Category: Marketing Automation

Podcasting is here to stay. According to Insider Intelligence, there are over 117 million podcast listeners in the U.S. alone, a 10% increase from last year, and that figure is expected to rise.
So why are so many people listening to podcasts? 74% of podcast listeners say they tune in to their favorite shows to learn new things.

Podcasts offer knowledge and inspiration in an easy-to-digest format for a variety of topics. If sharpening your skills as a marketer is on your list of priorities, then tuning into marketing-focused podcasts can be a great way to prioritize your professional development.
I asked members of the HubSpot content team what podcasts they like to learn the latest in marketing and entrepreneurship from. Here are their recommendations for the best podcasts covering digital, content, and affiliate marketing.
Best Marketing Podcasts
1. The Shake Up

Why Listen: The Shake Up is a weekly podcast hosted by Alexis Gay and Brianne Kimmel. Each week, the hosts facilitate engaging discussions about business leaders and companies that shake up the status quo. In each episode, you’re bound to learn a new perspective or strategy to support your work.
2. My First Million

Why Listen: Looking for your million-dollar idea? Add My First Million to your podcast queue. Hosts Sam Parr and Shaan Puri examine business trends and opportunities and brainstorm potential business ideas on-air. If you’re in a creative rut, My First Million can help inspire new ideas for campaigns and offerings.
3. iDigress

Why Listen: If you need strategic direction, tune into iDigress, hosted by Troy Sandidge. Troy specializes in finding creative solutions to complex problems, leaving listeners with actionable takeaways to implement better marketing and business strategies.
4. The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast

Why Listen: The Duct Tape Marketing podcast has been delivering expert insights and tips for marketers since 2005. Host John Jantsch interviews top marketers and thought leaders for daily tips, tactics, and sources of inspiration geared towards small businesses.
5. Marketing Made Simple

Why Listen: Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. The Marketing Made Simple podcast by StoryBrand offers weekly tips to help marketers simplify their efforts for better results.
6. Go-To Gal with Jaclyn Mellone: Online Marketing + Mindset for Female Entrepreneurs

Why Listen: A healthy mindset is a non-negotiable trait for successful marketers and entrepreneurs. Host Jaclyn Mellone along with her guests tackle important topics such as building a personal brand, creating effective marketing systems and creating equitable and inclusive businesses.
7. The Marketing Analytics Show

Why Listen: In marketing, data is everything. The Marketing Analytics Show helps listeners feel more confident working with marketing analytics. In each episode, host Anna Shutko interviews marketers and analysts who share how they leverage data to make informed decisions and strategies.
8. The Market Your Genius Podcast

Why Listen: Nikki Nash is the author, speaker, and marketing mentor behind the Market Your Genius book and podcast. In weekly episodes, Nash and guests share personal anecdotes mini-trainings with actionable takeaways to empower listeners to grow their businesses and reach the right audience.
9. The CMO Podcast

Why Listen: Ever wish you could pick the brains of top Chief Marketing Officers? Well, you can by tuning into The CMO Podcast. Each week host Jim Stengel, former CMO of Procter & Gamble turned entrepreneur, facilitates in-depth conversations with CMOs of all backgrounds to inform and inspire.
10. The Sakita Method

Why Listen: Award-winning publicist and entrepreneur Sakita Holley shares a mix of solo episodes and interviews featuring successful creatives, entrepreneurs, and business professionals. Each episode has tangible insights listeners can apply to their own careers and businesses to drive positive results.
11. Metrics & Chill: The Podcast About Improving Business Metrics

Why Listen: The Metrics & Chill podcast by Databox takes the saying “what gets measured gets done” to a whole new level. For listeners looking for innovative ways to collect and analyze business data, Metrics & Chill offers informative case studies and takeaways from how successful companies manage their data.
12. MarTech

Why Listen: Tune in to the MarTech podcast to earn directly from marketers just like you. Each episode features an innovative marketer who shares the challenges and triumphs of their careers in the field. By the end of each episode, you’ll hear tangible tips and tricks to take your career to the next level.
Best Digital Marketing Podcasts
1. Online Marketing Made Easy

Why Listen: Online Marketing Made Easy hosted by Amy Porterfield is a top-rated business podcast covering digital marketing strategies for online business owners. Porterfield specializes in taking big ideas and breaking them down into actionable steps the listener can immediately apply to their own business.
2. Marketing School

Why Listen: Digital marketing experts Neil Patel and Eric Siu share bite-sized daily episodes packed with actionable advice. Topics covered include the latest SEO strategies, maximizing engagement on social media, and setting meaningful goals.
3. The Digital Marketing Podcast

Why Listen: The Digital Marketing Podcast hosted by Ciaran Rogers and Daniel Rowles is equal parts informative and entertaining. With many episodes clocking in at under 30 minutes, listeners can gain a wealth of information about the latest and greatest digital marketing strategies in an easily digestible format.
4. Socialette: Bite-Sized Online Marketing Podcast

Why Listen: If you’re looking for quick tips you’ll actually use, Socialette by Steph Taylor is for you. In each episode, Taylor dives into a different area of digital marketing to answer questions at the top of every digital marketer and online entrepreneur’s mind.
Best Content Marketing Podcasts
1. Copyblogger

Why Listen: If you enjoy deep dives into content marketing, email marketing, lead conversion, and copywriting the Copyblogger podcast is for you. Each week host Tim Stoddart sits down with content marketing experts who share their lessons learned and actionable takeaways for the listener.
2. Social Pros Podcast

Why Listen: Social media is an ever-changing, yet critical component of many company’s marketing strategies. Social Pros features top social media strategists who spotlight key trends and changes happening in the social media landscape so marketers can be ahead of the curve.
3. Actionable Marketing Podcast

Why Listen: The Actionable Marketing Podcast is a weekly show for marketers who are ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Each episode is designed to be concise and actionable for marketers at any stage in their careers.
4. The Agents of Change: SEO, Social Media, and Mobile Marketing for Small Business

Why Listen: The Agents of Change helps listeners learn how to use content to get in front of their ideal customers. Host Rich Brooks interviews guests who offer practical advice on SEO, social media marketing, and more.
5. Build Your Tribe | Grow Your Business with Social Media

Why Listen: Though primarily geared towards entrepreneurs, Build Your Tribe by Chalene and Brock Johnson offers valuable advice for anyone looking to leverage online platforms for business growth. Topics include branding basics, the latest hashtag strategies, social media content ideas, and more.
6. Perpetual Traffic

Why Listen: Perpetual Traffic, produced by DigitalMarketer, is all about lead acquisition and audience growth for businesses of all sizes. Hosts Ralph Burns and Amanda Powell discuss paid advertising strategies companies can use to expand their reach.
7. The Influencer Podcast

Why Listen: The Influencer Podcast is a must-listen for those who focus on influencer marketing. This show provides valuable insight into the world of influencer marketing and has key anecdotes for influencers and marketers alike.
8. Social Media Marketing Podcast

Why Listen: Social Media Marketing is hosted by Social Media Examiner’s Michael Stelzner and has been a valued resource on all things social media since 2012. This podcast delivers weekly episodes designed to help marketers learn new strategies and deliver better campaigns.
Affiliate Marketing Podcasts
1. The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast

Why Listen: Smart Passive Income hosted by Pat Flynn covers various topics related to online business and affiliate marketing. Flynn offers a mix of solo episodes and interviews with guests to cover a variety of topics including ethical affiliate marketing to help companies and their affiliate partners generate revenue.
2. The Affiliate Guy

Why Listen: Marketers interested in learning the latest affiliate marketing news can subscribe to The Affiliate Guy hosted by Matt McWilliams. This weekly podcast shares tips, news, and insights related to how companies can better manage affiliate programs and help their affiliates earn higher commissions.
3. Affiliated: ClickBank’s Official Affiliate Marketing Podcast

Why Listen: Hosts Thomas McMahon and Kyle Kostechka publish bi-weekly to share effective affiliate marketing strategies that work across industries.
Press Play
For marketers ready to expand their skillset and learn new strategies, there is a wealth of information waiting for you.

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Back in 2007, a research firm estimated that the average person saw up to 5,000 ads a day.
Fast forward to 2021, there’s no official number, but we can assume that number has probably doubled. I mean, you can’t stream a show or scroll on social media without being inundated with ads.

On YouTube, in particular, we’ve come to expect at least one ad per video. The question is, which ads are consumers paying attention to?
In this article, we’ll cover the top YouTube ads of the last two years and what made them so effective.
Best YouTube Ads of 2021 and 2020
1. Amazon: “Alexa’s Body”

At 78,344,440 views on YouTube, this ad had everyone’s attention.
To promote its virtual assistant technology, Alexa, Amazon delivers a creative and hilarious ad featuring movie star, Michael B. Jordan.

The ad starts out simply enough with a woman admiring Amazon’s Echo Dot. She then turns to the window, sees an ad for Jordan’s movie “Without Remorse” and imagines a whole life in which Alexa is actually Jordan.
The audience takes this hilarious journey with her, as she enjoys life just a little too much with Jordan until she snaps back to reality.
Here’s why this ad is fantastic: It takes a product that can be hard to advertise and quite literally brings it to life with a celebrity, People Magazine’s 2020 “Sexiest Man Alive” recipient no less.
A celebrity endorsement can definitely help boost brand awareness and recall, as long as they’re well aligned. In this case, it made for a memorable and effective ad.
2. Nike: “Never Too Far Down, You Can’t Stop Us”

When you think of Nike, one word that probably comes to mind is “inspiration.”
That concept is embedded in the brand’s values and mission statement. It’s also reflected in their ads.

Featuring some of the world’s top athletes, this ad dives into the ups and downs of success.
Footage of athletes at their lowest moments floods the screen, as basketball star Lebron James narrates the journey. He describes the struggle of falling down and the ability to get back up.
Nike has found which messaging resonates best with its audience. As a result, they don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, they focus on recreating the same impact with influencers, celebrities, and everyday people.
The takeaway here is if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
3. Ad Council: Child Car Safety

This PSA is a personal favorite of mine.
You’ve got to admit: Any commercial with kids is usually a winner. But this one, in particular, stands out because it doesn’t try to use cuteness as the hook.

In this ad, two children stand in their yard as they watch their parents argue about the installation of a basketball hoop.
The father reassures the mother that “it’s all good” but all it takes is the hoop slamming to the ground for him (and her) to lose all confidence. The perspective then changes to one of the children as they encourage parents to visit a website for safer car rides.
How does it connect? Well, the idea is that the father has proven he’s willing to do anything for his kids including “routinely test [his] handyman skills” and “the strength of [his] marriage,” so this task should be an easy one.
Who said serious topics required serious ads? Often, humor is the best way to get the message across.
4. Zillow: “Susans”

Making a decision isn’t as simple as saying “yes” or “no.” You often go back and forth discussing pros and cons, battling with different versions of yourself.
For instance, the indulgent me often struggles with the foodie me. One side says, “be conscious of the foods you eat,” while the other screams “CAKE.” That one usually wins.
This Zillow ad takes this concept and runs with it.

Susan, the woman featured in the ad, talks through selling her home and buying a new one with the various versions of herself, including Negative Susan, Spontaneous Susan, and Paranoid Susan.
The second best part of the ad – the first is when Late Susan sneaks into the meeting – is when Lazy Susan brings up the hassle of going through that process. Helpful Susan then brings up how Zillow is the solution to this issue.
What Zillow has accomplished here is tackle the objections consumers typically have about real estate in a relatable way. By understanding how their audience thinks and what they struggle with, they made an ad that was engaging and relevant.
5. AT&T: “Say Goodbye to Awkward Chats”

Bad video connection? We’ve all been there.
The person you’re video chatting with starts buffering and frozen for seconds at a time. After you’ve taken the embarrassing screenshot, it stops being funny and you wonder how long it’s going to last.
AT&T takes this situation one step further.

The ad shows a new mom introducing her sister to her newborn. Unfortunately, just as the baby reaches the screen, the aunt’s signal lags and causes her to freeze as her face shows disgust.
The sister inevitably mistakes the sister’s facial expressions regarding the internet and takes it to mean something about her baby.
In just 30 seconds, the ad takes something that happens in everyday life and turns it into an ad.
Moral of the story: You don’t always have to go far to create a great ad. There are great ads that come from the seemingly mundane parts of our lives.
6. Masterclass: “Chris Voss Teaches the Art of Negotiation”

Masterclass’ top viewed video on YouTube is an ad for one of their masterclasses: the art of negotiation.
Despite having other videos that feature more household names, this seems to be the video that captured most viewers’ attention.
Some will argue it’s the content, and they may be right. I think it’s the formula they used.

From the second this ad starts, it sucks you in with the statement: “Everything in life is a negotiation.” From there, you’re immersed in the world of the subject and narrator.
The reason this ad is so powerful is that it answers the most important question: Why should I care?
It tells viewers exactly how this relates to them, how they would benefit from it, and how they can use it in their daily life.
Unless your ad is product-focused, it should give them the answer to those questions.
7. Travelers Insurance: “Legacy”

It wouldn’t be a top 10 YouTube ad list without an insurance company listed, right?
Insurance companies are notorious for taking the funny route for commercials. Because how else do you market a product that’s only needed in the event of something terrible?
Travelers Insurance did something different with this YouTube ad.

The brand told the story of a businessman passing his legacy, the family business, to his daughter. And they’re able to do that because they had insurance to rebuild the store following a natural disaster.
Using the concept of legacy isn’t something we’ve seen much from insurance ads. It’s heartwarming without fearmongering and that’s why it works so well.
8. Bluehost: “Build Beyond Boundaries”

When it comes to generating buzz for your product or service, showing is better than telling.
In 55 seconds, Bluehost delivered a fantastic ad that covered the brand’s top features without overwhelming the viewer.

The ad serves as a mini product demo, showcasing how easy it is to use using a fictional website concept. Here’s why it works:

The viewer leaves knowing how it works and what are some top features.
The video includes rich media to keep viewers engaged.

If you’re interested in creating a media-rich ad like this, consider the audio and video content platform, Casted. 
9. The General Auto: “The Lunchroom”

For years, The General had commercials that many consumers thought were low-quality. In their 2021 ad, the brand came with a fresh new look.

This ad starts with two men approaching former athlete Shaq in a lunchroom as he eats with a young friend. They reference a previous conversation in which they disagreed with Shaq about The General and refused to sit with him.
They acknowledge that they “misjudged them based on their commercials” then ask for forgiveness, plus a seat at his lunch table.
Now more than ever, consumers crave transparency. This was a great move for the brand because it addressed the elephant in the room.
The General realized their ads were contributing to (or causing) a negative perception of their brand. Instead of quietly rebranding, they took the objection and tackled it head-on, weaving it into their new ad campaigns.
The messaging is clear: Our brand is still trustworthy and credible despite our old ads.
So, if there’s a misconception about your brand, don’t be afraid to use that in your next campaign.
So, there you have it – the top YouTube ads of the last two years. What they all have in common is a deep understanding of their audience’s needs, behaviors, and own perceptions of the brand.

In 2018, 63% of consumers surveyed in an Accenture study revealed that they preferred to shop from purpose-driven brands. Fast forward to 2021 and that sentiment has only grown.
IBM ran a study in 2020 on consumer behavior and found that 57% of consumers are willing to change their shopping habits to be more environmentally conscious. In the same study, nearly eight of out 10 respondents stated that sustainability is important to them.

So, how does a brand leverage sustainable marketing to appeal to a growing, socially conscious audience? We’ll cover that and more below.
Green Marketing vs. Sustainable Marketing
While both terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between green marketing and sustainability marketing.
Green marketing focuses on strategies that promote environmental awareness and protection. Sustainable marketing, on the other hand, is a little broader.
It encompasses green marketing but it also includes practices that go beyond the environment, like social and economic issues.
1. Have a larger purpose.
Brands typically judge their success by the numbers. How much revenue they have or will generate in any given period is usually the biggest indicator of success.
Sustainability shifts this perspective by having brands evaluate themselves by something bigger than profit.
As a brand, you have to promote something that’s bigger than your products and services and transcends any particular industry.
Do you have a clear social mission? If not, spend time discovering what that is and how your brand plays a role in furthering that mission.
For instance, fashion brand Autumn Adeigbo sells clothing, accessories, and home decor items. However, its mission, as stated on its website, is to impact the lives of women on a global scale. They do so by using female-owned production facilities, employing female artisans, among other practices.
2. Think ahead.
Sustainability marketing is all about building long-term value.
Too often, brands focus on gaining immediate returns. For instance, many marketing tactics like running Google Ads and blogging are great lead generators.
However, what happens once your lead has made a purchase and turned into a customer? How will you build loyalty and create brand evangelists?
Sustainable marketing looks at ways to nurture consumers during the entire buyer’s journey.
Education is one way to build loyalty with your audience early on. From when they first discover you on social media to after they’ve made a purpose.
For instance, a food brand could educate its audience on the importance of ethical farming on social media and continue this process post-purchase with package recycling tips.
3. Be customer-oriented.
You might be thinking, “Isn’t being consumer-oriented what all marketing is? ”
Ideally, yes but that’s not always the case.
In traditional marketing, a brand will often try to push a product or service to a customer. With consumer-oriented marketing, it’s more about understanding your customers’ needs and tailoring your marketing to that.
For instance, say your audience is craving more transparency in your sourcing practices or want you to be more vocal on social issues. You could use that information for your next campaign.
With so much competition out there, one way to stay customer-oriented is by innovating.
We’ve all heard the Blockbuster and Netflix cautionary tale. But that speaks to a huge societal shift that Blockbuster was unwilling to make.
But the truth is, innovation doesn’t always have to be so big. It can happen in small iterations – the key here is staying in touch with your audience’s needs.
4. Reflect sustainability in every aspect of your brand.
Sustainability marketing doesn’t work if it’s not authentic.
Imagine finding out a business that claims to be sustainable has failed to implement any practices to promote its mission. Consumers would distrust that brand and it would be difficult to earn it back.
Make sure your brand is looking at sustainability from a holistic lens.
Are you preaching about sustainability but use unsustainable resources to build your product? Are you collaborating with brands that conflict with your mission? Is your team representative of the future you want to promote?
These are the questions you should ask to determine if your brand reflects the mission you’ve set out to achieve. Identify the areas that need work and go to the drawing board to figure out strategies that align with your mission.
Audiences don’t expect perfection, they do, however, value transparency. It’s OK – and recommended – to share where you currently fall short and how you plan to remedy these issues.
Sustainable Marketing Examples
1. Pangiai

Materials science company, Pangiai, wants to save the environment.
Every piece of marketing the brand puts out is centered around this core mission, including this video campaign.

In it, the brand explains its mission to “reverse the cycle from the unnatural to natural, from plastic to plants […], from the new to the recycled.”
What’s effective about this ad is that Pangiai describes the future they want to see and outlines the strategies it will implement to get there.
Throughout the ad, you see Pangiai products but they’re not the focus. This tells viewers the mission drives the products, not the other way around — and that’s sustainable marketing done right.
2. Nada Duele

In the previous section, we discussed the importance of having a holistic approach to sustainability marketing.
With Nada Duele, their mission is reflected in everything: from their name, which represents the idea that products should not cause harm, to the initiatives they take part in.

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When you visit their “How We Work” section, you learn about their collaboration with a Guatemalan institute dedicated to protecting the forestry sector.
It’s important that the partnerships your brand takes on align with your values. Otherwise, you risk losing credibility and trust.
3. Satya + Sage

Social media is one of the best and easiest ways to implement a sustainable marketing strategy.
You can share a range of content, from educating your followers on sustainable practices to sharing ways your brand is being sustainable.
In this example from candle company Satya + Sage, they share tips on how to use the seed paper that comes with every candle.

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On social media, in particular, pay attention to the questions your followers ask and the comments they make, as that can inform which marketing strategies you test in the future.
Why is sustainable marketing important?
Sustainability is a topic that has gained a lot of traction as of late, however, research shows it transcends age.
The 2020 IBM study on consumer behavior revealed that while Millennials are the most interested in sustainability awareness, Boomers (and all consumers in between) strongly consider it when choosing brands.
As a result, even if your brand isn’t rooting in this mission, you will still find value in investing time and resources in sustainable practices and marketing to attract more customers.

Hi All, I am looking a best Marketing CRM solution for an estate agency UK. The company has a salesforce and custom built CRM, so new marketing CRM system needs to be integrated with Salesforce. Please recommend which system to go for and why? Thanks
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​ In this era of digital transformation, it has become clear that people buy experiences, not products. Account-based marketing (ABM), a method traditionally focused on the accounts that will drive the most revenue, is picking up steam, and it’s proving to be an effective B2B marketing strategy to generate revenue and increase ROI Indeed, a whopping 99% of marketers say ABM has a higher ROI than other marketing initiatives. Last year, more than one-third (35.9%) of marketers surveyed said that at least half of their marketing is account-based. In the next year, the majority of B2B marketers expect ABM (49%) to have the most significant impact on their business outcomes However, marketers are still struggling to fully unlock the potential of ABM because their current approach creates random customer interactions and one-off campaigns. These initiatives bring in short-term results and lack in establishing long-lasting customer loyalty.
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Recently, I set an iPhone time limit on my social media use to “45 minutes”.
I figured 45 minutes would be more than enough. Almost an hour? In between working at HubSpot, catching up with friends, and attending exercise classes, I had no doubt 45 minutes would be plenty of social media consumption.
Unfortunately, I learned pretty quickly that I actually spend 45 minutes on social media before I even get to work in the morning.
I know I’m not alone. In fact, the average daily social media use of internet users worldwide amounts to 145 minutes per day.
With all that social media consumption, it makes sense that more businesses are turning to social media to market to their audiences. But marketing is just one aspect of the buyer’s journey — what about sales? Can that be done within social media platforms, as well?
It’s actually now entirely possible for businesses to sell products and services natively within social media sites.
Here, we’re going to explore that very concept — known as social commerce — and take a look at some impressive examples of social commerce, so you can consider trying it for your own company. Additionally, we’ll list some of the most popular social commerce platforms available today, so you can decide which one could give you the highest ROI.

Since many businesses are marketing on these social media sites already, it makes sense to allow users to purchase from within these platforms without leaving the site at all.
Should you leverage social commerce?
If you sell physical products online, leveraging social commerce is a great way to drive sales and revenue to your business. Users are used to the native purchasing experience at this point and prefer to be able to quickly make a purchase right on the social media app.

1. Social media checkout capabilities.
One of the best examples of social commerce is the ability to click a product and checkout right from within a social media site, like Instagram or Facebook.
For instance, Instagram has a “checkout” feature on their app, which allows you to click on a product within a post, choose a size and color, and proceed to payment within the platform.
The first time you use Instagram’s checkout feature, you simply need to enter your name, email, billing information, and shipping address. Once your order is complete, Instagram saves your information so you don’t need to enter it the next time you shop.
Additionally, you’ll receive notifications about shipping and delivery right from within Instagram, so you can also track your purchase without leaving the app.
For instance, let’s take a look at what happens when I click the “View Products” button (bottom right) on one of @NikeWomen’s Instagram posts:

Instagram immediately pulls up a page with all the details of every product included in the image.

Let’s say I’m particularly interested in the sneakers. From within Instagram, I can choose a color and size and then click the blue “Checkout on Instagram” button. If I’ve shopped on Instagram before, I don’t even need to re-enter my information. Pretty simple, right?

Plenty of other social networks have these checkout features, including Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
2. Social commerce plugins and apps.
As social commerce continues to rise in popularity, we’ll continue to see more plugins and third-party apps emerge to make the process even more seamless for businesses and users alike.
For instance, one third-party app called Soldsie allows your followers to make a purchase on one of your products by simply typing “Sold” into the comments section of a post. Once they’ve commented “Sold”, the app takes care of the rest, emailing the user an invoice to complete.

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Soldsie notes — “As fans comment, your sales trend on Facebook as each photo is shared with your fan’s Facebook friends.” For instance, if my friend comments “Sold” on a Facebook post of a cute sundress, I’ll see the picture in my News Feed and might consider purchasing one for myself.
Ultimately, social commerce is a good opportunity to increase brand awareness while also increasing sales — a win, win.
3. Shoppable ads.
Shoppable ads is another example of social commerce, and is currently available on both Instagram and Snapchat.
Simply put, shoppable ads allows businesses to tag products in an Instagram or Snapchat sponsored post, ideally creating a more efficient ad-to-purchase experience. Best of all, this type of social commerce helps businesses collect valuable data on which ads convert prospects into customers immediately.
The features you’ll find on shoppable ads within both Snapchat and Instagram continue to improve — for instance, Snapchat has advanced features on their shoppable ads, including collection ads, product catalogs, advanced pixel targeting, and 30+ new Snapchat partners.
Wish, an e-commerce app, successfully uses Snapchat’s product catalog feature to create different Snap Ads and Story ads to showcase a large variety of their products, as shown below.

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Shoppable ads are undeniably profitable if done well — on Snapchat alone, FabFitFun lowered cost-per-purchase by 36%, while American Eagle increased return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) by more than 3X.
With shoppable ads, you’re able to market and sell directly to your intended audience without causing friction in a user’s social media experience. For instance, 73% of Snapchat users are between 18-24 years old. If this is your ideal demographic, why not try including your products or services directly within the ads you’re creating on Snapchat? This allows users to find products of interest to them without needing to leave the app at all.
4. Chatbot checkouts.
One final example of social commerce that’s critical to point out is chatbot checkouts — the ability for a user to find and purchase a product by chatting with a chatbot within a social platform.
For instance, consider SnapTravel’s Facebook Messenger bot, which helps people find hotel deals and book rooms right from within Messenger:

As you continue chatting with the bot, you’ll receive better, more customized deals based on your requirements. Additionally, you can click “Open Filter” to further modify your search based on your criteria, and a new screen will open up right from within Messenger:

SnapTravel offers deals only available in Messenger, incentivizing users to book with the chatbot rather than on their website.
Using a chatbot to streamline your buyer’s journey is particularly helpful for mobile users who want to find and purchase products on an app they already have on their phones — like Messenger.
1. Instagram
Between its checkout capabilities and shoppable posts tool, Instagram is undeniably one of the most popular platforms for social commerce. Many Instagram users are already using Instagram as an opportunity to discover and purchase new products — for instance, 80% of users use Instagram to decide whether to purchase a product or service, and 83% use it to discover new products. Since these users are already prepared to find and purchase new products, it’s critical that they’re given the option to buy them in-app.

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2. Pinterest
People often turn to Pinterest for fashion, home decor, or beauty inspiration, so it makes sense that Pinterest would be a viable platform for social commerce. In fact, 93% of active Pinterest users said they use Pinterest to plan for purchases, and 87% said they’ve purchased something because of Pinterest.
Pinterest’s Shop the Look Pins allows users to click on small white dots on various products within a post, and either purchase that product within the app or browse similar products. They can make purchases on both desktop and mobile.

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3. Facebook
With over two billion active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social platforms in the world, making it a good place for social commerce.
If you have a Facebook Business Page, you can set up a Facebook shop to sell your products and services directly within the social platform.
Facebook notes — “While any business can have a shop, this feature best serves merchants, retail and e-commerce advertisers. We recommend it for businesses selling apparel, accessories (including bags and luggage), home furnishings, and baby or kids’ products.”
To upload your inventory to Facebook and create a shop section, you can either use a third-party ecommerce platform like BigCommerce or Shopify, or you can upload and manage your products yourself.
For further inspiration, try searching for major retailers and checking out how they’ve set up their Facebook shop. For instance, take a look at New Balance’s Facebook shop:

Facebook shop is a fantastic opportunity for your business to reach a larger audience — and, even if your customers don’t end up purchasing your products on Facebook, having these products listed on your Facebook Business Page is a good idea for making Facebook users aware of the products you sell in-store.
4. Poshmark
Poshmark is a social commerce marketplace that allows people in the U.S. to buy or sell clothing, shoes, and accessories, either new or used. Poshmark makes the experience even more social with features like “Posh Parties”, which are virtual buying and selling events that you can attend with friends.
Popular brands on Poshmark currently include Nike, Lululemon, and Chanel — to sell on Poshmark, simply download the app and follow seller instructions from there.

5. Shopee
Shopee, reportedly the largest online shopping platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, is a social commerce marketplace that enables users to buy and sell products ranging from home & living to mobile & gadgets.
Major brands on Shopee include Kleenex, L’Oréal, and Oreos. Selling on the app is easy enough — simply verify your phone number, ensure your products aren’t prohibited and click “Add New Product” on your Shopee page. With over 95,000 users on the app worldwide and a unique focus on the Asian market, Shopee is a good option for brands looking to expand their global presence.

How to Create a Social Commerce Strategy
1. Align the brand experience.
Before you can get started with a social commerce strategy, it’s important to consider your brand experience and target market.
When customers make a purchase online, do they need to look at multiple pages on your website? Do they have a lot of questions? Do they usually get in touch with a sales rep?
If so, then your brand experience might not be suited for social commerce.
On the other hand, if your brand experience has a quick sales turnaround, from looking up the product to purchasing, then your product might perform well on social commerce.
It’s important to make sure the brand experience is aligned with social commerce before creating a strategy.
2. Consider your target market and choose which social commerce sites to use.
Once you decide to move forward with a social commerce strategy, consider your target market and think about what social commerce sites they use.
Are your customers on Instagram and Snapchat, but not on Pinterest? In that case, you’ll want to make sure you focus your social commerce efforts in the right place.
To develop a social commerce strategy, you’ll first want to think about which sites you’re going to focus on.
3. Decide which products to sell on social media.
Next, think about which products are best suited to be sold on social commerce sites. If your products require more time and thinking before making a purchase, then those won’t fit well within a social commerce strategy.
However, some of your products might work well while others don’t. This means you should consider which products you’re going to focus your social commerce efforts on.

Ultimately, social commerce has the ability to eliminate friction in a user’s online shopping experience, and catch users’ at moments when their excitement over your products is highest.

However, it’s critical you do market research to ensure you’re using the right social commerce platforms or apps to reach your audience in the social spaces they frequent the most.
Additionally, remember social commerce is fundamentally social in nature — if your business doesn’t also engage and communicate with its followers, then your company won’t get much out of social commerce as a long-term strategy.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Your business data is the lifeblood that runs through your organization. It powers automated workflows, gives customer service reps the full story every time the phone rings, and informs decision-making.
Even small businesses can benefit from the rise of big data by optimizing their organization’s data and creating processes to put it to work. According to Experian, eight in ten businesses believe data is one of their most valuable assets.
When your business data is reliable and accurate, it’s smooth sailing. But when errors, duplicates, and question marks surface… it’s not so pretty. When you can’t trust your business data, problems quickly arise and multiply in every area of your organization.
Businesses lose as much as 20% of revenue due to poor data quality, shares Kissmetrics. Back in 2013, HBR also talked about the ripple effect of unreliable data as part of “Data’s Credibility Problem”:

“When data are unreliable, managers quickly lose faith in them and fall back on their intuition to make decisions, steer their companies and implement strategy. They are, for example, much more apt to reject important, counterintuitive implications that emerge from big data analyses.”

To get the best results as a data-driven organization, here are some of the best practices to strengthen the foundations and make your business data the most reliable it can be.
9 Ways to Fix Unreliable Data and Increase Accuracy
1. Improve your data foundations.
Data debt – the cost attached to poor governance of data in a business – is a significant problem for many organizations, and 36% of businesses say data literacy is crucial to future-proof their organization, shares Experian.
Making your business data more reliable doesn’t just happen by magic: it requires strong frameworks, processes and a data-literate workplace. As early in your business journey as possible, ensure that you have:

A strong CRM system to centralize all contact data
Processes to organize and segment data
Integrations between apps
Formal data literacy programs in place to educate your team
A clear strategy of how you will use and maintain the data you collect

Remember the old proverb: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is now. The same goes for getting your data in order!
2. Look at where new data is coming from.
Just like reliable data, messy and unreliable data doesn’t happen accidentally. There’s always a source. To make your business data more reliable, follow the trail back to where data is coming from.
How is data being added to your CRM? Are there forms or manual imports that are causing bad data to clutter your database? Are different team members importing conflicting data in different ways to multiple apps?
3. Optimize forms and data collection channels.
Once you have identified how new data is entering your apps, take some time to optimize these data collection channels.
To collect valid and reliable data, make sure that these factors are true for every piece of data you collect:

You actually need to collect the data
You are collecting it in a consistent and standardized format between apps
You have clear permission to collect it based on data protection regulations
It will be stored and organized in the right app for the right purpose

4. Break down data silos.
A recipe for unreliable data is having data silos. A data silo is a collection of data that one department has access to but others do not.
The negative effects of data silos are bad news for performance and productivity for any organization: they include a lack of transparency, efficiency, collaboration, and trust.
To remove data silos, use a central CRM between departments, connect data between the apps in your tech stack, and focus on building a culture of collaboration between departments.
5. Segment your data.
Good business data is organized, adds value to your company, and is collected with explicit permission from users. To make your data more organized, segmentation is your friend.
Segmentation can look like labels, tags, list memberships, groups, or other properties that tell you more about each contact and divide your database into clear categories of preferences, demographics, buying history, and more.
When you integrate your data between apps using an iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service), you can create syncs based on your segments and connect the right data two ways between your apps.
6. Clean up your databases.
To make your business data more reliable, clean up any messy data as soon as possible. This means fixing or removing:

Incorrect data
Outdated data
Duplicate data

According to SiriusDecisions, on average it costs about $1 to prevent a duplicate, $10 to correct a duplicate, and $100 to store a duplicate if left untreated.
To help prevent duplicates and other bad data, create company-wide standards for data entry and maintenance, then sync data from the most accurate source to your other apps and create a holistic view of your database. It’s also valuable to set up and document processes to standardize and verify new data.
7. Connect your apps to integrate data.
The most effective data management strategies connect data between apps. This removes data silos, creates an integrated view of all of your data, and syncs up-to-date data to the right places as soon as anything changes.
The easiest way to achieve quality data integration is with a zero-code iPaaS solution that connects the dots between all of your key business apps, from your CRM to your email marketing system and customer support software.

8. Create accessible reporting dashboards.
Instead of hiding your data insights away on private dashboards, make them transparent to the right people in your team. For many KPIs, that means your whole team.
Organizations with the most effective and reliable data typically choose a limited number of impactful KPIs and make these very visible inside the team.
Not only does this help your team to be invested in company, team, and individual performance, but it increases the odds that errors and discrepancies in your data are picked up on. *The most reliable data has eyes on it. *
9. Schedule regular maintenance.
Maintaining data quality in your business isn’t a one-time job: it requires continual upkeep, cleanups, and optimization. If your organization has a dedicated operations manager, part of their job role can be to monitor and optimize data quality. But in any case, it’s worth making data integrity and literacy part of your company DNA – or part of every team member’s day-to-day role.
This means creating the foundations for healthy data to flow into your organization and undergo regular cleansing, alongside processes to fix problems and automate integration.
By optimizing data reliability, you can ensure your company can receive the most accurate results and insights from your database both now and further down the line as data integrity keeps gaining importance.
With automated two-way syncs between apps including your CRM and email marketing tool, you’re in the best position to manage your data holistically, perform regular health checks, and create an updated 360-degree view of your customer data.