How to Create a Successful Blog Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide

Did you know that 55% of marketers say blogging is their top inbound marketing priority? Did you also know that these marketers are 13x more likely to see positive ROI than marketers who don't invest in blogging?

Over the last decade or so, businesses have increased revenue, improved brand awareness, and boosted conversions with valuable written content published for their target audience and customers. The key here is that their blog content is valuable — it isn't enough to simply have a blog; there has to be a purpose or reason for its existence.

So, how can you create and maintain a successful blog that provides your target audience with worthwhile and high-quality content, all while building your business's reputation as an industry thought-leader and expert?

The answer is with a blog marketing strategy.

Before we review the steps to your blog marketing strategy, let's take a look at how to create a successful blog first. These steps are a necessary part of building your blogging strategy — after all, you need to ensure you're creating great content before marketing it.

1. Choose a blog topic.

The first step in creating a successful blog is to determine your topic. This should be broad enough so you can write dozens (or hundreds) of articles about it, but also specific enough to relate it to your business, purpose, niche, and industry. For example, HubSpot has separate blogs for Marketing, Sales, and Service.

2. Pick a host.

Next, you'll need to pick a host for your business's blog. The (arguably) easiest way to host your blog is to do it through the same software you're using to run your website.

For example, as a HubSpot CRM user, you'll have access to website creation, management, and optimization, along with several other COS features including the blogging tool — HubSpot allows you to run all aspects of your business, including your blog, from a central location.

Here's a list of some of the features you automatically get when you choose HubSpot to host your blog:

• Free blog editor
• Blog scheduler
• Mobile optimization
• SEO optimization
• CTA creator
• Content collaboration
• Content calendar
• AMP support
• Analytics

Another common way to host your business's blog is through WordPress — you can compare the features you get when hosting your blog through HubSpot vs. Wordpress here. Other popular options include Wix, Bluehost, and Squarespace.

3. Register a domain, subdomain, and subdirectory.

Now, let's talk about your blog's URL structure — this is where necessary a discussion about registering domains, subdomains, and subdirectories comes into play.

A domain name, also known as the root domain, is the text in a URL that identifies your website — and, therefore, your business — for a web browser. For example, HubSpot's domain name is hubspot.com.

Subdomains are a part of your root domain — they appear before the domain in your URL like this: blog.hubspot.com. "Blog" is the subdomain.

Subdirectories are divisions of your domain that live on your website, but represent specific pages on your website. For example, a subdirectory that'd take visitors to a specific blog post on a website would look something like this: hubspot.com/blog/article-name.

Subdirectories can also represent certain types of content within a subdomain. For example, blog.hubspot.com/marketing/article-name takes visitors to a marketing article on blog.hubspot.com.

The option you choose for your blog has the potential to impact your organic ranking which is why it's important to choose wisely. So, let's take a look at some of the implications related to your organic ranking that come with these options.

Subdomains vs. Subdirectories

Subdomains are great for organizing a lot of content, including multiple content types. So, if you have a large blog operation, this structure can help you over time. However, it does pass less authority from your root domain in the short term.

Subdirectories often pass more authority from your root domain and subdomain. However, they can make it hard to scale your content strategy over time since you need more subdirectories to organize your content properly and protect your user experience (UX).

4. Decide who will write and manage your blog.

Now it's time to think about headcount — who's writing, running, and managing your blog? And who's accountable for each role within your blog strategy?

There are lots of moving parts when it comes to your blog — if you don’t create ownership around each component, it'll be difficult to reap the benefits of a successful blog operation. We've put together a list of some examples of the roles you need to fill to effectively implement a blogging strategy.

Note: Depending on your resources and the size of your marketing team, you may find one person holds responsibility for multiple roles.

• Blog article topic ideation
• Search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword research
• Facts, stats, examples, and personal stories
• Copywriting and editing
• Strategy and editorial calendar governance
• Creative
• Promotion
• Repurposing and updating

5. Write compelling and valuable content.

This step may seem like it's a given, but it's important to reiterate how critical it is for your blog content to be both compelling and valuable to your readers. This plays a large part in how you're viewed by your target audience, customers, competitors, and other industry leaders. It's also how you're going to keep readers engaged and loyal to your blog.

Remember, it takes more time and energy to obtain new subscribers than to maintain current readers. Plus, your current readers have the potential of becoming your brand advocates faster than new subscribers do. So, focus on consistently producing content that captivates your audience all while providing them with useful and worthwhile information so they stick around for the long run.

6. Design your blog.

Designing your blog in a way that entices your readers to regularly read (and hopefully, share) your content is critical. You want your blog to look inviting and on-brand. It should be well-organized, clean, and easy to navigate, all while meshing with your other marketing, branding, and messaging. Your readers should know the blog they're looking at is published by your company, no matter where or how they're reading it.

To do this, choose a theme that will remain consistent (unless your business goes through a major rebrand and/ or change) throughout all of your blog articles. Depending on the host you choose for your blog, you'll likely have several theme options that are both free and paid.

For example, HubSpot offers a marketplace of free and paid blog template options for you to implement on your site. This way you can easily customize and edit your blog template to tailor it to your business.

7. Include CTAs.

Are any of the reasons you're developing your business's blog to drive organic traffic to your website, improve conversions, and boost sales?

That's great news — but to accomplish these goals, you'll need to include relevant calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your blog posts.

CTAs can be paid or free for your audience members. Either way, effective CTAs provide readers with a level of value that they simply cannot pass up.

A CTA might share in-depth content and information with your audience on a specific topic. Or maybe it includes a discount code or special deal on your product or service. A CTA could also provide further training related to the subject of your blog article.

Check out this blog post if you're looking for some examples of clickable CTAs to insert in your content.

Note: If you're a HubSpot user, the CRM offers a CTA creation tool to help you develop relevant — and even personalized — offers to drive traffic to your landing pages and convert more leads.

8. Determine the frequency in which you’ll share blog posts.

How many blog posts can you commit to scheduling? How often are you planning on producing blog content for your audience?

You need to consistently produce blog articles to keep your audience engaged and interested. This will also allow you to maintain your status as an active thought-leader and expert in your industry. To do this, use an editorial calendar to manage and schedule your blog posts.

The beauty of creating this type of blogging rhythm and sharing that information via an editorial calendar is that it creates a sense of accountability among your team of bloggers. It ensures all writers and contributors have optimized for keywords, added CTAs, and edited their pieces  by a certain time and date. This way, you'll have a consistent stream of content your readers can get in sync with.

Note: If you're a HubSpot CRM user, you already benefit from an editorial calendar built right into the COS.

9. Launch your blog.

Now it's time to launch your blog! This is the exciting part — you finally get to share the content you've been working so hard to develop. Put your blog content on it's corresponding landing page on your website and send your email list of recipients their blog article(s). Share it via social media and send it to members of your network as you see fit. 

10. Track and analyze your blog’s success.

Remember to track and analyze the success of your blog over time. To do this, decide which metrics matter most to you and your business. Once you understand how a specific metric contributes to a positive outcome, then you'll be able to make your blogging strategy more targeted. Examples of blogging metrics you might track include:

• Number of readers and subscribers
• Number of page views per post
• Number of conversions
• Number of backlinks
• Number of referrals
• Overall traffic

When applying these metrics to the goals you're looking to set, consider the following questions to provide concrete targets that make sense for your business.

• Does this goal help you achieve your purpose, or is there something more relevant we can aspire to?
• Is this goal aligned with the initiatives of other parts of our business?
• Which metrics track the progress towards this goal? Are these metrics complementary or counterintuitive?

Once you determine which metrics you're going to use, start by setting goals for a 60-day period. This gives you enough time to see whether your strategy is working and then you can adapt your goals based on the results you see.

Now that you have a better understanding of the steps to creating a successful blog, let's dive into your strategy next.

Blog Marketing Strategy

Once you've worked through the steps to creating a successful blog, you can apply them to create a larger strategy that promotes and markets your content to your target audience.

1. Determine your blog's purpose.

The first part of developing your marketing strategy requires you to clearly define your blog's purpose. You determined the topic your blog will be about above, but that's not necessarily its purpose.

When thinking about your blog's purpose, ask yourself, "Why does this blog exist?"

You should be able to answer that question in one, straightforward, defining statement. (Document your blog's purpose to you can refer to it as you grow and your business evolves.)

If you need help defining your blog's purpose, take a moment to ask yourself these questions:

• What is the greater purpose your company is trying to fulfill?
• What story supports this purpose?
• Who shares your passion for this purpose?
• Is your team aligned with the meaning of this purpose?

2. Always keep your buyer personas top of mind.

When writing, managing, and scheduling your blog — or working on anything related to your blog, really — keep your buyer personas top of mind. Your buyer personas are your target customers, or the group of people you aim to sell to.

Ask yourself, "Who are our ideal customers?" and "Why do they need our product or service?" Once you can answer these questions in detail, you'll be nail down your buyer persona(s).

Use this free template to create your business's buyer personas.

Once you create your buyer personas, document a detailed description of who this person is so you can reference it has your business and blog grow. You should be able to refer to this description every time you write a new blog post.

This way, you'll be able to create content specifically suited to your target customers' wants, needs, challenges, and/ or pain points. This will also help you turn your blog into a powerful lead conversion tool for your business (i.e. your blog will show your readers and target audience why they need your product or service).

To get a deeper understanding of the actions your buyer personas are likely going to take, research the behaviors of your target audience so you can adapt and tailor your blog content to meet their needs in a way that pushes them to convert in some way. To conduct this type of customer research, you can use:

• Q&A forums (Quora, Yahoo! Answers, or Fluther)
• Social media (LinkedIn Groups, Twitter Advanced Search, and Google+ Communities)
• Content creation tools within your industry or niche (BuzzSumo or Topsy)
• Other blogs (comments and interactions on blogs similar to yours; your competitors' blogs)

3. Keep an eye on your competition.

Speaking of your competitor's blogs, it's important to keep an eye on these other thought-leaders in your industry. Your competitors provide insight into what's working (or not working) in terms of blog content among your target audience.

It also tells you a little bit about what they're experimenting with and what you'll need to accomplish to stand out and provide your readers with valuable content they can't get anywhere else — something unique to your business and your business only.

Create a list of 5-10 of your closest competitors with blogs you could conduct a content audit on. Make conclusions about the type of content they share, unique techniques they've implemented in their blog, and how they're doing in terms of ranking for the keywords you hope to rank for.

Then, look for gaps in their content so you can capitalize on them. To help you do this, use tools like QuickSprout, Open Site Explorer by Moz, and SEMRush Competitor Research.

4. Perform SEO and keyword research.

When one of your customers searches a phrase on Google (or any search engine), you want them to find your blog (or web page), not a competitor’s. To make this happen, dedicate some time to researching which keywords and phrases your target audience is typing into search engines so you can include them in your blog posts where they naturally fit.

In other words, you'll significantly improve your chances of ranking on the search engine results page (SERP) by performing appropriate search engine optimization (SEO) and keyword research prior to writing your blog post, and then incorporating those findings in your content.

Start by creating a list of 5-10 keyword groups you want to rank for, along with their associated long-tail keywords, in the SERP.

Remember, Google's algorithms are constantly changing to become more intuitive — meaning, old tactics like keyword stuffing will hurt your ranking in the SERP. Instead, you're better off writing copy that engages audience members first and search engines second.

Note: HubSpot customers have access to a built-in keyword and SEO tool to help with this.

Focus on your blog's SEO and keyword research with HubSpot CRM's Content Strategy tool.

5. Decide where you'll distribute your blog content.

Strategically determine where you'll distribute your blog content. You chose a host for your blog already, meaning your content is likely already easily shareable on your website.

For example, if you use the HubSpot CRM and blogging software to host and manage your website and blog, it's simple to add your articles to their corresponding landing page on your site.

Other ways and platforms through which you might distribute your content include social media, such as Facebook or LinkedIn, and online publishing platforms, such as Medium. You might also work with industry leaders, experts, and influencers to share your content on their websites and social profiles.

6. Update and repurpose your content.

Creating blog content can be time-consuming, especially when you aim to command authority in your niche with researched, thoughtful, and planned posts.

This is why updating, repurposing, and republishing your existing blog content is so valuable — it saves you time and energy but it also allows you to efficiently achieve the results you're looking for.

What do I mean by this? Well, ranking in the SERP with a net new post takes significantly more time (I'm talking months) than an updated post. Meaning, you'll see a positive impact sooner if you start repurposing existing posts rather than solely creating new content.

Audit your existing blog posts to determine what you can repurpose and update. Outdated content to remove and/ or replace might include statistics, examples, infographics, quotes, product or service details, research, and irrelevant ideas. You can also add keywords you've determined are missing through your research.

(Check out this post if you're looking for more ideas on how you can effectively repurpose your blog content.)

7. Promote your blog content.

It's probably safe to assume you want your blog content to be as discoverable as possible. In terms of your blogging strategy, this refers to your ability to get your content out there so members of your target audience find, read, and (hopefully) share it.

There are many inbound tactics you can use to promote your blog. We touched on a few options above, but another common form of effective blog promotion involves an influencer marketing strategy.

Get started promoting your content with the help of a free influencer marketing guide.

To begin, identify the key influencers in your niche or industry you want to contact and work with. These should be people your current customers and target audience perceive as credible, trustworthy... and, yes, influential.

As you begin making and managing your influencer connections, remain in regular contact with the ones who are promoting your blog content. Be sure you know what they're doing to support, share, and promote your blog content and that their tactics meet your business's standards — you want to ensure they're representing your brand accurately. After all, you're likely paying them to promote your content among their audience members.

You can make your relationship with your influencers even stronger by interacting with their content regularly to show your support. For example, if you're working with an influencer who also has a blog, then go to their blog and read, comment on, and share it (even when the content they're publishing isn't necessarily related to your business). 

Grow Better With An Effective Blogging Strategy

Growing an influential blog in your niche is a surefire way to nurture your potential customers. By creating regular content that solves the challenges of your readers and fulfills their biggest curiosities, you'll start to build a vault of trust and advocacy. This will inevitably contribute to the overall success of your business. Start with your purpose — the big why — and slowly unpack the individual levers that will contribute to your blog marketing performance through the steps and strategy we've reviewed above.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in December 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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The 10 Best Reporting and Business Intelligence Tools for Marketers

Whether you're conducting a blog traffic audit or analyzing the success of your most recent social media campaign, it's undeniable that data is an integral part of any marketing role.

Fortunately, there are dozens of analytics tools for marketers with the ability to collect data from different sources, crunch it effectively, and deliver helpful campaign analysis.

Some tools, however, are better at delivering valuable reporting results than others.

Ultimately, reporting tools should do more than just calculate -- they should also make the marketer’s job easier, and more productive. Creating attractive and readable reports is key to ensuring that the results of your work are clear for your entire team.

Here, let's dive into some of the best data reporting tools, as well as some effective business intelligence (BI) platforms, to enable you to properly analyze your work.

Best Data Reporting Tools

Here are some tools with reporting features invaluable to today’s marketers.

1. Calendar

Calendar offers analytics of a slightly different sort -- productivity. Calendar has a number of features designed to analyze how your team’s time is spent. By tracking your moment-to-moment activities on a daily basis, you can identify key areas in which your schedule could be improved.

As important as it is to have your marketing analytics at your fingertips, knowing how you use your time is just as important for maximizing output. Calendar’s clear and simple reporting tools give you helpful reports on what your agenda looks like and what you can do to make it better.

(Disclosure: I’ve invested in Calendar)

2. DashThis

DashThis is an effective tool for keeping up with your marketing analytics at a glance. As its name suggests, DashThis is best used as a dashboard and provides clear and readable data on your marketing performance.

DashThis lets you to select a template and then automatically fills that template with your data, greatly streamlining the reporting process. It also exports data into PDF files, which can be easily shared between team members.

3. HubSpot

HubSpot’s marketing analytics software is useful for keeping all of your needs, including reporting, in one place. HubSpot lets you combine all of your marketing efforts into one report, or mix-and-match your different assets to create different reports for different clients and needs.

HubSpot’s marketing analytics dashboard is just as customizable, allowing you to add and remove different reports with ease. Best of all, you can get both a general overview and specific insights into your work’s performance, since you can easily move between different marketing reports within HubSpot.

4. Raven Tools

Raven Tools offers many of the tools expected from reporting software -- SEO analysis, social media engagement, funnel performance tracking -- as well as competitor comparison.

Whether it’s big-picture analyses like domain authority or small-scale comparisons of site functionality, Raven Tools lets you stay on top of how you’re faring in competitive spaces. Additionally, its drag-and-drop editor and report generator makes creating custom, professional-grade marketing reports easier.

5. Megalytic

Megalytic eases the process of combining marketing data from lots of different sources. Plenty of tools on this list allow for the integration of different types of data, but Megalytic is especially designed to import data from a range of marketing software.

It takes only a couple of moments to access data from Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, Adwords, and more on Megalytic, and it can even process and report data stored in CSV files. If you’re looking to produce a comprehensive report that pulls together loads of disparate data into one place, Megalytic is a smart choice.

6. Kilpfolio

As important as it is for reporting tools to effectively take in and analyze data, they need to be able to produce readable reports, as well. Klipfolio is great for making sure your reports can be read and accessed with ease across technologies.

Additionally, Kilpfolio allows you to share access to your reports through Slack, email, or custom links, and it also enables you to sync your dashboards in real time across multiple devices such as smartphones, web browsers, and even TV screens. Being able to easily pull up your analytics dashboard at any moment on any number of devices is crucial for being able to report on-the-go or from various locations.

7. Mixpanel

Mixpanel is a tracking and reporting software tool that was actually created primarily for product managers, not marketers. As a result, its interface isn’t quite as streamlined or marketing-driven as some of the other entries on this list, but it makes up for this with deep, powerful analytics tools that give you insight into how your work is faring.

Mixpanel is particularly attuned to identifying trends in engagement and count. It tracks how people engage with certain products over time and how different features influence user behavior.

If you’re especially interested in keeping track of how a certain site or product is performing, it can be a valuable tool for reporting on that kind of information. Mixpanel allows you to produce readable reports of uniquely high-level data analysis.

Best Business Intelligence Platforms

Ultimately, reporting is only half the battle. Marketers also need business intelligence tools for a top-down view of their operations.

Although BI is a broad category, these three tools are essential for marketers.

1. Intercom

Although Intercom is a messaging platform first and foremost, it also delivers a deep view of a company’s customer base. Through integrations with over 100 marketing tools, Intercom lets marketers track, segment, and identify similarities between their customers.

One of the best use cases for Intercom’s BI features is account-based marketing. Intercom displays performance figures for each stage of your sales and marketing funnel, helping you see where the best opportunities lie and how to tap into them. You can also break down metrics by individual representatives, teams, timeframes, and more.

2. G2

G2 is the go-to website for stacking up software tools against one another. G2 gives detailed charts for every category of marketing software, explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each available product.

Need an enterprise resource planning tool? G2 covers those. What about an e-commerce platform? G2 can help you pick the best option in that category, too. Certain services, including staffing and translation services, are also reviewed by G2.

3. Databox

Through integrations with HubSpot CRM, Google Analytics, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and more, Databox compiles popular marketing services and social media into one interface. Although Databox comes with pre-configured report templates, users can also design custom reports.Think of Databox like a dashboard for your dashboards.

The reporting tool lets you view campaign KPIs, check progress, calculate investment returns, and receive notifications when metrics fall outside of specified ranges. Databox has a desktop version, of course, but it also displays data on mobile and via applications like Slack.

Statisticians and analysts may be more comfortable with reporting and BI than marketers, but these tools make it easy. Pick the right ones, and get data-driven campaign insights with ease.

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The 20 Quantifiable Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Business

If you've been a marketer for a while, you most likely know the basic facts about social media marketing: It's cost-effective and it's a way to engage with your customers and potential customers. All that sounds great, but you might be wondering what the data actually says about social media use.

After all, when operating on a limited budget, you have to make sure every effort you're putting into marketing has a return that proves their worth.

Social media marketing is great for most businesses, and here are the statistics to prove it.

Customer engagement

1. If you're using YouTube to market to millennials, you're in luck: you may be reaching 91% of them. (Pew Research, 2019)

2. 90% of consumers are more likely to engage with posts that embrace the company’s personality. (Sprout Social, 2018)

3. 71% of consumers with a positive interaction with a brand on social media are likely to recommend the brand to family and friends. ( LyfeMarketing, 2018)

Marketing perspective

4. 89% of marketers believe social media is important to their overall social media strategy. (Buffer, 2019)

5. 65% of marketers have increased their social media marketing budget this year. (Buffer, 2019)

6. The top three ways marketers measure ROI of social media marketing are engagement, traffic, and leads. (Buffer, 2019)

7. 77% of marketers use social media analytics to measure campaign performance. (Sprout Social, 2018)

8. 73% of marketers have reported social media marketing as being effective for their business. (Buffer, 2019)

9. It is estimated that consumers will have spent over $500 billion in eCommerce by the end of 2019; which has implementations on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. ( eMarketer, 2019)

Product discovery

10. 60% of people say they discover new products on Instagram. (Instagram, 2019)

11. 66% of companies use social media to release new products to consumers. (Duke University, 2019)

12. Over half (54%) of browsers use social media to search for new products. ( GlobalWebIndex, 2018)

Brand building

13. Over 200 million people visit at least one Instagram Business page every day. (Instagram, 2019

14. 74% of consumers share brand-related product videos on social media. (Sprout Social, 2018)

15. Engagement with consumers and providing customer service is a huge benefit. The top three reasons people engage with brands on social media are to ask a question, express an issue with a product, or praise a product. (Sprout Social, 2018)

16. Consumers say messaging businesses online through social media pages makes them feel more confident about a brand. (Facebook, 2019)

17. Social media is a great place to obtain new customers, as non-customers are three times more likely to increase traffic for brands. ( Adobe State of Digital, 2018)

Purchase driving

18. A report by Curalate found that 76% of consumers have purchased a product they've seen in a social media post. (Curalate, 2017)

19. A Statista report concluded that 52% of respondents in a survey were interested in purchasing a product found on Facebook. (Statista, 2017)

20. 44% of consumers purchase items seen on a brand's social media post. ( Curalate, 2017)

Investing in social media doesn't require a big budget, but cracking into the benefits of social marketing, especially moving towards the future, is imperative.

The online market is only growing, and the numbers show that if you’re not online, you're missing out on benefits in eCommerce, customer service, and a universal brand.

These are only a few stats about the benefits of social media, but if you need just a little more convincing, we've got you covered. For example, you can check out 45 more here.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing

When I talk with most marketers about how they generate leads and fill the top of their sales funnel, most say outbound marketing.

However, in 2019, a lot of innovative and successful businesses are actually embracing the art of inbound marketing. But, what's the difference between inbound and outbound? This post will walk you through it. 

First, we'll talk about the more traditional outbound marketing strategies.

What is Outbound Marketing?

Outbound marketing is a traditional method of marketing seeking to obstruct potential customers. Outbound marketing includes activities such as trade shows, seminar series and cold calling. It is costly and the ROI is much lower than inbound marketing.

Outbound marketing included trade shows, seminar series, email blasts to purchased lists, internal cold calling, outsourced telemarketing, and advertising. I call these methods "outbound marketing" because marketers push his or her message out far and wide hoping that it resonates with that needle in the haystack. 

Download our free guide here to learn more about inbound marketing.

I think outbound marketing techniques are getting less and less effective over time for two reasons.  First, your average human today is inundated with over 2000 outbound marketing interruptions per day and is figuring out more and more creative ways to block them out, including caller ID, spam filtering, Tivo, and Sirius satellite radio.  Second, the cost of coordination around learning about something new or shopping for something new using the internet (search engines, blogs, and social media) is now much lower than going to a seminar at the Marriott or flying to a trade show in Las Vegas. 

Transforming Your Marketing from Outbound to Inbound

Rather than doing outbound marketing to the masses of people who are trying to block you out, I advocate doing inbound marketing where you help yourself "get found" by people already learning about and shopping in your industry.  In order to do this, you need to set your website up like a "hub" for your industry that attracts visitors naturally through search engines, blogging, and social media.  I believe most marketers today spend 90% of their efforts on outbound marketing and 10% on inbound marketing, and I advocate that those ratios flip.

Outbound vs. Inbound Marketing

Outbound marketing is when a marketer reaches out to people to see if they're interested in a product. For example, this could include door-to-door sales or cold calling where a sales rep or marketer approaches someone without knowing if he or she is even a qualified lead. Inbound marketing is a strategy where you create content or social media tactics that spread brand awareness so people learn about you, might go to your website for information, and then purchase or show interest in your product.

While some outbound strategies take lots of time and effort and may yield no leads, inbound strategies allow you to engage an audience of people that you can more easily qualify as a prospect of lead.

The best analogy I can come up with is that traditional marketers looking to garner interest from new potential customers are like lions hunting in the jungle for elephants.  The elephants used to be in the jungle in the '80s and '90s when they learned their trade, but they don't seem to be there anymore.  They have all migrated to the watering holes on the savannah (the internet).  So, rather than continuing to hunt in the jungle, I recommend setting up shop at the watering hole or turning your website into its own watering hole.

Editor's Note: A more detailed version of this article has been published here: "Inbound Marketing and the Next Phase of Marketing on the Web."  This post specifically was originally published in 2010 but was updated in October 2019 for comprehensiveness.  

 

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How to Advertise on TikTok

Is your business using TikTok? Wondering how to advertise on TikTok? In this article, you’ll learn how to create TikTok ads to promote your products or services. Are TikTok Ads Right for Your Business? With more than 500 million active users worldwide, TikTok presents an enormous opportunity to advertisers. Not only has TikTok surpassed Twitter […]

The post How to Advertise on TikTok appeared first on Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner.

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15 Essential Social Media Marketing Tips From Beginner to Advanced

One of the most humbling experiences as a marketer is putting out that tweet you just *knew* would be a home run for your audience.

We’d like to think of ourselves as being able to come up with A+ social media content every day, but the reality is that we're all human. Sometimes, we hit a wall with planning content while aligning with the company.

If you're just starting out in social media marketing or are just looking for a few tips to get inspiration, we've compiled some helpful knowledge to beef up your accounts, no matter your skill level.

1. Sync posts across all social media accounts

If you're just starting out, it's a good idea to invest in a social media management service, such as Later or TweetDeck , to help you schedule posts. That way, you can slot your social media calendar and keep an eye on metrics across all accounts.

Image Source

These apps will also let you sync posts across various accounts, like the dashboard example of Sprout Social above. Keeping content synced will ensure you post across all of your platforms and introduce followers with multiple accounts to your brand.

2. Republish and update older posts

If you have a backlog of content that's outdated, update it with fresh ideas for SEO. This tactic has the potential to draw in new readers and take less time than continuously pumping out new ideas.

This can be blog posts, landing pages, and offers that you have on your website. Your social media strategy exists to put your best foot forward by building engagement, and you don't have to start from ground zero.

In fact, this exact post is an update from 2017, originally posted in 2013. We regularly update posts to ensure our readers are getting fresh content to reflect the ever-changing social media climate.

3. Schedule posts for evenings

Don’t be afraid of weekends either. Scheduling content launches for evenings opens up a door for engagement that isn't cut off by time zone. That way, even if it's 3 AM in your geographic location, your tweet about your new app update reaches audiences around the world.

HubSpot Life is a behind-the-scenes look at HubSpot's culture, posting content from global offices on social media. During what's considered "off" hours in the US, HubSpot Life features posts during work hours in other countries, like Paris or Dublin.

 

 

 

 

 

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Speaking five languages and serving customers all over EMEA 🙌 So glad to be part of this team - although half of it missed the photo shoot 😄 #hubspotlife #hubspotemployeetakeover #dubspot #growbetter #solvingforthecustomer

A post shared by HubSpot Life (@hubspotlife) on Oct 17, 2019 at 7:09am PDT

This ensures that global audiences are able to get fresh content during their work days, as well.

When scheduling posts for evenings, avoid content that requires engagement from your team. For instance, an Instagram photo that invites followers to "Comment below!" about something might not be the best idea to post at midnight, when you're not able to engage.

4. Include hashtags to increase engagement

Hashtags are like a golden ticket to increasing your online reach. Common tags like #SocialMedia and #MarketingGoals are great, but try searching for less-used ones like those of bigger brands (such as Adobe's #CreateYourStory), or community-based (#BrightonMA). Those are going to be the ones an active audience is checking out.

 

 

 

 

 

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What’s one of your favorite moments of delight on social media? 😊⁣ ⁣ Check out the latest episode of The Science of Social Media to see why investing in engagement makes business sense, along with specific tips and workflows. Link in our profile. 🙌

A post shared by Buffer (@buffer) on Oct 23, 2019 at 2:22pm PDT

As well as using existing hashtags, try your hand at creating your own branded hashtags, like Buffer did in the example above. This allows you to track what your followers and customers are saying about your media presence and product.

5. Use visuals, whenever possible

If you're getting your feet wet with the social media game, it's okay not to invest a fortune into visual content. However, it's always a good idea to include pictures, videos, or graphics in posts whenever you can.

There are a number of free services, like Canva , to help you edit and create content. GIFs are a great way to engage with a younger audience. And never forget the smartphone most likely in your pocket they produce beautiful pictures you can definitely use on socials.

If you've tried your hand at social media before and feel comfortable branching out, these intermediate tips are for you. They're aimed at easing the process of creating uniform content across your channels while increasing clicks.

1. Post multiple times a day

You don't need to post every hour, but one to three times a day keeps your brand fresh in your audience's mind. Reposting user-generated content also counts, so don’t stress about coming up with dozens of new content ideas.

🌎👀 https://t.co/fE2MUOZXeP

— Lenovo (@Lenovo) October 18, 2019

This tweet from Lenovo shows the brand as one that cares about their customers by engaging with them directly. More than that, it shows a practical use about Lenovo's product, and how powerful their product can be — enough to be used at the International Space Station.

If you’re looking for ways to brush up your content marketing, how about incorporating an infographic or eBook into that Facebook post? For more tips like those, check out our list here.

2. Incorporate your brand into your social strategy

Your brand should speak for you. Once you've established your brand, think of ways to blend it into your social media marketing. This can mean adding your logo to posts, including a company hashtag, or highlighting your employees.

Image Source

Check out this branding from social media management company, Metter Media. From a quick scroll through their Instagram homepage, you can quickly spot company colors, get a look into their team, and gain an idea of who they represent.

4. Engage audiences with interactive content

From Twitter polls to Instagram Q&As, there are many ways to engage your audience and make your company’s content diverse. You can use interactive content to educate your audience about your products or to connect with your audience.

Think of ways your audience engages with competitors and how you can add your company into the mix. You can even ask your audience what type of content they prefer to see on an Instagram story, like this example below:

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The story of this food blogger begins to recap previous recipes with links to corresponding blog posts. To put this in a B2B perspective, say you wanted to boost clicks on previous blog content. You could poll followers, "Which type of post goes best with your coffee?" and link to two options in the next parts of your story.

5. Invest in more visual content

As you get into the swing of posting on social media, invest more time into visual content. In fact, retweets with pictures gain

Visual content isn't just restricted to Instagram. Post infographics about your industry on LinkedIn, tweet a funny meme relating to your office culture, or post a video on Facebook taking viewers on a high-speed tour of your office.

Next up are some advanced tips. These ideas are for social media pros in need of a new direction or options to brighten their feeds.

1. Use new app updates to your advantage

Have you tried TikTok or IGTV yet? If not, we suggest expanding your strategy to include these channels. After all, you don’t want to miss out on your content having the potential to meet 1 billion phones.

New apps and app updates add to the ability to diversify your brand and keep things fresh. If you're looking to show your company's humorous side, try uploading a little dance video on TikTok. If you want to bring that podcast of yours to visual audiences, upload it to IGTV.

2. Invest in influencers to promote your product or service

It's official: young audiences listen to their idols. Four in 10 millennials trust the products their favorite influencers promote on their social channels, so investing in influencers might be an avenue to look into when trying to generate sales. Take this example from former “The Bachelorette” star Hannah Brown for Secret Deodorant:

 

 

 

 

 

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#ad I get sweaty, not stinky. I may be the sweatiest woman on the show (work hard sweat hard am I right?) but I’m very thankful for Secret Clinical Strength for getting me through my performances odor free. Alan appreciates that I wear deodorant that works too. Go out and get this @secretdeodorant to make sure you stay smelling clean while enjoying all the fun things in life that can make you sweaty. #AllStrengthNoSweat

A post shared by Hannah Brown (@hannahbrown) on Oct 13, 2019 at 7:37pm PDT

If you have an audience that's younger, research influencers in your industry and pitch potential partnerships. Or, for a more budget-friendly option, look at how influencers are branding their content — you may be able to incorporate some ideas into your strategy.

3. Diversify content on every social media platform

You can update and sync content on your accounts like a pro. Now it's time to make that content unique. Save your high-definition videos for Facebook and meme posts for Twitter.

When diversifying content, make sure they all relate back to your company's goals and mission. There's no need to post a recipe for falafel on your marketing company's Instagram, but an infographic displaying the 'recipe' for a perfect caption would be a compelling, spot on example.

If you're a writer, a filmmaker, or really anyone who’s looking for good career advice, check out this thread from @chrismcquarrie. 🙌 https://t.co/RRCbxoO8kg

— LinkedIn (@LinkedIn) October 24, 2019

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On October 24th, LinkedIn highlighted a blog post on Facebook. On the same day, LinkedIn promoted a Twitter thread aimed at aspiring filmmakers. Threads are a Twitter-specific tool aimed at sectioning off long thoughts, while the Facebook post gives LinkedIn more clicks from their Facebook followers.

4. Start promotions to build audience growth

Have you run a contest on your Twitter account yet? Totino's does them well.

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Don't worry, promotions don't have to be this fancy. Running a promotion can be simple as giving 10% off of your product or service to a lucky winner who retweets. This expands your reach and sparks lead generation among your customers' followers.

5. Create timely content that resonates with audiences.

As a huge believer in taking advantage in the meme of the moment, creating timely content adds some fun to your channels and can explain the uses of your product in a new way. Memes aren't the only way to accomplish this, seasons are, as well.

Is it wintertime in your part of the world? Celebrate by snapping a pic of your company's favorite snowy activity and share it to Facebook. Alternatively, #NationalSandwichDay is Nov. 3rd. Popeye's used this holiday to announce the comeback of a recent fan favorite.

Y’all…the sandwich is back Sunday, November 3rd. Then every day. 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/JDxyCIv0zz

— Popeyes Chicken (@PopeyesChicken) October 28, 2019

Is it too early to call this genius type of marketing “legendary?”

Keeping content fresh can be difficult, even if you're a social media pro. The pressure is on nowadays when it seems like the trends are changing every second, and diving in can seem like jumping down a rabbit hole.

These tips will keep you current on ways to organize your page, upgrade your content, and grow your target audience, but don't stop here. Check out our ultimate guide on social media marketing for more inspiration.

http://bit.ly/2JAr7PY

The Ultimate Guide to Freelancing

Freelancing is an attractive way of life. The independence, autonomy, flexibility, and unlimited financial potential are all incredibly inviting, especially for employees who are tired of their mundane work environment. But, there’s still some mystery surrounding the enigmatic career choice.

As a freelancer, how do you make money? Where do you find work or jobs? How do you figure out what to do? What about insurance and benefits?

These questions are what typically stop people from pursuing a full-time freelance career. And these questions are the ones we’ll answer in this guide.

I was a freelancer before joining HubSpot — AKA the best career decision I’ve ever made. Starting my freelance business was a very intentional choice made in the midst of working a very unfavorable job. Freelancing was the most difficult 18 months of my life, but it completely rerouted my profession and led me to where I am today. It was more than worth it to take the leap into the unknown and pave my own career path.

Whether freelancing is your lifelong dream or a means to an end, we’re going to walk through each element of starting your own business, making your own schedule, and managing your own clients. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly what’s expected of you as a freelancer.

Over 57 million Americans freelance, including almost 50% of millennials — more than any other generation. Also, based on economic trends, the majority of the workforce is projected to be freelancing by 2027.

Types of Freelancing

The freelance gig economy has expanded to offer millions of talented people the ability to build their own businesses and have a bit more freedom in their day-to-day careers. Let's review the different types of freelancing and the roles that exist in today's marketplace.

Administrative

Small businesses — and even other freelancers — always need help with administrative tasks. These organizations often hire any or all of these freelance administrative services.

• Virtual assistant
• Administrative assistant
• Bookkeeper

App Development

In today's day and age, mobile apps are almost as important as websites. Because of that, multiple freelance app development opportunities have arisen and thrived.

• Native app developer
• Web app developer
• Mobile game developer
• Chatbot developer/designer

Consulting

Some businesses require help with strategy and planning (instead of creating deliverables). That's where these freelance consulting roles come into play.

• Business strategy consultant (a.k.a. management consultant)
• Business planning consultant
• Operations consultant
• Pricing consultant
• HR consultant
• IT consultant

E-Learning

E-learning has rapidly grown in both popularity and business impact (as we can see with HubSpot Academy). Companies that want to offer an e-learning aspect but can't afford or aren't interested in building a dedicated elearning team may benefit from e-learning freelancers.

• E-learning consultant
• Instructional designer

Graphic Design

Graphic design is a critical piece of every organization's branding. Many companies choose to hire some of these freelance graphic design services to help develop their brand or marketing assets.

• Brand identity designer
• Digital illustrator
• Logo designer
• Print designer
• Packaging designer

Miscellaneous

New freelance opportunities pop up almost daily. These types of freelancing don't quite fall into any of the other categories on this list.

• Interpreter
• Life coach
• Career coach

Photography

Whether for a business, newspaper, or wedding, photography is always needed. Photography freelancers typically specialize in one of the following photography niches.

• Product photography
• Advertising photography
• Photojournalist
• Real estate photographer
• Wedding/portrait photographer
• Fashion photographer

Videography

Alongside photography, videography is just as important when capturing and delivering a highly visual experience for an audience. Because videography is such a specialized field, many companies and organizations opt to outsource the following freelance videography services.

• Commercial videographer
• Director
• Producer
• Video editor
• Set designer
• Production assistant

Web Design

Web designers specialize in the parts of your website design that your audience sees and interacts with. Here are some of the common freelance web design roles.

• User experience (UX) designer
• User interface (UI) designer
• Information architecture (IA) designer

Web Development

On the other hand, web developers work with the behind-the-scenes coding and structure that supports the web design. Here are some freelance web development roles.

• Front-end developer
• Back-end developer
• Full stack developer
• Mobile web developer

Writing

The (arguably) original freelance gig has grown exponentially in the last few years. Today, some organizations outsource their entire content roles, including some of these freelance writing roles.

• Copywriter
• Content writer
• White paper/ebook writer
• Technical writer
• Managing editor
• Proofreader
• Translator

Lastly, let's take a look at freelance marketing.

With so many components and specializations under the marketing "umbrella", it's no surprise that freelance marketing is a popular gig. Here are some common freelance marketing roles.

• SEO specialist
• Publicist
• Email marketer
• Social media marketer
• Ecommerce manager
• Product marketer/manager
• Content marketer/strategist/director

Self-Evaluation: Is Freelancing for You?

Before moving forward, let’s take a breather and do a little self-analysis. Is freelancing right for you? Here are a few questions to ask yourself to evaluate whether or not you’re ready for a freelance career.

Why do you want to freelance?

Are you looking for a more flexible schedule, or are you merely trying to escape your dreaded commute? Do you want to expand your professional horizon, or are you simply bored at work? You might’ve heard it before, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Pursuing freelancing for the wrong reasons will make it hard to keep going when the going gets tough.

I want to emphasize here that there are no right or wrong answers, simply what’s best for you, your family, and your career goals. To give you some perspective, here are a few answers from fellow freelancers on why they decided to take the leap:

• “I started off with a few side projects on top of some full-time work, mostly to pay for a couple of pricey holidays! In the end, the side projects grew to a point where I decided to take the leap into full-time freelancing. It was a ‘try it or always wonder’ kind of moment.” — Jade E., Jade Emmons Media, London

• “After three years of teaching high school and realizing that it just wasn't going to be for me long-term, I decided to walk away. Prior to teaching, I had a soul-crushing office job, and I promised myself I wouldn't return to that situation either. I tried my hand at some freelance gigs during my last couple of months teaching and was able to pay my bills. I realized that it was a viable career path, and I had the chops to make it happen full-time.” — Brent B., Brent Writes, Orlando

• “For us freelancing means freedom. A few years ago, we were at a point where the thought of doing the same thing in the same place for decades of our lives felt stifling. One day, we finally decided to actually do something about it. We researched our options, found work online as freelancers (one of us is an English teacher and the other is a virtual assistant), sold everything we owned, and started our adventure as digital nomads. So far, we've been to over 40 cities in 17 countries and can't wait to see what the future holds.” —Erin B. & Tannia S., Eff The Office, Remote

Can you afford to freelance?

A freelance career holds the promise of a higher salary and unlimited income potential. After all, as a freelancer, you’re the one deciding what you make and when you make it. But you’ll likely not see that income right away. The first few months (or years) of freelancing typically involves sacrificing income while setting up your business, establishing yourself, and finding clients.

Are you comfortable with being uncomfortable?

Freelancing can be majorly uncomfortable. You won’t always know where your next paycheck is coming from, you’ll probably be rejected more times than you can count, and you’ll definitely experience a few days where you think, “Why the heck did I do this? That commute doesn’t sound too bad right about now!” All of these thoughts and feelings are normal; I’ve always referred to them as growing pains. After all, if it’s not challenging you, it’s not changing you.

Next, let’s talk about what kind of work you’d do as a freelancer. This step is another common roadblock for folks who want to freelance … they’re simply not sure what to do. The answer is simple, though. It might just take a couple questions to draw it out.

What are your talents?

This four-word question can determine a lot for you. What are you skilled at? What do others ask you to do for them? Notice that I didn’t ask, “What are you an expert at?” Experts are few and far between — all you need to decide right now is at what you’re willing to become an expert. The above list of freelancing types may help you get started.

What brings you joy?

This question isn’t always applicable. There will be days and times that you simply don’t want to work or might be sick of your chosen field. That’s life. But, above all, there’s usually one skill set or profession that brings you joy. What makes you feel good to accomplish? What are you proud to share with friends and family? This is probably what you’ll excel at as a freelancer.

The Pros and Cons of Freelancing

Now, let’s pull the spotlight back and look at freelancing as a whole. Regardless of fit or type of work, there are definite benefits and drawbacks to a career as a freelancer. Let’s look at a few.

Advantages of Freelancing

• You’re the boss. You choose your schedule, rates, and which clients or jobs you want to take. If you feel like working in your pajamas, you can. If you want to take a three-week vacation, you can — it’s completely up to you.
• You could pay less in taxes. Freelancers can take advantage of more tax deductions on meals, travel, and more. Federal and state taxes aren’t withheld from each paycheck. Freelancers pay the IRS directly, instead.
• You (can) make more money. Freelancing is high risk, high reward. Your salary is whatever you want it to be. It all comes down to how much you charge and how often you want to work.
• You have a better work-life balance. Instead of commuting every day, you can simply stroll to your neighborhood coffee shop. Instead of rushing to the gym over your lunch break, you can take an hour to workout whenever you want. When freelancing, you can work whenever you want and live wherever you want … it doesn’t have to resemble a typical 9-to-5.

Disadvantages of Freelancing

• You’re the boss. Yes, I said this twice. When freelancing, you have to make all the decisions and do all the work, from bookkeeping to managing cash flow to selling your services. You’re not simply an employee of a business; you are the business.
• You have to organize your own benefits, taxes, and accounting. Freelancers don’t have employers to manage and provide benefits, taxes, and the like. They have to do it themselves with the help of tools or guides, like this one. Also, purchasing your own insurance is typically more expensive than through a traditional employer.
• If you don’t work, you don’t make money. Sure, you can take a three-week vacation, but you won’t make any money while you’re gone. As a freelancer, your time is quite literally money. Spend it un-wisely, and you could be giving up valuable income.
• Instability can interrupt your work-life balance. There are a lot of unknowns with freelancing, the biggest being where your next paycheck might come from. This instability can cancel out any work-life balance achieved through freelancing. For some, having stability and predictability in your career is worth a long commute or unfavorable schedule.

According to an UpWork study, the biggest drivers to freelance are flexibility, freedom, and earning potential, and the biggest barriers are income predictability, finding work, and benefits. If these things are motivating or demotivating you, you’re not alone.

Everything You Need to Know About Freelancing

In the following sections, we’ll touch on everything you need to know to start a freelance career, from branding to clients to making and managing your money. We want to minimize the unknowns and equip you with plenty of knowledge as you pursue freelancing.

The information and recommendations in this article were collected from real freelancers across the world (including some from HubSpot employees who previously freelanced). I’ve also included real anecdotes and examples that will shed some light on what it’s actually like to be self-employed.

Any pressing questions you might have about becoming a freelancer? Consider them answered.

Getting Started as a Freelancer

Before you dive into completing jobs and making money, you need to set up your business. You need to know exactly what you’re doing and how you’re branding yourself. This will not only attract clients, but it’ll also provide direction when you feel stumped or at a loss for why you’re freelancing. Here are a few things you should know to make sure your freelance business survives in the long-run.

Building a Brand

A personal brand is valuable when establishing authority as a freelancer and creating a long-lasting impression with clients. Whether you use a design tool like Canva or outsource your branding to an agency, personal branding should be one of the first things on your to-do list.

Along with a memorable logo, your personal brand should also include a business name. You can brand your business after your own name or a third-party name.

“I chose a business name for a few reasons: 1) It's easier to brand. Business Casual Copywriting could be easily turned into its own aesthetic, with its own voice and tone, and its own identity. My own name would've left me with less leverage. 2) The company can grow bigger than just me. If my business name was just ‘Joel Klettke Copywriting’ — well, I'm the be-all-end-all of that business. With a moniker like Business Casual Copywriting, I can bring on subcontractors and turn the company into something larger if I decide to. 3) It's easier to remember. Nobody can spell ‘Klettke’ correctly on their first time or pronounce it confidently without help. Business Casual is a more memorable name that rolls off the tongue.” — Joel K., Business Casual Copywriting, Alberta

Another element of your personal brand is your online identity. This typically includes a dedicated website and social media accounts where you can display your logo and business name, portfolio, testimonials, and services. Nowadays, every freelancer should have a website, especially if they work with clients remotely.

It’s good practice to match your website domain and social media handles to the name of your business. For example, if you were a freelance photographer, and your business was named Phoebe Photography, your website could be phoebephotography.com and social media handles could be @phoebephotography. Congruity makes it easier for potential clients to search and find you online.

As for a website, platforms like Squarespace, Wordpress, and Wix make it easier than ever to create and design a professional-looking site. These platforms also offer templates that you can use to display your work, like writing or design samples. If you opt out of a dedicated portfolio site (which we’ll discuss below), these themes make it easy to integrate your sampled works into your website.

“[I chose] Squarespace. It's been so easy to update and customize as my business has changed and grown. I also suggest and use Squarespace for my small business clients when they're looking for a hosting platform.” — Cadence T., By: Cadence, San Francisco

Your social media accounts should also reflect your personal branding. Every platform has its own benefits and purpose, so don’t fret that you’ll need to be active on all of them. Twitter is good for sharing your portfolio and connecting with peers and potential clients. LinkedIn is great for publishing a live resume and making valuable professional connections. Facebook is handy for joining groups of like-minded people, and Instagram is valuable for publishing pieces of your portfolio — if you dabble in visual work, like photography or design.

There are other places that should reflect your personal brand, too. If you do local work or attend network events, business cards are a great tool to carry with you. Sites like Vistaprint or Moo help you easily create gorgeous print material. Your brand should also be on your proposals, invoices, contracts, and any other materials that go to clients.

Why is personal branding so important? A clean, consistent brand communicates authority and professionalism to anyone looking at your business and will help you establish yourself as a trustworthy freelancer.

Creating a Portfolio

Whether you’re a freelance writer, designer, or web developer, a portfolio of your work speaks volumes to potential clients. Strong copy and testimonials can help sell your services, but portfolios feature your work in action, helping your clients envision your skills working for them. Portfolios also save you precious time by weeding out bad-fit clients before they book an initial call.

Should you include all your work in your portfolio? No. The work in your portfolio should be your very best and show diversity in your skills and clientele.

Common ways of showcasing your portfolio are Dropbox, Google Drive, or links on your website. Here are some third-party portfolio sites you can also leverage to feature your work:

• Contently — for writers, journalists, and content creators
• PortfolioBox — for designers, photographers, artists, and more
• CarbonMade — for illustrators, animators, architects, and more
• Behance — for graphic designers, illustrators, UI/UX, and more
• Journo Portfolio — for journalists and writers

Establishing Your Freelance Business

So, you’ve got a brand and a book of work to show potential clients. What else do you need to legitimize your business? Keep reading to learn more about establishing your business and setting yourself up for success.

Registering Your Business

Freelancers have some flexibility around the legal and financial structure of their business. Some freelancers remain sole proprietors and opt to receive 1099s and work from a personal bank account. Others register their business as an LLC to open a bank account and further protect their assets.

“[I registered my business as an LLC] immediately. I wanted to signal that I was serious about it. And it carried a sense of responsibility with ‘being official.’ I also hired an accountant right away. I didn't want to mess anything up.” — Chris C., Real Good Writing, Denver

The decision is completely up to you. The only difference is that registering your business will likely cost you a fee. This article by UpWork dives into the specifics of how and why to register your freelance business as a Limited Liability Company (LLC).

Setting Up Your Workspace

You’re set up online, now where are you going to set up to work? Your physical workspace can massively impact your productivity, focus, and motivation, so you should keep this top-of-mind when considering your jump to freelancing.

Many freelancers choose to work out of their homes, whether for convenience, cost, or to be closer to family. A home office is ideal for work-life balance, but the dinner table, bed, and couch are also options. This article from Contently dives into how to create a home office that works.

If it’s not realistic for you to work at home, don’t fret. Today’s working environments are fortunately much more conducive to remote and freelance workers. Between coworking spaces, coffee shops, and public libraries, freelancers of all kinds can find makeshift workplaces outside the house, even if just for the day.

“For non-chunky tasks (like emails, editing, and outlining), I work from my home office. However, I find the same four walls can get boring, and I get demotivated. That's why I head to my local coffee shop for meaty tasks (like writing).” — Elise D., United Kingdom

If you’re interested in co-working space, WeWork is a very popular choice for remote workers and freelance workers alike. Many cities have local co-working spaces that allow you to leverage shared desks, studios, and kitchens as well as network with other creatives and potential clients. If you don’t have the budget for co-working space, Google your nearest coffee shop, cafe, or university library. Whatever space you choose, ensure it’s free of distractions and provides favorable work conditions.

Getting Freelance Work

You’ve established the foundation of your business in the form of a website, portfolio, and workspace. Now this section will equip you to build the bones of your business — setting rates and getting work. This is perhaps the most important section in this guide and will provide insight into ensuring you become a successful and impactful freelancer in your chosen field.

Setting Rates

The process of setting rates and determining fees is perhaps the hardest part of freelancing. Not only can it be awkward to talk about money, but setting rates for your services is essentially putting a dollar sign on your forehead. What are you worth? What if your clients don’t agree?

Setting and negotiating rates can feel very personal, but the key to discussing money comfortably is to take feelings and opinions out of it. Instead, use an economic approach to determine your rates, similar to how a business owner might price their products. Do you think they feel bad when they quote their prices? No, and you shouldn’t either.

“[It’s all about] knowing your worth. It's so hard to see yourself as a commodity, but that's what freelancing is. You're selling your skills as a service. How do you put a price on that? In the beginning, this is truly a hard thing to grasp. But with experience and speaking to peers, you slowly start to figure that out.” — Karine B., The Letter K, Canada

Here are a few popular strategies freelancers use to set their rates. You can also use a combination of the three.

Cost-Plus Pricing

Cost-plus pricing is determining how much it’ll cost you to complete a project and tacking on 10-30% as profit. This pricing model is best for artists and freelancers who use physical material and know the cost of completing a project or service. For writers, designers, and developers, this model might be tough to calculate, unless you’re counting your time as the primary cost.

Market Rate Pricing

Market rate pricing involves taking a look at market averages and deciding your rates based on those around you. To calculate your prices based on market rates, take a look at your industry, location, and competitors with similar experience. (As a novice freelance designer, you can’t quite compare your rates to a designer with 10+ years’ experience, even if they live in the same area.)

Here’s a list of average rates per industry:

• Writers and editors
• Development and design
• Video
• Photography

Value-Based Pricing

Another pricing approach is to base your rates on what you believe your work is worth. This means that your pricing will differ slightly depending on what client you’re working with and what kind of work you’re creating. For example, creating a commercial for a Fortune 500 company will hold a little more value than that for a local coffee shop, right? Right, so you’d likely charge more for the former. Now, that’s not to say one company has more value than the other; you’re just taking into consideration what they can afford and the overall impact of your project.

• At what frequency should I charge? Some freelancers charge by the hour, where some charge per project (or per word for writers). This decision should be based on the type of work you’re doing and what you’re most comfortable with. Hourly fees ensure you’re paid for all of your time, where a fixed price guarantees you’ll make a specific amount. Also, being paid by the hour puts emphasis on the value of your time, whereas fixed pricing puts more emphasis on the value you’re delivering your client. If you don’t feel like tracking your hours (since clients will likely want to see a timesheet), you could set a fixed price based on how long you think a project might take you.
• Should I publish my prices on my website? Again, this comes down to what you’re most comfortable with. Some freelancers opt to publish their prices to create a perception around their overall value. It also helps weed out bad-fit clients who can’t afford your services to begin with. Other freelancers withhold that information in order to get clients on the phone. Keeping your prices private also allows you to change prices when need-be.

“I publish [my rates]. It means that people can get an idea of what I charge before they contact me, which makes everyone a lot more comfortable with the pricing conversation at the end. My rates are based on surveys of my peers and what people at my level of experience charge.” — Angela R., Australia

Finding Jobs & Marketing Your Freelance Business

When you start your freelance career, the majority of your day-to-day will involve looking for jobs and marketing yourself. Until you establish your skills and services and become well-known by clients, you’ll need to put a ton of work into applying to gigs, reaching out to potential clients, and simply getting your name out there.

When seeking freelance work, the first thing you should do is establish profiles on common freelance job sites. Not only does this give you access to open jobs and projects posted by clients, but it also bolsters your name and business name’s SEO by giving you another link to your website.

Here are some common job sites on which you can establish a presence and check out some open gigs:

• CloudPeeps
• ProBlogger
• UpWork
• 99Designs
• SimplyHired
• Guru

Join some industry or location-specific freelance communities. This will help you create a network of “colleagues” and freelancer friends as well as expose you to open gigs and potential clients. It might seem counterintuitive to make nice with your competition, but it can actually help your business. In fact, three out of my first five jobs were passed on from another freelancer who couldn’t complete them all herself.

“I actually love using Facebook groups like Freelancing Females, The Copywriter Club, and The Denver Boss Babe Collective. Those are groups that get it. They understand freelancing and running your own business and are very collaborative. I also enjoy word of mouth. The best business is a referral, so I let some of that take its course. In six months I've already had three or four referral offers.” — Laura B., Denver

For a bolder, more direct approach, consider reaching out to managers, directors, and editors at the companies you’d want to work with. Simply communicating your availability and sharing your website keeps you top-of-mind when work does arise. Connecting directly also shows clients that you’re proactive and take initiative when needed.

“I often directly pitch clients after an initial introduction has been made through a mutual connection. This helps provide a warm introduction (rather than a cold one) and has proven to be much more effective for landing gigs than applying to jobs/job boards.” — Kaleigh M., Illinois

Lastly, the best way to consistently attract work is to market yourself and your services. Marketing yourself extends beyond applying for specific gigs or reaching out to clients. It’s more so promoting your business as a whole and establishing a presence on social media, publications, search engines, and more. Most of this work happens with little to no pay but more than pays off in the long-run.

Here are some strategies to market yourself and attract more work.

• Inform your friends, family, and professional network of your freelance business. Even if they don’t need a freelancer, your name might come to mind if they’re asked if they know someone. The more people who know about your business, the more people who can potentially refer you.
• Stay active on social media. Follow and connect with freelancers, influencers, and potential clients on Twitter and LinkedIn. Engage with their posts by asking questions or sharing content with your network. I personally know of multiple freelancers who landed work by engaging with a certain editor or project manager who simply liked what they had to say on social media.
• Work for free. If you’re a writer, pitch articles to publications like Entrepreneur, Fast Company, or Inc. to build your portfolio and get bylines. If you’re a designer, offer your work to a non-profit for free to create goodwill and associate your work with a real client. (Once you've established yourself, however, don't be afraid to share your rates and only work for pay.)

“I always kept a running list of publications I wanted to write for. Once a publication was on my list, I’d subscribe to their email newsletter, follow them on social, and keep up with their new content. This strategy helped me learn about their audience, which topics they covered, and the tone and style they used. After a week or two, I’d sit down and brainstorm a list of 3-5 pitches. Then I’d send an email to their editor (or fill out their submission form, depending on the publication’s process) introducing myself, citing some relevant pieces I’d published elsewhere, and giving a brief overview of my pitches. The entire email was usually 2 paragraphs. I was pretty successful with this approach — I think I had around a 50% success rate.” — Aja F., HubSpot

• Establish authority in your niche. Attend industry events (like INBOUND!), teach a local course, or lead a seminar or webinar. One freelancer I know tutors writing students at her local library. Will any of her high-school-aged clients hire her? Probably not, but it still builds awareness of her business while helping others and challenging her to fine-tune her skills.
• Ask for referrals and testimonials. Reviews don’t have to come from paying clients. Anyone in your personal or professional network you’ve worked with can testify to your skills and work ethic. Consider professors, past employers or colleagues, or mentors. Ask for reviews on LinkedIn and copy them to your website.
• Say yes! As you establish yourself as a freelancer, keep your mind open to new opportunities. You never know what could lead to a client or job!

“[The best decision I made as a freelancer was when] I went through a period of saying yes to everyone that asked for help. It wasn't until I started to respect my expertise that others seemed to, too (minus the example from above...). It's easy to fall into that trap, but if you don't appreciate your time and talent, neither will anyone else.” — Lauren G., PR and Prose, Amsterdam

Managing Freelance Jobs and Clients

Freelancing means that you’re in charge. You create your schedule, you set your deadlines, and you pick up the slack when things go wrong. The best way to prevent problems (and impress your clients while you’re at it) is to have a solid project management process in place. Not only will this help you approach each project with assurance and organization, but it’ll also communicate professionalism to your clients.

"I'm a huge fan of over-organization so I use tools to get myself organized and get stuff done so I can get paid faster. I use Notion to organize everything from to-dos to the actual writing product in one place, so my clients get a workspace they can refer back to with all of our assets. Spending a couple of hours on this stuff each week really makes me much more relaxed and eases the freelance anxiety when I don't have any work coming in. Using [tools] also gives clients a great impression that you've got it together and takes the pain out of choosing to work with you!" — Owen W., Amsterdam

The first step to managing your projects with ease is establishing a place to record deadlines, meetings, events, and important dates. This could be on your Google Calendar, iCal, or even a paper planner. There’s no right or wrong answer here — you should choose what works best for you.

"The key to successfully managing a project is organization (and remembering the things that everyone else forgets). Since I don't have the best short-term memory, my project management tools are critical. Trust me, to-do lists are not enough. I prefer Trello and Asana, but there are some other great resources out there. The more involved a project, the more likely the tiny details are to slip through the cracks. Project management tools keep everything in one place, and make it easy to delegate tasks, keep track of deadlines, and move tasks through the pipeline." — Christina P., HubSpot

Beyond your calendar, it helps to use a project management or to-do list tool (or a combination of some) to help you stay on track and hit deadlines. From a HubSpot poll of over 80 freelancers, here’s a list of the top five platforms they use to manage their freelance work:

• Trello (used by 28%)
• Asana (used by 17%)
• Google Docs
• Basecamp
• Toggl

Lastly, figure out how you’d like to communicate project information and updates to your clients. (As for how often you’ll communicate with them, that’s also up to you and will likely take some time and practice to figure out.) Remember, as a freelancer you not only need to create amazing work but also please your clients, as clients lead to referrals … which lead to more work! I’ve compiled a list of tips for working with clients below.

• Set expectations early. From the moment you begin working with a new client, ensure no question goes unanswered. Be proactive in setting expectations for projects, your personal availability, deadlines, and payment. If you feel like you’re providing too much information, you’re likely providing just enough.
• Put it on paper. Whether you’re connecting with clients over email, phone, or Slack, ensure all decisions and expectations are reflected in official documents. This includes proposals, contracts, and invoices. Doing so creates legitimacy for your freelance business and creates official documentation if things go awry.
• Watch out for client “red flags.” If a client starts asking questions about availability and payment that make you uncomfortable, listen to your instincts and consider whether or not you want to work with them. It’s OK to say no. Questions like “Will you be available any time I call?” or “If I don’t like it, do I still have to pay?” are examples of red flags and might mean that client isn’t a good fit for your business.

“I'm surprised by how consistent it is for bad clients to show the same red flags as one another during the early stages of working or talking with them. Clients that will be outright disrespectful, ghost us mid-project, or be slow to pay tend to have a few things in common that can be noticed right away: They balk at our rates or try to negotiate down the price without adjusting the scope or value of the project. These clients also tend to require everything immediately but take weeks or months to pay for the work after completion. I'm glad my business has matured enough that I can avoid these clients when they approach me now, but it was much more challenging in the beginning stages.” — Alexander L., Lewis Commercial Writing, Fort Worth

Getting Paid for Freelance Work

Money, money, money. We all need it, but not everyone has to manage it as meticulously as freelancers do. When you run your own business, you must have a hand in everything, from how you invoice to what tools are managing your money.

And when it comes to money, setting your rates is merely half the battle. The other half involves billing, getting paid, and managing your freelancing financials.

The process of billing and receiving money can be uncomfortable, but getting paid is quite literally what keeps your business alive and allows you to maintain your freelance lifestyle. Thankfully, technology has made it easier than ever for today’s independent workers to manage their financials within a single platform.

Here’s a list of the top five financial management tools per recommendations from over 80 freelancers:

• Wave (13%)
• Quickbooks (10%)
• Freshbooks (10%)
• Xero
• AND.CO

These tools can help you upgrade from the old school word-processor-plus-spreadsheet system and build gorgeous invoices, process payment in multiple ways (by bank card, direct deposit, etc.), include any necessary taxes and fees, and even handle reminders for clients who are delayed in payment.

Let’s take a moment and dive into invoicing and billing. One important thing to acknowledge about freelancing is that sometimes clients don’t want to pay (or they don’t pay at all). There are some measures that can help if this happens, but there are also some invoicing best practices that you can follow to minimize this risk overall.

When invoicing…

• Bill at least half up front. It’s not uncommon to ask for at least 50% down before starting work. This is a show of good faith from your client and also provides some funding up front so you can get to work.
• Be crystal clear on your invoice. Spell out all your pricing, due dates, and payment terms on your invoice. Leave nothing to chance. You never know when a client will try to wiggle out of what they owe you.
• Bill promptly, based on your terms. If you say you’re going to bill weekly, bill weekly. If you say you’re going to bill five days post-project, then do so. Be true to your word. It shows professionalism and trustworthiness, and it keeps your clients from silently backing out of what they owe.
• Offer multiple payment options. The tools mentioned above can process multiple forms of digital payment, but it’s also good practice to offer to accept payment the old school way, too. Be sure your business address or P.O. Box is reflected on your invoice so that clients can send you a check if need be. Accepting all forms of payment leaves no room for your client to say, “Sorry, I just can’t pay.”

The Not-So-Fun Freelance Stuff

As attractive and enticing as the freelance lifestyle seems, it can be equally as complicated. Working for an employer might mean long, boring hours and commutes, but they also take care of a lot of stuff behind the scenes — including taxes, benefits, and retirement funds. And these are things you cannot take for granted.

Thankfully, freelancers can set up and manage their own benefits and taxes, but it does take a little extra research and work. We’ve spelled out the need-to-know details below.

Paying Taxes

Everyone loves tax season, right? Well, if you’ve been used to a big return each April, it’s time you change your expectations of tax season. Since freelancers don’t pay taxes with each invoice or paycheck, they’re expected to pay in full each tax season. This can mean thousands and thousands out-of-pocket, which can really mess up your cash flow if you’re not careful.

“Simply, keep regular accurate records. I previously used a spreadsheet for my accounts that required everything to be manually input but calculated outgoings, income, and tax. Every time I input a new project I got a new bottom line. Tedious but essential. I started using Quickbooks last year which generates a similar outcome with each invoice. Plus, I know this might sound a bit patronising, but don't spend the money calculated for tax. It's easy to see the number in the bank account, but always know what is tax — the taxman cometh and he does not suffer fools, gladly or otherwise.” — Christopher S., Lestaret, United Kingdom

This is one of the necessary evils of the freelance lifestyle. Thankfully, there are a few steps you can take throughout the year to lessen the impact of tax season on your freelance business.

• Stash away 30% of each paycheck. Whether you set up a business savings account or literally withdraw cash, it’s good practice to “pretend” like taxes are being removed from each invoice you receive, similar to how an employer would do so. 30% might seem steep, but it’ll help you be prepared for taxes and have some extra savings for large business expenses.
• Pay quarterly taxes. Instead of paying one large sum each April, pay an estimated tax amount each quarter. This relieves your bank account of a massive withdrawal and helps you avoid any late fees or potential interest payments.
• Save every receipt and research applicable expenses. Expenses can quite literally save you at tax time. Self-employed folks can write off anything and everything to do with your business, like Wi-Fi, rent for the square footage of your home office, mileage to client meetings, and 50% of business-related meals. Be sure to save all records of expenses in case you get audited.
• Hire an accountant. Freelancing is an incredibly independent undertaking, but you don’t have to do everything alone. If you’re not a tax expert (which most of us aren’t), don’t be afraid to hire a tax accountant to help you better understand your responsibilities. There are plenty of accountants that specialize in self-employed taxes, and these folks can help you find new expense opportunities, manage your funds, and prepare for any audits.

Setting Up Insurance

Another sacrifice of freelancing is forgoing company-sponsored benefits. And let me be the first to say that those are super important, especially for folks with families and chronic health issues. If benefits and insurance pose a major question of whether the freelance lifestyle is right for you, you’re not alone.

If you have a spouse or domestic partner, take a look at their insurance options. This is the most ideal avenue as company-sponsored benefits are usually less expensive than direct options through insurance providers. Even if your partner has to pay a little more to upgrade to an employee plus partner or employee plus family plan, it’s worth it.

If you don’t have a partner or he or she doesn’t have the option to include you in their benefits package, don’t fret. There are some insurance plans and providers that cater to freelancers and self-employed people, such as the Affordable Care Act’s SHOP coverage. Organizations like Freelancers’ Union also organize health insurance resources to make any research and decisions less intimidating.

If you’re leaving a full-time job, you might be able to tap into the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), which allows you to keep your health insurance for up to 18 months after employment ends. You’d have to pay 100% of the premiums (including your former employer’s share), but this option might buy you some time until you make a permanent decision regarding benefits.

Investing in Retirement

Retirement planning isn’t reserved for the “officially” employed, and you definitely don’t need an employer to set up a 401(k) or IRA. Freelancers and self-employed folks have many of the same options as those who work for a company, such as the Roth IRA, SEP IRA, or self-employed 401(k). This article by Fidelity breaks down which account might be best for you and how to get started.

As a freelancer, I started a Roth IRA and set up direct deposits into the account. I did this directly through my personal wealth manager, but there are plenty of tools and platforms that can help you.

Regardless of how you plan to invest in retirement, always start as early as possible and stay consistent with your deposits. Your future self will thank you.

Staying Connected as a Freelancer

Freelancing is a lonely career choice. In fact, when I talked in-depth with over 20 freelancers, most of them said the most difficult part of being a freelancer is how lonely and isolating it can be. But this shouldn’t stop you from pursuing a freelance career — it should simply prepare you to put in a little more work socially.

As a freelancer, since you’re not going into an office anymore, you’ll likely find yourself spending more and more time alone. You might also find that you talk to yourself more often … or that may just be me. Regardless, freelancing requires stepping outside your comfort zone and working hard to build relationships and joining communities — just like you’d do at work.

Meeting others can help you not only stay connected and up-to-date on new jobs and freelancing trends but also refine your skills and learn new ones. Here are a few ways you can stay connected and keep learning as a freelancer.

Take an Online Course

Taking an online course is a fantastic way to inexpensively master a new skill while being exposed to a new network of people. Better yet, some courses are free, and some allow you to become certified so you can increase your credibility. Online courses are a great asset to a budding freelance business and are much, much more manageable than going back to college.

Here’s a list of courses recommended by the 80+ real freelancers I surveyed and spoke with:

• On writing … Copywriting for Creatives, 10x Emails, ConversionXL, Copyhackers’ Copy School, HubSpot’s Content Marketing Certification
• On design … Shareworthy Design for Freelancers, Digital Strategy School
• On marketing … HubSpot’s Inbound Certification
• On business operations … Bookkeeping for Solopreneurs, Organize & Automate
• On freelancing … The Creative Class, AWAI
• On coding and analytics … FreeCodeCamp, CodeAcademy, Google Analytics University

Along with these courses, you can also check out dedicated course websites. Platforms like Udemy, Lynda.com, and Treehouse provide hundreds of free and paid courses that cover a multitude of topics and specialties.

“[The best decision I ever made was] joining the first iteration of The Copywriter Mastermind. It leveled up my business in so many ways. We're still together as a group today, and our Slack is my #1 go-to for business advice, client management, and copy review.” — Lianna P., Punchline Conversion Copy, New Orleans

Hire a Mentor

When I started freelancing in October of 2016, hiring a mentor was the very best thing I did for my business. I didn’t need help writing — I needed help figuring out how to write for other people … and make money doing it.

My mentor showed me exactly how to be a freelancer, including how to find business, pitch myself, set my rates, and more. Without her, I wouldn’t have started out so strongly with my freelance business. Not only did she equip me with all the tools and confidence I needed to dive in, but she also passed along a few jobs that she couldn’t take herself.

The process of hiring a mentor, coach, or consultant isn’t the same for everyone. Depending on your budget, industry, expertise, and location, you might fare better with a coaching course or a local consultant. Some of the above-mentioned courses teach how to freelance, too.

Join a Freelance Community

Whether you’re working from the heart of New York City or middle-of-nowhere New Mexico, today’s technology makes it incredibly easy to stay connected to other freelancers. From social media to dedicated forums, there are plenty of ways to join communities, build a network, and make friends.

Sites like Freelancers Union and American Writers and Artists Inc. offer memberships that provide resources and access to elite communities of freelancers and creatives around the world. As for social media, there are plenty of freelancer Facebook groups you can join and engage with. Some groups provide work, while others simply provide a place to chat and ask questions. If you’re on Slack, you can also hop into a Freelancer Slack community.

Lastly, don’t shy away from your local freelance network. Nothing quite beats a face-to-face meeting or conversation over a cup of coffee. Organizations like Creative Mornings or local co-working spaces put on networking events and get-togethers that allow you to meet other freelancers in your area. These opportunities provide human interaction in an otherwise majorly digital lifestyle.

Over To You

This ultimate guide to freelancing is long for a reason — there’s a lot that goes into this massive career move. But that’s not to say you shouldn’t or can’t do it.

In fact, freelancing is a pretty straightforward process. After addressing any questions and concerns regarding how to establish your personal brand, where to work, where to find jobs, and how to stay connected, the only unknown that remains should be: Are you willing to take the leap?

Editor's note: This post was originally published in July 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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