![segment email marketing lists](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6nQzTwYYFuB3mRZaydy92A/ec7e74ca428d5280beda7934a1d8be76/solen-feyissa-LBNJi8qHIbA-unsplash.jpg)

These days, customers live under a constant barrage of mass media advertising. We watch commercials on television, hear ad spots on the radio, listen to promotions while we’re filling up our gas tank, and throw out tons of generic junk mail. That means that if you want to grab people's attention, you need to put out content that feels personalized to them.

One of the best ways to connect with your customers on an individual level is to segment your email list – and you can do it without too much extra work. Read on to learn more about email segmentation and the techniques you need to do it effectively. 

---

## What is email segmentation? 

**Segmentation is effectively dividing your contact list into groups based on common traits.** Once your list is segmented, you can send personalized emails to each segment quickly and easily.

You can divide your email list into as many segments as you need, and one contact can be in more than one segment. For example, Lisa from New Jersey may be on your Northeast United States list, your new subscriber list, and your mid-range spending budget list. She could receive emails sent out to each of these segments, as well as any emails you send out to your whole email list.

&nbsp;

### Why you should segment your email marketing lists

[Email marketing](https://www.piesync.com/blog/10-tools-to-increase-email-marketing-conversions/) is one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal. It's your best bet at reaching out to customers directly, not to mention that [it's still a primary source of ROI](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-stats) for many marketers. But your customers don’t want to read emails that feel canned or impersonal – and they certainly don't want to get spammed.

Sending individual emails to your entire contact list obviously isn’t an option – but email segmentation allows you to tailor content to your clients’ needs and interests while still [automating your email marketing](https://www.piesync.com/blog/marketing-automation-opportunities/). You can organize customers with similar traits into groups and send each group an email that will feel personalized, despite reaching hundreds or even thousands of people. Here are some of the ways you could divide your email list to make sure your customers get content that's personalized to their interests and needs.

<RelatedPost slug="marketing-personalization" />

---

## 9 ways to segment your email list

&nbsp;

### 1. Demographics

One of the simplest ways to segment your email list is by demographics, such as gender, age, occupation, language, industry, or geographic location. You can tailor your copy, offers and product recommendations to customers depending on each group's specific traits, making your email more relevant to the reader. For example, if you have customers in the Netherlands, you could offer a type of product that's more likely to appeal to them than to customers in Germany.

You can gather this information when customers subscribe to your email list or with a survey that they complete in exchange for a discount or downloadable offer.

<RelatedPost slug="customer-data-guide-for-businesses" />

&nbsp;

### 2. New subscribers

You may also want to consider segmenting your list by how recently a customer subscribed to your emails. New subscribers will likely be interested in learning more about your company, so it might be a good idea to set up an onboarding email sequence that interests and engages them. They may have made a purchase recently, or they might have responded to an advertisement and been curious to discover more about you before they buy.

You’ll need to set up automation to update your new subscriber list on a regular basis. Make sure when someone signs up for your emails, they automatically get added to this list. Depending on the email marketing tool you use, you may also set up a system to automatically remove subscribers from this list after a set period of time.

&nbsp;

### 3. Email engagement rate

When you’re doing email marketing, you want to make sure you’re hitting the right balance on how many emails you’re sending. You want to keep your customers engaged without spamming them. Instead of trying to strike that perfect line for all your customers, why not send them just as many emails as they want to see?

Segmenting your list by email engagement rate can help you give customers the contact they want – no more, no less. If someone engages more often with your emails, send them more frequent updates and messages. If someone only opens one email every few months, check in less often with bigger sales and events.

<RelatedPost slug="increasing-email-engagement" />

&nbsp;

### 4. Satisfaction level

No matter how hard we try, no business is going to achieve a 100% customer satisfaction rate. Sending out happy, carefree emails to disgruntled customers can leave them feeling frustrated and unheard. But sending out emails with a more serious tone to customers who love what you’re doing may worry them.

Use your customer satisfaction data to segment your email list into different levels of approval. If a customer has been unhappy with you in the past, send emails that focus on transparency and making mistakes right. If a customer is on the fence, focus on showing them what your company is doing to win them over.

&nbsp;

### 5. Past purchases

One of the best sources of information you have about your customers is what they’ve bought from you in the past. Purchase history can tell you a lot about what problems the customer has, what they’re interested in, and how often they purchase from you. Past purchases can be an amazing way to segment your email list for more personalized messaging.

If a group of clients has bought certain items in the past, why not send out an email promoting similar products? You can also show them items in a similar price point that resolve similar needs. If they’ve made more than one purchase, you may want to send out more frequent emails to keep them up to date on the latest from your company. 

&nbsp;

### 6. Spending budget

Another great way to divide out your marketing efforts is to separate customers with different spending budgets. If a customer has a lot of money to spend with you, you want to pull out all the stops with what your company has to offer them. But if their budget is a little more limited, you don’t want to show them items that are too expensive.

Look at previous purchase history and segment your customers into tiers based on average purchase amounts. For customers who buy one or two smaller ticket items, focus emails around sale events, goods that offer a lot of bang for their buck, and special discount codes. For the higher budget tiers, show off your bundle pricing, top-of-the-line items, and latest releases.

&nbsp;

### 7. Location in your funnel

When a new lead first makes contact with your company, they should move into a sales funnel designed to guide them to a purchase. Your funnel should take them seamlessly from discovery to interest to product information to consideration to purchase. But how you market to a customer should vary depending on where they are in that funnel.

Segment your email list based on where customers are in your sales funnel. If they’ve just begun to explore your products, send them emails focused on the ways your products can solve their problems. If they’re in the consideration stage, consider sending them discount offers or VIP benefits.

<RelatedPost slug="effective-conversion-funnel" />

&nbsp;

### 8. Website activity

You can also gather a lot of information about customers’ interests and needs based on how they interact with your website. When your customers consent to sharing this information with you, you can track a customer’s movements through your site, and you could use that information to create segmented email lists based on what sort of pages a customer visits most often.

For example, if a customer is visiting clearance pages most often, send them information about sales and discounts. If they’re checking out your about and contact pages, reach out to them with your company story, values and contact information – it's an extra opportunity to send hyper-personalized emails. If they like browsing your overall product pages, send them an email highlighting some of your most popular goods and hottest deals. However, remember to make sure these practices are compliant with all relevant data privacy laws and regulations before you deploy them.

<RelatedPost slug="keep-customer-data-up-to-date-everywhere" />

&nbsp;

### 9. Date of last purchase 

One great way to make emails feel personalized to each customer is to segment your list based on when they made their last purchase. Like your new subscriber and funnel location lists, this will need to be a constantly updated segment. 

For instance, if someone made a purchase in the last week, send a follow-up email asking them to rate their experience with your buying process and your product. If they purchased a few months ago, why not let them know about the latest and greatest from your company? And if it’s been several months since they purchased something, consider sending them an invitation to come back and enjoy a discount or free gift with their next purchase. 

---

Email segmentation is a fantastic way to make your email marketing feel personalized to each customer. You can meet them where they are, sending them the messages they need to hear at the time. This can improve your customer experience and keep your marketing ROI high.

To make sure that your email lists are always accurate and up-to-date, [use PieSync to sync your email marketing tools](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/marketing/) with the rest of your tech stack. PieSync keeps your contacts in sync two ways and in real time between hundreds of applications, making sure your email lists have enriched information to build granular and relevant segments. [Get started with a free trial today](https://app.piesync.com/signup/).

Segmenting your audience for email sequences is one of the best ways to increase the effectiveness of your email marketing efforts. Read on for some tips on how to segment your email lists.

9 ways to effectively segment your email marketing lists

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Marketing

segment email marketing lists

Zendesk

Drift

Leadfeeder

Outreach

Prospect.io

![lead generation best practices for marketing strategy](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3ljEXV3RmjqDVzk2sscDmW/8a029bbaa86721881288bfa969c51cf0/campaign-creators-yktK2qaiVHI-unsplash.jpg)

No matter the industry or business size, lead generation is a top priority for marketers.

Lead generation is how you **attract people to your business and help them become leads** who have an interest in buying your product or service. There are countless lead generation strategies out there, including content marketing, employer branding, digital ads and social media, among many others.

Read on to learn about the best lead generation practices to add to your marketing mix in the year ahead.

&nbsp;

1. [Generate leads with live chat](#live-chat)
2. [Make sure your pop-ups are optimized with A/B tests](#pop-ups)
3. [Try out video marketing for lead gen](#video-lead-gen)
4. [Optimize your top organic pages for lead generation](#optimize-organic-pages)
5. [Get your money's worth with paid ads](#paid-ads)
6. [Focus on your content keywords for the best SEO results](#content-marketing-keywords)
7. [Keep improving your conversion rate optimization](#cro)
8. [Know the review sites your prospects turn to](#review-sites)
9. [Create interactive content that offers extra value](#interactive-content)
10. [Build word-of-mouth buzz](#word-of-mouth)
11. [Use the best lead generation tools](#lead-gen-tools)
12. [Make sure your marketing tools are talking to each other](#sync)

---

## 12 lead generation best practices for 2021

&nbsp;

### 1. Generate leads with your live chat – but only if you can guarantee quick responses{#live-chat}

Up to [83% of consumers need some type of support](https://econsultancy.com/83-of-online-shoppers-need-support-to-complete-a-purchase-stats/) when they are making an online transaction or becoming your customer. 

**With live chat, you can increase conversions** by being there to talk to your prospects at key moments. You can also use live chat to make announcements on your website, such as a product offer or upcoming webinar, or use a bot for automated lead gen. Some of the best live chat tools are Zendesk, Drift and Freshchat.

However, to get the benefits from live chat, **you have to ensure fast responses**. Otherwise, you might even be causing more harm than good. [45% of US consumers would leave a website](https://acquire.io/blog/live-chat-winning-customer-support-race/) in the middle of an online transaction if there is no one to answer their questions and concerns.

&nbsp;

### 2. Make sure your pop-ups are optimized with A/B tests{#pop-ups}

[73% of people]( https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics) dislike pop-up ads – and 81% of consumers have closed a browser or exited a webpage because of a pop-up ad.

If you're going to interrupt your website visitors with a pop-up or opt-in form, it needs to be worth their while. When done well, you can use pop-ups to give your visitors extra value _and_ automate lead generation.

You often see "sign up for our newsletter" as a pop-up call to action, but the best results usually come from a more compelling CTA. With A/B testing, you can choose the best lead magnet to show in your pop-ups. This could be your best ebook, template, blog post or email sequence. 

To do your A/B test, set up two pop-ups with different content and compare how they perform. You can then do more in-depth tests for that pop-up, like the specific CTA text or visuals you're using. [Optinmonster](https://optinmonster.com/) gives you a great split test performance overview:

![Screenshot 2019-11-25 at 11.55.23](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/36LlL7pVWOdPxQGadu70xS/ff8a7107ff1e2739bffddac5d475a364/Screenshot_2019-11-25_at_11.55.23.png)

&nbsp;

### 3. Try out video marketing for lead gen{#video-lead-gen}

More than [50% of consumers prefer video content](https://blog.hubspot.com/news-trends/content-trends-global-preferences?_ga=2.156343675.13150979.1574624139-1512780506.1572256371) over other forms of content, so it's no surprise there are more and more opportunities popping up here for marketers in 2021 and beyond. Some of the ways you could use video for lead gen are:

* Creating a video of your sales demo and gating this behind a landing page form.
* Using videos on landing pages. Marketers who incorporate video into their campaigns can achieve up to [34% higher conversion rates](https://www.vidyard.com/resources/impact-video-marketing/).
* Collecting email addresses right from your videos using a tool like [Wistia](https://wistia.com/product/lead-generation). This can require viewers to share their email to watch beyond a certain point of a video.
* Including CTAs and annotation links in your videos (if you can't do this with YouTube, try Wistia for this too).

![video marketing lead gen](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4qf22NCkOI497juOXUKNLD/58be8e835cc9a23c72cf50d025dadf0a/video_marketing_lead_gen.png)

&nbsp;

### 4. Optimize your top organic pages for lead generation{#optimize-organic-pages}

Organic traffic gets results at any time of day, sometimes for years in the future, and with no extra budget required after you've created the content. To get a lot of visitors from organic search, you need high-performing, SEO-optimized content that's valuable and relevant for your audience.

Keep your finger on the pulse of which pages are performing well in searches so you can optimize these for lead gen. By looking at the forms, CTAs and performance of the page, you can maximize how many visitors become contacts.

&nbsp;

### 5. Get your money's worth with paid ads{#paid-ads}

To show at the top of Google, you can do two things: create high-performing content that has earned quality backlinks and is on a respected domain, or pay for ads. The best websites usually do both.

**Google Ads get you straight to the top of Google**, but they don't come cheap. Therefore, it goes without saying that if you're paying for ads, you need to put your best content forward – both in the content of the ad and the content you're linking to (perhaps your homepage or a top landing page). 

![best keyword research tool - Google Search](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3edr9Wu3wkRsQPSe9v2PgE/40356c6636ebe456be209a31bb14e15b/best_keyword_research_tool_-_Google_Search.png)

&nbsp;

When done well, businesses make an average of [$2 in income for every $1 they spend in AdWords](https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2018/33795/measuring-marketing-roi-on-google-adwords). This isn't guaranteed, however, so make sure you have the budget and effective content in place before you start spending.

&nbsp;

### 6. Focus on your content keywords for the best SEO results{#content-marketing-keywords}

Paid search ads are effective for lead gen – but [organic SEO is 5.66 times more powerful](https://www.newmediacampaigns.com/page/seo-vs-ppc---which-provides-you-the-better-value). To get the best SEO results, make sure you're giving your keywords enough attention.

This comes down to:

* Identifying the most important keywords for your business niche and location.
* Pinpointing the keywords you and your competitors already rank for and which ones you want to get more traffic for.
* Doing some keyword research to understand which keywords have the best balance between high traffic and low competition.
* Creating a shortlist of the top keywords to focus on.
* Using these keywords in your website pages and blog content.
* Measuring results to track progress.

<RelatedPost slug="seo-guide" />

&nbsp;

### 7. Keep improving your conversion rate optimization (CRO){#cro}

Only about [22% of businesses are satisfied with their conversion rates](https://vwo.com/blog/not-satisfied-with-conversion-rates/), or how easily they can convert visitors into leads – and leads into customers. 

![google-analytics-conversion-rate](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/bqGfqO0XGhwnhXrqp9CcD/101b96719dcafeeedea55e933a1fa911/google-analytics-conversion-rate.jpg)

&nbsp;

If you're driving visitors to your website but not converting them, you have a leaky funnel on your hands. To get the best results from your web visitors, you need to look at **conversion rate optimization**. 

Here are some ways to optimize your conversion rate and boost your lead generation without needing to increase website visitors:

* Use a pop-up tool like [Optinmonster](https://www.optinmonster.com/) on your website to collect email addresses in exchange for bonus content or simply to join your newsletter.
* Improve your website speed so visitors aren't left waiting for your site to load.
* Optimize your site's usability. Use a heatmapping tool like [Hotjar](https://www.hotjar.com/) to visualize how visitors interact with your site and where they're currently dropping off.
* Offer more enticing lead magnets to encourage visitors to leave their email address, such as an ebook, bonus template or audio download.

![website heatmapping](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1Cia234roiWmNNxpvsyEPj/d8774249ac0d89aa86479c6fe8e38f6d/website_heatmapping.png)

<RelatedPost slug="increase-conversion-rates" />

&nbsp;

### 8. Know the review sites your prospects turn to – and optimize your ratings{#review-sites}

[93% of consumers](https://www.podium.com/resources/podium-state-of-online-reviews/) say online reviews have an impact on their purchase decision. But [only 33% of businesses](https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing/#word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics) are actively seeking out and collecting reviews.

We can't underestimate the power of reviews: it really is crucial to know the review sites that your potential customers turn to when researching products and services like yours. Once you've identified where customers are reviewing you, make an effort to:

* Monitor the review sites regularly.
* Reply or reach out where it makes sense, always tactfully ([here's some advice for responding to Google reviews](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/respond-to-google-reviews) that can apply to other platforms).
* Most of all, address complaints by **making changes in your business** – and doing more of what works.

According to [research from Podium](https://www.podium.com/resources/podium-state-of-online-reviews/), 3.3 is the minimum star rating that most consumers will engage with, so make sure you’re well above that.

![customer rating\](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/284XFu308o5YkuIGkorFy8/08acb5dc372cf57b0faa19c919712914/customer_rating_.png)

&nbsp;

### 9. Create interactive content that offers extra value{#interactive-content}

How engaging is your content? To create content that stands out and your audience wants to engage with, make it interactive.

[53% of content marketers use interactive content](https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/IonInteractive_Symphony_Final.pdf) in lead generation efforts. Not all of your content should be interactive, but it's worth adding **a few key interactive pieces** to the mix. A brilliant example of interactive content is [Coschedule's Headline Analyzer](https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer):

![headline analyzer lead gen](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3Tt2hXvARVQhpHz3vFEzAx/825d538984970dfd656c6d6d4cc1d58a/headline_analyzer_lead_gen.png)

&nbsp;

Types of interactive content include:

* Interactive quizzes
* Problem-solving apps
* Interactive calculators
* Surveys
* Webinars
* Interactive emails
* Interactive ebooks

&nbsp;

### 10. Build word-of-mouth buzz{#word-of-mouth}

[74% of consumers](https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/blog/word-of-mouth-marketing/#word-of-mouth-marketing-statistics) identify word of mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decisions.

Even with all of the best lead generation tactics out there, word of mouth is still the top way to create a sustainable stream of new customers for your business. We trust what our friends say, and it's often their opinion that sends us heading to an online store – sometimes when we don't even _need_ the products, but certainly want them.

Building word-of-mouth buzz is both simple and extraordinarily complicated: you have to create a product or service that your customers adore and want to shout from the rooftops about. If you're not there yet, talk to your customers and do some user testing to figure out what you're getting right and wrong. It's often better to optimize your product before piling cash into marketing, especially if you're taking a long-term view of your business.

&nbsp;

### 11. Use the best lead gen tools{#lead-gen-tools}

There's a fantastic range of lead generation tools to choose from. Some of the best lead gen software tools are:

* [Drift](https://www.drift.com/): live chat, calendar scheduling, landing pages
* [Prospect.io](https://www.prospect.io/): email lookup, email followup
* [Outreach.io](https://www.outreach.io/): sales engagement
* [Leadfeeder](https://www.leadfeeder.com/): identifying who’s browsing your website

<RelatedPost slug="10-best-lead-generation-tools" />

&nbsp;

### 12. Make sure your marketing tools are talking to each other{#sync}

As you try out new lead gen strategies and [drive more leads into your marketing funnel](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/marketing/), it’s important to make sure you can handle the incoming stream of contacts so that they don’t fall between the cracks. More contacts can mean more confusion, but it doesn't have to.

All you have to do is set up [a two-way sync between your lead gen tools and the rest of your app stack](https://www.piesync.com/connections/) to make sure your contacts are present and updated in every tool you're using – from your email marketing app to your CRM to your accounting software and much more.

You can connect your apps and get your contacts organized fast [with a free PieSync trial](https://app.piesync.com/signup).

Looking for the best lead generation practices to add to your marketing mix in the year ahead? Here are the tactics and tools that will get you results in 2021.

12 lead generation best practices for 2021

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Lead Generation

aerial view of table with plant markers and books about marketing

lead generation best practices for marketing strategy

![marketing personalization](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6e2WkGJOwCWyLI0CaxSWDg/99164265e90309344dd580b52174bb17/brooke-lark-cqOZcjOOmRw-unsplash__1_.jpg)

There’s no question about it: the digital revolution has changed the way people do - and respond to - marketing. Thanks to developments like cloud solutions, data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), marketing strategies and approaches have evolved drastically in only a few years.

In this quickly changing landscape, marketers need to work fast to keep up - but on the plus side, they have a whole new world of opportunities opened up for them to be creative. Among other things, they now rely on things like **marketing personalization** to get better results. Here's why personalizing your marketing approach is so important – and why you should definitely do it.

---

## What is marketing personalization?

People are constantly bombarded by all kinds of information these days, be it billboard ads, TV commercials, emails, social media and hundreds of brands clamoring for their attention nonstop. So it’s only natural that we’d tune out most of that, especially what we don’t find personally relevant to us. 

This means that if you’re trying to reach out to your audience with generic, impersonal content, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to engage them and encourage them to stay with you in the long run. Talking to them directly, with laser focus on what they like and are naturally interested in, is your best bet to win them over.

That’s where personalization comes in. In a nutshell, **marketing personalization means interacting with your audience and customers in a way that feels personal and human, taking into consideration their likes, preferences and interests.** 

A personalization strategy can include customized email marketing campaigns, personalized ads, targeted product recommendations, tailored content and much more.

&nbsp;

## Why does it matter?

Personalization is becoming not just a competitive advantage, but something that your customers expect through every interaction with you. [31% of customers](https://www.infosys.com/newsroom/press-releases/Documents/genome-research-report.pdf) say that they wish their shopping experience was more personalized than it currently is, and [only 22% are satisfied](http://grow.segment.com/Segment-2017-Personalization-Report.pdf) with the level of personalization they currently get. A [Deloitte study](https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/consumer-business/deloitte-uk-consumer-review-mass-personalisation.pdf) also found that 36% of customers are interested in buying personalized products, and 48% said they would be willing to wait longer to receive it.

A [survey by Evergage](https://www.evergage.com/blog/press/new-evergage-study-shows-compelling-personalization-benefits/) has found that marketers also see the value of personalization: 96% of respondents felt that it helped them advance customer relationships, and 88% said that they perceived a measurable lift in business results. 61% also said that personalization helped them deliver better customer experience.

The figures are clear: what customers really want is a **personalized experience**, tailored to their interests and needs. In fact, many now consider customer experience to be the [key brand differentiator](https://martechtoday.com/new-era-personalization-hyper-connected-customer-experience-209529) for customers, more so than price and product.

&nbsp;

## How can you use marketing personalization?

With so many personalization options and possibilities, things start to get complex - how are you supposed to know what each and every one of your customers likes? How can you tailor your campaigns around them individually without spending too much time on it?

That’s where automation and data analytics come in. Your customer data is the most valuable thing you can leverage in order to build the best personalized campaigns. For example, in order to build newsletters that recommend relevant content for your customers, you can automatically gather data from their previous reading history and recommend other blog posts and articles on similar or related topics. 

Likewise, knowing your customers’ job title, area of expertise, topics of interest and even their geographic location can work in your favor to help you segment email marketing campaigns.

---

## Benefits of personalization

&nbsp;

### Exceptional customer experience

Having friendly customer agents to help out your customers is great, but it isn’t enough anymore. You have to provide [exceptional customer experience](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/customer-support/) throughout their entire journey with you - and that includes social media interactions, automatic emails, recommendations and much more.

In fact, more and more consumers are expecting a personalized and unique journey with companies. [Research conducted by Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2016/11/swap-data-for-personalized-marketing.html) has found that customers are willing to provide more data in exchange for personalized marketing, with 58% of respondents saying that a personalized experience is very important when purchasing from a company. 

In addition, 52% of consumers are somewhat likely to switch brands if a company doesn’t provide enough personalization, and 57% are willing to share personal data in exchange for personalized offers and discounts.

<RelatedPost slug="12-ways-to-improve-customer-experience-with-automation" />

&nbsp;

### Increase revenue, sales and conversions

Providing a personalized service just makes business sense. If customers are getting reading suggestions and product recommendations that speak to their interests, they’re more likely to consume it. If they’re happy with the service they get and the communications they receive from you, they’re more likely to stick with you over your competitors. 

It stands to reason that personalizing your services and offering a customized experience will boost your sales and conversions, and the figures support it: [75% of consumers](https://vibetrace.com/blog/2017/08/14/personalization-important-marketing/) prefer buying from a brand that knows their name and purchase history, and an [analysis by Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesinsights/2016/02/11/how-marketers-are-driving-growth-through-personalized-content/#765a13e670f9) shows that marketers that deliver personalized web experiences are getting double-digit returns in marketing performance and response.

&nbsp;

### Boost customer retention

Customer retention is vital. [Increasing customer retention by 5% can increase profits by 25% up to 95%](https://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/the-economics-of-e-loyalty), and it’s well-known that it's cheaper to retain existing customers than to acquire new ones. [Adobe’s Digital Index](http://success.adobe.com/assets/en/downloads/whitepaper/13926.digital_index_loyal_shoppers_report.pdf) shows that 40% of ecommerce revenue is generated by 8% of repeat customers, and marketers in the US and Europe must bring in **between 5 and 7 new shoppers to equal the revenue of just one repeat customer**.

Your chances of hitting these numbers increase if you provide a personalized experience: according to [research by Segment](http://grow.segment.com/Segment-2017-Personalization-Report.pdf), 44% of customers are likely to become repeat buyers after a personalized experience with a company, whilst 49% have purchased a product they did not initially intend to buy after having a personalized experience. 

![segment-research-marketing-personaliozation](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/Rmnv4DxbY2vo7Ibb5R9fe/553ac567e06c153f4f9760e1741436d7/segment-research-marketing-personaliozation.jpg)

---

## 3 ways to personalize your marketing approach

&nbsp;

### Segmented email marketing

[Research](https://www.pardot.com/blog/5-incredible-examples-personalized-marketing/) shows that personalized emails have 29% higher opening rates and 41% higher click-through rates, so if you want to personalize your marketing approach, segmenting email marketing communications should be at the top of your list. It’s likely that you have plenty of valuable customer data stored in your apps, like your CRM or email marketing tools, in the shape of tags, categories, labels or custom fields.

This information would enable you to divide your customers into groups based on their interests, preferences or needs. You can use this kind of data to create segmented email lists and [send tailor-made messages](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/marketing/) **that your customers actually want to read**. 

You can also segment your campaigns based on demographic data, geographic location or purchase history, and you can collect this information through sign-up forms, surveys, quizzes and user profiles that gather data about their topics of interest and preferences. 

B2B companies can segment their customer base according to industry, size, revenue and location, for instance. Once this information is automatically collected, you can [create intelligent workflows](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/email-marketing/) to automatically feed this into your email marketing tools.

You can also create [customer-specific news feeds, topic pages and content collections](https://www.marketo.com/articles/how-is-personalization-changing-the-face-of-marketing/) by optimizing your content topics and clusters according to what your consumers search for and like.

<RelatedPost slug="segmentation-for-cold-emailing" />

&nbsp;

### Targeted discounts and offers

Customers are extremely responsive to tailored discount codes and offers, and most of them actually expect it. [Salesforce’s research]((https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2016/11/swap-data-for-personalized-marketing.html) found that 62% of consumers expect companies to send them tailored offers and discounts based on their previous purchases, and 57% of them are willing to exchange personal data in order to receive it. 

For example, you can offer personalized discounts on similar products to the ones they’ve purchased in the past, or you can re-engage customers who haven’t interacted with you in a while by sending them coupons and offers based on their last purchase with you. 

[Campaign Monitor](https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2019/07/why-personalized-email-marketing-is-essential-to-customer-retention/) shares this example from Sephora, which combines a segmented email campaign and targeted discount offer. They sent one kind of email to VIP customers offering them a special discount on their new product line, and another kind of email to non-VIP customers.

![sephora-personalized-email-marketing-vip (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/Onta5XKstSCMIqYqGuvtG/7c3faf0cd261611096701842843f7ba1/sephora-personalized-email-marketing-vip__1_.png)

&nbsp;

### Personalized reading and product recommendations

This is a relatively simple way to engage existing customers and re-engage older ones. By showing them similar products to those they’ve purchased in the past, or by sending them personalized reading suggestions based on the topics of their interest, they’re more likely to engage with your campaign. 

For example, online publishing platform Medium asks its users to choose their topics of interest when signing up, and then uses this information to send newsletters with reading suggestions on the topics that interest them or that they’ve read about before.

![medium personalization customized topics](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/CwFS7d3JVziHCbI2ZJJwv/431515b3edf44b75fb762c403489c8b8/medium_personalization_customized_topics.jpg)

&nbsp;

Amazon is another great example of this, showing users tailored product recommendations based on items they have viewed, purchased or added to their wish lists.

![amazon-product-recommendation (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3Np7kDExM74MAwKXZCHGDE/b5350c200d9f56cbcfa99935b0a33530/amazon-product-recommendation__1_.jpg)

---

## How to use your customer data for personalization

Keep in mind that you’re not guaranteed to engage every single customer, no matter the amount of personalization you use, but using customer data the right way can educate you on what your consumers want and the most effective ways to reach out to them. A/B testing is a great way to figure out what works best for your brand and what your customers respond most to.

In addition, remember not to overdo it - the line between personalization and invasion of privacy is remarkably thin. Spamming your customers, asking for too much information or using information they didn’t give you can end up scaring them off - one [survey](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-despite-privacy-concerns-consumers-will-share-personal-data-if-it-saves-money-or-resolves-customer-service-issues-300440038.html) has found that 28% of people don’t like it when companies use their data when they haven't explicitly provided it first. You also need to make sure your data privacy policies are clear and compliant with regulations like GDPR.

Finally, it’s hard to come up with a killer personalization strategy if your customer data is all over the place. For example, what if your support agents [gather a lot of valuable information about customers](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/customer-support/), but your marketing team doesn’t have access to it because that data is stored in a different tool? That information could make all the difference when creating segmentation or a personalized marketing campaign - but if it’s not being put to good use, it loses its value.

In order to make the most out of the customer data you have at your disposal, [syncing your contact data](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/marketing/) is the key to tie it all together. 

PieSync makes sure that the data in your marketing apps is in sync with the rest of your app stack, enabling you to control the flow of data between all your apps and making sure that the right people have access to the right information at the right time. [Get started with a free trial now](https://app.piesync.com/signup/).

There’s no question about it: the digital revolution has changed the way people do - and respond to - marketing. In this quickly changing landscape, personalized marketing is your best bet to win over your customers. Here's how to achieve that.

Why marketing personalization is so important - and how to use it

marketing personalization

![seo guide analytics](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1cFhErpVYmlsDHPvwr6mZP/b3617d9b01ef2d70954385347b0c9331/webaroo-com-au-shr_Xn8S8QU-unsplash.jpg)

The SEO landscape is looking very different than it did several years ago. It's not always easy to keep up – or know which trends are worth spending time on. To help you navigate SEO in 2021, we've compiled the best practices that will give you top results based on where SEO is right now and where it's going.

&nbsp;

1. [Learn about SERPs and featured snippets](#SERPs)
2. [Adjust your SEO strategy for zero-click searches](#zero-click-searches)
3. [Follow an SEO philosophy of 60% new content, 40% old content](#optimizing-old-content)
4. [Fix what's holding your SEO results back](#what-holds-SEO-back)
5. [Research your competition before you start writing](#research-competition)
6. [Create better content than what's currently #1](#create-better-content)
7. [Attract backlinks naturally](#backlinks)
8. [Check how your pages look on several devices](#mobile-optimization)
9. [It's not too early or late to optimize for voice](#voice-optimization)
10. [Make brand building a top priority](#brand-building)

---

## 10 SEO best practices for 2021

&nbsp;

### 1. Learn about SERPs and featured snippets{#SERPs}

You're probably not going to beat Google at its own game, but you can work with Google. To rank at the top of search results for a keyword, you either need to:

* Pay for Google search ads
* Write content that's good enough to have a SERP feature

SERP features include Featured Snippets, Shopping Results, Image Packs and other *not-just-a-blue-link* results you find in searches. 

Here’s what a Featured Snippet looks like:

![featured](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3dbHfLBR2rYFy9OwjKsCuJ/8fc259ecc738f25ff69260510e74b9be/featured_.png)

&nbsp;

And here’s a Local Pack:

![Screenshot 2019-12-13 at 14.40.27](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/58RHaQwLADDf14N3kt3Ii1/5654c37f8ab8f11c1658c60e861c8f34/Screenshot_2019-12-13_at_14.40.27.png)

&nbsp;

To begin optimizing for SERP features, check which ones you already have. One handy SEO tool to do this is [Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/), which comes at a higher price point but offers a 7-day trial for $7 for new users. This will give you enough time to add your site and dig into your SEO.

If you're using Ahrefs, go to Site Explorer > Organic Keywords and see if there are any icons to the left of the URL column.

![Screenshot 2019-12-09 at 11.20.17](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4Xh6p7opMShe6MJzKNrrao/471587c6b2a63431c0ccdec8a27d0fd9/Screenshot_2019-12-09_at_11.20.17.png)

&nbsp;

These show that your page has a SERP feature in searches, which you'll want to keep ranking for. Here are the different types of SERP feature you might see:

![Screenshot 89](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5tWN0WmcqKJe1XIge3xVIk/e64a782baefe0e3b0d8f7df3998e7e20/Screenshot_89.png)

&nbsp;

Next, it's about earning more SERP features. Look at the SERP features you already have and think about how you've earned them. Did you try longer-form content? Was it evergreen content that you've organically earned backlinks from? Did you add more images or videos to the page than usual to achieve visual SERPs?

For further SEO best practices, here are some [other ways to gain SERP features](https://moz.com/learn/seo/serp-features) like Featured Snippets for your website.

&nbsp;

### 2. Adjust your SEO strategy for zero-click searches{#zero-click-searches}

One of the biggest game-changers for SEO in 2021 and beyond is zero-click searches - that’s when you don't have to click on a link to find an answer to your search query, as the answer is already displayed on the SERPS. 50.3% of Google searches received zero clicks in June 2019, according to [data from SparkToro](https://sparktoro.com/blog/less-than-half-of-google-searches-now-result-in-a-click/).

![Screenshot 2019-12-13 at 14.42.12](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2vOoMMf8nASx412d8YgwRl/9deecb4b8177c1cece201bfab13055df/Screenshot_2019-12-13_at_14.42.12.png)

&nbsp;

SERP features contribute to zero-click searches, but it's also down to Google Answers, the search engine's way of answering common questions such as _Where will the next Olympics be held?_ directly in the search.

As a smart marketer in 2021, your job is to follow these best practices:

* Find ways to get value from zero-click searches, such as by optimizing for SERP features that increase brand awareness and recall
* Focus on the keywords with a higher click-through-rate (CTR) opportunity

&nbsp;

### 3. Follow an SEO philosophy of 60% new content, 40% old content{#optimizing-old-content}

SEO isn't just about churning out new content. By optimizing and refreshing your existing content, you'll be able to multiply your SEO results much faster.

A great example of this is HubSpot, which [doubled down on _historical optimization_](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/historical-blog-seo-conversion-optimization) after finding that 92% of their monthly blog leads came from "old" posts. After optimizing and republishing already valuable content, they increased the number of monthly organic search views to these posts by an average of 106%.

![search-views-before-after-post-updates](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7tWglRK1xh6QwrCO7sU7LF/80469d39f53ad1bf9b386541c7783940/search-views-before-after-post-updates.jpg)

&nbsp;

When you optimize your content, try to follow these best practices:

* Make the content more relevant and evergreen, such as by updating statistics
* [Add more internal links to other pages](https://ahrefs.com/blog/internal-links-for-seo/) on your website – this is a tried-and-tested way to help improve your performance in searches
* Optimize for high-value keywords that currently rank on Google's second page

<RelatedPost slug="content-marketing-tools" />

&nbsp;

### 4. Fix what's holding your SEO results back{#what-holds-SEO-back}

Do you feel that no matter how many blog posts you publish and keywords you optimize for, your SEO isn't getting the results you expected? If you're not moving up the rankings – or even getting your pages indexed by Google – it's time to audit your website and look at what's going on behind the scenes.

It's not uncommon for technical site performance and SEO issues to hold a website back. To do a fast technical SEO audit, trial an SEO tool like SEMRush or Ahrefs to look for:

* Broken 404 pages
* Duplicate HTML tags & content
* Redirect chains
* Slow pages
* Broken redirects

![quick-seo-audit-32](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/57u3DdtIeZeoVAwCv5Xr1M/7c9a422ab6d4bb0a5fc344e568bc5e52/quick-seo-audit-32.png)

&nbsp;

Export a checklist of your technical SEO tasks so you can access it even if you cancel your subscription to the tool.

Another thing that can be holding your SEO results back is **domain authority**. This is largely determined by the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your domain. To keep increasing your domain authority, keep working on achieving quality natural backlinks for your pages - we’ll touch on that shortly.

&nbsp;

### 5. Research your competition before you start writing{#research-competition}

Once you know the topic of a blog post, check who's already ranking for that keyword. Get inside the head of your target reader, type in what they will search for to get to this topic, and look at the top results.

If you're using Ahrefs, paste the URL of these top results into Site Explorer and click on Organic Keywords to see which keywords are working for these pages. You can then target these keywords in your post.

&nbsp;

### 6. Create better content than the competition{#create-better-content}

To reach the top of searches, you need to provide better content than anyone else. This is partly a result of your domain authority, but having high-value and high-quality content should be your top priority.

In 2021, guarantee that your content is the most relevant, most actionable and highest quality it can be, no matter the format – text, video, images, voice or otherwise.

Google specifically looks for **Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-A-T)**, something it’s been repeating in its [Search Quality Guidelines](https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/guidelines.raterhub.com/en//searchqualityevaluatorguidelines.pdf) for years:

![searchqualityevaluatorguidelines pdf](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4NO7thwxFLf94R4HBsHjHH/8a7bf2c2207e9953709e3a4a9963f008/searchqualityevaluatorguidelines_pdf.png)

&nbsp;

You might be wondering how long your content should be in 2021. Long-form content still tends to perform best. However, it's highly case-specific. For instance, a local restaurant is unlikely to benefit from 2000-word blog posts; [clever local SEO](https://www.piesync.com/blog/living-locally-how-small-businesses-can-focus-on-local-seo-to-jump-start/) should be a much higher priority.

&nbsp;

### 7. Attract backlinks naturally{#backlinks}

Backlinks aren't everything, but they will help you rank higher faster. The more quality links to your site, the higher your domain authority. As Google has shared: “In order to assess trustworthiness and authority on its subject matter, we look for sites that many users seem to value for similar queries. If other prominent websites on the subject link to the page, that’s a good sign that the information is of high quality.” What this basically means is that if a lot of trustworthy sites trust the information on your page, your page is likely to be trustworthy too.

Here are some of the best strategies to increase backlinks in 2021:

* Reach out to relevant and reputable websites about guest blogging opportunities
* Get links from companies with whom you have existing relationships 
* Get listed on relevant _“best of”_ lists for your industry and location by networking with bloggers, providing an excellent service and making your business visible with [local SEO](https://www.piesync.com/blog/living-locally-how-small-businesses-can-focus-on-local-seo-to-jump-start/)
* Create content with the "skyscraper" technique: first find relevant competing content with tons of backlinks; create something even better; and ask those linking to the competing content to link to your piece instead
* Publish relevant, valuable and shareable content that others will link to without you asking
* Reach out to websites that have unlinked mentions of your business

&nbsp;

### 8. Check how your pages look on several devices{#mobile-optimization}

Your website's level of mobile optimization determines your rankings. If your content doesn't look great on mobile, you're taking one step forward and two steps back.

To preview how your website looks on different screen sizes, use [mobiReady](https://ready.mobi/) for a quick check of your website on popular devices.

As SEO best practice, make sure your website is mobile-optimized for all page types and know how to upload text, images and embedded media for the cleanest results on all devices.

&nbsp;

### 9. It's not too early or late to optimize for voice{#voice-optimization}

We're all getting more used to using voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant, but we're also getting used to **listening to our favorite content**, especially via podcasts.

With the [Amazon Polly speech recognition tool](https://aws.amazon.com/polly/) (available as a WordPress plugin), your website visitors can have your content read aloud to them. It's a great choice to give your readers and a handy way to boost time on site and overall engagement.

![product-page-diagram Amazon-Polly Content-Creation.6d4a1496e5698966714a3999c8d88387d7c4dd89](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5fUwnvC5NfyfAlKppCg2qw/019b71392c13204cdc219892056f5196/product-page-diagram_Amazon-Polly_Content-Creation.6d4a1496e5698966714a3999c8d88387d7c4dd89.png)

&nbsp;

When writing blog content, follow these best practices for voice search:

* Keep paragraphs short
* Break up content with headers and lists
* Write for quality and depth

Having your content already optimized for voice will benefit you when search moves further in that direction - which might happen sooner than you think. 

&nbsp;

### 10. Make brand building a top priority{#brand-building}

Branding can get a bad rep. Isn't it a word your team members throw around for an excuse to spend money? No. Your brand is one of the most precious things your business has – and it's closely linked to SEO.

As Google provides more answers with zero-click searches and consumers increasingly prefer to consume content on their favorite channels, you can miss out on traffic to your business's website.

Although you should optimize for high click-through-rate keywords, it's important to accept the need to meet consumers where they want to be spending time – **which is not always on your website**.

The best brands in the world have [always focused foremost on brand recall and preference](https://www.turingfest.com/blog/marketing-lessons-for-the-future-jono-alderson) as their top tactic, above any digital marketing strategies.

In 2021, **marketing will need to influence brand preference**, not just visibility in searches. If your business is achieving this, you'll be noticing more traffic from branded searches of your business name.

&nbsp;

With a powerful combination of building your brand, optimizing high click-through-rate keywords, benefitting from zero-click searches and boosting on-site conversions and performance, you'll be in the best position to win at SEO in 2021. What SEO trends and tactics can you start adding to your strategy now?


SEO trends can feel like they’re always changing. To make things simpler for the year ahead, here are the SEO best practices to pay attention to in 2021.

A guide to SEO in 2021: the best practices & rules to follow

google analytics chart on computer screen

seo guide analytics

A guide to SEO in 2021: 10 of the best practices to follow

HubSpot

![marketers creating inbound marketing strategy](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7zir3473fycELXiFVpM0Bu/644e081d1bddea7b6948d51b8222b47c/windows-w79mIrYKcK4-unsplash__1_.jpg)

Many marketers' priority is to attract more – and better – leads. Even though there's a wealth of resources, tools and processes that can help achieve this goal, qualifying leads and increasing conversion rates is a recurring headache for all kinds of marketing teams.

Enter **inbound marketing**. This methodology, meant to guide marketing teams towards creating tailored, customer-centric content, can be the key to attracting leads that are genuinely interested in what you have to say – and to buy from you. Read on to learn what inbound marketing is and how to use it to fine-tune your marketing strategy and attract better leads.

---

## What is inbound marketing?

[Inbound marketing is a methodology developed by HubSpot](https://www.hubspot.com/inbound-marketing) that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. By providing the kind of content that your leads and customers want, you can build genuine consumer interest and loyalty.

This is opposed to outbound marketing, which is the more traditional approach of throwing content at audiences and simply hoping they find it attractive. While you might get lucky with outbound marketing, inbound marketing is a more organic way to boost your leads and conversion rates by providing exactly what your key demographics have been searching for.

The bottom line of inbound marketing is to **provide value to your audience**. You're educating, informing, and giving them something they want and need, building a customer-centric approach to your marketing strategy. The rationale is simple: **when your customers succeed, you succeed**.

&nbsp;

### Attract, engage and delight

The main pillars for the inbound marketing methodology are to **attract, engage and delight customers**. Each element works in tandem to ensure a strong customer experience across the board, from the lead stage all the way until they become customers and promoters of your brand. 

Here's a closer look at each component of the inbound methodology:

1. **Attract**: you put out valuable, tailored content to draw in the right leads and customers for your business, establishing you as a trusted advisor with whom they want to engage.

2. **Engage**: you present insights and solutions that align with their pain points and goals so they are more likely to buy from you – because it's clear that you can solve their problems and make life easier for them. 

3. **Delight**: you provide help and support to empower your customers to make the most of your product and be absolutely satisfied with it.

![inbound marketing flywheel](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5YkVmqga2ZK1Xz1YvyoGtn/d66168801410f596732a4faef1a58db5/Screenshot_2021-01-12_at_14.11.56.png)

<RelatedPost slug="guide-to-lead-qualification" />

&nbsp;

## Attracting leads with inbound marketing

Inbound marketing isn't a linear process – it's a **flywheel**, which means it's a continuous cycle that doesn't end when you convert a lead to customer. By deploying the right strategies, you can add momentum to your wheel to acquire and retain customers, and one of these key strategies is attracting quality leads. Here's how you can make it happen.

&nbsp;

### Perfect your SEO

When it comes to digital marketing, good SEO is the cornerstone of your ongoing success. And SEO represents a solid opportunity to use inbound marketing to generate additional leads.

SEO is one of the best ways to reach your audience where they are and grow your organic traffic, so you need to approach it with a customer-centric point of view. What are the problems that your key demographic is facing? Where and how are they looking for help to solve their issues?

Once you have this information, you can create an SEO strategy centered around targeting specific keywords related to your products or services, leading your content to organically appear on search engines for people who are looking for this information.

This is the heart of inbound marketing because it represents a unique chance for you to solve consumer problems. By providing free information and resources to improve their lives, you build customer loyalty and generate positive word-of-mouth – and customers who trust you and vouch for your product and expertise are invaluable.

<RelatedPost slug="a-guide-to-seo-in-2020-the-best-practices-and-rules-to-follow" />

&nbsp;

### Invest in a watertight content strategy

Because inbound marketing is focused on providing value for your audience in the form of content, investing in content marketing is paramount for this strategy to work.

Generally speaking, value-added content such as blog posts, articles, online courses, ebooks, white papers and webinars are the best way to provide important and helpful information. This means creating well-written, engaging and informative content that reaches your audience where they live. Your SEO strategy and your content strategy need to be closely linked, as SEO is what gives your great content visibility in search engines.

<RelatedPost slug="content-marketing-tools" />

&nbsp;

### Use social media to your advantage

Social media is great for inbound marketing on several levels. First of all, it creates an online hub where your most loyal fans can gather. And those fans can like, comment on, and share your content, effectively recruiting additional leads all on their own. 

It's also one of the best channels for you to keep in touch with your customers directly. Your followers can use social media to provide feedback, ask questions, or share their experience with your products or services. Stay in contact with them, respond to their interactions with your profile, and take this opportunity to help, support and encourage your customers to show that you're listening to them.

In addition, social media is another platform for you to create and promote personalized content. You can tailor unique content to social media that range from polls and infographics to engaging videos. At the same time, you can repurpose content from your website and other platforms to engage your audience.

<RelatedPost slug="why-marketing-personalization-is-so-important-and-how-to-use-it" />

&nbsp;

### Develop PPC plays

As we said before, organic SEO is the cornerstone of a successful digital marketing strategy. There's just one problem: it takes a long time for the results to start pouring in.

Even an absolutely amazing organic SEO strategy can take months or even years to pay off. If you have different marketing strategies and initiatives that require quick results, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can help provide the results you need.

There are many ways to deploy PPC to attract leads, including targeted display ads and SEM ads, but you are likely to see the best results if you focus on retargeting ads in order to bring customers back to your site.

These are customers that showed some interest in you before, but were maybe on the fence about your products and services. If you throw the right deal or special offer to these customers, it may be enough to reignite their interest and bring them back to your site.

Remember, PPC should not be a lead generation strategy in and of itself. Instead, it works best when coupled with other content and [lead generation strategies](https://www.piesync.com/blog/10-best-lead-generation-tools/) – use it to guide customers on their individual buyer's journey, and retargeting customers who need to be guided back to the journey.

&nbsp;

### Optimize your landing pages

On paper, your landing pages are one of the primary ways that you can generate leads. In practice, many businesses need to work on their landing pages in order to optimize lead generation.

For example, you must first optimize landing pages for SEO – otherwise, potential leads may never find your website to begin with.

You also need to streamline the landing page as much as possible, with engaging visuals, punchy and catchy copy, and actionable CTAs. The trick is to stoke the interest of site visitors and answer their questions without overwhelming them.

One of the most essential requirements of a good landing page is that it is mobile-friendly. Consider using responsive design to make sure your site looks great across all devices. 

Finally, you need to make sure the landing page focuses on a primary call to action, such as subscribing to your newsletter, signing up for a demo, downloading content, or starting a free trial. Don't try to do too much at once in one page – keep in mind the optimal conversion path from lead to customer for your business and decide on one CTA.

This is also where some of your tailored content can serve as a powerful incentive for customers. Someone may be hesitant to give you their information, but they are much more likely to do so in exchange for something such as a free ebook or free online course.

<RelatedPost slug="increase-conversion-rates" />

---

## Understanding the customer journey

In order to [make the most out of your marketing strategy](https://www.piesync.com/blog/successful-integrated-marketing/), you must understand your customer journey inside and out. 

What your customer journey will look like is probably unique to your company and depends on a number of factors. That's why [mapping your customer journey](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/customer-journey-map) is essential to understanding what makes your customers tick. When you do, you will be able to tailor unique content to customers who are at different stages in their journey – and that's when inbound marketing works at its best. Here's an example of what a typical customer journey might look like:

1. __Acknowledging a need__. This is when a customer realizes they have a need that they must solve. This need could be as simple as being hungry or as complex as their growing dissatisfaction with a current provider.

2. __Searching for information.__ Once a customer identifies what they need, they will research information on how to satisfy that need. This is typically when they start doing online searches, checking out user reviews, and seeking information via social media.

3. __Evaluating options.__ At this point, a customer has discovered a number of potential solutions to their problem. They aren't yet ready to make a decision, but are learning more about the pros and cons of different potential solutions. At this point, a customer is likely to reach out to companies and get further answers to their questions. If your company can address their concerns in a comprehensive and persuasive way, the customer will feel secure making the purchase.

4. __Deciding to purchase.__ This is when the customer decides you're the best provider for them and chooses to buy from you – yay! It doesn't end here, though – you need to make sure that your customer receives their product quickly, or provide them with a seamless onboarding experience. When and if they have any questions, you need to be on hand to help them out with whatever they need.

5. __Interacting with your company as a customer.__ It's also important to gauge their satisfaction with your company throughout the process, especially after they become customers. Happy customers are loyal customers, and loyal customers can become brand advocates – and nothing helps promote your brand more than raving fans.

<RelatedPost slug="effective-conversion-funnel" />

&nbsp; 

### Content for different stages

All in all, the biggest strength of inbound marketing is in the content you create. But to get the most out of that content, you have to [create an effective marketing funnel](https://www.piesync.com/blog/effective-conversion-funnel/) to target customers at different stages of the buying process with the content they most need at that moment.

For example, content for customers who are still acknowledging a need is primarily informative. It should be designed to help raise customer awareness about problems they may not even know they have.

Customers in the search for information stage, however, will benefit from plenty of information about how your products and services fulfill their needs. Don't be afraid to get really granular: customers in this stage are expecting in-depth information.

What about customers who are evaluating different potential options? You should target these groups with product testimonials, customer reviews, and social proof to help establish the quality of your product in a crowded field of competitors.

For customers who are close to making a purchase, you need to provide transparent information about prices, features, warranty, delivery, onboarding, and so on. Basically, you want content that reassures them and leads to a sale.

Finally, once they become a customer, they need access to content such as videos, infographics, articles about your product, and self-service help docs – as well as easy and continuous access to a capable customer support team. By making sure your strategy covers your entire funnel, you can be sure that you are attracting, engaging and delighting customers every step of the way.

---

By following these steps, you will have an excellent foundation to implement the inbound methodology. Don’t forget to document your results to keep learning and tracking performance along the way.

To make sure your business has quality customer data to inform your marketing plays, [use PieSync to connect your apps](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/marketing/). Create seamless two-way syncs between your CRM, email marketing app, customer support software and other key apps for reliable and up-to-date customer data everywhere.

[Get started with a 14-day free trial of PieSync](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) to sync contact data between all of your apps now.


Inbound marketing can be a powerful methodology to orient your marketing strategy. Here's how inbound marketing can help you attract qualified leads.

How to attract qualified leads with inbound marketing

marketers creating inbound marketing strategy

Freshdesk

Intercom

HubSpot Service Hub

Zoho Desk

![customer support tools](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3Qh2TlD2NdugUX9nNB22mo/7764e86ea7c9d984924510ba10cad6a5/brooke-cagle-609873-unsplash.jpg)

The quality of customer service is an excellent way to gauge the service and overall ethos of any business enterprise. If a business does not value its customers and try to understand what they are looking for, then they are unlikely to be profitable over the long term. 

In today's complex business landscape, excellent customer service isn't a nice-to-have – it's a must-have. Competition is growing in practically every industry, and customers are also getting more demanding and less likely to put up with bad experiences. According to the [US CallMiner Churn Index 2020](https://learning.callminer.com/c/whitepaper-churn-index-2020?x=CFl8z6), nearly 74% of consumers will switch providers after a poor customer experience.

Thankfully, there are ways to really enhance customer service that make the process more streamlined, accessible, quicker, and more affordable. There is a wide variety of customer service automation tools available, and businesses that learn to utilize them well will be the ones that succeed at retaining and delighting customers. Read on for 10 of the best tools to automate customer service workflows to provide the best possible experience for your customers and employees alike.

---

## 1. HubSpot Service Hub

One of the most important pieces of your customer service suite is your helpdesk. When customers are already frustrated with a product that’s not working as they expected it to, they don’t need to deal with further frustration trying to find the help they need. Your helpdesk software needs to be simple, intuitive and powerful enough to handle any situation.

[HubSpot Service Hub](https://www.hubspot.com/products/service) has all the functionality you need to help your customers in no time. A shared inbox, ticket organization, and powerful reporting functionality make this tool your one-stop shop for all your helpdesk needs.

HubSpot Service Hub also features automation that can route messages to the right reps for each customer or type of inquiry. Other features include conversational tools, helpdesk automation, knowledge base functionality, customer feedback surveys, reporting and more. It also connects seamlessly to the HubSpot CRM to give your business one unified view of each customer interaction. 

&nbsp;

## 2. Olark

When your customers need to speak to someone to solve a problem, they need to be able to do it quickly and without hassle. And since no one has the time for calling and staying on hold in our busy modern world, a live chat feature is a must-have for your website. 

[Olark](https://www.olark.com/) is an amazing live chat tool that can connect your customers with the right service representative in moments. You can get access to real-time chat metrics and transcripts to make sure you’re providing the best possible experience to your customers.

<RelatedPost slug="guide-to-customer-support-automation" />

&nbsp;

## 3. Zendesk

[Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/) is an excellent tool to improve the relationship between the company and the customer. Its omnichannel approach makes it easy for customer service reps to keep track of conversations across email, live chat, social media and phone, which also enables your business to have a simple unified view of customers' history with your company.

The Zendesk solution is perfect for businesses of all sizes and is designed to be flexible enough for anything you need it for. It has tons of widgets, apps and integrations. You can also use Zendesk support for enhanced customer insights and advanced analytics from reports and dashboards. 

&nbsp;

## 4. Freshdesk

[Freshdesk](https://freshdesk.com/) is one of the leaders in customer service automation software. It enables support reps to offer real-time support across email, chat, phone and social media. Freshdesk also automates [routine support workflow operations](https://www.piesync.com/blog/guide-to-customer-support-automation/), as well as deferring common customer questions to FAQs, help articles and tutorials.

Freshdesk's reporting and analytics capabilities also allow you to keep tabs on team performance, customer sentiment, and more, enabling you to build custom reports and dashboards. 

Not sure if Zendesk or Freshdesk is the best fit for your business? [Check out our in-depth comparison](https://www.piesync.com/blog/zendesk-vs-freshdesk/) to choose the best tool for you.

<RelatedPost slug="zendesk-vs-freshdesk" />

&nbsp;

## 5. PieSync 

"Where can I find information about this customer?" If this is a common question among your customer service team, it's time to integrate your apps. As a rule of thumb, customer data should be linked back to your CRM – it's the heart of your business operations and should be your go-to tool to find contact information.

By [syncing your customer support tools to your CRM](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/customer-support/) and other relevant tools, you can make sure all of your customer service agents have instant access to correct, up-to-date information about every customer. This can include your live chat, ticketing, helpdesk, email marketing and accounting tools.

[Set up two-way syncs between your key apps using PieSync](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) to ensure that updated customer data flows both ways between your tools. This way, your customer-facing teams are never in the dark when a customer calls – and your business intel is always up to scratch too.

&nbsp;

## 6. Zoho Desk

[Zoho Desk](https://www.zoho.com/desk/) describes itself as “the industry's first context-aware help desk software that helps businesses focus on the customer”. It is different from many of the other customer service platforms with its focus on enhancing customer service agent efficiency and emphasis on context-specific solutions.

It provides a way to investigate bottlenecks and become more efficient over time, as well as providing a self-knowledge base for customers so agents are not as busy. Zoho Desk also offers a built-in call functionality along with the email ticketing system. Customers can also submit their issues on popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, providing an ultra friendly approach to customer service management.

&nbsp;

## 7. HelpJuice

It’s important that you have a skilled customer care team on hand to resolve complex issues when they arise. But many customers would prefer to find the answers they need on their own if possible. Having a knowledge database can put the answers your customers need at their fingertips.

[HelpJuice](https://helpjuice.com/) is a fantastic knowledge base tool that’s easy to customize and navigate. It’s got a gorgeous interface with plenty of styling options to integrate with your website branding. It also has a collaborative workflow option and powerful metrics to make sure you’re on the top of your customer service game every day.

<RelatedPost slug="9-ways-to-improve-customer-care-with-technology" />

&nbsp;

## 8. Nicereply 

One of the pillars of your customer service efforts must be a feedback system. You may think you’re doing great on customer care, but your customers could be experiencing pain points you don’t know about. You have to seek feedback from your customers and actively adjust your customer care strategy based on that information.

[Nicereply](https://www.nicereply.com/) is a powerful tool for seeking customer feedback. You can create surveys to send out to your customers and use their customization options to keep it synchronous with your branding. You can also automate when those surveys go out to make sure you get the information you need at the right time for you to make necessary changes. 

&nbsp;

## 9. Intercom

[Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/) is a cutting edge messaging platform that allows businesses to communicate easily with prospects and existing customers within their app, on their website, through social media or via email. Intercom’s platform lets businesses track and filter customer data. This data includes conversation history, product usage behavior, past purchases, payment details, etc.

Businesses can use all types of attributes to trigger personalized, automated marketing emails and highly targeted in-app messages.

On top of their amazing software, Intercom has a responsive customer support team that will offer tailored help for your team. The combination of their software with their customer support allows you to offer top notch customer service while maintaining an organized system on the back end that would only be a headache anywhere else.

<RelatedPost slug="12-ways-to-improve-customer-experience-with-automation" />

&nbsp;

## 10. Vanilla

An oft-overlooked piece of customer care is facilitating conversations between customers themselves. Your customers are the only ones who know what it’s like to use your product as a part of their daily lives. They might have problems, solutions, and ideas your team couldn’t generate on their own.

Your customers need to be able to chat about questions and ideas they have related to your product or service. Your company needs to facilitate that contact. 

[Vanilla](https://vanillaforums.com/en/) is a customer forum tool that can help you facilitate customer-to-customer interactions. Each user can create a profile, and the platform has tools to weed out bots and trolls. Vanilla even offers some gamification features to encourage your customers to interact through your platform. 

---

Customer support automation doesn't eliminate the need for in-person support, but will rather streamline experiences or attempt to answer a customer's question before resorting to a live representative.

This enables customers to have their questions answered promptly, allows customer service representatives to lighten their workload so that they can focus on solving more complex issues, and helps the company to spend less while offering more.

Find a unique balance between human interaction and automation and you're sure to see your company skyrocket to success.

To have instant access to the most valuable customer data as you introduce more automation, use PieSync to sync your apps two ways and in real time. It's simple to enrich your data everywhere and give service reps a 360-degree view of every customer. [Get started with a 14-day free trial now](https://app.piesync.com/signup/).


Automation tools can be a significant asset to any customer service team looking to improve their workflow process and delight customers. Learn about some of the best automation tools for customer support teams.

10 of the best automation tools for customer service teams

Customer Care

customer support tools

![customer support reps analyzing customer churn](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3VHBcfE4nvpBYYFKgbTkPd/12677551e8ab894d666b50a35d9155ba/arlington-research-nFLmPAf9dVc-unsplash__1_.jpg)

What if the biggest problem with your business was happening right under your nose?

Modern companies spend a lot of time and money attempting to bring in new customers. However, when they don't dedicate the same attention to existing customers, these companies may have a big problem in their hands with **customer churn**.

While a common reaction to rising churn rates might be to acquire new customers, that's not the smartest response to the issue – it's like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound. Instead, smart and customer-centric companies focus on **customer retention and excellent customer experience throughout the journey**.

If you're worried about your churn rates, fear not – here's how to identify it and change your approach to reduce the issue.

---

## What is customer churn?

Customer churn is a metric that assesses how many customers you have lost within a given timeframe. As valuable as it is to know how many new customers you have brought in, it's equally important to understand how many customers you are losing and how many you are retaining.

By tracking the churn rate, you can effectively quantify how good you are at retaining your existing customers. And if you plan to initiate any customer loyalty programs in the near future, tracking the churn rate will help you generate and measure specific KPIs related to customer retention.

&nbsp;

### Why it's important to measure churn

The most basic reason why measuring churn is important is because it represents a tangible financial loss to your company. According to the [US CallMiner Churn Index 2020](https://learn.callminer.com/whitepapers/callminer-churn-index-2020), US businesses lose a staggering $136 billion a year due to avoidable customer churn.

In addition, measuring churn helps you assess how good your business is at keeping your customers and if you're providing them with a good experience. Considering that on average it's [five times more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one](https://www.invespcro.com/blog/customer-acquisition-retention/), investing in customer retention is a number-one rule that every business should follow. Not only does it make financial sense, but a strong customer-centric approach is a primary driver of business growth.

---

## 3 common causes of customer churn – and how to solve them

The reasons behind customer churn are different for each business. Here are some of the most common ones to help you identify where your organization might be having issues.

&nbsp;

### 1. Poor customer service

Sometimes there is a direct cause-and-effect relationship behind your churn rate. For example, if your company hasn't invested enough in customer support, it's not surprising that your customers don't stick around. [According to research by Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/resources/why-companies-should-invest-in-the-customer-experience/), 66% of customers terminate their relationship with a business due to poor customer service. 

In addition, research has found that a whopping [96% of customers](https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2020/07/12/ninety-six-percent-of-customers-will-leave-you-for-bad-customer-service/?sh=5d1796be30f8) will leave a company if they get inadequate support. And considering that switching companies is easier than ever, we can't stress enough that **it's in every business's best interest to invest in customer service** if they don't want to see their customer base flocking to their competitors. 

If your customers need to wait a long time in order to get help, it's hard to reach your customer support team, there aren't a lot of options for customers to contact you (for example, the only way to reach your team is by phone), or if customers need to repeat their issue a dozen times to a dozen different people, your customer service could probably do with an improvement.

#### How to solve it

- Make sure all of your customer support representatives are properly and regularly trained to solve customer issues. 
- Make sure customers can reach you in the most convenient way for them, such as enabling customer support by phone, email and live chat. 
- [Install chatbots and other automations](https://www.piesync.com/blog/12-ways-to-improve-customer-experience-with-automation/) on your website to empower your customers to get immediate help on the most common and simple issues.
- [Sync customer data two ways between your tools](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/customer-support/). This will ensure that everyone in your organization can instantly access a customer's entire history with your company and help them much more quickly.

<RelatedPost slug="12-ways-to-improve-customer-experience-with-automation" />

&nbsp;

### 2. Your value proposition isn't clear

Another common cause of churn is that your customers may not fully understand the value proposition of your company, and it's not clear to them how you can help them. And if they see a competitor that seemingly offers better products or services, they are likely to make a switch.

In addition, it's possible that your product is missing a critical feature that would make all the difference to your customers.

#### How to solve it

- Review the copy on your website to make sure your messaging is crystal clear and addresses how you solve specific problems for your customers.
- Listen to feedback from your customers and communicate with them about updates to your product.
- Publish plenty of educational content about your product to help your customers understand everything about it, such as blog posts, ebooks, videos, and infographics.

&nbsp;

### 3. You're targeting the wrong audience

If you haven't figured out who your ideal customer is and how you can solve their specific pain points, you'll keep attracting bad-fit customers that are unlikely to stay with you in the long run – simply because they're not the ones who need you most. Meanwhile, the customers who _do_ need your product are out there, unaware that you even exist.

Focusing on attracting a huge quantity of customers can also be an issue. If you're throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks, you're wasting a lot of valuable time and resources that could otherwise be spent on strategies that bring a better ROI.

#### How to solve it

- [Create a buyer persona](https://www.hubspot.com/make-my-persona) that embodies everything about your ideal customer, including their background, pain points, goals, and any other information about them that is relevant to your organization.
- Value quality over quantity. Target your marketing efforts at market segments that are most likely to benefit from your product or service.
- Focus is key. Concentrate on generating quality leads to maximize conversion rates and bring in loyal customers that stick with you in the long run.

<RelatedPost slug="guide-to-lead-qualification" />

---

## How to analyze and lower your churn rate

Identifying the root cause of your churn rate is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some strategies that can help you carry out an in-depth analysis of customer churn and get it back on track. It's important to note that not every strategy will work well for every company, so keep your company needs front of mind to figure out what will work best for you.

&nbsp;

### Get in touch with churned customers directly

We pointed out that you need to figure out the cause of churn before you try to solve it. That is why you must analyze your existing customers and customer service to determine more exactly where the problem is.

It may be tempting to simply gather data with things like customer exit surveys. But this may cement the idea that your company doesn't want to directly speak to customers. Instead, try contacting churned customers by phone or email and directly ask them about their experiences.

This is a good idea for two reasons: first, it provides the most direct way to learn what has driven your previous customers away. Second, the very act of reaching out to your customers directly underscores their importance.

The key to getting this strategy right, however, is to **actually listen to what your customers are saying and make changes**. It's also important to communicate the changes you're making to your business and why you're making them – this kind of transparency goes a long way in letting customers know that you're taking their feedback into consideration. If what they're asking for can't be done, such as an additional feature to your product, let them know why and what they can do instead to get around the issue. 

<RelatedPost slug="guide-to-customer-support-automation" />

&nbsp;

### Educate customers

If you're hearing from too many churned customers that they're leaving because they don't understand enough about your product, it's time to start publishing more educational content.

For example, you might already have a brief product demo on your site. But consider adding a frequently asked questions section as well as instructional videos on how to best use the product. Your blog is also an excellent resource to use: make sure to publish regular blog posts about your product, as well as detailed product updates.

Approach everything from a customer-centric perspective: that means asking yourself what might confuse your newest customers. Even if something seems obvious to you, it might not be obvious to the end user. 

It's also crucial to **use clear, simple language**. If you use a lot of jargon, complicated expressions or region-specific metaphors, you might only further alienate customers – no one wants to decipher a handful of jargon and buzzwords when they're looking for a solution to a real problem.

&nbsp;

### Increase customer engagement

At this point, you hear the term "customer engagement" so often that it may feel like nothing but a buzzword. In reality, though, better customer engagement is at the heart of any strategy to reduce churn.

Basic engagement means keeping customers in the loop about your products. This might come in the form of product updates, company news, newsletters, and even upcoming deals.

Customer engagement can also come from [email marketing](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/marketing/). This tried-and-true marketing strategy still works well, and it forms the cornerstone of most company's relationship marketing strategies. Email is likely to be the first touchpoint with new customers, after all, so you want to make sure you do it right.

And one of the best customer engagement strategies comes from social listening. This means monitoring references to your company across different social media platforms. You can selectively respond to these mentions to keep customers engaged and stay on their minds, even as you keep your finger on the pulse of people's sentiment about your company.

<RelatedPost slug="increasing-email-engagement" />

&nbsp;

### Identify churn risk

Some customers are at a higher risk of churning than others. In order to best utilize your resources, you should identify and focus on those who are most at risk and prevent churn before it happens.

You can start by identifying customers that haven't contacted you or purchased anything for a while. You can also identify any customers who have reached out for additional information and were accidentally overlooked.

It's also crucial to keep an eye on customer surveys, bad reviews and negative feedback. Identify customers who have reacted badly to your product or services, reach out to them directly, and respond to their concerns as soon as possible.

Simply reaching out to these customers via phone or email may be enough to bring them back into the fold. Or if they tell you what drove them away, you can take the opportunity to make things right.

Whatever you learn from these at-risk customers, you can use this to improve your marketing and customer service across the board.

&nbsp;

### Keep in touch with your loyal customers

While it's important to identify your at-risk customers and reach out to them, it is just as important to identify your most valuable customers. You also need to know what you're doing right, after all.

These are customers who shop frequently, take advantage of special offers, and generally exhibit a high level of engagement with your company. And it's in your company's best interest to go the extra mile in terms of offering the best service and support for these customers, as well as looking at what they like most about your company. You can use this information to set yourself apart from competitors and increase your value proposition.

&nbsp;

### Keep your customer data in sync between tools

Having accurate, up-to-date customer data in front of you at all times is key to increase your retention rates and put your customers front and center. The more you know them, the better you can serve them!

To ensure your customer care teams always operate with comprehensive and enriched customer data, [use PieSync to sync your data](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/customer-support/) between your customer support, sales and marketing apps, two ways and in real time. 

This enables customers to have their questions answered promptly, allows customer service representatives to lighten their workload so that they can focus on solving more complex issues, and helps the company to spend less while offering more. It's an all-around win, no matter how you look at it.

[Get started with a PieSync free trial](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) to streamline your customer service and optimize your business results.

Customer churn is a silent threat to many organizations, affecting revenue, spending and long-term business plans. Learn how to identify the causes of churn and how to reduce it.

Why you have customer churn - and what to do about it

customer support reps analyzing customer churn

![lead generation graphics and charts on paper](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3eakuj5xRFktvHJ7oVHMgU/3a4fdc640dbbc4b00ea10183cd782f09/william-iven-jrh5lAq-mIs-unsplash.jpg)

Do you ever feel like you have to guess what your prospects are thinking during the sales process? Do you have leads that seem very promising, only to have them drop off with no warning? Are your lead conversion rates consistently low, and is your lead generation ROI not what it needs to be? 

Knowing how to properly qualify a lead can help solve many of these problems and save you lots of time, money and frustration. Read on to learn more about this process and how it can make your company stronger.

---

## What is lead quality? 

Before we dive into the lead qualification process, let’s talk about what lead quality actually is. **Lead quality** is effectively a measure of how close someone is to making a purchase from your company. As a lead moves along your sales funnel, their quality level will change the closer they get to making a purchase.

Another important concept to keep in mind is **lead value**. Lead value is how much money you can expect to get from one specific lead. If you expect a lead to make one or two low-quality purchases from you, they will have a lower value. But if you expect a lead may become a repeat customer, especially one who makes high-dollar purchases, they are a much more valuable lead. 

&nbsp;

## Basics of lead qualification

**Lead qualification** is an organized process by which you can evaluate and predict the quality of your leads. This process is based on [data you collect about different leads](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/lead-sync/), so you aren’t just guessing which leads are likely to turn into customers. You can also disqualify leads that aren’t likely to provide much value, saving you time and resources. 

Lead qualification should be at the heart of all your company’s sales and marketing efforts. You won’t get the ROI you need from your marketing if you’re shooting blind, hoping to reel in the occasional quality lead or repeat customer. Lead qualification structures those efforts, allowing you to make informed marketing decisions and ensuring your resources are spent where they count.

&nbsp;

### The importance of lead qualification

So why should your company spend time and money investing in lead qualification in the first place? Lead qualification is one of the best ways to improve your return on investment in lead generation. It transforms your lead generation efforts from random guessing to a fine-tuned machine for revenue. 

Lead qualification can also help you create a better customer experience, since you’re custom tailoring each lead’s experience to their needs. It reduces the amount of time and resources you spend on leads that won’t generate any revenue. And it unites your marketing and sales teams, providing them with a streamlined process that allows them to collaborate better.

&nbsp;

### Lead qualification vs. lead scoring

In addition to lead qualification, your business may also want to practice **lead scoring**. Lead scoring is a system that allows you to easily express lead quality in quantifiable terms. You give each lead a score that expresses how valuable they are and that will change as they make their way through your sales funnel.

There are two basic types of lead scoring: implicit lead scoring and explicit lead scoring. Implicit lead scoring is based on lead behaviors – how they interact with your site and what they show most interest in. Explicit lead scoring evaluates leads based on demographic information about previous successful customers.

<RelatedPost slug="effective-lead-management-guide" />

&nbsp;

### Why disqualifying leads is okay

At first glance, it may seem like ruling out leads is counterproductive. After all, why should you give up on a potential sale if they’ve shown any sort of interest in the past? But disqualifying leads is actually one of the smartest things you can do for your lead generation ROI.

When it comes to running effective sales and marketing teams, time is of the essence. When your team spends time chasing leads that aren’t going anywhere, you lose money. By disqualifying those leads, you not only prevent that fruitless effort, but you can also dedicate that time to other, more promising leads. The bottom line is that you need to value quality over quantity.

&nbsp;

### Lead qualification levels

There are a few different levels you can refer to when qualifying your leads. The main levels you should be aware of are organization-level, opportunity-level, and stakeholder-level qualification. 

**Organization-level lead qualification** is the most basic tier, looking at whether a lead fits into your target customer profile. You might check if they’re in a location and industry you can sell to and whether they match your target profile.

**Opportunity-level lead qualification** assesses the quality of the leads that have passed the organization-level check. You may start to look at how you can solve problems for this lead and how much they'll benefit from doing business with you.

**Stakeholder-level lead qualification** makes sure the lead you’re pursuing has the power to make buying decisions for their organization. This is especially important for B2B companies that need to make sure they’re working with the right contact in their lead organizations. 

<RelatedPost slug="10-best-lead-generation-tools" />

&nbsp;

### Qualification frameworks

There are a few different frameworks your company can use to qualify leads. One of the most popular frameworks is the [BANT framework](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/bant).

BANT stands for **budget, authority, need and timeline**. It asks if the lead can afford your products or services, if they have the authority to make purchasing decisions, if they need your products or services, and how soon they’re likely to make a purchase. 

Another popular framework is the [MEDDIC framework](https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/close-more-deals-with-meddic-sales-process#:~:text=MEDDIC%20is%20an%20acronym%20that,customer%20into%20your%20sales%20funnel.), which looks at **metrics, economic buyer, decision criteria, decision process, identify pain, and champion** to perfect your lead qualification efforts.

&nbsp;

## MQL vs. SQL

When you start getting into lead qualification, you’ll need to look at **marketing qualified leads (MQLs)** and **sales qualified leads (SQLs)**. 

MQLs are near the top of your sales funnel and include leads who have just discovered and begun to interact with your company. They are eager to learn more about your company and are prime candidates for marketing campaigns.

SQLs are near the bottom of your sales funnel. They are almost ready to make a purchase and just need a little extra care and encouragement to make them feel comfortable committing to a purchase. Your sales team will need to handle these final negotiations to make sure your lead knows about a specific need your company can address and to establish a timeline for finalizing a sale. 

&nbsp;

### How to turn leads into MQLs and SQLs

#### Create compelling content

One of the best ways you can turn leads into MQLs is by creating compelling content. Your initial lead generation strategy will need to involve eye-catching graphics, good hooks, and content designed to garner interest. Once you have leads’ attention, you need to make sure your content continues to draw them in, providing them value and building trust in your company.

Focus on your marketing content – social media posts, blog posts, email campaigns, and website content. Make sure it’s aligned with your target customer base, providing the information they need and offering them real value. Avoid cheap filler content, overused marketing buzzwords, and a content campaign that pushes too hard on sales first, customers later. 

<RelatedPost slug="marketing-automation-for-lead-gen" />

&nbsp;

#### Provide incentives 

One of the best ways to keep customers moving through your funnel and into MQL territory is to provide them incentives to do so. What could be better than getting rewarded for learning more about a company and how they can solve your problems? Your leads should always feel like they’re winning by moving further into your sales funnel.

Hone in on your target customers’ pain points and use those as a starting point for your incentives. Place opt-in offers on all your site pages that will make customers feel like they’re getting more value for their money by acting now or taking the next step. Even offering a discount in exchange for an email address can give you an important tool for keeping leads moving through your funnel.

&nbsp; 

#### Use lead magnets 

One of the best ways you can convert an MQL into an SQL more consistently is to use lead magnets. Lead magnets are small incentives that persuade a lead to give you contact information in exchange for some benefit to them. Once you have their direct contact information, you have a direct path to nurture those leads.

One of the most popular lead magnets is a discount on a purchase in exchange for an email address. You can also offer access to premium content or even a free ebook if they sign up for an account or your newsletter. You might also consider using free consultations or demos in exchange for contact information.

&nbsp;

#### Nurture leads 

Once you have leads, it’s time to make sure you nurture each of them and meet their specific needs. This is where the lead qualification frameworks we discussed come in handy. You want to make sure your marketing and sales teams are prioritizing the most potentially profitable leads.

For instance, you could set up automated systems that will reach out to leads if they abandon a shopping cart mid-purchase or visit a service information page without asking for a consultation. Consider pain points and make efforts to proactively address them in your content marketing. And continue to follow up with all your valuable leads: [out of sight, out of mind](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140805131710.htm) is a real concern, and you never want to be far out of your leads’ minds.

<RelatedPost slug="effective-lead-nurturing-campaigns" />

&nbsp;

#### Learn from successes

One of the best tools you have when it comes to converting leads to MQLs to SQLs is your history of previous successes. You’ve already set up processes that have worked, so why not learn from them? You should evaluate your previous successful sales and look for common elements among those processes.

Did your leads move to the MQL phase when you sent them a personalized email or offered them a free consultation? Did they move to the SQL stage when you followed up on an abandoned shopping cart or reached out to them to address their pain points? And what seemed to be the deciding factor for your previous customers that converted them from leads to sales? 

&nbsp;

#### Look for drop-offs 

No matter how good your lead qualification process is, you’re still never going to achieve a 100 percent lead conversion rate. And that’s okay, lead drop-offs are to be expected and can be powerful learning experiences for your company. One of the best ways to refine your sales funnel is to take a look at your lead drop-offs.

When you lose a lead, take a look at what step in the process they dropped out on. If you see trends developing, you’ll know that something about that step isn’t working for you. Your team can look back at correspondence with those leads and figure out what needs to change to make your process better.

&nbsp;

#### Perfect your approach

Your sales funnel should be constantly evolving. Your customers’ needs and your approaches are going to change over time and as your company grows. Your company needs to be agile enough to change your approach to lead generation, qualification and nurturing as needed. 

Schedule regular evaluations with your marketing and sales teams to review your sales funnel and lead qualification approaches. Take a hard look at where you’re succeeding and where you’re failing and how you can change your process to make it better. Being willing to evaluate where you are and what isn’t working will help you create an optimal system for your company. 

---

Knowing how to qualify a lead can help make your sales and marketing teams more efficient and save you time and money. Make sure you’re creating compelling content to move leads through your sales funnel and optimize conversion rates. Then, make sure you’re learning from your successes and failures to create a better lead management approach and improve your lead qualification.  

[Keeping your leads in sync](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/lead-sync/) between your apps is an essential part of any lead management strategy. For the best results, [use PieSync to keep your leads in sync](https://www.piesync.com/why/) two ways across all platforms. The best part is that when you sync your apps, **you enrich your lead data everywhere**. [Sign up today](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) and start saving hours on manual data entry with no coding required.

Not sure how to properly qualify a lead? Follow this guide to learn the ins and outs of how to qualify a lead and boost your conversion rate.

How to qualify a lead: a beginner's guide

lead generation graphics and charts on paper

![big data collection and management](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1ffbRACWpKM7KC1lnc8l9c/4019c279725fa63e1a0d32485c69f550/chris-liverani-dBI_My696Rk-unsplash.jpg)

Most entrepreneurs are familiar with the term 'big data.' After all, [data is the lifeblood of any effective business strategy](https://blog.hubspot.com/website/data-integrity). While this might sound straightforward, there are plenty of [big data challenges](https://blog.hubspot.com/website/big-data-challenges) that many business owners are not aware of.

To start at the beginning of every data strategy, how is big data collected? And once you have it, what can you use it for and how can you manage it?

Let's take a look at everything you need to know to leverage big data for your business, from collection to management. 

---

## What is big data?

As the name suggests, the term **big data** refers to a large volume of information that can be collected, analyzed, shared, created, and much more. It can include any kind of information we create digitally, such as emails, texts, documents, videos, photos...

This term also has a layered definition that is known as the '3 V's':

1. Velocity
2. Volume
3. Variety

The term **velocity** refers to the speed at which data is acquired. For example, real-time, automated data reports may be able to provide a company with customer information as soon as a specific goal is reached.

**Volume** is the overall amount of information and also includes the sources from which you obtain it. This typically includes things like social media, email, transactions, etc.

Lastly, **variety** is a term that refers to the different types of data that you collect. Big data could include all types of data, such as audio, video footage, digital images, and financial records. 

<RelatedPost slug="big-data-for-small-businesses" />

&nbsp;

## Big data benefits to businesses

Big data might sound daunting, but the [difficulties associated with it](https://www.piesync.com/blog/top-5-problems-with-big-data-and-how-to-solve-them/) are well worth the trouble. Big data can offer a large number of benefits to businesses of all sizes.

As such, entrepreneurs need to make sure they prioritize collecting and managing it properly so they can make the most of what big data has to offer. Here are a few key areas where big data can make a difference.

&nbsp;

### 1. Optimizing sales performance 

One of the most useful benefits of big data is the possibility to [optimize sales performance](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/crm/). By collecting and analyzing sales data, you'll be able to determine the weakest areas of your business and then make the appropriate changes.

Additionally, you can take a look at your customers' past browsing or purchasing behavior and use this data to make offers that they are likely to be interested in. Information from consumer feedback surveys can also be used to determine what areas of the customer experience need improvement.

While the type of information that you collect will depend on the size of your business and your industry, you can always use this information to increase your overall number of sales.

&nbsp;

### 2. Mitigating risk

Proper risk management is essential to the long-term health and success of the business. This is particularly true for smaller companies that can't afford to make a misstep without incurring financial difficulty.

When reviewing your company's financial data, you'll gain direct insight into areas of your business practices that are particularly volatile. For instance, a particular marketing strategy may provide a significant return on investment during a single month while providing nearly nothing the next month.

You can use this data to fine-tune your strategy until it performs consistently. You'll also learn from past mistakes to avoid repeating them in the future – otherwise, you run the risk of dealing with consequences on a much larger scale as your business grows. 

&nbsp;

### 3. Streamlining your budget

You can also identify areas where your business is spending more than it should to optimize your spending.

It's not uncommon for businesses to unnecessarily spend thousands of dollars that they could reallocate toward other areas of the business. This is commonly seen with expenses involving subscription-based services, as recurring monthly payments often get buried underneath all the invoices and costs of running a business. 

Big data can also help you identify expensive processes and workflows and give you valuable insights into how to optimize them.

<RelatedPost slug="top-5-problems-with-big-data-and-how-to-solve-them" />

---

## How to collect big data

Many entrepreneurs might get lost when developing a data strategy due to the sheer amount of decisions they need to make. It's important to do this carefully and thoughtfully to [create a practical, safe and scalable strategy to manage big data](https://blog.hubspot.com/website/data-management), from collection to usage.

Once you have a solid data strategy, you can think about how to start collecting data. There's a good chance that you're already doing it: if your business is run entirely or partially online, you likely already have some tools that collect and analyze data. 

Think of your email marketing tool that stores customers' and leads' email addresses and other personal information, as well as other information like open rates, click-through rates, and more. Or your CRM, which contains a wealth of information about your customers in every stage of their journey.

Here are some more examples of how you can collect big data.

&nbsp;

### 1. Social media

How your audience interacts with you on social media can give you a significant amount of crucial data. You'll be able to determine what type of content they are most interested in, how they interact with various aspects of your page, and more.

Over time, you'll develop a stronger understanding of the type of content that your followers want to see and then leverage this opportunity to direct them to your company's website. In addition, by analyzing trends, audience behavior and customer interactions on social media, you will have plenty of quality data to inform your overall sales and marketing strategies.

&nbsp;

### 2. Website analytics

With tools like [Google Analytics](https://analytics.google.com/) or [Google Data Studio](https://datastudio.google.com/), you can analyze a wealth of information about your website to figure out what is working and what isn't on one of your company's top assets.

You will gain insights into the demographic profile of visitors, website traffic, keywords, landing page performance, conversions, and any other online data that is relevant for your business. 

For example, you can find out how many people navigate away from your store's online cart, how long they stay on each page of your website, and how they get there in the first place.

You'll even be able to gain insight into what search terms they were looking for when they found you on search engines, allowing you to target them more effectively in the future and orienting SEO and PPC campaigns, for instance.

<RelatedPost slug="best-practices-for-reliable-analytics-and-reporting" />

&nbsp;

### 3. Purchase behavior

Although this metric is often explored while reviewing your website's analytics, it's worth giving your customers' purchase behavior extra attention. After all, understanding why someone decided to spend money on you is key to facilitating a higher number of future sales.

For example, you could analyze the purchase behavior of specific segments of customers. After determining what type of products they're interested in, you can then provide them with personalized offers related to their past purchases. This could also help you predict the interests of future customers who belong to the same segments and show similar behavior.

Additionally, users who tend to abandon their carts during their online purchase process often do so in order to deliberate on the price they're paying for the goods. From here, you can provide a discount on these items in order to encourage the completion of the purchase, or send them an email to remind them to purchase the products on their cart.

&nbsp;

### 4. Customer satisfaction

If you want to offer stellar customer service and keep an eye on how happy your customers are with your company, it's crucial to measure customer satisfaction. You can do this with customer surveys that measure NPS (Net Promoter Score) and CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score), for example. 

This is useful to predict and prevent customer churn, as well as optimizing your products, sales strategies and customer service team. It also gives your customers an easy opportunity to let you know how they feel about your products or services, which helps them feel heard and cared for.
<RelatedPost slug="12-ways-to-improve-customer-experience-with-automation" />

---

## Data management best practices 

It's essential to understand that every company has a responsibility in how they collect and manage data. It's highly unethical – and, in some cases, illegal – to collect customer data without your audience's explicit consent.

Be aware of all data protection regulations that may apply to your business, such as GDPR or CCPA, and ensure that you are complying with the law every step of the way.

Ensuring data security is also key: that means making sure that all the data you collect and store is safe and secure from unauthorized access and bad actors.

Providing transparency into your company's privacy policy and requesting explicit consent to collect, store and handle their data is absolutely critical, as well as giving customers the option to deny your access to their data. This also goes a long way in establishing trust with your customers. 

But it's not enough to convey that their data is in good hands – you need to make sure that it stays that way.

This means constantly updating your data security methods, auditing your data management tools and processes, providing adequate training to your staff that manages data, and taking any applicable measures to ensure that your data is continuously up-to-date and secure.

---

Collecting, managing and utilizing big data is a constant and important job. But when you have **accurate, integrated and up-to-date customer data**, you make everything else easier and more impactful for your organization. The better you understand big data and its uses, the more effectively you'll be able to steer your business in the right direction.

To have the highest quality data in every app and enable your departments to collaborate, [use PieSync for a two-way contact data sync between your apps](https://www.piesync.com/why/). From your CRM to your email marketing software and support platform, bring your apps together to enable a data-driven and nimble organization.

cta-10-more-reliable-data-everywhere

10 (FULL) - Data & analytics - more-reliable-data-everywhere

cta-half-10-more-reliable-data-everywhere

10 (HALF) - Data & analytics - more-reliable-data-everywhere

Big data is a powerful tool to grow any business. Learn how it's collected, how you can manage your data properly, and how to leverage the full power of big data in your business.

Big data: how is it collected and how can you manage it?

Data & Analytics

big data collection and management

Big data: how to collect and manage it

![best content marketing tools](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7hBKsGOmQwprt8g5uuZGYY/3939ca95d80562549bef660b94784867/nick-morrison-FHnnjk1Yj7Y-unsplash__1_.jpg)

You've probably heard it before: content is king. That means that companies are increasingly reliant on a solid [content marketing strategy](https://www.piesync.com/blog/successful-integrated-marketing/) to propel their business forward – and this strategy is often based online.

It can be hard for a small business to find its footing in the world of content marketing at first, with so much choice and competition for audiences on the internet. That's why deploying the right tools to execute your content marketing strategy is a must. Here's our top pick of the most useful tools to boost your content marketing, from free online stock libraries to powerful all-round content management software.

---

## 1. SimilarWeb

![similarweb homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5EaTx589IxlG0Wr6pjNywK/8795de023634ff5b187239afccb255c7/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_10.42.12.png)

&nbsp;

With [almost 2 billion websites on the internet](https://www.internetlivestats.com/total-number-of-websites/), it's no surprise that the web is a heavily competitive landscape. It's hard to think about how to get your audience's attention when there are literally millions of other people out there trying to do the same.

But knowing about your competitors can help you strategize your content marketing plan. [SimilarWeb](https://www.similarweb.com/) can help you get analytics and activity about your competitors' sites, offering information from their monthly website traffic to their best SEO keywords. You can even find referral pages and websites that help your competitor gain traffic.

SimilarWeb also offers a side-by-side comparison of your website and your competitor's. You can get started with a free trial, but to access their full range of features you would need to talk to one of their representatives to get a custom quote for your company.

&nbsp;

## 2. MixKit

![mixkit homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2U8fVcbNPPRA3MCINoYB5k/efcabff7c2e2c2a48afc1fd75e706eaa/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_10.44.08.png)

&nbsp;

A lot of businesses underrate the value of video content. It's a versatile format that allows you to connect with users across several mediums, such as your website, emails, ads and social media. Videos are entertaining and easy to digest, making them a great tool for content marketing. In fact, it is estimated that [people will spend around 100 minutes a day](https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-platforms/video-marketing/video-marketing-statistics-to-know/#:~:text=In%202020%2C%2092%25%20of%20marketers,of%20video%20is%20only%20growing.&text=Well%2C%20according%20to%2088%25%20of,provides%20them%20with%20positive%20ROI.) watching videos in 2021.

And while many small businesses understandably don't want to spend a lot of time and money producing videos, that doesn't mean video marketing is out of their reach. One website that can help you produce high quality videos is **MixKit**. 

[MixKit](https://mixkit.co/) is a library of HD stock videos, stock music, sound effects and video templates, offering a wide variety of topics and themes. If you don't want to hire a videographer or buy a camera, MixKit is a great alternative to make videos quickly and easily – and put videos at the center of your content strategy.

&nbsp;

## 3. Question DB

![questiondb homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/ltQSx9joUiVKr2vW7n7Lz/6da4de768c23839a9bfb3141b316fd89/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_10.50.29.png)

&nbsp;

Having a blog is one of the best ways to connect with your audience while at the same time introducing them to your product. It's a great medium to give them helpful tips, talk about their interests, share product updates, and highlight features that can solve their pain points.

Written content can also help get more attention to your website and product by increasing your online exposure, but it can be hard to find topics and create a consistent blogging schedule for your website.

[Question DB](https://questiondb.io/) is a great tool that helps you find dozens of blog posts ideas. All you have to do is enter a topic on Question DB and they will run it through their system. The online tool will then retrieve questions that people have asked regarding a topic. You can also sort these results based on frequency or popularity.

<RelatedPost slug="content-brainstorming-for-marketing-teams" />

&nbsp;

## 4. HubSpot

![hubspot homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4HWffk7KDlUKCcpNpfMp7w/1d481a1bdaf4276cb1c0d4b6aaf79009/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_10.52.33.png)

&nbsp;

[HubSpot](https://www.hubspot.com/) is a great all-round tool for companies of all sizes. With a powerful and user-friendly CRM and Hubs made for the specific needs of each of your teams, HubSpot's extensive feature set and ease of use make it a favorite among more than 90,000 users.

For your overall marketing strategy, [HubSpot's Marketing Hub](https://www.hubspot.com/products/marketing) helps you organize your efforts on blogging, social media, ads, landing pages and more, aiming to help you attract a wider audience and maximize your conversion rates.

In addition, [HubSpot's CMS Hub](https://www.hubspot.com/products/cms) helps you manage your website content. It's built with both web developers and marketers in mind to streamline the creation, maintenance and optimization of your website.

&nbsp;

## 5. Trello

![trello homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7DDa6V5eLUDtFWTMzhRvH2/07856e4608dd4c31a95c9f1bb54104cb/trello_homepage.png)

&nbsp;

[Trello](https://trello.com/en) is a popular online tool that helps businesses organize and manage projects with ease and transparency, as well as increasing collaboration between team members. 

You can get set up with a standard Trello board in minutes, organizing your tasks in different lists and adding due dates, assigned people and labels.

With Trello’s Power-up feature, you can easily integrate your business’s other tools with your board for a bigger productivity boost, including Google Drive, Slack and Dropbox.

You can also use Trello’s virtual assistant Butler to trigger automatic actions on your cards, such as assigning the right colleague for a task or adding comments and labels based on rules.

<RelatedPost slug="best-sales-and-marketing-tech-stacks" />

&nbsp;

## 6. Google Analytics

![google analytics homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5HF0kJEeojZzDIfit27L4P/ecedbff63e4114ec2d4b7ac35682bc48/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_11.17.37.png)

&nbsp;

You've created a great content strategy, launched a great website and are blogging regularly. But how do you know if it's really working?

If you want to keep track of data such as conversion rates, website visitors, clicks and SEO performance of your website – and you absolutely should – getting an analytics tool such as [Google Analytics](https://analytics.google.com/analytics/web/) is essential to track your website's growth.

Google Analytics provides valuable data about how visitors are interacting with your website, such as traffic, session duration, bounce rate, conversions, and more. By keeping an eye on your data, you'll be on the right track to adjust and pivot your content marketing strategy to make sure it works.

<RelatedPost slug="automate-business-reporting" />

&nbsp;

## 7. PathFactory

![pathfactory homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1EO74omwLFmUzYmjUU4LfW/7f81002586d20d30eeca1205d9422596/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_11.24.42.png)

&nbsp;

If your business focuses on [B2B marketing](https://www.piesync.com/blog/marketing-for-b2b-vs-b2c-how-to-adjust-your-strategy-for-both/), **PathFactory** can be a great addition to your tech stack. [PathFactory](https://www.pathfactory.com/) uses AI to give content insight, helping businesses deliver unique and tailored content for their customers.

Some of its most useful features include personalizing content for each customer, as well as helping managers identify which channels and content have the best performance.

&nbsp;

## 8. Canva

![canva](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/59K6if23SbaG2mjW5nIQmW/801ceed4be43d7a97bbc5bd018ea94f2/canva.png)

&nbsp;

You don't need a dedicated graphic design team to create compelling visual assets. With a tool like [Canva](https://www.canva.com/), anyone can make beautiful creatives ranging from social media posts to infographics, brochures and even videos.

Canva offers hundreds of templates to help you create customized images that fit your company's brand and image perfectly in minutes. You can add shapes, animated videos, stock photos, backgrounds, text, and more with a simple drag-and-drop interface.

Canva is especially useful if your time and budget for graphic design is limited, but it's also beloved by professional designers worldwide due to its ease of use and huge library of assets.

&nbsp;

## 9. Grammarly

![grammarly chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4GTr3jCEa4qrqsSaGzhp3b/8d3cfd6fdeffc3270e7f315e894f0af4/grammarly_app.jpg)

&nbsp;

Written content is probably a huge part of your marketing strategy, so it's essential to make sure it's correct and well-written  – after all, bad grammar can reflect badly on your brand.

[Grammarly](https://www.grammarly.com/) is a great tool for content writers to check their grammar, spelling, vocabulary, punctuation mistakes and more. It not only helps with the writing process, but cuts down on manual editing and proofreading time too.

With the free Chrome extension, the tool can proofread anything you write from blog articles to social media posts and emails. If you want to take it a step further, Grammarly also offers a paid version of the product that performs advanced writing checks, including a plagiarism checker and analyzing a document's readability.

&nbsp;

## 10. Buffer

![buffer homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3LIC8jixTOLb90Tpm23imY/3f93e15769a026c5592d1b52122f50db/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_11.30.14.png)

&nbsp;

Social media is essential to your content marketing strategy. It can help you build a connection with your audience, establish your brand and give you an extra channel to promote your content.

However, managing social media can take up a lot of valuable time. That's where [Buffer](https://buffer.com/) comes in: this social media scheduling tool automates the posting process in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can create time slots to post on each platform every day and create a queue that allows you to schedule posts for months in advance.

You can also create campaigns across all platforms and follow their performance, as well as check important data from individual posts, such as click-through rates, views and reach. Keeping an eye on this data will help you fine-tune your social media strategy so that it has the widest possible reach.

&nbsp;

## 11. Mailchimp

![mailchimp homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4ZO6gRlkLlUscAv7j8QG3J/b8305ef547eb3002c69e35a0315dd40f/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_11.30.57.png)

&nbsp;

Email marketing is one of the best ways to reach out to your audience directly and make sure they're engaging with your content via newsletters, blog digests and personalized content recommendations. That's why it's so important to make sure your email marketing efforts are aligned with your content strategy.

As the gold standard for email marketing software, [Mailchimp](https://mailchimp.com/) is a user-friendly and powerful tool to help you maximize the power of your email marketing campaigns. Mailchimp has recently expanded its functionalities to become an all-in-one marketing tool, with features such as drag-and-drop email templates, a huge integration library, and extensive analytics and reporting capabilities, giving you great insight into how your audience is engaging with your content via email.

&nbsp;

## 12. Sendinblue

![sendinblue homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3nM7XK3SLjQEiT5wPlItVr/a8571a309ea1add2f0f294332b03a1f0/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_11.37.56.png)

&nbsp;

[Sendinblue](https://www.sendinblue.com/) is another great tool for email campaigns. It helps you create personalized newsletters and emails using a drag-and-drop system. With this interface, you can create beautiful templates even without any coding experience.

Sendinblue's standout features include customizable dashboards, easy list management and segmentation, automation workflows, and multilingual customer support.

Not sure if Mailchimp or Sendinblue is the best fit for your business? [Here's our in-depth comparison of both](https://www.piesync.com/blog/sendinblue-vs-mailchimp/) to help you choose the best email marketing software for you.

<RelatedPost slug="sendinblue-vs-mailchimp" />

&nbsp;

## 13. Ahrefs

![ahrefs homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6qMmzupedDF26WFWOnN3XS/b0c4c849b1b3a34d37c4d585813b67a3/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_11.38.54.png)

&nbsp;

Another great way to make sure your content is reaching as many people as possible is by beefing up your SEO efforts. One of the handiest – and most widely used tools – for this is [Ahrefs](https://ahrefs.com/).

Ahrefs is a great online tool for backlink analysis, link building and keyword research. It also offers other features such as a site audit to optimize your website, competitor analysis and a rank tracker to rank your website's ranking progress on search engines.

&nbsp;

## 14. SEMrush

![semrush homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/64iBDghpIihWch2mmi5xz4/f253bdc709387a3a8523f6ae309c32ff/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_11.39.39.png)

&nbsp;

[SEMrush](https://www.semrush.com/) is another option for a great SEO tool to optimize your content's online exposure. This  all-in-one SEO tool helps you track content ranking and keywords, as well as offering other services like checking backlinks and analyzing competing websites.

SEMrush also offers features to improve your PPC efforts, social media, and even content creation. It can help you monitor competitors' ad copies and landing pages, find keywords for PPC campaigns, create and manage social media ads, manage social media campaigns, manage your editorial plan for your web content, and much more.

&nbsp;

## 15. Clearscope

![clearscope homepage](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1Qn3DAXblUQJP6aF7yhHF0/b61c0e98edbf141f1cb9dc8000dc0c96/Screenshot_2020-11-27_at_10.31.10.png)

&nbsp;

At the root of every great content strategy there's a common denominator: the content itself needs to be good. For content optimization, you may consider implementing a tool like
[Clearscope](https://www.clearscope.io/). 

Clearscope helps marketers understand how to create content that is highly relevant to their audiences, combining advanced SEO practices with readability and content relevance to produce great content that still ranks well on search engines.

---

With a selection of the most relevant tools for your business, your content marketing strategy will be in the best position to flourish and bring in the best results. But the best marketing tech stacks are not only made up of great software, but they're also [integrated in real time](https://www.piesync.com/solutions/marketing/).

With PieSync, you can connect all of your marketing tools two ways and in real time, making sure that your customer data is flowing seamlessly between your apps and helping you create personalized and engaging content that speaks to your audience. [Get started with a 14-day free trial](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) to leverage your customer data for top marketing results.

You've probably heard it before: content is king. Learn about 15 tools to help you improve your content marketing strategy.

15 tools to boost your content marketing

best content marketing tools

![girl-phone-glasses](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/24QGmnefRuuCGuMSyuyscq/fb5415ba2664f7293b8e826c361be32d/girl-phone-glasses.png)

With its minimal no-nonsense design coupled with powerful technology, Google Chrome has made surfing the web easier and safer. And adding to its functionality, as of 2019, there were almost [200,000 extensions available](https://www.zdnet.com/article/half-of-all-google-chrome-extensions-have-fewer-than-16-installs/) on the Chrome Web Store. Their functions may differ, but they all aim for one thing: to improve your browser experience.

With so much choice available, how can you find the extensions that will make the most difference for your small business? Read on for 10 of the most useful Chrome extensions to help you improve your productivity and efficiency.

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## 1. StayFocusd

![stayfocusd chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1fotFvdlnZgYYKU6hruAPW/0bb9b2272e42dbdc5b122acb8175c64f/stayfocusd.jpg)

Finding it hard to stay focused? Too many distractions on the internet? We can’t blame you. Social media platforms, e-magazines, news sites, web games, and more are only a few clicks away when you’re online. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of distractions, but with [StayFocusd](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/stayfocusd/laankejkbhbdhmipfmgcngdelahlfoji?hl=en), you can set a limit on procrastination.

This extension allows you to allot time for browsing, and once the time is up, StayFocusd will block all the time-wasting websites, which will be inaccessible until the end of the day.

You can configure the extension’s settings to choose which sites to block once the clock runs out and which to allow. You can block entire sites or specific pages, subdomains and paths. You can even include on-page content like images, videos, and games.

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## 2. News Feed Eradicator

![news feed eradicator chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7IIKYL2lZIenrTD8kHY9xX/1ab93cce10da9b547af81652d0627f47/news_feed.jpg)

Facebook has become a necessary tool for entrepreneurs and businesses. With over [2.5 billion monthly active users](https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/29/facebook-earnings-q4-2019/#:~:text=Facebook%20beat%20Wall%20Street%20estimates,grew%202%25.%20Facebook%20brought%20in), Facebook makes it easy for businesses to find and connect with their audience.

However, it also makes for a big distraction. It’s all too easy to log in to the platform to do something work-related, but end up getting lost in the feed, watching videos and reading posts. That's what the [News Feed Eradicator](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/news-feed-eradicator-for/fjcldmjmjhkklehbacihaiopjklihlgg?hl=en) extension in Google Chrome can help with.

It does what its name promises to do – eradicates your newsfeed. When you go into this section, you’ll see an inspirational quote replacing all the posts. No more scrolling for hours – when you go into Facebook for work, you'll actually do what you came to do. 

That’s about the only thing it does, so you can still explore the other functions of Facebook. You can still chat with customers, publish posts, or go to the Marketplace.  A recent update to this extension also brings it to Twitter. 

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## 3. Google Calendar

![google calendar chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7t4Zv0sd0AqQs3URkRYu1v/2ce4ec535e89085048a5e254a4cdda8d/google_calendar.jpg)

Google Calendar is a handy tool that helps you organize your workday and arrange meetings with colleagues that fits everyone's schedule. It’s as simple as opening a new tab on your web browser and you can check all upcoming meetings, events, webinars, and allotted time slots for projects. 

However, for those who don't like the idea of having to open a new tab every time they want to check their schedule, they can download the [Google Calendar](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-calendar/gmbgaklkmjakoegficnlkhebmhkjfich) extension for Chrome.

It adds a calendar icon on your browser toolbar. When you click it, you can see all your upcoming events without leaving the website you’re on. If the event has any attachments, links or notes, you can also access it with one click.

Make sure you’re logged in to Chrome and Google Calendar with the same account, though – that way, the calendars associated with your account will show in the web extension. 

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## 4. Buffer

![buffer chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4Kex1Snh5OXxFS2rjYc5XV/dee6253b72e628397ef1f41bbd86f0bc/buffer.jpg)

Social media is one of the best ways to engage with your audience today. However, coming up with a good social media strategy can take up a lot of your time, especially for small businesses that operate with small marketing teams.

[Buffer](https://buffer.com/) is a good tool to help solve this issue, automating the posting process on the main social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can create time slots to post on each platform every day and create a queue that allows you to schedule posts for months in advance.

The [Buffer Chrome extension](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/buffer/noojglkidnpfjbincgijbaiedldjfbhh?hl=en) allows you to save even more time: it sits right on your browser toolbar, and whenever you come across something that you want to share with your followers, all you need to do is click on the extension button.

This allows you to create a new post without leaving the website you're on. The content will go into the queue that you've created on Buffer, taking up the next available time slot. 
The extension also allows you to publish it on social media right away, as well as scheduling it for a specific time.

<RelatedPost slug="10-time-saving-tools-for-small-businesses" />

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## 5. Pablo

![pablo chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1vJEmt0O30PR2gDPpBGqJ6/98dbdf8aa89090eac062e16a3f0c0412/pablo.jpg)

[Pablo](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pablo/gfpibnlcombjoeejlongmihndgkpnjjo) is another extension from the makers of Buffer. While Buffer allows you to share or schedule content you find on a website, Pablo lets you create custom images to post on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. You can edit existing pictures and create beautiful new images with custom typography, font sizes and formatting options, with the right dimensions and format for each social platform.

You can also create social media posts based on text from any website. For example, say you saw a quote or text in an article that you'd like to post on social media. In that case, you only need to highlight the text and then click the Pablo icon.

This takes you to the Pablo dashboard on a new window, where you can then create a picture with that quote with a background image, different fonts, and even your company logo.

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## 6. OneTab

![onetab chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6VSMTAijlU7fEH3GjF68GJ/95d93e252ce08e20b91f725dcc0529f4/onetab_app.jpg)

If you're the kind of person who always has dozens of tabs open on your browser, [OneTab](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/onetab/chphlpgkkbolifaimnlloiipkdnihall?hl=en) can make all the difference during your workday. This extension collapses all of your open tabs into one concise page, helping you reduce much of the clutter on your browser and improve the performance of your computer.

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## 7. LastPass

![lastpass chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4wvg0l8NDcJX8yKxBSzR8D/b42067170ff99a7d59e2422b302d0c76/lastpass.jpg)

We all know it's crucial to be careful with passwords, especially in a business. However, your company also needs to share login details for several tools among countless team members, so if you don't have a secure way of sharing this information, your business is exposed to an unnecessary risk.

[LastPass](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lastpass-free-password-ma/hdokiejnpimakedhajhdlcegeplioahd?hl=en) seeks to solve this issue. It can generate complex passwords for each of your business tools, store them in a secure environment, and allow you to share them easily and safely with your teammates.

That means you no longer have to remember dozens of different passwords – just the master password for LastPass, which will be unique for each user from your organization.

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## 8. CrankWheel

![crankwheel chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/01mWnVT90Tq6m3QzomUys8/c34396aa3d45b50a4793111c257bc8e5/crankwheel.jpg)

Another thing you often need to share with your team without too much fuss is your screen. With the [meteoric rise of remote work in 2020 and beyond](https://www.piesync.com/blog/28-stats-about-remote-work/), screen sharing is essential for remote communications, be it with team members or customers.

The [CrankWheel](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/crankwheel-screen-sharing/dooinopjfnhlmmdkdepajfipfhlcmjgp?hl=en) extension allows you to share your screen quickly and easily with anyone. You only need to download it to start sharing your screen immediately with anyone, without them needing to download anything. You can even give them remote control of the screen temporarily.

<RelatedPost slug="11-of-the-best-productivity-tools-for-small-businesses" />

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## 9. Grammarly

![grammarly chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4GTr3jCEa4qrqsSaGzhp3b/8d3cfd6fdeffc3270e7f315e894f0af4/grammarly_app.jpg)

[Grammarly](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/grammarly-for-chrome/kbfnbcaeplbcioakkpcpgfkobkghlhen?hl=en) is a free tool that proofreads everything you write on the internet. It helps you spot mistakes in everything from spelling to preposition usage, pointing out errors and making suggestions if it spots something that can be clearer or better phrased.

If you go for a paid subscription, it can make advanced suggestions, such as rephrasing sentences, adjusting the tone and finding the right word. Overall, Grammarly is a great tool to make sure all your online communications are correct, professional and appropriate.

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## 10. Kami

![kami chrome extension for small business](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/53FaXqWtQ4KiYpV2cADCrk/412a73264f9f579ec4f0c5583466ce21/kami_app.jpeg)

If you regularly review PDF documents, you've probably noticed that it can be hard to share insights with colleagues on this type of document. 

[Kami](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kami-extension-pdf-and-do/ecnphlgnajanjnkcmbpancdjoidceilk?hl=en) is a tool that allows you to do just that, improving collaboration and helping you handle PDFs with ease. With this extension, you can easily make comments, notes, highlight and mark text, give feedback, insert drawings and images, and much more.

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Keeping your teams in sync is essential to improve collaboration and organization across the board in your business. Whether you're remote or in-office, it's important that you have up-to-date and reliable data in all of your apps.

The easiest way to keep your apps in sync and your data connected everywhere is with a [two-way syncing solution like PieSync](https://www.piesync.com/why/). From your CRM to your email marketing list and customer support software, sync the latest customer data everywhere so your team can always see the most accurate picture.

cta-14-collaborate-better-with-synchronized-contact-data-grey

14 (FULL) - Remote work, productivity & collaboration - collaborate-better-with-synchronized-contact-data-grey

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14 (HALF) - Remote work, productivity & collaboration - collaborate-better-with-synchronized-contact-data-grey

With so many Chrome extensions available, how can you find the ones that will make the most difference for your small business? Read on for 10 of the most useful extensions to improve your productivity.

10 useful Chrome extensions for small businesses

Productivity

10 Awesome Google Chrome Extensions

[Active Campaign](https://www.activecampaign.com/) is an all-in-one marketing tool with extensive functionality such as email marketing, sales and CRM. Built for SME's, it provides a broad range of tools such as campaign segmentation, dynamic content, and A/B testing for your Marketing.

activecampaign

ActiveCampaign

We updated our ActiveCampaign sync by hooking into their latest API. What's new? 

- Rules with regards to contact scores are available (greater than, less than)
- Improved sync reach: the initial sync now takes into contacts not part of any list
- More field mappings available! Bounce status and create/update timestamps!
- Contact notes in ActiveCampaign can now be mapped read-only to a text box in your other app

activecampaign updated sync

Updates to the ActiveCampaign sync

Mixpanel is an advanced analytics platform for mobile & web. It helps businesses grow by helping them understand how their users behave and use their products by tracking actions people take rather than page views. Mixpanel's mission is to help the world learn from its data.



logomixpanel

Mixpanel

Our connector for Mixpanel has been equipped with the ability to connect to the eu.mixpanel.com - if you happen to have your data stored specifically within the EU territory. 

mixpanel regio

EU based Mixpanel accounts

[HubSpot CRM](http://hubspot.com/piesync) is an all-round customer relationship management tool that offers an incredible range of features for all businesses, from small startups to large enterprises. This complete CRM platform helps companies increase leads, accelerate sales, streamline customer service, and much more.

hubspot logo

[Available since today](https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-contacts), the HubSpot Marketing Hub features __marketing contacts__ - contacts that are able to receive marketing emails and be targeted with ads. In contrast, __non-marketing contacts___ cannot be marketed to... but also do not count against your contact tier. 

This means that you can now, with much greater comfort, store __all of your contacts data__ inside of HubSpot Marketing Hub. 

The PieSync filters & mappings now also reflect this new feature in HubSpot.


hubspotmarketing

HubSpot Marketing Contacts available in filters and mappings

Constant Contact is a marketing platform, giving your team the tools to create highly effective email marketing, social media campaigns, online surveys, and event marketing. Availability of hundreds of templates and extensive resources will make your lists grow!
Don't have Constant Contact, start your [free trial](http://www.constantcontact.com/signup.jsp?pn=piesync) now.


constantcontact

Constant Contact

We've applied a considerable update to our [Constant Contact sync](https://www.piesync.com/constantcontact). 

As Constant Contact are in the process of refreshing their user interface -  rolling this out throughout the next months - we already wanted to make sure the elements in our sync correspond to the new field and naming conventions. 

It's more than a happy accident that this unlocked a whole series of new sync functionality for you! Custom fields and more!

constancontact updated field mappings

Custom fields for Constant Contact and more

Contacts+ is the most powerful fully-connected contact management platform for professionals and enterprises who need to master their contacts and be awesome with people. Contacts+ cross-platform suite of Apps and APIs enhance contacts with 360-degree insights, while keeping them organized, in-sync, up-to-date, and safe.


Phone & E-mail

Sync Phone & Email apps you use everyday to automate your business and be more productive. {{ connectorCount }}+ Phone & Email contact sync integrations currently available. Click on your favorite app to get started.

Contacts+ Logo Mark (1)

Contacts+

Nimble shows you detailed customer profiles in just a single view so you can get to know your customers in person. Sales and marketing features, activity management tools and a responsive social listening system will make sure you have all the insight you need!


nimble

Nimble

For many of its [CRM connectors](https://www.piesync.com/connections/crm/), PieSync applies ownership automatically, [or at least gives you control through the rules as to how it should be transferred in the sync](https://www.piesync.com/help/faq/can-i-sync-contact-owner-source-fields/). 

Two popular supported contact management tools, namely Nimble and Contacts+, featured a concept of ownership since quite some time, but only recently have we updated our sync connectors for you to control this too.

Use the sync rules to control ownership. Set up multiple rules if you need multiple owners synced with one another. [More info](https://www.piesync.com/help/faq/can-i-sync-contact-owner-source-fields/).


The PieSync Blog