The 6 Video Marketing Metrics That Matter Most to Your Boss

Conventional wisdom might tell you that video views are a vanity metric, but I think they’re actually a good indicator of how well your video, especially its hook, performed.

I also think that view count, as a metric, has its drawbacks, like being unable to tell you who your audience is or whether your video resonates with them.

That’s why I created this list of important video marketing metrics to track, according to data from the Video Marketing Survey I recently ran. Let’s dive in.

Which metrics are brands tracking?

According to video marketers, these are the most important video engagement metrics to track in order to measure the performance of video content:

• Engagement (43%)
• Watch time (39%)
• View count (32%)
• Audience retention (27%)
• Follower/subscriber growth (25%)
• Average view duration (22%)

1. Engagement

Engagement (likes, comments, etc.) is the most tracked video marketing metric and the most important video marketing metric to track.

This makes sense to me: it’s one of the most important factors in boosting your video’s organic reach. If a video resonates well with part of your audience, it’ll likely resonate with the rest.

Adriane Grunenberg, HubSpot Automation & Digital Analytics Expert, says that engagement rate is the most important metric because “A high one [engagement rate] indicates that your content is relevant and appealing, which can lead to increased organic reach as viewers are more likely to share and discuss the video.”

I’ve found that engagement also provides marketers with valuable quantitative data. Comments can show you the emotional effect your video has on your viewers. Do they seem inspired? Or are they angry you covered a controversial topic? This data can help you decide which video topics to focus on in the future.

Social shares can paint a clearer picture of your audience’s brand affinity and loyalty. This metric measures how much your audience values your content and brand. It also builds your brand’s credibility.

Since people share content that confirms their ideal self-persona, people who share your video are willing to show their community that they trust and support your brand.

Social sharing is also one of the best forms of word-of-mouth marketing.

2. Watch Time

Watch time is the second most important metric, and it clearly explains how much time people actually spend watching your videos.

For example, if the average watch time for your 3-minute video is 2 minutes, the average viewer is sitting through nearly all of it, likely because they’re interested in its content.

On the other hand, if the view time would average out at 30 seconds, your video doesn’t successfully draw people in or keep them interested. This is exactly what Michelle Tabor, Solutions Engineer at Lynton, told me: “View time is a top indicator of if my content is boring or not.”

3. View Count

It seems logical that your view counts would increase any single time your video is watched on any device, right?

That’s usually not the case, and different platforms also have different ways of measuring view counts.

For example, YouTube counts a view as a video being played by one person on one device. If that person refreshes the page, their watch time still counts under that one original view.

On TikTok, however, views go up every time a video starts to play.

So, what’s a good benchmark for the amount of views your marketing videos should get? Most marketers (45%) responding to the recent Video Marketing Survey I ran say their views average under 10,000 views, while 16% say their videos average under 1K views.

I also found that 82% average under 100,000 views per video.

5. Follower/Subscriber Growth

Follower/subscriber growth can be an excellent measure of a video’s performance because it shows that your video is reaching new audiences and attracting people to your brand.

You can also see what kind of audience your video attracts, which can help you create a buyer persona and create more quality content tailored to your audience.

6. Average View Duration

Average view duration is the total watch time of your video divided by the total number of video plays, including replays. It measures how long your viewers watch your video, on average.

Average view duration is a powerful metric that reveals your audience’s video length preference. For instance, if your 45-second videos keep getting a 30-second average view duration, you might want to cut those videos down by 15 seconds.

Benchmarks for Video Marketing

Different kinds of videos have different benchmarks. Here are a few video types and the benchmarks we found associated with them:

1. Short-form Videos

Short-form video is the most popular format among survey respondents — 83% use it. It has the highest ROI, generates the most engagement, and drives the most leads. This doesn’t surprise me, considering the rise of short-form video tools and platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok.

82% of marketers say the optimal length of a short-form marketing video is under 60 seconds. Most say the optimal length is between 21-30 seconds.

2. Long-form Videos

Long-form video is widely considered to be any video longer than three minutes. This format ranks second regarding usage, ROI, lead gen, and engagement.

I found that the optimal length for a long-form marketing video is three to six minutes (36%). 31% of respondents say it should be longer than 10 minutes.

Pro tip: Regardless of the video format you use, HubSpot’s Clip Creator is an AI-powered video maker that will help streamline your process.

You simply answer a few basic questions about your video to give the tool a sense of what you want to create, choose a video template, and then sit back as it uses AI to generate the clip you’re looking for.

Over to You

As video-sharing platforms continue to grow, video marketing will only become more important to your brand’s success. Now that you know the metrics that most marketers — including your competitors — are measuring, you can make sound decisions for your next video marketing campaign.

The post Top 6 Video Marketing Metrics Your Boss Wants to See appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

How Simple Website Personalization Increased Conversions by 560%

As someone who does conversion rate optimization (CRO) for a living, I can’t express to you how excited I get when a simple change makes a big impact. And this particular example? It doesn’t get much simpler or more impactful.

Sure, I’m a self-proclaimed CRO geek, but if you were able to increase the conversion rate on a web page by 560%, I bet you’d be geeking out, too.

Personalization as an Optimization Tool

As a member of HubSpot’s web strategy team, I’ve been optimizing the core website pages on HubSpot.com for the last eight years.

Prior to that, I spent many years optimizing this very blog.

And in the past year, I’ve been experimenting a lot more with personalization to improve both user experience and conversion rates on the website. The tactics

seem simple — I’ve tailored both calls-to-action (CTAs) and content for different segments of our website visitors.

But personalization can be tricky. By creating more than one version of a single page, that means you also need to maintain more than one version of the page.

Multiply that by each page on your website, and things can start to get pretty unmanageable. This makes it critical to track the performance of any personalization you put live on your website, and keep only the ones that are worth the return on investment.

Luckily, this one was worth it.

Personalizing for Free Users

On many of the core pages on HubSpot’s website, we typically show visitors two CTAs by default:

• One CTA encourages visitors to start using the free version of our software.
• And one CTA encourages visitors to get a demo of the premium editions.

When I started experimenting more with personalization on the website, it occurred to me that it was pretty silly to show free sign-up CTAs to contacts who are already free users.

And if these contacts are still visiting our web pages after becoming a free user, they’re probably still evaluating their options and might be interested in trying the premium editions.

So on one of our highest trafficked pages — a product page about our free CRM and other free tools — I created a rule using HubSpot’s smart content to replace the free sign-up CTAs with demo CTAs for any contact who was already a free user of our software.

Since there was no risk to free sign-up demand and therefore no reason to run a true A/B test, I ran this as a lookback test. (Meaning I made the change for 100% of visitors, then compared a period of time before and after the change to assess impact.)

Here’s what that looked like in action:

Default Content:

Smart Content:

The results were staggering. Once I implemented the free user personalization, it increased our demo conversion rate by 560%. We saw demo requests go from 38 demos/month to 258 demos/month — just from this one page. Aww yeah.

What’s more, there was absolutely no negative impact on free sign-up demand.

Even better? This approach can be implemented on any page where we have free sign-up CTAs. Meaning we’re bound to generate even more demo demand as we implement this across more website pages. That’s what they call a win-win! Or maybe it’s a win-win-win. ?

How to Set Up Personalization With HubSpot Smart Content

If you’re a HubSpot user who is subscribed to the Professional or Enterprise editions of Marketing Hub or Content Hub, you have the ability to personalize your web pages with smart content. There are several options for how you can segment smart content to your visitors, including by device type, country, referral source, language, and more.

For this particular use case, I based my smart content on contact list membership, first creating a list of contacts in our HubSpot Smart CRM that included anyone who is a free user of our software. And because this list is also smart, it’ll automatically update whenever a new or existing contact becomes a free user, ensuring that my personalization will always be up to date.

Next, I set up a smart rule in the page editor for each module on the page I wanted to personalize, based on membership to the contact list I’d created.

This enabled me to modify certain parts of the page (like copy and CTAs) just for free HubSpot users, while leaving the rest of the page content unchanged by default.

Best of all, it only took me a few minutes to set up. Talk about low-hanging fruit!

How to Make Personalization Work for You

The segmentation strategy you use to personalize your web pages should be based on your website’s overall conversion strategy and your business goals, which only you will know.

For example, one of our challenges on the HubSpot website is that we sell products that suit various business sizes, ranging from small startups to large, scaling businesses. These different-sized businesses have various challenges and needs and, therefore, will respond differently to certain content and conversion flows.

So the crux of our current personalization strategy is segmenting content based on both business size and where a contact is in their buying stage.

For some additional guidance and inspiration, check out our article on website personalization. (Pro Tip: If you’re a HubSpot user or are considering becoming one, you might also be interested in the new Breeze Intelligence functionality that enriches your contacts with third-party data, which can make your personalization efforts even more powerful.)

However you decide to segment your personalization strategy, start small, and keep a close eye on ROI. You might be surprised to find that sometimes, even the simplest change can make a big dent ?

The post The Simple Website Personalization That Boosted Conversions by 560% appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

6 Psychology-Backed Hacks to Create Engaging Videos

What do you think makes for an engaging video? I used to think that any video under 10 minutes couldn’t offer real value or be truly engaging. Short videos? Those were for people with short attention spans.

Then, I stumbled upon a four-minute video about productivity hacks. I almost scrolled past it, but something about the thumbnail caught my eye. After watching it, I replayed it, took notes, and shared it with friends.

This puzzled me. How did such a brief video capture my attention? I began noticing that the videos I enjoyed most, regardless of length, had certain qualities.

They started with a hook, told a story, and were visually dynamic. Videos featuring experts or social proof were also more shareable.

I realized that video engagement isn‘t about length — it’s about psychology. And as video marketing continues to evolve, this shift in perspective opened my eyes to the psychology behind creating engaging videos.

I’ll cover these insights in this guide to help you drive more engagement and increase your video’s impact.

1. Spark curiosity.

As I delved into the research on attention and engagement, I discovered something fascinating: curiosity isn‘t just a casual interest — it’s a powerful force that shapes how we process information.

In their study, “Curiosity and the Economics of Attention,” Zachary Wojtowicz and George Loewenstein shed light on this powerful force. As I studied their findings, I was struck by how they captured the mechanisms behind human attention.

They argue that “curiosity, as one of the most significant psychological forces associated with the allocation of attention, plays an increasingly important role in the modern economy.”

But what makes curiosity so potent? According to Wojtowicz and Loewenstein, it‘s all about the brain’s constant quest for sense-making.

“The brain is constantly engaged in simplification and model-building in its quest to process a flood of incoming sensory information into an actionable form,” they explain. This drive for understanding makes curiosity a compelling force in guiding our attention.

I find this next insight particularly compelling because it explains so much about our information-seeking behavior.

Curiosity operates on a dual reward system. The researchers note: “Curiosity likewise features both a carrot and a stick. Prolonged consideration of a difficult riddle can be an excruciating experience, but discovering the answer is often highly pleasurable.”

This push-pull dynamic is what makes curiosity-driven content so engaging.

Through my analysis of this research, I’ve identified three key ways to harness the power of curiosity.

• Craft intriguing titles. Create headlines that hint at valuable information without giving everything away. For example, “Good Isn’t Good Enough: CMO Secrets To Leveling up Your Team | INBOUND 2024” suggests a valuable insight while leaving the specifics tantalizingly out of reach.
• Use the inverted U-curve of novelty. Curiosity intensity follows an inverted U-curve in response to stimulus novelty. Slight exposure piques curiosity, but too much information can satiate it. To maximize curiosity, strike a balance between the familiar and the novel. For example, this “Spread Too Thin” commercial by HubSpot is short and to the point yet leaves much unsaid. It provides just enough information to pique interest without overwhelming the viewer.
• Create strategic information gaps. Pose questions or present partial information that your content will later resolve. This taps into what George Loewenstein calls the “information gap theory of curiosity.”

By implementing these strategies, you‘re not just creating video content — you’re tapping into a fundamental human drive.

As Wojtowicz and Loewenstein‘s study shows, curiosity isn’t just a fleeting emotion; it’s a powerful tool in the economics of attention.

2. Hook your audience.

Capturing and maintaining an engaged audience quickly is crucial. When creating engaging video content, your hook determines whether viewers stay or scroll. Let me show you a perfect example of how this works in practice in the video below.

When I watched this video, I saw several hooks at work that make it highly effective. Let me break them down:

• Emotion trigger. The casual “All right” opening and playful “Boom, nice little happy marriage” create an approachable, positive tone that draws viewers. What fascinated me about this hook is how it creates an instant emotional connection. I’ve noticed that when content balances professionalism with a personality like this, engagement typically increases.
• Relevance. Phrases like “If you’re a business owner or marketer” and “drive traffic and sales” immediately identify the video’s audience and goal. What I find particularly clever is how it then broadens its appeal with “services, software or soy lattes,” showing viewers that this content is relevant regardless of their specific business.
• Immediate value. What strikes me most is how it communicates value. Within just 22 seconds, viewers know exactly what they’ll learn and why it matters to their business.

What I found particularly fascinating about this case was how it validated my theories about psychological hooks in a real-world setting.

Ibis Budget, an international budget hotel chain, created a series of Reels ads for Facebook and Instagram that exemplified these same psychological hooks:

• Visual impact and novelty. They used “thumb-stopping” visuals and unexpected elements, like a hotel “talking back” to a guest, to break through the noise of typical ads.
• Relevance and immediate value. The ads quickly showcased key hotel features (food, bathrooms, beds), immediately demonstrating value to budget-conscious travelers.
• Emotion trigger. By making the content “entertaining” and “relatable,” they tapped into positive emotions and humor.
• Platform-optimized novelty. I’ve noticed that platform-specific content performs significantly better. Ibis Budget proved this by creating content specifically for the Reels format.

The results confirmed what I’ve observed about well-crafted hooks:

• 25% greater reach for campaigns using the Reels placement, compared to usual placements without Reels
• 17% lower cost per booking using the Reels placement, compared to usual placements without Reels

From studying these examples and their results, I‘ve concluded that effective hooks aren’t just about grabbing attention — they‘re about creating an immediate connection between the viewer’s needs and your solution.

Whether you’re creating a simple video introduction or a full marketing campaign, these psychological principles remain consistently powerful.

3. Make it visual.

While studying engagement patterns, I‘ve found that visual elements play a far more crucial role than we realize.

What fascinates me isn’t just their aesthetic appeal, but how fundamentally they align with how our brains process information.

The HubSpot team ran a survey of 328 video marketers in early Q4 which showed the growing importance of visual content.

Similarly, research by Mayer and Moreno on multimedia learning presents a compelling argument for the strategic use of visuals.

The first time I dove into their research, it completely changed how I saw the power of visuals in boosting learning and engagement

Their cognitive theory of multimedia learning argues that “people learn more deeply from words and pictures than from words alone.” This isn‘t just about preference: it’s about cognitive processing.

Mayer and Moreno explain that our working memory has two channels for information acquisition and processing: a visual channel and an auditory channel.

When we use both channels simultaneously through well-designed visuals and complementary audio, we can significantly enhance learning and engagement.

Here are three critical implications for engagement:

1. Cognitive load management. Visuals help in distributing information processing across both channels, reducing cognitive load and making content easier to digest.
2. Dual coding. When information is presented both visually and verbally, it creates two mental representations, enhancing recall and understanding.
3. Emotional resonance. Visuals have a unique capacity to evoke emotions quickly, fostering a deeper connection with the content.

To leverage these insights, here are some tactics I recommend.

Use Complementary Visuals

When creating a YouTube video or explainer video, ensure your visuals enhance rather than simply repeat your narration.

For example: In an instructional video on time management, rather than just showing a talking head explaining tips, the video could show visualizations of a clock ticking, calendar pages flipping, or a “to-do list” being checked off.

Why it works: These visuals complement the narration by adding context and reinforcing the concept, which can make the abstract idea of “time management” more concrete and relatable for viewers.

Employ Visual Metaphors

I’ve observed that you can also make abstract concepts concrete through carefully choosing visual representations.

For example: If a video discusses “growth in business,” rather than simply stating statistics or facts, visuals like a plant growing or a balloon expanding can represent this growth.

Why it works: Visual metaphors turn abstract ideas (like growth, transformation, or innovation) into something tangible, engaging the viewer’s imagination and helping them form a stronger conceptual connection.

Balance Complexity

Use visuals to simplify complex ideas, but avoid overwhelming viewers with too much visual information at once.

For example: In a video explaining data analytics, show a simplified, animated flowchart rather than a complicated screen full of data points. Visuals can introduce one element at a time, with each step building upon the previous.

Why it works: This gradual progression helps viewers follow the logic without becoming overwhelmed by details. Simplifying complex ideas makes the information digestible and keeps viewers engaged without causing cognitive overload.

These visual strategies help you engage with the audience more effectively, whether you’re creating short-form video content or longer presentations.

Pro tip: I’ve found that there are a lot of tools to help create balanced, professional visuals. For example, with Clip Creator, you can transform a simple text description into a complete video, automatically balancing visual elements through customizable slides and transitions.

The tool handles the complexity of visual arrangement — from font styling and image placement to audio tracks — while letting you maintain creative control.

4. Tell a story.

While researching audience engagement, I discovered that storytelling isn‘t just a nice-to-have — it’s fundamental to how we process information.

When I explored Matthew Dicks’ work in Storyworthy, his assertion that “we are hardwired to tell and listen to stories” resonated deeply with my findings about creating lasting impact with content.

Let me analyze a video that beautifully demonstrates these storytelling principles in action.

What struck me most about this creator’s approach was her masterful blend of personal experience with practical insights.

Here are three key principles I’ve identified for effective storytelling.

Focus on emotion.

I‘ve noticed how the creator’s genuine excitement about business class travel and feature demonstrations creates an authentic emotional resonance. This authenticity consistently outperforms scripted enthusiasm.

Create conflict and resolution.

What I find particularly effective is how the video structures its narrative arc. The creator presents the algorithm challenge, and then methodically walks through five strategic solutions, each supported by real examples.

This clear problem-solution structure keeps viewers invested in the story.

Show transformation through specificity.

The most compelling aspect, from my perspective, is how the creator demonstrates transformation through concrete examples. From specific DM strategies to actual customer testimonials, she shows rather than tells her journey.

5. Leverage social proof.

I first learned about social proof when I noticed how I tend to check reviews before buying anything online.

Social proof, as defined by Robert Cialdini in Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, is a psychological principle that encourages people to conform to the actions and beliefs of others, particularly in situations of uncertainty.

When unsure of the best course of action, we instinctively look to others for guidance, assuming that if many people are engaging in a behavior, it is likely correct.

This phenomenon is illustrated by examples like laugh tracks on TV shows, which make viewers more likely to laugh themselves due to the perceived behavior of others. I’ve caught myself laughing more at shows with laugh tracks too, even when I try not to.

Social proof taps into our deep-rooted survival instincts. Throughout human evolution, conforming to group behaviors often led to better outcomes in uncertain situations.

This tendency remains relevant today, as we frequently base our decisions on the behavior of those around us. Cialdini supports this with insights from notable studies:

• Solomon Asch’s conformity experiment: In Asch’s experiment on conformity, individuals often gave incorrect answers to simple questions if they saw others doing the same. This shows how social proof can drive people to align with group behavior, even against their own better judgment.
• Hotel towel experiment: In one of Cialdini’s studies, hotel guests were more likely to reuse towels when they were shown a message indicating that “75% of guests in this hotel reuse their towels.” This simple social proof message increased towel reuse, demonstrating how awareness of others’ actions motivates similar behavior.

Social proof is particularly powerful in conditions of uncertainty and similarity:

• Uncertainty. When you feel unsure about what action to take, you‘re more likely to follow others’ lead. I notice that social proof works especially well when you face complex or unfamiliar situations.
• Similarity. You‘re more likely to follow someone’s lead when you feel they‘re similar to you — whether that’s your situation, needs, or background. For example, when you see testimonials from customers similar to yourself, you connect with their stories more strongly.

When creating engaging videos, use social proof to enhance engagement and build trust.

Here’s how to integrate it.

Customer Testimonials

Featuring real customers sharing positive experiences creates relatable and credible endorsements. Testimonials form a powerful narrative that resonates with potential buyers by providing concrete examples of positive outcomes.

Showcasing a range of testimonials can make the content more inclusive, helping various audience segments identify with the stories shared.

Statistics and Numbers

Highlighting metrics, like user counts or satisfaction rates, provides tangible evidence of value. Visual elements, such as animated numbers showing growth or trends, capture attention and reinforce a message of widespread adoption.

Expert Endorsements

Featuring respected industry figures or influencers amplifies the credibility of social proof. Expert endorsements combine the persuasive power of group trust with the authority of specialized knowledge. Displaying their credentials can further reinforce the value of their endorsement.

User-Generated Content (UGC)

When videos include real social media clips or customer reviews, I find them more believable. It’s like getting recommendations from real people instead of just watching a polished ad.

By thoughtfully integrating these elements of social proof into video content, you can create a persuasive narrative that leverages your audience’s psychological tendencies.

This strategy enhances the credibility and trustworthiness of your message, leading to increased engagement and conversions.

6. Interrupt patterns.

Pattern interruption is a powerful psychological technique that can significantly enhance the impact and memorability of video content.

At its core, it involves breaking expected patterns or routines to capture and maintain the audience’s attention.

In the context of creating engaging videos, pattern interruption serves as a tool to combat viewer fatigue and information overload, ensuring that key messages cut through the noise of constant media consumption.

When we encounter familiar patterns, our brains often switch to autopilot, potentially leading to decreased attention and engagement.

However, when an unexpected element disrupts this pattern, it triggers a surge of attention as our brains scramble to process and understand the new information.

In video content, pattern interruption can take many forms, each designed to jolt viewers out of passive consumption and into active engagement.

Take a look at this video:

When Jamal breaks from instruction to say, “Oh look, memes, that’s what you’re competing against” (3:46), it instantly recaptures attention by acknowledging the viewer’s real-world experience.

We also see this when Jamal breaks from the standard tutorial format with “Often when I log into Facebook, which is every hour on the hour” (0:28) — forcing our brains to shift from learning mode to relate to this admission.

Here are some great ways to incorporate this concept into your videos.

Visual Transitions

Unexpected visual transitions are also one of my favorite methods to recommend.

Shifting from one style to another — say, from live-action footage to animation — refreshes the viewer’s interest and can be strategically used to emphasize key points or mark different sections in the message.

Audio Pattern Interruptions

Audio pattern interruptions work well, too. Sudden changes in music, sound effects, or even narration style can re-engage audiences.

Imagine an important message with the background music cut off abruptly — that audio shift instantly grabs attention and underscores the message. Switching narrators or adding unexpected voice-overs also keeps viewers on their toes.

Playing With Video Structure

I also like how changing a video’s structure can make it memorable.

In the same tutorial video, Jamal uses the “meatball menu” sequence in a playful way. He introduces the horizontal three-dot menu as “the meatball menu” (5:25), then later joking, “Looks good, doesn’t it? Uh, the page, not the meatballs” (5:34).

That kind of running joke ties different elements together, creating something humorous and memorable.

Humor and the Unexpected

Using humor or surprising elements can also serve as effective pattern interruptions. The video demonstrates this through multiple techniques:

• Fourth-wall breaking: “Looking at you, Jeremy” (4:30).
• Self-deprecating humor: “No friend requests need to be engaged, which is good for me ’cause no one has sent me one of those in a while” (0:59).
• Unexpected literary references: “We don’t want to hear the whole soliloquy that you’ve prepared from you know, pyramids and Thisbe” (1:46).

Adding Interactive Elements

Interactive elements represent a cutting-edge approach to pattern interruption in video. By incorporating choose-your-own-adventure style decisions, clickable hotspots, or other interactive features, you can transform passive viewers into active participants.

This level of engagement not only breaks patterns but also creates a personalized viewing experience that can significantly enhance message retention and impact.

When implementing pattern interruption in video, it’s crucial to strike a balance. While interruptions can be highly effective in maintaining engagement, overuse can lead to confusion or frustration.

The key is to use these techniques strategically, ensuring that each interruption serves a purpose in enhancing the overall message or viewing experience.

Transform Ordinary Videos into Must-Watch Content

Understanding these psychological principles has transformed my relationship with engaging video content.

I‘ve discovered why certain YouTube videos captivate me while others don’t, and how masterful creators maintain audience engagement through strategic techniques.

What fascinates me most is spotting these elements in action — from hooks that stop my scroll to pattern interruptions that keep me glued to explainer videos and short-form video content.

These psychology-backed strategies help creators craft engaging videos that truly resonate with their target audience, whether they’re making YouTube videos, explainer videos, or short-form content.

The key takeaway? These psychological principles shape how we absorb and retain information in video content.

Understanding them can help you get the most out of your viewing experience — and reveal how to make videos that keep viewer engagement at a high.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

The post How to Make Engaging Videos – 6 Psychology-Backed Hacks appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

What I Learned About Using AI to Identify Target Audiences & Tools to Try

I‘ll be honest: I don’t know anything about an “AI target audience” or finding an audience via AI.

However, I want to learn because I recently started working with a local pole fitness studio in my neighborhood.

I want to help it gain new students. So, dear reader, we are going to learn about AI audience targeting, its benefits, and helpful AI target audience tools together.

Here we go!

Table of Contents

• What is AI audience targeting?
• Benefits of Using AI for Target Audiences
• How to Find Your Target Audience Using AI
• 6 Best AI Tools for Target Audience Research

What is AI audience targeting?

After some research, I’ve found that AI audience targeting is when you use artificial intelligence to find and engage with a distinct group of potential customers (your target audience).

Specifically, AI target audience tools examine audience behaviors, interests, regional preferences, and demographics to guide marketing strategies and content.

Benefits of Using AI for Target Audiences

Using AI target audience tools can help improve many aspects of a marketing strategy.

I’m personally most interested in how it can help with advertising, content, and customer engagement since these are most important to me as I help my neighborhood business.

Advertising

AI target audience tools would be most helpful in advertising because they could analyze large quantities of data in seconds, allowing me to draw conclusions quicker, decide on my advertising strategy, and pivot quickly when necessary.

As I said, the business I‘m working with is a pole fitness studio. An AI target audience tool would help me quickly figure out our target audience’s behaviors, where they search for pole fitness content, and what platforms they frequent.

From there, I can craft an advertising strategy tailored to them, thus boosting the studio’s visibility and gaining more students.

Content

I‘m trying to grow the business’ visibility on social media. I’ve found that some videos perform better than others, but analyzing all the content performance data is still tedious, and I need to figure out what our audience likes.

As I said earlier, AI audience tools can analyze this data faster than I or any human could, allowing me to adjust my content strategy and create engaging content more quickly.

How to Find Your Target Audience Using AI

According to my research, I can find and understand my target audience using AI via the following:

1. Predictive Analytics

I can’t stress enough how efficient AI is at analyzing data. In this case, AI can quickly assess data to build models for future consumer behavior.

For example, my neighborhood studio could use predictive analytics to figure out when someone is in the market for classes if a potential student:

• Attended one of its events, such as the Halloween-themed pole dance workshop it hosted
• Is a part of a demographic of people who are interested in learning pole fitness
• Lives in an area where there are gyms, fitness programs, and dance studios
• Clicked on an ad for the studio recently

If someone does one or more of the following, AI will help the studio find them and create targeted ads and content to encourage them to become regular students.

2. Behavioral Analytics

AI can analyze behavioral analytics metrics such as where your audience is coming from, what they click on your site, and how long they’re on your platform to help you better understand their behavior.

For example, visitors to the pole fitness website always click on the website’s banner. That would encourage me to update the banner to take visitors to a signup page to register for classes.

3. Hyper-personalized Content

AI audience targeting can effectively analyze data to deliver personalized content and ads to potential consumers. For example, let‘s get back to the pole fitness studio I’m working with. AI target audience tools can assess:

• The time of year most students sign up for fitness classes or gyms
• The needs and concerns of first-time students
• How old the average student is
• Where most potential students reside locally

Thanks to AI’s speed, I could use all this information to create targeted and quickly pivot when consumer needs change.

6 Best AI Tools for Target Audience Research

Now that I know what AI target audience tools are, their benefits, and how they can be used, it‘s time to explore tools to help me market my local pole fitness studio and help you market your own business.

Here are the best ones I’ve found and plan on testing out for the pole studio I’m working with.

1. HubSpot’s Breeze AI

I promise I‘m not biased when I say HubSpot’s Breeze AI boasts several excellent tools for finding and engaging your target audience. One feature I find most useful for my marketing goals is Breeze Social Media Agent.

I’m currently leveraging social media to boost awareness of the pole fitness studio and encourage potential students to register for classes.

Breeze Social Media Agent can help me achieve this by analyzing past post-performance data and assessing business details and industry best practices.

It will then use the information to optimize my social media strategy with data-driven post suggestions.

Best for: Refining and optimizing your social media strategy.

2. ExactBuyer

ExactBuyer helps businesses find their ideal customers, gather relevant data, and use the information to create realistic, targeted buyer personas.

Even better, the AI-powered tool allows users to consistently update and refine the gathered data to optimize the personas in real time.

I wanted to use ExactBuyer to create realistic buyer personas for prospective students interested in the studio’s classes.

Best for: Creating hyper-focused buyer personas.

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3. OpinioAI

OpinioAI is one of the most interesting AI target audience tools because it allows users to create buyer personas and chat with them to get insight into consumer thoughts on their business.

You can talk to your persona about its favorite brand, hobbies, behaviors, needs, and more to get insight into your target audience. Think of it as a virtual one-on-one conversation with a potential consumer.

Best for: Gathering insight into the wants and needs of your target audience.

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4. Pixis

Pixis AI features allow users to create precise, targeted content for their audience.

Its AI Targeting feature is most interesting because it establishes custom audience cohorts based on search trends, competitive keywords, and brand keywords.

Best for: Identifying niche audiences.

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5. GapScout

GapScout delivers AI-powered insights that pinpoint content gaps and emergency trends that competitors in your niche are missing.

Best for: Helping your brand tap into underserved needs in your market.

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6. Userpersona

This is a great AI tool for marketers new to creating and understanding user personas to guide their brand strategy. All users need to do is describe their product and service, and Userpersona will do the rest.

For example, I typed in the information about the pole fitness studio I’m working with, and here is what Userpersona generated.

It only took one sentence for Userpersona to generate a persona called “Sarah Smith” to represent our target audience and give me an idea of how and who to market the studio.

Now, we both know quite a bit more about AI target audience tools and how to use them.

I plan on using HubSpot’s Breeze AI to help my favorite local pole fitness studio attract more students. I hope you will also try the tools I listed. Good luck!

The post AI and Target Audiences – Insights and Tools to Try appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

Everything I’ve Learned About Conducting B2B Market Research the Right Way

Few things bring me joy like diving into a Wikipedia rabbit hole for a few hours. I relish the chance to research topics and ideas and discover the unexpected ways they connect.

And while I may relax that way in my personal life, I also use those skills in business, where I conduct B2B market research to build marketing strategies and plans.

Understanding businesses as buyers is its own kind of rabbit hole. They can be complex entities, with dozens or hundreds of employees and leaders, each possessing unique needs and desires.

It’s a lot to unpack — but, to thrive in the modern marketplace, knowing your buyer is the foundation.

Let’s chat about how you can learn about B2B buyers and how market research can equip you and your team for success.

Table of Contents

• • What is B2B market research?
  • How To Do B2B Market Research
  • B2B Market Research vs. B2C Market Research
  • Benefits of B2B Market Research
  • B2B Market Research Methods
  • Conducting My Own B2B Market Research

Market research uncovers important information like:

• How companies view their industry and the marketplace for your products.
• What company leaders need and want from a particular vendor.
• Where they are in the buying cycle and what it’ll take to move them along.

B2B market research requires both quantitative (hard, numerical) and qualitative (softer, subjective) data. The end goal is to prepare your company to best position your offerings with your target business market.

We’ll get to specific methods of conducting B2B market research later. But items like surveys, competitive analyses, and customer interviews will provide the data you need to make the best decisions.

B2B Market Research vs. B2C Market Research

If B2B market research is how you understand companies as consumers, then B2C market research is how to discover the same details from consumers themselves.

What makes them different, and when should you use each?

Buying Complexity

Both the target audience and product marketplace are more complex in B2B buying scenarios.

With B2C buying, you’re selling directly to one consumer. They — or perhaps along with a spouse, partner, or other family member or friend — are the ultimate decision maker.

For instance, if you’re buying a new car, you may include your spouse or partner in viewing and test driving vehicles. But the car dealership is selling to you, the ultimate buyer. The product or service is therefore straightforward: Here’s the car with certain features and the price.

B2B buying gets complex quickly. Usually, B2B products are more complicated.

They require multiple stakeholders to get invested in the process, and they reach across several departments. Consider integrating a new CRM across an enterprise.

That change will affect a lot of employees.

As such, B2B buying happens as a committee effort. The average B2B buying committee has around 11 people, according to Gartner. B2B sellers need to “multi-thread” their deals by working alongside all these interested parties to close the deal.

Decision Making

The differing levels of complexity affect how buying decisions are made.

B2C transactions typically happen quicker. Now, buying a car is usually a multi-week affair. Instead, let’s consider your last trip to the grocery store.

How long did you spend deciding to buy, let’s say, a box of Hamburger Helper? If you’re like the average consumer, that’d be 13 seconds.

These decisions also tend to be more impulsive or emotionally driven. You’re hungry (bonus tip: never shop hungry). And Hamburger Helper sounds delicious. So, you transact and buy a box for dinner.

B2B transactions involve more people and deeper research and consideration. Ergo, they take longer. The typical B2B cycle can run from a few weeks to 3-9 months, depending on what you’re buying. Personally, I’ve seen these decisions take years to fully flesh out.

Because you’re in it for the long haul, B2B buying also relies more on relationships and trust. Buying dinner from the grocery store doesn’t require a nurture cycle. But if I’m trusting a vendor with my enterprise’s new CRM (and potentially hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars), I need to believe they’re the best fit.

Emotions can play a role — you want to like who you’re buying from. But these are often more rational buying decisions, focused on business needs, ROI, and value propositions.

Preferred Research Methods

Perhaps one of the most important differences between B2B and B2C market research is how you acquire data for decision-making. While both types use quantitative and qualitative data, they use that information differently.

For instance, B2C market research is typically more quantitative-driven.

Researchers use consumer surveys and polls to gather information. They want to capture a diverse consumer base, so the number of participants is high.

B2C researchers seek “statistical significance,” which means they received enough responses from consumers to apply their findings across the broader consumer base. The number to reach significance should be about 10% of your target population. For most research, that falls between 100-1,000 respondents.

Conversely, B2B researchers probably dream of convincing 1,000 businesses to respond. Business markets are usually more niche, meaning they have fewer potential respondents for surveys. Plus, business buyers often hold information closer to their chests; they don’t want proprietary data to leak.

B2B market research is therefore more qualitative-driven. Researchers use more in-depth surveys, prospect interviews, and focus groups to gather intelligence.

They’ll target questions to get to the real meat of the matter. What are the deepest pain points? And what do leaders need and want to solve it?

You’ll also see researchers place greater weight on responses based on a respondent’s influence over a final decision. The CEO’s answers will mean more than the Marketing Manager’s.

If you’re struggling to get high-quality information from your B2B sources, hear what B2B International has to say.

And, if you’re craving more about the B2B/B2C split and how B2B buyers view the market, see our latest data-packed research report on B2B buyers.

Benefits of B2B Market Research

Conducting market research should deliver a lot of benefits. But which ones can help companies the most right now?

To answer this, I talked with Theresa Goodwin. She’s the CEO of Boldthink, a brand consultancy. Goodwin shared several benefits recent clients have received from B2B market research.

1. Expanded Market Reach and Growth

Regular research helps your company grow: professional services marketing firm Hinge found companies that conduct B2B market research at least quarterly grow up to 70% faster and are almost 50% more profitable than firms that don’t.

You can also reach new markets or expand into current ones with good research.

One of Goodwin’s clients wanted research into their employer brand and how to use it to attract more clients and employees. Through primary and secondary research, Goodwin’s company helped the business redevelop their employer brand, gaining market share within talent pools.

2. More Effective Outreach

Market research also helps you talk to the right companies and people for growing your business.

For instance, Goodwin’s client saw a surge in applications from qualified talent who aligned with the company’s values.

“By connecting with the right talent, they didn’t just hire more people, they hired people who wanted to stick around,” she said.

3. Increased Brand Engagement

Across digital and physical channels, Goodwin’s client saw more people interact with their brand. What’s more, employees began advocating for the brand. They actively shared their brand experiences — further attracting like-minded talent.

4. Streamlined Operations

It’s easy to overlook internal benefits. But, the process of understanding buyers and the market can help standardize operational needs.

“The new materials we developed made things like RFPs and proposals more efficient for their internal team,” Goodwin shared. The client could do more thanks to a clear understanding of their business and positioning.

B2B Market Research Methods

A good B2B market research report will use primary and secondary sources and quantitative and qualitative data to develop insights. How do you get that information? I’ll cover some of the most common research methods below.

1. Surveys

A B2B survey should gather crucial information on your potential buyers like:

• Company profile.
• Needs and challenges.
• Product or service use.
• Decision-making process.
• Details and perceptions on the industry.

B2B surveys don’t need the same level of statistical significance that B2C surveys require. But, you do need enough business leaders to respond.

You can expect a response rate for a B2B survey between 10-30%. Make sure you reach out to a lengthy list of potential respondents to gather sufficient data.

2. Interviews

Use customer interviews to collect highly detailed qualitative information. You can handle this process within focus groups or individual interviews.

You can get a lot of great info from interviews, but you don’t have as much control over the process. Customers can go off on tangents or wander into unexpected territory. Goodwin says that can be a good thing.

“Embrace the messiness of the process,” she said.

“Not every conversation will go as planned, and sometimes unexpected insights will pop up that challenge your assumptions. Be ready to pivot and adjust your approach as you go. Flexibility is key and sometimes the best insights come from the conversations you didn’t anticipate.”

3. Competitor Analyses

Know where your company sits in relation to your competitors. Price, product features, and customer support are all differentiators your buyers will care about.

Also evaluate more qualitative elements like competitors’ marketing portfolios and value propositions to get a better sense of who they are and what makes you unique.

Pro tip: Generative AI can help collect and crunch competitor data to produce a solid competitive analysis. Tools like ChatGPT can parse through publicly available documentation and uncover new insights into competitors.

4. Digital Marketing Analysis

Review publicly available information online about your industry, competitors, and potential buyers. Everybody is posting something, so look into some of the most common places:

• Social media like Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
• Websites hosted by competitors and buyers.
• Aggregate sites like G2 that provide public data on products and services.

Pay close attention to engagement on social media (i.e., How many likes did your competitor’s latest posts generate?). Also, if you have access to SEO research tools, dig into keyword use. Google Trends offers a fine top-level place to begin.

5. Pilot Programs

If you’re launching or revamping a product or service, offer pilots to current or potential customers. You can gather significant amounts of data — especially qualitative data and valuable testimonials.

Don’t forget to interview program participants after their pilot ends.

Pro tip: If you’re ready to get going with any of these research methods, or want to dig deeper into market research how-tos, our market research guide can help.

When you’re ready to start B2B market research, follow these steps to prepare you and your organization for success.

Step 1: Define research objectives.

If you want solid insights at the end, lay a good foundation at the beginning, and clearly define what you’re seeking to accomplish with your B2B market research.

Think of objectives like:

• Understanding market size.
• Identifying customer needs.
• Analyzing competitors’ strategies.

You won’t know what the result will look like yet, but establish objectives to begin.

Step 2: Set target audience.

Build the boundaries for who you want to respond to your research outreach.

Filters could include:

• Geographic location.
• Industry type, including niche options.
• Company size and makeup.
• Leadership level for ideal respondents (e.g., VP of Marketing or CMO).

A target audience with these types of boundaries will help you capture an accurate slice of your larger market.

Step 3: Conduct primary and secondary research.

Depending on your objectives and target audience, start digging into available data. Secondary research like industry publications, public data sets, and reports from government agencies and market research firms offer ample information.

If you want to get specific, however, include primary research, too. Surveys and interviews can provide a qualitative boost to your research.

Pro tip: Explore HubSpot’s list of market research tools to help you gather data and analyze for insights.

Step 4: Assess success metrics and insights.

See how the information you gathered fits into your objectives. Did you capture the right kinds of data? How did it match up to your goals? What did it all reveal?

Qualitative data can offer a big boon to your business. Goodwin and her team share this fact with clients.

“I measure the success of a B2B market research project by the insights it brings to the table,” Goodwin said.

“Success isn’t just about confirming what we already know — it’s about uncovering something new. Did we have that ‘aha’ moment? Did we find the answers to our core questions that validate or challenge our assumptions? If the research leads to actionable insights that inform strategy or drive decisions, then it’s been successful.”

Conducting My Own B2B Market Research

When I’m building B2B market research plans, I lean on a few tips to remember during the process. I also asked Goodwin for some of her feedback on running these programs.

Foster comfortable, engaging interview environments.

In the past, I did a lot of thought leadership development, which included acting as a journalist. I’d interview subject matter experts and transform their ideas into actionable insights. You want that kind of journalistic flair when you run research interviews.

Goodwin elaborates on this point: “Asking people for specifics encourages them to go beyond surface-level responses and makes the conversation more personal and relevant to them,” she said.

“This allows you to dive deeper and get insights you may not have otherwise gotten from just asking one question. Plus, it helps them feel more comfortable knowing there isn’t a right or wrong answer because it’s all about their unique perspective.”

Pro tip: Goodwin also cites “Buyer Personas” by Adele Revella as a fantastic guide for preparing and running top-notch buyer interviews. “It taught me how to structure my conversations, dig deeper, and make interviews feel more natural rather than scripted,” she said.

Proactively handle organizational impatience.

Doing great research takes time. There’s lots of ground to cover when planning objectives, conducting research, and compiling results.

During this process, people can get antsy. Leaders may expect results sooner than you’re ready (or able) to share. Everyone wants juicy insights, but you have to earn them.

Goodwin sometimes sees this impatience with her clients and has developed her own approach to that conversation.

“My favorite saying is, ‘We have to slow down to speed up,’ and I use it every time I explain my market research process. Rushing through research can lead to costly do-overs later, so investing time upfront saves resources in the long run,” she said.

“When clients understand this, they see the value in letting the process unfold. If a client insists on moving quickly, I set clear expectations and explain that insights will be limited and could impact the strategy’s effectiveness. That way, they understand what they’re sacrificing for speed.”

Develop Your B2B Market Research Acumen Today

B2B market research requires diligence, patience, an eye for detail, and a keen interest in understanding data and relationships. When leadership wants answers yesterday, all of this can feel overwhelming.

But, conducting market research can be an enlightening experience. You hear directly from customers and prospects. And you can lead fascinating conversations that take unexpected but interesting turns.

All in all, B2B market research can be fun.

With the many tools and techniques available online, you can start conducting deep research into your target market, audience, and potential business customers.

Set two or three targeted research objectives and start seeking the unexpected today.

The post Conducting B2B Market Research – Tips & Lessons Learned appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

Understanding CMS: What It Is & Why You Should Care

When I first started exploring website-building options, I quickly encountered a flurry of acronyms: SEO, FTP, SERP, CDN, and CMS.

It felt like learning a new language. I kept seeing ‘CMS’ pop up everywhere, so I dove deeper into understanding it.

What I found was encouraging: a CMS, or content management system, is a tool that lets you build and manage a website without needing coding skills.

With over 80 million websites already using a CMS, it’s a reliable solution for those of us who want to build a website but have limited technical skills.

In this post, I‘ll share what I’ve learned in my journey with CMS platforms, breaking down the concepts that initially confused me into simple, practical explanations.

When I started using a CMS, I was amazed at what I could do without any coding knowledge. I could create and publish content through what felt like a familiar word processor interface.

Instead of wrestling with code, I found I could simply download templates to change how my site looked, and add extensions to get new features — kind of like installing apps on a phone.

What surprised me was how multiple team members could work on the site at the same time without getting in each other’s way. I remember wondering, “How does all of this work behind the scenes?”

If you‘re curious like I was, let me break down what I’ve learned about how a CMS operates.

How a CMS Works

To understand how a CMS works, you first have to understand what it’s like to build a site from scratch.

You’d start with HTML to add text, images, navigation bars, and other building blocks of a site. Then you’d add CSS to style those elements to match the unique look and feel of your brand.

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You’d finish up by writing some JavaScript to add more advanced functionality to your site, like slide-in CTAs. Then you’d have to upload this HTML file to your server to be filed away in your database.

Whenever you want to make changes — even simple ones like updating content — you have to download files from the server, open them, and change the HTML code by hand. Then you‘ll have to make sure you didn’t break any links or something else before uploading the files back to the server.

Sounds complicated, yes? For developers and other advanced users with experience in website development, building a site from scratch might be ideal.

But for those who don’t have the coding skills or time and resources to build a site from scratch and maintain it, they can use a CMS.

Let’s talk about how.

How To Use a CMS

A CMS combines two core parts: a content management application (CMA) and a content delivery application (CDA).

I like to think of these as the engine under the hood — they manage all the code, database queries, and infrastructure in the back end while I focus on creating content.

Rather than start with a blank HTML page, I open the content editor where I can bold text, add links and CTAs, and insert images and tables by dragging and dropping modules or clicking a few buttons — no HTML, CSS, or JavaScript coding needed.

Let me show you how I create a blog post using WordPress.

To make other changes on my site, like changing the permalink structure or installing extensions, I just navigate to the appropriate section in my admin panel.

This is the CMA in action: all these changes happen in an intuitive interface that hides the code from me. (I remember how relieved I felt when I first discovered I wouldn’t have to touch any code to make these adjustments.)

When I’m done making changes, the CDA takes the content I entered into the CMA, assembles the code, displays it to my front-end visitors, and stores it.

That means when I want to publish a new blog post, for example, I just hit the “Publish” button instead of manually uploading a page to my server. No more complicated file management — something I don’t miss.

Now that I’ve shown you what a CMS is, how it works, and how to use it, let’s explore the benefits of using one over building a site from scratch or using another website-building tool.

Why use a CMS?

I‘ve already alluded to some benefits of using a CMS, but let’s look at some specific ways it can impact your set-up process, team productivity, and visibility online.

1. No Coding Knowledge Required

As someone who started with zero coding knowledge, I’ve seen firsthand how CMS systems have revolutionized web design for non-developers and other users.

The days of relying on web developers and designers to establish an online presence for your business are gone.

You can create and manage content, customize the design of your site, and install extensions to add functionality to your site — all without coding.

Most platforms do allow you to add custom code for more granular control over your site, too. While I haven‘t needed it yet, it’s helpful to have this option.

Whether you’re starting fresh or you’re someone like me with limited technical resources and time, you can still build a powerful website for your business.

2. Easy Collaboration

Multiple users can access and work in the back end of a CMS at the same time. I find this collaboration capability valuable for teams of any size.

That means on any given day, your marketers can be producing content, your IT professionals implementing security protocols, and your developers adding custom code to your theme.

I’ve seen how this eliminates the bottlenecks that used to happen when only one person could make changes at a time. In fact, they could all be working on the same landing page.

In short, a CMS can help improve workflows and productivity across your team. I’ve found this especially true when coordinating updates across different departments.

Pro tip: HubSpot offers a free CMS tool which is perfect for those looking for a CMS that can grow with them as they scale their businesses.

3. User Roles and Permissions

A CMS allows you to collaborate as efficiently and safely as possible, thanks to built-in (and often customizable) user roles and permissions.

I’ve found this especially helpful when working with different team members — no more worrying about someone accidentally breaking the site.

That means content writers, for example, can have all the permissions they need to write, publish, and manage content, but they won‘t be able to delete plugins or otherwise significantly alter the site’s functionality.

When I set up these permissions for my team, it gave me peace of mind knowing that each person had access to exactly what they needed and nothing more.

Here’s a look at the User Role Editor in WordPress.

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Without a CMS, you’d have to code some pretty complicated conditions and checks to create user roles and permissions in JavaScript.

4. SEO Features and Extensions

CMS platforms offer built-in features as well as add-ons to help you optimize your site for search engines.

Using built-in or third party tools, you can:

• Customize page titles and meta descriptions
• Choose SEO-friendly URL structures
• Create XML sitemaps
• Add image alt text
• Create 301 redirects
• Include breadcrumb navigation
• Optimize page load times

Implementing these best practices will help improve your chances of ranking on Google and other major search engines.

5. Security Features and Extensions

CMS platforms also offer built-in features and add-ons to help you secure your site. Some even offer a dedicated security team.

Content Hub, for example, provides an enterprise-class web application firewall, SSL, custom CDN, SSO memberships, and and other out-of-the-box features.

6. Predesigned Templates

Most CMS platforms come with a selection of predesigned templates you can use to quickly customize the appearance of your site.

I discovered these templates do more than just change how your site looks — they can include built-in features like navigation menus that collapse on mobile devices, image sliders that respond to swipe gestures, or contact forms that validate input automatically.

Choosing a responsive template, for example, will ensure your site looks good on any device without requiring you to write a bunch of code. I learned this the hard way after initially trying to make my site mobile-friendly without a template.

Not only do templates save you design time before launching your site, but they can also make a website redesign much faster and simpler down the road — something I really appreciate when it‘s time to refresh the site’s look.

Webflow is just one CMS that offers hundreds of responsive templates. I’ve found their selection particularly impressive for beginners and experienced users alike.

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7. Simple Updates

As I mentioned earlier, a CMS enables you to make changes on your site faster and easier — from major updates, like a website redesign, to minor updates, like changing the image on your home page.

Before using a CMS, I had to either hire a freelance developer or struggle with coding. Now you can simply go into the dashboard of your CMS to update and edit the content of your website.

I love how this makes it practical to keep your content dynamic and relevant. I can update images, text, or layouts within minutes instead of hours.

8. Blogging Functionality

Blogging offers a range of benefits, particularly to businesses.

From my experience exploring different marketing strategies, I’ve seen how it helps drive traffic to your website, convert traffic into leads, establish authority through thought leadership, and generate backlinks.

However, building a blog from scratch is difficult and a major advantage of using a CMS is that most provide built-in blogging functionality (or extensions) so it’s easy to start creating and publishing blog content and reaping the benefits.

I found this particularly valuable since I could focus on writing content instead of wrestling with technical setups.

9. Content Scheduling

Scheduling content is essential to any editorial strategy.

When building a site from scratch, I learned that you can schedule content, but it will require a combination of coding and tools like GitHub. This complexity initially made me hesitant about maintaining a consistent content calendar.

With a CMS, scheduling content is as easy as clicking a button. I was relieved to discover that most platforms allow you to schedule more than just blog posts, too.

With Content Hub, for example, you can schedule blog posts as well as website pages, landing pages, and emails. This is a feature I find invaluable for planning content ahead of time.

Here‘s a look at the scheduling tab within HubSpot’s blog editor.

10. Easy Access

With a CMS platform, you can access and edit your site on virtually any device with an internet connection.

That’s much easier than the alternative of building a site from scratch, which requires you to be on a device connected to the server or connect remotely.

Plus, most CMS systems have a single dashboard or control panel where you can access your site’s content, theme, plugins, settings, and more — all in one place.

7 Factors to Consider When Selecting a CMS

If your site is growing, you may need to upgrade to a CMS to meet your needs.

To help you choose the best CMS for your goals, here are seven things to consider when selecting a CMS.

Whether you’re focused on scalability, ease of use, or seamless integrations, keeping these key factors in mind will ensure you find a platform that supports both your current and future needs.

1. Avoid vendor lock-in.

I‘ve learned firsthand how frustrating it can be when you’re stuck with a CMS that no longer meets your needs.

Start by documenting everything about your current setup — things like your content structure, workflows, and how data moves through your system.

Then create a detailed checklist to evaluate potential vendors, paying special attention to contract terms and how easy it is to get your content out if needed.

I always recommend keeping ownership of crucial assets like domains and SSL certificates, and storing your custom code in a separate system you control.

Set up regular backups, too — trust me, you’ll thank yourself later if you ever need to make a quick exit.

2. Set clear objectives.

Before diving into any CMS platform, gather your key team members for a thorough discovery session. I find it helpful to map out exactly how content flows through your organization from creation to publishing.

Document your current process and identify what‘s working and what isn’t. Create a detailed requirements list that covers must-have features, technical needs, and where you see yourself growing in the next few years.

Set realistic goals and timelines, and make sure to prioritize your needs into must-haves versus nice-to-haves to keep the project focused.

3. Test before you commit.

Before committing to a CMS, thoroughly test your options to avoid costly regrets down the line.

Dan McGaw, founder of McGaw & Analytics and former CMO of Kissmetrics, warns that “the mistake everybody makes” is rushing into a purchase too soon.

“They get a tool and they‘re like, ‘I’m so excited, let’s buy it,’” McGaw says. Instead, he advises, “Research and figure out what tools are going to work, consider all the factors that you have, and then choose … but don’t buy it.”

During this trial period, involve your content creators in real-world scenarios and workflows that match your day-to-day operations.

Throw in complex workflows and edge cases; these will often reveal limitations you might miss in a simple test. Check how responsive the vendor’s support team is to your inquiries — it’s a valuable preview of their ongoing support quality.

Finally, calculate the total cost, including training and maintenance, to avoid any unwelcome expenses later.

4. Look at integration capabilities.

Think of your CMS as part of a larger ecosystem. Start by mapping out every system it needs to talk to — your CRM, analytics tools, and marketing automation platforms.

Work closely with your IT team to check compatibility and security requirements.

I’ve found it helpful to create detailed specifications for each connection, including how often data needs to sync and what happens if something goes wrong. Build a roadmap that prioritizes your most critical integrations first.

Always keep an eye on the future. Your technology needs will likely grow, so make sure your CMS can grow with you.

5. Prioritize data quality and management.

Having clean, organized data makes everything easier down the line. Before you launch, set up clear rules for how content should be structured and tagged.

Mason Yu, Growth Marketing Lead at MarketerHire, emphasizes the importance of flexibility in your content management system:

“Ensure the CMS is flexible to allow for reusable components and data. Inevitably, things such as pricing, publish dates and brand images change frequently so it’s important that you’re able to modify and implement such changes with agility.”

I recommend setting up automated checks to catch common mistakes before content goes live. Schedule regular audits to keep everything tidy. The key is making data management part of your routine, not a one-time cleanup project.

Pro tip: Create straightforward guidelines for your team — think of style guides and data entry procedures that anyone can follow.

6. Stay flexible with architecture.

Think of your content system like building blocks — the more modular, the better. Document how all your content pieces fit together, and create clear boundaries between different components.

This makes it much easier to swap things out later if needed. I’ve found that taking a headless or decoupled approach gives you the most flexibility. Keep detailed documentation of any custom components you build.

Pro tip: Create a roadmap for how you might need to evolve in the future. The goal is to build a system that can adapt as your needs change.

7. Analyze cost efficiency and rollout.

Start by analyzing which features will give you the most immediate value.

Create a realistic implementation plan spanning 12-18 months — rushing rarely saves money in the long run. Begin with core functionality that delivers clear business benefits.

Track your success metrics carefully to justify further investment. I always recommend keeping some budget in reserve for unexpected needs or opportunities.

Review system usage regularly and don‘t be afraid to cut features that aren’t delivering value. The key is staying flexible — scale up when things are working well, and scale back if they’re not.

After carefully evaluating your needs and considering the factors above, you‘re ready to explore specific CMS options.

I’ve found through countless implementations that no single platform works for everyone — what powers a startup blog shouldn’t necessarily run an enterprise website.

Let’s unpack eight popular CMS platform examples to discover which might be the best fit for your needs.

1. Content Hub

Ideal for: Any-sized businesses

Price: Starts at $15/mo/seat

What I like about Content Hub: With Content Hub, you can build websites that are secure, powerful, and optimized for search engines.

When reviewing the platform’s documentation, I was impressed by how using this all-in-one connected platform, you can create personalized content for visitors based on data from your HubSpot CRM, create custom templates and styles, run A/B tests on multi-language content, safely redesign and relaunch web pages, view performance analytics, and much more.

From my analysis, I can see why this proprietary CMS is ideal for businesses with diverse teams of marketers, developers, and IT professionals who are looking to grow over time.

Learn more about Content Hub’s customization options, multi-lingual support, reporting dashboards, and more.

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2. WordPress

Ideal for: Small businesses and freelancers

Price: Estimated between $30 to $3,000

What I like about WordPress: WordPress is a self-hosted platform that powers millions of sites. When reviewing its features, I learned that you can easily and quickly build a WordPress site using the Gutenberg editor and then customize it with any of the thousands of plugins and themes available in the official WordPress directory or other third-party sites.

When looking into its customization options, I was impressed to find that whether you want to add forms and live chat to your site or want a theme that comes with a built-in visual builder and split testing, leveraging WordPress plugins and themes like these, you can create a unique experience specific to your brand

3. Joomla

Ideal for: Global companies

Price: Estimated between $700 to $6,500

What I like about Joomla: I’ve found that site owners looking for more functionality built right into the platform may try a WordPress alternative like Joomla.

Like WordPress, Joomla is an open-source CMS, but what impressed me about it is its built-in multilingual support and advanced user and content management options.

These features make it ideal for membership, community, and social networking sites. I particularly like how UIDAI uses Joomla to power their multilingual website as a prime example.

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4. Drupal

Ideal for: Corporations and government agencies

Price: Estimated between $5,000 to $20,000

What I like about Drupal: I found Drupal to be a highly flexible CMS, and I can see why it’s favored by large corporations and government agencies like NASA.

One important note I discovered in my research: while you will need web development experience to fully leverage the power of this platform, you won’t have to start from scratch.

The scale of available resources impressed me the most. In addition to its out-of-the-box features, you can choose among 47,000 modules available in its directory and thousands of free themes in its theme repository.

Looking at sites like Rush University Medical Center’s website, I can see how these tools enable building complex sites that handle large volumes of data and heavy traffic.

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5. Magento Open Source

Ideal for: Ecommerce businesses

Price: Estimated at $15,000 and up

What I like about Magento: After diving into ecommerce platforms, I’d describe the self-hosted version of Magento, known as Magento OpenSource, as the Drupal of the ecommerce world.

In my experience researching various platforms, I‘ve found it’s highly flexible and secure, though I should note it’s difficult to learn and take advantage of all its built-in functionality and extensions.

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What excites me most about Magento is its powerful capabilities: with it, you can manage multiple stores, use several worldwide shipping providers, and transact in different countries, languages, and currencies — all within the same dashboard.

From my analysis, I believe if you have the time and resources to invest in set-up and maintenance, you’ll be able to build an online store with a huge product inventory and global reach.

6. Webflow

Ideal for: Web designers and agencies

Price: $15 – $235 per month

What I like about Webflow: I’ve come to understand why Webflow is such a unique “visual” content management system. It’s designed to fill a market gap for web designers who want to focus on creating and customizing sites without worrying about hosting, security, or performance.

What I appreciate about Webflow is its flexibility: you can start with one of the hundreds of pre-built templates or start from scratch using the Webflow Designer shown below.

Webflow is a “visual” content management system designed to fill a market gap for web designers who want to focus on creating and customizing sites without worrying about hosting, security, or performance.

With Webflow, you can start with one of the hundreds of pre-built templates or start from scratch using the Webflow Designer shown below.

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I’m particularly impressed by how you can extend the functionality of your site through third-party integrations or embedding HTML code.

Based on my research, since it requires at least some knowledge of HTML, CSS, and web design, Webflow is best suited for freelancer designers or agencies.

7. Ghost

Ideal for: Bloggers

Price: $9 – $2,400 per month

What I like about Ghost: Among all the complex CMS platforms I’ve researched, I find Ghost refreshingly different. If you‘re looking for a simple and lightweight CMS dedicated to blogging, I believe it’s a great option. What fascinates me about Ghost is its headless CMS architecture, which means that its body (the content repository) is separated from its head (the presentation layer).

I’m impressed by how this allows you to create and manage content and then deliver that content via their Node.js APIs (or another front-end tool you prefer) to any platform and channel, from smartwatches to virtual reality headsets.

After examining its features, I can see why. With an intuitive editor and built-in SEO tools, Ghost appeals to bloggers and beginners who want a basic site that’s simple to create and manage.

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8. Sitecore

Ideal for: Enterprise companies

Price: Must contact company for pricing info

What I like about Sitecore: I found Sitecore particularly powerful — it’s an enterprise-level headless CMS that enables you to create and deliver personalized websites, emails, social media posts, and mobile experiences.

What impresses me most is how you can use its WYSIWYG editor with drag-and-drop functionality, session- and device-based personalization rules, and multilingual tools.

This will help you scale your content creation and deliver content that‘s optimized to your users’ interests, language, and device.

I‘m particularly struck by how, thanks to Sitecore’s headless architecture, you can provide these relevant customer experiences across multiple channels, including web, social, voice, point of sale, and more.

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The platform’s reach amazes me — this CMS powers more than 120,000 websites in industries ranging from sports to banking to travel and more.

Looking at their client list, I can see why major brands trust it — some of its biggest users are American Express, ASOS, L’Oréal, and Volvo Cars.

Choosing Your CMS: Balance Potential with Practical Needs

While exploring CMS platforms for this article, I was amazed by how these systems have evolved from simple website builders to comprehensive content management solutions. Each platform offers unique capabilities, from basic blogging to enterprise-level features.

My favorite among the platforms I investigated was Content Hub. I was particularly impressed by how it integrates essential features like security, content scheduling, and team collaboration into one intuitive interface.

I found the balance between simplicity and functionality particularly valuable. As someone who started with minimal technical knowledge, I appreciate how a CMS lets me maintain creative control while handling the complex technical aspects behind the scenes.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how CMS platforms address common website management challenges I‘ve faced, like content updates and team collaboration.

The time saved from not having to code or coordinate with developers has been substantial — a benefit I hadn’t fully appreciated when I first started.

I’ve learned that a CMS does more than just make website management accessible—it transforms how teams collaborate, how content is published, and how businesses grow online.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2010 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

The post What Is a CMS & Why It Matters for Your Website appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

Shaping Tomorrow is a groundbreaking video podcast that showcases deaf professionals and has deaf creatives at the heart of its production.

A new video podcast series aimed at amplifying the voices of deaf professionals in the creative, sports, and entertainment industries has just been launched by UK social enterprise Hear Art.

Titled Shaping Tomorrow, this is the first deaf-led video podcast of its kind and has been created with a 90% deaf production team. Each of its four episodes explores the career journeys of deaf professionals, uncovering the challenges they’ve faced and how the landscape has evolved over time.

The first episode is exclusively available on YouTube, with the rest to be released every two weeks. At the start of November, each episode will follow on Spotify, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.

Architecture To Acting

Episode one sees designer and entrepreneur Wayne Hemingway MBE have an open and honest conversation with deaf architect Christopher Laing about their comparative experiences and journeys through the same industry. Christopher speaks of the limitations faced by deaf architects and founding the DAF (Deaf Architecture Front) and its support for young people looking to follow in his footsteps.

Episode two sees make-up artist Caroline Barnes sit down with deaf make-up artist Nicky Weir. The two chat about how being profoundly deaf yet incredibly visual helped Nicky on her journey. She also discusses how ruthless the make-up world can be for deaf people and what improvements can be made to how things currently work.

“When I started out, people would laugh at how I speak and tell me, ‘Nicky, get that phone’, knowing that I can’t because I won’t be able to hear,” she says. “I think people just need to be more supportive, have a bit of understanding, encourage us to actually get into the industry, and be welcomed into the industry. I want to pass the baton on to those who really want to do this without the hurdles.”

In episode three, deaf mountaineer Michael Woods chats to adventurer and solo expeditionist James Aiken about the obstacles he faces in achieving his dream of climbing Mount Everest. He discusses the hardship of navigation during mountain climbing when you need to sign BSL in foggy conditions, read it with a headlight in your face, or call 999 in case of an emergency.

Episode four sees actress Maxine Peake speak to deaf actress Sophie Stone, who was always told that she wouldn’t be able to make a living as a deaf actor. But even when she proved them wrong and forged a career in the profession, she was always given subdued roles and deaf characters, whilst she longed to have roles full of life. She chats about learning how to speak for different roles, her doubts about herself, and the fact that she has to work twice as hard as her peers.

“I wanted to play hearing roles, scripts that didn’t necessarily have a deaf storyline, characters that fall in love, have an amazing sex life, or gun down loads of people, hold up a bank or whatever,” she explains. “I was never given those roles. I was given the vulnerable, sad, the pathetic, the lonely, the weak woman. I was fed up with that. I was given the subserving roles, the roles to be pitied, and I was really frustrated throughout that time.”

Supporting Creative Talent

An award-winning Community Interest Company (CIC), Hear Art was co-founded in 2020 by visual artist, producer, and academic Cindy Sasha and TV actress and writer Rachel Shenton, who won an Oscar for her short film The Silent Child in 2018. Both have deaf family members and want to support the creative talents within the deaf community.

Hear Art has already successfully produced four deaf-led short films that gained commercial success in the short film festival circuit and saw podcasting as the next step. The organization was the first to introduce the 50% deaf and 50% hearing crew/cast employment model in the TV and film industry, improving employment and commercial opportunities for deaf creatives.

The Shaping Tomorrow video podcast is fully accessible to all deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. It features inclusive British Sign Language (BSL), captions/subtitles, and complete transcripts to ensure an engaging and inclusive experience for all.

“Podcasts offer an alternative way to access information and storytelling,” says producer Cindy Sasha. “I realized how podcasts are exclusively hearing experiences, so I created and produced an inclusive video podcast for everyone to enjoy and be inspired by deaf voices and stories.”

Neglected Voices

Sam Arnold, recently a producer on the award-winning film Name Me Lawand, brought together the crew for the podcast. “I know that many talented deaf voices have been neglected or overlooked by all industries,” he explains. “Cindy and I shared the same vision to create a platform for them.

“As a deaf director, I am passionate about enhancing the video podcast experience to immerse deaf and hearing viewers,” he adds. “It is particularly important for deaf viewers who are disadvantaged and unable to access many podcasts that are audio only or end up watching unengaging shots of two people talking.”

Hear Art co-founder Rachel Shenton says, “Shaping Tomorrow’s conversations is so exciting as it’s our first independent venture. As ever, we are committed to encouraging the deaf and hearing communities to work together and learn from each other, and these conversations are a perfect way of doing that.”

The post New Video Podcast Launches To Support & Empower Deaf Creatives appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

The Ultimate Guide to Media Planning: Strategies, Types, and Best Practices

Effective media planning is crucial for any business to succeed today.

Media content — images, videos, written content, and podcasts — keeps you top-of-mind with your target audience and helps you stand out from competitors by ensuring your brand remains visible and engaging.

That’s why I always advise clients to create and share fresh media content.

However, keeping track of, planning, distributing, and analyzing all your media content can take time and effort. Effective media planning helps you manage these tasks efficiently and maintain a strong presence.

Media planning has many moving parts, making it tricky to master.

However, by following the right media planning steps and using media planning templates, you can simplify the process and tackle any challenges that come your way.

Types of Media Plans

Choosing the right type of media plan depends on your campaign goals, budget, and the nature of your product or service. But before all that, you need to understand the different types of media plans.

Continuous Media Plan

A continuous media plan involves a steady run of ads over a period. This is best for products or services that aren’t seasonal and need constant consumer reminders. Think: toothpaste or soap.

The idea is to ensure frequent exposure that keeps your brand top-of-mind all year.

Flighting Media Plan

A flighting media plan alternates periods of advertising with periods of no advertising. Consequently, this facilitates high-intensity exposure during crucial periods, creating urgency and anticipation that leads to more revenue.

Contrary to continuous media plans, it’s perfect for seasonal products or services with fluctuating demand. For example, a company selling holiday decorations might heavily advertise before the holiday season and stop afterward.

However, you need to know your brand‘s peak times. Use tools like HubSpot’s marketing analytics software to analyze sales data across multiple marketing channels and accordingly adjust your flighting periods for optimal results.

Pulsing Media Plan

A pulsing media plan combines continuous and flighting plans, maintaining a steady baseline level of advertising with periods of increased intensity.

I like this approach for two reasons: (1) it balances budget efficiency with sustained brand awareness in key markets, and (2) it’s flexible and adaptable to changing market conditions.

Seasonal Media Plan

A seasonal media plan focuses on specific times of the year when a product or service is most relevant. This type maximizes impact by aligning with peak demand periods, creating strong associations with specific seasons or events, and being budget-friendly by targeting high-relevance periods.

For example, a travel company can use seasonal media plans to promote its vacation packages. It can focus advertising efforts during winter and summer, leveraging seasonal themes and promotions to make its campaigns more appealing and relevant.

Roadblock Media Plan

A roadblock media plan places ads on multiple media channels simultaneously to maximize reach and impact. For example, when launching a new product, you can run the same ad on TV, radio, online, and social media to quickly generate buzz.

Think of it as synchronizing ads across various platforms — you create a strong, unified message that captures attention and encourages immediate response. However, this approach requires careful planning and coordination to ensure everything runs smoothly and effectively.

Drip Media Plan

A drip media plan steadily releases content or ads, just like a slow, constant drip. This approach is perfect for educational campaigns or nurturing leads over time.

For instance, in an email marketing campaign for a B2B software company, we used a drip media plan. We sent out valuable emails over several weeks, each tailored to address specific pain points and needs. This way, every touchpoint added value and brought prospects closer to a purchase decision.

The goal was to keep our audience engaged with regular, helpful content. Over time, we built relationships and trust, which ultimately led to conversions.

Benefits of Media Planning

Media planning aids with parts of content creation and distribution, including:

• Getting to know your target audience on a deeper level so you can effectively reach them through your media content.
• Deciding on which media channels and platforms you’ll share your content.
• Determining the timing and frequency of the media and content you publish and share
• Keeping up with the latest media trends and technology.
• Sticking to your budget as you work to create, publish, and share high-quality and engaging media content.
• Conducting analyses to measure the success of your media planning process.

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of media planning, let’s review the steps in the media planning process so you can begin developing a strategy for your business.

As you work through the steps in media planning, keep in mind that how your business applies the results and conclusions derived from each step will be unique based on your audience and needs.

1. Conduct market research.

The first thing I do when developing a media planning process is conduct market research. This step allows me to tailor the content and the media plan to my target audience and customers.

Start by creating and studying your buyer personas. You need to understand who your target audience and current customers are.

Then, with this information, determine what media will reach, resonate with, and convert your audience best. Additionally, select the platforms and channels you’ll use to publish and share your content.

Featured Resource: HubSpot’s Market Research Kit + Templates

Download the Kit

2. State your media planning objective.

Next, I always keep a clear goal in mind.

This helps me navigate the process effectively and guides me in deciding which content types and platforms to focus on.

Having specific goals allows me to confidently say “no” to options that don’t align with my campaign’s objectives.

Here are some examples of media planning objectives you may have:

• Strengthen cross-team collaboration (e.g., content, graphic design, animation, video, blog, social media) while creating and sharing media.
• Enhance and streamline the publication and distribution processes for all media.
• Improve media distribution timeline to ensure our content is shared efficiently so it’s relevant to our target audience.
• Amplify the success of our media content by allowing for ample time to analyze its impact and reach our audience.

For instance, let’s say you’re planning your social media content for Facebook and Instagram. Your goal can be to streamline the content creation process and schedule your posts ahead of time.

This way, you can ensure your content is always relevant and engaging, keeping your brand top of mind.

3. Create your media plan using a template.

Now, it’s time to make your media plan.

I’ve learned that it’s not enough to simply plan and then assume everyone else is on the same page. You need to outline your strategy through a detailed media plan. When you do this, you ensure alignment within your team and keep all parties accountable.

Some media plans can also serve as standalone strategies that detail how brands plan to leverage media — written, video, audio, etc. — to connect with followers and customers.

Media planning templates are invaluable in staying efficient and effective while working on all aspects of media content. They help keep everything organized while publishing and sharing it with your audience.

Given the variety of templates available for different types and parts of the media planning process, the templates you incorporate will be unique to your business. Don’t be afraid to experiment with or combine different templates.

When one of HubSpot’s clients needed to create a media plan for Facebook and Instagram, our team implemented a social media calendar template for them.

This type of template helped coordinate content across both channels, boost engagement, and improve productivity among team members.

It ultimately helped our clients achieve their objectives faster.

4. Implement your media plan.

Ensure all parties who should be aware of the plan have the necessary details to help you execute accordingly.

When our team works on media plans, we always share the contact details of the media planning coordinator in our company so that anyone with questions or comments knows exactly who to reach out to.

To get a better understanding, let’s refer back to our example of steps for a social media plan designed for Facebook and Instagram.

When we implemented a social media calendar template as part of our client’s media plan, we made sure everyone involved, whether on the creative team or the publication team, had access to it. This way, everyone was on the same page and could contribute effectively.

5. Evaluate your success.

Whether your media plan revolves around individual posts on Instagram or a month-long, company-wide campaign, it’s crucial to measure its success.

Ask yourself and your team questions like, “How did this media plan help us achieve our specific goals? If it didn’t, why?” and “How did the media planning templates and tools we used add value to our media creation and publication processes? If they didn’t, how do we move forward?”

The way you evaluate your media plan’s success should be directly tied to the specific goals of your business regarding your media content, the teams who create the media, and the value you hope to derive from it (e.g., boosting conversions, engagements, revenue, etc.).

For instance, when reflecting on past campaigns, our team often evaluates whether our social media content plan and calendar template helped the client reach their target audience and achieve their desired objectives.

We also assess whether our media plan boosted engagement on the client’s focused social platforms, constantly seeking ways to collaborate and coordinate more effectively.

Media Planning Strategy Components

There are a few additional things to consider when crafting your media planning strategy.

First, what’s your media planning budget?

Media Planning Budget

If you’re aiming for free media, you can disregard this question. But if part of your media planning involves media buying, sit down with your marketing leadership to understand what funds you have to work with.

Set this budget before researching platforms and creating content. You don‘t want to start formulating a campaign that you can’t afford down the road.

Pro tip: Include the costs of curating and distributing media kits in your budget if you plan on expanding media coverage later. For inspiration, check out our top media kit examples cherry-picked by Ramona Sukhraj, Principal Marketing Manager at HubSpot.

Second, consider the key messaging points you want your media to communicate.

Media Planning Messaging

You don’t have to pre-write all your media content, per se, but I recommend establishing the main themes at the beginning so all media is consistent and on theme.

These messaging points should come from your audience research and will guide your content types and platforms, so nail these down first.

Third, you need the media content for publishing.

Media Scheduling Strategy

A solid media scheduling strategy lets you create content when inspiration strikes and fine-tune your advertising strategy when you’re ready. This saves you time in the long run.

Your scheduling strategy will look different based on the kind of media you’re working on.

For example, timing is everything for social media posts (free or paid ads). You need to schedule your posts based on when your target audience is online, even when that time is inconvenient for you. Thankfully, there are many tools, such as HubSpot’s social media management software, that can help with this.

On the other hand, consistency is key for newsletters and blog posts. You want your audience to be looking forward to your media content, thereby boosting traffic and fostering a community around your brand.

My top tips for your media scheduling strategy include:

• Study your readers and prospects to know when they’re available on specific platforms
• Prepare your content in bulk to avoid any inconveniences, such as delayed deadlines, which will affect your frequency
• Choose the correct automation tools for each platform
• Be consistent—consistency is everything!

With these points in mind, let’s walk through how to create a media plan of your own.

How to Create a Media Plan

1. Target your buyer personas.

As a marketer, you don’t want to advertise to just anyone. You want to attract the type of buyer who is interested in the media you’re creating—otherwise known as your buyer personas.

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

When you know exactly the type of buyer you need to target with your media plan, you can attract the most valuable customers to your business.

When making buyer personas, I often center them around these important attributes:

• Demographics: Age, income, location, or identity
• Background: Job, career path, and lifestyle
• Identifiers: Communication preferences and social media platforms
• Goals: Primary, secondary, personal and professional
• Challenges: Their roadblocks preventing them from achieving their goals

2. Define your SMART goals.

When setting goals for your media plan, use the SMART goals framework (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound). This will help you track progress and achieve greater impact.

Moreover, establishing these goals before starting ensures your media plan has a clear direction for you and your team. It also means you can celebrate your successes when they happen.

Some examples of SMART goal-setting in media planning could look like:

• Specific: “We want to generate a greater number of qualified leads.”
• Measurable: “We want our media plan to gain 2,000 followers across Twitter, Metaverse, and Instagram.”
• Attainable: “We previously reached 70% in customer engagement online over the past quarter, so we’re aiming for 75% in the next.”
• Relevant: “We want to achieve more positive customer engagement to better the brand’s reputation and gain more fans.”
• Time-Bound: “We want our media plan to gain 2,000 followers in the next three months across Twitter, Metaverse, and Instagram.”

Once you’ve determined your goals, start exploring resources that can help you reach them.

3. Find the media planning tools best suited for you.

I‘ll share some fantastic media planning templates for your business later in this post, but first, let’s talk about software tools that can do some of the heavy lifting for you.

To start, HubSpot Marketing Hub is perfect for drafting, planning, scheduling, and collecting conversion analytics. But if you’re looking for more options, check out our list of 15 essential media planning tools for you to use.

4. Analyze historical data.

You have to know where you began before you can start moving forward. I always look back at my previous media planning strategies to analyze their impact and reach.

For example, if your brand is already on Facebook, I’d check the business page insights to see how far we got with the old posting schedule and content. I’d also look at the posts that got the most engagement, the time periods with the highest traffic, and the content that helped turn prospects into customers.

By noting the effective elements of your previous strategy, you can let that drive some of your brainstorming for your new media plan. Think of it as building on past successes.

5. Choose your media mix.

When it comes to choosing your media mix, it’s important to stay informed about the most popular marketing channels, as well as the ones preferred by your buyer personas.

According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report, over 1,400 global marketing professionals believe the marketing channels with the highest ROI are:

• Websites/Blogs
• Social Media
• Email Marketing
• Content Marketing

In my experience, an omnichannel media plan works great to reach your target audience wherever they are. By researching which channels your buyer personas frequent the most and being open to exploring new ones, you can decide on the right mix for your brand.

6. Put your media plan into action.

When working on your media plan, keep an eye on your insights and see how they stack up against your SMART goals. Remember, you can always adjust your plan as needed. Marketing is a dynamic field, and being able to pivot is crucial.

Now that you‘re familiar with creating a plan, let’s look at some resources to make the media planning process easier.

Media Planning Templates

There are plenty of media planning templates available online, both for purchase and for free. What I love about using these templates is how customizable they are; you can tailor them to fit your business’s specific needs and goals.

Depending on the media software your business uses, such as HubSpot’s (free) CRM, Marketing Hub, or Sprout Social, there may already be customizable planning templates included. I’ve often used HubSpot’s templates, which offer a great menu of options to choose from.

Of course, you can also create your own templates using Google Sheets. I’ve done this myself, and it’s a great way to ensure your planning process fits perfectly with your unique workflow.

Whatever method you choose, remember that your media planning templates should evolve as your goals and audience grow. Don’t hesitate to adjust them over time to stay in sync with your business’s changing needs.

Free Media Planning Template [Download Now]

Download This Template

Types of Media Planning Templates

Here’s a list of common media creation and planning templates to get you started. (Click the links to access each template.)

Choose the templates that suit your needs. Remember, there‘s no right or wrong choice—it’s all about what works best for your business.

• Use a media planning template to organize your paid media efforts and expenses in one visual location.
• Use a social media strategy template to align your media content with your audience in a way that provides value for your business.
• Use a social media calendar template to customize a timeline for when you’ll share your social media posts in a simple, organized, manageable, and effective format.
• Use an editorial calendar template to plan and optimize all the marketing content you’ll publish and share, including blogs, social media posts, and campaigns.
• Use a blog post template to simply fill in the blanks and begin writing engaging, relevant, and well-optimized blog content for your audience (all while avoiding writer’s block!).
• Use an ebook design template to take the guesswork out of how to make your ebook professional, eye-catching, and beautiful, all while saving yourself valuable time.
• Use an infographic template in PowerPoint or Illustrator to quickly customize the way you present data, share insights, and promote offers in a way that looks and feels professional.
• Use an analytics and reporting template for Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Drive to make the processes of pulling, organizing, and sharing data simple no matter which metrics you track.
• Use a budget template to manage and review your spending and budget with Excel or Google Sheets.
• Use an advertising template to help you plan and manage advertising campaigns in a way that’s sure to convert audience members into leads and customers.

Media Plan Examples

Although we’ve discussed media planning and even shared a few media planning templates, doing it practically may still pose a challenge. Therefore, I’ve created media plan examples and linked the templates I used for more clarity.

Social Media Plan

When it comes to social media, focus your efforts on the platform where your customers are active. If you’re still figuring that out, it’s fine to experiment with a few platforms to see what works best.

Here’s a sample social media plan inspired by HubSpot’s Social Media Content Template to help you explore multiple platforms.

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Blogging Media Plan

Tracking how often you publish blog content is crucial for monitoring your progress. A blogging media plan can help you manage your writers efficiently, reducing the need for constant email follow-ups about their blog post progress.

Here is a simple example of a blogging media plan you can download from HubSpot.

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PR Media Plan

Creating a PR media plan can be a bit more intensive since it involves coordinating with other organizations. You’ll need to choose the right form of advertisement, gather the necessary resources, and identify key contacts.

In this sample template, I’m only sharing the “reach out” and “content planning” phases. However, the complete template from HubSpot has everything you need, including resource planning. As a bonus, if you’re a beginner, you can even take the free course on PR Media. Check out the complete HubSpot PR Plan template.

We‘ve covered media planning in detail, but there’s another crucial aspect to consider: media buying.

Let’s get into it.

Media Planning vs. Media Buying

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Digital media planning and media buying are closely related and work hand-in-hand. Depending on your business size and budget, the same team members might handle both planning and buying.

So, what makes these processes unique?

Media planning involves deciding which media content to create, publish, and share with your customers and target audience. This media content is all-encompassing and doesn’t always include paid ads and content.

Media buying, on the other hand, is a distinct process focused on purchasing advertising space and time on various platforms. This is where the main difference between media planning and media buying lies.

What is media buying?

Media buying is all about paid media. This means your business buys campaigns or ad space on various channels, pays to share targeted campaigns and ads, or negotiates with media vendors.

While sharing media and reaching your audience for free is possible, effective media planning can still happen without media buying. However, media buying always requires media planning.

Think of it like this: all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares. Media planning sets the tone and direction for the media buying that follows.

Once you’ve purchased ad space or negotiated content distribution, you need a strategy—or a media plan—for delivering that media to your audience and customers.

If you don’t have an in-house media planner, you’ll need to consider hiring one to help you with the campaigns. But what exactly does a media planner do? And how much will it cost?

Below are the answers.

What does a media planner do?

A media planner takes over your whole media planning strategy, evaluates it, and advises you on the way forward.

Here are some roles that a media planner will handle in your company:

• Maximizing the impact on all advertisements you pay by networking with media buying agencies
• Coming up with creative ways to reach out to your target audiences for better engagement and conversion rates
• Identifying the best platforms for your business to ensure you’re spending your ad money where you’re likely to get returns

How much do media planners make?

According to Comparably, the average Media Planner in the US makes $69,374. When working with a media planner, expect to pay them between $30,000-$150,000.

If you need an expert planner with many years of experience, then you’ll need to plan for about $155,000.

However, you can always save money by hiring a freelance media planner. They might charge a bit more per hour, but you only pay them when you have a project.

Begin Your Media Planning Process

Media planning is an integral part of your business’s ability to create, publish, and share media content successfully.

I recommend employing the pulsing media plan where you can. It gives you the consistency of continuous advertising with the intensity of flighting, ensuring a steady presence while allowing for strategic bursts of activity.

What has always surprised me is how dynamic media planning can be. No two campaigns are the same and require their own unique strategy, but that‘s part of the challenge and excitement. As long as you know when and where to engage your audience, you’re on the right path.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

The post Media Planning – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

Marketing Research MNethods To Know Your Buyer

One of the most underrated skills you can have as a marketer is marketing research — which is great news for this unapologetic cyber sleuth.

From brand design and product development to buyer personas and competitive analysis, I’ve researched a number of initiatives in my decade-long marketing career.

And let me tell you: having the right marketing research methods in your toolbox is a must.

Market research is the secret to crafting a strategy that will truly help you accomplish your goals. The good news is there is no shortage of options.

How to Choose a Marketing Research Method

Thanks to the Internet, we have more marketing research (or market research) methods at our fingertips than ever, but they’re not all created equal. Let’s quickly go over how to choose the right one.

1. Identify your objective.

What are you researching? Do you need to understand your audience better? How about your competition? Or maybe you want to know more about your customer’s feelings about a specific product.

Before starting your research, take some time to identify precisely what you’re looking for. This could be a goal you want to reach, a problem you need to solve, or a question you need to answer.

For example, an objective may be as foundational as understanding your ideal customer better to create new buyer personas for your marketing agency (pause for flashbacks to my former life).

Or if you’re an organic sode company, it could be trying to learn what flavors people are craving.

2. Determine what type of data and research you need.

Next, determine what data type will best answer the problems or questions you identified. There are primarily two types: qualitative and quantitative. (Sound familiar, right?)

• Qualitative Data is non-numerical information, like subjective characteristics, opinions, and feelings. It’s pretty open to interpretation and descriptive, but it’s also harder to measure. This type of data can be collected through interviews, observations, and open-ended questions.
• Quantitative Data, on the other hand, is numerical information, such as quantities, sizes, amounts, or percentages. It’s measurable and usually pretty hard to argue with, coming from a reputable source. It can be derived through surveys, experiments, or statistical analysis.

Understanding the differences between qualitative and quantitative data will help you pinpoint which research methods will yield the desired results.

For instance, thinking of our earlier examples, qualitative data would usually be best suited for buyer personas, while quantitative data is more useful for the soda flavors.

However, truth be told, the two really work together.

Qualitative conclusions are usually drawn from quantitative, numerical data. So, you’ll likely need both to get the complete picture of your subject.

For example, if your quantitative data says 70% of people are Team Black and only 30% are Team Green — Shout out to my fellow House of the Dragon fans — your qualitative data will say people support Black more than Green.

(As they should.)

Primary Research vs Secondary Research

You’ll also want to understand the difference between primary and secondary research.

Primary research involves collecting new, original data directly from the source (say, your target market). In other words, it’s information gathered first-hand that wasn’t found elsewhere.

Some examples include conducting experiments, surveys, interviews, observations, or focus groups.

Meanwhile, secondary research is the analysis and interpretation of existing data collected from others. Think of this like what we used to do for school projects: We would read a book, scour the internet, or pull insights from others to work from.

So, which is better?

Personally, I say any research is good research, but if you have the time and resources, primary research is hard to top. With it, you don’t have to worry about your source’s credibility or how relevant it is to your specific objective.

You are in full control and best equipped to get the reliable information you need.

3. Put it all together.

Once you know your objective and what kind of data you want, you’re ready to select your marketing research method.

For instance, let’s say you’re a restaurant trying to see how attendees felt about the Speed Dating event you hosted last week.

You shouldn’t run a field experiment or download a third-party report on speed dating events; those would be useless to you. You need to conduct a survey that allows you to ask pointed questions about the event.

This would yield both qualitative and quantitative data you can use to improve and bring together more love birds next time around.

Best Market Research Methods for 2024

Now that you know what you’re looking for in a marketing research method, let’s dive into the best options.

Note: According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing report, understanding customers and their needs is one of the biggest challenges facing marketers today. The options we discuss are great consumer research methodologies, but they can also be used for other areas.

Primary Research

1. Interviews

Interviews are a form of primary research where you ask people specific questions about a topic or theme. They typically deliver qualitative information.

I’ve conducted many interviews for marketing purposes, but I’ve also done many for journalistic purposes, like this profile on comedian Zarna Garg. There’s no better way to gather candid, open-ended insights in my book, but that doesn’t mean they’re a cure-all.

What I like: Real-time conversations allow you to ask different questions if you’re not getting the information you need. They also push interviewees to respond quickly, which can result in more authentic answers.

What I dislike: They can be time-consuming and harder to measure (read: get quantitative data) unless you ask pointed yes or no questions.

Best for: Creating buyer personas or getting feedback on customer experience, a product, or content.

2. Focus Groups

Focus groups are similar to conducting interviews but on a larger scale.

In marketing and business, this typically means getting a small group together in a room (or Zoom), asking them questions about various topics you are researching. You record and/or observe their responses to then take action.

They are ideal for collecting long-form, open-ended feedback, and subjective opinions.

One well-known focus group you may remember was run by Domino’s Pizza in 2009.

After poor ratings and dropping over $100 million in revenue, the brand conducted focus groups with real customers to learn where they could have done better.

It was met with comments like “worst excuse for pizza I’ve ever had” and “the crust tastes like cardboard.” But rather than running from the tough love, it took the hit and completely overhauled its recipes.

The team admitted their missteps and returned to the market with better food and a campaign detailing their “Pizza Turn Around.”

The result? The brand won a ton of praise for its willingness to take feedback, efforts to do right by its consumers, and clever campaign. But, most importantly, revenue for Domino’s rose by 14.3% over the previous year.

The brand continues to conduct focus groups and share real footage from them in its promotion:

What I like: Similar to interviewing, you can dig deeper and pivot as needed due to the real-time nature. They’re personal and detailed.

What I dislike: Once again, they can be time-consuming and make it difficult to get quantitative data. There is also a chance some participants may overshadow others.

Best for: Product research or development

Pro tip: Need help planning your focus group? Our free Market Research Kit includes a handy template to start organizing your thoughts in addition to a SWOT Analysis Template, Survey Template, Focus Group Template, Presentation Template, Five Forces Industry Analysis Template, and an instructional guide for all of them. Download yours here now.

3. Surveys or Polls

Surveys are a form of primary research where individuals are asked a collection of questions. It can take many different forms.

They could be in person, over the phone or video call, by email, via an online form, or even on social media. Questions can be also open-ended or closed to deliver qualitative or quantitative information.

A great example of a close-ended survey is HubSpot’s annual State of Marketing.

In the State of Marketing, HubSpot asks marketing professionals from around the world a series of multiple-choice questions to gather data on the state of the marketing industry and to identify trends.

The survey covers various topics related to marketing strategies, tactics, tools, and challenges that marketers face. It aims to provide benchmarks to help you make informed decisions about your marketing.

It also helps us understand where our customers’ heads are so we can better evolve our products to meet their needs.

Apple is no stranger to surveys, either.

In 2011, the tech giant launched Apple Customer Pulse, which it described as “an online community of Apple product users who provide input on a variety of subjects and issues concerning Apple.”

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Apple invited a select group of individuals to participate. It reportedly shared two monthly surveys that included open-ended questions about customers’ experiences. Then, Apple used the feedback to iterate on its products.

But you don’t have to be HubSpot or Apple to run a successful survey. Tools like SurveyMonkey, TypeForm, and Google Forms (my usual go-to) make creating digital surveys easy and affordable.

You can also run smaller-scale surveys in your Instagram Stories via the Poll and Questions Stickers.

What I like: They are fairly easy to create and distribute, and can gather both quantitative and qualitative data.

What I dislike: It can be challenging to garner participation as it puts most of the work on the participant.

Best for: Evaluating experiences with a product or service

Pro tip: To boost survey participation, consider offering an incentive or gift. Many loyal customers and fans will want to participate. However, offering something small in exchange for the time and thought will undoubtedly win over others.

Independent makeup brand LiveTinted did a commendable job with this recently. They offered all survey responders 10 reward points in their loyalty program and a chance to win one of three $100 gift certificates.

You may also want to consider using running a “tracker.”

HubSpot Senior Product Marketing Manager Max Iskiev shares, “A tracker is a survey you run repeatedly over a certain time period. For example, we run the Consumer Trend Tracker twice a year, which captures data on the latest trends. I love being able to see key trends change over time and analyze them to make predictions about the future.”

4. Social Media Listening

In between the sea of travel photos, food, and current events chatter, people are talking about your brand. They may be journalists, competitors, or customers, happy and disgruntled — you just don’t always know it.

According to Mention, 31% of company mentions on X (formerly Twitter) don’t include a handle or tag. But social media listening can help you stay in the loop there and on other platforms.

In a nutshell, social media listening is the process of monitoring and analyzing social posts that mention:

• Relevant topics of interest (like your industry or type of product)
• Your brand name, tagline, or product name
• Your competitors
• Your branded hashtags

This gives you insight into conversations you may have never noticed otherwise.

You can see what the public thinks about your product or business, how they feel about their experiences with them, and get an overall pulse on your competitive landscape.

But how do you get started with social listening?

Many platforms have built-in tools like the ability to “follow” hashtags on Instagram or LinkedIn. But Swetha Amaresan, ​​a Sr. Marketing Coordinator at Paramount, shares a more all-encompassing approach in this article: What Is Social Media Listening & Why Is It Important? [+Expert Tips].

HubSpot Academy also offers a free social media monitoring and listening course you can check out.

What I like: Social listening is a pretty low-maintenance form of market research. Of course, you need to dedicate time to reviewing and analyzing any activity, but it should be a fairly quick, routine task if you’re doing your due diligence.

What I dislike: There’s no guarantee of valuable insights here. It’s more of a “just in case.”

Best for: General market and competitive analysis

Pro tip: If you’re a Marketing Hub Professional or Enterprise User, use HubSpot Social Inbox. It’s our native social listening tool that allows you to create streams dedicated to your different channels and hashtags.

5. Observation

You can learn a lot when you just sit back and pay attention. That’s where the power observation lies.

Observational market research is a form of primary research where you monitor subjects in a natural or controlled environment and take note of their behaviors. But here’s what makes it special — there are both digital and real life approaches.

A real-life example of observational research is “secret shopping.” This is where people are hired to shop at particular retailers so they can evaluate their staff and customer service. Secret shopping can be done totally organically, or with controlled scenarios the teams must be put in (i.e., completing a return).

Digital observation can look like user testing of your website (controlled) or the review of website heatmap data (natural). And it’s much more common these days.

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What I like: Conditions of the experiment typically allow subjects to act as naturally as possible, so results are pure and valuable. There are also both in-person and online alternatives.

What I dislike: This is another method that can be very time-consuming. Also, if your subjects know they are being observed, they could alter their behavior.

Best for: Evaluating and optimizing performance for a website or in-person service

Pro tip: UserTesting, HotJar, and LuckyOrange are three tools I’ve used in the past to learn about my clients website performance. They are all extremely helpful digital observation options that also offer quantitative data.

6. Internal Data Analysis

Analyzing internal data is one of the most effective ways to conduct market research because it’s not hypothetical.

This form of primary research is based on insights from your real life customers, and past performance and can be qualitative or quantitative.

What kind of data should you be analyzing, though? That will depend on the objective at hand, but some common areas include:

• Sales Numbers
• Website Statistics (i.e., page views, conversion rates, clicks)
• Customer Lifetime Value
• Product Ratings/Reviews
• Product Specific Statistics (i.e., usage rates)

Netflix is extremely vocal about its use of this marketing research method, publishing public reports like “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report.”

They regularly look at data like this to personalize and curate content on the platform, improve its service, and even develop new original content.

Gathering data isn’t easy, but start where you can. Tools like Google Analytics are easy to set up and great for tracking website traffic performance, while Hotjar and LuckyOrange can capture and analyze user behavior.

HubSpot users can take advantage of our platform’s free marketing analytics and reporting. The tools unite all of these elements we mentioned as well as the performance of ads, social media engagement, and email. This gives you the most complete picture of your state.

What I like: This method is less time-consuming than others. It must be completed on a consistent schedule, but doesn’t require regular action. It can also produce qualitative or quantitative data.

What I dislike: You need a healthy sample size to draw accurate results.

Best for: Conversion rate optimization and website optimization

7. Experiments and Field Trials

Field trials, similar to observation, occur in the subject’s natural environment. But like traditional experiments, they are controlled. In other words, you have a specific hypothesis you’re testing (your variable), and everything else is the same.

Sometimes, experiments and field trials can uncover preferences that individuals aren’t consciously aware of.

As my HubSpot teammate Pamela Bump explains, ” Sure, you can look at the data that already exists or survey your persona for baselines…But you won’t truly know how they’ll act until you test them in the moment on your own platform or channel.”

“For example, we did a large voluntary survey of email subscribers and top readers a few years back.”

While these readers gave us a long list of topics, formats, or content types they wanted to see, they sometimes engaged more with content types they didn’t select or favor as much on the surveys when we ran follow-up ‘in the wild’ tests, like A/B testing.”

Pepsi saw similar results when it ran its iconic field experiment, “The Pepsi Challenge” for the first time in 1975.

The beverage brand set up tables at malls, beaches, and other public locations and ran a blindfolded taste test. Shoppers were given two cups of soda, one containing Pepsi, the other Coca-Cola (Pepsi’s biggest competitor). They were then asked to taste both and report which they preferred.

People overwhelmingly preferred Pepsi, and the brand has repeated the experiment multiple times over the years to the same results.

What I like: It yields qualitative and quantitative data and can make for engaging marketing content, especially in the digital age.

What I dislike: It can be very time-consuming. And, if you’re not careful, there is a high risk for scientific error.

Best for: Product testing and competitive analysis

Pro tip: “Don’t make critical business decisions off of just one data set,” advises Pamela Bump. “Use the survey, competitive intelligence, external data, or even a focus group to give you one layer of ideas or a short-list for improvements or solutions to test. Then gather your own fresh data to test in an experiment or trial and better refine your data-backed strategy.”

Secondary Research

8. Public Domain or Third-Party Research

While original data is always a plus, there are plenty of external resources you can access online and even at a library when you’re limited on time or resources.

Some reputable resources you can use include:

• Pew Research Center
• McKinley Global Institute
• Nielsen
• Forrester
• Relevant Global or Government Organizations (i.e United Nations or NASA)

It’s also smart to turn to reputable organizations that are specific to your industry or field. For instance, if you’re a gardening or landscaping company, you may want to pull statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

If you’re a digital marketing agency, you could look to Google Research or HubSpot Research. (Hey, I know them!)

What I like: You can save time on gathering data and spend more time on analyzing. You can also rest assured the data is from a source you trust.

What I dislike: You may not find data specific to your needs.

Best for: Companies under a time or resource crunch, adding factual support to content

Pro tip: Fellow HubSpotter Iskiev suggests using third-party data to inspire your original research. “Sometimes, I use public third-party data for ideas and inspiration. Once I have written my survey and gotten all my ideas out, I read similar reports from other sources and usually end up with useful additions for my own research.”

9. Buy Research

If the data you need isn’t available publicly and you can’t do your own market research, you can also buy some. There are many reputable analytics companies that offer subscriptions to access their data. Statista is one of my favorites, but there’s also Euromonitor, Mintel, and BCC Research.

What I like: Same as public domain research

What I dislike: You may not find data specific to your needs. It also adds to your expenses.

Best for: Companies under a time or resource crunch or adding factual support to content

Which marketing research method should you use?

You’re not going to like my answer, but “it depends.” The best marketing research method for you will depend on your objective and data needs, but also your budget and timeline.

My advice? Aim for a mix of quantitative and qualitative data. If you can do your own original research, awesome. But if not, don’t beat yourself up. Lean into free or low-cost tools. You could do primary research for qualitative data, then tap public sources for quantitative data. Or perhaps the reverse is best for you.

Whatever your marketing research method mix, take the time to think it through and ensure you’re left with information that will truly help you achieve your goals.

The post 9 Best Marketing Research Methods to Know Your Buyer Better appeared first on Marketing & Business News.

Some Small Business Tips

When I first started my small business, the thought of advertising seemed daunting. With a limited budget, I couldn’t fathom spending thousands on TV commercials or ad campaigns.

But over the years, I‘ve discovered that effective advertising doesn’t always require a hefty price tag. In fact, some of the most impactful strategies I’ve used were completely free.

When you’re running a business with a limited budget, it’s not possible to shell out $340,000 for a 30-second TV commercial or $10,000 per month for an online advertising campaign.

It can be frustrating when your budget dictates how many people your business can reach. But with the right approach, you can create an effective advertising plan that incorporates both free and paid strategies.

Thankfully, there are plenty of avenues for free online advertising. To get you started, we’ve compiled some free and inexpensive ways to promote your local business:

Table of Contents

• • How to Advertise a Local Business
  • How to Get Free Advertising
  • How to Advertise on Google for Free

1. Use Google My Business to optimize for local search.

One of the most powerful free ways to advertise your business is through Google My Business, which enables companies to manage their presence on Google Search and Google Maps. The tool can bolster your rankings in local search results.

Ranking high in local search shows you’re a legitimate and relevant company: you wouldn’t rank #1 in Google for “pizza places near me” if you’d closed down six months ago.

Plus, if you rank high in local search, more consumers will choose your business over a competitor’s. In today’s fast-paced world, convenience is key.

According to a 2023 study conducted by BrightLocal, Google stands out as the most reliable platform for researching local businesses. A significant 66% of consumers rely on Google to obtain information about local businesses.

Pro tip: Regularly update your Google My Business profile with fresh content, such as new photos or posts about special offers. This activity signals to Google that your business is active and relevant, potentially boosting your local search rankings.

To truly leverage the power of local search and track your performance, consider using a robust marketing analytics tool like HubSpot’s Marketing Analytics.

It can help you measure the impact of your Google My Business efforts and other local SEO strategies on your overall marketing performance.

Click here or scroll to the bottom of this post to learn how to advertise on Google for free.

2. Check out Yext.

The more places your business is listed online, the better your chances of showing up in search results and the easier it is for potential customers to find you.

To ensure great local SEO, the details of your listings on every website and online directory need to match up.

For instance, if your website lists your company’s new phone number, but Yelp lists your old one, this inconsistency could hurt your SEO.

Yext scans the web to find every place your business is listed, so you can tweak your listings to guarantee accuracy.

3. Attend networking events and mixers.

Connecting with fellow professionals at industry networking events is a great opportunity to meet potential consumers in a place where they are eager to discuss your business.

The niche topics of networking events ensure you’re meeting high-qualified leads.

For example, a “Best Technology Startups of the Year” event will primarily be filled with participants who are interested in technology and startups.

Particularly for small businesses looking to make their first connections, networking is a chance to get your name out there, meet potential partners, and find growth opportunities. Plus, it’ll keep you up-to-date on trends in your industry.

4. Speak at an association or industry event.

Speaking at an event about a topic related to your industry is another way to exhibit your expertise.

Giving a thought-provoking and powerful speech will draw attention to you and, by association, your business, which can increase brand awareness and prove your business is qualified to tackle consumer challenges.

To start, brainstorm different topics and volunteer at various upcoming networking events and trade association conventions.

If you’re afraid of public speaking (don’t worry, many of us are), you could enroll in a local Toastmasters chapter to improve your game.

5. Offer locals-only promotions.

One way to build loyalty and camaraderie among your audience is to offer a discount to locals only. Exclusive offers create the impression that your audience is getting something tailor-made for them.

For example, my local coffee shop offers a small discount for customers who live in the neighborhood. It doesn’t have to be much, just a token of your appreciation for their continued support of your business.

This kind gesture will encourage them to return and bring you even more business.

6. Be active in your community.

Similar to the networking suggestion, stay on top of local events in your area, even non industry related ones.

From fundraisers and charity events to local sports and community meetings — it’s an opportunity to make real connections with those in your community and build rapport.

You never know where those connections will take you. Choose something that suits your interests to make it more fun. Being active in your community will make it easier for potential customers to put a face to your business.

7. Partner with complementary local businesses.

This strategy will require a bit of research and legwork but familiarizing yourself with other local business owners and what they specialize in can be very valuable if you leverage your connections correctly.

You’ll want to pay close attention to businesses that complement yours. Let’s say you own a local yoga or fitness studio.

You could partner with an athletic brand in your area — running a contest where completing a certain amount of classes gets them a free item of merch and in return you could allow the brand space to sell its clothing in your studio.

Maybe your local medical office offers programs centered on health and fitness in your area that you could participate in.

8. Put up brochures or flyers.

Putting up brochures or flyers in local libraries, coffee shops, and businesses is a unique way to market to offline locations where people spend a good deal of their time.

You can create free brochures and flyers on PowerPoint or Canva.

Depending on your industry, it might even help you reach an ideal clientele: if you’re a physical therapist, for example, perhaps you could hand out brochures to local gyms or nearby hospitals.

9. Run geo-targeted Facebook ads.

Facebook has more targeted advertising capabilities than any other platform.

In addition to being able to advertise to a certain type of consumer based on interests or job description, you can target people who fit that criteria in a certain location.

By putting a few dollars per day behind a geo-targeted Facebook campaign, you’ll build up a local following over time. Be sure to continue posting great content as well to keep this new audience engaged.

While Facebook offers its own analytics, managing multiple ad campaigns across different platforms can be challenging.

A comprehensive solution like HubSpot’s Ad Management software can help you create, manage, and optimize your ads across various platforms, including Facebook, all from one centralized dashboard.

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10. Invest in direct mail campaigns.

With direct mail, you’ll know that the right audience in your nearby area is receiving your promotions.

While a single batch of mailers may not be enough to drive tons of business, doing frequent distribution campaigns will increase the number of impressions you make on your audience, which in turn drives brand awareness and keeps you top of mind.

Surprisingly, there are also a lot of free ways to supplement your paid advertising efforts. By incorporating free advertising tactics into your strategy, you can remove some nonessential costs and dedicate your budget to deeper, more long-term plays.

In fact, we suggest some of these methods regardless of your budget. To help you spread the word about your business without breaking the bank, we’ve compiled a list of ways to get advertising for free.

1. Write guest posts for other blogs.

There are a few major advantages to guest posting for a well-established blog. You can benefit from connecting to that blog’s audience, and you can also start establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry.

Since guest posting on a popular blog allows you access to an established audience and high domain authority, this practice can sometimes be more beneficial than posting to your own blog.

Plus, you can link back to your own website from your article, giving you an inbound link that boosts your domain authority and can increase your own website’s ranking in search engines.

I’ve found that guest posting not only drives traffic to my site but also helps build valuable relationships within my industry. One guest post I wrote led to a partnership that doubled my client base in just six months.

Pro tip: When reaching out to other blogs, offer a unique perspective or exclusive data that their audience can’t find elsewhere. This increases your chances of getting accepted and provides more value to readers.

2. Answer Quora questions.

Writing content for Quora can expose your business to a large audience: in 2024, Quora reported a worldwide audience of 400 million monthly visitors.

Besides the large built-in audience, your business can answer direct questions from prospective customers. This lets you interact with high-quality potential leads and establish yourself as an expert in the subjects that matter most in your industry.

Here’s an example:

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3. Stay active in industry-specific discussions and forums.

Want to get free advertising and position yourself as an expert in the field? If so, industry-specific forums and threads could be for you.

Many industry organizations will have online forums or blogs that allow you to answer questions or offer advice.

One example is real estate investing organization Bigger Pockets, which has its own forum where industry professionals and newbies can share ideas.

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If you‘re not sure where to start, try browsing topics on Reddit to see if there’s an existing discussion or topic related to your area of expertise. Just be sure to offer genuine, valuable feedback and not come off as too salesy.

4. Publish content on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a platform to connect with professionals, which is why it’s also a great place to share business-related content. LinkedIn’s blogging platform lets you demonstrate your expertise within your industry.

Your connections and other LinkedIn members will engage with your posts and share them, doing the free promotion for you. With almost half of all social media traffic coming to B2B company sites from LinkedIn, it’s a missed opportunity if you don’t publish and promote content on LinkedIn.

5. Offer to do interviews on business podcasts.

To figure out which platforms your team should prioritize, it’s important to diversify your promotion platforms to discover where your audience is already consuming content.

Some of your audience might prefer listening to podcasts over reading articles. To reach those people, contact a few businesses with podcasts and pitch interview ideas.

6. Promote your website on your email signature.

With all the emails you send every day, it’s a shame if you aren’t taking advantage of the promotional potential of your email signature.

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Your email signature can also be an unexpected property to promote a sale, contest, event, or even a new blog post.

Add a link to your business’ website on your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles, as well.

7. Send email newsletters.

An email newsletter can be a useful vehicle to promote content, share business-related news, and build deeper relationships with both potential and existing customers. There are plenty of free tools out there that assist you in designing, sending, and optimizing your newsletter.

With the right time investment, an email newsletter can be the perfect place to share quality content with leads and potential consumers, establishing your brand as helpful and informative.

8. Do a free product giveaway or contest.

A product giveaway or contest is an easy way to incentivize new viewers to check out and subscribe to your social media channels or website.

Plus, handing out inexpensive branded products like t-shirts or mugs is a good way to spread your brand name.

Word-of-mouth is alive and well — and a little swag can go a long way.

9. Create YouTube videos.

YouTube has more than two billion active users, which accounts for almost half of everyone on the internet.

Moreover, in a recent Oberlo study, 8 out of 10 people said they’ve been convinced to buy something after watching a brand’s video, and people reported being twice as likely to share videos with their friends than any other type of content.

Creating engaging, informative, and shareable YouTube videos is one of the most efficient ways to sell your brand. If done right, your YouTube videos will entertain viewers enough to share your content and seek out your website.

Pro tip: Optimize your YouTube video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords to improve discoverability in both YouTube and Google searches.

10. Encourage happy customers to give online reviews.

Word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to market your product. Consumers trust the opinions of other consumers, especially when there are many great testimonies.

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If you have happy customers, encourage them to write a review about their experience on popular review platforms like Google, Facebook, and Yelp.

If you want great reviews on Facebook, be sure to create a Facebook Business page if you don’t have one already.

11. Leverage existing customers for referrals.

As mentioned above, word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool. Tap into the value of your existing customers by asking them for referrals.

As an incentive you can offer them a discount or some other reward to encourage them to help you get the word out.

12. Take advantage of your partnerships.

Partnerships are an opportunity to offer supplementary services that you don’t provide.

For example, a web design company and a copywriting agency might choose to partner together, so when a client requires written content for her web pages, the web design company can offer copywriting services from their partner.

This increases consumer satisfaction, and it also provides exceptional advertising opportunities. When your partner’s consumers need your services, your partner will point them in your direction.

13. Post on social media.

Nowadays, social media is crucial to most marketing strategies. Luckily, most types of social media platforms and posts are free — even to businesses.

While many platforms will let you advertise, you can still post or tweet for no cost if you’re on a budget.

Pick the platforms that best suit your audience. Then, post links, photos, videos, or text posts about your company, product launches, or any other occurrence that you’d like to promote.

Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are suitable places to start for most businesses.

They all offer a way to share video, text, photos, and link-based posts and have large user bases. To learn more about other forms of social media, check out this post.

Pro tip: Use a social media management tool to schedule posts in advance. This allows you to maintain a consistent presence without spending hours each day on social platforms.

14. Engage with followers on social platforms.

It‘s not enough to just post. For your social media efforts to be successful, you’ll want to create a two-way street of communication between your followers and those interested in your brand.

If customers are commenting on your posts, respond by commenting back, liking their comments. Not only does it keep the banter and engagement up on your content, but it also helps humanize your brand.

15. Leverage user-generated content.

Since we’re talking about engaging with followers, using user-generated content for your advertising is a good way to get the word out on a budget.

Encourage your customers to create and share content related to your brand. This can be in the form of testimonials, reviews, or even user-created videos. It helps build social proof and can reach a wider audience.

Pro tip: Create a branded hashtag for your business and encourage customers to use it when sharing content related to your products or services. Using a branded hashtag makes it easier to find and share user-generated content.

16. Create highly shareable content.

Additionally, you’ll want to create enticing content that your audience will be motivated to share. Start by building a strong online presence.

Optimize your website and social media profiles to ensure they are user-friendly, visually appealing, and provide relevant information. Update your platforms with fresh content regularly and continue to engage with your audience through comments and messages.

17. Make sure you’re listed in online directories.

Google My Business isn’t the only game in town. List your business in the local Yellow Pages, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Angi, or another relevant directory.

This increases your chances of being discovered by potential customers who search for businesses like yours.

If your industry has a directory, you should be on it. Your local chamber of commerce is also a great place to start.

18. Offer valuable content like an ebook or tool.

One of the simplest ways to get new customers and retain new ones is to provide value. This could be in the form of solving a common issue in your field or making a mundane or difficult task easier by providing a tool.

The real estate industry does this often with housing search sites offering mortgage calculators. Smart Asset offers an array of handy tax and paycheck calculators that helps visitors figure out roughly how much their income would change moving from one state to another.

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If there are common obstacles or pain points in your industry that can be remedied by offering a tool, ebook, or helpful video content, offer those resources on your site. It will help establish your brand as a trusted industry export.

19. Don’t forget about SEO.

One of the key factors in free advertising is to make sure potential customers can actually find your business. You can have the greatest products or services, but your growth will be stunted if you are not showing up in search engines.

Along with Google My Business, taking advantage of free SEO strategies can also help your website rise higher in search results. These tactics can be simple and easy to work into blogging, web design, or other processes.

20. Offer a free trial or consultation.

One obstacle that can prevent potential customers from making a purchase is trust. Offering a free trial of your product or service or a free consultation can help break the ice and eliminate that barrier.

It‘s also a good way to get the word out. If a visitor uses your product with a free trial and enjoys the experience, they’re likely to tell others. As we’ve mentioned previously, word of mouth is a powerful advertising method.

21. Experiment with photo and video platforms.

While Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn could be great platforms to start on, expanding to platforms like Instagram or Pinterest will give you more opportunities to show product shots or embrace the heavily visual strategy of influencer marketing.

Aside from spreading awareness with free images of your product or service, most social platforms, including Facebook, offer live video and story features that can allow you to create video promotions related to your products.

For example, you might use Instagram Stories or Facebook Live as an outlet to publish tutorials on how to use your products.

Because these videos and photos are on social, you can also boost their shareability by hashtagging them, creating interesting captions, and encouraging fans to react with actions like “likes” or comments.

22. Write useful press releases.

This method is a bit trickier, as a press release is not advertising just by itself. In order to garner interest from media outlets and journalists, what you’re announcing needs to be newsworthy.

Making a press release that sounds too promotional can get it rejected by media outlets. Like your customers, you‘ll need to offer media outlets something of value. Did you run a survey or study that yielded some interesting insights that would be of interest to your industry?

That’s what you should include in a press release, and it increases the odds of the information being picked up by outlets. This could be about emerging industry trends or interesting statistics you found.

Once you have newsworthy information to share, submit your press release to industry publications, media outlets, and online press release distribution sites.

This will help build a buzz around your brand.

How to Advertise on Google for Free

As mentioned above, you can create a free page on Google My Business, which can help you rank higher or first in search results. Here’s how it works.

1. Create your Google My Business account.

First, you‘ll want to create a Gmail account for your business. Then, you’ll want to register for Google My Business with that account.

Google will first ask you to enter the name of your business. Then, you’ll be asked to select a “Delivery Area.” In this form, note the mileage and area where your target audience lives.

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2. Optimize your business page.

After your setup process is complete, you’ll be able to fill out your profile. As you do this, you ideally want to fill out all the information Google requests for the best search optimization.

A few key things you’ll want to include will be:

• Your address.
• A phone number, email address, and other contact information.
• Your website.
• Hours of operation.
• Photos of your business and products.
• A detailed description of what your business offers.
• Pricing or menu information.
• The year your company opened.
• Other business attributes such as “free Wi-Fi.”

The above items are things locals might search specifically for.

For example, if someone searches for a “cheap Mexican restaurant open after 8 p.m.,” Google will examine the details in a business profile and prioritize your restaurant if it seems like a great match.

Here’s an example of what it looks like when a Google business fills out all their information:

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3. Verify and monitor your business page.

Once you‘ve created your Google My Business profile, be sure to verify your listing so Google knows it’s a real, legitimate business. There are a few ways to do this including email, postcard, and phone verification.

You can also download the GMB app to monitor how your business is doing on a smartphone. This post walks you through the different verification processes.

You Don’t Have to Blow Your Budget to Get Results

In my years of running a business, I‘ve been consistently surprised by the power of free advertising methods.

What started as a necessity due to budget constraints has become a core part of my marketing strategy. I’ve found that combining these free methods with strategic paid advertising yields the best results.

So, don’t let your advertising budget dictate how many people your business can reach. Start putting together your advertising plan today.

My favorite free advertising method? It’s a tie between content marketing through guest posting and leveraging Google My Business. Both have provided consistent returns in terms of increased visibility and customer acquisition.

Remember, effective advertising is about creativity and persistence more than it is about budget. With the right approach, even a small business can make a big impact.

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

The post 32 Free Advertising Tips for Your Small, Large, or Local Business appeared first on Marketing & Business News.