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How to Choose the Best Influencer Platform for Your Brand

September 6, 2024 No Comments

By Brent Barnhart.

Trying to pick the best influencer platform for your brand? You should be confident about your choice! Below we break down what key features to look for.

For busy consumer brands, investing in an influencer platform is pretty much inevitable.

But with 10,000+ martech tools in the wild, choosing the “best” software for anything is daunting.

This is especially true for influencer marketing platforms and tools.

Why? Because the creator space is always evolving. Not to mention getting more competitive.

And so the tools you rely on to run your campaigns need the right features so you can scale.

We encourage brands to put potential influencer platforms under the microscope before picking. This post can help as we break down…

The must-have features brands should look for in any influencer tool
How to choose the best influencer marketing platform based on your company’s unique goals
Key details brands often overlook when choosing an influencer platform

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What to Consider When Picking the Best Influencer Platform for Your Brand

What Features Do the Best Influencer Marketing Platforms Have in Common?

Choosing the Best Influencer Platform: 7 Questions to Consider for Your Brand

Remember: choosing the “right” tool depends on your brand’s situation.

That’s why it’s so important to do your homework. Many platforms present themselves as one-size-fits-all. Chances are your needs are anything but, right?

We’ll cover two types of influencer marketing platforms: self-service and scalable.

Self-service influencer marketing platforms help brands coordinate campaigns themselves. These tools include databases, CRMs and influencer marketplaces.

Scalable influencer marketing platforms (like Statusphere!) programmatically match brands with creators and execute campaigns from A to Z.

To hone in on which type of influencer tool is right for you, start with the seven questions below.

1. How Much Time Can You Dedicate to Your Campaigns?

“Oh yeah, we can totally handle that ourselves.”

We’ve heard that one before.

And we get it! Marketers end up multi-tasking and wearing a lot of hats in any given role.

However, working with creators is a time commitment. A pretty serious one, too.

We always urge brands to be honest with themselves when it comes to their schedules. Like SEO or list-building, influencers are an investment that drives results over time. Brands that benefit most from influencers understand they’re playing the long game.

If you’re going to invest in influencer marketing, you should do it right! That means giving your creators and campaigns the attention they deserve.

“Not much. Maybe a few hours per week.”

Brands often underestimate the legwork required to research and contact creators.

Scrolling through social feeds. Drafting and responding to outreach emails. Negotiating.

That doesn’t scratch the surface of your most time-consuming campaign tasks, either.

Brands on a time crunch have the most to gain from a scalable influencer marketing platform. Taking a hands-off approach frees up your schedule. This gives you plenty of time to track your campaign progress without doing all the work yourself.

“We have a dedicated team member to manage our campaigns.”

More brands today are bringing on full-time influencer specialists to take the reins.

Makes sense! Influencer marketing campaign management is a full-time job for many brands. This is especially true when you’re doing everything in-house, including:

Shipping and fulfilment (think: getting products into influencers’ hands)
Managing influencer relations
Handling campaign reporting and KPIs

Some self-service influencer management platforms provide a place for you to consolidate some of these tasks. For example, they might offer an inbox or dashboard to manage your campaigns.

A scalable platform takes all of the above off of your hands. That said, you’re still in the loop on your campaign’s status and can make adjustments if needed.

2. How Much Have You Worked with Influencers Before?

Again, brands need to maintain realistic expectations when it comes to their campaigns.

It’s easy to dismiss the work required to hire creators at scale. That is, until you do it yourself.

“We’re totally new to influencer campaigns.”

First-timers can benefit from both types of influencer platforms.

Self-service influencer discovery tools can streamline your search process. A CRM or database might be overkill if you only end up working with a handful of creators, though. These tools can be overwhelming to first-timers.

If you have a campaign vision in mind but are struggling to execute it, a scalable platform is ideal.

For example, let’s say you want a specific number of creator posts of a certain style. Maybe vegan women in their twenties or millennial moms with newborns.

A scalable platform manages the creative direction of your campaigns and guarantees content from relevant creators. Contrast this with a discovery tool where how much content you earn depends on your success in identifying and pitching influencers.

“We’ve worked with a lot of influencers in the past influencers but we need help.”

Many brands try a DIY approach to influencer marketing and realize they’re in over their heads.

A self-service platform can help you uncover relevant creators, assuming you know what you want. Not 100% confident about what your campaigns should look like? A scalable platform can read between the lines, considering your goals to match you with creators and build a campaign around the information you’ve provided.

“We’ve run influencer campaigns in the past. We’re ready to scale.”

Let’s say you’re ready to scale your influencer campaigns. You’re committed and ready to go.

Nice! If what you’ve done has worked on a small scale, ramping things up makes sense.

How you go about it really depends on your team, schedule and budget. Do you want to manage all the elements at a larger scale or run a fully optimized campaign out of the box?

There is no right answer here. If you’ve been underwhelmed by an agency or platform in the past, a scalable solution could be a better fit.

3. What Types of Influencers Do You Want for Your Campaigns?

Audience size is a big deal to brands and rightfully so.

Based on the types of influencers you want to work with, some platforms are better than others.

Let’s say you’re a boutique brand working with a handful of smaller, specialty creators. Are there platforms out there for you? Absolutely!

Thing is, your platform of choice might not meet the needs of an ecommerce company hiring hundreds of micro-influencers.

“Micro-influencers. We want authentic, smaller creators.”

Micro-influencers are notable for their high engagement rates and level of authenticity. This results in meaningful interactions among their followers.

Micro-influencers resemble everyday consumers because they are everyday consumers. These creators are actively building loyal, trusting communities. Their authenticity is their superpower. This applies to the power-middle influencers we’ve partnered with, too.

Consider that micro-influencers with a few thousand followers might fly under the radar of many discovery tools. That’s because everyday creators don’t always resemble more “traditional” influencers. Finding micro-influencers in the wild often means doing some digging.

That’s where a specific micro-influencer marketing platform can make all the difference for brands that primarily want to work with smaller, authentic creators.

“Big influencers and celebrities. The bigger, the better.”

Maybe your goal is to get in front of as many people as possible. Many self-service influencer platforms allow you to filter creators by follower count. Want to partner with someone that boasts 500,000 followers? A million? Go for it. But keep in mind that follower count doesn’t necessarily equate to engaging with your target audience.

Note that some platforms charge brands for content based on an influencer’s follower count. This means that you end up paying for potential reach rather than actual engagement.

4. How Much Control Do You Want Over the Creative Process?

When using an influencer marketing platform, creative control is a trade-off.

Outsourcing any aspect of your business can be a challenge. That’s why brands should approach their platform like investing in a partnership. You should be able to trust the tools you’re using to support you and your goals.

“We want to outsource our campaigns but maintain some creative control.”

You can with an end-to-end influencer platform! Tools like Statusphere translate creative input from brands into pieces of content. We listen to our partners’ feedback and our campaign targeting optimizes over time. This gives you a hands-off approach while still maintaining control.

“We want to put the final stamp on what our influencers post.”

This is where things get tricky.

While self-service influencer marketing platforms can give you control over more campaign details, doing so comes at a cost. The more hands-on you are, the more time and resources are required from your team.

Assume you’re using a platform to hire influencers but want to run campaigns yourself. That means you’re on the hook for:

Writing creative briefs and communicating instructions to influencers
Ensuring that influencers stick to FTC guidelines
Negotiating with and compensating influencers

Sure, the ability to have the final say on your content means peace of mind.

But due to all the tasks involved, this can create bottlenecks for your team and creators. Compare this to an end-to-end platform where you can provide input minus any micromanaging.

5. How Long Do You Plan to Run Your Influencer Marketing Campaigns?

Just like influencer marketing is a commitment, so is investing in a tool. Brands trying to choose an influencer platform should decide if they’re ready for the long haul.

“Short-term.”

In this case, you actually might not need a dedicated tool at all. For example, most self-service platforms and databases require annual contracts. If you aren’t playing the long game, you might burn through your budget.

“Long-term.”

We find that brands yield the best results with always-on influencer campaigns. The longer your campaigns run, the easier it is to scale your content production. Likewise, you have more data to tweak and optimize your strategy. With platforms, it’s all about keeping your momentum going.

6. Do You Need Total Control of Your Campaign Data?

Maybe we’re biased but access to analytics should be a deal breaker for brands.

The correlation between high-quality data and business growth is well-documented. Optimizing any marketing campaign means regularly reviewing metrics, trends and KPIs. Influencer marketing is no different.

“Absolutely. Regular reports and campaign tracking would be ideal.”

Any platform worth your time is going to track campaign-level data. This includes reporting on:

Engagement rate % of your creators’ posts
How many pieces of influencer content you’re generating
Reach, impressions, plays and loops (think: TikToks and Reels)

“Doesn’t matter.”

We can’t stress enough how valuable your influencer campaign data is. Again, platforms should share this with you by default. Your data is key to understanding:

Which products and posts perform best among your target audience
The types of creators that generate the most social engagement
How your influencer marketing strategy is growing over time

7. Do You Sell a Specialty Product?

There are creators of all shapes and sizes out there. No matter what you’re selling, chances are there’s a community of creators ready to promote you. The challenge is investing in a platform that can uncover those niche influencers.

“No. Our audience and product are pretty mainstream.”

For example, skincare and fashion brands are safe industries for finding influencers. There’s no shortage of creators in these spaces. Any discovery tool should make them a cinch to find.

“Yes. Our audience is kind of niche.”

We often hear complaints about influencer databases that lack “unconventional” creators. Niche creators are hard to find because their profiles don’t always say “Hey, I’m an influencer!”

In our experience, niche brands arguably have the most to gain from a scalable influencer platform. From paper towels to dog food and beyond, we’ve found that small creators can get seriously creative with less traditional products. For reference, note how countless CPG brands are popping off on TikTok right now.

What Features Do the Best Influencer Marketing Platforms Have?

Looking through a laundry list of software is exhausting. We get it!

Brands should focus on the key features to optimize their campaigns and save the most time. Below we break down exactly what those features look like and why they matter so much.

Influencer Matchmaking

Again, researching and confirming that influencers match your brand is a big commitment. That doesn’t even take into account pitching and reaching out to them.

If you’re using a platform as a sort of search engine, that’s totally cool. Just understand that you’re still responsible for managing influencer relations.

Likewise, even someone that looks “perfect” on paper might not be a good fit when it comes time to post. There’s so much trial and error involved when finding potential influencers to work with.

That’s why a tool with built-in influencer matchmaking is so valuable.

A programmatic platform only aligns your brand with people interested in your products. For example, Statusphere matches brands and creators based on 250+ unique data points. You only get matched with relevant influencers based on your products and audience.

Why Matchmaking Matters

Eliminates time-consuming influencer research and outreach
Allows for easy scalability
Reduces manual messaging back and forth with creators
Guarantees that influencers are relevant to your unique target audience

Vetted Influencer Network

The biggest shortcoming of influencer database software? Lack of a proper vetting process.

Some platforms boast about their network made up of millions of influencers.

Sounds impressive at a glance. Thing is, reviewing a million creator profiles manually is impossible. And many of these tools rely on scraped data.

Sure, finding potential influencers through a database can speed up your search. The problem is that you still have to do the legwork of vetting creators yourself.

Not to mention, many of the search features offered by self-service platforms are in jeopardy following Facebook’s announcement of crackdowns on data scraping.

This illustrates the value of using a platform with an opt-in or invite-only network. With a hand-picked network, you don’t have to worry about creator authenticity. You likewise only work with creators who want to work with brands like yours.

Why Vetting Matters

Ensure that your influencers’ posts receive meaningful, authentic engagement
Only partner with creators that maintain an active social presence
Make your influencer campaigns more consistent with guaranteed content

Ease of Use

Maybe it’s cliche but the best influencer platform is the one that you’ll actually use.

Because learning a new tool shouldn’t drain your team’s time or productivity, right?

Onboarding should be a matter of hours rather than weeks or months. The quicker you can get up and running, the better.

That’s why Statusphere is designed specifically to save brands time. While we do the campaign-related legwork, our brands monitor their campaign progress in their brand portal. Our platform saves marketing teams an average of 100 hours per month.

Why Ease of Use Matters

Start and scale your campaigns sooner rather than later
Reduce wasted time (and stress!) on behalf of your marketing team
Take full advantage of the platform’s features to maximize your results

Built-In UGC Advertising

Maximizing the ROI of your influencer campaigns means reusing and repurposing your content everywhere you possibly can. Most notably, UGC ads featuring authentic influencers are proven to outperform brand-made creatives when it comes to engagement and conversions.

The ability to instantly turn your top influencer content into ads with less back-and-forth is crucial for brands. For example, our platform has built-in content rights for UGC so you can repurpose posts faster. Statusphere also allows brands to turn their campaign TikToks into Spark Ads in just two clicks. No negotiating rates or permissions required.

Why UGC Advertising Matters

Instantly increase the ROI of both your influencer and paid social media campaigns
Save massive amounts of time and resources on in-house ad creatives
Opportunities to strengthen other marketing channels (email, product pages) with UGC

Product Gifting and Seeding

Influencer campaigns are anything but one-size-fits-all. While some brands may have specific requirements and expectations for their guaranteed content, others just want to get their content into the hands of creators as quickly as possible with no strings attached.

In situations like product launches, being able to send products swiftly is invaluable. For example, Statusphere offers brands flexibility between getting guaranteed content with traditional influencer campaigns or product seeding with guaranteed delivery.

That means you can get products to creators ASAP with fewer question marks about your shipments. Not only that, but our matchmaking algorithm will ensure that your products only get sent to relevant creators to further increase your posting success rate.

Why Product Gifting and Seeding Matter

Brands benefit from options when it comes to guaranteed content vs. delivery
Product seeding and traditional campaigns give brands the best of both worlds
Gifting and seeding support scalability and word-of-mouth

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Social media moves fast. Like, really fast.

While your brand might primarily focus on a specific network now, that can change in an instant.

Think about it. A couple of years ago, there was no such thing as a TikTok influencer platform.

Fast-forward to the present day and brands have totally taken over the app. This highlights the value of working with a platform that makes it easy to pivot.

With ongoing algorithm and privacy updates, you may need to bounce to another network. Ideally, doing so shouldn’t mean dropping your current influencer platform.

Why Cross-Platform Compatibility Matters

Provides an opportunity to build awareness with a new audience
Gives you the freedom to pivot your campaigns if needed
Ensures that your creator campaigns are active where your audience is active

Which Type of Influencer Marketing Platform is Best for Your Brand?

Listen: investing in any sort of tool for your business is a big deal.

And influencer marketing tools are no exception.

You should be confident about getting the features your brand explicitly needs. In turn, your influencer platform should be built to get the results you want.

And if you want a tool that does the work for you, Statusphere can help.

Our micro-influencer marketing platform handles the heavy lifting related to your campaigns. That includes matchmaking, reporting, fulfilment and more. Our platform is built to save brands time while earning influencer content at scale.

Want to learn more about how the platform works? Get in touch with one of our experts to see how we can scale your influencer marketing efforts in a fraction of the time.

By Brent Barnhart

Sourced from STATUSPHERE

In News

How To Get Rich By Using What You Already Have

September 6, 2024 No Comments

By Melissa Houston,

The dream of getting rich often feels out of reach, particularly if you believe that wealth requires a hefty initial investment or a lucky break. However, the truth is, many successful entrepreneurs have built their fortunes not from a windfall or a massive inheritance, but by leveraging something they already possessed: their skills.

If you have a skill set you’re passionate about, you’re sitting on a goldmine.

Here’s how you can use what you already have to start a business and get rich:

1. Identify Your Core Skills

Before diving into the business world, it’s essential to identify the skills that set you apart. Are you a natural problem solver? Do you have a talent for writing, designing, or coding? Maybe you’re great at teaching, organizing, or managing projects. Start by making a list of all the skills you possess, both soft and hard skills. This list will become the foundation for your business idea.

2. Find a Market Need

Once you’ve identified your core skills, the next step is to find a market need. Research industries or niches where your skills are in high demand. If you’re a skilled writer, businesses are always in need of quality content for their websites, blogs, and marketing materials. If you’re a web developer, there’s a constant demand for websites and apps. The key is to match your skill set with a problem that needs solving.

3. Start Small and Lean

One of the biggest misconceptions about starting a business is that it requires significant upfront capital. However, many successful entrepreneurs started with little to no money. You can start small by offering your services as a freelancer or consultant. This allows you to test the waters, build a client base, and gain experience without the financial risk of starting a full-fledged business.

For example, if you’re a graphic designer, you can start by taking on freelance projects. As you build a portfolio and a reputation, you can gradually expand your services and client base.

4. Leverage Technology

Technology will help you start your business. You can use online platforms to market your skills, find clients, and even automate parts of your business. Social media, freelancing websites, and personal websites are powerful tools for reaching a global audience without spending a dime.

Platforms like LinkedIn can connect you with clients looking for your specific skill set. Meanwhile, a well-maintained social media presence can help you build your brand and attract customers organically.

5. Network and Collaborate

Networking is a critical component of growing your business. By connecting with others in your industry, you can gain valuable insights, find opportunities for collaboration, and increase your visibility. Attend industry events, join online communities, and don’t be afraid to reach out to people who might be able to help you grow your business.

Collaboration can also open new revenue streams. For example, if you’re a web developer, partnering with a graphic designer can allow you to offer a more comprehensive service to your clients.

6. Upskill Continuously

To stay competitive and continue growing your business, it’s essential to keep learning. Invest time in upskilling and staying updated with the latest trends in your industry. This could mean taking online courses, attending workshops, or simply dedicating time each week to learning something new.

Upskilling can also allow you to diversify your services. For example, if you’re a content writer, learning about SEO can make your services more valuable to clients looking to improve their online presence.

7. Focus on Delivering Value

Ultimately, the key to getting rich using your skills is to focus on delivering value. When you consistently provide high-quality work that solves your clients’ problems, you build a reputation that leads to repeat business and referrals. Over time, this can lead to higher rates, bigger projects, and more significant opportunities.

8. Scale When the Time is Right

As your business grows, look for opportunities to scale. This might mean hiring additional help, expanding your services, or even creating products based on your expertise. For example, if you’re a consultant, you might create an online course or write a book to reach a broader audience.

Scaling should be done strategically and only when you have the processes in place to handle the increased workload. However, when done correctly, scaling can significantly increase your income potential.

The bottom line is that getting rich doesn’t necessarily require a revolutionary idea or a large amount of startup capital. By leveraging the skills you already have, identifying a market need, and delivering consistent value, you can build a business that grows over time. Remember, wealth is often built slowly through persistence, continuous learning, and smart business decisions.

Feature Image Credit: getty

By Melissa Houston

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Melissa Houston, CPA covers business and personal finance impacting women entrepreneurs. With her CPA designation and over 20 years of practical experience, Houston is widely regarded by her expertise in financial management. Houston shares her knowledge and experience with Forbes.com readers and has done so since August 2020. Houston is the international selling author of Cash Confident: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Creating a Profitable Business, founder of She Means Profit, international speaker, and covers small business finances. Houston has worked with hundreds of small business owners to help them increase profit and make more money in their businesses.

Sourced from Forbes

In News

X vs. the Ad Industry: How Did We Get Here?

September 5, 2024 No Comments

By Rebecca Stewart & Luz Corona.

Elon Musk’s ownership of X (formerly Twitter) has not been without its challenges and criticisms.

Since buying the social media platform in 2022, Musk has been in the headlines over misinformation, buyer’s remorse, warring with advertisers, and more. Now, X has driven the nonprofit Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) to close its doors after serving the nonprofit with a lawsuit over advertising on the platform.

In this episode of Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad, ADWEEK’s brand editor Rebecca Stewart and community editor Luz Corona are joined by Trishla Ostwal, AI and tech reporter, and Catherine Perloff, platforms reporter.

They discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding Musk’s ownership of X, its impact on the advertising industry, and what might happen next. They also talk about what they’ve heard from sources about X’s brand safety measures, and what buyers are really thinking.

To learn more, listen to the latest episode or check out key takeaways below.

This is an ideological issue

Ostwal and Perloff take us back to the start, highlighting Musk’s questionable comments on X and the subsequent backlash from advertisers. Advertisers initially started boycotting X due to concerns about brand safety and offensive content. Then, Musk’s free speech agenda clashed with brands’ desire to distance themselves from problematic content.

As a result, X’s revenue dropped and the number of advertisers on the platform decreased; ad spend on X dropped 20% year-over-year in 2024, from $788 million in 2023 to $628 million, per MediaRadar.

X’s lawsuit is like ‘Hershey’s suing people who don’t buy candy’

The relationship between Musk and advertisers has become antagonistic. Perloff likens the decision to sue GARM, Unilever, Mars and CVS for “conspiring to boycott X” to “Hershey’s suing people who don’t buy candy.” All this is creating uncertainty for ad buyers and raising concerns about the viability of advertising on X.

GARM was more helpful than harmful

GARM was a leading organization in establishing standards for what constitutes brand safety, although they weren’t the only one doing so (there are tech vendors that brands pay to help do this). GARM’s role involved setting guidelines for where brands should or should not advertise, often based on ideological considerations. This was crucial because brand safety measures can impact important journalism, since ads may be pulled from significant but controversial content.

Advertisers relied on GARM to know where to draw the line in a very complicated and fractured digital media ecosystem.

Advertisers have ongoing frustrations with X beyond brand safety

Among some advertisers, there have been concerns that anti-misinformation efforts are “too liberal-leaning,” said Perloff, causing hesitation and uncertainty. However, brands often return to large platforms such as X, since there are few viable alternatives.

Ostwal adds that marketers tell her they’re still frustrated with X due to poor sales support and communication. Agencies have reported difficulties getting reliable responses from X’s sales representatives, especially after Musk’s takeover, she said.

By Rebecca Stewart & Luz Corona

Rebecca Stewart

[email protected]

Rebecca is Adweek’s Europe brand editor.

Luz Corona

Luz Corona is the community editor at Adweek.

Sourced from ADWEEK

In News

Unlocking Wealth with ChatGPT in 2024: Six Innovative Strategies

September 5, 2024 No Comments

By Roland Hutchinson

As we move further into the digital age, the opportunities for income generation continue to evolve. In 2024, ChatGPT, a powerful language model, has emerged as a valuable tool for those seeking to capitalize on various money-making ventures. This article delves into eight innovative strategies that harness the capabilities of ChatGPT to help you unlock wealth in the coming year.

1. Faceless YouTube Channels

One lucrative avenue to explore is the creation and monetization of faceless YouTube channels. With the advent of AI video creation tools, producing engaging content without the need to appear on camera has become more accessible than ever. ChatGPT can be instrumental in generating compelling video scripts that captivate your audience while delivering informative and entertaining content.

To maximize your earnings, consider implementing various monetization methods:

Ad revenue: Earn money through YouTube’s AdSense program by displaying ads on your videos.
Sponsorships: Collaborate with brands that align with your channel’s niche and create sponsored content.
Branded merchandise: Design and sell custom merchandise related to your channel’s theme or catchphrases.
Affiliate marketing: Promote products or services within your videos and earn commissions on sales.

ChatGPT can assist in drafting persuasive pitches for potential sponsors, crafting descriptions for your merchandise, and creating engaging calls-to-action to drive affiliate sales.

2. Ghostwriting for LinkedIn and Twitter

Another profitable venture is offering ghostwriting services for executives and CEOs on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. Many high-level professionals recognize the importance of maintaining a strong online presence but lack the time or expertise to create content consistently. This is where ChatGPT comes in.

By leveraging ChatGPT’s natural language generation capabilities, you can produce high-quality, engaging posts that reflect the executive’s unique voice and industry insights. This service helps them build their personal brand while providing you with a steady stream of income.

To succeed in this field:

Research the executive’s industry, target audience, and communication style to ensure the content resonates with their followers.
Use ChatGPT to draft posts that showcase the executive’s thought leadership and provide value to their network.
Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep their audience engaged and grow their online presence.

3. Travel Concierge Services

The travel industry presents another opportunity for those looking to generate income using ChatGPT. By offering personalized travel planning and booking services, you can cater to the needs of discerning clients who value a seamless and stress-free travel experience.

ChatGPT can be a valuable asset in creating tailored itineraries based on client preferences, such as preferred destinations, activities, and accommodations. Additionally, ChatGPT can handle client communication, ensuring prompt and accurate responses to inquiries and requests.

To excel in this field:

Build a network of reliable travel partners, such as airlines, hotels, and tour operators, to provide comprehensive services.
Use ChatGPT to generate personalized travel recommendations and handle client correspondence professionally.
Offer value-added services, such as real-time travel updates and 24/7 support, to differentiate yourself from competitors.

By delivering exceptional service and leveraging ChatGPT’s capabilities, you can attract high-paying clients and establish a profitable travel concierge business.

4. Print on Demand

Print on demand (POD) has gained significant traction in recent years, allowing entrepreneurs to design and sell custom products without the need for inventory or upfront costs. ChatGPT can be a valuable tool in this venture, assisting in the creation of unique and appealing designs for products like t-shirts, mugs, and phone cases.

To get started:

Use ChatGPT to brainstorm design ideas and generate product descriptions that resonate with your target audience.
Partner with reliable POD services that handle production, shipping, and customer support, allowing you to focus on design and marketing.
Promote your products through social media, online marketplaces, and targeted advertising to drive sales.

By leveraging ChatGPT’s creative capabilities and the efficiency of POD services, you can build a profitable business with minimal overhead costs.

5. Creating and Selling eBooks

Writing and selling eBooks has long been a popular method for generating passive income. With ChatGPT’s assistance, the process of creating high-quality, informative content has become more efficient than ever.

To maximize your eBook sales:

Identify a niche or topic that aligns with your expertise and has a proven demand in the market.
Use ChatGPT to generate well-structured, engaging content that provides value to your readers.
Develop compelling landing pages and promotional materials using ChatGPT to drive sales and attract potential buyers.
Utilize online platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or Gumroad to distribute your eBooks and reach a wide audience.

By creating high-quality eBooks and implementing effective marketing strategies, you can generate significant revenue and establish yourself as an authority in your chosen niche.

6. AI Business Optimization Consultant

As businesses increasingly recognize the potential of artificial intelligence to streamline operations and improve efficiency, the demand for AI business optimization consultants is on the rise. By mastering the art of prompting ChatGPT effectively, you can offer valuable insights and recommendations to help businesses achieve their goals and enhance their bottom line.

To succeed in this role:

Develop a deep understanding of ChatGPT’s capabilities and learn to craft prompts that elicit the most relevant and actionable responses.
Stay up-to-date with the latest AI trends and best practices to provide innovative solutions to your clients.
Collaborate closely with businesses to identify areas for improvement and develop customized strategies that leverage ChatGPT’s insights.

By positioning yourself as an expert in AI-driven business optimization, you can attract a diverse range of clients and build a profitable consulting practice.

As we look ahead to 2024, the opportunities for income generation using ChatGPT are vast and varied. By exploring these eight innovative strategies and adapting them to your unique skills and interests, you can unlock new avenues for financial success in the digital age. Whether you choose to create faceless YouTube channels, offer ghostwriting services, or become an AI business optimization consultant, ChatGPT’s powerful language capabilities can help you achieve your goals and thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of online entrepreneurship.

By Roland Hutchinson

Sourced from Geeky Gadgets

In News

Get Rich Quick? Try These 7 Insane ChatGPT Prompts for 2024!

September 4, 2024 No Comments

By David Garcia

Transform Your Business with These Powerful ChatGPT Prompts for 2024

n the fast-paced world of 2024, leveraging AI for business growth has never been more essential. ChatGPT, an advanced AI language model, offers an array of prompts that can help you kickstart various business ventures and side hustles. If you’re looking to get rich quick, these 7 insane ChatGPT prompts could be your golden ticket. Let’s dive into how you can use these prompts and tools to create successful businesses.

7. AI Graphic Design Business Prompt

Prompt: “I am planning to launch a graphic design business that incorporates AI technologies. Provide detailed advice and a step-by-step action plan covering these key areas: Business concept and market analysis, business structure and legal, AI technology and integration tools, service offerings and portfolio development, pricing strategy and financial planning, marketing and client acquisition, product management and workflow, quality control and client feedback, and at last scaling and business growth.”

Getting Started: Launching an AI-powered graphic design business involves integrating advanced tools like Canva and Miro. Canva, known for its user-friendly interface, can be combined with AI-driven design suggestions to enhance creativity. Miro offers collaborative brainstorming and visual content creation, essential for developing innovative designs.

Key Steps:

Business Concept and Market Analysis: Understand the demand for AI-integrated graphic design services.
AI Technology Integration: Utilize tools like Canva and Miro to streamline design processes.
Marketing and Client Acquisition: Leverage platforms like LinkedIn and Medium to reach potential clients and showcase your portfolio.

6. Affiliate Marketing Business Prompt

Prompt: “I am planning to create an affiliate marketing blog. I need a complete guide that covers all the essential aspects, strategies, and best practices for launching and growing an affiliate marketing blog. Provide in-depth information and actionable steps on the following key areas: Niche selection and market analysis, blog setup and platform optimization, content strategy and creation, affiliate partnership and monetization, traffic generation and audience building, performance tracking and analytics, scaling and growth strategies, and at last long-term sustainability and adaptation.”

Getting Started: Affiliate marketing can be a lucrative side hustle if done right. Tools like Notion-AI and Google Docs can help in organizing your content strategy and streamlining the creation process.

Key Steps:

Niche Selection and Market Analysis: Identify profitable niches using tools like Google Trends.
Content Strategy and Creation: Use Notion-AI for idea generation and Google Docs for drafting and editing.
Traffic Generation: Implement SEO strategies and use LinkedIn for networking with other marketers.

5. Copywriting Business Prompt

Prompt: “I am planning to start a business focused on AI-driven copywriting services. I need a complete blueprint covering the essential steps, strategies, and considerations for launching and growing this business successfully. Provide detailed guidance on the following aspects: Market analysis and business planning, technology and tools, service and portfolio development, client acquisition and sales strategies, operational workflow and quality control, and at last business model and pricing.”

Getting Started: AI tools like Quillbot can enhance your copywriting efficiency, making it easier to produce high-quality content quickly.

Key Steps:

Market Analysis: Identify industries in need of quality copywriting services.
Technology and Tools: Incorporate Quillbot for paraphrasing and improving content quality.
Client Acquisition: Use LinkedIn and Medium to network and showcase your expertise.

4. Social Media Marketing Agency Prompt

Prompt: “I am planning to start a social media marketing agency. I need a detailed plan that encompasses all critical elements of establishing and operating a successful agency in this field. Provide in-depth guidance on the following key areas: The business foundation and niche identification, service offerings, package development, building a team and resource management, and at last, client acquisition and relationship management.”

Getting Started: Social media marketing requires creativity and strategic planning. Tools like Canva for content creation and Notion for task management can be invaluable.

Key Steps:

Niche Identification: Determine which industries you will serve.
Service Offerings: Develop packages tailored to different business needs.
Client Acquisition: Utilize LinkedIn and other social media platforms to attract clients.

3. Email Marketing Agency Prompt

Prompt: “I am in the process of establishing an email marketing agency. I need a detailed plan that covers all crucial components of creating and managing a thriving email marketing agency. Provide in-depth advice and strategies on the following key areas: Market analysis and defining services, the agency setup and legal considerations, building a skilled team, client acquisition and sales strategies, operational tools and technology, client onboarding and project management, performance measurement and analytics, and at last long-term growth and scaling the agency.”

Getting Started: Email marketing remains a powerful tool for businesses. SaneBox can help manage emails efficiently, ensuring that important client communications are not missed.

Key Steps:

Market Analysis: Research businesses that can benefit from email marketing.
Service Definition: Create service packages, including campaign creation and analytics.
Client Onboarding: Use SaneBox to organize and streamline client communications.

2. YouTube Content Ideation and Planning Prompt

Prompt: “You are a creative consultant for a [NICHE] YouTuber. Based on their target audience of [TARGET AUDIENCE] and their previously successful themes of [previous successful themes], please generate five unique video content ideas and a brief script for all of them.”

Getting Started: Content creation for YouTube requires a blend of creativity and analytical thinking. Tools like Miro for brainstorming and Notion for planning can be extremely useful.

Key Steps:

Content Ideas: Use Miro to brainstorm and map out content ideas visually.
Script Writing: Draft scripts in Google Docs or Notion for easy collaboration.
Execution: Plan the production schedule and optimize video SEO.

1. Detailed Podcast Topic Ideation Prompt

Prompt: “You are a podcaster using the [specific podcasting strategy model]. Your task is to create an episode plan for the upcoming episode titled [Episode Title]. This episode is aimed at [Target Audience]. The objectives for this episode are [Objective 1, Objective 2, Objective 3]. This episode should cover some key themes: [Theme 1, Theme 2, Theme 3]. Using the principles of the [specific podcasting strategy model], please create an episode plan including the following sections: a) Title: [Episode Title], b) Objectives: As stated above, c) Key Themes: As stated above, d) Episode Details: Detailed content ideas covering the objectives and key themes, e) Engagement Suggestions: Innovative ideas to engage your listeners during and after the episode, f) Evaluation Methods: Methods to assess the reception and impact of the episode.”

Getting Started: Podcasting is a growing field with a lot of potential. Using tools like Notion for planning and organization can streamline the process.

Key Steps:

Episode Planning: Use Notion to outline and organize episode content.
Content Creation: Draft scripts and detailed notes in Google Docs.
Engagement: Implement strategies to engage listeners and evaluate episode performance.

Tools Mentioned

Miro: A visual content creation tool that offers a freemium pricing model. Ideal for brainstorming and collaborative planning. Website
Notion: An all-in-one productivity and task management tool, priced at $8/month for an annual subscription. Website
Canva: A popular graphic design tool that integrates AI suggestions to enhance creativity.
Quillbot: An AI tool for paraphrasing and improving the quality of copywriting.
SaneBox: A tool to manage and organize emails efficiently.

FAQs

How to prompt ChatGPT for business? To prompt ChatGPT for business, clearly state your business idea and the specific information you need. For example, “I am planning to launch a graphic design business that incorporates AI technologies. Provide detailed advice on business structure, AI integration, and client acquisition.”

What is the prompt for generating business ideas in ChatGPT? For generating business ideas, use a prompt like, “Generate innovative business ideas that leverage AI technologies for the year 2024, focusing on emerging trends and market needs.”

How to start your business with ChatGPT? Starting your business with ChatGPT involves using it for market analysis, business planning, and strategic advice. Begin by asking ChatGPT for a step-by-step guide tailored to your specific business idea, covering aspects like market research, legal considerations, and client acquisition strategies.

ChatGPT offers a wealth of opportunities to kickstart your business ventures in 2024. By utilizing these 7 insane prompts, along with powerful AI tools like Canva, Notion, and Quillbot, you can streamline your processes and achieve remarkable growth. Whether you’re diving into affiliate marketing, social media management, or launching an AI-driven graphic design business, ChatGPT can be your ultimate guide. Start leveraging these insights today and watch your business soar!

By David Garcia

Sourced from Grey Journal

In News

30-year-old turned her side hustle into a business that brings in $100,000 a year: ‘I’m so glad I bet on myself’

September 4, 2024 No Comments

By Parween Mander,

In September 2021, when I was 27, I got laid off from my role as customer success manager after four and a half years working for a financial technology company. Luckily, I had been working on my side hustle since April 2020.

I started my money-coaching business The Wealthy Wolfe because I wanted to help what I knew first hand to be an underserved group of people: daughters of immigrants, who struggled with growing their wealth and were tired of advice from predominantly white male financial advisors who didn’t I don’t understand where they were coming from.

When I lost my job, I felt expendable and like I didn’t have any agency or ownership over my career. I didn’t want to go through that again. I realized there was no better time to go out on my own, so I took the leap.

I’m so glad that I bet on myself. At the end of 2020, I had made $6,300. It was a start. By the end of 2023, I had earned over $100,000 a year, for the second year in a row.

Here are three steps I took to turn my side hustle into a lucrative, full-time business.

1. I expanded my reach online

I knew that if I wanted to reach my ideal audience, I needed to meet them where they were. My online presence at the time was a very static Instagram page. Creating video content wasn’t something I was very comfortable with, so I decided to enlist an expert for help.

I hired a coach that specialized in marketing and TikTok, and started posting a minimum of two videos a day. I even recently had a video go viral. In it, I talk about the dynamics of lending money to immigrant parents and how that can affect your motivation to save for yourself.

TikTok leads have been responsible for 80% of my new one on one coaching applications. The other 20% of my leads come from Instagram, podcast interviews and writing about my personal experience with money.

Finding my niche, curating my content and getting my voice out there has helped me build trust with my audience and consistently bring in new clients. Between my Instagram, email list and TikTok, I currently reach a community of 44,000 people and counting.

2. I diversified my sources of income

Every month, I work with up to 15 clients in my three-month coaching program. My one-on-one coaching accounts for roughly 75% of my revenue, and I have two passive income streams with my digital workshops and my budgeting template.

I started taking on brand deals with several financial companies and running live corporate workshops about personal finance. Brands and corporate work aren’t always consistent, so I don’t rely on them as much as as the other incomes streams. But the exposure that has come from working with these organizations has definitely been beneficial for my business.

When it comes to conversations about money, women of colour are often missed by these big companies. I’ve found that this representation gap can lead to earning potential for creators like me in this space.

3. I focused on perfecting one service

Early on, I fell into a common side hustle trap, which was overdoing it and launching too many programs too fast.

In 2022, I started a group coaching offering after I had barely sold out my one-on-one coaching slots. It was confusing for an audience that was still getting to know me, and it was a lot of work to get it up and running.

Ultimately I stressed myself out, and I didn’t even have enough people to fill up the program.

Early on, I fell into a common trap, which was overdoing it and launching too many programs too fast.

I decided to cut my losses, and I removed the group coaching program entirely to focus on the one-on-one, and made sure to promote that one consistently throughout the year.

I have heard so many stories from my clients about the bad experiences they’ve had with financial experts who didn’t have the cultural context needed to make them feel seen and heard.

So when they sit down with me, the first thing I do is customize a plan that takes their lived experience into account, whether they need help budgeting, paying off debt or coming up with scripts to talk with their loved ones about money.

My one-on-one coaching brought in $100,000 in revenue alone last year, and I have worked with over 100 clients since starting my business. This tailored approach, and being able to focus on developing one signature program, has been crucial for my long-term side hustle success.

Feature Image Credit: Parween Mander

By Parween Mander,

Parween Mander is the founder of the Wealthy Wolfe. She is a South Asian money expert on a mission to provide honest and relatable financial coaching for women of colour from immigrant upbringings through one on one coaching and mentoring. She is an Accredited Financial Counsellor in Canada and is a certified Trauma of Money Facilitator.

Sourced from CNBC

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Strategies For Using Automation In Marketing

September 3, 2024 No Comments

By Trevor Henson.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a lifelong entrepreneur, it’s that running a business is no easy feat.

Whether you’re starting a business or trying to expand your team, many challenges come into play, from managing customer demands to wearing multiple hats when you don’t have the budget to take on a team.

All of this to say: Is there any way that, as a business owner, you can maintain growth and compete with other major market players, all without spreading yourself too thin?

One thing that immediately springs to mind is marketing automation.

Defining A Marketing Automation Strategy

A marketing automation strategy is a process in which a business uses software to automate time-consuming or repetitive tasks, such as email marketing, customer segmentation, social media marketing or lead generation.

Choosing The Right Automation Platform

When you’re just getting started with marketing automation, the first and most important step is finding the right automation platform. Personally, HubSpot has been my go-to for many years. It has some of the most powerful automation tools wrapped up in a user-friendly interface. If you’re currently running marketing automation tools, it’s easy to integrate, in my experience.

If HubSpot doesn’t gel with you or fit the needs of your business, there are several other platforms I’d recommend, including:

• Marketo: Great for larger enterprises, as it’s very customizable.

• Pardot: Top-tier Salesforce and B2B marketing integration.

• Mailchimp: One of the best email marketing automation platforms for individuals or small-business owners.

Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, so do your research to evaluate how your chosen platform will operate alongside your business.

Automated Customer Satisfaction Email Campaigns

I’ve found that email automation campaigns are one of the most effective types of marketing automation for my business.

For that reason, one of the key automation strategies I’ve implemented over the years is an automated customer satisfaction email campaign. Each month, our clients receive a friendly email packed with tips, updates and a link to fill out a short survey.

By being proactive, I’ve found I can collect valuable feedback, make sure my clients are happy and show them that I’m working to make their experience better.

The content you include in these emails will depend entirely on your industry and target audience. As someone who works in property management, I might include practical tips on property maintenance, updates on market trends or information regarding any changes in the services I’m offering.

Providing these insights shows your clients that you’re an authoritative figure in your industry.

The survey link is a crucial component for me, as it helps me gather feedback and address concerns before they become issues that are out of my reach.

All in all, since implementing my campaign, I’ve seen a noticeable increase in client satisfaction. My clients appreciate consistent communication and feel valued knowing that I’m consistently looking to improve. It’s a win-win.

Sales Sequences For Different Customer Personas

Sales sequences have become an equally crucial aspect of my automated workflow, as they help ensure no leads fall through the cracks. Plus, they keep our sales team on top of the most critical leads.

To make the most of your sales leads, it’s a good idea to tailor them to fit your different customer personas. Start by looking at your client base as a whole and segmenting any separate key personas into groups. That way, any content you send to those groups will be personalized to them.

For example, you might have a unique sales sequence for a first-time homebuyer compared to a real estate or commercial property investor.

The “sequence” aspect comes from the fact that there are several steps you must include, such as automated emails, follow-ups and any additional touchpoints that might be relevant. If the sales sequence is targeting an investor first, those additional touchpoints might include market trend updates or burgeoning investment opportunities.

How A Monthly Newsletter Can Be Helpful

In 2022, over 83% of marketers sent out newsletter email campaigns.

Why? Because they’re more effective than they’ve ever been.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, one of the last main pieces of my automation strategy is my monthly newsletter. I’ve designed it in such a way to keep my clients and prospects engaged with what we’re doing and informed about the latest happenings in the real estate market.

Each newsletter contains a mixture of elements, including:

• A rundown of our monthly activities.

• Insightful market updates.

• Featured properties.

• Inspiring success stories from clients.

The idea of including all of this information is to ensure there’s something valuable for every reader.

Though writing and designing the newsletter is a manual, collaborative effort, we’re able to automate its distribution using our chosen platform, saving time and making for better consistency in our messaging.

Implementing Marketing Automation

Implementing marketing automation in your current strategy starts with setting clear goals.

What do you hope to achieve with automation, and how will you measure whether it’s successful once implemented?

It’s equally crucial to make sure any content you deliver using automation is relevant and valuable. Just because you’re saving bandwidth by cutting back on your manual work doesn’t mean you should let the quality of your content suffer.

Once you feel comfortable with more user-friendly email automation tools, try integrating automation into the other facets of your marketing strategy, including content and social media. By doing so, you’ll be able to maximize your impact and create a more cohesive approach. This can be especially beneficial if you don’t have the budget to hire separate marketing experts to take on these roles.

As a fellow entrepreneur, I encourage you to start exploring and implementing automation in your marketing strategies today.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By Trevor Henson

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Trevor Henson, Chief Marketing Officer at Beach Front Property Management, specializes in property investment and startup growth strategies. Read Trevor Henson’s full executive profile here.

Sourced from Forbes

In News

Seasonal Email Strategies: Stand out on Black Friday & Cyber Monday

September 3, 2024 No Comments

By Chad S. White

Holiday email promos need a little dialling up — and dialling down — on standard tactics.

The Gist

Email relationships. Previous engagement boosts holiday email performance, increasing subscriber interaction and revenue during Cyber 5.
Social proof. Highlighting top search terms and popular products in holiday emails can inspire and guide subscriber purchases effectively.
Clear messaging. Simplify holiday email content with clear, direct messaging and seasonal imagery to capture hurried subscribers’ attention.

Everyone wants to have their seasonal email strategies stand out during the Thanksgiving-to-Cyber Monday time period, called Cyber 5. And for good reason. Based on an examination of email campaign performance among retailers and ecommerce brands using Oracle Responsys, campaigns sent during the Cyber 5 weekend routinely generate the highest revenue per email for the whole year — by far.

However, marketing emails aren’t ads. They’re not about shouting the loudest, flashing the brightest colours or being the most sensational or shocking. They’re also not about abusing trust with misleading or vague copy.

There are two components in the battle for holiday email marketing attention.

A black mailbox adorned with a festive holiday wreath stands on a white post in a suburban neighborhood, symbolizing the importance of a well-crafted holiday email marketing strategy to capture customer attention and boost engagement during the festive season. — Ready for your inbox invasion through Cyber 5?Lana on Adobe Stock Photos

Seasonal Email Strategies: Half the Battle for Attention

The truth is that the battle for attention during the Cyber 5 is already half won long before your Black Friday or Cyber Monday campaign arrives in inboxes. That’s because seasonal email strategies are relationships, so previous engagement has a major impact on future engagement. If your email program delivers value to lots of subscribers during August and September, then they’re much more likely to engage during the holiday season. And the more frequent and substantial that engagement is, the better off you’re likely to be.

ZeroBounce research recently confirmed this, finding that 47% of people say they open a brand email not because of the subject line, but because that brand always sends them good emails.

In my book, “Email Marketing Rules,” I call this the zero stage of an email interaction. This is why sender names are more powerful than any subject line you can come up with. Your sender name brings to the surface all of your subscriber’s feelings about their recent interactions with your brand. If those feelings are positive, it leads to positive results.

The Other Half of the Battle

The rest of the battle is about your seasonal email strategies themselves. But here, brands sometimes have misconceptions, in part because subscribers behave differently during the holiday season. Consumers have different goals than the rest of the year, and they’re also generally much more pressed for time in the inbox, in part because they’re receiving more campaigns.

Here are some tactics to dial up and to dial back on during the holiday season to maximize performance.

Dial Back Personalization

Personalization is perennially among the top email marketing trends. And new opportunities that are fuelled by customer data platforms and advanced AI are likely to keep it at the top of marketers’ to-do lists for years to come.

However, during the holiday season, subscribers are (mostly) shopping for others, so the zero- and first-party data you’ve been collecting all year isn’t likely to be very useful for tailoring messages.

Dial up Social Proof

Instead of focusing on what each subscriber did months ago, focus on what your customers are doing collectively now. In your email campaigns, highlight:

Top site search terms, so subscribers can understand and be inspired by what others are looking for.
Most browsed product categories, which encourage subscribers to explore categories they haven’t shopped recently or ever.
Most social buzz, such as likes on Instagram or pins on Pinterest.
Most purchased products, which is probably the ultimate barometer of popularity.

Dial back Interactivity

Interactive emails bring common web experiences into the inbox, enabling product carousels, tabbed interfaces, hotspots and more. However, interactivity typically isn’t worthwhile during the holiday season because subscribers are in such a hurry. It’s also tough to do because it increases production times when marketers are creating more campaigns than ever.

Dial up Clarity

Even more than usual, clear and simple wins during the holiday season, because people are in such a hurry. Front load your subject lines with the most important words, and pay extra attention to your message hierarchy, ensuring your most important message points stand out from your less important ones. Especially if you’re promoting a strong offer (and I hope you have plenty of those), you don’t want to undermine it by having cluttered messaging or an overly busy design.

Dial up Scarcity

When something is in low supply or likely to sell out, let subscribers know. If you’re able to include real-time inventory numbers for the products featured in your emails using live content, that can be powerful.

But don’t fake it. Your most loyal customers will see that you’re lying to them if you perpetually claim something will sell out and it doesn’t or, worse, you’re faking real-time inventory numbers by manually including them. And it’s your most loyal customers that you can’t afford to offend.

Dial up Seasonal Imagery & Content

Let your subscribers know you’re in the holiday spirit and hope they are, too. Consider:

Adding holiday imagery to your header, including snowflakes, holly leaves or sparkles.
Add a “Holiday” or “Gifts” link to your navigation bar.
Add a gift services footer that highlights gift guides, gift return policies, gift wrapping options, order-by deadlines and other important holiday details and policies.

Dial up Automation

Triggered campaigns are likely the silent heroes of your holiday season. They’re quietly rescuing abandoned carts, following up on product category interest, notifying customers of back-in-stocks, welcoming seasonal subscribers and more. And their ROIs are through the roof.

Before the holiday season arrives, have a plan to ensure your triggered emails perform their best. If nothing else, make time to review and QA your automations, checking for out-of-date language, broken images and broken links. But also, consider adding seasonal imagery and content blocks to these emails, just like you would to your broadcast promotional emails.

The Big Picture

If you’re anything like our retail and ecommerce clients, you’re already well on your way to planning your seasonal email strategies, including your Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails.

But as you do that, recognize that the email experiences you create and the value you deliver to subscribers over the next couple of months will have a big impact on how your seasonal email strategies perform.

By Chad S. White

Chad S. White is the author of four editions of Email Marketing Rules and Head of Research for Oracle Digital Experience Agency, a global full-service digital marketing agency inside of Oracle.

Sourced from CMSWIRE

In News

5 Best Marketing CRM for 2024

September 2, 2024 No Comments

By Allyssa Haygood-Taylor

Explore the top marketing CRM options and discover each platform’s features, pricing, pros and cons in our review.

Best free CRM with available upgrades: HubSpot
Best enterprise marketing and CRM solution: Salesforce
Best for social media marketing: Zoho CRM
Best for team collaboration: monday CRM
Best for creating email marketing campaigns: Pipedrive

Marketing CRM software is a sales solution that specifically aids businesses in creating and managing lead generation and nurturing through digital or in-person campaigns. Campaigns and strategies you can implement include email marketing, social media marketing, digital content marketing, in-person events, referral programs and so much more. Marketing CRM tools can manage all this, plus track how prospects interact with your content, all while promoting a positive perception of your brand.

Top marketing CRM software comparison

CRM providers typically offer marketing products in tandem with sales tools or they offer marketing features embedded into the sales CRM itself. If your business is looking for a CRM provider with advanced marketing functionality, key features to consider are content generation, such as email templates, integrations and general marketing automations.

PREMIUM: Choosing the right CRM for your organization

Below, I review top sales CRM providers for their marketing expertise and capabilities. My list of the best marketing CRM software providers includes HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM and others. I list out pricing details, pros and cons, and identify ideal use cases for each to help you pinpoint which provider best fits your marketing needs.

Software	Marketing automations	Content generation	Integrations	Free version	Starting premium pricing*
HubSpot	Yes	Yes	1,500+	Yes	$15 per user per month
Salesforce	Yes	Yes	7,000+	No	$25 per user per month
Zoho CRM	Yes	Yes	900+	Yes	$14 per user per month
Monday CRM	Yes	Limited	150+	Limited	$12 per user per month
Pipedrive	Yes	Yes	350+	No	$14 per user per month
*Priced when billed annually

HubSpot: Best free CRM with available upgrades

Star rating: 4/5

Image: HubSpot

HubSpot has a product called HubSpot Marketing Hub that offers both free and paid features. Within the free CRM tool, users can access email marketing, web forms, live chat, ad management and mobile optimization. If your business wants more marketing tools and is in a position to purchase a paid subscription, then multiple currencies, email health insights, social media integrations and adaptive testing are advanced features that are up for grabs.

Pricing

Free CRM: Free for up to five users with contact management, quotes, live chat and more.
Sales Hub Starter: $15 per seat per month, billed annually, or $20 when billed monthly. The Starter plan includes all free tools, plus simple automation, e-signature, conversation routing and more.
Sales Hub Professional: $90 per seat per month, billed annually, or $100 when billed monthly, plus a one-time $1,500 onboarding fee. This plan includes all Starter features and prospecting workspace, playbooks, forecasting and more.
Sales Hub Enterprise: $150 per seat per month, with an annual commitment and a one-time $3,500 onboarding fee. Users receive all Professional tools, plus advanced permissions, predictive lead scoring, conversation intelligence and lead form routing.
Marketing Hub Free: $0 per month for up to five users.
Marketing Hub Starter: $15 per seat per month, billed annually, or $20 when billed monthly.
Marketing Customer Platform: $15 per seat per month, billed annually, or $20 when billed monthly.
Marketing Hub Professional: $800 per month, billed annually, or $890 when billed monthly. This includes three seats with additional seats starting at $45 per month.
Marketing Hub Enterprise: $3,600 per month and includes five seats. Additional seats start at $75 per month.

Visit HubSpot

Features

A/B testing: Implement adaptive testing of different marketing strategies by receiving real-time feedback and insight into campaign success.
Web forms: Generate leads directly from your business website by building online forms.
Marketing campaign management: Align marketing and sales teams by allowing collaboration in one central place.

HubSpot campaign management feature. — Task tracker within campaign management tool. Image: HubSpot

HubSpot pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Users report easy platform setup.	No free trial for paid plans.
24/7 user support for paid plans.	No live support for free users.
Offers a variety of free tools and templates.	Users report lacking reporting features.

Why I chose HubSpot

HubSpot is the ultimate free CRM software for its rich marketing, sales and support features. As a popular provider thanks to its usability and user support, HubSpot can be a great choice for businesses that are new to using a CRM, want an affordable option or aim to level up their lead generation strategies.

HubSpot’s free CRM is extremely useful, but those upgrades can be costly for small businesses. For a free CRM with more affordable premium upgrades, I would recommend checking out Zoho CRM.

For more information, read the full HubSpot review.

Salesforce: Best enterprise marketing and CRM solution

Star rating: 4.1/5

Image: Salesforce

Salesforce is enterprise CRM software built to handle the needs of large organizations. As one of the most flexible sales solutions, Salesforce allows enterprises to add niche elements and custom app integrations. It offers a marketing solution that can organize campaigns and assets and associate them with sales activities. This allows users to accurately communicate ROI to stakeholders and make strategy decisions based on campaign data history with reporting features.

Pricing

Starter Suite: $25 per user per month, billed annually. Users get account, contact, lead and opportunity management, as well as the mobile app, email integration and more.
Professional: $80 per user per month, billed annually. The Professional plan includes everything in the Starter Suite plus Sales Cloud, full offline functionality and more.
Enterprise: $165 per user per month, billed annually. This tier offers opportunity scoring and deal insights plus data synchronization and harmonization.
Unlimited: $330 per user per month, billed annually. The Unlimited tier includes all features mentioned above plus developer pro sandbox, lead scoring and five campaigns per opportunity.
Einstein 1 Sales: $500 per user per month, billed annually. This tier includes all Salesforce CRM features like collaboration tools via knowledge shares and Slack and more.
Marketing Cloud Engagement: $1,250 per organization per month, billed annually. Includes email marketing, content creation and robust analytics.
Marketing Cloud Account Engagement: $1,250 per organization per month, billed annually. This tier includes up to 10,000 contacts, lead nurturing and scoring, engagement history backboards and campaign reporting.
Marketing Cloud Growth Edition: $1,500 per organization per month, billed annually. This includes AI-powered emails and campaigns, multi-channel journeys and landing pages.
Data Cloud for Marketing: $108,000 per organization per year. These subscriptions unify data into a single customer profile with data ingestion, harmonization and insights and predictive analytics.
Marketing Cloud Personalization: $108,000 per organization per year. Includes web and email personalization, segmentation, rule-based decisioning, A/B testing and reporting and product and content recommendations.

Visit Salesforce

Features

Content creation and selection: Use generative AI that learns from your brand and campaign data to create copy and visual content.
SMS messaging: Manage and track SMS messages by sending alerts and transactional messages to customers using templates and a drag-and-drop interface.
Marketing analytics: Optimize spend and customer engagement by unifying performance data, automate reporting and identify performance opportunities with AI-backed insights.

Salesforce marketing analytics feature. — Einstein AI marketing insights. Image: Salesforce

Salesforce pros and cons

Pros	Cons
30-day free trial.	Users report time-consuming implementation and setup.
Provides customizable reports and dashboards.	Software might be too complex for small businesses.
Offers powerful automations for marketing and sales processes.	An extensive catalog of features and products can make Salesforce complicated.

Why I chose Salesforce

Salesforce is another popular CRM that is ideal for teams with complex sales cycles that rely on accurate data to make business decisions. Salesforce has the ability to generate custom CRM reports, display in-depth analytics and produce real-time forecasts. Additionally, its mobile CRM allows reps to access critical data on the go.

If cost is a bigger concern, Zoho CRM offers a fair amount of customization at a much more affordable rate. Though it’s not as flexible a platform as Salesforce, Zoho CRM costs between $14 and $52 per user per month, and a free version is also available. For this reason, Zoho CRM is an inexpensive alternative to Salesforce.

To learn more about this provider, check out our Salesforce review.

Features

AI email predictions: AI assistant Zia can suggest the best time to contact each lead to get the best results, such as email open rates.
Real-time notifications: Receive real-time notifications for every client interaction by integrating any app to get all alerts on one platform.
Automated lead generation: Set up triggers to automatically add new leads or contacts from social media based on their interaction with your brand to cut out manual data entry.

Zoho CRM automated lead generation feature. — Automate lead generation from social media. Image: Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM pros and cons

Pros	Cons
15-day free trial.	Users report inconsistent customer support.
High level of customization options throughout the dashboard.	Add-on features can get pricey.
Offers advanced team collaboration features.	Users report a learning curve with the platform interface.

Why I chose Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a leading CRM provider due to its multichannel marketing management, sharp sales tools and affordability. This makes it appealing software for startups or small businesses. If you’re a business already familiar with CRM software and are in need of a tool to help generate and nurture leads, Zoho CRM is a great choice for its moderate learning curve but strong customizations.

Since there are multiple user reports of the Zoho CRM interface being difficult to use, Pipedrive is a suitable alternative for those seeking simplicity. Even though PIpedrive is more expensive than Zoho CRM, all Pipedrive plans include AI sales tools and 24/7 customer support, in addition to an intuitive visual interface.

Head over to our Zoho CRM review for more information on this CRM provider.

monday CRM: Best for team collaboration

Star rating: 3.6/5

Image: monday CRM

monday CRM is a visual CRM platform that offers advanced collaboration tools and colourful dashboards that are simple to set up and use. Any user with permission and access can co-edit and comment in real time. With the clean interface, users can collaboratively organize deals, projects and campaigns on the kanban boards that include assignment tabs, color-coded statuses, document tracking and deadlines.

Pricing

Free version: Basic CRM offerings only available for students and nonprofit organizations after submitting an application.
Basic CRM: $12 per user per month when billed annually, or $15 when billed monthly. This tier offers unlimited pipelines, boards and contacts, as well as templates for lead, contact and deal management.
Standard CRM: $17 per user per month when billed annually, or $20 when billed monthly. This includes advanced account, contact and deal management, two-way email integration with Gmail and Outlook, and AI email generator.
Pro CRM: $28 per user per month when billed annually, or $33 when billed monthly. This tier includes Sales forecasting, email templates with custom parameters, mass emails and added integrations.
Enterprise CRM: Contact monday.com for a quote. This level of support offers lead scoring, team goals and advanced analytics.

Visit monday CRM

Features

Activity management: Log all lead or contact-related activity, such as calls, meetings, notes and more, to know where all communication stands.
Email composition and rephrasing: Create any type of email or use a template for professional emails.
Automated task generation: Utilize AI to automate meeting outcomes or marketing strategies into actionable tasks.

monday CRM task automation feature. — Task automation generator. Image: monday CRM

Monday CRM pros and cons

Pros	Cons
14-day free trial.	HIPAA compliance is only available at the highest paid tier.
Can upload unlimited contacts.	Lacks more advanced marketing tools.
Offers unlimited custom pipelines.	Doesn’t offer live user support.

Why I chose monday CRM

Monday CRM is a fully customizable sales platform that can be built without coding knowledge. With its intuitive interface and robust automations, users can save valuable time by automating repetitive work. As a hub for all centralized client communication, reps can efficiently speak with customers through email integrations.

Similar to monday CRM, Pipedrive also offers robust industry specializations and intuitive dashboards. If you’re looking for a tool similar to monday CRM with user-friendly features plus additional email marketing capabilities, I encourage you to look into Pipedrive or Zoho CRM.

Read our monday CRM review for more details on pricing, top features and more.

Pipedrive: Best for creating email marketing campaigns

Star rating: 4.3/5

Image: Pipedrive

Pipedrive offers robust email marketing software that helps users send email marketing campaigns to effectively engage with customers. Pipedrive’s campaigns can capture the attention of your ICP with customizable layouts and additional tracking, analytics and filtering features. Users can access the same intuitive drag-and-drop element from the sales CRM to create custom layouts or use a premade template. Reps can see contact information in lead profiles and all email communications on one dashboard.

Pricing

Essential: $14 per user per month, billed annually, or $24 per user when billed monthly. The Essential plan includes people and organization management, product catalogue, sales assistant and more.
Advanced: $29 per user per month, billed annually, or $39 per user when billed monthly. The Advanced plan offers all Essential features plus automations, two-way email sync, group emailing and more.
Professional: $49 per user per month, billed annually, or $64 per user when billed monthly. This tier supports all Advanced features and contacts timeline, free Smart Docs add-on, automatic assignment and more.
Power: $64 per user per month, billed annually, or $79 per user when billed monthly. The Power plan includes all Professional offering plus phone support, 500 custom fields and more.
Enterprise: $99 per user per month, billed annually, or $129 per user when billed monthly. This tier offers all mentioned features plus up to 180 active automations, unlimited teams and unlimited custom permissions.

Visit Pipedrive

Features

Email builder: Choose from free email templates, import pre-existing HTML or use a drag-and-drop editor to create an email from scratch or modify an existing one.
Email reporting: Dive into how your audience is receiving your emails with real-time reporting, including open rate, click rate, click-through rate and total/unique clicks.
Email segmentation: Ensure the right customers are receiving the right email message by creating filtered recipient lists. Use built-in filters such as subscription status, email bounce reason, send data and more.

Pipedrive email segmentation feature. — Email segmentation feature. Image: Pipedrive

Pipedrive pros and cons

Pros	Cons
14-day free trial.	Doesn’t offer a free-for-life tier.
Intuitive mobile app for iOS and Android.	User reports of limited analytics.
Offers 24/7 customer support for users.	No social media marketing tools.

Why I chose Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a top scoring CRM solution that has made its way onto several of my guides, and for good reason. It is a scalable tool for small businesses up to enterprise level organizations. It also offers extensive in-market expertise for niche industries like automotive sales, government, hospitality and more.

Even though Pipedrive’s premium plans are competitively priced for the mix of marketing and sales features, there is no free tier. If that’s a goal for your business to explore before committing to a paid subscription, I recommend looking into HubSpot or Zoho CRM first.

For more insights, read the full Pipedrive review.

How to choose the best marketing CRM software for your business

Before selecting CRM software, I recommend following best practices to research the software in depth in order to determine if it can provide real solutions for your organization. Starting with the providers on my list, consider signing up for free trials or demos and mapping out each option’s onboarding process with their sales team.

Here are some questions to ask before committing to a paid subscription:

Does this CRM tool integrate with all of my existing tech tools?
Does this CRM tool offer the marketing tools that my business needs?
Are the core sales features offered by this software equipped enough to streamline my sales process?
How quick is the onboarding process to get started using this tool?
Can the CRM software scale up to adapt to my growing business?
Does this CRM tool have any in-market specialization in my industry?

Review methodology

To evaluate each provider’s marketing CRM offerings, I used my in-house rubric with outlined criteria of CRM industry standards. After running each CRM software through this rubric, an algorithm calculates an overall rating, scoring each out of 5 stars. I use those scores and major feature callouts to assign each software an ideal use case that best represents the software’s best offering.

Here’s the exact breakdown of my predefined scoring criteria:

Cost: Weighted 25% of the total score.
Core features: Weighted 25% of the total score.
Customizations: Weighted 15% of the total score.
Integrations: Weighted 15% of the total score.
Ease of use: Weighted 10% of the total score.
Customer support: Weighted 10% of the total score.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is a CRM model in marketing?

A CRM model in marketing is very similar to the general CRM model for sales and support. It’s a framework that helps users and businesses manage all aspects of customer relationships. A CRM model for marketing includes the processes, technologies and methodologies used to define an ideal customer profile, generate leads that fit that ICP and then retain them. This model will include a structured framework that displays all the steps and strategies from end-to-end sales.

Which is the best CRM for marketing?

HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, monday CRM and Pipedrive are the best CRM options for marketing. From this list of providers, determining which can provide the best marketing solution for your business is ultimately up to you. If you want to optimize social media marketing, I would recommend Zoho CRM. If you just want strong email marketing campaigns, I suggest Pipedrive. If you’re looking for AI-powered marketing insights, I’d say Salesforce should be your go-to provider.

What is CRM in e-marketing?

E-marketing is an all-encompassing term for online marketing, which can include email, social media, influencer marketing, affiliate marketing, organic search and much more. A CRM that can monitor e-marketing will come with features such as omni-channel communication, lead segmentation and templates for copy creation.

By Allyssa Haygood-Taylor

Allyssa is a sales writer with a background in B2B sales and account management. After earning her degree in English and communications, she spent her selling career supporting Fortune 1000 IT and finance companies including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Credit Karma. As a lead writer for TechRepublic, her specialties include CRMs, enterprise data, and sales software topics. When she’s not writing or updating articles, you can find Allyssa writing poetry, traveling, or picking up any new creative hobby.

See all of Allyssa’s content

Sourced from TechRepublic

In News

4 reasons you should consider starting a newsletter—and how to make it a success

September 2, 2024 No Comments

By Gwen Moran

Email newsletters can be an important part of your business. Here’s how they can help—but there are a couple of caveats.

Whether you’re a knowledge worker with a point of view you want to share with the world, a high-profile executive who wants to build a platform, or a business owner interested in cultivating new revenue streams, you may have considered launching an email newsletter at one time or another.

And perhaps with good reason.

As social media saturation and the impact of artificial intelligence on search results grow, reaching your core audience becomes trickier. According to HubSpot’s 2024 “The State of Marketing” report, one in three marketers reports using email as a communication vehicle and 87% plan to maintain or increase their investment in 2024. A survey by software company Storydoc found that 90% of respondents subscribed to at least one newsletter and 38% subscribed to between four and 10. With many tools and platforms available to launch email newsletters, it’s relatively easy and inexpensive to get started.

But should you? It’s probably not surprising that Linda Lebrun, head of partnerships for finance and investing content at newsletter platform Substack, thinks so. When asked “who should start a newsletter?” she replies that good candidates may fall into three categories. “[T]hey have a desire to communicate with the audience. They may have a desire to monetize what they are doing,” she says. “And another thing is they may feel like they want to start a community.”

For several successful newsletter publishers, the benefits have been powerful, ranging from reinforcing their positions as thought leaders and credible experts to landing new business opportunities. Here are some of the reasons they devote the time and resources necessary to grow their email newsletters:

Building audience relationships

Sandra Beckwith is a book marketing consultant with a thriving Facebook community called the Build Book Buzz Book Marketing Group. She initially launched her email newsletter, which has grown to more than 10,000 subscribers, to promote her online courses. Over time, she realized that her newsletter was a valuable tool to build relationships with the people who needed her expertise—while also gaining valuable content insight directly from her readers.

“I get responses to my email. When I send my newsletter, people respond back to me, and I get to know them better, and we get these little conversations going,” she says. “We talk about what’s easiest for them, what’s hardest for them, where they need help, what kind of information I can help them with. But [my newsletter] really helped me get to know my target audience better in a way that is almost magical.”

To maintain control of your audience

While social media may be a popular way to build a following, it’s not without risks. Kris Bordessa started Attainable Sustainable in 2011 to encourage people to live more sustainably and self-reliantly. That blog has grown into a robust e-commerce site and an award-winning book entitled Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living. Her Attainable Sustainable Facebook page now has an impressive 500,000 followers. But she also values her email list, which includes 15,000 people—a list she culls regularly, eliminating subscribers who do not regularly open her newsletter. She knows that she has more control over the content she can deliver to subscribers.

“Even with a half-a-million people on my Facebook page, just a small smidgen of people are seeing anything that I post. Facebook owns that,” she says.

Algorithms can also affect reach. Teresa Mears runs roughly 20 newsletters to help drive traffic to her network of On the Cheap websites, which promote deals and discounts in various locations. Each site is individually operated. The South Florida–focused newsletter she runs has more than 30,000 subscribers.

As a result, Mears says she promotes her newsletters “every way we can. Particularly as Google has changed its algorithm, the newsletters have become an even more important source of subscribers.” Her network uses pop-ups that encourage website visitors to subscribe. “Every once in a while I put up a Facebook post that says. ‘Facebook doesn’t show you everything. If you want to see everything, be sure to subscribe to our news,’” she says.

To establish your expertise

A newsletter offers another way to deliver customized content to your audiences. Bordessa has different lists based on reader interests, like gardening or food preservation. She also offers free content in specific subject areas in exchange for subscribing.

While Bordessa has well-established expertise in the areas about which she writes, you don’t have to be “the biggest expert” in a particular area to launch a newsletter, Lebrun says. “What [Substack has] found is that when people figure out the intersection, what they have some expertise in, what they feel, they can sustain writing about for a long time, they can go out and share with the world,” she says. “It’s not that you have to be the foremost world expert. You just need to be two steps ahead of your audience, and then they will come along with you.”

To support your revenue plan

Newsletters can help drive revenue in a number of ways, ranging from boosting website traffic to selling products, classes, or services. In some cases, email newsletters are popular or specialized enough that people will pay to subscribe. Lebrun says that some Substack newsletter writers put some content behind paywalls. And some larger newsletters have lucrative business models that include subscriptions and other methods of monetization.

Beckwith says the trust she builds with her newsletter is among the most important reasons to publish one, which is why she is careful about building her list and the content she offers. “If I was just always putting product-related content to people who’ve never heard of me, that’s a waste of my time and theirs because they’re not going to buy from me because they don’t know, like, and trust me,” she says.

Are there downsides? Possibly.

Mears, who uses her newsletter to promote new deals and drive traffic to her site, says building an email list and loyal subscriber base requires marketing; just as you promote your business, you’ll need to promote your newsletter. Lebrun says Substack data finds that consistency is important. “Being consistent with publishing at least once a week helps you create a habit with the reader,” she says. So, the newsletter will take time and resources.

Beckwith advises would-be email newsletter publishers to evaluate the many platforms and publishing tools available to them to determine which is best for their needs. They should also ensure that they abide by the rules governing email newsletters, such as disclosing affiliate links.

However, even with those demands, Mears says starting a newsletter “might be the most important thing you can do” to promote your business and its offerings.

Feature Image Credit: Sammby/Adobe Stock

By Gwen Moran

Gwen Moran is a writer and author specializing in business and finance. Her work has appeared in many leading business publications and websites, including Entrepreneur, Kiplinger.com, Newsweek.com, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, and others More

Sourced from FastCompany