4 Critical Marketing Techniques You Need to Know When Building Your Brand Online

Thinking of new ways to promote your business? Looking to find an efficient marketing strategy to increase sales or brand awareness?

If your business is banking on old forms of marketing – print, broadcast, word of mouth – you won’t maximize the potential of your business, no matter how good you claim your products and services are.

In reality, for every successful business, using different online marketing techniques is what sets them apart from the rest of the competition.

What are online marketing techniques?

Online marketing techniques are forms of marketing and advertising that utilize the power of the internet to promote your brand to audiences across different platforms. 

Does your startup have any chance when going toe-to-toe against more reputable brands?

Of course, it does!

The good news is, when it comes to online marketing, it’s never too late to get in on the action. Social media platforms and search engines are constantly updating their algorithms, making online marketing an ever-changing field that can either help give your business an edge or push you further down the hole. 

With so many different online marketing techniques available, how will you know which will work best for your business?

To help you get started, here are four online marketing techniques you can use for your business to sustain success in the long run.

1. Social media marketing

Social media marketing is an avenue where your business can gain visibility beyond your local area and connect directly with customers anywhere. Your business doesn’t even have to venture into all the different social media channels to reap positive outcomes.

These days, everybody expects a business to be active on at least one social media platform. A GlobalWebIndex survey found that over 54% of customers use social media to research a brand before making a purchase or recommendation.  

Now, before you dive in and create a business page, remember that social media marketing is more than just posting any old content.

We know how tempting this can be, considering that creating a business page won’t cost you a penny.

So, where do you start? Like in all business strategies, the probability of success would be greater if you have a plan. A plan gives you a guide on what you need to do, provides you a measuring stick to gauge the success of your social media goals, and layout alternatives ahead in time just in case plan A fails to live up to expectations.

When thinking of a social media plan, make sure to include the following:

• Set goals that align with the S.M.A.R.T. goals framework
• Perform competitive research
• Create a social media calendar
• Conduct a social media audit (only for those with existing social media accounts)
• Don’t settle on mediocre visual content
• Mix up your visual content

* If you’re having difficulty finding a social media platform to promote your business online, your best bet would be to go on Facebook. This won’t always guarantee success, but this social media giant has everything you’ll need starting with their free tools and over 2.89 billion active monthly users. 

2. Content marketing

This form of marketing takes on different forms. As per the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating valuable, relevant, and consistent content geared to attract and retain a clearly defined audience – ultimately to drive profitable customer actions.

When it comes to content marketing, always remember that it’s a long-term process. It gives you a chance to indirectly promote your brand by providing educational content to your potential customers, becoming an industry leader in your niche, and helping you rise in search results.

At first glance, you might think content marketing is all about writing informative blogs, but what we know is that people consume content differently.

To give you an idea, here are different ways (aside from blog writing) that you can use to help you get started on your content marketing strategies:

• How-to videos and tutorials
• Live broadcasts
• Infographics
• Podcasts
• Host webinars
• Photoblog

3. Email marketing

What better way to build trust with your customers than through email marketing? This method of online marketing is effective for both startups and reputable brands as you get to interact with your audience directly.

Think of it this way, how often do users change their personal emails or even virtual mailboxes for that matter? Presumably not that often, making a customer’s email a valuable piece of information to acquire.

The biggest disadvantage when it comes to email marketing is trying to find a way to increase your email list and the timing of when you send your emails. Some of the methods to increase your email list include using lead magnets, incentives, or cold-calling.

For the timing of your emails, the frequency varies depending on the niche and goals of a business, but in terms of recipient preference, the sweet spot for over 61% of users is receiving at least one promotional email in a month.

Once you grow your email list, make sure to create personalized and segmented emails.

Personalized emails can range from adding the customer’s name to pointing out some of their recent activity on your site. This will make your customers feel more connected and appreciated by your brand, resulting in an immediate increase in trust and customer retention.

Chances are, your customers don’t see eye-to-eye with you on every topic. If you email them irrelevant content, this will lead to lower conversion rates, or even worse, an unsubscribing customer.

This is where segmented emails come in handy. When you segment your email lists in groups, it makes it easier for you to tailor content that’s sure to keep them wanting more.

Take this, for example: say your business sells clothing for men and women. If sales are lower on one end, say the male side, sending coupons or limited offers of male apparel to your female audience wouldn’t generate much revenue and could be, at times, annoying for them to receive.   

4. Search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO is an organic online marketing strategy businesses use to gain traffic to their site with the main goal of trying to consistently land on page one of a search result.

Similar to content marketing, SEO takes time before you can reap its benefits. With different businesses looking to outrank your landing pages for a particular keyword, fine-tuning your SEO efforts become an everyday task, even with the help of some of the best SEO tools. This, in turn, makes some businesses hesitant to invest any time and resources towards it.

But once you can land on page one, the amount of visibility and revenue your business makes is immeasurable. The following data can support its claims:

• Web searchers are 8.5x more likely to click an organic listing than a paid ad.
• 90% of respondents in an Oberlo survey said they were likely to click on the first page of a search result.
• SEO drives  more than 1000% more traffic than organic social media 

In general, SEO strategies can be subdivided into four parts:

• Keyword research
• On-page SEO
• Off-page SEO
• Technical SEO

“Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing.” – Warren Bennis

Guest author: Derick Quinanola is a writer and digital marketer who is passionate about helping businesses maximize their virtual presence through engaging social media campaigns and dynamic content marketing to capture the attention of diverse audiences. He is based in the Philippines but has a global mindset and continues to find innovative methods to help businesses thrive in an increasingly digitized economy.

The post 4 Critical Marketing Techniques You Need to Know When Building Your Brand Online appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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Where to Find Creative Inspiration

Over the last few decades, there have been many advancements in the field of neurology that have improved the human race’s understanding of the brain. Each year, studies discover a new factor that affects our creative mind either positively or negatively. 

The human brain contains several regions that control their respective functions. For example, the hypothalamus controls your reflexes and your endocrine system which is responsible for your hormone levels. Similarly, the frontal lobe is believed to be the region that becomes active when we use our creativity. But certain studies link creativity with multiple regions of the brain, suggesting that human creativity comes from a deeper level of our minds.

Creativity is more than just neurology

The human brain isn’t just a closed circuit. Neurology is simply one aspect of how we can see creativity in human beings. And many studies outside the field of neurology also focus on how the creative mind works. These studies have been conducted by psychologists and psychiatrists alike who have found that the simple act of watching another person be creative brings about a spark of creativity in us. Certain studies even indicate that our habits and our experiences greatly shape our creative abilities as well.

Many creative experts suggest that their life experiences and habits have shaped who they are and the creativity they bring to their field. This is supported by studies done by Valerie van Mulukom, which suggests that practicing a particular art for long periods engages the mind to form creative ideas in the chosen field, leading to higher creativity. Consider any creative skill, and you’ll find that many of the largest and most respected names in any creative field will have spent their life chasing after the perfect creation before they became accredited. And along the way, they will have created several good and bad ideas.

How you can inspire creativity in yourself

There are certain actions that people can take to give themselves a boost in creativity. These actions can affect different aspects of your biology, psychology, and stress levels. They can also inspire you during times of mental block. We’ve taken inspiration from multiple sources to bring you the simplest tasks to boost your creativity and find your muse.

Now for many individuals, certain things may work while others may not. Regardless, we’ve included a variety of options that focus on aiding your brain’s creativity. These tips are divided based on the principles they follow and will be mentioned below.

1. Hack your mind and body

By using certain tricks to boost our mood and reduce stress levels, we can prepare ourselves for creative thinking, which is the first step before you start jotting down ideas and making your chosen projects. By using the following tricks, you can trick your body into working for you so that you maximize your creative capability.

Use Food as a Mood Booster

Doctors and researchers have found direct connections between the amount of food you consume and your hormone levels. These hormones include serotonin, dopamine, and cortisone. Cortisone is the hormone responsible for stress in the mind and body.

Serotonin and dopamine are released in response to things that make us feel good, such as a belly filled with food. Studies have found that even the sight of food can cause small releases of dopamine which is a natural mood booster. So if you’re looking to get your body and mind ready to be creative, then a very good tactic is to eat something before you get to work so that stress levels are at their lowest.

The Six Hats Technique

This technique is a psychological method of switching your way of thinking by associating a specific thought process with a color. The concept was developed by Edward de Bono as a data-centric approach to problems. And this can be applied to creative thinking as well. The technique entails the use of six approaches.

The first hat is known as the white hat and is focused on analyzing the problem at hand and relative facts to establish a potential solution without the use of any creative thinking. The main priority of the white hat is to gather information and organize it for future use.

The second hat is the red hat. And just as red is the color of passion, the red hat focuses on facing the problem with an emotional approach. Now, this does not mean a highly emotional response, rather it focuses on the emotions surrounding the problem and helps understand the instinctive reactions we bring to the table, this will help you see where your instincts are guiding you to see a new solution.

Thirdly, there is the black hat. This is essentially a version of playing the devil’s advocate, during which you see the world and the problem with a pessimistic approach to re-evaluate the potential problems by portraying them as more serious than previously thought. Using this approach, many people can find a contingency plan in case a certain idea does not work.

The fourth approach is to look at the problem with an optimistic mindset through the use of the yellow hat. This approach helps to see the other side of the black hat and to find a general direction for all ideas.

The green hat is held at number five and is the main crux of your creative process with this technique. The creative green hat is aimed at finding unorthodox solutions to a problem. When using this approach, there are no rules or boundaries including the objective itself. Everything can be altered to fit the final objective.

And finally, we have the blue hat which is the manager of all the above thinking hats. This approach decides the end goal and focuses on keeping things on track to meet the objective. These approaches can be used by a group of six people or can even be used by one individual when stuck in a creative block.

2. Find a muse

Another great way to find inspiration is to look at the creative works of other people. This way, you can get ideas from other creators and their works to form your unique idea. It could be anything. Regardless of what field you’re in, a creative idea can arrive out of the most unexpected places, which is why it is best to cast a wide net so you can catch as many ideas as possible. Below we’re going to mention just a few different ways that can help you find your muse.

Listen to Music

Music is known to directly affect the cognitive ability of a person. The only problem is that each individual has a unique response to music and it is anyone’s guess what could spark creativity in a certain individual. But to make it as easy as possible and to allow everyone to use this trick, we recommend that people try listening to music that they usually don’t choose. This way, they are providing their brain with new content that can provide some inspiration.

Take a Walk

Changing your environment or getting out of your chair can be a good thing for creatives who are trying to brainstorm. Don’t shy away from the chance to get out of your seat and look at the world for inspiration. Studies have shown that walking not only helps release low levels of endorphins but also helps improve blood flow throughout the body. But the biggest benefit of taking a walk is that you may stumble across your eureka moment when you least expect it.

Get a Random Person’s Opinion

When facing creative blocks, outside the box thinking is exactly what you need. This outside thinking can come in the form of a conversation about your creative problem with a person who is unrelated to the field. By getting their opinion, you can find a new perspective on an old problem.

Watch a Video

A lack of inspiration can be tackled in several ways. But watching video content is perhaps the easiest and most effective method. This video could be anything from a YouTube video or a TED talk and could be on any topic you like. By watching a video, you can engage your brain and maybe even get the idea you’re searching for.

Take Inspiration from Industry Leaders

Another great place to find a muse is with the leading creatives in your industry. Search for their past works, look through their blogs and social media, and maybe even send them a short message asking how they would tackle a particular task related to their profession. By speaking to someone who has had many good and bad ideas, you can learn from their experience and maybe even find a completely unrelated idea that could turn out to be better than all your other ideas.

3. Organize your creativity

Now that you’re well-fed, in a good mood, and have a muse for your next project; it’s time to organize all your ideas and find the right one. It may be right in front of you or it could take a little brainstorming. But in the end, the first step is always to organize yourself and get the ball rolling on your creative work.

Use a Journal

Inspiration can strike anywhere at any time. This is why you can’t just keep a phone on you to type your idea. Instead, use a hand-sized journal that you can carry in your pocket with a nice pen. Not only will this make you feel creative, but studies suggest that writing things by hand helps people remember them more effectively without any additional help. You can improve your brainstorming drastically by always keeping yourself open to ideas and being willing to write them down anywhere you can.

Make Mind Maps

One of the biggest benefits of using a journal is that you can create associations that just aren’t possible on electronic devices. By making mind maps and writing notes on the side, you can create an overwhelming amount of information that can be linked together to act as your idea board. At any point, if you feel lost or find yourself moving away from your objective, this mind map can help correct your course.

4. Take action

One of the biggest problems faced by creatives is that they just can’t convince themselves to start working until they’re completely sure of their idea. And this is a fairly common problem with a very easy solution. That solution is to, in the everlasting words of Nike, “Just Do It!”. By taking action without a plan, you can find a plethora of bad ideas that will eventually be canceled out by one great idea. In short, you have to do whatever you can to get the ball rolling.

Switch It Up

To get your creative juices flowing, you could try and get out of your routine. If you work at an office desk with a lot of people, try going to a quiet place and sitting alone. The change in your environment can help you find new ideas that would usually be drowned out by background noise in a public space.

There are many other ways to get out of your routine as well. Taking a different route to work is one of the best ways to open your mind before you sit down to work. Of course, it can also be something as minuscule as having a different beverage while you work.

Embrace the Bad Ideas

Not all ideas will be perfect. Maybe none of them are. But the bad ideas can be the inspiration that pops out at you at an unexpected moment. This is why we recommend taking a few risks and trying an idea even if it seems bad. Many of the best writers and designers end up with piles of unused ideas just lying in their trash cans until there is an epiphany portraying your best work.

Conclusion

Finding inspiration is hard, especially because the same things may not work for two unique people. But the best way to find out what works for you is to try a few different things and get out of your comfort zone. In the beginning, it may feel as though the above-mentioned tips aren’t working. But eventually, the changes will help you find an idea when you least expect it.

Guest author: Zeeshan Hussain Bhatti is a blogger by passion and Digital strategist at storage units bristol & Tech Geek by profession, having a tech background and experience in I.T development services, Zeeshan is eager towards exploring the modern-day tech landscape. With having interest in technology, Bhatti writes about leading edge technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Automotive Industry, Logo Designing and much more.

The post Where to Find Creative Inspiration appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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The 15 Best Hashtag Generator Tools For Smart Social Media Marketers [2022 Update]

Hashtags are the universal language for post discoverability on social media. First used on Twitter in 2007, they’ve been going strong ever since in helping users find content that they are interested in and want to see.

Using hashtags correctly can help your content get more natural reach and engagement – even one hashtag can get you almost 13% more engagement on Instagram.

Do you use hashtags in your posts? Do you feel like you’re getting optimal results with your current hashtag strategy? There’s always more you can do to ensure that you’re boosting your hashtag performance and getting your content seen by more people.

It can be tricky to stay up to date with hashtags and to know which ones are doing well. It can also be a challenge to understand how many to use, what topics are trending, as well as which hashtags your target audience is likely to follow.

For this reason, we’ve created our go-to hashtag guide to help you not only take a look at the top hashtag generator tools but also answer some FAQs about hashtag use and how to get the most of the little pound sign that we all know and love.

We’ll start with hashtag generator tools and round out with an FAQ guide. Let’s go!

Top 15 Hashtag Generator Tools

Here we’ll dive into the different hashtag tools available for Instagram and what they can offer users. This isn’t a comprehensive list, but we’ve provided the top options that are the cream of the crop in terms of accuracy, functionality, as well as ease of use.

1. Kicksta

Whether you’re looking for trending hashtags, unique hashtags, or ideal hashtags for your industry, Kicksta’s hashtag generator tool can help. That’s why it is our top pick.

You’ll be able to use its search box to enter a topic or keyword that you want your hashtag to relate to. You’ll then get a list of hashtags that are connected to your original search.

Kicksta provides accurate hashtag suggestions that are valuable for your Instagram content. You can also filter by the following categories:

• Top
• Random
• Best match

It’s an easy tool to use and gives you just what you need to increase impressions and engagement on Instagram.

2. Task Ant

A popular option that can bring you some of the best hashtags around, Task Ant is a helpful Instagram hashtag generator tool.

They use the official Instagram API data to analyze hashtags and all of the related performance stats. This means that they know exactly what’s going on and can get you the best recommendations for driving results on your Instagram profile.

Task Ant’s goal is to help you generate Instagram hashtags that will both boost your Instagram reach, get you more views and followers, as well as increase engagement through more likes, comments, and shares.

When you include the right hashtags, users are more likely to engage with your content and follow you because the content that you post is relevant to their interests, needs, or desires.

Using Task Ant will get you a variety of features:

• Hashtag analytics
• Over 100 suggestions on every query
• Ability to save hashtags into sets for better organization
• Quick-copy to Instagram for easy posting
• Calendar content planner
• Analytics analyzer
• Post scheduler

Task Ant also offers a 14-day guarantee so if you aren’t happy with their hashtag generator tool for whatever reason, they’ll take care of you. They care about their clients’ success and it shows in their guarantee as well as their excellent customer reviews.

If you are looking for ways to find the most relevant hashtags for your profile that will take your Instagram content to the next level, Task Ant is the best option out there.

3. Ingramer 

Another popular option for hashtag generation and searching is Ingramer. Their tool is easy to use and relatively effective as well.

It doesn’t use as specific information as Task Ant, but it uses advanced AI technology to suggest hashtags for you. You can search for hashtags using a keyword, photo, or URL. Ingramer aims to help you gain more followers and boost traffic to your profile.

You can quickly search for hashtags and get relevant results, and you can add up to five keywords at a time. When you use this multi-keyword option, you’ll be able to get a lot of results, helping to boost your efficiency and save time.

Ingramer doesn’t offer the same options for saving and organizing your hashtags, so that’s a downside if you’re looking for a way to do so. The good news is that you can still track analytics and performance of hashtags, which is a plus.

If you’re looking for a solid hashtag tool that’s been around for a bit, Ingramer has proven to be a popular option.

4. Display Purposes

Display Purposes is a very simple tool; so simple, in fact, that it’s more like a supplemental tool that you can use alongside your primary hashtag generator. It’s great to cross-check your hashtags sometimes, and Display Purposes can help you do that.

You’ll be able to look for relevant hashtags for your IG content with their search box. You won’t have to worry about any spammy hashtags being included because Display Purposes filters those out. You can use their suggestions on any social media platform.

It’s a good idea, according to Display Purposes, to use hashtags that are popular but also include a healthy mix of hashtags that are more specific to your content and niche. Users have been known to get a place in the “top posts” for a hashtag that is more specific and not as widely used.

Display Purposes also offers a pretty interesting blog that gives you some IG tips and tricks.

5. Tailwind

Tailwind will help you to find intelligent and accurate hashtag suggestions that will be relevant to each individual post that you want to create. You shouldn’t necessarily use the same hashtags for each post; tailoring them based on different elements of your posts can help your hashtags perform better.

Tailwind offers a variety of features:

• Unique and customized hashtag recommendations
• Hashtag suggestions appear in categories to help you understand what impact they’ll have on your content
• Auto-posting with hashtag in first comment
• Save hashtags to lists
• Built-in analytics
• Free trial

You can try out Tailwind and see if it’s a good option for you. They don’t use official Instagram data for their analytics, but their user interface is enjoyable and it can be a great option to help get your profile better results.

6. Flick

Flick will help you make finding and managing your hashtags easier and more effective. You can also see which hashtags are getting you the most reach.

Flick’s hashtag generator tool will suggest hashtags that may work on your specific Instagram account as opposed to just generic, general suggestions.

Here are some things you can expect when you use Flick:

• Relevant hashtag suggestions
• Performance tracking
• Filter out irrelevant hashtags
• Support in different languages
• Check for banned hashtags

You will need to link your account to Flick in order for its platform to work correctly, which may be a downside for those who don’t want to deal with any platform integrations. 

7. SISTRIX

If you need to generate hashtags that are relevant to your target audience and posts, SISTRIX will be able to help you do that.

They’ll suggest up to 30 hashtags that are related to your search, giving you quite a few options in one fell swoop. It’s not the most that you’ll find, but it’s a good starting point. SISTRIX allows you to do 25 searches per day.

SISTRIX also bases its results on billions of different hashtag combinations and its system has data on over 7 million different hashtags. You won’t be able to view analytics or create any lists, but you can check for some relevant hashtags to get your profile moving.

8. Later 

Later is known for its Instagram visual scheduling tool, but they also offer hashtag tools that are pretty cool. Its hashtag generator tool is actually a combination of a few different tools that can help you save time and get more reach and engagement.

You can:

• Track hashtag performance
• Organize hashtags
• Search hashtags
• Schedule posts
• Search for user-generated content by hashtag
• Save captions for later use

All in all Later is a very visual platform and its content planner and scheduler is among the best. While its service isn’t a dedicated hashtag tool, they’ve got some valuable contributions to your hashtag strategy.

9. Ritetag

You’ll be able to check out all of the most popular and trending hashtags in your niche when you use Ritetag. Ritetag has been one of the most popular hashtag generators for years now.

You’ll be able to get more relevant followers when you use Ritetag, connecting with more people in your niche and keeping things targeted. You can use the service for any social media platform but they are most accurate for Instagram and Twitter.

You can view a variety of different hashtag categories and can track your results, save hashtag sets, and even create test groups.

Ritetag is a great option if you really want to see results and get your hashtag strategy laser-focused.

10. Keyhole

Keyhole is one of the most comprehensive hashtag tools on the internet, but it does come at a price. This hashtag generator tool costs $149/month, but if you have a large operation and a hefty budget, it might just be worth it.

When you use Keyhole, you’ll get:

• Performance tracking
• Hashtag analytics and tracking
• Hashtag searches
• Hashtag generation
• Related topics and hashtags
• Dashboard
• Hashtag campaign management

Keyhole may not be the right option for everyone, but for serious marketers looking to run campaigns on Instagram, Keyhole is a well-rounded option that can give you some serious hashtag power.

11. Tagboard

Tagboard is a unique hashtag tool that works a bit differently. You’ll be able to have an at-a-glance view of every single post that has been posted using a hashtag. This can help not only to get an idea of what type of content goes with a hashtag but it can also help you get some inspiration for your content strategy.

You can also save these boards for reference later. You can then compile hashtags into a list and use them on your post.

Tagboard is another hefty option with a beginning price point of $500 per month. It is one of the most unique ways to develop your hashtag strategy and monitor your performance, so its price tag may be justified depending on your goals.

12. BigBangram

BigBangram has a couple of different tools available depending on what you’re looking for. If you just need a simple hashtag search tool to provide a few suggestions, BigBangram can do that.

They also have options that cost more and give you the option to find more relevant hashtags based on your profile. This is what BigBangram allows you to do:

• Get hashtag suggestions
• Analyze and view hashtag insights
• Filter and sort hashtags as you please

Its services work in any niche. You won’t be able to save any hashtag sets but you can get some quick, go-to suggestions.

13. Instavast

Instavast is similar to Ingramer in the sense that you’ll be able to search for hashtags based on photos, posts, or keywords. It can also generate hashtags based on your specific posts. Instavast in general, though, is one of the most basic hashtag generator tools.

You’ll get a variety of suggestions from Instavast, but you can’t save any of them, which may be a downside for some. It’s a very basic tool but can give you some new ideas based on your search query.

Instavast’s main service is an IG bot focused on growing your Instagram followers, so their hashtag generation tool is just a supplement.

14. TagsFinder

A quick and easy way to find a couple of hashtags, TagsFinder provides you the opportunity to enter up to ten hashtags in your original search query and then see a list of relevant hashtags to those that you’d entered.

You can also filter your hashtag searches by country or set exclusions that won’t include hashtags that you already know you don’t want to use. This is a useful way to get only the most relevant hashtag results.

15. MetaHashtags

Last but not least, MetaHashtags is a relatively new hashtag tool that was released in 2020. You’ll get a lot of detailed analytics info about hashtags that you are using, including:

• How many posts have been created with the hashtag
• Amount of posts per hour
• Average likes of top posts
• Average comments
• Lowest number of likes

You can also use the tool to generate hashtags based on searches; you can even take a look at competing accounts to see which hashtags they use the most.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to save the hashtags directly on the site; you’ll have to download your chosen tags to a CSV file, which may be a downside for some.

Frequently Asked Questions

Alright, now you know about the top hashtag generator tools to up your hashtag game and get things moving. Using one of these hashtag generator tools for Instagram or other social media networks will definitely help you put your best foot forward and get your content seen by more people.

Not only that, you’ll be able to stay organized and make your life a lot easier when it comes to posting and using hashtags.

Let’s take a look at a 10 of the top FAQs about hashtags so that you can make the most of your hashtag strategy.

1. What is a hashtag generator?

As you can see from most of the descriptions above, a hashtag generator is a tool that can help you find targeted hashtags that are likely to help your content perform better. There are lots of hashtag generator tools out there, so it comes down to preference and budget.

Hashtag generator tools typically work based on a search engine; they track the performance of different hashtags on Instagram (and even other social media networks) so that you can get the best possible results.

They will allow you to search using filters, see performance metrics of different hashtags, as well as keep your hashtags organized through different sets. You can then easily copy and paste them right into your caption.

Hashtag generators make things so much easier when it comes to hashtags for social media – no more tracking things by hand, no more spending hours on social media trying to figure out which hashtags are doing well, and no more guessing games.

You can easily and quickly find hashtags for your content; these hashtags will be connected to your niche, helping to ensure that you get more relevant eyes viewing your content and profile. Hashtag generators are an invaluable tool for your Instagram success.

2. What are the best Instagram hashtag generator tools? 

This article is geared mostly towards Instagram, but that doesn’t mean the hashtag generator tools on this list can’t help you with other platforms as well. In fact, it’s likely that hashtags on Instagram are similar to the performance on other platforms as well.

In any case, these are the best Instagram hashtag generator tools:

• Kicksta
• Task Ant
• Ingramer
• Display Purposes
• Tailwind
• Flick
• SISTRIX
• Later
• HashtagsForLikes
• Keyhole
• Tagboard
• BigBangram
• Instavast
• TagsFinder
• MetaHashtags

Using one of these hashtag tools will significantly increase your hashtag strategy and save you loads of time on the platform. All of these tools are their own distinct platform and user interface; even still they are some of the most popular and well-developed hashtag generator tools that you can find.

Kicksta is definitely the best in terms of budget vs. capabilities; they have some of the best metrics to gauge whether or not a hashtag is successful and their hashtag sets make it easy to organize all your hashtags and use them as soon as you need them.

With so many options and functionalities, choosing a hashtag generator tool that works for you will probably come down to budget and personal preference. 

3. Can I create my own hashtags?

You can absolutely create your own hashtags. In fact, this is an excellent way to get people talking about your brand and create a unique feed on Instagram that allows users to check out your brand, business, creative endeavor, or whatever else you use Instagram for.

You can create your own hashtags for specific campaigns or product launches, or you can just create a general hashtag that is related to your brand or business. If you are an influencer, it’s also a way to create a type of portfolio as well as get user-generated content by encouraging your followers to use it too.

One classic example of this is the #shareacoke campaign. This is the perfect example because it allows users to interact with the brand and it also allows Coca Cola to get a lot of user-generated content and share it on their own account.

User-generated content gets more engagement on Instagram and it also encourages other users to interact with your profile and join in on the fun.

If you have a physical store, business, or restaurant, it can also be a great idea to create a hashtag because you can have clients or customers use the tag on their Instagram posts, helping to generate interest around your profile.

You can also use geotags to create a reputation for your business so that when people search the location they will see content pop up, helping you look credible with an air of authority.

4. How many hashtags can I use on Instagram? 

You are able to use up to 30 hashtags per Instagram post. This means that you can use anywhere from 0 to 30, and if you try to surpass 30, your Instagram post won’t be uploaded and you’ll have to make adjustments.

Most people wonder if you should use 30 hashtags and this has been heavily debated amongst experts in the IG community. There has been research on this and there are some general takeaways that can help you decide on the best strategy.

Studies show that after 5-6 hashtags, your engagement will start to decrease. This is perhaps because of a spammy look; users don’t like to see too many hashtags on a post. For this reason, some would agree that you should use under 6 hashtags and target them as best you can to your audience (enter: hashtag generator tool).

Interestingly, though, the average number of hashtags used on Instagram is 10.7, which means that most people are using about 10-11 hashtags per post. Some experts have speculated that 11 hashtags is the magic number for Instagram.

So, while there is no set conclusion on the issue, these are some things that you can consider when deciding how many hashtags to use.

5. How do I know if a hashtag is working? 

This is one of the trickiest things about using hashtags, and you’ll have to continuously monitor and track your progres to make sure that your posts are performing well. There are a couple different ways that you can do this.

Some hashtag generators like Kicksta will let you track the hashtag analytics and see which hashtags are performing well on Instagram as well as what volume they’re being used in. Checking this before you choose hashtags can help you gauge what type of success you will have with a hashtag.

Then, you should keep track of your own account to see if your posts are maintaining similar performance. You can use Instagram analytics to see who has discovered your posts based on the use of a hashtag, letting you know when your hashtags are bringing in results and when you may need to shake things up.

You can also use analytics on IG stories to choose hashtags that are pulling in more views. This can be a great way to supplement your IG stories with things that may be trending in real time.

For your posts and other content, using a hashtag generator and IG analytics is definitely the best way to understand how a hashtag should be performing and what type of results it pulls in for you.

6. How can I create a catchy hashtag?

Creating a catchy hashtag can be tough, but there are a variety of ways that you can do it. If you want a branded hashtag, try to think of something that’s related to your niche and is short but catchy.

If you create a hashtag that’s way too long, people are less likely to use it. Ultimately you want it to be something that has a good ring to it and gets people excited to use it. You may want to use verbs in the hashtag as well to keep it action-focused.

If you are looking for a hashtag that is connected to your niche but you can’t come up with anything, you can always use your hashtag generator tool. You can easily generate a variety of different hashtags based on one keyword, giving you ideas when you need them most.

After you take a look at the populated list, you can choose the one(s) that you think would work best for you and implement them in your posts. You could also use them for inspiration and tweak them a little bit to make sure that it is just how you want it.

If you’re thinking about creating your own hashtag, search it before you use it. That way you can see if anyone has already come up with your brilliant idea; if you want it to be unique to you and your brand/business, it can be good to know what’s already out there before using the tag.

7. How can I tell which hashtags are popular?

If you want to see if a hashtag is popular, check to see if your hashtag generator tool tracks popularity of a hashtag. Many times you’ll be able to see analytics about hashtags so that you can understand what is trending and what the volume of use is.

In addition to that, you can do some searching of your own just to take a look at the numbers on the platform. Some platforms like TikTok will let you know which hashtags are trending; all you have to do is check out the discover page and it will let you know. Twitter also has a “trending” section, making it very easy to see which hashtags are being talked about and searched for.

You can also check for a particular hashtag that you have in mind by searching it in the tag section on Instagram. You can then see how many posts have been published that include that hashtag.

When you see large numbers, the hashtag is being used frequently, but you want to find a balance; using a hashtag that is too popular will bury your content because so many posts are being uploaded.

It’s a good idea to know what the volume of hashtag use is so that you can decide which one is going to get you seen but not smothered by other users’ content.

8. Can I put hashtags in the comments on Instagram?

You can definitely put a hashtag in the comments on Instagram. This is actually a popular strategy amongst Instagram users so they don’t bombard their followers and viewers with hashtags in the captions.

All you have to do is post your content and then take your hashtags, create a comment on your post, and then post the comment. The hashtags will then be active in the first comment.

Now, does putting hashtags in Instagram comments work? It can work, but keep in mind you still need to be using the right hashtags. If you choose overly popular hashtags your content will still get pushed down below all of the other posts that include that hashtag.

You should still follow the strategy that will get you the most viewers, no matter if you’re posting the hashtags on your actual post or in the comment sections. The functionality and reach will be the same; there’s no special advantage of using hashtags in the comments other than to help your posts look less cluttered.

You can also put hashtags in your Instagram stories as well as in your Instagram bio. It’s a good idea to put one or two uber-relevant hashtags in your bio so that your profile will appear in searches that are related to that hashtag.

9. What’s the best hashtag app for Instagram?

The best hashtag app for Instagram is Kicksta. They offer a premium hashtag service with some of the best analytics and filters at affordable pricing that can work with any budget.

Not only that, you can access your account via mobile app or via desktop, giving you flexibility and ease of use. The mobile version is incredibly user-friendly and helps you save time by using your hashtag tool right on your mobile device.

Kicksta’s hashtag app works for all niches as well so no matter what kind of content you post on Instagram, they can provide you with all the valuable details about hashtags that can help you get more reach on the platform.

10. What’s the best way to use hashtags on Instagram? 

This question is quite broad, but there are a variety of different pointers for using hashtags on your Instagram content. We’ll go over a few of them in this section to help you get started.

• Put a # before the hashtag word or phrase. Make sure there are no spaces between the # and the first word, otherwise it won’t work. In fact, you shouldn’t use spaces in between any of the words in a hashtag otherwise it will break up the tag and it won’t be complete.
• You can use a combination of letters, numbers, and whatever else you’d like, including emojis. Emojis can be hashtags all on their own, so you may be able to incorporate relevant ones to get some good results.
• Don’t use irrelevant or repetitive hashtags – this will hinder your strategy and take up valuable space where you could’ve inserted a hashtag that would be more targeted. Be specific and clear about the tags you use.
• Watch out for over-popular hashtags. If you use hashtags that are surging in popularity, your content may not get seen because it’s being pushed down in the feed. Try different variants or hashtags that are more niche-specific.
• General hashtags are usually overused. If you use a tag like #love or #beauty, this is too general. You won’t get any targeted viewers when you use hashtags like that, minimizing your potential to get more followers and engagement. Use niche-specific hashtags.
• Check out the hashtag before using it. You don’t want your content associated with content that is offensive. Taking a quick look can make sure that your reputation stays intact.
• Use your hashtag in a few different spots. You can either integrate hashtags within your caption, you can put them at the end of your caption, you can put your hashtags in the first comment, or you can do a combination of those. Try out a few different things and see which way gets you the best results.

Next Steps: Best Hashtag Generator Tools

Hashtags are a great way to get your content out to more people, generate interest around your account, boost engagement and get more Instagram followers.

You have better chances of doing all of those things when you use a hashtag generator tool. So, what’s next?

Take a look at the hashtag generator tools that we mentioned above and choose one that can work for you. Our vote is for Kicksta, but all of these hashtag generator tools are quite popular among Instagram users.

You can significantly improve your Instagram performance when you use a hashtag generator, so don’t miss the opportunity. You’ll also save time as well.

Once you choose one, start using it immediately and also pay close attention to which hashtags are trending, which ones are popular with your target audience, and how your content performs after you post it.

Do you use a different hashtag generator tool that you love? Let us know in the comments!

Guest author: Johnny Pulling is a serial tech entrepreneur who has been living in Serbia for the past 12 years. Passions are crypto and growth hacking to help companies succeed online.

The post The 15 Best Hashtag Generator Tools For Smart Social Media Marketers [2022 Update] appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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Why Email Accessibility is Important and How You Can Achieve It

We are now in 2022. If accessible email design still hasn’t made it to your top 3 criteria while creating your campaigns, believe us, you are due for a strategy overhaul.

Approximately 15% of the global population live with some form of disability; more than a quarter suffer from visual impairment. Hence, if you’re not focusing on designing accessible emails, you’re losing on two counts:

• Your campaigns will appear non-inclusive to the community at large.
• Your reach and visibility will suffer a massive blow.

Although the primary goal of practicing accessibility is to make your messages comprehensible for people with disabilities (or those using assistive tools like screen readers), it also helps in moving your business forward. How? Because accessible emails are inherently more easy to consume than their non-accessible counterparts. As a result, it makes your communication that much more impactful and effective.

In this article, we will walk you through the importance of email accessibility in absolute detail. That’s not all; we’ll also share a few accessibility design practices that you can implement in your future campaigns! Curious already? Read on to find out.

Why should you prioritize email accessibility?

Of course, email accessibility makes your campaigns inclusive and enhances their reach and impact. But that’s just scratching at the surface. In the following section, we discuss some of the other benefits of email accessibility.

It Lets You Make the Most of Email Marketing

Email is the most preferred channel for both, businesses to communicate with their customers and for customers to stay in touch with their favorite brands. And that’s not a notion made out of thin air; there are some very serious numbers that give it substance. Take a look:

• The number of global email users, as of 2021, is a staggering 4.03 billion.
• The average ROI on email is 3800%.
• $7.5 billion– that was the valuation of the global email marketing in 2020. This figure is supposed to touch 17.9 by 2027.

As you might already have guessed, all the above numbers lay the perfect foundation for a massive volume of emails to be exchanged on a daily basis; the number is 306 billion, to be precise.

Now, it doesn’t matter how you process these stats, there’s only one conclusion to be reached – Email has massive reach and penetration. By designing accessible emails, you can capitalize on this virtue, and truly assert your dominance in the market. Sounds too good to be true? Believe us, it’s not. Or better still, try out for yourself!

It Allows You To Deliver A Superior User Experience

Accessibility doesn’t stop at simply making your email content accessible to all; your messages should also be able to deliver similar experiences to users of all abilities. Only when you design your campaigns by keeping inclusivity in mind, can you meet this objective. Delivering a better user experience paves the path for increased engagement and interactions. Accessibility design practices, in effect, resolve all kinds of barriers that might potentially put off your subscribers. This, in turn, leads to greater conversions, and by extension, revenue. Additionally, dishing out a good user experience goes a long way towards securing customer loyalty and confidence as well.

It Enhances Your Brand Recognition

Besides improving your business, inclusive email campaigns also land you in the good books of your subscribers. Subsequently, it motivates them to spread the word of your business among their near and dear ones, boosting your presence and visibility in the process. Remember, just focus on delivering a consistent experience across all your channels; the rewards will automatically fall into your lap.

It Improves Brand Recall

In the current scheme of things, customers don’t regard brands as mere commercial entities. Brands are seen as sentient pillars of society; their actions are closely monitored and they’re expected, just as the rest of us, to take a stand when it comes to societal issues. As a business, if you’re unable to resonate with the beliefs and values of your customers in your messaging, you risk losing their patronage. This is where email accessibility comes into the picture.

Creating accessible emails tells your audience that you care about them, but more importantly that you care about inclusivity. This can do wonders for your brand recall. At the end of the day, all of us want to be remembered for something good. You could be remembered as THAT brand that didn’t just provide utility, but also value. It doesn’t matter how many discounts you are offering on your packages; if you’re unable to convince your customers that you stand for the same values as them, they will never gravitate towards you.

It Keeps Legal Issues At Bay

Nowadays, there are a number of regulations in place that bid businesses, by law, to make their messages accessible for people suffering from visual, physical, auditory, cognitive, and other disabilities. Should you happen to not take stock of these laws, you will find yourself embroiled in a host of unending disputes and lawsuits. These can deal a severe blow to your brand reputation and credibility. So, make sure you tick off every item given in the following email accessibility checklist and steer clear of legal troubles!

Email accessibility: A few best practices

Below, we list a few techniques that will help you make your emails accessible. Take a look:

• Keep your subject lines and pre-headers to the point. If they’re too long, they’ll get truncated on mobile devices. Given that these two things are your email’s first point of contact with your readers, you need them to be as eye-catching and compelling as possible.
• Optimize your emails for screen readers- avoid using too many emojis, include skip navigation links, employ semantic markup, use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attribute; these are a few things you can do in that direction.
• Avoid using color combinations that color blind or individuals suffering from some form of visual impairment might have trouble processing.
• Avoid including large chunks of content in your copy. Keep your paragraphs short and use subheadings wherever possible.
• Try to work a visual hierarchy into your email design.
• Ensure your alt texts are descriptive.

Want to learn about other email accessibility practices? This infographic compiled by Email Uplers in collaboration with GetResponse paints the entire picture!

Wrapping up

Now that you know how vital email accessibility is, we hope you will be practicing it in all of your upcoming campaigns. Wish to outshine your competitors and stamp your authority in the market? Email accessibility is the way forward!

Guest author: Kevin George is Head of Marketing at Email Uplers, one of the fastest growing custom email design and coding companies, and specializes in crafting professional email templates, PSD to HTML email conversion and free responsive HTML email templates in addition to providing email automation, campaign management, and data integration & migration services. He loves gadgets, bikes, jazz and eats and breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practises on his blog.

The post Why Email Accessibility is Important and How You Can Achieve It appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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The 10 Best Email Marketing Campaign Examples to Learn From

Email marketing has been a leader in the marketing domain since its inception, and no other marketing channel has been discovered that is so cost-effective. Email marketing started way back in 1978, and since then, it has been widely used by businesses to promote their products and keep in touch with their customers.

Before diving into the best email marketing campaigns, you should have a quick look at email marketing. It will help give a clearer picture of the ideas discussed below.

What is email marketing?

In simple words, email marketing is a process used by companies to promote their goods and services over the mail. Today, email marketing has grown from just promotional emails to personalized emails, and it has become the center of customer interaction. It is one of the best return on investment marketing strategies for companies. Hence no matter what new strategies arise, this one does not diminish.

Time for some quick facts and statistics about emails and email marketing.

• In 2019, every day, 296 billion emails were sent.
• Email Marketing has the highest return on investment. For example, every $1 you spend behind email marketing gives you a return of $42.
• Email marketing is vital for the success of a business, it has been admitted by 78% of marketers.
• Email engagement is used to track content performance across channels, and 90% of people believe this.

Now, you know what email marketing is and some eye-opening facts about email marketing. So here are some of the best email marketing campaigns that you can learn from.

1. Uber

Uber is a leading ride-booking and taxi application that operates in multiple countries. Uber has significantly benefited from its email marketing campaigns. Its email campaigns are really straightforward and simplistic.

It keeps the call-to-action(CTA) very clear, and the newsletters don’t take much time to read. They deliver all the essential news effortlessly that helps get their point across. In their personalized emails, they share journey maps that make customers feel special.

Learnings From This Campaign

What you need to learn here is that content matters, and a proper CTA is equally important. While creating email marketing templates and newsletters, you should focus on providing quality content to your audience rather than experimenting with catchy colors and photos.

2. Netflix

Who uses technology better than Netflix, which originally is based on Node.js development services. Its marketing teams always come up with fresh ideas that go on to become a trend in the industry. There are many such examples, and here is one of their email marketing campaigns.

Netflix started a campaign to target an audience that was not active on their platform. With its AI and machine learning technologies, it was easy for the firm to identify such users. Then Netflix started sending personalized emails to every customer based on their viewing history and likes. This campaign helped Netflix grow its active user base by bringing people back to the platform.

Learnings From This Campaign

One of the key learnings of this campaign is that taking care of your users is key.  Sending personalized emails and notifications develops a sense of commitment and connection between the users and your brand, and when this is done, you can grow exponentially.

Another thing worth mentioning is that you should get help from technology as much as possible. This will help you uncover hidden data and insights which are worth taking action on.

3. PayPal

PayPal is a leading payments processing platform for global transactions. It is an online service that charges some money to help you transfer money from one part of the world to another. PayPal is an innovative company, and it is constantly thriving to make its products the best. Here you’ll see an email marketing campaign from PayPal.

PayPal introduced the new “checkout with PayPal” feature. This feature was integrated into many online e-commerce stores and other offline stores too. But to make it popular, the company’s marketing team resorted to email marketing. The emails were sent to all subscribers of its promotional campaigns, and it was a significant hit.

PayPal focused on providing value to the user, so they concentrated on showing the benefits of this new feature in their marketing campaign. They never promoted the features in the campaign; it was all about how customers could benefit from using the new service.

Learnings From This Campaign

Instead of marketing the features of your products, you should consider highlighting the benefits to the customers. More people will use the features if you deliver value straightaway. This helps customers determine whether a service is worth their efforts or not.

You can quickly drive more customers to use your products with value showcasing. It is a humble and straightforward way of marketing new offerings.

4. Starbucks

Starbucks sells coffee, but there are brands that sell even better beverages than what Starbucks offers. What fuels Starbucks’ business is its innovative marketing strategies and tactics.

Starbucks sends newsletters and promotional emails to its customers regularly, and these emails are filled with colors and enticing graphics of coffee and other beverages. This makes people drool over the offerings and drives more people to their stores.

Learnings From This Campaign

Email marketing is not just plain words. You need to enrich it with images and catchy content. With the right combination of design and marketing tactics, you can increase your product sales, and Starbucks coffees are the prime examples of this.

5. Uniqlo

Uniqlo is an online eCommerce website that deals in a variety of products. It aggregates users’ email IDs for login, identity verification, promotional emails, and meaningful order updates.

Uniqlo ran a unique email marketing campaign where the company sent emails to users about price updates for items in their wishlist or carts. This campaign reduced cart abandonment, a common problem in the eCommerce industry.

Learnings From This Campaign

For eCommerce companies, cart abandonment is a significant problem, and keeping in touch with customers helps reduce this. Plus, this provides customers a feeling of savings when they find out that the prices of their liked items have decreased, and they can buy them now.

6. Airbnb

Airbnb started humbly, and it polished its services through user reviews. Airbnb ran an email marketing campaign where it asked people to take a survey about their services.

In this campaign, Airbnb reached out to their customers and gave a survey link to each of them with the email. The email template was simple, starting off with thanks and then a perfect CTA for the survey. Many customers took the survey, and the marketing campaign was really successful for Airbnb.

Learnings From This Campaign

If you want to grow your business, being open to customer feedback is the best way. As emails have high opening rates, you get more customer feedback, and the more feedback you get, the more you can work on the betterment of your brand. It establishes a connection between the brand and your customers.

7. BuzzFeed

BuzzFeed is a content-centric business, and who knows emails better than they do. BuzzFeed uses email marketing to generate traffic to its website.

It increases traffic with email marketing by providing beautiful snapshots of the content and artistic imagery. It raises curiosity in the email reader’s mind and then carefully places a CTA to redirect traffic to its website.

Learning From This Campaign

You should use email marketing with a good CTA to increase website traffic if you run a content-centric website. To do this, you first need to have an organic mailing list so that you can drop emails to the right audience instantly. When your website traffic increases, your domain authority also increases, and you start ranking higher on search engine results page.

8. Headspace

Headspace is a mindfulness and meditation app that has garnered quite a popularity with the covid-induced lockdowns and stressful environments. With its domain, it follows calm colors and simplistic visuals. This same brand identity it follows in its emails.

Headspace runs email marketing campaigns with simple images, and it solely focuses on the power of its products. It showcases the power of its features through its welcome emails. The welcome emails are full of soothing colors and graphics that provide a  premium feel to new users.

Learnings From This Campaign

Sticking to your brand identity is essential. It helps people visually distinguish your brand. People receive hundreds of promotional emails every day, so to help them identify and interact with your email, you need to fashion it according to your brand identity. You can use the colors and graphics that your branding consists of so that it looks more appealing.

9. Mint

Mint is a finance tracking application from Intuit, which is a global brand. The platform helps people track everything about their money, starting from saving to investing. It is like a one-stop-shop.

Mint runs an email marketing campaign where they send personalized birthday emails to their users. Though it is a small gesture, it goes a long way. Mint does this with the help of automated email drip campaigns and their customer’s data.

Learnings From This Campaign

Making your customers feel special on their birthdays is a great way to increase brand loyalty. Mint does not provide any marketing information or a CTA in such emails; it solely wishes the customer a happy birthday without any business expectation. But this makes a lasting impact on the users, and the product grows because it looks more personalized to the user.

10. Withings

Withings is a health-tracking application and platform aimed at helping people achieve their health goals. It follows a reward-based approach, and it rewards people based on their goal completion percentage.

Withings has an email marketing campaign where the company sends personalized emails on the achievement of every milestone. This helps the users stay on track and be motivated for their health choices.

Learnings From This Campaign

Interacting with users and rewarding them for their achievements goes a long way. It is one of the simplest and most effective methods to keep users active with your product. You can set up an automated email campaign for this task, and it can keep sending emails to your customers forever.

Wrapping up

Before you start an email marketing campaign, it is good if you can have a look at some successful campaigns. This helps you brainstorm and include things in your marketing campaign to make it more effective.

This article provides a round-up of the best email marketing campaigns with their learnings. So be sure to use these learnings in your email marketing campaigns to help your business grow.

Guest author: Harikrishna Kundariya, a marketer, developer, IoT, ChatBot & Blockchain savvy, designer, co-founder, Director of eSparkBiz  Technologies. His 8+ experience enables him to provide digital solutions to new start-ups based on IoT and ChatBot.

The post The 10 Best Email Marketing Campaign Examples to Learn From appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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