Category: Marketing Automation

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Black Friday this year will be 2022 in a nutshell. The Internet is bursting at the seams with predictions and strategies. In this article, we present you with six of the most prevalent, relevant, or simply interesting ones. We also present you with our take on them. But, most importantly, we suggest what to do about them.

Honorable mentions include toys will go like hot cakes, clothes will sell better than electronics, sales will start early, happen often, and last longer.

You are probably an experienced marketer who knows Black Friday inside out. We will not bore you with unnecessary details. Instead, we decided to point out a few interesting expectations for eCommerce on Black Friday 2022 that experts have frequently noted. These expectations suggest that Black Friday has evolved so that it is no longer just about the prices. We have observed an increasing role of values, Customer Experience, trust, and, finally, Customer Intimacy. 

 

1. You will offer the best deals . . . or the highest prices ever

 

Internet predicts

 

Even with skyrocketing inflation, prices will be better than last year—so goes one common prediction. This prediction is based on the assumption that the supply chain issues plaguing eCommerce last year will not impact this year’s sales. Some have observed that this year, many retailers, including Walmart, Target, Gap, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Kohl’s, have a glut of inventory. If they cannot unload it in the coming month, which is unlikely, they will likely offer it at steep discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Consequently,  customers should expect Black Friday–level savings in addition to “official” promotions.

However, we cannot ignore the impact inflation will have on deals. “Stores are suffering,” says Priya Raghubir, professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “Their fixed costs remain high, and the revenue is shrinking. So they can’t afford to offer deep deals.”

Inflation has hit some specific categories of goods harder than others. For example, food prices have increased more than clothing prices. Shoppers may find that the quality of deals depends on what they buy. 

 

Our take on it

 

Of course, how you set Black Friday prices varies greatly depending on your industry. It is unrealistic to expect that your inventory in energy carriers or top-tier graphic cards will expand, while fashion and clothing eCommerce will be in an entirely different situation. 

In this case, your transparency and honesty in communication with customers will be important. We will elaborate on this later in this article, but trust is the key. If you can’t afford steep discounts, don’t make hasty promises. Instead, focus on the quality of service. A brilliantly executed, hyper-personalized campaign based on genuine knowledge about customers’ needs will not only carry you through Black Friday but also strengthen your efforts to achieve Customer Intimacy with your clients. 

 

2. You won’t break any record . . . or reach $158 billion!

 

Internet predicts

 

Future Publishing predicts that Black Friday will raise $158 billion in sales this year. The study projects that 76% of American consumers plan on shopping for deals on Black Friday with an average budget of $574. Even though the Black Friday tradition has been expanded to other countries, US consumers are still among the biggest spenders. This year, according to Adobe, year-over-year online sales are predicted to increase by 2.8%, reaching $34.8 billion overall.

Others are more reserved in their predictions. Although Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays have typically seen sales records, we should not expect them this year. While it is true that Cyber Monday set a record for online sales for that single day last year, Black Friday sales decreased for the first time. Additionally, customers are pulling back from unnecessary purchases and spending less in general.

In addition, in 2022, sales in eCommerce are expected to go down for the first time. And we also should not forget the differences between the United States and Europe. Countries such as the United Kingdom are expected to see a shrink in holiday spending. According to a report by Metapack, UK shoppers are predicted to hold back their spending by 22%, with a $5.05 billion cutback in holiday shopping.

 

Our take on it

 

Breaking sales records in the case of European eCommerce seems unrealistic. This outlook, of course, will push CMOs and marketing teams to do anything to prove otherwise. We strongly dissuade from bullying customers with spray-and-pray strategies. 

Clothing and toys are expected to sell better than electronics this year, even, or should we say, especially if your industry has been disfavored in 2022, you will gain the most by planning your campaign according to Lean Marketing principles. Hitting precisely will, at the end of the day, cost you much less, leaving much more room for profit.

 

3. You will provide value – and values

 

Internet predicts

 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen customers’ growing preference for a frictionless buying experience. They gravitated toward online shopping and curbside pickup. It is expected that in 2022, they will go even further in seeking comfort, convenience, and lower prices, which can all be provided much more easily by eCommerce than by retail.

While seeking value in the face of inflation is an obvious strategy, what about values? Research by Sprout Social reveals that nearly 72% of shoppers want brands to contribute positively to society. After employee and customer treatment, a company’s sustainability practices are the topmost factor influencing buying decisions. Actually, the most renowned research and consulting agencies perceive the demand for sustainability as an obvious megatrend. 

 

Our take on it

 

While eCommerce is arguably much greener than retail, and you should ensure that your Black Friday campaigns do not let your customers forget this. Let the message about your sustainability initiatives sink in. 

Chances are that you are utilizing zero-party data. If you are, the Black Friday campaign is a great opportunity to inform your customers that your business is based on the greenest, most ethical datasets possible for 2022. If you are looking for specific arguments concerning this matter, you will find them here. 

 

4. You will be trustworthy and provide an excellent Customer Experience

 

Internet predicts

 

Except for last year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales have traditionally increased annually. However, the number of shoppers has decreased simultaneously. For instance, from 2019 to 2021,  the number of shoppers attending those sales dropped by 15%. 

One reason for this decrease is the extended time allotted for sales. Another important reason is much more grievous: customers no longer believe that the best prices are on those days. According to a survey of 1,000 UK shoppers, 62% said they didn’t think Black Friday prices were any lower than they were the rest of the year. 

And they’re not wrong. In a 2019 study, just 5% of Black Friday sales offered a lower price than what was available during other times of the year. Such pricing may have helped create a lack of interest in Black Friday and Cyber Monday among many customers.

 

Our take on it

 

As we wrote earlier in this article—do not jeopardize the trust customers have in your business by making empty promises. Offer genuinely good prices that aren’t just overly exaggerated sales pitches. If you can’t, focus on Customer Experience. Providing honest information about 2022 prices, with a hyper-personalized experience will pay off well beyond Black Friday.

 

5. You will be generous to loyal customers

 

Internet predicts

 

It comes as no surprise that experts see increasing Customer Retention as a viable strategy to counter the effects of inflation.

“Consumers that are members of loyalty programs will probably really benefit from exclusive offers, early access to sales, special discounts, gifts with purchase and all sorts of other types of benefits,” says Heather Dougherty, the vice president of success at Lexer, a customer data platform for retailers. This observation also holds true for eCommerce.

 

Our take on it

 

We see this as an absolute no-brainer. The Customer Intimacy principle demands rewarding long-lasting partners with special care. 

Moreover, offering discounts to loyal customers provides an opportunity to gather more valuable zero-party data. In this article, we describe one such use case in which an email and a landing page are used together to collect product preferences. 

 

6. You will enable to buy now and pay later

 

Internet predicts

 

CNBC reported that, according to Salesforce data, the use of buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) payment methods during Cyber Week 2021 increased globally by 29% from the previous year. Due to this growing interest among consumers, the experts at blackfriday.com expect retailers to promote their BNPL programs intensively around Black Friday, even linking promotions to their use.

 

Our take on it

 

If you have not integrated the BNPL method yet, do it ASAP. We have strongly advocated this payment method since 2021 because it reflects our philosophy of making online shopping as customer-centric as possible, thus strengthening the bond between eCommerce and its customers. In fact, in this era of persistent inflation, it may mean the difference between a deal maker and a deal breaker.

 

So how do you prepare for Black Friday 2022?

 

It turns out that the obvious pricing techniques that have given Black Friday fuel for so long may not do the trick in 2022. Maybe you fell hostage to the realities of the supply chain and the state of your inventory. Maybe your customers no longer find the pricing techniques you have relied on trustworthy. Or maybe you will do just fine by offering solid deals. 

In any case, it is worth remembering that Black Friday 2022 will demand more personalization, more trust, and a stronger bond than ever. It may turn out to be as much about Customer Experience and Customer Retention as it is about prices. 

 

Regardless of whether you are an e-commerce business or a physical establishment, a common goal of many entrepreneurs and marketersis to bring more traffic to the site. Your website is your online store where visitors can learn more about your offers, build trust in your brand and eventually become potential customers and customers. However, if you have a beautiful and easy-to-navigate website, you will no longer attract customers if no one can find your website at all. In this article, you will learn exactly how to discover them online to maximize your exposure. How nice is it to have more traffic to your website without spending a single penny? It is now certain that many sites have articles that contain tips and advice on how to generate traffic using only free methods. Because it is possible, you do not need to accelerate a single penny, it may take some time, to be honest, I will not beat around the bush with you. You have a better chance of paying for your ads, but at least you have a chance to fight with some of these free methods that I will tell you about. submitted by /u/Financial-Lion5957 [link] [comments]

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As marketers, we know first-hand the importance of using effective software.
Powerful tools enable marketing teams to increase the quality and timeliness of their marketing efforts. Consider, for instance, how project management software can help you coordinate cross-functionally and ensure all team members have visibility into the tasks required to get a campaign off the ground.
Leveraging the right tools also enables you to determine whether your marketing efforts are working. A CRM that integrates with a project management tool can empower each team member to become a better, more data-driven marketer.
Best of all, the right integrations help to ensure your organization isn’t duplicating work and wasting time. In challenging economic times, it’s never been more critical for business leaders to avoid costly duplication efforts. In 2022, one out of every five businesses reported they pivoted from their established plan due to the potential recession. Supportive, integrated tools can ensure your team is remaining efficient even when you need to shift course.
Effective tools matter greatly for your business’ bottom line. And as businesses approach the new world of hybrid or remote-first working, it’s never been more essential for your teams to use powerful technology to remain connected, in-sync, and effective.
Today, we’re announcing an exciting new partnership between HubSpot and ClickUp, a cloud-based collaborative work platform. Let’s explore why this partnership is valuable, and how I believe it can help our customers scale their businesses more efficiently.
Already a HubSpot Customer? Click here to integrate ClickUp and use both tools to deliver customer value faster, streamline operations, and be more productive.
Why HubSpot is Partnering with ClickUp
HubSpot’s mission is simple: To help businesses grow.
And there are a few major deterrents to all businesses’ success, including inefficient processes, lack of internal communication, and a slow and messy onboarding process for new customers.
These challenges have only grown in recent years as the workforce has become increasingly distributed.
Which is why we’re partnering with ClickUp. To solve for that.
To explore the value of the HubSpot and ClickUp integration, I’ll start with an example. Let’s imagine your sales rep has just closed a major deal. The closed deal automatically triggered a new project in ClickUp, your workplace productivity and collaboration software.
Your sales rep immediately assigns items to the right account managers to begin onboarding the customer. Less downtime means less unhappy customers.
Your account management team is then able to look at your customer directory to see whose working with which customers, and how the project is progressing. This helps them ensure nothing has fallen behind for your customers.
With the extra time saved, your sales team is able to sell more and manage more customers better. Your entire company is able to scale more quickly.
Simply put: This tight integration enables your team to go from closed-won deals to account management and project kick-off in one seamless workflow, saving you time by allowing for better productivity.
And, with data passed seamlessly between ClickUp and HubSpot, your sales teams and account management teams will stay strongly aligned.
But the integration helps more than just your sales team. ClickUp is a platform made up of 12 product lines that integrate various productivity tools — including project management, dashboards, calendars, documents, chat, time keeping, resource planning, and custom embedded views.
This means that, while your account managers and sales reps are using ClickUp to onboard and support new customers, your marketing team is leveraging ClickUp’s project management tools to create more effective marketing campaigns and drive higher-qualified leads down the pipeline to sales.
Meanwhile, your accounting team is using ClickUp for more accurate and efficient budgeting. And your Support team is able to organize tickets in one centralized location and work together to manage each task and simplify complex requests with subtasks.
HubSpot has long been a company that prides itself on its commitment to helping businesses grow better. Which is why we believe our customers will find immense value in this integration — because ClickUp is on a bold path to reimagine productivity software and help companies of all sizes work better together. Now imagine the power of combining the two.
How One Business Has Leveraged the Power of HubSpot and ClickUp
ZenPilot, a consulting business that aims to help agencies streamline their operations, currently leverages both ClickUp and HubSpot.
Andrew Dymski, ZenPilot’s co-founder, told me, “ClickUp and HubSpot joining forces is a game changer! We were early adopters on both platforms — HubSpot in 2013 and ClickUp in 2017. Both companies have succeeded where few others have by changing the way people think about their work.”
Dymski adds, “This integration and partnership is like cake and ice cream … good on their own, but so much better together. Thousands of companies will be able to benefit from this new connection.”
One more thing …
We believe so wholeheartedly in ClickUp’s mission that HubSpot has decided to invest in ClickUp. ClickUp is on a mission to create more powerful, yet simple, tools to better align teams. ClickUp is on a mission to create more powerful, yet simple, tools to better align teams, saving people time by making the world more productive.
I have no doubt our customers will find immense value in ClickUp. Replacing disparate systems and mismatched tools in favor of one seamless, integrated workplace experience is critical for scaling businesses. For that reason, HubSpot has chosen to invest in ClickUp.
If you’re already a ClickUp customer, I have some good news — as a ClickUp customer you’re eligible for 20% off select HubSpot plans.
Whether you use ClickUp and HubSpot or something else, it’s never been more important to have supportive technology. Integrated productivity tools can help you streamline your processes even with a widely distributed workforce; they can help connect you with the right customers, no matter where they are; and they can foster new levels of connection and collaboration as we progress into the future of work.
And leveraging supportive tools means your customers are happier. Which is what really matters, anyway.

When it comes to branding, one of the most important aspects is creating a brand character. This is the personality that represents your company. It can be helpful to think of this as an actor who plays your company’s role in all marketing materials and communications.
But how do you identify what this character should be? And once you’ve identified it, how do you design it?
In this article, we’ll explore these questions and provide some examples of well-designed brand characters.

What is a brand character?
A brand character is the personality of your company. It’s how you want people to perceive your business, and it should be reflected in everything from your marketing materials to the way you answer customer service calls.
Your brand character should be consistent across all channels and unique to your company. It’s important to avoid generic characters, as these will be forgettable. A bland brand character won’t help you stand out from the competition.
Think of your brand character as the actor who plays the role of your company. They should be able to embody all the values and attributes that you want people to associate with your business.
Brand Character Examples
Brand characters are not a one-size-fits-all marketing tool. You can choose cartoon characters, anthropomorphized animals or objects, or even fictional people. If you’re stumped on where to start, we’ve pulled a variety of brand characters to get your creativity flowing.
1. Flo from Progressive

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Flo is a great example of how effective a fictional person can be as a brand character. She’s highly recognizable and always communicates the perks of using Progressive over other insurance companies.
Flo has more than 70,000 followers on Twitter, demonstrating the character’s reach beyond traditional commercials.
2. GEICO’s Gecko

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Not to be left out, fellow insurance company GEICO’s quirky gecko character also has a following of its own. Is he Australian or British? No one knows for sure, but we do know we can save on car insurance by switching to GEICO.
To play up the character’s popularity, GEICO even facilitates Q&As with him via social media, getting the public to engage with the brand in a fun way.
3. Reddit’s Snoo

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Reddit’s Snoo alien character can be found throughout its website and even has its own thread. The genderless and colorless alien has come to represent the company and its target audience: everyone.
Reddit appeals to everyone and serves as a forum where users from any background can share news, their hobbies, and other types of content and host discussions on just about any topic. It’s the internet’s hub for “everyday people” (plus aliens, of course), and Snoo reflects that.
4. Twitter’s Larry the Bird

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It seems fitting that a site named Twitter would choose a bird for its brand character. Larry the Bird was named after basketball great Larry Bird, as co-founder Biz Stone is a Celtics fan. While small, this little blue bird is synonymous with Twitter without having to see the brand name spelled out.
The bird logo is versatile. It’s used not only on website branding but seamlessly tucked into the corner of every individual’s tweet. It’s ubiquitous but not intrusive.
Brand Character vs. Brand Personality
It’s important to understand the difference between a brand character and a brand personality. A brand character is a specific person that you create to represent your brand. A brand personality, on the other hand, is your brand’s overall tone and feel.
Your brand character should embody your brand’s personality in its own unique way. They should share the same values and attributes as your brand but also have their own distinct personality.
Qualities of Brand Character

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When you’re designing your brand character, there are certain qualities that they should possess. These qualities will be unique to your company, but some examples include:

Friendliness. Your brand character should be someone that people would want to interact with. They should be approachable and easy to talk to.
Trustworthiness. People should feel like they can trust your brand character. They should feel like they can rely on them for accurate information.
Expertise. Your brand character should be an expert in their field. They should be someone that people can go to for advice and guidance.
Enthusiasm. Your brand character should be enthusiastic about your products or services. They should be passionate and excited, and they should show that in their interactions with customers.

These are just a few examples of qualities that your brand character could possess. It’s important to choose qualities that are of value to your company and that you want people to associate with your brand.
Identifying a Brand Character for Your Company
Creating a brand character can be a fun and rewarding process. It allows you to really think about what makes your brand unique and what personality you want it to have. It’s also a great way to get your team involved in the branding process.
If you’re not sure where to start, there are a few key questions you can ask yourself to help identify your brand character.

What does my brand stand for?
What is my brand’s personality?
What are my brand’s core values?
How does my brand want to be perceived by the public?
What kind of feeling do I want my customers to have when they interact with my brand?

Answering these questions will give you a better understanding of the type of character you should be creating for your brand.
1. Choose the values of your brand character.
Once you answer these questions, you’ll need to decide what values and attributes you want your character to embody. These should be based on your company’s mission and brand identity. Once you’ve decided on these, you can start brainstorming what kind of personality would best represent your company.
2. Design your brand character.
Once you’ve identified your brand character, you can start thinking about how you want to bring them to life. This is where you’ll need to get creative. You can use illustrations, animations, or even photographs to help represent your brand character. The important thing is that they are visually appealing and recognizable.
3. Implement your brand character.
Your brand character should be included in all of your marketing and advertising materials. They should be featured prominently on your website, social media accounts, and printed collateral.
Make sure that everyone on your team is aware of your brand character so that they can use them consistently across all channels.
Benefits of Brand Character
Building a brand character has many benefits for your company. You’ll be able to create a familiar face for potential customers to associate with your company. Other advantages of brand characters include:

Helping build an emotional connection with your audience. If your character goes on a journey, your emotionally-invested audience goes along with them.
Making your brand more relatable. Your audience may be able to see themselves or their challenges in your brand character.
Helping customers remember your brand. They may remember your character’s catchphrase or design.
Differentiating your brand from competitors. Other companies may provide a similar service, but your brand character belongs to you alone.

Including a Brand Character in Your Marketing Plan
If you’re looking for a way to make your brand more memorable and relatable, consider creating a brand character.
You’ll be able to connect with your audience on an emotional level and increase customer loyalty. When done correctly, brand characters can be a valuable asset to your marketing plan.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

With thousands of Instagram marketing tools to choose from, how do you know which ones you need?
The key to building an Instagram marketing tech stack is to ensure that you have tools that perform these core functions: research, creation, execution, measurement, and optimization.

This list gathers Instagram tools with this principle in mind. Each recommendation has been assigned a “best for” category to help you easily identify what core function it performs. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents

The Best Instagram Marketing Tools
The Best Free Instagram Marketing Tools

Inside HubSpot’s Social Media Management Software
HubSpot’s social media management software is a powerful all-in-one tool. With HubSpot, you can run social media campaigns, measure performance, and optimize your strategy from one central platform.
While this platform provides tons of features that cover all aspects of running a successful Instagram marketing campaign, here are three core functionalities that make this tool a social media powerhouse.
1. Social Monitoring
Hubspot’s social media management software allows you to create “streams.” These are dedicated pages for monitoring conversations on a specific social media platform.
Streams can be set up to track and trigger alerts for brand mentions, relevant keywords, and even your competitors.
For example, a competitor stream can be set up to track the performance of a competitor’s Instagram content and campaigns. This means that within your dashboard you will have a dedicated “stream” that tracks your competitors’ top posts.
You can use this dashboard to analyze what’s working for your competitors based on engagement. To provide even more insight, Hubspot will flag posts that a competitor has likely paid to spread beyond their organic social following as “Likely Boosted.”
2. Content Sharing
Hubspot’s social software allows you to publish content directly from your dashboard in three ways: immediately, at a set time, or on a default schedule that you can customize down to the minute.
Alternatively, you can use Hubspot’s “publish like a human feature” which can automatically vary the times your posts.
Let’s say you don’t want to go into your dashboard at all, Hubspot also offers a “social Chrome extension.” With this feature, you can schedule and publish social content right from your browser.
3. Attribution
Hubspot allows you to tag your social content as marketing assets and associate them with relevant marketing campaigns. This means that you can then directly attribute social posts to user actions on your website. Measuring the impact of your Instagram campaigns on lead generation becomes easy.
For example, a dashboard called the “New Contacts Report” shows you the number of new contacts created in HubSpot as a result of social-media-driven web sessions.
Best for: Content and campaign management
Pricing: Included in the professional plan of the Marketing Hub, which starts at $45/month.
What Users Say
“HubSpot makes all aspects of my job easier. The tools and systems they have constructed are easy to use, implement, and utilize. … I can swiftly schedule posts to go out at any time of day and the data they collect is immensely helpful in analyzing the performance of our campaigns,” Laura D on G2.
“I’m not particularly tech-savvy, but I find their layout processes easy and there are lots of handy guides for when I get stuck. It’s a time saver … and their analytics pages make reporting data extremely easy,” Marielle J. on G2.

The Best Instagram Marketing Tools
1. Later

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Later is a “visual-first” social media management platform and link in bio tool.
Later’s core Instagram marketing offering is an Instagram planning app called the “Instagram scheduler.” Some features of this tool include:

A drag-and-drop visual planner that allows you to edit posts inside the tool. You can also plan your content calendar, schedule posts based on when your followers are most engaged, and preview your Instagram feed before sharing.
An analytics dashboard that gives you access to data such as profile growth, engagement metrics, “Instagram Story-specific” analytics, and even attributable website visits.
A hashtag tool that allows you to find, save, and organize hashtags. This tool also gives you insight into a hashtag’s performance such as reach and engagement.

Later also offers a Shopify integration which allows you to directly attribute Instagram posts to sales.

Best for: Content management.
Pricing: Starts at $18/month. Later also offers a free plan, but this plan is very restrictive.
What Users Say
“It can be difficult to find a social media management tool that works well with Instagram (especially with Instagram Stories), so Later really shines in that aspect. … A tool like Later helps us be more efficient, as we can schedule out a week or month’s worth of posts and then just let it do its thing!” Stephanie H. on G2.
2. Smartly

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Smartly is a social media advertising platform that helps you automate and optimize your ad campaigns. This platform offers three core features.
Creative Assets
This feature allows users to leverage automation to scale the creation of visual ad assets.
Users can access a design studio within the platform and build creative material from scratch or based on dynamic templates. Customizations can then be automated by pulling data from external sources.
Media Management
This feature allows users to launch and manage campaigns from a single dashboard. Campaign management also leverages automation through workflows, predictive algorithms, and triggers.
Campaign Performance
Smartly’s campaign intelligence feature allows users to track performance based on pre-defined KPIs. Aside from this, users can also enable “performance-related” alerts which notify them once certain predefined instances occur. For example, conversions below a set threshold.
Best for: Social media advertising.
Pricing: Available upon inquiry.
What Users Say
“The reporting is superb and the creative features are amazing. Also, the ability to connect Google Analytics to your campaign reporting for last-click performance is a huge quality of life improvement for anyone working in performance marketing,” Burton M. for G2.
3. Awario

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Awario is a social listening tool that helps users monitor conversations around specific keywords in real time. In Awario, you can track growth, reach, and sentiment around chosen keywords.
Additionally, users can dive deeper into this data to uncover the sentiments around a keyword, locations where conversations around the keywords are happening most, and so much more. Then, you can generate this insight into PDF or HTML reports.
These features make Awario a great tool for:

Ensuring you’re aware of relevant trends and conversations.
Tracking the conversations and sentiments surrounding your brand.

Best for: Brand monitoring.
Pricing: Starts at $24/month.
What Users Say
“I enjoy the visuals the most about Awario… I loved seeing where our followers, influencers, and users are, all over the world!” Katy F. for G2.
“Awario compliments our working day and does not consume it. It allows us to keep our fingers on the pulse and not feel overwhelmed that we may have missed an important opportunity,” Martha H. for G2.

4. Gleam

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Gleam offers two tools helpful for Instagram marketers:

Competitions. This tool allows you to run online giveaways, contests, and sweepstakes. Some of the features include competition templates, landing pages, and a referral link generator.

Rewards. With this feature, you can reward participants for completing an action or a set of actions, such as downloading a piece of content or following a social media profile.

Both of these tools can be used to grow your Instagram account.
Best for: Contests, sweepstakes, and giveaways.
Pricing: Starts at $10 per month for individual apps and $97 per month for the full package.
What Users Say
“I have yet to find a better solution for giveaways. It is an easy-to-use, inexpensive platform that gets the job done,” Carissa F. for G2.
5. ShortStack

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ShortStack is another platform that allows you to run social media contests — from comment-to-enter events and user-generated content contests.
ShortStack assists with every step of the contest process. You can create entry forms to also lead data, create a refer-a-friend feature for virality, and automatically pull data from social media profiles to select winners.
Best for: Contests and giveaways.
Pricing: Starts at $99 per month.
What Users Say
“After 6 years of using custom-built tools that were expensive and needed a lot of maintenance we decided to switch to Shortstack. So easy to use, affordable, and we’ve have never had any issues,” Melanie H. on G2.
6. Prequel

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Prequel is a mobile image editor that provides presets, edits, and templates. Some core features of the platform include:

Over 800 filters including 3D photo effects, AR objects, and presets.
Retouching.
Artificial intelligence which allows you to turn your selfies into comic book characters.
Templates that come with pre-populated intros, outros, and background music.

Best for: Photo and video editing.
Pricing: $4.99/week. Prequel also offers a free plan, but this plan blocks off access to many editing features.

7. Lightroom

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Adobe Lightroom is a powerful image editing software available on both mobile and desktop.
This platform was designed to be able to handle a professional photographer’s workflow. So, if what you’re looking for is advanced photo editing capabilities, this may be the best option for you.
This is also a great tool for image management because it allows you to organize your images into albums and catalogs. You can also rate, flag, and color-label your images for further organization.

Best for: Photo editing.
Pricing: $9.99 per month.
What Users Say
“The software is easy to use and handle and even a beginner can use it to get cutting-edge results,” Parth C. on G2.
8. Iconosquare

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Iconosquare is a social media management platform that offers three key features — publishing, analytics, and monitoring.
The analytics solution uses graphs to display performance metrics and engagement insights. Users can also access additional features such as community analytics, profile analysis, and comparative analysis based on industry benchmarks.
Best for: Social media management.
Pricing: Starts at $49 per month.
What Users Say
“I first started using Iconosquare some time back in 2016. … I’m able to see the benchmark for my market and also compare what my competitors are doing. This gives me fantastic data points to make strategic decisions for my social media,” Lyndel J. on G2.
9. Keyhole

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Keyhole is a platform that automates the process of social media reporting. This tool aims to help marketers replace spreadsheets with thoughtfully designed, shareable PDFs.
Keyhole’s core features include:

Influencer tracking and analytics. This feature helps users identify influencers around certain keywords, brands, and topics. You can also track the ROI generated from individual influencers during campaigns.

Profile and competitive analysis. This feature provides insights into how a brand is performing compared to competitors.

Keyhole also offers follower insight and data-backed optimization suggestions.
Best for: Social media reporting.
Pricing: Available upon request.
What Users Say
“The dashboard encapsulates a detailed overview of your entire campaign and mentions all details and KPIs that you need. The metrics given on Keyhole are unmatched and help us in setting KPIs and measuring results accordingly,” Fatima M. on G2.
10. Mention

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Mention is a web and social media monitoring tool. Its “listen” feature allows users to leverage insights from millions of social media conversations to analyze trends. You can also monitor audience sentiments towards topics and the brand itself.
In addition, Mention offers features to help users stay updated without having to constantly visit the platform. For example, daily recaps and “spike emails” are sent out when there is an unusual level of interest in an important keyword.
Best for: Social media monitoring.
Pricing: Starts at $29/month. Mention also offers a free plan which allows users to create 1 alert.
What Users Say
“My company’s marketing department uses Mention regularly since it is pretty good at finding places where our brand is referenced and discussed on various social networks and everywhere else on the internet. Everything is made simpler by its user interface because it is so simple to grasp and utilize,” Yurii T. on G2.

The Best Free Instagram Marketing Tools
11. Buffer

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Buffer is a social media management platform that allows users to plan campaigns, schedule content, respond to comments, and access analytics. However, most of these features are restricted on Buffer’s free plan, which is why it is categorized as a “scheduling tool.”
This plan allows you to connect up to 3 social media platforms and schedule a maximum of 10 posts at a time.
Although this isn’t an especially large number, it should be enough to schedule content for a few days or even a week at a time depending on how often you post.
Best for: Content Scheduling.
What Users Say
“Buffer is SIMPLE. It’s user-friendly and easy to understand. I love being able to show my boss the quick layout to approve posts. The updates to design in the app that I’ve seen through the years have only made it better, and I plan to use it for a long time in the future,” Jen L. on G2.
12. SparkToro

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SparkToro is an audience intelligence platform that takes a different approach from typical audience research tools.
SparkToro allows you to enter a keyword into the search box based on the following queries.

My audience frequently talks about “insert keyword.”
My audience uses this word in their profile “insert keyword.”
My audience follows the social account “insert keyword.”
My audience uses the hashtag “insert keyword.”
My audience visits the website “insert keyword.”

The tool then generates insights on that audience such as demographics, who they watch, who they listen to, etc.
This kind of insight can help you identify areas of interest to inform your content strategy. This platform also helps you discover which influencers you might want to collaborate with to expand your reach.

Best for: Audience intelligence.
What Users Say
“SparkToro takes a time-consuming and onerous audience interest and engagement research process and turns it into an easy and quick process, allowing me to go deeper with my user persona development,” Erika H. on G2.
13. Analisa

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Analisa is an AI-powered Instagram and TikTok analytics platform. Here, you can use reporting to glean Instagram performance and follower insights.
Here’s what you get with the free plan:

Unlimited searches.
Access to profile analytics.
Engagement stats for posts.

Although this is limited, Analisa should provide some insight into your profile and audience, as well as the strategy, content, and performance of other profiles on the platform.
Best for: Social analytics.
What Users Say
“Good for competitor analysis! The depth of the data for each IG account is pretty nice. It is much easier to understand what specific IG accounts are doing to obtain the results they are getting,” Jagten S. on G2.
14. Woobox

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Woobox is a campaign management platform that allows users to host and run contests and giveaways.
For Instagram giveaways specifically, this platform allows you to run contests using hashtags and comments as entry methods. You can also accept Instagram videos and photos as submission types.
Best for: Giveaways.
What Users Say
“I have primarily used Woobox for social media campaigns for my organization and it has cut down on my and my staff’s time and simplified these processes for us,” Erika H. on G2.
“Woobox makes it really easy to include adequate legal terms. Easy user interface. Works seamlessly across all social media outlets,” Jessica B. on G2.
15. Canva

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Canva makes graphic design easy. For Instagram specifically, Canva has several templates (and tutorials) to help you build stories and create posts.
Even the free version gives you access to a wide variety of design features including templates, texts, and backgrounds.
Best for: Graphic design.
What Users Say
“The one thing I like about Canva the most is the user-friendly and intuitive interface it has. It is very easy to navigate through and it also provides a lot of features under the free tier, while the premium feature has one of the best features like automatic background remover, and image high resolution. … It also supports great integrations to social media platforms, you can upload a design you made in Canva to any social media platform without breaking any sweat,” Surbhi G. on G2.
16. Mojo

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Mojo is a social video app that helps you create animated visuals. For Instagram users specifically, this is a great tool for creating reels and stories.
The Mojo app allows you to pick from a selection of hundreds of templates with unique animations and transitions. It also gives you the option to edit elements of these templates, such as timing and colors.
Additionally, Mojo gives users access to a library of royalty-free music that can be inserted into their content.
Best for: Content creation.

17. LinkTree

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Linktree is a link-in-bio tool that allows users to share landing pages from their social media bio.
This tool is especially important for Instagram, as the platform doesn’t allow users to add links anywhere other than their bio. Bios themselves only allow for one link.
Linktree provides a way around this restriction by making your profile bio link a landing page link. There you can promote any projects, websites, or products.
Best for: External linking
What Users Say
“We have many programs going on simultaneously, and it was impossible to keep up with changing the Instagram bio to match the program features we were posting. Linktree has made it so easy to update the links within our unique Linktree link so that every program has a live link,” Shannon P. on G2.
18. Display Purposes

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The way this website works is pretty straightforward. You type into the search bar and it generates related hashtags. Display Purposes also assigns relevance and popularity scores to each hashtag.
You can also toggle between manual and auto tag selection when exporting the results of your search.
Best for: Hashtag research.
19. Instagram Professional Dashboard

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The Instagram professional dashboard is a completely free-to-use toolkit available for all professional and business Instagram users.
“Account Insights” is this free tool’s most powerful feature. Here you can track three metrics: followers, engagement, and reach.
For example, users can learn who makes up their follower base, how much their audience is engaging with their content, and how much exposure each piece of content gets across the platform.
Although the professional dashboard is completely free it holds a wealth of information that can inform or transform your Instagram marketing strategy.
Best for: Performance tracking and analytics.
Building Your Instagram Marketing Toolkit
Whether you’re a solopreneur, small business owner, or corporation — there’s at least one tool on this list that will upgrade your business’ marketing.
Plus, you can start a free trial which makes experimenting virtually risk-free.
So, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you. Start building your toolkit and optimizing your Instagram marketing strategy.

Post-Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, interest in other social networking sites has spiked significantly. Some names may be familiar to you while others are completely new, but a quick search on Google Trends reveals that old or new, people are looking for the next, best microblogging platform.SourceTumblr’s one of those familiar names and a popular choice — actor Ryan Reynolds made a public move to Tumblr. But that’s not what we’re here for today. Instead, we’re introducing you to Mastodon, which many may not yet be familiar with, but is quickly rising in popularity.SourceMastodon, founded in 2016 by Eugen Rochko, is a microblogging platform that looks similar to Twitter on the surface but is more complex under the hood. In this article, we’ll walk you through what you need to know about Mastodon and how to set up an account.What is Mastodon?Mastodon is a collection of free, decentralized, and loosely organized group of servers. You may also see it referred to as the “Fediverse,” short for “federated universe.”Mastodon is an open-source platform, meaning anyone can set up a server and run a community if they wish to, similar to a forum or discussion board. The platform is self-described as a “federated network which operates in a similar way to email.”Similar to Twitter, it offers microblogging capabilities, but while you can easily pinpoint some similarities to Twitter’s web and mobile applications, they’re not quite the same. A better (but still incomplete) analogy is Mastodon is what you get if you were to combine Twitter and Tumblr.Instead of tweeting, you post, and if you share someone else’s post, you’ve reblogged or boosted it. There are hashtags and lists, and you have up to 5,000 words to express yourself – as well as the ability to add GIFs, videos, and images.Example of a post on MastodonYour Mastodon handle includes your full identity, plus the server name. If you sign up for Mastodon via the most popular server – Mastodon.social – your address will be @[your username]@mastodon.social. But no matter which server you sign up with, you can communicate with users from any other server, just like how Gmail users email Hotmail users and vice versa.If you want a checkmark alongside your name to prove that you are who you say you are, you don’t have to pay anyone; instead, you add a link to a website that’s under your control and that serves as verification. On Mastodon, you can also edit your posts (a much-requested Twitter feature) whenever you’d like and at no cost. And to tackle misinformation concerns, you will get a notification when a post you boosted/reblogged has been edited.The biggest benefit of Mastodon is probably its extensive content moderation. Each server can decide its moderation policy and which servers it will communicate with.”Mastodon” cannot suspend anyone. You were likely removed from a certain server by its owner or moderation team. Mastodon servers are run by users, not by a corporation like twitter is.Each host can set their own rules. You should familiarize yourself with them before joining.— Mastodon (@joinmastodon) November 10, 2022

📼Check out this helpful, short video for added clarity on how Mastodon works.How to set up a Mastodon accountWhile Mastodon is quite similar to email, it’s not as simple to set up. you have to find a server on your own (I’m on the C.IM server) to set up an account. Here’s a simple breakdown of how to get started with an account on Mastodon (from experience as a non-technical person).Step 1: Join a serverYou need to find the address of a server running the Mastodon software (called an Instance) that is accepting new sign-ups to join.Check out https://instances.social for potential servers to join or where your current Twitter followers are hanging out on Mastodon with Debirdify (for security reasons, remember to revoke permissions when you’re done).Users who can be discovered have usually added their Mastodon handle to their bio or profile on Twitter — you can also do this once your account has been set up.My Twitter community that also has a Mastodon accountYou can also use Fedifinder, which extracts the Mastodon handles of Twitter accounts you follow as well as those you’ve added to a list; you can import that list on Mastodon to follow all those accounts at once.Alternatively, try going to the Mastodon activity page and looking at the list under the Instances heading. The entries at the top of the list are the most popular but may also take the most time to join.If you’re worried about whether or not you’ll like a server, you can always move your account to a different server later.Step 2: Sign up to your chosen Mastodon serverOnce you identify an instance you would like to join that’s also accepting new members, fill in the form. You can reuse your Twitter ID or any ID you choose. I picked my name because I didn’t catch the Twitter train in time the first go-round. Here’s the sign up page for the C.IM instance on the web.Server sign-up page for C.IM serverClick Sign Up and wait for the confirmation email. That could take anywhere from a few minutes (like mine) or several hours. With the surge in sign-ups, some people report never receiving the email to activate their accounts.Once you have access, remember which instance you used. You’ll need to enter that server’s address when you sign in using a different browser or another mobile app. You can’t use those credentials to sign in on a different instance.You can create different profiles on different servers or choose to transfer your data from one server to another.Step 3: Set up your profileMake it easy for people to find you by filling out all available details. Once you’ve confirmed your account, use the Edit Profile button to add some details about who you are.My profileFill in your bio and add a picture (or an “avatar” as it’s called in Mastodon) so that people will be able to identify you.Finally, add your Mastodon handle to your Twitter bio. That will make it easier for people who know you from Twitter to find you in the new place.Step 4: Start following people and engaging with the communityStart following people and engaging with the community. If you have Mastodon IDs for people you know are active, type that name in the search box to find their account and follow them.🖊️You might need the full ID with username and server, like @tamilore@c.im to find someone.Step 5: Introduce yourself.Mastodon has very “first day of school” energy as everyone learns their way around the platform.Give some background about who you are and your interests, then pin the post to the top of your profile. This helps people who find you online figure out if you’re an appropriate follow for them.Step 6: Find your friends.You can use tools like Debirdify and Fedifinder to look for people who have shared their Mastodon handle on Twitter.You can also check the hashtag #TwitterMigration and filter using “People you Follow” or look for lists made by people migrating to Mastodon.What to consider before ditching Twitter entirelyIt might be tempting to migrate to Mastodon and cut ties completely with Twitter, but you need to consider several factors – here are some of them.Mastodon hasn’t yet cracked the smooth sign-up flow of platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Adjusting to the technicality, user interface, lingo, and rules takes a while – not all your Twitter followers may want to jump on the bandwagon.Content moderation is taken very seriously in Mastodon servers — some even require content warnings for political content.Mastodon may not replace Twitter, but at least it has better leadership.Meet Eugen, CEO of Mastodon Social: pic.twitter.com/jerOT0asPg— Alex Vranas (@breakdecks) November 5, 2022

Mastodon is still growing: The platform is still hiring, and some users report long wait times before they receive confirmation emails and can set up their accounts. This means that even if your audience is willing to jump through the hurdles it takes to set up an account, they may not have access for a while.Over 1 million people have joined Mastodon since October 27. Between that and those who returned to their old accounts, the number of active users has risen to over 1.6 million today, which, for context, is over 3 times what it was just about two weeks ago!— Mastodon (@joinmastodon) November 12, 2022

Messages aren’t encrypted, and server admins can see them, so it’s best not to use them for any important or sensitive business. You also need to be careful about sharing private vs. public messages, as it’s easy to get the two mixed up on Mastodon.Before you make the jump, take the time to consider your audience, your content and whether you want to weather the Twitter storm or bow out while you’re ahead.Think of Mastodon as an interesting new channel to exploreWhile Mastodon is gaining popularity at lightning speed (it’s almost always the first option on any list of “twitter alternatives”), we don’t think Twitter’s going anywhere just yet, and most social media professionals agree.However, it’s worth getting to know how Mastodon works as an app separate from Twitter. Don’t treat it like Twitter, but as its own new, exciting space. While we don’t currently have scheduling for Mastodon within Buffer, you can use the platform’s native scheduler. And if you’re wondering if/when we’ll add Mastodon to our current roster of features, keep an eye on our product roadmap and join our community for updates.

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Hi all I’m currently writing an outbound cold email campaign for a client in cyber-security: I straight up don’t have experience – my boss is sending them out through Klenty. The offer: UK based software firm that delivers security solutions to businesses He’s said that the email marketing so far has hit a stagnant spot, and that he’d like fresh new ideas on the table. What I’ve currently written: Split A( benefit focused sequence) That part seems so be okay with higher ups. However, its basically what they’ve done already.. However, after proposing a loss aversion angle for split B to use against the control(split A), higher ups seem to think that this angle is too obviously salesy.. I am really struggling to find an effective angle to use for Split B.. Does anyone out there have experience writing for cyber-security? submitted by /u/Internal_Ad8442 [link] [comments]