WEB-STIL

Imagine a weighted balance scale: on one side is brand visibility; the other, lead generation. Your job as a content marketer is to use gated and ungated content to successfully balance both goals.

With gated content, users arrive at your website and see a CTA or pop-up that offers them access to content in exchange for their information. This could be their email address in exchange for a content offer — and a way of generating leads for your business.

Ungated content requires no exchange of information, and it has more SEO value — giving you brand visibility.

Here, we’ll explore what gated content is and dive into best practices and examples.

Table of Contents

• What is gated content?
• Best Practices for Gated Content
• Gated Content Examples
• Gated vs. Ungated Content

It’s important to note that gated content for inbound marketing is free and not hidden behind a paywall. Users need to submit their information — not their credit card number — to access the content.

Now, you might be wondering, “Why would I hide my content from my audience?”

Typically, the goal of gated content is to generate leads. Gated content isn‘t used for brand awareness or visibility campaigns because the nature of hidden content doesn’t allow for high traffic.

Below, let’s discuss the pros and cons of gated versus ungated content.

Gated content is usually protected by a paywall, which allows the publisher to require users to sign up or pay for access.

Pros and Cons of Gated Content

Gated content generates leads you can nurture into prospects, whereas ungated content is meant to increase traffic and improve audience trust.

Both types of content are valuable to your content marketing strategy, as long as you’re finding the right balance for your business goals.

After reading this list, you might be wondering, “How do I know if I should gate my content?”

Well, it all depends on your priorities — brand visibility or lead generation.

Additionally, consider the type of content. Longer-form content like an ebook is well-suited to gated content, while most shorter-form content like blog posts are better off ungated.

Once you‘ve decided to create gated content, you’re probably curious about how to get started. Let’s review some best practices below.

1. Create content for each stage in the buyer’s journey.

When a prospect goes through the buyer‘s journey, they’ll go through three stages: awareness, consideration, and decision.

Here’s a quick rundown of each stage:

During each stage, your audience needs content that meets them where they are.

For instance, visitors in the awareness stage are probably interested in reading an ebook. On the other hand, a visitor in the decision stage might prefer a product demo or webinar.

That‘s why it’s important to design content offers for each stage of the buyer’s journey. If your gated content aligns with their stage in the journey, your audience is more likely to convert.

2. Complete a competitive analysis.

Once you‘ve brainstormed some content ideas for each stage of the buyer’s journey, it’s time to conduct a competitive analysis.

In a competitive analysis, you’ll research the types of content your competitors offer. activities.

Pay attention to what content is gated versus ungated — this will give you an idea of what types of content are valuable enough to place behind a gate.

3. Provide incentive.

As an inbound marketer, you know that providing value is of the utmost importance.

Your content offer shouldn’t be a quick blog post. Instead, your gated content should provide actionable, valuable content.

Just as importantly, your gated content should be relevant to your audience.

When your content provides true value, it gives your audience an incentive to fill out that form and give you their contact information.

4. Build a strong landing page.

When a user clicks on a CTA for a content offer, they’re usually led to a landing page. So, one of the best practices for gated content is to build a strong landing page (we’ve got 41 examples if you need some inspo).

For example, HubSpot’s State of Marketing report landing page contains a strong headline, compelling copy, and a sneak preview of some of the key findings.

Once you decide to download, the form is simple and fast.

Source

The technical steps for gating your content will vary depending on your CMS. But chances are, your landing page will include a form where visitors can input their contact details in exchange for your content offer. It’s important that your form is straightforward, easy to use, and user-friendly.

HubSpot offers a free online form builder that enables you to create and customize forms with a drag-and-drop form maker.

5. Segment your audience.

Once your audience has downloaded your gated content and you receive their email address, it’s time to segment your email lists.

This will help you develop targeted and effective email marketing campaigns.

Additionally, segmenting your audience means you can send nurturing emails to move those leads to prospects.

6. Measure the analytics.

When you’ve decided to gate a certain piece of content, you can track conversions and measure your analytics.

As with any marketing strategy, measuring your success is extremely important. This data will help you understand your audience better and improve your content strategy.

Now that you know some best practices for creating gated content, let’s look at types of content and examples of what this will look like in action.

Gated Content Examples

There’s lots of ways you can build gated content landing pages — here’s five of the most common types of content that businesses gate.

1. White Papers, Case Studies, and Other Reports

White papers, case studies, and other reports are great examples of gated content because they can provide targeted value to your audience.

A white paper is an authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic; case studies look at a specific use case; and other reports might not fall into either category but still use a text-heavy, longer-form format. (Think: HubSpot’s State of Marketing report.)

All three of these content types can position your brand as an industry expert. And when you‘re a trusted expert, people want to know what you have to say — which means you’ll get more downloads and conversions.

Usually, offers are long-form content that are interesting and valuable to your audience, like this one from IMO Health about high-quality medical data and research.

Pro tip: Give your audience a taste of the content. The above example includes a few key learnings that prove its value and entice its audience to fill out the form.

StrataBeat’s 2025 B2B SEO Performance Report is a good example of a gated report. The landing page clearly states what the product is, and the description — “Unlock superior SEO performance with insights from an analysis of 300 B2B SaaS websites” — emphasizes high-quality data and even includes the size of the study.

There’s also a graphic of the report, which suggests a beautifully designed, thoughtfully produced content offer. The CTA, “Get the report and boost your SEO results,” promises that providing your information will be worth your while, and you can see all six information fields you need to fill out.

2. Ebooks

An ebook is another popular type of gated content. Unlike a white paper, an ebook is usually a shorter guide on a specific topic.

Ebooks can also establish your brand authority and build trust with your audience. They are usually used in the awareness and consideration stages of the buyer’s journey.

IMO Health also has multiple gated ebooks that require your contact information before you can hit that “download” button.

This one, entitled AI in healthcare: 6 solutions driving efficiency and innovation, includes a few bullet points of what you’ll learn, ensuring that it finds the right audience.

Pro tip: Tell your readers how long the ebook is so they know what they’re getting into. IMO Health, above, includes the read time just below the title.

3. Templates

One of my favorite forms of gated content is the template. Providing a template is a tactical, actionable piece of content.

The perceived value of a template is much higher than that of an ebook and a white paper, which means your audience is more likely to input their contact information to receive it.

Templates are a great gated content offer for folks in the consideration and decision stage of the buyer’s journey.

SlidesGo, which publishes free templates for PowerPoint and Google Slides, gates much of its premium content:

Pro tip: You can still preview all of the slides in the template, so users know exactly what they’re getting when they hand over their email address.

4. Webinars

With a webinar, you‘ll educate your audience to learn more about a topic. You’ll develop trust, build relationships, and, hopefully, inspire.

For prospects in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey, webinars make an excellent gated content offer.

Again, webinars have a high perceived value, which makes your audience more likely to fill out that form.

5. Quizzes

If you’re a person who wears makeup and you’ve been on Instagram or TikTok in the past couple years, you’ve probably been targeted by Il Makiage, a cosmetics company with a particularly large range of foundation shades.

After enticing you with before-and-after pics of models (whose perfect skin somehow looks even more perfect after Il Makiage foundation), the makeup company promises that its “PowerMatch algorithm” will find a shade that perfectly matches your skin tone—no in-store swatching required.

After you’ve devoted several minutes of your time — which is a lot in a world where 30-second videos rule — Il Makiage asks for your contact info before revealing your foundation color.

Pro tip: Putting the ask after the quiz means that the user has already invested their time and is more likely to fork over their email. (And I can tell you from personal experience that it’s really hard to walk away from the promise of perfect skin.)

Gated vs. Ungated Content

With gated content, it’s important to provide your audience with interesting and relevant offers. Ultimately, gated content should be targeted and help you generate leads. Remember that scale from the beginning: You’ll want to find a balance between brand visibility and lead gen, so gate wisely — and with your audience’s needs in mind.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in July 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

I’ve spent decades analyzing shifts in marketing, but the rise of AI agents is the most disruptive one yet. These systems are quickly taking over the user journey — but unlike humans, they evaluate structured data, analyze backend specifications, and make decisions in milliseconds.

Major players are already taking note and adapting. For example, Adobe recently introduced AI agents that brands can use to help consumers navigate through their websites. Businesses can then enable personalized marketing based on real-time user behavior and unique customer attributes.

From a practical perspective, however, what does it actually look like when AI agents take over key stages of the user journey? And, what does that mean for marketers? To find out, I put three leading AI agent-powered tools to the test by assigning them real marketing tasks. Here’s what happened and what every marketer needs to do next.

What are AI agents, and why are they important in marketing?

AI agents are autonomous systems that research, analyze, and take action on behalf of users. Unlike traditional AI-powered tools that assist with isolated tasks, AI agents actively manage workflows, interact with software, and execute complex processes — without direct human input.

In marketing, these agents are quickly becoming the new gatekeepers, deciding which brands, products, and services get surfaced and used. Instead of persuading consumers directly with creative campaigns or paid advertising, marketers must now optimize for AI-driven decision-making. So, brand content needs to be structured, clear, and machine-readable.

3 Real-World Examples of AI Agents in Marketing

AI agents are already changing how marketing works. Here’s how three leading tools are taking over research, onboarding, and execution — and what that looks like from a user perspective.

1. Gemini Deep Research: the End of Customer Discovery

What’s one of the most overlooked changes in marketing? The customer research and discovery phase is slowly vanishing. That’s not because customers are skipping it, but because AI agents are doing it for them.

To test this, I used Google’s Gemini Deep Research, part of the Gemini 2.0 Suite, and asked it a simple question: How do I add a chatbot to HubSpot’s website? Instead of giving me a list of links or summaries, Gemini scanned 37 websites, synthesized the steps into a single tutorial, and delivered it in a format I could instantly use. No ads, no searching, no clicking around.

This change is subtle — but it means that if you’re still optimizing solely for human eyes, you’re risking irrelevance. AI agents don’t browse your blog or evaluate your brand voice; they look for verifiable information and clear, objective reliability. Even a superior product can be overlooked if your content isn’t presented in a way that agents can parse and evaluate.

How to Stay Ahead

• Format your content for extractability by using structured headers, ordered steps, and scannable product summaries.
• Create citation-worthy documentation by ensuring your product information is clean, factual, and consistently described across all digital properties.
• Choose product clarity over cleverness by skipping branded language or marketing jargon in favor of clear answers to functional product questions.

2. Google Stream Realtime: the AI Onboarding Partner

While Gemini Deep Research is reshaping how product information is discovered and gathered, Google Stream Realtime, part of Google AI Studio, is changing the way users learn to use a product.

Continuing with my experiment to add a chatbot to HubSpot’s website, I tested Stream to see how it would assist me in navigating the setup process. Instead of directing me to a help article, Stream observed my screen, analyzed my actions, and provided real-time, step-by-step guidance. Every recommendation was context-aware, adapting to exactly where I was in the process.

What stood out was that Stream doesn’t just react to inputs — it anticipates needs. As I navigated the interface, Stream learned how I was interacting with different elements and adjusted its guidance accordingly. This creates a continuous feedback loop where Stream teaches users while learning from their behavior. Onboarding then becomes more efficient and personalized.

How to Stay Ahead

• Clearly define and map out user journeys that follow a predictable structure and design flow, so AI agents can walk users through each step without confusion.
• Label interface elements clearly and consistently by making buttons, menus, and actions machine-readable with standard, unambiguous language.
• Provide structured help content like tooltips, walkthroughs, or embedded tutorials that AI agents can surface instantly when guiding users through your product.

3. Claude AI: Extending agent capabilities through tool integration

Claude AI, developed by Anthropic, represents the next step in AI agent capabilities through its Model Context Protocol (MCP), which allows the agent to utilize external tools and operate with greater independence.

For example, you can give Claude access to tools like Brave Search, productivity apps, or CRMs through secure connections. Once authorized, it can pull reports, generate content, trigger workflows, or even connect data across platforms — all without the user lifting a finger.

During the experiment, I found it particularly exciting that the agent doesn’t hand off tasks to the user — it completes them on the user’s behalf. This means your product needs to be accessible by both human users and AI operations.

How to Stay Ahead

• Build clear, well-documented APIs (like Hubspot’s API Guides) so agents like Claude can understand and act on your product’s capabilities.
• Use secure authentication tools like OAuth to allow safe agent access without compromising user trust or requiring constant credential re-entry.

• Structure your product and data for automation by creating well-defined actions, clear data models, and reliable feedback mechanisms that enable agents to trigger, complete, and validate key operations.

Adapting to Agents

AI Agents don’t scroll through your website, engage with your ads, or respond to emotional storytelling. Instead, they look for structured information and gather those insights for a human user.

Cutting-edge companies will restructure their approach to marketing so they resonate with AI gatekeepers and get their offerings in front of human decision-makers. If you haven’t begun experimenting with AI agents, it’s time to dive in, or you might just get left behind.

To learn more about how AI agents are reshaping your marketing strategy, check out the full episode of Marketing Against the Grain below:

This blog series is in partnership with Marketing Against the Grain, the video podcast. It digs deeper into ideas shared by marketing leaders Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot’s CMO) and Kieran Flanagan (SVP, Marketing at HubSpot) as they unpack growth strategies and learn from standout founders and peers.

Throughout my marketing career, I’ve worked with a handful of small businesses and startups — each one scrappy, fast-moving, and trying to do more with less. I’ve seen firsthand how hard it can be to get the word out when you’re short on time, budget, or a full-time marketing team.

But I’ve also seen how much impact the right strategy can make. When small business marketing clicks, it’s like turning on a light. Suddenly, you’re not just reaching people — you’re connecting with the right ones.

In this guide, I’ll share the tips, tools, and lessons that have helped small businesses grow without burning out. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to refresh your marketing strategy, these ideas are built to help you stand out and scale up using an inbound marketing approach that attracts customers by being helpful, not pushy.

Table of Contents

• What is small business marketing?
• What To Do Before Marketing Your Small Business
• Small Business Marketing Strategies
• Online Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
• Should you outsource marketing for your small business?
• Small Business Advertising Ideas
• Small Business Marketing Tools & Resources

What is small business marketing?

Let’s take a step back for a second and talk about what small business marketing really is.

At its core, small business marketing is the process of promoting your products or services to attract, engage, and retain customers. It‘s about making sure the right people know who you are, what you offer, and why they should care. Whether you’re promoting a product, service, or your own expertise, your job is to reach the right people and give them a reason to trust you.

In every small business I’ve worked with, the approach looked a little different. Some focused on email, others relied on events or word of mouth.

The point is: there’s no one-size-fits-all playbook. The key is figuring out what works for you — and doubling down.

A recent study by SimpleTexting found that 75% of small businesses have a marketing plan, and those with a structured plan are 6.7 times more likely to report success than those without one. So yeah, having a plan matters.

The tips below come from real-world experience — things I’ve seen work across lean startups, solo teams, and growing companies. Think of them as your starting point. When the basics are in place, every strategy you layer on top will work harder for you.

Before you dive into marketing, it’s worth slowing down to set yourself up right. I’ve seen so many small businesses burn time and money trying to promote a product or service without a clear plan — and end up frustrated when nothing sticks.

The truth is, your marketing won’t work if your foundation is shaky. This section covers the steps I’ve found most helpful to get in place before you start promoting — so that when you do, your message lands and your time pays off.

1. Define your target audience.

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen small businesses make is trying to market to everyone. It spreads your message thin — and rarely connects. Instead, narrow your focus. Who’s the best-fit customer? What are they struggling with? Where do they spend time online?

When I started working with my first fintech startup, they described their target audience as “people who need help with HR stuff.” Not only was that way too broad, but it didn’t reflect who was actually buying. So we looked at who had converted recently and dug into what their day-to-day looked like.

Turns out, most of them were overworked finance managers at healthcare companies — not HR leads. They were the ones feeling the pain of messy payroll systems and were actively looking for a fix. That small shift in perspective helped us change our messaging, rework the website, and even adjust which channels we were showing up on.

The more specific you can get, the easier everything else becomes — ads perform better, content gets more engagement, and your leads are actually qualified. It doesn’t have to be complicated: start with your current customers. Who do you love working with? Who seems to “get it” fastest? That’s a great place to begin.

Try jotting down a few details about your ideal customer:

• What job title or industry are they in?
• What’s stressing them out at work?
• What’s happening right before they find you?

Once you’ve got that, give them a name. Not a real one — just a persona you can picture when you’re writing or building campaigns. It sounds simple, but it works.

If you want help building out a full persona, HubSpot’s free persona generator is a great tool for organizing your thoughts.

Download Free Buyer Persona Templates

2. Clarify your value proposition.

This is one of those things that feels obvious — but often gets missed. If someone lands on your homepage or social profile, would they immediately know who you help, what you help them do, and why they should care?

One company I worked with had an entire paragraph on the homepage describing “a better way to manage internal processes.” It sounded fancy, but it didn’t really mean anything. So we rewrote it to say: “Spot payroll errors before they cost you. Automate your internal audit process with AI.”

Suddenly, it clicked. Demo requests went up. Prospects finally got what we did.

Writing a strong value prop isn’t about sounding smart — it’s about being clear. Don’t hide behind buzzwords. Lead with outcomes. Use the language your best customers already use when they describe why they chose you.

If you’re feeling stuck, try answering these questions:

• Who’s this for?
• What problem are you solving?
• Why are you different or better?

Still not sure? Try filling in this prompt::

“We help [target audience] achieve [value] without [pain point].”

For example, when filled in, it should sound something like: “We help busy HR teams automate payroll audits without manual spreadsheets.”

Whether it’s your pricing, your process, your values, or your customer service, that difference should be easy to spot across your homepage, email campaigns, and social content.

Pro tip: If you’re still not sure where to start, try answering this: What would your happiest customer say about working with you?

3. Determine your brand identity and visuals.

You don’t need a fancy visual identity to get started — but you do need to show up consistently. When your Instagram looks nothing like your website, and your emails feel like they were written by a totally different person, it creates friction. And friction costs trust.

I recently helped an early-stage SaaS client settle on a simple color palette, two clean fonts, and a brand voice that matched how their sales team talked. Nothing groundbreaking — but it made everything feel way more polished. And will save them hours of decision-making down the line.

Just keep it simple:

• Choose 2 colors you’ll use across your site and social channels.
• Pick 1-2 fonts (you can find tons of free Google Fonts).
• Decide how you want to sound: Friendly? Witty? Reassuring?

Pro tip: Make a one-page “brand cheat sheet” and share it with anyone writing or designing for your business. It’ll keep things consistent without needing a 30-slide brand book.

4. Map your customer journey.

Before you spend money on ads or start writing blog posts, take a minute to zoom out. How does someone go from not knowing you exist… to becoming a loyal customer?

Think about what your customer needs to see, hear, or feel at each stage — from awareness to decision. What’s missing? What’s working?

At a company I recently worked with, we realized our content was driving solid traffic, but leads weren’t converting. People were reading blog posts and even signing up for our newsletter, but they weren’t taking the next step. So we walked through the journey from their perspective.

Unsurprisingly, we found a gap. We hadn’t clearly explained what would happen next. There were no nudges, no case studies, no middle-of-funnel content. We were assuming people were ready to buy — when in reality, they still had questions.

So we created a short email sequence that followed up with educational content, added a “Who It’s For” section to our homepage, and made our CTA buttons more specific. Those small changes helped fill the gaps and move people closer to converting.

To get started, try sketching out a simple version of your current customer journey:

• How they find you (search, referrals, social, etc.).
• What convinces them to trust you.
• What triggers them to convert (book, buy, subscribe).
• What happens after they do.

Even the act of writing it out can help you spot small moments where people are falling through the cracks — and give you ideas to fix them and effectively plan your go-to-market (GTM) strategy.

5. Choose your core marketing channels.

When you’re a small team, trying to show up everywhere is a fast track to burnout. You don’t need to be on every social platform or chase every trend — you just need to be in the right places for your audience.

At a startup I worked with, we initially tried it all: Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, newsletters, blog posts… even a podcast idea got thrown around. But once we looked at where actual leads were coming from, it was clear that 90% of our best-fit customers were engaging through LinkedIn and email. So we cut the rest and focused on doing those two things really well. Engagement went up. So did sanity.

Start with what you know:

• Where does your audience spend time online?
• Where do you already have some traction?
• What can you realistically maintain with your current bandwidth?

For example, if you’re a visual brand (like beauty or lifestyle), Instagram or Pinterest might make sense. If you’re selling to other businesses, LinkedIn and email might work better. If you’re trying to rank for long-tail keywords, SEO and blogging should be your focus.

Once you know your top 1–2 channels, build a simple rhythm — then commit to it for a few months. Test, tweak, and then consider layering on more.

6. Build a functional, mobile-friendly website.

Your website doesn’t need to be fancy. But it does need to be clear, fast, and easy to navigate — especially on mobile. Most of your visitors are going to land on your site, scroll for a few seconds, and decide whether to keep going. You want that moment to work in your favor.

I recently helped launch a new site for a customer loyalty company who didn’t have the budget for a full design team. We used a clean, mobile-friendly template, added clear messaging to the homepage, and made sure the most important buttons were easy to find. It wasn’t flashy — but it was professional and it converted.

The best way to start is to start simple. At a minimum, make sure your website:

• Loads fast (especially on mobile).
• Explains what you do in the first few seconds.
• Has a clear next step (like a contact form or sign-up button).
• Includes basic pages: Home, About, Services or Product, and Contact.

If you‘re short on time or budget, HubSpot’s starter bundle lets you build a clean, mobile-friendly site using drag-and-drop templates with zero coding required.

Pro tip: After you publish, view your site on your phone. If you have to pinch, scroll sideways, or dig to find info, it’s time to clean things up.

7. Set up basic lead capture on your site.

Getting people to your website is a big win. But if they leave without a trace, you’re missing out on future customers. That’s why you need a simple way to capture leads — before you start pouring time and money into promotion.

At one startup I worked with, we were running a solid SEO strategy. Blog traffic was climbing, but conversions were flat. So we added a short lead magnet content offer to the most popular posts: a downloadable checklist that matched the topic. Visitors could enter their email to get it, and boom — we started collecting warm leads without changing much else.

Lead capture doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need:

• A short form (name + email is often enough).
• A clear reason to sign up (newsletter, discount, guide, early access).
• A simple way to deliver the follow-up (email tool or automation).

If you’re not sure what to offer, think about what would be genuinely helpful for someone visiting your site. A guide, a calculator, a checklist — anything that makes their life easier.

If you’re looking for tools to help, HubSpot’s free form builder is a great place to start. And if you’re keeping things simple, even just embedding a basic form at the bottom of your homepage, blog posts, or landing pages can be surprisingly effective.

Pro tip: Place your lead capture form where people are already engaging — like at the bottom of blog posts or on your “About” page. These visitors are more likely to convert than someone landing on your homepage cold.

8. Set up a CRM to manage contacts and leads.

If you‘re still tracking leads in a spreadsheet, I get it — I’ve done it too. But it gets messy fast. Once people start signing up, emailing you, or showing interest, it’s way too easy to lose track of who’s who, what stage they’re in, or when you last followed up.

That’s where a CRM system comes in. It helps you stay organized, see your pipeline at a glance, and keep track of every customer interaction in one place. Even if you’re a team of one, having a CRM early makes it way easier to scale later.

At one company I worked with, we didn’t implement a CRM until we already had a few dozen warm leads — and we regretted waiting. Once we switched to HubSpot’s CRM, we could actually track which leads were converting, which emails were working, and who needed a follow-up. Our team felt more focused, and nothing slipped through the cracks.

There are tons of options out there, but HubSpot’s CRM is an easy (and free) one to start with. It’s built for small businesses and integrates seamlessly with tools like email marketing, forms, and lead scoring — so you’re not scraping everything together later.

The earlier you get this in place, the easier it’ll be to stay on top of your growth … trust me.

Small Business Marketing Strategies

With your foundation in place, now it’s time to put your message into the world. This is where you’ll start creating content, building relationships, and finding new ways to reach the right people.

The strategies below are the ones I’ve seen work best across early-stage startups and small teams. Some help you lay the groundwork. Others are about showing up consistently or expanding your reach. You don’t need to tackle all of them — just pick a few that feel doable, test what works, and build from there.

Get set up.

These are the basics — the things that help you build a marketing engine that won’t fall apart under pressure. This is about creating content that earns trust, setting up tools that track your impact, and laying the groundwork for more consistent growth.

1. Create foundational content for your website.

If your website is the digital front door of your business, your content is what gets people to step inside — and stick around. I’ve seen so many small teams launch a site that’s technically live … but missing the pieces that actually build trust.

Foundational content is the stuff people look for when they’re trying to decide if you’re legit. Be honest, how many times have you googled, “Is [company] a scam”?

In order to make sure no one’s doing that when they land on your website, try to include:

• A clear explanation of what you do and who it’s for.
• An FAQ that handles common objections.
• A pricing or “How It Works” page (even a simple one).
• A story about why you started the business or what makes you different.

One small business I worked with didn’t have a pricing page for months because they were still “figuring things out.” But prospects kept bouncing because they couldn’t tell if it was even worth booking a call. Once we added a “Pricing starting at…” section and a visual breakdown of the plan tiers, conversions nearly doubled.

Don’t wait for it to be perfect. Start with the basics. Then update as you go. Take it from me, a perfectionist.

Source

2. Start a blog and optimize posts for search engines.

I’ll be honest: blogging takes time. But when it’s done well, it becomes one of the most sustainable ways to bring in new traffic over the long term — without paying for every click.

Remember that fintech startup I worked with? Well, we launched a blog with just two goals: answer real customer questions and rank for high-intent keywords. We didn’t post weekly or follow a strict calendar in the beginning. Instead, we focused on a few solid pieces that hit the mark. Those posts consistently brought in qualified leads, months after publishing.

The key? Think about what your ideal customer is googling right before they need you. Start there. You don’t need dozens of posts — just a few that are relevant, helpful, and optimized.

Pro tip: Use resources like Ahrefs, Semrush or HubSpot’s free SEO tools to find keywords your audience is searching for. Then build your posts around those topics, using clear headlines, simple structure, and real examples whenever you can.

Download Free Blog Post Templates

3. Track performance with website analytics.

If you’re not tracking what’s working, you’re basically marketing in the dark. And I’ve seen it happen — teams spend hours on blog posts or landing pages without ever checking whether anyone’s actually reading, clicking, or converting.

Website analytics help you understand what’s landing with your audience and where people are dropping off. You don’t need to be a data wizard — just look for simple signals:

• Which pages are getting the most traffic?
• Where are visitors coming from?
• What’s converting … and what’s not?

At one company I worked with, we discovered that our “About” page was one of the most visited — but it didn’t have a single CTA. We added a short sentence and a button to download a free report, and just like that, it became a top-performing lead source.

Pro tip: Set a reminder once a month to check your top 5 pages. See what’s performing—and build on it. With HubSpot, you can track traffic, leads, and even which CTAs are converting—right from your dashboard.

Source

4. Build and segment your email list.

Your email list might just be your most valuable marketing asset — but only if you build it right from the start. I’ve worked with small teams who skipped this step and ended up with a messy spreadsheet of contacts, no clear opt-ins, and no idea who wanted what. It’s fixable, but trust me, it’s much easier to do it right the first time.

The good news? You don’t need thousands of subscribers. You just need the right people — and a system to keep them organized. That’s where segmentation comes into your email marketing strategy.

Start with the basics:

• One list for leads who downloaded a resource or signed up on your site.
• One for existing customers.
• One for anyone who’s requested a demo or contacted sales.

Even simple tags like “lead,” “customer,” or “inactive” can help you personalize messages and track performance later on.

At one early-stage company, we used these basic tags to trigger tailored emails—like onboarding tips for new customers, blog content for leads, and re-engagement emails for people who hadn’t opened in a while. Click-through rates jumped, and sales started asking for more campaigns because they could see the lift.

Pro tip: Most CRMs will let you segment your list automatically based on actions—like downloads, page views, or email engagement. Set those rules early, and you’ll thank yourself later.

Connect with customers.

Once your systems are in place, it’s time to put them to work. This next batch of strategies is all about showing up for your audience in ways that build trust and keep your business top of mind. Whether someone’s just discovered you or already joined your list, these tips will help you stay connected—and turn interest into action.

5. Set up automated email campaigns.

You don’t need to manually follow up with every new lead. In fact, one of the biggest time-savers I’ve used at small businesses is simple email marketing automation. A few well-timed emails can do a lot of heavy lifting — nurturing new contacts, sharing helpful info, and guiding them toward a decision.

At one startup I worked with, we created a three-part welcome sequence that went out automatically when someone downloaded a guide. The first email said thanks and linked to the content. The second introduced a customer story. The third offered a soft call to book a demo. It took an afternoon to set up — and brought in dozens of qualified leads every month.

You don’t need a huge workflow to get started. Just think about what someone needs to know after they sign up:

• Do they need a nudge to take the next step?
• Would a testimonial or resource help build trust?
• Can you answer a question before they ask it?

Pro tip: Tools like HubSpot’s email automation make it easy to build these sequences with drag-and-drop workflows without coding or stress.

Source

6. Use personalized emails to nurture leads.

Automation is great for saving time — but it’s even more powerful when it feels personal. Just because an email is triggered automatically doesn’t mean it has to sound like a robot wrote it.

That’s why segmenting your email list early (like we talked about above) is such a smart move. It gives you a head start on sending the right message to the right people without starting from scratch every time.

Once someone joins your list, the goal isn’t just to stay in touch — it’s to stay relevant. Generic emails get ignored. But personalized ones? They can make someone feel like you get them.

I’ve seen small teams double their email click-through rates just by segmenting leads based on where they signed up or what content they downloaded. It doesn’t require fancy tools — just a little forethought.

For example, if someone downloads a guide on payroll compliance, don’t immediately send them your latest product announcement. Instead, follow up with a helpful blog post or short checklist on that same topic. Keep the thread going.

Here’s what’s worked well for me:

• Use their name (but sparingly — once or twice max).
• Reference the action they took .
• Offer something that matches their interests.
• Keep it short and human like something you’d actually send.

Pro tip: Even a good free CRM lets you trigger personalized emails based on behaviors, like which page someone visited or what they clicked. You don’t need a giant list to make it feel personal.

7. Offer discounts or exclusive content in exchange for sign-ups.

Sometimes, people need a little extra motivation to join your list — and that’s where a good lead magnet comes in. Whether it’s a one-time discount, a downloadable resource, or early access to something new, giving your audience a clear reason to subscribe can make a big difference.

I’ve seen this work especially well for early-stage startups. One client offered a “10% off your first plan” discount for users who signed up through a specific landing page. Another gave away a free onboarding checklist that aligned with their product. Both doubled their conversion rates almost overnight — just by giving people something valuable up front.

Think about what would feel like a win for your ideal customer, is it:

• A helpful checklist or resource that solves a quick pain point?
• A discount code or first-purchase incentive?
• Exclusive access to new features or content?

Pro tip: Keep it simple and relevant. A small, useful freebie often works better than a big, vague promise. And make sure the follow-up email delivers right away. Nobody wants to dig around their inbox to find what they signed up for.

8. Establish a consistent social media presence.

Speaking of offering a discount, freebie, or lead magnet to grow your email list, social media is one of the best places to share it. But for those promos to work, your audience actually needs to see them — and that’s where consistency comes in.

Regular posting can significantly boost your brand’s visibility, especially when you consistently post at the right times. In fact, businesses that post consistently on social media see a 50% increase in visibility and a 30% boost in organic reach. ​

I’ve worked with plenty of small teams who post when they remember, then feel frustrated when it doesn’t drive results. The truth is, consistency matters more than frequency or follower count.

When I helped one B2B SaaS startup streamline their social strategy, we set a cadence of three posts per week on LinkedIn — much easier than posting every day, but still consistent. And instead of diluting content to spread it thinner, we focused on making each post count. That rhythm was manageable, and it worked.

Here are some tips if you’re just getting started:

• Choose 1–2 platforms where your audience already spends time.
• Commit to a schedule you can actually maintain.
• Focus on quality, not quantity.

And don’t overthink it. A quick product feature, a customer win, or even a trending meme can go a long way if your audience can relate.

Pro tip: HubSpot’s social media tools can help you plan and schedule posts in advance, so you can show up consistently without babysitting every platform. Our free social media content calendar can also help you get organized and started quickly.

Source

9. Use social platforms for service and customer interaction.

Posting regularly builds visibility — but what really earns trust is how you show up when people reach out. Social media isn’t just a content channel; it’s a two-way street.

I’ve seen small businesses turn a single DM or comment into a long-term customer — just by replying quickly and helpfully. At one company, we set a simple rule: respond to every comment, mention, and direct message within 24 hours. It wasn’t always easy, but it paid off. Prospects felt seen, and existing customers knew we had their back.

If someone tags your brand, asks a question, or shares a piece of feedback, that’s not a distraction — it’s an opportunity.

A few simple habits go a long way:

• Like or reply to every customer comment or shout-out.
• Answer questions publicly when possible (others are watching, too).
• Use replies as a source of content inspiration — your audience is telling you what they care about.

Pro tip: HubSpot’s Social Inbox tool can centralize all your social DMs, mentions, and interactions so you’re not toggling between apps. And the faster you reply, the more the algorithm tends to reward you—another reason to stay active.

Source

Grow your reach.

Once you’ve built a solid foundation and started engaging with your audience, it’s time to think a little bigger. The strategies I’m about to share are all about expanding your visibility — reaching new people who haven’t heard of you yet, but should.

You don’t need a huge budget or a viral moment to grow your reach. What you do need is a little creativity and a willingness to test what works.

10. Work with influencers or micro-creators in your niche.

You don’t need to collaborate with celebrities to see results from influencer marketing. In fact, I’ve seen micro-influencers — creators with 1,000 to 50,000 followers — drive better outcomes for small businesses than big-name partnerships. Their audiences are more engaged, and their recommendations feel more genuine.

And the numbers back that up. According to a recent report, micro-influencers on Instagram see an average engagement rate of 3.86% — compared to just 1.21% for mega-influencers. That kind of connection makes a real impact, especially when you’re trying to grow on a budget.

One client I worked with partnered with a few niche creators in the HR and operations space. Instead of a huge campaign, we sent each one a sneak peek of our tool, let them test it, and asked them to share their honest take. A handful of Instagram stories and LinkedIn shout-outs later, we saw a steady uptick in demos booked—and even better, we built relationships we could tap into again later.

Here’s what I’ve found works well:

• Find creators who already speak to your target audience
• Focus on relevance and authenticity, not follower count
• Let them tell your story in their voice—it comes across more naturally

Micro-influencers are often more open to creative or non-cash partnerships, like offering free access to your product, an affiliate link, or co-branded content. It doesn’t have to be a massive spend to be effective. You never know until you ask!

Pro tip: Download HubSpot’s free Influencer Marketing Guide to get started with your partnerships.

Source

11. Encourage user-generated content and customer shout-outs.

There’s nothing quite as powerful — or budget-friendly — as having your customers talk about you. Whether it’s a tagged Instagram post, a product review, or a casual shout-out in a LinkedIn comment, user-generated content (UGC) builds trust in a way no paid ad ever could.

That said, I know not every business has a lineup of customers ready to post. Especially in the early days, you might need to get a little creative. I’ve worked with startups who hired UGC creators — freelancers who record short, natural-feeling videos that look just like a real customer review. These aren’t high-production ads — they’re simple, relatable clips that work great for paid social, landing pages, and organic posts.

For one B2B SaaS client, we hired a UGC creator to simulate a first-time user experience with our platform. The video was short, honest, and shot on an iPhone — and it outperformed our polished explainer video 3 to 1 on click-throughs.

Whether you’re working with real customers or hired creators, the goal is the same: help people see themselves in the story you’re telling.

Try this:

• Ask happy customers to tag you or share a quick video.
• Offer a small incentive (gift card, feature, shout-out).
• Hire a UGC creator to model the customer journey if you’re just getting started.

Pro tip: Even a handful of videos or testimonials can be repurposed across social, landing pages, and ads. And if you’re not sure where to find UGC creators, platforms like Upwork or Fiverr are great starting points.

12. Collaborate with other businesses for co-marketing opportunities.

One of the fastest (and most underrated) ways to expand your reach is to partner with another business that shares your audience — but doesn’t compete with you.

I’ve seen this work incredibly well for small teams, especially when budgets are tight. One salestech platform I worked with partnered with a CRM company to co-host a webinar on streamlining sales processes. They promoted it to both of their email lists, shared the content across social media, and followed up with a joint blog recap. The result? Double the visibility, double the leads, and half the work.

You don’t have to do anything elaborate. Some ideas I’ve seen work:

• Run a co-hosted event or webinar.
• Create a bundled offer or promo code swap.
• Write a guest post or feature each other in newsletters.
• Do a simple Instagram or LinkedIn Live together.

Pro tip: Pick a strategic partner whose audience overlaps with yours but solves a different problem. That way, you’re adding value without stepping on toes, and your content feels like a win for everyone involved.

13. Incorporate short-form video into your content mix.

Short-form video is another one of the fastest ways to get discovered — and the good news is, you don’t need a studio setup or a big production budget to get started.

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts reward content that’s real, relatable, and quick to consume. Whether it’s hopping on a trending audio clip or sharing a behind-the-scenes moment, short videos can punch way above their weight.

One early-stage SaaS company I worked with posted a quick video using a trending sound to show a “before and after” of their product in action. It was shot on an iPhone in under 10 minutes and ended up driving more traffic than a full week of paid ads.

You don’t have to be a creator to try this. Some of the best-performing videos are simple, helpful, or funny takes that speak directly to your audience. Just stay authentic, and don’t be afraid to experiment.

A few simple video ideas to try:

• Use trending audio to highlight a relatable customer pain point.
• Share a quick product tip or FAQ using green screen mode.
• Record a founder reaction to a recent stat or headline.
• Show the transformation your product delivers.

Pro tip: Repurpose what you already have. Take a blog post, FAQ, or stat you’ve shared elsewhere and turn it into a 15-second script. Tools like HubSpot’s free Clip Creator make it even easier to get started.

14. Experiment with webinars, ebooks, or downloadable content.

Long-form content might not be the flashiest tactic, but when it’s done right, it can generate leads for months. Webinars, guides, checklists, and reports give you a way to go deeper on topics your audience cares about — and collect email addresses while you’re at it.

At one company I worked with, we ran a survey to gather fresh data on B2B sales teams. Once we had the results, we turned them into a gated report, a blog post highlighting the key takeaways, and a series of quick-hit tips based on the insights.

We also repurposed stats and quotes into social posts, and hosted a follow-up webinar to walk through the findings live. That single project gave us a full month of content — and filled our pipeline with leads who were already engaged.

And you don’t need a research budget to get started. You can get scrappy:

• Ask your audience 3–5 questions with a free tool like Typeform.
• Host a casual, no-fluff webinar with a customer or partner.
• Package up your top blog posts into a downloadable PDF.
• Turn internal templates or checklists into lead magnets.

Pro tip: Evergreen content like webinars and guides can keep generating leads long after launch — if you make it easy to find. Add it to your homepage, link to it in blog posts, and promote it on social regularly (not just once). On that note…

15. Repurpose your best-performing content across channels.

If you’ve already put in the work to create a webinar, guide, or tip-packed blog post, don’t let it be a one-and-done. Some of the most effective content strategies I’ve seen aren’t about producing more — they’re about squeezing every last drop of value out of what you already have, especially when resources are scarce.

That AI sales survey I mentioned? Like I said before, we spun it into a full campaign. The gated report turned into a blog post, which turned into a carousel for LinkedIn, which turned into a short video script. We even used snippets for an email nurture sequence. Same story, five formats.

Here are a few ideas to get more mileage from what you’ve already made:

• Turn blog posts into short-form videos or carousel posts.
• Break up long webinars into 15–30 second video clips.
• Pull key stats or quotes into graphics or caption-style images.
• Convert your most popular email into a blog or LinkedIn post.

Pro tip: Not sure what to repurpose first? Start with your top-performing blog post or most-clicked email. Then use a tool like HubSpot’s free Campaign Assistant and Content Remix to quickly spin it into social posts, ad copy, and more, so your best ideas keep working behind the scenes.

Source

So far, we’ve walked through what to do before marketing your business, how to lay a strong foundation, and the strategies that help you connect with your audience and start building momentum.

Now it’s time to take things further with digital marketing tactics that help you scale that momentum. These aren’t massive campaigns or big-budget bets. They’re small, proven moves you can layer into your routine to stay visible, build trust, and convert more of the traffic and attention you’re already earning.

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to sharpen your day-to-day execution, these tips are designed to help you get the most out of your efforts — without getting overwhelmed.

1. Request and showcase customer testimonials or reviews.

When people are on the fence about trying something new, a good review can tip the scale. And for small businesses, social proof is one of the most powerful trust signals you can have.

I’ve worked with small businesses where one strong testimonial on the homepage or a LinkedIn shout-out from a happy customer made more impact than weeks of ad spend. People want to hear from real people — not just brands.

If you don’t have many reviews yet, that’s totally normal. You can start by reaching out to happy customers directly. A quick email with a specific ask — like a Google review, LinkedIn blurb, or quote for your site — can go a long way. Just make it easy for them to say yes.

Places to showcase testimonials:

• Your homepage or pricing page.
• A dedicated reviews or testimonial page.
• Social media posts or Stories.
• Case studies or customer spotlight emails.

Pro tip: If you already have great feedback buried in emails or support chats, ask permission to repurpose it. And if you want to automate requests, tools like HubSpot’s Service Hub can help you send follow-ups at just the right time.

2. Set up and optimize your Google Business Profile (and other business pages).

When someone searches for your business — or even just what you offer — your business profiles across platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook are often the first thing they’ll see. These listings act as digital storefronts, especially for local businesses.

And they’re powerful. A well-optimized Google Business Profile can boost your local SEO, make your business easier to find on Maps, and help build trust through reviews and photos. Yelp and Facebook offer similar benefits, especially when people are comparing options in your area.

At a previous company, we helped a client claim and optimize all three profiles. Once they added real photos, consistent hours, a strong description, and started requesting reviews, they saw an increase in website clicks and direct messages almost immediately.

Here’s what to include across platforms:

• Your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) — make sure it’s consistent everywhere.
• A short description that includes relevant keywords.
• High-quality photos of your space, team, or product.
• Updated hours, services, and links to your site.

Customer reviews — and replies!

You can get started here:

• Google Business Profile
• Facebook Business Page
• Claim your Yelp listing

Pro tip: Once you’ve set these up, share the links with happy customers and ask them to leave a quick review like we talked about above. These platforms can also be great sources of discovery, especially when paired with active social media accounts like Instagram or Pinterest.

3. Develop a referral program or loyalty incentive.

Word of mouth is great, but when you give happy customers a reason to spread the word, that’s when things really start to scale. A referral or loyalty program turns your best customers into your best marketers.

I’ve seen this work especially well for service-based businesses and subscription products. One SaaS company I worked with offered a $100 Amazon gift card for every successful referral, and it led to dozens of warm leads from people who already trusted the brand.

And not only have I seen it work, but I’ve done it myself! Just a few weeks ago I referred a friend to my favorite food delivery app and we both got $25 in credits for our next order. If that’s not a win-win-win, I don’t know what is!

Not sure where to start? Try one of these:

• Offer a discount or credit for every referred customer.
• Create a simple form where people can submit referrals.
• Send loyal customers a thank you gift (even something small can spark goodwill).
• Promote the program in your email footer, checkout page, or post-purchase flow.

Pro tip: The best referral programs should feel like everyone’s a winner. Keep the ask simple, the reward clear, and the follow-through fast. You can build one right inside HubSpot’s Marketing Hub, too.

4. Lean into word of mouth by delighting your customers.

A formal referral program can definitely spark action — but organic word of mouth is just as powerful, and often even more credible. The best part? You don’t always have to ask. When people genuinely love what you do, they’ll tell others all on their own.

I’ve seen this firsthand. At one company, we were still in the early stages of building a referral engine, but because our onboarding and customer support were so strong, users were already sharing us in Slack groups and tagging us on LinkedIn. It wasn’t fancy — it was just thoughtful, responsive service that made people feel taken care of.

You don’t need to roll out a massive retention campaign. Sometimes, the smallest details leave the biggest impression.

Here are a few simple ways to encourage word of mouth:

• Surprise customers with a small thank you or extra value.
• Give them a shout-out on social or in your newsletter.
• Make post-purchase check-ins part of your flow.
• Ask for feedback and show how you’re using it.

Pro tip: Pay attention to the moments that often get skipped — onboarding, support emails, post-purchase follow-ups. That’s where delight lives. And when people feel delighted, they talk.

5. Bring in freelancers to help you scale.

If you’re feeling stretched thin or you’re stuck on a project that’s outside your wheelhouse, bringing in a freelancer can make all the difference. Whether it’s content writing, design, SEO, or web development, hiring a specialist for a project (or even just a few hours) can help you move faster without hiring a full team.

As a freelance writer myself, I’ve supported dozens of small businesses that didn’t have the time or bandwidth to create content in-house. Sometimes that meant ghostwriting blog posts, and other times it was helping launch a new email campaign or tightening up web copy.

I’ve also been on the other side, working with freelance designers and SEO specialists to fill in skill gaps and move things forward faster for my own projects. You don’t need to do it all yourself.

Some things freelancers can help with:

• Website design or updates.
• Blog content and SEO optimization.
• Email campaigns and automation.
• Paid ad copy and creative assets.

Pro tip: Don’t wait until you’re overwhelmed to bring in help. Start by identifying one area that’s slowing you down or keeping you stuck, and then hire a freelancer to help you move it forward. Even a small win (like getting your blog backlog cleared or landing page refreshed) can create momentum and free up your time to focus on what you do best.

Should you outsource marketing for your small business?

If bringing in a freelancer for a single project can help you gain momentum, you might be wondering: Should I outsource more? Maybe even all of it?

It’s a question I’ve seen a lot of small business owners ask — especially once marketing starts pulling you away from the work you actually want to be doing. And honestly, it makes sense. According to a recent report, 37% of small businesses are outsourcing at least one business process, and digital marketing is one of the most common areas they hand off.

I’ve worked with scrappy teams who outsourced everything from blog writing to paid ad management so they could stay focused on product and customers. I’ve also seen founders keep things in-house until they nailed their messaging — then brought in experts to help scale. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. It really comes down to your goals, your bandwidth, and your budget.

If any of these sound like you, it might be time to outsource:

• You’re spending way too much time on marketing tasks you don’t love (or fully understand).
• You have great ideas, but no time to execute them.
• You’ve hit a plateau and need a fresh outside perspective.
• You’re ready to grow, but not quite ready to hire a full team.

The good news is: Outsourcing doesn’t mean giving up control. It means adding capacity. The same study found that 59% of businesses outsource to reduce costs, and 57% say it helps increase focus and productivity. In other words, outsourcing isn’t a shortcut — it’s actually a growth hack.

Pro tip: Start small. Pick one area that’s slowing you down and test the waters. Whether it’s SEO, content, or ads, the right partner can help you get results faster and give you room to breathe.

Advertising can feel like a big leap — especially when you’re working with a tight budget. But you don’t need a massive ad spend to make an impact. Some of the most effective small business ads I’ve seen were simple, low-cost experiments that helped validate messaging, reach new audiences, or give a nudge to content that was already working.

This section is all about lightweight, modern ways to promote your business — without burning through your budget or your energy. These ideas are built to help you test, learn, and build confidence in what works before you scale anything up.

1. Try PPC ads on Google and Bing.

If your customers are already searching for what you offer, pay-per-click (PPC) ads can be one of the fastest ways to get in front of them. These ads show up at the top of search results — and when done right, they can bring in high-quality leads who are ready to take action.

I’ve seen small businesses test search ads with just $10 or $20 a day — starting with branded keywords or super-specific phrases — and end up finding a repeatable, profitable growth channel. Once those early conversions came in, it became a lot easier to justify scaling up.

And the channel’s still going strong. According to a recent Statista report, paid search in the United States alone will amount to an estimated 455.9 billion U.S. dollars this year. Why? Because it works. Especially when you start small and optimize along the way.

A few smart ways to start:

• Target long-tail keywords to keep costs low.
• Write ad copy that matches the language people are already using to find you.
• Create a dedicated landing page instead of sending traffic to your homepage.

I’d recommend reading through this Ultimate Guide to PPC. Then, use the PPC planning template in this kit to create an optimized campaign.

Pro tip: Use UTM parameters or free PPC tools like HubSpot Ads Software to track which campaigns are actually converting. Don’t just look at clicks — optimize for what drives real results.

Source

2. Run targeted social media ads.

If search ads help you capture demand, social ads are all about creating it. They’re a great way to reach people who may not be actively looking for your product, but who are the right fit once it’s on their radar.

I’ve seen small businesses run incredibly effective campaigns on low budgets, especially when they used content that had already performed well organically. Think: a how-to video, a product demo, or a customer quote that got traction on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Starting with content that’s already working and boosting it means you’re not guessing what will land — you’re just amplifying it.

Social ad spend is projected to hit $219.8 billion globally this year, and small businesses make up a big part of that. Why? Because social ads are flexible, easy to test, and can be highly targeted.

To make the most of your budget:

• Focus on one platform where your audience is active.
• Test one variable at a time (headline, image, CTA).
• Use retargeting to stay in front of people who’ve already interacted with your brand.

Pro tip: Pull your best-performing organic posts and turn them into ad tests. If it worked once, it’s likely to work again — with a bigger audience behind it.

3. Offer discounts, coupons, or incentives.

Earlier, we talked about offering a freebie or discount to encourage email sign-ups. This takes that idea a step further, using strategic incentives to turn interest into actual purchases.

Whether it’s a limited-time promo, a seasonal coupon, or a simple “10% off your first order,” incentives give people a reason to act now instead of waiting. I’ve worked with businesses that saw real results by pairing a small discount with a clear next step — like redeeming it in a follow-up email or applying it on a landing page.

In fact, 62% of U.S. consumers say they actively search for promo codes or coupons when shopping online, according to a recent eMarketer report. I mean, I know I do.

A few ways to test this:

• Add a “new subscriber” promo code to your email welcome series.
• Promote a weekend flash sale on social to drive urgency.
• Create a custom landing page tied to a specific campaign or audience segment.

Pro tip: Your incentive doesn’t always have to be a discount. Early access, free shipping, or even a bonus download can be just as effective when aligned with your brand and audience.

4. Sponsor your products on marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy.

If you’re selling a physical product, marketplaces like Amazon’s sponsored products, Etsy Ads, and even eBay can be a great way to reach people who are already in buying mode. And while simply listing your products is a good start, sponsoring them gives you a serious visibility boost — especially in crowded categories.

I’ve seen a lot of small businesses test this approach by putting a small daily budget behind one or two of their best-selling products. It’s a lightweight way to increase visibility and drive conversions on platforms where people are actively searching. And because these ads run inside the marketplace, they often feel more native and less disruptive to shoppers.

Sponsoring your products on these platforms puts you in front of customers who are already searching for something like what you offer. It’s a way to compete without needing to drive all the traffic yourself.

Here are a few tips to get started:

• Start by promoting your best-selling or most-reviewed product.
• Use keywords customers are already searching for.
• Monitor your return on ad spend (ROAS) and adjust your bids accordingly.

Pro tip: Marketplace ads can also be a helpful testing ground. If a product performs well there, it might be a sign to feature it more prominently on your website or in your email campaigns.

5. Advertise with local organizations or community partners.

If your business serves a specific city or region, don’t overlook the value of local advertising. Whether it’s your neighborhood chamber of commerce, a community newsletter, or a local events page, there are plenty of low-cost ways to show up in the places your customers already trust.

I’ve seen small businesses partner with local coworking spaces, sponsor niche meetups, or run simple shoutouts in community-driven newsletters — all for far less than a big digital ad campaign. And because these placements are hyper-targeted, they often lead to stronger relationships and better word of mouth.

Here are a few ideas to try:

• Reach out to your chamber of commerce about advertising or listing opportunities.
• Sponsor a small local event or community meetup related to your niche.
• Partner with another business to promote each other in email newsletters or on social.

Pro tip: Local doesn’t have to mean offline. Many community-based publications and groups now have email lists, social channels, or Slack groups where your audience is already hanging out. Meet them where they are — and keep it personal!

6. Test and experiment to see what works.

No matter how many best practices you follow, the truth is: every business is different.

What works for one company might totally flop for another — and that’s okay. The key is to treat your marketing like a series of small, low-risk experiments.

I’ve seen small businesses unlock major growth by simply trying something new — a new channel, a different CTA, a reworked headline. Sometimes it fails. But sometimes it’s the thing that changes everything. The point isn’t to get it perfect. It’s to learn what works for your audience, your offer, and your brand. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them.

A few ways to start small:

• Test two different headlines in a social ad.
• Try a limited-time offer and track response.
• Swap out the CTA on your homepage and watch what happens.

Pro tip: Keep a simple spreadsheet or dashboard where you track what you tested, what changed, and what you learned. Over time, those small learnings add up and help you build a strategy rooted in what actually works for your business.

Download the Free Advertising Planning Kit

Small Business Marketing Tools & Resources

You’ve got the ideas — now it’s time to bring them to life. Whether you’re planning content, sending emails, or building your first website, the right marketing tools can make it a whole lot easier to stay consistent and get things done.

I’ve tested dozens of tools across startups and small teams, and these are the ones I keep coming back to. They’re simple, budget-friendly, and powerful enough to help you build real momentum — without adding complexity or cost.

1. Canva

Source

Canva is hands-down one of my favorite small business marketing tools. I’ve been using Canva for years and I still recommend it to almost every small business I work with. It’s one of the easiest ways to create polished, professional-looking content without needing a designer (or any real design skills at all).

Whether I’m putting together a blog header, a social post, or a slide deck, Canva is my go-to. The drag-and-drop interface is super intuitive, and the templates make it easy to stay on-brand without starting from scratch every time. I’ve even used it to build mockups for landing pages and marketing emails.

It’s especially great for small teams or solo founders who want their brand to look put-together without blowing the budget — or spending hours in Photoshop. If you’re just getting started, it’s one of the most beginner-friendly tools out there. Plus, their free version is great too!

2. Wix

Source

I’ve used Wix a few times over the years to help small businesses get a website up and running — and it’s one of the easiest ways to launch something that looks clean and professional without hiring a developer.

There’s a bit of a learning curve if you’ve never built a site before, but it’s pretty quick to pick up. The drag-and-drop editor gives you a lot of flexibility, and there are tons of templates you can customize for different industries and use cases. I’ve used it to help teams launch everything from one-page lead capture sites to more detailed product pages.

One thing I appreciate is that Wix also offers the option to get direct support or design help from their team. That’s a nice safety net if you run into something tricky or want a bit more polish. If you’re looking for a solid “set it and forget it” website option, this is a great place to start.

3. Hubspot Marketing Hub

Source

I personally believe that if you’re looking for an all-in-one platform to manage email, automation, forms, and more, HubSpot’s Marketing Hub is the best. I’ve used it with small teams that needed to get serious about marketing without stitching together a bunch of tools, and it made a huge difference. And that’s my honest opinion!

The email editor is easy to use, and like I said earlier, you can segment your list, build workflows, and track results without needing a developer or a full-time ops person. I especially love the way it integrates with HubSpot CRM so you’re not just sending emails into the void — you’re actually tracking what happens after someone clicks.

One team I worked with used HubSpot to launch their first email newsletter and lead nurture flow. It was intuitive enough for them to set up quickly, but powerful enough to scale as they grew. If you’re planning to grow your list and need more than the basics, this is definitely something worth exploring.

4. Later

Source

If you’re trying to stay consistent on social media — and not just post when you remember to — Later is one of the most approachable scheduling tools I’ve used. It’s especially great for visual planning, which makes it a nice fit for platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.

I’ve used Later to plan and schedule content across multiple channels, and it’s helped me (and clients) stay organized without needing to log in and post manually every day. The drag-and-drop calendar makes it easy to see how your content is spaced out, and I like that it includes link-in-bio functionality and basic analytics in the free plan.

If you’re building your presence on social media and want a low-lift way to stay consistent, Later is a great starting point. You can plan ahead, track what’s working, and keep your content on brand — even if it’s just you running the show.

5. Google Analytics & Search Console

Source

Technically two tools, but these are some of the first things I set up anytime I launch a new website. They’re free, surprisingly powerful, and give you a clearer picture of what’s actually happening when people visit your site.

Google Analytics (GA4) helps you understand how people are engaging with your content — what pages they’re visiting, how long they stay, where they drop off, and what’s driving conversions. If you’ve ever wondered “Is anyone actually reading this?” or “Which blog post is bringing in traffic?” GA4 has your answers.

Search Console, on the other hand, gives you insight into how your site appears in Google search results. I use it to see what keywords I’m ranking for, what pages are getting impressions, and where there are opportunities to improve SEO. It’s also great for spotting technical issues that could affect your visibility.

If you’re investing time into content or SEO, these tools are essential. They help you stop guessing and start optimizing.

Start Marketing Your Business Today

If you’ve made it this far, take that as your cue to get started (or keep going). I’ve worked with a lot of small businesses and startups over the years, and I’ve seen how much impact even the smallest marketing effort can make.

Sometimes it’s one blog post that starts bringing in search traffic. Or a one-page site that helps convert that first customer. Or a welcome email that turns into a real relationship. You don’t need a perfect strategy to start — you just need a place to begin.

Whether it’s publishing your first post, testing a new tool, or finally organizing your contacts, each small move helps build momentum. And that momentum matters.

The effort you put in today will keep paying off long after the post goes live.

Good luck — you’ve got this!

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2017 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Facebook was born in 2004, and since then, countless other platforms have entered the social media arena. Still, it’s prevailed as a powerful marketing outlet — though exactly how to use Facebook for business has changed drastically.

The phrase “Facebook is dead” can incite an instant debate amongst marketers. Facebook is a lot of things — frustrating, constantly evolving — but it’s not dead. With more than 3 billion active users, Facebook is undeniably alive: it‘s the most active social media platform on the planet. But, the way it’s used by businesses changes too often for some brands to keep up with.

Taking a page from a 2004, 2014, or even 2024 Facebook playbook isn‘t going to guarantee success. Businesses that get traction on Facebook are tailoring their strategy to what’s working right now (and most are running ads). I’ve managed Facebook pages for all kinds of brands: nonprofits, local government offices, small businesses, digital brands, and more. Let me show you the ropes of a modern Facebook strategy.

Table of Contents

• How to Use Facebook for Business
• 25 Tips and Tricks for Marketing on Facebook

How to Use Facebook for Business

If you’re just doing Facebook to “check the box,” then you can set up your Page, enter your business details, and go water your virtual grass elsewhere. Brands ready to actually build and engage on Facebook can follow these steps.

1. Create engaging content.

Posting only text and photos on Facebook is so mid-2000s. Content can take almost any form on Facebook, including:

• Text posts.
• Photos.
• Short-form videos.
• Long-form videos.
• Live videos.
• Stories.
• Polls.

Here’s a great content example from activewear brand POPFLEX Active. This is a short-form video asking for product feedback from viewers:

Source

The above list covers different content formats that you can produce on Facebook. Each piece of content also needs a goal. Popular content goals include:

• Demonstrating products.
• Showing off happy customers.
• Answering questions.
• Getting product feedback.
• Engaging customers in comments.

Here’s an example of a short text post from Zappos. Not only did they post an engaging, on-brand question — they also replied to the comments from their audience. This leads us right into step number two.

Source

2. Engage with your audience.

If I had to guess, I would say that 80% of businesses handle engagement badly on Facebook. This isolates customers, loses momentum in the algorithm, and defeats the purpose of social media. Engaging with viewers on your Facebook Page is key in growing a meaningful social media presence.

On Facebook, you can directly engage with your target audience through:

• Post comments.
• Comment reactions.
• Direct messages.
• WhatsApp messages.
• Groups.
• Live video.

Here’s a great example from Forme answering questions from their audience on a Facebook ad:

Source

An engaged Facebook Page will require more time from the marketing or customer support team, but engagement is a good thing. Facebook tries to make it easy for brands, too.

Within your Meta Business Suite (previously called Facebook Business Manager or Business Manager Account), you can see your curated “to-do list” that includes unread messages and comments. This makes it easier for you to engage with customers and show that your page is a dialogue and not a monologue.

Note that business tools like this aren‘t available on a personal Facebook account. You’ll need to create a Facebook Business Page to access the Meta Business Suite. You can also use our social inbox tool to help manage all of your social communications.

3. Consider creating a group.

There‘s more to Facebook marketing than just having a business page. Facebook groups are a powerful way to help customers maximize their success with your brand, but it’s not right for everyone.

Here are a few questions to ask to determine if a Facebook group is right for your brand:

• Are referrals a big part of your lead generation strategy?
• Does your brand rely on a membership model?
• Are there existing groups (run by others) dedicated to your products?
• Could users of your product help each other, instead of you having to answer customer support tickets all day?

If you’re nodding your head, then a Facebook group could be a viable part of your marketing plan.

Here‘s a Facebook group example from Instant Pot®, a pressure cooker company (that I can personally testify is worth the hype). On top of facilitating discussion, it’s a rich resource helping customers find success with the product:

Source

The idea of an online forum surrounding a specific topic isn’t new. In fact, it has early internet vibes where there were dedicated community forums for any topic you can imagine.

A Facebook group is a powerful forum because you can observe the discussion and moderate when necessary, instead of having to provide all of the engagement yourself. Users will meet each other and find community by gathering around your brand.

I‘m in a number of Facebook groups like this — the Elementor Facebook group comes to mind. As far as I’m aware, Elementor employees engage minimally and users are helped by one another. Creating the group allows Elementor to have some say in the narrative/advice stemming from online chatter.

Source

4. Listen to your audience.

This step is similar to the engagement step, but it drills straight to the core of social media marketing. Is your Facebook page a monologue or a dialogue? It should be a massive learning opportunity for your marketing team.

I’ve noticed that many businesses let their failure to listen on Facebook turn into a negative billboard for their company. For example, customers leaving comments on posts asking to get in touch with customer support and getting ignored.

Or worse — other viewers start to dogpile on the discussion, complaining about the brand together (I see this happen all the time on the Pinterest Facebook page).

When I managed the Facebook page for a local government office, I can remember people asking critical questions about how their tax dollars were being used. It’s a fair question, but leadership insisted on deleting the comments instead of engaging. It was a huge missed opportunity.

To really leverage Facebook for marketing, you should actively ask users for their feedback and use social media listening tools to track what people are saying. You can track mentions of your company and follow hashtags so you always know what’s trending and going on with your customers.

The more engagement you get, the more data you’ll be able to pull about your audience through the Meta Business Suite:

These audience insights are helpful to steer your marketing decisions in general, but they’re also extremely powerful if you plan on pursuing Facebook advertising.

5. Create Facebook Ads.

Facebook is most popular among businesses for its advanced ad reach. If you’re running online ads, Facebook is one of the best places to do it. You can create ads relatively quickly and use advanced tools for customization and audience targeting.

Spending money on ads is nerve-wracking, but use our free resources to help you learn and leverage AI in this process:

• Facebook Ads and Marketing Course.
• AI Facebook Ad Copy Generator.

Not sure where to start? Consider starting with a retargeting ad. This type of ad campaign focuses exclusively on viewers who have already been on your website but not purchased.

Here’s an example from Warby Parker. After browsing glasses on their website, I opened up Facebook and immediately saw a company ad. Retargeting ads on Facebook are extremely powerful and can help make the most of your budget.

Source

Now that you know how to use Facebook for business, let’s dive into some tips and tricks to help you succeed.

(P.S. Already a HubSpot customer? Click here to integrate your HubSpot account with Meta Ads and become eligible to win $15K to skyrocket your business ads strategy.)

25 Tips and Tricks for Marketing on Facebook

New to Facebook marketing? Learn all about it with HubSpot Academy.

Tips for Your Facebook Business Page

1. Create a business Page, not a personal profile.

First thing’s first: You need to create a business Page — not a personal Facebook profile — to represent your brand. Pages look similar to personal profiles, but they include unique tools for businesses, brands, and organizations. Your fans can Like your Page to see updates from you in their News Feeds, which is something they can’t do for personal profiles.

Not only will this maximize Facebook‘s business potential for you, but it’s actually against Facebook’s Terms of Service to use a personal account to represent something other than that person, like a business. If you‘ve already created a profile for your business, you’ll want to convert it into a business Page, which you can learn how to do easily here.

Setting up a page is simple. Just visit this page and follow the step-by-step setup instructions.

2. Claim your Page’s website URL.

Once you‘ve created your business Page, it’ll get a randomly assigned number and URL, like facebook.com/pages/yourbusiness/123456789. To make your Page more shareable and easier to find, you’ll want to create a recognizable vanity URL (e.g., http://www.facebook.com/hubspot).

To create a vanity URL, visit this page, then follow the instructions.

Source

3. Add a great cover photo.

Facebook‘s page design lets you feature an 820 x 312 pixel cover photo at the top of your business Page. You’ll want to optimize that cover photo to capture the attention of new visitors, encourage them to explore and learn more, and provide an effective mobile experience — all the while ensuring you‘re following Facebook’s Page Guidelines.

Learn all about do‘s and don’ts for your Facebook cover photo in this blog post.

Source

Here are some more awesome examples of business Page cover photos to get your creative juices flowing. You can also use these free Facebook cover photo templates to create your own.

Download Free Facebook Cover Photo Templates

4. Add a recognizable profile picture.

Pick a profile picture that will be easy for visitors to recognize — like your company logo or a headshot of yourself if you’re a solopreneur or consultant. Being recognizable is important for getting found and Liked, especially in Facebook Search. Your profile image is pictured at the top of your Facebook Page and is also the thumbnail image that gets displayed next to all your Facebook Page updates, so choose wisely.

When choosing a photo, keep in mind that Facebook requires your profile picture dimensions to be 170 pixels by 170 pixels.

Source

5. Optimize your “Intro” section.

It’s located on the left-hand side of your page beneath your profile picture. This is the first place people will look when they arrive on your Facebook Page.

Optimize this section with brief yet descriptive copy to give visitors a sense of what your Page and your business are about before they decide to “like” you.

Here’s an example video marketing software company Wistia:

Source

To edit your own “Intro” section, scroll down to this page of your Facebook business page and select “edit bio.” You have 255 characters to use, so choose your copy with intention.

6. Go for depth.

The best tip for Facebook marketing in 2025? “Get deep into community, engaging content, and adding value,” shared Dr. Stefanie Boyer, Professor of Marketing at Bryant University.

“Stop broadcasting like an advertising channel with one-way communication and deliver what the community wants. Think local groups, private groups, sending individual messages, and make sure each engagement adds value, rather than ‘checking in’ or pushing an agenda,” Dr. Boyer advised.

“The algorithm prioritizes meaningful interactions. A Facebook Group that is run well (responsive, engaging moderators, and valuable content) can outperform public posts 10 fold in engagement.”

Source

7. Add a featured section.

Let viewers immediately see your most important content by putting it in the “featured section” of your Facebook Page. Also called the “pinned items” section, you can include up to six items here, including:

1. Upcoming events.
2. Recent videos.
3. Recent posts.

To edit, go to the top of your Facebook Page wall and select “manage” under the “featured” section:

9. Choose a call-to-action button.

Facebook’s option to place a simple call-to-action button at the top of your Facebook Page is another handy feature. You can learn how to add a CTA button to your business’ Facebook Page here. Edit this setting by clicking on the three dots on the right-hand side and selecting “add action button.”

You can choose from 16 pre-made button options:

1. Book now.
2. Sign up.
3. Start order.
4. View shop.
5. Get tickets.
6. Send message.
7. Send WhatsApp message.
8. Call now.
9. Send email.
10. Contact us.
11. Learn more.
12. Watch now.
13. Visit group.
14. Play game.
15. Buy now.
16. Reserve.

Use these buttons to link to any website that aligns with your business’s goals.

10. Manage Page “Sections.”

The “Sections” on your Facebook Page appear like tabs under your profile picture. In fact, these used to be called Facebook business page tabs.

Some of these are required, like about, mentions, and reviews. Others are optional, allowing businesses to remove these “sections” from your page:

• Music.
• Check-ins.
• Sports.
• Movies.
• TV shows.
• Books.
• Likes.
• Reviews given.

Blast from the past: Facebook business page tabs used to be more customizable. Now, they’re quite limited, but businesses should still deselect the off-brand topics from this list. To do that, visit your page, then click the “More” tab and choose “Manage Sections” from the dropdown menu.

Tips for News Feed Visibility

11. Prioritize quality over quantity.

Here are two questions we hear a lot: How often should I post to Facebook? Will posting more frequently help me reach more people?

Statistic: The average Facebook page posts 7.9 times per week.

Should you automatically post that often? In short, the answer is no. At the end of the day, how visible your posts are in people’s News Feeds all comes down to the quality of your posts. These algorithms are meant to filter out the irrelevant and the poor-quality posts so that the highest-quality stuff is what gets through and gets shown to users.

So don‘t overwhelm your customers with content on Facebook, and be selective about what you’re publishing. Spend more time crafting better Facebook posts, and less time crafting a lot of Facebook posts.

Remember: It‘s a marketer’s job to post content to social that’s interesting, entertaining, helpful, and/or relevant to the audience. This means picking relevant topics, writing delightful copy, and posting compelling images and videos. Many brands even lean into internet culture, like the below example from outdoors brand Gnara.

Source

12. Post at the best times for your audience.

Another common question: When’s the best time to post to Facebook? Unfortunately, there‘s no perfect answer — different businesses may find different days and times work best for them. Timing often depends on what your target audience uses Facebook for, the region(s) you’re targeting, the content of your post (e.g., funny or serious), your goals (e.g., clicks versus shares), and so on.

That being said, there is data out there on optimal times to post on Facebook:

• The best time to post on Facebook is Wednesday, 11 a.m. and 1–2 p.m. Other optimal times include Tuesday through Thursday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m.
• The worst times to post on Facebook are on Sundays, or every day before 7 a.m. or after 5 p.m.

Think of this data as a general guideline, and use it to help you find the optimal posting times for your business.

13. Post your best blog content.

For businesses, social media continues to be driven by content. It‘s a marketer’s job to post content to social that‘s interesting, entertaining, helpful, and/or relevant to our audience. Start populating your Page’s timeline with content by handpicking your best, most helpful blog posts.

If you’re strapped for resources but maintain a business blog, you can try connecting your blog to auto-post links to new blog content you publish. Many blogging platforms (like HubSpot) automatically offer this feature within the software — you‘ll just need to turn it on and sync it with your Page.

You don’t want to put too much emphasis on automation, though. It’s okay to auto-publish some content, but make sure a real human is posting and engaging with your fans, too.

14. Make sure your blog posts’ meta descriptions are complete.

Have you noticed that when you post a link to Facebook, it pulls in a brief description as well as an image?

The description gets pulled from the page’s meta description, which refers to the HTML attribute that explains the contents of a given web page. It‘s the short description you see on a search engine results page to “preview” what the page is about, and it’s also the copy Facebook will automatically pull in to populate the description of a post.

Without a meta description, Facebook may pull in the first text they can find, which doesn’t make for a very good user experience. Plus, meta descriptions are your chance to sell your visitors on what you have to offer: informative, valuable content.

Your meta description should be compelling enough to get people to click, and it should be 155 characters or fewer in length. Read this blog post to learn more about writing effective meta descriptions.

15. Remove links from your post copy.

Keep your copy succinct by removing the horrendously long URL you’re sharing from the text in your post.

Your post real estate is precious, and you want to ensure any characters employed are purely for the sake of sparking a reader‘s attention. Plus, any user can click on the generated thumbnail or title for that URL to navigate to the blog post, web page, or any URL you’re linking to — so there’s no need to include it in the copy of your post as well.

16. Post your most compelling visual content.

Facebook‘s timeline page design places more of an emphasis on visual content like images and videos. That’s why posting compelling visual content is one of the most important things you can do to improve your Facebook strategy.

Use this to your advantage by posting your best visual content to your Facebook page or making an effort to create more visual content. (Click here to download 50 social media image templates for free.)

A successful social strategy will often include photos, videos, and screenshots of infographics or other graphs. In addition to being fun to look at, it’s important that your visual content be compelling and relevant to your audience.

Another reason to post lots of visual content? It’ll help auto-populate the “Photos” and “Videos” tabs, which are automatically added to every Facebook Page. You want those to be rife with visual content when people click on them.

Source

17. Make sure your images are properly formatted.

Don‘t just post images for the sake of posting images. To give your users the best experience possible, you need to optimize your images for Facebook so that they’re the right sizes and dimensions. (Click here to download pre-sized cover photo templates for Facebook and other social networks for free.)

Below are a few of the most common Facebook image sizes, but you can find a more detailed guide here.

• Cover photo: 820 px wide by 312 px tall
• Profile image: 170 px wide by 170 px tall
• Shared image: 1200 px wide by 630 px tall
• Shared link thumbnail image: 1200 px wide by 627 px tall

18. Prioritize video content.

Video content on Facebook can take a couple different formats:

• Short-for vertical videos (AKA reels).
• Long-form horizontal videos.
• Live videos.

Statistic: Video consumption accounts for 60% of the time users spend on the Facebook app. Reels alone account for 50% of that time.

Facebook is continuing to tweak how the algorithm measures people’s interest in video content on Facebook, but the main takeaway is to make your videos as visually engaging as possible — especially in the first few seconds. This is known as a video’s “hook.”

Why? Although all videos on Facebook autoplay in people‘s News Feeds, they’re on mute until the viewer manually turns the volume on. The more visually engaging your video, the more you can entice people to stick around.

Getting people to spend more time watching your video will help your video rank higher in the News Feed because to Facebook, signs of user engagement with a video include spending time watching the video, turning on the audio, switching to full-screen mode, or enabling high definition.

19. Use Facebook Insights.

Facebook Insights is Facebook‘s internal analytics tool that helps you measure and analyze your Facebook presence. The tool provides Facebook page administrators with analytics data about Page visits and engagement, which can help you understand which content is and isn’t engaging to your fans.

Access your page’s Insights here or by clicking into the ‘Admin Panel’ on your Page. We’ve also published an informative blog post and video that walks you through how to analyze Facebook Insights to improve your content strategy.

20. Schedule posts in advance.

Scrambling for Facebook content is not a new phenomenon. We have meetings. We run late. Things come up. That‘s why you’ll want to use a third-party Facebook application like HubSpot’s social media publishing tool to schedule your Facebook posts (and other social media posts) in advance.

First, download our free social media content calendar template to help plan your posts in advance. You can fill it in at the same day and time every single week to prep for the following week’s social media content. Then, use that third-party Facebook application to actually schedule out your posts.

However, just as we advised against too much Facebook automation with blog auto-posting, the same holds true for scheduling. Don‘t get caught in the trap of turning your page into a robot, and make sure you’re actively engaging with your fans, too.

21. Add Facebook social media buttons to your blog and website.

Adding Facebook social media buttons will help encourage visitors who are on your website to also connect and interact with you on Facebook, as well as spread your content and expand its reach.

The Facebook Follow Button lets you expand your Facebook reach by making it easy for your site visitors to Like your business‘ Facebook Page with just one click. It displays your page’s number of Likes, as well as faces of people who already like your page, using social proof to amplify its effectiveness.

The Facebook Like Box lets you promote your business’ Facebook Page on your website and blog, highlight other users who have already Liked your page, display your follower count, and feature recent posts on your page. With just one click, people can Like your business Page — without leaving your site.

The Facebook Like Button lets people easily Like your content. When a user Likes a piece of content, it may show up in your friends’ News Feeds because the algorithm takes it as a signal that your friends will find it relevant.

(Note: This button doesn’t allow them to add personalized messages to links before sharing them. To allow users to add a personalized message, use the Facebook Share Button, explained below.)

To customize your Facebook Like Button, visit this page and follow the instructions.

Facebook Share Buttons act similarly to the Like Button by sharing your content on their Timeline and in friends’ News Feeds, except they also let people add a comment or message to the link when sharing it.

To generate a Facebook Share Button, visit this page and follow the instructions.

22. Subscribe to Facebook’s Official Blog for future announcements from Facebook.

Give yourself a competitive edge by staying on top of the latest announcements from Facebook, such as new features and tools, by subscribing to the official Facebook Blog.

Tips For Advertising on Facebook

23. Choose the right advertising tool.

Facebook offers users the Ads Manager. Facebook’s Ads Manager works great for most companies. Figure out which is best for your business based on your company size and the number of ads you plan to run at once.

Source

24. Use Audience Insights to learn about your audience.

The best Facebook ads are high-quality, relevant ads that fit seamlessly into the user’s environment on Facebook. Learn more about your customers and prospects using Audience Insights, which you can find inside the Facebook Ad Manager in the left-hand navigation.

The tool will help you target your ads more effectively and learn about your audience — even if you are not advertising to them. How? The data can help you build stronger buyer personas, create more compelling content, and uncover some gems for your competitive research.

25. Test multiple versions of a single ad.

Running a single campaign won’t give you much to work with in terms of finding your audience, optimizing your ads, and determining if Facebook advertising works for your business. You need to be able and willing to run multiple campaigns to test and experiment with different parts of a single campaign. This process should be strategic.

“You need a structured approach to test Facebook ad creatives at a high volume without losing sight of why ad creatives are performing well,” shared Colby Flood, Founder at DataAlly. He shared that he tests his Facebook ads in this order:

• First brand positioning.
• Then, messaging angles.
• Then, emotional triggers.
• Lastly, creative design styles.

“Most marketers get very hung up on why one single ad performed well, which is important, but you will get lost in the data if you don’t zoom out and track performance from a 1,000-foot view to understand the ‘why’ behind performance trends,” Colby advised. “You can accomplish this with clear naming conventions for your ad creatives to help filter data by each category you test.”

Facebook ads reward you for testing more ads and targets. Whereas cost-per-click doesn‘t change much when you’re advertising on Google or LinkedIn, Facebook ads cost a lot less if you’re diligently testing them.

Want to learn more? Read this blog post to learn more about creating, optimizing, and analyzing your Facebook ads.

Getting Started

As I discovered in the State of Marketing Report, Facebook is the social media channel that marketers plan to invest the most in 2025. It also holds the highest ROI from influencers (28%). I know that Facebook for business has undeniably changed in the past few years, but it still holds incredible power for your brand, and it’s important to figure out how it can work for your company.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in September 2011 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

In the paid acquisition world, clicks on your ads can seem like the holy grail. But to accurately measure my content’s converting capabilities, I’ve found cost per acquisition (or CPA) to be a much more valuable metric.

If you really think about it, clicks only tell you if people arrive at your content — not if they stay and, better yet, buy into your product or service. Monitoring cost per acquisition, on the other hand, has helped me determine whether my content is engaging enough to convert.

Here’s what I’ve learned about what exactly CPA is, how to calculate cost per acquisition, how the bidding process works, and some key principles for crafting creative and convincing ad copy.

Table of Contents

• What is cost per acquisition (CPA)?
• Why is cost per acquisition important?
• How to Calculate Cost Per Acquisition
• What is a good cost per acquisition?
• How Cost Per Acquisition Bidding Impacts Ad Rank
• How to Lower Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) Costs

Many marketers prefer the cost-per-acquisition pricing model because they can define an acquisition before they start advertising and only pay when their desired acquisition or action occurs.

For example, if you define acquisition as submitting one specific form, you’ll pay each time that form is submitted — but not when visitors click on your ad and simply view the form.

I like this model because it allows you to stretch your advertising budget just a bit farther. (Check out these free templates to help you manage your budget!)

This pricing model is used in a handful of paid marketing mediums, including:

• Pay-per-click (PPC)
• Display
• Social media
• Affiliate
• Email marketing
• Content marketing

Why is cost per acquisition important?

If you’re considering pay-per-click advertising, you need to understand CPA. It’s an important metric to help you plan your advertising strategy.

To help you better understand why, I thought it would be useful to share insights from marketing and advertising specialists.

Here’s what they said when I asked, “Why is cost per acquisition important?”

1. Plan your marketing budget.

Ross Kernez, founder of SEO Meetup and CEO of Stealth, told me that your CPA can help you better plan your multi-channel marketing strategy, including PPC, social media, and content marketing.

Kernez said, “Knowing your CPA enables better allocation of marketing budgets. It helps marketers identify which channels are more cost-effective in delivering results, allowing them to focus resources on high-performing campaigns while cutting back on underperforming ones.”

2. Improve your conversion rate.

Calculating your cost per acquisition can also help you identify strengths and weaknesses in your marketing strategies. Then, you can trim away efforts that aren’t pulling their weight and focus more of your time and resources on campaigns that bring the most conversions.

Cristina Muchi, founder and CEO of Upway Marketing, put it this way.

“CPA is the yardstick for measuring how efficiently the marketing dollars are working for the brand. Whether the company is using Facebook ads, Google search, or email marketing, every platform and campaign incurs a cost. CPA shows us which strategies are truly delivering conversions without burning through the budget.”

3. Easily scale your efforts.

Alfred Goldberg, president of Absolute Marketing Solutions, told me that calculating your CPA helps eliminate guesswork in marketing and makes it easier to scale your efforts.

Goldberg said, “You can confidently scale your campaigns when you know your CPA is profitable. If you’re spending $10 to get a customer who spends $50, why wouldn’t you increase your ad budget? CPA lets you grow without the guesswork.”

How to Calculate Cost Per Acquisition

To calculate your advertising campaign’s CPA, take your total advertising spend and divide it by the number of acquisitions generated.

Here’s what that looks like: Let’s say you have an advertising budget of $5,000. However, you only spend $2,500 and generate 1,200 conversions.

Your math will look something like this:

CPA= 2,500/1,200

This gives you a CPA of $2.08. In other words, each conversion costs around two dollars of your advertising budget.

(Alternatively, you can use the Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) calculator to quickly crunch these numbers and a few other important metrics!)

Keeping tabs on your cost per acquisition — and other key indicators of successful marketing — is an essential part of continuing to grow your marketing efforts. That’s why I recommend including CPA in your monthly marketing reports, to ensure you’re regularly checking in and evaluating whether your ad spending is being put to optimal use.

Pro tip: If you don’t already create monthly marketing reports, check out these templates to get you started.

What is a good cost per acquisition?

Now that you know why CPA matters and how to calculate yours, you might be wondering what a good cost per acquisition looks like. Or, in other words, what numbers should you aim for?

I’ll let you in on a secret: a “good” cost per acquisition varies by industry. So, a $5 CPA might be perfect for one but entirely too high for another.

Still, while there’s no hard-and-fast rule, there are some guidelines to keep in mind I like to keep in mind.

Keep It Low

Ideally, you want to keep your CPA as low as you can while still hitting your desired conversion rates.

I like how Randall Yates, CEO of The Lenders Network, explains it. Yates says, “If you can keep your CPA low, you’re in a position to thrive because every dollar spent brings in more value. It’s like a well-oiled machine — you’re reaching your ideal customers efficiently, and that’s how you scale a business.”

On the flip side, Yates adds that if your CPA is too high, “it means your marketing efforts aren’t hitting the mark, and you’re throwing money at a problem without getting the returns. I’ve seen businesses struggle and fail because they couldn’t get their CPA under control. So, for me, lowering CPA isn’t just important — it’s make or break.”

Maintain a 3 to 1 Ratio

To avoid spending too much on advertising, a good rule of thumb is to aim for a 3 to 1 ratio. This means that for every three dollars you spend, you make one conversion.

For example, if I’m spending more than $3 per conversion, I’ll want to evaluate my marketing strategies to see what’s not working and adjust accordingly.

If I’m spending way less than $3 per conversion, on the other hand, it may be time to increase my ad spend a little and scale my marketing efforts.

Ask Around

If you’re still not sure whether you’re hitting a healthy CPA — or if you’re just starting out and don’t have much data of your own to analyze — try reaching out to other marketers in your industry to compare notes.

This will help you get a better understanding of your CPA and if it’s too high or low for your industry. Plus, it’s a great way to expand your network and potentially even get some insider tips from people with more experience in your field.

How Cost Per Acquisition Bidding Impacts Ad Rank

Cost-per-acquisition bidding doesn’t work quite like a typical auction. Advertising platforms like Google want to level the playing field when it comes to leveraging the size of their reach. So, instead of the highest bidder always winning the auction, these platforms award the top ranking for each keyword to the bidder with the highest ad rank.

Here’s how it works.

• Google assigns each ad a quality score. Your quality score depends on your page’s relevance to the keyword, user experience, and click-through rate.
• Your quality score is multiplied by your maximum CPA bid. This calculation gives you your ad rank.
• Low-quality content must pay more to rank higher. To discourage bad advertisers from advertising bad content, those with low-quality scores will usually only acquire a high ad position if they pay a huge CPA bid. Otherwise, they’ll have to settle for the bottom of the ad rankings.

This means organizations can’t acquire the top ranking for any keyword they want just because they have the biggest ad budgets, which is a relief for smaller marketers like me. Their content has to be engaging, and because of that, you and I can fairly compete with them.

Target CPA Bidding

To generate as many conversions as possible within the limits of your advertising budget, consider using Google’s target CPA bidding.

Target CPA bidding leverages machine learning to:

• Analyze your campaign’s historical conversion data.
• Recommend an optimal average target CPA.
• Automatically optimize all your eligible bids to meet the average target CPA you set for all your campaigns.

If you use target CPA bidding, some of your conversions may cost more than others because your quality score or the competition in your ad auction might fluctuate. However, Google will try to keep your actual cost per acquisition as close to your average target CPA as possible.

Setting a lower target cost per acquisition is a good starting point for lowering your CPA costs and maximizing your ad spend. However, CPA isn’t the only metric that determines the effectiveness of your advertising.

In this section I’ll take a look at some other tweaks you can make to your marketing strategies to make the most of your efforts and resources.

1. Write compelling ad copy.

Since your ad’s quality score plays such a huge role in securing a top ad ranking, one of the best ways to optimize your CPA costs is to craft compelling ad copy.

When you sit down to write an ad or landing page copy, your goal should be to write something so captivating that it can grab the attention of a distracted consumer who has Netflix on in the background while they scroll through TikTok.

One way to do this is by selling a feeling, not a product — or, in other words, by selling benefits instead of features to drive emotion-based action.

For example, I wouldn’t just say, “This computer has twelve hours of battery life.” Instead, I’d make a more compelling argument: “With 12 hours of uninterrupted power, you can create, work, or explore the web all day, at your desk or on the go.”

2. Prioritize customer retention.

It may seem obvious, but it bears stating anyway: Acquiring new customers is often more costly than retaining existing ones.

What’s more, repeat customers tend to generate more revenue over their lifetime compared to one-time purchasers. So, by focusing on customer retention, you can increase the customer lifetime value (CLV) of your customer base.

Some of the best ways to increase customer retention include:

• Checking in with your customers.
• Providing targeted support.
• Building a solid relationship with your customers.

By focusing a majority of your marketing efforts on customer retention, you can leverage the investment you’ve already made in acquiring those existing customers, reducing the need for additional acquisition spending. This ultimately leads to a lower CPA.

3. Enhance your landing pages.

Just because you’ve crafted an attention-grabbing ad doesn’t mean your work is done. You still need to design a compelling landing page that clearly conveys the value of your offer.

Here are some ways I like to do that:

• Pique your audience’s curiosity with an intriguing headline and subheading.
• Scrap any external links from your landing page so visitors can only leave your paid acquisition funnel if they exit or convert.
• Try using videos to engage your audience and quickly explain the value of your offer.

Pro tip: For even more help optimizing your landing pages to drive revenue, check out HubSpot’s Marketing Hub.

4. Leverage your CRM to prioritize high-quality leads.

The power of a CRM lies in its ability to centralize and manage your leads. By organizing leads based on their stage in the sales cycle, you can prioritize your efforts on those with the highest potential to convert.

As a result, you can avoid wasteful spending on leads that are less likely to convert, leading to a lower CPA overall.

For best results, I recommend taking the time to analyze how your leads interact with your sales funnel and CRM. This can help you identify sticky points that might lead to customer loss.

Pro tip: Try out HubSpot’s free CRM to jumpstart this process.

5. Conduct market research regularly.

To acquire more customers and lower CPA costs, you need to understand your audience. After all, how can you speak to your audience if you don’t know who they are? That’s where market research comes in.

Market research helps you gain insights into the needs, preferences, demographics, psychographics, and behaviors of your target audience. This information enables you advertise on the right platforms and refine your targeting perimeters.

Plus, it helps you adjust your messaging to resonate with the right people. This, in turn, increases the relevance of your ads and content, resulting in higher engagement, click-through rates, and conversions.

If you aren’t sure where to start your market research, check out social media platforms and forums like Reddit. Reading posts from people in your target audience will help you learn about their wants, needs, and pain points.

Pro tip: You guessed it — HubSpot also has a free market research kit with templates and planning docs to help.

Chase conversions, not clicks.

Marketers will chase vanity metrics until the end of time. If you’re like me, you might feel pressured to do the same — especially when your peers clamor on about their astronomical growth in views or clicks.

But, as great as ad clicks are, a lead only counts if it converts to a sale. When you feel tempted to obsess over your click counts, remember that the goal in marketing is persuading visitors to take your desired action.

So incentivize your brand to craft ad content that resonates with your audience, because that’s what keeps people on your page and prompts them to act. And make conversions, not clicks, your carrot.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.