My Blog My Blog

Here’s Why People Click Out of YouTube Videos [New Data]

Youtube Marketing
/by
Here's Why People Click Out of YouTube Videos With more than 2 billion active users -- or nearly one-third of the global internet audience -- YouTube has become a vital platform used within most video marketing strategies. But, as one of the biggest online platforms, YouTube is also one of the most competitive for brands. For every YouTube channel related to a specific industry, there are a handful of others churning out similar content. To rise above YouTube's fierce competition, you'll need to regularly create content that grabs your viewers' attention and keeps them engaged. Ultimately, if viewers disengage with your YouTube videos, they'll click out of them before they end and find better content from another channel. Before you begin producing content, it's important to ask yourself, "Why do consumers click out of YouTube videos?" To help video marketers answer the question above, I used Lucid software to ask nearly 300 consumers why they disengage from YouTube videos. Why Consumers Click Out of YouTube Videos After taking time to film, edit, upload, and optimize videos, it can be frustrating to see a heavy viewer dropoff before the content ends. Not only can this trend hurt your YouTube engagement metrics, but it's also a sign that you're wasting valuable time and money making content that people aren't even going to finish. But, while higher dropoff rates are often a sign of content disengagement, it's important to note that -- sometimes -- video exits aren't a creator's fault. When I...

34 of the Best Office Pranks & Practical Jokes to Use at Work

Office Culture
/by
34 of the Best Office Pranks & Practical Jokes to Use at Work If you've watched the TV show "The Office" as religiously as I have, the classic "stapler in Jell-O" trick surely sounds familiar. It's pretty much what the name describes: Simply make a batch of Jell-O, but make sure your colleague's stapler is hidden inside the mold. It's a classic prank. But what other, less conventional pranks are out there to add some kicks to an otherwise average day at the office? We asked our friends and combed the internet for more examples of some of the funniest office pranks, and pulled together this list to serve as inspiration for your own work pranks. Every company has a story about that funny office prank of yore. Whether you're doing some early April Fool's Day research, or just feeling a little tricksy, it's time to get a prank of your own in the books. Here are some ideas. Funny Office Pranks to Pull on Your Coworkers 1. Caramel Onions When Halloween is around the corner, these caramel onions are no match for other tricks (or treats). Dip each onion in caramel -- maybe some red food coloring first, if you need to further disguise them -- and stick popsicle sticks down the center. Your colleagues won't know the difference, but they will wonder why these caramel apples are making them cry so much... Source: Instructables 2. Nicolas Cage Toilet Seat Speaking of Halloween, here's what nightmares are truly made...

How to Create an Advertising Proposal [Free Template]

Advertising
/by
How to Create an Advertising Proposal Whether you're part of an internal marketing team or an agency developing an advertising pitch, it's imperative to nail your advertising proposal to gain stakeholder clarity and secure their buy-in. After all, advertising is expensive, and a poorly managed campaign results in wasted funds and resources that fail to deliver a return on investment – which could hinder a company's ability to hit its awareness and sales goals. Executives need to know that an advertising project has been well thought-out from all angles before they front the money to develop creative and buy advertising space. And the best way to inform and persuade these decision-makers is with a crystal clear and actionable advertising proposal. In this article, we'll outline the actions to take, templates to use, and questions to answer when developing your advertising proposal, so you can get moving on your advertising project faster and maximize revenue from it. Follow along with HubSpot's free Advertising Proposal Template for PowerPoint. The template is completely customizable to your business's needs and makes developing an advertising proposal presentation simple, covering sections thorough proposals need to have such as: Project timeline. Project team. Project budget and fees. … And more. While the template is best-suited for marketing agencies, it can easily be adjusted for in-house marketing teams for internal project management. Download the template now to get started. How to Make Your Advertising Proposal 1. Plan your advertising project....

The 8 Best Free Flowchart Templates [+ Examples]

Office Tools
/by
The 8 Best Free Flowchart Templates A great business needs a great many things in order to succeed – strong leadership, a competitive advantage, and a unique vision among them. However, one element that could make or break a business is its process (or lack thereof). A clear, repeatable process has two major hurdles to a successful implementation in a business. Number one is the development of that process, and number two is getting buy-in from stakeholders on that process. That said, the best way to overcome both of these potential roadblocks is to transparently and logically outline a process. Many businesses use flowcharts to accomplish this task, as flowcharts: Visually outline a process roadmap for a full-scope understanding, and… Can be easily digested by employees who need to know and follow the process. To help you create actionable flowcharts for your organization, we’ve listed out the eight best flowchart templates for you to download and start using today to create a better process in any area of your business. Let's dive in.  What is a flowchart? A flowchart is a visual map to help explain a process for decision making, achieving results, or projecting an outcome. Flowcharts begin at a starting point on the graphic, and as users follow through it, they will choose one of several outcomes or options until reaching the end of the process. In business, flowcharts might be used for any of the following purposes: Team alignment and process. ...

8 Recent Examples of Newsjacking in Action

Newsjacking
/by
8 Recent Examples of Newsjacking in Action Shortly after the announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were "stepping away" as senior members of the Royal Family, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum also made news by removing Harry and Megan from a wax display of the Royal family. But, the famous wax museum's publicity stunt isn't the only example of a brand that's leveraged a news event to gain awareness or viral attention. In fact, this tactic has been used by marketers throughout the 2000s. It's often called "newsjacking." Newsjacking is when a brand or firm mentions or creates a campaign centered around a major, well-discussed news item. It's slightly different from a publicity stunt in that the news item is leveraged in marketing while a stunt might acknowledge news within a public venue or place of business. Why do brands choose to newsjack rather than creating a totally original storyline for their campaigns? It's simply because this strategy helps them get discovered by adding or piggybacking off of larger conversations happening online. In the early 2010s, we frequently saw newsjacking attempts during big, televised events like the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards. But, as marketers more frequently use social media and online channels, we're seeing brands identify newsy topics faster and newsjack through a variety of content. If you're looking to leverage news, trends, or current events to amp up your marketing strategy, you might be wondering, "How do I get started?" or "How can I do...

How to Create a Comprehensive How to Guide [+Examples]

Content Planning
/by
How to Create a Comprehensive How to Guide The irony doesn't escape me that I'm currently writing a "How to" guide on … "How to" guides. Fortunately, I've had my fair share of experiences writing How to guides for HubSpot over the years — some of my favorites include How to Give a Persuasive Presentation, How to Develop a Content Strategy: A Start-to-Finish Guide, and How to Write a Request for Proposal. How to Guides are incredibly valuable opportunities to reach new audiences with useful, high-quality content. Plus, for both B2B and B2C businesses, How to Guides are often necessary components of a healthy lead generation strategy. For instance, consider how many people search "How to " on Google each day: These search queries demonstrate one of the primary reasons people turn to the internet — to learn how to do something. If your business can reach those users with informative, relevant answers to their questions (related to your own products or services), those readers will begin to see your brand as an authority on the topic. Additionally, they'll appreciate the value you've provided them. Down the road, those same readers you first attracted with a How to Guide could become customers and loyal brand advocates who spread the word about your products or services to friends and family. Suffice to say: How to Guides matter. Here, we'll explore the right structure to use when making a How to Guide and how to write a comprehensive How to Guide....

The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn Company Pages

LinkedIn Company Pages
/by
The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn Company Pages A lot happens on LinkedIn. People post updates, professionals seek new jobs, salespeople pitch prospective customers, and LinkedIn members of all kinds connect, chat, and build relationships. With almost 740 million members, this level of activity comes as no surprise. The LinkedIn Pages launch in late 2018 equipped consumers to discover and vet their favorite businesses and for businesses, organizations, and institutions to connect with their audiences. LinkedIn Company Pages provide a unique way for your organization to stand out from the noise — important noise, but noisy nonetheless. We developed this guide to help you master your LinkedIn Company Page. LinkedIn Company Pages were developed to give your company a home base and reach your audience on the network. If you haven’t built a LinkedIn Page for your business yet, you’re missing out on new connections, followers, employees, and customers. What to Post on a LinkedIn Company Page Creating a LinkedIn presence for your company expands your brand trust and awareness. Here are a few ideas for what to post on your LinkedIn page to maximize your ROI. 1. Share company updates and news. LinkedIn, like any other social network, features a content stream on which people share and discuss important articles and updates. Your Page is a perfect place to post your company updates and news for customers, employees, investors, and fans to review and share. 2. Post open jobs and connect with potential employees. LinkedIn is...

The Beginner’s Guide to Share of Voice

Conducting Market Research
/by
The Beginner's Guide to Share of Voice If you've ever been in charge of gathering reports for your marketing team, then you know there are a plethora of metrics you can measure. One metric that you might not think to use for several channels is share of voice. However, this is a versatile metric that you can use in a competitive analysis for social media, organic traffic, or even paid advertising. As a marketer, share of voice is important because it helps you understand how well your brand is performing against the competition. Below, let's review everything you need to know about share of voice. While share of voice isn't the same thing as market share (more on that below), share of voice tends to correlate with market share and revenue. For instance, the more you're dominating in the conversation online, the more market share you'll have and the more authority you'll have among users. This metric was mainly used as a way to measure success in paid advertising, however it's much more than that now. You can calculate share of voice for organic traffic and social media, in addition to paid advertising. By calculating your share of voice, you'll have a better understanding of many people know about your brand, and you can identify areas to work on. For example, if you have a high share of voice in social media, but not as much in organic traffic, then you know you need to improve your organic...

Everything You Need to Know About the Principles and Types of Design

Design
/by
Everything You Need to Know About the Principles and Types of Design  Furniture. Clothing. Software. Posters. Maps. Experience. Buildings. Websites. These are all things that can be designed. Heck, design has so many different meanings and application you wonder if the term can be defined at all. Answer: It can. Design has a variety of definitions, but in its simplest form, it can be defined as both a verb and a noun: It can refer to the act of creating a composition or or to the composition itself. Design is about creating feasible, functional solutions to a variety of problems, and always happens with a particular goal in mind. — Amanda Chong, HubSpot designer As ambiguous as it seems, design can be defined … particularly when it comes to how it applies to marketing. That’s why we compiled this guide — to help you better understand design and it’s principles and types. Bookmark this guide for future reference, and use the chapter links to jump ahead to any section that interests you. Design has many different connotations depending on its application. It’s is an incredibly fluid industry. In short, design can be whatever you want it to be — as long as you don’t forget some of its predefined tenets. These are known as the principles of design. There are many additional terms related to these principles: movement rhythm, symmetry, and white space. These design concepts fall under and/or are based on the above tenets...

The Ultimate Guide to Ecommerce

Ecommerce
/by
The Ultimate Guide to Ecommerce The first ecommerce sale was made in 1994 … and can you guess what it was? It was a Sting CD. Dan Kohn, a 21-year-old who ran a website called NetMarket, sold Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Tales CD to a friend who purchased it with his credit card for $12.48 plus shipping costs. These exchanges are what we know as ecommerce today: Sales of services and goods made through the internet. Ecommerce has come a long way since 1994, and it’s growing as more shoppers turn to devices and computers as the primary tools for discovering and buying new products. Let’s take a deeper look at what ecommerce is and the growth trends around it, as well as some basic getting started tips. Guide to Ecommerce In this section, we'll review the many benefits of ecommerce, major ecommerce trends, types of ecommerce, and sales tax.  Benefits of Ecommerce Ecommerce is not a trend, and it isn’t going away any time soon. Why? Selling goods and services on the internet highly benefits both the seller and the buyer. Benefits to the buyer: Convenience Quicker and easier transactions Informed purchasing decisions Easier price and product comparisons Improved delivery process Targeted communication Benefits to the seller: Lower overhead costs due to the elimination of brick and mortar locations The ability to sell goods around-the-clock (versus traditional store hours) Ability to reach customers beyond...