Category: Marketing Automation

In 2014, I began bringing to life an idea for a product and brand that did not yet exist in the market—elevated, everyday, and American-made paper goods to inspire productivity and creativity.
I spent nearly a year fleshing out this idea, prototyping, designing, researching manufacturers, and writing a business plan. It was immediately clear that launching this type of product-based company required capital. It was always my intention and hope to gradually build a company that would be a leader in our category, and that required a plan, goals, an outline for growth, and funding to make it all possible.
After a considerable amount of research, I launched a Kickstarter campaign in March 2015. My goal was to raise $25,000 in 30 days—and I ended up reaching it in seven. In fact, by the end of the campaign, I had raised more than $50,000, which provided the seed funding I needed to start my company, Appointed.
Since then, I often get questions from other small businesses on how to create a successful Kickstarter campaign, or even why to use the platform in the first place. Here’s my advice.
Why Crowdfunding
I had considered all the routes to raise capital—including debt, investing personally, and raising a seed round. I purposefully chose the Kickstarter route because I wanted to also gauge initial proof of concept. If the product didn’t resonate as a Kickstarter campaign, it would have been a sign that perhaps I needed to refine the concept and product.
In addition to social proof, there were many additional benefits to crowdfunding, including:

Crowdfunding is generally more efficient and far less risky compared to traditional fundraising from investors.
Launching a campaign allowed us to gain early and loyal customers, many of whom continue to support us to this day.
It allowed us to build early momentum. When I officially launched the brand shortly after the campaign, our established social proof helped us secure media coverage before our first sale.

Kickstarter isn’t the only option, though, and since my campaign in 2015, many more crowdfunding options have entered the market, including:

For products: Indiegogo

For artists and creators: Patreon

For personal fundraising: GoFundMe

For equity crowdfunding: CircleUp

5 Tips for Launching a Successful Campaign
No matter which platform you choose, here are my recommendations for setting your crowdfunding campaign up for success.
1. Set a Realistic Goal
Set a realistic and achievable goal based on the dollar amount you actually need. If you exceed your goal, that’s great, but the point is to cover your costs, not reach the highest amount possible. According to Kickstarter, most of the successfully funded projects have a goal of less than $10,000.
I determined I needed an estimated $25,000 to launch the company to fund the following:

Placing the first run of our signature product, The Notebook, into production, which included purchasing materials, printing, and equipment
Creating a website (which I designed and hired a freelance developer to build)
Developing a curated collection of desktop paper products to accompany The Notebook

You can always have a stretch goal if you hit your initial target, just make sure you make it clear what else you’ll offer backers if you hit that goal, too.
Once we hit our initial target of $25,000, we set a stretch goal for $50,000, which allowed us to offer more options for our notebooks. Those options came directly from feedback from our backers, which energized them even more.2. Research
Before I launched my campaign, I spent 18 months researching what I needed to do to get the company off the ground. And I’d do it again. Being as informed as possible will only help build your campaign, so spend more time than you think you need researching presentation techniques, backer rewards, marketing tactics, and funding statistics, especially as they relate to your specific product type. Fortunately, there are a plethora of resources out there. Kickstarter has detailed resources for creators on its website detailing on how to launch and promote your campaigns, with specific advice for different industries—games, art, design, technology, publishing, and more.
3. Seed Your Campaign
The first few days of a campaign are critical for building momentum. So, reach out to your friends, families, and contacts before you launch, letting them know about the campaign and asking for their support once it’s live. I raised $25K in the first week, and most of these initial backers were contacts, friends, and family. As the preliminary backers began to share with their respective networks, we saw the momentum grow daily, which helped us reach our initial goal so quickly.
In addition to directly reaching out to my network, I used every social platform that was available to spread the word about the brand before, during, and after the campaign. Use these tools to tease your product and get people excited about what you’re creating.
Building excitement on social media was key to our early success. These monogrammed notebooks helped the outreach feel personal, even on a public platform.4. Think Like a PR Pro
Prior to founding Appointed, I worked in public relations. I put those previous skills to work and reached out to every writer and editor I knew in the hopes of getting the product and Kickstarter campaign featured in stories in the media. But even non-PR pros can take this approach.
Start by compiling an extensive list of relevant outlets and writers and editors who might take interest in the product and the Kickstarter campaign. Even bloggers or podcasters with small but engaged audiences can get you in front of the right people. Then, think about what makes your product unique. What is special or newsworthy about your story? Finally, reach out over email or social media. Be as personal as possible—show them that you have a deep understanding of what they typically cover and pitch them a story that aligns.
5. Have a Plan Post-Kickstarter
While the campaign took a lot of effort, the hard work began once it ended. I was working against a deadline to deliver the rewards to each of the backers while trying to maintain the momentum of the audience I’d built. To ensure you’re set up for success post-campaign:

Assume your campaign will be successful. Have a very detailed plan and timeline on manufacturing your product and add a buffer to that timeline in case of delays.
Determine packaging and shipping costs before the campaign and build these expenses into the budget of funds needed.
Communicate reward delivery and shipping timelines with your supporters. This not only keeps them in the loop about what’s happening, it also continues to build excitement.

I launched a campaign for a single product, but my goal was to build a brand. The Kickstarter campaign allowed me to raise capital, but it was the additional benefits—gaining credibility and establishing momentum—that truly were invaluable.
Six years later, I’m proud that Appointed offers a full suite of desktop and paper goods, supports an ever-growing team of talented people, and has a flagship store in Washington, DC with The Notebook Bar that allows customers to design custom products.
And it all began with a dream, a notebook, and our backers.

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Personality tests are a great way to explore different aspects of who you are, and uncover layers you perhaps hadn’t recognized about yourself before.
Being truly self-aware is hard — while they might not be always 100% accurate, personality tests work well as a starting point for self-discovery by providing results you might not have concluded on your own. These insights are invaluable for personal and professional growth.
When you’ve got some downtime and want to explore aspects of who you are, why you make certain decisions, who you work well with, or get some guidance on potential career paths, take a look at the best free online personality tests we’ve compiled. 

Free Myers-Brigg Personality Tests
Myers-Briggs is a widely respected and popular personality assessment tool — first used in the 1940s, the test was developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers. Initially inspired by Jung’s personality theory, the Myers-Briggs test conveniently separates people into 16 categories of personalities, providing each person with a four-letter acronym.
The following four tests are broad-stroke indicators of who you are, using inspiration from Myers-Briggs. Among other things, the tests cover your communication styles, your strengths and weaknesses, your desires and ambitions, how you see the world, and how people perceive you.
If you’ve never taken a test based off Carl Gustav Jung’s psychological traits, or Myers-Briggs’ 16 categories of personalities, I’d suggest you take at least one of these. You’ll be surprised by the accuracy of some of the statements, and more importantly, you could gain insight into how your behavior is perceived by others, helping you improve both professional and personal relationships.
1. 16 Personalities

16 Personalities covers five broad personality aspects: mind, energy, nature, tactics and identity. The test is based on Carl Gustav Jung’s study of psychological traits (e.g. extroversion vs. introversion) and the Myers-Briggs test, two popular personality theories meant to determine an extensive overview of who you are.
Among other things, the test will cover how you communicate and relate to others — both professionally and personally — what you value and strive for, and how you make decisions. 16 Personalities has been taken over 126 million times, and is available in 30 languages.
Pros: Once you’ve gotten your results, you’ll find extensive information on your personality type including strengths and weaknesses, relationships, friendships, parenthood, and workplace habits. The test is incredibly accurate and can tell you how your personality type plays out in specific situations. 
Cons: With seven bubbles varying from “Agree” to “Disagree”, it can be difficult and time-consuming to figure out where exactly you fall on each question. A “Strongly agree,” “Agree”, “Neutral”,”Disagree”, and “Strongly disagree” chart might’ve been easier to answer. 

Best for: Learning how your personality type influences many different areas of your life, as well as how it impacts your relationships. 

2. Personality Perfect

Similar to 16 Personalities, Personality Perfect is also based on Jung’s and Myers-Briggs’ personality theories, and uses four broad categories — extraversion vs. introversion, sensing and intuition, thinking and feeling, and judging and perceiving — to compile a four-letter abbreviation of your personality type (e.g. “INFP”).
The test provides a broad overview of how you connect with others, how you behave, and, perhaps most surprising, how you’re likely seen by others.
Pros: Once you know your four-letter personality abbreviation, you can apply that label to various situations, like work and love, and determine how others’ perceive your behaviors in those settings. 
Cons: Tests that are based on Jung’s personality theories are typically considered rough tendencies, and not strict classifications — and many researchers say Myers-Briggs tests are unscientific due to the different results you might get if you take the test twice. 

Best for: Learning how others perceive you or how they might misinterpret your behaviors, and finding out what you value most. 

3. Human Metrics

If you’ve ever wondered which famous personalities share your personality type, you’re in luck — Human Metrics shows you that information, along with your four-letter personality type (again, based off Jung and Myers-Briggs theories).
With this test, you’ll get information about which career paths are most suitable for your personality type. If you’re having trouble choosing a career path or doubting the one you’ve chosen, maybe this test can help you figure it out.
Pros: This specific test allows you to see all 64 questions on one screen, which makes it easier to scroll back and change an answer if you’d like to. 
Cons: Many of these responses can feel situation-dependent. “You feel involved when watching TV soaps”, for instance, could depend on the show you’re watching, how you’re feeling that day (relaxed? overwhelmed?) and simply might not be a strong predictor of who you are as a person. 

Best for: Determining a career path that is most well-suited for your personality. 

4. TestColor

Test Color, a test validated by a team of clinical psychologists, psychoanalysts and mathematicians, asks you just two questions: “Click on the colors you like most,” and “Click on the colors you like least.”
Test Color tells you about your emotional intelligence, your creativity and imagination, your social skills, and your work style, including organization and management styles. I found it to be surprisingly accurate: in two questions, it nailed how I communicate with others and how I act in group settings.
Pros: It’s incredibly quick and easy — taking roughly 5 minutes to complete. 
Cons: The results are relatively vague and general, and the test doesn’t divide your personality into categories depending on situation. (For instance, it doesn’t tell you the difference between your personality in work settings and romantic situations.) 

Best for: Finding out the ratio of extraverted to introverted you are, plus getting short descriptions of the qualities that most characterize your personality. 

Free Disc Personality Tests
The DISC assessment determines where you lie on four DISC factors: dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance. DISC is one of the most popular and authoritative career assessments out there, and many companies encourage their employees to take it.
Undoubtedly, personality affects our career ambitions, as well as how we perform in different workplace environments. If you’re particularly extraverted, maybe you’ve chosen a career path that enables you to work daily with large groups of people. If you have certain communication styles that rely on passivity and emotion, perhaps your boss’s direct statements sometimes offend you.
Arming yourself with a sense of self-awareness could help you find your optimal career path, foster better work relationships, and mitigate work conflict more effectively. Here are four career-focused tests to help you achieve higher work satisfaction.
1. Crystal

Crystal provides a free DISC assessment, which tells you (among other things) how your personality fits into your work environment, who you work well with, who you might have conflict with, how you perceive other’s behaviors, and how other’s perceive yours.
The test helps you understand how your own personality biases you towards certain colleagues (i.e. your personality might take another coworker’s comments offensively, while the coworker just believes in being direct), which could strengthen your work relationships. Best of all, Crystal also offers an accurate personality test, enabling you to build an extensive personality profile on one website. Plus, when you input your company, Crystal lets you see your colleague’s personality profiles — undeniably critical information when you’re looking to empathize with a coworker.
Pros: Can be a useful tool for identifying areas to focus on for professional development and coaching. 
Cons: There has been no correlational study to show that test results match real-world job performance. 

Best for: Learning how your personality biases you towards colleagues’ behavior, and gaining a deeper understanding of your coworkers’ personalities. 

2. 123Test

123Test offers a DISC personality test you can take in five minutes, so there’s really no excuses. You’ll get a score to find out which DISC factors predict your behaviors towards other people.
The test offers critical information for understanding why you might get along better with one employee, and have more conflict with another. It identifies how you perceive other people’s actions (i.e. “You’re sensitive to her blunt nature, even though she believes she’s just being straightforward”), which can help you improve work relationships.
Pros: It’s incredibly quick and straightforward, and will give you a general sense for how you could misinterpret colleagues’ behaviors. 
Cons: With a few simple images (like the example, below), this test is less advanced than others in the list, and could provide different results every time you take it depending on your mood. 

Best for: Analyzing and improving your relationships with coworkers. 

3. Truity Career Personality Profiler 
This test, based on the Holland Code and Big Five theories, will analyze your interests and personality traits and tell you careers (and college majors) that are a good match for you. It also lets you know about specific tasks and projects you’d love, what motivates you, and provides advice to help you maximize your strengths. 
Even if you’re happy with your current career track, the test provides suggestions for specific skills you could learn to get ahead in your career.
Pros: If you’re early in your career (or a college student), this is a good test for uncovering your interests and discovering potential career paths. Best of all, it lets you know which projects or tasks you’d enjoy — allowing you to mix-and-match and determine the ideal career based on your personal interests. 
Cons: It can be difficult to know what you’d enjoy doing if you’ve never done it. For instance, as a college student, I might not know how to answer whether or not I’d enjoy designing a magazine cover, if I’ve never experienced design work. 

Best for: Figuring out an ideal career path, and learning which skills are required to excel in that career. 

4. Interpersonal Skills assessment

Having well-developed interpersonal skills is critical to forming deep and meaningful personal and professional relationships. Interpersonal Skills assesses your listening skills, verbal communication skills, ability to work in teams, and emotional intelligence.
Better yet, the test identifies areas of weakness and provides tactical advice on how to improve those skills.
Pros: After you’ve completed the test, Interpersonal Skills provides you with helpful resources to level-up your communication or listening skills. Resources include “An Introduction to Communication Skills” and “Advanced Communication Skills” ($13 each). And even without the resources, this is a quick and easy test for evaluating areas for improvement in your own communication style. 
Cons: To evaluate your listening skills, you might need to ask other people how they perceive you. Maybe you think you’re a good listener, but others disagree — if that’s the case, it can be difficult to accurately self-analyze your own skills for this test (or any others). 

Best for: Improving your communication and listening skills.

5. Sokanu

Major companies including General Assembly, NYU, and Redfin use Sokanu, a career assessment tool that tests you on your personality, background, interests, and goals to determine an ideal career path.
After you take the test, it provides you multiple matches, which you can sort through to explore different careers and workplaces before choosing an ideal match.
Pros: The test provides you with multiple options for careers that could fulfill you — which I appreciate, since it can be stressful to get to the end of a test and find out there’s only job that would make you happy.  Plus, Sokanu offers a library filled with over 1,000 careers, and explains what type of people thrive in them — and why.
Cons: If you don’t know much about what interests you professionally, it can be a difficult test to take. Question one, for instance, is “Would you like to… Advise organizations on how to meet their business goals?” As a high school student, I wouldn’t have any idea how to answer that question. 

Best for: Determining a few different career paths that could make you happy — and then having the opportunity to pick-and-choose from there. 

Free Emotional Intelligence Tests
Psychology Today defines emotional intelligence as, “the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.” Arguably, having emotional intelligence is the most important factor in dealing with conflict and communicating with others.
It’s undeniable that emotional intelligence is important — in fact, research has shown success is 80-90% attributable to emotional intelligence (EI), and only 10-20% to your IQ.

In the workplace, whether you’re around coworkers in the midst of a stressful project, or dealing with a tough performance review from your boss, it’s critical you know how to both identify and handle your own emotions; it’s equally important you know how to read other people’s emotions, and manage them appropriately.
So let’s dive in. Below are four emotional intelligence tests to help you recognize your level of emotional intelligence, and also how to improve it.
1. Berkeley Emotional Intelligence

This test, designed by Berkeley, shows you 20 pictures and asks you to recognize the facial expression on each person’s face. It’s easy, quick, and fun, and an informative way to learn how well you read other people’s emotions — which is a critical skill for assessing and mitigating conflict.
Pros: It’s fun and easy, and correctly identifying people’s facial expressions is a scientifically-proven way to evaluate someone’s emotional intelligence (EI). 
Cons: 20 questions is a relatively short test to determine emotional intelligence, so the test is a good starting point, but might not offer a comprehensive view of your EI. 

Best for: Figuring out how well you analyze and interpret other people’s emotions — a vital component of strong emotional intelligence.

2. VeryWellMind

If you don’t have the time for anything more in-depth, this test only asks you 10 quick questions before delivering your results.
It’s admittedly not medical or scientific by any means, but does offer other articles depending on your score. If you score low, for example, VeryWellMind.com includes a link to another one of their articles, “Emotions and Types of Emotional Responses.”
Pros: Takes only a few minutes to complete, and the questions are straightforward and easy to answer. 
Cons: It’s easy and fun, but isn’t necessarily as accurate or scientific as the others in this list. 

Best for: A speedy gut-check on how emotionally intelligent you are, with resources to further your understanding. 

3. Empathy Quotient

Unlike the tests above, this one is designed to clinically assess you — the test was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen at the Autism Research Center at the University of Cambridge, and uses the same emotional measurements mental health professionals use to diagnose social impairment.
It’s a 60-item questionnaire and is suitable to measure “temperamental empathy” in adults.
Pros: It uses the same measurements that mental health professionals use to diagnose social impairments — meaning it’s accurate and scientifically-backed, and should provide you with a deeper understanding of your own empathy (and areas for improvement). 
Cons: The test requires you to have a certain level of self-awareness and understand how others’ perceive you. For instance, one statement is, “I am very blunt, which some people take to be rudeness, even though this is unintentional” — it might be difficult for someone to know whether their bluntness comes across as rudeness. 

Best for: A more in-depth test to accurately analyze how emotionally intelligent you are. 

Each year, the Super Bowl teaches us a lot about healthy competition. But — we don’t always see it play out on the football field. 
In fact, when the commentators send us to a commercial break, that’s where some of the biggest game-day face-offs take place. While football teams compete for trophies, companies spend millions trying to get more views, leads, and revenue than other brands advertising in their industry on the same day.
Think about it. When haven’t you 10 competing car ads during one big game?
And, despite the noise of dozens of ads with blockbuster budgets, viewers might only recall just a few commercial spots. 

If you’re a video marketer, even for a small brand, you can learn a lot from the top Super Bowl ads. Although they have budgets we couldn’t imagine, they still leverage creativity and cleverness that have allowed them to grow mass awareness and stand out among their fiercest competition.
To help you zone in on key takeaways from the Super Bowl ads that resonated most with viewers, we asked more than U.S. 150 consumers to vote on their favorite big-game ads were in each category this year.
Below are three consumer favorites, plus takeaways that any marketer can leverage to fend off their biggest competition.
 
The 3 Most Popular 2022 Super Bowl Ads, According to 150+ Viewers
Consumers’ Favorite Auto Company Commercial

Toyota: “The Joneses”
Everyone wants to keep up with the Joneses, aka the cool family, click, or group in the neighborhood that has all the best stuff. That’s potentially why 24% of consumers we surveyed enjoyed Toyota’s ad over other auto-company Super Bowl commercials.  
Toyota plays up the relatable need to keep up with the people you idolize by showing some of the most famous Joneses, including Rashida Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, and Leslie Jones, racing in Toyota Tundras. Quite literally, everyone in this ad is trying to keep up with the Joneses. When the race ends, the Joneses are surprised to see popular musician Nick Jonas pull up and say, “It’s keeping up with the Jonases now.”

While this commercial was boosted by a lot of star power, it’s easy-to-understand storyline offered a witty, yet effective message – “to keep up with the cool people, you’ll want to buy a Toyota Tundra.”
If you want to create a video marketing campaign that uses a similar strategy, consider telling stories of credible, notable, or somewhat popular people, micro-to-macro influencers, or thought leaders in your industry – and how your product has benefited them. This will boost trust and credibility towards your product or service, intrigue the fans of the people in your campaigns, and also let your audience know that people they strive to be like or learn from are using your offerings.
Consumers’ Favorite Tech, Telecom, or Software Brand Commercial

Verizon: Goodbye Cable
One of actor Jim Carrey’s classically funny films was The Cable Guy. In the 1996 movie, Carrey’s character becomes infatuated with a client he’s fixing the cable for and keeps finding more fake reasons to fix the man’s cable and bond with him in his apartment.
During the 2022 Super Bowl, Verizon creatively plays up the film’s nostalgia by bringing back the somewhat-elusive Carrey for a mini-reboot where he comes to an apartment to set up a prospect’s cable and finds that she’s using Verizon 5G instead.
The cable prospect shows Carrey her internet setup and counters comments he offers, such as, “You must be locked into quite a contract.” and “This might be illegal… I’m gonna need to know who installed this! Who set this up?” As Carey’s character finally understands the value of Verizon 5G, he puts his hand up in the air and – kind of – admits defeat by saying, “Reception’s good, but I’ll be back tomorrow to check.

Although some viewers might not have seen the decades-old film, most people at least understand the ordeal cable customers face when trying to cut chords. As someone who’s tried to cut cable out of my life, I’ve been put through almost the same line of questioning by a cable company’s customer care team.
Ultimately, while Jim Carrey and the ad’s storyline make the commercial nostalgic, attention-grabbing, and fun, its message is still valuable and relatable to anyone who has or has had cable – even in 2022.
Consumers’ Favorite Food or Meal Service Commercial

Budweiser: “A Clydesdale’s Journey”
While most food and beverage brands focused their ad slots on their product during the Super Bowl, Budweiser – famous for its Clydesdale mascot – chose a different route. And, with most of the consumers we polled (18%) picking this ad as their favorite food or drink company commercial, Budweiser likely made a good choice.
Budweiser’s ad tells the story of a Clydesdale that hurts its leg in a jumping accident. The horse lies and moans sadly in a barn for days as farmers and a concerned dog look on. Just as the farmers, and Clydesdale’s dog friend, begin to show lost hope, the horse finds the strength to get up, walk out of the barn gallantly, and run full speed through pastures again.  
The commercial’s end text reads “In the land of the brave, down is never out.”

 
The ad from Budweiser, which didn’t buy space during last year’s Super Bowl, shares a story of hope and optimism which is also a metaphor for national resiliency and how America will eventually heal following years of difficult times and pandemic-related uncertainty.
Although Budweiser’s ad doesn’t highlight a product, it tells a memorable, relatable, and empowering story about the brand’s well-recognized mascot and enables the brand to flash its logo with viewers feeling entertained and hopeful. This is a great example of how a narrative can create an interesting break from a saturated stream of food brands – and stand out among consumers.
Takeaways for Video Marketers
While all the ads above featured celebrities, the stars didn’t necessarily make these ads stand out among consumers in an already-crowded stream of celebrity-filled ads.
In fact, the three ads highlighted above shared the following themes.

Relatability: All three ads, even Budweiser’s commercial about a Clydesdale, had a message that was relatable on a human level – making them more memorable andd interesting to watch.

Humor: While many Super Bowl ads in past years had heavier tones, two of the commercials on the list above – and many of this year’s ads – won audiences over with a lighter, optimistic, and funny tone.

Strong storylines: While most of the Super Bowl ads we saw had celebrity cameos in them, not all of them had memorable or intriguing storylines. The three above all had an interesting narrative that threw viewers into the action and left them wanting to know how the commercial would end.

Even without a million-dollar ad budget, you can keep these themes in mind, and create scaleable affordable video content that caters to them and really draws your audiences in.
Inspired by these ads, and want to revel in some of the best Super Bowl commercials of all time? Check out this post to learn more from the greats.
Or need help building your newly budgeted video marketing plan? Download the free resource below. 

It’s no secret: email marketing is an extremely powerful way to reach your customer base. All it takes is knowing your audience, peppering in some personality and a bit of help from a robust email marketing toolkit arsenal. There’s no way to do practical, consistent email marketing alone. The complex task of managing your lists,…
The post The 10 Best Free Email Marketing Tools appeared first on Benchmark Email.

Last Updated on February 14, 2022 by Rakesh Gupta Big Idea or Enduring Question: How do you find who Created or Last Modified a Flow?  Objectives: After reading this blog, you’ll be able to:  Understand how to find who created or Last Modified a Flow?  Understand Flow related metadata objects
The post Verify who Created or Last Modified a Flow appeared first on Automation Champion.

If you watched last night’s Super Bowl, you might have been one of the millions of people who scanned the QR code that showed up in a simple and sweet ad slot from cryptocurrency platform Coinbase. 

When scanning the code, you were led to a page that offered you $15 just for downloading and signing up for Coinbase.
The 1-minute Coinbase ad slot, which showed the QR code floating around the screen and inching closer to lining up with the corner of the screen perfectly, was so successful that the Coinbase app and website completely crashed.
Here’s a look at what HubSpot blogger Pamela Bump saw just seconds after the commercial finished.

Coinbase honored its $15 signup promise by emailing scanners who were impacted by the crash the next morning. And, ultimately, the company ran into — what we call — “a good problem to have” due to what we can assume was millions of signups.
But, you don’t have to spend millions on a Super Bowl ad to launch a success QR campaign that drives leads. 
All you need is a mobile-optimized website and a QR code. I took a deep dive into QR codes and how brands can effectively drive leads with them. 

Who uses QR codes?
anyone with a mobile phone. In addition to our keys and wallet, our phone is one of the few things we can’t leave the house without. Businesses have picked up on this and are constantly finding new ways to use QR codes to get us to engage with them, or make their processes smoother.
Uses of QR Codes in Everyday Life
While the concept of when to implement QR codes may be new, you’ve probably already gotten familiar with their use in local businesses you’ve visited. Here’s some instances where you’ve most likely encountered them:

Public wifi network access
Restaurant menus
Instruction manuals
Cashless payments
Web promotions during live events
Contact information and Linktrees

Later in this article, we’ll discuss the many other ways to use QR codes.But first, we’ll dig into how you can create your own QR codes.
How to Create Your Own QR Code Promotion
During our Go Mobile campaigns, we used QR codes to provide clues for a nationwide scavenger hunt for four iPads hidden across the country.
Visitors to our Go Mobile site could scan the QR codes to download the clues. To ensure that we captured leads from the promotion, we also provided the clues via email for anyone who filled out the form on the site. That way, we capture the lead information so we can re-market to that audience in the future.
Creating a QR code promotion is actually pretty simple. Here are the steps we followed when we created the promotion for our iPad nationwide scavenger hunt.
1. Create a Landing Page
First and foremost, you’ll need to create a mobile-optimized landing page. That means a landing page that is designed to be viewed on a smartphone screen. Keep things simple – for example, on a mobile landing page, forms should be kept to a few fields only. Most people don’t have the patience to fill out lengthy forms from a smartphone.
2. Create Your QR Code Once you’ve created your landing page, copy the URL into a QR code generator. There are
plenty of QR code generators on the web, so just do a search for one. Paste your landing page URL into the QR code generator and, like magic, your QR code will be generated on the spot. This QR code is unique to you, so nobody in the world has another one just like it.
3. Add Your QR Code to Your Promotional Materials
Grab your QR code from the generator. On a PC, that means right-clicking it and saving it to your computer. (On a Mac, you can drag and drop.) Now that you have the QR code handy, add it to your promotional materials. That includes any printed materials or websites that are going to be part of the promotion.
4. Get the Word Out
There’s no point in launching a QR Code promotion if you’re not going to let the world know about it. So broadcast your message using your blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or any of the other social media tools at your disposal. The key part at this stage of the game is to let as many people know about the promotion as possible.
5. Stretch Out the Promotion For our iPad Scavenger Hunt, we wanted as many people as possible to participate, so we’d upload a new QR code each day for several weeks. That way, our audience builds, and we’re able to create as much buzz around the promotion as possible.
How to Put QR Codes to Work for Your Business
There are a variety of ways you can use QR codes for your business, and new ones are cropping up every day. Here are some great ideas you can use below.

Common Uses of QR Codes

Websites: Add a QR code to the ‘Contact Us’ page on your website so visitors can download your contact information to their smartphones.

Business Cards: Add a QR code to the front or back of your business card so people can instantly download your contact information.

Webinars: Ready to make your webinars more engaging and fun? Then simply include a QR code as part of your presentation. It’s a terrific way to keep the audience engaged and involved.

LinkedIn and Facebook Pages: Want another way to stand out from everyone else? Add a QR code to your LinkedIn and Facebook pages to pull people into your website. It’s one of the best ways you can position yourself as a forward, innovative thinker.

In-Store Posters With Coupons: Want to provide instant coupons to people while they’re shopping? Then add a QR code that drives them through to a special discount that can be scanned at the register.

Dial a Phone Number: Want to encourage people to dial your number so they can order your product? Then give them a QR code to scan. If it’s set up properly, it will instantly dial your number on their phone and connect them with your sales center.

Creative Uses for QR Codes

Clothing and Merchandise: Ready to promote your product or service in an innovative way? Then add a QR code to a T-shirt that you give away to customers and prospects. Hija De Tu Madre (pictured above), a Latina fashion and accessories brand, cleverly placed a QR code on one of their shirt designs. It encourages viewers to “Scan for community y cultura,” enabling people to learn more about the brand and eventually convert them into new customers.

“Hello, My Name Is” Tags: You know those big red and white tags people wear at events with their names on them? If you put a QR code in place of your name, you’ll engage people and easily be able to strike up conversations.

Event Posters: Advertising an event? Upgrade your posters and fliers with a QR code passersby can easily scan. Have the code take them to your event page where they can view all pertinent details and buy tickets.

Outdoor Billboards:Be one of the first businesses in your market to run a giant QR code on a billboard for your business. In the example above, Cygames enlisted the help of 1,500 drones to form a giant QR code in the sky to celebrate the anniversary of one of their games.

Galleries and Museums: Make it easy for viewers to find out more about your work and upcoming projects. Putting a QR code next to artwork in place of text is a wonderful alternative to the standard description. Guests won’t have to crowd each other to read it, and they can take the information with them. If you’re selling at a gallery, it may also be worth it to enable payment through the QR code as well.

Product Packaging: If you sell a physical product, adding a QR code that tells the buyer more about your brand or the product itself can build connections and trust. If you sell food, consider using a QR code for the ingredient list, or maybe easy recipes to use the item in. For cosmetics, have QR codes that give more information on how the products were made, tested, and where ingredients were sourced.

Using QR Codes to Grow Your Business
There’s no real mystery to using QR codes to grow your business. All you have to do is generate the code, and drop it into your promotion. Be sure you test the campaign before you go public with it – people who scan your code expect things to work relatively smoothly the first time out of the gate. But other than that, running a QR code promotion is a snap.
A key point to remember about QR codes is that they’re simply a mechanism to engage prospects and customers. In other words, they’re not the end-game, so it’s up to you to figure out how to use them to capture the visitors you drive to your website as leads using landing pages.
Once your strategy is in place, using QR codes to grow your business is relatively simple. All you have to do is generate the code, and drop it into your promotion. Be sure you test the campaign before you go public with it — people who scan your code expect things to work relatively smoothly the first time out of the gate. Give them an experience that delights them and keeps them coming back for more.
This is a guest blog post written by Jamie Turner, founder and chief content officer of the 60 Second Marketer. In addition, Jamie is the co-author of the book Go Mobile, written with Jeanne Hopkins, VP of marketing @HubSpot. He is a regular guest on CNN and HLN on the topic of digital marketing and is a popular mobile marketing speaker at events and corporations around the globe.
This article was originally published in January 2012 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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HubSpot Blog research found
 that 93% of marketers that already leverage TikTok have plans to continue investing in the platform in 2022, and 52% of marketers plan to increase their investments for the year.
If you’re one of the marketers hoping to increase your business’ presence on the app, or you’re leveraging it for the first time, it’s important to have a TikTok-specific strategy that works.
In this post, discover new HubSpot Blog data that will help you decide the best time to post on TikTok to ensure your content has the most significant reach.

What’s the best day to post on TikTok?
The best days to post on TikTok are Saturday, Friday, and Sunday. The graph below displays this data.
Best Times to Post on TikTok
Marketers report that the three best time frames to post on TikTok are 6-9 PM, 3-6 PM, and 12-3 PM, in that order. The graph below displays this result.
When do you know the best time to post on TikTok for your business?
Our Blog research found the best times and days to post on TikTok. However, deciding the best option for your business depends on your audience and their location and activity.
To pick the best option for your business, you’ll need to access your account analytics within your TikTok for Business account. To get there within the TikTok app,
1. Select the hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner of your profile page.
2. In the Settings and privacy menu, select Creator tools, then Analytics (as shown in the image below). If you haven’t yet enabled analytics, you’ll be prompted to turn them on.

Image Source
Once you’ve selected Analytics, you’ll see a dashboard with an overview of different metrics. To get more insights into your audience, select the Followers tab. You should then see your audience metrics, as shown in the image below.

Image Source
You’ll be able to see where your audiences are located and when they’re most active. Take note of this information, compare it to the data we found, and select a time frame that aligns with your audience’s presence.

 
It’s important to note that testing different posting schedules is always worthwhile to figure out what works best. For example, our data shows that 6-9 PM is the best posting window, and your in-app analytics show your audiences are most active on Fridays. You can run your own experiment where you post at different times between 6-9 PM on Fridays to see what generates the most engagement.
Can you post too much on TikTok?
Most marketers post on TikTok 4-6 times per week. However, as with many social media sites, it is possible to post too much and oversaturate your audiences.
It’s best to test out different options and come up with a strategy that aligns with your goals so that when you do post, you’re sharing content your audiences want to see and when they’re most likely to see it.

 
Contrary to what your friends’ photos suggest, Instagram isn’t just a social network for selfies and brunch pics. In fact, Instagram has over 200 million businesses that use its platform and 90% of users follow at least one of them, according to recent data.

In a time when visual content remains a crucial part of any brand’s marketing strategy, Instagram marketing presents a unique opportunity to showcase your brand identity.
Ready to get inspired? Check out this list of brands that are thriving on Instagram right now, and why their posts set them apart.
Best Brands on Instagram
What makes a brand great on Instagram?
We polled 301 users across the United States, and asked “Which of the following describes the brands you follow and enjoy on Instagram?”
These were their top answers:
Data Source
While this data is from a small sample, it does highlight what we already know about Instagram audiences. They look for:

Content that relates to their lives: both personal and professional.

Eye-catching, fun content.
Product promotions

What you’ll see in the next section is that every brand featured meets these needs, earning them high follower counts and high engagement rates.
Psst – Want to get a stunning Instagram Story auto-magically created for your brand? Check out StoriesAds.com, a free Story generator from HubSpot and Shakr. Click here to get started.

1. The Every Mom

Followers: 294k
Modern-day moms face a unique set of challenges from raising children in a digital-first world to navigating relationships with in-laws and extended family during a pandemic. The Every Mom is a lifestyle brand that caters to this audience in every way.
On this Instagram page, you’ll find content about handling your kids’ big emotions, teaching them about diversity, and tips on how to make mealtime more appealing.

While much of the content on this page lends itself to things a mom can do, there’s plenty of content advocating rest, relaxation, and mental health as well. You’ll also find the occasional discount code for popular products and cross-promotion of The Every Mom blog in the Instagram stories and highlights.
2. Bolden USA

Followers: 32.1k
Instagram is all about visuals. This means that within minutes of being on Instagram, a user can be bombarded with images.
So, the question is: How do you make sure your brand stands out and is memorable?
One way is by developing a unique aesthetic and remaining consistent. Bolden USA has done just that.

To mirror its green logo, the theme of Bolden USA’s Instagram is green. While the brand features other colors in its images, green is always the primary, standout color – an effective tactic to aid brand recall. That brand recall being spread across more than 33,000 followers makes Bolden USA one of the best brands on Instagram right now.
3. The Broke Black Girl

Followers: 174k
Personal finance is like exercise. You need motivation, the right tools, discipline, and a goal to achieve to see real success. It doesn’t hurt to have a good coach to guide you along the way, either, and that’s exactly what The Broke Black Girl is doing as one of the best brands on Instagram.
Dasha is a financial activist who specializes in competency-based financial education. Over 170,000 people follow her for non-judgemental financial advice, empathetic budgeting tips, and free financial resources. Her work levels the predominantly white-male-led financial literacy landscape to make it more accessible to women of color.

The history of women of color in finance, the $1000 Emergency Fund Challenge, and motivational messages comprise the majority of this brand’s Instagram feed making it the best place for young people to start their financial fitness journey.
4. Teleport Watches

Followers: 9.1k
Have you ever wondered where former President Barack Obama buys his watches? One of the brands he sports is Teleport Watches.
This premium luxury timepiece brand is known for its stylish and durable watches that are perfect for day-to-day wear and special occasions. However, people come back to the brand for its modern approach to a classic accessory which is why this Instagram brand makes our list.

Teleport Watches proves that you can have a loyal following on Instagram without millions of followers. Although it’s one of the smallest Instagram brands in our lineup, it makes up for it in engagement and influence.
5. Netflix’s Strong Black Lead

Followers: 764k
Here is an example of a brand that has mastered the art of having its own identity while remaining connected to its parent brand.
Strong Black Lead is a sub-brand under Netflix dedicated to amplifying Black stories in media.

The brand’s Instagram page mainly features screen grabs and short clips from TV shows, movies, and documentaries available on Netflix that feature Black actors and/or directors. They stay on-trend, posting relevant content based on current events, holidays, and buzzy topics.
In addition to its appreciation posts for widely loved TV characters, Strong Black Lead also promotes content the brand hosts on other platforms, such as podcasts and YouTube content.
6. Califia Farms

Followers: 318k
Warning: If you’re hungry, don’t head to Califia Farms’ Instagram page.
The brand’s food photography makes it stand out among the rest, showing users how Califia Farms’ products can be used to create dishes ranging from pancakes and nice cream to artichoke dip and fettuccine alfredo.

The brand doesn’t shy away from featuring its product in the images either. You can usually find it somewhere in its visual content, whether it’s the main subject of the photo or more in the background.
7. Anima Iris

Followers: 78.9k
You probably thought this list would only feature enterprise-level brands, huh?
Well, there are a ton of brands that have found the magic recipe on Instagram and Anima Iris is one of them.

What sets this brand apart is the transparency of its CEO.
If you watch one of Anima Iris’ Instagram Stories, you’ll probably see its CEO, Wilglory Tanjong, showing the behind-the-scenes of running a luxury purse brand, which helps its audience feel more connected.
You’ll probably also see Q&As, surveys, and user-generated content – all strategies that have helped the company build a strong online community and gain brand loyalists.
8. Cooking With Constance

Followers: 15.2k
There’s more than enough food inspiration on Instagram, but Cooking With Constance takes that inspo a step further by pairing it with a side of judgment-free health and wellness. That’s why more than 10,000 people flocked to follow this brand page in just a few weeks.
This isn’t your typical vegan brand that compares and contrasts plant-based and non-plant-based lifestyles. Instead, Cooking With Constance serves up hearty and healthy recipes that even the biggest meat lovers will enjoy.

Holiday recipes, quick and easy lunches, and plant-based living tips are just a few of the types of content you’ll find as you scroll through her appetizing feed.
9. Lorna Jane

Followers: 1M
If your brand were a person, how would you describe its personality? Australian activewear company Lorna Jane has done an awesome job answering this important branding question with its Instagram content.
Spend just a few seconds scrolling through these photos, and you’ll quickly be able to name the target Lorna Jane buyer: a young, sporty, twenty- or thirty-something woman who values looking good while maintaining an active lifestyle.
The images posted by Lorna Jane, which often show the brand’s clothing and accessories, as well as images of women who embody its target buyer persona, are colorful, playful, and inspirational, which is a perfect representation of the brand’s essence.
10. Letterfolk

Followers: 360k
Letterfolk is a small business run by a couple who create and sell beautiful, handcrafted felt letterboards. Each letterboard comes with a full set of characters so people can personalize the walls of their homes, which means endless room for creativity.

Instagram is the perfect platform for them to inspire customers and aspiring customers with real customers’ boards, as well as ideas they’ve come up with and staged themselves. Their Instagram content is funny and relatable – a great recipe for shareability.
11. Apartment Therapy

Followers: 3.2M
Apartment Therapy’s Instagram account really is a source of therapy, if you love the sight of cozy homes.

From home decor inspiration to fun challenges like their #SmallCoolChallenge contest and trendy user-generated content (UGC), this brand gives its followers plenty of inspiration to personalize their own space and “live happy, healthy lives at home,” as written in their profile bio.
12. Sunday II Sunday

Followers: 20.9k
Sunday II Sunday is another small business with a robust social media presence.
The brand describes itself as “haircare for active women.” As such, its content revolves around having and managing an active lifestyle.

Sunday II Sunday also does a great job of engaging its followers, asking them questions about their routines, workouts, and hair care habits.
13. Tentsile

Followers: 201k

“Stunning” is the first word that comes to mind when I scroll through Tentsile’s Instagram photos.
Tentsile sells tree tents, what they call “portable treehouses” to elevate your camping experience. Its Instagram page is full of beautiful lifestyle images of their products in just about anywhere in the world: rainforests, mountains, beaches… you name it.
What the brand does well is leveraging its UGC. This saves time and resources and gives the brand some social proof.
14. Desenio

Followers: 1.9M
The first thing you’ll notice when you land on Swedish online art print company Desenio’s Instagram page is color blocking.
Every image blends beautifully with the one next to it, creating a cohesive, visually appealing page you never want to leave.

Even when using user-generated content, the brand ensures it fits within its aesthetic. Establishing consistency in your creative assets is key in ensuring brand recognition (i.e., when people see your image anywhere, they know it’s you.)
15. Vans

Followers: 17M
Vans is known for its stylish shoes and its Instagram business account is no exception.
The maker of the classic checkered slip-on sneakers has a flashy Instagram feed, featuring both standalone product shots and action photos of people expressing themselves in their favorite Vans gear.
One thing that’s clear by looking at Vans’ Instagram account is that its identity is no longer tied solely to skateboarding. While you’ll still see lifestyle images with skateboarders, you’ll also see surfers, cyclists, and other fashionable shoe-lovers.
So, as your brand identity and messaging evolve, your content should also follow suit. Not sure how to get started with a strategy like this? Check out this podcast for tips from marketing experts:

16. Grass-Fields

Followers: 949k
Now, here’s a brand that knows how to show its personality.
This Cameroon-based clothing brand isn’t playing it safe on Instagram with static model shots and sale promotions. Instead, Grass-Fields showcases its products through fun, vibrant dance videos, and behind-the-scenes content.
The brand also highlights Black business owners, creators, and artists on its page, which caters to Black women.

The key takeaway here is: Don’t be afraid to do things differently than it has been done if that’s what your audience responds to.
17. Finfolk Productions

Followers: 399k
Ever wanted to be a mermaid? You can come pretty close, thanks to companies like FinFolk Productions. Believe it or not, silicone mermaid tails you can put on and swim around in are quite trendy.
Finfolk Productions’ Instagram feed is full of beautifully shot photos that play into the mermaid fantasy by looking more like mythical art than real people.
The nostalgia of being a mermaid gives Finfolk Productions’ followers a sense of wonder that they can actually wear. This unique brand makes dreams come true, and that’s worthy of a spot on this list of the best brands on Instagram.
18. Shiseido

Followers: 1.3m
Shiseido started as Japan’s first Western-style pharmacy more than 140 years ago and has since developed into selling high-quality brightening and anti-aging skincare, makeup, and fragrance products.
Its mission is to inspire a life of beauty and culture – a mission it portrays beautifully through Instagram content.

Hot tip: Posts featuring faces, especially for a skincare brand, are ideal for boosting social media engagement.
Don’t be intimidated by highly professional Instagram videos like theirs. You can post highly engaging videos on Instagram without a huge video team or a bottomless budget. Here’s some inspiration for making amazing Instagram Reels without breaking the bank.
19. The Muted Home

Followers: 49k
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the home improvement industry saw an 18% increase in YOY market size — the largest increase in more than ten years. With people spending more money in the local hardware stores, they were spending more time on social media, too — consuming home decor content.

Instagram brands like The Muted Home provide inspiration to help their followers redefine and elevate their homes with luxury home decor. Candles, vases, spice racks, cooking utensils, and more can be found on The Muted Home’s Instagram page making it the go-to brand for nearly 50,000 online home decor enthusiasts.
20. Sephora Collections

Followers: 818k
Sephora Collections’ brand personality is playful, colorful, and feminine. It does a wonderful job of characterizing this personality in its Instagram content, using bright colors, patterns, and fun captions.
In addition to partnering with beauty influencers, the brand also promotes content from everyday makeup users, featuring their tutorials and looks on its feed.
Hot Tip: What makes this big brand one of the best on Instagram is the community it’s built on the platform. But what we see from Sephora on Instagram is a combination of marketing efforts elsewhere. So take it from Sephora — invest in your brand outside of Instagram, too, so that you can see even more success on this social network.
21. Clare

Followers: 100k
If you’re renovating or simply moving into a new home, you’re likely looking for inspiration on social media sites like Instagram and Pinterest.

Clare’s Instagram features a collection of carefully curated images that meet that exact need. You’ll find everything from new product promotions to home decor tips – everything in between.
There’s also a beautiful balance of colors on Clare’s Instagram page, creating a cohesive profile that’s inviting, warm, and inspiring.
22. HoneyBook

Followers: 93.6k
What we love about HoneyBook is how accessible its content is.
Instagram, like many social media platforms, has been slow to develop and promote its accessibility features.

Thankfully, brands like HoneyBook have taken an active approach to make its content accessible by adding captions to their videos and adding image IDs that describe every image the company posts.
For deaf, hard of hearing, and visually impaired users, these extra steps go a long way.
23. Design Essentials

Followers: 147k
Design Essentials knows that hair is more than just something that grows on your body. It can speak to a community, a culture.
If you’re looking for inspiration for your Instagram brand, take inspo from Design Essentials and try diversifying your content. Even when your business is niche, there are plenty of ways to stretch your content ideas.

The brand does more than just promote products on its Instagram page. In addition to product shots, you’ll find inspirational quotes about hair, playful memes about everyday life, and fun reposts from Design Essentials’ audience.
24. Flodesk

Followers: 45.5k
Flodesk’s Instagram is everything you want to see on Instagram from an email marketing platform: beautiful designs and inviting content.
When you land on Flodesk’s page, you’ll gain tips on how to use its platform as well as general tips to optimize your email marketing strategy. With the use of vibrant colors and playful designs, every post is an attention grabber.
What’s more, almost every post includes a call-to-action that invites the audience to engage. Whether it’s to drop an emoji in the comments or answer a question – engagement done right.
25. Omsom

Followers: 51.8k
Omsom is another small business that has leveraged its CEOs, two first-generation Vietnamese sisters, to build a community on Instagram.
As you scroll through Omsom’s Instagram, yes, you’ll find beautifully crafted images showcasing the dishes you can make using the brand’s food products. However, that’s only one piece of the puzzle.

You’ll also see many posts celebrating Vietnamese culture, and debunking Asian-American stereotypes and biases.
This strategy helps consumers connect with the Omsom beyond the delicious food and understand its broader mission and purpose.
26. Chipotle

Followers: 1.1M
Instead of reeling in consumers with food pictures, Chipotle has chosen another route: hilarious memes.
While you may find the occasional food post, the brand has focused its Instagram strategy on showing its personality.

Here’s why it works: Memes are shareable and tag-friendly, which helps Chipotle reach new consumers as people tag their friends in funny, relatable posts.
The common thread in all the brands featured is that they had a consistent brand identity that was reflected in their visuals and a deep understanding of what resonated with their audience.
Ready to populate your Instagram timeline with pics and videos that are as captivating as the content above? We believe in you!
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.