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17 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid in 2020, According to HubSpot Bloggers

Blogging Mistakes
July 21, 2020/by
17 Blogging Mistakes to Avoid in 2020, According to HubSpot Bloggers Sometimes, when I tell people that I blog for a living, they roll their eyes. "That's so easy," they say. "You get a paycheck for sitting on the internet all day and writing. A monkey could do your job!" That's when I roll my eyes. See, people are quick to deem blogging as a no-brainer job. But when they actually sit down to write their first couple of posts, it hits them: This is way harder than I thought. Like any person starting a new job, they mess things up. That's okay -- it happens to pretty much every new blogger. Luckily, it's pretty easy to avoid these roadblocks if you know they're coming. So for all of you beginner bloggers out there who are looking to get up-to-speed quickly, keep on reading. Below are common mistakes most beginners make and some tips on how to avoid them. What Is a Blog? Simply put, a blog is a tool that can help develop an online presence, attract leads, and engage with an audience. It's often a series of editorial content centered around a central topic that demonstrates industry expertise -- for instance, a catering company might write blog posts like "The 11 Best Appetizers to Serve to a Crowd" or "Stress-Free Dinner Parties: Recipes that are Prepared Ahead of Time". Blogs can help drive traffic to your website, convert that traffic into leads, establish authority in your industry,...
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5 Ways Go-to-Market Strategies Will Change in the Post-Pandemic Economy

Marketing Strategy
July 21, 2020/by
5 Ways Go-to-Market Strategies Will Change in the Post-Pandemic Economy This article is part of a series on how business is changing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other pieces in the series include HubSpot's Chief Customer Officer on Why We Need to Talk About Growth and our VP of Marketing's Content Marketing Playbook for Times of Crisis The COVID-19 pandemic has produced a plethora of paradoxes. As the rate of employment has gone down, the stock market has surged. As we find ourselves more socially distant from one another, we’re connecting more than ever with friends and family. And as growth has slowed for many companies, their digital transformation has accelerated. Dramatically. Companies in nearly every industry have urgently adopted remote tools to allow them to support employees working from home. Millions of marketers have quickly signed up to automation software to help them move their entire marketing strategy online. And brick-and-mortar retailers have hastily acquired website management systems to enable them to spin up ecommerce sites. Plans for gradual, carefully managed digital transformation have been torn asunder by the pandemic, and the changes that many leaders thought would take years to implement have taken place in a matter of weeks. Entire industries are now waking up in a digitally transformed world awash with new opportunities ... and unknowns. Is a remote workforce a threat to productivity or a boon for hiring? Is a fully online marketing strategy going to bring companies and customers closer together, or drive them...
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8 Modern Tips for Marketing to Millennials

Buyer Personas
July 18, 2020/by
8 Modern Tips for Marketing to Millennials You've seen the articles lamenting the death of certain industries and changing consumer attitudes, all paying tribute (negatively or positively) to a certain generation born in the 80s and 90s. It seems that journalists love to write about Millennials and marketers love to analyze them. Why, though?  Boomers hold 57% of the wealth in the U.S. and are at peak buying power. With that in mind, is there a reason we never seem to stop hearing about Millennials? Why Millennials Are Important to Marketers As Millennials enter their 30s and 40s, often with student loans or young children, they haven't yet reached their full buying power compared to GenXers or Boomers. Nonetheless, there are multiple reasons to pay attention to this generation:  1. Millennials are the most lucrative market. Even though as a group, they haven't reached their full buying power yet, their buying power eclipses that of other generations. They make up 25% of the population, and with an estimated annual buying power of over a trillion dollars, they are the most lucrative market. Plain and simple: Nearly every marketer today is making Generation Y a priority – or at least working to understand what drives and delights this instrumental group. 2. Millennials switch brands.  Millennial market research performed by Daymon Worldwide suggests that only 29% of Millennials will buy the same brand, which is a much lower brand loyalty score compared to previous generations.  This indicates that brands must...
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It’s the Little Things: How To Write Microcopy

User Experience
July 17, 2020/by
It’s the Little Things: How To Write Microcopy Earlier today, I visited Yelp to order lunch. What I always really liked about the site is how easy it is to navigate. If I were accessing the website for the first time, I wouldn't have any worries about how to use it to my benefit. Have you ever visited a website and noticed small phrases of text that guide you to your goal? Or, when you make an online purchase, is there text on the web page that lets you know your payment information is secure? That text is called microcopy, and it's a wonderful tool for UX. For instance, let's say I was visiting Yelp for the first time today, without knowing what the website's purpose was. I wouldn't have to worry because the microcopy helps fill in that confusion. Image Source In the search bar, the microcopy tells me the types of things I could search, and where I can set my location. "Burgers, barbers, spas, handymen…" are all examples of what I can find using the site, which is super helpful for a first-time user. Additionally, the location settings tell me I could search for businesses near me or elsewhere. So when I move in a couple of weeks, I won't have to wait until I arrive to search for restaurants near my new place. It's likely you've interacted with microcopy before and it gave you useful information, like how to search for something and...
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What Is a Whitepaper? [FAQs]

Content Types
July 17, 2020/by
What Is a Whitepaper? The definition of a whitepaper varies heavily from industry to industry, which can be a little confusing for marketers looking to create one for their business. The old-school definition comes from politics, where it means a legislative document explaining and supporting a particular political solution. In tech, a whitepaper usually describes a theory behind a new piece of technology. Even a business whitepaper can serve a variety of uses and audiences -- some more product-focused than others. And although it is put together like an ebook, the two are written quite differently. We're here to arm you with the best definition of a whitepaper in the context of business and what to do (and not do) as you create one. This article covers:  What is a whitepaper? How to write a whitepaper Whitepaper examples What Is a Whitepaper? A whitepaper is a persuasive, authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic that presents a problem and provides a solution. Marketers create whitepapers to educate their audience about a particular issue, or explain and promote a particular methodology. They're advanced problem-solving guides. Typically, whitepapers require at least an email address for download (usually they require information more than that), making them great for capturing leads. What Isn't a Whitepaper? A product pitch. Although Investopedia defines a whitepaper as "an informational document issued by a company to promote or highlight the features of a solution, product, or service," be warned that overtly shilling...
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Totally Free Microsoft Excel Templates That Make Marketing Easier

Excel
July 17, 2020/by
Totally Free Microsoft Excel Templates That Make Marketing Easier Many of us can recall a time in high school when we were sitting in math class and thinking, "When am I ever going to use this stuff in the real world?" And then we suddenly find ourselves in the real world, only to realize that numbers actually do play a pivotal role in what we do -- especially in digital marketing. The trouble is, many marketers are right-brained, meaning Excel spreadsheets riddled with numbers and formulas aren't all that inviting. Making them from scratch can be especially intimidating. While we won't argue with that, we will say that the advantages of leveraging Excel's functionality to organize information and streamline tasks are unparalleled. To help those of you looking for a way to sharpen your skills, we've put together a detailed list of ways you can start using Excel to simplify your marketing tasks. Complete with templates, these suggestions will have you making strides in no time. Know what's even better? You can download this full collection of Excel templates in one fell swoop. 1. A Marketing Budget Template While marketing budgets vary from business to business, the need for structure and a clear sense of alignment between your goals and your spending is critical across the board. To ensure you're always prepared for unanticipated costs, it's important that you're not only allocating your budget thoughtfully and properly, but that you're also keeping tabs...
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Do Consumers Actually Engage With In-Stream Ads? [New Data]

Video Marketing
July 16, 2020/by
Do Consumers Actually Engage With In-Stream Ads? In 2020, video outpaced blogging and infographics as the most common content marketing strategy. As users increasingly turn to video content for entertainment and education, most social media platforms have become more focused on expanding their visual and video capabilities. Now, the average social media user sees videos in the form of live streams, Stories, or Newsfeed posts on a daily basis. Consumer preference for video over other mediums is only expected to get stronger. Although millennials watch more videos on a regular basis than Gen X and the Boomer generation, the age group's consumption still pales in comparison to Gen Z. As a marketer, you likely already know how effective the combination of video and marketing tactics can be. At this point, we've seen millions of brands boost awareness by going live on Facebook and LinkedIn. We've also seen brands report gaining traffic from video-based Instagram Stories with swipe-up links. While video marketing seems like a winning tactic in 2020, you might ask, "What about video-based advertising?" While posting a marketing video on social media or your website might cause you to gain traffic or brand awareness, launching an ad that encourages viewers to click to your store might provide both of those benefits -- plus a more direct path to revenue. When looking into paid video promotion, one of the common offerings you'll hear about -- especially if you plan to advertise on social media -- is in-stream...
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5 Dos and Don’ts When Making a SMART Goal [Examples]

Goal Setting
July 16, 2020/by
5 Dos and Don'ts When Making a SMART Goal When I was 14, my dream was to play college baseball. But I had one small problem: I only weighed 100 pounds. And even though I still had four years to bulk up and improve my skills, I knew I had a long way to go. Fortunately, my coach always knew how to give me opportunities to shoot for that kept my drive alive. I think of SMART goals like my former baseball coach. After a grueling practice or workout, he would harp on how the long term is just a series of short terms. And to hammer that mentality into our heads, he would make us write down our off-season training goals every year. But he didn't just accept the first draft of your goal sheet. He never did. He would make you edit it until you knew exactly what your goals were and how you were going to achieve them. Setting a goal like "improve upper body strength" and planning to lift weights three times a week wasn't enough. You had to write down how much you would improve your bench press by and how many times you would work out your upper body per week. Every year, I set concrete off-season training goals, and since I had a plan and clear direction, I always achieved them. By the time I was a senior in high school, I had gained 70...
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25 Stats That Prove Why You Need Link-Building in Your SEO Strategy

Link Building
July 14, 2020/by
25 Stats That Prove Why You Need Link-Building in Your SEO Strategy You probably already know how crucial SEO is for your website's traffic. One of the most important sub tactics within an SEO strategy is link-building. Not sure what this means? Here's the quick explanation. When websites link to your website, search algorithms determine that you have "authority" in  your industry because other brands are referring to you. The higher your authority gets, the better your search rankings could be. Additionally, linking to other posts within your site can also help to boost your authority as its a sign to algorithms that you've thoroughly covered a topic you're discussing. But, here's where it gets a bit more tricky. When a more credible website, such as a notable publication with a high search ranking links to you, that link counts for more than an internal link or a link from a site with less search credibility. Also, if you link a blog post or page to a site with no or poor search authority, your ranking might go down because you aren't linking to sources that search algorithms deem as credible. These are just a few of the nuances that make link building difficult and time-consuming for many marketers. But, research shows that taking the time to build a solid link strategy can quickly boost your search rankings. In fact, in 2019, most SEO experts said external links were one of the three most valuable aspects of their search optimization...
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