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AI Conversion Rate Optimization: How AI Is Transforming CRO Strategies

Conversion Rate Optimization
October 17, 2024/by
AI Conversion Rate Optimization: How AI Is Transforming CRO Strategies The future of conversion rate optimization is here — and it’s driven by AI. From personalized video to scalable email outreach, learn how to maximize conversions with AI CRO. If Kieran and I were to invest our marketing budget anywhere in the next 6-12 months, it would be in AI Conversion Rate Optimization (AI CRO). In fact, we believe in AI CRO so strongly, that we easily rank it above other marketing growth strategies like organic search, paid performance, brand marketing — even product marketing. The return potential is simply unmatched, with some experiments seeing conversion rate increases of 50-100%. Now, I know what you’re thinking: CRO has been a marketing staple for decades. And you’re right. But AI has turned the process completely on its head, offering new levels of personalization, scaling, and automation that weren’t even fathomable a year ago. The result? A faster, smarter way to turn curious visitors into loyal customers. In a recent Marketing Against the Grain episode, Kieran and I break down what AI CRO is, key areas where it’s transforming marketing, and advice for integrating it into your marketing strategy. What is AI conversion rate optimization and why does it matter? AI-powered Conversion Rate Optimization (AI CRO) uses artificial intelligence to increase conversion rates by analyzing massive amounts of data and identifying key customer patterns, like recurring behaviors or connections between different touchpoints. Based on these insights, AI then identifies conversion opportunities...
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What Are the Best Alternatives to Google? How Brands Can Succeed Off Google Search

Content Distribution
October 17, 2024/by
What Are the Best Alternatives to Google? How Brands Can Succeed Off Google Search When I think back to my school days when we were asked to complete research papers using good old-fashioned books from the library, and I genuinely don’t think I could do that today. I’ve become so accustomed to the wide accessibility of information on the Internet that I’m willing to do anything to maintain that access, including risking inaccurate information or an inefficient experience. And I’m not the only one who feels this way. In HubSpot’s Consumer Trends study surveying more than 700 consumers in January 2024, 78% of consumers said they search for brands online using a search engine like Google, and 79% use search engines like Google to search for answers to questions, as opposed to AI chatbots or social media. However, only 51% find search engines like Google very effective at answering their questions. This means many of us blindly use Google because it’s what we know best and not because we think it’s good at what we need it to do. But we don’t need to suffer anymore — there are tons of great search engine options that aren’t Google. Table of Contents What to Look For in an Alternative to Google What are the best alternatives to Google? 6 Tips for Succeeding Off Google Search as a Brand What to Look For in an Alternative to...
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Understanding B2B2C Marketing: A Comprehensive Overview

B2B marketing
October 11, 2024/by
Understanding B2B2C Marketing: A Comprehensive Overview As a content writer in the digital marketing space, I spend a lot of time breaking down industry terms, concepts, and strategies, some of which can be more confusing or difficult to grasp than others. However, I have also found that some terms, including “B2B2C marketing,” might seem to be overly complicated at first, but turn out to be much easier to understand once you investigate them. In this post, I’ll guide you through what B2B2C marketing is and how it works, as well as provide a few examples of popular and effective B2B2C marketing strategies. Table of Contents What is B2B2C marketing? Why B2B2C Marketing Works How B2B2C Marketing Works 3 Effective B2B2C Marketing Strategies Importantly, B2B2C marketing is distinct from B2B or B2C marketing, in which businesses sell exclusively to other businesses or directly to consumers. B2B2C marketing is actually incredibly common, and most of us engage with businesses utilizing this model on a regular basis. In fact, B2B2C marketing has been around for ages but has grown increasingly prevalent over the years as technological innovation has made it easier and more beneficial for businesses to collaborate. Now that I’ve provided you with a basic definition of B2B2C marketing, let’s look at exactly why — and how — it works and explore some real-world examples. Why B2B2C Marketing Works Personally, I have...
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My Advice for People of Color Looking to Break Into Tech

Entrepreneurship
October 10, 2024/by
My Advice for People of Color Looking to Break Into Tech Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success. Switching careers can be daunting for anyone, but the challenges can feel particularly overwhelming for people of color.  The tech industry, while brimming with opportunities, presents unique hurdles that must be navigated with determination and strategic planning. The path is riddled with obstacles, from battling imposter syndrome to upskilling through certifications and boot camps and learning the industry's language without a technical background. However, with the right mindset and resources, these challenges can transform into stepping stones toward a fulfilling career in technology. In this piece, I’ll explore common challenges people of color might face when breaking into tech and offer my advice for overcoming them based on my personal experience in doing the same. 1. Battling Imposter Syndrome Imposter syndrome is a pervasive issue that affects many professionals, and it can be especially prevalent among career switchers of color in tech. This feeling of self-doubt and uncertainty about one's abilities can be crippling, often leading individuals to question their place in the industry. I vividly remember the day I completed my Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) program. While the certification equipped me with a solid...
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25 Top-Notch Product Landing Page Templates

Free Landing Page Builder, Landing Page Design
October 9, 2024/by
25 Top-Notch Product Landing Page Templates Over the course of my career as a marketing executive, I’ve found that landing page templates can be a vital resource. After all, a landing page is a great way to turn traffic into conversions — but not all pages are created equal. According to research, the average conversion rate for landing pages is only 2.35%, but about a quarter of all accounts have a conversion rate of less than 1%. So, if your goal is to be in the top 25% of accounts with 5.31% or more, in my experience, there are many factors you have to focus on to make a good landing page. However, a template makes it much easier to start. You shouldn’t just aim to create just one: Our research has shown having more landing pages frequently results in higher lead and conversion rates. Businesses with 10-15 landing pages got a 55% increase in conversions compared to those who had fewer. That’s why I’m sharing some of my favorite, tried-and-true best practices for creating a winning landing page below, after we examine 25 top-notch templates. Table of Contents 25 Free Professionally-Designed Landing Page Templates Landing Page Best Practices Craft the Best Landing Page for Your Business 25 Free Professionally-Designed Landing Page Templates A well-designed landing page is a key contributing factor in increasing conversion. In fact, in one of our surveys, we found 91% of marketing and advertising professionals were...
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The 16 Best Blogging Platforms for 2024 (& How to Pick One)

Content Management System
October 9, 2024/by
The 16 Best Blogging Platforms for 2024 (& How to Pick One) I wrote my first blog about 10 years ago. I started on the Blogger platform and tried (and failed) at blogging for years. Now, I manage my own successful blog on the WordPress platform, and I love blogging. As an SEO consultant, I also manage clients' blogs and use many platforms. Truthfully, the best blogging platform is the one that works for you. There’s a lot out there, and in this article, I’m rounding up the 16 best blogging platforms, including pro tips from people using the blogging platform to help you pick the best blogging platform. Blogging is powerful, and I want you to find one that inspires you to write. The HubSpot blog generates leads for HubSpot, and 90% of the leads come from older blog posts, including those published years ago. Publishing blog content offers many benefits in addition to procuring leads. Blogging can help you establish authority in an industry. It can drive brand awareness, share company news, and better convert website traffic into leads. But the wrong platform can also limit your returns. It can restrict your ability to gather leads, improve SEO, monetize your blog, and more. There are many great choices for blogs that come at little or no cost, with a ton of valuable features that can bring you results for your efforts. To find the best platform for your new blog, keep reading or jump to the...
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The Ultimate Guide to Event Marketing for Business in 2025

Event Marketing
October 9, 2024/by
The Ultimate Guide to Event Marketing for Business in 2025 At the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, my previous employer was just weeks away from its annual conference, and our event marketing efforts were in full swing. After a year of promotion, we never expected our plans, let alone the entire world, to get shut down. But if I learned anything during that time, it’s just how valuable those events were. While we can see people’s faces through video calls and hear their voices over the phone, there’s something about being in the same room IRL (or in real life, if you will) that just hits differently. And that’s why event marketing is so powerful. Today, 80.4% of businesses hold in-person events as their most impactful marketing channel. In fact, Forrester found that 48% of teams say events are more important today than before the pandemic. Conferences, galas, tradeshows, happy hours — they’re all different, but they all help businesses better understand and connect with their audience and customers. According to our 2024 State of Marketing Report, 16% of marketers plan to try experiential marketing this year, while many others are increasing their event budgets or trying to get more out of their event marketing strategies. If you’re one of them, this guide is for you. (But for the purposes of this guide, we’ll focus on being a host.) Events of all kinds can be considered “event marketing.” You can organize a small roundtable of seven to...
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How the HubSpot Blog Built a Freelance Writing Program That Actually Makes Great Content 

Blogging
October 8, 2024/by
How the HubSpot Blog Built a Freelance Writing Program That Actually Makes Great Content  When I started working with freelancers, I’d experience a sinking feeling when a first draft hit my inbox. Would this piece be any good? Or, would I be rewriting an entire article myself to get something usable? Or perhaps, I found a gem — a freelancer who would make my day with a light edit, strong writing, and a grasp of the subject matter at hand. I would do anything in my power to make them happy. Please don’t leave me, I’d whisper to my laptop as I typed a praise-filled thank you email. Four years later, I’ve cracked the code. I now run HubSpot’s Freelance Network, a contract program with over 40 writers. My team creates over 800 pieces every year. I feel like I have a collection of rare gems, each with their own specialized insights that can help our audience grow. The best part? I’m finally ready to share how I made this program a reality. But first, here’s a little about me. My name is Kaitlin. I’m a journalist by trade who’s made the transition into the wonderful world of content marketing. So, my first role working with freelancers was in that past life at business publications. In 2022, I was recruited by HubSpot for a brand-new challenge. My mission was to build a robust group of freelancers to serve HubSpot’s full portfolio of English blogs. Infrastructure is everything. When...
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Podcasting for Business Growth: How I Built a 7-Figure Business While Staying True to Myself

How to Podcast
October 8, 2024/by
Podcasting for Business Growth: How I Built a 7-Figure Business While Staying True to Myself Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better. Sometimes people start podcasts out of curiosity, the need to flex a creative muscle, or the drive to tell their story. But what happens after that initial experiment can be powerful: podcasting can create transformative business growth and consistent profit. When people refer to podcasts as a ‘hobby’, they’re missing so much about what they can do for the entrepreneur, creative, side-hustler, storyteller, and ideator. In fact, podcasts generated over $2 billion in ad revenue in 2023 alone. The power of podcasting is certainly not lost on me. What started with a nudge and a microphone from my older brother became an outlet for me during a very lonely season of entrepreneurship. It has also turned into the #1 thing I’m known for, The Goal Digger Podcast. I pressed that ‘record’ button from the front seat of my car in my garage (so no one could hear the dogs barking in the house) and published my first few episodes. I felt like I was throwing a silly idea into the ether and hoping at least one person would listen to it. I didn’t even consider the ways it would help grow and support my business. 110+ million downloads over 800+ episodes later, I’ve witnessed just what consistent podcasting can really do. Let’s...
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