Most job seekers’ cover letters are merely an introduction. An accurate overview of experience highlights and a way to request to be moved forward based on your qualifications.

And then there are the other kinds of cover letters. The ones chock full of TMI, or that generally just miss the mark.

I got to thinking about this while shuffling through cover letters (I’ve read through a lot of cover letters in my various HR jobs over the years), and decided to compile a list of the most bizarre blunders I’ve come across. I hope you find them helpful — or at the very least, entertaining.

 

14 Common Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid

1) “It was a dark and stormy night.”

Not a great way to start a cover letter. Although I appreciate a story with added suspense, it’s best to be straightforward when describing your experience.

2) Don’t profess the love you still have for your ex-wife.

Aside from being overly personal, it has no connection to the role for which you’re applying. Keep cover letters professional and on-point.

3) “Proficient in Instagram.”

I’ve seen this listed under Skills more than once. Being able to navigate a mobile photo app isn’t a professional skill. The right filter is a matter of opinion and you can let those skills shine on the weekends.

4) “OMG!” “LOL!”

Cover letters are not text messages. Also, try to avoid emoticons if possible 😉

5) Cover Letter and Resume. Page 1 of 6.

The dreaded length disclosure. Anything longer than two pages is too long. One page should suffice for entry level and a few years of experience. If you have 5+ years of experience, two pages can be appropriate. The less verbose, the better. You’ll have the chance to elaborate during your interview.

6) “I know how to penetrate an organization. Have me in. You will not be disappointed.”

The ability to reach decision makers is appealing, but choose your wording wisely. You don’t want to make your recruiter uncomfortable with such aggressive language.

7) “I know the name of that thing you’re too lazy to Google.”

Try not to insult your future coworkers. (For the record, I’m pretty savvy on Bing, too.)

It’s also dangerous to lean on business babble to make yourself sound smart. It can come across as talking down, not to mention it makes a cover letter painful to get through.

8) “This job is beneath me, but I’ll give it a whirl.”

A somewhat unconventional approach. This tactic misses the mark on humility, and also implies you will get bored rather quickly in the job for which you’re applying. Employers are looking for people who will do more than attempt to contribute.

9) “I’ll spare you the gruesome face-crying details in my cover letter.”

Please do. Cover letters are not a forum for heart-wrenching stories. This is a bit too emotional for most recruiters’ taste.

10) “I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed.”

Don’t confess your shortcomings and weaknesses. Emphasize your strengths instead of trying to prematurely ward off objections.

11) “I want free beer and books.”

This is one of HubSpot’s perks — free beer and books. I recommend not to make office perks the focal point for your interest in a company or role. We all love free stuff, but that’s not the only reason you should want a job.

It’s the same case for something like, “I am fluent in remote working.” Don’t emphasize how good you are at not coming to work. To us, it translates to, “Would rather not come in.” And while you don’t have to be in the office to get work done, but it shouldn’t be used as a selling point.

12) “I am a phenomenal office party dancer.”

I’m also a phenomenal dancer, but we don’t know each other yet. Try to hold back until you’ve determined what interviewer/interviewee demeanor is appropriate.

13) “I am the Chief Rainmaking Officer of my own organization.”

While it’s always great to be creative and set yourself apart from the competition, inflated job titles are a turn-off. This was also from an entry level candidate, which raises even more red flags for recruiters.

14) Don’t use “Ahoy, there” as your introduction.

You have my attention, but unless you’re applying for a role as a sailor or a pirate, this isn’t the way to go.

And lastly, a bonus tip: If you manage to avoid these cover letter blunders and have a scheduled phone interview, don’t answer the phone with: “Sorry, it’s so early.” Especially if it’s 10 AM.

Whether you’re a recruiter or a hiring manager, you’ve probably come across some bizarre cover letter blunders in your time. Share the weirdest with us on Twitter, won’t you?

A few weeks ago, the CEO of GMB Fitness, Andy Fossett, looked out at a crowd of marketers and said, “Don’t. ever. blast. your. list.”

We all know this. But Andy’s eyes said what we were all thinking, “I cannot believe I still have to say this to a group of marketers. You people should know better.”

And we should. “Blasting” your list is one of those foundational email marketing violations that can get you banished for life from advanced marketing circles. Other violations include: using the greeting “Hi Friend,” not segmenting your list, and “pushing” content to “get the word out.”

Each of these violations makes up a core element of the infamous “Email Newsletter.” You might know them better as the things in your inbox you “Mark as read.”

Self-respecting email-marketers scoff at email newsletters.

And yet…we’re seeing a resurgence of (dare I say it) GREAT email newsletters cropping up everywhere.

If you don’t believe me, check your own inbox. How many of you look forward to Tim Ferriss’ 5-Bullet Friday (and copied it yourself with a not-so-clever, “Friday’s Top Hits” or some other knock off)? Or Austin Kleon’s famous “10 Things Worth Sharing” Newsletter. Or Ann Friedman’s “The Ann Friedman Weekly,” also sent on Fridays.

Yeah, that’s what I thought. The newsletter is having it’s moment, which begs the question: Why on Earth are these working?!

Every company with internet access has attempted the newsletter and failed miserably, boasting open rates that are lucky to hit 17%.

The vast majority of newsletters get struck by the email-marketer’s-kiss-of-death: “Mark As Read.”

What are these newsletters doing that’s making them work??

I decided to investigate. Spoiler alert: the answers will (not) surprise you. In fact, they’re so #facepalm obvious you’re going to kick yourself for not seeing it. I certainly did.

Here is why the email newsletters don’t suck and how you can make sure yours don’t either:

💌 They’re super niche.

If you work in a traditional company, odds are the email newsletter is your way of satisfying the CMO’s frantic need to “get the word out” whenever he randomly decides he needs to because he didn’t do the hard work of planning a proper launch or promotion strategy.

That is the wrong way to do this.

The right way is to focus exclusively on the kind of people who make up your specific audience and deliver content that only they will appreciate.

Again for emphasis:

Deliver content that only a specific audience will appreciate

You don’t want everyone: just the right people. (Kinda like having product/market fit) This is why they don’t have to segment and can send ONE email to everyone. Their lists are niche and specific.

My favorite example of this is Gary’s Guide  —  a New York specific “digest” of what’s happening in the NYC tech scene. It has the most comprehensive list of events, classes, series A/B/Whatever funding updates, and job listings of anything on the internet. The best part? It looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1992.

 

And, yet, it’s considered one of the best go-to sources for what’s happening in the NYC startup scene. That’s because it’s not trying to be everything to everyone.

Gary’s Guide is just for startups and people wanting to break into the tech scene in Manhattan. In other words: It’s niche AF.

Tim Ferriss is also very niche, despite his famously massive subscriber numbers. His audience is made up of bio-hackers and aspiring digital nomads and Tim delivers exactly what they want: latest “hacks,” supplements, gadgets, and, of course, stoicism!!! It’s got wonderfully nerdy book and documentary recommendations too.

If you’re not interested in those topics, you won’t appreciate his bullets:

What’s more is these bullets feel personal (we’ll get to that in #3). Like he’s your friend telling you what he’s reading, watching, and listening to. His readers don’t even care that these are mostly affiliate links because it’s so relevant and valuable to them.

Look:

Again, this feels like he’s your friend, casually sending you an email. And it’s niche becuase he knows his readers are aspiring top performers and watching TED Talks at double speed, so he includes the detail, “Watch and do not rush.” It’s like he’s looking out for you.

These newsletters work because they cater to a small, specific group of people. Tim and Gary are not trying to please everyone  —  in fact, they’re actively trying to turn people off.

For example, if you get excited from reading this article and subscribe to the newsletters I’m profiling here, you’ll likely be disappointed because they’re not interested in pleasing you. They’re interested in pleasing their people.

💌 The content is actually good.

I told you this would be obvious. You can’t skimp on this one and yet everyone tries to. That’s how “roundup” became such a dirty word. Paper.li, Refind, and other tools started automating curation and sending you pure crap (or simply too much). Newsletters started white labeling those automation services and claiming they were “curating,” but that is not curating.

Curating is hand picking. If you’re the curator of an art gallery you’re not going, “Eh f*ck it,” and just slapping something random on the wall to meet your weekly quota.

To curate is to be discerning. Careful. Methodical. Thoughtful.

For example, this is a poorly curated photo. It makes no sense right here.

Austin Kleon is the master of this. His links are thoughtful and relevant. You can tell he’s actually read what he recommends and isn’t siphoning the hard work of curation to his latest content manager hire (I’m assuming he has one, but you’d never know by reading the newsletter).

Here’s an example of how he delivers quality curated content:

 

This takes clickbait to a whole new level. Instead of using a baited headline, he hyperlinks the hook: “Which contains his funny rant about the Broadway musical, Rent.” Who doesn’t want to read that?!?! (ok unless you’re his niche, you probably don’t, but the point still stands)

Kleon knows what his audience cares about because it’s what he cares about. He’s built a career and a brand around creativity and the arts. And funny drawings. And he delivers.

To nail this requirement you need a deep understanding of your audience and what they care about.

If you’re asking, “How am I supposed to know what people care about?” Do yourself a favor and get a degree in accounting and call it a day. I’m not sure you can be saved.

TL;DR: Don’t be lazy. Your audience is trusting that you’re doing the hard work of finding the diamonds in the rough. And they will reward you by coming back, week after week.

If you fail to deliver, (say it with me): “Mark as read.”

💌 Context. Context. Context. And personality. But mostly context.

Again, duh. But let me explain before you shut the screen cursing my name for telling you what you already know.

The reason these “roundups” and “blasts” work is because they’re housed within useful context. They’re not actually a long list of boring headlines you skim.

Let’s break down a bit more how Kleon does it:

 

1. It feels like he’s writing this directly to you (“Hey yall”). He’s conversational. Not overly chipper or super buttoned-up (here’s looking at you B2B).
2. He doesn’t simply hyperlink the headline of an article and move on. He tells you why you should check it out or why he did. By hyperlinking the context he sort of gameifies the content. You don’t know what you’ll get until you click!
3. He writes in the same pragmatic-and-hilarious tone he uses in his best-selling books (which is how most people discover him) which keeps his core audience happy and feeling connected to him (which is key!).

Ann Friedman is also a master of this. Look how she weaves in a “roundup” of links into a paragraph of context (also a violation of copy-law: never publish a giant unbroken block of text!!!). Yet, she is famous for these giant blocks of relevant articles.

Relevant to her readers. If you’re not a left-leaning progressive hungry for information on current events, women’s issues, race issues you probably won’t enjoy these pieces (see #1).

 

She follows the same format as Kleon.

She’s personable, relevant, and gamifying the hyperlinks inside of context. It feels like you’re getting a rant from your best friend.

Since that content can get pretty heavy, she does what your actual besties would do: add a hilarious inside-joke GIF.

 

If you’re her market it’s funny.

Another master of the email-newsletter-blast-that-sounds-like-it-was-written-by-your-bestie is Luvvie Ajayi, famed blogger and NYT bestseller who writes the LuvvLetter. Read this and tell me it doesn’t sound like it’s coming from your bffaeae updating you on her life:

 

You can HEAR her saying this to you.

These “blasts” don’t feel like blasts because they’re executed extremely well. They emphasize personality, casualness, and respect the rule of email that says it’s not just a one-way communication. These emails feel like 2-way conversations you’re having with friends updating you on their lives.

💌 They don’t visually assault you.

I’m the last person qualified to talk about design seeing as I’m a copy-centric bafoon who frequently ignores the value of good design (I have been proven wrong. many. many times), but here we are.

Newsletters that look like you repurposed a template from MailChimp are part of why people don’t read them. (I know, I am sorry MailChimp. There was a time for those.)

Design exists to serve content. Design showcases content, it is not the star.

You should never say, “Wow, this was well formatted.” You should say, “Damn, I love reading this.”

Even Ann’s “giant block of text” is housed in a sea of whitespace so it’s not competing with colors and fonts and buttons and other noise.

Same with Austin Kleon’s:

 

The banners are visually appealing too, without feeling like you’re getting a Well+Good digest (aka: digital newspaper…that’s a whole ‘nother post).

 

Luvvie is also clean, despite having a lot more content than the other examples. Her newsletter doesn’t read like a digital newspaper bombarding you with stories. Her formatting is simple and (dare I say it) dated, but her audience doesn’t seem to care.

These newsletters are consistent in that they showcase one content block at a time, making it easier on the reader to skim and get downloaded on the content they’re looking forward too (instead of being visually assaulted). Look how clean this is:

 

This isn’t rocket science.

…And yet the majority of marketing departments get it wrong. Newsletters are not a convenient tool for getting your company-specific information to your customers. They are a vehicle for communicating with your audience — just like all email is.

Listen, I’m as shocked as anyone that one-way communication “blasts” are working, but they are. And after closely examining why, it turns out these newsletters aren’t *totally* violating email marketing laws since they’re upholding the important ones:

• Don’t “throw” offers at people (don’t throw anything at people).
• Act like a person. Don’t be weird (like overly chipper or too buttoned up).
• Write to your readers, not your colleagues, your boss, or your phantom Gary Vaynerchuck.
• Be divisive. Not the in Trump-V-Hilz way, but in the “this is for people like me” or “this is not for people like me” way. It should be clear immediately who your newsletter is for and who it’s not for.
• Keep doing what works, stop doing what doesn’t.

If we have any chance at clearing the internet (and certainly my inbox) of clutter, than we need to get this right. It’s not rocket science, but it does require some hard work and legitimate caring about your audience (I mean it. None of that pretending crap. Your readers always know).

It’s no surprise to any marketer that video is critical to growing a business. But how many times have you sat at your desk with a free hour and said to yourself, “let me just create this quick video to use in our next event registration email.” 

If you answer “yes” to this question, you’re on the right track: video doesn’t have to be time consuming, hard, or take any certain production expertise. 

But if you often answer “no” – we’re here to help. Know that getting over the initial hump of realizing video doesn’t have to be hard will be game changing to the next time you have a free hour at your desk. It CAN be fun – and we’ll show you how with this guide on 75 Facebook and Instagram Video Tips in partnership with Wistia and Venngage. 

Why Facebook and Instagram? At this point, social media is basically synonymous with video. Facebook alone boasts 8 billion daily video views.

And – nearly every mainstream social media channel has started to optimize for video content—whether it’s the ability to upload natively or include video-specific features that are unique to each platform.

Regardless of your business size or industry, you’re likely already using at least a few social media platforms, which means you know that no site is exactly the same: there’s no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to using video with social media.

We break down the elements of coming up with a successful social video strategy as we dig into two of the biggest, most far-reaching platforms out there: Facebook and Instagram.

 

As many of the nearly 20,000 attendees at HubSpot’s annual INBOUND event would probably attest, a major highlight of this year’s event was Michelle Obama’s powerful keynote address. A close second would have to be my breakout session. (Just kidding.)

Well, I’m just kidding about being a close second to Michelle. I really did speak at the same event as she did, and I was fortunate enough to interact with a roomful of forward-thinking marketers during my talk about one of my favorite topics in content marketing: using content as a tool.

Content starts with marketing, but it should never stop there. Ideally, your marketing team acts as the hub for your company’s content. It’s the center of the action when it comes to generating high-quality, engaging, educational material and finding creative ways to distribute that content to external and internal audiences — including (and especially) your various departments.

Content can be used to empower employees in every single area of your company to achieve their department’s unique goals, in addition to your company’s overall goals. That said, I understand that integrating content across departments is a big undertaking. Where would you even start?

I’m glad you asked. Here’s a quick and easy guide to the five main areas of your company that should definitely be using your content on a daily basis — and exactly how they can put it to work.

5 Departments of Your Company That Can Benefit From Content

1) Marketing

As I just said, marketing is obviously linked to content. For a lot of companies (Influence & Co. included), content marketing basically is your marketing strategy — especially as inbound marketing has continued to gain ground.

Content has become central to every goal you’re trying to achieve and every tactic you use to reach those goals, so you’re most likely putting it to use in a variety of ways. In case you need a quick refresher course, though, here are three key areas where marketing should absolutely be using content:

• Lead generation: My team found that about 18-25 percent of our quarterly revenue comes from new marketing leads that were generated from content we had written and distributed. If you’re not using content to attract, nurture, and close leads, you’re leaving revenue and opportunity on the table.
• Audience nurture: No matter what stage of the buyer’s journey a lead or customer of ours has reached, we use content to educate him — whether he sees that content via social media, receives it in his email inbox, or gets it from a salesperson.
• Search engine optimization: Pretty much every organization has had to learn about SEO to keep up with audiences and learn how they discover content. Generating your own content helps boost SEO, rankings, and online visibility.

2) Sales

You probably already create sales-specific content, whether it’s in the form of product or service one-pagers, comparison sheets, proposals, or some other type of sales collateral. But you should go beyond salesy, promotional content. The thought leadership content you create on your own (or with other leaders and experts in your company) can seriously help your sales department.

That’s because 45 percent of decision makers and 48 percent of C-suite executives reported that a company’s thought leadership directly influenced them to award business to that business. Your content can fundamentally change how your sales team works, so empower all your reps with educational content that enables their processes, and encourage them to use it in these three ways:

• Client outreach: Whether you’re sending outreach emails, touching base on LinkedIn, or sliding into a client’s DMs on Twitter, your sales team can make sure to use educational content to spark interest.
• Lead nurture: When a lead has a question for a salesperson, and the right answer is highly involved, content is the perfect way to supplement the sales process and avoid wasting 20 minutes of a sales call answering one detailed question. This applies to email nurture, too; cut to the chase in your communication, and supplement the details with your company content.
• Start conversations: Content is a great tool for account-based marketing; use it to attract the attention of that one person whose interest you’re hoping to pique. You can also ask for her input on a topic you’re writing about. People love being asked for their opinion, and it can really strengthen your content.

3) Human Resources

Over the past five years or so, my company has grown from a handful of us sitting around a table to about 75 full-time employees in different offices; I completely understand that hiring and training the right people is challenging. As the leader of a company that used content to hire 30 people in one year, trust me when I say that when your content is integrated into the hiring process, the entire company benefits. Here’s how:

• Recruiting: If you’re hoping to attract candidates who share your values, create content that showcases what your company is all about. For example, my company published an article in Harvard Business Review about our extensive mental health policy. When candidates find that content and other pieces like it, they’ll quickly know whether our company is a good fit for them.

  (Bonus: Your employees are more likely to share this kind of culture-focused content than they are to share standard job postings, which can help you tap into the networks of your best brand advocates: current employees.)

• Vetting: For candidates who have moved past phone screenings, send select pieces of your content their way before you meet in person. Whether candidates bother to read those articles before their interviews says a lot about their fit for your company. And when those articles are read, they pave the way for more in-depth, illuminating conversations between you and your potential hires.
• Training: Once candidates join your team, send them more content about your company and industry trends to help them prepare for their first day and hit the ground running during their first months with your company.

4) C-Suite

Companies don’t have ideas — people do. No matter how many blog posts or articles you’ve read bylined by a brand trying to convince you otherwise, only people have ideas.

Behind every brand is a team of people leading and powering it, and that means there should be people behind the content you create, too. For a lot of companies, those people often look like founders, CEOs, presidents, or other C-level executives. Whomever you choose, his or her content can benefit the entire leadership team by facilitating:

• Audience connections: People reading your content want to know who’s behind it. Of course, it’s great for marketing, but it gives your company a face and a voice. Your audience members are much more likely to respond to a voice they find compelling and relatable than a faceless company spitting words on a page at them.
• Partnership and co-marketing opportunities: Getting visibility for the people behind the brand can help your brand, too — as my presence at INBOUND demonstrates. Providing consistent content in the form of guest posts to the HubSpot Marketing Blog and co-hosting a webinar at Digital Agency Day opened the door for me to become a speaker at this year’s event.
• Investor relations: If a company is looking to raise another round of funding, chances are good that investors are looking into the people leading that company. Articles showcasing the thought leadership and expertise of your C-suite can give your company a leg up on other companies seeking funding.

5) Account Service

Too often, marketers and their teams view content as a way to generate leads (and even enable sales) but stop short of actually using that content to service those clients once they sign. If you can get content into the hands of your account managers or customer service representatives, you can overcome a lot of the same challenges that your sales team uses content to address, including:

• Efficiency: Sometimes, clients ask repetitive questions; other times, they ask really specific questions that require detailed answers. In either case, it’s much easier (and faster) for everyone involved if your account managers can simply give a high-level answer and send content from your subject matter experts that dives deeper.
• Retention and upselling: This method of using content also plays into keeping clients happy enough to stay — and to upsell them on your services. Continually educating your clients, showing them that you understand the issues they’re interested in, and providing value above and beyond what they may have expected are all good ways to encourage them to keep working with you.

Content may start with marketing, but it absolutely shouldn’t end there. Sharing content between departments — and actively using it as a tool to help every area of the company — is a powerful way to help achieve individual departmental goals and lead your company to success.

 

When you’re looking for a job, you should expect to be Googled.

When you’re trying to land a speaking engagement for a big industry event, you should expect to be Googled.

When you send a guest contributor pitch to a blog you admire, you should expect to be Googled.

The truth is, anyone that may end up working with you in some capacity wants to get a good idea of your work and your personality before responding to your email or getting you to schlep all the way into the office.

That’s where you personal brand comes in. Your personal brand refers to the way you present or market yourself, your skills, and your work. And if you want to get past that initial Google search, you’re going to want to develop a personal brand that accurately reflects what you’re capable of.

That’s why we put together the A to Z guide below. From consistency to networking, we’ll walk you through all of the elements that go into defining an impressive personal brand so you can feel good about those Google search results.

The Complete A to Z Guide to Personal Branding

1) A: Authenticity

Building a brand around you requires quite a bit of soul searching. In the process, you’ll likely learn a lot about who you are, what you value, what your strengths (and weaknesses) are, and so on. These are all elements of your authentic self.

When working on your personal brand, be sure to tap in to those layers — those things that make you, you.

2) B: Bio

Your professional bio provides a clear and concise summary of your professional background that can be used to represent you across a ton of different mediums — blog posts, social media, a speaker profile, etc. In many cases, it serves as a first impression — which is why it plays such an important part in defining your personal brand.

Trouble is, most people fail to keep it updated.

“A short, professional bio is one of those things most people don’t think about until, all of a sudden, we’ve been asked to ‘shoot one over via email’ and have approximately one afternoon to come up with it,” explains HubSpot’s Lindsay Kolowich.

Don’t fall into this trap. If you need help ensuring your bio reflects your best professional self, check out our free professional bio guide, complete with plug-and-play templates to help you get started.

3) C: Consistency

Thanks to the internet, discoverability

One example of how to exercise consistency in your personal branding would be to align your username across all of your social channels. This approach is more memorable and it makes it easy for folks searching for you across platforms to surface the right account quickly. Just be sure the username you choose reads professional.

Think: RoseJMills across everything instead of MissRose8794, RosiexMills87, and RJM8794.

In addition to username, employing a consistent headshot across your online accounts is also a personal branding best practice. Take a look at how HubSpot Co-founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah sticks with the same headshot across his Twitter, LinkedIn, and Inbound.org profile:

4) D: Direction

When it comes to determining the success of your personal branding efforts, how will you know when you’re making progress?

This is where the importance of direction comes in.

Some of the most accomplished professionals have a clear sense of direction. This includes well-defined goals, a long-term vision, and a handful of vehicles to drive that vision forward.

Before you make any major personal brand plays, stop to think about the professional direction you want to go in and then plan your next steps accordingly.

5) E: Evolutionary

Old Spice. Pabst Blue Ribbon. Instagram.

Source: Logo Inspirations

These are all hugely successful names that have undergone dramatic rebrands over the years. And there’s something to be said about their willingness to change and evolve.

Much like these brands, it’s important that you keep a close eye on the success and relevance of your personal branding strategy and pivot accordingly.

As you develop new skills, consider how you might evolve your brand to reflect that. Similarly, as certain mediums for promoting your brand fizzle, invest in new ones. Your personal brand should be consistent, yet constantly evolving to reflect the most current, accurate representation of you.

6) F: Focus

Rome wasn’t built in a day — and you shouldn’t expect your personal brand to be either. Establishing yourself as an expert in your industry or a noteworthy resource for any given subject requires a focused approach to delivering value to your audience while upholding your unique values.

In other words, don’t expect overnight results. Instead, focus on what you can do today to strengthen your personal brand tomorrow.

7) G: Growth

Consider the skills you already posses and the skills you want to build to advance your brand. If you have a fairly large skill gap to fill in order to achieve your desired outcome, it’s important to have a plan for prioritization.

As you move towards mastering the skills on your “to-do” list, start by ranking each one by highest growth potential. In other words, which skills do you need to tackle first to make the biggest impact on your overall brand? Which skills are going to help you grow the most?

Start there.

8) H: Human

Think about the last time you scrolled through Twitter. We’re willing to bet that for every profound, original post from one of the folks you are following, there were about 20-30 automated tweets with a blog post title and a link.

While there’s nothing wrong with automating aspects of your online presence — social, email outreach, etc. — it’s important that you’re strategic about how you go about it.

Here are a few rules of thumb to help you strike the right balance:

• Don’t: Share just a link to an article. Instead, add color commentary. Share the article and share your thoughts on it.
• Do: Ask questions of your audience. No matter what the platform, inviting your audience to participate in a conversation with you will help you get to know them and better position yourself as a trusted authority.
• Don’t: Send the same pitch to everyone. Take the time to do some research. The more personalized your outreach is, the more willing folks will be to give you a shot — whether it be a guest post, a consultation, etc.

Looking for an example of someone with a human social media presence? Give Ann Handley a follow:

9) I: Interviews

Here’s a piece of sage advice: Say ‘yes’ to every single interview you’re offered — whether it be for a potential job, a podcast, an article, etc.

Depending on the nature of the interview, there are a few potential personal branding wins to gain by simply saying yes.

For job interviews …

Even if you’re not interested in the position on the table, going through the interview process can serve as a great exercise for refining and practicing your professional pitch, as it provides you with an opportunity to sell yourself and your skills.

What’s more, the feedback you receive from the interviewer can be extremely helpful in improving your personal brand. For example, if the interviewer questions a particularly weak part of your resume, you may identify an opportunity for improvement or clarity.

For podcast or written interviews …

If you’re comfortable talking about your industry or area of expertise, landing an interview — whether it is audio or written — is a really smart way to gain exposure for your personal brand.

Depending on the spot you land, an interview can help you get your name in front of a large audience — one you may have not had access to otherwise. And in many cases, one interview can open the door for another. Momentum for the win.

10) J: Join

Thanks to the internet and social media, there is no shortage of professional groups to get involved with. And aside from the obvious networking aspect, joining these groups can be extremely beneficial when it comes to growing your personal brand.

How so?

Joining a community or group centered around something you’re passionate about and want to be known for can help you:

• Develop new skills
• Improve ideas
• Establish yourself as a resource
• Gain inspiration

Don’t know where to start? Here’s an overview of how to find and join a group on LinkedIn.

11) K: Knowledge

In many cases, your personal brand is rooted in your knowledge in any given area. And knowledge can go a long way in helping you establish credibility with an audience.

If you have a personal website, which we recommend for anyone looking to advance their personal brand, use that as a platform to highlight your expertise and share information with others. By volunteering your insight through blog posts, ebooks, or case studies, you are demonstrating your willingness to help.

Marketer and entrepreneur Sujan Patel runs an inspiring blog where he gives away a ton of professional advice for companies focused on scaling growth. As a result, he’s become known as a trusted resource with a “mind for marketing.“

12) L: Leadership

Anyone in a leadership position will tell you that personal branding comes with the territory.

Think about it: It’s important that you are committed to developing yourself before you can prove that you can help others develop in their careers, right?

This means knowing your strengths and weaknesses, honing your emotional intelligence, understanding how you like to receive feedback, and so on. All of these aspects contribute to your leadership style, which ultimately plays a role in defining your personal brand.

13) M: Mission

It’s a best practice for companies to define a mission statement that sets the stage for what they do and, perhaps or importantly, why they do it. This statement serves as a guiding light, pushing those in the organization to uphold the company’s values and purpose.

When it comes to personal branding, defining a statement that is specific to your professional development can be equally as effective.

Before you sit down to write yours, take some time to reflect on the following questions:

1. What are your personal career goals?
2. What core values do you hold?
3. What does success look like to you?
4. What are you most passionate about? Why?

14) N: Network

Want to earn guest posting slots? Speaking gigs? Awards and recognition? All of these personal branding milestones require you to start by doing one thing: meeting people.

By networking and building relationships on a regular basis, you’re constantly inviting new people in that have the potential to shape your brand by offering new opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Need help kickstarting your networking schedule? HubSpot’s Chief People Officer Katie Burke suggests playing “Evenbrite Roulette.”

“Search for events happening in your area in the upcoming week and attend the third event that shows up on the page,” she advises.

15) O: Opinion

A lot of people shy away from infusing their opinion into their personal brand, as they worry they might alienate part of their audience or say something offensive. While this is a valid concern, sticking to sweeping generalizations and careful word choice can actually hold your brand back.

After all, part of establishing an influential personal brand means that you owe it to yourself to take a stance on the issues that matter most to you. And depending on your line of work, there is most certainly room for your opinion as a defining aspect of your personal brand.

The key to success here? Share your opinion — but share it alongside your experience. This communication technique will help others understand where you’re coming from and opens the door for conversation around the subject.

16) P: Public Speaking

Whether you’re comfortable with it or not, public speaking is a tried-and-true way to extend your personal brand. Speaking engagements help to position you as an authority, grow your network, and earn the trust of a new audience.

Feeling a little shaky? Here are a few tips to ensure that your next speaking gig serves as a positive reflection of your personal brand:

1. Speak about something you know inside and out. The more comfortable you are with the subject matter, the more conversational things will feel. Speaking about something familiar lends itself well to personal stories and experiences, which helps to humanize you.
2. Know your audience. While you should always focus on being your authentic self, recognizing who your audience is will help you better direct your content. For example, your humor might land with one group, but not another. Know when to pull back.
3. Get feedback. Practice your talk in front of a group of coworkers you trust before taking the stage. Running through your talk in advance will help you feel more confident in your delivery and also bring to light any areas you need to work on.

17) Q: Quirkiness

One way to infuse your personal brand with a little individuality is to lean in to your quirks — the little things that set you apart from others. For example, maybe you’re known for calculating complicated math in your head, or doodling your notes, or being particularly clumsy.

Whatever your quirks may be, don’t be afraid to incorporate them into your personal brand. While they may seem senseless, they make it easier for people to relate to you, as they provide a level of interest and intrigue.

Leandra Medine Cohen, founder of Man Repeller, provides a great example of how to play up your quirks as part of your personal brand:

18) R: Reputation

When it comes to reputation as part of your personal branding efforts, there are two key areas you want to focus on:

1) Your online reputation

The process for making most major decisions starts with a Google search. And when it comes to your personal brand, your online presence can and will reveal a lot about you, your work, and what it’s like to work with you.

To keep tabs on your online reputation, set up a Google Alert for your name so you receive a notification every time you appear in a piece of content. This is a great way to track positive mentions of your name and your brand, while keeping a close eye on fires you may need to resolve.

2) Your offline reputation

Your offline reputation is determined by several factors including, the quality of your work, the way you treat other people, the way you respond to feedback, and the impact you’ve made on others.

To achieve positive outcomes in all of these areas, you need to be committed to constant improvement by tapping into your self-awareness and self-regulation to ensure you’re putting your best foot forward.

19) S: Social Media

For many people, personal brand and social media go hand in hand. In other words, if you want to establish a personal brand, you need to establish a social media presence to support it.

That being said, simply having social profiles that you post to regularly isn’t enough. You have to be strategic about your social output — what you post, when you post, and why you post — to ensure that it reflects the behaviors and values that anchor your personal brand.

Here are a few of our favorite tips for using social media to advance your brand:

• Follow people you admire. What types of content are they posting? How frequently? How do they engage with their followers? Make note of their strategy and look for nuggets that you can incorporate into your own.
• Align your title, username, and headshot across platforms. We mentioned this up in the consistency section, but it bears repeating. Make it easy for folks to identify you and what you do by maintaining consistent identifiers across accounts.
• Post often. Part of building a memorable brand boils down to properly setting expectations. Commit to posting at least once a day on particular channels so people can rely on your for consistent, fresh updates.

20) T: Trust

A great way to build trust and advance your personal brand is to ask those you have a strong professional relationship with to write a recommendation or testimonial that you can then use across your website or social accounts.

Here’s a great example from experience marketing professional John Bonini’s personal website:

Stumped on whom to ask for a testimonial? Try to capture a variety of people — managers, folks you manage, contacts at other companies you’ve worked closely with, etc.

21) U: Unique Value Proposition

As a professional, what problem do you solve? What value do you add? How do you make a difference?

Asking yourself questions like the ones above will help you determine your unique value proposition — a pivotal piece of your personal branding strategy.

Think of your unique value proposition as the key differentiator that people will use to evaluate your personal brand and determine what makes you the most qualified person to do XYZ. You can use this on your resume, in a LinkedIn summary, or on your professional website.

22) V: Visibility

Once you have a foundation for your personal brand, it’s time to spread the word.

One of the best ways to increase your visibility is through a strategic content strategy, where you’re focused on delivering your unique value through the mediums that matter to your audience. This could be blog posts, courses, email campaigns, video content, webinars, etc.

Allen Gannett, CEO of TrackMaven, has done an impressive job increasing his visibility on LinkedIn through his #AllenAsks video series that has helped him grow his followership from a few thousand to over 35,000.

… plus it certainly doesn’t hurt your credibility when you’re creating content with Mark Cuban. Nicely done, Allen.

23) W: Well-rounded

This one may seem a little confusing at first. After all, your personal brand is typically centered around the one thing you do better than everyone else, right?

In most cases, yes. You want to become known for one thing — like being an expert in classical music or a seasoned pastry chef. However, there are advantages to knowing and owning your niche, while also maintaining a basic understanding of a variety of unrelated topics.

Why waste brainpower on broadening your knowledge? It’s simple: Knowing a little bit about everything makes you more relatable. It makes it easy for you to talk to people, which in turn, makes it easier for you to build connections that can advance your person brand.

24) X: X Factor

Similar to your unique value prop, your “x factor” is the thing you bring to the table that your competitors or other folks in your industry do not.

Think of it as your very own disruptor.

Maybe you have access to an extensive network of influencers that are willing to work with you on projects, or you’ve been recognized as the top content marketer of the year for three years running. Whatever your “x factor” may be, it’s your job to bake it in to your personal brand.

25) Y: Year

We’ll admit it, coming up with a term for ‘Y’ was a little challenging, but this one is actually important.

Make a conscious effort to update all of your personal branding assets — resume, professional bio, LinkedIn summary, author bio, personal website, etc. — on a yearly basis as a best practice for maintaining an up-to-date professional narrative.

If nothing else, this will help you avoid all of those “Oh sorry, I don’t work there anymore” emails.

26) Z: Zealous

If you’ve made it this far, well, we’re impressed. Thanks for sticking with us.

You must really be really zealous in the pursuit of personal branding knowledge. And that’s an admirable trait. Why don’t you try working it into your professional bio?

What are your best personal branding tips? Share them with us on Twitter @HubSpot.

When you look up the word “snippet” in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition you’ll find is, “a small part, piece, or thing; especially: a brief quotable passage.”

So, what does that mean in the context of marketing?

It could carry any number of meanings, really. It could be an excerpt from a larger piece of content in the form of a blog post. It could be a fragment from an ebook used as marketing copy. Or, it could pertain to search engine results.

It’s that last context that we’re here to discuss today — specifically, the featured snippet, and what people think of. What is it, and can it be trusted?

Let’s find out.

What Is a Featured Snippet?

A featured snippet is a summarized response to a search engine query that appears on top of results. It’s pulled from a page’s content to include the text that Google believes will best answer your question, and is displayed with the page title and URL.

Let’s say I wanted to find an answer to the question, “Why are dogs so great?” Here’s the featured snippet Google pulled in response to that query:

In this instance, the page that was used for the featured snippet happens to be the top-ranked one in the search engine results page (SERP) for this query. But, that isn’t always the case — and Search Engine Land recently reported that Google is testing the option to remove featured snippet pages from the following results altogether. 

For example, here’s what happened when I searched for, “Why are dogs the best?”

While the featured snippet page still ranks well for this query — it’s in the #2 position — it’s not the top result. So, keep in mind: a featured snippet does not always equal a top rank in the SERP.

Do People Trust the Featured Snippet?

Here’s another thing to keep in mind if you’re striving to snippet-ize your content: The featured snippet isn’t perfect.

When we recently surveyed consumers in Australia, the UK, and the U.S., we discovered that only 7% of respondents consistently trust featured snippet results. Compare that to the 21% who never trust them, and the 36% who are neutral about them.

Why is this the case?

To find out, let’s go back and have a look at the results for my query, “Why are dogs so great?”

While the featured snippet gives me some nice information about the history of dogs becoming domestication, it doesn’t really tell me anything about what, specifically, makes them such great little creatures. 

But it’s not just limited to queries about our furry friends. Here’s what happened when I searched for, “How long does it take to caramelize onions?”

The large, prominent text in the featured snippet clearly reads, “about 5 minutes.” That text was actually pulled from an article about how inconsistently recipe writers indicate the time it takes to caramelize onions. In fact, the text quoted in the featured snippet was quoted within the page from a recipe pointed out for its incorrect cooking times. 

Granted, these are fairly low-risk queries. The world isn’t going to end if, say, I undercook my onions because Google told me to — though it might make for a less-than-pleasant dinner party.

But there are instances when inaccurate featured snippet results carry greater consequences, such as when a featured snippet displays completely false information about history and current events, leading to a risk of widespread misinformation. While most of the examples featured in it have been corrected, back in May, Search Engine Land published its own list of instances where the featured snippet got things very, very wrong.

In other words, there’s good reason to take featured snippet results with a grain of salt as a searcher. As a marketer, however, it could be worthwhile to invest some time into optimizing your pages for the snippet — ethically, of course, and with accurate, truthful information — since they’ve shown to beat out even the #1 ranking result in the SERP below them.

Like many of its algorithmic initiatives, Google is likely continuing to iron things out on the featured snippet front. As always, we’ll keep an eye on things, and let you know when we observe key takeaways.

I’ve said it before, and I’ve said it again: I’m endlessly fascinated by how much we, as humans, have adapted to emerging technologies.

A few weeks ago, when I covered the Samsung Developer Conference, I had the following thought:

“Think about some of the pieces of technology or up-and-coming topics that, maybe five years ago, we thought had nothing to do with us. Those of us who ignored them quickly fell behind the curve.”

The internet of things is one such topic. It’s still emerging. Some consumers are still learning how to adapt to it. But it won’t stay that way for long.

If I’m being completely honest, the only reason why I give so much thought to the internet of things is that I write about tech. I don’t have a smart home, and I don’t develop technology or applications that pertain to connected devices.

Now, as a marketer — I care.

But why do I care? And why should you? And what, once and for all, is the internet of things?

Relax. Today, I’m going to answer all of that.

What Is the Internet of Things?

The internet of things (IoT) is the technology that allows objects — like home appliances and fixtures, cars, or devices — to send and receive data via the internet.

For me, it helps to visualize it. When I think of the word “internet,” for example, I think of a giant center of content, resources, and cute dog photos — and the people who can share and obtain this information, all while communicating with each other, via a massive network that keeps us connected.

When it comes to the IoT, then, imagine adding inanimate objects to the situation, exchanging information and communicating with each other (and their end users) via the internet. It allows these objects to execute different commands and actions, making them “smart” or “connected.”

For that reason, IoT typically has to be comprised of devices with power — things that can be turned on or off, like lights or a refrigerator. But that’s not always the case, which we’ll get into later.

And that’s just on the household level. On a much larger scale, IoT is used to connect and power entire transportation or manufacturing systems. It’s referred to many as an “ecosystem,” in that it’s essentially an interconnected community of interacting people and objects, and the environments in which they operate.

This diagram represents it in a pretty simple, comprehensive way:

Source: i-SCOOP

Note the cloud in the center of the diagram. It’s easy to confuse the cloud — a system of digital data storage that runs on the internet, versus a hard drive — with IoT. And while they work well together, they’re not the same thing. As Business Insider puts it, “The IoT generates massive amounts of data, and cloud computing provides a pathway for that data to travel to its destination.”

Which is really cool, and all — but how does it apply to your day-to-day work?

As it turns out, IoT might have more to do with you than you think, beyond the ability to control your coffee maker remotely. 

So, Why Should You Care?

Consumers everywhere — many of whom could very well be your customers or within your target audience — are becoming more and more connected. As of January, about 4.917 billion of us are connected via mobile alone (up 5% from the previous year).

And as we, as humans, become more connected — so do our surrounding lives and routines. How easy would it be for you to get through an average workday without your mobile device, for example? Personally, it almost seems impossible. It’s all I use to make calls, get directions, and hail a car through a ride-sharing app when I need to get somewhere quickly. Plus, it’s how I keep an eye on my pet, by way of a handy dog cam app. 

Chances are, I’m not alone in my dependence on connectivity. Many of your customers probably are, too. So, where does your brand fit in?

You might not think you have a product or service that, say, can be connected to the internet or to users via a digital network in the ways we described above. But when you consider that 30.7 billion devices are expected to be connected by 2020 (there were 15.4 billion in 2015), you may not be thinking ambitiously enough.

Source: Statista

Case in point: When beverage distribution company Diageo wanted to find a unique (and digital way) to connect sons and daughters to connect with their dads on Father’s Day, the company connected 100,000 bottles of whiskey — real, drink-filled, glass bottles — to the internet. The reason? So that these 100,000 dads could connect to receive a personalized video message from their sons or daughters.

You have to wonder, if Diageo can turn a bottle of booze into a connected device, what can your brand do? (That campaign, by the way, resulted in a 72% increase in sales in the two weeks prior to Father’s Day.)

If you’re not sure where to begin, here are three steps to get started.

1) Pay attention to the technology available to you.

Recently, at its annual Developer Conference, Samsung introduced Project Ambience: a small dongle that can be plugged into home objects and devices — like an everyday speaker, for example — and turn them into “smart,” connected devices.

Now, bear in mind that this technology is equipped only to work with Bixby, Samsung’s voice assistant. But it’s a start. In my humble opinion, Project Ambiance is one small step at the start of a long, productive road toward smart technology’s full capabilities. Other manufacturers are working on similar initiatives (such as Baidu DuerOS and Amazon Alexa, which have created tools for developers to build these AI assistants into applications and products) — eventually, and hopefully, we’ll reach a point where technology is developed that can work with any number of voice assistants. 

For that reason, it’s a good idea for marketers to keep their fingers on the pulse of resources like these and how they’re evolving, so that when they become available for use within your field, you can be one of the first to utilize them.

2) Anticipate the problems you’ll run into.

When you kick off any new campaign or initiative, there’s always chance that you’ll run into a challenge. Sometimes, they’re unanticipated — but whenever you can plan for contingencies, do it.

That’s one reason why I love the data in the image below. Although it’s from 2015, because IoT is still an evolving piece of technology for many marketers and brands, it’s good to keep in mind as you embark on incorporating it into your own strategies. Have a look, and think about the ways you can preemptively solve these challenges.

Source: Business Insider

3) Start brainstorming, and look for inspiration in history.

One of the most important elements of staying ahead of the curve in marketing is — if you’ll excuse the cliche — maintaining an open mind. Let’s revisit the words I opened with: “Those of us who ignored [new technology] quickly fell behind the curve.”

So, don’t ignore it. Embrace it. Start thinking about the ways it can apply to what your business offers.

And if you’re seeking inspiration, the Diageo example I used above is just one instance of how marketers have successfully used IoT. There’s the ceiling fan company that use IoT to help customize its users’ experiences with products. Or, have a look at the manufacturing automation company that uses connected, smart devices to reduce inventory cycles in plants.

In other words: There’s still time to figure out where your brand fits in. But don’t let it go to waste.

When we talk about conversion, we’re essentially talking about an exchange.

Let’s say, for example, you’re offering a piece of downloadable content to your site visitors. It’s “free,” in terms of the lack of money paid for it, but some other information is traded. So, for example, in exchange for this ebook, the visitor fills out a form with a certain amount of contact information. At the end of the day, it’s still a transaction.

But now — 11 years after HubSpot first came into existence — these transactions are starting to become diversified, and so are the reasons why we have them.

I’ll admit it: For many marketers, the motivation behind these exchanges used to be, “So I can sell my product.” Then, it evolved into, “So I can help my buyers.” But today, that doesn’t cut it anymore — not when information is becoming greater in quantity and more accessible, and not after communication methods have evolved to the point where they are now.

Now, the motivation has evolved from the point of, “So I can help” — a founding principle of the Inbound Methodology — to, “We’re changing the way buyers can be helped.” The form, for example, is slowly starting to date itself. While it serves an important purpose in certain use cases, it doesn’t always meet the needs of today’s buyers; for example, when they need information quickly, across different devices, or in the online ecosystem they’re using.

That means leveraging those evolved communication methods to create a tighter relationship between a given buyer’s behavior and the type of transaction she’s having with you. That’s why it’s time to make these exchanges more innovative, and build more than one linear conversion path to match increasingly diverse consumer communication and buying preferences.

Here’s what that looks like — and what happened when we tried it.

How Buyers and Marketers View Interaction

How We Got Here

Think back to the time when on-site live chat first became available to customers. We like to think of it as a “1.0” version of buyers engaging on your website — one of the first options ever made available to get a quick answer to a question that didn’t require a phone call or email.

But the reason why we think of it as “1.0” is that, while it’s far from obsolete, reaching customers and prospects goes beyond chat — largely because options and preferences have expanded and evolved.

Buyers and marketers tend to view that phenomenon from different perspectives. For the former, it’s about having conversations with brands where and when customers and prospects prefer — largely because the world has changed, and 80% of internet users report suffering from “information overload.” But with that also comes a new level of options, which means that your organization isn’t the only one with leverage anymore — or the only one that can give buyers what they want. And more options = less patience in waiting for information. 

The goal, therefore, is to get the best answer as quickly and easily as possible, from the platform they’re already using, whether it be Facebook, a company’s website, or something else.

Marketers don’t always view interactions with that audience in the same way. We tend to view things through the conversion funnel, which is a visualization of the customer journey, starting with the moment she discovers your brand — at the top of the funnel, or TOFU — to when she converts to a customer at the bottom of the funnel, or BOFU.

But in order to be successful, we can’t focus on strictly one POV. While it’s important to look through the perspective of the funnel at that journey (and the way we reach our audiences throughout it), we also have to examine what those efforts look like on the receiving end — in the buyer’s shoes.

When it comes to interaction between buyers and brands, there is no one-size-fits-all option — and even if there was, it would become commoditized very quickly. After all, that’s the historical pattern of human buying behavior.

To understand that, we have to look at this interaction and the funnel from both sides. Each part — the top, middle, and bottom — corresponds with a stage of the buyer’s journey: awareness, consideration, and decision. At the top, the visitor is conducting research and looking for answers to a problem. In the middle, she starts to consider if your solutions are the best for her, and at the bottom, she’s narrowing her buying choices and making a final selection. As marketers, the nature of our communication with the potential customer should vary at each stage.

But as leads are nurtured through the funnel, it’s important to send the right messages at the right time. Asking someone to book a meeting with you after only reading your blog post, for instance, is a communication mismatch, since the reader probably doesn’t know enough about you to want to have that conversation. Which brings us to the importance of viewing the buyer’s journey through the eyes of … the buyer.

But There Are Also Ranking Factors

On October 17, Google is slated to release an updated version of its popular Chrome browser, version 62, which will prominently display sites that do not use SSL — Secure Sockets Layer, the technology that encrypts your connection to a website so that hackers can’t intercept any of your data — as “Not Secure.” Here’s what that will look like:

Source: 9to5Google

That means websites that aren’t SSL enabled will receive penalty rankings, which lowers a site’s discoverability chances and, as a result, on-site conversion opportunities. If there are two otherwise equal sites, for example, that are currently both ranking for similar topics, if only one is SSL enabled, it’s going to be ranked more favorably.

But here’s where that really plays into the conversion path: even prior to this rollout, Google flags sites that are not secure and ask for personal information, like credit card numbers and SSN. The changes on October 17 will cause Google to flag all forms, including those used by many B2B brands for lead generation purposes, as not secure. That presents an even greater need than ever for alternative conversion paths, like chat. And while creating diversified communication options to match consumer preferences is crucial, limiting them to forms will now have greater SEO implications, too. 

To be clear, these changes and favorability for SSL-enabled sites don’t apply to on-site live chat. The security for those communication tools is typically managed on the back end by the provider of this technology. But in any case, it presents another case for off-site chat platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp becoming even more helpful, immediate resources for communication with customers.

The Buyer’s POV: The Need for Conversion Diversification

Today, we still have blog posts and gated content offers at the top of the funnel, and we stand by the idea that creating blog posts that are relevant, evergreen, and helpful remains a viable tactic for attracting visitors. But now, there’s also so much more content at the top of the funnel, and it’s in more places. People discover brands and content through more than just searches for information, and they often have their first encounter via social media.

That’s just one reason why conversion paths need to diversify beyond the traditional blog post > offer > form path. If someone first consumes your content on Facebook, rather than a blog post, the last thing she wants to do is navigate away from the platform to fill out a form.

Another reason has to do with what happens after the form submission. When an inbound lead is routed to our sales team, a rep will call or email the lead to offer some advice and hopefully schedule a meeting. But what about buyers who want to cut to the chase and call the sales team directly instead of vice versa? What about people who don’t want to take a phone call at all?

We’re living in what I like to call the “post-now” — where forms still exist, but they’re joined by things like messenger apps, bots, and on-site chat. From the buyer’s perspective, these forms of communication provide alternatives when they prefer not to make phone calls, and quicker exchanges for those who want an instant solution.

Both of those considerations are imperative today — many consumers choose shopping methods based on how quickly they can procure products, and the extent that they just don’t want to talk to anybody. This ad for online ordering platform Seamless speaks volumes about these changing consumer preferences:

Haha! “Still calling to order? You can’t sit with us.” – @Seamless #taptaptakeout http://pic.twitter.com/hJHkoHhODD

— Sean Joseph Zepps (@SeanZepps)
December 16, 2014

That brings us back to the marketer’s role. To meet the buyer’s POV, you need automation — in a way that is scalable across your audience, with limited human involvement, that results in a quick solution.

So we wanted to know:

How do we combine the buyer’s and marketer’s perspectives to nurture leads on their terms — where they want to have an exchange, and in a way that’s most convenient and comfortable for them?

The answer, we hypothesized, was providing multiple additional conversion path options:

• Book a meeting: Prospects can put time directly on a sales rep’s calendar with the help of a personalized link.
• Chat: Visitors can get information and receive answers to questions on-demand through messenger bots or on-site chat.
• Call sales: Prospects can call sales directly using a direct phone number.

But Which Is the Most Appropriate Conversion Path?

Given that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for this interaction, there’s also no simple answer to this question. For each section of the funnel, there are some paths that are more appropriate than others.

Top of the Funnel (TOFU)

Messaging

On this level, messaging is a heavy-hitter — and within that, you have multiple layers, like Facebook Messenger, on-site chat, and other messaging platforms, like Slack or WeChat. Then, there are bots, which aren’t about starting the conversation, but more about automating it in a way that’s managed on the back end, to determine which human might be needed to respond to a particular question, problem, or request for information. Buyers should be able to ask questions during their initial awareness phase and get a quick response, which can be enabled by this technology.

The bot layer might be the most fundamental. It’s where you determine, “Does this person communicating with me need help?” We like to think of it as Tier I, where you can quickly determine if an inquiry needs to be escalated and allocate time to the people who really need human help. Before this automatic escalation technology was available, distributing resources for this type of exchange was trickier — often times, prospects had complex concerns or reasons for communicating that HTML forms simply couldn’t address. Here’s what that looks like when someone uses Messenger to request customer support from HubSpot:

HubSpot Academy uses a bot called Mumbles to support buyer inquiries in a similar manner: 

On-site chat functions in a similar manner, but we caution against limiting your messaging options to just that. Remember what I said earlier about the buyer who doesn’t want to leave Facebook to interact with you? Forcing someone to go to your website to message you restricts possible conversion paths for those who discover your content on social media — an off-site platform.

Content

We think of the content that attracts the visitor in the first place to be a crucial part of the conversion path. It’s at the very root of the inbound methodology: attract readers with quality content, and lead them down the conversion path.

But now, the content itself has also become diversified. Take the customers we mentioned earlier, for example, who first engage with a brand when they consume its video on Facebook. As we noted, it would be inconvenient for that person to navigate to a third-party site to fill out a form, which is why we’ve put conversion communication mechanisms in place within Facebook, like Messenger. It hasn’t replaced the process of reading a blog post and clicking a CTA at the bottom — it’s merely adding more options for users.

That’s why we think of video — which is something that about a quarter of marketers have named as a top priority this year — as its very own conversion path.

The same concept applies to freemium tools — the products or services, usually digital, that are made available for free, with the option of adding premium features or functions for a charge. Again, there isn’t an exchange of money at this stage, but there’s still the beginning of a transaction with a user discovering your brand by way of a helpful tool.

Even if there’s less information exchanged here, with something like a freemium tool, you’re providing greater context to users about the value of your product and brand. It goes back to the idea of helping instead of just selling — you’re learning more about the consumer in a way that enhances and improves her experience.

Middle of the Funnel (MOFU)

Advanced Messaging

We’re past the point of attraction and discovery here, when strangers and visitors start to become leads. Now, they’re aware of your brand, and the communication has to evolve to match their potential consideration of your product.

In this stage, you can continue to provide valuable content and tools for your leads, though it should be more advanced than what led them to discover you in the first place, such as personalized emails or specific product pages. And within that content, you should make it easy for them to book a meeting with you.

For something like that, we use the HubSpot Meetings app, which creates a personalized link to your schedule that you can share with anyone. After that person clicks the link, it allows her to choose from your available times. It can be shared in your email signature, sent directly to an individual, or embedded on your website.

The key here is that, again — just like in the TOFU stage — the path meets the contact where she already is. In this case, the option to book a meeting makes it easy for her to take the next logical step in her buyer’s journey without abandoning the content platform for a third-party site.

Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU)

Chat or Call Sales

At last: We’ve arrived at the decision stage. This is where leads become customers, and the conversion path should provide contacts with the information they need to make a choice.

We’ve observed that, at this stage, the availability of immediate communication becomes the most crucial. And that makes sense — contacts typically have already done their consideration and research. They’re ready to buy, and they’re ready to do it — now.

Why the emphasis on instant solutions? At the decision phase, the buyer has become even busier, even more committed, and even more impatient. So, buyers need the right, immediate mechanisms to purchase. At the bottom of the funnel — when they want to talk to someone right away — a form is far from the best way to do that.

And remember the folks who don’t want to talk on the phone? Their immediate needs to be met here, too.

Think about how you purchase products these days, even after a lengthy decision-making process. When was the last time you completed that transaction over the phone? Now, we see a process that looks more like this:

I want Product X > Here’s my credit card number

However, you still have to take into account users who would rather work with another person who can answer their questions during the transaction — but still don’t want to get on the phone. In that case, the process looks more like:

Chat with human > I want Product X > Here’s my credit card number

Here’s where on-site chat (either automated, or with a live sales rep) can become particularly helpful.

Again — providing a range of communication options is key. Maybe some customers don’t want to enter their payment information into a chat box, which is why there should still be options throughout the funnel — particularly at the decision stage — to call sales directly.

Conversion Rates of 5 Different Paths

Cool, huh? Naturally, we wanted to try these new conversion paths out ourselves — and we had some intriguing results.

We looked at five of our conversion paths:

1. Average ebook or gated offer downloads
2. “Contact sales” forms
3. Call sales directly
4. On-site chat
5. Meetings booked through HubSpot Meetings links

Then, we looked at how many customers were closed after each respective transaction. To answer that question, our formula looked something like this:

So, if we wanted to know how many customers closed after digitally booking a meeting with us, the formula would be:

(Some fine print: the transaction preceding the close does not necessarily indicate the only transaction that the customer had with us. So while a customer may have closed within 90 days of booking a meeting, it’s entirely possible that she previously engaged with us another way.)

The 90-day conversion rates for each path were as follows:

• Ebook/gated offers: 0.7%
• Contact sales form: 15.11%
• Book a meeting: 12.5%
• Chat: 20.95%
• Call sales: 29.62%

So, people do still talk on the phone. That is — when they want to.

But not far from that transaction was chat, coming in second place, confirming our hypothesis that more and more people want to close their transactions digitally.

Looking Ahead

I wish we could say that the results surprised us, but — if we’re being completely transparent — they didn’t.

From the very beginning, we hypothesized that customer preferences had been changing over time, and that we needed to match the ways we sell with the ways people want to buy. That meant implementing options.

We’ll continue testing, but looking forward, we plan to not only keep a close eye on these evolving preferences, but also, to figure out a way to make it even easier for users to discover and engage with us. And we’ll publish our results along the way for the good of the entire marketing community.

What are the different conversion paths you’ve been testing? Let us know about your best experiments in the comments — and hey, we might even feature it on our blog.

Hectic schedules can make it seem impossible to fit workouts into our busy week. The prospect of packing a gym bag, trudging to your local gym, working out, showering, changing, and trudging back to where you came from takes an awful lot of time.

But you aren’t doing yourself any favors by disregarding your health — no matter how packed your workday is.When you neglect exercise, you’re putting both your physical and your mental health at risk, which can negatively impact your productivity and effectiveness at work.

One great solution? Work physical activity into your everyday routine. In fact, researchers found that people who exercise during the workday are actually more productive at work, even though they technically logged fewer hours.

An office workout can vary widely in type and intensity — from swapping your desk chair out for a stability ball, to going for a run during your lunch break. Here are a few ideas to get you started — illustrated with help from our friends at Venngage, the poster maker.

10 Ways to Sneak in Exercise at Work

1) Turn your commute into a workout.

The time you spend commuting is already time you’re logging each and every day. So why not turn that time into a workout?

There are ways to incorporate exercise into every type and length of commute. If you live fairly close by, try speed walking, jogging, or cycling to work instead of driving or taking public transportation. Be sure to check for the best and safest routes in your location.

If that distance is too daunting, try parking some distance away from work or getting off the bus or subway a few stops earlier than normal to walk or jog the rest of the way.

Doing exercise during your commute instead of just sitting there will make you feel good while helping you keep fit, even in winter. You just have to dress properly for it.

2) Work out during lunch.

In a recent post on how effective managers organize their time, HubSpot Senior Marketing Director Ryan Bonnici let me in on his daily lunchtime routine: Every day, he blocks off 12:00–1:00 P.M. for a run, a swim, or catching up with a friend. Not only does this benefit him physically, but he says it’s also necessary for productivity and happiness.

If you can’t work out before or after work, lunchtime is your next best bet for fitting in a real workout into your busy schedule. If your office has a gym, you have a lot of workout options. If not, you might opt to go for a half-hour run or a speed walk around your neighborhood or in a nearby mall. It’ll take a little planning ahead — like packing a gym bag — but it can easily be done. Just don’t skip lunch altogether, as your body does need to be refueled.

3) Replace your desk chair with a stability ball.

Ever seen someone in an office environment sitting on what looks like an exercise ball in lieu of a chair? It’s not for comfort or looking cool — there are actually a lot of health benefits that come with sitting on stability balls at work.

For one, it helps you practice better posture by forcing proper spine alignment. Why? Because your body is constantly trying to balance itself on the ball, and a seated position with proper spine alignment is the easiest to balance with.

Sitting on a stability ball also strengthens your abdominal muscles because those are the muscles your body uses to compensate for changes in balance. Basically, you’re getting a low-intensity abdominal workout every time you sit down — and those hours add up.

Finally, one study found that children’s attention increases when they sit on stability balls. While no studies have been done on how stability balls affect adults’ attention, it’s possible we’d feel the same effects.

4) Take short “active breaks” during the workday.

On really busy days, you can still work out in short breaks by getting up, stretching your legs, and walking around. It’s all about making movement a natural part of your day.

Taking short breaks to be active, even if you’re just walking, will help you shed extra calories and help you concentrate during the time when you are working. Mental concentration is like a muscle, according to John P. Trougakos, an assistant management professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the Rotman School of Management. After sustained use, it needs a rest — just like someone lifting weights at the gym needs rest before doing a second round of repetitions.

When you reach a breaking point, make a point of moving around — like a 10-minute walk around your building, or up and down the stairs — instead of sitting at your desk checking email. This can have both long- and short-term positive effects on your mood: One study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports found that people who take walking breaks during work feel more enthusiastic, less tense, and generally more relaxed and able to cope than when they don’t take walk breaks.

5) Pace while you’re on the phone.

Chances are, you spend most of your day sitting down. Unless you need to be on your computer at the same time, you might as well take advantage of the opportunity to stand up and move around while you’re on a call. Every extra step counts, and it’ll be a welcome break for your back and your muscles.

Remember: Physical activity doesn’t have to be formal exercise to have its benefits: Even simple, unconscious fidgeting is good for your muscles and can burn some calories. Plus, you may find that the movement helps keep you focused and alert.

6) Speed walk your errands.

In the spirit of turning activities you’re going to do anyway into little exercise routines, try speed walking your errands. This is an easy way to make movement a natural part of your day, and it means having a lot of errands to run won’t cause you to miss a workout.

And, while you’re at it, don’t use a shopping cart. Human beings are designed to lift and carry things. Remember: Beneficial exercise happens in more places than the gym.

7) Go the long way.

Here’s another way to add movement to your day: Take the long way when you have a few moments to spare. This might mean taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away from your office, or going to the bathroom that’s across the building instead of right by your desk. After all, studies show that regular, low-intensity exercise such as walking can help boost energy levels — especially in people who suffer from fatigue, as counterintuitive as that sounds. Plus, think about how all of those extra steps add up after months and even years.

8) Start or join a sports or fitness club at work.

When it comes to workouts, sometimes one really is the loneliest number. But chances are you aren’t the only one at your office trying to fit exercise into a busy workday. Why not seek out others who want to work out with you and start some sort of sports or fitness club?

It could be as simple as a push-up club that meets before lunch three days a week, or a running club that does an after-work run. Or, you could take it a step further and rally your co-workers to join a local intramural league. For adult amateur leagues, try typing something like “adult basketball leagues [your city here]” into Google. 

If you’re not sure what your coworkers are into, try creating a survey using SurveyMonkey or Google Forms and emailing it to them to gauge interest. Ask them whether they’d join some sort of fitness club, what sports or fitness activities they’re interested in, and when they’re most likely to be available.

9) Stretch at regular intervals.

The prospect of stretching at your work desk might seem really awkward, but we’re not suggesting you do squats at your desk, here. There are plenty of stretches you can do either sitting down or standing up that can help ward off pain and stiffness while boosting your energy and alertness.

Work some stretches in at regular intervals throughout the day — even if they’re just for a minute. The folks at WebMD suggest torso twists, leg extensions, standing up and sitting down several times without using your hands, shrugging your shoulders to release tension in your neck and shoulders, and circling your wrists and hands in air circles.

10) Do (subtle) workouts at your desk.

I know, I know. If you thought stretching at your desk was awkward, what do desk workouts look like? But researchers have found that even one-minute spurts of activity throughout the day can be beneficial. Here are some ideas for subtle workouts at your desk from Fitness Magazine:

• Flex or tighten your abs and hold for 30 seconds. Release, and repeat 10 times.
• Squeeze your glutes and hold for 30 seconds. Release, and repeat 10 times.
• Buy a hand gripper and use it at your desk to work out your forearms and hands. (Here are some exercises you can do with a hand gripper.)
• If you’re at a standing desk, do calf raises for one full minute.

When I hear or read the word ‘moist,’ I immediately think of the locker room at the public pool where I learned how to swim when I was a kid.

It smelled like mildew and frogs, the walls were coated in grime and hair, and it was always at least 80 degrees in there — even in the winter.

It truly was a moist locker room.

Did the first sentence of this blog post make you shudder, too? If so, first of all, I hope I haven’t already lost you, because I did some research into why this particular word makes me physically convulse. And as it turns out, I’m not alone — 20% of the population has a serious aversion to the word ‘moist,’ too.

In this post, we’ll continue grossly examining the collective hatred of the word ‘moist,’ as well as dig into what word aversion is all about, anyway.

Why Do People Hate the Word ‘Moist?’

A cognitive psychologist at Oberlin College, Paul Thibodeau, conducted a series of experiments to determine exactly why the heck so many people hate the word ‘moist.’ He had three hypotheses he was testing:

1. People hate the word ‘moist’ because of how it sounds.
2. People hate the word ‘moist’ because of its connotations to bodily fluids.
3. People hate the word ‘moist’ because they’re socialized to believe the word is disgusting.

Over the course of the experiment, Thibodeau found that participants didn’t mind similar words, like ‘hoist’ and ‘joist,’ so that disproved the first hypothesis.

Participants who didn’t like the word ‘moist’ also didn’t like words such as ‘phlegm,’ ‘vomit,’ and ‘diarrhea’ — suggesting that a big part of why people hate the word so much is its connotations to bodily fluids (sorry — that’s another gross one for me.)

Thibodeau also showed two groups of participants two different videos: People Magazine‘s Sexiest Men Alive saying the word ‘moist’ in awkward contexts, and a video of people using the word ‘moist’ to describe delicious cake. Participants who watched the first video — of sexy men saying ‘moist’ — found it more disgusting than the participants who watched the second video — about moist, delicious cake.

So, Thibodeau’s findings concluded that our widely-shared hatred of the word ‘moist’ is due to our associations between moisture and bodily fluids — but that there’s a huge social component to it, too. And part of our hatred of the word ‘moist’ might just be because so many other people around us think it’s gross — even if they are the sexiest men alive. But put ‘moist’ in the context of a delicious dessert, and all of that might be forgotten.

Word aversion is a funny thing. I don’t have much use for the word ‘moist’ in my blog posts about marketing, but there are definitely other words I don’t like — and find myself never using if I can help it. So, what’s the deal with word aversion, and does it only apply to words that sound disgusting? Read on to learn why you hate the words you hate.

What Is Word Aversion?

Word aversion is “a feeling of intense, irrational distaste for the sound or sight of a particular word or phrase, not because its use is regarded as etymologically or logically or grammatically wrong, nor because it’s felt to be over-used or redundant or trendy or non-standard, but simply because the word itself somehow feels unpleasant or even disgusting.”

That definition is according to linguistics professor Paul Liberman. And basically, it means extreme dislike of a particular word — for reasons that make sense, or reasons that don’t. This isn’t a hatred of the word “nuclear” because so many people mispronounce it, and it isn’t a distaste for the word “presentation” because it brings you feelings of dread about your next board meeting. Word aversion is specifically being provoked by the word itself — and often feeling disgusted by it.

Like in Thibodeau’s experiment, there might not always be one reason why people feel the way they feel so strongly about a word — it could be the way it sounds, it could be its associations, or it could be because your friends and family hate the word, too. There’s also the possibility that that dissemination of this information — in articles like these and in viral videos — could accelerate that societal aversion to words that are talked about a lot — like the word ‘moist.’

Other words people commonly feel a strong aversion to include:

• Ointment
• Panties
• Curd
• Rural
• Dollop
• Slurp
• Pulp

They’re all kind of gross, now that you think about it, right?

So the next time you have to sit down to write a blog post, think up an ad tagline, or write something on Facebook, choose your words carefully — or poll your coworkers around you to see if you might inadvertently be writing some copy that will make your audience shudder and gag.