How I applied the 95-5 rule to build Gong’s brand from the ground up When I stepped into my role as head of content at Gong, I didn't come with a decade of marketing experience. I came with a sales background and a whole lot of time spent chasing leads. That experience turned out to be my unfair advantage. Here‘s what I knew from the trenches: Most people aren’t ready to buy when you reach out. Most of them don‘t care about your product, at least, not yet. They’re not waking up hoping for another cold email or wondering if they should check out one more demo page. They're busy doing their jobs. That mental model led me to a question that changed everything. What if we could earn attention before someone was in-market? What if, instead of trying to “capture demand,” we could create it? That's what we set out to do at Gong. And, we did it by flipping the typical SaaS playbook on its head. What is the 95-5 rule? The 95-5 Rule, popularized by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, came out a few years later and instantly validated everything we’d been doing. Here’s what it says: At any given time, only 5% of your total addressable market is actively buying. The other 95% isn’t. Yet, most marketing teams invest heavily in bottom-funnel, high-intent tactics targeting just that 5%. This approach is shortsighted and easily exhausted. When I joined Gong, we took a completely different path. For...

How to Collaborate with Brands as a Content Creator Welcome to The Creative, a series that gives content creators actionable advice from professionals in the creator economy. Whether you're a seasoned creator or just starting out, read The Creative to learn how to grow your platform, improve your content, and stay ahead in the ever-shifting creator landscape.  As a content creator, I've found the most common question other creators in my circle ask is, "How do I collaborate with brands?" And it makes sense that it's top of mind for so many creatives since brand deals are among the primary sources of income for podcasters, influencers, YouTubers, streamers, and more. So, how can a content creator secure a collaboration with a brand? Where do you find these brands? And how do you know you‘re ready? Though I am a creator, I’m more of a hobbyist. So, I don't have much personal experience navigating brand deals. However, I spoke with seasoned creators within HubSpot's network with experience working with brands. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about collaborating with brands as a creator, according to the experts. What is a brand collaboration? When should you seek brand collaborations? How to Find Brand Collaborations   What is a brand collaboration? A brand collaboration is a partnership between a brand and a content creator in which both parties work together to create content that promotes the brand to the creator's followers. One of the most common...

Crafting Your Content Blueprint for the Rest of 2023 With Creator Modern Millie If you fell off the bandwagon of sticking to your New Year's Resolution to become a content creator, you’re not too late. Fall is the best time of year to get started, so I want to walk you through my step-by-step process for planning out the next four months of content. This process is the same one I've used to grow my brand, Modern Millie — it's helped me achieve over 350K subscribers on my YouTube channel, and over 140K followers on Instagram. Whether you‘re a content creator or enterprise marketer, I have no doubt you’ll find something in this process that will work for you. Let's jump in. Why is the fall the best time of year to start creating? There are two major reasons the fall (primarily September through November) is one of the best times of the year to create content: During the summer, the sun is out longer, people go on vacation, and kids aren’t in school so you’ll often see a dip in engagement on social media since people are outdoors more. Going into the fall season, it starts to get darker sooner, people fall back into their routines, and they get back into consuming social media. You’re able to use the holidays to your advantage. Here’s Stephanie, as an example. Last year, Stephanie was getting ready to give up on being a content creator, but instead...

How These 3 Content Creators Turned a Side Hustle Into a Full-Time Gig Content creator is a job title that didn't exist a decade ago. Now, 50 million people consider themselves creators, following their passion in a billion-dollar industry. Thanks to social media, it's easier than ever to create, share, and monetize content — flipping the "starving artist" trope on its head. And with massive demand for original and engaging content, there's never been a better time to jump in. Of course, turning a side hustle into a full-time gig is no easy feat. After all, creating content is just one small part of the equation. You also need to engage in community building, social media promotion, audience research, and networking. And while the business of content creation seems simple enough — create content, build an audience, then make money — these things take a lot of time. In other words, the dream of recording a video, hitting "upload," and making millions is exactly that — a dream. Despite the challenges, there are people who've succeeded in becoming full-time content creators. Here, I spoke with three creators to learn their biggest tips for quitting your 9-to-5 and becoming a full-time creator. Let's dive in. 1. Craft an exit strategy. "Sometimes, it's not about knowing exactly what you want. Instead, it's about uncovering what it is you don't want any longer," says Jenna Kutcher, author and host of the Goal Digger Podcast. Kutcher's revelation drove her to entrepreneurship, but...

How to Create a Curated Blog Post I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Not all the content you create has to be 100% original. Mind-blowing, right? And for you inbound marketers plagued by the incessant demands of content creation, maybe also a little comforting? Now before some of you say "But content curation is lazy." and "Content curation is why there is so much stuff on the internet," hear me out. Sure, curated content is a collection of other people's content and resources from around the web. But that doesn't mean it can't be valuable. Just think about a collection of mint-condition vintage toys. Each toy that comprises the collection is valuable in and of itself — but a collection of many is even more valuable. We're going to walk you through how to compile a valuable curated blog post in this post. So, keep reading or jump to the section you’re looking for. What is curated content? How to Create a Curated Blog Content Curation Tips Curated Content Examples Curating is a process that's best known in the art world. Curators choose, organize, and exhibit the work of different artists in galleries and museums. These exhibits usually come together under a common theme or idea. Curated content follows a similar process. Content curators collect content that aligns with a specific topic, area of interest, or theme. They can use these groups of content to: ...

What to Look for When Hiring Creators, According to HubSpot Experts The creator economy is seeing a huge boom, and many marketers are looking for ways to use it in their campaigns. The most common way marketers leverage this new economy is by collaborating with creators to expand audience reach. But what should marketers look for when hiring creators? In this article, the experts at HubSpot will explain what to look for when working with creators. The following information is perfect for marketers looking to collaborate with creators and creators trying to attract partnerships with brands. 5 Things to Look for When Hiring Creators Here are five things businesses and brands look for when hiring content creators. 1. A Results-Driven Approach "As a results-driven person, the first thing I care about is producing results, especially when working with creators," said Brandon Huang, Partnerships Lead for the Creators Program. "I take a close look at all the quantitative metrics that I can regarding a creator: their reach, their engagement, how consistent they are with posting, and how consistent the results are on the content they create." Creators should regularly track their metrics to have concrete numbers to show potential brands and quantify their success. Some metrics creators should follow are: Traffic Conversions Impressions Click-through-rate (CTR) Engagement Business owners should also be mindful of these metrics when scoping out creators to work with to get...

The Ultimate Guide to Content Creation Content creation is what happens behind the scenes. It's how Google can offer the perfect answer to your problem. It's the videos you watch on YouTube after a tough day. Content creation is also what helps people discover your business, brand, and products. And that content helps you attract, engage, and delight prospects and customers. It brings new visitors to your site and ultimately generates revenue for your company. In other words, if you’re not creating content, then you’re behind the curve. Why is content creation important? Content creation is the ultimate inbound marketing practice. When you create content, you’re providing free and useful information to your audience, attracting potential customers to your website, and retaining existing customers through quality engagement. You’re also generating some major value for your company, as these content marketing stats show: Almost 40% of marketers say content marketing is an essential part of their marketing strategy. 81% say their company sees content as a business strategy. B2B marketers have data that says content marketing is a successful tool for nurturing leads (60%), generating revenue (51%), and building an audience of subscribers (47%). And 10% of marketers who blog say it generates the biggest return on investment. Content equals business growth. So, let’s get started with the types of content you can create and then review your content strategy. Content Creation Ideas 1. Blogs One type of content creation (the kind...

If Everyone is a Content Creator — Is Anyone? Quick riddle for you: What do you have in common with podcast hosts, YouTube sensations, TikTok stars, and Instagram influencers? Stumped? Okay, okay. I'll tell you the answer. Statistically speaking, you probably also consider yourself a 'content creator', at least on some level. Recently, HubSpot's Blog Research team ran a study and found 30% of 18-24 year olds and 40% of 25-34 year olds call themselves content creators. That number might seem high at first, but when you consider how deeply ingrained social media has become in our lives, it starts to make sense.  What did surprise me, however, was this: When asked how many followers most of these content creators had, 84% reported less than 10,000, and 39% reported less than 1,000. This confused me. In high school, I had roughly 100 followers. But I'd never considered myself a content creator. I guess, as it turns out, maybe I should have. To investigate whether 'everyone is a content creator' is true — and what it means if it is — I spoke with three content creators and influencers about their relationship to the 'content creator' label. Let's dive in. Is anyone who creates content a 'content creator'?  Li Jin is an investor and co-founder of Variant Fund, a venture firm investing in the ownership economy. Jin, who's been called 'The Investor Guru for Online Creators', believes everyone is a content creator. As Jin told The Information, "No matter...

How to Stop Procrastinating and Become a Joyful Writer Whether you're a full-time blogger or a social media marketer who's occasionally tasked with writing social media copy, I'm willing to bet you've experienced the temptation to procrastinate in the middle of your writing process. Maybe you type your introductory sentence and then open Pinterest. Perhaps you finish a section of your post and then, losing steam, decide to wash your dishes, instead. Whatever it is, we've all been there. Writing is a tough and tedious process, and there are plenty of moments where procrastination is much more tempting than writing one more sentence. But if you're on a tight deadline, it's critical you're able to stay focused. Here, Henneke Duistermaat, founder of Enchanting Marketing, dives into strategies writers can use to avoid procrastination the next time they're on a tight deadline and can't afford to spend any more time refreshing their Pinterest feeds. Let's dive into the strategies you can use to stop procrastinating during your writing process — and how to become a more joyful writer,...