Answer engine optimization strategy beyond basic SEO and AEO tactics If you’re not in the trenches of search every single day, it’s hard to know how seriously to take answer engine optimization strategy. There are two dominant camps right now: those who see generative AI as the most disruptive shift search has ever experienced, and those who argue that AEO (or GEO) is simply an extension of traditional SEO.  Predictably, the truth lives somewhere in the middle — a lot of AEO is SEO, with some pivots, enhancements, or attention diverted to prominent tactics that help brands gain visibility in AI tools. On the other hand, you can gain visibility in AI tools without ranking well in traditional SEO listings; the tactics can be separated. What‘s harder to separate is your brand from the consequences of ignoring AI’s impact on search. Google’s AI Overviews (AIO) is taking clicks from websites; clicks drop by 61% when AIO is present and more alarmingly, your potential customers are busy asking AI tools about brands before they decide to create a shortlist. If your brand isn’t getting visibility for those early searches, you’re out of the race before the buyer has even discovered your website. If you’re creating an answer engine optimization strategy and you want something more nuanced than “just do good SEO,” this is the article for you. I’ll cover how answer engines choose what to cite, where SEO still does the heavy lifting, and what additional work is required to...

Reddit marketing mistakes to avoid in your social media strategy Reddit is inherently simple — think old-school internet forums. And despite — or perhaps because of — that simplicity, it can be overwhelming. I can’t tell you how many rabbit holes I’ve found myself surfing down, only to realize I’ve lost a ton of time or that I’m not doing what I set out to do. While the time lost to the scroll can feel like just another social platform, thinking of Reddit like LinkedIn or Facebook is a mistake, especially when you put on your marketing hat. While Reddit has a TON of social media marketing potential, it needs a specific strategy to help you build trust with your audience — and avoid comments like “Nice ad, Bro.” I’ll take you through mistakes to avoid while advertising on Reddit so you can show up authentically and make the most of your brand presence on Reddit. Table of Contents Reddit Marketing Mistakes to Avoid When Reddit Marketing Works Reddit Marketing Mistakes to Avoid Marketers are starting to take Reddit seriously and with good reason. Social media platforms are increasingly unpredictable. Reddit shows up near the top of most Google search results, and over 101 million people use Reddit daily. So, what exactly does it mean to take Reddit seriously? In our 2025 State of Marketing report, 57% of marketers surveyed plan to maintain or increase their investment...

The HubSpot Blog's TikTok Marketing Report: Insights from 1,000+ Social Media Marketers I first downloaded TikTok during college to scroll through comedy and pop culture discourse. But then, as I grew as a marketer, I started seeing some serious potential everywhere. And I'm not the only one who noticed. TikTok has evolved beyond just dance trends and viral challenges into a genuine powerhouse for brands connecting with audiences authentically. And don‘t just take my word for it — we’ve surveyed over 1,000 social media marketers to bring you data-backed insights on how TikTok is reshaping the marketing landscape. In this article, I'll share the latest of our 2025 State of Social findings to help give your brand or business TikTok profile the visibility it deserves. Table of Contents Why TikTok Matters for Your Marketing Strategy How Social Media Marketers Are Leveraging TikTok Data-Backed Benefits of TikTok Marketing How Content Creators & Marketers Are Earning ROI on TikTok What Content Stands Out on TikTok How Experts Navigate TikTok Governance TikTok Marketing Examples Why TikTok Matters for Your Marketing Strategy What started as a platform many marketers dismissed as “just for teens” has evolved into one of the most important channels in our digital marketing arsenal. And the numbers don't lie. Our research shows that 56% of social media marketers are now using TikTok, making it one of the top five...

Who Uses Reddit Anyway? A Deep Dive Into Reddit Users and What They Think of Marketing The internet is full of opinions. But if you want to know what people really think — about products, brands, trends, or industries — Reddit is where you’ll find the unfiltered truth. Since 2005, Reddit has been the place for honest, no-holds-barred recommendations — whether brands like it or not. As one of the most visited sites in the world, it holds thousands of communities — and the best answers to countless Google searches. With other social platforms going through lots of upheaval, plenty of brands are making decisions about the future of social media. Reddit isn’t usually top-of-mind, and it’s not for everyone — it’s notoriously tough on brands. But, it’s an incredibly valuable space, as long as you follow the rules. I’ll take you through the best ways to use Reddit for your brand and how to build genuine connections. Table of Contents Reddit User Demographics What content resonates with Reddit users? How to Market to Reddit Users Tips for Engaging Reddit Users Reddit User Demographics If you’re wondering how to market to Reddit’s 100+ million DAUq, or Daily Active Uniques (its term for daily users), without getting downvoted into oblivion, the first step lies in understanding who is on the other end of the computer. With that in mind, before I go any further,...

Why Social Shopping Could be the Future of E-Commerce Have you ever gone on social media with the intent of scrolling for entertainment, but left the app with a new purchase? When I scroll through my TikTok For You page, I come across videos with products that pique my interest, not realizing that the button for me to purchase that item is right above the caption. As a consumer, I love how effortless shopping can now be. But what about businesses — what do they think about social commerce? To help brands navigate social commerce features and determine if they fit into their strategy, I surveyed 512 social media marketers who leverage social commerce tools like active community engagement and user-generated content to learn if they’ve provided ROI. Here’s what I discovered: General Trends of Social Selling Social commerce is a growing channel for both buyers and sellers. As seen in our Consumer Trends survey, social media is the future of shopping. Within Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X, social media is the preferred channel for product discovery. Among all consumers, there is a growing number of social media users who buy on social media. In this survey, 87% of sellers say that social selling has been effective for their business this year. 59% say their company is making more sales through social media this year when compared to last year. Some marketers who sell on multiple channels felt that social media is the best at targeting potential customers...

Why Consumers Still Hesitate to Shop on Social Media Platforms If you’ve been on social media lately, you know shopping has taken center stage on most platforms. But, social commerce a controversial topic -- some people love it, others are exhausted by product placements everywhere. And, in our latest research, we discovered that people don’t trust the social media apps they use daily to handle their purchases. How Consumers Feel About Social Media Shopping For starters, just 41% of social media users feel comfortable buying products directly on social apps, and only 37% trust platforms with their card info. And when it comes to the products sold directly on social platforms, just 21% of social media users view them as high-quality. Still, around one in five social media users buy on social media regularly, and 75% of those shoppers say they're satisfied with their latest purchase. So why are people so suspicious of social shopping? Let’s take a look at the biggest concerns consumers have with shopping on social, how you can address them, and which platforms are most trusted for shopping. The Biggest Social Shopping Concerns By far, the biggest concern of consumers is that companies selling products directly on social media aren’t legitimate or could be scamming customers. As mentioned above, suspicions regarding the quality of the product and sharing card information with social platforms also play a huge role. On top of that, one-third of social media users are concerned that...

Consumers Spend 3+ Hours on Social Media Daily: What They're Doing on Each Platform   Have you ever been hypnotized by social media? According to our recent Consumer Trends survey, users of it spend an average of three hours a day there. It's easy to fall into a social media trap, filled with endless distraction. One minute you’re checking a DM and the next thing you know you’ve spent an hour watching videos of corgis playing fetch. But, it does make you wonder what consumers actually do while spending all that time on social media. And -- as a marketer -- you're likely going a step further by asking: "What's my target audience doing on there?" Why Consumers Use (& Love) Social Media Before asking social media users what the heck they're doing on social media all day, we asked them to choose the top three reasons they log on in the first place. And considering the average social media user spends three hours a day on their platforms of choice, it's no surprise that they log on to do a bit of everything there: In digging deeper, we determined the top three reasons users log on to each major social media platform: While Facebook and Instagram are mainly used to share content from our lives and keep up with family, users turn to TikTok and YouTube for entertainment, education, and inspiration. We also have Twitter and LinkedIn, the only platforms that are primarily used...

The Fastest Growing Social Media Platforms of 2023 Are people still using Facebook? Is BeReal the next big thing? And is TikTok still just for Gen Z? If you’re looking for answers to those questions, we’ve got ‘em. We asked 600+ U.S. adults about the social media platforms they use in May 2022 and again in January 2023 to find out which apps are growing and which are slowing down. Here’s what we found out: Social Media Usage in 2022 vs. 2023 While 84% of US adults unsurprisingly use social media, where are they going when they use it?  Here are a few fast facts about the top platforms US consumers use in 2023, keeping in mind that this list might be different in other countries. Facebook (69%), YouTube (57%), Instagram (45%), TikTok (33%), and Twitter (30%) are the most popular social media apps. BeReal (313%), Twitch (29%), LinkedIn (20%), and TikTok (16%) saw the most growth since last May. Reddit (-11%), Pinterest (-9%), and YouTube (-4%) are the only platforms that saw a decline in usage. While Facebook is the most popular social media platform for people over the age of 25, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are the most popular among ages 18-24. With that, let’s take a deeper dive into the fastest-growing platforms. The Fastest Growing Social Media Platforms 1. BeReal BeReal has seen 313% growth in usage from consumers we polled, which was likely fueled by hype....

How to Generate Leads on Social Media According to HubSpot research, 77% of social media marketers say their marketing specialty has been somewhat to very effective for their company this year. With 4.70 billion worldwide users, social media is a force to be reckoned with. Our phones might as well become extensions of our hands — from blasting off spur-of-the-moment tweets to perusing Instagram for makeup inspiration, social media is a dominant force in our lives that spans generations. That’s why businesses need to tune into social media for lead generation. How can you leverage social media in your business’ favor and turn it into a force for lead generation? In this post, we'll cover the following topics: What is social media lead generation Why businesses generate social media leads How to generate social media leads The platforms mentioned above are just a few examples of the social media channels people frequent to share content, catch up with friends, read up on the latest news, gather inspiration, or simply browse. A quality social media lead is one that will provide useful information and engage with your business. While useful information varies, it generally includes name, occupation, and email address. Why Businesses Generate Social Media Leads Why turn to social media to generate leads? Social media is pervasive — it has become interwoven into our daily lives. According to Pew Research Center, 7 in 10 Americans use social media. With the vast majority...

HubSpot's Social Media Team Gives 5 Tips for Bringing Your Brand on TikTok Taking the risk with any new platform is daunting. After all, no one wants to dedicate their time, energy, or budget into something with little return. That said, it's hard to ignore the hype around TikTok, its fantastic engagement rate, and its massive user base. If you're willing to get creative, TikTok could be the perfect home for your short-form videos. Here, I spoke with HubSpot's social media team to gather their best tips for bringing your brand on TikTok. 1. Know where your audience hangs out. It's important to know where your audience hangs out online. For some brands, this includes TikTok — for others, not so much. For instance, if you sell retirement homes, you won't get much traction with the platform's predominantly younger audience. "TikTok is obviously all the rage right now, and it makes sense that brands want to jump in. But before you do so, make sure to take time to ask the right questions: Does it make sense for our brand to show up on TikTok? Is our target audience there?," advises Annabelle Nyst, senior marketing manager at HubSpot. If you're debating whether or not to bring your brand on TikTok, remember to hinge your decision on the most important factor: your target audience. 2. Find your "why." Getting started on TikTok can feel overwhelming, especially when you don't have a goal to work towards.  Think of your goal as...