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  The 10 Best-Branded Companies on Instagram

  

  Earlier this year, we profiled five brands that have each built themselves a solid marketing presence on Instagram, the popular photo editing and sharing social network so often linked to Twitter and Facebook updates. We’ve also stressed the why and how of using Instagram for marketing, citing the increasing importance of mobile marketing, and how that should be playing into the strategies and tactics of your social media marketing.

  Now, I'm sure most of you know that social media is important. I’m also confident that many of you know some basic strategies. But let’s talk about the Earlybird-filtered big picture: when it comes to presenting your brand on social media, your reputation and brand image is only as strong and complete as your most recent update. If your content is off-brand, your image will come across as confused, incomplete, or just plain wrong. That’s not to say you should be dropping nothing but explicitly on-product tweets, but to say that your content, be it original or shared, should always carry within it some sort of a representation or affirmation of your brand’s identity in some way. In fact, a Facebook study just recently confirmed this very philosophy!

  An interesting way to explore this constant depiction of brand values and traits is through—you guessed it!—Instagram photos posted by brands. Check out the following images and learn how these ten companies completely nailed the representation of their respective brands.

  Annie’s Homegrown

  
  

  
  

  Annie's Homegrown has done an excellent job of asserting its brand identity as an all-natural, organic, and healthy provider of foods Americans love, from macaroni and cheese to frozen pizza to fruit-flavored gummy snacks. The brand understands how important these qualities have become to its target demographic, so its Twitter strategy is based upon sharing product news, tasty-sounding recipes, and Instagram photos. This shot of a wooden version of Annie's logo keeping guard over a small vegetable garden incorporates several important parts of Annie’s brand identity. It takes the brand's logo, already cute and loveable, and places him directly amidst the action of the brand’s foundation. Additionally, the garden is small, and looks to be on a residential street instead of a factory, implying that Annie’s ingredients are not only natural and organic but also as homegrown as the brand name implies.

  Billboard

  
  

  
  

  Billboard is, like many other publications that originated in print, evolving its strategy to mesh with the era of real-time social content. On Twitter, Billboard uses Instagram to capture photos of the stars gracing its pages and share their presence within its brand in real time. The Billboard brand is based on its knowledge of who’s on top in the music industry, and its revelations of music previews, exclusive photographs, and breaking news in the music industry. Twitter is an excellent platform for Billboard to explore these real-time aspects of its brand identity, and Instagram allows for this exploration to turn into proof – Billboard can reveal its latest associations in more casual, semi-candid photographs, which make the stars—and thus, Billboard—appear more real and genuine.

  Brisk

  
  

  

   

  Brisk has gone through quite the evolution as a brand. Named after an archaic definition of the word 'brisk' that means 'tangy,' the drink has become Lipton Tea’s attempt to compete with various other popular canned tea drinks in today’s beverage-to-go market. This Instagram photo of a hand just about to pop the tab on a can of Brisk, coupled with a caption referring to the can as an alarm clock, serves two brand-representation purposes: it cues the viewer to imagine the scene playing out, watching the hand open the can and hearing the satisfying popping sound as the task is completed. The filter of the photo is one of Instagram’s many filters meant to call-back to older photos, just as Brisk’s name recalls an earlier definition of a flavor. This makes the brand seem both long-lasting and nostalgic, yet entirely modern due to the update's home in social media.

  The Boston Celtics

  
  

  
  

  The Boston Celtics are quite the social basketball team. Their Twitter presence is huge, from the individual players’ accounts to the strong social media strategy utilized to market the Celtics as more than just a basketball team, but also a brand built on the history of Boston, the luck of the Irish, and the joy of the game. They’re a team that builds its reputation on hard work and fast-paced play. This Instagram photo, sent out in a tweet just before the start of a game, captures a real-time moment that likely passed without notice, but displays the team’s togetherness, dedication to the game, uniformity, and excitement to go play, all in one shot. It also assists with the Celtics' down-to-earth reputation in delivering a photo that is close-up, placing the fans’ viewpoints on par with the players, and low to the ground, literally implying that the team is down-to-earth and willing to put their noses to the grindstone to get to work.

  Coach

  
  

  
  

  Coach can sum up its brand identity in three words: classy, trendy, and luxurious. Seeing a Coach logo on a bag instantly raises the bag’s (and carrier’s) social capital, and the price tags attached to Coach bags are more than enough evidence to point toward their earned status as a luxury brand. In Coach’s Twitter feed, ample evidence of these three points are pronounced, but none are as pronounced as in its Instagram account. In this image, Coach divides a purse into three smaller photographs, all muted by a filter to suggest the classiness of the bag, despite its loud, unmuted color. The logo is present in two of the photographs, with the third zeroing in on the handcrafted detail of the bag, reinforcing Coach’s high-quality reputation by showing consumers the details in a setting more causal than a photography shoot, and more personal than a busy store.

  Forever21

  
  

  
  

  Forever21 is a clothing brand dedicated to affordable, trendy fashion. Despite its smaller price tags and distinctly non-couture reputation, from its name, Forever21 indicates that with its brand, it's attempting to emulate a timeless feeling, through which clothing buyers can remain rooted in a particular time or age. In this Instagram shot, sent out over Forever21’s official Twitter account to announce some new arrivals to its stores, the recently-declared-back-in leopard print trend is paired with timeless fashion staples, and then sent through a nostalgia-inducing filter that ages the photograph back to the last time leopard print was in.

  PepsiMAX

  
  

  
  

  PepsiMAX is one of the newest product launches of megabrand Pepsi, and can be classified as Pepsi’s attempt to bridge the energy drink and “healthy” soda categories for sales. The brand identity pushed for PepsiMAX is that of something fresh, modern, and exciting, while also familiar to the trusted Pepsi brand consumers know and love. The Twitter feed for PepsiMAX, separate from its parent brand, serves to illustrate these seemingly paradoxical qualities, especially through its liberal use of Instagram. In this photo, we see an over-saturated image of a PepsiMAX can and a billboard of its ad campaign, indicating the real-time freshness of the drink and the update alike, paired with a foosball table, an activity that has been around for years that requires focus and one-on-one competition. PepsiMAX asks us to recall the in-the-moment feeling of playing a fresh round of a game we’ve all known for years, pairing that memory with its brand offering.

  Puma

  
  

  
  

  Puma is a footwear brand with attitude. Originally choosing to instill the quickness, agility, and hunting prowess of a puma cat with its footwear, this Instagram photograph suggests a far more laid back image. With the old photograph-toned filter, the presence of a pair of shoes on a person and a pair of shoes shed from a person, as well as the leisurely pace of the activity portrayed, it shows consumers that Puma shoes don't only allow you to speed past every opportunity, but they also get you to places you can enjoy with others, and remember for a long time. While Twitter is fast-paced, filled with customer service interactions, product announcements, and other news, Puma's Instagram account is a refreshing change, reminding users that Puma knows its product isn’t just about the journey; it's also about the destination.

  Sharpie

  
  

  
  

  Sharpie is an odd presence on Twitter. Its flagship product, permanent markers, is hardly something that seems easy to market on Twitter at first glance; however, the acute focus on artistic freedom and expression that Sharpie integrates into its brand makes it one of the most successful social branding companies on Instagram. Many of its Instagram snapshots, each posted to Twitter and enjoyed by many followers, does not feature the markers themselves, but rather their ink as applied to some sort of canvas by unique individuals. In this particular composition, for example, Sharpie has brought alive an artist’s passion for music, through the quick, black-and-white illustration of old-school headphones. Choosing headphones over earbuds indicates a preference for the classic, timeless instruments that have a permanent place upon the scene, which are exactly what Sharpie markers and their permanent inks are intended to be.

  Starbucks

  
  

  
  

  Starbucks got a mention in our last Instagram post, too, and it’s no wonder why. The coffee retailer is almost definitely the brand making the absolute most out of its Instagram-centric social media strategy. Starbucks strives to be seen as a local-friendly, socially conscious coffee shop that happens to have, oh, a few locations, rather than just another large corporate chain. In this particular image, we see bags of beans, for sale in the shops, that subtly boast the Starbucks logo, and a tray of samples of this coffee, conceivably headed for the counter of the tweeter’s local Starbucks location to be handed out to individuals. The coffee is unaltered, and the background is dimmed to black, allowing Starbucks to assert that when it comes to its brand, two things matter: the coffee and the customers’ opinions.

  How could you depict your brand in an Instagram photo? What filter would you use?

  

  
  

  
  

  

  

  Who's REALLY at Fault for GM's Facebook Ad Failure?

  

  "Facebook ads suck." For many companies, advertising on Facebook and expecting a return is a "fantasy." If you clicked those hyperlinks, you found just two examples in the flurry of negative press surrounding Facebook advertising of late -- all stemming from the recent GM announcement to cut $10 million in paid ad spend on the social network.

  It makes you wonder what prompted this announcement from GM. Is this a media tactic to help searches for GM? Or were the results of Facebook advertising really so miserable that it warranted this media attention? Who knows -- the onslaught of coverage wasn't accompanied by a leak of GM's analytics. One thing that is evident is that GM hasn't had much visible success from digital advertising in general; just take a look at what Google's Insights for Search tool had to show.

   

   

  But is GM truly the digital marketing icon that we should be referencing to determine whether or not Facebook ads work? What about a brand like Southwest? They run Facebook ads quite frequently ... how are they faring? Actually, they've been able to generate a ton of positive mentions in the same time period as compared to GM:

   

  

   

  From this perspective, maybe it's the Southwests of the world we should look to for guidance when it comes to digital ad success, not GM. What is clear is that we must have data points and ask the right questions -- not just have opinions when it comes to determining the value in something like Facebook ad spend. Because the only answer to the question of whether Facebook ads work or not is “it depends.” While this response is typically an advertiser's way of sidestepping a direct question, I mean it sincerely, and here's why.

  Just as with any marketing initiative, to run a successful Facebook marketing campaign, companies (especially those with a $10 million budget) need to consider many factors before even logging into their Facebook account.

  11 Planning Considerations Before Starting a Facebook Campaign

  1) Set your goals. Do you want fans? Conversions on Facebook? Conversions off of Facebook onto a landing page? What about leads, qualified leads, sales, revenue and ROI?

  2) Determine your market size. How large is your audience, and what can you realistically expect from advertising on Facebook? Are there 2 million people that you can target, or only 1,000? Don't be surprised to find out that the market for niche groups is often larger than you think. For instance, there are 127,000 people in the United States alone that list Agatha Christie as an interest -- not bad for a British crime novelist that passed away in 1976.

   

  

   

  3) Set a budget. Have you budgeted enough for your campaign, or too much? If you've set aside too much, you'll likely be disappointed with your results as you're pushing budget to the point of inefficiency. If you haven't set aside enough, you'll spread yourself too thin and your reach/frequency won't be strong enough to target your core audience.

  4) Take seasonality into account. Mindsets change during summer months. Ecommerce budgets, for example, are typically much heavier in Q4. Market costs can increase during certain months of the year, or during years with major elections. Are you thinking about all of the external factors that could be impacting your campaign?

  5) Consider the day of the week. Ad performance varies by day, especially from weekday to weekend. Understanding which days perform best for your company is vital so your budget doesn't go to waste. For example, if you're looking to drive users to your website to convert on a "Talk to Sales" call-to-action, you need to make sure that you have the proper staff working during the days these campaigns are live.

  6) Use day parting. What hours of the day are the most effective to run your ad? When does your specific audience show the highest engagement rates? If you understand this, you'll be able to get the most of out your ads and push them harder during your most efficient times.

  7) Consider the decision process. What are you asking users to do? What are they thinking about when they see your ad? An example of a decision process might be:

  Recognizes Need >> Performs Informational Search >> Evaluates Options >> Makes Purchase

  If you know this, you can get in front of users with those needs, have a conversation trigger, educate them, and nurture them through the sales process.

  8) Determine your target demographic. You could consider age, social class, gender, family size, income, occupation, lifestyle, education, religion, and race and nationality.

  9) Determine your audience's psychographics. Ask yourself these questions about your target market (TM):

  • What does the TM like/dislike about your product or service?
  • What does the TM like/dislike about your competitor's product or service?
  • What is the trigger that sparks conversion?
  • Is there brand awareness?
  • Were there influencing factors from other marketing campaigns prior to converting?
  • Is disposable income a factor in the sales cycle?
  • Are there emotional factors at play during the conversion cycle?
  • What social class does the TM fall into?
  • Who is the decision maker, as opposed to just helping evaluate options?
  • Are there specific values that your TM identifies with?
  • Are there hobbies or interests that would help define your TM?

  10) Do your geo-targeting. When targeting ads, you should consider country, region, state, designated marketing area, city, town, and zip code.

  11) Don't forget about the customer service experience. Like we mentioned before, if you're directing people to speak to someone at your company, experience matters. Will they talk to a live person who is knowledgeable about their questions? How long did the phone ring before the call was answered? Was the experience the same at 7AM as it was at 4PM? What about on Monday, versus Saturday? If the follow-up was via email, was it timely, friendly, and helpful? You should provide a consistent experience from initial ad impression to customer service interaction.

  Once all of those details have been accounted for, then you're ready to start spending money on Facebook ads. Why? Because it's easy to generate clicks from a Facebook campaign, but the post-click experience is where the true expertise -- and ROI -- comes into play. From the ad, to the landing page, to the customer service experience, it takes a team effort from Marketing and Sales to convert leads and customers.

  7 Ways to be Efficient With Your Facebook Ads

  Now that you know your goals, target market, and understand the bigger picture of running a Facebook ad campaign, you want to ensure your campaigns run efficiently. Here's how.
  

  1) Build your audience. Using Facebook to generate fans (known as "connections" in Facebook ad lingo) is an opportunity to build the exact audience that you want to expose your ad messaging to. You should always be working to do this by pushing out thought leadership content, running contests, and promoting offers and lead generation campaigns. The more targeted you are with building this audience, the more impactful your broadcasts will be when you message your followers. For instance, start by targeting a select group like we've done in the screenshot below:

   

   

  2) Attract more of those same types of users. The easiest way to do this is using Sponsored Stories. At HubSpot, we've been able to use Sponsored Stories to help attract additional connections that behave similarly to others in our target market.

   

  

   

  Driving the right kinds of fans to your business page will help ensure higher response rates as you push your message out through Facebook ads.

  3) Take advantage of the fans you've generated. Talk to your fan base regularly via your business page by posting content that drives engagement. And by engagement, I mean lead generation. Here at HubSpot, we take the thought leadership approach, meaning that we think people will want to use HubSpot software if we are able to prove that we truly understand the digital landscape and have the best online marketing software. Take a look at some of the ways we do that.

  First, we like to share relevant blog posts that help educate our readers. You might think blog content doesn't generate leads, but that's only true if you've forgotten to include calls-to-action within your blog content. And we'd never do such a thing ... would you? ;-)

   

  

   

  But we also post lead generation content directly to our Facebook page. This post directs fans to a landing page on which they can redeem an ebook about creating effective calls-to-action.

   

  

   

  4) Converse with your fans. What does talking with fans have to do with paid ads on Facebook? Well, it's an important factor in the success of your overall Facebook strategy. You can't just think about paid ads in a silo -- you have to think about the entire strategy. Conversing with fans will give you a better idea of who your target audience is, what they think about, and what they need. And that makes for better ad targeting.

  5) Run paid ads to target segments. Don't be afraid to engage in direct response lead generation on Facebook. HubSpot uses ads like the one you see below to send users to landing pages that offer free inbound marketing assessments, free software trials, and inbound marketing software demos. Do they work? We wouldn't be running them if they didn't.
  

   

  

   

  6) Segment as much as possible with your campaigns. Messaging and landing pages should be tailored to specific demographics. For instance, if GM were running a campaign for the Chevy Volt, you can imagine how messaging would change among those aged 25-34, as opposed to those aged 55-64.

  The younger audience may be more concerned with the fact that the Volt is helping our planet become more green, while an older audience near retirement age may be more interested in buying a car with better fuel economy. Think of every possible way you can segment, and use your Facebook ads, messaging, and landing pages to connect with that segment accordingly. 

  7) Put senior members of your marketing team in charge of your Facebook ad campaign. If the team member heading up Facebook advertising doesn't know who Ogilvy is, then get someone else. The marketing game hasn't changed, just the venues. Using the core concepts of traditional marketing, targeting, and messaging is the way to win with Facebook ads. Having that leadership backbone to coincide with the nuances of social and digital media will ensure a fully optimized campaign.

  Who's to Blame for GM's Facebook Ad Failure?
  

  So ... was GM doing all of those things? Well, you can see that campaign setup and targeting isn't really that hard -- it's the post-click experience that matters most. If GM was focused on all of these elements and still failed, then perhaps Facebook wasn't the best fit for their particular brand. This doesn't mean that Facebook isn't the right avenue for the auto industry in general -- or any other industry -- since GM has a very specific target audience that differs from, say, KIA or VW. For digital advertisers, the answer to whether or not Facebook advertising is the right choice certainly depends on the market and brand, but most of all, it hinges on proper execution.

  Facebook doesn’t want to fail. They have no interest in going broke. They’ll likely continue to hire top notch developers and engineers, and keep bringing on the best product management and marketing professionals to work on continuously improving their advertising options. Rand Fishkin wrote an article back in 2010 about all the things he wished he’d known before starting his company. A piece of the article illuminated exactly what we’re seeing in the general public right now regarding Facebook's IPO and their advertising solution -- haters gonna hate.

  I don’t dispute that Facebook has not worked for a considerable amount of advertisers, but it’s also worked quite well in many instances. So before you jump on the lambasting train of Facebook ads, approach the situation using data and an evaluation of your own strategy on Facebook, not just opinions. Ask yourself, did I truly understand how to advertise on Facebook, and did I do all of the things that I should have in order to fully execute on my strategy? Or was I just looking for a quick and easy way to generate conversions? The barriers to entry are practically non-existent when it comes to Facebook ads, but that doesn't mean they're easy in terms of generating ROI. That's what all advertisers must keep in mind when deciding whether or not Facebook ads are appropriate for their business.

  What do you think of Facebook advertising? To what do you attribute GM's Facebook ad failure?
  

  Image credit: Zeevveez

  

  

  
  

  

  

  How to Use LinkedIn Emails to Generate Loads of Leads

  

  Earlier this year, a HubSpot study found that when it comes to generating leads, LinkedIn is 277% more effective than Twitter and Facebook. What people are having trouble grasping, though, is how. 

  The tricky thing with LinkedIn is that there isn't just one single place to attract leads. There's LinkedIn Company Pages, LinkedIn Answers, LinkedIn Today, and so on. But the leader of the pack -- if done right, of course -- is LinkedIn Groups. In fact, HubSpot currently has three LinkedIn Groups for our different communities: Inbound Marketing University Alumni, Inbound Marketing Certified Professionals, and Inbound Marketing Professionals, which is open to the public to join and learn!

  There are many benefits to building your own LinkedIn Group, but today we're focusing on the lead generation opportunity they offer -- and that stems from an awesome feature called LinkedIn Announcements. If you've never heard of LinkedIn Announcements, think of it kind of like a social media and email marketing mashup. Or, just read this post to learn more about it, and how to use it for lead generation!

  What are LinkedIn Announcements?

  LinkedIn Announcements are messages sent directly to the email inbox of the members of your LinkedIn Group -- in other words, it's email marketing through LinkedIn! Whichever email a LinkedIn user includes on their profile will receive the LinkedIn Announcement. Here's how to send one:

  1) Go to "Manage" in the Group.

  
  

  

   

  2) Click on "Send an Announcement." 

  
  

  

   

  Easy! Right? But how does that translate to lead generation?

  Why are LinkedIn Announcements Great for Lead Gen?

  Let me illustrate this point with an image. The following graph shows the number of daily leads generated from LinkedIn for HubSpot in the past 30 days. The yellow bars, however, are the days that the social media lead gen team sent a LinkedIn Announcement to our Inbound Marketers Group.

   

  

   

  See what I mean? Clearly, LinkedIn Announcements helped boost the number of leads generated -- not only for the day of the send, but also the days following. While the success of the LinkedIn Group is certainly a major portion of this, wouldn't any marketer want to amplify their already great results when possible?

  How to Write a LinkedIn Announcement That Generates Leads
  

  The rules for writing great email copy in your other campaigns also apply when writing LinkedIn Announcements. The Announcements feature will automatically create a subject line for you that reads "Announcement from XXX Group." Do not use this subject line. Instead, create a descriptive and eye-catching subject that shows members of the group that reading the message will benefit them. Here are some examples from recent HubSpot sends:

  • Become a Data-Driven Marketer and Take Action with Metrics
  • Build Inbound Links Through Social Media With These 10 Free Tips!
  • Special News for Our Community: HubSpot's New Email Tool + Free Ebook!

  Once the subject line is nailed down, you need to write some compelling copy. Let's dissect our most recent LinkedIn Announcement to highlight how.

   

  
  

  1) Give them reason to keep reading. Open your email with something compelling enough to grab the reader's attention, and convince them it's worth their time to continue reading. It helps to include a mind blowing statistic here, if you have one. Use a clear but interesting transition to connect that first sentence to your main offer. The connection needs to be relevant and continue to keep the readers attention.

  2) Have a call-to-action! Whether it's an ebook, a blog post, a coupon, or an event page, send your readers somewhere they can get more information that will benefit them. And to track the success of that offer, be sure to use a link shortening and tracking service like bitly. This will help you gauge the type of offers that work best for your LinkedIn Group. 

  3) Make your call-to-action compelling. It's not enough to have a CTA -- you need to convince your reader to click through! Clearly tell recipients why they should download your content, attend your event, or use your product. Don't make them fill in the blanks -- be explicit with the value they will derive from redeeming your offer. Using bulleted lists or other formatting devices to call out these points will help you make your case.

  4) Pose a question about the offer. The email you send will be linked in a featured discussion on the LinkedIn Group (more on this in a minute). That means you need to give them a reason to engage with the post that appears.

   

  

   

  5) Monitor the announcement. People may start commenting on your announcement, so be sure you're looking out for notifications of new comments. That way you don't have to keep manually checking in with your LinkedIn Group, and can quickly respond to commenters.

  6) Make your discussion a featured discussion. By making the discussion featured, it'll appear permanently whenever someone comes to your group, in the upper right corner. Users will automatically know the message came from a manager of the group, and therefore the content is likely important and helpful. 

  7) Automatically tweet the announcement. You can do this by clicking the little blue Twitter bird. It tweets both the headline, and a link to the post.

  8) Send yourself a test email! Sometimes reading the content in a different location -- like your inbox -- highlights small spelling or grammatical mistakes. If you have a friend or coworker who can review your email, it's a good idea to get another set of eyes on it, as well.

  9) Send it!

  Pretty easy, right? If you or your business owns a LinkedIn Group, start sending carefully crafted LinkedIn Announcements to supplement your lead generation efforts. And if you don't already have a LinkedIn Group, well, why not start one? Creating a LinkedIn Group has many benefits that will be proven not just in the short-term, but in the long-term. You can also try asking someone who owns a LinkedIn Group with an audience you want exposure to if you can send a LinkedIn Announcement to his/her group. Just be sure you have something valuable to give that person in return!

  Have you used LinkedIn Announcements? Have you seen positive results? If not, do you plan on using them now?

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  

  How to Stalk Your Competitors in 10 Minutes [Marketing Hack]

  

  You're a rockstar inbound marketer. You spend your time figuring out how to increase your web traffic, generate more leads, and analyze your marketing analytics so you can keep your competitive edge on the web. Come on, what's more rockstar than that?

  There's just one thing getting in between you and inbound marketing dominance -- your competitors. And what you don't know about your competitors may actually be doing more harm to all your hard work than you realize. But what's a marketer to do?

  Luckily, in the immortal words of Apple, there's an app for that! It's called the Marketing Grader app, and with it, you only need about ten minutes every week to stay up to date on your competitors. This ensures you're doing the work you need to maintain your stellar online presence and slowly overtake that your competitors. Learn how you can monitor your competitors in just 10 minutes a week with this free marketing web app -- let's get started now by setting it up!

  Set Up the App
  

  Go to marketing.grader.com and run a free Marketing Grader report -- it'll be done in a flash!

  
  

  
  

  Once you're in the report, click on the Sign In link on the top, right-hand corner of the application.

   

  

   

  If you don't already have a HubSpot account, Register for a free Marketing Grader Account. If you already have a HubSpot account, sign in!

   

  

   

  Enter your competitors' websites so the tool can start tracking them. For the sake of this example, we'll pretend we're Dunkin' Donuts, and we want to track Starbucks.

   

  

   

  Voila! You've just set up competitive tracking in the free Marketing Grader app! Now, let's learn what to do with the information.

  Weekly Check-in (5 Minutes)
  

  Now that you've set up your Marketing Grader app, set aside 5 minutes each week to log in at marketing.grader.com to see how you are faring against your competitors. When you first log in, you will see the Grade History tab. The Grade History tab lets you see how the Marketing Grade for your website and your competitor's website has changed over time. To get really specific feedback, click on the By Metric button, as indicated by the blue arrow in the screenshot below.

   

  
  

  When you click on the By Metric button, you'll be able to explore the following metrics Marketing Grader is tracking to get specific ideas for ways to improve:

  • Indexed Pages - We all know that Indexed Pages can increase your website visitors by up to 55%, so it's no surprise that this is a big metric to keep an eye on for your competitors. You don't want them stealing your traffic, do you?

  • Linking Domains - Inbound links are the best way to increase your web authority, but the key is breadth of links rather than depth of links. Make sure your inbound links are evenly distributed across a number of domains to get the most impact!
    

  • Facebook Fans & Twitter Followers - Sure, social media is a great way to build a community to evangelize your products and service. But the bigger your social media following, the more eyes on your oh-so-valuable content -- that's what we like to call "reach," and it's critical for getting traffic and leads.

   

  

   

  All of this nitty gritty analysis is great, but the Marketing Grader report you know and love is still available to you, too. If you want to see that analysis broken down into the three sections that matter to you most -- Top of the Funnel, Middle of the Funnel, and Analytics -- you can always head back to the Reports tab. In case you forgot, the top of the funnel addresses how you bring in traffic, the middle of the funnel addresses how you convert that traffic into qualified leads, and analytics addresses which marketing activities work, and which do not.

   

  
  

  Develop an Action Plan (5 Minutes)

  So you've set up your Marketing Grader app, you've seen the competitive data -- now what? Now, it's time to craft your plan of attack! Start by asking yourself 2 questions:

  1) Where did you underperform against your competitors?

  2) What actions can you take to improve your performance in these areas?

  Let's use Dunkin' Donuts as an example. Here in New England, there's a pretty big loyalty divide between Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks -- except on the web. Dunkin' Donuts has a lower overall Marketing Grade and is lagging behind Starbucks when it comes to indexed pages, linking domains, and Facebook fans.

  So what would you do if you were Marketing Director of Dunkin' Donuts?

  That's right! You would need to beef up your content strategy; I'd get started with more frequent blogging as the most efficient way to solve your problem with indexed pages and linking domains. Think about it -- every new blog post you publish is a brand new page for your website, a brand new opportunity to generate inbound links, and a brand new piece of content that you can feed to your social media followers. Talk about a powerful marketing opportunity! And you'll not only be able to identify this opportunity with the free Marketing Grader app, but track the impact of your efforts in just a few minutes every week.

  See? You can handle this! Take your competitors by storm with this new weapon in your arsenal! Now, let's get started...

  Have you started tracking your competitors' online performance yet?

  Image credit: Gamma Man
  
  

  
  

  

  

  20 Things Every Graduating Marketing Student Needs to Know

  

  It's college graduation season! Graduation caps are flying through the air, names are being mispronounced, and awkward questions about future careers are being asked. What's missing? A crash course when it comes to what marketing students actually need to know to enter the real world of marketing.

  Unfortunately, featuring your fancy new diploma with the words "B.S. in Marketing" does more for fantastic graduation photos than it does for fantastic post-grad jobs. The sad truth is that most marketing students aren't adequately prepared for the real world.

  To all you current and future marketing students, here's a list of 20 things, under the umbrella of five key categories, of what you actually need to know before entering the professional marketing world. The list is a collection of advice from current members of the HubSpot marketing team -- including full-time marketing professionals who have graduated in years past as well as marketing interns who are graduating this year or in the future.

  Academics

  1. Don't be afraid of numbers.

  I can't tell you how many students I've come across who tell me they avoid taking any classes that involve quantitative analysis or statistics. News flash: marketers need statistics. You need to be prepared to analyze everything you do. Don't use the excuse that you plan on being a "social media marketer." I'm on the HubSpot social media team, and I spend every single day looking at and interpreting charts and graphs. You need to be able to look at a spreadsheet of numbers, make the proper calculations, and analyze what they mean. Otherwise, you're wasting a whole lot of time making decisions without proof that they work and/or benefit your business in some way. So pay attention in stats.

  

  2. It's not all about the Four P's and C's of Marketing.

  Whether your marketing classes preach the P's or C's of Marketing, it doesn't matter. While they can help introduce you to the core concepts of marketing, the chances of you dealing with a real-world marketing situation by brainstorming how you meet price, product, place, and promotion is unrealistic. You need to be thinking about much more, which will come in later parts of this list.

  3. Your classroom doesn't teach you to think on your feet.

  Simulate "real-life" scenarios as much as you want, but you won't actually learn to make important decisions in tight time frames until you're managing real dollars, working to uphold a real company's reputation, and investing your energy in real projects. You can't practice it either. You have to be there and do it a few times, and then you'll learn. Use internships as an opportunity to do this, which takes us to our next section.

  Experience

  4. Having an internship on your resume isn't "impressive."

  You had a summer internship at a marketing agency last summer? Great! So did everybody else. The fact that you had an internship is not impressive, it's what you did while you were there that is (or isn't). Students have accepted this false notion that even if you're just answering phones, the fact that you had some big company's name on your resume will get you a job. It might get you in the door for an interview, but if you can't share the benefit you provided to the company, you won't be seen as a valuable resource.

  5. Prove your value and capability. 

  On the topic of using internships to think on your feet, don't be afraid to take initiative either at your first job or internship. Don't just let your boss tell you what to do. I once had a professor ask my class, "How many of you would dare say something against your boss?" I was the only student to raise my hand. If you think your boss is wrong, there's nothing wrong with speaking up -- so long as you do so respectfully and with sound reasoning to back yourself up. You're never going to learn if you just take what people tell you for granted. The same goes for professors. I once started a "marketing war" with one my professors by debating his suggestions. Which one of us was right, no one can say, but the value we both got from discussing our opinions was much greater than knowing who was right. 

  

  6. Make the most of your internships.

  Okay, so we've already established that it's not just about having an internship; it's what you do there. A subcomponent of having great internship experiences is trying different things. If you're interested in marketing, don't just apply to internships at marketing agencies every summer. Switch it up and test your skills in different marketing environments, such as at a company that executes its marketing in-house. That way, you're staying true to your ultimate goal while also using your talents in different types of environments. Another great thing about this is, you'll learn which type of marketing job you're best suited for.

  7. Your laundry list of extracurricular activities doesn't make you an expert.

  I get it -- you love being involved in every organization you can possibly be a part of. You think putting it all on your resume will show your great versatility and extensive experience. But all it really does is confuse recruiters. I've heard employers say they get turned off by students who seem too involved because they don't show any one true strength they can bring to the table. Instead of being an expert in one area, they just have their toes dipped in a bunch. Employers are looking for something unique that you can do, not that you have tried everything -- that's what marketing teams are for. If you've participated in a lot of different activities in college, narrow down the few that you can actually say you've learned from, excelled at, and helped you grow.

  8. Don't make your skills sound more impressive than they are.

  Don't set yourself up for failure. If you make your accomplishments sound better than they actually are, you're setting up high expectations for yourself. And if you fail to meet those expectations, the trust an employer has in you will fade away instantly. You may even get fired, and that's probably worse to explain in future interviews than having no prior job at all.

  Marketing

  9. Marketing moves fast.

  Chances are, whatever your professor taught you your freshman year of college no longer applies. Need an answer to a pressing marketing problem? You won't find it in that years-old textbook. Effective marketing isn't about looking up the answer, it's about creating the answer. For example, social media wasn't taught in a classroom until recently, yet it's been around for years. Nobody taught professional marketers already in the business how to "do social media"; they had to figure it out on their own. That's your future: figuring out marketing. Forever.

  10. Marketing isn't about pretty pictures and viral videos.

  Effective marketing campaigns focus on creating content that benefits your audience. You can't spend your marketing career creating humorous videos for the sake of bringing attention to your brand. You need to be prepared to think critically and analyze the needs of your target audience. What do they want? What are they confused about? How can you best serve them while serving your business? Answer one of these questions correctly, and your content will naturally become viral.

  11. Marketing is not just about branding or awareness -- it's about making money.

  

  Gone are the days of going to the marketing department for happy messages and to Sales for revenue -- today, the two must work together. We keep talking about how everything you do should benefit your company, but haven't said what that benefit is. The benefit is simple: revenue. What is the return on investment of that email send? That tweet? That press release? Each of these efforts should be positioned to represent your company culture, but they need to fit into the sales cycle. They need to have a monetary value.

  12. Marketing doesn't have to be evil.

  The negative connotation surrounding "marketer," "public relations professional," etc. is pretty pervasive. But that doesn't mean it's okay to live up to those standards. Don't lose your morals and ethics when you graduate -- they need to be omnipresent in your marketing career. And yes, it is possible to create marketing that people actually like.

  13. There's more to marketing than big brands and agencies.

  Yes, you can work at a marketing agency. And yes, you could work for a big brand like Nissan or Pepsi. But there are SO many more options. What about working in-house at technology company? A small business? A hospital? Just because your professors only talk about the campaigns big brands have executed, doesn't mean those are the only marketing jobs out there. 

  Personal

  14. Don't be afraid to be wrong.

  How many times have you said, "I thought that but didn't say anything." Well, if you ever get to that point, it's too late. If you have an idea or opinion on something being discussed, speak up! Experience helps create proper judgment, not ideas. Anyone is capable of thinking of the next big thing; it's just a matter of not being afraid to share it.

  15. You are your own best case study.

  Prove your skills by marketing yourself. Don't wait for someone else to give you the opportunity. Start a blog about marketing (or something else you're passionate about) and demonstrate your knowledge of the industry, your writing ability, as well as your ability to build an audience online. Invest time in building your social media reach, and leverage LinkedIn to connect with other marketing professionals. Demonstrate your passion for marketing by properly marketing yourself. If you can't market yourself, how will you market for others?

  16. Grow thicker skin.

  As a marketer, you'll have to deal with complaining customers, social media bashers, unresponsive sales reps, frustrating clients. The list goes on and on... and through it all, you have to bite your tongue and let them feel like they are always right. If you get too emotional over how people treat you, you won't last in the business. Take all negative feedback as constructive criticism, and spin it into something positive. 

  17. Never burn bridges.

  That annoying teacher's pet who never stops talking in class next to you? She may end up being your manager one day. Or your co-worker. Or the woman who gets to decide if a company hires you. You never know where people end up.

  18. Network like crazy with everyone. 

  Yes, you've heard this before. But the important part of networking is doing it with everyone. If you decide you want to work at XX company, don't only find ways to talk to people from XX company. Maybe that random stranger in the corner from Y company will one day be an employee at XX company, and then you'll be bummed you missed the opportunity to tell that person why you rock. Point is, you never know who could end up helping you out the future. Get to know as many people as you can.

  Miscellaneous

  19. Get Familiar With HTML/CSS

  You don't need to be a webmaster, but you do need to understand the basics. What happens when your web designer goes on vacation? What happens when you need to make a quick fix on your website? Or even just need to talk to your web designer? You don't want to sound like a complete doh-doh head. Understand how coding works and be prepared to make little tweaks. 

  20. Understand the difference between B2B and B2C.

  I'm surprised I was never exposed to such basic acronyms at school, but most businesses are classified this way. B2B = business-to-business. B2C = business-to-consumer. Look up the difference; it'll teach you a lot about different forms of marketing, and possibly where you want to work one day.

  From the marketing team at HubSpot, we hope you found this list beneficial in planning your marketing career. Cheers to you!

  Have any additional tips for 2012's marketing graduates ... and beyond? Is there anything else you wish you'd known before graduating? 

  

  
  

  
  

  

  

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