My Blog My Blog

What Will Content Planners Budget For in 2022 [HubSpot Blog Research]

Content Planning
March 30, 2022/by
What Will Content Planners Budget For in 2022 If you ask marketers about their 2020 content plans, most will tell you they had to pivot because of the pandemic. In 2021, many said the same thing, as the world adjusted to this new normal. We surveyed over 600 media planners this year and 99% of marketers who have ever pivoted their content plan did so in 2021, with 39% of them pivoting three times that year. So how are they budgeting in 2022? Let’s find out. How much are marketers spending on content marketing? According to HubSpot Blog Research, 39% of marketers surveyed say they allocate 31-50% of their total marketing budget to content marketing. This tells us that brands are leveraging content marketing above many other marketing strategies, as they put at least a third of their funding in it. Wondering exactly how much? Most marketers surveyed (26%) said their quarterly content marketing budget ranged between $40K to $80K. The second-highest figure was $100K-200K, reported by 16% of marketers surveyed, then $201K to $300K by 14% of respondents. The specific amount tells us less about how much importance brands place on content marketing and more about the cost of this strategy. It would be easy to think that all you need to do is write a few blog posts and that’s it. The truth is there’s so much that goes into content marketing, from copywriting and designing to research and media buying. If you don’t invest...
Read Full Story

The Content Marketer’s Guide to Thought Leadership

Leadership
March 29, 2022/by
The Content Marketer's Guide to Thought Leadership Oprah. Dave Ramsey. Seth Godin. Besides being highly successful in business, these people are considered thought-leaders – or experts — in their industry. Similarly, as a marketer, being an expert in your field is crucial. To do that, you have to drive traffic to your site, nurture and convert leads, and build brand authority and reputation. That's where thought leadership comes in. Below, let's review what thought leadership is and how to use it in your marketing strategy. We'll also explore the best examples and types of content you can consider creating. A person or company might use thought leadership as a content marketing strategy because providing value to your audience demonstrates your brand helpfulness. Then, down the road when someone is seeking a product or service like the ones you provide, they'll turn to you first. If you're good at it, you'll increase awareness among your target audience, generate more leads, improve social proof, and boost engagement online. For instance, Brian Dean is a thought leader in the SEO space. By regularly posting content related to his expertise, he's proven his value as a content marketer worth following. More on him later. But first, how do you incorporate thought leadership into your marketing strategy? Here, we'll analyze the top thought leadership marketing tips. Thought Leadership Marketing Now that we've covered what thought leadership is, let's review some best practices before you get started. 1. Know your audience and continue learning...
Read Full Story

45 Quotes That Celebrate Teamwork, Hard Work, and Collaboration

Collaboration/Teamwork
March 29, 2022/by
45 Quotes That Celebrate Teamwork, Hard Work, and Collaboration Henry Ford's quote, "If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself," is one of my personal favorite quotes on teamwork.  Because it's true: Teamwork has the incredible power to increase productivity, job satisfaction, and even each person's individual performance.  To inspire your team to band together and celebrate collaboration, we've gathered some of our favorite quotes on the power of teamwork. Check out the full list of inspirational quotes below,  including some remarks about hard work to keep your collaborative juices flowing. Quotes About Collaboration "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." – Michael Jordan "Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." – Patrick Lencioni "It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed." – Napolean Hill "If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." – Booker T. Washington "None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful." – Mother Teresa Teamwork Quotes to Inspire Collaboration 1. "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen...
Read Full Story

How To Add a Sparkline in Excel

Excel
March 25, 2022/by
How To Add a Sparkline in Excel Excel is a great tool for all of your marketing needs. You can create graphs to visualize your data, use formulas to calculate conversion rates, or even create social media calendars. You can also monitor trends in your marketing campaign data and, in this post, we’ll explain how to do so with the sparklines tool. Already know what you need? Jump there with our Table of Contents. How to Add a Sparkline in Excel Create a Column Sparkline in Excel How to Ungroup Sparklines in Excel How to Mark Data Points in Sparkline Charts How to Color Code Excel Sparkline What are sparklines in Excel? Sparklines are charts in individual cells that provide visual representations of trends in your sheet data. For example, if you track month-over-month progress, a sparkline can show you how each month compares to the other. There are three different ‌sparklines you can add to your Excel spreadsheets: line, column, and win-loss. The image below is an example of a line. For this walkthrough, we’ll use a sample data table (shown below) that tracks views, conversions, and leads generated from a marketing campaign‌. Let’s go over how to add your own. How to Add a Sparkline in Excel 1. Select the cells you want represented in your sparkline chart. In this example, I’ve selected all the cells between B2 and I2. 2. In the header toolbar, select Insert,...
Read Full Story

Is Internal Recruitment Good for Business?

Recruiting Tips
March 23, 2022/by
Is Internal Recruitment Good for Business? During my days as a journalist, I saw many different forms of recruitment take place. It was common to see reporters and photographers recruited from all over the country to work with the team. It was also common to see employees move to different positions internally. A reporter could go from reporting outside to producing a show in-house. Associate producers could rise in rank and become executive producers. This type of internal recruitment isn't common only in newsrooms. Many companies recruit from their current roster of employers rather than recruit externally. Internal recruitment is often faster and less time consuming. On average, the cost to hire someone is about $4,000, according to SmartRecruiters, but hiring internally can cost much less. With that in mind, you may wonder if internal recruitment is the right move for your business. Here’s everything you need to know: The internal hire might be from a different department within the company or have a different job title on the same team. This new role could be a promotion in which there is more responsibility and a higher salary. If not a promotion, the change could be a lateral move in which the employee maintains the same level of seniority but may not see a change in compensation. A company may choose to open job postings only to internal applicants or it may do so before opening the posting to external candidates. This can save time and money — and...
Read Full Story

Everything Brands Need to Know About the Metaverse

Virtual Reality (VR)
March 23, 2022/by
Everything Brands Need to Know About the Metaverse Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the internet and social media helped us connect with our coworkers, friends, and loved ones during times of extreme isolation. But, our web-based lifestyle wasn't perfect. While you could see and talk to people, interactions still felt distant and impersonal. And, despite having every delivery app at our fingertips, we still missed going outside, exploring the world, and experiencing life to its fullest. And, for a small -- but growing -- group of people, that's where the metaverse came in. Although metaverses are nothing new, we started hearing more buzz than ever about futuristic virtual reality worlds that could allegedly supplement or expand on our own. As more people began to dive deeper into online gaming, social media, and purchasing VR headsets and accessories, the opportunities of the metaverse gained even more intrigue. Then, in late of 2021, Mark Zuckerberg shocked the world when he announced the change of his company's name from Facebook to Meta, adding that it would represent a new evolution of the company's offerings. Soon after, Meta's first metaverse, Horizon Worlds was opened up to anyone with an Oculus or Meta headset. Almost immediately, fans began to refer to this as "the metaverse." But, there's more to the story of the metaverse, and a lot of things you'll need to know before even asking yourself, "Is investing in a trendy VR world right for my brand?" In this post, I'll walk you through what...
Read Full Story

The Top 7 Marketing Challenges Faced Globally in 2022 [HubSpot Data + Expert Tips]

Marketing Strategy
March 23, 2022/by
The Top 7 Marketing Challenges Faced Globally in 2022 Every marketer faces different challenges. And, ever since 2020, the ways we've had to pivot, adjust campaigns, and address challenges has been unlike anything many of us have had to do before. And, even if you've somehow navigated the past two years without any surprising or tough marketing challenges, there's likely at least one task, tactic, or strategy you've always wanted to improve upon.  Today, marketing is so fast-paced that it can be difficult to identify which areas you'll want to develop to facilitate stronger growth in 2022 and beyond. For that reason, it's important to pause for a moment and reflect on the biggest challenges marketers feel they're facing this year. Below, let's review the current global marketing issues impacting the industry, according to data from HubSpot's 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Report and marketing experts. 1. Training Marketing Talent While you might expect the top challenge to involve one of the many KPIs marketers are goaled around, our research shows the top barrier facing marketing teams today is actually much more fundamental than quantifiable goals or simply hiring top-tier talent who will easily hit them. In fact, according to our survey of over 500+ marketing professionals, the top overall challenge marketing departments are facing is team training. Why? When you hire someone or get hired by your dream company, your the work needed to grow doesn't just stop at the offer letter. If you're a manager...
Read Full Story

How Nonprofits Can Use TikTok for Growth [Case Study + Examples]

Nonprofits
March 22, 2022/by
How Nonprofits Can Use TikTok for Growth TikTok has shaken up the digital landscape — and its explosive growth over the past year suggests that it's here to stay. Although it's an entertainment-first platform, TikTok is more than just Gen Z dance challenges. We're seeing more and more social impact and non-profit clients use TikTok to inform, educate, engage, advertise, and raise funds and awareness. Here, let's explore tips and best practices for nonprofits looking to leverage TikTok for growth. Is TikTok right for your nonprofit? Building a presence on a new social media platform can be a big undertaking. As with any platform, it's essential to assess whether it's a good fit for your organization, and whether it will help you meet your goals. Before diving in, it's important to ensure that your efforts go into spaces and platforms that your audience already uses. First, make sure TikTok helps reach your organization's target audience. Remember: over 50% of the apps' users are under 32 years old, and over 41% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 and 24, according to Qgiv. You'll also want to assess whether your organization can manage a TikTok channel. If you're considering whether your organization has the capacity to build a TikTok presence, the first step is to ask — and trust — the person or team who manages your social media. Another thing to consider is the way TikTok prioritizes raw, real, unedited, and people-first videos....
Read Full Story