Author: Franz Malten Buemann

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 an accurate impression of whether the creator can help the brand achieve its goals.
“For example, with YouTube, you want to see consistency in views per video because it makes it easier to model out from a business perspective, and I, as a partner, have a better understanding of the results I’ll get from working with this creator over a longer span of time,” Huang said.
2. Great Work Ethic
“Work ethic is also important to me,” Huang told me. “Can I see the effort they are putting into creating content and marketing their content to reach new audiences?”
Huang said a creator’s work ethic could also be assessed by how they bring on the right resources or personnel to support their operations.
As he puts it, “The best creators understand how to delegate and create infrastructure around them, so they don’t have to do the marketing part if they don’t want to and truly focus solely on creating content.”
To ensure you’re hiring a strong content creator, you’ll want to ask creators about their processes. How do they juggle all the responsibilities of being a content creator? It’s critical that the content creators’ you speak with have a thoughtful response to that question.

3. Alignment
HubSpot’s Head of Creators Partnerships, Alanah Joseph, says audience alignment is essential when collaborating with any creator.
“When we reach out to a creator, we have a pretty good idea of the content they cover,” she said. “However, we’ll request additional data on their audience to better gauge how well our advertisement will resonate within the creator’s content.”
Joseph said creators could prove a collaboration will be effective by surveying their own audience or knowing their audience exceptionally well. Tip for creators: You can know your audience better by creating detailed buyer personas. You can also monitor audience feedback, comments, and engagement.
However, audience alignment isn’t the only factor to consider when hiring a creator..
“Culture and personality fit are also important factors to consider,” Huang said. “Since we are focused on building relationships, it’s not just about results … but also how easy it is to work with a creator.”
It’s essential to ensure the personalities, values, and ethics of both the brand and the creator align for a smooth collaboration because the goal is for that initial collaboration to become a beneficial long-term partnership for both parties.
“As a team player, I need to make sure that I’m bringing on creators that my colleagues will enjoy working with for 1-2+ years,” Huang said. “Even simple things like being responsive through communication, taking feedback well, and really reciprocating that they care about my goals just as much as their own goals — which I’m trying to help with — goes a long way. This is truly meant to be a partnership and not a singular transaction.”
Businesses should partner with content creators who approach the opportunity with a positive, cooperative, team-oriented attitude, and content creators should embody that attitude when working with brands.
“Good partners are good people,” Joseph said. “We genuinely enjoy working with and supporting creators. When a creator is friendly, willing to collaborate, and professional, we will find more opportunities to work with the creator or offer a long-term partnership.”

4. Unique Style
Content creators should bring their personal touch to any project because brands want a campaign to stand out and capture the audience’s attention.
“Editorial style and editing style are both important,” Huang said. “Do they align with HubSpot? There’s more flexibility here, but certainly, unique editing captures my attention, and incorporating humor is a really fun way to make educational/business content more exciting.”
5. Authenticity
Finally, authenticity is a critical component you’ll want to consider when hiring a creator.
As Joseph told me, “Authenticity is key. Authenticity builds trust, so when a creator brings their full selves to their content, their audience trusts them. This is important for a brand looking to run advertisements within the creator’s content. If the audience trusts the creator, they will be more likely to trust the creator’s recommendations.”
Whether you’re a brand looking for a creator or you’re a creator looking to partner with a business, hopefully these tips will help set you up for a successful business partnership in 2023 and beyond.

Welcome toBreaking 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.
Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities, originating from around 20 diverse countries, have a long history of exclusion, strict immigration laws, and discrimination. When immigrants, like my grandfather, from East and Southeast Asia made it into America in the 19th and 20th centuries, most of the available jobs were backbreaking labor.
When access to employment was slim, or wages were low, many newcomers relied on building small businesses to provide for their families. Those businesses have become deeply rooted in the day-to-day life of American society–restaurants, nail salons, doughnut shops, dry cleaners, spas, markets, and many others.
Still, obstacles have continued to exist. The National CAPACD analyzed federal and membership data on AAPI small businesses and noted gaps in access to funding, a recent rise in hate crimes, and language barriers. Despite these challenges, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported around 2 million AAPI-owned businesses across all industries, from entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, tech, and more. Countless household names, like YouTube, DoorDash, Old Navy, Peloton, and Notion, were founded by Asian Americans.
Another roadblock that prevents entrepreneurs from growing successful companies is the need for more awareness of available resources. In this post, discover advice, organizations, and services that exist to meet the unique needs of AAPI business owners.
Learn From Successful AAPI Founders and Executives
Read books and articles or listen to podcasts, like this one featuring HubSpot’s CEO Yamini Rangan, to learn stories about how successful entrepreneurs have built and kept their enterprises afloat. They’ll have real-life lessons and perspectives to help you make the right decisions for your ventures.
I connected with a few AAPI founders whose companies have blossomed in the past couple of years. Here is some of their wisdom to encourage your success.
1. Don’t wait too long to start building your teams.
Sandro Roco, founder and CEO of Sanzo, says, “Don’t wait too long to start building the right team. Especially in a tight labor market, it takes time to find, recruit, hire, and onboard the right team members. And so if you wait too long, you’re actually behind. No brand or company that ever made it big did so with just the original founding team, and so it’s important to hire well.”

2. Fight for abundance.
Kim Pham, the co-founder of Omsom, says, “Fight for abundance. My sister and co-founder Vanessa and I fought deeply internalized scarcity from being daughters of Vietnamese refugees, and it pervades so much of our decision-making (especially in the early days) –– but to truly build the company of your dreams, you need to fight for that abundance and play to win. That means taking big swings and risks, but also choosing rest, joy, and celebration.”

3. Practice intention and mindfulness.
Lucia Tran, creative producer and founder of Her Studio, says, “Everything I do has to be more than just about creating photos and videos for companies. Otherwise, what are we doing but selling yet another product? There has to be intention and mindfulness in what we offer to the world – build equity in your company, care about the people you hire and the people you’re targeting, and work to bring joy to the world. I’m in the business of uplifting those who need a hand.”

4. Believe in yourself.
Steffi Lynn, illustrator, muralist, and founder of Have A Nice Day, says, “Believe in yourself, believe in what you’re doing, and keep going. Put yourself out there and be ready for anything that comes your way, because you never know what is available for you unless you try.”

Get Involved With Your National and Local Asian Chamber of Commerce
A Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit business network, not a government entity. Businesses, organizations, and individuals can become chamber members to advocate for economic development, job creation, community stability, and representation of their legislative agendas at local, state, and national levels.
In addition to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are local chambers across the country, including ones for minority communities. Becoming a member usually includes access to relationships with other businesses, discounts on services, a boost in visibility, and opportunities to have your voice heard.
Find the local Asian Chamber of Commerce in your city or state by searching the Chamber of Commerce Directory, and also check out the below organizations:
1. National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship
(National ACE) is an organization that advocates for economic development and community building for the current and next generation of AAPI entrepreneurs. With relationships with Congress, the White House, and federal agencies, National ACE leads multiple initiatives that provide grants, training, events, and amplification of AAPI voices. You’ll read about a few of their programs in the following sections.
2. US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation
(USPAACC) is a nonprofit that serves as an educational and networking organization with a gateway to corporate and government contracts, suppliers, and Fortune 1000 companies. USPAACC’s programs include business matchmaking, leadership series, legislative advocacy, pitch competitions, conferences, and awards.
Grow Your Network and Sharpen Your Skills
The National CAPACD reported that AAPI business owners primarily rely on family and friends for advice and money.
Still, a critical step in business growth is broadening your network, accumulating more opportunities, and learning new skills. Attending events, signing up for workshops, and joining organizations can introduce you to people and resources that will make the entrepreneurial journey less lonely and mysterious. Here are some networks to consider:

The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development’s (National CAPACD) Small Business Program provides financial education, coaching, and peer technical assistance for AAPI entrepreneurs and small business owners to help them build credit and capital. The majority of the business owners the program serves are immigrants or refugees.
ACE NextGen is a community of young AAPI entrepreneurs striving to have more leadership presence in America while feeling fulfilled and supported in their careers. Membership includes educational programming, conferences, retreats, and access to invite-only networking spaces in person and online. ACE NextGen members also have the opportunity to work with National ACE and Fortune 500 companies to impact business policies. 
Gold House is best known for increasing the representation of API voices and faces in media and entertainment, but it also invests in Asian and Pacific Islander-founded companies. Its Futures Accelerator is a 12-week program with masterclasses, 1:1 advising, fund investments, fundraising support, and a community of start-up entrepreneurs. Gold House also hosts the Multicultural Leadership Coalition, a union of funds that helps place leaders from underrepresented communities on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of leading private companies.
Asian Business Association educates its members on government policies on small businesses.It is active with several community organizations, public agencies, and corporations to represent the views of Asian American business owners. Members of the association are also encouraged to do business together, attend events, and recruit new talent by listing positions on ABA’s job board.
The Asian American Pacific Islander Business Summit is a free virtual event hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Experts lead presentations, panels, and workshops across four tracks: Business Communication and Marketing, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Government Contract and Business Certification, and Small Business Financial Management and Investment Trends. In 2022, the summit will take place on November 13 and 14, with presentations in English and a few translation options.

Apply For Funding
Whether applying for grants and loans or securing funding from investors, having more capital will help speed up the process of acquiring the necessary components of running your business—for example, production, staff, and marketing.

Gold House Ventures connects industry-changing entrepreneurs with investors to accelerate company growth.
National ACE’s small business resource center provides virtual training on accessing capital, applying for grants, understanding government funding, marketing, and more. It also has a program called AAPISTRONG, which works with 100 of its affiliated Asian chambers of commerce to aid businesses negatively impacted by the pandemic, racial bias, and anti-AAPI hate.

Proudly Share Your Business and Be Easily Searchable
Some people are eager to support minority-owned businesses and often seek them out. Google launched the capability to add an “Asian-owned” attributeto business profiles, making it easy for customers to find businesses like yours using Google Maps and the search engine. When executing your traditional and digital marketing, feel free to affirm your AAPI roots.
There is space for your business to flourish, and an important step is seeking assistance from services and organizations created for that exact purpose. In time, these resources may help you build a strong business foundation for generations to come.

 

 

1. Name, position, in SALESmanago since…

 

Marek Tobolewski, partner manager, in SALESmanago since October 2016.

 

2. Coffee, workout, meditation – how do you start your work day and get ready for conquering the world?

 

To start the day well, first of all, you need to end well… the previous one. Therefore, the most important thing for a good start in the morning is to take stock before bedtime. Stoics call it a review of the day – reflection on one’s actions, realized values and functioning among people.

And in the morning? Coffee helps me the most in the morning. Not only on the biochemical level (caffeine!), but also on the ritual that opens the working day. I especially appreciate it on those few days when I work from home – during remote work, the smell of coffee at 8.45 is a clear signal for me that it’s time to work fully focused.

 

3. How did you find your way to your current role at SALESmanago? (focus on the career path and progression, development/or first days anecdotes, maybe team support etc.)

 

For years I worked in advertising agencies. I was creative because of the job titles and the annotations on the business cards When I decided that there are too many advertisements, even creative ones, and too little results from them, I took a more cross-sectional approach to marketing.

I became a CMO at a Polish manufacturer of cosmetics, mainly color cosmetics! That is the beauty industry. Beautiful time and beautiful brands that I had the opportunity to co-create. However, there too, in the data-driven business and sales, I came to the conclusion that although marketing is beautiful, sales – is calculable.

And then I came to SALESmanago. Here I found a beautiful combination of marketing, because it’s #martech that allows you to work with data and automate marketing activities, and sales. As a 40+ guy I started with the position of a junior… salesman. And in five years of making KPIs and targets – I found that the market has matured no less than I have. And that now the most important growth tool will be not so much data and technology as trust and joint delivery of benefits to customers.

At the end of 2022, I closed my sales projects to fully engage in the development of the SALESmanago partner channel on the Polish market.

 

4. Which of the SALESmanago values speak to you the most? (inside into our culture and values adoptions)

 

Customer-centric orientation – providing customers with value is the essence of marketing orientation. And for me, also the sense of every kind of relationships. Professional, personal, partnership.

 

5. What three words would you use to describe yourself?

 

Hardworking, persistent, patient. If this seems boring to someone (like for me – still the answer is work, perseverance and patience!

 

6. You are on a deserted island and you can choose one person and one thing from the company to be there with you. Who and what will it be and why?

 

I admire people who play instruments. Therefore, if I were to be stranded on a deserted island, I would like to be there with Filip Kliszczyk. He – in addition to all the work he does in the company and family (and once also on the pitch) – loves music and organizes a band every year that celebrates the company’s Christmas Eve. Taking advantage of my time on a deserted island, I would finally learn to play guitar (in fact, years ago I played a bit in a garage punk band as a teenager). Together with Filip, I would also have to take a guitar – if he is not at the company, Filip will definitely borrow his.

 

7. What have you recently done for the first time in your life?

 

Just today I logged for the first time into the new CRM that we launched for our sales in early 2023.

 

Whether you are a seasoned social media professional or just getting started on leveraging the power of LinkedIn, it can be easy to fall prey to some of the most common misconceptions about this powerful social network. Knowing what is true and what isn’t when it comes to LinkedIn marketing can make all the difference in creating a successful strategy.What kinds of content should you be posting to LinkedIn? What’s the best time of day to post it? How many hashtags should you be using? And how does all of this impact LinkedIn’s algorithm?To help us answer our questions, we spoke to Hien Mai, from the LinkedIn Product Marketing team. Hien focuses on growing creators and conversations on LinkedIn by helping make content creation approachable, nudging & nurturing creators along their journey towards being a consistent creator.In this post, we’ll take a look at seven popular assumptions about how LinkedIn works and share answers and suggestions that come directly from their team.What should I post on LinkedIn? What kind of conversations make the most sense for the platform?We welcome all sorts of professional conversations on LinkedIn and want people to share content that feels authentic to them so they can have meaningful conversations. LinkedIn should reflect real-life conversations in the workplace. These could be: Parents seeking and sharing advice about balancing work, childcare, and generally lifeMembers seeking advice or tips about topics or industries they are interested inCommentary and opinions on newsworthy topics or industry news We see LinkedIn as a place to have these conversations and a place where professionals come together to share information, ideas, and expertise with their connections.What does it mean to be professional when it comes to content on LinkedIn?The best thing you can do is be authentic and talk about what is important to you. This could mean asking advice about carving a different career path for yourself, firing your imposter syndrome, recognizing important milestones, taking time for your mental health, or reflecting on what work-life balance means to you. Professional growth and personal growth are very much intertwined, and conversations on LinkedIn should be about all of it. LinkedIn is a place to have authentic conversations, not limited to one topic or the other because so many of those things go hand in hand.Being professional on LinkedIn means being respectful to all members of the LinkedIn community. All types of people come to LinkedIn seeking both professional and personal growth. It’s important to provide an environment where everyone feels safe and comfortable enough to share their experiences and insights in a genuine way. You can inspire others who might be dealing with a similar situation.What shows up in my Feed on LinkedIn, and why?When you go to the feed of your home page on LinkedIn, you will see content relevant to your professional interests, like conversations from your network and people you follow. There are also companies you follow, sponsored content, and other posts that we believe you may be interested in.Our feed uses algorithms to learn about your interests, and together with our human editorial team, help add engaging content to your feed. Our technology and teams also help filter out low-quality and unsafe content to ensure that what you see on your feed adds value to your professional journey. To influence what you see on your feed, we recommend you follow people and companies you want to hear from, and engage with their content when it interests you. You can also subscribe to newsletters and Top Voices in your industry to help discover professionally relevant content.Tell us what you want to see less of by clicking the three dots (…) on a post. This opens a toolbox of options available, including unfollowing or removing a connection with another member, reporting the post, or letting us know that you’re not interested in the author or topic by clicking “I don’t want to see this.”Some of the most widely read and distributed content are the posts that contribute ideas, insights, and inspiration, unlocking a world of knowledge, opportunities and collaboration. We’re continuing to work on ways to improve the content you experience on LinkedIn, surfacing authentic, relevant, and substantive conversations to help you grow as a professional.What is the best time of day to post on LinkedIn?It depends on your audience. More people come to Linkedin during the weekdays than weekends, but it’s more important to consider when your audience is tuning in. It may make sense to optimize towards evening posts for those returning to the platform after work or keeping to weekdays versus weekends. Think more about how you can add a unique perspective around timely topics, like current affairs and industry trends your audience would be interested in.How often should I post on LinkedIn?Daily posting is optimal to maintain consistent engagement with your audience, but be sure not to overdo it and avoid overwhelming your audience. While some in your network will want to hear from you often, others may feel overwhelmed when people post more than once per day. It is important to understand how your audience engages with your content and how often to inform your posting frequency. If your comments and engagement on a post remains consistent, that’s a good sign that your content is engaging.How can I effectively use hashtags on LinkedIn?While hashtags help viewers identify what a post is about and find other relevant posts about the same thing, they are not the only tool to help to distribute your posts more widely. Hashtags work best when they are closely related to what the post is about.LinkedIn Hashtag Best practices:LinkedIn recommends between 1-3 hashtags per post for optimization.Low-quality content, as marked by overly heavy hashtag use, may be blocked or dramatically reduced visibility by LinkedIn’s algorithm.Hashtags that are trending on other platforms aren’t always a good fit for LinkedIn. Search the hashtag before adding to your content.Use hashtags with relevant context by separating them throughout the copy, sparingly.Do not tack unnecessary hashtags to the end of posts, it may actually hurt your reach potential.What type of content  works best on LinkedIn?It’s best to diversify the types of content you post to see what drives the most engagement with your audience. Experiment with different types of content and figure out what your audience engages with the most.Want to know more about how LinkedIn works and how to grow your following? Check out our exclusive webinar with LinkedIn expert Zander Van Gogh: Watch the webinar.

In the words of David Newman, “Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches – at scale.” It is one reason why email marketing remains the favorite tool of eCommerce business owners. It is the most widely used tactic for sales, lead generation, customer retention, and lead nurturing. While email marketing is…
The post 6 Emails You Should Be Sending if You’re in eCommerce appeared first on Benchmark Email.

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