As a B2B salesperson for companies like IBM and Open Text, I’ve had to work hard to earn every meeting, especially in industries where inboxes are overflowing and priorities shift daily. I used to obsess over subject lines and intros, but once I learned how to end a sales email, my reply rates took off….
Month: August 2025
Craft your best brand voice: Expert tips, examples, and templates
Read this line from one of my favorite authors: “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” What can you infer about the person behind that line? Are they funny or serious? Cheerful or dour? Pleasant company or a total bore? As a writer, part of my job is…
My 8 favorite invoice & billing software solutions for small businesses
For the longest time, I was on the fence about creating manual invoices versus using invoice software for my side hustle. My tech-savvy friends often raved about using the latter for their small businesses. Still, I wondered if it would work for me or if adding a new tool would make things more complex and…
How I do content research: Steps to follow (with examples)
With ChatGPT, anyone can create blog posts in seconds. But, just because you have copy doesn’t mean it’s valuable. You need content research to make a post that’s actually valuable. That’s especially true with Google’s Helpful Content Update, a shift that placed even more emphasis on expertise, knowledge, and credibility. To stand out in today’s…
How to use AI tools in your Instagram strategy: Tips from HubSpot’s global head of brand marketing
For anyone struggling with using AI in Instagram marketing, now is definitely the time to learn. Nearly half of the marketers we surveyed for our 2025 State of AI Marketing report said they’re already using AI for social media, with 49% using it for text-based social content and 47% for video/audio-based content. HubSpot’s own social…
AI avatars are already here, and these are the trends I’m most bullish on
As the founder of AI newsletter Mindstream, I’m constantly thinking about scale, especially when it comes to content. For me, video was the bottleneck. I wanted to show up consistently, but I didn’t want to spend hours filming, editing, or setting up gear. That’s what led me to explore AI avatars. At first, avatars were…
The essential SEO tutorial for thriving in the age of AI-driven search
You want to learn about search engine optimization (SEO), but where do you start? We were all SEO beginners once, so take heart: There’s lots to learn, but I’ve got plenty of expert advice and a step-by-step guide to get you started. We’ll cover basic SEO vocabulary, review a step-by-step SEO tutorial to get your…
Inside the world of AI BDRs — can AI replace human business development representatives?
If you’re like me, you’ve asked this question: What is the difference between a salesperson and a business development representative (BDR)? Well, here’s what I found. A salesperson usually deals with warm leads. That is, people who already know what they want and just need some guidance to make a decision. But a BDR? That’s…
Here’s how to prove marketing’s pipeline value & revenue impact to your CFO
Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are wired to want proof, not promises. While we marketers light up at impressions, and engagement — excuse the stars in my eyes — CFOs focus on revenue, risk, and return. This clash of professional love languages can create friction in budget conversations, performance reviews, and board meetings. I’ve experienced this…
Buyer persona essentials: My top tips & examples to inspire yours
As I was scrolling on Facebook today, I noticed two ads. One was offering me 20% off at a store that I’ve never heard of before. It felt completely random, in a “did you send this message to the right person?” kind of way. The other ad felt like it was looking me dead in…