Clifford Chi – The Blog Pros

November 11, 2024

Which metrics are brands tracking?

According to video marketers, these are the most important video engagement metrics to track in order to measure the performance of video content:

Engagement (43%)
Watch time (39%)
View count (32%)
Audience retention (27%)
Follower/subscriber growth (25%)
Average view duration (22%)

1. Engagement

Engagement (likes, comments, etc.) is the most tracked video marketing metric and the most important video marketing metric to track.

This makes sense to me: it’s one of the most important factors in boosting your video’s organic reach. If a video resonates well with part of your audience, it’ll likely resonate with the rest.

Adriane Grunenberg, HubSpot Automation & Digital Analytics Expert, says that engagement rate is the most important metric because “A high one [engagement rate] indicates that your content is relevant and appealing, which can lead to increased organic reach as viewers are more likely to share and discuss the video.”

I’ve found that engagement also provides marketers with valuable quantitative data. Comments can show you the emotional effect your video has on your viewers. Do they seem inspired? Or are they angry you covered a controversial topic? This data can help you decide which video topics to focus on in the future.

Social shares can paint a clearer picture of your audience’s brand affinity and loyalty. This metric measures how much your audience values your content and brand. It also builds your brand’s credibility.

Since people share content that confirms their ideal self-persona, people who share your video are willing to show their community that they trust and support your brand.

Social sharing is also one of the best forms of word-of-mouth marketing.

2. Watch Time

Watch time is the second most important metric, and it clearly explains how much time people actually spend watching your videos.

For example, if the average watch time for your 3-minute video is 2 minutes, the average viewer is sitting through nearly all of it, likely because they’re interested in its content.

On the other hand, if the view time would average out at 30 seconds, your video doesn’t successfully draw people in or keep them interested. This is exactly what Michelle Tabor, Solutions Engineer at Lynton, told me: “View time is a top indicator of if my content is boring or not.”

3. View Count

It seems logical that your view counts would increase any single time your video is watched on any device, right?

That’s usually not the case, and different platforms also have different ways of measuring view counts.

For example, YouTube counts a view as a video being played by one person on one device. If that person refreshes the page, their watch time still counts under that one original view.

On TikTok, however, views go up every time a video starts to play.

So, what’s a good benchmark for the amount of views your marketing videos should get? Most marketers (45%) responding to the recent Video Marketing Survey I ran say their views average under 10,000 views, while 16% say their videos average under 1K views.

I also found that 82% average under 100,000 views per video.

5. Follower/Subscriber Growth

Follower/subscriber growth can be an excellent measure of a video's performance because it shows that your video is reaching new audiences and attracting people to your brand.

You can also see what kind of audience your video attracts, which can help you create a buyer persona and create more quality content tailored to your audience.

6. Average View Duration

Average view duration is the total watch time of your video divided by the total number of video plays, including replays. It measures how long your viewers watch your video, on average.

Average view duration is a powerful metric that reveals your audience’s video length preference. For instance, if your 45-second videos keep getting a 30-second average view duration, you might want to cut those videos down by 15 seconds.

Benchmarks for Video Marketing

Different kinds of videos have different benchmarks. Here are a few video types and the benchmarks we found associated with them:

1. Short-form Videos

Short-form video is the most popular format among survey respondents — 83% use it. It has the highest ROI, generates the most engagement, and drives the most leads. This doesn’t surprise me, considering the rise of short-form video tools and platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok.

82% of marketers say the optimal length of a short-form marketing video is under 60 seconds. Most say the optimal length is between 21-30 seconds.

2. Long-form Videos

Long-form video is widely considered to be any video longer than three minutes. This format ranks second regarding usage, ROI, lead gen, and engagement.

I found that the optimal length for a long-form marketing video is three to six minutes (36%). 31% of respondents say it should be longer than 10 minutes.

Pro tip: Regardless of the video format you use, HubSpot’s Clip Creator is an AI-powered video maker that will help streamline your process.

You simply answer a few basic questions about your video to give the tool a sense of what you want to create, choose a video template, and then sit back as it uses AI to generate the clip you’re looking for.

Over to You

As video-sharing platforms continue to grow, video marketing will only become more important to your brand's success. Now that you know the metrics that most marketers — including your competitors — are measuring, you can make sound decisions for your next video marketing campaign.

October 31, 2024

Maximizing Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) — Here’s What Experts Have to Say

In the paid acquisition world, clicks on your ads can seem like the holy grail. But you need a better way to measure your content's converting capabilities than just clicks — enter, cost per acquisition.

If you really think about it, clicks only tell you if people arrive at your content. And as much as I wish my clicks could spell out the whole picture for me, they can’t.

Instead, I’ve found the cost per acquisition (or CPA) is a better metric to determine whether my content is engaging enough to persuade my audience to stay and, ultimately, buy into my product or service.

Read on to learn more about what exactly CPA is, the formula for calculating it, how its bidding process works, and some principles for crafting creative and convincing ad copy.

Table of Contents

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
Cost Per Acquisition Bidding
Cost Per Acquisition Formula
Why is cost per acquisition important?
What is a good cost per acquisition?
How to Lower Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) Costs

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

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

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

PPC
Display
Social media
Affiliate
Email marketing
Content marketing

Now let's take a closer look at cost acquisition biddings.

AdRank is calculated by multiplying your maximum cost per acquisition bid with the quality score of your ad. Your quality score ad is impacted by your page’s relevance to the keyword, user experience, and click-through-rate.

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

In other words, Google wants to discourage bad advertisers from advertising bad content, so those with low quality scores will usually only acquire a high ad position if they pay a huge cost per acquisition bid.

If they want to pay a lower cost per acquisition bid, they’ll have to settle with stooping at the bottom of the ad rankings.

Target CPA Bidding

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

Target CPA bidding leverages machine learning to analyze your campaign’s historical conversion data, recommend an optimal average target CPA, and automatically optimize all your eligible bids to meet the average target CPA you set for all your campaigns.

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

Cost Per Acquisition Formula

You’ll want to keep up with your cost per acquisition costs to track in your monthly marketing reports.

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

Let’s take a moment to play with some numbers to get an idea of how to calculate a CPA. Let’s say you have an advertising budget of $5,000. However, you only spend $2,500 and generate 1,200 conversions.

Your math will look something like this:

CPA= 2,500/1,200

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

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

Why is cost per acquisition important?

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

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

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

1. Plan your marketing budget.

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

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

2. Improve your advertising’s conversions.

Just like using CPA to plan your budget, you can also use it to improve your advertising efforts.

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

3. Easily scale your efforts.

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

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

What is a good cost per acquisition?

Now that we know why CPA is important for your advertising efforts, let’s discuss the question everyone is asking: what is a good cost per acquisition?

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

I like what Randall Yates, Co-Founder of VA Loan Network, said about it. Yates said, “If you can keep your CPA low, you’re in a position to thrive because every dollar spent brings in more value. It's like a well-oiled machine — you’re reaching your ideal customers efficiently, and that’s how you scale a business.”

On the flip side, a high CPA is a huge red flag, Yates says.

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

If you’re worried you’re spending too much on advertising, a good rule of thumb is to maintain a 3 to 1 ratio. In other words, for every three dollars you spend, you can expect one conversion.

It’s helpful to reach out to other marketers in your industry to compare notes. This way, you can get a better understanding of your CPA and if it’s too high or too low for your industry.

How to Lower Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) Costs

Adjusting your cost per acquisition is a starting point for lowering it. However, there are more factors at work that determine the effectiveness of your advertising.

Let’s take a moment to go over how you can lower your CPA costs and maximize your ad spending just by making a few tweaks to your marketing strategies.

1. Optimize your ad copy.

Since your quality score, which measures how positive and relevant of an experience your content provides, is the most influential determinant in securing a top ad ranking, the best way to optimize your cost per acquisition costs is crafting compelling ad copy.

When you sit down to write an ad or landing page copy, your goal should be to write something so captivating that it can grab the attention of a distracted millennial slouched in front of the TV, with their smartphone in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other.

One way to do this is by selling a feeling, not a product. Psychology tells us that emotions drive our behavior, while logic justifies our actions after the fact. Marketing confirms this theory — humans associate the same personality traits with brands as they do with people.

This is also the reason why pitching a product’s features is a lousy attempt at persuasion. Features only appeal to the logical part of your brain, which science suggests doesn’t drive action nearly as well as appealing to the emotional part of your brain does. So don’t just get creative with your copy — get emotional too.

Pro tip: Avoid selling the features and focus on the benefits. For example, don’t just say, “This computer has twelve hours of battery life.” Consider making a more compelling statement like, “With 12 hours of uninterrupted power, you can create, work, or explore the web all day, at your desk or on the go.”

2. Focus on customer retention as a strategy.

To state the obvious, acquiring new customers is often more costly than retaining existing customers. So, by focusing on customer retention, you can leverage the investment you've already made in acquiring your existing customers, reducing the need for additional acquisition spending. This ultimately leads to a lower CPA.

On top of that, repeat customers tend to generate more revenue over their lifetime compared to one-time purchasers. By focusing on customer retention, you can increase the customer lifetime value (CLV) of your customer base.

Pro tip: Checking in with your customers, providing targeted support, and focusing on building a solid relationship with them are some of the best ways to increase customer retention.

3. Enhance your landing pages.

Just because you’ve grabbed someone’s attention with your ad doesn’t mean your work is done. You still need to design a compelling landing page that clearly conveys the value of our offer.

In order to do this, consider piquing your audience’s curiosity with an intriguing headline and subheading, and scrapping any external links from your landing page so visitors can only leave your paid acquisition funnel if they exit or convert.

You could also test out video, which can explain the value of your offer in a more engaging way than text can.

If you want to learn how HubSpot creates landing pages that convert at 35% rate, check out this blog post.

Pro tip: Check out HubSpot’s Marketing Software to help drive revenue and optimize your landing pages.

4. Leverage your CRM to prioritize leads.

According to HubSpot research, 44% of marketers say using a customer relationship management software (CRM) to streamline their sales cycle is an effective strategy for lowering CPA costs.

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

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

Pro tip: Spend some time analyzing how your leads interact with your sales funnel and CRM. This can help you identify sticky points that might lead to customer loss.

5. Conduct market research regularly.

How can you speak to your audience if you don't know who they are?

Of marketers surveyed by HubSpot, 43.5% say conducting market research to better understand their target audience is an effective strategy for lowering CPA costs. Market research helps you gain insights into the needs, preferences, and behaviors of your target audience.

Ultimately, targeted messaging increases the relevance of your ads and content, resulting in higher engagement, click-through rates, and conversions.

Plus, market research provides valuable demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data about your target audience. This information enables you to advertise on the right platforms and refine your targeting parameters.

Pro tip: Social media platforms, like Reddit forums, are great places to learn about your target audience. Spend some time reading Reddit posts to learn more about their wants, needs, and pain points.

Back to You

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

As I’ve learned, ad clicks are great, but it only counts if you convert a lead to a sale. So if you ever feel tempted to jump on that train of vanity metrics, remember, the goal in marketing is to persuade someone to take your desired action.

So incentivize your brand to resonate with your audience — that’s the thing that actually keeps people on your content and prompts them to act. And make conversions, not clicks, your carrot.

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

October 21, 2024

6 of the Best Video Formats for 2025

As a video marketer, you know there’s no cookie-cutter approach to crafting engaging videos, but you should always ensure you‘re using the best video format for your content, regardless of the kind of video you’re creating.

There is no one-size-fits-all video format— not every computer, video platform, or website browser supports every video format.

Fortunately, we've rounded up the best video formats and listed their pros and cons so you can learn which video format to use in different situations.

Once you know the best format for your videos, check out HubSpot's Clip Creator, our free AI-powered video maker, so you can easily make high-quality videos.

Table of Contents

Best for Long-form Video
Best for Editing on Apple Devices
Best for Copyright Protection
Best for Streaming Online
Best for Television
Best for High-End Videos

6 of the Best Video Formats for 2025

1. MP4

Most digital devices and platforms support MP4, making it the most universal video format. MP4 can also store video, audio, text, and still images. Additionally, it can retain high video quality while maintaining relatively small file sizes.

Best for: MP4 formats are best for long-form video formats because MP4 files are relatively small but still of high quality.

“For my YouTube channel, I usually use the MP4 video format because a lot of the YouTube videos I made were as long as 20 minutes,” HubSpot Marketing Manager Erica Santiago says.

“MP4s are such small files that it would make rendering and uploading long-form videos a lot easier and more efficient. Plus, MP4s typically only experience a slight quality loss when uploaded to platforms like YouTube or TikTok.”

Pros: MP4 files are fairly small, making them quick to upload and easy to save without clogging up space on your device.
Cons: Because MP4 files are so straightforward and common to work with, they're also easy to pirate, which poses a concern for creators.

2. MOV

Developed by Apple, MOV is a video format specifically designed for QuickTime Player. However, since there’s a version of QuickTime Player for Windows, MOV is also compatible with Windows.

The MOV video format can store audio, text, and video effects, but since its quality is usually so high, it’ll take up significantly more space on people's computers.

Best for: The MOV format is best for editing on Apple devices since they're specifically formatted for QuickTime Player.

Pros: MOVs are loved by filmmakers because they contain audio, text, and video effects and can be separated into multiple tracks. Their high quality makes MOVs easy to edit and is the professional standard in video editing.

Cons: Unlike MP4s, MOV formats are not widely playable across different devices, and their super high quality also leads to large file sizes.

“I rarely use MOV formatting for my videos because, in my opinion, the high quality doesn't make up for how much file space they consume and how long they take to upload,” Santiago says.

3. WMV

Microsoft developed WMV, so your audience can play these types of videos on Windows Media Player. They can download a WMV player to play WMV videos if they have a Mac. Just like the MOV format, the WMV format boasts high video quality, but it's at the expense of a small file size.

Best for: WMVs are best for creators who want to ensure copyright protection for their work. The format contains copyright and licensing functions that check whether uses have the right to use them.

Pros: WMV files are so small they can even be played via Google Drive.

Cons: “While I like the small file size for editing, WMV files often lose image quality when they're getting uploaded and compressed, so I avoid using this format as well,” says Santiago.

4. FLV

Specifically designed for Adobe Flash Video Players, FLV is one of the most versatile and popular video formats. Every web browser and video platform supports it.

Best for: If your audience streams many videos on online platforms, like YouTube and Google Video, FLV is the video format for you.

Pros: Their file sizes are usually small, so people can quickly download them.

Cons: The only drawback of the video format is that it’s not compatible with iOS devices and many other mobile devices.

5. AVI

One of the oldest video formats, AVI, was developed by Microsoft in 1992. Since then, it has become one of the most versatile, compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, and supported by most web browsers.

Best for: AVI is best for short videos and television.
Pros: AVIs are compatible with most operating systems and boast excellent audio and video quality.
Cons: The AVI video format file size is large, which is more conducive for people to store on their computers than to stream or download.

6. AVCHD

Panasonic and Sony developed AVCHD, the highest-quality video format, specifically for digital camcorders, so it's perfect for those who regularly shoot high-end videos.

Powered by H.264/MPEG-4 video compression technology, the video format lets you store hours of high-quality video using only a tiny amount of data.

Additionally, the video format has both standard and high-definition variations, and its latest variation, AVCHD 2.0, even supports three-dimensional video.

Best for: AVCHD is best for creators shooting high-end videos.
Pros: AVCHD is small in file size and doesn't experience much loss in data quality.
Cons: This format has very limited compatibility because it's developed for use with Panasonic and Sony products.

Now that you know the best video format for your content, you're ready to create outstanding, engaging videos that will reach your audience.

October 8, 2024

How to Use Facebook: A Beginner’s Guide

Since I first signed up for an account in 2008, Facebook has changed quite a bit. Back then, a large majority of people were still asking, “What is Facebook?” and my bio literally said, “Check out my MySpace; it’s way better than this.”

Over the years, the social media giant has evolved at breakneck speed and likely will continue to adapt swiftly for as long as it exists.

If you need a refresher on how to use Facebook for marketing your business or you want to sign up for a personal account, check out this in-depth explanation of how to use the most popular social media network in the world.

Here, we’ll focus on the basics.

Table of Contents:

What is Facebook?
Why use Facebook?
But is Facebook still popular?
Why People Like Facebook
Facebook Terms to Know
How does Facebook work?
How the Facebook Algorithm Works
How to Use Facebook

In addition to sharing their own ideas, users can engage with the content others share on Facebook with likes, comments, shares, and reactions such as a laugh, disapproval, and even a hug.

Facebook works similarly for marketing, except businesses have Facebook Pages, not profiles like individual users do. Businesses can use their Facebook Pages to engage with existing customers, target new customers, and administer customer support.

Why use Facebook?

We all likely know the stature of Facebook, but does it live up to the hype? For marketers, it certainly does. Let’s break down some of its biggest benefits.

It’s cost efficient.

Anyone with internet and an email address can sign up for Facebook and take advantage of Pages, Groups, Events, Marketplace, and everything else it offers.

It’s free and fairly easy, but optimizing it for business does take a bit more time and attention.

Learn more about setting up a Facebook Page in The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Marketing.

You have access to a wide, diverse audience.

As of April, Facebook has over 3.06 billion monthly active users worldwide, making it the most popular social media platform by literally millions. That’s roughly 40% of the world population, so, as a business, there’s a good chance your target audience will be on Facebook.

Source

Our research found that older generations, like baby boomers and Gen X, consider it one of their top two favorite platforms overall. Meanwhile, younger consumers, like millennials and Gen Z, frequent it for events and Facebook Marketplace.

It supports a variety of content mediums.

In addition to helpful connection tools like Groups and Marketplace, Facebook also allows users and businesses to post a variety of different types of content.

Different people like to consume content in different ways, so diversifying your content mix can be integral to getting your marketing messages heard.

Facebook supports sharing:

Text
Photo/Images
Video
Live Video
Gifs

As they share the same parent company, it’s also easy to share Instagram posts directly to a Facebook Page and incorporate conversations via Messenger into a marketing strategy.

Clearly, HubSpot is not shy about exploring all of the options:

There are robust ad capabilities.

Despite strong competition from TikTok and even its sister network Instagram, Facebook remains the social media platform with the second-highest ad ROI for marketers, according to our recent report.

Marketers also said Facebook Ads offer the second-best audience targeting tools out of all social media platforms, losing out to YouTube by only 1%. This is no surprise, considering it lets you target people based on behaviors on and off the platform.

With organic impact on social media becoming increasingly difficult, businesses need affordable and effective ad options, and Facebook offers some of the best.

Learn more about Facebook Ads and how to do them successfully in these resources:

But is Facebook still popular?

If its huge number of monthly active users hasn’t already answered this question — yes, Facebook is still very popular.

While its usage may wane among younger generations who opt for visual-focused platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, Facebook still welcomes about two billion users daily.

Many of these users are members of older generations with more financial stability and disposable income than their younger counterparts, which is great news for businesses. Facebook is also the third most visited website in the world, following only Google and YouTube.

But why exactly?

Why People Like Facebook

Facebook is appealing to the general public for many of the same reasons it’s appealing to marketers and businesses.

It’s free and pretty easy to use, and it allows them to share and engage with a wide variety of content from both their loved ones and people around the world.

In addition to these, one of my favorite features of Facebook is the ability to get granular about the audience of every single thing you post. You can make posts:

Private: Visible to only you
Public: Visible to anyone who visits the page, on or off Facebook.
Visible to friends
Visible to friends minus specific individuals
Visible to specific friends
Visible to specific lists you create

In my experience, it offers the most customizable post privacy settings of any social media network.

Of course, Meta itself will always be able to access your data — which has gotten it into hot water over the years — but it certainly lets you control what other users can see.

Facebook Terms to Know

To fully understand Facebook and how it works, you’ll want to become familiar with common terms used on the platform. Here is a list of key Facebook terms and what they mean.

Profile

Even if you only want to use Facebook to market your business, you have to set up a personal profile.

A profile is where a user’s personal information lives. It includes their name, photo, hometown, workplace, education history, and so on depending on their privacy settings.

You can make your profile as public or private as you want using the same audience options we mentioned earlier.

Newsfeed

This is where all of the posts from your friends or businesses you “like” or follow” will appear. What shows up here is typically determined by Facebook’s algorithm, which considers past engagement, post popularity, and ads. (More on that shortly.)

Your posts will also appear in the newsfeeds where your friends and fans can see them.

Timeline

Often confused with a newsfeed, the timeline is a record of all the posts made or interacted with specifically by a person or business. It appears on Pages and profiles as “posts.”

If someone else tags you, it’ll appear on your timeline as well. However, if someone tags your business, it will appear on the “Mentions” tab on your Page.

Your friends can see your timeline by default if they search your name unless you’ve set your privacy settings to do the contrary.

Algorithm

The algorithm is an elusive concept. Essentially, the algorithm is a series of computations that Facebook’s servers do every second to determine what content you want to see, interact with, and click on next.

The algorithm uses dwell time (how long you view a post), engagement, page likes, posts, and more to determine the type of content you want to see.

Over time, the algorithm supposedly gets better at determining what content to show you, but with all the noise on the platform, most businesses find it's best to run ads for content they truly want seen.

Post/Status

“Post” is the term Facebook uses to describe something you share on the newsfeed. Text, images, videos, and location are just a few types of posts you can share on the newsfeed for your friends to see.

Posts evolved from “Statuses,” which originally only allowed users to share text updates about what they were doing or what was on their mind in that moment.

Friends

These are people you’ve either sent a request to and they’ve accepted or people who have sent you a request and you’ve accepted.

Unlike other social networking sites that allow someone to follow you without you following them back, Facebook Profiles require both you and the other person to be friends with each other in order to engage.

A personal account for an individual cannot have more than 5,000 friends (and it’s not a good idea to make a second Facebook profile to get around this rule).

Followers

Followers are people who have opted to receive updates from a specific page or profile.

When you add new friends, you automatically follow them (and they follow you, too). This is Facebook’s way of adding this new friend to your newsfeed and making sure you see their posts (at least for a little while unless you stop engaging with them).

Facebook also allows you to “unfollow” individuals without unfriending them.

This action simply removes that individual’s posts from your newsfeed. If you do this, you’ll need to search your friends individually and surge their timelines to catch up on their latest posts.

For individuals who exceed 5,000 friends on their personal Facebook profiles, people can opt to follow them instead to stay up to date on their posts.

For business pages, anyone who connects with your page is a Follower. In the past, these would be people who “liked” your page on Facebook.

Groups

Facebook users with similar interests might find it helpful to create or join a group on the platform.

A Facebook Group is a community of users who interact with each other based on various topics set by the group’s admins and other users.

Only individual users or personal profiles can join, not business pages, but businesses can certainly create groups.

Members can share text updates, photos, videos, and more just as they can to their personal timeline, except posts will only be visible to other group members.

Events

With so much community happening on Facebook, individual users and businesses have the option to post and promote events.

Events share the date, time, and location of the event, as well as description and ticket information if applicable.

They can also accept RSVPs, show a guest list, and allow users to invite their friends. Events can be virtual or in person with a physical location.

Messenger

Messenger is Facebook’s native direct messaging platform. It allows users to hold private one-on-one or group conversations. Messenger can be accessed through Instagram or a separate app that can be added to third-party websites.

When using Facebook.com on a desktop computer, it is accessible through a popup within the platform.

Businesses can use Messenger to communicate privately with individuals to field questions, offer customer service, or even run ads.

Story

Like Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories appear at the top of the platform on both mobile and desktop and are visible for just 24 hours. After 24 hours, the content disappears.

Stories can be made directly from the Facebook app or shared from existing stories on Instagram.

Notification

Represented by the bell icon in the third circle below, a notification informs you when a friend engages with your posts, photos, videos, or timeline; you’ll receive a notification that explains what they engaged with and when.

You will also receive notifications of Group and Event activity as well as friend requests here.

Now that you know what Facebook is and how it works, here’s a handy guide to using it.

Note: If you use HubSpot, you can also link your Facebook account to the platform and track engagement in social inbox.

You can also create keyword monitoring streams for your social team and trigger email alerts to sales when people mention a specific keyword.

Soon, you’ll also be able to use AI insights to understand market sentiment and stay updated on your brand reputation directly from your inbox.

How does Facebook work?

Facebook is powered by an algorithm that learns each user's preferences and interests. The algorithm then displays content like images, status updates, and videos posted by friends and businesses that the user might be interested in.

The goal for Facebook is to get users to engage with, consume, and share content.

In addition, Facebook runs advertisements for businesses, which are sprinkled between organic content shared by your friends on the newsfeed.

The ads are tailored to your interests, so you see what the algorithm thinks you might be interested in based on content you’ve interacted with in the past. This is called behavioral targeting.

How the Facebook Algorithm Works

In the past, Facebook used a chronological timeline. This means that the posts on your newsfeed were listed in the order in which your friends most recently shared them on the platform.

If your mom posted three hours ago and your best friend posted five minutes ago, you’d see your best friend’s post first, then your mom’s.

However, that all changed in September 2011 when Facebook officially announced that it was removing the chronological newsfeed and replacing it with a more personalized experience.

Rather than seeing your friends’ posts in the order they were shared, you now see the content Facebook’s algorithm thinks you’ll enjoy the most. This newsfeed is still around today.

1. Sign up for a Facebook account.

To sign up for a Facebook account, follow these three easy steps.

Visit Facebook’s website.
On the homepage, enter your first name, last name, mobile number or email, new password, birthday, and gender.
Click “Sign Up.”

2. Set up your privacy settings.

After you’ve signed up for a Facebook account, you can adjust your privacy settings to control who can see your profile and information. Follow these four simple steps to change your privacy settings.

Click on the downward pointing arrow on the top right corner of any Facebook page.
Click “Settings.”
In the left sidebar, select “Privacy.”
Set who is allowed to see your past and future posts. You can also control how people can find and contact you.

Odds are, there’s probably someone on Facebook who has the same name as you.

To differentiate yourself from these people and help your friends and family find you on Facebook, personalize your profile by adding a profile picture, cover photo, and some personal information.

3. Personalize your profile.

Picking a Profile Picture

Go to your profile and click on your profile picture.
To pick your profile picture, choose a photo that you’re already tagged in on Facebook, one that you’ve uploaded, or a photo from your computer. You can also add a decorative frame to your profile picture.

Choosing a Cover Photo

Click the camera button on your cover photo on your profile.
To choose your cover photo, you can pick a photo from your Facebook profile, select Facebook’s own cover artwork, create a collage, or upload a photo from your computer. You can also reposition or delete your current cover photo.

Updating Your Profile

Click the “About” section on your profile page.

In this section, you can fill in information about your work and education, the places you’ve lived, contact and basic info, family and relationships, and life events.

The best way to do this is by searching for them on Facebook and “liking” or “following” their public page, which will have a blue verified check mark next to their name.

After you “like” or “follow” their page, you’ll start seeing their updates in your newsfeed.

5. Review your timeline.

Your timeline is a digital log of your Facebook activity in reverse chronological order. Your status updates, uploaded photos and videos, and the photos you’re tagged in will appear on your timeline.

6. Add friends on Facebook.

There are three ways you can add friends on Facebook.

You can either search for them, find them in the “Find Friends” tab, or import a list of contacts from your email, iCloud, or phone.

To find friends on Facebook, go to your profile, select the “Friends” tab, and tap the “Find Friends” button. You’ll see a list of friend requests from other people and a list of people you may know that you can add as a friend on Facebook.

If you upload a list of contacts onto Facebook, you can add your friends as you sort through each of your contacts.

7. Post on Facebook.

The main purpose of Facebook is to help friends and family connect with each other. And the best way to connect with your friends and family is by updating them about your life with status updates.

To share a Facebook status, go to the text box at the top of your newsfeed or profile.

With status updates, you can share text with 15 different colored backgrounds, photos, videos, GIFs, stickers, and links.

You can also share other types of posts, like:

Feeling/Activity: Share how you’re currently feeling or what you’re currently doing.
Check-In: When you visit a city, location, or place, check-in and let your friends know where you’re at.
Tag Friends: If you’re hanging out with your friends, tag them in your status and share what you’re doing.
Tag Event: If you’re at an event, you can tag it in your status and share what event you’re attending.
Ask for Recommendations: If you just moved somewhere or you’re about to visit a location, you could ask your Facebook friends for recommendations on where to go.
Poll: Ask your Facebook friends what their opinion is on a certain topic.
Support Nonprofit: Choose a nonprofit organization of your choice and share it through your status. Your Facebook Friends can then select the donate button to support the chosen organization.
Answer a Question: Choose a predetermined question to answer or create your own question to answer and share it with your Facebook friends.
Lists: Choose a predetermined topic to make a list for or create your own topic and share it with your Facebook friends.
Facebook Stories: All the content that you can share through a status update is shareable through your Facebook story. You can also upload content to your stories by clicking the “Add to Your Story” button on the right sidebar.

Additionally, you can watch all your friends’ Facebook Stories by clicking on their pictures in the “Stories” section, which is also located on the right sidebar on your home page.

8. Add photos and videos.

In addition to text statuses, you can add photos, videos, albums, and live video broadcasts to your profile.

Uploading Photos or Videos

To upload photos or videos to your profile, follow these four simple steps:

Go to your profile.
Select the “Photos” tab.
Select “Add Photos/Video.”
Upload pictures or videos from your computer.

Creating Photo or Video Albums

To create a photo or video album, follow these four simple steps:

Go to your Profile.
Tap the “Photos” tab.
Tap “Create Album.”
Upload pictures or videos from your computer.

Facebook Live

To do a live broadcast on your Facebook account, follow these three simple steps.

In the box that says “What’s on your mind?”, select “Live Video.”
Once you select “Live Video,” you can write a description about your broadcast, tag people in it, add a feeling or activity, check in to an event, support a non-profit, or add a poll. You can also title your live broadcast or tag a video game if you’re live-streaming gameplay.
Select “Go Live.”

9. Engage with friends.

On your newsfeed, you’ll see updates from your friends, family, or public pages you follow. You can engage by liking and reacting to their posts, sharing content on their timelines, and communicating with them through text or video chat.

Like, Comment, or Share

If you like someone's post, give them a thumbs up, comment on their post, or share it.

Other Reactions

If your Facebook friend’s post evokes a stronger reaction in you than a like, you can also express that you love, laughed, are amazed, sad, or angry at their post by holding down the Like button.

Sharing Content on Your Friends’ Timelines

Anything you can post on your status, you can also post on your friend’s timeline.

Facebook Messenger

To chat with your friends or public pages on Facebook, use Facebook Messenger. You can access it by tapping the “Messages” button at the top right corner of any Facebook page or selecting the “Messages” button on the left sidebar of the home page.

Next, select “New Message” and type in the name of the friend or brand that you want to connect with. Facebook Messenger also lets you create group chats by clicking on “New Group.” After that, all you have to do is name your group and add the friends you want to include in the group.

When you message your friends or group on Facebook Messenger, you can upload pictures, videos, and files from your computer, stickers, GIFs, and emojis, and take pictures and videos from your computer’s or phone’s camera.

You can also view Messenger on its own page, where you can search for past conversations and manage your settings. To view Messenger on its own page, tap the “Messages” button in the top right corner of any Facebook page and then tap the “See All in Messenger” button.

To instant message your friends who are logged onto Facebook at the same time as you, tap the “Chat” button on the bottom of any Facebook page and strike up a conversation with your friends who are online

Phone and Video Calling

When Messenger is open on its own page, you can search for any of your friends or groups, click on their names, and tap the phone or video chat button to call them.

10. Review your newsfeed.

Your newsfeed is a curated feed of posts from your friends, family, and public pages you follow that Facebook’s algorithm thinks you’ll be interested in. You’ll also see ads from brands who think you’ll enjoy consuming their content or products.

To customize your newsfeed, tap the downward pointing arrow in the upper right corner of any Facebook page and tap “News Feed Preference.”

From there, you can prioritize whose posts you’ll see first, unfollow people and groups to hide their posts, reconnect with people and groups you unfollowed, discover public pages that match your interests, and hide apps from your newsfeed.

You can also “mute” or “unfollow” individuals, groups, or pages directly from individual posts.

11. Discover additional Facebook features.

Facebook isn’t just a platform for viral content and connection. It’s also a hub for community communications, video streaming, marketplaces, and games.

Events

The Events page on Facebook will show you any upcoming events that are popular with your Facebook friends or have been set up by the groups you belong to. You can also find events based on their date, location, and category.

To find the Events page, select the Home button. Then, on the left sidebar, you’ll see the “Explore” section, where you can select “Events.”

Groups

The “Groups” page on Facebook will show you which groups you manage and belong to. You can also discover groups to join based on Facebook’s suggestions and many other categories.

To access the “Groups” page, tap the “Home” button. Then, on the left sidebar, you’ll see the “Explore” section, where you can click “Groups.”

Facebook Watch

On the Facebook Watch platform, you can watch videos from the shows you’re following and search for other shows and videos.

To access Facebook Watch, select the “Home” button. Then, on the left sidebar, you’ll see the Watch button under the “Marketplace” button.

Marketplace

Not only does Facebook compete with Netflix in the streaming industry, but it also competes with eBay in the marketplace industry.

With Facebook Marketplace, you can browse for all kinds of products, join groups to buy and sell products with people in your area or who share similar interests, shop for products sold from different shops, shop by category, and sell your own products.

To access Facebook Marketplace, select the Home button. Then on the left sidebar, you’ll see the Marketplace button right under the Watch button.

Games

Facebook Games is one of Facebook’s best features. They host a huge collection of massively popular games, and you can browse the most popular games on the platform by top charts and categories. You can even play most of the games with your friends, too.

Make friends with Facebook.

Even if you’re not using Facebook personally, Facebook marketing can be immensely powerful for businesses of all kinds.

Use our guide to get comfortable with the platform and start exploring how you can use its various features and wide reach to make contact with your target audience.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

September 27, 2024

A Beginner’s Guide to Data Flow Diagrams

Processes are mission-critical for businesses, especially when it’s time to document and scale a proven process.

In my experience, whether a process is digital or human-driven, it’s important to map it out so it’s easier to refine, optimize, and ultimately repeat.

That’s where data flow diagrams come in.

They help me get a visual understanding of the steps involved, their dependencies, and how each contributes to the end goal. Why does all this matter?

Whether I’m defining workflows for project management or creating a project ticketing system, data flow diagrams (DFDs) offer straightforward visuals that illustrate the touch points and opportunities for efficiencies or improvement.

As visual representations of the system, they make it easier to understand and refine business processes, keeping them as simple and effective as possible.

Let’s dig into the details of what DFDs are, how you can leverage them, and how to create your own.

Table of Contents

What Is a Data Flow Diagram (DFD)?
The Benefits of Data Flow Diagrams
Data Flow Diagram Symbols
DFD Levels
Data Flow Diagram Examples
How to Make a Data Flow Diagram
Data Flow Diagram Tips

Image Source

DFDs became popular in the 1970s and have maintained their widespread use by being easy to understand.

There are two types of DFDs — logical and physical.

Logical DFD

Logical diagrams display the theoretical process of moving information through a system, like where the data comes from, where it goes, how it changes, and where it ends up.

Physical DFD

Physical diagrams show you the practical process of moving information through a system. It can show how your system’s specific software, hardware, files, employees, and customers influence the flow of information.

You can either use logical or physical diagrams to describe that flow of information. You can also use them in conjunction to understand a process or system on a more granular level.

Data Flow Diagram vs. Unified Modeling Language (UML)

While these two types of diagrams have some similarities, let me clarify what makes each distinct.

Data flow diagrams are designed to provide a map for how your data will flow through a system. Unified Modeling Language (UML) takes it further, providing considerably more detail.

DFDs and UML are not mutually exclusive — you might use a DFD for people who need a high-level summary and then turn your DFD into UML diagrams when it comes time to actually create your system, providing sufficient detail for developers who need to know how to create the specifics.

To continue the roadmap analogy, DFD might provide the top-level overview and potentially even turn-by-turn directions, but UML offers the street-level view with all the context of building color, tree location, and traffic patterns.

The Benefits of Data Flow Diagrams

DFDs are visual representations that can help almost anyone grasp a system’s or process’s logic and functions. Aside from being accessible, I find they provide much-needed clarity and improve productivity. Here's how.

Accessibility

Because visual information is easier to digest, DFDs typically explain complex concepts better than blocks of text can.

Visual presentations of how a process works can also hold people's attention longer — making it easier to retain the information.

Clarity

DFDs clarify the systems and processes necessary for your team to do their best work. Whether implementing a new company-wide system or refining a department's existing process, a DFD gets you and your team on the same page.

Creating DFDs will give you clarity about business operations, too. I think a clearer understanding enables you to refine and track your business processes with less friction.

Productivity

The accessibility and clarity created with DFDs will leave less room for error. Your team will better master systems and processes because they understand them.

Greater understanding — paired with a repeatable process — will likely boost team effectiveness and productivity.

On a broader level, DFDs can help you streamline your business operations. When mapping out your processes, you’ll gain insights into what does and doesn’t work.

These insights help boost you and your team's productivity. As a bonus, you can share any best practices across departments.

Data Flow Diagram Symbols

Before using a DFD, let me share the symbols you need to describe it.

Data flow diagram symbols are standardized notations, like rectangles, circles, arrows, and short-text labels. These symbols represent a system’s data flow direction, inputs, outputs, storage points, and sub-processes.

Four common methods of notation are used in DFDs: Yourdon & De Marco, Gene & Sarson, SSADM, and Unified.

All use the same labels and similar shapes to represent the four main elements of a DFD — external entity, process, data store, and data flow — so I’ll focus on explaining those, regardless of which notation method you choose.

1. External Entity

External entities — which are also known as terminators, sources, sinks, or actors — are outside systems that send or receive data to and from the diagrammed system.

They’re either the sources or destinations of information, so they’re usually placed on the diagram’s edges.

External entity symbols are similar across models except for Unified, which uses a stick-figure drawing instead of a rectangle, circle, or square.

2. Process

Process is a procedure that manipulates the data and its flow by taking incoming data, changing it, and producing an output. A process can do this by performing computations and using logic to sort the data or change its flow of direction.

Processes usually start from the top left of the DFD and finish on the bottom right of the diagram.

3. Data Store

Data stores hold information for later use, like a file of documents waiting to be processed. Data inputs flow through a process and then through a data store, while data outputs flow out of a data store and then through a process.

4. Data Flow

Data flow is the path the system’s information takes from external entities through processes and data stores. With arrows and succinct labels, the DFD can show you the direction of the data flow.

DFD Levels

DFDs can range from simple overviews to complex, granular representations of a system or process with multiple levels, starting with level 0.

The most common and intuitive DFDs are level 0 DFDs, also called context diagrams. They’re digestible, high-level overviews of the flow of information through a system or process, so almost anyone can understand it.

On the other extreme, level 3+ diagrams contain lots of detail and complexity.

Level 0: Context Diagram

This DFD level focuses on high-level system processes or functions and the data sources that flow to or from them. Level 0 diagrams are designed to be simple, straightforward overviews of a process or system.

Level 1: Process Decomposition

While level 1 DFDs are still broad overviews of a system or process, they’re also more detailed — they break down the system’s single process node into subprocesses.

Level 2: Deeper Dives

The next level of DFDs dives even deeper into detail by breaking down each level 1 process into granular subprocesses.

Level 3: Increasing Complexity

Level 3 and higher-numbered DFDs are uncommon. This is largely due to the amount of detail required, which defeats its original purpose of being easy to understand.

Data Flow Diagram Examples

Professionals in various industries, like software engineering, IT, ecommerce, and product management & design, can use DFDs to better understand, refine, or implement a new system or process.

But what does a data flow diagram look like in practice — and how does it help your business? I’ll share three examples to help you contextualize DFDs' impact.

1. Level 0 DFD

This Level 0 DFD provides a contextual map of a securities trading platform.

Data flows in one direction from the customer service assistant and the broker to the platform. It also flows in two directions from customers to the platform and back again.

As you can see, it is exceedingly simple and straightforward.

2. Level 1 DFD

This Level 1 DFD breaks down the customer process in more detail, expanding it to include account creation, cash withdrawals, and eventual securities transactions.

As you can see, it breaks down the customer interactions into more specific actions, allowing viewers to grasp what the whole process looks like.

3. Level 2 DFD

This Level 2 DFD decomposes the “Place Order” process to contextualize the steps required to place an order — either by a customer or by a broker.

It even accounts for a third-party stock exchange center where transaction details are forwarded after an order is placed. This provides a more granular depiction of a specific process.

1. Know the basics.

Before you start mapping out data flow diagrams, you need to follow four best practices to create a valid DFD.

Each process should have at least one input and one output.
Each data store should have at least one data flow in, and data flow out.
A system’s stored data must go through a process.
All processes in a DFD must link to another process or data store.

2. Select a system or process.

Begin by selecting a specific system or process you want to analyze. While any system or process can be turned into a DFD, the larger the process, the more complicated the diagram and the more difficult it will be to contextualize.

Wherever possible, I recommend starting with a small function or process you’re looking to improve.

3. Categorize related business activities.

Next, categorize all activities related to this process into external entities, data flows, processes, and data stores.

Consider a restaurant food ordering system. Customers are external entities, the food ordering system is a process, and the interaction between customers and the system (which goes in both directions) is the flow.

Also worth noting? The ordering system doubles as a data store, so for an SSADA model, this means drawing it as a rectangle with rounded corners and two horizontal lines inside to represent its dual function.

4. Draw a context DFD.

Now, it’s time to start drawing. DFDs can be created by hand, using free templates available online, or via browser extensions.

I like starting with a simple, Level 0 DFD. Begin with your process or system, then map all basic connections and flows.

5. Check your work.

Before diving into more complex DFDs, check the work you’ve already done to make sure it’s accurate and complete.

If you’ve missed (or added) a process, entity, or flow, your next-level DFDs may not make sense, and you may be forced to start over. Trust me, it’s worth double-checking your work after each step.

6. Create child diagrams.

For each process or system described in your Level 0 DFD, create a new child diagram with its own entities and flows. Eventually, you can use these child diagrams to connect processes together.

7. Expand processes into Level 1 DFDs.

Using your child diagrams, you can map more in-depth connections between each process. I find starting with the big picture, then systematically digging into the details ensures I don’t have any missing gaps.

In the case of our restaurant example, this could mean digging deeper into the food ordering system and its connection to suppliers, managers, customers, and kitchen staff.

8. Repeat as needed.

Each process — no matter how large or small — can be reimagined as a Level 0 context diagram, and the cycle can begin again.

Repeat these steps as needed to create as many DFDs as required, or break processes down further to develop Level 2, 3, etc. DFDs.

Data Flow Diagram Tips

When I created a new retainer service for clients that blended marketing strategy with copywriting and tactical support, I needed a way to create a system that would help me manage all the projects while also automating the time-consuming aspects.

Since it is not a typical large-scale copywriting aspect with defined deliverables, I knew there would be more moving parts to manage and that I wouldn’t want to do it manually. So, I created a DFD to help me get clear on how the process would work. Here’s what I learned along the way.

1. Choose a platform you like.

Sure, you can draw a diagram out by hand (and you may want to start there), but my best advice is to choose software you’re somewhat familiar with.

My go-to choices are Canva and Miro because their whiteboards expand in any direction and make it easy to edit or update.

Miro has a bit more functionality with different types of fields and back-end notes, but my comfort level is highest in Canva.

2. Start at the beginning.

Because it’s important to understand every aspect of the process you’re defining.

In my case, the sales would already be complete, so my first action is to get clients into the system for onboarding.

3. Define your current process.

Start with the basics. How do things currently work? Or, if you’re defining a new process like I was, start with the minimum viable actions.

Why? I’ve found there’s nothing worse than an overcomplicated process that requires too much work or too many manual actions.

My initial DFD started with how I define and set up projects, how I manage the initial work, and how to do revisions — aka the basics.

4. Identify next-level updates or changes.

Once you define your current process, you can use your DFD to show opportunities for improvement.

Personally, manual emails and updates can be overwhelming. These elements are where I’m most likely to drop the occasional ball, so I identified opportunities for automation, specifically around notifications.

You can see in the purple items above where I noted opportunities for improvement and set up some preliminary automation in my project management software (ClickUp).

5. Test and update.

Now that you’ve dialed in your process and changes (and hopefully, put it into action), it’s time to see how it all works. Where are there holes? What is missing? What could be working better?

I found creating and setting up documents to be incredibly time-consuming, so I added in an automation to create them for me using a blend of ClickUp, Google Docs, and Zapier.

Keep in mind as your business, technology, and market changes, there will be new updates to your process. Your DFD is never 100% complete.

6. Identify ancillary processes.

In addition to the processes you outline in your DFD, you may uncover areas where you need to go deeper. For example, in the DFD I shared above, there are additional processes that I can define and potentially streamline:

Sales
Contracting
Onboarding

And while my DFD covers that after a project is complete, the process starts over. There are additional client touchpoints that aren’t related to the actual project management.

Perfecting Your Process

While there’s no such thing as a “perfect” data flow diagram, continued practice can help streamline the process and offer critical insight into what’s working, what isn’t, and where your business can make impactful improvements.

My example is considerably simple compared with DFDs I’ve created for much larger clients as we define their marketing and reporting processes to create systems where things don’t fall through the cracks.

After all, the more moving parts, the more important it is to dial in your processes so nothing gets dropped or missed.

Your best bet? Remember the rule: Keep it simple. Start with context, build out connected processes, and repeat as needed to map key connections, flows, and entities across your organization.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in September 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.