an idea that I saw on X, and I’ll use it in a very similar way, but on LinkedIn. I’ll take a format that someone used in the self-storage space, and I’ll adapt it to marketing with ideas from my world.

When it comes to content, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel — and imitation is the best form of flattery.

8. Create a content Mount Rushmore.

Who are your content idols? At any given time, I have three or four people who I think are some of the best creators on the internet. I read everything they do, and I actually use Google Docs to annotate the specific aspects of their writing that I want to draw inspiration from.

Getting as specific as possible about what you think others do well will help you learn and grow yourself.

Great Personal Branding Constantly Evolves

At the end of the day, the most important thing I’ve learned is that a great personal brand has to evolve constantly. The market of one’s needs and your interests will change over time. That shouldn’t set off alarm bells. It’s an opportunity to grow and shift.

When you build a business, the first few years are an absolute grind. You put in a lot of work up front, and you don’t get much in return. You just have to hope for something to pan out, often years down the road.

Building a personal brand is the same. It takes years of concerted effort and the flexibility to adapt. But if you put in the work, you’ll be on your way to crafting a personal brand that will help you cultivate strong, trusting relationships with your audience.

Cookie-scented body wash flew off the shelves. Shaken espressos made a comeback (as long as they’re associated with short ‘n sweet blondes), and, oddly, interactive guerrilla marketing caught a second wind (or whiff?). I think it’s safe to say that 2025, thus far, has been a chaotically charming year to be both a marketer and, in turn, consume it.

This year, tons of digital marketing campaigns circulated social media channels and group chats, but, as the old proverb goes, only the most stellar stood out. Get the full rundown of which brand moments made the cut below. Plus, get an inside look at why these campaigns performed so well with a peek at original data from HubSpot’s annual State of Marketing Report.

Table of Contents:

• The Latest Data About Marketing Trends You Should Know
• The Best Marketing Campaigns of This Year

The Latest Data About Marketing Trends You Should Know

In my opinion, no marketing campaign is successful all on its own. A top-tier marketing campaign is only defined by the people, trends and data, consumers, and cultural commentary that shape its impact.

That said, take a look at fresh data from HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing Report for an insights-driven perspective on why this year’s biggest and best digital marketing campaigns captured the hearts (and pockets) of modern consumers everywhere:

• 92% of marketers plan to maintain or increase their investments in brand awareness in 2025.

• 1 in 4 (25%) marketers are currently exploring creating content that reflects their brand’s values.

• The top reported advantages of using data to inform marketing strategy are: 1) reaching target audiences more effectively (35%), 2) increasing the ROI of marketing efforts (34%), and 3) planning media mixes more effectively (32%).

• The top reported ways that marketers believe the marketing industry has changed in the past year are: 1) focusing on the customer and their experience (44%), 2) creating content that reflects your brand’s values (35%), 3) using data to inform marketing efforts (35%), and 4) using data to demonstrate the ROI and business value of marketing efforts (31%).

• Over 70% of marketers plan to target Millennials in 2025.

The Best Marketing Campaigns of This Year

As I’ve already mentioned, 2025 is already shaping up to be a pretty dope year for marketing, particularly digital marketing campaigns. From Rhode Skin to Dove and Crumbl Cookie, unconventional, authentic, audience-first marketing campaigns are setting the standard for what it means to do brand identity, storytelling, and consumer visibility right.

Take a look below for my full list of marketing campaign favorites from this year thus far (and what you can take away from them):

1. Rhode Skin: Peptide Lip Shape Launch

Since its inception in 2022, Rhode Skin has been the talk of the (beauty) town. With a focus on scent-free, sensitive skin-friendly, clean, and simple offerings, Hailey Bieber’s first-ever beauty venture was a hit with every product launch.

Source

In January 2025, to complement its growing collection of lip-specific product options, Rhode unleashed a new showstopper to the beauty rodeo: lip liners. (And while I would argue that the beauty industry does not need another “must-have lip staple,” many beauty consumers, creators, and connoisseurs demonstrated that Rhode’s take on the sculpted lip was worth the hype and investment.)

Thus, Rhode’s Peptide Lip Shape campaign went live, and the internet … went crazy over it — in both a good and “bad” way (more context on the “bad” later).

Source

The social media marketing campaign on Instagram featured sporty, movement-focused aesthetics (to represent the flexibility of the actual product) paired with classic 90s it-girl motifs — a signature emblem that Hailey has been known to lean into throughout Rhode’s branding and visuals — and the faces of Tate McRae as well as other cool-girl-coded models that perfectly embodied what it means to be a true, glazed Rhode girl.

Source

Source

Now, enter: the “bad” I mentioned above. When Rhode’s Peptide Lip Shape actually arrived in folks’ hands, consumers had a lot to say about how the product was meant to be worn, its shade inclusivity (which has been a misstep for Rhode before; if you don’t know about it, do some research research their initial pocket blush launch), and its actual wear-longevity. The girls (rightfully) had questions, comments, and concerns!

Nevertheless, the average beauty consumer seemed pretty open to testing Rhode’s newest addition out (whether they bought it themselves or received it through a PR list), sharing user-generated content (UGC) with their followers and feeds, and offering their honest opinion about the product to the world.

I say all of this to say: Mixed reviews and all, Rhode’s Peptide Lip Shape campaign still made waves — online and IRL. There’s much to extract here — from the brand’s marketing wins to mistakes — so here’s what lessons I think you can implement into your next marketing campaign:

• Lean into aesthetic storytelling. Rhode succeeded by aligning the Peptide Lip Shape launch with visuals rooted in flexibility, movement, and 90s nostalgia — a perfect match for Hailey’s brand persona and Gen Z’s sensibilities.
• Own the conversations that are being had about your product or service, even when they’re messy. Rhode didn’t shy away from user feedback. After experiencing backlash about shade diversity for its blushes, the brand confronted their mistake and ensured that its Peptide Lip Shape collection was universal and inclusive.
• Let UGC do the legwork. When Peptide Lip Shape hit Rhode’s site, it was the consumers — not just the brand — who amplified reach. Bolstering consumer content made the campaign feel real, not overproduced.

Also, here’s a pro tip: If you need some help (without the headache) designing a multi-platform marketing strategy, you might want to give HubSpot’s Free Marketing Plan Template a try. It comes fully equipped with all the resources you need — from a SWOT analysis breakdown to a budget sheet — to plan next your campaign smarter, not harder.

2. Dunkin’ Donuts: Sabrina Carpenter’s Shakin’ Espresso

Almost every year, Dunkin’ sweeps with a celebrity-signed sweet treat launch. We all know it’s coming. I think we all almost look forward to it. In 2021, it was Charli D’Amelio’s “Charli Cold Foam” beverage; the year before that, it was Ice Spice and her official Ice Spice Munchkins Drink. But in 2025, Dunkin’ tapped the only five-foot blonde that timelines wouldn’t stop talking about: Sabrina Carpenter.

Source

In honor of her chart-topping single, “Espresso,” Dunkin’ Donuts collaborated with Sabrina to create a very on-brand version of a Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso. Stamped by Sabrina’s go-to kiss mark and her undeniably fresh Gen Z wit, this collaboration was truly a match made in marketing heaven. Dunkin’ even hard-launched this partnership with a hilariously inappropriate — in true Sabrina fashion — commercial. The title? Shakin’ that Ess. (BTW: I laughed out loud, so I know you did.)

While most of this campaign was social media-oriented, I think there are so many reasons why it 1) worked and 2) got people talking. There’s a lot for brands to take away from Dunkin’s power move, so here’s what I think is worth taking notes on:

• Embrace (pop) cultural timing. Dunkin’ dropped this collab as “Espresso” (and Sabrina Carpenter in general) was still at peak virality — riding the wave of Sabrina’s momentum instead of trying to concoct buzz.
• Tone-matching is everything. The Shaken’ Ess campaign embraced Sabrina’s playful, tongue-in-cheek persona perfectly, which made the campaign feel more authentic and less manufactured.
• If you can, embrace the power of a multi-sensory hook. From the name of the drink to the kiss-mark branding and cheeky video rollout, Dunkin’s campaign rollout hit every touchpoint — visual, auditory, and emotional — turning a celeb drink collaboration into a full-on brand moment.

3. Bumble: Amelia Dimoldenberg x Interview Magazine

If you’re chronically online (like me), you know that comedian Amelia Dimoldenberg, also known as the host of the “Chicken Shop Date” web series on YouTube, is one of the most endearingly flirty, funny, and high key awkward gals with a platform right now. And you want to know what else is endearingly awkward and also prompts a whole lot of laughs? Finding love through a dating app.

Source

Luckily, Bumble, with the help of their year-long content partner, the iconic Interview Mag, knew this, took it, and ran with it … with Amelia’s darling hand entangled with their Q1 digital marketing efforts.

And Bumble’s campaign didn’t just seize a relevant face for clicks and views. On the strategy side, the dating app’s social media marketing efforts targeted Amelia’s personal YouTube channel (‘cause duh) and Instagram, along with their own native social media channels (primarily Instagram and TikTok), with tons of digestible, short-form video content to keep audiences engaged.

From a marketing campaign perspective, these moves from Bumble were brilliant, particularly because they were massively called out in 2024 for releasing an anti-celibacy, anti-woman ad. Plus, on another note, having turned this campaign into an editorial/interview-style moment — something that Bumble hasn’t ever done before — signaled a bold, playful, refreshing campaign that actually resonated with online communities.

Source

Here’s what inspiration I think brands can draw from Bumble:

• When you’ve done wrong, do better the next time around. After backlash in 2024, Bumble didn’t ignore criticism — they recalibrated with self-awareness, humor, and a culturally relevant face who embodied the brand’s softer side.
• Stretch your (content) format. By blending short-form social content with an editorial-style rollout, Bumble pushed a typical influencer partnership into branded storytelling.
• If you’re going to work with internet personalities or influencers, tap the ones that align with your brand values and identity. The campaign worked because it felt real — Amelia’s charm paired naturally with Bumble’s forthright perspectives on online dating, creating authentic, shareable content.

4. Billie: Scratch and Sniff Pits

Move over Native, Suave, and Secret. Billie, the Gen Z-coded razor and bodycare brand, didn’t just steal your swag in 2025 — they reinvented it entirely and, shockingly, were bold enough to target people where they knew they’d catch their attention: on the streets they roam.

Source

In April 2025, Billie literally hit the streets of New York to preview their new coconut-vanilla scented deodorant — a new addition to the brand’s collection of several non-shave products. With huge, guerrilla-style “scratch and sniff” posters, Billie debuted its product to thousands of fresh eyes (and brave noses), clearly demonstrating a contemporary commitment to bringing back old school experiential marketing.

Source

Even if you wouldn’t personally market your brand’s product in this way, neither of us can hate too much on Billie’s swag. Ultimately, they did their big one by leveraging and executing the unconventional. If you liked what they did to pull this off, these are the power plays I recommend keeping in your back pocket:

• If you’ve got the budget to do so, go beyond the scroll. In a hyper-digital world, Billie proved that IRL activations, when paired with bold creative tactics, can break through the noise in ways paid ads simply can’t.
• Make scent (or any sense) a part of your campaign strategy. Billie’s scratch-and-sniff posters weren’t just quirky — they were memorable. Think beyond visuals and engage multiple senses when possible.
• Don’t play it safe with product launches. Billie didn’t just post a product shot — they built a moment. Turning a basic deodorant drop into a street-level spectacle gave consumers something to talk (and post) about.

5. Dove: Dove x Crumbl Cookie

Crumbl Cookie made waves in 2024, so it was only fitting that they did so again in 2025. However, I personally never imagined that their next move would be to make the impossible possible. But with some unexpected brand chemistry and a little bit of scent-engineering from Dove, they made it happen — and went viral while doing it.

Source

When both brands announced they’d be collaborating to create a cookie-scented body care line, many people (rightfully so) asked, “Why?” Confused consumers took to the internet to share their hot takes, disdain, and, for a few, excitement, about this unexpected mashup.

While most level-headed people are not actively using a strawberry crumb cake body scrub for their daily showers, I think that Dove’s choice to collaborate with Crumbl Cookie wasn’t about rationale. It was about digital momentum, explosive reach, and product experimentation.

In short, this 2025 marketing campaign was indeed uncanny, but it worked. Avid Crumbl Cookie taste-testers ran to Walmart stores to pick up items from this exclusive collection, and some even offered reviews through YouTube and TikTok to show folks what they were really missing.

Regardless of how you felt about this marketing campaign taking up space in 2025, there’s mastery in the mayhem. If you’re curious about why this marketing campaign worked, these are the learnings I suggest you zero in on:

• Lean into the absurd — if it’s on-brand. We both know that a cookie-scented body scrub was never a logical product extension, but it was weird enough to spark conversation and get people talking, which is half the battle.
• Create culture collisions. Unconventional brand pairings (like Dove and Crumbl) force audiences to pay attention, especially when the collab taps into things like sensory appeal and/or novelty.
• Use scarcity to fuel buzz. The limited-time drop and exclusive retail partnership with Walmart added urgency, driving traffic and user-generated reviews that extended the campaign’s shelf life.

6. Severance: Severance x Grand Central Station (plus Lumon’s super dope LinkedIn presence)

2025 quickly became the year of Severance. After a three-year hiatus, the jaw-dropping Apple TV original’s Season 2 comeback did not disappoint. It also wasn’t subtle.

Source

To commemorate the return of the long-awaited second season, the entire Severance show cast — Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Patricia Arquette, and Tramell Tillman — placed themselves on display in a glass box in Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall.

In the company of some replica furniture from the show’s Macrodata Refinement department — a cubicle-style set-up, desktop computers, and sterile office props straight out of Lumon Industries — the Severance squad put on a mini-performance of a lifetime in front of Grand Central’s passersby.

Folks were really into it, too. They even brought their cameras.

Source

In addition to this exhibitionist marketing installation, the Severance digital marketing team was hard at work building an astoundingly on-brand LinkedIn presence for the show as it aired weekly.

On LinkedIn, Lumon Industries shared weekly cryptic, Lumon-themed posts to keep fans and viewers guessing about what could be next for the show’s characters as its Season 2 plot unfolded every Friday until the show’s finale.

Many people praised the Severance marketing team for its commitment to creating memorable experiences for its viewers, both online and offline. If you’re hoping to do the same for your next marketing campaign, here’s what I think you can learn (and steal) from Severance’s Season 2 marketing efforts:

• Build immersive worlds, not just campaigns. From in-person pop-ups to an entire LinkedIn persona, Severance didn’t just promote a show — it extended its universe into everyday life.
• Surprise your audience in unexpected places. The Grand Central stunt and corporate-themed LinkedIn presence gave fans something fresh and out of context (but still within bounds), which made it all the more memorable.
• Commit to the bit. The Severance team stuck to its eerie, hyper-professional tone across all touchpoints. When your tone, content, and platform choices are aligned, the whole campaign feels stronger and more cohesive.

7. Nike: “So Win” x WNBA

From Angel Reese to Caitlin Clark, the female athletes of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) had folks rooting for their big wins, court-related or not, during all of 2024. In 2025, the love and support continued with a WNBA-centered marketing campaign from Nike.

Source

The “So Win” campaign commercial debuted during Super Bowl 59 in February; it featured a motivational monologue from none other than Doechii, and its digital marketing rollout featured a few other non-WNBA athletes (i.e., Sha’Carri Richardson, Sophia Wilson).

Source

Tons of visually stunning editorial clips of each athlete, juxtaposed with some short vignettes of their most groundbreaking moments as professional athletes, created a resonant narrative about what it means to be a woman who works hard in sports, or what it means to be a woman who works hard (but is still questioned about her dedication and strength).

When it comes to promoting their products, Nike has always known how to bring the heat. But this marketing campaign in particular? It felt like an elevated version of the emotion-meets-performance narrative work they do best. Critics online even agreed.

Source

Source

Below, review soe marketing gems that I think you can learn from Nike’s “So Win” campaign execution:

• Go cinematic, not just commercial. The visual and editorial quality of the campaign leaned more like a short film than a product promo — proof that brand storytelling thrives when it feels premium and personal.
• Reframe the campaign spotlight. By shifting focus from just the game to the grind, Nike tapped into a more inclusive and emotionally resonant story — broadening their audience without losing athletic credibility.
• Layer your cast intentionally. Including non-WNBA athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson created intersections across sports, elevating the campaign beyond basketball and helping it hit different cultural corners.

8. Heaven by Marc Jacobs: Heaven x Starface

If you’re not familiar with Heaven by Marc Jacobs or Starface, get familiar.

Source

Both brands have entirely redefined what it means to be rule breakers in their respective industries — Starface in beauty and skincare, Heaven in luxury fashion and decor — and by joining forces for a limited-time capsule drop of tattoo pimple patches, they’ve blurred the line between skincare and self-expression.

Source

The campaign, which primarily rolled out on Starface’s Instagram, also featured the unforgettable faces of Gen Z’s pop culture scene (i.e., Lil’ Uzi Vert, Beabadoobee, BB Trickz, etc.), all of whom have already become spokespeople for the brand in its previous campaigns. (Now, you may not know these names, you may not even care about what they do or why they’re popular — but Starface’s and Marc Jacobs’ consumers do. And that’s the whole reason why this campaign attracted traction online.)

Source

If you want to do Gen Z-marketing right, consider Starface and Heaven by Marc Jacobs your Krabby Patty formula. Check out what ingredients you can snag for your next marketing campaign below:

• Cast with cultural fluency. Don’t just go after “cool influencers” — tap people who are actually shaping the subcultures your audience cares about. Collaborations that are tailor-made to the audiences that love your brand will garner attention without you (or your digital marketing team) lifting a finger.
• Let the product be weird (on purpose). Tattoo pimple patches aren’t just skincare — it’s statement-making. Gen Z embraces the unexpected, especially when it doubles as self-expression.
• Match the vibe, not just the platform. Starface and Heaven didn’t just post on Instagram — they posted on Instagram like themselves. Tailor your tone, aesthetics, and language to feel native to both your brand and your audience’s feed.

9. NYX Professional Makeup: NYX Fat Lip Oil x Big Fat Kiss Campaign

Back in February 2025, NYX Professional Makeup, in collaboration with DraftKings, took to Super Bowl 59 to promote its collection of NYX Fat Oils, a shade-diverse lineup of shiny lip glosses, and used one of the internet’s funniest personalities, Brittany Broski, to sell the hype.

Source

This marketing campaign was purely designed for social. It launched on Instagram and was even paired with a $60,000 predictions-based contest that encouraged sports fans and beauty lovers to cast their vote via DraftKings for which team would score big during football’s biggest night.

Source

Leading up to the Super Bowl, NYX fueled their Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok with organic user-generated content mixed with short-form, humor-filled video content of Brittany hamming up — in true sports commentator style — how NYX is prepping for the second biggest moment after the game: the big fat kiss.

This marketing campaign was major for NYX and was also their first influencer-led campaign of the year. While it was short-lived, there’s stuff to learn from its strategy. Here’s what I think you ought to bookmark from it:

• Tap into culture collisions. NYX x DraftKings was unexpected — but that’s what made it memorable. Cross-category collabs create fresh talking points, especially when they blend beauty and sports in a way that feels playful, not forced.
• Put your talent in their element, then trust them to deliver. Brittany Broski’s charm came through because the content matched her tone — comedic, fun, and fully Gen Z-coded. Let your influencer shine in their own voice.
• Design for scroll-first success. NYX built this campaign with virality in mind: bite-sized video, UGC, and humor tailored to social platforms. When your audience is moving fast, give them multiple reasons and opportunities to slow down (and engage).

Not Just Noise: Campaigns That Cut Through

If there’s one thing this year’s standouts made clear, it’s that meaningful marketing doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful. In fact, I think that 2025 proved that marketing campaigns need to be more loud, more offbeat, more unapologetically niche — ‘cause clearly, resonance outshines reach.

So as you plan your next big launch or brand refresh, ask yourself: are you adding to the noise — or creating something that might actually break through it?

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

Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better.

Brands have engaged in inclusive marketing for decades, but it is only in recent years that the practice has become more widespread.

As an inclusive marketing strategist and consultant, I’ve spent the last eight years observing trends in the space. There’s been a lot of evolution in recent years, both at the macro and micro levels, in how brands think about and apply inclusive marketing (or not).

Here are my top inclusive marketing trends and observations for 2025, backed by data from the HubSpot Blog’s recent Inclusive Marketing Report.

5 Inclusive Marketing Trends to Pay Attention To in 2025

1. More brands are investing in inclusive marketing.

I am constantly telling my clients that inclusive marketing is the future of marketing, and that future is materializing today: survey results show that 63% of businesses invest in inclusive marketing.

Brands can engage in inclusive marketing in many ways, and I get excited to see more and more examples in my work and when I’m out and about as a consumer.

For example, I was recently in Mexico, and I saw several vendors engaging in inclusive marketing in the form of personalizable, handmade bracelets that featured U.S. organizations, like, “The Divine Nine” (a group of historically Black fraternities and sororities) and regional representation of U.S. college and professional football teams.

I think inclusive marketing is growing in prominence because consumers have a variety of different identities and brands that want to engage them are realizing that continuing to take a “general market” approach won’t work.

Camila Victoriano is the Chief Content Officer and co-founder of Sonoro, a fast-growing media company that makes culturally relevant audio content with Latino creators and brings it to life in film, TV, and beyond. The brand recently announced an original podcast series with Toyota Corolla, designed to reach young Latino consumers.

Victoriano told me “The most important thing that you cannot erase, ignore, or disregard is the fact that the world is changing. And it’s looking a lot different, and it’s looking a lot more multicultural. And so if you are a brand and you have a product that you want people to buy, you need those people. Those are the people that are going to be buying.”

If you aren’t investing in updating your marketing strategies to be more inclusive, I suggest making this the year that you start. Get going by identifying a specific community you want to engage. Then develop a deeper degree of intimacy with them so you understand more about their needs, desires, fears, and frustrations. Then work to infuse your insights throughout your marketing mix. Taking this approach will support you in being more effective with your inclusive marketing, and helps you avoid tokenization (including a community just to be able to say you included them).

This video goes more in depth about what tokenization is, how brands commonly engage in it, and how to avoid it.

2. Consumers expect brands to be inclusive.

One of the reasons so many more brands are engaging in inclusive marketing is because consumers expect it. In fact, 74% of marketers agree that they’ve noticed a shift in consumer demand for inclusive marketing.

Gone are the days when consumers from underrepresented and underserved communities just take what brands offer them. They are letting their needs and desires be known, and brands are responding to those voices.

In summer of 2024, retailer Forever 21 had to respond to outrage from consumers over what they felt was a substandard experience for shoppers with larger body types.

In the comments of the post, consumers continued to share their expectations of what a good experience should look like for the brand. One commenter wrote, “Same clothes, same rack, same sections, our size. Hopeful of your action toward inclusivity.” 

Another wrote, “Plus sizes should be in every store and should be dispersed by item like every other piece of clothing, not pushed into a dark and dingy corner in the back.” Another added, “Have girls that are ACTUALLY plus size girls be models! There’s never been a girl that looked like my body type in the media and it’s time!”

I think you’ll find that your existing customers have already thought about what they want from your business, and you can start by talking to them to gain a better understanding of their identity-based needs, desires, and expectations for your brand. 

3. Brands investing in inclusive marketing are seeing a positive business impact.

Inclusive marketing isn’t just the right thing to do —it’s a growth lever for your brand. Doing a better job of serving a broader consumer base leads to higher customer acquisition and retention rates.

HubSpot research confirmed this as well: 96% of respondents whose companies invest in inclusive marketing say it impacts their business success.

I see real-life evidence of the benefit of inclusive marketing in The Sports Bra, a bar in Portland, WA, that only plays women’s sports on TV.  It earned more than $1M in its first eight months of business, and its wild success of catering to a highly underrepresented community attracted high-profile investors eager to help the business grow  through franchising.

My tip is to look deeper at the consumers with the pain points your brand solves. Identify which identities are currently underrepresented and underserved by your brand and others in your industry, then brainstorm ways to serve this audience like none other.

4. Brands aren’t as effective as they could be with inclusive marketing.

When done well, inclusive marketing has proven to produce positive business results. However, results aren’t automatic just because a brand decides to start marketing to underrepresented and underserved communities.

I  like to use this analogy: Just because you invite someone to your party doesn’t mean they will just show up eagerly, especially if you have a long history of not extending invitations to them.

Case in point:  just 32% of marketing professionals whose companies invest in inclusive marketing felt their marketing efforts were very successful, while 61% said they were somewhat successful.

When I’m doing inclusive marketing audits, I almost always find examples of friction-filled experiences that negatively impact conversions of people from the underserved communities brands are trying to reach.

There are a number of reasons why brands who engage in inclusive marketing aren’t as effective as they could be, including budget limitations (38%), fear of resistance and blowback from consumers and the general public (28%), and even concerns about getting inclusive marketing wrong (25%).

Inclusive marketing has many benefits, and taking the time to do it right is worth it. When you do, you’ll see even greater returns on your investment. One study showed that brands whose ads were most effective from a cultural inclusion perspective showed increases across key performance indicators, including 69% in purchase intent, 67% in brand trust, 49% in brand affinity, and 43% in brand recommendations. 

Regarding budget constraints, I advise my clients to double down and focus on building case studies with unignorable results, showing that further investment in inclusive marketing is warranted.

I also advise clients that fear of backlash and concerns about getting it wrong resolve themselves if they engage in inclusive marketing effectively. Following best practices like deepening relationships with the groups you want to serve and producing products and experiences that are truly authentic demonstrates that your brand sees and supports them, not that you’re tokenizing them.

5. Brands have a limited view of what effective inclusive marketing is.

Even though inclusive marketing isn’t a new concept, the reality is that inclusive marketing as a competency among marketers is still very much in its early stages. 

Inclusive marketing is all about acknowledging the many ways in which consumers are different, intentionally choosing which identities your brand will serve, and then incorporating those identities throughout all areas of your marketing mix.

Most brands engage in inclusive marketing in a few key areas of their overall marketing mix, and survey results showed that the most popular adoptions are: 

• Inclusive imagery (74%)
• Accessible web design (44%)
• Using inclusive language (36%)
• Awareness month campaigns (36%)
• Multicultural campaigns (26%)
• Inclusivity in overall brand image (20%)

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with engaging in inclusive marketing in this way; it’s just very much focused on communications. There’s missed opportunity for inclusive approaches in other areas, like:

• Inclusive product design
• Inclusion in distribution channels and modes of discovery
• Product positioning
• Inclusive pricing

Throughout all these areas, the customer experience can be optimized for different communities to reduce friction, increase conversions, increase customer success, and increase customer retention.

Inclusive marketing is just good marketing. To be even more effective, don’t just limit it to how your brand communicates and through your visuals;infuse it into every part of your brand.

To expand your view of where inclusive marketing fits in your brand, I recommend listing out all the different forms of marketing you and your teams engage in. Then, workshop how to make each component of your marketing mix appeal to a broader base of consumers. 

To help you get started, check out this episode of the Inclusion & Marketing podcast for inspiration. In it, I walk you through how to infuse inclusion into your SEO strategy.

It’s Time to Go Deeper With Inclusive Marketing

The way we do marketing continues to evolve. With each passing year it becomes less of an “optional” thing to do, and more of a “must do” to stay relevant and grow. 

Both your business and your customers need you to go all in with inclusive marketing. When you do, you’ll see the positive impact it has both on your customers and your brand’s results.

Every marketing campaign I’ve participated in has always had social media at its core. It’s no shock — over five billion people are active on social platforms daily. So if you want your product, service, and mission to reach the maximum number of people, your business needs to be on social media, too.

However, the ease with which you execute your social media strategy depends largely on the tools you use. Social media work is incredibly time-consuming, covering everything from the creative challenge of designing eye-catching graphics to posting at the right time to tracking campaign performance.

Without the right tools, it’s tough to pull off a robust strategy that balances both speed and quality — trust me, I know. That’s why I’ll be sharing the top social media tools you should be using in 2025 to save time, boost conversions, and prevent the kind of burnout I experienced in 2021 trying to go it alone.

Table of Contents

• Social media campaign tools
• What are social media tools?
• What makes for a good social media tool?
• What to look for in a social media tool
• Best social media tools

What are social media tools?

Social media tools are digital platforms and applications designed to help you manage, optimize, and measure your social media efforts. They streamline tasks like content creation, scheduling, audience engagement, and performance tracking, allowing you to focus on strategy and creative storytelling while automating repetitive tasks.

There are different types of social media tools, including:

• Scheduling tools. These tools allow you to plan and schedule posts ahead of time across multiple social platforms. They help maintain a consistent posting schedule, optimize publishing times for maximum engagement, and provide analytics to track performance.
• Image editing tools. These tools help you create and enhance visuals. They offer a range of features — from templates and drag-and-drop interfaces to advanced photo editing options — that ensure your social media graphics are polished and on-brand.
• Video-making tools. These tools simplify video creation. They provide pre-built templates, transitions, audio editing, and special effects, making it easy to produce professional-quality videos without needing extensive editing experience.
• Social listening tools. These tools monitor mentions, keywords, and sentiment around your brand on social media. They help you stay informed about what people are saying, identify trends, and manage your reputation by enabling timely responses to customer feedback.
• Analytics tools. These platforms give you insights into how your content performs, tracking metrics such as engagement, reach, and conversions. They provide data-driven insights that help refine your social media strategy and demonstrate ROI.
• Collaboration and management tools. These tools facilitate team collaboration by enabling content reviews, approval workflows, and centralized communication. They ensure that everyone involved in your social media campaigns is on the same page, making it easier to create cohesive and impactful content.

What makes for a good social media tool?

Although the term “social media tool” is very general and can apply to a wide range of services, there are a few key features that your top social media tools should have.

It saves you time.

The main goal of a social media tool is to cut down on the hours spent on routine tasks without sacrificing quality. It should automate processes — whether it’s scheduling posts or generating captions — while still ensuring each step is done right.

It helps you increase brand awareness.

I believe that one of the biggest benefits of social media is its ability to increase your brand awareness, which is something you should keep in mind when choosing the social media tools you’ll use.

For instance, if you’re using an editing platform like Lightroom or an Instagram scheduler like Later, the primary focus should be that your brand’s image is consistently presented. This way, when people come across your posts, they immediately know it’s your brand.

It’s easy to use.

No matter how powerful a tool might be, it only saves you time if it’s straightforward and intuitive. I appreciate social media tools that are designed with the user in mind — ones that let anyone, from the analytical folks on the accounting team to your creative, right-brained writers, navigate functions without hassle.

Many top-notch tools offer tutorials on their websites to help you navigate the tools. Others, like Kicksta, have exceptional customer service, which means you can always get quick, expert help when you need it.

It’s affordable.

The best social media tools don’t have to break the bank. Often, you can find high-quality options that are free or very budget-friendly, like the Unfold app, which is great for creating engaging Instagram stories.

As a freelance content marketer who dabbles in social media from time to time, using affordable tools means I can focus on strategy and creativity rather than worrying about overspending on technology.

It keeps you organized.

Efficiency isn’t just about speed — it’s also about staying on top of your tasks. A good social media tool should help you manage your workflow, whether it’s by sorting through comments, scheduling posts, or saving your designs for later edits.

For example, HubSpot’s Social Media Management tool keeps your interactions prioritized, and graphic design platform Canva ensures that your creative work is neatly organized and easily accessible for revisions.

This organization not only saves time but also reduces stress, allowing you to focus on what really matters: connecting with your audience.

What to Look for in a Social Media Tool

When I’m choosing a social media tool, here are some features/elements I always look for:

1. User-friendly Interface

I’d like to think I’m tech-savvy, but I’ll always appreciate a tool with a clean, intuitive design that minimizes the learning curve and reduces errors.

Even if you can find your way around tools easily, chances are not everyone on your team can. So when choosing a social media tool, look for one with an interface that every member of your team can navigate easily.

This is especially crucial during fast-paced campaign launches, where every minute counts.

2. Automation Capabilities

The first time I used Hypefury to schedule X (formerly known as Twitter) posts, my mind was blown at how much easier my work became. Since then, I’ve always recommended choosing a social media tool that can automate repetitive tasks, like cross-platform publishing, so that your campaigns run smoothly even when you’re not at your desk.

For example, with scheduling tools like Hypefury or Hootsuite, you can set up automated posts for a six-month-long campaign. As long as you set your times and dates right, you can leave it and focus on other things, like responding to comments/inquiries.

3. In-depth Analytics and Reporting

Detailed analytics are my compass in determining what works and what doesn’t. So, I choose social media tools that provide real-time engagement metrics, demographic breakdowns, and conversion rates. This way, I know what’s working and what isn’t, and can tweak my strategy accordingly.

For example, if your analytics dashboard reveals that your video content is outperforming image posts by 40%, you’ll know to scale back on images and focus more on creating videos.

4. Seamless Integration With Other Platforms

Integration is key to maintaining an efficient workflow. So, I look for social media tools that play well with other applications I use — whether that’s my CRM, email marketing platform, or design software like Canva.

I remember a campaign where direct integration with Canva allowed me to import and tweak images without the extra step of exporting files manually. This seamless connection saves time and reduces the chance of errors.

5. Customizable Features

Every campaign is unique, so having the flexibility to customize dashboards, reporting metrics, and even workflow settings is a huge plus.

For example, if you’re executing a user-generated content (UGC) campaign, you can tailor your dashboards to monitor specific hashtags or mentions. This ensures that you’re tracking the metrics that directly impact your strategy.

6. Reliable Customer Support

When issues arise, having prompt and effective customer support makes all the difference.

Picture a situation where you encounter a technical glitch right before a crucial campaign launch — having access to expert help means you can resolve the problem quickly and keep your project on track.

7. Affordability and Scalability

Finally, I look for cost-effective tools that grow with my needs because budget constraints shouldn’t limit campaign potential. So, if you’re starting small and plan to scale, selecting a social media tool that offers both free and upgrade options allows you to invest in more features as your campaign demands increase.

1. HubSpot’s Social Media Management Software

Price: Starts at $800/month, included in the Marketing Hub Professional tier

HubSpot’s Social Media Management Software is designed to simplify and unify your social media efforts. This tool allows you to publish different types of content across multiple networks directly from a central dashboard, which streamlines the entire process and makes it easier to maintain a consistent brand voice.

I also love how this tool helps you set up keyword monitoring so you never miss a mention or critical conversation about your brand. HubSpot also integrates all of your marketing with your CRM, so it‘s easy to figure out how many leads and customers you’re receiving directly from social media.

“HubSpot Marketing Hub … puts the potential of corporate marketing within everyone’s reach,” one customer says.

Source

Some standout features of HubSpot’s Social Media Management software include:

• AI social post generator: This helps you quickly draft and publish content directly to LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).
• Automatic blog sharing: Connect your social accounts to your blog so that your content is shared automatically as it’s published.
• Optimal scheduling suggestions: Get recommendations on the best times to post, ensuring your content reaches your audience when they’re most active.
• Out-of-the-box social reports: Compare the performance of different platforms, campaigns, and publishing times with detailed, easy-to-understand reports.
• CRM integration: Seamlessly connect your social interactions to your CRM, so you can easily track customer journeys and report on social media ROI.

2. Hootsuite

Price: Starts at $99/month per user with a 30-day free trial

Hootsuite is a comprehensive social media management tool that brings all your social tasks together in one intuitive dashboard. This tool’s robustness astounds me in that it allows users to plan, create, schedule, and analyze social content for multiple platforms — whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, or YouTube.

This allows you to engage with your audience across the board, which makes it easier to maintain a consistent and active presence no matter where your customers are.

I also love how smoothly Hootsuite integrates with over 200 marketing tools, including Canva, HubSpot, Shopify, Mailchimp, and Microsoft Dynamics. This interconnected ecosystem allows you to bring together your marketing, design, and analytics processes into a single workflow.

Hootsuite’s AI-powered tools further enhance your strategy by helping you post at the best times for your audience, create on-brand captions for each network, and even analyze your performance against top competitors — all of which contribute to smarter, more efficient social media management.

Pro tip: In our 2024 State of Social Media report, we found that 6 PM to 9 PM, along with 12 PM to 3 PM, are the best times to post across social channels.

Source

3. Sprout Social

Price: Starts at $199/month per seat with a 30-day free trial

Sprout Social is an all-in-one social media management platform designed to power your entire social media strategy. I appreciate how this tool bundles social management, customer care, and data intelligence tools into one cohesive package.

This integration means you can not only create and schedule posts with ease but also manage interactions and gain deep insights into your brand’s performance — all in one place. It’s a real asset for ensuring your social media efforts are both proactive and reactive to customer needs.

I also love Sprout Social’s ability to support every stage of the social marketing funnel. Whether you’re focused on content creation, post scheduling, or reviewing campaign performance, Sprout Social has powerful features to help you.

After every campaign, you can review your performance and make adjustments to your content strategy by using the social listening tool to get insights into your brand’s health and industry landscape.

Source

4. Statusbrew

Price: Starts at $69/month for two user seats with a 14-day free trial. For agencies, prices start at $49/month per client.

Statusbrew stands out as a top alternative to Sprout Social, offering a broad range of features that streamline social media management. I love its user-friendly navigation and robust tools for content creation, audience engagement, and analytics, which together help you build a strong brand presence across multiple networks.

For agencies and teams managing multiple clients, Statusbrew truly shines. I like how it allows you to create separate workspaces for each client or project, ensuring that data remains organized and compartmentalized.

This is further enhanced by internal tags and labels, which let you categorize posts, users, and engagements. So, if you’re juggling campaigns for different brands, you can easily filter and generate detailed analytics for each client without any data overlap or confusion.

Some other features of Statusbrew include shareable content calendars, sentiment analysis, and automated comment moderation.

Source

5. Planable

Price: Starts at $33/month per workspace with a free plan available

Planable is a comprehensive collaboration, approval, and social media management tool that allows you to craft social media posts, content briefs, emails, newsletters, or even blogs — all from a single platform.

This tool is designed to take the hassle out of content production by keeping everything organized and accessible, ensuring that every piece of content is ready for publication without unnecessary back-and-forth.

One of the standout features of Planable is its support for team collaboration. You can leave comments directly next to each draft, mention teammates, add internal notes, and assign custom roles and permissions to ensure the right people see the right content.

If you’re managing a campaign for multiple brands, you can easily switch between workspaces and use the intuitive drag-and-drop calendar to schedule posts, ensuring that each brand’s content is on track.

After your campaign goes live, Planable helps you measure success. You can analyze performance and create detailed reports to share across your organization, enabling you to pinpoint what worked and where adjustments are needed.

Source

6. Kicksta

Price: Starts at $39/month for individual creatives

Kicksta is an Instagram growth service that helps you get more organic followers on your Instagram business account. It operates in two ways:

• Growth pods network – Here, Kicksta’s AI will analyze your Instagram account, and based on the results, you will be added to several growth pods, which consist of different IG accounts. Then, you’ll be incentivized to participate in growth pod activity.
• Targeted growth – This method depends on a follow/unfollow automation, meaning that Kicksta’s software will follow an account, perform an interaction with it, wait for the follow back, and then after a few days, unfollow the particular account, leaving your following count low, and followers count high.

Kicksta is a great alternative to buying followers because it ensures that all the followers you get are real people who are genuinely interested in your niche, not bots or fake accounts.

“Kicksta helps introduce new audiences to our brand while providing consistent organic Instagram growth,” says Ryan Beltran, CEO of Original Grain. “It’s great for social proof too!”

Source

7. SocialBee

Price: Starts at $24.20 per month with a 14-day free trial

SocialBee is a robust social media management platform that streamlines every stage of your social media marketing efforts. With its range of features, including automation, visual creation, AI assistance, analytics, and inbox monitoring, SocialBee offers a complete solution for your social media needs.

For example, SocialBee’s AI tool, CoPilot, takes crucial information about your business (like its name, URL, tagline, services, tone, etc.) and uses it to:

• Determine the best social networks for you
• Categorize your social media posts for a more organized experience
• Generate a best time posting plan based on your chosen platform(s) and content categories, and
• Generate actual posts that will resonate with your target audience.

This platform also integrates with popular design tools like Canva, Unsplash, and Giphy, allowing you to access a wealth of visual resources directly within SocialBee.

And after your posts have been published automatically across all your social profiles, you can analyze the performance of your content from the Analytics dashboard and monitor your inbox for messages, comments, and mentions.

Source

8. Visme

Price: Free, or starts at $12.25/month

Visme is an all-in-one design tool that allows you to create, curate, schedule, and publish your social media content, all within the app. It offers a 360-degree approach to social media management by providing a user-friendly interface, access to thousands of customizable social media templates and millions of design assets, a brand kit, AI-powered tools to streamline your content creation process and provide engaging visuals and captions.

Visme also comes with a built-in calendar so you can get a bird’s-eye view to plan and track your social media process. When you’re ready, publish directly to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Visme also integrates with platforms like Hubspot, MailChimp, Salesforce, and more so your team can work in sync when launching major marketing campaigns.

Source

9. Adobe LightRoom

Price: Starts at $11.99/month

Adobe Lightroom is a photo editing and organization tool that allows you to create stunning visuals with ease. With a robust set of editing features — from sliders and filters to advanced color adjustments and cropping tools — this tool ensures that your images are always vibrant, on-brand, and tailored to your business’s aesthetic.

Beyond basic editing, Lightroom offers a range of creative presets and customizable options that can streamline your workflow and reinforce your brand identity. So, you can develop a signature look by applying a consistent filter to a series of images, which helps maintain a cohesive visual story across your social media channels.

I also love LightRoom’s seamless cross-device synchronization. Changes you make on your desktop are instantly available on your mobile device, which means you can edit on the go and maintain consistency across all your visual content.

Furthermore, LightRoom integrates with other Adobe products, like PhotoShop, Illustrator, and InDesign. So, if you’re an avid Adobe user, you’ll have fun with LightRoom.

Source

10. Canva

Price: Free, or starts at $10/month (billed $120/year for one person)

Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform that makes creating custom, on-brand visuals for your social media accounts a breeze. I’ve used Canva for three years now and some of my favorite features are:

• Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface that allows you to design everything from Facebook posts and Instagram stories to presentations and infographics without needing advanced design skills.
• Its extensive library of fonts, images, icons, and illustrations that allow you to create visually appealing content tailored to your audience.
• The thousands of stunning templates across different topics and color palettes. I often find it intimidating to start designing from scratch, so the templates give me a foundation I can customize to match the brand’s style.

Canva also supports collaboration, so you can work with team members to refine designs and share feedback in real time — making it perfect for busy teams and agencies alike.

One user said, “Canva has been a lifesaver to me and my business. No more hours sitting in front of the computer coming up with graphics for social media post(s) or Pinterest post(s).”

Check out our video that dives into how Canva built its product into the awesome creative tool it is today:

11. Buffer

Price: Free, starts at $5/month

Buffer is a simple yet powerful toolkit that helps you create, schedule, and analyze content across all the popular social media channels. I love its clean, user-friendly interface that makes managing your social media presence straightforward — even if you’re new to the game.

This platform combines content scheduling, in-depth analytics, and audience engagement tools. So, you can plan your posts ahead of time, which ensures that your content is published at the optimal times for maximum reach. The analytics allow you to track performance metrics so you can refine your strategy based on what resonates with your audience.

You can also triage and respond to people’s comments on your Facebook and Instagram posts from a single dashboard. Buffer offers smart alerts using machine learning that notify you immediately if a post has questions, negative sentiment, or comments about a purchase.

Buffer also offers several free social media tools including:

• A link-in bio tool to help you create a customized landing page for your social profiles
• An image editor for customizing visuals so your posts remain on-brand
• AI-powered tools to help you generate social media post ideas, polish captions, and repurpose content for different channels.

Source

12. Movavi Video Editor

Price: Starts at $19.95/month, with 7-day free trial

Movavi Video Editor is an easily navigable video editing software that helps you create stunning videos for social media — whether it’s showcasing products, riding the latest TikTok trend, or curating engaging Instagram content.

This platform has a wide range of creative features, including smooth transitions, dynamic titles, eye-catching filters, and creative special effects that can transform ordinary clips into captivating videos. You can also add music, voiceovers, and various audio effects to ensure that your video not only looks great but also delivers an audio experience that catches (and holds) your audience’s attention.

This company understands that video editing can be complex, so it provides a rich library of video tutorials and step-by-step guides. Whether you’re a beginner or have some experience, these resources help you get started quickly and explore different techniques at your own pace.

Source

13. Unfold

Price: Free, starts at $12.99/month

Described as “a toolkit for storytellers,” Unfold is a versatile app available on both iOS and Android that empowers you to create Instagram stories. Some standout features of Unfold include:

• Its template library that helps you create beautiful social media content
• Its editing suite that allows you to edit photos and videos with an array of filters and effects
• Its bio site feature that allows you to build a customized bio site, perfect for linking your most important content or promotions, so your audience can easily explore more of what you have to offer
• A brand kit where you can store your assets, including your brand colors, fonts, logos, and stickers.

Unfold is the ideal app for lifestyle brands who want to create stylish collages to keep their social media accounts on-brand and receive the maximum amount of engagement from followers.

Source

14. HypeAuditor

Price: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $2999/year

HypeAuditor is an influencer marketing platform that helps you find authentic influencers across several social platforms and industries.

This platform has an influencer database containing 205.6M+ accounts across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, and Twitch. All you have to do is apply filters like keywords, follower count range, audience location, interests, and age to find the perfect influencer for your brand.

This platform also allows you to peruse accounts that already mention your brand or products, so you can spot potential brand ambassadors. You can also track mentions of other brands to know how well you compare to them.

Once you’ve found some influencers you’d like to work with, HypeAuditor allows you to reach out to them quickly and easily — I’m talking dozens of personalized emails in minutes. It also simplifies the negotiation process and helps you track and monitor your influencer marketing campaigns once they’re live.

Source

15. Retouchup

Price: Starts at $0.15-0.25 per image

The website Retouchup provides an easy way to edit photos for social media, from basic color correction to more advanced Photoshop-like features such as adding or removing people from a photo. With Retouchup, you don‘t do the work yourself — instead, just submit a photo and the website’s experts will edit the photo for you within 24 hours.

“You’re making me look like an awesome photographer!” one user gushed. Retouchup can save you time during the editing stage, and make your images appear higher-quality and more compelling.

Source

16. Animoto

Price: Free, or starts at $9/month (billed annually).

Animoto is a powerful yet user-friendly online video maker that allows you to create professional-grade videos in just minutes — even if you have no prior editing experience.

All you need to do is upload images or clips, record your screen, add stock images, and use Animoto’s drag-and-drop tools to merge, resize, crop, and trim it to become a cohesive video. If you don’t want to start from scratch, you can use a pre-built storyboard template curated by either Animoto or HubSpot.

To make your videos more bubbly, you can overlay music, text, animations, graphics, and effects. You can also add transitions and create collages to make your videos look unique.

Animoto also allows you to turn any of your videos into a reusable template. All your design elements, music, media, and text will auto-populate so you can quickly roll out on-brand videos. When you’re done, you can export your videos to your HubSpot file manager with one click and manage them from there.

Animoto also integrates with Getty Images, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn, so you can have video tools for a good portion of social media platforms all in one place.

Source

1. Brandwatch

Price: Reach out to Brandwatch for a custom quote

Brandwatch is a powerful digital consumer intelligence platform that allows you to monitor, analyze, and act on the wealth of data generated by online conversations. It helps you tap into real-time insights from social media, blogs, forums, and news sites, so you can understand your audience’s sentiments, track trends, and gauge overall brand health.

The platform comes packed with advanced features such as customizable dashboards, in-depth sentiment analysis, and AI-powered insights that simplify complex data into actionable strategies. It also offers real-time alerts, competitor tracking, and detailed reporting tools that allow you to stay ahead of the curve and effectively manage your brand’s online reputation.

Brandwatch integrates with HubSpot to help you provide efficient social customer service. When you sync customers’ tickets and social media profiles to HubSpot, you will get a more complete overview of your customers and make sure every customer interaction is handled with care, speed, and accuracy.

Source

2. Quuu

Price: Starts at $19.79/month with 7-day free trial

Quuu is an intelligent content curation platform designed to help you discover hand-picked content suggestions for your social media feeds. By providing a steady stream of pre-vetted articles, blog posts, and visual content, Quuu takes the guesswork out of content curation.

It’s particularly useful for marketers and social media managers who want to keep their channels active and engaging without spending hours searching for high-quality content. The platform’s curated suggestions are tailored to your chosen topics, ensuring that every piece of content resonates with your audience.

In addition to content discovery, Quuu also has an AI social media scheduler that allows you to easily plan and post curated content alongside your original material. The scheduler also recommends content adjustments and improvements tailored to your audience’s preferences and past engagement trends.

Source

If you‘re a HubSpot customer, you can integrate the two platforms. Quuu finds the best content for your social profiles, and HubSpot lets you control those suggestions. You can go to your draft folder via HubSpot and pick which content you want to upload if your Quuu account isn’t automated, which you can change.

Quuu looks for content so you don’t have to. The tool also integrates with Buffer, Hootsuite, and Socialbee.

3. Later

Price: Starts at $16.67/month, with 14-day free trial

Later is a visual-first social media scheduling platform that helps you plan, schedule, and analyze your posts across Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, X, and TikTok. It offers a clean, drag-and-drop content calendar that lets you visually plan your social feed and ensure your posts align with your brand’s aesthetic.

With an intuitive interface designed for marketers and social media managers, Later simplifies the process of managing visual content and allows you to maintain a consistent posting schedule without the hassle of switching between different tools.

Later provides robust analytics that help you optimize your posting strategy by identifying the best times to post and tracking engagement metrics. It also offers useful features such as hashtag suggestions, user-generated content management, and a link-in-bio feature for Instagram that helps your posts become instantly shoppable.

“I love that you can either use it via the website or app on-the-go,” one user remarks. “It is one of those apps that I could not live without … Later is [a] super easy tool to set up.”

Source

4. Design Wizard

Price: Free, or starts at $9.99/month

Design Wizard is a versatile graphic design platform that empowers you to create professional visuals quickly and easily.

With its extensive library of customizable templates and a vast collection of stock images and illustrations, Design Wizard makes it simple to produce a variety of content — from social media graphics and marketing materials to presentations and invitations — without needing advanced design skills.

The platform stands out for its intuitive, user-friendly interface and robust customization features. You can easily tailor every element to match your brand’s identity, whether you’re adjusting colors, fonts, or layouts.

Design Wizard also offers several other design tools, including background remover, YouTube video maker, online video trimmer, ad maker, and storyboard designer.

Elevate your social media game with the right social media tools

Choosing the right social media tools is the key to streamlining your campaigns and boosting engagement. Whether you need robust scheduling, compelling visual content, or insightful analytics, the variety of tools we‘ve covered ensures that there’s a solution tailored to every aspect of your social media strategy.

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

Choosing your B2B marketing team structure hinges on two essential criteria: something that works for your needs now and something that will work in the future.

At the most basic level, you’re always looking for something road-worthy — something that can take you (and your passengers) from point A to point B without a hitch (flux capacitor optional, unless you’re going back in time, of course.).

When it comes to different types of B2B organizational structures, it’s important to consider which one serves your goals and allows you to reach your market.

Decisions to make include things like chain of command (long or short?), span of control (wide or narrow?), and centralization (centralized or decentralized decision-making?), among others.

Now, let’s break it down.

Table of Contents

• Organizational Structure, Defined
• Four Basic Elements of Organizational Structure
• Mechanistic vs. Organic Organizational Structures
• Types of Organizational Structure
• Organizational Structure Examples
• Organizational Structure: Things to Know

At a minimum, an org structure chart should include employees’ titles and basic relationships across teams.

To put it simply, an organizational structure is like a map that simply explains how your company works and how its roles are organized. Like me, you’ve probably worked in a variety of organizational structures.

You may know that different types of organizational structures can use functions, markets, products, geographies, or processes as their guide. They can also cater to businesses of specific sizes and industries.

What’s the point of an organizational structure? And, as a business leader, do you even need one?

Beyond aiding onboarding, if you need to pivot or shift your leadership, you can visualize how the workflows might change by adjusting your organizational structure diagrams.

Four Basic Elements of Organizational Structure

An organizational structure typically has four essential elements — and you can add more building blocks or components depending on your business needs.

I can’t stress this enough: make sure you include the following basic elements.

Chain of Command

Source

Your chain of command is how tasks are delegated and work is approved. An org structure allows you to define how many “rungs of the ladder” a particular department or business line should have.

In other words, who tells whom to do what? And how are issues, requests, and proposals communicated up and down that ladder?

Best for: Traditional businesses or hierarchical organizations that require clear authority lines and defined roles for decision-making and accountability.

Departmentation

Source

Departmentation is one of the most important elements of your organizational structure. It clusters your teams by similar roles and responsibilities and allows you to understand how each department connects to one another.

Best for: Companies that need specialization by function, product, process, or geography to streamline tasks and improve efficiency.

Span of Control

Source

Your span of control can represent two things: who falls under management and which tasks fall under a department’s responsibility.

Best for: Organizations that need to balance workloads. Having a defined span of control avoids double-work from your different teams and helps you identify gaps in your structure.

Centralization

Source

Centralization describes where decisions are ultimately made. Once you‘ve established your chain of command, you’ll need to consider which people and departments have a say in each decision.

A business can lean toward centralized, where final decisions are made by just one or two entities. They can also be decentralized, where final decisions are made within the team or department in charge of carrying out that decision.

Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses or organizations in highly regulated industries needing tight control over decisions.

Below, we‘ll explore how you can combine those components to form different types of organizational structures. We’ll also highlight the benefits and drawbacks of different structure types so you can evaluate which is the best option for your company, division, or team.

Let’s dive in.

Mechanistic vs. Organic Organizational Structures

Organizational structures fall on a spectrum, with “mechanistic” at one end and “organic” at the other.

Take a look at the diagram below.

As you’ll probably be able to tell, the mechanistic structure represents the traditional, top-down approach to organizational structure, whereas the organic structure represents a more collaborative, flexible approach.

Mechanistic Structure

Mechanistic structures, also called bureaucratic structures, are known for having narrow spans of control, as well as high centralization, specialization, and formalization. They’re also quite rigid in what specific departments are designed and permitted to do for the company.

This organizational structure is much more formal than an organic structure, using specific standards and practices to govern every decision the business makes. And while this model does hold staff more accountable for their work, it can become a hindrance to creativity and agility.

As daunting and inflexible as mechanistic structure sounds, the chain of command, whether long or short, is always clear under this model.

As a company grows, it needs to make sure everyone (and every team) knows what’s expected of them.

Teams collaborating with other teams as needed might help get a business off the ground in its early stages, but sustaining that growth — with more people and projects to keep track of — will eventually require some policymaking.

Best for: highly-regulated industries and those that handle significant life-or-death situations — hospitals, fire departments, accounting firms, etc.

Organic Structure

Organic structures (also known as “flat” structures) are known for their wide spans of control, decentralization, low specialization, and loose departmentalization.

This model might have multiple teams answering to one person and taking on projects based on their importance and what the team is capable of, rather than what the team is designed to do.

This organizational structure is much less formal than mechanistic, and takes a bit of an ad-hoc approach to business needs.

This can sometimes make the chain of command, whether long or short, difficult to decipher. As a result, leaders might give certain projects the green light more quickly, but cause confusion in a project’s division of labor.

That said, organic structure empowers employees to try new things and develop as professionals, making the organization’s workforce more powerful in the long run.

Best for: Startups that are navigating a fast-moving industry or simply trying to stabilize themselves after a rough quarter. I have more experience working in and with organic structures, where the organizations are flatter and team members have more leeway. While it’s not a realistic structure for every marketing agency or creative business, I find they often work well for creative teams.

Now, let’s uncover more specific types of organizational structures, most of which fall on the more traditional, mechanistic side of the spectrum.

There are several types of organizational structures commonly used by companies. I’m diving into 10 of the most popular below, most of which I’ve either worked in or with as clients.

1. Functional Organizational Structure

Best for: Companies with clearly defined job roles that benefit from specialization, especially in stable environments.

One of the most common types of organizational structures, the functional structure, departmentalizes an organization based on common job functions.

An organization with a functional org structure, for instance, would group all of the marketers together in one department, group all of the salespeople together in a separate department, and group all of the customer service people together in a third department.

Download This Template

The functional structure allows for a high degree of specialization for employees and is easily scalable should the organization grow.

Also, this structure is mechanistic in nature, which has the potential to inhibit an employee‘s growth — putting staff in skill-based departments can still allow them to delve deep into their field and find out what they’re good at.

Disadvantages

• Functional structure has the potential to create barriers between different functions, and it can be inefficient if the organization has a variety of different products or target markets.
• The barriers created between departments can also limit peoples’ knowledge of and communication with other departments, especially those that depend on other departments to succeed.

Advantages

• Functional organization increases efficiency, provides stability, and boosts accountability.
• It also allows departments — with employees who share similar skills and knowledge — to focus on their specialized tasks within their respective fields.
• Because the roles and responsibilities of this organizational structure example rarely change, department employees can consistently work on similar assignments and hone their skills.

The fixed structure of a functional organization also operates through management. What I like about this type of organizational structure is that employees have a clear chain of command and know exactly who to go to and when.

It guides communication between the team and keeps the team accountable. On the flip side, I’ve found that there’s often a lot of bureaucracy in these organizations, and it can be like pushing a boulder uphill to make even small shifts or decisions.

2. Product-Based Divisional Structure

Best for: organizations with multiple products, and can help shorten product development cycles. This allows small businesses to go to market with new offerings fast.

A divisional organizational structure consists of multiple, smaller functional structures (i.e., each division within a divisional structure can have its own marketing team, sales team, and so on).

In this case, a product-based divisional structure, each division within the organization is dedicated to a particular product line.

Download This Template

Disadvantages

• It can be difficult to scale under a product-based divisional structure.
• The organization could end up with duplicate resources as different divisions strive to develop new offerings.

Advantages

• Companies and their employees can experience the benefits of the product-based divisional structure.
• If one division performs poorly, this does not automatically translate across the organization.
• Because of their separation, divisions may flourish (or fail) concurrently. This system allows companies to mitigate risk.

I’ve found that this type of organizational structure is fantastic because it leads to deep expertise in each division.

However, there can be a lot of redundancy and a lack of brand cohesion with a variety of different marketing departments (likely other types of departments as well, but my experience falls under the marketing category).

3. Market-Based Divisional Structure

Best for: organizations that have products or services that are unique to specific market segments, and is particularly effective if that organization has advanced knowledge of those segments.

Another variety of the divisional organizational structure is the market-based structure, wherein the divisions of an organization are based around markets, industries, or customer types.

Download This Template

This organizational structure also keeps the business constantly aware of demand changes among its different audience segments.

Disadvantages

• Too much autonomy within each market-based team can lead to divisions developing systems that are incompatible with one another.
• Divisions might also end up inadvertently duplicating activities that other divisions are already handling.

Advantages

• Because this organizational structure focuses on specific market segments, it provides each division with autonomy.
• The divisions work separately, which allows employees to work independently and enables them to focus on the needs of their particular industry.

One of the biggest challenges I’ve seen when working with companies using this type of information structure is that the left hand doesn’t always know what the right hand is doing — leading to miscommunication between different departments.

However, the bottlenecks tend to be much smaller than in a functional organizational structure.

4. Geographical Divisional Structure

Best for: organizations that need to be near sources of supply and/or customers (e.g. for deliveries or for on-site support). It also brings together many forms of business expertise, allowing each geographical division to make decisions from more diverse points of view.

The geographical organizational structure establishes its divisions based on — you guessed it — geography. More specifically, the divisions of a geographical structure can include territories, regions, or districts.

Download This Template

Disadvantages

• It can be easy for decision-making to become decentralized, as geographic divisions (which can be hundreds, if not thousands of miles away from corporate headquarters) often have a great deal of autonomy.
• When you have more than one marketing department — one for each region — you run the risk of creating campaigns that compete with (and weaken) other divisions across your digital channels.

Advantages

• Geographical divisions allow companies the advantage of catering to a specific customer. Based on the differences in language, culture, and customs one would find across the world, companies cannot necessarily expect the same operations to work in different locations.
• Not only does it allow organizations to tailor their approach based on geography, but it allows the division to react quickly and efficiently to any geographical market changes.

Candidly, I have a lot of fun working with clients with this type of organizational structure. Each team has a distinct flavor and vibe based on the region, and while it can be challenging to bring them all together, I love the ability to tailor the market so specifically to geographic preferences.

5. Process-Based Structure

Best for: improving the speed and efficiency of a business, and is best-suited for those in rapidly changing industries, as it is easily adaptable.

Process-based organizational structures are designed around the end-to-end flow of different processes, such as “Research & Development,” “Customer Acquisition,” and “Order Fulfillment.”

Unlike a strictly functional structure, a process-based structure considers not only the activities employees perform but also how those different activities interact with one another.

To fully understand the diagram below, you need to look at it from left to right: The customer acquisition process can‘t start until you have a fully developed product to sell. By the same token, the order fulfillment process can’t start until customers have been acquired and there are product orders to fill.

Download This Template

Disadvantages

• Similar to a few other structures on this list, process-based structures can erect barriers between the different process groups.
• It may lead to problems communicating and handing off work to other teams and employees.

Advantages

• As mentioned, one of the most significant benefits of the process-based structure is that it increases efficiency and speed. If Department B cannot start its processes until Department A finishes, this compels Department A to work promptly and proficiently.
• This organizational model also promotes intradepartmental (within the department) and interdepartmental (across multiple departments) teamwork.

The biggest problem I’ve seen with this type of organizational structure is that they hit information and sales siloes. So, if this is a structure you use, it’s a good idea to make sure that each department can work well together.

For example, let’s say you have a sales department that focuses on new client acquisition, a department that focuses on installation and onboarding, and another that focuses on maintenance and client support.

I’ve worked with them to find ways to cross-sell and upsell between departments. That ensures that they use similar processes and the same CRM to ensure each is working with the same data for a streamlined and improved client experience. Failure to do so means that you could be leaving a lot on the table.

6. Matrix Structure

Best for: Organizations that want to provide both flexibility and more balanced decision-making (as there are two chains of command instead of just one).

Unlike the other structures we‘ve looked at so far, a matrix organizational structure doesn’t follow the traditional, hierarchical model.

Instead, all employees (represented by the green boxes) have dual reporting relationships. Typically, there is a functional reporting line (shown in blue) as well as a product-based reporting line (shown in yellow).

When looking at a matrix structure org chart, solid lines represent strong, direct-reporting relationships, whereas dotted lines indicate that the relationship is secondary or not as strong. In our example below, it’s clear that functional reporting takes precedence over product-based reporting.

Download This Template

Having a single project overseen by more than one business line also creates opportunities for these business lines to share resources and communicate more openly with each other — things they might not otherwise be able to do regularly.

Disadvantages

• The primary pitfall of the matrix organizational structure? Complexity. The more layers of approval employees have to go through, the more confused they can be about who they’re supposed to answer to.
• This confusion can ultimately cause frustration over who has authority over which decisions and products — and who’s responsible for those decisions when things go wrong.

Advantages

• An advantage of a matrix structure is that it promotes collaboration and communication.
• This open line of communication ultimately allows businesses to share resources and allows employees to develop new skills from working with different departments.

I don’t have as much personal experience with this type of organizational structure, but I can see how it could work well for smaller organizations or companies that offer franchises or work with a variety of independently owned businesses (like dealerships).

7. Circular Structure

Best for: Collaborative, leadership-driven organizations where communication and shared vision flow outward from the center.

While it might appear drastically different from the other organizational structures highlighted in this section, the circular structure still relies on hierarchy, with higher-level employees occupying the inner rings of the circle and lower-level employees occupying the outer rings.

That being said, the leaders or executives in a circular organization aren‘t seen as sitting atop the organization, sending directives down the chain of command. Instead, they’re at the center of the organization, spreading their vision outward.

Download This Template

From an ideological perspective, a circular structure is meant to promote communication and the free flow of information between different parts of the organization.

Whereas a traditional structure shows different departments or divisions as occupying individual, semi-autonomous branches, the circular structure depicts all divisions as being part of the same whole.

Disadvantages

• From a practical perspective, the circular structure can be confusing, especially for new employees.
• Unlike with a more traditional, top-down structure, a circular structure can make it difficult for employees to figure out who they report to and how they’re meant to fit into the organization.

Advantages

• Most examples of organizational structure have a top-down hierarchy. Alternatively, this type of structure follows an outward flow and contributes to information flowing freely across the business.
• Its benefits include keeping all employees aligned with the processes and goals of the company and encouraging employees to collaborate between departments.

Like the matrix structure, I have very little experience with a circular structure. While ideologically, I like the idea, it seems quite confusing from a business perspective, especially as the organization grows.

However, if your company is heavily focused on learning, growth, and mentorship, or is mission-driven, this could be an incredible structure that aids growth and communication.

8. Flat Structure

Best for: While I’m not sure how well it would work for a larger company, it’s fantastic for smaller, highly productive, or creative businesses.

A more traditional organizational structure might look more like a pyramid — with multiple tiers of supervisors, managers, and directors between staff and leadership. However, the flat structure limits the levels of management so all staff are only a few steps away from leadership.

It also might not always take the form of a pyramid, or any shape for that matter. As we mentioned earlier, it’s also a form of the “Organic Structure” we noted above.

Download This Template

This structure is probably one of the most detailed. Employees can also often be more productive in an environment where there’s less hierarchy-related pressures. This structure might make staff feel like the managers they do have are more like equals or team members rather than intimidating superiors.

Disadvantages

• If there’s a time when teams in a flat organization disagree on something, such as a project, it can be hard to get aligned and back on track without executive decisions from a leader or manager.
• Because of how complicated the structure’s design is, it can be tricky to determine which manager an employee should go to if they need approval or an executive decision for something.
• If you do choose to have a flat organization, you should have a clearly marked tier of management or path that employers can refer to when they run into these scenarios.

Advantages

• The elimination of middle management employees defines the flat structure type. Its advantages are instantaneous. First, it reduces the expenses of the company.
• Second, it allows staff to build direct relationships with upper management.
• Lastly, it shortens the decision-making process.

I love flat structures — one of my first agency experiences was in an organization with a flat structure.

For less experienced team members, it’s easy to get advice and support and to develop mentor-mentee relationships with leadership, whether informal or formal. For more experienced team members, it’s rewarding to help emerging professionals grow.

9. Network Structure

Best for: Companies that don’t do everything under one roof, for example, a company might have an outside, instead of an inside sales team. This is a great way to show employees or stakeholders how outsourcing off-site processes works.

Source

A network structure is often created when one company works with another to share resources, or if your company has multiple locations with different functions and leadership.

You might also use this structure to explain your company workflows if much of your staffing or services is outsourced to freelancers or multiple other businesses.

The structure looks nearly the same as the Divisional Structure, shown above. However, instead of offices, it might list outsourced services or satellite locations outside of the office.

For example, if an employee needs help from a web developer for a blogging project and the company’s web developers are outsourced, they could look at this type of chart and know which office or person to contact outside of their own work location.

Disadvantages

• The shape of the chart can vary based on how many companies or locations you‘re working with. If it’s not kept simple and clear, there may be a lot of confusion if multiple offices or freelancers do similar things.
• If you do outsource or have multiple office locations, make sure your org chart clearly states where each specific role and job function lies so that someone can easily understand your basic company processes.

Advantages

• The outsourcing nature of the network structure provides companies with the advantages of lower costs, more focus, and increased flexibility.
• Outsourcing allows organizations to save money, as they don’t have to bear the expense of setting up a department for the same purpose.
• It also gives companies the flexibility to change their processes and the ability to focus on their core functions.

I’m seeing more companies that have a network organizational structure, especially with the push to remote work in the years following the pandemic.

Because these structures are more decentralized, they allow a greater degree of flexibility and autonomy, while still following core ideas. These are also great structures for franchises.

10. Team-Based Organizational Structure

Best for: When I’ve worked with this type of organizational structure for marketing agencies, I found it to be a great way to create deep expertise in specific industries or verticals.

Source

A team-based organizational structure is designed to give team members enough freedom and leeway to work towards the organization’s goals without significant bottlenecks.

And while team-based structures can look a lot like divisional or functional structures, the focus is on a self-managing group of largely autonomous employees.

Team-based organizations might use words like “Scrum teams” and focus on problem-solving, rapid iteration, and performance instead of a traditional hierarchy.

If your company is agile, has multiple priorities, or develops a variety of product types, a team-based structure could be a great fit because it gives your employees more ownership of the task(s) at hand.

Disadvantages

• If your company has used a traditional hierarchical structure, it may take some significant work to get leadership on board, since it’s a drastically different way of thinking about how work gets done.
• Because it changes the traditional career models and values cooperation, the path for promotions may not be as clear for your team.

Advantages

• Because the whole team is involved in the entire task or goal, there are very few information silos, and when one person gets overloaded, someone else can often step in to help.
• It focuses on a growth mindset , which helps people and companies progress.
• These teams are so self-reliant that they don’t need a lot of oversight.
• Team-based organizations are often highly productive and perform strongly.

As someone who likes to take action, test things, and then perfect them (or find a better solution), I love working with agile team-based organizational structures.

They make decisions quickly and focus on getting things done one step at a time.

They’re fantastic for tech companies, startups, and digital transformation experts. I’ve also found they can be great for marketing agencies, because the structure allows them to pivot rapidly with shifts in the market.

Organizational Structure Examples

Organizational structure can both refer to your company’s structure at large, or your individual teams. No matter what, you usually want to have a different structure for each department due to the distinct needs and functions of each one.

We’ll start with organizational structure examples for both companies, then delve into team-specific charts.

1. Company Organizational Structure Example: Matrix Type

Source

This matrix organizational structure example for an imaginary engineering company starts with the CEO at the helm.

However, instead of including a C-suite (such as a chief marketing officer, a chief finance officer, a chief technology officer, and so on), it includes vice presidents who then oversee individual contributors.

Each contributor works cross-collaboratively with members of other teams on a specific customer project. In my opinion, this type of organizational structure is a good example to follow if you run a small-to-medium company in a project-based or region-based firm.

Top tip: Where you have teams working cross-collaboratively, it’s essential to have a detailed report of what’s happened on customer accounts. In HubSpot’s Service Hub you can track customer accounts and interactions so all team members have account history in one easy-to-update place.

2. Marketing Organizational Structure Example: Functional Type

A marketing team’s organizational structure will vary depending on the size of the company. In this example, we see a functional structure type, where the teams are split based on job function.

Here, the marketing team is headed by a chief marketing officer (CMO), who oversees smaller departments divided into six functions: Social media, content, product, SEO, website, and acquisition.

Your marketing team, however, can also adopt a matrix organizational structure if you laterally divide your individual contributors and managers based on region, country, project, or another factor. While this isn’t my favorite option for marketing organizations, it can be highly effective as the company grows.

Top tip: Midsize marketing teams are likely creeping into multi-marketing channels, tools, strategies, and more, With HubSpot’s Marketing Hub you can measure and optimize your marketing in one place. Plus, the AI features make light work of marketing, so your team can scale leads and revenue faster.

3. Sales Organizational Structure Example: Functional Type

Source

In many sales organizations, organizational structures are deeply hierarchical, where a vice president of sales oversees a director of sales, and then the director of sales oversees a team of sales managers, and the sales managers oversee a team of sales representatives, and so on.

In this example of a sales organizational structure, roles are not as hierarchically structured and instead are divided based on function.

The VP of sales oversees a varied team, which includes a director of sales, a sales development manager, a director of revenue operations, a sales enablement manager, and an account enablement manager.

While these are each at different stages of their careers, they are all at the same level and are responsible for a specific function within the team.

Top tip: If you’ve got sales teams at different levels working together, then you can integrate AI tools to help with the decision-making process so senior members can be assured that junior team members are supported. HubSpot’s Sales Hub has AI-powered sales tools that help with lead scoring. Your sales teams will be made aware of triggers with suggested actions based on data.

4. Service Organizational Structure: Process-Oriented Structures

A service-oriented business may structure the company around the processes that deliver value to the customer.

This type of structure might suit an IT support company. At the top is the Chief Operations Officer (COO), who oversees the entire service delivery function. Beneath them, the organization is structured around key service processes rather than departments or job roles.

For example, there may be a Customer Onboarding lead who manages the process of welcoming and setting up new clients, a Service Delivery manager who oversees ongoing client support, and a Customer Retention specialist who works proactively to ensure client satisfaction and long-term engagement.

Top tip: You don’t need to remember every single process. Instead, you can use tools like HubSpot’s Operations Hub, where you can automate actions.

Organizational Structure: Things to Know

What is an organizational structure chart?

An organizational structure chart is a diagram that shows your departments, starting from C-Suite leaders to individual contributors, as well as your company’s order of command and decision-making flow.

Why is having an organizational structure important?

If your business had no organizational structure, it would be virtually impossible to onboard new team members, and likely lead to high staff turnover.

If I were coming into an organization without a functional organizational structure, I’d have questions arise about the systems and processes as well as things like:

• Who makes the decisions?
• How are employees held accountable?
• What are the company’s goals?

Organizational structure is necessary for running a successful business because it improves workflow and efficiency, promotes communication, identifies company needs, and aligns employees with company goals. It directly affects how your business operates daily.

When you establish a structure that works, the combined efforts of your employees, in conjunction with your systems and processes, allow your company to make better decisions for its future.

What is the best organizational structure?

First and foremost, there’s no such thing. I’ve shared some of the pros and cons of each, as well as my professional experiences. Suffice it to say, the best organizational structure varies from business to business and largely depends on your team size, company type, and product offerings.

Not sure what you need? A functional organizational structure (also named “traditional line organizational structure” or “hierarchical structure”) is an excellent place to start if you’re not sure which org structure is right for you.

Source

What are the four basic forms of organizational structure?

The four basic forms of organizational structure are:

• Functional.
• Divisional.
• Matrix.
• Flat.

Functional organizational structures divide your company teams based on job functions and responsibilities.

Divisional organizational structures group your teams based on products, markets, or regions, with smaller organizational structures for each division of your business.

Matrix organizational structures divide your company teams in a grid-based fashion, where every team has dual reporting relationships with the C-Suite and another team.

A flat organizational structure keeps hierarchy to a minimum by eliminating middle management and keeping individual contributors as close as possible to leadership.

How do businesses determine organizational structure?

Businesses determine organizational structure by taking stock of their current workforce and teams, then carefully aligning their company strategy, employee feedback, and leadership goals with a specific structure.

Some companies may have naturally fallen into a functional org structure, in which case it’s only a matter of creating an org diagram. Others may be in the process of creating one. Here are the steps to determine an org structure from scratch:

• Audit your organization’s teams and roles. First, it’s essential to understand which teams and roles already exist within your business. If your business is new, create a list of planned teams and hires.
• Draft a company strategy. Your org structure should support your strategy, not detract from it. If your strategy is to launch X new products in the market, then a product-based divisional structure might work well for you.
• Gather feedback from existing employees. Your existing employees are a gold mine of information when creating an organizational structure. Some employees might want to be closer to leadership; others might want advancement opportunities. For the first, a flat structure would fit, and for the second, a functional structure would be best.
• Gather feedback from other leaders. Just as employees’ voices matter, so, too, do leaders’ voices matter. Understand their key goals and the support they need to do their best work at your firm.
• Align your company strategy, employee feedback, and leadership feedback with an org structure. Take a look at organizational structure types and try to align them with the data and observations you’ve collected. Sometimes, the decision will be clear; other times, you’ll need to continue interviewing and gathering data to find the best structure for you.
• Create an org chart. Now that you’ve chosen the right org structure, it’s time to create a visual chart that shows your company’s chain of command, departmentation, span of control, and centralization at a minimum. Share this chart via email, and be sure to keep it in an easy place for all employees to access.

Navigating Organizational Structures

Organizational structures are central to a successful team. Employees can move comfortably, confidently, and efficiently when given a clear definition of their role within an organization.

Structure types will vary from business to business, so it’s important to remember that these structures are not one-size-fits-all all. Every type may not suit your organization, but chances are, one of them will.

Use this post to determine which organizational structure works for you, and then it’s time for the real work to begin … but it’s also where I’ve seen the most growth happen. Have fun!

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.