Monthly Archives: December 2022

The way businesses collect data is changing. But data is essential to great content strategy. That’s why content intelligence is coming into the conversation.

2022 HubSpot research says that over a third of marketers believe that data has a major impact on strategy by helping them:

Reach their target audience
Create more powerful marketing content
Understand which marketing strategies are most effective

But access to data is changing rapidly, due to privacy concerns, technology changes, and more. This means that businesses need to find new ways to collect and analyze data for marketing strategy.

Keep reading to discover what content intelligence is, why it’s useful, and how to make it work for you. Keep scrolling to learn more, or click a link below to jump to a topic:

What is content intelligence?
How to Choose the Right Content Intelligence Platform
Content Intelligence Tools

It’s essentially a GPS that leads you to a high-quality content strategy that drives leads, conversions, and revenue. You don’t have to guess what will be of interest to your audience because the data shows you what performs well with your audience based on market and competitor analysis.

Why is content intelligence important?

Many marketers use content marketing to communicate with their audiences and draw them in. Content marketing like blogs, webinars, social media, and online courses offer businesses a chance to connect. Each piece of content is an opportunity to attract, engage, and delight customers.

Content intelligence helps them accomplish this effectively. Other benefits include:

Generating a deep understanding of your target audience and the type of content they enjoy based on competitor data and analysis.
Reducing the guesswork of content creation because the AI analyzes content for style, tone of voice, and other important metrics.
Centering content on your users and what they enjoy with data from market research.
Gaining insight into various content types and how to create them, like video content intelligence that lets you know actions within videos that drive results.
Ability to predict the effectiveness of your content based on the historical performance of your competitors.
Generating authority in your niche through high-quality, informative content helps you get more visitors, increase conversion rates, and gain visibility in search results.

How to Choose the Right Content Intelligence Platform

1. Figure out what problems you need the platform to solve.

While content intelligence tools can do some of your content creation for you, these tools excel in content strategy.

This AI will use your data and organize it to find connections, trends, and patterns. This can help you pinpoint challenges, add to your data analysis, and ramp up your learning quickly. You can use these specific recommendations to improve your content for your customers.

If you’re interested in content intelligence, chances are that your content needs work. To figure out if these tools can help, try to define your challenges in as much detail as possible.

If you’re having a tough time getting started, start with a specific problem and work backward. Trace each step you took toward this disappointing result. Then, write out your ideas for potential solutions.

2. Get to know your content intelligence platform options.

According to Statista research, only 5% of marketing professionals use artificial intelligence and machine learning. Data-driven insights from website analytics and SEO tools are popular standards. But marketing leaders may not know anyone who’s working with content intelligence yet.

That makes research into different content intelligence platforms essential. Start with each AI tool and its features. Some will include content management tools, while others will offer content creation tools. Content intelligence platforms might:

Create automated content with natural language generation (NLG)
Find related or relevant content using natural language understanding (NLU)
Use big data for content analysis
Offer wording suggestions
Automate content creation and promotion
Integrate with other tools for content management

A platform with too many tools could overwhelm your team and resources. So, you’ll want to compare your ideal list of features with what each unique platform offers. It’s also a good idea to look at your tech stack to see if any of your current content marketing tools include the features you’re looking for.

Featured tool: Digital transformation templates

It can be helpful to bring in other team members during this step. A different point of view can help you narrow the scope of your search.

3. Find out how each platform handles data.

As you complete your research, take a careful look at how each platform collects, uses, and stores data. Because this tool’s effectiveness comes from data, it’s important that the way each platform handles data is in line with your business policies and customer expectations.

For example, data ownership and privacy are top of mind for most customers. 86% of respondents in a 2021 Cisco survey say that they care about data privacy and 79% consider privacy a factor when making a purchase.

It’s also important to think about what types of data you’ll need to make this resource effective for your business. What if the required data preparation is too much for your team to complete consistently? Most AI tools use many different information sources to offer predictions. A break in the data pipeline can skew the data your content intelligence tool uses to offer insights.

4. Decide which features your team could use.

It takes time for a business to create a content strategy, execute it, and build processes around content marketing. So, any AI tool for content needs to easily fit into your current strategy and workflow.

As you narrow down your content intelligence choices, be careful not to get too excited or overwhelmed by extra features you don’t need. Try to focus on a primary point of value to weigh each feature.

As you prioritize, don’t just focus on how your employees will use the product. It’s also a good idea to ask questions like:

How can this tool help our team meet customer expectations?
Can this tool impact business objectives?
Are there stakeholder ideas that we can implement with this tool?

Whenever possible, think about how this tool can improve your content marketing.

5. Align platform choices with future goals.

One of the reasons to use machine learning in content is scalability. You may not want to automate processes or create AI content now. But you also don’t know how content marketing might change in the next three to five years.

According to 2022 HubSpot research, 78% of marketers say that their industry has changed more in the last three years than it did in the preceding 50 years.

As search engines and other digital channels evolve, business content needs to change in response. This makes future goals a key part of your decision-making process. For example, many vendors who offer content intelligence tools also offer other tools. If you can, research these tools at the same time you choose a content intelligence platform. This will give you a foundation for future tech stack planning.

Testing content intelligence can be difficult because this tool is most useful for content strategy. If you’ve created a strategy before, you know it can take months to execute, publish, and analyze. So, you’ll want to do as much research as you can before you get to the next step.

6. Create a plan to put your content intelligence platform in place.

Before you commit to a content intelligence platform, it’s a good idea to create a plan for installation, training, and usage. Any tool that offers such a wide range of insights can be tough to manage.

But a plan can help you make sure that the team will get the maximum value from this investment. As you create this plan, figure out and decide:

Which features offer the most value
Which features will need more training than others
Platform capabilities that are more trouble than they’re worth

This planning process may not feel like a necessary step, but it can help you prove potential platform ROI. And that’s not all. An ideal content marketing strategy will connect with the right audience, support sales and service teams, and improve the quality and efficiency of your content team. Content intelligence can support those goals and more if you’ve taken the time to prepare.

7. Test the platform.

Once you’ve narrowed your content intelligence choices down, it’s time to try out your software picks. There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re testing AI software.

First, make sure that the software meets your expectations. Check that all the features you expected are present and work properly. If you’re not sure how to use one of those features, make sure that the documentation or support team can quickly answer your questions.

Next, use your workflow to test out your new content intelligence tool. Take notes as you research new content topics, measure content performance, or update your content strategy. This can help you find out if there are any bugs or flaws in the tool.

While no tool is perfect, you want to make sure that the extra value you’re getting is more than the extra work you’ll take on if something goes wrong.

For example, what if you’re not finding useful resources on the topics that matter to your business? If this tool can’t find the niche content ideas you need, it may not be the right fit. That said, AI is complex, and you may need to do some troubleshooting before making a final decision.

Content Intelligence Tools

While it’s possible to conduct content intelligence on your own, software can automate the process and generate results quickly. Let’s go over some high-quality tools you can use in your process.

1. BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo uses a strategy of research and discovery to gain insights about the content created by your market and industry competitors to help you understand what performs best with your audience.

The tool analyzes a variety of social media feeds and web content to give you viral trends to leverage, business-related content you should consider covering, and target keywords to use when you begin creating.

Pro tip: Use this tool’s advanced search features to get the most from their popular Content Analyzer.

2. Contently

Contently uses StoryBook™, its proprietary technology, to analyze and predict the content that will have the most significant impact on your business. This data will then help you create a content strategy that aligns with your audience interest — SEO, voice, and tone, and your brand guidelines are all considered in every recommendation. Then, when you create your content, you’ll get analytics to show what performs and drives ROI to further focus your efforts.

Pro tip: Use Contently’s performance analytics to measure audience engagement and compare with benchmarks in your industry.

3. Curata

Curata’s self-learning engine helps you discover the best-performing content and understand why audiences like it and how you can create your own top-performing content. You’ll also get SEO help to curate your content and share it in the most relevant channels.

Pro tip: Try Curata’s content curation software to find and share content that’s relevant to your target audience.

4. Crayon

Crayon’s software provides you with competitive intelligence that will help you use actionable insights to create a high-quality content strategy. You’ll gain an understanding of what works for your competitors, from social channels to review sites, and discover key messaging that performs best that you can adapt to your content strategy.

Pro tip: Content intelligence can also be a helpful tool for competitive analysis.

Content Intelligence Can Help You Scale Your Content Strategy

The content strategy you choose depends on your business needs. But you can improve your content, strategy, and reputation using content intelligence tools. Pick the software that’s right for you, and start growing your influence.

This post was originally published in October 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Think about a time when you were on the train, sitting in the airport, or simply lying on the couch, and you had to complete an online form on your smartphone. Did you ever pay attention to the mobile form design?

Chances are you haven’t noticed. That’s the goal — to give users an intuitive experience that gets them to seamlessly fill up the form and continue with their day.

In this guide, we’ll review the most effective ways to do just that. Here, you’ll learn how to design mobile forms that are not clunky or misaligned, but that help boost conversions and create a great user experience.

Table of Contents

What is mobile form design?
Mobile vs. Desktop Form Design
Mobile Form Design: 11 UX Guidelines

Mobile vs. Desktop Form Design

Today, your website visitors aren’t just browsing your site, viewing your content, and completing your forms from their desktop computers. They’re also completing these tasks from their mobile devices.

Mobile was responsible for nearly 60% of global website traffic from April to June 2022. That means it’s critical for your form to be simple to review, complete, and submit via a mobile device.

Why is mobile form design important?

The best mobile form design allows for a positive user experience, which ensures a happy website visitor who’s more likely to convert to a customer and become a returning user.

The design, layout, and functionality of your mobile forms play a large part in your website’s overall user experience.

If your forms aren’t mobile-friendly, you may experience fewer conversions, a loss in mobile site traffic, and an increase in unhappy and frustrated customers. And who wants that?

Why should mobile form design differ from desktop design?

“Everything works differently on mobile, so marketers need to make sure any elements of their websites are always optimized for mobile,” says Lilach Bullock, an award-winning marketing influencer and strategist.

“And that, of course, includes forms — especially since it feels like you constantly have to complete forms while on mobile.”

Specifically, think about the difference in the display or screen size between a mobile device, such as an Apple iPhone, which typically ranges from 4.7″ to 6.7″ in size; and a Mac laptop or desktop, which typically ranges from 13” to 24” in size. It’s safe to assume a form that fits an iPhone screen wouldn’t fit a desktop screen perfectly.

If your mobile visitors cannot easily read, complete, and submit your form, you may lose their business. So creating a mobile-friendly form that fits the screen of any mobile device is crucial to creating a great user experience in order to leave a lasting impression on your visitors and help you boost conversions.

What is responsive web design?

If you want to take mobile form design a step further and ensure your entire website is functional on all types of devices, you can implement a responsive website design.

Responsive web design takes into consideration the user’s screen size, platform, orientation, and environment. This is a simple and effective way to create a great user experience since so many people are constantly visiting and browsing different websites on various devices.

There are several ways you can make sure your site has a responsive design. For example, if you’re a WordPress user, there are several responsive WordPress themes that you can install and use to design your site.

Additionally, if you’re building, or have built, your site with software such as Squarespace, your site may automatically come with responsive web design.

Today, responsive web design is a popular choice for businesses due to the sheer number of people visiting websites via a variety of different mobile devices. But for now, let’s get back to discussing mobile form design.

Mobile Form Design: 11 UX Guidelines

“When designing your mobile forms,” explains Bullock, “it’s important to keep things simple and make them as quick as possible. [Forms] are more difficult to complete on mobile and everything feels like it takes longer than it should.”

In other words, the most important thing is simplicity for the end-user. When creating a mobile-friendly form, there are some steps you’ll want to take to provide the best user experience possible for your visitors. Let’s review 11 of these mobile form design best practices that you can begin implementing today.

1. Minimize the number of form fields.

Ever heard the saying, “less is more”? Well, that’s precisely what you should be thinking while creating your mobile form.

Between the size of a mobile device’s screen and the amount of content you need to place in your form, it’s easy to accidentally make your form feel cluttered. Remember to remove unnecessary fluff. Only keep the form fields for information that you absolutely need.

To streamline the process, you’ll also want to label your form fields clearly and succinctly, and mark optional fields as “optional” or include an asterisk next to the required ones.

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The aim is to make the form as easy as possible to fill out so that the chances of people completing the form go up.

2. Automate inputs when possible.

If you accidentally mistype your street address and the form corrects the spelling for you, the form autocorrects your response.

If you begin typing your shipping address and a box pops up with the rest of your address asking you if you want to “autofill” the rest of the form fields with your saved address, then your form is autocompleting your response for you.

By implementing autocorrect and autofill features on your mobile forms, you’ll improve user experience by making it quick, simple, and straightforward for users to enter their details.

In the below example, a person can easily autofill their information by clicking on the small pop-up that appears.

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3. Use a single-column layout.

When you’re creating a long or multi-step form, list all of your content in a single-column layout.

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Single-column form layouts are:

a. Easier to read.

Placing all your form fields in a single-column format allows your visitors to focus on only one item at a time, making your form easier to read.

b. Less daunting.

If you look at a form, especially in a tight space as you would on a mobile device, and see a large amount of content smushed together, you may feel overwhelmed. That’s why separating your content by rows and placing your form fields in a single-column format make your content look and feel less intimidating.

c. Quicker to complete.

When you place your multi-step form in a single column, leads can complete it more quickly than they would a multi-column form. That’s because the format makes the form easier to read and work through step-by-step.

Take a look at this sign-up form on the HubSpot website when viewed from a desktop or a laptop.

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The two-column layout makes sense here, as there’s plenty of space on the wider screen to work with. Now check out the same form when viewed from a mobile device.

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This single-column layout allows the eye to flow naturally while preventing clutter on the compact mobile screen.

4. Consistency matters (and so does form appearance).

How do you close a folder or an open tab on your laptop?

By clicking the ‘x’ button in the top-right corner.

But what if the button didn’t appear while on a particular application? How would you feel when you went to close the window?

Confused or irritated, maybe. You might spend a minute or two figuring out how to shut the application.

This is just a broad example but serves well to illustrate the importance of consistency. Watch this video to learn more.

Consistency in form design applies not just to style (colors, typography, logo, etc.) but to generally-accepted conventions that people are used to.

Here are some tips to ensure a consistent experience:

Match your form’s look and feel to your brand and website.
Ensure your form’s styling and formatting are consistent and complementary (nothing should look jarring or out of place).
Align your form field inputs to the left.
Affix each label above its corresponding input box and left-align it.
Use an asterisk to indicate compulsory questions.

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First impressions leave a lasting impression (in life and in business). That goes for your mobile forms. Nobody wants to complete a dark, difficult-to-read, cluttered, and unattractive form.

Your mobile form should be highly functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. Its appearance should contribute to its readability and positive user experience. To achieve this, use a simple and easy-to-read font style and size, a color palette that doesn’t feel overwhelming, and minimal form fields.

5. Keep in mind the touch experience.

Think about how you hold your phone while texting.

Most likely, gripping the phone with two hands while using your thumbs to interact with the screen. Or you might even do it single-handedly or type by using your index finger.

We interact with smartphones much differently than a laptop or desktop (cue the texting thumb), and mobile form design should reflect that.

Here are some suggestions to keep in mind:

Have adequate whitespace to keep the form clutter-free and avoid accidental button presses.
Ensure buttons are logically positioned (for example, the submit button near the bottom of the form, so users don’t have to scroll up to find it).
Check that the text (font size and style) is legible on the small mobile screen (no one wants to pinch their screen and zoom in to be able to read the text).
Make sure the form fields and buttons are large enough to be comfortably tapped with a finger.
Make the form pop-up towards the lower part of the screen (where possible) to make it easy to reach.

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6. Leverage input constraints.

Input constraints restrict the type of response a person can enter in a form field. This can include a word limit (say, while filling out a job application form) or only being able to input digits (in the case of a phone number).

This is seen in the form below, where a numeric keyboard pops up when a person goes to enter their phone number.

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Input constraints maximize form efficiency by limiting inadvertent mistakes, delays, or confusion. For example, if someone was trying to make a reservation for a table at a restaurant and accidentally selected a date in the past, the constraint would prevent them from actually being able to select and confirm that date.

This is especially crucial when designing for mobile as smaller screens make it harder to enter information accurately. By setting input constraints, you’ll save people time while completing your form fields, and prevent yourself from receiving long-winded or invalid answers.

Here’s another example of an input constraint.

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7. Create clear action buttons.

Buttons are an underrated aspect of mobile form design. Think about it: You get a form submission or conversion only after the right button is pressed. So you really can’t overlook this element.

This UI cheat sheet and UX Planet blog are great resources for designing effective buttons. Here’s a quick run-through of some of the mentioned principles that you can apply to your mobile forms.

Too many buttons spoil the broth (just like form fields, keep only the essential buttons).
Style and label your buttons consistently (capitalization, formatting, alignment, etc.).
Let the focus shine on the primary button (the main action you want the user to take) by making it stand out by size or color.
Right is right — a common rule of thumb for mobile is to position the main button on the right side and the second one on the left (though this can vary according to individual needs).
Specific labels are almost always the answer (“Edit this page” over “Edit”).

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8. Provide card scanners for payments.

Tried entering your credit card details in a form via your smartphone? Typing a bunch of numbers on a small screen with a small keyboard can be a tedious process.

Card scanning apps, such as Microblink, have become increasingly popular for that exact reason. When making a purchase, your visitors can click a button that takes them to a screen where they can use their mobile device’s camera to take a secure photo of the front and back of their card, whether that be their license or credit card.

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With just a couple of pictures, your leads will be finished with one of the most time-consuming parts of the mobile form completion process — keeping your visitors efficient as well as frustration and error-free.

9. Explain the need for specific information.

While completing a simple email signup or a registration form, have you ever been asked to provide personal information that has nothing to do with the signup form itself?

This is a common occurrence in all types of forms (not just mobile). Asking someone for personal or other sensitive information without explaining your need for it can seem sketchy.

When asking a question that doesn’t directly relate to the reason your visitor is filling out the form, it’s essential to create a summary box (with additional information) that the person can click on to understand why you’re asking for this information.

Such indicators can also help provide extra guidance on completing a form field when the instructions are not immediately apparent. In the image below, a summary box pops up when a person hovers over the icon.

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These small details will make your form feel professional and thoughtful while reducing the odds of the user leaving halfway.

10. Gather validation and feedback.

User experience is at the heart of good mobile form design. And validation and feedback play an important role in providing a great UX.

Validation lets people know if the information they’ve entered is right (or not). Notice the green ticks in the form fields below.

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While completing mobile forms, your visitors are bound to make a mistake here or there. The form should flag these errors in real-time so the user can correct them immediately.

For example, if someone adds the incorrect zip code alongside their street address, the mobile form should display an error message. This should indicate — in easy-to-understand language — the error location and how the person can rectify it (as seen in the image below).

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It’s also crucial to give people feedback as they go through the form. For example, a progress bar on lengthy, multi-step forms can make the form-filling process more engaging by showing users how far they’ve reached and how long they have left to complete it.

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Consider a person filling out the above form without a progress bar. They’ll be clicking the ‘next’ button with no idea of when the form ends, and might even abandon it just before the final step in frustration.

Once people submit their forms, you should direct them to another screen or page that says something like, “Success!” or “Thank you” so they know their submission worked.

Here’s an example of a success page on HubSpot that appears after a user signs up to receive a free Google Ads kit.

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11. Make forms accessible.

Accessibility is fundamental to the usability of your form. Forms designed with accessibility in mind can be used by a wider range of people, including those with visual, physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities.

Here are some specific recommendations for creating accessible forms from the World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative, WebAIM, and The A11Y Project Checklist).

Check that the text doesn’t pixelate or become fuzzy when zooming into your form (for better visualization).
Label your form elements in a way that can be clearly understood when read by a screen reader.
Ensure your form is accessible in both portrait and landscape modes.
Avoid the use of a time limit (where possible) to give people sufficient time to respond.
Include captions or transcripts for any video or audio components in your form.
Keep color contrast in mind. Here’s a free tool that can help with that.
Check that your form is fully-usable with just a keyboard.

A great way to ensure that all of the above mobile form design strategies stick is by exploring what you should not do in form design. The below video looks at some examples of what not to do when designing forms on both mobile and desktop.

Back To You

It’s no secret that your website visitors are completing and submitting your web forms via their mobile devices. That’s because it’s convenient and efficient, as most people carry some type of mobile device with them everywhere, making it crucial for your forms to be mobile-friendly.

Otherwise, your forms will be difficult to read, complete, and submit, which may frustrate your leads or cause you to lose their business altogether.

By considering your mobile form design and implementing these guidelines, you’ll enhance your mobile form user experience, build positive relationships with your leads and customers, and boost your conversions.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in Dec. 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

When proposing potential ads at your startup, one of the first questions you’ll likely encounter is, “How much will this cost?” If you’ve prepared a killer startup marketing budget, you will be well-equipped to help executives understand and buy into your vision.

A marketing budget should detail how much you’ll spend on paid advertising, fit into your overall strategy, and prove a worthy expenditure based on revenue earned.

In a world where 82% of startups fail from cash flow problems, the stakes are higher for these new businesses. Startups often face limited resources and smaller budgets, making it difficult to stake claim to a marketing budget.

This post covers how to determine what your marketing budget should be and what it needs to include.

Table of Contents

Marketing Costs for a Startup
Startup Marketing Budget Considerations
Tips for Writing a Startup Marketing Budget
How to Write a Startup Marketing Budget

Marketing Costs for a Startup

When your company is new, determining an initial marketing budget can be confusing. In some cases, budget decisions are top-down, inspired by competitors, or made by setting a goal.

If this isn’t the case for your startup’s operations, focus first on what will bring in the most revenue. Revenue determines what your marketing budget should be and where funds should be allocated.

The money gained from your gross revenue should fund your marketing budget. So, how much of your gross revenue will you need? The average marketing budget for startups should be 11.2% of overall revenue. This percentage gives marketers enough resources to build brand awareness and start attracting leads.

If you’re starting your budget from scratch, consider using a marketing budget template to outline your phase one marketing activities and costs.

Download Free Marketing Budget Templates

To identify your gross revenue, calculate your total number of sales/increases.

If you don’t have a gross revenue estimate yet, determine how much you are projecting to make and use those numbers as benchmarks. Explore tools to help you estimate your gross revenue, like this online calculator from the Small Business Association.

Now that you understand the first step to making a budget, explore other potential needs you may have.

Startup Marketing Budget Considerations

So, what do you need to include in your budget?

Once you have money earmarked, you can begin breaking down the costs. Think of what costs naturally occur in your day-to-day and what resources you’ll need to make your marketing happen.

You can put this information in a spreadsheet or template, like these free marketing offerings from HubSpot.There are no real rules with budget design, as long as it’s comprehensible and detailed enough to be useful.

Remember to consider the following expenses, such as:

Technology. When you are creating campaigns, factor in the technology you need to use, such as software to build a product page or manage a drip program. There are lots of marketing tools at different price points (and even free software), so be sure to write out what software you’ll need to buy. Check out this blog to determine which products fit your budget.
Research. If you haven’t yet discovered your target audience, you may need to invest in market research. Read the section “How to Write a Startup Marketing Budget” below for more info on market research.
Automation. Services that automate marketing processes can make your life much easier. They can also be advantageous to startups that don’t have the resources to spend money on extra hands to complete projects.
Production. If you need content pieces, product or advertisement videos, or pictures, you will want to budget for these items as well. Instead of paying for multiple different services, you could hire freelancers to fill these roles.
Paid advertising. Are you planning to run ads on TV, radio, or online? This is the category where you factor in those costs. It’s easy for paid advertising to add up, with some startups spending as much as 20% of their yearly budget on advertising alone. Remember, you can estimate the cost of paid ads. Take a look at our advertising guide to explore prices on anything from PPC ads to social media ads.
Branding. Assets that build a first impression directly impact your branding. This might include business cards, billboards, swag, and signs.
Content marketing. Decide how much you’re going to allocate to deliverable content. Consider automation services, likeHubSpotorSprout Social, and content ideas you can produce organically for free.
Traditional advertising. If applicable to your business, make traditional advertising a line item. Paid advertising usually occurs online, but traditional advertising refers to advertisements such as print and billboards.
New employees. If you plan on growing your team with full-time or part-time staff, you will likely need to include their costs in your marketing budget.
Unexpected costs. Expect the unexpected when figuring out your budget. Plan for devices to break or campaigns to take longer than you think they will, generating higher costs.

Working from your business goals helps you make guided budgeting decisions. For example, if your company’s goal is to increase brand awareness, you’ll probably want to devote most of your budget to branding, content marketing, and paid advertising.

Remember that you can play around with free methods for most of these costs. For example, if you are certain that automated software will help your startup, explore free trials or free services that you can use to determine what’s worth the cost.

Tips for Writing a Startup Marketing Budget

Before writing your startup marketing budget, consider the following tips.

1. Check that investments are worthwhile.

Startups have limited resources and need quick wins. Your first goal should always be to get leads for sales. Before committing to an expenditure, ask yourself, “How does this empower sales?” If the answer isn’t obvious, it’s likely not worth the money.

2. Do competitor research.

Check out your main competitors’ websites and blogs. What articles are they writing about? What keywords are they targeting? And, ultimately, how can you improve upon their strategy?

Remember that SEO is a long game, and you likely won’t see immediate wins. However, you should optimize your articles from the beginning to create the right SEO foundation.

3. Understand your customer’s journey.

There’s a reason why your customers chose you. Understanding their buyers’ journeys is valuable information. This knowledge can help you determine which channels are effective and worth budgeting for.

4. Prepare to report on your ROI (return on investment).

You will be accountable for how your marketing budget is spent. Make sure you keep track of the leads you gather and the revenue that can be attributed to marketing.

When you need to report your ROI at the end of the year, you’ll already have data at your fingertips.

5. Review your marketing budget yearly.

Between inflation and economic changes, your budget will almost certainly need an annual review.

In fact, 48% of marketers predict their budget will increase in 2023, according to HubSpot Research. Whether your budget grows or shrinks, you should be ready to make adjustments.

How to Write a Startup Marketing Budget

As a marketing leader, you must set a budget and determine how the money will be spent. This step-by-step guide shares how you can write a clear, concise marketing budget for your startup.

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1. Calculate your revenue, and determine your budget.

Remember, startups typically need to allocate 11% of their revenue(before taxes) to marketing in order to grow. So deciding your budget is as easy as determining 11 percent of your gross revenue, right?

Maybe, but your marketing budget likely needs executive approval. Plus, you’ll want to back up your budgetary decisions with statistics and a solid plan.

Once you’ve identified your overall plan, you can get a ballpark budget estimate. As a guide, think about your business and campaign goals. From those goals, choose the areas you want to invest the most in.

2. Conduct market research.

Thoughtful research can determine which of your products have the best potential for paid marketing campaigns. You’ll also find out which channels attract the most leads.

Remember: Conducting market research might cost you money and require a spot in your budget. This is especially true if you need to incentivize customers to participate with gift cards or promotions.

3. Work with product and sales to identify campaigns.

Your startup sales and product teams have valuable insight into which products need marketing’s special attention. Work closely with these teams to identify which campaigns you want to roll out during the year.

4. Create a marketing calendar.

Assign marketing campaigns potential dates and costs, spreading them out throughout the year, so you don’t use your budget all at once. Once you’ve created a potential calendar, it’s time to get your startup marketing budget approved.

5. Get executive buy-in.

By this point, you should have a solid marketing budget outline. Your marketing budget will likely need explaining and persuasive reasoning.

Make sure you communicate the strategy behind every cost. Finally, be sure to highlight exciting opportunities and how they play into your budget decisions.

Getting Started

A clear marketing budget can help you grow your startup business. By keeping track of expenses and allocating funds towards essential needs, you can reach your campaign goals.

Having a marketing budget can also ensure you have the freedom you need to make decisions without having to run every idea past executives.

Be sure to leverage the passion your startup company has for its product to make marketing a successful and exciting endeavor.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Staying productive is a goal many of us have, but finding a strategy that works can be challenging. We can also have certain periods where staying focused isn’t an issue, but others where it can feel impossible to stay on task.

This is why reading about productivity is helpful, especially when the content helps you develop your own tactics for dealing with it. Read on to discover a list of productivity blogs featuring high-quality information and strategies you can adopt to get over the productivity hump.

Top Productivity Blogs

1. HubSpot Blog

The HubSpot Blog features various articles on productivity, from tips from experts on their own best practices to lists of tools that can help you be more productive. You can also download a free productivity guide that will help you learn more about productivity and even prioritize your tasks and projects.

Recommended Read: 5 Surprising Research-Backed Tips That Will Boost Your Team’s Productivity

2. Ali Abdaal

Ali Abdaal uses his experience as a doctor and studying for school to write his blog, The Ultimate Guide to Productivity. In his posts, he talks about what it means to be productive and how people can achieve their versions of productivity with the tools they already have.

Recommended Read: The 2-minute productivity rule

3. Thrive Global

Entrepreneur Arianna Huffington is the founder of Thrive Global, a site that features productivity solutions that reference technology, science, and behavioral psychology.

Recommended Read: 5 tips on how to be a multi-passionate and fulfilled creator

4. Study Hacks Blog

Cal Newport, a computer science professor and bestselling author, is the writer behind Study Hacks Blog, where readers can learn how to achieve their productivity goals and use digital tools to enrich their processes instead of letting them get in the way.

Recommended Read: Professio sano in vitam sanam (on balancing work and life)

5. Work in Progress

Work in Progress’s Work Culture section regularly features helpful interviews with experts and productivity discussions to help you learn more about what it looks like and how to tackle it yourself. You’ll even find unique articles like how to distance yourself from the 24/7, always-on culture while still achieving your personal goals.

Recommended Read: Hobbies are the Antidote to Hustle Cutlure that we need

6. Zen Habits

Leo Babuta, the founder of Zen Habits blog, says the site is a resource for finding simplicity and mindfulness in what can sometimes be chaos. The blog has over a million readers who visit to learn about clearing the clutter, prioritizing their interests and happiness, and staying productive and on task.

Recommended Read: Top 30 Tips for Staying Productive and Sane While Working From Home

7. Boss Babe

Boss Babe is an online community for ambitious women to get the resources they need to grow their entrepreneurial careers and achieve success. It offers online courses and programs to build skills, and its website also houses a high-quality blog with productivity advice relevant to everyone.

Recommended Read: Slow Seasons in Business Can Be Your Most Productive – Here’s What to Do Now

8. Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey says he spent an entire year consuming everything productivity-related that he could, from reading books, interviewing experts, and sifting through journal articles, to even conducting his own experiments on productivity. He now uses his learnings to write articles about productivity to help readers develop their sense of productiveness and become more intentional in their processes.

Recommended Read: There Are 2 Types of Busyness

9. See Girl Work

See Girl Work is a Black-owned creative agency with content and strategy outputs that make an impact. It also has a blog that features all types of business-related content for people to learn from and a section specifically dedicated to productivity.

Recommended Read: How to Make a Great To-Do List (That Works)

10. Freedom.to

Freedom.to is a digital tool that allows you to select specific apps and notifications to block to get work done and maximize your productivity. It also has a high-quality blog filled with helpful learning about productivity that will help you maximize your potential and learn more about your needs.

Recommended Read: Am I A Workaholic? A Guide To Finding Balance

11. 99U

99U is a career resource from Adobe that helps people build their skill sets and bring ideas to life. Its blog features inspirational stories about creators and their businesses and helpful information on finding your preferred work-life balance and being productive.

Recommended Read: Is Impostor Syndrome Blocking Your Creative Potential?

12. Asian Efficiency

Asian Efficiency is a blog that features learning resources about productivity and productivity methodologies that can benefit anyone looking to familiarize themselves with the topic and develop their notions of productivity.

Recommended Read: How The 25X Productivity System Got Invented

13. The Marginalian

The Marginalian features articles about lifestyle and achieving one’s goals, often through connections to science and history. It’s a valuable resource for those looking to learn more about productivity and how it can factor into global affairs.

Recommended Read: The Science of Stress

14. James Clear

James Clear has been writing about productivity and healthy habits since 2021. He’s also the author of Atomic Habits, a #1 New York Times bestseller that has sold more than 9 million copies worldwide. On his blog, he writes informative articles about productivity centered around the question “How can we live better?” where he references insights from various fields, interviews with experts, and science-based strategies to improve productivity.

Recommended Read: How to Create a Chain Reaction of Good Habits,

15. The Middle Finger Project

With her book The Middle Finger Project, Ash Ambirge started a movement centered around “having the nerve to enter any damn room you want,” empowering people to take opportunities and build the path they want. The Middle Finger Project blog features articles about life and entrepreneurship, many of which focus on different aspects of productivity.

Recommended Read: U.S. Concept of Time & Why It’s Preventing You From Finding Your Passions

Over to You

Visit some of the blogs on this list, read the recommended post, and see if the advice fits your needs. The right insight will resonate and inspire you to begin creating your strategy for being productive, which will help you meet your goals.

Instagram is a powerful social media platform to help increase brand reach and drive new business, but it can be time-consuming and expensive to consistently share content you need to see your engagement grow in the long-term — which is why you should learn how to repost on Instagram.

In this post, we’ll show you different free ways to repost on Instagram in a few simple steps. But before diving in, let’s discuss why reposting on Instagram can benefit your brand.

Why should your brand repost on Instagram?

Instagram is one of the largest social media sites on the market. With over one billion monthly active users, brands that incorporate the site into marketing strategy can reach larger audiences and gain visibility faster over other social media channels.

And with an audience like that, you want to consistently post high-quality content — but that can take time, effort, and resources that may not fit your budget just yet. Since most marketers post between 3-4 times per week, you should have a backlog of content to keep up with demand. 

Additionally, user-generated content (UGC) performs exceptionally well. In fact, 90% of consumers say UGC holds more influence over their buying decisions than promotional emails and even search engine results.

For instance, consider the power of Warby Parker reposting this funny image from one of its customers, @cjronson:

Not only does the image likely appeal to Warby Parker customers, but it ultimately made Warby Parker marketers’ jobs easier — they didn’t need to create that content in-house.

Reposting to Instagram can help you highlight brand endorsements from your customers, brand loyalists, and employees. UGC is typically considered more trustworthy since a consumer isn’t gaining anything by promoting your product or service (unless it’s an advertisement) — they’re just doing it to tell their audiences that they like your product. 

How to Repost on Instagram

Instagram allows you to repost other users’ Reels and posts to your own Instagram Story using its native reposting functionality. However, it has its limits: It doesn’t let you repost to any permanent part of your Instagram profile, including your feed, Reels, or videos.

In other words, Instagram only lets you temporarily share someone else’s content for 24 hours max. If you do want to keep it permanently, you can add it to an Instagram Story Highlight.

If you’re looking to add a post to your permanent feed and credit the original creator, read about how to do that in the next sections. For now, let’s learn how you can repost content to your Story and add it to your highlights.

1. Navigate to the post, Reel, or video you want to repost.

First, find the right content to share with your followers. You can do this through several avenues:

Search for industry hashtags and repost popular posts by other brands and influencers
Search for branded hashtags, which will show you user-generated content made by your customers and fans
See the posts you’ve been tagged in and repost any that align with your brand
Find brands that you admire and repost the content that most aligns with your brand

Remember that you can only repost content from users and brands with public profiles.

Note: You can also repost other people’s Stories, so long as you’re tagged in them. You can find those who’ve mentioned you in their Story in your Direct Messages.

2. Click the paper airplane symbol on the post or Reel.

On photos and videos, the button will be located next to the Like and Comment buttons.

On Reels, it will be located between the Comment button and the three dots.

3. On the pop-up menu, click “Add post to your story.”

A pop-up will appear with several options. If you’re sharing a post, you have the option to add it to your story, reply to the poster (if they allow replies), or send the post via Direct Message to anyone you’ve messaged recently.

Similar options appear when you try to share a Reel.

Click Add post to your story or Add reel to your story.

4. Tap to show and hide the post’s caption.

Next, you should see a draft of your story.

You have the option of either showing or hiding the caption. Simply tap the post to toggle between the two.

5. Add text, stickers, hashtags, and other elements.

To get the most engagement possible and align the repost with your brand, spruce up the story with text and other elements. You can even add a link or a call-to-action. Learn how to customize your Instagram Story here.

6. To share, click “Your Story.”

It’s time to finish your repost. At the bottom, click the button that says “Your Story” at the bottom. This will automatically share it with no additional action required.

You also have the option to click “Close Friends”, if you only want a select group to view your story. Last, if you click the right-hand arrow, you’ll see additional options to share the post via DM or with your close friends.

7. Add the shared post to your Highlights.

While Instagram doesn’t allow you to share posts directly to your permanent feed, you can add it to one of your Highlights, which will remain permanently on your profile. Learn how to create Highlights here.

Here’s one example from a stationer called MARK+FOLD:

With Stories, the same best practices should be followed as for sharing a post. If you don’t know the person and suspect the content you’d like to re-share might be licensed material, ask for permission first. Give credit to the original posters whenever possible.

The screenshot method doesn’t require other websites to repost on Instagram. It’s worth nothing that this method only works for reposting photos, not videos.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Find a photo on Instagram you’d like to repost, and take a screenshot with your phone.

For iOS: Press down on the home and lock buttons simultaneously until your screen flashes.
For Android: Press down on the sleep/wake and volume down buttons simultaneously until your screen flashes.

2. Tap the new post button.

Once you’ve got your screenshot, return to your Instagram account. Tap the “new post button” in the top right of your Instagram screen (the plus sign inside a square).

Then select “Post” (other options include “Story” “Reels” or “Live”).

3. Resize the photo in the app.

Keep in mind that your phone will take a screenshot of everything on your screen, not just the photo you want to repost. So, be prepared to crop the sides of the screenshot to capture just the image you want to share with your followers.

After you’ve cropped or resized the photo to your liking (by pinching the image and then widening your fingers apart), click “Next” in the top-right of your screen.

4. Edit and add filters of your choice.

Edit and filter the post like you would any other Instagram post.

5. Add a citation.

The repost won’t include a citation, so we suggest adding one by typing “@ + [username]” to credit the original poster with the photo you’re reposting.

6. Add a caption.

At the top you’ll see a preview of your post along with space for a caption. You can choose to tag people or organizations, and add a location.

7. Click share.

Once you’ve finished customizing the post with the options above, click share at the top right corner. The post will be live.

Here’s how the finished product looks:

Pro Tip: When reposting content through screenshots, make sure you properly tag or give credit to the original content owner either within your story by linking to their account, or in the description of a post or reel.

Best Apps for Reposting on Instagram

1. Repost: Posts, Stories, Reels

Price: Free with in-app purchases

Image Source

For Instagram for iOS or Android. The app integrates directly with Instagram so you can share content from other Instagram users from your mobile device.

If your brand’s Instagram profile follows a distinct brand style guide, Repost can help you customize your reposts to adhere to those guidelines. Users can pick from 50+ different text styles and symbol art to create eye-catching captions to capture more attention.

2. Reposta

Price: Free

Image Source

For Instagram for iOS or Android. Reposta for Instagram is a straightforward way to repost your favorite photos and videos on Instagram while giving credit to the original poster.

When you find something you want to repost in Instagram, simply copy the share URL and open Reposta. Then in Reposta, you can position the attribution mark and send the reposted media back to Instagram.

3. DownloadGram

Price: Free

DownloadGram lets social media users download high-resolution copies of content to repost from their own accounts on channels like Instagram and Twitter. 

There’s no app you need to download to repost using this process, instead you can copy and paste the URL to download video, photos, reels or stories to repost via PC.

Share Your Favorite Instagram Posts

Now that you’ve learned how to repost on Instagram, you can diversify your profile with content sourced from friends, family, and brands. Use the methods above — being sure to cite the source of the original post — to quickly and easily reshare your favorite content.

This article was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.