Author: Franz Malten Buemann

Types of Charts to Use for Your Data

Column Chart
Bar Graph
Line Graph
Dual Axis Chart
Area Chart
Stacked Bar Graph
Mekko Chart
Pie Chart
Scatter Plot Chart
Bubble Chart
Waterfall Chart
Funnel Chart
Bullet Chart
Heat Map

You and I sift through a lot of data for our jobs. Data about website performance, sales performance, product adoption, customer service, marketing campaign results … the list goes on.
When you manage multiple content assets, such as social media or a blog, with multiple sources of data, it can get overwhelming.What should you be tracking? What actually matters? How do you visualize and analyze the data so you can extract insights and actionable information?
More importantly, how can you make reporting more efficient when you’re busy working on multiple projects at once?

One of the struggles that slows down my own reporting and analysis is understanding what types of graphs to use — and why. That’s because choosing the wrong visual aid or simply defaulting to the most common type of data visualization could cause confusion with the viewer or lead to mistaken data interpretation.
To create charts that clarify and provide the right canvas for analysis, you should first understand the reasons why you might need a chart. In this post, I’ll cover five questions to ask yourself when choosing a chart for your data.
Then, I’ll give an overview of 14 different types of charts you have at your disposal.
5 Questions to Ask When Deciding Which Type of Chart to Use
1. Do you want to compare values?
Charts are perfect for comparing one or many value sets, and they can easily show the low and high values in the data sets. To create a comparison chart, use these types of graphs:

Column
Mekko
Bar
Pie
Line
Scatter Plot
Bullet

2. Do you want to show the composition of something?
Use this type of chart to show how individual parts make up the whole of something, such as the device type used for mobile visitors to your website or total sales broken down by sales rep.
To show composition, use these charts:

Pie
Stacked Bar
Mekko
Stacked Column
Area
Waterfall

3. Do you want to understand the distribution of your data?
Distribution charts help you to understand outliers, the normal tendency, and the range of information in your values.
Use these charts to show distribution:

Scatter Plot
Mekko
Line
Column
Bar

4. Are you interested in analyzing trends in your data set?
If you want to know more information about how a data set performed during a specific time period, there are specific chart types that do extremely well.
You should choose a:

Line
Dual-Axis Line
Column

5. Do you want to better understand the relationship between value sets?
Relationship charts are suited to showing how one variable relates to one or numerous different variables. You could use this to show how something positively effects, has no effect, or negatively effects another variable.
When trying to establish the relationship between things, use these charts:

Scatter Plot
Bubble
Line

14 Different Types of Graphs and Charts for Presenting Data
To better understand each chart and how they can be used, here’s an overview of each type of chart.
1. Column Chart
A column chart is used to show a comparison among different items, or it can show a comparison of items over time. You could use this format to see the revenue per landing page or customers by close date.

Design Best Practices for Column Charts:

Use consistent colors throughout the chart, selecting accent colors to highlight meaningful data points or changes over time.

Use horizontal labels to improve readability.

Start the y-axis at 0 to appropriately reflect the values in your graph.

2. Bar Graph
A bar graph, basically a horizontal column chart, should be used to avoid clutter when one data label is long or if you have more than 10 items to compare. This type of visualization can also be used to display negative numbers.

Design Best Practices for Bar Graphs:

Use consistent colors throughout the chart, selecting accent colors to highlight meaningful data points or changes over time.

Use horizontal labels to improve readability.

Start the y-axis at 0 to appropriately reflect the values in your graph.

3. Line Graph
A line graph reveals trends or progress over time and can be used to show many different categories of data. You should use it when you chart a continuous data set.

Design Best Practices for Line Graphs:

Use solid lines only.

Don’t plot more than four lines to avoid visual distractions.

Use the right height so the lines take up roughly 2/3 of the y-axis’ height.

4. Dual Axis Chart
A dual axis chart allows you to plot data using two y-axes and a shared x-axis. It’s used with three data sets, one of which is based on a continuous set of data and another which is better suited to being grouped by category. This should be used to visualize a correlation or the lack thereof between these three data sets.

Design Best Practices for Dual Axis Charts:

Use the y-axis on the left side for the primary variable because brains are naturally inclined to look left first.

Use different graphing styles to illustrate the two data sets, as illustrated above.

Choose contrasting colors for the two data sets.

5. Area Chart
An area chart is basically a line chart, but the space between the x-axis and the line is filled with a color or pattern. It is useful for showing part-to-whole relations, such as showing individual sales reps’ contribution to total sales for a year. It helps you analyze both overall and individual trend information.

Design Best Practices for Area Charts:

Use transparent colors so information isn’t obscured in the background.

Don’t display more than four categories to avoid clutter.
Organize highly variable data at the top of the chart to make it easy to read.

6. Stacked Bar Chart
This should be used to compare many different items and show the composition of each item being compared.

Design Best Practices for Stacked Bar Graphs:

Best used to illustrate part-to-whole relationships.
Use contrasting colors for greater clarity.
Make chart scale large enough to view group sizes in relation to one another.

7. Mekko Chart
Also known as a marimekko chart, this type of graph can compare values, measure each one’s composition, and show how your data is distributed across each one.
It’s similar to a stacked bar, except the mekko’s x-axis is used to capture another dimension of your values — rather than time progression, like column charts often do. In the graphic below, the x-axis compares each city to one another.

Image via Mekko Graphics
Design Best Practices for Mekko Charts:

Vary you bar heights if the portion size is an important point of comparison.

Don’t include too many composite values within each bar. you might want to reevaluate how to present your data if you have a lot. 

Order your bars from left to right in such a way that exposes a relevant trend or message.

8. Pie Chart
A pie chart shows a static number and how categories represent part of a whole — the composition of something. A pie chart represents numbers in percentages, and the total sum of all segments needs to equal 100%.

Design Best Practices for Pie Charts:

Don’t illustrate too many categories to ensure differentiation between slices.
Ensure that the slice values add up to 100%.

Order slices according to their size.

9. Scatter Plot Chart
A scatter plot or scattergram chart will show the relationship between two different variables or it can reveal the distribution trends. It should be used when there are many different data points, and you want to highlight similarities in the data set. This is useful when looking for outliers or for understanding the distribution of your data.

Design Best Practices for Scatter Plots:

Include more variables, such as different sizes, to incorporate more data.

Start y-axis at 0 to represent data accurately.
If you use trend lines, only use a maximum of two to make your plot easy to understand.

10. Bubble Chart
A bubble chart is similar to a scatter plot in that it can show distribution or relationship. There is a third data set, which is indicated by the size of the bubble or circle.

Design Best Practices for Bubble Charts:

Scale bubbles according to area, not diameter.
Make sure labels are clear and visible.

Use circular shapes only.

11. Waterfall Chart
A waterfall chart should be used to show how an initial value is affected by intermediate values — either positive or negative — and resulted in a final value. This should be used to reveal the composition of a number. An example of this would be to showcase how overall company revenue is influenced by different departments and leads to a specific profit number.

Chart via Baans Consulting
Design Best Practices for Waterfall Charts:

Use contrasting colors to highlight differences in data sets.
Choose warm colors to indicate increases and cool colors to indicate decreases.

12. Funnel Chart
A funnel chart shows a series of steps and the completion rate for each step. This can be used to track the sales process or the conversion rate across a series of pages or steps.

Design Best Practices for Funnel Charts:

Scale the size of each section to accurately reflect the size of the data set.
Use contrasting colors or one color in gradating hues, from darkest to lightest as the size of the funnel decreases.

13. Bullet Graph
A bullet graph reveals progress toward a goal, compares this to another measure, and provides context in the form of a rating or performance.

Design Best Practices for Bullet Graphs:

Use contrasting colors to highlight how the data is progressing.

Use one color in different shades to gauge progress.

14. Heat Map
A heat map shows the relationship between two items and provides rating information, such as high to low or poor to excellent. The rating information is displayed using varying colors or saturation.

Design Best Practices for Heat Map:

Use a basic and clear map outline to avoid distracting from the data.

Use a single color in varying shades to show changes in data.
Avoid using multiple patterns.

Although Cyber Monday has been described as the biggest online shopping event of the year, more than $7.4 billion in online purchases were made on Black Friday in 2019.
And, although 2019 had some of the most successful online Black Friday sales ever. The events of 2020 could lead to even more online transactions this holiday season.
As an advertiser, you might want to learn more about growing online purchasing behaviors — and how you can leverage it in 2020.
Below, we’ll highlight what we learned from polling 300 consumers last year. Then, we’ll present a few consumer behavior predictions you’ll need to know about when determining your 2020 Black Friday ad strategy.

What We Learned About Black Friday Shoppers in 2019
To help marketers discover more about the consumer behaviors behind Black Friday’s 2019 results, I surveyed a pool of more than 300 people using Lucid Software back in December. The goal was to learn what led them to engage with or purchase products in Black Friday ads.
Here’s what we learned from our results
Black Friday Marketing Saw Major Online Engagement
With Black Friday deals comes an inundation of Black Friday ads throughout all forms of media. It’s no surprise that millions of people shopped on Black Friday — but which ad strategies actually led to purchases?
When I asked participants, “Did you engage with any online ads or promotions for Black Friday?”, 61% said they engaged with one or more ads in some way, while only 39% said they disregarded them.

Data Source: Lucid Software
Of that 61% of people who engaged with one or more ads, 38% clicked on the promotions without making a purchase, while 23% converted to a customer after clicking the ad.
When it came to where people saw the ads they clicked on, 62% found promotions on social media.

Data Source: Lucid Software
“Non-social media sites” were also a fairly successful place for promotion, with 38% of people saying they clicked on ads in these locations. These sites could include websites owned by other brands where a native ad is located, search engine platforms, or other areas of the web that aren’t considered social media.
Although only 32% of people clicked on ads shown in marketing emails, research from CampaignMonitor showed that email marketing was responsible for 20% of holiday-related traffic.
Consumers Showed Interest in Technology Deals
Aside from the ad’s location, the product or service advertised could have played a role in an audience’s level of engagement. To get an idea of which products were most popular, I asked survey participants, “Which best describes the products or services that were featured in the Black Friday ads you clicked on.”
Of those who said they clicked on or purchased something from an ad in the first question of the survey, roughly 36% said the ads they engaged with featured products in the “Gadgets and Technology” category. Meanwhile, two other popular categories were “Fashion and Beauty” and “Home Goods, Furniture, and Decor” which both received votes from more than 18% of participants.
Black Friday Ads Actually Lead to Foot Traffic
In 2019, in-store Black Friday foot traffic dropped 6% lower than in 2018. However, this shopping event was still significant for brick-and-mortar stores as earnings from in-store purchases still rose by 4.2%.
Much of the in-store foot traffic and purchases could have also been because of ads. When I asked consumers if they “entered a store on Black Friday after seeing an ad or promotion for its sales,” more than half said, “Yes.”

Data Source: Lucid Software
To determine how much impact online ads made on Black Friday foot traffic as compared to physical ads, I asked the same consumers, “Where did you see the Black Friday ads for the store you visited on Black Friday?” Those surveyed could choose from a long list of ad style options from more digital social media promotions to traditional TV commercials or newspaper advertisements.
Although these participants decided to brave crowded physical stores on Black Friday, the survey found that they weren’t pulled into them by physical or more traditional ads like billboards, newspaper promotions, or commercials.
Again, social media was the front-runner, as 38% of people who entered stores on Black Friday found ads on these types of platforms first.
Aside from social media, 15% of those who visited a store due to a Black Friday ad said they saw it on the store’s own website. Only small portions of those surveyed said they went to a store after seeing television commercials (7%), email marketing ads (7%), newspaper promotions (8%), or physical signage (1%).
Although only 7% found ads that led them to physical stores in marketing emails, other data shows that including ads and offers in e-newsletters was still a vital strategy for gaining web visits, leads, and even in-store foot traffic.
4 Predictions for Black Friday 2020
When we last published this post in December 2019, we anticipated that web presence and online marketing would be key for small and large businesses in 2020.
Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many brands online — and quickened digital transformation around the globe — an internet presence isn’t just nice to have. At this point, it might be vital. 
Below are just four research-backed Black Friday predictions and tips for how brands can navigate themy.
1.  Brands with an online presence will outperform brands without one on Black Friday.
Our 2019 results and mounting research continues to show the growing importance of developing or constantly improving on a web presence. 
And as we mentioned, an online web presence might not just be a nice perk for your customers. It might result in ROI for your brand, especially on Black Friday. In 2020, it’s projected that online holiday spend will surpass $189 billion — up 33% from 2019. 
At this point, growing an online presence can be easy and affordable. For example, if you’re just tipping your toes into online marketing, you could start with free strategies like building a social media profile, launching a basic website, starting a marketing email, or creating a Google My Business for your store. Then, once you’re comfortable, you experiment with larger investments such as buying online ads.
The strategies above will allow people across the web to learn more about your brand, offerings, or services. These tactics could also make it easier for prospects to find you when they’re researching products or services in your industry.
2. Consumers will continue to use social media to learn about products and Black Friday sales.
While an overall internet presence could take your brand a long way, a great and affordable place to start marketing or advertising could be on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram. 
Due to social media’s popularity and track record for ROI, you’ll definitely want to consider advertising or at least posting for free about your products on platforms that align well with your audience if you aren’t doing so already.
If you’re trying to build your social presence, or determine which platforms you should be promoting your products or deals on, check out this research-based blog post where I reveal which social media platforms people use to learn about products.
3. Most Black Friday purchases will happen online.
This might sound like a no brainer, but it is important to keep in mind as you plan your Black Friday strategy for 2020.
While there will still likely be Black Friday shoppers that brave crowded stores, the 2019 and 2020 data above suggests that more people will avoid in-person shopping as much as possible on Black Friday — as well as throughout the holiday season. 
This year, people have embraced online shopping and ecommerce more than ever before. And, even if a physical store hosts a big sale, consumers might be more likely to order products from the safety of their own home. 
Along with online advertising and marketing techniques, you’ll also want to consider other ways that your brand can do business online. For example, it might be an excellent time to launch an online store or virtual services ahead of the global shopping holiday. 
If you don’t consider yourself web savvy, a number of tools and platforms can help you create and manage an online store in minutes. For example, Facebook recently launched Facebook Shops, which allows users to create online stores linked to directly to a Facebook or Instagram Business profile.
4. People will place needs over perks when purchasing products.
This year, we’ve seen consumers toss aside fancy products and brand loyalty to budget for products that help them solve problems or provide long-term value. 
Why? Due to the financial uncertainties of 2020, consumers are finding themselves on tighter budgets and are more cautious than ever about bigger investments. 
What does this mean for marketers? It will be more important to market your product, deal, or sales value points than ever before. Even if you work for a notable brand, consumers will be looking for value beyond your logo in order to justify buying something. In the section below, we’ll give you a few tips on how to do just that.
Tips for Creating Effective Black Friday Ads
1. Highlight how a service or product can solve for your customer.
Remember, this year, shoppers of all ages will be more cautious than ever about the products they’ll be buying. While some might be saving up to splurge during the holiday season, they’ll still be taking their product research seriously to determine that anything they spend money on will have solid value. 
For marketers and advertisers, this means that your ads should aim to educate ideal customers about your offerings, how they can help them, or why they might need them in their daily lives. 
But, how do you convey that your offerings are valuable, important, or necessities when you don’t actually sell an essential product? Although it can take some creativity, it is possible to do this.
Below is an example of Twitter content from InfoArmor, an information security service owned by Allstate. In the tweet, InfoArmor shared a blog post about the dangers of information security when working remotely and how InfoArmor could protect remote employee information.

2. Present deals, sales, or affordable offers.
Aside from aiming to buy products with the best value, budget conscious shoppers will also be looking for the best deals this holiday season. If you can offer a deal or sale on your product or offering, embrace that information in your advertising. Here’s a great ad from Walmart that highlights all the online deals they’ll be offering this year:

Source
Along with the ad highlighting a bunch of great deals and alternatives for Black Friday in-person sales, the ad is also interesting because it’s interactive online but formatted so it can also work as a static print ad if needed. 
Aside from the ad above, Walmart has created content with a similar aesthetic and deal-oriented message for social media platforms like Facebook. Here’s a screenshot of featured content on its Facebook Business page.

3. Embrace video marketing.
In our 2020 State of Marketing Report, we found that video is the leading form of marketing content used across industries. And, with Gen-Z and millennials embracing video more than ever for product discovery, this format becomes more of a low-hanging fruit each year.
If you think video marketing is only for big brands, think again. In the last year, we’ve seen all sorts of small and large brands affordably embrace video ad and long-form content strategies that helped them gain ROI. Here’s one great example of a startup demo video created by Beauty Bakerie.

 
While the content allows viewers to see what the products will look like in real life, Cashmere, the brand’s CEO — Cashmere Nicole Carillo — gives instructions on how to use it so they’ll also know just how easy it is to add to their daily beauty routine.
4. Create content for different online platforms.
Regardless of which online platforms you embrace, be sure to create content that speaks to those customers, rather than just placing a basic ad on every website you can access. 
By creating content that’s tailored to platforms your customers use, you’ll increase the likelihood of catching their eyes as they scroll through endless web pages, feeds, or email inboxes. And, once you grab their attention, you can use that content to highlight your value proposition in an entertaining or interesting way.
For example, if you’re creating an ad for Instagram, it might be tempting to just use a picture of the ad you made for a website or newspaper on with a basic caption. But, that might not be engaging for people scrolling through their feeds looking for valuable product information or entertaining content. Instead, consider creating a short marketing video or a series of photos of customers with your product to better engage this audience.
Below is a great example of a Black Friday post that could also work well as an ad on Instagram. The post shows a video demo of someone from Hair Vivi putting on one of the brand’s wigs.

View this post on Instagram

Step by step simple lace frontal bob install✨🔥💯 @_excuse_my_beauty looks cute with our bob wig Wig Name: The Queen 👑 10% Off Code: NYE2020 ✨ https://www.hairvivi.com/✨ . . . . . #hairvivi #hairvivigirl #hairviviwig #bluntbob #bobunit #wiginstallation #wigvideo #wigslayer #blackinfluencer #blackfriday2019 #blackfridaysales #bobwig #boblife
A post shared by Hair Vivi｜Wig Company (@hairvivicom) on Jan 20, 2020 at 5:47pm PST

While the video shows viewers how easy it is to put on the wig, the caption also highlights the product’s value and the company’s Black Friday deals. 
Navigating Black Friday 2020
It’s safe to say this year’s Black Friday will be one of a kind. But, many of the consumer behaviors you’ll see won’t go away. anytime soon. 
On Black Friday and throughout the rest of 2020, some of the most successful brands will embrace online marketing strategies, meet their audiences on the platforms they regularly use, and effectively leverage content to highlight the value or affordability of their products. 
Craving more Black Friday data ahead of the event? Check out this handy list of stats. 
Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in December 2019 but was updated for freshness and comprehensiveness in November 2020.

No one seems to agree on cover letters. How much time do you need to spend perfecting them? Do hiring managers even read them? Is it better to just send in your resume and call it a day?
I’m not in HR, but I’ve been approached by applicants who wondered whether their cover letter would actually be read. My answer is one not many of them wanted to hear: “sometimes.” Sometimes it will be read. Other times, you can get away with just sending in your resume — like when you network your way into applying for a position.

The truth is, you can’t really predict on a case-by-case basis — and you’re better safe than sorry. For the most part, having a cover letter will give you an upper hand in ways your resume doesn’t. It allows you to show off your writing skills, provide details that you couldn’t fit on your resume, demonstrate your passion, and show your willingness to put in as much time and effort as possible.
Seems fairly basic, right? Cover letters can hold different levels of importance to an employer depending on the industry you’re in and the job you’re applying for. If you do plan to write a cover letter, keep in mind there are certain qualities it should have that are not included in the definition above.
What to Include in a Cover Letter
So, what should you include? We’ll let the 11 templates below this list do most of the talking. No matter which one you download, pay attention to the following elements — all of which should shine through in the letter you send to your future manager.

1. Contact Information
Cover letters shouldn’t just carry your contact information, but also that of the company to which you’re applying. Contact info includes your phone number, email address, and any social media accounts you’re willing to share and receive connections to.
Home addresses aren’t required, but they can be a helpful reassurance to the employer that you already live nearby and would have no trouble coming into the office.
Avoid offering phone numbers, email addresses, or actual addresses that belong to your current employer. Using your personal Gmail address over your work email, for example, ensures your correspondence with recruiters remains separate from all of your current work communication.
2. A Personal Address Line
For as often as you see “to whom it may concern” at the top of cover letters today, do your best to avoid writing this exhausted line.
Address lines that specify a person or company grab your reader’s attention much more quickly, and show the employer that you’ve taken the time to tailor your application letter to them. Don’t have the name of the hiring manager? “Employers at [company name]” will do just fine.
3. A Hook
A “hook” is a clever introduction that “hooks” your reader into wanting to learn more. Think about yourself as a job candidate — what makes you unique? What about your career might a recruiter be intrigued by that you can package into an interesting first sentence?
4. Why You’re Qualified
It’s a no-brainer that you should summarize your professional experience in your cover letter. However, today’s best applications describe why this experience qualifies the applicant for the job they’re applying for. For example, don’t just state that you spent three years writing for a company blog. Explain that this type of work lends itself to managing your new potential employer’s content calendar every week.
5. General Knowledge of the Business
Grammatical errors could mean your application is thrown in the trash, but that’s not the only thing that could get your letter tossed aside. Using a generic “one-size-fits-all” cover letter — especially if you forget to change the name of the company — will also hurt your chances of landing an interview.
So, if you take the time to write a cover letter, take the time to comment on the business itself. Why are you applying to this company? What about their business stuck out to you as a professional?
Now, let’s take a look at an example cover letter, what makes it effective, along with 11 templates you can download or draw inspiration from.
Cover Letter Example

Image Source
The example above illustrates how to write a marketing cover letter using the elements we listed.
Besides the contact information and the address line, the first few paragraphs explain why the candidate is qualified for the position. This example uses specific data to show why they would be a good fit.
Additionally, in the second to last paragraph, the candidate discusses why they’re interested in the specific company, demonstrating general knowledge of the business.
By combining all the elements to a cover letter, this is a great example to use for inspiration.
14 Free Cover Letter Templates for Your Next Job Application
Template 1: Basic

The example above is a basic (but great) cover letter. The numbered sections are explained in more detail below.
1. Header
The level of formality your header has will depend on the company to which you apply. If you’re applying to a formal business, it’s important to use a formal header to open your cover letter, like in the sample above. Put your address, the date, and the company’s address. But if you’re applying to a company that isn’t as formal, you don’t need to include yours and the company’s addresses. You can still include the date, though.
2. Greeting
Using “To Whom It May Concern” is okay, but you may want to take the time to research the name of the recruiter or hiring manager online. If you do your research and aren’t confident you found the right name, then you should definitely use the generic greeting — but if you are sure, then it shows you put in the effort to find their name and it will catch the recruiter’s eye.
If you have the recruiter’s name, do you greet them by their full name, or by their courtesy title (i.e. Mr., Ms., or Mrs.)? Similar to the header, it depends on the company’s level of formality. If you’re applying to a corporate business, you may want to consider using “Mr. Snaper” instead of “Jon Snaper.” If you’re applying to a start-up or a business with a more casual culture, you can use “Jon Snaper,” as shown in the example.
3. Introduction
Your opening paragraph should, in 1-3 sentences, state why you’re excited to apply and what makes you the perfect candidate. Get right to the point, and don’t worry about explaining where you found the posting or who you know at the company. This isn’t a place to go into detail about why you’re a great candidate — that’s for the second paragraph. Here, simply list a few key reasons in one sentence to set up the rest of your letter. Keep in mind that the recruiter may cross-reference your cover letter with your resume, so make sure the two sync up.
4. Paragraph 2: Why You’re a Great Fit for the Job
Next, sell yourself and your experience by choosing one or two concrete examples that show why you’re a great fit for the position. What did you do at a previous company that gave you relevant experience? Which projects have you worked on that would benefit the new company? How will your prior experience help this company grow? Stay humble in your explanation of credentials while still showing that you would be an asset to the team. Use this paragraph to show you’re genuinely excited and interested in the position.
5. Third Paragraph: Why the Company Is a Great Fit for You
While it’s certainly important you’re a good fit for the job, it’s also important that the company is a good fit for you. “A cover letter typically describes why you’re great for a company — but how will you benefit from getting hired?” asks Emily MacIntyre, a Team Development Manager at HubSpot. “We want to know why our company appeals to you, and how it will be a mutually beneficial working relationship.”
In the third paragraph, show you’re serious about growing and developing your career at this new company. What impresses and excites you about the company? Is there something that you feel strongly about that aligns with the company’s goals? For example, the candidate in the sample letter used this space to show his personal commitment to environmental causes aligns with the company’s green initiatives.
6. Strong Closer and Signature
Don’t get lazy in the final few sentences of your cover letter — it’s important to finish strong. Be straightforward about your interest and enthusiasm about the new position, and tell them you’re available to talk about the opportunity at any time. Be sure to include your phone number and email address. At this point, the ball is (rightly) in the recruiter’s court to decide how to follow up.
Last but certainly not least, thank them for their time and consideration. Use a formal sign-off like “Best,” “All the best,” or “Sincerely,” and finish by typing out your full name. You don’t need to sign it with a pen.
Template 2: Data-Driven Marketing Cover Letter
Get it here.

When applying to a data-driven position, it might be tempting to inject your cover letter with, well, the data to describe what you’ve done for other employers. But in an application letter — particularly for the marketing industry — how you convey this data is just as important as the data itself.
The cover letter template above, which we created here at HubSpot, can help you present the data that’s most important to you as a candidate such that it’ll matter to your future employer.
Notice the three bullet points near the center of the letter above, preceded by the statement: “… I’ve developed a strategy that has helped the company achieve …” This setup is important, because while you can add as many statistics as you want to this template, your data points should describe how your current/former business benefited from your work, rather than how you, yourself, benefited.
Template 3: Straight-to-the-Point Cover Letter
Get it here.

Harvard Business Review contributor David Silverman hailed the above cover letter example as “The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received.” For context, Silverman believes there are only a handful of times when writing a cover letter is actually necessary:

When you know the name of the hiring manager.
When you know something about what the job requires.
When you’ve been referred to the job personally.

Under those three circumstances, a straight-to-the-point cover letter like the one above could be your best bet. Because it’s so concise, however, make a point to add your own letterhead above the message itself. It might be easy for a recruiter to sift through a short and sweet cover letter like the one above, but it’s just as easy for it to get lost in the shuffle of their application list without a unique design or format.
Template 4: Referral Cover Letter
Get it here.

Just because a friend or colleague recommended you for a job doesn’t mean the company is all set to hire you. Therefore, the cover letter template above is written specifically for referrals. We made this one here at HubSpot. Download it here (it comes with four other cover letter templates, too).
As you can see in the picture above, the first paragraph of the cover letter is dedicated entirely to acknowledging the circumstances of your applying: You know someone who works there — no harm in that. But there might be harm in not mentioning it to the hiring manager. Telling the reader about your connection at the company shows you’re aware and confident of the actions you take to get the opportunities you’re interested it.
Ultimately, it’s better than the recruiter hearing about your employee connection from somebody else.
As for the rest of the cover letter, treat your message the same way you would if you had applied with no connection from within. Your skills and successes are no less important because of your internal referral.
Template 5: Photo Letterhead Cover Letter
Get it here.

The cover letter template above was designed by Microsoft Office, and as comprehensive as it looks, it’s completely free to download and modify.
As it looks right now, this cover letter contains about half photo, half text. Feel free to shrink (and change) the image to give yourself more room to tell your story. Of course, a nice washed-out image that expresses who you are can be part of that story …
Template 6: Digital Creative Cover Letter
Get it here.

This sixth template is perfect for the applicant who wants to emphasize the many different digital channels he or she is on. The header bar also allows this template to go well with a resume of the same format.
As you personalize this letter with your own experience, make note of the social networks and industry software included in this template. You’ll see along the top that LinkedIn, email, and personal website are all available for you to fill with your own information.
The bullet points in the above template also allow you to highlight your most important skills or accomplishments for the hiring manager.
Template 7: Marketing Manager Cover Letter
Get it here.

Our seventh cover letter comes from Monster.com. This cover letter, shown above, is focused specifically on a marketing role.
Notice how the writer includes references to important marketing metrics and terminology. If you’re applying to a data-driven role, you might not want to fill the page with a story of your experience in paragraph form, like Template 1 does at the beginning of this article. Instead, consider highlighting three (or four, or five) of your successes that you believe the hiring manager would resonate most with, in bulleted form.
As a marketing professional, breaking up your letter with bulleted details like the ones above shows a respect for the hiring manager’s limited time — a mentality that all marketers must understand when communicating with a brand’s audience.
Template 8: Career Day Follow-Up Cover Letter
Get it here.

This is a unique kind of cover letter from Princeton University.
CareerBuilder, Monster, and Indeed might take the lion’s share of your job searches online, but still some employment opportunities come out of a trade show, job fair, or similar networking event. For those occurrences, you have the follow-up cover letter template above.
This cover letter has everything you need to help an employer recall a conversation you had with him/her at a career fair. As you can see in the second paragraph, the letter is particularly useful to people who are about to graduate college.
Template 9: Logo and Watermarked Cover Letter
Get it here.

Here’s another cover letter template from Microsoft Office. This one has a light touch of color in the design just above the letterhead, but make no mistake — the template caters to any professional looking to make a good first impression on their future employer.
Don’t let the logo space on the top-right of the page confuse you. This can be the logo of the company to which you’re applying — to quickly get the attention of the recruiter — or your own logo. Perhaps you freelance on the side or simply like branding yourself. This cover letter template is meant for customization.
Template 10: Business Cover Letter
Get it here.

The cover letter template above is perfect for entry- and mid-level marketers who want to show a little extra professionalism in their opening note to a potential employer.
The multi-colored header (you can change the color if you wish) shows just the right amount of creativity and can go quite well with a resume of the same style. If you don’t have enough experience to fill the entire page, don’t worry. Feel free to write to a length you think is representative of who you are and what the hiring manager wants to see.
No matter how long your final cover letter is, the above template is your opportunity to show your attention to detail — from your contact information in the top header, to the personalized address line where you can include the name of the hiring manager. Like we said, “to whom it may concern” is pretty outdated, anyway.
Template 11: Entry-Level Cover Letter
Get it here.

The cover letter template above, written by HubSpot, is specifically designed for entry-level applicants.
When you only have a few years experience, it’s important to display how you gained your skills and what you learned from your education or internships. Additionally, it’s important to mention why you want to work at the company you’re applying to.
No matter your experience, the template above will help you decide what skills you want to highlight and flesh out in your cover letter.
You can download it here (it comes with four other cover letter templates, too).
Template 12: Healthcare Cover Letter
Get it here.
What stands out to me in this cover letter is the direct, straight-to-the-point bullet points that reference the job posting. The cover letter, created by The Balance Careers, cuts down on repetition by following the “I have” statement with six bullet points that highlight the applicant’s strengths, including “I have … practical knowledge of creating and implementing care plans” and “I have … a proven track record of compassionate, effective care”. 
Additionally, phrases like “I’d love to put my skills to work for your clinic” and “Please contact me at your convenience and let me know how I can help you” focus on what the business will gain as a result of hiring the applicant, rather than what the applicant is looking to gain. 
Template 13: Freelance Cover Letter
Get it here.

If you’re looking for freelance work, your biggest goal is to get your strengths across quickly, so busy clients won’t pass by your cover letter entirely. Additionally, if you’re sending out multiple cover letters to different clients, you’ll want to target each one to that client’s unique goals.
For instance, if one client is looking for SEO-optimized content related to marketing, you’ll want to highlight past experience writing marketing content; this will change if, for instance, the client is looking for fitness content. 
For this reason, it’s a good idea to structure your cover letter so you start with a) past credentials or references, and b) bullet-point information related to the client’s goal, as shown in the cover letter above. 
Template 14: Director Cover Letter
Get it here.
If you’re applying for a Director position, you’ll want to start by explaining how you’ve either successfully handled a similar role in the past, or why you believe you’re qualified and ready to handle new responsibilities for the first time. 
In the cover letter above, the candidate does a good job outlining how she succeeded in a leadership role previously: “For the past five years, I have successfully developed and maintained all data systems, including schedules and records for a business employing more than 100 people.”
You’ll want to demonstrate how your skills align with a Director position — both through organization and leadership — and, when possible, where you received recognition for your hard work (i.e. “I earned an award for Most Valuable Administrative Staff Member”). 
Writing a cover letter is easier said than done. Don’t hesitate to spend a lot of time writing and editing it. Or, ask a friend or family member to read it over and give you feedback. If the recruiter does end up reading it, you’ll be thankful you did.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face many challenges as they grow. And in our all-digital, work-from-anywhere world, finding the right customer at the right time continues to be an obstacle. But different marketing solutions can help support SMBs as they move forward. 
Here are three reasons why SMBs need to invest and optimize in martech stacks — also known as marketing technology stacks.
Build Your Marketing Roadmap
Many small and medium-sized businesses are unsure of where to start investing in the right technology. Currently over 8,000 marketing technologies exist, and many are competing with each other, while also releasing new features every couple of months. As an SMB, it may be hard to keep up and pinpoint which marketing solutions will be the best fit for your current need, remain affordable, and be useful as they scale. 
As an SMB team, it’s time to ask yourself: What are my marketing strategies? What are my goals? What marketing solutions will help me align with my business’s needs? These questions will help you build your marketing roadmap.
Unite Different Tools for the Better 
Many marketing technologies only offer a specific solution, so it’s common to see SMBs with very complex and disjointed martech stacks as a result. But when you find a marketing technology that allows you to solve for many processes, you can achieve a more cohesive customer experience through unified systems and tools. When considering any new tool, it’s essential to understand its implications and ask yourself two questions:

Will this technology impact the processes that we need to complete?
How will this new tool fit in with our marketing workflows?

An integrated tool is only possible when all your teams – IT, sales, support, and marketing – work together to make collaborative decisions. For example, integrating your customer relationship management (CRM) solution with your marketing automation can help both sales and marketing work from the same customer data and sell smarter. High-performing marketing teams have a martech stack that not only integrates but builds cross collaboration across several teams, providing for a unified, 360-degree view of your customer and improving customer experience.
Enable Your Teams to Make the Most of Technology 
Oftentimes, we see marketing technologies under-utilized. In fact, a Gartner study revealed that “marketers report using only 58% of their martech stack’s full capabilities, and that marketing teams that utilize less of their stack’s capabilities report a lower level of martech effectiveness.” This happens quite often in SMBs, mostly due to the fact that martech stacks are replaced or changed too often, or the staff isn’t fully trained on the marketing solutions capabilities. 
For an SMB, it can be a lot of technology to keep up with, handle, and maintain. As an easy fix, we’ve seen SMBs use online learning to help support their teams when a new marketing technology is introduced. For example, Salesforce offers Trailhead, our free online learning platform that can help anyone get started with marketing automation and customer relationship management in an instant.
Marketing Strategies & Technology Solutions that Make an Impact
Looking for cutting-edge marketing strategies and technology solutions that can significantly help your SMB?  Check out our ultimate list:
Account Based Marketing (ABM)
Account Based Marketing (ABM) helps B2B marketers meet buyer expectations with highly personalized campaigns to engage accounts or specific customers with an individualized approach. Right now, 92% of B2B marketers have an ABM program in place.
ABM works so well because of its “long game” approach — it gives so much value to the customer that when they’re ready to buy, you are at the top of their mind because you’ve delivered such a highly customized experience. This is how you build long-term customers and relationships.
Artificial Intelligence in Marketing
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t new, but it’s being incorporated in marketing technologies across the board. More SMB marketing teams are leveraging it to understand their data better. Businesses are leaning on analytics for business insights and efficiencies more than they did before COVID-19. In fact, 49% of companies are using data analytics “more or much more” than before. 
SMBs in particular are finding new ways to use data in response to the crisis. The combination of marketing automation and AI is empowering marketers to discover innovative ways to connect with new customers in the all-digital world.
Unified Platform
Today’s customers expect to interact with companies on a wide variety of channels, both online and offline, and their expectations for these interactions are higher than ever. So how can an organization engage with customers across an ever-growing number of channels without losing control of costs or consistency? How can it keep a sharp eye on customer experiences without adding extra checkpoints and friction that slows the deployment of marketing campaigns? 
The key is to implement a centralized solution that keeps your brand in lockstep with your business. 
At Salesforce, we focus on just that. We build all of our solutions, including our marketing automation solution, on a single platform with tools that our customers need to succeed. As SMBs expand, they can easily scale their marketing automation technology with seamless integration with other products, like Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, giving their company a single view of the customer. 
Our model has helped many SMBs bypass integration complexities. And with three releases per year synchronized across all the products on our platform, it makes it easier for businesses of all sizes to stay up to date.
This post is a part of our SMB Success Series. Stay tuned for monthly blog posts to drive your small business growth!