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Types Of Packaging Bags Every Business Should Use

development@trooinbound.com (TRI Developers) — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 12:33:09 GMT

In the competitive retail industry, the right packaging can make all the difference. Discover the essential types of customizable packaging bags every business should consider to enhance brand visibility and improve customer experience.

The Power of Customizable Packaging Bags in Retail

Customizable packaging bags are a game-changer in the retail industry. They allow businesses to create a unique and memorable customer experience from the moment a purchase is made. By incorporating your brand's colors, logo, and messaging, these bags serve as a walking advertisement for your business.

Moreover, customizable packaging helps in building brand identity and loyalty. Customers are more likely to remember and return to a brand that makes them feel special with personalized packaging. This not only enhances the unboxing experience but also boosts word-of-mouth marketing as customers share their delightful experiences on social media.

Eco-Friendly Bags: Sustainable Choices for Modern Businesses

In today's environmentally-conscious world, eco-friendly packaging is not just a trend but a necessity. Businesses that opt for sustainable packaging solutions show their commitment to environmental responsibility, which can significantly enhance their brand image.

Eco-friendly bags made from recycled materials or biodegradable substances can reduce the carbon footprint of your business. These bags are not only good for the planet but also resonate well with a growing segment of consumers who prefer to support eco-conscious brands. By choosing sustainable packaging, you align your business with the values of modern consumers, potentially increasing customer loyalty and sales.

Luxury Packaging: Elevate Your Brand with High-End Options

For businesses targeting a premium market, luxury packaging is essential. High-end packaging bags made from materials like satin, velvet, or high-quality paper can elevate your brand's image and create a sense of exclusivity and sophistication.

Luxury packaging is often associated with high value and quality, making it a perfect fit for upscale products. These bags can be customized with intricate designs, embossing, and other premium finishes that enhance the overall aesthetic. Investing in luxury packaging not only impresses your customers but also positions your brand as a leader in quality and elegance.

Functional and Durable: Heavy-Duty Packaging for Practical Needs

Not all products require the same level of packaging, which is why heavy-duty bags are essential for items that need extra protection. These bags are designed to be functional and durable, ensuring that the product reaches the customer in perfect condition.

Heavy-duty packaging is particularly important for businesses dealing with bulky or fragile items. These bags are made from robust materials that can withstand significant weight and pressure. Customizing these bags with your brand's logo and details can also enhance brand visibility while ensuring that the packaging does its primary job of protecting the product.

Promotional Bags: Turn Customers into Brand Ambassadors

Promotional bags are a fantastic way to turn your customers into walking advertisements for your brand. These bags are often distributed at events, trade shows, or as part of promotional campaigns, carrying your brand's message far and wide.

By customizing promotional bags with eye-catching designs and your brand's logo, you create a functional item that customers will use repeatedly. This repeated use increases brand visibility and helps in building brand recognition. Moreover, when customers carry these bags in public, they act as brand ambassadors, spreading the word about your business organically.

How to Create Inclusive Case Studies That Convert, According to an Inclusive Marketing Consultant

Sonia Thompson — Tue, 27 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Let me share something I've had to explain countless times as an inclusive marketing consultant: inclusive marketing isn‘t about reinventing the wheel — it’s about making what you’re already doing work harder for you.

Think about it. When potential customers are considering your product, they're all asking the same fundamental question: “Will this work for someone like me?” This question carries even more weight for people from underrepresented communities who often face higher barriers to success.

Case studies are your perfect opportunity to answer this question with a resounding “Yes!”.

Why People Really Care About Seeing “Someone Like Them”

When people from marginalized communities don‘t see success stories featuring people like themselves, it’s not just disappointing — it‘s a red flag. And it’s not because these communities lack qualifications or talent. The real reasons are much more systemic and nuanced, involving everything from unconscious bias to lack of tailored support.

The most powerful marketing doesn't just show your product works — it shows your product works for everyone you want to serve.

Let’s walk through how to publish case studies designed to answer that fundamental question, “Will this product work for people like me?” for all the customers you want to serve, including those with identities that are underserved.

Four Steps to Create Case Studies That Convert Everyone

Creating case studies that speak to the different types of customers you want to serve requires a layered and thoughtful strategy.

1. Define your audience (without trying to be everything to everyone).

Marketing inclusively doesn’t mean your brand needs to serve every single identity that has the problem your brand solves. Rather, effective inclusive marketing requires you to choose which identities you want to welcome.

This concept is foundational to inclusive marketing and one that many of my clients are relieved to hear. Focusing your efforts on specific identities increases both your impact and effectiveness.

This episode of the Inclusion and Marketing podcast goes more in-depth on this critical point.

It's absolutely the case in a lot of instances. And because marketers aren't specific enough, they end up leaving a lot of people out.

Sometimes what we see, or a lot of the time, what we see are organizations that say, well, our product is for all children between the ages of this and this. And so we'd say, like, all, really all children? What kind of children, right?

Is that product for children with varying physical disabilities? Is that product for children that are Black? Is that product for Indigenous children?

Is that product for queer children? Is that product for... So when we start to actually ask these questions, then what we see is that a lot of companies are like, oh, I don't know.

I didn't think about that. Because what we tend to default to unintentionally is privileged identities. And that becomes the norm.

When we're designing something for children, what we really mean is the cisgender boy who is able-bodied and white. And so we have an idea in mind, but we haven't actually explicitly called it out. And so it gets masked under children, because all children are white boys.

So that's kind of what we tend to default to. Same goes for when we say a product is for all women. Well, what women?

Are we also thinking about trans women? Are we thinking about women with disabilities? Are we thinking about the Black woman?

Are we thinking about Indigenous women or the women of colour? When we start to actually stretch it beyond these bigger umbrella terms and we realise that intersectionality is a really important consideration, then we can start to see which groups have we really prioritised here and which ones have we forgotten about or have we excluded.

So the goal when choosing is to be specific. So if you're deciding that as a brand you want to serve women, it is important to be clear about how the different identities that exist for these women that can not only impact how they receive your messages, whether or not they feel seen and what you're offering, and whether or not it is for them. And those various identities could even have an impact on the degree of success certain identities experience.

So here's an exercise I'd like to walk clients through that helps them gain clarity in this area. So if you're saying you want to serve high-performing women who are trying to balance career and family, ask yourself, what are the different identities of a woman who fits that description? Is it, well, white women, black women, Latina women, Asian women, and indigenous women, are they included?

Does it include trans women? Does it include gay women? Does it include Muslim women?

Does it include women in their 20s, women in their 40s, and women in their 50s? Does it include women with disabilities? Does it include women who live in Canada, Nigeria, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Colombia?

Does it include women who have blended families? Does it include women who are caretakers of aging parents? There are a ton of dimensions here.

And again, I'm not saying that you have to specifically say you are including all of them. But which identities do you specifically want to make feel like they belong with you? Who do you specifically want to make sure that you devote attention to to ensure that they achieve success?

If you choose to ensure you're focusing on women with disabilities, Muslim women and black women, that's A-OK. It does not mean that women who have blended families, white women, LGBTQ plus women, and women in their 50s will necessarily feel invisible, ignored and like they don't belong. Rather, it means that you are specifically considering these specific identities you've chosen and figuring out how to incorporate them throughout the various components of your marketing mix.

So that could mean ensuring you have Muslim women, black women, and women with disabilities on your team and on your extended team. It could mean that you ensure those identities are represented within the content and visual imagery you put forth. It can mean that you create campaigns that celebrate holidays and other cultural and heritage celebrations that are meaningful to people in those communities.

Over time, as you do these things, more Muslim women, Black women, and women with disabilities will start to buy your product and become customers. As you focus on making sure you support them to ensure they achieve success at the same rates as your other customers, in time, you'll also start to accumulate testimonials from Muslim “women, Black women, and women with disabilities. And then, you know what will start to happen?

More women who have these identities will see themselves reflected in more areas of your customer journey, and will start to engage and buy from you. And the cycle continues and continues. Now, once you've set a strong foundation with these identities you've chosen, and you have capacity and resources to serve other identities, repeat the process.

This time, you might choose women who are part of the LGBTQ plus community, women who speak Spanish, French, and women who have blended families. As you pull specific levers within your marketing mix that make more people feel seen, supported, and like they belong with you, you will start to build a more diverse customer base. Your brand will grow.

And it all starts with choosing. Choose who you're going to serve. Choose who you want to make feel like they belong with you.

Choose who you're going to develop a greater degree of intimacy with. The opposite of choosing is not excluding. “If you're a bookstore and you decide to feature women authors or black authors or indigenous authors, that does not mean that you are choosing not to carry support and promote books and authors that don't fall within these categories.

The people who enjoy what you offer will still come. Rule number one of Inclusion & Marketing is to intentionally choose who you're going to serve. Choosing who you want to ensure knows they belong with you.

If you've already got a group of people who are absolutely sure that they do belong with you, you don't have to put as much attention trying to continue to convince them of that over time. Just continue to nurture that relationship so they continue to know that they belong with you while you're investing time, energy and resources, making sure that other groups of people absolutely know that they belong with you. Don't skip this important step of choosing because everything you do afterwards flows from this choice.

That's it for today's episode. I'm super curious to hear your thoughts about it. So let's continue to have this conversation over on social.

“Tag me in any posts you make so I can join the discussions. If you like this show, I'd love it if you'd share it with a friend, your colleague and your network. And I'd totally love it if you leave a rating and review for it in your podcast player of choice.

It really does go a long way toward helping more people discover the show. Also, are you getting the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter? If you're not, what are you even doing?

Each week, I send you stories, news, insights and other tips to help you attract and retain a more diverse customer base. Go to inclusionandmarketing.com/newsletter to get signed up. I'll also drop a link to it in the show notes for you to access it easily.

Until next time, remember, everyone deserves to have a place where they belong. Let's use our individual and collective power to ensure more people feel like they do. Thanks so much for listening.

Talk to you soon.

When thinking about your case study strategy, consider which specific identities you want to target. Another option is to try this exercise:- If someone said, “I looked at your case studies and didn't see anyone like me, so I went elsewhere”— which communities would you most hate to lose?

This step is needed for your overall marketing strategy, not just for your case studies. It allows you to focus your efforts.

For instance, online marketplace Bol made a decision that it wanted to serve neurodivergent consumers. The brand leaned into that choice by focusing on highlighting that identity in this heartwarming holiday ad.

2. Recruit authentically.

Once you know which identities you want to reach, you can begin to figure out how to incorporate them into your case studies.

It is important to acknowledge this nuance: the goal is to highlight consumers who’ve had true success with your brand. You want to present an accurate picture of the types of customers you actually have — otherwise, you'll appear tokenistic.

This video goes more in-depth about what tokenism is and why you should avoid engaging in it.

Remember, your objective with case studies is to communicate “people like me find success here” – and it is difficult for you to answer that question with a sample size of one, especially when so many other factors could be at play.

This may feel like chicken or the egg. The more diversity you have in your case studies, the more diversity you’ll have in your customer base. But how do you attract a significant number of customers to have enough to collect case studies for them? That comes from being intentional about inviting specific types of consumers to be your customers.

This episode of the Inclusion & Marketing podcast walks you through how to win people from underrepresented and underserved communities as customers. When your marketing actively focuses on attracting people with specific identities you’ve chosen to serve, you’ll have a good amount of people with those identities as your customers.

The other day, my parents went to my uncle's house for dinner. My uncle and his wife, my aunt, moved about an hour away a while back. And ever since then, my uncle always asked my parents why they never come over.

And my mom always responds the same way. We don't go where we're not invited. And that's true, my parents don't go to anybody's house without an invitation.

Not even to me and my sister's places where my parents never ever just drop in unannounced, even though they are welcome to. My uncle's response to my mom's, we don't go where we're not invited comment is always the same too. You don't need an invitation.

You are always welcome here. So anyway, it's a bit of a cycle with them. So last week, my uncle called my parents up and invited them over to his house for dinner.

My parents of course accepted the invitation and they went. Later, my mom sent the photos to me and my sisters in our group chat and looks like they had a fantastic time, like they always do. The people you serve, particularly those from underrepresented and underserved communities, often need you to invite them to the experiences you're delivering.

You may have the stance that of course you are welcome here, but some people like my parents will never come without an invitation or feel like you're for them without that invitation. So you need to get into the habit of extending invitations to the people you want to serve from underrepresented and underserved communities. We'll get in some more details about how and the why that is after this short break.

—

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Boosting leads and ramping sales along the way. They even have a constantly evolving collection of resources to help startups scale. Plus with HubSpot for Startups program, you can save up to 90% off your first year.

I'll admit, it does sound too good to be true. But unlike that majestic and also incredibly fictitious unicorn, HubSpot for Startups is all real. To see if you're eligible to save on HubSpot and take your growth to new heights, visit hubspot.com/startups.

—-

Okay, so a while back, I did an interview with a woman who talked about the organization she worked for and the efforts they were going through to make more of the people they were serving in the community feel like they belonged and the impact of their efforts. Here she is talking more about that.

It's interesting. It's like there is definitely a level of like, we want to make space for underrepresented people, artists and creatives. And I feel like they're doing that, but then the part of like being sort of part of the community is still something that's a work in progress.

And so it's a big understanding how to interact beyond the comfort zone of like an art institution, you know, music space or science talks and things like that.

Kind of like meet people where they are.

Yeah, meeting people where they are, right. As opposed to like expecting them to come in and just, yeah, the space is for everyone. Like, sure, of course it is, but people don't like see themselves or see things that they are attracted to in it.

It's not some place that they're going to want to be. So that's an example of that, I think.

A lot of times when people are working to create environments and spaces where everyone feels like they belong, they make the mistake of thinking and behaving in a manner that says, yes, of course, everyone is welcome. Saying that everyone is welcome and making someone feel welcomed or like they belong because you designed an experience with them in mind are two completely different things.

And when it comes to engaging people in communities that are different from you, in many instances, you will have to be proactive about reaching out to them in a manner that is authentic to them and meets them where they are to demonstrate that the space, environment and or product you created and cultivated for them is indeed for them.

Don't put the effort on them to wander into your space, to your experience, to your product so they can discover whether or not what you created is for them or not. The craft beer market discovered that they needed to take a different approach to reaching a broader audience a few years ago. A New York Times article, which I'll link to in the show notes, explored how the craft beer market found themselves in a position where they needed to move beyond marketing solely to, as mentioned in the article, “Young White dudes with beards, unquote.”

Historically, this is who they marketed themselves to, but they soon realized that if they wanted to grow, they needed to expand who they were reaching out to or who they were inviting to drink and consume craft beer. So they started being intentional about reaching out to women, to black people, to the Latino community, to the Indigenous community, and as a result of them inviting people from other communities to the craft beer party, more people from those specific communities started to come. Now, remember that famed saying from that movie Field of Dreams, if you build it, they will come?

Well, I want to switch that phrase around to emphasize this point. They will come when you invite them. We'll get into how you can invite people from the communities you want to serve to experience what you're offering after this short break.

—

Okay, I've got another podcast recommendation for you. It's Latinx Empower hosted by Taísa Fernández. It's brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals.

Latinx Empower is a podcast that features interviews with top level executives, entrepreneurs, and innovators from Latin America, aiming to demystify the tech industry by providing listeners with insider perspectives and insights from Latin American leaders who have succeeded in their fields. I recently listened to the episode The Power of Storytelling in Business with Andrea Márquez, and I really, really enjoyed it. You often hear me talking about the importance of diversifying your circle of influence, and this podcast is one that will really help you do that by hearing different perspectives about some of your favorite topics.

Listen to Latinx Empower wherever you get your podcasts. All right, so let's get into some ways you can be intentional about inviting people from underrepresented and underserved communities to work with your brand. All right, so we're going to talk about five specific ways here in no particular order.

—

The first one is influencer marketing, where you're going to really just be collaborating with people who are parts of the communities or who have audiences that is made up of communities you want to reach.

Now, the content that the influencers are making doesn't need to be very specific or culturally relevant to that community. Sometimes it's just a matter of somebody that you know, people who your audience or the people that you want to serve already know, like, and trust introducing them or creating brand awareness for the products and the services that you are offering.

So if you are a brand who's got products and services and you identify that there are people from specific communities who aren't represented in your existing customer base, go ahead and reach out to people who have the customer base that you want to expand into and get them to start talking about your product, whether that's gifting them the product, whether that's giving them experience with the product, whether it's just paying them to create content on your behalf. Influencer marketing is a smart way to borrow the existing trust of people who already have the attention that you want to reach. I learned about several different products that I'm using to create content in my own business from influencers who I also call friends online that I see them on Instagram.

As they were talking about their products and how they use them, I mean, they didn't give any specific cultural references or talk about their cultural heritage or anything like that. They were just people who looked like me, who I was already following and had a relationship. And they were talking about things that they used.

And because I trusted them, I went ahead and explored those products and services. And where it made sense, I bought them. I probably wouldn't have heard about those products otherwise if I hadn't seen people who were already in my circle, who I know and appreciate and love talking about them and the benefits that they're getting.

So just really, if you aren't leaning into influencer marketing specifically as it relates to how you can engage people who are parts of specific communities, go ahead and put that on your list of things to give a try. If you need a good primer on Inclusive Influencer Marketing Campaigns, go ahead and check out episode 54 of this podcast, which is all about how to do just that. I'll drop a link to it in the show notes for you as well.

Another thing that you can do to invite people from underrepresented and underserved communities to your brand is to engage in strategic partnerships and collaborations.

And this is where you're going to partner with local businesses, partner with brands, and co-create different campaigns, different opportunities together. So an example of this was a couple of years ago with the brand Peloton partnered with Beyoncé specifically to create specific playlists for her with her music, curated playlists.

As a part of that collaboration, they also reached out to historically black colleges and universities, HBCUs, as a manner to reach more people from the black community. Another example of strategic partnerships and collaborations are a lot of times during different heritage months and celebrations, brands will reach out to, let's say, people from the LGBTQ plus community during Pride Month to create special limited edition products or content and campaigns. They'll do the same for Hispanic Heritage Month, for Black History Month, making sure that you are engaging people who are part of the communities, who are creators, who are service providers, who are founders of brands and products that will be beneficial to your customers.

And partnering up with them to do specific things or to become available to your products, not just during those heritage months and celebrations, but all year long, are great ways to reach out to those communities. In last week's episode, episode number 80, where I was walking through different consumer feedback for the experiences that current brands are delivering right now, there was one woman that I talked to and we were on the Sephora website and she saw that Sephora had specifically called out black owned brands that they were partnering with or that were featured as a part of their product line. And that made a difference from her.

She didn't previously often think much about shopping at Sephora, but once she found out that they had specific collaborations, partnerships, specifically propping up and featuring black owned brands, that made a difference for her. And for her, it was a signal that Sephora was inviting her to be a customer. And as a result of that invitation that she felt she received from Sephora, she has expressed interest in becoming a customer whenever she has needs for beauty-based products.

Okay, a third way that you can invite people from underrepresented and underserved communities to be your customer or to experience what it is that you have to offer and go through your overall customer experience is by designing specific campaigns and programming with them in mind.

More and more, I see a lot of brands that are doing this with campaigns that target specific communities, either from a representation standpoint, featuring people from a specific community and their ads and their campaigns, or even through things like language. I've seen a lot of car commercials doing this featuring people from the Asian community, featuring people from the Latino community, featuring people from the black community, featuring all kinds of different people in their ads, specific families, they're using different languages.

Because they want people from these communities to feel like they are seen and like the brand sees them, understands them and gets them. Now, you can create campaigns that are specific to the community, or you can create campaigns that include or elevate or feature people from these communities without it being about them specifically. But the important thing is for people to see themselves or who they aspire to be represented in the marketing and the campaigns that you are putting forth.

A fourth thing that you can do to specifically invite people from underrepresented and underserved communities to engage with your brand or make them aware of your brand is using targeted media. I was working with a client last year who was specifically trying to reach Spanish speakers. So one of the big components of their targeted outreach was going and creating commercials or media on Spanish language radio.

So they knew that there was still very much a high consumption of radio by this particular market. So they created Spanish language campaigns and ads on Spanish language media. So for you, whether that's radio, whether that's different forms of online media, whether it's through good old fashioned print media, whatever the specific type of outreach channels are, know that there are no doubt channels for each of the different types of communities that you want to reach.

And it will be appreciated whenever you are collaborating and you are specifically investing in owners of those communities by investing in media that is by them, for them. And one last area that we'll talk about in this episode that you can specifically invite people who are parts of communities that you want to serve is by creating inclusive content. And when I say inclusive content, I mean content that specifically speaks to them and their needs.

I remember my first time seeing any Marvel movie was whenever I went to go with a large group of other black expats in Buenos Aires, because I was living in Buenos Aires at the time, and we all went to go see Black Panther. That was content that was designed. It was, of course, part of the overall Marvel story, but because it was a predominantly black cast and crew, that content spoke to me.

It was something that I wanted to go to see. Me and my friends, we dressed up, and we as a group went to go see it. I have since seen, I mean, just about every Marvel movie, if not the actual shows in addition to that as well.

But my entry point into Marvel became because there was content specifically designed for me and mine. Now, that doesn't mean that of course you need to go out and create a movie, but there are plenty of other forms of content. There was one potential client that I was looking at the content that they have created, and it's specifically for support for protecting the finances of people who are aging, people who are retired and over the age of 65.

And as I was looking at their content, I saw that much of the content was just designed for, it wasn't really speaking to any one type of community in particular, but they definitely have the opportunity to create content that speaks to specific types of communities. So let's talk about the specific needs or the specific ways that children relate to their aging parents and how they support and communicate with them and make sure that they're not being taken advantage of and that their finances are well cared for. How can they create content that speaks to a specific community, that speaks to their needs, that features people from that community, that is placed in media specifically for that community?

All of these different strategies that I'm talking about today don't have to be created in a vacuum. They are definitely interrelated in how they are enabling you to approach reaching out and letting people know that what it is that you're offering applies to them and that they belong there and that you see them and that you're considering them. So with the content that you're creating, definitely you want to make sure that it's inclusive and that it isn't causing harm and that it demonstrates that you see specific communities.

But in the content itself and its design and who it's about and the specific issues that you are addressing in the content and the specific people that you are reaching out to and featuring, do make an impact and a difference in making sure that the communities that you're serving know that you are specifically talking to them and inviting them to explore your product, learn more about it and to be your customer. So there you have it. Five specific ways that you can invite people from particular communities to be your customer and to let them know that what you have is for them and that they belong with you and to let them know that you've designed experiences specifically with them in mind.

So I am curious which of these approaches will be ones that you will work to start implementing and applying in your business as you work to expand your outreach, expand your marketing to make sure that people from other communities specifically know that they are welcome with you. Send me an email. Let's chat on social media and let's connect more on this particular topic.

That's it for today's episode. If you like the show, I would so appreciate it if you would leave a rating and review for it in your podcast player of choice. It really does go a long way towards helping more people discover the show.

Also, I'm very curious to know if you are getting the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter. Each week, I send tips, insights, news, stories, and other commentary to help you build an inclusive brand that makes more people feel like they belong with you. Go to inclusionandmarketing.com/newsletter to get signed up.

I'll also drop a link to it in the show notes for you. Until next time, remember everyone deserves to have a place where they belong. Let's use our individual and collective power to ensure more people feel like they do.

Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you soon.

Once you have various identities within your customer base who have success stories, the next step is to focus on recruiting them for your case studies. Reach out and give them a reason to want to share about the success they’ve had with your brand.

Plantmade is a holistic hair care brand that has a broad diversity of identities in its customer base.

One of the ways the brand encourages all different types of people in their customer base to submit their testimonials highlighting their hair growth and restoration (including beards), is by offering juicy incentives:

Whether or not you decide to incentivize your existing customers for their case studies, it is still important to ensure you’re actively seeking out people to share their stories, so you can get a broader diversity of consumers to showcase how your brand has made a difference for them.

3. Format for different preferences.

Your brand may have your own style and preferred way of producing case studies, including in written, video, and audio formats. It's also helpful to build a format strategy based on which manner will be most impactful for the people you want to serve. That includes taking into consideration accessibility and other preferences they may have.

A little while ago, I listened to a video podcast case study, and for me, that format was ideal, as I often find myself getting bored with written ones and rarely finish.

Other customers may love a written case study, and loathe the thought of watching a longer video.

Play around with multimedia versions of your case study. If you can, start with video, and then that content can be re-formatted into audio and text, allowing your ideal customers to select which works best for them.

You’re not creating case studies just to create them. So it's helpful to consider the different identities you want to serve and experiment with different formats that will work for them and their specific needs and preferences.

4. Display with purpose — make it easy to find “people like me”.

Remember the fundamental question we're answering: “Do people like me find success here?” Your display strategy should make it effortless for potential customers to find those answers.

HubSpot does a good job of this. The brand has a ton of case studies from a number of customers who identify in various ways. The filter tool enables consumers to quickly and easily find a case study that is relevant to them.

Figuring out the right way to display your case studies can also be dependent on the different types of identities you want to serve.

If, for instance, you want to ensure people of a specific race, ethnicity, or gender feel seen, including photos of people with those characteristics can help people quickly identify which case studies they want to dive into.

As a Black woman, when I’m looking into products for me or even for my business, I’m often looking to see if other Black women have found success. So I’m always delighted when I see case studies from people who look like me. Landing page builder Leadpages did this with their featured case studies by leading with women, including Black women:

One other way to show identities in your case studies, especially when those identities aren’t ones that are visibly identifiable, is through the headline.

Identity-risk platform Alloy has a case study from an employee sharing her experience working there as someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community. A consumer looking at her photo wouldn’t be able to tell her identity, so including those relevant details is helpful for someone looking for a story from a person like them.

Make Your Case Studies Work Harder for You

You’re already creating case studies to help you convert customers. Being intentional about publishing case studies that feature a broader group of identities will ensure that more consumers, particularly those from underrepresented and underserved communities, will feel like they belong and can find success with your brand.

This component of your marketing mix will prove more effective as a result, as well.

Free Case Study Templates

Showcase your company's success using these three free case study templates.

The Top Channels Consumers Use to Learn About Products [New Data]

Maxwell Iskiev — Thu, 22 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

Since we know consumers are searching the web to better understand products and their features, it’s also key to get a senseof which devices they are using to create the best user experience.

Not only are mobile phones the device of choice for over 50% of consumers when searching up a question online, but they are also the most used device when they shop online.

The use of mobile devices is significantly higher for all generations (except for Boomers), meaning you should optimize your website to be mobile-first.

Retail Is Still Relevant, Especially for Older Generations

Coming in second place, 28% of consumers say they prefer to learn about products in retail stores. Unsurprisingly, the in-person approach is most popular among older age groups, though it isn’t completely lost on Gen Z and is still favored by almost one in five Millennials.

Social media is the future of shopping.

In the past three months, of consumers have discovered a product on social media. When we split this up by age group, 64% of Gen Z have discovered products on social media in the past three months.

63% and 56% of consumers have used Facebook and Instagram, respectively, to make an in-app purchase in the past three months. That's a +14% increase for Facebook and +27% for Instagram just from January of 2023, only symbolizing steady growth of social commerce among consumers.

Next, let’s take a look at how consumers want to learn about products on social media.

Consumers prefer to discover products on social media through ads or sponsored content, short-form videos, and through feed posts and social media marketplaces with off-app purchases tied for third place.

The top preference for ads or sponsored content remains consistent from 2022, but there were two notable YoY changes. Consumers in 2023 have a greater preference for short-form video, a +23% YoY increase/percent change, and influencer marketing saw a +15% YoY increase.

Generationally, influencers are still popular sources of product discovery for Gen Z.

You might also be wondering what kind of content consumers want to see from brands on social media.

44% of consumers say relatable content is the most memorable, followed by content showcasing a brand's products/services (demos, teasers, etc.), then funny content.

The top three preferences were the same in 2022 but in different spots. Funny content was the most memorable but experienced a -29% YoY drop. Relatable content rose to the top spot with a +4.7% YoY change.

TV Ads Are Key for Boomers and Gen X

TV ads are key for Baby Boomers, and it’s their second preferred way to discover new products. The channel falls short for all other generations, however.

Word of Mouth Is Relevant, But Gen Z and Gen X Appreciate Influencers

26% of consumers say they prefer to learn about products through word of mouth, and it ranks in the top 5 channels for learning about products for every generation. It takes up the third spot for Gen Z and Gen X.

YouTube Ads are Key For Gen Z and Millennials

Overall, just 16% of consumers say they prefer learning about a product and its features through YouTube ads, but the video platform ranks among the top channels for Gen Z and Millennials.

Making Sense of Consumer Data

Want to learn more about the latest trends and shopping habits consumers are navigating, and how your brand can leverage them to better meet your targets in 2023?

Check out our State of Consumer Trends Report and the free downloadable PDF that comes with it.

How Web Strategists Think SGE Could Impact Search Pages [New Data]

Maxwell Iskiev — Thu, 22 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

If you're in content marketing, you likely know by now that generative AI's beginning to hit search platforms – and we're pretty certain that the world of SEO will never be the same.

And as Google SGE's been tested over the last few months, it's seen many variations – making it hard to know the impact it will have on future search experiences.

Download Now: The Annual State of Artificial Intelligence in 2024 [Free Report]

At this point, content marketers are asking a lot of questions, like:

"How will generative AI search features impact us?"
"What types of content will thrive?"
"Which could see traffic drops?

The truth is, nobody knows for certain. But our survey of over 400 web analysts and SEO professionals gives us clues to how experts are thinking about this change, and the steps they’re taking to prepare.

The Impact of AI on Search

Right now, web analysts and SEOs are optimistic about generative AI in search, confident that it will result in a better user experience and offer more relevant results faster than ever before.

70% believe the new and improved AI search will incentivize people to use search engines more than they did before.

Similarly, 68% of web analysts think their blog will get more traffic than before with AI in search, while just 9% predict a drop in traffic.

This all sounds great, but certain websites risk getting overlooked. As one anonymous survey respondent put it:

“If it [AI] was put into search engines, my blog wouldn’t be as useful because people can find information or blog-like stories from AI itself.”

So, what can you do? Let’s take a look at which type of content experts say will take the biggest hit, and then a few ideas for content that will thrive.

What Types of Web Content Will Be Negatively Impacted by AI-Powered Search?

Depending on the layout Google ultimately releases, you might see a drop in traffic from content that can be answered easily by AI.

For example, searches like "How to Take a Screenshot" could bring in reduced traffic, since AI would be able to summarize the answer for readers, giving them less motivation to actually visit your site.

Many SEO strategies are centered around answering these types of straightforward questions, so this may seem scary, but there are some things AI isn’t great at that you can use to your advantage.

What Types of Content Could Thrive in AI-Fueled Search?

Let’s start by thinking about what AI can’t do well -- it doesn’t do a great job of writing opinion pieces with a strong point of view or reflecting on personal experiences. Frankly, it doesn’t have much of a personality, despite being able to mimic brand voice.

Karla Cook, Director of Content Marketing at HubSpot, predicts that:

“AI could start to replace a lot of the standard definitional/basic how-to keywords, but that will put an increased emphasis on content where there's clearly a human evaluating or sharing their opinion.”

What does this look like? Here are a few examples:

1. Blog content expressing a strong point of view or opinion

If Karla were to write a blog post expressing her expert thoughts on the future of SEO, that would be an example of an opinion piece that AI couldn’t compete with.

Karla leverages her expertise, experience, and ability to form an opinion on a developing topic, adding value to readers beyond simply answering a question.

Moving forward, a post with a personal angle, like “I Tried Lemon8 for a Week, Here’s What I learned” will have greater potential to get people to go from SERPs to your website.

2. Blog content centered around personality

A lot of times, we aren’t just seeking out information for information’s sake. We watch longer videos full of facts we could find online in seconds, just because we enjoy spending time with our favorite creators and hearing them break things down in their unique way.

AI can do a lot of things, but having a great personality isn’t one of them. Centering your blog posts around a person, whether it be an engaging guest writer or an interview with a popular subject matter expert can help generate extra excitement and make your content stand out.

3. Content featuring original data and insights.

One last type of content that could thrive with AI-powered search engines is content that features original data and insights, like the ones in this blog post.

Of course, generative AI can summarize data from our survey of SEOs, but readers are incentivized to click on the full article for more context, additional data, and to establish credibility and gather sources.

Especially as it can be difficult to know when generative AI is giving you wrong information, a.k.a “hallucinating,” students, consumers, or company decision-makers leveraging data will likely want to get information from the source and ensure legitimacy by visiting your site.

To learn more about how to leverage this type of content, check out this piece from my colleague, Caroline Forsey.

And, What About Google’s 2023 Algorithm Updates?

One major change to Google’s new algorithm is that they added another “E” to their “E-A-T” (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) framework that is used to determine search rankings.

This additional “E” stands for experience, and according to Google’s official post, it measures whether content “was produced with some degree of experience, such as with actual use of a product, having actually visited a place or communicating what a person experienced.”

That’s Google telling us that they’re prioritizing the types of content discussed above!

Since this update was rolled out in March 2023, followed by fall's helpful content updates, SEOs have been taken for quite the ride with traffic volatility.

While we'll keep monitoring how SEOs are doing as the next few months progress, you can learn more about EEAT and the best types of content to lean into for optimal search traffic here.

What’s Next for AI?

Adapting your blog to AI in search is important, but it's also just as valuable to start leveraging AI in your content strategy and incorporating it into your workflow.

Right now, about half of bloggers use AI to create content. 74% of them say it makes their content perform better, and 65% say it ranks higher on SERPs.

On top of that, 58% of web analysts say their website is working on implementing AI in their workflow.

To avoid falling behind, check out our fuller Web Strategy & Trends Report, as well as our State of AI in Marketing below.

Learn from My Mistakes: 7 Digital Course Pitfalls to Skip

Amy Porterfield — Wed, 21 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT

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

Mistakes are part of the journey for every digital course creator, and trust me, I've made my fair share of them as I’ve built my business. But for every one of these missteps, there’s been a valuable lesson.

→ Click here to download our free guide to digital marketing fundamentals [Download Now].

My name is Amy, and I help entrepreneurs grow their businesses with digital courses. So I’d love to walk you through some of the lesser-known mistakes I’ve made, so you can avoid them entirely. Sound good?

The 7 Biggest Mistakes I’ve Made as a Digital Course Creator

1. Launching without hands-on experience

While your digital course topic may evolve with your business, it’s important to have hands-on experience in whatever it is you’re teaching.

Want to teach a course about real estate investing? Fantastic, but make sure you have experience as a real estate investor. Want to teach hair stylists how to successfully open their own salons? Do it. But you should have opened your own salon first.

I launched my first digital course without any prior experience in the niche I was teaching about. In my hurry to establish myself as an expert, I overlooked the importance of having hands-on experience. Can you guess how this turned out? Yep, my first course was a total flop.

Beyond the obvious, here are a few reasons why you should get some hands-on experience in your niche before launching a course:

Credibility: To build trust with your future students, you need to show them that you're the real deal. Having actual experience in the subject matter is the first step to gaining their confidence.
Effective Teaching: When you have demonstrated experience, your teaching becomes more powerful. You can relate to the challenges your students might face and provide practical, real-world solutions for them.
Problem Solving: As an experienced practitioner, you've likely encountered and conquered the hurdles in your field. This experience allows you to anticipate the common issues your students might encounter and equip them with solutions — kind of like what I’m doing in this blog post.
Confidence: When you've been through it and come out the other side successfully, it boosts your confidence as a teacher. Confidence helps you present information with clarity and assertiveness, inspiring your students to trust your guidance.
Building a Reputation: Over time, your reputation as an expert in your field grows, opening up new opportunities like speaking engagements, collaborations, and consulting. It can also pave the way for a dedicated and loyal audience.

You don’t need to be the leading expert in your field, you only need what I like to call a 10% edge. However, you should have hands-on experience to draw from before you build a digital course.

2. Letting Imposter Syndrome Rule

Even when I had relevant knowledge, I struggled with imposter syndrome. I doubted my ability to teach, and I questioned what others might think. Ultimately, this slowed down my progress.

Here are a few tips you can use to overcome imposter syndrome:

Embrace your wins: Remind yourself of your accomplishments and successes, no matter how small they may seem.
Focus on progress, not perfection: Perfection isn't attainable. Strive for continuous improvement, instead.
Practice self-compassion: Be kind to yourself, recognizing that everyone has moments of doubt.
Keep a "brag file": Document praise and positive feedback to counter imposter feelings.

Many people let their lack of marketing or technology experience hold them back from course creation. Trust me, you don’t need to be a digital whiz to be successful.

Heck, you don’t even need to have your course topic idea perfected before you get started! That’s what resources like Digital Course Academy (DCA) are for. DCA provides a complete roadmap for validating, creating, launching, and selling your digital course.

3. Creating a Course I Wasn't Passionate About

Talk about a waste of time and resources. I once created a course on a topic I’d lost interest in, and I never ended up launching it.

Before you get into course creation mode, it's essential to find your "sweet spot." This is where your course aligns with your passion, your audience's needs, and your expertise. In other words, you’ve got to discover what ‘your thing’ is. This ensures you remain motivated and can deliver on your topic with enthusiasm.

4. Spending Too Much Time Outside of Your 'Zone of Genius'

Your Zone of Genius is where you deliver the most value. It’s typically a combination of:

Your Passion: What you’re deeply passionate about and genuinely love doing.
Your Skills: Where you excel and have honed your expertise through learning and doing.
Your Impact: Where your talents and passion intersect with what your audience needs.

As an entrepreneur, you’re spinning a lot of plates. It’s easy to spend time on things outside your Zone of Genius. For example, I spent years editing course videos when I could have delegated the task and spent more time on higher-value tasks.

Don't fall into this trap. As your business grows, outsourcing tasks that aren’t the highest use of your time frees you up to focus on more critical aspects of your business.

5. Thinking My First Course Was The End-All-Be-All

I definitely made this digital course mistake in the beginning. It was like my course had to be the masterpiece of every course ever created. I threw everything I knew and the kitchen sink into it because I wanted to prove how knowledgeable I was.

Here’s the truth: Your first course doesn’t need to be everything.

Your courses can evolve and improve over time. Don't aim for perfection. Focus on delivering value, and enhance your course with each iteration.

Remember: All you need to do is create one digital course to be profitable. The key is to improve your course with each relaunch.

6. I Played It Too Small

Have you ever heard the phrase "Go big or go home?" That should definitely apply to your digital course launch.

If you’re playing small by just sending a few emails, doing a mini-launch, or skipping social media or webinars because you’re ‘not ready,’ you’re only delaying your success.

In my early days, I played it safe with my course launches. I only sent a few emails, and I refused to show up on video because I wasn’t comfortable.

Video is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience, and it’s a critical aspect of growing your business and selling your course. Don't do what I did and wait too long to put yourself out there.

Start small, practice, and gradually increase your presence. When you’re ready to launch, you’ll be comfortable playing in the big leagues.

7. Not Nurturing My Audience Enough

Speaking of launches, your email list is one of your most valuable assets, and neglecting it can severely hurt your launch results. Consistently engage with your subscribers, offer valuable content, and build a relationship with them over time.

By the way, if you think your email list is too small to launch your digital course, think again. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you don’t need a huge email list to have a successful launch. I’ve had clients with only 120 email list subscribers earn thousands of dollars in just a few days.

If you’ve engaged with your email list, the response will be much better when you actually launch your course.

In fact, having a highly intentional onboarding process — or getting your audience excited about your topic ahead of time — is essential for a successful launch. I found this out the hard way after having a few Masterclasses with dismal attendance rates.

Don’t make the same mistake I did. Engage your registrants before your course launch to get them excited.

You’re Ready to Build A Successful Digital Course

Alright, you’ve learned the bad and the ugly. It’s time for you to implement the good and build a highly successful digital course.

Remember, it's a journey filled with valuable lessons, so keep learning as you keep growing. Now, go out there and create a profitable and enjoyable business that exceeds your wildest expectations.

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