Author: Franz Malten Buemann

Take a journey with your buyer and decode their activities, likings, preferences, interests, and lots more: BUYER’s JOURNEY 1. Unaware Stage The first and foremost stage is to make noise and create awareness for your brand and company about what you do, how you do, and lastly, why do you do it. Pro Tip – Specifically for B2C markets, viral giveaways have proven to be very rewarding as these giveaways make way for direct leads, which could also lead to referred leads. 2. Lead Stage Once they know you and people are talking about you, it’s time you check whether they are a good fit for your business. Pro Tip – Use the Dollar Strategy to validate the interest of the leads. What is Dollar Strategy? Ask people to put a dollar into the campaign to reserve a spot and this will guarantee you intent. The ones who put a dollar in your campaign will be the ones who are genuinely interested in your product or service rather than just being here to win something for free. 3. Prospect Stage Once you validate the lead, it is time to turn that lead into a paying customer or a prospect. Pro Tip – Use softwares like Mailchimp or LeadPages, which can help you nurture these leads with drip e-mail campaigns and content upgrades. Once they are in your ecosystem, they can be marketed directly through e-mail campaigns. 4. Customer Stage The journey comes to the ultimate fulfillment only with this step. You have kept in touch with the prospects, nurtured the leads, and now the prospective lead trusts you enough to invest in your product or service. They become the CUSTOMER everyone is looking for. 5. Fan Stage Yes, there’s more to it. While the goal could have met, the journey has yet to end. For a business to run well, you need not only to think about the immediate results but focus on the long-term ones. Further your organic sales through referrals or recommendations, you need to build that extraordinary personal relationship with your customer. This effort will make them fans of your brand, enticing them to buy themselves and get others to buy repeatedly. And voila, this was your buyers journey for you! Remember, marketing and psychology are a match made in heaven. You can not afford to ignore your buyer. And once you find a sweet spot in the heads of your targeted buyer, you will see the difference yourself. Feel free to add in the discussion with your comments. We would love to interact! See you. Happy Marketing! submitted by /u/KiwiTechCorp [link] [comments]

Hi all. I’m wondering what you think are the top 3-5 skills a marketing automation specialist should possess. Look forward to your answers! submitted by /u/james2232 [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/chebeatz [link] [comments]

Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team. 
Participating in Dry January? Martha Stewart has a few suggestions for how to use your Tito’s Vodka if you aren’t drinking it.
The vodka company and lifestyle maven partnered to create “DIY January,” a campaign showing the various ways the Tito’s DIY January kit can be used around the house, served with a splash of humor.

Though the ad spot is clearly a joke it underscores an emerging trend in mindful alcohol consumption.
Drizly reported a noticeable increase in non-alcoholic beverage sales in January 2022 — a 48% jump from the prior year’s non-alcoholic beverage sales. In the same report, Drizly also noted products that were perceived as “lighter” such as clean wine and hard seltzer were some of the top-selling products last January.
According to Gallup, alcohol consumption for American adults is on the decline and Gen Z’s drinking patterns may be influencing the shift. 
Compared to Millennials, older Gen Z’s spend 40% less money on alcohol and are less likely to consume alcohol regularly. A survey by Numerator found Gen Z’s alcohol consumption and purchasing habits are influenced by concerns about how it affects their mood, behavior, and social media presence. 
These same themes may ring true for younger members of Gen Z as well, as there has been a decline in underage drinking over the past decade. If younger generations continue to show less interest in drinking alcohol than their predecessors, campaigns such as DIY January (minus the satire) may become the new norm for brands looking to appeal to sober-curious consumers. 
Marketing Snippets

The latest marketing news and strategy insights. 
How to make a video go viral: what the latest research has to say. 
TikTok licenses IMDB data making it easier for users to find TV and film references on the app. 
Meta was fined over $414 million by the EU for GDPR violations.
Are we in a recession? How to discuss the current economic uncertainty with your marketing team. 
Learn what types of posts work well on LinkedIn, directly from the LinkedIn team.
TikTok users will soon be able to restrict their videos to adult-only audiences. 
Twitter is rolling out a new feature that will let users swipe between multiple views based on their interests.
Instagram shares the platform’s 2023 focus areas, just in time for your social strategy. 
How shrinking budgets due to the economic downturn may impact influencer marketing in 2023.

As we embark on the new year, marketing managers and project leads will determine their strategy for the first quarter based on the big question, “Are we in a recession?”.
Typically, a recession is considered two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product (GDP). The U.S. entered a recession in the Summer of 2022, but according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP actually grew slightly at 2.6% in Q3.
So while we can’t fully confirm that we’re going to be in one again, we know that your marketing team is looking to you for answers. In this article, we’ll provide industry insight into the current state of the economy and best practices for marketing leaders to better address employee concerns.

Are We in a Recession?: Marketing Leaders and Data Weigh In
To see what brands think about the current economy, we used Glimpse to survey 300+ U.S. marketers to ask them if they think we’ve entered a recession in detail.
1. Do you think the U.S. economy is in a recession?

Marketers overwhelmingly (78%) say the U.S. is currently in a recession. This comes as no surprise as many marketers are already adapting strategies in response to changing consumer spending habits. Let’s go through some of the sentiments behind their answers.
Reasons Why We Might Be in a Recession

Consumers are spending less and exercising more caution and discretion.

People are spending less because they don’t know how long the recession will last. As a result, they pay less for products or services. They’re focusing on using their money for sustainability over risks and are spending less on nonessential goods.

Inflation has made everything more expensive for marketers and consumers.

In plain terms, higher prices make it harder to make ends meet. Instead of shopping for the latest, innovative tech, many have to delay payments, purchases, and planning. After all, no one wants to spend money when gas and food are priced so high.

Marketers are struggling with their budgets — and 37% have already seen budget cuts.

Consumers aren’t spending as much, and in response, many businesses’ marketing budgets are shrinking. This limits the projects marketers can conduct and impacts how many and what type of marketing activities they can do. One survey respondent even said, “We’re needing to spend more to get similar results from six months ago.”
2. Do you expect the U.S. economy to be in a recession in the next three to six months?

Most (67%) marketers expect the recession to last over six months, and one-third expect it to last more than a year if we break down the stats even further.

One of the respondents left a resounding statement summarizing this prediction better than we could’ve put it ourselves. “Between COVID-19 uncertainty, high prices due to inflation, supply chain and venue availability issues, people are hesitant to plan large events for the next 12 months. I expect that will continue at least for another year or until there is some sense of stability in the market.”
The first year of the pandemic was the shortest recorded recession on record. Many wonder how our economic path may look, so we also asked how they think a recession now would compare.
Marketers expect the impact of the recession to be on par or worse than COVID.
One-third of marketers say the recession will have a more significant impact than COVID, while another-third expect the effects to be about the same. It’s an ongoing debate that only the Federal Reserve can speak to. Still, according to recent financial news, the trend for economic growth is projected to be negative in the first quarter of 2023.
Financial figureheads such as Jamie Dimon, Chief Executive of JP Morgan Chase, shared in an interview with CNBC that consumers and companies are in good shape, but that trend “may not last much longer as the economy slows down and inflation erodes consumer spending power.”
How to Navigate Uncertainty as a Marketing Manager or Project Lead
1. Take steps to recession-proof your business.
Learning how to recession-proof your organization takes time. It requires leaders to take a step back and think creatively about how they approach business. Some actions you can take include sales forecasting, fostering stronger business relationships, or diversifying your revenue streams.
2. Lead with transparency.
Your team may already be aware of economic uncertainties, but it’s your job to ensure they know how it could impact their jobs. Amidst uncertainty, the best thing you can do as a leader is to openly share information and manage expectations — so none of your employees panic or wind up blindsided
Business.com has even identified a link between transparency and morale, citing that increased transparency can improve employee morale, boost retention, and create a better bottom line for your company.
3. Reduce spending where you can, but not to your detriment.
Rethinking your budget is smart, but you still want to empower your marketing team to do impactful work. Look at your systems and processes and determine which ones add the most value to your team’s objectives. You might even identify redundancies and save time and spend.
4. Keep benefits that your employees rely on the most.
Cutting frivolous employee perks and benefits is an agreeable — if uncomfortable — course for leadership to take in times of uncertainty. The benefits to keep should be essential to your company’s compensation philosophy. And don’t take away too many, like healthcare or time off — you don’t want to risk losing talent because their priorities aren’t being met anymore.
Are we headed for a recession?
As marketers, we’re not experts in financial markets and shouldn’t be a source for investment, HR, and legal advice.
It’s not our call to make, but for 2023 — regardless if we’re officially in a recession — we advise that marketing managers and project leaders stay vigilant and expect the unexpected. Have a game plan to present your team and prepare for uncertainty.

Virality. Many brands want to go viral, but it’s more of a mystery to create viral content in a digital age where the most unpredictable content can reach millions of views overnight. There is no secret recipe for the perfect viral video, and yet there are videos that receive millions of views every year. What’s the secret?

Unfortunately, virality is more of an art than a science. While there is no tried-and-true formula for virality, there are some elements that we consistently see — and knowing what that puts you one step closer to attaining that viral glory.

So let’s identify some of the commonalities that can make them internet-famous.
The Science of Virality
From the latest trending Twitter or TikTok moment to some of the oldest viral moments to come from YouTube, like “Keyboard Cat” or “Charlie Bit My Finger,” the science of a viral video is an ever-changing imperfect formula.
How do videos go viral?
While for YouTubers of today, it may take a lot of luck, some common elements of viral videos can set you up for success. According to HubSpot research in the 2022 Video Marketing Report, these are the most prevalent characteristics:

Title length: Videos had short titles (3 words or less)
Run-time: Videos had shorter run times (3 minutes or less).
Captures viewer’s attention in first few seconds: Videos featured the element of surprise (defined as seeing or hearing an expression of surprise, such as a scream or gasp) or interesting propositions breaking of norms.
Content is relatable in nature: Videos featured relatable circumstances, situations or subject matter that viewers of multiple different backgrounds could relate to.
Production quality: Videos displayed a musical elements reflecting high production value in resolution, props, and well-thoughtout ideation.
Talent: Many viral videos were composed of songs, dances, or performances that required practice and talent.

The Art of Viral Videos: Applying Data to Real-Life Scenarios
The Marketing Report also includes survey data marketing professionals about which factors are most effective for creating viral videos, the most commonly cited characteristics are as follows:

Short and concise title (3 words or less) and run-time (3 minutes or less)
Uses engaging story-telling format
Invokes pleasant emotions like laughing
Involves elements of irony or surprise
Allows participation to be made public
Is practically useful

You can translate this list to craft a unique, viral message representing your brand, and we’ll give you our take on how to tap into each.
And while some of these items (like a short title and run-time) are self-explanatory. But others (like story format, elements of irony and surprise, public indicators of participation, and practical use) may need to be more evident, so here are some tips for addressing these more complex factors.
1. Tell a Story
Since the beginning of language, humans have been programmed to consume stories. Stories influence our thinking and provide sensory experiences. Because of these responses, people are attracted to content in a conventional story format.
Ensure you have the traditional elements of a narrative (beginning, character, conflict, climax, and resolution) present in your video, and your viewers will identify it as a story.
You could also experiment with using well-known tropes in your video — for example, you can convey an idea through a common tale like a pirate story to simplify what it’s like to use a “Smooth CRM for Rough Seas” like HubSpot:

The ad narrates how giving our CRM platform to characters, such as pirates, would alter their stories and help them find the treasures they’re looking for. This kind of video is a cute, funny way of incorporating that theme while still focusing on the brand’s mission.
2. Be Ironic
Irony is among the most common factors among viral videos at an astounding 90% of surveyed videos. That makes it a high priority when crafting your viral message.
How do you incorporate irony? You do what the majority of the sample videos did — demonstrating the breaking of social norms.
Think: Are there any social norms associated with your brand or product? Can you break one of those relevant norms in an ironic yet on-brand way?
Let’s take a look at an example. Marvel published a brilliantly ironic video for the release of Thor in 2011. Called “Little Thor,” the video is a parody of the adorable Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial that starred a little boy dressed as Darth Vader trying to harness the power of the force.
In “Little Thor,” a girl dressed as Thor is going around the house, trying to use Thor’s hammer to wield great power on the dog (appropriately named Loki), a doll, and her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

As we watch this, it’s practically identical to the Volkswagen commercial, and we assume it’s probably another video in the same series. Ultimately, the father comes home, and she runs outside for one last attempt with her hammer. We assume that her father will sound the car’s alarm, just as the father did in the VW Super Bowl commercial, but instead — the car explodes! We then realize this commercial is not for Volkswagen but for the upcoming Thor movie.

This video is ironic on multiple levels. First, it’s an ironic parody of a popular ad. Second, the child dressed as Thor is a girl, which goes against gender stereotypes (and breaks a social norm). Third, the car explodes, which is ironic since the video is a spoof of a car commercial.
An ironic video like that is a humorous way to introduce people to your brand personality.
3. Surprise the Audience
Half of the viral videos contained an element of surprise.
Why do people like to be surprised? In a world where we view thousands of ads daily, people are tired of seeing the same things repeatedly. A surprise is a nice, refreshing change of pace to all that monotonous content.
So how do you incorporate elements of surprise while still making your video relevant to your company?
Your company should be the surprise.
More specifically, your company’s benefits should be the (pleasant, funny, cheerful, etc.) surprise element to your video.
Take the iconic Old Spice commercial, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like,” video campaign. It’s an excellent example of using a surprise element to exaggerate the benefits of their body wash in a fun, ironic way.

The ad features a towel-clad actor in a bathroom with the shower running behind him. He says that, while your man is unfortunately not him, your man could smell like him with Old Space body wash. Then suddenly, the shower backdrop is pulled right out from behind him to reveal that he is on a boat! This story continues with constantly changing wardrobe, props, and backgrounds.
Viewers are constantly surprised and excited to see what “the man your man could smell like” will do next.
While not every brand has the budget to do a video like Old Spice, think about how you can surprise your audience in small and big ways — it could help your video get shared.
4. Encourage Sharing
Berger said that people are more likely to participate if they can publicly indicate their participation. Why? Because people like to show off and feel like they’re in the know.
It’s easy for people who interact with you in person — a branded t-shirt, bumper sticker, or pen will do the job just fine. But it’s harder to provide public participation indicators for people who interact with you online.
Correction: it was harder to provide them before social media came around.
Nowadays, social sharing buttons are on practically every form of online content: YouTube videos, website articles, audio clips, etc. This allows people to share the content they enjoy with their friends, who can then share it with their friends, etc.
By incorporating social sharing buttons on your videos and wherever you end up hosting them, you meet your audience’s need to share their experience with others.
5. Think Practicality
The two things we all have in common are that we all have problems, and we’re all looking for solutions to fix them.
People always search for informational content, from headache remedies to looking up recipes for a last-minute potluck dinner. Chances are, your customers are also looking for information regarding your field or industry. And it’s in your best interest to provide it for them.
By creating a practical, useful video, you accomplish a few essential things:

You provide information to people who prefer to seek it on their own.
You can encourage those people to share that information with their networks (accommodating those seeking advice from their friends).
You establish yourself as a helpful tool and source of information, increasing trust (and hopefully loyalty).
If you have strategically placed calls to action in your video, you can convert viewers to the next stage of the buying journey.

Can your video provide practical information that your customers might be looking for? A good first step is to identify a problem your customers are having and provide information on how they can fix it.
Maybe you sell makeup, and you have a lot of customers who aren’t sure how and when to apply it — you could create a how-to video for tips and tricks to apply makeup. Or maybe your company provides eye exams, but many first-time children are scared of the visit — you could film a tour of your office, with a step-by-step explanation of the eye exam for mothers to show their children.
By providing this helpful information, you help people associate you with solutions — which come in handy when they want to buy something down the road.
Take Pillsbury’s video for “Crescent Mummy Dogs,” for example. It’s an instructional video that shows how you can make a fun, playful dish for your children at Halloween. Parents might be searching for a recipe like this for their child’s school party, and Pillsbury has provided the recipe and a how-to video to accompany it. This way, they make completing this recipe as easy as possible, so parents who try it love it and will be more likely to share it with their friends — and heck, maybe even buy Pillsbury dough to make the recipe.
Set Your Next Video Up for Success
There’s no magic formula for the perfect viral video — but there are some general guidelines to help get you there. By understanding the elements that make content successful, you can predict (and even create) the content that will become popular. It’ll allow you to create videos that are more likely to be widely distributed online strategically.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.