Marketing Agencies We Admired in 2023
Born in the digital age, “Inbound Marketing” is nearing its 20th birthday. HubSpot Co-founder Brian Halligan coined the term in 2005 because the internet has forever changed buyers’ journeys.
How to Use the SUBTRACT Function in Excel
Excel is a powerful spreadsheet program from Microsoft that makes it easy to work with numbers and other values. While Excel contains a lot of power, it’s also quite useful for simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In fact, Excel’s…
Diving Deep Into Marketing for Dentists (My Takeaways)
An avalanche of both booked and patient walk-ins is the dream of dental practitioners. But let’s be honest — getting these patients requires hard work because the dental industry is fiercely competitive. To help you win and bring your dream…
The 15 Best WordPress Email Plugins in 2024
If you’re on the lookout to enhance your business blog with an email newsletter, using a WordPress email plugin is indispensable. These plugins not only simplify content distribution but also offer insights into your target audience’s preferences, enabling you to…
8 Easy Basics for Beginners to Master
You want to learn about search engine optimization (SEO), but where do you start? You’ve probably heard of a few basic terms, like keyword research, but what else do you need to know? I this post, I’ll walk you through…
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The Hustle’s YouTube Team Tells Us Their Favorite Short-Form Videos of 2023
2024 is here, and I want to look back on some of the previous year‘s short-form videos with the creatives behind The Hustle’s YouTube team. Why, you may ask? Short-form videos will remain key to many marketing campaigns this year.
24 of My Favorite Sample Business Plans & Examples For Your Inspiration
I believe that reading sample business plans is essential when writing your own.
How to Generate Leads on LinkedIn in 2024, According to LinkedIn’s VP of Marketing
Click here to read more Expert Edge perspectives with some of the top leaders in Marketing today. LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful platform for growing both recognition and revenue as a B2B business, especially considering that audiences exposed to brand…
What Marketers Can Learn from the Gen Z Caviar Bump
If you’re a marketer, you cannot ignore meme culture.
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How to (Easily) Make Perfect Content Calendars in Google Sheets
I‘m far from the most organized marketer you’ll ever meet — but I‘m working on it! In my quest to become a more organized person, I’ve discovered something super helpful — I can make content calendar templates in Google Sheets.
How to Create an Ebook From Start to Finish [Free Ebook Templates]
Learning how to create an ebook can be overwhelming. Not only do you have to write the content, but you also need to design and format it into a professional-looking document that people will want to download and read.
How to Password Protect an Excel File
If you’re like millions of other users, you use Excel spreadsheets to plan your budgets, track sales or expenses, and organize all sorts of data. You may even use Excel to work with private or confidential information.
How to Write a Press Release [Free Press Release Template + 2024 Examples]
In today‘s world, brands have to generate their own buzz. Consumers aren’t waiting for the daily newspaper anymore to get their news. Instead, they’re scanning the latest headlines across multiple social media channels at once.
How to Write a Great Value Proposition [7 Top Examples + Template]
Your company’s value proposition is the core of your competitive advantage. It clearly articulates why someone would want to buy from your company instead of a competitor.
A Step-by-Step Guide [+ Free Blog Post Templates]
If you’ve ever read a blog post, you’ve consumed content from a thought leader that is an expert in their industry. Chances are if the blog post was written effectively, you came away with helpful knowledge and a positive opinion…
How to Use the COUNTIF Function in Excel
Excel can do more than just simple math. That’s thanks to its bevy of built-in functions and min-formulas that simplify the creation of more complex formulas.
Diving Deep Into Marketing for Restaurants (My Takeaways)
I’m fortunate to live in a city that has a thriving restaurant scene (it’s most known for its barbecue and Tex-Mex, if that gives you any hint). And while I don’t consider myself a food connoisseur by any means, I…
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4 TikTok Predictions that Creators on the Platform Are Preparing For [Expert Insights]
Few apps cycle through trends as quickly as TikTok. I spend endless hours scrolling through the app, and it feels like every other day, a new trending sound, topic, song, or challenge is going viral.
How to Create Strong Sales and Marketing Alignment in 2024, According to LinkedIn’s Global Product Marketing Leader
Welcome to HubSpot’s Expert Edge Series, where we interview top execs at major brands to explore their perspectives on the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the industry.
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The Ultimate Guide to Content Creation
As a marketer and content creator who makes content ranging from podcasts to blogs to videos, I‘m often fielding questions about what content creation is and why it’s so integral to marketing. Content creation is what happens behind the scenes….
Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
Marketers’ top goal with social media marketing is increasing engagement. However, their top challenge is creating content that inspires the engagement they look for.
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The Ultimate Guide (Expert Tips + Data to Know)
I‘m pretty sure I’ve said this in a few blog posts already, so if you‘ve heard this from me before, I apologize, but it’s true: In addition to being a blogger, I‘m in charge of curating and sending out HubSpot’s…
Has Google Gotten Worse? Here’s What New Data Says
“Google is getting worse” is almost a meme at this point. Go into any forum or subreddit that mentions search results, and you’ll find someone complaining that SEO has ruined Google Search.
30 Brilliant Marketing Email Campaign Examples [+ Template]
I don’t know about you, but my email inbox is flooded with a barrage of automated emails. It does little else besides give me another task for my morning commute — namely, marking them all as unread without reading or…
Q1 Marketing Plays That’ll Start Your Year Strong, According to State of Marketing Data
Ah, quarter one. It’s a time when many of us reflect on the last year, make new bets, and refresh our playbooks. If the fourth quarter is about finishing strong, then the first quarter is about starting smart.
15 Best WordPress Survey Plugins in 2023 (Hands-On)
On the hunt for the best WordPress survey plugin? Whether you’re looking to improve the user experience on your website, increase your customer satisfaction, or simply learn more about your visitors, embedding a survey on your website is the fastest…
20 Great Examples of PowerPoint Presentation Design [+ Templates]
When it comes to PowerPoint presentation design, there’s no shortage of avenues you can take.
What Is Contextual Targeting, in the Context of Ads?
As Jerry Maguire once said — “Show me the money.”
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What’s the Difference & Which Should Marketers Invest In?
When I started my content creation journey, one of my friends said over brunch, “Erica is officially in her influencer era.” I love it when my friends inflate my ego, so I let the comment slide and raised a glass…
What Is Microblogging: A Start-to-Finish Guide for 2024
When I first started posting about my writing processes and marketing insights on LinkedIn, I felt exhilarated. It helped me build an engaged following over time and allowed me to share my ideas and experiences with thousands of people in…
Relationship Marketing: The Ultimate Guide
Want to know a secret? Customer retention is much more critical to your company’s success than customer acquisition. In fact, Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company found that as little as a 5% increase in customer retention can increase company…
How to Write Simple Queries
Ever heard of SQL? You may have heard about it in the context of data analysis but never thought it would apply to you as a marketer. Or, you may have thought, “That’s for the advanced data users. I could…
[UPDATE] How to Make a Facebook Business Page That Keeps People Engaged
Whether you’re setting up a brand new Facebook Page for your brand, or just want to make the most of your existing one, it’s probably a smart move — Facebook is home to nearly 2 billion monthly active users. It…
Dry January is Big Bucks for Booze Makers
Dry January. It sounds like the next scary impact of climate change. In reality, it’s part personal challenge and part social movement.
19 Best Free Marketing & Sales Templates for Microsoft Excel
In my experience, sales and marketing Excel templates can help you expedite your data analysis and reporting. To help those of you looking for a way to sharpen your Microsoft Excel skills, I’ve put together a detailed list of templates…
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The Top Marketing Trends of 2024 & How They’ve Changed Since 2023 [Data from 1400+ Global Marketers]
Every time I think I have this whole marketing thing down to a science, something changes in the blink of an eye. And if you’re a marketer like myself, you’ve probably experienced the same feeling of whiplash as marketing trends…
How to Write an Ecommerce Business Plan [Examples & Template]
If you have a promising idea for an online e-commerce business, it’s important to create an e-commerce business plan to ensure your vision has enough stock to be profitable.
18 Top Marketing Attribution Software Tools for 2024
Determining which of your marketing efforts are driving conversions and sales can be challenging — but it’s critical if you want to increase ROI, revenue, brand awareness, conversions, campaign success, and more.
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How Often Should You (or Your Company) Blog? [New Data]
In my early days as a content marketing manager, I was asked a tough question: how often should you blog to see results?
55 Office Costume Ideas for Marketing Nerds & Tech Geeks
How many days of the year are you encouraged to dress and goof around at work? Probably just one — Halloween — and even then, it can be hard to know which office costume ideas are appropriate for the workplace.
How to Use the P.S. in Email
As a copywriting tactic, the postscript (P.S.) has made its way from standard direct mail copy to email marketing copy. With the right approach, all companies need is two paragraphs, a few links, and a P.S. to effectively communicate their…
2 Methods, 9 Easy Steps, & 35 Amazing Tips
Studies show that 76% of consumers research a business online before visiting in person. That means having a website and building web pages that provide the information consumers want to know is as necessary for companies today as having a…
22 Copywriting Examples From Businesses With Incredible Copywriters
We’re all familiar with Flo from Progressive, right?
26 of the Best Free Stock Photo Sites to Use in 2024
When I need stock photos, I get them for free on Unsplash. Yet, for some reason, many other publishers continue to push out cheap (and usually cheesy) stock photography to serve as a representation of their brand.
What Is Retargeting? How To Set Up an Ad Retargeting Campaign
In college, I took an advertising class. It taught me what I needed to know about traditional advertising, but the social media portion wasn’t as expansive. When we covered Facebook Advertising, for example, I found it difficult to follow along…
Top Marketing Channels for 2024 [+Data]
Social media, email, video, audio —today’s marketers have more marketing channels to choose from than ever before. As the former head of marketing for two different tech companies, I learned firsthand that an effective marketing strategy must consider all these…
What Is Content Writing? Plus 12 Tips to Take Your Content to the Next Level
Content writing can mean many things. Crafting social media copy for a small business, drafting press materials for an insurance brand, and posting an essay on AI Ethics to Medium are all forms of writing that fall under the content…
Expert Tips for Composing Text on 5 Different Platforms [Bookmarkable]
Most of us know that nailing social media copywriting and maintaining an active social presence is essential to a brand’s marketing strategy. After all, over 90% of marketers say that social media is essential to their business. And yet, managing…
Ultimate Guide + Expert Tips
Search engines are a part of daily life. Set up your search engine marketing correctly, and it can also be a part of your daily business growth. Search engine marketing, or SEM, is one of the most effective ways to…
Tips and Examples to Create Yours
In the eight years of my marketing career, I’ve always believed that good marketing ultimately boils down to how well you know your buyers.
100+ Terms You Need to Know from 2023 and Beyond
In 2023, the Oxford English Dictionary again updated its lexicon, adding 80 new weird words and phrases. From technological jargon like “Bitcoin” and “Deepfake” to colloquial gems such as “Bestie” and “Binge-Watching,” the OED continues to capture the ever-evolving tapestry…
Duplicate Content Issues on Your Website? Easy Ways to Find and Fix Them
It’s easy to be fooled into thinking SEO is just about link building or ranking first for specific keywords. While those are important factors, and staying up on best practices is essential, resolving duplicate content issues should be your top…
11 Expert Tips to Increase Conversions
A 2023 State of Content Marketing report by SEMrush revealed that 37% of brands surveyed say they outsource copywriting. If you fall in the 63% and want to improve your website copywriting skills, we’re here to help.
The Top 3 Reasons Consumers Read Blogs & How to Attract Them in 2024 [New Data]
Including blogging as a part of your marketing strategy could bring you more customers. According to our State of Marketing report, blogs are among the top three marketing channels that deliver the highest ROI.
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How Media Leaders Will Make AI Work in 2024, from HubSpot’s VP of Media
Just before the holidays I had a chat with HubSpot’s VP of Media, Jonathan Hunt.
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How to Collaborate with Brands as a Content Creator [Expert Tips]
Welcome to The Creative, a series that gives content creators actionable advice from professionals in the creator economy. Whether you’re a seasoned creator or just starting out, read The Creative to learn how to grow your platform, improve your content,…
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50+ of the Best Affiliate Programs That Pay the Highest Commission
I follow various content creators on social media and visit their platforms frequently. I often notice some will mention affiliate links in their content and how purchasing from those links helps them earn commissions.
25 Best Slack Alternatives for Working Effortlessly in 2024
For more than 32 million people, Slack has become the tool they open first thing in the morning to get the workday started. And it’s become the leader of the team collaboration industry, simplifying people’s work and boosting their productivity.
Programmatic SEO — Getting It Right
Programmatic SEO: Is it one heck of a challenge or something you can master in three hours? Do you need a specific toolkit, or will a basic understanding of Google Sheets suffice? And most importantly, how do you tackle programmatic…
What Is Guerrilla Marketing? 11 Examples to Inspire Your Brand
The word “guerrilla,” in its written form, looks pretty intense. It conjures images of rebellion and conflict. Put it next to the term “marketing,” which makes many people ask, “Huh?”
10 Must-Haves and Best Practices
Landing pages are one of the most important elements of lead generation. But they’re only effective if you know what to put on a landing page to begin with.
22 Video Marketing & Advertising Campaigns You’ll Actually Enjoy Watching
91% of people want to see more video marketing efforts from brands — but knowing where to start can be intimidating. We’re sharing 22 video marketing examples and advertisements from the past two years to help inspire you.
The Ultimate Guide to Working From Home (+ Remote Work Tips)
Working from home is a gift, right up until the cat throws up on your computer. And your neighbor, who you can only assume is building a time machine, starts firing up all sorts of power tools. In those moments,…
How to Make a QR Code in 5 Easy Steps
Whether I’m walking into a restaurant, or passing by an advertisement through a windowpane, I seem to run into QR codes just about anywhere these days. I feel like this is the case for everyone now that 45% of shoppers claim…
What is a Marketing Plan & How to Write One [+Examples]
For a while now, you’ve been spearheading your organization’s content marketing efforts, and your team’s performance has convinced management to adopt the content marketing strategies you’ve suggested. Now, your boss wants you to write and present a content marketing plan,…
How to Create a Social Media Calendar to Plan Your Content
What do cross-country road trips, wedding speeches, and social media marketing have in common?Planning. I definitely can’t help you with your road trip or wedding speech (sorry), but I can help you create a social media calendar to organize your…
Top Types to Use in 2023 [Data + Expert Tips]
Experimenting with your lead generation content is crucial to build a strong content strategy. Fresh types of content can expand your reach to attract more — and possibly better — leads. The best way to shake up your lead generation…
Process Documentation Writing Tips
When I’m doing something that involves multiple steps, you can be sure I want to remember it. Sometimes my brain can’t be trusted with that, so process documentation is the answer. Whether you’re completing recurring tasks or creating a new…
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27 of the Best Professional Bio Examples I’ve Ever Seen [+ Templates]
As a writer, I have to let readers and potential clients know my expertise, my skills, and why they should work with me or be interested in what I say. So, a professional bio is a must in my industry….
PPC Keyword Research: The Complete Guide
Pay-per-click (or PPC) marketing can feel like a daunting task. From creating ads to monitoring performance and understanding bidding strategies, there’s a lot to take in. But PPC keyword research is an often under-appreciated, yet necessary, component of search engine…
A Guide to Setting Up Your First Campaign
As the former head of marketing at two different tech companies, I can tell you firsthand: You can optimize your content for search engines all day, but sometimes, pay-per-click advertising — or PPC — is the way to go. In…
11 Artificial Intelligence Examples from Real Brands in 2023
2023 was the year AI became mainstream. What was once a sci-fi fantasy is now a staple in day-to-day business operations. AI’s in your smartphone, shopping experiences, and maybe even your morning coffee routine.
Bad Marketing Advice in Action (and What We Can Learn)
Bad marketing advice can make or break a brand. If marketers sidestep well-meaning but counterproductive suggestions, they’re better positioned to capture consumer interest. What happens if they take this marketing advice to heart? Spoiler alert: It’s not great. Here are…
Apply That Ish to Content Strategy
Somewhat like the vastness of interstellar space, it’s hard for me to fathom just how much stuff there is for sale in the world — it’s staggering.
Blogging Statistics — 31 Stats You Need to Know in 2024
Online marketing is a fast-paced and ever-changing landscape, but one thing remains the same: content is king. We’ve compiled a list of 31 blogging statistics that will help guide your content marketing strategy in 2024 so you can spend less…
40 Inspired Business Card Designs Too Useful to Throw Away
If you network a lot, you likely have dozens of business cards in different bags, pockets, and wallets. But when you’re looking for something about the same size and thickness as a business card? It becomes clear how alike most…
What’s Google Sandbox? Everything You Need to Know
The alleged existence of a Google Sandbox is one of the more debated topics amongst web and SEO experts. The presiding theory is that the sandbox effect is when “Google temporarily reduces the page rank of new domains, placing them…
Stock Markets and Social Media? Absolutely!
This year, global social media users swelled to a record-breaking 4.9 billion. Statistics like these suggest that social media stocks may be a great investment opportunity — but what are the best social media stocks to invest in? Social media…
How to Plan a Seasonal Marketing Campaign: A 5-Step Guide
Every year has built-in opportunities to boost sales, increase brand recognition, and bolster customer relationships. Seasonal marketing is the key to aligning your outreach with special times of the year, like holidays and events, to capitalize on increased consumer enthusiasm….
Portfolios vs. Resumes — The Complete Guide
In today’s competitive job market, your income and career rely on knowing how to communicate your skills and experiences. To do so, you can choose one of two primary vehicles: a resume or a portfolio.
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Should Marketers Optimize for Bing? [Data + Expert Tips]
When you think about search engine optimization (SEO), one major search engine probably comes to mind: Google. But what about Bing SEO?