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The Complete Checklist for Creating Compelling Calls-to-Action

Call to Actions
July 8, 2023/by
The Complete Checklist for Creating Compelling Calls-to-Action Lots of times, when marketers want to make a big impact on their marketing, they focus on going after a big project: big email campaigns, big website redesigns, big social media plans, big everything. But while big projects can have big payoffs, you don't have all the time in the world to execute them. You've got lots of other things on your plate -- the only free time you have left in your day is the 43 minutes on Wednesday between scarfing down your bagged lunch and your weekly 1:00 p.m. client call.  Yeah ... not a lot of time for those big campaigns, huh?  The good news is you don't need them to make a big impact on your marketing -- often, a smaller tweak can work wonders. And one of the smallest changes you can implement with the biggest splash is call-to-action (CTA) revamps. On our own CTAs, we've seen small changes yield 30% increase in conversion ... which is no chump change.  So if you only have a few minutes in your week to optimize your conversion rates, souping up your out-of-date and gnarly looking calls-to-action is the way to go. To be sure you aren't forgetting any crucial components of CTAs, be sure to follow along with the checklist below.  11 Essential Elements of an Effective Call-to-Action To help demonstrate the anatomy of a well-crafted CTA, we're going to pick apart the primary CTA we recently featured in a blog...
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Barbenheimer: The Stark Marketing Differences Between This Summer’s Biggest Blockbusters

Marketing News
July 6, 2023/by
Barbenheimer: The Stark Marketing Differences Between This Summer’s Biggest Blockbusters It’s shaping up to be a big month at the box office as the highly anticipated films Barbie and Oppenheimer gear up for release on July 21. When the initial Barbie trailer dropped this spring, we covered why the film’s online selfie generator was a nod to nostalgia marketing. As we get closer to the release date, the film’s marketing engine has gone into overdrive leaning heavily into partnerships and experiential marketing. Here are just a few (yes, a few) of the tactics deployed by the Barbie marketing team: A “DreamHouse” in Malibu hosted by Ken on Airbnb A giveaway for a Barbie-themed XBOX console complete with controllers and a Dreamhouse Barbie’s Dream Car added to the Forza Horizon 5 game A Barbie x ALDO shoe and accessories collection A Barbie-themed ad for Progressive car insurance A rug collection with Ruggable A Barbie-inspired frozen yogurt flavor at Pinkberry A “Dreamhouse” scented Homesick candle Branded beauty collabs with OPI nail polish and NYX Cosmetics A “World of Barbie” activation in Los Angeles A Barbie boat cruise in Boston Barbie-pink luggage collection by BEIS Travel The co-branded collaborations have been so extensive they’ve inspired some funny memes on Twitter.   Image Source Mattel, the company behind the film and iconic doll has good reason to invest so heavily in the film’s success. The live-action film is the...
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Email Marketing: The Ultimate Guide (+ Expert Tips)

E-Mail Marketing
July 1, 2023/by
Email Marketing: The Ultimate Guide (+ Expert Tips) Done correctly, email marketing can be as powerful as any other tactic today. Research has repeatedly found that the ROI for email is consistently high. In 2022, Litmus found that the return could be as high as $36 for every dollar invested. With that in mind, let’s review the best ways to leverage email marketing. We'll also cover benefits and statistics that show the importance of email, just in case you need extra convincing. Let’s dig in. What is email marketing? Getting Started with Email Marketing How to Send Marketing Emails Email Regulations You Should Know Email Marketing Tips Marketers have been using email as a channel for almost as long as they've been using the internet. The first marketing email was sent in 1978, resulting in $13 million in sales. Email has been one of the most highly used marketing channels ever since. This is because email is a flexible yet cost-effective way to reach many people relatively quickly. You can also personalize your message to target specific audiences and generate leads. Email marketing can take many different forms. These campaigns can include a single email announcing new content, an ongoing newsletter delivered regularly, or contacting customers about product updates. Email isn’t as shiny as newer channels, like messaging and social. However, email is an effective way to build an audience that gets results. “One of my favorite parts about email marketing is its intimacy,” says Rob...
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How to Perfect Your Resume Headline (+Examples)

Resume
June 28, 2023/by
How to Perfect Your Resume Headline (+Examples) Picture this: A busy hiring manager is sifting through dozens, if not hundreds, of resumes. How can you make yours stand out in a sea of sameness? Enter the resume headline, your secret weapon to grab their attention and keep them hooked. In this comprehensive guide, we'll share everything you need to know about resume headlines, from what they are to how to craft the perfect one. We’ll also discuss 25+ examples and dive into what makes each shine. Whether you're a fresh-faced graduate or a seasoned expert, this step-by-step guide will help you create a winning headline that sets you apart from the competition. So, buckle up and get ready to elevate your job search with the best resume headlines. Table of Contents What are resume headlines? Why Resume Headlines Matter How to Write a Resume Headline Resume Headline Examples What are resume headlines? A resume headline, or a resume title or summary, is a brief, eye-catching phrase placed at the top of your resume, right below your name and contact information. It serves as a powerful introduction to your resume, highlighting your most relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments concisely. Think of it as your personal tagline or an elevator pitch that quickly and effectively communicates your unique value proposition to potential employers. Resume headlines play a crucial role in capturing the attention of hiring managers and setting the tone for the rest...
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16 Grants for LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses and Entrepreneurs

Breaking the Blueprint
June 28, 2023/by
16 Grants for LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses and Entrepreneurs 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. Small businesses are the lifeblood of America, and those owned by LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs make a hugely positive impact. According to a 2022 report by the NLGCC, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, LGBTQ-owned businesses contribute over $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy and support over 33,000 jobs annually. But as any entrepreneur knows, starting and growing a small business is not just hard work, but it can be expensive. Startup and growth costs are especially challenging for business owners in marginalized populations, such as the LGBTQ+ community, who face higher levels of financial insecurity and fewer resources than their peers. Fortunately, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs can apply for grants specific to their community, or grants that are known to be inclusive of them. If you want to fund your LGBTQ+ small business with a grant, check out the list below. Grants for LGBTQ+ Owned Businesses and Entrepreneurs Small business owners commonly fund their ventures with loans, credit cards, lines of credit, and/or investors, but all require repayment, potentially with steep interest fees. While grants are harder to obtain, they’re coveted since the money is gifted and doesn’t have to be...
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How to Identify & Work With the Best Brand Influencers for Your Business

Influencer Marketing
June 27, 2023/by
How to Identify & Work With the Best Brand Influencers for Your Business I commented on a friend‘s vacation post, scrolled past a Comforter advertisement, and double-tapped an influencer’s skincare post this morning. That‘s the thing about brand influencer marketing — you follow them for a reason, so you don’t mind interacting with their sponsored content. I follow this influencer because she‘s an editor of a major magazine that I enjoy reading, and her content interests me. Since I trust her opinion, I’ll check out any skincare brands she endorses. Even though influencer marketing is a well-known marketing channel by now, it's always important to reiterate that your customers trust the opinions of others — and that majorly impacts buying decisions. Nearly 90% of all marketers find ROI from influencer marketing comparable to, or better than, other marketing channels. Now that we understand the potential benefits of leveraging influencers, let's consider strategies for identifying the most suitable ones for your industry. What is an influencer? An influencer is someone who‘s amassed a substantial social media audience and can sway their followers’ actions. So odds are you've seen them on many social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter. Businesses can benefit from influencers by increasing brand awareness, reaching new audiences, and converting customers. Collaborating with an influencer enables a business to use its credibility and influence its followers, resulting in higher sales and stronger customer loyalty. Influencers can also create genuine content that resonates with their followers, helping...
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How AI Will Revolutionize Product Development, and How to Prepare [Insights from AWS’ Senior Advisor to Startups]

Artificial Intelligence
June 27, 2023/by
How AI Will Revolutionize Product Development, and How to Prepare As any business owner knows, product-market fit is one of the most challenging aspects of starting a business. Predicting the right product to build – and investing in building prototypes, experimenting, and testing — is an exhaustingly long and expensive process, and oftentimes, business owners run out of money before they're even able to test their products. Fortunately, as AWS Senior Advisor to Startups and AI expert Deepam Mishra told me, “This process is about to be turned on its head with the newest advances in AI.” I sat down with Mishra to discuss how AI will revolutionize every aspect of the product development process, and how startups and SMBs should prepare for it. How AI Will Revolutionize Product Development, According to AWS' Senior Advisor to Startups 1. Product-market fit predictions will be more accurate. From Mishra's experience, he’s seen many startups fail due to poor product-market fit. This corresponds with wider trends. A whopping 35% of SMBs and startups fail due to no market need. Fortunately, AI can help solve for this. AI-fueled data analysis can help startups collect a more accurate, well-rounded view of the quantitative and qualitative data they‘ll need to determine whether their product actually meets their customers’ needs — or whether they've even selected the right audience in the first place. Leveraging AI when collecting and analyzing data can also help teams understand their customers on a deeper level. As...
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What the Prolonged Reddit Blackout Could Mean for Marketers

Marketing News
June 22, 2023/by
What the Prolonged Reddit Blackout Could Mean for Marketers Reddit is in a standoff with some of its users. The platform announced plans to limit access to its API for third-party developers, charging for access to data. The decision to charge is an effort to increase profitability for the platform, which is preparing for a potential IPO. However, the change could further derail the company’s ability to go public. According to some volunteer moderators (who are critical to Reddit’s operating model), the change will price out third-party applications that help them facilitate conversations on the platform. In response, over 8k subreddits have become private since June 12, essentially going dark and causing a 6.6% traffic dip for the online forum. A number of moderators planned to shutter their subreddits for two days, however, thousands of Reddit pages remain offline. Reddit’s CEO has continued to stand firm in the company’s decision to limit access to its API, leaving the end of the strike in limbo. The events have already impacted Reddit’s reputation, the credibility of content on its forums, and trust with its user base. The company’s relationship with advertisers could be next. How Advertisers Are Approaching the Reddit Blackout Advertising is currently the primary revenue driver for Reddit, and if marketers move dollars away from the platform en masse, it could cause problems for the company’s bottom line. Nearly 49% of Reddit’s traffic comes from organic search, and having a sizeable portion of content down can limit the...
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How to Convert an Excel Document to a Google Sheet

Google Sheets
June 22, 2023/by
How to Convert an Excel Document to a Google Sheet Are you tired of wrestling with Excel spreadsheets? Perhaps you're looking for a more collaborative and user-friendly experience for your team. Using Google Sheets may be the answer to your frustrations. The cloud-based platform makes it easy to manage and organize data. You can also work collaboratively within the same interface you're used to with other Google products. No matter where your colleagues live, you can work together. Getting started is easy. Keep reading to learn how to convert an Excel document to a Google Sheet and vice versa. The Benefits of Converting Excel Documents to Google Sheets How to Convert an Excel Document to a Google Sheet How to Convert a Google Sheet into an Excel Document Limitations of Converting Documents Between Excel and Google Sheets The Benefits of Converting Excel Documents to Google Sheets You might want to convert your Excel documents to Google Sheets for a variety of reasons. Google Sheets offers very similar functionality to Excel with additional collaboration capabilities. You can even access your Sheets on any computer. Further, Google Sheets allows you to view previous versions, hyperlink between applications, and work at scale. Google Sheets is the perfect option for those who work in teams or shared projects. However, Excel has more comprehensive data management capabilities. Excel is great for those managing large amounts of data. ...
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Everything You Need to Know About Functional Resumes

Resume
June 22, 2023/by
Everything You Need to Know About Functional Resumes Not sure how to make your resume really pop? Wondering how to highlight your skills and experience, despite any possible gaps? You might benefit from a functional resume. Luckily, this article closely examines everything you need to know about functional resumes, including what they are, when to use them, and the benefits they offer. So, whether you’re new in the workforce, changing careers, or have experienced some time unemployed, a functional resume can help you attract potential employers. What is a functional resume? The Benefits of Functional Resumes When to Use a Functional Resume Limitations of Functional Resumes How to Write a Functional Resume Functional Resume Examples What is a functional resume? Unlike a traditional, chronological resume, a functional resume focuses on your skills and experience — not just your work history. So, instead of focusing on companies, roles, and dates of employment, it groups things like your marketing experience together, presenting a collection of relevant experiences and skills. It’s great if you’re changing careers or have a gap in your work history, as it steers attention away from dates and underscores why you’re a great fit for the role. Plus, functional resumes begin with an objective or summary statement that sets the tone. Then it highlights your skills, accomplishments, and education. The result is a much more targeted, customized resume that reflects your strengths and qualifications. The Benefits of...
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