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Content marketing is essential for every marketing strategy. It helps your brand spread influence and knowledge, and it educates your audience. What’s more, when used correctly, content is the essential fuel your email marketing strategy needs. Part of ensuring your content is effective is having a solid content management system (CMS). There are tons of…
The post 9 Best Social Media Plugins for WordPress appeared first on Benchmark Email.

Last Updated on February 7, 2022 by Rakesh GuptaBig Idea or Enduring Question: How do you create and activate a contract using Salesforce Flow? Objectives: After reading this blog post, the reader will be able to: Use After-save Record-Triggered Flow to create a draft contract Use a Decision element to check
The post Getting Started with Salesforce Flow – Part 89 (Auto Create and Activate a Contract) appeared first on Automation Champion.

How do you automatically split revenue using Lightning Flow or Process Builder?
The post Getting Started with Salesforce Flow – Part 88 (Auto Revenue Splitting in Opportunities) appeared first on Automation Champion.

2021 was not your average year. So much happened globally, and those global happenings changed the way we live, work, and do business. A lot of companies had to shift their approach to selling, and with so many events and networking opportunities canceled, we had to get more creative with our outreach and relationship-building efforts. …
The post 11 Email Marketing Experts Tell us What They Learned in 2021 and How It’s Shaping Their 2022 Email Strategy appeared first on Benchmark Email.

Have you ever watched an Instagram story and thought, “[Insert name of friend] needs to see this?”

One of my favorite aspects of Instagram — and social media in general — is its shareability. For businesses, it’s also a great way to engage your audience, share relevant content, and tell a bigger brand story.
However, when it comes to reposting content on Instagram, the steps aren’t always straightforward. Here, we’ll cover how to share content to your Instagram story.
Table of Contents
How to Share an Instagram Story
How to Share an Instagram Post to My Story
Why Brands Share Instagram Stories and Posts
As I mentioned above, businesses can repost content on Instagram to engage their followers and share on-brand content.
But what, exactly, should you share? It’s a good idea to share content that meets at least one of the following criteria:

The content is directly related to my brand
The content reflects my brand’s aesthetic
A customer has tagged or mentioned my brand
My followers will find the content valuable

Here’s an example — Peloton’s apparel brand, @PeletonApparel, regularly shares posts from customers wearing its clothing – and they typically add a call to action, such as a link to its shop. It’s an excellent way to leverage user generated content to engage a community and build brand advocates.

A word of caution here — when it comes to reposting user-generated content, brands should always ask for permission from users before reposting content. Certain users value their privacy over others — and you never want to overstep those boundaries.
Now, let’s cover how to repost content on your Instagram Story.

How to Share an Instagram Story to My Story
Your ability to repost someone’s Story depends on whether the original creator tagged you.
If the user hasn’t tagged you, you’re limited in what you can do. Currently, there’s no feature that allows you to repost stories without a tag. However, you can share it via direct messages to another follower.
If you were tagged in a story, you can easily reshare it to your story by following the steps below:

Tap the direct messages icon in the upper right-hand corner.

2. Locate and open the tagging notification.

3. Tap “Add to Your Story.” From here, you can add your own text, filters, and stickers to the post — or continue to the next step.

4. Lastly, tap “Send.”
Once your post is live, viewers can see the original story, along with any comments or stickers you may have added.

How to Share an Instagram Post to My Story
You can share another user’s in-feed post to your story in four quick steps:
1. Tap that airplane icon below the photo or video in your feed.2. From the pop-up menu, tap “Add post/video to your story.”

3. Next, you can add text, filters, or stickers to the story — or move to the next step.
4. Tap “Send To” then “Share.”

Why Can’t I Share Someone’s Instagram Story?
Keep in mind that many users enable story sharing by default, but others may opt to disable this feature. Similarly, users may put their profile on private mode. If they haven’t accepted your follow request, you won’t be able to view their stories.
Of course, you can screenshot or screen record a story before it expires. However, when it comes to sharing and reposting content, it’s important to remember that certain users value their privacy more than others. To avoid crossing any lines, it’s a good habit to ask for permission before sharing any content to your page.

I can’t think of many tasks people dread more than writing a resume. There are so many little things you need to add, rephrase, check, double-check, triple-check.
Post-pandemic, the job search is a whole different ball game, with new considerations you haven’t faced before.

A checklist makes everything seem less daunting so that’s what much of this article will be, and the best part is it’s recruiter-approved. Let’s dive in.
1. Include your contact information.
This seems like a given, right? Not exactly.
“You would be surprised to know how many really good resumes I’ve come across with no contact information,” says Ira Hughley, senior technical recruiter at HubSpot.
Make sure your full name, email address, and location are included. Don’t write out your full home address though, only a city and state.
While your location may not be too relevant to the job itself, as more roles are remote than ever before, employers still want to know your general location for tax and law purposes.
This also means that you should probably remove references that are too local, as your resume will likely reach a broader audience than before.
Lastly, make sure your email address is professional. While the time of MSN and AIM usernames are long gone, many of us still use old addresses we created long before we were in the workforce.
With this in mind, create a simple email with your first and last name. If it’s already taken, consider adding your industry to your email. E.g.: martinabretous.writing@gmail.com
2. Tailor your resume to the role.
One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is using the same resume for every role they apply for.
Hughley recommends having multiple resume versions for each role category you’re interested in.
“Don’t try to cram all of your experience into the resume,” he says. “Sometimes you can talk to them during the interview.”
The same goes for keeping old roles that are no longer relevant.
“Be 110% sure that your work experience and interests match the job opportunity you are looking to get,” says Hughley. “Too often, I see resumes with tons of experience in areas other than the one being applied for.”
Instead, note roles that highlight your experience and show why you are a good fit for the role.
“What if I’m transitioning to a new industry and don’t have much experience, what should I do?” In this case, build a functional resume that frames your past experience to match the job you’re seeking.​​
Image Source
For instance, say you’re transitioning to a developer role but only have experience in writing. Well, developer roles require problem-solving, critical thinking, time management, and a willingness to learn.
In this case, you can highlight the same skills in your writing role, like:

Meeting deadlines – time management

Brainstorming new article ideas – critical thinking

Analyzing article performance and suggesting optimization strategies – problem-solving

While you may not have the experience, you probably have transferable skills that will help you excel in your new role.
3. Describe your experience in detail.
When it comes to the experience section, there are the basics we all know to input: Previous companies, job titles, and responsibilities. There are two additional details you shouldn’t forget to add: The results you achieved and the awards you received.
One issue Hughley often sees with resumes is that they’re too vague.
“Highlight yourself! Sometimes, I see just a title and no highlights or takeaways from that role,” he says. “This is the time to brag about what you have accomplished, even if it’s just a couple of bullet points.”
HubSpot Recruiter Timothy Dixon-Traylor says we often leave out important details that could help us stand out.
“I believe the most important part of the resume is to show how you’ve made an impact in your current and previous roles,” he said. “This can be done by quantifying your results and impacts, as best you can.”
Dixon-Traylor continues, “Most recruiters and hiring managers will be asking themselves, ‘How can this person help elevate the team and the organization?’Quantifying your contributions will be your first step showcasing how,” he said. 

Did your work lead to higher revenue, conversions, traffic, etc? Make sure to mention that and add figures.
Next, use action verbs. Instead of “worked on,” write “led,” “managed,” “brainstormed.” This adds specificity to your responsibilities and helps employers better understand your previous roles.
“Avoid short phrases such as “assist customers” or “make cold calls to prospects,” Dixon-Traylor says. “What are you assisting these customers to do? How many customers are you working with a day? Do you have any KPIs or metrics that align with those activities? It goes back to my previous point of quantifying your impact to show how valuable you are.”
Another thing to avoid? Fluff.
Dixon-Traylor suggests asking yourself if your content is showcasing your abilities and the value you bring. If not, go back to the drawing board. 
4. Summarize your experience in a “Key Skills” section.
Your skills section is one of the most important in your resume. Hiring managers and automated resume scanners look at this section to assess if you have the relevant skills.
As such, do not put your skills section all the way at the bottom. Instead, put it toward the top of the resume above your experience section or to the side. Ideally, the hiring manager gets a sense of your skills and your experience shows how you gained them.
5. Design your resume using a template that fits the tone of your industry.
Every industry has an unofficial way of doing things when it comes to hiring.
For instance, traditionally creative industries tend to allow (and in some cases promote) showing some personality in resumes. This can range from adding your picture to your resume to using bright colors and illustrations.
Be sure to follow the tone that’s most appropriate for your industry – no need to reinvent the wheel when the guide is already there.
In addition, Dixton-Traylor suggests using a good balance of white space without crowding the page.
“Use as much white space as possible, on one to two pages that showcase the value you bring,” he says. “Add the technologies, skills, systems, or programs that you have hands-on experience working with. This can range from technical tools, such as Tableau and HubSpot down to simple tools like POS systems, Microsoft Office, or Google Suite.”
Want more design tips? Jump to this section. 
6. Incorporate keywords from the job description.
There are two reasons you want your resume to have the keywords from the job description:

It will show hiring managers that your skills and experience closely align with the job req.
You will ensure that your resume successfully passes through automated resume scanners, which look for keyword matches.

7. Proofread for grammar, brevity, and specific action verbs.
One thing you don’t want is an error in your resume. It can affect your credibility and make you look unprofessional.
So, the first step is proofreading your resume. Once you complete it, leave it for a few hours or days then give it another look.
Then, run it through grammar editing software to make sure everything is correct. Here are some good options:

Grammarly
Hemingway Editor
Microsoft Word

8. Convert your resume to a PDF file.
Imagine you spend hours formatting your resume just for it all to get lost once someone else opens it. That’s what happens when you submit your resume using Word.
Instead, convert your final resume into a PDF file to preserve your formatting. This also ensures easy uploading on most hiring forms.
How The Pandemic Impacted The Hiring Process
When COVID-19 surfaced in early March of 2020, it created a lot of uncertainty in the market. Unemployment rates skyrocketed to 14.7%, as companies struggled with
Now, two years later, the outlook is more positive.
“The talent pool has drastically expanded because most companies are remote, which means that talent is no longer limited by location,” Hughley says.
This is great news for job seekers who were once constrained to the job opportunities in their local areas. A job market that was favorable to companies has now switched to being favorable to job seekers.
Employers have to offer better benefits with more flexibility to be competitive, everything from remote stipends to unlimited vacation days.
“There is a shift now as well because many recruitment platforms have moved to online or virtual strategy,” Hughley adds. “We have to find more creative ways to connect to candidates to make for the best candidate experience.
Lastly, Hughley says that the pandemic has made hiring managers more empathetic toward candidates.
“When I think of […] all that applicants have had to endure, I make a conscious effort to lead all hiring and conversations with empathy,” he says.
Dixon-Traylor adds the pandemic has brought more humanity into the hiring process. 
“Pre-pandemic, I loved advocating for candidates who don’t have ‘ideal’ backgrounds – from job hoppers and folks who have gaps to folks who don’t have direct experience, but have impeccable transferable skills,” he said. “Since the pandemic, I advocate even more those communities, in the entire hiring process.”
He continues to say that he looks at hiring as a long-term strategy, guiding hiring managers through their unconscious biases and helping them understand minimum requirements versus what can be coached or taught.
The Ultimate Checklist of Resume Tips
Contact Information Tips

Include your basic contact information – including your name, email address, and phone number – at the top?
Is your email address professional? (e.g. sara@gmail.com vs. saracutiebear@gmail.com)
Is your email address associated with a familiar domain, like Gmail? Outdated domains can be a red flag for tech-savvy companies.
Do your resume details align with your LinkedIn profile? Hiring managers will likely review both.
Have you included links to social media profiles, portfolios, and a personal website if relevant?
Have you audited your social profiles to ensure no unprofessional content is available to the public?
Have you customized any communication within your resume that addresses the company or hiring manager by name?
Have you granted the recipient the proper permissions to view it (or opened up permissions to everyone)? If you’re sending your resume as a Google Doc.

Featured Resource: 12 Free Resume Templates

Download 12 free designed, formatted, and customizable resume templates here.
Writing for Your Industry Tips

Are you writing in a tone that matches that of the company to which you’re applying? For instance, while still writing professionally, you might use a different tone when applying to work at a new tech startup versus an established accounting firm.
Have you customized your resume for the specific job to which you’re applying? Highlight work experience and skills that are relevant to the position – don’t just write down every job you’ve ever held.
Do you have a clear objective at the top of your resume that is company-focused, rather than you-focused? You don’t need one, but you do need a “Key Skills” section that summarizes who you are and what you can offer the company.
Have you included both accomplishments and responsibilities under each job? Both should be easy to ascertain when scanning your resume.
Have you used numbers and metrics where possible to better convey your success? For example: “Generated 150 marketing-qualified leads,” “Increased Instagram followers by 25%,” “Oversaw a $250K budget.”
Do you illustrate career progression? It should be clear if you were promoted, gained additional responsibility, or switched jobs laterally to acquire more skills.
What company details have you added? List not only the names of companies but a short description of what each company does.
Have you included your tenure at each company?
Have you included relevant information about your education?
Does your unique value proposition shine through? E.g., something that makes you stand out from other applicants, or highlights that you’re uniquely qualified for the position.

If relevant for the position, have you included links to a portfolio or samples of your work?

Formatting and Design Tips

Have you used a resume template so the layout of your resume is visually appealing and easy to read? Get 10 free templates here.
Is your resume too creative? (For instance, if you’re applying for a creative position and have formatted your resume as an infographic … is it really simple enough to read, or is it best to save that creativity for your portfolio?
Have you selected a clear, easy-to-read font? Is your name clearly stated at the top? It’s a good idea to make your name slightly larger than all other text – employers read many resumes every week, and you need to be memorable.
Have you made use of common formatting conventions that make content easier to read, such as bullet points and header text?
Has your formatting remained consistent across all positions? For example, if you’ve bolded job titles, are all job titles indeed bolded?
Are your margins even?
Are all items properly aligned? For example, if you’ve right-aligned dates, are they all lining up in tandem with one another?
Are all links you’ve included clickable?
Have you converted your resume to a format that allows all recipients to read it as intended, without downloading specific fonts or needing special software? A PDF format is recommended.

Editing Tips

Have you included keywords in your resume? If you’re submitting to an automated system, it might be critical to get past filters. Be sure your resume directly reflects some of the software and skills mentioned in the job description.
Have you edited it for brevity? Try to keep your resume to about one page per 10 years of job experience, if possible.
Have you removed irrelevant job experiences?
Is each section of your resume ranked in a way that highlights your skills and what you have to offer the employer? For instance, if you’re a recent graduate with internships in different fields, you might list your most relevant experience at the top, instead of ordering everything by date.
Have you edited out generic action verbs in favor of more specific ones? For instance, “managed” instead of simply “worked.”
Have you made use of a thesaurus to prevent monotony?
Have you found more professional alternatives to unprofessional-sounding terms? “Tasked with,” for example, can make you seem less proactive than someone who “coordinated” various projects regardless of who told them to.
Are your special skills truly special? While speaking a foreign language is indeed noteworthy, these days, it might be redundant to mention that you’re proficient in Microsoft Word or capable of using email.
Have you done a sweep for annoying jargon or business babble? Everything should be clearly articulated, so it’s easy for the hiring manager to quickly understand what you do.
Is everything 100% true? If you write that you’re fluent in a foreign language on your resume, you should be prepared to speak that language during your interview.
Have you conducted spelling grammar checks?
Finally, have you asked a friend who hasn’t read your resume before to provide a final glance for errors, inconsistencies, or confusing phrasing?

If you’ve checked the boxes of all the resume tips that apply to you, you should be ready to submit your application.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Love, flowers, chocolate, blah blah blah …
Where are the marketing results?!

Okay, probably not what your Valentine’s date cares about. But if you’re a marketer, you might be interested in merging the most lovey-dovey of days with your marketing. But how?

Well, these companies have figured out some creative ways to leverage the warm and fuzzies (or unadulterated rage and crushing loneliness … whatever) that Valentine’s Day instills in people.
If you don’t have a marketing campaign planned for the 14th, maybe some of these will inspire you to get in on some last-minute Valentine’s Day action.
8 Effective Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaigns
1. Ranch Dressing’s Customized Bottle
Nothing says Valentine’s Day like giving someone a bottle of — Ranch Dressing?
In 2021, while flower companies and B2C brands were highlighting the romantic gifts partners could give to each other, Hidden Valley took a funny approach to this strategy by offering audiences customized Valentine’s Day-themed bottles of Ranch salad dressing.

While this seems like an odd gift to some, Hidden Valley knows that they have fans out there that just love to cover everything they eat with Ranch dressing. To those audiences, this gift is funny, personalized, and potentially useful.
2. Pandora’s Little Acts of Love
A common pushback people give for Valentine’s Day is that appreciation for loved ones should be shared all year round. Jewelry company Pandora emphasized that small acts of love are suitable anytime with their “Little Acts of Love” placement in 2022. 

The ad shows couples displaying acts of kindness towards one another that would be appreciated any day of the year. This ad reminds us all that thoughtful gestures can go a long way.
3. 1-800-Flowers’ Galentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day isn’t just for significant others, and 1-800-Flowers wants friendships to be celebrated as well.

This ad depicts two friends talking about how they established their friendship, reminding the viewer that platonic love also deserves to be celebrated. The two friends in the ad ask each other thoughtful questions about their friendship and how much they mean to each other. 
It’s an emotional ad that will inspire you to call your best friend, and maybe send them some flowers.
4. Hallmark’s Tell Them They Matter This Valentine’s Day
A Valentine’s Day ad with an important message — everyone deserves to feel like they matter. This ad depicts a young woman who is inundated with negative messages from peers on social media. The messages are pretty bleak and would be hard to hear for anyone. 

At the end, she finds a Valentine’s Day card in her locker from her best friend reminding her she matters and is loved, which helps drown out the negativity of the messages at the top of the ad. Though more series in nature, this heartwarming ad shows how powerful our words really are, and inspires us to show more kindness to one another.
5. Target Valentine’s Day Haul Instagram Post
Many people have experienced walking into Target without a list, relying on Target to tell them what they need. This user-generated post on Target’s Instagram account captures the spirit of what we all love about Target — how easy it is to load up on fun items (though our bank accounts may not share the love). 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Target (@target)

In the video, the original poster fills their cart with festive Valentine’s Day merchandise at their local Target. Though it isn’t a traditionally produced ad, it’s a relatable post for Target shoppers who may have been inspired to visit their local store and pick up some of the items they saw featured in the post to celebrate.
6. MeUndies Match Me Valentine’s Day
This relatable MeUndies ad from 2021 captures the spirit of communicating via Zoom that many people have become familiar with since early 2020. 

In the ad, couples talk about some of their pre-pandemic plans including travel, and weddings. Though many of those events didn’t go as planned, the couples talked about ways they’ve grown closer despite the challenges and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic all while wearing matching merch from MeUndies.
7. Winc’s Be Wine Instagram Post
Wine is a popular Valentine’s Day gift that is up there with roses and chocolate. Wine subscription company Winc typically devotes real estate on their social channels for Valentine’s Day-themed posts in the weeks leading up to the holiday. 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Winc (@winc)

In 2021, the Winc Instagram account had a series of posts consisting of unique and user-generated content related to Valentine’s Day. The “Be Wine?” post was among the most popular. We loved the punny caption and heart-themed visuals.
8. OpenTable’s Millennial Experiences
If you’ve ever marketed to millennials, you may know that millennials value experiential gifts. Or, as OpenTable says in this 2020 ad, dates. 

In 2020 OpenTable released 14 ads as part of a two-week countdown to Valentine’s Day, encouraging customers to make reservations early to avoid the holiday rush.
Each of the ads targeted a different audience that could benefit from using OpenTable to make Valentine’s Day reservations, with a clear call-to-action and messaging that appeals to the ideal viewer. 
Honorable Mention: Match.com’s “Match Made in Hell” campaign.
Technically, this campaign wasn’t created for Valentine’s Day specifically. But, many of our marketers thought it had all the perfect elements of a great Valentine’s Day campaign. Because of this, we wouldn’t be surprised if it sees a lot of circulation in February.
In the commercial, directed by actor Ryan Reynolds, Satan sits in Hell using Match’s app when he sees he’s matched with a woman named 2020. When he meets up with her on Earth, he nervously says “Hi 2-0-2-0.” She replies, “Please, call me 2020” — pronouncing it like the year. 
As the commercial continues, 2020’s character appears to be the epitome of everything that happened in 2020.
For example, which launched in December, shows Satan and 2020 causing mischief, stealing toilet paper from store shelves, having a picnic inn empty stadiums, and ultimately posing for a selfie in front of a dumpster fire.
The couple frolics to the familiar sounds of Taylor Swift’s hit song, “Love Story.” which also sparks a sense of rom-com nostalgia for millennials. 

On the same day of this ad’s release, Match and Reynolds also shared another commercial showing the pair explaining how they met in couple’s counseling.
In this video, Satan explains how he found 2020 on Match:
“I started by using the Match custom search filter. I filtered out joy, happiness, toilet paper, and reason,” Satan says in the video below:

Although this didn’t launch in February, it was a very clever newsjacking example that many of our marketers say they enjoyed when they were asked to share their favorite Valentine’s campaigns.
While 2020 was a difficult year for many, Match and Reynolds identified a tasteful way to create content that audiences could relate to. At the same time, they still told an epic, hilarious love story with a pleasant, entertaining tone. Although they discussed a truly terrible year, they did so in a way that felt like escapism for the viewer.
Valentine’s Day Campaign Takeaways
As you create and launch Valentine’s Day campaigns, take note of these strategies many of the brands above used:

Grab your audience’s attention: Like with any holiday, marketers around the globe are churning out content around it. To compete with this overly saturated Valentine’s Day ad landscape, you’ll need to grab and keep your viewer’s attention with entertaining elements or valuable information.

Be relatable: Around this time of year, many people are inundated with high-budget Valentine’s Day ads that offer them no useful information or value. Even if you want to tell a mushy romance-fueled love story with your content, make sure it still feels relatable or authentic. To do this, you can leverage tactics like telling a story your audience will relate to, or leveraging user-generated content from your followers — like Twitter has.

Test out different platforms: While some companies on this list took to Instagram, others embraced physical campaign strategies like special products or billboard use. 

Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in Feb. 2013, but was updated for comprehensiveness.