Category: Marketing Automation

Do you remember your first A/B test you ran? I do. (Nerdy, I know.)
I felt simultaneously thrilled and terrified because I knew I had to actually use some of what I learned in college for my job.
There were some aspects of A/B testing I still remembered — for instance, I knew you need a big enough sample size to run the test on, and you need to run the test long enough to get statistically significant results.
But … that’s pretty much it. I wasn’t sure how big was “big enough” for sample sizes and how long was “long enough” for test durations — and Googling it gave me a variety of answers my college statistics courses definitely didn’t prepare me for.
Turns out I wasn’t alone: Those are two of the most common A/B testing questions we get from customers. And the reason the typical answers from a Google search aren’t that helpful is because they’re talking about A/B testing in an ideal, theoretical, non-marketing world.
So, I figured I’d do the research to help answer this question for you in a practical way. At the end of this post, you should be able to know how to determine the right sample size and time frame for your next A/B test. Let’s dive in.

A/B Testing Sample Size & Time Frame
In theory, to determine a winner between Variation A and Variation B, you need to wait until you have enough results to see if there is a statistically significant difference between the two.
Depending on your company, sample size, and how you execute the A/B test, getting statistically significant results could happen in hours or days or weeks — and you’ve just got to stick it out until you get those results. In theory, you should not restrict the time in which you’re gathering results.
For many A/B tests, waiting is no problem. Testing headline copy on a landing page? It’s cool to wait a month for results. Same goes with blog CTA creative — you’d be going for the long-term lead generation play, anyway.
But certain aspects of marketing demand shorter timelines when it comes to A/B testing. Take email as an example. With email, waiting for an A/B test to conclude can be a problem, for several practical reasons:
1. Each email send has a finite audience.
Unlike a landing page (where you can continue to gather new audience members over time), once you send an email A/B test off, that’s it — you can’t “add” more people to that A/B test. So you’ve got to figure out how squeeze the most juice out of your emails.
This will usually require you to send an A/B test to the smallest portion of your list needed to get statistically significant results, pick a winner, and then send the winning variation on to the rest of the list.
2. Running an email marketing program means you’re juggling at least a few email sends per week. (In reality, probably way more than that.)
If you spend too much time collecting results, you could miss out on sending your next email — which could have worse effects than if you sent a non-statistically-significant winner email on to one segment of your database.
3. Email sends are often designed to be timely.
Your marketing emails are optimized to deliver at a certain time of day, whether your emails are supporting the timing of a new campaign launch and/or landing in your recipient’s inboxes at a time they’d love to receive it. So if you wait for your email to be fully statistically significant, you might miss out on being timely and relevant — which could defeat the purpose of your email send in the first place.
That’s why email A/B testing programs have a “timing” setting built in: At the end of that time frame, if neither result is statistically significant, one variation (which you choose ahead of time) will be sent to the rest of your list. That way, you can still run A/B tests in email, but you can also work around your email marketing scheduling demands and ensure people are always getting timely content.
So to run A/B tests in email while still optimizing your sends for the best results, you’ve got to take both sample size and timing into account.
Next up — how to actually figure out your sample size and timing using data.
How to Determine Sample Size for an A/B Test
Now, let’s dive into how to actually calculate the sample size and timing you need for your next A/B test.
For our purposes, we’re going to use email as our example to demonstrate how you’ll determine sample size and timing for an A/B test. However, it’s important to note — the steps in this list can be used for any A/B test, not just email.
Let’s dive in.
Like mentioned above, each A/B test you send can only be sent to a finite audience — so you need to figure out how to maximize the results from that A/B test. To do that, you need to figure out the smallest portion of your total list needed to get statistically significant results. Here’s how you calculate it.
1. Assess whether you have enough contacts in your list to A/B test a sample in the first place.
To A/B test a sample of your list, you need to have a decently large list size — at least 1,000 contacts. If you have fewer than that in your list, the proportion of your list that you need to A/B test to get statistically significant results gets larger and larger.
For example, to get statistically significant results from a small list, you might have to test 85% or 95% of your list. And the results of the people on your list who haven’t been tested yet will be so small that you might as well have just sent half of your list one email version, and the other half another, and then measured the difference.
Your results might not be statistically significant at the end of it all, but at least you’re gathering learnings while you grow your lists to have more than 1,000 contacts. (If you want more tips on growing your email list so you can hit that 1,000 contact threshold, check out this blog post.)
Note for HubSpot customers: 1,000 contacts is also our benchmark for running A/B tests on samples of email sends — if you have fewer than 1,000 contacts in your selected list, the A version of your test will automatically be sent to half of your list and the B will be sent to the other half.
2. Use a sample size calculator.
Next, you’ll want to find a sample size calculator — HubSpot’s A/B Testing Kit offers a good, free sample size calculator.
Here’s what it looks like when you download it:
Download for Free
3. Put in your email’s Confidence Level, Confidence Interval, and Population into the tool.
Yep, that’s a lot of statistics jargon. Here’s what these terms translate to in your email:
Population: Your sample represents a larger group of people. This larger group is called your population.
In email, your population is the typical number of people in your list who get emails delivered to them — not the number of people you sent emails to. To calculate population, I’d look at the past three to five emails you’ve sent to this list, and average the total number of delivered emails. (Use the average when calculating sample size, as the total number of delivered emails will fluctuate.)
Confidence Interval: You might have heard this called “margin of error.” Lots of surveys use this, including political polls. This is the range of results you can expect this A/B test to explain once it’s run with the full population.
For example, in your emails, if you have an interval of 5, and 60% of your sample opens your Variation, you can be sure that between 55% (60 minus 5) and 65% (60 plus 5) would have also opened that email. The bigger the interval you choose, the more certain you can be that the populations true actions have been accounted for in that interval. At the same time, large intervals will give you less definitive results. It’s a trade-off you’ll have to make in your emails.
For our purposes, it’s not worth getting too caught up in confidence intervals. When you’re just getting started with A/B tests, I’d recommend choosing a smaller interval (ex: around 5).
Confidence Level: This tells you how sure you can be that your sample results lie within the above confidence interval. The lower the percentage, the less sure you can be about the results. The higher the percentage, the more people you’ll need in your sample, too.
Note for HubSpot customers: The HubSpot Email A/B tool automatically uses the 85% confidence level to determine a winner. Since that option isn’t available in this tool, I’d suggest choosing 95%.
Email A/B Test Example:
Let’s pretend we’re sending our first A/B test. Our list has 1,000 people in it and has a 95% deliverability rate. We want to be 95% confident our winning email metrics fall within a 5-point interval of our population metrics.
Here’s what we’d put in the tool:

Population: 950
Confidence Level: 95%
Confidence Interval: 5

4. Click “Calculate” and your sample size will spit out.
Ta-da! The calculator will spit out your sample size.
In our example, our sample size is: 274.
This is the size one your variations needs to be. So for your email send, if you have one control and one variation, you’ll need to double this number. If you had a control and two variations, you’d triple it. (And so on.)
5. Depending on your email program, you may need to calculate the sample size’s percentage of the whole email.
HubSpot customers, I’m looking at you for this section. When you’re running an email A/B test, you’ll need to select the percentage of contacts to send the list to — not just the raw sample size.
To do that, you need to divide the number in your sample by the total number of contacts in your list. Here’s what that math looks like, using the example numbers above:
274 / 1,000 = 27.4%
This means that each sample (both your control AND your variation) needs to be sent to 27-28% of your audience — in other words, roughly a total of 55% of your total list.

And that’s it! You should be ready to select your sending time.
How to Choose the Right Timeframe for Your A/B Test
Again, for figuring out the right timeframe for your A/B test, we’ll use the example of email sends – but this information should still apply regardless of the type of A/B test you’re conducting.
However, your timeframe will vary depending on your business’ goals, as well. If you’d like to design a new landing page by Q2 2021 and it’s Q4 2020, you’ll likely want to finish your A/B test by January or February so you can use those results to build the winning page.
But, for our purposes, let’s return to the email send example: You have to figure out how long to run your email A/B test before sending a (winning) version on to the rest of your list.
Figuring out the timing aspect is a little less statistically driven, but you should definitely use past data to help you make better decisions. Here’s how you can do that.
If you don’t have timing restrictions on when to send the winning email to the rest of the list, head over to your analytics.
Figure out when your email opens/clicks (or whatever your success metrics are) starts to drop off. Look your past email sends to figure this out.
For example, what percentage of total clicks did you get in your first day? If you found that you get 70% of your clicks in the first 24 hours, and then 5% each day after that, it’d make sense to cap your email A/B testing timing window for 24 hours because it wouldn’t be worth delaying your results just to gather a little bit of extra data.
In this scenario, you would probably want to keep your timing window to 24 hours, and at the end of 24 hours, your email program should let you know if they can determine a statistically significant winner.
Then, it’s up to you what to do next. If you have a large enough sample size and found a statistically significant winner at the end of the testing time frame, many email marketing programs will automatically and immediately send the winning variation.
If you have a large enough sample size and there’s no statistically significant winner at the end of the testing time frame, email marketing tools might also allow you to automatically send a variation of your choice.
If you have a smaller sample size or are running a 50/50 A/B test, when to send the next email based on the initial email’s results is entirely up to you.
If you have time restrictions on when to send the winning email to the rest of the list, figure out how late you can send the winner without it being untimely or affecting other email sends.
For example, if you’ve sent an email out at 3 p.m. EST for a flash sale that ends at midnight EST, you wouldn’t want to determine an A/B test winner at 11 p.m. Instead, you’d want to send the email closer to 6 or 7 p.m. — that’ll give the people not involved in the A/B test enough time to act on your email.
And that’s pretty much it, folks. After doing these calculations and examining your data, you should be in a much better state to conduct successful A/B tests — ones that are statistically valid and help you move the needle on your goals.

Forms are often an integral part of a buyer’s journey, and most companies already use web forms as part of their marketing strategy.
In fact, 74% of companies use web forms for lead generation, and 49.7% say their online forms are their highest converting lead generation tool.
Forms can vary greatly in purpose — you might use a form to get more sign-ups to your email newsletter, collect email addresses to send coupons and special offers, create gated content for viewers, or allow leads to sign-up for free versions of your product.
Ultimately, a form is often the fastest and most effective opportunity for you to collect leads and nurture them into sales.
But creating a form can feel like a tricky endeavor, particularly since a form’s design can have a major impact on whether a visitor fills it out, or abandons your site altogether.
Here, we’re going to dive into how to create your first web form to get you started.

How to Create a Web Form
For our purposes I’m going to show you how to create a form in HubSpot’s free form builder, but you could also use Google Forms, WordPress, HTML, or another tool of your choice.
1. To begin creating your form within your HubSpot account, go to “Marketing” > “Lead Capture” > “Forms”.

2. In the upper right, click “Create form”.

3. In the left panel, click “Regular form”. Then click “Next” in the top right.

4. Select Blank template to start with a blank form, or a pre-made template for a specific use case. Once you’ve selected your template, click “Start”.

5. Here, you have the option to drag-and-drop any elements on the left side that you’d like in your form. Generally, although not always the case, shorter forms perform better, so try to only ask for the most critical information from your form recipients.

6. Once you’ve chosen your desired form fields, click “Option” at the top middle of the screen. Here, you can decide what message you want your recipients to see when they complete the form.

 
7. Finally, click “Style & preview” at the top right of the screen to preview how your form will look on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Additionally, you can make some changes here to the style of your form — for instance, choosing a round or sharp-edged “Submit” button, or changing the colors and fonts of your form.
When you’re ready, click “Publish” at the top right of your screen.

8. Once you click “Publish”, you’ll see this pop-up. Copy and paste the code into your website to embed the form onto one of your web pages, or share the link with recipients via email.

While we created this form using HubSpot’s free online form builder, there are other form building tools at your disposal — take a look at 21 of the Best Form Builder Tools for 2019 for a complete list.
Additionally, check out Form Design Best Practices: 15 Tips to Boost Conversions and UX to ensure your form is ready for optimal conversions.

Are you planning a virtual event and not sure which platform to use?

From large platforms like Hopin to smaller, more niche platforms, we’ve got you covered. Check out our list of the 10 best platforms to host your next virtual event.

What is a virtual event platform?
Key Features to Look For in a Virtual Event Platform
Best Virtual Event Platforms

You might be wondering, is a virtual event platform the same as a video conferencing platform like Zoom? Technically no. Although both tools will have features that intersect, they are designed for different purposes.
A virtual event platform is designed to scale, and offer immersive experiences and interactive elements meant to simulate in-person events. A video conferencing platform, on the other hand, is unlikely to support interactive features beyond chatrooms and breakout rooms, as their main focus is video conferencing.

Key Features to Look for in Virtual Event Platform
If you’re in the market for a virtual event platform, you’ll want to look for one that’s scalable, customizable, and user-friendly.
Here are some key features to look for:

Pre-event:

Registration system
Payment processing
Event referral tracking
Email marketing integration

During the event:

Polling and Q&A
Live-streaming
Moderating
Gamification
Captioning and screen reader capabilities
Large attendee capacity
Multi-camera options

Post-event:

Analytics dashboard
Customizable CTAs
Data exports

While this list isn’t comprehensive, it’s a great place to start as you determine what you’re looking for and what you can expect to find from virtual event platforms on the market.

Best Virtual Event Platforms
1. vFairs
Ranked #1 on G2 with over 1,300 reviews, vFairs is one of the best virtual event platforms in the market.

As its name suggests, this virtual event platform specializes in fairs, such as career, job, education fairs, and trade shows. Their solutions include:

Virtual exhibit hall
Custom event builder
Event gamification
Analytics and reporting tools

In addition to virtual events, they also host in-person and hybrid events, which is great for brands looking for a multi-channel approach.
2. Hopin
As one of the leading virtual event platforms on the market, Hopin is suitable for both small and large events.

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Hopin offers a flexible and scalable platform with everything you will need for your event, from registration support to multi-stage sessions to real-time analytics.
Even the free plan offers unlimited events for up to 2 hours with customizable registration, analytics, and multi-venue options.
If you’re looking for a platform that will grow with you, this is a great option.
3. Airmeet
Looking for an approachable, unfussy solution for your virtual events? Then, Airmeet is worth a look.

With a 4.6/5 rating on G2 out of 549 reviews, Airmeet is a user-friendly platform that works for just about any event. It’s been used by some of the top brands out there, like Forbes, Walmart, and FedEx, yet offers packages that work for businesses of any size.
While they have the top features you’d expect from a virtual event platform, they stand out for their platform’s ease of use.
4. GoToWebinar
GoTo Webinar is the go-to hosting platform for webinars. Whether you’re doing a product demo or conducting employee training, this tool is a great option.
Their pricing starts at $49/month and goes up to $499 for enterprises. Every plan includes reporting and analytics, registration tools, and event-related email marketing.
Some of the most interesting features on the platform include:

Pre-recorded webinars that still include interactive elements, like polls, Q&As, surveys, and handouts
Multi-device functionality
Integration with CRMs, Google Suite, Microsoft Teams, and more

5. Remo
Have a unique vision for your virtual event? Remo will help you bring it to life to your exact specifications.

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Remo allows you to create an entire virtual world for your attendees that will keep them engaged and entertained. Their standout feature is the ability to create custom floor plans so that you personalize your attendees’ experience.
6. Goldcast
If you’re a B2B business, Goldcast is the virtual event platform designed specifically for you.

Their platform is trusted by some of the biggest B2B brands including GitHub, Salesloft, Hootsuite, and Drift. Here are a few reasons why:

Simple and user-friendly interface for non-technical users
Frictionless CRM integration
Dedicated support teams
Advanced production tools
Hybrid capabilities

7. Hubilo
If you want to be hands-on in building your virtual event, consider Hubilo.

Many call it a DIY platform, as it has extensive customization features on the front and back end. What’s more, it offers global support for users looking to create engaging in-person, hybrid, and virtual events.
Hubilo is best known for its client support, custom branding options, and extensive engagement features.
8. Zuddl
Awarded “Best Support” for small businesses by G2, Zuddl is definitely worth a look if you’re in the market for a virtual event platform.

Although they offer the standard features you see on many platforms, they focus on three things: customization, ease of use, and branding.
Zuddl allows brands to create immersive, on-brand virtual experiences that invite attendees to connect. Here’s how they do it:

Easy-to-use templates, widgets, and landing pages for branding
Tier-based matchmaking, breakout rooms, and virtual business cards for networking
Live leaderboards for gamification

These are just some of the tools Zuddl has to offer.
9. ON24
While other platforms focus on customization, ON24 promises to deliver on attendee engagement.

They focus on creating rich, interactive virtual experiences while also collecting valuable insights that you can leverage long after the event is over.
With ON24, you can create:

Live or semi-live webinars
Engaging roundtable events with video-first participation
High-converting landing pages
Accessible events that welcome global audiences

10. Accelevents
From tradeshows and fundraisers to product launches and career fairs, Accelevents does it all.

They offer a 360 virtual event experience for businesses looking for a sleek interface as well as audience engagement. Key features include:

Integrated live streaming
Lobby interaction, such as welcome videos, activity walls, and leaderboards
Analytics dashboard with registration and session reports
Custom booths and expo halls for sponsors

In addition, Accelevents is on Capterra’s 2022 shortlist for “Emerging Favorite” in the virtual event software category, with an overall rating of 4.7/5.
So there you have it — our top 10 virtual event platforms. This list should help you narrow down your choices for hosting your next digital event.

The job search process can feel daunting. Every step of the process — from finding relevant opportunities to interviewing — is a major time investment. However, an organized to-do list can keep you on track.
In this post, you’ll learn the essential steps for an organized job search and tips to help you land your dream gig. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

10 Important Steps in the Job Search Process
10 Job Search Tips
3 Resume Examples Tailored to Different Niches
Starting Your Job Search

10 Essential Steps for Your Job Search Process
Without a roadmap, finding a new job can be overwhelming. This to-do list guides you through the essential steps of any job hunt.
1. Start with your mindset.
Job hunting begins with your mindset. The right attitude can help you approach the process with resilience.
Be prepared to wait for the right opportunity. Don’t be upset if you haven’t secured a new job within a couple of weeks. The average duration of unemployment is five and a half months, according to 2022 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, just moving from an interview to an offer takes 23.8 days on average.
However, timeframes heavily depend on the industry, your experience, and the urgency to fill a role. For example, a government role will have a longer time to hire than many corporations.
Another reminder: don’t take “no” personally. Any job seeker inevitably faces rejection — direct and indirect. Sometimes, you don’t hear back on your application. Other times, you receive a direct refusal with a concise explanation of why you didn’t make the cut.
Don’t let small losses set you back. Set yourself up for success, and keep trying.
2. Set your job search parameters.
Don’t just apply to every job you see. List what positions you’re interested in and start searching from there.
Think of what skills you’ve already acquired. Do you want to pursue the same role or explore a new career path or industry? Ask yourself what you’re passionate about and what you would like to do long-term. Reflect on your thoughts by writing them down.
If you’re looking to stay in your industry, consider your experience. Focus on positions that align with your expertise. Knowing what you’re good at will help you tailor your CV and secure a new job faster.
Pro tip: Create an ideal job description that details your desired responsibilities, location, and benefits. This outline can help keep you focused.
3. Understand your field.
Industry research can help you tackle your job search with updated knowledge. You should find out the education requirements, level of experience, and responsibilities associated with your desired roles.
You’ll also discover which qualities and skills employers are looking for in your field. That can help you showcase your competitive edge in resumes and cover letters.
Pro tip: Open any job board — Indeed, Glassdoor, Tech Ladies — enter the job name, and analyze the job descriptions of five open vacancies. Then you can decide whether the future job resonates with your interests.
4. Know your worth.
How much money would you like to earn within a year? It’s important to know if your expectations correlate with the job market.
Analyze the market averages using Indeed or Glassdoor’s salary calculator. You can then gauge the average yearly salary based on your role and location.
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You can also reach out to people in similar positions and ask what salary range you should expect for a certain position. Tap your network, or find relevant people on LinkedIn.
Lastly, turn to Google. Many companies conduct compensation research so you can get a more accurate salary range for your industry.
Remember: Compensation isn’t just salary. Decide what benefits and bonuses your ideal package includes. For instance, you might be looking for comprehensive healthcare coverage or a 401K package. Understand which benefits are on your need-to-have list.
5. Review your social media accounts.
You’ll want to impress recruiters with your first-class LinkedIn profile. Here’s what recruiters look at when scrolling through your page:

How you represent yourself — your headline and the about section.
An appealing photo and a cover image also play a role. Use a neutral cover image or write a short message.
Detailed work experience. Highlight achievements in your previous positions: show numbers and your impact.
Certificates.
Skill endorsement and feedback. Ask friends and colleagues to endorse your skills.
Your activity. Keep your profile active — post, like, and comment on relevant stories.

While recruiters spend most of their time on LinkedIn, you’ll want to clean up your social media presence on other platforms. Make sure your posts are office-friendly.
Pro tip: Google your name in an incognito web browser to see how your social media profiles may appear to recruiters that search your name.
6. Polish your resume and application materials.
Work smarter, not harder. Instead of pure volume, focus on building custom applications for the roles you’re most interested in. A well-tailored resume and cover letter will have better results than a generic approach.
Start with your resume. You can use a resume builder to create a professional. Hubspot offers free templates to help you get started. For creative roles, consider designing your resume using Canva or VistaCreate’s templates.
When writing a cover letter, write directly to the recruiter or hiring manager. If you can find the person’s name, be sure to address them specifically.
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Pro tip: Create one document with all of your professional experience and accomplishments. Then, paste relevant bullet points into a resume template. That allows you to take a customized approach for every company, without re-writing your job experience for each application.
7. Upskill while waiting.
Are you missing one or two required skills? While applying for jobs, enroll in free online courses to help fill these gaps. You can then show recruiters that you’re eager to learn new skills.
HubSpot Academy offers a wide range of digital marketing courses for entry-level and professionals for free.
Udemy and Coursera are also reputable online learning platforms that offer paid and free courses. Sessions are made by industry leaders from Meta, IBM, Google, and other top companies. You can also find courses created by universities like Yale, Cambridge, and Oxford.
8. Prepare for the interview process.
Instead of cramming the night before, start preparing for interviews while you apply for jobs. That way, you’ll always be prepared to provide evidence of your skills.
Start with these common interview questions:

Why did you quit your last job?
What makes you a great candidate?
Why are you interested in this opportunity?
What did you like about the company?
What are your hobbies?
What motivates you?
What last book did you read/course you took?
What did you dislike about your previous boss/company?

LinkedIn’s course on “Expert Tips for Answering Common Interview Questions” is another great way to prepare. The course takes job seekers through commonly-asked interview questions and offers tips on how to answer correctly. Plus, you’ll learn how to negotiate your salary.
You can also role-play interviews with friends or sign up for an interview prep service to help polish your skills.
9. Research potential employers.
Can you see yourself working at a certain company? Diving into organizations’ histories and cultures can help you assess your fit. Start by investigating companies’ LinkedIn profiles. Then read reviews from employees on Glassdoor and Indeed.
If you’re applying for a startup, research founders and see what their past experiences look like. A first-time founder isn’t necessarily a red flag. Look for those who have experience in different roles and managerial positions. They’re more likely to understand how to drive a company’s growth.
Pro tip: Networking can also be a powerful tool. Reach out to people from the company, preferably in the department you’re applying to, and ask for their insights. Make a list of questions beforehand to keep your conversation focused.
This can all help you understand if a company aligns with your needs and what hiccups you might expect.
10. Prepare a “thank you” email.
After an interview, you can also stand out by sending a customized thank you email to your recruiter.
The best approach is to share your true emotions and experiences of the interview. Specify what part of the interview got you excited. Also, highlight your unique value.
You should also express gratitude to anyone you networked with during the interview process. That person may endorse you to the recruiter.

 

10 Job Search Tips
Now that you’ve structured your job search process, here are 10 more tips to help you get hired.
1. Analyze your personality type to understand yourself better.
Complete the 16Personalities MBTI test or the DISC test as a tool for self-reflection. These tests can help unveil your core strengths and weaknesses. Results often come with suggestions for career paths suited to your personality type.
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2. Leverage the STAR method when answering recruiters’ questions.
Ace the interview with the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Results). Recruiters want you to back up your intangible skills, like leadership, with examples. Getting familiar with the STAR method in advance will give you leverage during an interview.
3. Include external links in your resume to bolster your skills.
You should always include your LinkedIn on your resume. Depending on the role, other supplemental links may be appropriate.
For example, a graphic designer should include a link to their Behance profile. For content writers, create a spreadsheet, and list all your published articles on it. Use GitHub to showcase your tech skills.
4. Master your English speaking skills.
Worried about your language skills? Take quick courses to master the interview process for an English-as-a-second-language job seeker.
Want to nail a tech interview with flawless English? Play with Interview Warmup by Google to practice key questions and get feedback from the AI assistant. Choose your field and start practicing.
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5. Network with industry peers.
Join online communities relevant to your job. Reach out to industry professionals for advice. This can be especially helpful if you’re trying to land your first job in a field.
6. Be bold and dedicated.
On LinkedIn, you can find fantastic examples of how folks with close to zero experience landed their first jobs in sales, marketing, or tech. The key is to focus on transferable skillsets. Be bold about your abilities, while demonstrating a dedication to learning new skills.
We love the story of how a bus driver with no college degree nailed an SDR position proving himself out of 350+ applicants.
7. Know where to seek niche jobs.
Want to join a startup or a high-end enterprise company? Considering only remote positions? Many job boards specialize in these types of positions. Here are some sites to consider:

WeWorkRemotely or Remotive — for remote job offers only.
LinkedIn Jobs — specify filters by industry, company, job types, etc.
Hired — for tech job search; companies reached out to candidates to offer a role.
AngelList or Y Combinator Jobs — for finding a dream job at a startup.
Indeed and Glassdoor — the largest free job boards.

8. Put yourself in the spotlight on LinkedIn.
Be active on LinkedIn. Start posting every day. Share your experience. Build new connections.
Pro tip: Allocate 1-2 hours daily to build your LinkedIn presence. If you’re active on LinkedIn and bring value to the industry, job offers will flow into your inbox.
9. Get everything ready for the interview.
The day before the interview, allocate dedicated preparation time. This is essential for both in-person meetings and online calls.
For online interviews, start by checking your internet connection. Charge your laptop and smartphone the night before. Be sure to test that your microphone and headset work properly.
For offline interviews, decide what clothes you want to wear, and iron them. Be sure to research how long the commute is to the interview location. Get enough sleep and have breakfast to look energetic.
10. Find ways to lower stress.
The interview process can be the most stressful part of the job search. Five minutes before an interview, take deep breaths and calm your mind. Hold a Superman pose for a minute to fuel confidence.
Smile and get ready for introductions. Prepare answers or topics for two-minute of small talk.

3 Resume Examples
Different positions require customized CVs. Let’s break down best practices for resumes related to different roles.
Digital Marketing Resume
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In digital marketing, it’s essential to demonstrate your impact on business metrics. Candidates should briefly outline what they’ve accomplished strategically and what results they’ve achieved.
Your resume should focus on impact. Include numbers where possible. Let’s say you increased the home page conversion rate in your last role. Here are two ways you could write that bullet point.

Lackluster: Improved homepage conversion rate.
Specific and impactful: Enhanced homepage conversion rate by 27% through A/B testing CTAs and layouts.

Your summary section can also pique a recruiter’s interest. Provide a concise description of your work history, mentioning your biggest achievements. See a sample summary below.

Digital marketing specialist with 5 years of experience implementing SEO and content marketing strategies. Helped grow Twilio Blog to 358,000+ monthly organic traffic within 2.5 years. Managed a team of 10 freelance writers and link-builders. Experienced with Google Search Console, Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, HubSpot, copywriting, and editing.

Tech Resume
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This resume paints a complete picture of the candidate’s technical skills and business acumen. Recruiters can see examples of their work at the candidate’s GitHub link. Plus, the resume links the candidates’ accomplishments to revenue impact.
Pro Tip: Include all relevant certificates and training. This shows your eagerness to learn and upskill.
Internship Resume
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Internship resumes should be customized for each internship program. Candidates should include related projects they’ve worked on in class or personally. You can also highlight relevant acquired skills, completed courses, and certificates.
In a nutshell, internship resumes should reflect proactivity, willingness to learn, and an immediate contribution to the company.

Starting Your Job Search
Landing your dream job takes a thoughtful job search, tailored application materials, and the right attitude. Invest time into researching your ideal work environment and positions. After investing in preparation, you’ll be well on your way to your next career opportunity.

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Today, we do everything on our smartphones, from catching up with friends and finding love to reading our emails, ordering cabs, banking, making dinner reservations, and buying things we need. Mobile shopping, in particular, has become so popular that it accounts for more than 54% of all eCommerce sales. Yes, more than half of online…
The post 5 Reasons To Adopt Mobile-First eCommerce Site Design appeared first on Benchmark Email.

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Starting and running your own business can be incredibly stressful. One survey of small business owners from Capital One found that 42 percent of them are currently experiencing burnout or have experienced it within the past month. This is why having a good support system is invaluable for entrepreneurs. Having a space to share the ups and downs of small business ownership and having people around you who understand your challenges can help make you more resilient and able to weather the storm that is small business ownership.We spoke to several incredible small business owners who are juggling multiple growth challenges, growing families, and all the while being focused on ensuring they get the support they need to be the best version of themselves and take their businesses forward.Holly Howard, a longtime business consultant says it best “I always say there’s no business growth without personal growth.” She goes on to say, “it’s about how we show up and how we take care of ourselves.” And the data supports it; in the same Capital One report, they found that more than half (53 percent) of business owners report that when they experience burnout, it is a barrier to success for their business.In Small Business, Big Lessons, season two, episode six, we detail how the owners of Harlow, SparkToro, Made With Local, Zingerman’s, Destination Unknown Restaurants and Paynter Jackets approach getting support as small business owners.Set healthy boundaries and intentional work policiesThe first place many small business owners mention when talking about support is getting support through setting healthy boundaries. Those can be in the form of setting healthy boundaries for themselves, as well as supporting those boundaries through intentional work policies that protect their team from burnout as well.Kelly Phillips, the founder of Destination Unknown Restaurants, a group of restaurants based in Washington, DC, knows that boundaries often start with her as the leader. “I am very respectful about time off and not texting, not calling, not emailing when I know people are off when they’re on vacation.” She leads by example when she’s not working, “I try not to let myself get caught up into work when I’m off. I know that I’m a better leader if I have time to rest.”Kelly is also focused on the environment that she cultivates at her restaurants. “I try to have a stress-free environment. Yes, it does get stressful. Yes, it does get busy, but I’m a big fan of lightening the mood by making a joke or, you know, giving somebody a high five or just saying something that’s gonna perk them up a little bit and make them feel good about themselves.” This environment makes a difference when her team is more supportive of each other through the highs and lows, “We know it won’t always be hard, you know, we’re gonna get through this. We have to close the doors eventually, and tomorrow will be a new day.”Intentional work policies can make a huge difference when it comes to burnout and cultivating a supportive network. Andrea Wildt and Samantha Anderl, co-founders of Harlow, a software designed to help freelancers with their business, know this first hand. They quit their nine-to-five jobs because those jobs didn’t work for them, so they built their business in a way that supported them and future employees. “So we have this saying actually at Harlow, that we believe that we are all better and more creative when we’re living well-balanced lives.” Samantha shared about their approach.They put into place policies to have limited meetings and a work culture that takes away the feeling that everything is urgent. The result? Both co-founders say they’re showing up as better versions of themselves. “Our brains don’t function in this ‘on state’ for eight, nine hours a day. We need downtime, we need breaks. And I think that. A lot of corporate environments just aren’t conducive to that at all. And so Samantha and I really wanted to build something different where we could foster more creativity.”♥️Read more about how Kelly Phillip’s approaches business in her post about putting employees first, not customers.Build up a community of other founders and of your customersAnother way to get support is to build up a community around yourself — both of other founders who understand what you’re going through and are facing similar challenges, and also to look to your community of customers, who understand your business better than a lot of others.Holly explains it as, “Who are those people that you can go to, that you can speak to about what you are going through?” She says that gathering can be really powerful because “everybody goes through the same challenges as an entrepreneur, and when we see our peers, and we have that camaraderie with our peers.” And this group environment is better for growth, too. “It’s actually much easier to change than when we’re isolated. So that support network of other people who understand what you’re going through and you can lean on each other is really important.”The co-founders of Harlow have been doing this since the beginning, proving that it’s never too early to start building a community. Samantha explained that they’ve been building up their community for the past eight years, it includes other founders and freelancers, and it has a very positive effect on them because, as it stands, Samantha said, “I don’t think we ever have a problem that we need to solve, that we don’t have somebody in our community that we’re like, ah, we should go talk to that person.”Community can also be found through more traditional business groups. Sheena Russel is the founder and CEO of Made with Local, a Canadian snack bar company and a certified B-corp. She’s found a lot of support through the movement. “I absolutely feel like we’re part of an incredible purpose-led business community.” Sheena knows the importance of community through her own experiences, “It can be lonely out there as a founder and as an entrepreneur.” She looks not only to her community of other entrepreneurs but also to her customers. “We have an amazing community around us of other businesses, but also of our customers as our community.”The theme with all of these business owners, as Rand Fishkin, the co-founder and CEO of SparkToro, is that he calls “an intentional investment in building a network of like-minded founders and like-minded companies.” There are a lot of ways to go about building up a support network through community, the key is just to get started.Several members of the Made With Local team.Join an existing network of like-minded people through groups or social mediaSometimes there is already an existing community where you can find support. Kelly is a part of an organization called Re: Her, a national non-profit driven by women restaurateurs. The organization’s mission is to empower women entrepreneurs, specifically in the food and beverage industry. She explains, “We have regular calls where we discuss issues in the restaurant community, and we have resources for each other. And even if it’s just checking in to say, Hey, how’s everybody doing? Oh, you know, prices have gone up on this. Does anybody have a good vendor for that? We really help each other.”This kind of existing organization can be a huge advantage for gaining support and making like-minded connections. These groups can be found online through tools like Meetup, Facebook Groups, and LinkedIn Groups. You can also ask around in your industry to see what organizations others already know about.Social media is another powerful tool for finding existing communities, groups, and resources. Sheena, who runs Made with Local from a smaller city in Canada, turns to digital platforms to connect. She shared, “If you’re an entrepreneur that’s struggling to connect with a community or with some mentors, I would say start looking online, honestly, through social media is an incredibly algorithmically driven way to find people that are doing things just like you are. Whether it be through Instagram or LinkedIn. It’s a really nice way to figure out where your people are.”Samantha from Harlow has had the same experience. “I’m very active on Twitter. I’m very active on LinkedIn on Instagram. And so I am constantly making connections there.” When it comes to joining those communities, Samantha’s advice is: “People are there, and people are having the conversations, and you just have to throw yourself into it.”Look for professional support through therapySupport comes in many forms, and sometimes the kind of support that you need might be professional support in the form of counseling or therapy. Holly, who in addition to being a long-time business consultant is a trained therapist, explained that with her background, “often I end up recommending that clients go to therapy. And a lot of times for entrepreneurs, it’s the first time they’ve had an experience of therapy before.”Ari Weinzweig, the co-founder of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, has personal experience with getting this kind of support. “I started going to therapy, and then at that point, I was ready through pain, and I wish I would’ve gone at 10. I mean, it’s like having a coach at the gym. There’s nothing weird or wrong about it. Who wouldn’t want a grounded, thoughtful, caring, slightly disengaged with your day-to-day emotional struggles, person to talk to?”Ari is definitely not alone in seeking this kind of support. Rand has had the experience of looking to therapy after a particularly difficult time. “I am a few years away from my experiences with mental and emotional challenges, depression, and anxiety. And I’m very grateful to be through those times. But it was absolutely heart-wrenching and awful going through it. When I experienced that, I ended up stepping down from my CEO role at MOZ, and eventually away from the company.” Though Rand says that “talking to a professional coach and therapist helped“ he’s also hesitant to give advice on the topic because “I don’t think that what worked for me will work for everyone. In fact, what I hear over and over again from other founders and other people who’ve been through this kind of thing is the solutions are often different, right?”Now, Rand is taking a different approach to his mental health. “One of the things that I’ve done to try and prevent that same pattern from reemerging is to prioritize personal health and happiness over work, as hard as I can.”Rand Fishkin alongside co-founder Casey Henry.You can always pause as wellThere are a lot of different avenues for getting support as an entrepreneur and small business owner. It’s important to remember that that support can sometimes also look like showing down.Becky Okell and Huw Thomas, co-founders of Paynter Jacket Co, a company that creates limited-edition jackets four times a year, both have healthy perspectives on slowing down when needed. Huw shared, “When you get momentum going in your business and you sort of keep it going and the busy times become normal times one day.” He said he and Becky experienced this and realized they needed some time for themselves. Huw describes it as, “It’s kind of being self-aware enough to realize, okay, you need me to pause and slow down a bit. Take a breath.”Becky’s perspective on the busy times is that “There has to be peaks and there has to be troughs. Not everything can go at a million miles an hour and not everything is going to be perfect either.” Her approach and advice to others is, “you have to actually take time to top up your creative energy to, to make sure you’re reading and getting an outside perspective.”None of us can go it alone, and we all need support from others. Whether it’s specific knowledge, emotional support, a kind word, or just someone to listen to our rants, we rely on our communities to lift us up when we need it.Want to hear more about getting support as a small business owner? Listen to the full episode of Small Business, Big Lessons.

In many ways, marketing leadership has never been harder.
Over the past year alone, you’ve needed to navigate economic turmoil; a workplace shift to more globally distributed teams; and new trends that felt like they arose overnight (TikTok, anyone?).  
Which is why 76% of marketing leaders say marketing has seen more change in the past three years than the last 50. 
Change isn’t always bad, but it is always challenging. And, as we prepare for the year ahead, many marketing leaders are wondering: What should I prepare for? Where should I focus my efforts? And what are my biggest blind spots? 
To help you create a powerful and agile strategy for 2023, we’ve surveyed 500+ marketing executives on the biggest challenges, opportunities, and trends ahead of us. Plus, we’ve interviewed some of the biggest experts across the industry — ranging from CMOs and VPs at LinkedIn, Uber, Microsoft, Dropbox, SEMRush, and more — to uncover best practices for becoming a better, more effective leader. 
If you’re not a marketing leader, but interested in becoming one, you’re in luck. We also have plenty of content and best practices on getting ahead in your career — including how to get executive stakeholder buy-in, and how to get promoted on both an individual contributor and manager-level. 
Let’s dive in. 

Executive Leadership Survey Results [Top Findings You Need to Know About + Expert Insights] 

1. The biggest challenges marketing leaders’ expect to face in 2023 include generating revenue, securing budget, and improving sales-marketing alignment.
When asked which challenges marketing leaders’ expect to face in 2023, 14% said generating revenue and securing the budget they need are tied as the top challenge they believe they’ll face. 
Both of these concerns stem from the possibility of an upcoming recession. When asked how marketing leaders would respond if a recession were to occur, 30% of marketing leaders say they would respond by increasing their marketing budget, while 1 in 4 plan to reduce their budget in an economic slowdown.
Other top challenges marketing leaders expect to face include: 

Improving sales-marketing alignment (13%)
Having to pivot your marketing strategy due to major events, e.g. recession, pandemic, political turmoil (13%)
Facing increased competition from other brands (12%)

Additionally, we surveyed marketing executives in our Marketing Trends report earlier this year, and 14% of marketing leaders say they anticipate ‘adopting a data-driven marketing strategy’ to be a top anticipated challenge of theirs in 2023. While this isn’t a top challenge in our Executive Leadership report, it’s still worth pointing out as many of the experts we spoke with told us it’s a big concern of theirs. 
Collecting data has gotten increasingly difficult as consumers’ become increasingly concerned with protecting their privacy. So adopting a data-driven strategy in 2023 will require marketers to ensure they’re effectively combining first-party and third-party data. 
Microsoft’s Global Head of Programmatic Evangelist, Daniel Godoy, says, “Shaping your strategy by leveraging 1P or 3P trustable data becomes necessary to expand potential reach and start piloting your data strategy for the future.”

Plus, to create a powerful data-driven strategy, you’ll want to collect custom audience attributes (not just basic descriptive information), and then create dynamic prospect lists through audience segmentation. From there, you’ll want to develop unique messaging that resonates with your prospects. 
ZoomInfo’s Chief Marketing Officer, Bryan Law, told me, “You’ll need to figure out how to convey your ability to alleviate their challenges in a unique way to penetrate the significant market noise. Practice consistency in your overall theme, and include contextual personalization when applicable.”
The Top Challenges Marketing Leaders Expect to Face in 2023 & How You Can Solve For Them [Expert Insights & Data]
2. Out of those that struggle with growing a global audience, 62% say it’s their biggest challenge right now. 
For some context: In our Marketing Trends report, we asked 1,000+ marketers to identify the challenges they’re currently facing. 
Then, we asked them to select the one challenge they struggle with the most. 
And over half — 62% — told us growing a global audience is their biggest issue. 
The good news? We asked Neil Patel, a New York Times bestselling author, one of the world’s most influential marketers according to the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, and co-founder of NP Digital to provide us with solutions to marketers’ biggest challenges from 2022. Take a look at the full video, below: 
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3. Marketing leaders agree that increasing revenue and sales is their top goal for 2023.
Increasing revenue and sales is a top priority for most marketing leaders in 2023, with 22% — or roughly one-fourth — saying it’s their number one goal. 
To increase revenue, marketing leaders will want to identify areas of the customer journey that can be further optimized. For instance, perhaps you’ve observed your audience reach plateau-ing or even shrinking. To continue increasing revenue, you’ll need to consistently reach bigger pools of qualified leads. You might do this by testing out new platforms like TikTok or podcasting. 

Alternatively, maybe you notice your marketing team is attracting plenty of leads, but they’re not converting at high rates. To combat this challenge, you’ll want to create stronger offers or a more effective lead generation strategy.  
Gaurav Agarwal, Chief Growth Officer at ClickUp, says increasing revenue and driving sales is a top priority for his team in 2023.
He told me, “As a fast-growing company with industry-leading NDR, adding in new revenue sustainably is our top priority. We are hyper-focused on building out different growth and sales capabilities to achieve that goal. As we embark on our 2023 planning, we do so with a renewed focus on efficiency and clear goals around our different self-serve and sales-assisted motions.”
Michelle Keene, Dropbox’s Sr. Director of Global Marketing, Document Workflows, agrees that increasing revenue is a top-priority.
As she puts it, “In 2023, a year that is expected to be dominated by economic uncertainty, the shift to profitable growth [rather than growth at all costs] will only be accelerated — moving from a nice idea to a requirement.”

The Top Goals of Marketing Leaders in 2023 [New Data + Expert Insights from Uber, Dropbox, and ClickUp]

4. Sales is the KPI that matters most to marketing leaders, followed by customer retention.
To uncover which KPIs will matter most to marketing leaders in 2023, I spoke with executives at G2, LinkedIn, and HubSpot. 
Here’s what they say matters most: Reach, leads, MQLs (marketing-qualified leads), conversion to sales, return-on-investment, and brand strength. 
Ultimately, choosing your primary KPIs comes down to aligning with company goals for 2023. As Jordan DiPietro, HubSpot’s VP of Marketing, puts it, “As a marketing leader, it’s important to choose a KPI that is most aligned with your company’s overarching business objectives — it could be a revenue metric, it could be a reach metric, or in the case of HubSpot Media, it could be both! The important thing is that your KPIs and the action plans associated with those KPIs are ones that can be directly connected to the KPIs of the business.”

KPIs can vary greatly. For Robin Izsak-Tseng, G2’s VP of Revenue Marketing, leads and conversions matter most. She says marketers should track a blend of metrics, including MQL production, as an indicator of inbound interest. It’s equally critical that marketing leaders pay attention to SAL (sales-accepted leads), since that is another indication of lead quality.
ROI is another equally critical metric for many marketing leaders — and that importance is only growing. In fact, one-third (33%) of marketing executives, VPs, and directors say that using data to demonstrate the ROI and business value of their efforts became more important in 2022.
Jim Habig, VP of Marketing, LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, agrees that ROI is important … but it’s not the only metric that matters to him. He told me, “Let’s not discount the importance of other measures of long-range brand strength. With only 5% of buyers in-market at any given time, you need to ensure your brand creates pull for decision-makers now and in the future.”

The data aligns with this. In our Executive Leadership survey, we found: 

60% of marketing leaders say sales is one of the most important metrics to track when measuring the performance of your marketing activities (when allowed to select up to three).
Sales is followed by customer retention (44%), ROI (43%), and brand awareness (43%) as the most important metrics to track.
The top ten metrics that marketing leaders track to measure performance include: Sales (62%), customer retention (55%), return on marketing investment (47%), brand awareness (45%), web traffic (42%), customer testimonials (40%), customer acquisition (39%), organic traffic (38%), conversion rates (38%), and customer lifetime value (37%).
Sales, leads, and conversion rates is the KPI the majority (49%) of marketing leaders use to assess the performance of their website.

How to Get Buy-In from Some of the Top Marketing Leaders: 3 Execs Discuss What KPIs Matter to Them
5. The most effective strategy for getting leadership buy-in is clearly demonstrating the impact adopting the new idea will make on achieving the company’s business goals. 
Getting leadership buy-in isn’t easy, particularly when budgets are tight and marketing leaders’ need to be especially careful about where they spend money. 
Which is why it makes sense that clearly demonstrating the impact adopting a new idea will make on achieving a company’s business goals is the number one most effective strategy marketing leaders’ reported for getting buy-in. In our survey, we found roughly one-third (31%) of marketing leaders believe it’s the most effective strategy. 
A few other potentially effective strategies include: 

Clearly demonstrating the impact the new idea will have on other teams at the company, e.g. a tool that will improve sales/marketing alignment (29%). 
Demonstrating how the new idea aligns with company-wide goals/initiatives (25%).
Providing examples/case studies of other companies who adopted the new idea successfully (24%).
Demonstrating the challenges the new idea will help solve (23%).
Demonstrating the opportunities the new idea presents (22%).

6. Leads, conversion rates, and total monthly visitors are the SEO metrics that matters most to marketing leaders.
SEO is an undeniably powerful strategy for audience growth, brand awareness, and increasing sales. 
In fact, 43% of marketing directors, VPs, and C-suite executives reported SEO as one of the most effective strategies their companies currently leverage.
But there are so many SEO metrics that it can be difficult to determine which ones actually matter. Is it organic traffic? Conversions? Keyword rankings? 
Our data uncovered these are the SEO metrics that matter most to marketing leaders when it comes to assessing the performance of their website: 

Sales, leads, and conversion rates (49%)
Total monthly visitors (43%)
Traffic from social media (40%)
New vs. Returning visitors (39%)
Click-through rate (38%)

It’s interesting to note — organic traffic or rankings on the SERPs don’t even hit the top five when it comes to important SEO metrics for marketing leaders. 

Additionally, I spoke with Semrush’s VP of Brand Marketing, Olga Andrienko, to uncover the SEO metrics that she’d advise leaders pay attention to in 2023. Some of her tips include: 

Focus on the metrics that tie directly back to revenue — like conversions and new MRR.
Don’t forget about branded keyword search volume.
Consider click-through rate and how it correlates to organic traffic.
Don’t ignore rankings, backlinks, domain authority, and user behavior metrics.

Which SEO Metrics Matter Most to Marketing Leaders, According to Semrush’s VP of Brand Marketing

7. A content strategist is the top role marketing leaders’ plan to hire in 2023. 
When asked which role marketing leaders’ plan to recruit, 32% say ‘content strategist’ is their top priority in 2023 — followed by content marketing manager (23%). 
This makes sense. A strong content creation strategy is one of the most effective marketing plays. As we enter the new year, many companies will need to hire strong content creators to ensure they’re continuing to create unique and compelling content for audiences that likely already feel overloaded. Additionally, many content creators will need to become adapt at shifting the types of content they create for various channels.
A content creator in 2023 might be tasked with creating a TikTok reel one day, then a blog post, and a YouTube video after that. 

Additionally, 37% of marketing leaders say ‘a lack of qualified candidates’ is their biggest challenge in hiring right now. Marketers are expected to be increasingly skilled in niche areas such as TikTok, podcasting, or video creation, so the pool of qualified applicants becomes smaller as companies expect more from their candidates. 
A few other highlights when it comes to hiring and promoting: 

14% of marketing leaders say hiring top talent is the biggest challenge they expect to face in 2023.
Leadership (39%), communication skills (33%), and problem-solving skills (33%), are the most important qualities & traits marketing leaders look for when promoting an IC to a senior position. 
Leadership skills (27%), a strong work ethic (23%), and communication skills (22%) are most important to marketing leaders when they’re considering promoting a people manager to a director+ position.

8. When promoting individual contributors, 24% of marketing leaders look at an IC’s ability to pivot their marketing strategy in response to major events (e.g. recession, pandemic, political turmoil). 
If you’re hoping to get promoted as an individual contributor (IC), it’s important to know what marketing leaders’ look for when promoting an IC to a senior position. 
These are the promotional factors that matter most to marketing leaders right now when it comes to ICs: 

24% of marketing leaders’ are tied on three factors that matter most when promoting an IC: Their ability to pivot their marketing strategy in response to major events (e.g. recession, pandemic, political turmoil) or new opportunities; Their ability to strategically plan for both the short and long term; and expertise in their industry.
23% of marketing leaders care about an IC’s ability to keep up with and experiment with new platforms and features (e.g. BeReal, YouTube Shorts) when considering a promotion. 

If you’re an IC who is looking to become a people manager, you’re in luck — we also asked marketing leaders’ what they look for when promoting an IC to a people manager, and 26% say they care most about an IC’s ability to build trust and rapport within their team. That’s followed by 25% who say they look for an IC’s ability to bring people together to solve problems. 
On the people manager side, marketing leaders say that people managers can make the greatest impact in their roles by motivating and empowering their team (39%). That’s followed by helping their team exceed goals and expectations (32%) and helping their team exceed goals and expectations (31%). 

As we segue into 2023, it makes sense that both individual contributors and people managers want to know how they can grow at their current companies. 
If you’re an individual contributor and you’re hoping to get promoted in 2023, VP of Brand at Help Scout, Kristen Bryant Smith, told me a few factors that could help you stand out. These include: 

The ability to tell stories to express the level of impact you’re having on the team. 
Being a cross-department translator — in other words, being someone who adds contextual knowledge and listens to others across the business. 
Being able to set realistic goals and hit them. 
Being consistent. 

Alternatively, perhaps you’re a people manager and you’re looking to get promoted to a director-level. As you a people manager hoping to get promoted, Smith says you’ll stand out if you demonstrate: 

An ability to navigate ambiguity and translate it effectively.
Providing role clarity to each of your direct reports.
Thinking on longer timelines.
Demonstrating empathy.

Thinking on longer timelines, and being able to strategically plan for the long and short-term, is supported by the data. 25% of marketing leaders say it’s the most important factor they look at when considering promoting a people manager, along with their ability to set clear goals and expectations for their team (24%). 
What Help Scout’s VP of Brand Considers When Promoting Individual Contributors & People Managers [+ How These Promotions Differ]

Other Surprising Findings

On average, marketing leaders think 17% of employees are quiet quitting (which is when employees intentionally do the bare minimum required of them in their role).
29% of marketing leaders strongly agree that the quality of an employee’s relationship with their direct supervisor is the most important factor in determining whether they engage in quiet quitting. 
77% of marketing leaders agree that it’s the responsibility of the leadership team to prevent quiet quitting. 
Marketing leaders are optimistic going into 2023, with 78% expecting their company to perform better than in 2022.
58% of marketing leaders say their company has performed somewhat or much better since the pandemic started.
Marketing leaders report social media marketing to be a critical skill marketers’ should focus on for career growth, with 26% marking it as a top skill they look for when hiring.
On average, marketing leaders say 33% of their overall company budget goes towards marketing.
Marketing leaders say the most effective strategies for cutting costs in your marketing budget is leaning into earned (free) media (e.g. unpaid news coverage of your company) and leveraging automation or AI in your marketing strategy.
56% of marketing leaders expect the U.S. economy to grow in 2023.
80% of marketing leaders have taken steps to plan or prepare for an economic slowdown or recession.
Marketing leaders say the most effective strategies during an economic slowdown or recession are focusing your marketing efforts on existing customers and adapting your messaging to empathize with what your audience is experiencing.
Marketing leaders say healthy work-life balance is the most important aspect of company culture for marketers to succeed.
Marketing leaders say unsupportive management is the aspect of company culture most likely to negatively impact marketers ability to succeed in their roles.
Just 13% of marketing leaders say their marketing team will work fully remote in 2023. 53% will work hybrid and 34% will be in-office full time.
36% of marketing leaders say the best way for marketers to get visibility with their leadership team is by stepping into leadership opportunities (e.g. leading a newly created committee, volunteering to present research findings at a company-wide meeting).
The majority of marketing leaders (53%) say their team’s reliance on third-party data didn’t change in 2022, and 46% don’t believe it will change in 2023, either. Similarly, 52% of marketing leaders say their team’s reliance on first-party data didn’t change in 2022, and 44% don’t expect it to change in 2023, either. 
74% of marketing leaders say consumers should be directly compensated for sharing their personal data with companies.  

More Data and Insights

The Top Challenges Marketing Leaders Expect to Face in 2023 & How You Can Solve For Them [Expert Insights & Data]
The Top Goals of Marketing Leaders in 2023 [New Data + Expert Insights from Uber, Dropbox, and ClickUp]
How to Get Buy-In from Some of the Top Marketing Leaders: 3 Execs Discuss What KPIs Matter to Them
What Help Scout’s VP of Brand Considers When Promoting Individual Contributors & People Managers [+ How These Promotions Differ]
Which SEO Metrics Matter Most, According to Semrush’s VP of Brand Marketing

 

Whether you’re creating a new content campaign, launching a YouTube series, or revising your social strategy, you’re going to be asked the same question by leadership before getting their support: “How will this impact our company’s bottom line?”
That can be a difficult question to answer — which is why it’s critical you know your key performance indicators (KPIs) to:
a) measure the success of your program, and
b) receive executive buy-in — which is typically a prerequisite for getting the budget and resources you need to successfully launch any new paid marketing program.
There are so many different KPIs any marketer might use to measure success, including sales, web traffic, follower growth, conversion rate, or brand awareness. But which ones matter most to leadership? In other words: Which ones should you focus on if you’re seeking executive approval?
Here, we spoke with executives at LinkedIn, G2, and HubSpot to uncover which KPIs matter most to them in 2023. 
Coming Soon: Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader [Click Here to Add to Google Calendar]
What KPIs Matter Most to Execs in 2023
1. Reach and leads.
If you work backwards from your company’s primary goal — of increasing revenue — then it makes sense that reaching new audiences and converting those audiences into qualified leads for sales would be two of the top KPIs that matter most to marketing leaders.
As Jordan DiPietro, HubSpot’s VP of Marketing, told me, “As a marketing leader, it’s important to choose a KPI that is most aligned with your company’s overarching business objectives — it could be a revenue metric, it could be a reach metric, or in the case of HubSpot Media, it could be both! The important thing is that your KPIs and the action plans associated with those KPIs are ones that can be directly connected to the KPIs of the business.”
For instance, DiPietro told me the two KPIs his team focuses on are overall reach (visits, opens, listeners, and views) and leads (net new contacts driven from media content).
He says, “Our reach KPI is indicative of the fact that HubSpot wants to grow top-of-the-funnel awareness for the business. Our media team does this by increasing the reach of our blog content, newsletters, podcast network, and YouTube network.”
He adds, “Our revenue KPI is indicative of the the fact that HubSpot is a SaaS business — so we want to generate leads that can be shared with the sales team in order to turn those leads into qualified leads, and then into satisfied customers.”
When deciding which KPIs to focus on — whether you’re a marketing leader or individual contributor looking for buy-in — you’ll want to consider which metrics will directly connect to your organization’s broader goals. For instance, if your company is hoping to improve its customer retention, then you’ll want to focus your marketing efforts on KPIs like brand sentiment and churn rate.
But perhaps most importantly — don’t choose too many KPIs. As DiPietro told me, “In terms of secondary KPIs, keep it simple. I’ve noticed that sometimes marketing teams can get too distracted by measuring and tracking and not focused enough on actual impact. So I think it’s fair to have a main KPI, and then I limit it at two sub-metrics.”
DiPietro provides two examples of this. In one, let’s say you’re running a newsletter company that relies on advertising. In this situation, your main KPI is likely ad revenue, and your two sub-metrics might be subscriber growth and unique opens.
Alternatively, if you have a subscription business, your main KPI might be overall revenue, and your two sub-metrics could be LTV: CAC and renewal rate.
DiPietro advises, “Whatever type of marketing organization you’re leading — a SaaS team, a content team, a web strategy team, a media team — ensure you stay connected to the objectives of the business, ensure your KPI is laser-focused, and limit sub-metrics to two per KPI to avoid diluting your impact.”

2. Number of marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) and conversions to sales.
Ultimately, marketers are only one part of the equation. Which means marketers can only pay attention to the KPIs they can control: Namely, leads and conversions.
As Robin Izsak-Tseng, G2’s VP of Revenue Marketing, puts it, “Though most marketing teams have goals around pipeline, the fact is, marketing doesn’t open pipeline — sales does. Marketing’s role is to create awareness, demand, and inbound interest in your solution. There are factors outside of marketing’s control (changes in sales processes, for example), which can cause wild fluctuation in pipeline production.”
Rather than focusing on pipeline, Izsak-Tseng suggests marketers focus on two primary metrics: MQLs (Marketing Qualified Leads), and conversions.
For starters, she says marketers should track a blend of metrics, including MQL production, as an indicator of inbound interest. It’s equally critical that marketing leaders pay attention to SAL (sales-accepted leads), since that is another indication of lead quality.
A few other metrics Izsak-Tseng suggest marketing leaders focus on include:

Conversion of total pipeline to revenue: To track how marketing-sourced pipe is performing against pipe sourced by outbound efforts. Since marketing-sourced pipeline is inbound, the conversion to revenue should be consistent and strong.
CAC (customer acquisition cost): Track this over time. Rising costs can indicate diminishing returns on marketing programs — or show that it’s time to explore new markets.

Izsak-Tseng adds, “All of these metrics give growth leaders a view of the full funnel and help us understand marketing’s impact on revenue (not just pipeline). Much of this can also be applied to retention. In 2023, when budgets are likely to be even tighter, teams that are primarily focused on acquisition need to embrace goals around renewals and customer growth. Finding ways to create greater value for your customers and community will protect revenue — especially during uncertain times.”

Considering it costs 5-25X less to retain customers than capture new ones, it’s a good idea to focus on customer retention as a primary KPI. But customer retention isn’t always easy. To satisfy and retain more customers, you’ll need to:

Build trust with your customers. Ensuring your account managers check-in and show support for customers over the course of a year — and not just when it’s time to renew — is critical for demonstrating to your customers that you care about them and their success.
Implement a customer feedback loop. This will help you collect, analyze, and distribute customer reviews and surveys to strengthen areas of your customer experience that aren’t working for your current customers.
Provide a personalized customer experience. Providing each customer with tailor-made solutions and content designed to fit their needs is vital for retention. Your customers don’t want to feel like they fit into a one-size-fits-all approach. Ensuring your organization helps them with their specific challenges and needs is critical.

(P.S. Already a G2 customer? Click here for 20% off eligible HubSpot products, or get started for free.)
3. Return-on-investment (ROI) and brand strength.
During times of economic uncertainty when businesses’ budgets are tight, it’s become increasingly important to be able to demonstrate the ROI of your marketing efforts to your leadership team.
In fact, one-third (33%) of marketing executives, VPs, and directors say that using data to demonstrate the ROI and business value of their efforts became more important in 2022.
Jim Habig, VP of Marketing at LinkedIn, agrees that ROI is important — but he encourages marketers to think full-picture when they’re considering their top KPIs, too.
As he puts it, “It’s paramount that we think about the full funnel when it comes to measurement. Of course, ROI is a slam dunk since it represents how our work directly impacts the bottom line.”
He adds, “But let’s not discount the importance of other measures of long-range brand strength. With only 5% of buyers in-market at any given time, you need to ensure your brand creates pull for decision-makers now and in the future.”
To create a strong brand identity, you’ll want to:

Create a memorable brand voice.
Communicate your consumers’ pain points — and how you can solve for them — effectively.
Demonstrate how you’re different from your competitors.
Broadcast your brand’s mission statement and brand values to build connection with your audience.
Use type, colors, and imagery to represent your brand’s personality.

If you’ve created a brand identity already but need to build brand awareness, consider channels that will help you reach new audiences — like podcasting, or other social media platforms. Alternatively, perhaps you can create a strong co-marketing campaign to build credibility in your industry and generate new leads.
Once you’re investing in brand awareness, you’ll want to measure branded keyword search volume to see how many impressions and search volume your brand is getting. This will help you evaluate your brand awareness efforts over time — if your branded keyword search volume is rising, it’s a sign your brand awareness plays are working.
While this is a strong starting point, you’ll need to do your own research to determine your organization’s goals for 2023, as well as your executive team’s marketing plans in particular. From there, you can determine how your KPIs for a specific marketing campaign or program might fit in.
If you can’t see a strong through-line between your own KPIs and the KPIs of the business, it might be time to reassess where you’re focusing your efforts and whether shifting your strategy might better impact the bottom line — and help achieve buy-in from leadership.