Author: Franz Malten Buemann

  • The lessons, cost, exploitation, and sustainability of fast fashion

    In 2023, it’s tricky to avoid fast fashion brands. And that’s either because you’re a customer of theirs, or you have seen their influx of advertising on TV and social media. Common household names of fast fashion retailers currently include Pretty Little Thing, Primark, and boohoo being amongst the most popular.  However, there’s a few things…
    The post The lessons, cost, exploitation, and sustainability of fast fashion appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

  • Greenwashing: rip the seams on eco-friendly fashion labels

    The fashion sector is now constantly under pressure for its sustainability policies and claims. For brands, it can be challenging to demonstrate credentials when selling products as ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘sustainable’. Yet, consumers are becoming increasingly sceptical of these claims and they are right to exercise caution. A new trend has now come to the fore…
    The post Greenwashing: rip the seams on eco-friendly fashion labels appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

  • No time to waste

    Of course there isn’t.

    Time is all we’ve got.

    Time is all there is.

    We can’t waste time because it’s not ours to waste. It’s simply the way we keep track of everything else.

  • 5 Sales Cloud Automations to Build With Flow

    One of the coolest things about Salesforce is that you can easily use automation to make both new and existing business processes in your org more efficient – saving your end users a lot of time and clicks. When it comes to declarative automation for… Read More

  • Best LinkedIn Automation Tools

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

  • Canva Is Great…But…

    Still using saturated method to promote your services where thousands of other designers are already spamming their services? >> Using Canva to create Ads….? Like Seriously?? Use the power of AI to generate sales-optimized creatives lightning fast. No fuss. No design skills required. What will YOU do with all of your new-found time? Start your FREE 7-day trial today + Free $500 Google Ads Credit After Signing Up . This is my AFF link so if you sign up with this link, I make a small commission submitted by /u/Decent-Leek8988 [link] [comments]

  • This week in CX: automation and ITSM trends for 2023

    Happy Friday! ‘This week in CX’ brings you the latest roundup of industry news. This week, we’re looking at the latest research reports in IT Service Management trends, influencer marketing, and first-party data. There’s also new comment about Google’s plans to introduce generative AI into its advertising business. Key news Commentary share: Google’s new AI ads…
    The post This week in CX: automation and ITSM trends for 2023 appeared first on Customer Experience Magazine.

  • Growing to Over 70k TikTok Followers: How One Creator Did It

    🔓Creators UnlockedThis interview is part of a series called Creators Unlocked that delves into the world of content creators to uncover the stories behind their social media posts.From Twitter to TikTok, the articles aim to offer insights and learnings for aspiring and established creators while also offering a glimpse into the lives of those behind the screens.Welcome to the latest installment of our series, Creators Unlocked, where we speak with creators to understand what it’s like behind the screens of the tweets and TikToks to learn from their experiences.Today, we’re unlocking Katie Xu’s creator journey, from being the brain behind the social media accounts of companies like Kapwing to being a TikTok creator with 80,000+ followers.📱To follow Katie’s creator journey, follow her on TikTok and check out her website.Katie’s TikTok has grown in leaps and bounds thanks to several viral videos featuring her analysis and advice about what makes a successful creator. In this interview, we discuss Katie’s unconventional approach to advising creators and look at her plans for growth as a creator.✍🏽This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.Q: What inspired you to start creating content on social media?I’ve always been interested in social media and have been creating content for a long time – at least since middle school. Before, it was for myself, clubs at school, or the cafe I worked at. But I only started recently creating content to build my personal brand.It took a while to get to that point because I had to take time to gather the courage to finally start putting myself out there. Until this point, I had been hiding behind other brands, running their social media as a business. Now, I feel like inspiring and empowering people through content and have even started getting messages that my videos help people get the courage to start for themselves. @katiexsocials Replying to @chrispetrone welcome to personal branding 101 #katiexsocials #celebrities #personalbranding #contentcreator #contentcreatortips #socialmillionaire #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Katie Xu | Future Millionaire Q: And what was the push to get started doing social media for yourself, not just other people?I stumbled upon freelancing accidentally, but it opened me to a world of people who were doing business with no social media presence, and I became the person that helped them do that. That was eye-opening to the importance of social media in entrepreneurship. As I built expertise in social media, I saw an opportunity to build my personal brand and that was what got me started.Q: What type of content do you create, and who do you create it for?The lack of a niche doesn’t help much here, but the content I create documents my journey as an entrepreneur and content creator and helps me share my thoughts, ideas, opinions, and experiences with all my various endeavors. The ideal audience is aspiring content creators and entrepreneurs, but I hope my content can reach and help a broader audience.Q: What’s in your tool stack for content creation?For video creation, TikTok is where it’s at. I don’t like creating videos outside it because it adds too many steps to my workflow, which I like to keep simple. Even when editing for clients, I log into their TikToks because it feels more natural and native.In terms of monetizing my platform, I use Stan for my link-in-bio because the user experience is so clean. And it makes the flow of purchasing [my products and services] easier for my audience.Q: What are your goals for 2023, and how will you measure their success?In terms of content creation, I’d say diversifying my brand and creating a long-term, sustainable business out of it. That’s my ultimate goal because while I love creating on TikTok, a platform that you don’t own can be taken away at any time. The algorithm can decide one day to stop pushing my content.Also, some background: I took a gap year to pursue content creation and I’ll be going back in the Fall [of 2023]. When I do, ideally, I’ll have a brand that I can take with me and continue to document my life.Q: That’s so interesting – in terms of diversifying, what platforms are you considering? Are you looking outside of social media?Definitely – I want to build a newsletter or at least an email list. I’ve heard from many creators how important it is, and I definitely see the importance as I slowly start to build my own. It’s comforting to know that I can always reach my audience.I’m also tentatively considering starting a podcast – and I say that because I’m hesitant to jump on just any medium or platform because I prioritize focus and doing things well. But you can hold people’s attention much better with a newsletter or 30-minute podcast than a short video. The dedicated readers and listeners really become your core audience. @katiexsocials Replying to @neigehq Quick follower growth is an ILLUSION. Every time a video does super well, you will guaranteed grow quickly for the next couple of weeks. While you might think it’s various strategies you’ve developed that are attributing to your growth, it’s probably just the success of a couple videos. You should pay attention to your analytics to figure out what is truly working.#greenscreen #katiexsocials #futuremillionairekatie #tiktokgrowth #tiktokgrowthtips #socialmedia #contentcreation #becometheniche #socialmillionaire #nichedown #tiktoktips ♬ original sound – Katie Xu | Future Millionaire Q: The ideas you share on social media lean towards the unconventional. What would you say your creative process is like? How do you come up with ideas for content?I’d say my method of coming up with videos is also part of the unconventional goodness of my content. Before getting to creating content, I worked backward in terms of strategy. So I decided for myself what kind of content I like, what I want my brand to look like, and what would be the best method to get my ideas out there.There’s a lot of great advice about which ideas you should be sharing, how to share them, and on which platforms, but it can be algorithm-oriented, which ends up being restrictive to creators. Personally, on TikTok, I want my videos to be raw, low-effort sharing of ideas. I want them to be things I come up with on the spot that are good regardless of flashy editing or trendy music.Q: The lo-fi approach definitely works – you’ve gone viral several times already. And I know that with virality comes pressure, among other challenges. How do you navigate challenges as a creator?With going viral came a lot of traffic, and while it wasn’t a big challenge, I wasn’t fully prepared to receive the influx. I had no official domain and could not handle all the incoming inquiries.Another thing is that content creation has been time-consuming. So I can definitely see it being a challenge if I had to balance school and working for a company alongside creating. To be honest, I haven’t quite found that balance yet.Scrolling is one of the hardest things to handle because you’re so used to engaging on social media as a consumer, but when you do it professionally, you have to pay ten times more attention. Your mind is always looking at content analytically, breaking down the creator’s approach and thinking up improvements. It can take up more time than mindless scrolling. @katiexsocials Replying to @loresfdz Jvke’s TikToks are a masterpiece for marketing. #katiexsocials #socialmediascience #futuremillionairekatie #entrepreneur #contentcreator #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Katie Xu | Future Millionaire Q: How do you navigate the need to earn a living from content creation with creativity as it becomes more of a business?My situation is a bit different from other creators because my income isn’t reliant on brand deals – it comes from the business I built before starting to take social media more seriously. So luckily for me, income is pretty steady.The part where the balance gets tricky is that it can suck the joy out of content creation if that is all you do. I do it for brands, and I have to do it for myself as well. I’ve spoken to so many creators who want to work on their own content but are so focused on working for others that it becomes difficult.Q: What advice would you give to someone who’s just starting to take their social media seriously and build their brand?One, realize that content creation is a skill that needs to be worked on and not just a lucky break that happens to anyone. Of course, people get lucky and go viral but if you want to pursue content creation sustainably, it has to become part of your routine. Treat every video you put out as practice so that even when engagement isn’t forthcoming, you can stay consistent. The big creators make it look easy but they have skills, whether in editing or storytelling, or simply connecting with people.Two, in my opinion, you have to become the niche. I think niches are a very nuanced discussion, but you have to realize that you can’t hide behind the category. @katiexsocials Replying to @cybergirl.online becoming the niche is a mindset that prioritizes YOU. that’s all #katiexsocials #becometheniche #nichedown #futuremillionairekatie #creatorindustry #socialmillionaire #tiktokmillionaires ♬ original sound – Katie Xu | Future Millionaire Even with cooking videos, if you’re just doing tutorials on YouTube and that’s all you want to do, great. But if you ever want to grow as a brand and expand into other parts of your industry like releasing a cookbook, you have to be willing to speak in your videos and inject your personality. That’s what builds real connection with an audience.Q: You mentioned that you make most of your income from consulting – but have you started making income from publishing on social media? And can you rank your streams of income from most to least profitable?I’d say my favorite method right now is coaching and working with people to build their brands. It’s fulfilling to help them figure out what they should be doing and provide them with clarity. Then after that would be working with brands, which isn’t bringing in too much money yet, but is rewarding all the same. Although to be honest, I prefer working more in the background for brands to make money than straight up selling something on my social media.Q: What are some challenges you’ve faced when it comes to pricing your services as a creator?My biggest challenge is definitely knowing what to price. I’m learning every day how to price confidently and even what value determines how I choose to price my work. I look forward to having a better perspective in a couple of years, but right now I’m still thinking about the difference between time vs. value-based pricing.So many things go into why a brand deal costs a certain amount – it’s not just the time you spend or your follower count but also your skill as a creator to deliver great content and sell a brand convincingly.Q: Is there anything, in particular, you’re keeping an eye on in the content creation space for the future?I will definitely be keeping an eye on YouTube Shorts. I just think YouTube is definitely a threat when it comes to the video space.TakeawaysKatie found success on TikTok by focusing on raw, low-effort content that prioritized sharing ideas over flashy editing or trendy music. This approach allowed her to stand out from the crowd and showcase authenticity, which helped her gain a loyal following of more than 70,000 followers.To build a sustainable personal brand, Katie plans to diversify her online presence across multiple platforms. She recognizes the risks of relying solely on one platform like TikTok, whose algorithm may change or stop promoting her content. By building a newsletter, considering a podcast, and keeping an eye on emerging platforms like YouTube Shorts, Katie aims to ensure her brand’s long-term success and stability.As a creator, Katie stresses the importance of injecting personality into content and becoming the niche, rather than just fitting into one. She believes that this approach helps build a real connection with the audience and opens up opportunities for expansion within the industry. For instance, if a creator shares their personality while making cooking videos, they are more likely to succeed in releasing a cookbook or building a personal brand around their expertise.When it comes to pricing her creative services, Katie’s biggest challenge is determining the right price. She is constantly learning how to price confidently and considers both time and value-based pricing. Factors such as skill as a creator, the ability to deliver high-quality content, and convincing brand promotion all play a role in determining the right price for her services. This focus on value ensures that she can provide the best results for her clients while still earning a fair income.Kick off your creator journey with Buffer

  • 10 Top Open Source AI Platforms and Tools to Try Today

    Open source AI platforms are helping humanity move toward a futuristic world faster than most anticipated.

    OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google have had an outrageous month in the artificial intelligence (AI) space, and this field keeps accelerating.

    What is open source AI?
    Defining this term requires understanding a few others.
    Open source is a software development term that means any programmer can jump in and work with it, the goal being to develop robust software in a shorter amount of time.
    This is a great way to leverage the novel ideas of the best minds to fuel progress in technology. Think of open source as a group project where humanity benefits from A+ work.
    Artificial Intelligence is a branch of computer science that develops programs and algorithms (step-by-step processes designed to solve a problem or answer a question) that help make various machines operate in more human-like ways.
    There are several subfields of this science, including:

    Natural language processing (NLP), which focuses on developing natural interactions between humans and computers. Specialized software helps machines process human language, create understandable words, and interact with humans through language.
    Machine learning (ML), which prioritizes a machine’s ability to analyze information and use it to make recommendations or decisions based on the data sets it has provided.
    Computer vision, which is all about creating machines that can understand and then interpret visual information.
    Robotics that can physically perform tasks without human micromanagement, including interaction with humans.

    Right now, companies verify we are human by having us choose photos from a set with one thing in common, such as cars or volcanoes. And if we were to see a car at the base of an active volcano, we can extrapolate that the car will be damaged. Machines are still developing these abilities.
    Open source AI, then, can be defined as software engineers collaborating on various artificial intelligence projects that are open to the public to develop. The goal is to better integrate computing with humanity.
    We need one last bonus keyword that helps us tie open source AI to marketing: Industry 4.0.
    Industry 4.0 is the idea that advanced computing and AI have unlocked a new era in human productivity.

    The first industrial revolution was about creating machines to do work via steam or water power.
    The second industrial revolution was when we converted machines to electric power and embraced mass production. Products were built by human assembly lines, assisted by electric conveyor belts that brought the work to their hands.
    The third industrial revolution was when we plugged computers into the machinery to boost efficiency and automation. Car factories now have machines programmed to quickly and precisely build cars without human assembly lines.
    And now the fourth industrial revolution — dubbed Industry 4.0 — is about how the industry is changing now that humanity and computing are so closely interconnected. Business doesn’t just happen in boardrooms and on factory floors anymore. We carry it in our pockets.

    We can sell and reinvest stocks from our kitchens at the touch of a button. Without touching anything, a voice-activated computer can order groceries, add appointments to our digital calendars, and tell us jokes as we work from home instead of commuting to an office.
    It’s this new landscape, this new era in production via interconnected technologies, where open source AI for marketing comes into play.

    How can marketers use AI?
    AI offers a huge range of functionality to marketers who want to take the plunge, from small assists all the way up to running campaigns for you.
    We’ll share some use cases to give you an idea of what’s out there.
    Automated Social Posts
    One of the smallest ways to leverage smart technology in marketing is to use a program that schedules and posts your pre-loaded social content.
    You set the frequency (several times a day to once a month or more) and then load up all of your prepared content. It does the work for you on your own custom schedule.
    Content Creation
    This is an area where AI is booming. Marketers charged with creating written content have similar struggles across the industry. How do they keep coming up with ideas that will resonate with their audience? How can they produce content in less time to boost conversion?
    Companies count on AI content to save the time it takes to create the body of such work, spend less on writers, and call on their experienced wordsmiths to then dial in on quality.
    Personalized Emails and Data Capture
    Most of us have experienced follow-up emails to the effect of, “Hey, you left an item in your cart!” or, “There’s an item on your wish list that just dropped in price!”People cannot possibly write these billions of daily emails customized to each consumer’s shopping habits — but AI can.
    Algorithms have been devised to pull user data, analyze how each customer interacts with a brand, and create personalized email content. Then, AI schedules and sends that content, all without any human interaction after it’s been set up.
    Saying “Send a thank you note to Savannah” initiates an algorithm that pulls Savannah’s email address from your contact list, creates a thank you email, and splices Savannah’s name into it. The program can send it then or read the note to you, allowing you to make changes before sending.
    Ad Targeting and Pay-Per-Click Campaigns
    If you advertise on Google or Facebook, programs like AdWords give you deep insight and scalpel-minute details to help you gauge how your advertising campaigns are playing out. They also facilitate pay-per-click (PPC) bidding so you can efficiently allocate your ad budget.
    AI can analyze who has been engaging with your ads, then redirect ad spend to groups that market research may not have anticipated. You may be delightfully surprised by how many leads you discover or conversions you gain.

    Ethical Considerations Before Using Open Source AI
    Nothing new comes easy. Even the highest level of technology development has important human elements that must be addressed sooner rather than later.
    Biases
    People write algorithms and datasets, and people have biases — whether they know the unique lenses through which they see the world or not. Those influences can and do change what a program does, especially if the AI’s output is designed to change based on human behavior in virtual spaces.
    These problems become apparent when searching for bias-charged words. You’ll want to build programs that avoid stereotypes and false information.
    So how can programming be less biased? This is one of the hottest topics in AI right now, and the solutions (and laws) are still being forged.
    Incorrect or Incomplete Information 
    Just because it’s on the internet and AI finds it doesn’t mean it’s true. And just because something’s popular doesn’t mean it’s right.
    Likewise, just because you have true information doesn’t mean you have the whole picture, no matter how hard you push your search engine to find the truth.

    10 Top Open Source AI Platforms and Tools
    Now to the main event: We’ve compiled a list of open source AI tools to introduce you to some of the best options as you wade through this topic, decide if micro AI could help boost your ROIs, or if larger open source AI projects are what you need to meet your company’s goals.
    1. TensorFlow

    Image Source
    TensorFlow is an entire support structure for programmers who want to help each other create something novel while reaping the benefits of other experts’ existing models.
    TensorFlow is one of the most robust AI platforms and offers training videos to help jumpstart your success.
    What we like: This platform supports several programming languages, including Swift, Python, and JavaScript — the most common programming language used on Earth.
    Price: Free.
    2. PyTorch

    Image Source
    PyTorch, like TensorFlow, is a one-stop shop for transforming ideas into functional applications. It’s an entire framework created to support various aspects of open source AI project development, including vast libraries and datasets to pull from.
    This platform is easy to use for developers who already code with Python. Its object-oriented approach helps bundle up usable chunks of code that do just one job.
    This known and reliable “object” can then be plugged into a more extensive sequence to do a more complicated job, helping programmers help each other.
    Pro tip: Programmers fluent in Python flourish here, but it also has a C++ interface for those who don’t code with Python.
    Price: Free.
    3. Keras

    Image Source
    Billed as being designed for humans, Keras is an application programming interface (API) that allows you to quickly and easily share the front end of your deep learning models.
    You can export your models from Keras and run them in browsers, iOS, and Android. Their Python libraries tend to focus on artificial neural networks.
    Best for: Programmers who prefer a more streamlined user interface while working with the newest versions of TensorFlow, simplifying interaction with the software as it’s being built.
    Price: Free.
    4. OpenAI

    Image Source
    OpenAI is all over the news, and for good reason — it’s changing the game of natural language processing (NLP) AI programs. They offer a model called Codex that changes natural language into code in the programming language you specify.
    What’s more, like other open source AI projects, you can access their models and customize the code yourself.
    OpenAI is mastering what Alexa/Siri does and taking the next step in Industry 4.0. This AI can synthesize its own natural language answers from the information it finds instead of just pointing to a website and reading it. Incredible stuff, and you can work with it!
    Price: Free $18 credit to experiment for three months, then prices are token-based and depend on what you use as you go.
    5. OpenCV

    Image Source
    OpenCV is well-known for its open source AI platform for computer vision. If TensorFlow has an undergrad degree in general AI, OpenCV holds a master’s in AI vision. And it works pretty much everywhere because its library was written in C, which it claims can be ported to everything from “PowerPC Macs to robotic dogs.” It includes a new C++ interface, and wrappers have been developed for Java, Python, and other languages to encourage cross-language development.
    Best for: Developing AI specifically for computer vision applications.
    Price: Free, including for commercial use.
    6. H20.ai

    Image Source
    H2O.ai’s AI Cloud Platform copy claims that it is “the fastest, most accurate AI platform on the planet” and appears to be aware of ethical issues in AI.
    They strive to democratize AI by making it available to anyone, empowering humanity to use it to impact the world positively.
    A solid choice for: Companies that prioritize development speed and also plan to use AI to enhance their offerings, working toward streamlined AI management across the board.
    Price: Free to develop open source software and to use their H20 Wave API.
    7. Rasa

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    Rasa is great for building conversational AI (chatbots) and deploying it via the cloud for free. It’s flexible and touted as “future proof” because it’s been designed so you can plug any NLP or ML model into Rasa to give you increasingly accurate results as technology improves with time.
    Best for: Branded conversational AI for enterprises that comes with built-in integrations for social messaging like Slack and Facebook.
    Price: Free. There are also paid pro options for enterprises.
    8. Amazon Web Services (AWS)

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    If you have code to run or want a familiar place to start building, you can do it for free on AWS/ The platform also stores the results/output of your programs.
    In addition, AWS offers numerous value-added features for business marketing, such as customizing your code for their content delivery network and managing task coordination for your various cloud applications, all for free.
    Best for: If you have a handle on coding but could use some support services adjacent to development — including business features to help you level up toward Industry 4.0.
    Price: Costs vary. There are short-term offers, 12 months free, and always free options.
    9. GitHub

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    Regardless of your chosen platform, the GitHub platform keeps collaborative work orderly.
    GitHub is the biggest name in programming cooperation. The platform helps organize projects when many hands touch the same code, keeping track of version histories, notes, and Wikis.
    Best for: Individuals or teams that don’t know each other but want to work productively on a project.
    Price: Basic $0, Team $44, Enterprise $231.
    GitHub AI Projects: Instagram Spam Protection & Fake Product Review Identification

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    We’re including these open source AI projects in development on GitHub because so much of marketing involves moderating your social networks once content is live.
    These projects allow you to pull pre-existing datasets for training your programming models to do the work more thoroughly — better protecting your brand to keep those leads rolling in.
    Pro tip: Google open-sourced their ALBERT model for you to emulate. The program excels at natural language processing and is agile with language-specific issues like interpreting meanings in context.
    Price: Free
    The Future Unfolding Around Us
    Be sure to keep your eye on the developing topic of AI. It’s happening quickly all around us.
    It’s sure to be a wild ride! The cutting edge of technology always is, and AI gets sharper, smarter, faster, more enmeshed by the day.

  • 20 Best B2B Lead Generation Tools

    There’s no way around it — every business needs to drive leads to grow. 
    However, B2B lead generation is far from a simple task.
    You are competing with other businesses, navigating misinformation, and playing trial and error with various tools. Not to mention, you also might be selling a product that’s more expensive or requires a hire subscription fee than many B2C offerings. 
    Though a complex task, having the right B2B lead generation tools can simplify and speed up the process of lead generation.
    In this post we’ll cover:

    What is B2B lead generation?
    Why you need lead generation tools
    Best B2B lead generation tools

    While a B2B lead is made when anyone shares name and contact information that enables you to identify and follow up with them, a quality lead is one that signals their seriousness about product interest by providing other useful information and engaging further with your business. Qualified lead information varies and is harder to get. But, it generally includes name, occupation, and email address.
    Ultimately, the goal of B2B lead generation is to create a consistent pipeline of qualified leads who are likely to convert into customers.

    Why You Need B2B Lead Generation Tools
    Trying to generate B2B leads without tools is like showing up to a sword fight without a sword — you will not be equipped with the tools you need to achieve your goal.
    Because it is distinct from B2C lead generation, B2B lead generation requires a different set of strategies. B2B lead generation tools are critical for any business wanting to get high quality leads from the right places. These tools can automate processes which saves time, provide critical data to help you make better decisions, and integrate with other tools like CRMs.

    Best B2B Lead Generation Tools
    1. HubSpot Marketing Hub

    Source: HubSpot
    Overview: HubSpot Marketing Hub is a suite of tools that aim to help marketers funnel leads through the attract, engage, and delight stages of the marketing flywheel.
    For example, you can use Marketing Hub to create compelling content to attract your target audience, capture leads via site, email, or social media; and nurture tools like automated workflows that can continue to engage contacts via email and other types of messaging. 
    Features: HubSpot Marketing Hub has multiple features designed for lead generation, including a lead capture tool. It is also equipped with forms, popup forms, live chat, and chatbot.
    What we like: Lead generation tools like an email builder are available for you to use. HubSpot Marketing Hub also integrates with HubSpot CRM.
    Pricing: Paid tiers run from $45 to $3,600 per month depending on company size.
    2. LeadPages

    Source: LeadPages
    Overview: LeadPages enables you to create custom landing pages for different, specific audiences. It also integrates with other software, funneling leads into your CRM.
    Features: Build websites, landing pages, pop-ups, alert bars, and more.
    What we like: You have the ability to choose from hundreds of templates — there is a high level of customization.
    Pricing: 14-day free trial, then$27/month for Standard (one website), $59/month for Pro Plan (three websites), and $239/month for Advanced Plan (50 websites)
    3. Leadfeeder

    Source: Leadfeeder
    Overview: Leadfeeder is a sales and marketing tool that identifies website visitors, even if the site visitors don’t fill out a form or contact you. The company boasts a database of static and dynamic IPs. Furthermore, Leadfeeder shows contact information for employees at the company.
    Features: Features include automatic lead scoring, instant lead generation with their tracker, personal email alerts, and CRM automation.
    What we like: Leadfeeder captures data from website visitors, turning anonymous traffic into potential leads. It also has custom segmentation features to help you identify high quality leads.
    Pricing: $139+/month after a 14-day free trial.
    4. OptinMonster

    Source: OptinMonster
    Overview: OptinMonster enables users to build lead forms, with over 100 templates to choose from. There is a segmentation and targeting engine to display the popup.
    Features: Build opt-in forms like lightbox popups, fullscreen takeovers, floating bars, and slide-ins.
    What we like: There’s a drag-and-drop builder for easy form building.
    Pricing: Prices start at $14/month for Basic (one website). $30/month for the Plus Plan (two sites), $47/month for three sites, or $80/month for Plus Plans covering five or more sites.
    5. LinkedIn Sales Navigator

    Source: LinkedIn
    Overview: LinkedIn is known as a platform to connect with B2B audiences. Its Sales Navigator Professional and Team tool can help businesses target specific prospects, track leads, and engage with potential buyers with InMail Messages and TeamLink.
    Features: Lead and company search tools, automated lead recommendations, and CRM integration.
    What we like: You can build and automate custom lead and account lists.
    Pricing: $65+ /month with a one-month free trial and annual commitment. There are two options — Sales Navigator Professional and Sales Navigator Team.
    6. Qualaroo

    Source: Qualaroo
    Overview: Qualaroo is an website polling tool that collects user feedback and leads using the tool.
    Features: Qualaroo boasts customizable survey options and advanced targeting features. 
    What we like: Surveys are an interesting way to generate leads. Qualaroo makes categorizing leads and sending them to designated funnels based on their answers seamless.
    Pricing: Prices start at $80 for the Essential tier. The Enterprise tier is quote-based.
    7. Discover.ly

    Source: Discover.ly
    Overview: Discover.ly is a Google Chrome add-on that allows you to find and score leads from social media.
    Features: Discover.ly profile scans recommend and score prospects you’re connected to on social media.
    What we like: This convenient Chrome extension that delivers digestible information.
    Pricing: Free.
    8. LeadQuizzes

    Source: LeadQuizzes
    Overview: Does a question ever pique your interest? How about a quiz? LeadQuizzes is an online quiz maker that helps businesses capture site leads.
    Features: LeadQuizzes boasts features like website embedding, embeddable CTAs, website popups, announcement bars, and ad campaign tools that integrate with Facebook Pixel and Google Ads.
    What we like: Quizzes are a unique way to capture your audience’s attention and generate leads. LeadQuizzes simplifies quiz-making and can be integrated into your website.
    Pricing: $49+/month after a 14-day free trial.
    9. Hello Bar

    Source: ConvertFlow
    Overview: When you visit a website, you may be greeted by a popup that splashes across the screen. Hello Bar is a widget that enables you to create those popup bars that appear across people’s screens when they visit a website.  
    Features: You can choose from a wide variety of popups: bars, modals, alerts, sliders, and full-screen page takeovers.
    What we like: Hello Bar is highly customizable; personalize your message, CTA, and position.
    Pricing: Freefor up to 5,000 page views per month. Upgrades available include: Growth for $29/month (50,000 monthly page views), Premium for $49/month (up to 150,000 monthly page views), and Elite for $99:month (up to 500,000 monthly page views).
    10. Everwebinar

    Source: Everwebinar
    Overview: Webinars are a good content marketing method for B2B businesses to generate leads. Everwebinar helps you schedule and automate your brand’s webinars.
    Features: Everwebinar has features like a room that mimics a live webinar with chat, and boasts high definition quality. It also enables you to tailor your messaging for post-webinar follow ups.
    What we like: Everwebinar enables you to run webinars with automation and customizable follow-up pages.
    Pricing: $499 annual (billed annually) or $874 biennial (billed every two years).
    11. MailChimp

    Source: MailChimp
    Overview: MailChimp is an email marketing tool that you can integrate with your landing page tools or CRM.
    Features: Email automation tools, lead capture forms with exit-intent technology, and shareable newsletter URLs.
    What we like: MailChimp has manyemail tools that help you create on-brand emails and track campaign performance.
    Pricing: Mailchimp has a free version with a 1,000 send limit. The Essentials version starts at $13 per month, the Standard at $20 per month, then the Premium at $350 per month.
    12. HotJar

    Source: HotJar
    Overview: At its core, HotJar is a customer experience platform that enables you to visualize user behavior with heatmaps and design surveys. 
    Features: Heatmaps, surveys, and a dashboard for viewing analytics.
    What we like: Heatmaps provide useful intelligence about how users behave on your site. HotJar also enables you to target visitors by URL, device, and user attributes.
    Pricing: The Basic tier is free and the Business tier is  $80+/month.
    13. Zapier

    Source: Zapier
    Overview: Zapier is an automation platform that lets you connect over 3,000 apps, so within automated workflows..
    Features: Pre-made templates for connecting and automating  tasks, plus countless integrations
    What we like: Zapier is compatible with over 3,000 apps, making integrating software and tools easy.
    Pricing: Zapier has a free version. The Starter plan is $19.99/month while the Company plan is $599/month.
    14. Turnstile by Wistia

    Source: Turnstile
    Overview: Is it Turnstile the band, or Turnstile the lead generating email capture tool? It’s the latter. Turnstile helps you collect emails from your videos to generate leads. It is compatible across all devices.
    Features: You can customize how you want your email collecting form to appear, like on hover. You can also personalize the submit button copy.
    What we like: Turnstile’s form is simple, but effective. You can connect Turnstile data to HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot.
    Pricing: T Requires Wistia Plus for $19/month.
    15. Datanyze

    Source: Datanyze
    Overview: Receiving quality data is important for generating quality leads — it also helps you cut down on time spent prospecting. Datanyze collects contact information about technologies used by different companies that could become prospects.
    Features: Stores, collects, and exports prospect data from LinkedIn pages and company websites, including email addresses and phone numbers.
    What we like: Consolidates and organizes data.
    Pricing: 90-day free trial with two paid monthly ($29 or $55 per month) and yearly ($21 or $39 per month) tiers.
    16. MobileMonkey

    Source: MobileMonkey
    Overview: Smartphones are omnipresent. Why not reach customers via text message? MobileMonkey enables you to target leads via mobile devices and messaging.
    Features: SMS promotion tools, surveys, and integration options that let you connect to top-of-funnel channels like blogs and social media to the platform.
    What we like: MobileMonkey automates the process of engaging and re-engaging contacts and leads.
    Pricing: Demo required for pricing information.
    17. Hootsuite

    Source: Hootsuite
    Overview: Hootsuite enables you to monitor social profiles from one place, schedule posts in advance, and analyze social campaigns’ performance.
    Features: Post scheduling , advertising tools, messenger integrations, and analytics.
    What we like: Hootsuite consolidates social media activity across multiple channels.
    Pricing:  Plans start at $49/month for Professional and $129/month for Team with a 30-day free trial
    18. SEMrush

    Source: SEMrush
    Overview: It would be hard to drive qualified site leads with bad SEO. SEMrush is an SEO tool you can leverage to perform website audits and use that information to assess where you can improve in driving search traffic to lead-gen content.
    Features: You can run technical SEO audits; track SERP positions; integrate with Google Analytics and other data tools, build,execute, and monitor PPC (pay-per-click) ad campaigns.. SEMrush also offers social media post scheduling for major channels.
    What we like: SEMrush integrates with Google Analytics, making insights more powerful. 
    Pricing: After a 7-day free trial, plans cost $99 or $199 per month dependent on features and user size.
    19. ActiveCampaign

    Source: ActiveCampaign
    Overview: ActiveCampaign is a CRM that aims to m help users collect and organize leads. 
    Features: Pipeline management, follow up and email segmentation.
    What we like: You can affordably get a lot out of ActiveCampaign’s features.
    Pricing: $15+/month.
    20. Jotform

    Source: Jotform
    Overview: Every B2B website needs some sort of form for collecting data. Jotforms do exactly that  by allowing you to collect data like website visitor emails, payment information, and names.
    Features: You can build professional-looking forms that integrate with email marketing services, project management boards, CRMs, cloud storage apps, and more. You can also be paid directly through your form.
    What we like: Jotform has over 10,000 templates for you to choose from.
    Pricing: There’s a free tier, but paid plans range from $34 to $99 per month.
    How to Choose Winning B2B Lead Generation Tools
    While the list of lead generation tools feels endless these days, here are a few quick things you want to keep in mind when choosing the right tools: 

    What channels are most effective for your lead generation efforts? – Which channels can be improved?
    What’s your budget for lead generation? 
    What level of ROI do you need? 
    How many users will need to use these tools?

    By answering these questions, you can identify the best tools for your exact needs. For more help with lead generation, check out the offer below.