This AI prompt can transform you into an elite marketer in any field, here’s how

We all know AI assistants can help with marketing tasks. But, here's what most people are missing: Using AI as a prompt engineer is where the real productivity gains happen.

I've been experimenting with this approach for months, and the results are mind-blowing. Instead of crafting prompts from scratch every time you need help with a campaign or strategy, you can use AI to build an entire library of expert-level prompts that work.

The best part? It works across every area of marketing and scales with whatever you‘re working on. Below, I’m going to share the single AI prompt that will create an expert-level library of marketing prompts. With it, you can transform how you approach marketing work entirely. Let's dive in.

This One Prompt That Will Make You a Marketing Master

To get this prompt going, the first thing I do is open up ChatGPT and tell it to act like a prompt engineer, expert marketer, or strategic operator. Then, I give it a task:

• “When I give you any kind of marketing discipline (e.g., SEO, paid media, lifecycle), create a prompt library designed by an elite marketer in that field.”

For the deliverables, I tell ChatGPT the format I want, including a summary of how top marketers in this discipline think, what drives results, and how they scale their work. And then, I include instructions on how to create the prompt library.

The full prompt is below for you to see. When I run it, ChatGPT comes back with ten prompts that I can just copy and paste. And, each prompt is based on the thinking of an elite marketer in the field. So, basically, it’s accumulating tactics from successful brands and giving me prompts from that company’s perspective.

Let me give you an example of how this works. After I put in the prompt, ChatGPT will ask me what discipline I want to use. If I say SEO, it first gives me a list of Winning Mental Models, citing the best tactics from the best brands. Here’s what ChatGPT generated:

• The importance of “topic clusters,” citing HubSpot, with the lesson, “build depth-first content silos to signal topical expertise to Google.”
• The idea of “velocity over volume,” citing Grow & Convert, with the lesson, “80% quality at 5X speed wins vs. perfectionism.”
• Six other tactics from elite-level marketers that I can review before I dive into the prompt library.

Then I get a ready-made list of ten prompts that takes the above tactics and develops strategies that I can recreate. With the SEO example, the first prompt I get is:

• Cluster Plan for a Core Topic - “Act like a senior SEO strategist at HubSpot. I want to rank for [employee engagement]. Build a topic cluster with: (1) a pillar post, (2) five cluster articles, (3) intent tags, and (4) internal link structure.”

This prompt is ready to use just by changing the keyword in brackets to whatever I want to rank for. The output also tells me why this fits and how HubSpot would use this tactic. I then get nine more prompts with the same level of detail that I can plug into my AI assistant right now.

This example was for SEO, but I could do the same thing for product marketing or brand marketing, and I would get entirely different results and prompts. It’s just going through and asking, who are the elite marketers in the world? And, what AI prompts would those people use?

The great thing is that you can use this for any tactic to automate your marketing. Just copy the prompts and start to build a library that’s relevant for you and your team.

The Prompt

Act as: A prompt engineer, expert marketer, and strategic operator.

Task: When the user gives you any kind of marketing discipline (e.g., SEO, paid media, Lifecycle), create a prompt library designed by an elite marketer in that field.

Your deliverable (in Markdown):

1. Title — “<Discipline> — AI Prompt Library for Marketers”
2. Summary (≤ 100 words) — How top marketers in this discipline think, what drives results, and how they scale their work.
3. Winning mental models
4. List 5-10 key strategies or operating principles used by elite marketers in this field. For each, include: a name (e.g., “Content-Audience Fit”); a 1-line description; a practical, bite-sized lesson; a source or citation (Operator + Year, or company if applicable).

Prompt library — exactly 10 actionable prompts. Each must include:

• Prompt <#> — <Goal>
• <Prompt text written in the voice of an advanced operator>
• Why this fits: (≤ 25 words — explain why this prompt reflects cutting-edge thinking in this area.)
• How they’d use it: (How the marketer would deploy it in a real-world workflow. Include tool or channel if relevant.)

Style

• Use clear, modern marketing language.
• Prioritize tactics that *scale*, not fluff.
• Be concise, punchy, operator-grade.

Sources

• Use examples, operators, or results from trusted sources post-2015 (e.g., Growth.Design, Reforge, Demand Curve, HubSpot blog, etc).

Why It Works

This one AI prompt works because it takes the brain power of the best people in the world and turns it into easily accessible knowledge. By telling you what elite marketers do in their space, you can replicate their tactics.

I love AI because you start with one thing and then continue to build on it. For more prompts, I recommend checking out our curated prompt library, along with this list of marketing prompts. Then, you can steal our favorite AI prompts to use on your own.

A Game-Changing AI Marketing Prompt

With a single input, you come away with actionable prompts that you can use right now, save for later, or share with your team at any time. An advanced-level AI prompt that generates more expert-level prompts? That’s transformative for any marketer.

To learn more about this game-changing AI prompt, check out the full episode of Marketing Against the Grain:

 

from Marketing https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ai-library-prompt

We all know AI assistants can help with marketing tasks. But, here's what most people are missing: Using AI as a prompt engineer is where the real productivity gains happen.

I've been experimenting with this approach for months, and the results are mind-blowing. Instead of crafting prompts from scratch every time you need help with a campaign or strategy, you can use AI to build an entire library of expert-level prompts that work.

The best part? It works across every area of marketing and scales with whatever you‘re working on. Below, I’m going to share the single AI prompt that will create an expert-level library of marketing prompts. With it, you can transform how you approach marketing work entirely. Let's dive in.

This One Prompt That Will Make You a Marketing Master

To get this prompt going, the first thing I do is open up ChatGPT and tell it to act like a prompt engineer, expert marketer, or strategic operator. Then, I give it a task:

• “When I give you any kind of marketing discipline (e.g., SEO, paid media, lifecycle), create a prompt library designed by an elite marketer in that field.”

For the deliverables, I tell ChatGPT the format I want, including a summary of how top marketers in this discipline think, what drives results, and how they scale their work. And then, I include instructions on how to create the prompt library.

The full prompt is below for you to see. When I run it, ChatGPT comes back with ten prompts that I can just copy and paste. And, each prompt is based on the thinking of an elite marketer in the field. So, basically, it’s accumulating tactics from successful brands and giving me prompts from that company’s perspective.

Let me give you an example of how this works. After I put in the prompt, ChatGPT will ask me what discipline I want to use. If I say SEO, it first gives me a list of Winning Mental Models, citing the best tactics from the best brands. Here’s what ChatGPT generated:

• The importance of “topic clusters,” citing HubSpot, with the lesson, “build depth-first content silos to signal topical expertise to Google.”
• The idea of “velocity over volume,” citing Grow & Convert, with the lesson, “80% quality at 5X speed wins vs. perfectionism.”
• Six other tactics from elite-level marketers that I can review before I dive into the prompt library.

Then I get a ready-made list of ten prompts that takes the above tactics and develops strategies that I can recreate. With the SEO example, the first prompt I get is:

• Cluster Plan for a Core Topic - “Act like a senior SEO strategist at HubSpot. I want to rank for [employee engagement]. Build a topic cluster with: (1) a pillar post, (2) five cluster articles, (3) intent tags, and (4) internal link structure.”

This prompt is ready to use just by changing the keyword in brackets to whatever I want to rank for. The output also tells me why this fits and how HubSpot would use this tactic. I then get nine more prompts with the same level of detail that I can plug into my AI assistant right now.

This example was for SEO, but I could do the same thing for product marketing or brand marketing, and I would get entirely different results and prompts. It’s just going through and asking, who are the elite marketers in the world? And, what AI prompts would those people use?

The great thing is that you can use this for any tactic to automate your marketing. Just copy the prompts and start to build a library that’s relevant for you and your team.

The Prompt

Act as: A prompt engineer, expert marketer, and strategic operator.

Task: When the user gives you any kind of marketing discipline (e.g., SEO, paid media, Lifecycle), create a prompt library designed by an elite marketer in that field.

Your deliverable (in Markdown):

1. Title — “<Discipline> — AI Prompt Library for Marketers”
2. Summary (≤ 100 words) — How top marketers in this discipline think, what drives results, and how they scale their work.
3. Winning mental models
4. List 5-10 key strategies or operating principles used by elite marketers in this field. For each, include: a name (e.g., “Content-Audience Fit”); a 1-line description; a practical, bite-sized lesson; a source or citation (Operator + Year, or company if applicable).

Prompt library — exactly 10 actionable prompts. Each must include:

• Prompt <#> — <Goal>
• <Prompt text written in the voice of an advanced operator>
• Why this fits: (≤ 25 words — explain why this prompt reflects cutting-edge thinking in this area.)
• How they’d use it: (How the marketer would deploy it in a real-world workflow. Include tool or channel if relevant.)

Style

• Use clear, modern marketing language.
• Prioritize tactics that *scale*, not fluff.
• Be concise, punchy, operator-grade.

Sources

• Use examples, operators, or results from trusted sources post-2015 (e.g., Growth.Design, Reforge, Demand Curve, HubSpot blog, etc).

Why It Works

This one AI prompt works because it takes the brain power of the best people in the world and turns it into easily accessible knowledge. By telling you what elite marketers do in their space, you can replicate their tactics.

I love AI because you start with one thing and then continue to build on it. For more prompts, I recommend checking out our curated prompt library, along with this list of marketing prompts. Then, you can steal our favorite AI prompts to use on your own.

A Game-Changing AI Marketing Prompt

With a single input, you come away with actionable prompts that you can use right now, save for later, or share with your team at any time. An advanced-level AI prompt that generates more expert-level prompts? That’s transformative for any marketer.

To learn more about this game-changing AI prompt, check out the full episode of Marketing Against the Grain:

 

via Perfecte news Non connection

Content strategy red flags: What B2B marketing teams get wrong and how to course-correct

I see a lot of marketing teams stuck in the same cycle: They believe in content. They’re creating constantly. But, they’re just not seeing the results they want. Add that the CEO is asking why the competitor is “suddenly everywhere.”

Oh, and internally, there’s no real alignment on who you’re talking to, what you’re trying to say, or how you’re measuring success.

That’s usually when I get the call.

I’m Devin Reed — former head of content at Gong and Clari, now working with B2B marketing teams through my company, The Reeder. I’ve helped scale brands from $20M to $ 200M+ ARR, and I’ve worked with companies like Notion, Wiz, and FloQast to build content engines that drive tangible pipeline.

When I run a content audit, I’m not just skimming through performance dashboards. I’m digging into what’s broken, what’s missing, and what it’s going to take to turn content into a real growth lever.

In this piece, I’ll walk you through how these projects usually start, the most common mistakes I see, and what teams can do to course-correct.

Why Companies Reach Out for a Content Audit

Before I begin working with clients, a CMO or VP of marketing already has had a long-time conviction that content is important. But, they’ve had a recent realization that it’s no longer something they can take lightly. Put another way, they know they can’t afford not to invest in quality content marketing.

Usually, something went spectacularly wrong recently, or the CEO said something like, “It’s time to get our act together.”

Other times, they’ve realized there’s not one growth number they can look at confidently and say, “See, it’s working!” And even more often than ever, it’s a bigger strategic play, like launching new products, especially now with AI.

So the question becomes: How do we get our name and our product story out there in a way that makes it radically clear that we are different than our competitors?

Sometimes, it’s just competitive pressure. The CEO of their biggest competitor is active on LinkedIn. Their whole team is posting. It feels like they’re eating up all the attention. So, they start thinking, “We’ve got to do something.”

That’s where my Content Design process comes in, which always begins with an audit. Because if I were stepping into the Head of Content role at a company, that’s exactly what I’d do before publishing a single word. I’d want (and need) to know:

• What have we been doing?
• What’s working?
• What’s not?
• What are our competitors doing, and what seems to be working for them?

From there, we can build something off their strengths, avoid weaknesses, and, most importantly, create something that actually stands out.

The 5 Most Common Content Marketing Mistakes I See

I’ve done a lot of these audits, and there are a few mistakes that come up over and over again, regardless of company size or industry. Here are the most common and damaging.

1. You have too many ICPs.

I think the biggest mistake I see is having too many ideal customer personas.

There’s been so much noise (or insight, depending on how you look at it) about how buying committees are getting bigger and sales processes are more complex. So, I see a lot of marketing teams that feel pressured to market to everyone as a result.

One day, it’s the CRO. The next day, it’s the CFO. Then, it’s the sales enablement team. Before you know it, you’ve got five or seven ICPs you’re trying to speak to. But here’s the thing: You can’t have seven “ideal” customers. If everything is a priority, nothing is.

You’ve got to pick one, maybe two, and prioritize accordingly.

The other version of this is: You only have one or two ICPs, but you don’t really understand them. You’re not clear on what their world looks like, what their real problems are, or how they’re trying to solve them.

Those are the two biggest challenges: Either you’re spread too thin, or you’re not going deep enough.

2. All of your content sounds the same.

When I’m doing the audit, I always ask the client to send me recent content, usually the stuff they consider “top-performing.” (But honestly, they probably wouldn’t have hired me if it were truly performing.)

What I see most of the time is content that’s informational, but not entertaining. It’s not different. It doesn’t share a perspective that hasn’t already been said a hundred times.

And, I think that used to be fine. Maybe pre-2022, before ChatGPT and AI, information had more value. You needed to have real experience, be a researcher, or deliver something in between to say something useful.

But now, information is everywhere. You can use ChatGPT and be an “expert” in almost anything, really quickly. Just having information isn’t enough anymore.

What is enough? A unique spin. A point of view. What’s your take on this trend? What’s the connection you see that others don’t? What’s a story from your experience that makes this relatable?

So now, information has less value. The relatability becomes really important. The stories become important. That’s what people are going to remember more. That’s what makes the content stand out.

3. You don’t have strong content pillars.

This one’s super common: Most folks don’t have a documented content strategy.

Their topic selection gets reactive. One week, it’s product-focused. That is, until the CEO pings them and says, “Hey, our competitor just did a podcast on this. How come we don’t talk about it?”

So, now you’re chasing competitors instead of setting your own direction.

And when you play that out over time — like, a year’s worth of content — you end up with a calendar that’s all over the place. No one’s going to remember what you stand for. No one’s going to associate your brand with a single idea.

We all have busier lives and access to more content than ever. You’re lucky if someone remembers one thing about your company. If your content is scattered, that never happens.

Instead, you want guardrails. That doesn’t mean you can’t newsjack or jump on trends. But you need to be playing one beat, all year long. One drum that points to one core idea. And, 90% of your content needs to ladder up to that.

4. Your team lacks a distribution and repurposing strategy.

I’m working on this exact problem right now.

Someone hired an SEO agency. They’re making great content. But, what happens next? They post the blog on their website. Maybe make a corporate LinkedIn post. That’s it.

So now, they’ve got all this good content sitting in a place where people aren’t actively spending time.

That’s not a distribution strategy. You’ve got to meet people where they are. Your audience may go to your website. But, you need to appear on their LinkedIn feeds, inboxes, and webinar rotations.

Otherwise, your team is investing $10K+ per month on content that’s not driving traffic, not driving conversions. You end up with great content for the sake of having it.

So, make the time to repurpose your greatest hits. You spent all this time on a smart framework, solving an urgent problem. Why not turn that into 10 LinkedIn posts? Why not make it a webinar, a keynote, or go on a podcast circuit?

We can’t assume, “If we build it, they’ll come.” We’ve got to be just as intentional about distributing and repurposing as we are about creating.

5. You’re focusing on metrics, but not the right ones.

The biggest gap I see is people who don’t understand how the work connects to business outcomes.

Let’s just take webinars as an example. I’ll ask, “Why are you doing them? Why does the number of registrations need to grow 20% quarter-over-quarter?”

Do you know your attendance rate? Let’s say it’s 25%. Cool. What’s your MQL rate? What’s your conversion rate from MQL to opportunity? What’s your ACV?

Most marketers don’t know that cascade. So, they just keep doing more. That means more webinars, more content, more stuff — without knowing why or what it’s driving.

If you’re doing content that doesn’t have a direct ROI, fine. But, you need to tie it to what I call the “CEO slide.”

Every year, the CEO gets up and says, “Here are the four or five strategic priorities this year.” Perfect. Tie your content to one of those. Then share metrics that show some form of impact. Growth over time. A directional shift. Something that says, “This matters.”

How Teams Can Get Back on Track

If you’re trying to fix these issues, here’s where I’d start.

1. Create a cohesive content strategy.

That’s the first thing. You need a content strategy that aligns all your decision-making in one place. You can’t align your team if you don’t have a single source of truth for what you’re doing and why.

This handles a lot. It gives you focus, clarity, and a way to evaluate ideas beyond, “Does this sound cool?”

2. Build content program or channel playbooks.

You should have a step-by-step guide for how to create high-impact content every single time. That includes ideation, production, approval, distribution — start to finish. The whole process should be mapped out.

That way, once you have a good idea, you’re not reinventing the wheel. You’ve got a clear path to take it from idea to execution consistently and effectively.

3. Define your metrics (and own them!).

This should live in your content strategy, too. What are the top three metrics you care about? And then, go deeper by channel.

Like I mentioned with webinars, ask, “What does success look like? What’s the full funnel of that channel?” If your team doesn’t know it, that gives you an opportunity for learning and development.

And as a head of marketing or content, that’s something you can teach.

Get Clear Before You Create

If you’re creating consistently but still not seeing the impact you want, don’t assume the answer is to do more. Step back. Audit what’s working, fix what’s broken, and rebuild with focus.

Once you understand where things are falling short, you can make smarter decisions, realign your team, and finally start seeing the results your content was supposed to drive in the first place. And if you need more support, you know where to find me.

from Marketing https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/content-strategy-red-flags

I see a lot of marketing teams stuck in the same cycle: They believe in content. They’re creating constantly. But, they’re just not seeing the results they want. Add that the CEO is asking why the competitor is “suddenly everywhere.”

Oh, and internally, there’s no real alignment on who you’re talking to, what you’re trying to say, or how you’re measuring success.

That’s usually when I get the call.

I’m Devin Reed — former head of content at Gong and Clari, now working with B2B marketing teams through my company, The Reeder. I’ve helped scale brands from $20M to $ 200M+ ARR, and I’ve worked with companies like Notion, Wiz, and FloQast to build content engines that drive tangible pipeline.

When I run a content audit, I’m not just skimming through performance dashboards. I’m digging into what’s broken, what’s missing, and what it’s going to take to turn content into a real growth lever.

In this piece, I’ll walk you through how these projects usually start, the most common mistakes I see, and what teams can do to course-correct.

Why Companies Reach Out for a Content Audit

Before I begin working with clients, a CMO or VP of marketing already has had a long-time conviction that content is important. But, they’ve had a recent realization that it’s no longer something they can take lightly. Put another way, they know they can’t afford not to invest in quality content marketing.

Usually, something went spectacularly wrong recently, or the CEO said something like, “It’s time to get our act together.”

Other times, they’ve realized there’s not one growth number they can look at confidently and say, “See, it’s working!” And even more often than ever, it’s a bigger strategic play, like launching new products, especially now with AI.

So the question becomes: How do we get our name and our product story out there in a way that makes it radically clear that we are different than our competitors?

Sometimes, it’s just competitive pressure. The CEO of their biggest competitor is active on LinkedIn. Their whole team is posting. It feels like they’re eating up all the attention. So, they start thinking, “We’ve got to do something.”

That’s where my Content Design process comes in, which always begins with an audit. Because if I were stepping into the Head of Content role at a company, that’s exactly what I’d do before publishing a single word. I’d want (and need) to know:

• What have we been doing?
• What’s working?
• What’s not?
• What are our competitors doing, and what seems to be working for them?

From there, we can build something off their strengths, avoid weaknesses, and, most importantly, create something that actually stands out.

The 5 Most Common Content Marketing Mistakes I See

I’ve done a lot of these audits, and there are a few mistakes that come up over and over again, regardless of company size or industry. Here are the most common and damaging.

1. You have too many ICPs.

I think the biggest mistake I see is having too many ideal customer personas.

There’s been so much noise (or insight, depending on how you look at it) about how buying committees are getting bigger and sales processes are more complex. So, I see a lot of marketing teams that feel pressured to market to everyone as a result.

One day, it’s the CRO. The next day, it’s the CFO. Then, it’s the sales enablement team. Before you know it, you’ve got five or seven ICPs you’re trying to speak to. But here’s the thing: You can’t have seven “ideal” customers. If everything is a priority, nothing is.

You’ve got to pick one, maybe two, and prioritize accordingly.

The other version of this is: You only have one or two ICPs, but you don’t really understand them. You’re not clear on what their world looks like, what their real problems are, or how they’re trying to solve them.

Those are the two biggest challenges: Either you’re spread too thin, or you’re not going deep enough.

2. All of your content sounds the same.

When I’m doing the audit, I always ask the client to send me recent content, usually the stuff they consider “top-performing.” (But honestly, they probably wouldn’t have hired me if it were truly performing.)

What I see most of the time is content that’s informational, but not entertaining. It’s not different. It doesn’t share a perspective that hasn’t already been said a hundred times.

And, I think that used to be fine. Maybe pre-2022, before ChatGPT and AI, information had more value. You needed to have real experience, be a researcher, or deliver something in between to say something useful.

But now, information is everywhere. You can use ChatGPT and be an “expert” in almost anything, really quickly. Just having information isn’t enough anymore.

What is enough? A unique spin. A point of view. What’s your take on this trend? What’s the connection you see that others don’t? What’s a story from your experience that makes this relatable?

So now, information has less value. The relatability becomes really important. The stories become important. That’s what people are going to remember more. That’s what makes the content stand out.

3. You don’t have strong content pillars.

This one’s super common: Most folks don’t have a documented content strategy.

Their topic selection gets reactive. One week, it’s product-focused. That is, until the CEO pings them and says, “Hey, our competitor just did a podcast on this. How come we don’t talk about it?”

So, now you’re chasing competitors instead of setting your own direction.

And when you play that out over time — like, a year’s worth of content — you end up with a calendar that’s all over the place. No one’s going to remember what you stand for. No one’s going to associate your brand with a single idea.

We all have busier lives and access to more content than ever. You’re lucky if someone remembers one thing about your company. If your content is scattered, that never happens.

Instead, you want guardrails. That doesn’t mean you can’t newsjack or jump on trends. But you need to be playing one beat, all year long. One drum that points to one core idea. And, 90% of your content needs to ladder up to that.

4. Your team lacks a distribution and repurposing strategy.

I’m working on this exact problem right now.

Someone hired an SEO agency. They’re making great content. But, what happens next? They post the blog on their website. Maybe make a corporate LinkedIn post. That’s it.

So now, they’ve got all this good content sitting in a place where people aren’t actively spending time.

That’s not a distribution strategy. You’ve got to meet people where they are. Your audience may go to your website. But, you need to appear on their LinkedIn feeds, inboxes, and webinar rotations.

Otherwise, your team is investing $10K+ per month on content that’s not driving traffic, not driving conversions. You end up with great content for the sake of having it.

So, make the time to repurpose your greatest hits. You spent all this time on a smart framework, solving an urgent problem. Why not turn that into 10 LinkedIn posts? Why not make it a webinar, a keynote, or go on a podcast circuit?

We can’t assume, “If we build it, they’ll come.” We’ve got to be just as intentional about distributing and repurposing as we are about creating.

5. You’re focusing on metrics, but not the right ones.

The biggest gap I see is people who don’t understand how the work connects to business outcomes.

Let’s just take webinars as an example. I’ll ask, “Why are you doing them? Why does the number of registrations need to grow 20% quarter-over-quarter?”

Do you know your attendance rate? Let’s say it’s 25%. Cool. What’s your MQL rate? What’s your conversion rate from MQL to opportunity? What’s your ACV?

Most marketers don’t know that cascade. So, they just keep doing more. That means more webinars, more content, more stuff — without knowing why or what it’s driving.

If you’re doing content that doesn’t have a direct ROI, fine. But, you need to tie it to what I call the “CEO slide.”

Every year, the CEO gets up and says, “Here are the four or five strategic priorities this year.” Perfect. Tie your content to one of those. Then share metrics that show some form of impact. Growth over time. A directional shift. Something that says, “This matters.”

How Teams Can Get Back on Track

If you’re trying to fix these issues, here’s where I’d start.

1. Create a cohesive content strategy.

That’s the first thing. You need a content strategy that aligns all your decision-making in one place. You can’t align your team if you don’t have a single source of truth for what you’re doing and why.

This handles a lot. It gives you focus, clarity, and a way to evaluate ideas beyond, “Does this sound cool?”

2. Build content program or channel playbooks.

You should have a step-by-step guide for how to create high-impact content every single time. That includes ideation, production, approval, distribution — start to finish. The whole process should be mapped out.

That way, once you have a good idea, you’re not reinventing the wheel. You’ve got a clear path to take it from idea to execution consistently and effectively.

3. Define your metrics (and own them!).

This should live in your content strategy, too. What are the top three metrics you care about? And then, go deeper by channel.

Like I mentioned with webinars, ask, “What does success look like? What’s the full funnel of that channel?” If your team doesn’t know it, that gives you an opportunity for learning and development.

And as a head of marketing or content, that’s something you can teach.

Get Clear Before You Create

If you’re creating consistently but still not seeing the impact you want, don’t assume the answer is to do more. Step back. Audit what’s working, fix what’s broken, and rebuild with focus.

Once you understand where things are falling short, you can make smarter decisions, realign your team, and finally start seeing the results your content was supposed to drive in the first place. And if you need more support, you know where to find me.

via Perfecte news Non connection

How to create a landing page: My simple step-by-step approach

The other day, I was reading a blog post when something caught my eye: a section about how to create a landing page to promote offers like a free ebook. Naturally, I clicked the link. It took me to a clean, focused page that broke down what the ebook included, how to get it, and why it was worth checking out.

As I scrolled through, a few things stood out. The design was super simple — no distractions, just a clear focus on the ebook. The copy was sharp and persuasive, and it made the offer feel like a no-brainer. Best of all, they only asked me for my name and email. I got valuable insights, and they got a new subscriber. Win-win. That’s the power of a well-built landing page.

Interested? Well, in this post, I’ll walk you through the key steps for creating a landing page that builds on those principles. Personally, I love starting with a template. It saves me from dealing with any code, and I can focus on making the page look great and convert well.

I used HubSpot's CMS, but you can use any similar software that offers landing page templates, like HubSpot's free landing page builder or Mailchimp.

Table of Contents

• How to Create a Landing Page
• Best Practices for Building a Landing Page

Landing pages usually fall into one of two categories: reference or transactional.

• A reference landing page is more like an informative guide — it explains a specific product or service in detail.
• On the flip side, a transactional landing page is all about action. It’s designed to get visitors to do something, like download an ebook, sign up for a webinar, or make a purchase, which is why it’s a go-to for marketing campaigns.

For this example, let‘s say that I’m a marketer for a fictional NASA-esque space corporation, and I‘ve been tasked with making a landing page for a fantasy ebook about space to get children interested in aeronautics. This landing page’s goal is to increase leads.

1. Choose a template that will help you achieve your goal.

To build my page, I chose from a list of templates, while keeping my end goal in mind.

Knowing that increasing leads and the customer experience were top priorities, I chose a template that showcased my ebook offer and provided a form. I also wanted a unique, eye-catching structure and a simple design.

What I like about this landing page template — in addition to the criteria above — is that it’s labeled as “Starter.” As a marketer with little to no design experience, a beginner-level working template sounded right up my alley.

2. Name your landing page so you can find it later.

Next, it's a good idea to name your landing page. If you plan on having multiple pages exist on the same system, be sure to name each something that will distinguish one design from future pages. For this example, I decided to name it “Ebook Offer One.”

That way, when I check on the performance of this particular landing page, I'll locate it easily on my dashboard.

3. Design your page layout according to what you want your audience to see first.

After labeling your landing page, let‘s start designing. For this step, I was able to use a drag-and-drop editor. I’d decided that it was important for the leads to see the ebook's cover, an engaging description, and the form.

As a visual learner, a drag-and-drop editor is a dream come true. I can spend less time trying to learn code that would fix these elements and more time visualizing the experience for the lead. I can look at how the header‘s copy will be presented and if it’s effective at keeping audiences engaged.

4. Use the free Campaign Assistant to generate engaging copy.

This is the point where I’d like to ask you: Do you already have your landing page copy ready for publishing? The reason I’m asking is that I know from experience that it can take weeks to even draft a first version. If you don’t have text for your page yet, then I suggest using HubSpot’s free Campaign Assistant to generate copy based on your campaign goals and product/service information.

How does it work? Describe:

• The campaign you’re running.
• Who you’re targeting.
• What you’re offering
• What tone of voice you’d like to use.

For example: “I’m creating a landing page for a co-working space called [X], offering 25% off your first month for freelancers and remote workers. I’d like the tone of voice to be friendly and conversational.”

You’ll see a first version of the copy, which you can easily edit out. You can also regenerate the copy if you’d like to see an alternative. What I love is that you can save all versions of your copy and improve it as time goes by and you get the first results from your campaign.

5. Communicate the benefits of completing the landing page form to the website visitor.

Somewhere on my landing page, I wanted to provide short, impactful blurbs of value that would ultimately persuade the reader to complete the process.

In my example, the three columns at the bottom of the form communicate the value of my ebook. These columns each had their own engaging icon that was colorful, professional, and clean. I used the text to communicate a main benefit, then described it in a sentence below.

6. Personalize the page so it's unique to the purpose and your brand.

The next step is sort of a “Choose your own adventure.” Here, I added elements that would fit with the brand of my imaginary company. I uploaded a logo image and made sure the colors were consistent throughout.

I wanted to make sure the text stayed black and white to match my logo and the images didn't disrupt the usability of my webpage. This choice makes the page look professional and functional.

Once you‘re satisfied with the layout and design, it’s time to move on to the final steps.

7. Test your landing page for dynamic content and user experience.

Because mobile phone usage is increasing each year, it‘s a good idea to test your page to ensure it’s dynamic. When your page is “dynamic” it simply means that the content on your webpage automatically adapts according to the type of screen being used to access the content.

Here, I tested my landing page for formatting on mobile. I wanted to make sure that the content was still displaying neatly and professionally, despite being shown on a different screen type than the one I used to create the page.

If you‘re using a CMS to make your landing page, check if the software offers dynamic content options. For example, if you find that the logo you’re using doesn't appear well on a smaller screen, you can make the necessary adjustments.

8. If you desire, run a test to analyze page performance before pushing it live.

Finally, consider running a test on your page. Testing can show variations of your page to audiences and analyze which variations perform better. In this case, the winning page would have the most conversions.

With the software I'm using, I can choose to run an A/B test or adaptive test. Both of them achieve the same goal, with the only difference being that the first runs two different versions and the latter runs many.

These tests will be running with a real audience, so make sure your pages look publish-ready before you begin. Be sure that the form fields work and your copy is free of any typos.

After completing these steps, your landing page is complete. I bet it looks fabulous.

Best Practices for Building a Landing Page

1. Only use one CTA per landing page.

Before you dive into building your landing page, hit pause and get clear on one thing: What’s the goal? What action do you want someone to take when they land here? Maybe it’s downloading an ebook, signing up for a free trial, or booking a call. Whatever it is, defining that goal upfront is key — it’ll guide how you write your copy, design the page, and choose the perfect call-to-action.

And while it might be tempting to include more than one CTA (I’ve seen brands like Home Chef try this), it’s rarely a good idea.

Speaking from experience as a marketer, every time I land on a page with two CTAs side by side, I catch myself rolling my eyes. It feels confusing. You want your visitors focused on one thing, not torn between options. If someone comes to download an ebook but sees another button like “Learn more about us,” they might click that instead and totally forget about the ebook.

One page, one goal, one CTA – that’s how you keep your audience on track and your landing page working the way it should.

Source

2. Only feature key information.

What’s the one thing that drives you away from a landing page the fastest? For me, it’s definitely information overload.

When I see a wall of text, I’m usually out, unless that page happens to be the only place I can get what I’m looking for. But let’s be real, that’s rarely the case. Most of the time, I can find what I need somewhere else, and I’ll always choose the site that offers a cleaner, more pleasant experience.

So, make sure your design and copy stay focused and uncluttered. Zero in on the key information your audience needs to know.

I get it, sometimes you feel like there’s just so much to say about your product or service. But trust me, you’re better off highlighting only the most important benefits. People aren’t looking to spend forever on your site — they just want to know enough to make a decision.

A strong value proposition, a few standout benefits, some testimonials, and a persuasive CTA — that’s usually all it takes to get the job done.

3. Stay authentic – don’t use stock images.

I can’t help but giggle a little when I see the same stock image popping up all over the internet; it definitely doesn’t do much for a brand’s authenticity.

Sure, using stock photos might seem like the most cost-effective option in the short term, but in the long run, it can really hurt your brand image. Inigo Rivero, managing director of House of Marketers and one of the first EMEA employees at TikTok, once told me that design is absolutely a key element to consider before launching any marketing campaign.

“In our work with TikTok campaigns and brand promotions, we discovered that simplicity and authenticity drive results. For one campaign, we transformed a generic landing page into a conversion powerhouse by replacing stock photos with real, engaging user-generated content (UGC),” he shared.

Instead of polished, overly staged visuals, they showcased raw clips of influencers actually using their clients’ products – straight from their TikTok campaigns. This change made the page feel alive and relatable, which resonated with audiences craving genuine connections.

“Visitors stayed longer, engaged more, and converted at higher rates. By showing real people using the product, we built trust,” Rivero added.

4. Remove top navigation.

Good landing page design really comes down to simplicity. One of the easiest ways to cut out distractions is by removing the top navigation bar. This helps keep visitors focused on what’s right in front of them on your landing page.

Brandy Hastings, SEO strategist at SmartSites, shared a great example with me about how they redesigned a page for one of their clients, MalpracticeOne.

“We removed the top navigation to eliminate distractions and keep users focused on conversion. The mobile version retains all critical elements: the logo, CTA, short copy, and form — with clear tap targets. We also used color contrast (teal + coral red) to draw the eye to the CTA buttons like ‘Get Quote’ and ‘Call Now’ without being overwhelming,” Hastings explained.

After that update, bounce rates dropped by 17% and quote submissions shot up by 29%. Plus, the mobile layout became much easier to scroll, with CTAs that stayed visible the whole time. This just goes to show that thoughtful design choices — like smart spacing and visual focus — aren’t just about looks. They make a real difference in how well your landing page converts.

5. Remove visual distractions around your CTA.

Your CTA can be in competition not only with other CTAs — it could also lose to distracting elements placed around it.

“I have optimized hundreds of landing pages for B2B and ecommerce, but one visual tweak consistently drives results was isolating the CTA in a contrasting color block with zero visual clutter,” Alan Muther, UX designer and marketing specialist at Ardoz Digital, told me.

“On a recent landing page revamp, I stripped the footer, removed secondary links, and surrounded the primary CTA in a solid white box against a dark background,” he said.

In this design, he featured no gradients, no shadows, and no icons. “That change alone boosted our form fills by 36% in 14 days.”

I agree with Muther that we shouldn’t give users reasons to wander around your site and choose a path that doesn’t end in your funnel. “When everything else fades to the background, the CTA becomes the hero,” he concluded.

6. Make the entire landing page copy engaging – not just the header.

Focusing on the above-the-fold of the site is a mistake I’ve seen quite a lot, especially from businesses that don’t have much website design or marketing experience.

Don’t get me wrong — nailing the top of your page is super important. It’s the first thing people see, and it plays a big role in whether they’ll stick around or bounce.

But here’s the thing: that top section is just the opener. Its real job is to spark enough interest for someone to keep scrolling. If the rest of the page doesn’t deliver, if it loses steam or doesn’t build on that momentum, people drop off. I think of it like a book with a killer first chapter that fizzles out, or a show that hooks you in the pilot but falls flat by episode three.

For me, the goal is to always make sure that the entire page tells a consistent story, not just the beginning.

7. Don’t forget to optimize your page for SEO.

Remember to optimize your landing page for SEO. Most CMS software is really good at pointing out SEO opportunities for web pages, and optimizing your page could get more traffic from queries on search engines.

For a quick starting point, to optimize my space ebook for SEO, I would make sure the ebook has an engaging, yet relevant title. I would also tag the post with relevant keywords in order to boost visibility on search engine results pages.

A great landing page makes a difference.

One of my favorite ways to learn and improve my own strategies is by observing what other brands are doing and seeing what I think works, and what I think doesn’t. How have you recently seen a landing page promoted? I've seen some while scrolling through LinkedIn and in email newsletters. Next time you do, take a closer look and analyze how the landing page was created.

After reading this article, I hope you’re feeling confident about how to create a landing page. With these high-level steps and my top-recommended best practices, you’re well on your way to creating an opportunity to earn more leads.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

from Marketing https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-create-a-landing-page

The other day, I was reading a blog post when something caught my eye: a section about how to create a landing page to promote offers like a free ebook. Naturally, I clicked the link. It took me to a clean, focused page that broke down what the ebook included, how to get it, and why it was worth checking out.

As I scrolled through, a few things stood out. The design was super simple — no distractions, just a clear focus on the ebook. The copy was sharp and persuasive, and it made the offer feel like a no-brainer. Best of all, they only asked me for my name and email. I got valuable insights, and they got a new subscriber. Win-win. That’s the power of a well-built landing page.

Interested? Well, in this post, I’ll walk you through the key steps for creating a landing page that builds on those principles. Personally, I love starting with a template. It saves me from dealing with any code, and I can focus on making the page look great and convert well.

I used HubSpot's CMS, but you can use any similar software that offers landing page templates, like HubSpot's free landing page builder or Mailchimp.

Table of Contents

• How to Create a Landing Page
• Best Practices for Building a Landing Page

Landing pages usually fall into one of two categories: reference or transactional.

• A reference landing page is more like an informative guide — it explains a specific product or service in detail.
• On the flip side, a transactional landing page is all about action. It’s designed to get visitors to do something, like download an ebook, sign up for a webinar, or make a purchase, which is why it’s a go-to for marketing campaigns.

For this example, let‘s say that I’m a marketer for a fictional NASA-esque space corporation, and I‘ve been tasked with making a landing page for a fantasy ebook about space to get children interested in aeronautics. This landing page’s goal is to increase leads.

1. Choose a template that will help you achieve your goal.

To build my page, I chose from a list of templates, while keeping my end goal in mind.

Knowing that increasing leads and the customer experience were top priorities, I chose a template that showcased my ebook offer and provided a form. I also wanted a unique, eye-catching structure and a simple design.

What I like about this landing page template — in addition to the criteria above — is that it’s labeled as “Starter.” As a marketer with little to no design experience, a beginner-level working template sounded right up my alley.

2. Name your landing page so you can find it later.

Next, it's a good idea to name your landing page. If you plan on having multiple pages exist on the same system, be sure to name each something that will distinguish one design from future pages. For this example, I decided to name it “Ebook Offer One.”

That way, when I check on the performance of this particular landing page, I'll locate it easily on my dashboard.

3. Design your page layout according to what you want your audience to see first.

After labeling your landing page, let‘s start designing. For this step, I was able to use a drag-and-drop editor. I’d decided that it was important for the leads to see the ebook's cover, an engaging description, and the form.

As a visual learner, a drag-and-drop editor is a dream come true. I can spend less time trying to learn code that would fix these elements and more time visualizing the experience for the lead. I can look at how the header‘s copy will be presented and if it’s effective at keeping audiences engaged.

4. Use the free Campaign Assistant to generate engaging copy.

This is the point where I’d like to ask you: Do you already have your landing page copy ready for publishing? The reason I’m asking is that I know from experience that it can take weeks to even draft a first version. If you don’t have text for your page yet, then I suggest using HubSpot’s free Campaign Assistant to generate copy based on your campaign goals and product/service information.

How does it work? Describe:

• The campaign you’re running.
• Who you’re targeting.
• What you’re offering
• What tone of voice you’d like to use.

For example: “I’m creating a landing page for a co-working space called [X], offering 25% off your first month for freelancers and remote workers. I’d like the tone of voice to be friendly and conversational.”

You’ll see a first version of the copy, which you can easily edit out. You can also regenerate the copy if you’d like to see an alternative. What I love is that you can save all versions of your copy and improve it as time goes by and you get the first results from your campaign.

5. Communicate the benefits of completing the landing page form to the website visitor.

Somewhere on my landing page, I wanted to provide short, impactful blurbs of value that would ultimately persuade the reader to complete the process.

In my example, the three columns at the bottom of the form communicate the value of my ebook. These columns each had their own engaging icon that was colorful, professional, and clean. I used the text to communicate a main benefit, then described it in a sentence below.

6. Personalize the page so it's unique to the purpose and your brand.

The next step is sort of a “Choose your own adventure.” Here, I added elements that would fit with the brand of my imaginary company. I uploaded a logo image and made sure the colors were consistent throughout.

I wanted to make sure the text stayed black and white to match my logo and the images didn't disrupt the usability of my webpage. This choice makes the page look professional and functional.

Once you‘re satisfied with the layout and design, it’s time to move on to the final steps.

7. Test your landing page for dynamic content and user experience.

Because mobile phone usage is increasing each year, it‘s a good idea to test your page to ensure it’s dynamic. When your page is “dynamic” it simply means that the content on your webpage automatically adapts according to the type of screen being used to access the content.

Here, I tested my landing page for formatting on mobile. I wanted to make sure that the content was still displaying neatly and professionally, despite being shown on a different screen type than the one I used to create the page.

If you‘re using a CMS to make your landing page, check if the software offers dynamic content options. For example, if you find that the logo you’re using doesn't appear well on a smaller screen, you can make the necessary adjustments.

8. If you desire, run a test to analyze page performance before pushing it live.

Finally, consider running a test on your page. Testing can show variations of your page to audiences and analyze which variations perform better. In this case, the winning page would have the most conversions.

With the software I'm using, I can choose to run an A/B test or adaptive test. Both of them achieve the same goal, with the only difference being that the first runs two different versions and the latter runs many.

These tests will be running with a real audience, so make sure your pages look publish-ready before you begin. Be sure that the form fields work and your copy is free of any typos.

After completing these steps, your landing page is complete. I bet it looks fabulous.

Best Practices for Building a Landing Page

1. Only use one CTA per landing page.

Before you dive into building your landing page, hit pause and get clear on one thing: What’s the goal? What action do you want someone to take when they land here? Maybe it’s downloading an ebook, signing up for a free trial, or booking a call. Whatever it is, defining that goal upfront is key — it’ll guide how you write your copy, design the page, and choose the perfect call-to-action.

And while it might be tempting to include more than one CTA (I’ve seen brands like Home Chef try this), it’s rarely a good idea.

Speaking from experience as a marketer, every time I land on a page with two CTAs side by side, I catch myself rolling my eyes. It feels confusing. You want your visitors focused on one thing, not torn between options. If someone comes to download an ebook but sees another button like “Learn more about us,” they might click that instead and totally forget about the ebook.

One page, one goal, one CTA – that’s how you keep your audience on track and your landing page working the way it should.

Source

2. Only feature key information.

What’s the one thing that drives you away from a landing page the fastest? For me, it’s definitely information overload.

When I see a wall of text, I’m usually out, unless that page happens to be the only place I can get what I’m looking for. But let’s be real, that’s rarely the case. Most of the time, I can find what I need somewhere else, and I’ll always choose the site that offers a cleaner, more pleasant experience.

So, make sure your design and copy stay focused and uncluttered. Zero in on the key information your audience needs to know.

I get it, sometimes you feel like there’s just so much to say about your product or service. But trust me, you’re better off highlighting only the most important benefits. People aren’t looking to spend forever on your site — they just want to know enough to make a decision.

A strong value proposition, a few standout benefits, some testimonials, and a persuasive CTA — that’s usually all it takes to get the job done.

3. Stay authentic – don’t use stock images.

I can’t help but giggle a little when I see the same stock image popping up all over the internet; it definitely doesn’t do much for a brand’s authenticity.

Sure, using stock photos might seem like the most cost-effective option in the short term, but in the long run, it can really hurt your brand image. Inigo Rivero, managing director of House of Marketers and one of the first EMEA employees at TikTok, once told me that design is absolutely a key element to consider before launching any marketing campaign.

“In our work with TikTok campaigns and brand promotions, we discovered that simplicity and authenticity drive results. For one campaign, we transformed a generic landing page into a conversion powerhouse by replacing stock photos with real, engaging user-generated content (UGC),” he shared.

Instead of polished, overly staged visuals, they showcased raw clips of influencers actually using their clients’ products – straight from their TikTok campaigns. This change made the page feel alive and relatable, which resonated with audiences craving genuine connections.

“Visitors stayed longer, engaged more, and converted at higher rates. By showing real people using the product, we built trust,” Rivero added.

4. Remove top navigation.

Good landing page design really comes down to simplicity. One of the easiest ways to cut out distractions is by removing the top navigation bar. This helps keep visitors focused on what’s right in front of them on your landing page.

Brandy Hastings, SEO strategist at SmartSites, shared a great example with me about how they redesigned a page for one of their clients, MalpracticeOne.

“We removed the top navigation to eliminate distractions and keep users focused on conversion. The mobile version retains all critical elements: the logo, CTA, short copy, and form — with clear tap targets. We also used color contrast (teal + coral red) to draw the eye to the CTA buttons like ‘Get Quote’ and ‘Call Now’ without being overwhelming,” Hastings explained.

After that update, bounce rates dropped by 17% and quote submissions shot up by 29%. Plus, the mobile layout became much easier to scroll, with CTAs that stayed visible the whole time. This just goes to show that thoughtful design choices — like smart spacing and visual focus — aren’t just about looks. They make a real difference in how well your landing page converts.

5. Remove visual distractions around your CTA.

Your CTA can be in competition not only with other CTAs — it could also lose to distracting elements placed around it.

“I have optimized hundreds of landing pages for B2B and ecommerce, but one visual tweak consistently drives results was isolating the CTA in a contrasting color block with zero visual clutter,” Alan Muther, UX designer and marketing specialist at Ardoz Digital, told me.

“On a recent landing page revamp, I stripped the footer, removed secondary links, and surrounded the primary CTA in a solid white box against a dark background,” he said.

In this design, he featured no gradients, no shadows, and no icons. “That change alone boosted our form fills by 36% in 14 days.”

I agree with Muther that we shouldn’t give users reasons to wander around your site and choose a path that doesn’t end in your funnel. “When everything else fades to the background, the CTA becomes the hero,” he concluded.

6. Make the entire landing page copy engaging – not just the header.

Focusing on the above-the-fold of the site is a mistake I’ve seen quite a lot, especially from businesses that don’t have much website design or marketing experience.

Don’t get me wrong — nailing the top of your page is super important. It’s the first thing people see, and it plays a big role in whether they’ll stick around or bounce.

But here’s the thing: that top section is just the opener. Its real job is to spark enough interest for someone to keep scrolling. If the rest of the page doesn’t deliver, if it loses steam or doesn’t build on that momentum, people drop off. I think of it like a book with a killer first chapter that fizzles out, or a show that hooks you in the pilot but falls flat by episode three.

For me, the goal is to always make sure that the entire page tells a consistent story, not just the beginning.

7. Don’t forget to optimize your page for SEO.

Remember to optimize your landing page for SEO. Most CMS software is really good at pointing out SEO opportunities for web pages, and optimizing your page could get more traffic from queries on search engines.

For a quick starting point, to optimize my space ebook for SEO, I would make sure the ebook has an engaging, yet relevant title. I would also tag the post with relevant keywords in order to boost visibility on search engine results pages.

A great landing page makes a difference.

One of my favorite ways to learn and improve my own strategies is by observing what other brands are doing and seeing what I think works, and what I think doesn’t. How have you recently seen a landing page promoted? I've seen some while scrolling through LinkedIn and in email newsletters. Next time you do, take a closer look and analyze how the landing page was created.

After reading this article, I hope you’re feeling confident about how to create a landing page. With these high-level steps and my top-recommended best practices, you’re well on your way to creating an opportunity to earn more leads.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in June 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

via Perfecte news Non connection

What will influencer marketing look like in 2025? Expert predictions + new data

A couple of years ago, I deleted my Instagram account (after realizing I was spending 4+ hours a day on the app).

And while I've proudly held firm in that decision, I did recently create a new account so I could check-in on four of my favorite influencers.

That‘s right: I didn’t create a new account so I could keep up with my college besties or siblings.

I got one so I could see what my favorite influencers are up to (and their tips on the latest clothing/beauty products to buy).

That‘s the power of influencer marketing. Influencers begin to feel like friends. We watch them get married, go through breakups, start new careers, get fired, travel to faraway places, and fight with their best friend’s.

And when they partner with a brand, we're more willing to buy.

Here, I sat down with four experts in the influencer space — Imani Ellis, The Founder of The Creative Collective and CultureCon; Olamide Olowe, The Founder and CEO of Topicals; Shannae Ingleton Smith, The Founder and CEO of Kensington Grey; Justine's Camera Roll, Lifestyle and Beauty Influencer — to learn their tips for crafting a powerful influencer marketing in 2025 (plus, where the future is headed).

We‘ve also got data from 1,100+ social media marketers on how they’ve implemented influencer marketing at their own companies.

Table of Contents

• What is influencer marketing?
• Types of Influencers
• Platform Strategy: Where Should You Focus?
• Influencer Marketing Challenges
• How to Create an Effective Influencer Marketing Strategy, According to Experts
• Influencer Marketing Examples
• How Influencer Marketing Will Change in 2025 [Expert Predictions]

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a strategy that employs leading and/or niche content creators to raise brand awareness, increase traffic, and market an organization's products or services. This collaboration between brands and creators allows businesses to expand their reach across their buyer personas.

Influencer marketing often involves using channels such as social media, blogs, columns, digital and print ads, and television. Influencer marketing is increasingly more popular among businesses because traditional advertising has become less effective in attracting leads and customers.

If you need help creating an influencer marketing strategy, don‘t panic — I’ve got you covered.

Influencer marketing works because it uses tactics like word-of-mouth marketing and social proof, which are now critical aspects of any successful marketing strategy.

Customers trust their peers, friends, and people they admire more than the companies selling the products and services they buy and use.

Types of Influencers

Next, let's dive into the different types of influencers, before we jump into expert tips on creating a powerful influencer marketing strategy.

1. Brand Influencer

A brand influencer has a following within a niche they regularly engage with. Because of this, they have the power to impact their purchase decisions.

The significant types of brand influencers are:

• Micro-influencers
• Celebrity influencers
• Blog influencers
• Social media influencers
• Key opinion leaders.

I'll define each type as we move on.

For instance, Justine, a lifestyle, beauty, and skincare influencer with 195K followers on Instagram, partnered with MAC Cosmetics to promote their products. Justine tags #MACAmbassador on the posts in which she showcases MAC products with her own takeaways.

2. Brand Ambassador

A business hires a brand ambassador to work under contract to help them achieve specific goals: increase brand awareness and boost conversions and sales.

A brand ambassador’s contract is typically long-term, from several months to years. During that time, they represent the brand and its lifestyle and know deeply about the business’s products or services.

They don’t necessarily need to be an influencer before becoming an ambassador.

For example, Quest Nutrition’s brand ambassador program requires all interested individuals to apply to their program.

Quest looks for individuals who embody their brand, are positive product spokespeople, create social media posts to promote their products, and live the Quest lifestyle.

Anyone who fits their criteria can apply and has the potential of being accepted. Applicants aren’t required to have a highly successful YouTube account, thousands of followers on Instagram, or a popular blog to become a brand ambassador.

3. Micro-Influencer

Micro-influencers have a relatively modest following of thousands or tens of thousands of people.

They create relevant content for their audience and communicate with them via social media platforms, blogs, other written publications, websites, and forums.

Micro-influencers typically have high engagement rates due to the size of their following and the type of content they create.

A smaller audience allows micro-influencers to bond with the people who follow them more regularly (compared to a celebrity with millions of fans) via their channel.

This makes them appealing to work with for businesses looking to develop personal relationships among their target audience.

HubSpot blogger and content creator Erica Santiago tells me this doesn't surprise her.

“I'm not an influencer, but I am a smaller content creator with over 7.5K followers across different platforms,” she says. “I basically created my own tight-knit community of people who want to keep up with my work and my life.”

She explains, “Because my following is smaller, it's a lot easier and less overwhelming to reply to like or reply to their comments, repost their content if it's relevant to my platform, or share important information with them.”

Santiago says her interactions with her followers helped her build a bond and trust with them.

“Again, I'm not an influencer—so I don't typically make product recommendations,” she says. “But if I tell them I'm enjoying TV or comic book series, they'll usually trust my judgment. I've seen people buy comics just because I did a review on my channel.”

For instance, Alphalete Athletics partnered with fitness micro-influencer Aly Gray (13.6K followers on Instagram) so Aly can wear and promote their clothing with her smaller but highly loyal and engaged audience.

In addition to sharing fashion looks and tips with their followers, they are also disability advocates and often share what it’s like being deaf.

4. Celebrity Influencer

Celebrity influencers are famous people with large followings — typically millions — known across many industries. They’re widely recognized and, therefore, have the potential to be very successful in influencing your target audience.

Even if your target audience doesn’t overlap with all of your celebrity influencer’s fans, having them promote and/or use your product or service is a powerful form of social proof.

Since celebrities are so well known, they’re effective at reaching multiple audiences across various channels.

However, I should tell you something interesting in regards to celebrity influencers: According to HubSpot research, most marketers are finding more success with micro-influencers than celebrity influencers, and only 20% of marketers currently work with mega- or celebrity influencers in 2025.

So, if you‘re not keen on shelling out a lot of money to get celebrities to promote your brand (and trust me ... it’s a LOT of money), don't feel pressured to do so.

5. Key Opinion Leader

Key opinion leaders (KOLs) are high-level experts on a specialized topic within a particular field. For example, a KOL might specialize in makeup application, the Paleo lifestyle, or Bikram yoga.

A KOL is an excellent option if your business wants to attract audience members in a specialized field.

Due to their expert knowledge on a particular topic, KOLs are trusted contributors in their industries and have followers of people who are also invested in those subjects.

Ready to get started? Let's review how to create your own strong influencer marketing strategy — plus tips from the experts.

Platform Strategy: Where Should You Focus?

Before diving into how to run a successful influencer strategy, it's important to note where you should run your campaigns.

The four most popular platforms for influencer marketing in 2025 are:

• Instagram (26%)
• YouTube (24%)
• TikTok (15%)
• LinkedIn (5%)

It‘s key to identify which platforms are most popular with your audience. This also helps you identify the right influencers, since you’ll want influencers that create content specifically for the platform of your choosing.

Smith also points to an often-overlooked platform that brands should consider: "The platform that I think is underrated, that I've been finding myself going into the deep depths of, is Reddit. Reddit drives a lot of traffic, not just for brands, but for creators' content... Those forums can be a source of underground information that can help drive you to an authentic answer on a brand."

For Reddit strategy, she advises: “If there is a topic related to the solution that your product or service provides, you can start a topic and talk about that specific topic in a genuine, authentic way. If you contribute to that conversation by providing your brand or service as a solution, that's a great way to get noticed from a brand perspective.”

Influencer Marketing Challenges

To create a strong strategy, it's equally important to know the challenges you might bump up against.

Fortunately, I have you covered. Our 2025 research identified these top challenges amongst the 1,100+ respondents:

1. Finding and vetting the right influencers (37%)
2. Measuring ROI (34%)
3. Building creative strategies (28%)
4. Keeping up with algorithm changes (28%)
5. Managing costs (27%)

These challenges are worth keeping in mind as you read tips on creating an effective influencer marketing strategy from our experts. Hopefully, our expert guidance will help you steer clear of any of these pitfalls.

How to Create an Effective Influencer Marketing Strategy, According to Experts

Here‘s how to create a strategy that doesn’t just look good on paper, but actually moves the needle.

1. Figure out what “winning” looks like (spoiler: it's not just vanity metrics).

Diving into influencer marketing without clear goals is like trying to bake a cake without a recipe — messy, expensive, and probably disappointing.

Think about your objectives in terms of SMART goals. When developing influencer marketing SMART goals, there are three factors to remember: reach, relevance, and resonance. These will help you focus your goals on the different aspects of influencer marketing.

Beware: A good influencer strategy must start with a clearly defined goal.

As founder of CultureCon and The Creative Collective, Imani Ellis, explains: "The first thing we ask all of our brand partners is, What does a win look like? Because that's going to inform our strategy for you."

An influencer marketing strategy will look drastically different if your goal is brand awareness versus sign-ups.

Olamide Olowe, Topicals founder and CEO, told me her goals when it comes to influencer marketing aren't solely about revenue.

Instead, "Our goals are also cultural impact. We do a lot of work that might feel superfluous or not connected to being a beauty brand because we aren't trying to build a beauty brand. We‘re trying to build a brand that’s at the center of culture."

Need help determining what your goals are? According to our 2025 Social Media Trends report, the top goals for influencer marketing are:

• Increasing revenue/sales (42%)
• Increasing brand awareness (38%)
• Improving brand reputation (29%)
• Generating leads (27%)
• Increasing engagement (26%)

Finally, Ellis encourages marketers to plan your campaign with the end in mind: “So that halfway through the campaign you're not frustrated that you're not getting what you desired.”

2. Define your campaign audience.

Your campaign audience will be a subset of your buyer persona, but might also vary depending on:

• Goals
• Platform
• An influencer's audience

For instance, a marketer at a project management SaaS company might choose to target a subset of its B2B buyer persona — creative agency team leads — for a specific Instagram influencer campaign.

When thinking about audience strategy, Ellis suggests looking beyond individual influencers to entire communities, as well: "If you can tap into a community, you can see them as a vehicle for influencer marketing, rather than the traditional one-person-at-a-time approach."

For instance, let‘s say you’re selling a protein powder. Rather than targeting one fitness influencer, you might opt for identifying key communities that would respond well to your product: Like run clubs, or Reddit sub-threads.

Olowe agrees with this community-focused approach.

She told me, “About a month ago, we took roughly 20 influencers to Switzerland as part of a larger skiing event called 'Soft Life Ski'. We treated every single person on that trip like an influencer, regardless of whether we brought them as an influencer or not.”

Creating this sense of community amongst your most loyal customers is likely a much more powerful step towards increasing brand loyalty than paying some big-name influencers to promote your brand.

3. Set your budget and figure out your influencer type.

Your budget depends on your goals, audience, and how much your CEO actually believes in this whole “influencer thing.”

For instance, if you‘re a startup with a low budget, you might choose to work with a few micro-influencers rather than one macro-influencer. If you’re a mid-sized company with more resources, you might decide to bring on a celebrity influencer or work with a KOL who's highly regarded in their industry.

Our 2025 research shows most companies are playing the field with different influencer types:

• Micro-influencers (10K-99K followers): The crowd favorite at 67% of marketers
• Macro-influencers (100K-1M followers): Close second at 60%
• Mega-influencers (1M+ followers): Only 20% go this route, proving bigger isn't always better

Olowe uses a micro-influencer approach for Topicals: “We recently started working with a group of young boys who came on our radar because they made content about us. They do things that aren't traditionally done by boys — like, they went into Sephora and tried on our products. And that video alone got almost 3 million views.”

Additionally, she points out: “Micro-influencers are cutting through the noise in a way that some larger influencers can't because there's a bit of saturation in their audiences.”

4. Choose your influencer.

Once you know what type of influencer you want, it‘s time for the fun part — actually finding them. It’s like dating, but with brand partnerships (and hopefully less ghosting).

Ellis has the right idea: “find the Creator that you believe in.” This should be someone whose work you genuinely admire, not just someone with decent follower numbers and a willingness to work with brands.

And then — let them do their thing.

“I have found that when brands allow the Creator to do what they do best, it performs,” Ellis explains. “The audience is getting smarter... they know when the Creator had control, and they know when the Creator didn't. They're rooting for the brands that are giving creative freedom to the Creators.”

One creator I follow — Corporate Natalie — recently partnered with the AI presentation builder Gamma. The partnership worked well because Gamma allowed Natalie to focus on what she does best: creating satirical, humor-filled content about corporate life.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Corporate Natalie (@corporatenatalie)

When vetting influencers, our 2025 research shows marketers care most about:

• Engagement rate (52%) — Are people actually paying attention?
• Content quality (51%) — Does their stuff look good?
• Aesthetic and branding (45%) — Do they match your vibe?
• Follower count (44%) — Size matters, but not as much as you think
• Values alignment (43%) — Do they align with what you stand for?
• Industry expertise (43%) — Do they actually know their stuff?

“Quality of content” and “engagement” are the top two factors marketers consider when assessing an influencer.

Notice that follower count falls fifth, behind alignment with company values and branding.

When considering someone for a campaign, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this influencer and their lifestyle fit my brand image?
• Have they worked with any of my competitors?
• Who is this influencer's current audience?
• Is my target audience active on the platform/channel primarily used by this influencer?
• Does working with this influencer make sense for my budget?
• Has this influencer used any of my products or services before? Are they a customer?
• Does this person have a personality I want to work with?
• What will this influencer expect from our brand?

5. Craft your message — but let the influencer lead.

You‘ve found your influencer soulmate — congrats! Now it’s time to figure out what they're actually going to say about your brand.

Work with your team to develop campaign messaging, but remember: you hired them for their voice, not their ability to read a script.

Justine, a lifestyle, beauty, and skincare influencer, shares her perspective on effective influencer messaging: “Success for me is about true impact — cultivating a relationship with my audience that goes beyond trending sounds and likes. I try to approach every video in a way that balances my personality, is fun, and adds value.”

This authenticity is what builds credibility with both audiences and brands.

As Justine notes, “I think this combo has earned me trust with my community while still being attractive to brands.”

Be sure to share your brand guidelines — including details about your brand voice, tag lines, and language to avoid — with your influencers so they can remain on-brand with their content.

Remember, whether influencers post about your product or service once or 100 times, they still represent your brand and business. Ensure they have the tools to do so accurately.

But don't be afraid to let the influencer take the lead on a campaign.

Shannae Ingleton Smith, founder and CEO of content creator agency Kensington Grey, emphasizes the importance of creative freedom: “It's important for brands to let Creators be Creators — to allow them to do what you've hired them to do, which is being themselves and connecting with their audience authentically. When it's too prescriptive, it falls flat and nobody wins.”

Smith adds, “The audience loses, and the brand doesn't get what they're looking for. Although it can feel risky, it's really important to give Creators full creative freedom to do what they're good at.”

6. Set expectations.

Finally, review your expectations for them and any expectations they have for you. Remember, your chosen influencer may have worked with other brands before yours — meaning they may already have their processes for doing business.

Additionally, their expectations will differ depending on the type of influencer they are. For example, a micro-influencer will have different expectations for how you communicate with them versus a celebrity. A micro-influencer may speak directly with you, whereas a celebrity may have an agent share on their behalf.

You'll want to ensure these expectations are written, agreed upon, and signed by you and the influencer — you can organize all of this information through an influencer contract. This will help you avoid any issues and discrepancies down the road.

To help get the ball rolling, here are some examples of the expectations to review:

• How this influencer will be paid or rewarded (money, swag, discounts, coupon codes, etc.)
• How long you'll be working together
• How you and the influencer will be communicating with each other
• Any other terms of contract necessary for your specific business to review

7. Get familiar with FTC guidelines.

Yes, there are guidelines, and you must follow them for your brand, reputation, and legality. The Federal Trade Commission has rules in place to prevent issues such as false advertising and scams.

And believe me when I say you do not want your brand on the FTC's bad side.

One rule is that influencers cannot hide their “material connections” to a brand they endorse. It must also be clear when content is an ad versus a genuine post.

For example, if an influencer finds a perfume they like and decides to talk about it on their platform, it may not count as an ad if they don't have a deal with that brand.

However, if the brand is paying the influencer to discuss and endorse their perfume, the influencer needs to state the content is an ad. That's why some influencers use “#Ad” in their posts.

Click here to learn more about FTC guidelines.

8. Pay your influencer.

Influencers don‘t work for free. You’ll need to discuss compensation early so you can both be on the same page about what the work will entail if you decide to move forward.

If you're a small company with little to no influencer budget, there are still ways to collaborate with influencers. You can offer:

• Swag (such as clothing, accessories, or product samples)
• Access to exclusive events as a VIP
• Free products and/or services
• Access to discount codes and coupons

Just be mindful that it can limit your options if you‘re unable to pay influencers in actual money. At the end of the day, they’re trying to make a living.

Additionally, some influencers and creators may view being paid in products or equity as a red flag. So, be willing to negotiate and make sure the influencer gets value out of the collaboration.

If it's helpful, here are some quick stats: HubSpot Blog Research found that marketers typically pay between $5K and $10K for nano, micro-influencers, and macro-influencers, with $10K+ budgets reserved for mostly mega influencers.

Plus, almost 50% of marketing teams that invest in influencer marketing allocate between $100K to $500K. And with 46% of companies planning to increase their influencer marketing investment in 2025, the competition for top-tier Creators continues to grow.

9. Measure your campaign results.

Lastly, you‘ll want to measure your influencer marketing strategy results. This is how you’ll determine the level of success you've had in reaching your audience with the help of the influencer.

The good news? Our 2025 research reveals that 85% of marketers report influencer marketing as effective (40.2% “very effective” and 44.8% “somewhat effective”).

Additionally, 76% of marketers say influencer marketing delivers better ROI than other marketing channels.

The metrics that actually matter:

• Engagement (43.8%) — Are people actually interacting with the content?
• Revenue/sales (42.8%) — Did anyone buy anything?
• Impressions/views (39.7%) — How many eyeballs saw this?
• Brand awareness (34.0%) — Are people starting to know who you are?
• Leads (26.3%) — Did anyone raise their hand and say “tell me more”?

Here's what to track:

• Engagement: All the likes, shares, comments, retweets, mentions, DMs, and reposts. Basically, did people care enough to do something?
• Reach: How many people saw your influencer‘s content about your brand? It’s like counting heads at a concert, but digital.
• Brand Awareness: Are people starting to know you exist? You can measure this through direct traffic, social engagement, social listening, and surveys (the quantitative and qualitative approach).
• Clicks: Did people actually click through to your website, sign-up form, or that giveaway you're running?
• Conversions: The holy grail — did people actually do the thing you wanted them to do? Calculate this by dividing conversions by total visitors.
• ROI: The ultimate question — was this worth it? Divide your return by your investment cost.
• Follower Growth: Are more people following you because of this partnership?

HubSpot's Social Tool can help you pull specific engagement-related data from various platforms, like reach and interactions. Your respective social platforms may also have built-in analytics tools, such as X Analytics and Instagram Insights.

Do you still need some inspiration for your influencer marketing strategy? Let's look at three successful strategies implemented by major companies.

Influencer Marketing Examples

1. Gentle Monster x Bratz collaboration

The Gentle Monster x Bratz collaboration is a powerful example of how brands can merge nostalgia with fashion to drive buzz — and sales — through influencer marketing. This campaign brings together the eyewear brand Gentle Monster with the iconic Bratz dolls, tapping into millennial and Gen Z love for throwback culture. By distributing the product through a wide network of influencers on Instagram and TikTok, the campaign creates a flood of authentic content that bridges the line between playful and aspirational.

One particularly creative execution came from micro-influencer @miraalmomani, who received both life-size sunglasses and a Bratz doll version of herself wearing the same merch. Her Instagram Reel is a seamless blend of product reveal and storytelling, edited in a way that feels personal. It’s effective because it turns product placement into a mini-experience — one that her audience can enjoy visually, while also triggering the kind of nostalgic excitement that makes the campaign shareable.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mira Al-Momani (@miraalmomani)

2. Kerrygold's influencer brand trip

Tarte Cosmetics, Revolve, and Airbnb are just a few brands that have leveraged influencer trips. And, perhaps most surprisingly: Kerrygold butter.

Kerrygold recently invited creators on an all-expenses-paid trip to Ireland, with experiences ranging from helicopter rides to culinary workshops. Their goal wasn't just to promote their product: It was to showcase the rich Irish culture and history behind it.

What really makes this campaign work is the ripple effect beyond the invited influencers. The trip generated a wave of reaction content from creators and followers who felt a serious case of FOMO. “A butter brand trip? ... Why wasn’t I there?” By grounding its luxury experience in real values (family farming, Irish heritage, premium ingredients), Kerrygold earned not just engagement, but admiration.

3. Bumble and Amelia Dimoldenberg

The Bumble and Amelia Dimoldenberg partnership is a strong example of influencer marketing done right.

By aligning with Dimoldenberg’s quirky, relatable persona—famous from “Chicken Shop Date”—Bumble taps into a younger, culturally engaged audience in a way that feels authentic and entertaining rather than promotional.

The campaign blends humor with high-quality creative direction, reinforcing Bumble’s brand as confident, modern, and approachable. This highlights the value of choosing influencers whose tone and audience naturally align with your message, and investing in content that feels like culture, not just marketing.

@sumo.london Amelia Dimoldenberg x Bumble 🤝🐝 Who better to dish out dating advice than the queen of dating herself, @ameliadimz? @bumble ♬ original sound - SUMO & SUMO Talent

How Influencer Marketing Will Change in 2025 [Expert Predictions]

Finally, I asked some of our experts: What's going to change about influencer marketing over the next couple of years?

Here's what they had to say.

1. Influencer marketers are no longer the heroes — they're the guides.

When asked about any predictions for the future of influencer marketing, Imani Ellis didn't miss a beat: "The death of the diva," she told me with a grin.

"The people's princess, the Emma Chamberlain's, the Monet McMichael's… The people who say ‘I’m not the hero, I‘m the guide’—that is the future of influencer marketing."

A couple of years ago, I feverishly followed Selena Gomez for all fashion, makeup, and lifestyle tips. And it‘s not that I don’t still love Selena. But now, I follow with equal interest a mom from Texas who talks about deals she finds at Target (hi, Jen Reed!).

That's where influencer marketing is headed: In a more authentic direction in which followers care more about the everyday influencer than they do the mega-celebrity.

2. AI will boost Creator output.

AI has — and will continue to — drastically change the way we work as marketers.

And the same is true for creators.

As Smith puts it, "AI is making people‘s lives a lot easier. The velocity at which people are able to pump out content has skyrocketed. Now we’re in a situation where we have to question: Is this AI-generated? Was AI used in any step of formulating this concept, creating this content, or writing out this statement?"

She points to brands like Skims as an example of a business already implementing AI-generated content in their social media ads. To Smith, that‘s the direction we’re all headed.

“Output is going to increase,” she acknowledges — but, to Smith, this doesn‘t mean a diminishment in quality. She sees creators leveraging AI for administrative tasks, freeing them up to do more of what they’re best at.

“If you are truly creative, AI is just going to superpower that, not replace it.”

3. We'll shift from audience to community.

"There was a time where we were just watching [as an audience] and we'd think, If I can buy these yoga pants, I will be like this person," Ellis explains.

"And now, I‘m excited that we’re moving into a space where it‘s less about the yoga pants, and more about how you’re feeling about yourself."

We've become active participants in our influencer relationships. We DM them, we ask for advice, we comment with our own opinions and perspectives.

And by doing so, we‘ve also opened ourselves up to an entire community of like-minded people. It’s no longer just a one-way conversation between an influencer and her followers. It's now an opportunity to connect with each other, as well.

4. One-off posts will evolve into recurring formats.

Olowe predicts a future shift towards recurring content, rather than traditional one-off sponsored posts.

“We've seen quite a bit of success with 'man on the street' content,” she says, pointing to the People Gallery as a good example of this — which is a digital fashion platform founded by Maurice Kamara that showcases street style through spontaneous interviews and outfit breakdowns.

As another example, she tells me about "Faded By Any Means“, a short film inspired by the cult classic ”Belly", but with Topical‘s best-selling product Faded at the center as a product that’s so good it sells itself.

“It was a fun project and highlights the creativity around storytelling and how commerce and film are actually closely related,” Olowe says.

"Having this recurring content format, plus an influencer — almost as if they're actors — is what I think is really fascinating these days, versus just one-off posts."

5. The democratization of brand experiences.

Finally, all the Creators I spoke with echoed the same point: That the future of influencer marketing is going to shift from rewarding influencers to recognizing everyday customers.

A trend I can fully get behind.

As Olowe puts it, "Customers are not as interested in watching rich and famous people go on expensive trips. They're more interested in seeing community members, customers, everyday people go on trips. So while influencer trips are interesting, the strategy has to evolve and change."

She adds, “This idea of making an influencer experience more accessible to everyday people is what I see for influencer marketing moving forward.”

The bottom line? Influencer marketing in 2025 won‘t just look different — it’ll feel different. We're trading glossy perfection for genuine connection, passive scrolling for active community, and exclusive experiences for inclusive ones.

The future belongs to creators who show up as real people, not polished personas.

And honestly? It's about time.

from Marketing https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-work-with-influencers

A couple of years ago, I deleted my Instagram account (after realizing I was spending 4+ hours a day on the app).

And while I've proudly held firm in that decision, I did recently create a new account so I could check-in on four of my favorite influencers.

That‘s right: I didn’t create a new account so I could keep up with my college besties or siblings.

I got one so I could see what my favorite influencers are up to (and their tips on the latest clothing/beauty products to buy).

That‘s the power of influencer marketing. Influencers begin to feel like friends. We watch them get married, go through breakups, start new careers, get fired, travel to faraway places, and fight with their best friend’s.

And when they partner with a brand, we're more willing to buy.

Here, I sat down with four experts in the influencer space — Imani Ellis, The Founder of The Creative Collective and CultureCon; Olamide Olowe, The Founder and CEO of Topicals; Shannae Ingleton Smith, The Founder and CEO of Kensington Grey; Justine's Camera Roll, Lifestyle and Beauty Influencer — to learn their tips for crafting a powerful influencer marketing in 2025 (plus, where the future is headed).

We‘ve also got data from 1,100+ social media marketers on how they’ve implemented influencer marketing at their own companies.

Table of Contents

• What is influencer marketing?
• Types of Influencers
• Platform Strategy: Where Should You Focus?
• Influencer Marketing Challenges
• How to Create an Effective Influencer Marketing Strategy, According to Experts
• Influencer Marketing Examples
• How Influencer Marketing Will Change in 2025 [Expert Predictions]

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a strategy that employs leading and/or niche content creators to raise brand awareness, increase traffic, and market an organization's products or services. This collaboration between brands and creators allows businesses to expand their reach across their buyer personas.

Influencer marketing often involves using channels such as social media, blogs, columns, digital and print ads, and television. Influencer marketing is increasingly more popular among businesses because traditional advertising has become less effective in attracting leads and customers.

If you need help creating an influencer marketing strategy, don‘t panic — I’ve got you covered.

Influencer marketing works because it uses tactics like word-of-mouth marketing and social proof, which are now critical aspects of any successful marketing strategy.

Customers trust their peers, friends, and people they admire more than the companies selling the products and services they buy and use.

Types of Influencers

Next, let's dive into the different types of influencers, before we jump into expert tips on creating a powerful influencer marketing strategy.

1. Brand Influencer

A brand influencer has a following within a niche they regularly engage with. Because of this, they have the power to impact their purchase decisions.

The significant types of brand influencers are:

• Micro-influencers
• Celebrity influencers
• Blog influencers
• Social media influencers
• Key opinion leaders.

I'll define each type as we move on.

For instance, Justine, a lifestyle, beauty, and skincare influencer with 195K followers on Instagram, partnered with MAC Cosmetics to promote their products. Justine tags #MACAmbassador on the posts in which she showcases MAC products with her own takeaways.

2. Brand Ambassador

A business hires a brand ambassador to work under contract to help them achieve specific goals: increase brand awareness and boost conversions and sales.

A brand ambassador’s contract is typically long-term, from several months to years. During that time, they represent the brand and its lifestyle and know deeply about the business’s products or services.

They don’t necessarily need to be an influencer before becoming an ambassador.

For example, Quest Nutrition’s brand ambassador program requires all interested individuals to apply to their program.

Quest looks for individuals who embody their brand, are positive product spokespeople, create social media posts to promote their products, and live the Quest lifestyle.

Anyone who fits their criteria can apply and has the potential of being accepted. Applicants aren’t required to have a highly successful YouTube account, thousands of followers on Instagram, or a popular blog to become a brand ambassador.

3. Micro-Influencer

Micro-influencers have a relatively modest following of thousands or tens of thousands of people.

They create relevant content for their audience and communicate with them via social media platforms, blogs, other written publications, websites, and forums.

Micro-influencers typically have high engagement rates due to the size of their following and the type of content they create.

A smaller audience allows micro-influencers to bond with the people who follow them more regularly (compared to a celebrity with millions of fans) via their channel.

This makes them appealing to work with for businesses looking to develop personal relationships among their target audience.

HubSpot blogger and content creator Erica Santiago tells me this doesn't surprise her.

“I'm not an influencer, but I am a smaller content creator with over 7.5K followers across different platforms,” she says. “I basically created my own tight-knit community of people who want to keep up with my work and my life.”

She explains, “Because my following is smaller, it's a lot easier and less overwhelming to reply to like or reply to their comments, repost their content if it's relevant to my platform, or share important information with them.”

Santiago says her interactions with her followers helped her build a bond and trust with them.

“Again, I'm not an influencer—so I don't typically make product recommendations,” she says. “But if I tell them I'm enjoying TV or comic book series, they'll usually trust my judgment. I've seen people buy comics just because I did a review on my channel.”

For instance, Alphalete Athletics partnered with fitness micro-influencer Aly Gray (13.6K followers on Instagram) so Aly can wear and promote their clothing with her smaller but highly loyal and engaged audience.

In addition to sharing fashion looks and tips with their followers, they are also disability advocates and often share what it’s like being deaf.

4. Celebrity Influencer

Celebrity influencers are famous people with large followings — typically millions — known across many industries. They’re widely recognized and, therefore, have the potential to be very successful in influencing your target audience.

Even if your target audience doesn’t overlap with all of your celebrity influencer’s fans, having them promote and/or use your product or service is a powerful form of social proof.

Since celebrities are so well known, they’re effective at reaching multiple audiences across various channels.

However, I should tell you something interesting in regards to celebrity influencers: According to HubSpot research, most marketers are finding more success with micro-influencers than celebrity influencers, and only 20% of marketers currently work with mega- or celebrity influencers in 2025.

So, if you‘re not keen on shelling out a lot of money to get celebrities to promote your brand (and trust me ... it’s a LOT of money), don't feel pressured to do so.

5. Key Opinion Leader

Key opinion leaders (KOLs) are high-level experts on a specialized topic within a particular field. For example, a KOL might specialize in makeup application, the Paleo lifestyle, or Bikram yoga.

A KOL is an excellent option if your business wants to attract audience members in a specialized field.

Due to their expert knowledge on a particular topic, KOLs are trusted contributors in their industries and have followers of people who are also invested in those subjects.

Ready to get started? Let's review how to create your own strong influencer marketing strategy — plus tips from the experts.

Platform Strategy: Where Should You Focus?

Before diving into how to run a successful influencer strategy, it's important to note where you should run your campaigns.

The four most popular platforms for influencer marketing in 2025 are:

• Instagram (26%)
• YouTube (24%)
• TikTok (15%)
• LinkedIn (5%)

It‘s key to identify which platforms are most popular with your audience. This also helps you identify the right influencers, since you’ll want influencers that create content specifically for the platform of your choosing.

Smith also points to an often-overlooked platform that brands should consider: "The platform that I think is underrated, that I've been finding myself going into the deep depths of, is Reddit. Reddit drives a lot of traffic, not just for brands, but for creators' content... Those forums can be a source of underground information that can help drive you to an authentic answer on a brand."

For Reddit strategy, she advises: “If there is a topic related to the solution that your product or service provides, you can start a topic and talk about that specific topic in a genuine, authentic way. If you contribute to that conversation by providing your brand or service as a solution, that's a great way to get noticed from a brand perspective.”

Influencer Marketing Challenges

To create a strong strategy, it's equally important to know the challenges you might bump up against.

Fortunately, I have you covered. Our 2025 research identified these top challenges amongst the 1,100+ respondents:

1. Finding and vetting the right influencers (37%)
2. Measuring ROI (34%)
3. Building creative strategies (28%)
4. Keeping up with algorithm changes (28%)
5. Managing costs (27%)

These challenges are worth keeping in mind as you read tips on creating an effective influencer marketing strategy from our experts. Hopefully, our expert guidance will help you steer clear of any of these pitfalls.

How to Create an Effective Influencer Marketing Strategy, According to Experts

Here‘s how to create a strategy that doesn’t just look good on paper, but actually moves the needle.

1. Figure out what “winning” looks like (spoiler: it's not just vanity metrics).

Diving into influencer marketing without clear goals is like trying to bake a cake without a recipe — messy, expensive, and probably disappointing.

Think about your objectives in terms of SMART goals. When developing influencer marketing SMART goals, there are three factors to remember: reach, relevance, and resonance. These will help you focus your goals on the different aspects of influencer marketing.

Beware: A good influencer strategy must start with a clearly defined goal.

As founder of CultureCon and The Creative Collective, Imani Ellis, explains: "The first thing we ask all of our brand partners is, What does a win look like? Because that's going to inform our strategy for you."

An influencer marketing strategy will look drastically different if your goal is brand awareness versus sign-ups.

Olamide Olowe, Topicals founder and CEO, told me her goals when it comes to influencer marketing aren't solely about revenue.

Instead, "Our goals are also cultural impact. We do a lot of work that might feel superfluous or not connected to being a beauty brand because we aren't trying to build a beauty brand. We‘re trying to build a brand that’s at the center of culture."

Need help determining what your goals are? According to our 2025 Social Media Trends report, the top goals for influencer marketing are:

• Increasing revenue/sales (42%)
• Increasing brand awareness (38%)
• Improving brand reputation (29%)
• Generating leads (27%)
• Increasing engagement (26%)

Finally, Ellis encourages marketers to plan your campaign with the end in mind: “So that halfway through the campaign you're not frustrated that you're not getting what you desired.”

2. Define your campaign audience.

Your campaign audience will be a subset of your buyer persona, but might also vary depending on:

• Goals
• Platform
• An influencer's audience

For instance, a marketer at a project management SaaS company might choose to target a subset of its B2B buyer persona — creative agency team leads — for a specific Instagram influencer campaign.

When thinking about audience strategy, Ellis suggests looking beyond individual influencers to entire communities, as well: "If you can tap into a community, you can see them as a vehicle for influencer marketing, rather than the traditional one-person-at-a-time approach."

For instance, let‘s say you’re selling a protein powder. Rather than targeting one fitness influencer, you might opt for identifying key communities that would respond well to your product: Like run clubs, or Reddit sub-threads.

Olowe agrees with this community-focused approach.

She told me, “About a month ago, we took roughly 20 influencers to Switzerland as part of a larger skiing event called 'Soft Life Ski'. We treated every single person on that trip like an influencer, regardless of whether we brought them as an influencer or not.”

Creating this sense of community amongst your most loyal customers is likely a much more powerful step towards increasing brand loyalty than paying some big-name influencers to promote your brand.

3. Set your budget and figure out your influencer type.

Your budget depends on your goals, audience, and how much your CEO actually believes in this whole “influencer thing.”

For instance, if you‘re a startup with a low budget, you might choose to work with a few micro-influencers rather than one macro-influencer. If you’re a mid-sized company with more resources, you might decide to bring on a celebrity influencer or work with a KOL who's highly regarded in their industry.

Our 2025 research shows most companies are playing the field with different influencer types:

• Micro-influencers (10K-99K followers): The crowd favorite at 67% of marketers
• Macro-influencers (100K-1M followers): Close second at 60%
• Mega-influencers (1M+ followers): Only 20% go this route, proving bigger isn't always better

Olowe uses a micro-influencer approach for Topicals: “We recently started working with a group of young boys who came on our radar because they made content about us. They do things that aren't traditionally done by boys — like, they went into Sephora and tried on our products. And that video alone got almost 3 million views.”

Additionally, she points out: “Micro-influencers are cutting through the noise in a way that some larger influencers can't because there's a bit of saturation in their audiences.”

4. Choose your influencer.

Once you know what type of influencer you want, it‘s time for the fun part — actually finding them. It’s like dating, but with brand partnerships (and hopefully less ghosting).

Ellis has the right idea: “find the Creator that you believe in.” This should be someone whose work you genuinely admire, not just someone with decent follower numbers and a willingness to work with brands.

And then — let them do their thing.

“I have found that when brands allow the Creator to do what they do best, it performs,” Ellis explains. “The audience is getting smarter... they know when the Creator had control, and they know when the Creator didn't. They're rooting for the brands that are giving creative freedom to the Creators.”

One creator I follow — Corporate Natalie — recently partnered with the AI presentation builder Gamma. The partnership worked well because Gamma allowed Natalie to focus on what she does best: creating satirical, humor-filled content about corporate life.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Corporate Natalie (@corporatenatalie)

When vetting influencers, our 2025 research shows marketers care most about:

• Engagement rate (52%) — Are people actually paying attention?
• Content quality (51%) — Does their stuff look good?
• Aesthetic and branding (45%) — Do they match your vibe?
• Follower count (44%) — Size matters, but not as much as you think
• Values alignment (43%) — Do they align with what you stand for?
• Industry expertise (43%) — Do they actually know their stuff?

“Quality of content” and “engagement” are the top two factors marketers consider when assessing an influencer.

Notice that follower count falls fifth, behind alignment with company values and branding.

When considering someone for a campaign, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does this influencer and their lifestyle fit my brand image?
• Have they worked with any of my competitors?
• Who is this influencer's current audience?
• Is my target audience active on the platform/channel primarily used by this influencer?
• Does working with this influencer make sense for my budget?
• Has this influencer used any of my products or services before? Are they a customer?
• Does this person have a personality I want to work with?
• What will this influencer expect from our brand?

5. Craft your message — but let the influencer lead.

You‘ve found your influencer soulmate — congrats! Now it’s time to figure out what they're actually going to say about your brand.

Work with your team to develop campaign messaging, but remember: you hired them for their voice, not their ability to read a script.

Justine, a lifestyle, beauty, and skincare influencer, shares her perspective on effective influencer messaging: “Success for me is about true impact — cultivating a relationship with my audience that goes beyond trending sounds and likes. I try to approach every video in a way that balances my personality, is fun, and adds value.”

This authenticity is what builds credibility with both audiences and brands.

As Justine notes, “I think this combo has earned me trust with my community while still being attractive to brands.”

Be sure to share your brand guidelines — including details about your brand voice, tag lines, and language to avoid — with your influencers so they can remain on-brand with their content.

Remember, whether influencers post about your product or service once or 100 times, they still represent your brand and business. Ensure they have the tools to do so accurately.

But don't be afraid to let the influencer take the lead on a campaign.

Shannae Ingleton Smith, founder and CEO of content creator agency Kensington Grey, emphasizes the importance of creative freedom: “It's important for brands to let Creators be Creators — to allow them to do what you've hired them to do, which is being themselves and connecting with their audience authentically. When it's too prescriptive, it falls flat and nobody wins.”

Smith adds, “The audience loses, and the brand doesn't get what they're looking for. Although it can feel risky, it's really important to give Creators full creative freedom to do what they're good at.”

6. Set expectations.

Finally, review your expectations for them and any expectations they have for you. Remember, your chosen influencer may have worked with other brands before yours — meaning they may already have their processes for doing business.

Additionally, their expectations will differ depending on the type of influencer they are. For example, a micro-influencer will have different expectations for how you communicate with them versus a celebrity. A micro-influencer may speak directly with you, whereas a celebrity may have an agent share on their behalf.

You'll want to ensure these expectations are written, agreed upon, and signed by you and the influencer — you can organize all of this information through an influencer contract. This will help you avoid any issues and discrepancies down the road.

To help get the ball rolling, here are some examples of the expectations to review:

• How this influencer will be paid or rewarded (money, swag, discounts, coupon codes, etc.)
• How long you'll be working together
• How you and the influencer will be communicating with each other
• Any other terms of contract necessary for your specific business to review

7. Get familiar with FTC guidelines.

Yes, there are guidelines, and you must follow them for your brand, reputation, and legality. The Federal Trade Commission has rules in place to prevent issues such as false advertising and scams.

And believe me when I say you do not want your brand on the FTC's bad side.

One rule is that influencers cannot hide their “material connections” to a brand they endorse. It must also be clear when content is an ad versus a genuine post.

For example, if an influencer finds a perfume they like and decides to talk about it on their platform, it may not count as an ad if they don't have a deal with that brand.

However, if the brand is paying the influencer to discuss and endorse their perfume, the influencer needs to state the content is an ad. That's why some influencers use “#Ad” in their posts.

Click here to learn more about FTC guidelines.

8. Pay your influencer.

Influencers don‘t work for free. You’ll need to discuss compensation early so you can both be on the same page about what the work will entail if you decide to move forward.

If you're a small company with little to no influencer budget, there are still ways to collaborate with influencers. You can offer:

• Swag (such as clothing, accessories, or product samples)
• Access to exclusive events as a VIP
• Free products and/or services
• Access to discount codes and coupons

Just be mindful that it can limit your options if you‘re unable to pay influencers in actual money. At the end of the day, they’re trying to make a living.

Additionally, some influencers and creators may view being paid in products or equity as a red flag. So, be willing to negotiate and make sure the influencer gets value out of the collaboration.

If it's helpful, here are some quick stats: HubSpot Blog Research found that marketers typically pay between $5K and $10K for nano, micro-influencers, and macro-influencers, with $10K+ budgets reserved for mostly mega influencers.

Plus, almost 50% of marketing teams that invest in influencer marketing allocate between $100K to $500K. And with 46% of companies planning to increase their influencer marketing investment in 2025, the competition for top-tier Creators continues to grow.

9. Measure your campaign results.

Lastly, you‘ll want to measure your influencer marketing strategy results. This is how you’ll determine the level of success you've had in reaching your audience with the help of the influencer.

The good news? Our 2025 research reveals that 85% of marketers report influencer marketing as effective (40.2% “very effective” and 44.8% “somewhat effective”).

Additionally, 76% of marketers say influencer marketing delivers better ROI than other marketing channels.

The metrics that actually matter:

• Engagement (43.8%) — Are people actually interacting with the content?
• Revenue/sales (42.8%) — Did anyone buy anything?
• Impressions/views (39.7%) — How many eyeballs saw this?
• Brand awareness (34.0%) — Are people starting to know who you are?
• Leads (26.3%) — Did anyone raise their hand and say “tell me more”?

Here's what to track:

• Engagement: All the likes, shares, comments, retweets, mentions, DMs, and reposts. Basically, did people care enough to do something?
• Reach: How many people saw your influencer‘s content about your brand? It’s like counting heads at a concert, but digital.
• Brand Awareness: Are people starting to know you exist? You can measure this through direct traffic, social engagement, social listening, and surveys (the quantitative and qualitative approach).
• Clicks: Did people actually click through to your website, sign-up form, or that giveaway you're running?
• Conversions: The holy grail — did people actually do the thing you wanted them to do? Calculate this by dividing conversions by total visitors.
• ROI: The ultimate question — was this worth it? Divide your return by your investment cost.
• Follower Growth: Are more people following you because of this partnership?

HubSpot's Social Tool can help you pull specific engagement-related data from various platforms, like reach and interactions. Your respective social platforms may also have built-in analytics tools, such as X Analytics and Instagram Insights.

Do you still need some inspiration for your influencer marketing strategy? Let's look at three successful strategies implemented by major companies.

Influencer Marketing Examples

1. Gentle Monster x Bratz collaboration

The Gentle Monster x Bratz collaboration is a powerful example of how brands can merge nostalgia with fashion to drive buzz — and sales — through influencer marketing. This campaign brings together the eyewear brand Gentle Monster with the iconic Bratz dolls, tapping into millennial and Gen Z love for throwback culture. By distributing the product through a wide network of influencers on Instagram and TikTok, the campaign creates a flood of authentic content that bridges the line between playful and aspirational.

One particularly creative execution came from micro-influencer @miraalmomani, who received both life-size sunglasses and a Bratz doll version of herself wearing the same merch. Her Instagram Reel is a seamless blend of product reveal and storytelling, edited in a way that feels personal. It’s effective because it turns product placement into a mini-experience — one that her audience can enjoy visually, while also triggering the kind of nostalgic excitement that makes the campaign shareable.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mira Al-Momani (@miraalmomani)

2. Kerrygold's influencer brand trip

Tarte Cosmetics, Revolve, and Airbnb are just a few brands that have leveraged influencer trips. And, perhaps most surprisingly: Kerrygold butter.

Kerrygold recently invited creators on an all-expenses-paid trip to Ireland, with experiences ranging from helicopter rides to culinary workshops. Their goal wasn't just to promote their product: It was to showcase the rich Irish culture and history behind it.

What really makes this campaign work is the ripple effect beyond the invited influencers. The trip generated a wave of reaction content from creators and followers who felt a serious case of FOMO. “A butter brand trip? ... Why wasn’t I there?” By grounding its luxury experience in real values (family farming, Irish heritage, premium ingredients), Kerrygold earned not just engagement, but admiration.

3. Bumble and Amelia Dimoldenberg

The Bumble and Amelia Dimoldenberg partnership is a strong example of influencer marketing done right.

By aligning with Dimoldenberg’s quirky, relatable persona—famous from “Chicken Shop Date”—Bumble taps into a younger, culturally engaged audience in a way that feels authentic and entertaining rather than promotional.

The campaign blends humor with high-quality creative direction, reinforcing Bumble’s brand as confident, modern, and approachable. This highlights the value of choosing influencers whose tone and audience naturally align with your message, and investing in content that feels like culture, not just marketing.

@sumo.london Amelia Dimoldenberg x Bumble 🤝🐝 Who better to dish out dating advice than the queen of dating herself, @ameliadimz? @bumble ♬ original sound - SUMO & SUMO Talent

How Influencer Marketing Will Change in 2025 [Expert Predictions]

Finally, I asked some of our experts: What's going to change about influencer marketing over the next couple of years?

Here's what they had to say.

1. Influencer marketers are no longer the heroes — they're the guides.

When asked about any predictions for the future of influencer marketing, Imani Ellis didn't miss a beat: "The death of the diva," she told me with a grin.

"The people's princess, the Emma Chamberlain's, the Monet McMichael's… The people who say ‘I’m not the hero, I‘m the guide’—that is the future of influencer marketing."

A couple of years ago, I feverishly followed Selena Gomez for all fashion, makeup, and lifestyle tips. And it‘s not that I don’t still love Selena. But now, I follow with equal interest a mom from Texas who talks about deals she finds at Target (hi, Jen Reed!).

That's where influencer marketing is headed: In a more authentic direction in which followers care more about the everyday influencer than they do the mega-celebrity.

2. AI will boost Creator output.

AI has — and will continue to — drastically change the way we work as marketers.

And the same is true for creators.

As Smith puts it, "AI is making people‘s lives a lot easier. The velocity at which people are able to pump out content has skyrocketed. Now we’re in a situation where we have to question: Is this AI-generated? Was AI used in any step of formulating this concept, creating this content, or writing out this statement?"

She points to brands like Skims as an example of a business already implementing AI-generated content in their social media ads. To Smith, that‘s the direction we’re all headed.

“Output is going to increase,” she acknowledges — but, to Smith, this doesn‘t mean a diminishment in quality. She sees creators leveraging AI for administrative tasks, freeing them up to do more of what they’re best at.

“If you are truly creative, AI is just going to superpower that, not replace it.”

3. We'll shift from audience to community.

"There was a time where we were just watching [as an audience] and we'd think, If I can buy these yoga pants, I will be like this person," Ellis explains.

"And now, I‘m excited that we’re moving into a space where it‘s less about the yoga pants, and more about how you’re feeling about yourself."

We've become active participants in our influencer relationships. We DM them, we ask for advice, we comment with our own opinions and perspectives.

And by doing so, we‘ve also opened ourselves up to an entire community of like-minded people. It’s no longer just a one-way conversation between an influencer and her followers. It's now an opportunity to connect with each other, as well.

4. One-off posts will evolve into recurring formats.

Olowe predicts a future shift towards recurring content, rather than traditional one-off sponsored posts.

“We've seen quite a bit of success with 'man on the street' content,” she says, pointing to the People Gallery as a good example of this — which is a digital fashion platform founded by Maurice Kamara that showcases street style through spontaneous interviews and outfit breakdowns.

As another example, she tells me about "Faded By Any Means“, a short film inspired by the cult classic ”Belly", but with Topical‘s best-selling product Faded at the center as a product that’s so good it sells itself.

“It was a fun project and highlights the creativity around storytelling and how commerce and film are actually closely related,” Olowe says.

"Having this recurring content format, plus an influencer — almost as if they're actors — is what I think is really fascinating these days, versus just one-off posts."

5. The democratization of brand experiences.

Finally, all the Creators I spoke with echoed the same point: That the future of influencer marketing is going to shift from rewarding influencers to recognizing everyday customers.

A trend I can fully get behind.

As Olowe puts it, "Customers are not as interested in watching rich and famous people go on expensive trips. They're more interested in seeing community members, customers, everyday people go on trips. So while influencer trips are interesting, the strategy has to evolve and change."

She adds, “This idea of making an influencer experience more accessible to everyday people is what I see for influencer marketing moving forward.”

The bottom line? Influencer marketing in 2025 won‘t just look different — it’ll feel different. We're trading glossy perfection for genuine connection, passive scrolling for active community, and exclusive experiences for inclusive ones.

The future belongs to creators who show up as real people, not polished personas.

And honestly? It's about time.

via Perfecte news Non connection