Every time I work with a new brand, one of my highest priorities is conducting a competitive analysis.

Easy, fast, and unified. We’ve talked to a lot of customers about what they need from their tools to grow, and it always comes back to these three words. So why does go-to-market feel so hard, slow, and disconnected? Two words: legacy CRM.

The future of brand tracking is here — and it’s powered by AI.

Developing a consistent brand starts with creating a brand style guide. These branding rule books help graphic designers, marketers, web developers, community managers, and even product packaging departments present a unified vision of the brand to the public.

Why do you choose to buy products and services from certain brands even when cheaper options exist? It often comes down to a compelling brand mission — like these 35 mission statement examples I gathered to give you inspiration.

“If you build it, they will come” may have worked for Kevin Costner, but I think we all know that marketing a cornfield baseball diamond would take just a little more work.

In my half-decade as an SEO content marketer, I’ve spent a good chunk of my time either testing or working with any number of free website builders: Content Hub, WordPress.com, WordPress.org, Wix, Weebly, Webflow, you name it.

You want to learn about search engine optimization (SEO), but where do you start? We were all SEO beginners once, so take heart: There’s lots to learn, but I’ve got plenty of expert advice and a step-by-step guide to get you started.

April Sunshine Hawkins is a StoryBrand workshop facilitator, keynote speaker, and co-host of the Marketing Made Simple podcast (which has 2M downloads). 

More companies than ever are using Instagram for business — over 200 million businesses, to be exact. 

We’re bombarded with tens of thousands of messages everyday — and most of them are extensions of brand strategies.

Most things in life are only as good as their foundation. Houses, ice cream sundaes, sand castles … marketing teams.

It’s no secret that AI is driving marketing industry growth. As a writer in the marketing industry, I've seen it myself.

Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better.

A few months after starting a former job, I attended a workshop in which we discussed our brand promise.

Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better.

Processes are mission-critical for businesses, especially when it’s time to document and scale a proven process.

Happy fall, MiM-ers! Grab your pumpkin-spiced latte, settle in with Noah Kahan's Stick Season, and get ready to hear from a paid marketer who’s all-in on influencers, storytelling, and AI-targeted ads.

As someone who has experimented with different AI marketing tools, I can confidently say that embracing AI can benefit marketing teams looking to become more efficient in reaching their goals.

I remember my first day at HubSpot. I was so nervous and had a million concerns swimming around in my head. How long will it take for me to get the hang of things? Can I manage my workload and connect with my coworkers?

Over the last decade, I’ve helped set and track marketing goals for B2B businesses of all kinds — And I’ve come to think of them more as destinations.

When most people start implementing inbound marketing, they're primarily worried about getting enough new leads in the funnel.

When I first heard how HubSpot’s YouTube team bumped one channel’s views up by over 400%, I begged for permission to share the story. (I’m not above debasing myself on your behalf.)

The biggest topic on everyone’s minds this year at INBOUND was the same as last year: AI. But the nature of the conversation has changed.

Here’s a real story. Upon writing this piece, I tried to set up a PPC campaign on a whim with no plan or clue (practicing on my friend’s small business—oops). I just set the budget and let it run. Was it good? I’ll leave it up to you.

As the cofounder of a boutique B2B marketing agency, I’m always looking for the best AI tools for B2B marketing — partly for me and partly for my clients.

I’ve got good news for you: Spotify is the go-to destination for podcasts, commanding 35.8% of all listeners and over 40 million monthly listeners in the U.S. alone.

I work in and around SEO on a daily basis. And although I’m on the content creation side of things, I can tell you with certainty that SEO budgets impact every part of the process.

Before becoming a marketer, I was a journalist who loved the opportunity to tell stories about my community and share perspectives that would otherwise go unnoticed.

B2B social media marketing often gets a bad rap.

Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better.

Creating a project timeline where everyone involved knows what they‘re working on (and when it’s due) can help ward off project creep and nail those important deadlines.

When considering a new venture, you must understand: “What is market size?” More specifically, you need to know your venture’s potential market size. But “Why?” I hear you ask.

When you already have a well-established business and need a business plan, it’s usually not difficult because you know everything inside out.

AI is better at guessing at scale than humans — but how do you integrate it into your growth marketing plan while maintaining a personal touch?

This is the guide for you if you’re creating a request for a proposal (RFP) for the first time or if you want to improve your RFP process.

You might know your Instagram content is good, but imagine how much better it will seem if it looks like 10,000 people agree.

On my fridge, I’ve got a magnet my parents gave me that says, "Hold on… Let me overthink this." So today's marketing master's third lesson really hits home for me. 

Are people still using Facebook? Is BeReal still next big thing? And is TikTok still just for Gen Z?

In my experience, sales and marketing Excel templates can help you expedite your data analysis and reporting.

You don‘t need to be a sneakerhead to know about New Balance—I know I’m not.

The 118-year-old footwear company is everywhere, from TV to film to neighborhood cookouts, despite changes in fashion, consumers, and how people find and purchase new products.

So, what‘s the brand’s secret sauce to staying relevant longer than we've been alive?

Market research is the backbone of all marketing, and we can’t skip it.

Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better.

Whenever I think about social video platforms, the first ones that come to mind are YouTube and TikTok, but those are only the tip of the iceberg regarding video sharing. There are several more video platforms out there.

I’ve been in content marketing for about eight years, and I’ll tell you this golden nugget of truth for free: You can’t cheat your way to success in this game.

I know. “AI public relations” (PR) kind of sounds like an oxymoron.

To be candid, I have a love-hate relationship with social media.

When most people see memes pop up, they don’t think much about them.

Welcome to Creator Columns, where we bring expert HubSpot Creator voices to the Blogs that inspire and help you grow better.

No matter how much I love my job, at the end of the day, it’s still a job. It will and should never replace the things about life that bring me the most joy — my loved ones, exercise, travel, a glass of Pinot Noir, or my parents' home-cooked food.