The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Hashtags for 2022

Instagram hashtags are powerful. 

They can help your posts reach a target audience, attract followers in your niche, increase engagement, and develop a more positive and recognizable brand image.

Here's the thing, though: with great power comes great responsibility (#spiderman).

Hashtags can skyrocket your business to new heights, but if used too frequently or without a clear strategy in mind, they become pointless and inefficient.

While it can be hard to choose the right hashtags on Instagram, you don’t have to guess. Aside from this article, we’ve put together an ultimate course on using Instagram for marketing. In this course, we’ll teach you to not just attract followers, but to attract the right followers.

First, let’s go over Instagram hashtags specifically — and why they’re so important for your Instagram marketing strategy. We’ll cover the following topics: 

• What is an Instagram hashtag? 
• Why are hashtags important?
• Types of Instagram hashtags 
• Best Instagram Hashtags
• Best practices for using hashtags on Instagram  
• Top Instagram hashtags for 2021
• Trending Instagram hashtags
• How to use hashtags on Instagram for business
• How to search hashtags on Instagram

Why are hashtags important?

Hashtags are essentially Instagram's sorting process. With around 95 million photos posted on Instagram every day, it's difficult for Instagram to efficiently deliver the right content to the right people. Hashtags help your post get discovered by viewers most interested in seeing it.

Krystal Gillespie, HubSpot's Social Media Community Manager, explains the importance of hashtags this way: "Hashtags are like a funnel. For instance, #marketing is incredibly broad and attracts all types of posts. We've found #digitalmarketing or #marketingmotivation gives us a more specific, targeted reach. The audience searching for these hashtags are also trying to narrow their search to what we offer related to marketing, so we're actually reaching more of the right people."

Essentially, hashtags are a better way to categorize your posts. They help you reach a target audience, and more importantly, they help your target audience find you. These users are more likely to engage with your post because it is exactly what they were looking for.

Types of Instagram Hashtags 

Hashtags are highly versatile little pieces of text. They can build a community, make your account more visible, or simply attract like-minded individuals to your account. 

Before choosing a group of hashtags for your posts, take a look at the most common ones you can use and their categorizations.

Best Instagram Hashtags for Companies

Whether you’re a social media manager at a company, an owner of a small business, or a sole proprietor, you can use the following hashtags to get more visibility on Instagram. 

• Product or service hashtags. Companies use product hashtags for posts related to their product and service offerings. This will usually be general, such as #hairsalon or #knitwear. 
• Industry niche hashtags. These hashtags are used to indicate the specific work you do and are narrower than your product or service hashtags. Examples include #blackhairsalon or #handmadeknits. 
• Branded hashtags. Branded hashtags help you build a community specifically around your brand or business. This can be a slogan. It can also be the name of a specific product that you offer or even your business name. 
• Campaign hashtags. If you’re running a sponsored ad, you can use a unique hashtag to keep track of activity relating to the campaign. 

• User-generated content hashtags. This type of hashtag is created specifically for your customers. These are different from product, branded, and campaign hashtags because you, the company, can’t influence what gets posted. Other people can visit this hashtag to see unfiltered and unsponsored photos of your product. 
• Instagram community hashtags for your industry. These hashtags are great for getting more visibility among other Instagrammers who do what you do. For example, if you were a knitter, you might post in #knittersofinstagram.   

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• Event or conference hashtags. As a company or business owner, you can use these hashtags to add to the conversation relating to a specific event or industry conference.  

• Cultural movement hashtags. Cultural movements such as Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ+ Pride, and feminism have hashtags on Instagram (#BlackLivesMatter, #Pride, and #feminism, respectively). Use these hashtags to uplift voices, share information, and make your company’s stance clear. 
• Location hashtags. These are great to target users in your area. Think #hairsalonnyc or #atlantabakery. 
• Phrase hashtags. Phrase hashtags such as #writeeveryday and #bebrave can hint at what you do while inspiring users.  

As individuals, you can also use daily, acronym, and holiday hashtags to engage in trending conversations. 

Top Instagram Hashtags for Individuals

Do you use Instagram for personal use? Take a look at the hashtags that are available to you. 

• Personal hashtags. You use these hashtags specifically in posts related to you. Think #me, #selfie, #lovemyself, #vacation, and #lovemylife. 
• Daily hashtags. Daily hashtags usually have a theme, such as #workoutwednesday, #throwbackthursday, and #motivationmonday. 
• Acronym hashtags. Think #ootd (outfit of the day), #potd (photo of the day), and #tbt. 
• Holiday hashtags. Use these hashtags for specific holidays such as #DiaDeLosMuertos or #IndependenceDay to share how you’re spending time during these days. 

Like companies, you can also use phrase, cultural movement, event, and location hashtags. 

Best Instagram Hashtags

1. #follow (675.8M posts)
2. #love (2.1B posts)
3. #instagood (1.5B posts)
4. #fashion (1B posts)
5. #photooftheday (972.4M posts)
6. #art (863.8M posts)
7. #photography (836.6M posts)
8. #instagram (785.2M posts)
9. #beautiful (779.7M posts)
10. #picoftheday (682.5M posts)
11. #nature (681.5M posts)
12. #happy (661.6M posts)
13. #cute (651.7M posts)
14. #travel (600.4M posts)
15. #style (595.3M posts)
16. #followme (587.5M posts)
17. #tbt (584.4M posts)
18. #instadaily (570.8M posts)
19. #repost (550.7M posts)
20. #like4like (536.3M posts)
21. #summer (521.1M posts)
22. #beauty (482.8M posts)
23. #fitness (476.7M posts)
24. #food (467.4M posts)
25. #selfie (460.7M posts)
26. #me (459.9M posts)
27. #instalike (454.5M posts)
28. #girl (441.6M posts)
29. #friends (429.7M posts)
30. #fun (427.5M posts)
31. #photo (427.4M posts)
32. #smile (421.7M posts)
33. #family (405.5M posts)
34. #life (402.2M posts)
35. #music (390.3M posts)
36. #ootd (388M posts)
37. #makeup (361.4M posts)
38. #likeforlike (358.1M posts)
39. #likeforlikes (335.4M posts)
40. #model (328.7M posts)
41. #dog (325.8M posts)
42. #design (302.1M posts)
43. #follow4follow (300.1M posts)
44. #amazing (299.1M posts)
45. #lifestyle (297.2M posts)
46. #motivation (297.1M posts)
47. #sunset (295.1M posts)
48. #igers (294.3M posts)
49. #explore (290.4M posts)
50. #handmade (290.2M posts)
51. #nofilter (285.7M posts)
52. #beach (279.2M posts)
53. #foodporn (275.4M posts)
54. #instamood (266.3M posts)
55. #sun (264.6M posts)
56. #artist (262.7M posts)
57. #dogsofinstagram (260.3M posts)
58. #일상 (255.8M posts)
59. #cat (253.6M posts)
60. #drawing (250M posts)
61. #sky (248.5M posts)
62. #followforfollow (245.3M posts)
63. #f4f (243.8M posts)
64. #l4l (241M posts)
65. #hair (233.4M posts)
66. #flowers (229.9M posts)
67. #followforfollowback (227.8M posts)
68. #funny (227.4M posts)
69. #gym (222.4M posts)
70. #moda (221.7M posts)
71. #photographer (219.4M posts)
72. #likeforfollow (218.4M posts)
73. #tagsforlikes (218.4M posts)
74. #wedding (218.2M posts)
75. #bestoftheday (215.2M posts)
76. #baby (214.1M posts)
77. #memes (213.8M posts)
78. #inspiration (213.4M posts)
79. #instafood (211.2M posts)
80. #vsco (205.9M posts)
81. #foodie (203.6M posts)
82. #vscocam (203M posts)
83. #instapic (200.3M posts)
84. #girls (200.2M posts)
85. #workout (194.2M posts)
86. #pretty (189.3M posts)
87. #yummy (184.3M posts)
88. #home (183.8M posts)
89. #fit (182.8M posts)
90. #party (180.5M posts)
91. #lol (180.1M posts)
92. #healthy (179.6M posts)
93. #naturephotography (179.6M posts)
94. #nails (178.9M posts)
95. #illustration (178.3M posts)
96. #landscape (175.7M posts)
97. #blackandwhite (175.1M posts)
98. #catsofinstagram (173.6M posts)
99. #cool (172.9M posts)
100. #puppy (172M posts)
101. #night (135.4M posts)
102. #catsofinstagram (133.2M posts)
103. #nails (132.9M posts)
104. #tattoo (132.4M posts)
105. #happiness (132.1M posts)
106. #instafashion (132.0M posts)
107. #work (130.6M posts)
108. #architecture (128.9M posts)
109. #japan (128.5M posts)
110. #weekend (127.5M posts)

Best Practices for Using Hashtags on Instagram  

Using hashtags on Instagram is a relatively simple process, but you’ll want to adhere to a few rules to get the most out of your hashtagging. 

We’ve compiled best practices under the following frequently asked questions. 

How many hashtags can I use on Instagram? 

Thirty hashtags are the maximum number you can use. 

The average is eleven, with half of Instagram accounts using between one and three. You can use more or less depending on your Instagram marketing goals. More doesn’t necessarily mean better. 

Should I add hashtags to every Instagram post? 

Yes! Absolutely you should. 

Try to choose hashtags that are as narrow or as niche as possible. The less volume of posts a hashtag has, the more likely you’ll be seen by people who follow them. Plus, if the subject matter is highly specific, people are more likely to engage with your post. 

All of my posts are similar. Can I use the same hashtags over and over again? 

No. Instagram’s algorithm may penalize you for consistently using the same hashtags, pushing your posts down so they don’t show up for those tags. 

Even more, they might ban your account, because using identical hashtags could make it look like you’re spamming users  — or worse — like an Instagram bot.

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Try rotating out your hashtags so that they’re highly relevant to that specific post, even if the posts are similar. Let’s say that you own a handmade pasta business. If you always use the hashtag #spaghetti but post photos of linguini, macaroni, and penne, Instagram may flag your account, and users won’t engage. 

Can I hide the hashtags in a comment? 

Absolutely. You can hide your hashtags in a comment. Instagram doesn’t distinguish between caption hashtags and comment hashtags. 

Simply write your caption as you would. After that, navigate to the published post and leave a comment with your hashtags. They will be hidden completely until users navigate to the comment section. 

How do I hide hashtags in the caption? 

Don’t want to post the hashtags in a comment? No worries. 

You can hide the hashtags in the caption by either 1) writing a caption that’s more than three lines long or 2) adding 3 to 5 line breaks with a punctuation mark.  

To add a line break, place the text cursor at the end of your caption and hit Return. Don’t forget to add either a period, a dash, an asterisk, or a tilde to ensure that that line stays there. (If there’s no punctuation, Instagram may treat it as accidental extra space, and delete those line breaks upon publication.) 

Are there any hashtags I should avoid using? 

Yes. Instagram maintains a list of banned hashtags. However, they don’t publish this list, and there’s no authoritative source. 

Some are intuitive, such as NSFW and self-harm hashtags, while others, such as #pushups and #mustfollow, aren’t as self-evident. If you have any doubt about your hashtags, be sure to look them up using the app’s Search function.

If it doesn’t show up, it’s banned. If it does show up, navigate to the hashtag feed and check for a message like this: 

 

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If your prospective hashtag doesn’t have a message like this, you’re all good to go. 

Now that you know some basic dos and don’ts, let’s take a look at the top Instagram hashtags for the year. 

Adding one of the most popular Instagram hashtags to your post doesn't necessarily mean you'll see more interaction. Since the hashtags below are so popular, they are being used by millions of people, so your post will most likely be obscured by the competition. Narrowing your hashtag topic is important, but we'll get to that next.

Here are the top Instagram hashtags for this year.

1. #love (2B posts)

Instagram users build their photo galleries on good feelings. For this reason, the #love hashtag is ever-present next to the pics of friends, family, vacations, and beautiful scenery.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #love: 

#love #lovely #loveit #loveyourself #lovelife #lovequotes #loveislove #lovefood #lovemylife #lovewhatyoudo #lovethis

2. #instagood (1.2B posts)

Occurrences of this hashtag are inspired by the @instagood Instagram account, which scours the Instagram community for excellent photos and videos that are just too #instagood not to share. Add this hashtag to your content for a chance to be reposted.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #instagood:

#instagood #instalife #instalike #instapic #insta #instacool #instafollow #instaphoto #instagramers #instamoment #instagramhub

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3. #fashion (900M posts)

People often turn to Instagram to see what styles are "in", looking at posts ranging from fashion week to everyday outfit inspirations. This means that a significant portion of the content on Instagram revolves around fashion — in fact, there are nearly one billion #fashion posts on Instagram. You will find celebrities, luxury brands, clothes, makeup, and other aspirational images tagged with #fashion.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #fashion: 

#fashion #fashionblogger #fashionista #fashionable #fashionstyle #fashionblog #fashiongram #fashionaddict #fashionweek #fashiondiaries

4. #photooftheday (883M posts)

Managing a business account? This hashtag is a surefire way to attract more followers and repeat visitors. If you plan to post daily content, all-around a common theme, add the #photooftheday hashtag to increase your exposure.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #photooftheday: 

#photooftheday #potd #picoftheday #photography #photographyeveryday #photographyoftheday #bestoftheday

5. #art (750M posts)

Artists of all kinds have always flocked to Instagram, and this hashtag holds pictures or process videos of all of their paintings, sculptures, and quirky creations. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #art: 

#art #artist #artwork #instaart #arte #streetart #digitalart #artofvisuals #artistsoninstagram #artoftheday #artsy #artistic #arts #artgallery #modernart 

6. #beautiful (717M posts)

Instagram is the place to go to put your best foot forward — whether it be your amazing getaway, a new hairstyle, or a breath-taking sunset, #beautiful photos encompass the best of what the platform has to offer.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #beautiful: 

#beautiful #beautifuldestinations #beautifulday #beautifulview #beautifulplace #beautifulcuisines #beautifulplaces #beautifuldestination #beautifulnature

7. #photography (700M posts)

At its core, Instagram is a photo-sharing media, so it makes sense that there are some stunning and artistic images shared in #photography. Instagram is unique in that a user could be scrolling through the #photography posts and see National Geographic and professional photos next to amateur photographers.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #photography: 

#photography #travelphotography #naturephotography #streetphotography #foodphotography #portraitphotography #landscapephotography #weddingphotography #blackandwhitephotography

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8. #follow (620M posts)

This hashtag — currently tagged on more than six hundred million posts — is a tactic used by public accounts looking to gain more followers. It's a ubiquitous tag, non-specific to any one type of content creator, so you'll see #follow on fashion accounts, travel blogs, makeup tutorials, celebrity fan pages, and much more. The idea is that if a user comes across content that they like on your explore page, they might be motivated to follow the account for more of that content.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #follow: 

#follow #f4f #followme #followforfollow #follow4follow #teamfollowback #followbackteam #followall #followalways #followback #pleasefollow #follows #follower #following

9. #happy (615M posts)

Sometimes the best part of feeling good is sharing that sunshine with others. The #happy group of posts is full of radiant people and lighthearted content that brings us joy. Tag a photo of a cute kitten or one of yourself after getting a promotion with #happy.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #happy: 

#happy #happyday #happylife #happyfriday #happyhour #happyme #happymonday #happysunday #happytime #happydays #happydog #happyplace

10. #cute (610M posts)

#Cute puts your content in a pool of Instagram photos and videos that elicit "awes" from all over the Instaverse. If you think your puppy is the cutest puppy that ever lived, it deserves a photo with this esteemed hashtag.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #cute: 

#cute #cutedog #cutebaby #cuteness #cuteanimals #cutecat #cutepetclub #cutenessoverload #cuteboy #cutedogs #cutecouple #cutepuppy #cutest 

11. #instagram (600M posts)

Navigate to this hashtag and you’ll find everything from selfies to photos of food to pet pictures to vacation shots. Use this hashtag to signal that you’re on Instagram and that you have something worth sharing. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #instagram: 

#instagram #instagramers #instagramhub #instagrammers #instagramer #instagramanet #instagramdogs #instagrammer #instagramjapan #instagramcats #instagramfitness

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12. #nature (600M posts)

Nature is all around us. It’s also on Instagram. This hashtag is used to post everything related to nature, including mountains, rivers, and wild animals. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #nature: 

#nature #naturephotography #naturelovers #naturelover #nature_perfection #naturegram #nature_brilliance #natureaddict #nature_shooters #naturephoto #naturelove

13. #tbt (560M posts)

#Tbt stands for "Throwback Thursday," and encourages Instagram users to post an old photo of themselves or an event they're reminiscing over. Everyone likes content from the good old days — here's your hashtag for enjoying the nostalgia.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #tbt: 

#throwbackthursday #tbthursday #tbtphoto 

14. #followme (560M posts) 

A close cousin to #followforfollow and #likeforlike, #followme is used by Instagrammers looking to grow their follower base.  

Top Instagram hashtags related to #followme: 

#follow #f4f #followme #followforfollow #follow4follow #teamfollowback #followbackteam #followall #followalways #followback #pleasefollow #follows #follower #following

15. #travel (544M posts)

Away for the weekend? Show your followers where you are, using this hashtag to indicate you're traveling somewhere new.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #travel: 

#travel #travelgram #instatravel #travelphotography #traveling #travelling #travelblogger #traveler #traveller #travelingram #traveltheworld #travelblog #travels #traveladdict 

16. #style (500M posts)

This hashtag has more than 500 million posts associated with it, making it one of the top tags on Instagram. It's used for beautifully edited photos of outfits, vacations, luxury products, and anything aesthetically stunning. Tag #style on a gorgeous outfit inspiration or new product, and Instagram users looking to add a little glamour to their lives will find you.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #style: 

#style #styleinspo #styleblogger #styleinspiration #styleoftheday #stylefashion #stylegoals #stylediary #stylegram #styleguide #styleblog

17. #repost (500M posts)

Reposting is a common function on Instagram that allows you to share content from other users, with credit back to the original user. Use the hashtag, #repost, to tell others on Instagram that you were inspired by this photo or video.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #repost: 

#repost #reposter #repostapp  #reposting #repostthis #reposted 

18. #instadaily (500M posts)

This hashtag is similar to #photooftheday and is perfect for Instagrammers who post every day.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #instadaily: 

#photooftheday #potd #picoftheday #photography #photographyeveryday #photographyoftheday #bestoftheday

19. #summer (490M posts)

The summertime is the best season to enjoy fun vacations, fruity drinks, and time by the pool. This tag is full of Instagram users enjoying the long summertime hours on the beach or showing off the breezy outfits keeping them cool under the hot #summer sun.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #summer: 

#summer #summertime #summervibes #summerfun #summernights #summerdays #summerstyle #summerfashion #summerday

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20. #selfie (442M posts)

This is the quintessential selfie hashtag, indicating to the Instagram community that the photo its captioning is a picture of you.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #selfie:

#me #selfies #selfietime #selfienation #selfiesunday  #selfiegram #selfielove #selfieaddict #selfiesaturday #selfiemania 

21. #fitness (433M posts)

Get in on a trending community of workout warriors with photos and videos from your best exercise sessions, using the #fitness hashtag to share the moment.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #fitness:

#fitness #fitnessmotivation #fitnessmodel #fitnessaddict #fitnessgirl #fitnessjourney #fitnesslife #fitnesslifestyle #fitnessgoals #fitnessfreak #fitnessfood #fitnessgear #fitnessinspiration

22. #beauty (431M posts) 

The hashtag #beauty is mainly used by beauty bloggers — professional make-up artists and hobbyists — but you’ll also find some pet shots and nature shots in there, too. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #beauty:

#beauty #beautyblog #beautycare #beautytips #beautyaddict #beautysalon #beautybloggers #beautyqueen #beautyguru #beautyproducts #beautyofnature #beautygram 

23. #food (428M posts)

Meal pics are the bread and butter (no pun intended) of a people-oriented Instagram account. Use the #food hashtag to caption your next delicious Instagram photo.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #food:

#food #foodporn #instafood #foodie #healthyfood #foodstagram #foodgasm #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodlover #foodpics #foodpic #foodies

24. #fun (400M posts)

If it's not fun, it's not Instagram-worthy. Make it known to millions of Instagram users that you had a blast in your latest photo or video with this popular hashtag.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #fun:

#fun #funny #lol #lmao #hilarious #laugh #laughing #tweegram #friends #wacky #crazy #silly #witty #instahappy #joke #jokes

25. #likeforlike (345M posts)

#Likeforlike is similar to the #followforfollow hashtag. Use this hashtag if you want to increase engagement on your Instagram account, telling users that you'll like their photo or video if they like yours.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #likeforlike:

#likeforlike #followme #like4like #liker #likes #l4l #likes4likes #love #likesforlikes #liketeam #likeback #likebackteam #likeall #likealways

The above hashtags might have helped define Instagram over the last year, but there are still plenty more that end up trending every year. The following hashtags can help inspire photos and videos that Instagram users always find captivating. 

1. #life (366M posts)

This one goes out to all the photos and videos that encompass the essence of your life — whether in quarantine or not. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #life:

#life #lifestyle #healthylifestyle #lovelife #luxurylifestyle #lifeisgood #lifestyleblogger #lifequotes #loveofmylife #luxurylife #lifeofadventure 

2. #music (350M posts)

This hashtag is for those who love music and the people who create it. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #music:

#music #musica #musician #musically #musicvideo #musical #musicians #musicislife #musicproducer #musiclife #musiclover #musicfestival #musicphotography #musicproduction

3. #amazing (289M posts)

The hashtag #amazing is used for everything you find, well, amazing — places, art, beautiful homes, awe-inspiring videos, and more. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #amazing:

#beautiful #cute #awesome #amazingview #amazingfood #amazingplaces

4. #nofilter (280M posts)

Instagram offers so many different filters to help enhance photos, it's practically assumed that any picture on Instagram has been edited. But if you're posting a pic that was beautiful all by itself, let the world know that this gem didn't need a filter to look so nice.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #nofilter:

#nofilter #nofilterneeded #nofilters #nofiltersneeded #nofilternecessary #nofilterneededforthisbeauty 

5. #sunset (272M posts)

Who doesn’t love a good sunset? Users add posts to this hashtag to show off a beautiful sunset near them. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #sunset:

#sunset #sunsets #sunsetlovers #sunsetporn #sunsetlover #sunsetsky #sunsetphotography #sunsetbeach #sunsethunter #sunsetmadness 

6. #motivation (258M posts)

On Twitter, #MondayMotivation encourages inspiring quotes and messages to help people start the week off on the right foot. On Instagram, the #motivation hashtag has come to caption anything from a photo of a user after a big gym session, to a computer screen right before he or she gets to work.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #motivation:

#motivation #motivationalquotes #motivational #motivationmonday #motivationalquote #MotivationalSpeaker #motivationalmonday #motivations #motivationquotes

7. #instamood (251M posts)

#Instamood is all about the vibe or emotion a photo or video elicits. Pretty scenery, a day at the beach, or a night out with good people are all prominent under the #instamood hashtag. Landscapes are a popular starting point when figuring out what to post on Instagram, according to Jumper Media, and they fit into this hashtag perfectly.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #instamood:

#instamood #instagood #instalife #instalike #instapic #insta #instacool #instafollow #instaphoto #instagramers #instamoment #instagramhub 

8. #foodporn (250M posts)

I hope you're hungry! The #foodporn tag is brimming with mouthwatering posts of desserts, pizza, recipe videos, and so much more. This hashtag is for the best of the best when it comes to delectable treats on Instagram — find the most original, delicious, and tantalizing food pictures on the internet under this hashtag.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #foodporn:

#food #foodporn #instafood #foodie #healthyfood #foodstagram #foodgasm #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodlover #foodpics #foodpic #foodies

9. #handmade (245M posts)

The hashtag #handmade is like the #art hashtag for handmade wares, clothing, and novelties. The rise of slow fashion and a growing interest in sustainably-made products makes this one of the top trending hashtags this year. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #handmade:

#handmade #handmadejewelry #handmadewithlove #handmadeisbetter #handmadefont #handmadegifts #handmadejewellery #handmadeshoes #handmadesoap #handmadeaccessories 

10. #dogsofinstagram (225M posts)

We all know that the internet loves cute puppies, so it shouldn't be surprising when a hashtag for our beloved doggos trends on Instagram.  It's always a good idea to include man's best friend in an Instagram post — your followers will love it and you're almost guaranteed dozens of heart emojis in your comments.

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Top Instagram hashtags related to #dogsofinstagram:

#dogsofinstagram #dogs #dog #dogstagram #dogsofinsta #dogsofig #dogsitting #dogslife #doglife #dogsofinstaworld #dogoftheday

11. #bestoftheday (210M posts)

The #bestoftheday tag offers a glimpse into the massive amount of varied content that is posted to Instagram every day. Here, you'll find some of the most noteworthy images on the platform — images of beautiful spots around the world, award-winning photos, yummy recipes, adorable animals, and so much more.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #bestoftheday: 

 #bestoftheday #instadaily #potd #picoftheday #photography #photographyeveryday #photographyoftheday

12. #instafood (190M posts)

This popular tag is different from other food hashtags because it accompanies food pictures that are gorgeous, creative, and, most importantly, worthy of Instagram. Instagram posts are known for being aesthetically appealing, and #instafood is no different. Use this tag if you're posting a photo of a colorful, unique, and sumptuous dish! 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #instafood:

#instafood #food #foodporn #foodie #healthyfood #foodstagram #foodgasm #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodlover #foodpics #foodpic #foodies

13. #explore (185M posts) 

Instagram has always had an explore section, but only recently have Instagrammers started to use this hashtag to win a highly coveted but elusive spot on this page. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #explore:

#instagrammers #igers #instalove #instamood #instagood #followme #follow #comment #shoutout

14. #memes (180M posts) 

A classic but a goodie. Throughout the years, humor has taken different forms — comedy sitcoms, stand-ups, knock-knock jokes, and more. But none of these forms come near the Instagram-worthiness of memes. Use this hashtag to share a unique meme or repost one from another account. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #memes:

#memes #meme #dankmemes #funnymemes #memesdaily #edgymemes #offensivememes #fortnitememes #dailymemes #spicymemes #memestagram #btsmemes #memes😂  #memepage #memelord

15. #followforfollowback (160M posts)

Interested in building a fast list of followers on Instagram? #Followforfollowback tells everyone who browses this hashtag that you'll follow users who choose to follow you. This hashtag is always trending highly.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #followforfollowback:

#followforfollowback #follow #f4f #followme #followforfollow #follow4follow #teamfollowback #followbackteam #followall #followalways #followback

16. #tweegram (95M posts)

There is plenty of multi-platform sharing across social media sites, and in #tweegram, you'll find images taken from Twitter, Pinterest, and more. #Tweegram is best known for quotes, screenshots of Tweets, and memes.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #tweegram:

#tweetgram #tweet #twitter #twitterposts #twitterweek #twittermarketing #twittermemes #twitterpost #twittermeme #twitterquotes #twitterwhy 

17. #instagramhub (65M posts)

This hashtag isn't specific to one type of post — #instagramhub is a place for active Instagram users to demonstrate their presence on the platform and reach larger audiences. By including this popular hashtag, influencers on Instagram can connect with as many users as possible.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #instagramhub:

 #instagramhub  #igers #instagram #instadaily #instamood #instagood #instalife #instalike #instapic #insta #instacool #instafollow #instaphoto #instagramers #instamoment

18. #quarantine (30M posts)

#Quarantine is the quintessential COVID-19 hashtag and has no defined aesthetic or subject matter. Instead, it encompasses everything that we see, experience, and do — or don’t do — during quarantine. You can find pet photos, cooking videos, memes, and, most shockingly, shots of people on vacation. 

It’s worth noting that there’s no #COVID hashtag because Instagram wants to prevent the spread of misinformation. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #quarantine:

#quarantine #quarantinelife #quarantineandchill

19. #BlackLivesMatter (26M posts)

The Black Lives Matter movement swept through the United States in 2020 and has been at the forefront of the cultural imagination since the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012. Use this hashtag to add value to the movement or uplift voices that differ from your own.  

Top Instagram hashtags related to #blacklivesmatter:

#blm #blackhistorymonth #blackownedbusiness #blackgirlmagic #blackouttuesday #blackexcellence

Read HubSpot’s stance on Black Lives Matter here.

20. #newmusic (20M posts)

The hashtag #newmusic is one of the many tags people use to share either their own original music or let others know who they're jamming to today. 

Top Instagram hashtags related to #newmusic:

#music #hiphop #rap #artist #spotify #producer #rapper #soundcloud #musician #beats

21. #whatiwore (18M posts)

What better way to show off your OOTD than to tag #whatiwore. This hashtag is commonly used by people interested in the latest fashion trends, often tagging where they found it for sponsorships or for the chance of brand recognition.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #whatiwore:

#ootd #outfitoftheday #fashion #instastyle #style #instafashion #fashionblogger #fashionista #styleinspo

22. #workinprogress (16M posts)

The #workinprogress hashtag gives users a glimpse of some of the coolest projects being shared on the app. From art, architecture, or even fitness, this tag helps people post about reaching their goals and the steps along the way.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #workinprogress: 

#wip #drawing #artwork #painting #handmade #workout #design #fitness #artistsoninstagram #motivation 

23. #space (15M posts)

There's something so interesting and beautiful about outer space, and talking about it on social media never gets old either. Posting in the #space hashtag will lead you to find amazing shots of stars far and wide.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #space:

#spaceflight #deepspace #spaceship #spacelovers #spacesuit #spaceexploration #spacecraft #telescope #spacex #spacestation

 

24. #technology (14M posts) 

With technologic innovations taking place every day across industries, the #technology hashtag is where you'll find the newest development or gadget.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #technology:

#tech #innovation #engineering #technews #science #design #gadgets #electronics #smartphone #programming

25. #engaged (13M posts) 

Love is in the air — or in this case it's trending. The #engaged hashtag is there for all your proposal inspiration, wedding ideas, and even more content for all the lovers out there.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #engaged:

#wedding #bride #bridetobe #love #weddinginspiration #engagement #weddingplanning #weddingphotography #weddingday #weddingdress

26. #travelbug (10M posts)

Influencers all around the world can use the #travelbug hashtag to document their coolest destination vlogs and photos. Take advantage of this hashtag whether you're hitting the road or flying overseas.

Top Instagram hashtags related to #travelbug:

#travel #wanderlust #travelgram #travelphotography #traveltheworld #travelblogger #traveladdict #instatravel #traveling

1. Keep your hashtags organized.

To create an efficient hashtag system, you can use Excel or an Instagram analytics tool. If you choose an excel sheet, you'll need to manually keep track of which hashtags you use, how often, and which ones correlate to your most popular posts. Over time, you'll see relationships between certain hashtags and your most popular posts, and this can help you decide which hashtags work best for your brand.

If you have a more advanced social media team, you might want to consider a tool like Iconosquare, which automatically stores top hashtags and provides reports on which hashtags reach the most people.

For smaller businesses with limited budgets, Krystal Gillespie says that, "an excel sheet is the best way to start. Once you get more advanced I would highly recommend using a tool to track the data. A manual system can get overwhelming when you're posting three times a day and using about 20 hashtags per post."

2. Figure out your magic number.

Most top brands use seven or fewer hashtags per post, so it's easy to assume that's the magic number for everyone … right? Krystal explains that this isn't always the case: She told me HubSpot has been more successful with hashtags ranging in the low 20s.

The point is, you can't know how many hashtags work best for you until you test it. For HubSpot, it took the team several months to find a number that worked best, and during our trial period, we ranged from seven to 30. Give yourself the same flexibility for trial and error.

3. Narrow your hashtags.

There are two big reasons more specific, smaller-volume hashtags are better for your brand: first, you can compete in a smaller pool. HubSpot, for example, doesn't typically use the hashtag #marketing because it's too broad. If you search #marketing, you'll find pictures of restaurants, inspirational quotes, before-and-after hairstyle pictures, and memes.

The randomness of #marketing leads me to the second reason specific hashtags are a good idea: as a user, I'm more likely to find what I need if I search for something specific, and when your business comes up for my specific search request, I'm more likely to be happy with what I found.

Krystal explains: "Keeping a hashtag close to the interests of your brand really helps. We try to use hashtags tailored for a specific topic and then narrow it down further — for instance, we'd use #SEOTips if our marketing post was mostly about SEO."

Think of it this way: #dogs is more popular, but it has a wide demographic. If I search #goldenretrieverpuppies and I find your post, I'm more likely to engage with it because it's exactly what I wanted.

4. Research what other people are hashtagging.

An easy way to generate hashtag ideas is to make a list of your followers or competitors and research what they're hashtagging on their own photos. It can also be particularly helpful to research what influencers in your industry are hashtagging — by definition, influencers are people with a large social media following, so they must be doing something right.

5. Test out related hashtags.

When you type a hashtag into Instagram's search bar, Instagram shows you related hashtags in the scroll-down menu. Instagram also delivers related hashtags on the next page after you click on a hashtag. This is a simple way to create a longer list of hashtags to try out.

6. Follow your own hashtag.

Another way to use Instagram hashtags for your marketing purposes is to follow your own hashtag. Krystal explains, "On Instagram, I actually follow the hashtag #hubspot so I can find anyone who talks about us and connect with them. As long as your account isn't private, people will be able to find you via the hashtag."

Following your own hashtag is an effective way to engage with other people talking about your brand and develop better relationships with them.

7. Create a brand campaign hashtag.

This is the trickiest item on the list, but if done successfully, it can pay off big time. Some businesses have successfully attracted followers by creating their own campaign hashtags. A campaign hashtag needs to be funny, clever, or at least memorable to work.

Campaign hashtags are particularly useful for promoting a new product or upcoming event, or even just inspiring people. Red Bull, for example, encouraged followers to post Red Bull pictures with a #putacanonit hashtag (see what I mean about clever?). LuLuLemon, rather than running a more traditional ad campaign, developed a positive connotation for their brand by asking followers to post real, active pictures of themselves with a #sweatlife hashtag.

Now that we've covered the importance of using Instagram hashtags for your business, you might be wondering how to search for Instagram hashtags within the app, or how to use the search function to find related ideas. If you're unsure of the technical process for hashtag searching, here's how:

How to Search Hashtags on Instagram

To search hashtags on Instagram, tap the magnifying glass at the bottom of your screen, then tap the search bar at the top. Selecting the "Tags" option will enable you to search hashtags and related hashtags based on the popularity of each one.

1. Open Instagram and tap the search icon.

Instagram wants you to use hashtags and has made it extremely easy to find the perfect ones for your post. To start, open the Instagram app on your mobile device and tap the magnifying glass at the bottom of your screen.

2. Tap the search bar at the top of your screen.

The search screen on your Instagram might first send you to a newsfeed-style page (the Explore page) with suggested content based on topics you've demonstrated an interest in on social media. To switch to a hashtag search, tap the search bar at the top of this page, as shown in the screenshot above.

3. Tap "Tags."

Once you've tapped the search bar at the top of your screen, Instagram will give you four options with which to filter your search. Instagram refers to hashtags as simply "Tags," as shown in the screenshot below. Tap this "Tags" option, then tap the search bar above it, and begin searching topics for which you want to find a trending hashtag.

You don't have to include the pound sign (#) in your search — your results will be the same with or without it — but you will need to use this pound sign in the caption of your photo once you choose a hashtag.

4. Browse hashtags based on post count and current content.

Voila! You should see multiple options for hashtags based on your search. Browse around at each related hashtag that Instagram suggests for you — you might find that a hashtag with slightly fewer posts includes photos or videos that are more in line with the content you're posting.

After finding the best hashtags for your account, you’ll be sure to create a winning hashtag strategy. 

Use Hashtags on Instagram to Gain More Followers

Using hashtags is a critical part of a strong Instagram marketing strategy. Following best practices, you can increase your follower count and boost the number of leads coming from Instagram. Happy hashtagging!

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

The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Hashtags for 2022 was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

Chief Operating Officer (COO): Everything You Need to Know About This Important Role

Most companies have goals related to growth. I’m not sure of many companies that want to make less money or reach fewer people over time.

However, a company can’t just magically make more money, reach new customers, or grow a team overnight. It takes intention and strategy from an experienced leader to facilitate this type of growth.

As a company looks to scale, having a qualified chief operating officer is a critical aspect of making those growth goals a reality. Leading this type of change as a chief operating officer can be a dynamic opportunity for budding business leaders. Let’s discuss the significance of the role, what a chief operating officer does, and the qualifications you’ll need to become one.

If a company has a chief operating officer in place, this individual likely knows the ins and outs of the business and industry and is often responsible for making sure the company’s operational model is functioning properly.

The COO needs to know how key functions of the company (including product, finance, marketing, service) all work together to deliver a positive experience for the customer while reaching key business goals.

In 2021, the average base salary of a chief operating officer was $145,467 per year, though this figure can vary depending on the company and the experience level of the candidate.

It’s worth noting how this role differs from the chief executive officer (CEO). Once a company experiences a period of substantial growth and has public-facing activities, the CEO may begin focusing on external management of the company affairs and representing the company to the public. That’s when a COO may be brought on board to ensure the company’s internal affairs are being handled properly.

Image Source

Now that you know what a COO is and how the role differs from that of a CEO, let’s cover what a COO does in their day-to-day.

What does a chief operating officer do?

At a high level, the chief operating officer is responsible for making sure all of the internal systems that make a company run smoothly are in good working order so the business can run optimally. They’re tasked with integrating the company’s mission, vision, goals, and operations for strategic alignment and execution.

Key tasks for a COO can include:

• Overseeing the management and optimization of the company’s daily operations
• Working directly with the CEO and other members of the c-suite to establish and implement the organizational vision, business strategy, and staffing plans
• Creating business budgets for financial growth and proper resource management
• Analyzing key data to understand the company’s progress to key goals and objectives and make recommendations as needed to improve performance

How to Become a COO

Do you have your eye on a chief operating officer position? Or are you looking to build the skills to become one in the future? Let’s talk about what you need to qualify for the role.

Though there is no specific educational track that guarantees landing a COO role, 65% of chief operating officers in the US have a bachelor’s degree and 20% have earned a master’s degree.

It’s important to note that many COO roles are filled internally. That means leaders are typically promoted or appointed into the position from within the company. That certainly doesn’t mean you won’t see or have the opportunity to apply for external chief officer position roles, but it is an important practice to be aware of if you have aspirations to become a COO.

With that in mind, you may want to consider working under an existing COO to gain the necessary experience and to put yourself in a better position to be appointed into the role down the line.

For potential COO’s, experience can be a differentiating factor during the hiring process. According to research by Indeed, the average COO had 10 to 15 years of relevant experience before landing the role.

Successful chief operating officers need experience in business operations, data analysis, problem-solving, leadership, and management, as these are all skills that will be used daily on the job. As you embark on becoming a COO, make sure you have relevant experience optimizing and integrating organizational processes.

Here are some more skills and qualifications chief operating officer candidates need:

• Expert-level industry knowledge
• Strong communication skills
• The ability to make strategic decisions for the company
• Experience identifying organizational challenges and implementing effective solutions
• Proven track record of successfully leading and managing teams
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Project management skills

The role of chief operating officer provides a unique opportunity to leverage business expertise, strategic leadership, and operational support within one executive-level role to support the growth and future trajectory of a company.

Chief Operating Officer (COO): Everything You Need to Know About This Important Role was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

International SEO: How to Optimize Your Website for Other Countries

Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical to help your brand reach the first page of search results and ideally climb into the top 5 positions for your primary keyword.

But what happens when you want to expand outside of local markets? With Google now seeing more than 3.5 billion searches per day, there's a massive opportunity for brands to capture new customers. The caveat is that existing SEO practices may not translate — and in some cases, may actually hurt your brand in other countries.

To avoid this potential pitfall, a robust international SEO strategy is critical. Here’s what you need to know about what it is, how it works, how it’ll benefit you, and what steps you can take to create an effective plan.

Ready? Shkojme! Idemo! Vámonos! Let’s go!

Effective strategies leverage a combination of geographic and language data to develop SEO plans that drive reliable ROI. A strong international SEO strategy will help your company reach new markets and multiply revenue.

What does international SEO do for company websites?

An international SEO strategy for websites focuses on creating content that’s applicable to local markets, as well as developing a website structure that makes it easy for search engines to find and serve the right webpages to the right users at the right time.

Consider a company that sells window shades in the United States and is making a move into Canada. First, you’ll want to ensure Canadian customers are sent to the right pages on your website — pages that contain information about Canadian locations, Canadian shipping times, and fees and costs in CAD.

You’ll need a website structure that includes both U.S. and Canadian pages and leverages enough metadata that search requests from users will direct them to the right page for their current location.

Does my business need an international SEO strategy?

It depends.

If you have no plans to expand beyond local markets — such as your current city or state — international SEO probably isn’t worth the time and resources required. In fact, international SEO can backfire if your business is entirely local. Customers who land on international pages won’t be happy when they discover you serve a very small geographic area.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to expand beyond country borders, it’s worth spending on international SEO. Given the sheer number of companies competing on the global stage and the increased challenge in ranking highly for relevant keywords, a comprehensive strategy is critical.

Still not sure whether you should go for a local SEO strategy or international SEO strategy?

There are four primary differentiators between local SEO and international SEO:

• Cost: Owing to their scale and scope, international SEO efforts come with significant costs.

• Content: To ensure international reach, you’ll need to create significantly more content than you would for a local SEO strategy.

• Capture: International SEO expands the target market you’re trying to capture, which necessitates in-depth research to ensure your brand aligns with customer expectations.
• Competition: Competition for keywords and customers is much greater for international SEO efforts. Instead of simply competing with other businesses in the same local sphere of influence, you could be up against multinational corporations.

Questions to Ask About International SEO

Not sure how to get your international SEO efforts off the ground? Start with these questions.

1. Where are you headed?
2. Should you target language or country?
3. What localization factors matter most?
4. How can you build local links?
5. Does social media matter?
6. Are current keywords good enough?
7. Do you have the right tools and talent?

1. Where are you headed?

Depending on the part of the world you’re targeting, your international SEO approach will change. For example, if you’re headed to China, the most popular search engine is Baidu, while Yandex is the preferred choice in Russia. Each of these engines have their own approach to SEO, meaning it’s worth doing your research to find out what matters most for rankings.

2. Should you target language or country?

This is a common international SEO question: Are you better-served targeting a specific language or a country? The answer depends on your goals. If you’re looking to appeal to a broad audience regardless of where they live, language optimization may be the answer. If you’re looking to grow brand awareness in a specific part of the world, opt for country-based SEO.

3. What localization factors matter most?

Localization is the process of optimizing your website and content to reflect the local language and culture. Two of the most important factors here are accuracy and common use: First, it’s critical to make sure that translations of any keywords or slogans are accurate — direct translations can open your brand and services to misinterpretations, such as the always-classic “Come alive with Pepsi” slogan translated as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead” in Chinese markets.

Common use is the other concern. The words and phrases used to describe your business and what it does may not be the same in other languages, even if the literal translation of words gives that impression. Find out what words locals use to describe your products and services and use those instead.

4. How can you build local links?

Building local links back to your site also helps with international SEO. Here, it’s a good idea to write articles for local blogs, get a sponsored mention on websites that offer advice or useful information, connect with local social media influencers, and sponsor local events.

5. Does social media matter?

While Google has expressly stated that social media doesn’t factor into international SEO rankings, you can increase brand awareness and local influencer connections with a strong social media presence.

6. Are current keywords good enough?

While your current keywords may help you rank in the top 5 locally, the sheer number of companies competing for these keywords in global markets means you need to take a look at who’s using these keywords, where they rank, and whether other similar keywords might drive better results.

7. Do you have the right tools and talent?

Finally, consider if this is something you can take on yourself or if you’re better off hiring an experienced international SEO company.

Factors That Affect International SEO

Multiple factors affect international SEO, including:

Customer Reviews

Customer reviews on your website or on local review sites can positively or negatively impact your SEO efforts. Better reviews mean better connection with your primary keyword, in turn boosting your visibility.

Mobile Responsiveness

The responsiveness of your website on mobile also matters to overall search rankings. As a result, it’s worth finding a content delivery network (CDN) capable of providing a top-tier website experience no matter where users are in the world.

Google My Business Account

Your Google My Business Account can help boost your SEO efforts — so long as you ensure to update where your company is operating. This acts as a starting point for Google to seek out geographic and language metadata on your site.

Link Building

The more links heading back to your site from international sources, the better. As mentioned above, it’s a good idea to write for local blogs or connect with influencers to point links back to your website.

How to Develop an International SEO Strategy

Ready to develop your international SEO strategy? Start here.

1. Decide where and who you’ll target.

First, pick your target market and target audience. For example, you might decide to target the larger market of Brazil, then hone in on a subset of that market that has the means and motive to buy your product. The more focused your decisions around “where” and “who,” the better your results.

2. Determine whether you’ll hire an international SEO agency.

Do you want to do the heavy lifting of international SEO yourself or outsource this effort? There are advantages to both — you know your brand better than anyone else, but SEO experts are skilled at understanding local customs and preferences and creating a strategy to match.

3. Conduct international keyword research.

Keywords that work for you at home may not work abroad. This may simply be down to keyword volume, or it may be linked to how customers in your target market refer to your business. For example, trial lawyers in the United States are known as barristers in the United Kingdom — if you’re a legal firm looking to expand operations, this is a critical keyword difference.

4. Choose the right international domain structure.

The domain structure of your website makes it easier (or harder) for visitors and search engines to find your content. Different options include:

ccTLD

Country code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) are two-letter domains assigned to specific countries. For example, .us is for the United States, .ca is for Canada, and .uk is for the United Kingdom. To improve international SEO, you may choose to create a unique ccTLD site for each country where your products or services are available.

Example: mybusiness.ca, mybusiness.uk

gTLD

A generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD), meanwhile, refers to domain extensions with three or more characters; these TLDs are maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Common examples include .com, .gov and .org.

Using a gTLD means that search engines won’t restrict results based on region, but it may reduce total traffic since many users prefer sites that include their country code TLD.

Example: mybusiness.com

ccTLD or gTLD with subdomains

You can also choose to create subdomains for your site which combine aspects of both ccTLDs and gTLDs.

Example: ca.mybusiness.com

This offers the benefit of a country code and the advantages of a gTLD.

ccTLD or gTLD with subdirectories

Subdirectories, meanwhile, change the location of the country code:

Example: mybusiness.com/ca/

5. Optimize content for the region and language

Finally, make sure all your content is optimized for both your target region and its local language. This includes double-checking all TLDs, translations, and content assets to ensure they’re aligned with local expectations.

Oh, and don’t forget the hreflang tag. This HTML attribute specifies the geographic area and language of a webpage. It’s used to differentiate similar webpages aimed at different audiences so that search engines don’t count them as duplicate content, and it looks like this:

Tools for International SEO

The right tools can also help you maximize the impact of international SEO by providing actionable data around traffic, click-throughs, and time spent on your site. Some of the most popular tools include:

HubSpot

HubSpot’s SEO software allows you to create an international content strategy, gives you live tips to improve your on-page SEO, and lets you organize your website in a way that’s easy for both search engines and users to understand.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console lets you see what queries are driving traffic to your site, determine your position on Google Search, and analyze global site impressions.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is an all-in-one SEO toolset that lets you optimize your site, analyze your competitors’ rankings, and find the best keywords for your brand.

Moz

Moz offers site audits to determine potential issues, tracks keyword rankings across more than 170 search engines, analyzes backlink profiles to evaluate performance, and offers keyword research tools to find out how you stack up against the competition.

Semrush

Semrush lets you identify high-value local and national keywords, analyze the backlink profile of any domain, and track your site’s SERP positions daily.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is an interconnected suite of tools that helps you analyze the impact of your website content worldwide.

International SEO Best Practices

No matter what approach you take to international SEO — language-focused or country-based, outsourced or in-house — the same best practices apply. Let’s take a look at them below.

1. Answer questions in the region’s native language and in the right context.

If there’s one thing to get right for international SEO, it’s making sure you’re speaking the same language as your customers. This means doing your research to ensure you’re always answering questions in their native language and in the appropriate context.

2. Translate existing content carefully.

While translation tools provide a literal conversion of words and phrases, they’re often not used this way by locals, meaning customers will quickly recognize that something isn’t quite right. Instead of translation, what you’re really looking for is “transcreation” — you want to recreate the same content but using the culture and language of your target market as a guide.

3. Consider the entire user experience in your strategy.

International SEO isn’t just about keywords and content. It’s also about making sure the entire user experience — from filling out forms to viewing prices in local currency or accessing multimedia assets that include native speakers — is seamlessly aligned across your site.

4. Avoid automatically redirecting users based on their IP address.

While it’s critical to serve content that matches local user expectations, don’t make the decision for them. Instead of automatically redirecting where they land based on their IP address, give them the option to choose their preferred region.

SEO: Improving Your International Impact

The right SEO strategy sets your brand apart from the crowd. And while this is important in home markets, it’s even more critical if you decide to go international, because it will ensure your website is optimized to support high-value content and keywords across regions and countries. By considering local customs, language, and context, you can boost consumer engagement, improve search engine results, and maximize your international impact.

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

International SEO: How to Optimize Your Website for Other Countries was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

Hourly vs. Salary Employees: What's Better for Your Business?

Before hiring the right person for the job, you need to decide how you'll pay them. Two of the most common ways to pay employees is with a salary or an hourly wage.

You're probably wondering which option is better: the flexibility of an hourly employee or the stability of a salaried one. Of course, the answer is never as straightforward as we'd like.

Let's compare the pros and cons of hourly vs. salary workers, the different laws for each, and what to look for when determining the right fit for your business.

What is a salaried employee?

A salaried employee earns an annual wage regardless of when they clock in and out. In other words, whether you work 20 hours or 60 hours per week, the number on your paycheck stays the same.

To state the obvious, an employee isn't paid their entire salary on the first day. Instead, it's divided by the number of pay periods, often on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. For example, an employee with a salary of $60,000 a year, paid twice a month, would receive $2,500 per paycheck.

Pros of Salaried Employees

Even if an employee clocks additional hours during the week, they receive the same rate per paycheck. Meaning, you don't need to compensate employees who go beyond the standard 40-hour workweek.

Another advantage of salaried employees is the predictability of payroll. Every salaried employee signs an employment contract outlining their base salary and frequency of payment. When it comes time for payroll, you know exactly how much to pay since there is no fluctuation from week to week.

Cons of Salaried Employees

Since salaried employees aren't clocking in and out each day, or filling out a timesheet each week, there's a possibility they'll work less than 40 hours during some weeks. That said, most salaried employees are critical players in their organization and strive to meet expectations.

What is an hourly employee?

Hourly employees account for a whopping 55.5% of all wage workers in the U.S.

Here's how it works – an hourly employee earns a certain rate per hour of work. This rate must match or exceed the minimum wage, which will vary depending on your state. If your state's minimum wage is different from the federal minimum wage, you're required to pay the higher of the two.

You can pay hourly employees at the same frequency as salaried employees, but their paychecks will fluctuate to reflect the number of hours they work per week. For example, let's say you're an hourly employee working at a rate of $10 per hour. You clock in 40 hours one week, which is $400 worth of work. The following week you only work 20 hours — earning a total of $200.

Pros of Hourly Employees

Unless covered in a contract, hourly employees aren't guaranteed a certain number of hours each week. This means you have the flexibility to set hours based on demand, securing coverage when you need it.

Also, you have no obligation to make an hourly worker a full-time employee. By hiring an hourly worker, you can offset the benefit costs for full-time employees, like healthcare and paid time off.

Cons of Hourly Employees

Arguably the biggest con of hourly employees can be boiled down to one word — overtime. If an hourly worker surpasses the 40-hour threshold, they are eligible for overtime, which accounts for one and a half times their regular pay. This becomes costly if the nature of the position requires more hours than the standard workweek.

Another con is tracking how many hours your employees work, which takes time and careful review. You can verify the hours with timecards, or invest in a time and attendance system. Either way, expect to spend some time crunching the numbers.

Exempt vs. Non-exempt Employees

Salaried and hourly employees have different laws and regulations, which can guide you to determine the best fit for your business.

Hourly employees have non-exempt status — therefore, if they work more than 40 hours a week, they must be compensated under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employers must abide by the law to avoid fines, fees, and even prosecution.

On the flip side, most salaried employees have exempt status. An exempt employee must earn a minimum of $455 per week, or $23,660 per year, in the form of a salary. And, if you haven't already guessed, exempt employees are exempt from overtime pay.

Let's consider this example to demonstrate the difference between exempt and non-exempt employees:

Elizabeth, an exempt employee, is working over the weekend to meet a Monday morning deadline. Despite working "off the clock," she's not compensated for these hours.

Meanwhile, Lucas, a non-exempt employee, picks up an extra shift at a retail store over the weekend. He could take the weekend off, but he knows he will get compensated for working overtime.

Determining the Right Fit for Your Business

Back to the question on everyone's mind: is it better to hire hourly or salaried workers? The answer depends on a variety of factors:

1. Relevant federal and state laws.

Familiarize yourself with relevant federal and state laws. Even if employees are exempt on a federal level, state laws may classify them as nonexempt.

2. The nature of the position.

Consider the type of work an employee will be doing. For example, if you anticipate an employee will need to work more than 40 hours per week, it could be more cost-efficient to pay them a salary.

3. Your business and its needs.

Does your business need flexibility or predictability? Do you have the resources to track hourly workers? Do you need to offset the costs of benefits for full-time employees? These questions, among others, can determine whether your workforce should be salaried or hourly.

Final Thoughts

As you prepare to expand your team, it's important to decide how to pay the new players. While you must abide by federal and state laws, there is still room to weigh your decision based on your business and its needs.

Hourly vs. Salary Employees: What's Better for Your Business? was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

7 Best Practices for Lead Nurturing Emails

Lead nurturing emails allow you to build a relationship with your leads and move them down the sales funnel until they are ready to become a customer. It’s one of the best lead nurturing tactics you can use and an essential part of an email marketing strategy.

Why? Because lead nurturing emails radically increase the chances of your leads making a purchase. You no longer have to hope that they will buy your products. Rather, you’ll slowly warm them up until they make that decision.

In this post, you’ll learn best practices for creating high-performing lead nurturing emails to drive your leads to make a purchase.

How does lead nurturing work?

A potential customer may have several types of interactions with your business. They may add something to their cart, subscribe to a mailing list, take advantage of a promotion, or set up a meeting with one of your salespeople.

Lead nurturing refers to the process of staying in contact with your customer throughout each of these stages. You provide valuable resources, discount codes, or reminders to make a purchase.

Overall, to nurture a lead is to build and maintain a helpful, mutually beneficial relationship with them. The goal is to guide them toward making a purchase.

(Tip: If you’re unfamiliar with lead nurturing, we encourage you to take our free lead nurturing course.)

Are lead nurturing emails effective?

Yes. As social media has grown over time, using lead nurturing emails to market your business can sometimes feel like the less fun or hip option. But, it’s still an effective way to expand your market, convert leads, and connect to your target audience, especially if it’s done correctly. 99% of email users check their inbox on a daily basis, often multiple times a day or first thing in the morning. This makes using email a great tool to nurture a lead toward conversion.

As time passes, the lead may not click on your CTA, interact with your business, or make a purchase. Certain leads with an interest in your business will need ongoing engagement to continue down the sales funnel toward conversion. For that, you’ll need to create a lead nurturing email sequence.

Lead Nurturing Email Sequence

A lead nurturing email sequence is a series of emails that is automatically triggered when the lead takes a certain action. For example, once a customer adds an item to their cart, a lead nurturing email sequence could include a purchase reminder, a limited time offer, or a list of similar products they may like.

These sequences keep the lead engaged until they are ready to go forward with a purchase. See this example of a sequence after a lead has abandoned their cart.

The process of lead nurturing occurs over some time with your continuous effort. Building that relationship needs trust, understanding, and consistency. Using emails to nurture your relationship with potential leads can be highly effective. Follow these best practices to make them work best for you:

1. Provide valuable content with include expert insights.

The first priority is to make sure you have something valuable to teach your leads. Think of your lead nurturing emails as mini blog posts. For example, if you sell data backup software, your first nurturing email might focus on the "top six considerations to make before purchasing data backup software.” Remember, you are an expert within your industry. Continue teaching your leads something new, and they will be more than happy to receive your emails and continue engaging with your business.

2. Focus on one relevant topic per email.

Each nurturing email should be focused around one topic and include a call to action. Put yourself in your lead’s shoes when creating your emails, as they are bombarded by messages all day long. Keep the content of your email tied directly to the topic the lead initially converted on. For example, if your lead downloaded a FAQ white paper on data backup software, they are likely near the top of the funnel, researching a future purchase. Your first email's topic could be "selling the importance of data backup software to your management team." Speak directly to the problem your lead is trying to solve.

3. Keep it short.

This is not the time to worry about fonts, or adding images or custom HTML. The lead should be able to glance at your email and know within five seconds the value it provides to them. Information overload happens quickly in an email. Adding secondary calls-to-action or unrelated links will increase your unsubscribe rate and subtract from the effectiveness of your campaign. While data suggests that emails should be between 50 and 125 words, it’s okay to extend your message to fully connect with your leads. But keep it concise whenever possible.

4. Ensure the emails progress naturally.

Carefully planning the flow of your emails will help you create well-rounded campaigns that pull your leads through the sales funnel. The first email after the initial conversion might be educational, while subsequent emails should continue to educate while giving the lead an opportunity to convert a second time. This is a perfect opportunity to promote a free trial or the download of a demo. Work with your sales team to determine what qualifies as a "sales-ready lead" and craft your lead nurturing campaigns accordingly.

5. Test your emails and track key metrics.

Email testing is key to fine-tuning your campaigns. As you test your emails, be sure to track key metrics to measure the success of your efforts. Click-through-rate (the percentage of people who clicked a link in your email) and unsubscribe rate are two of the key metrics to track on a regular basis. A strong campaign will generally have an unsubscribe rate of less than 5%. If your unsubscribe rate climbs above 5%, it's time to re-evaluate your campaign. Try testing new content or a stronger subject line, or adjusting the timing of your emails.

6. Personalize the emails.

You should be sending different emails to different types of leads and personalizing them to who they are specifically. This not only includes who they are as a consumer, but also what their interactions have been with your business thus far. Did they sign up for updates? Have they gotten an automated welcome email? Did they purchase from you once already? How long has it been since you acquired their email address or last had contact? Those are all things that should influence and change the content of the email.

7. Stay consistent to your brand.

Your business has an image, a voice, and a brand. The emails that you send to leads should continue to represent all of those things about your business. Continuing to establish your brand to a lead helps build a relationship that pushes them toward becoming a customer. The familiarity over time will build valuable trust and brand loyalty.

Before you start writing a lead nurturing email, focus on who your lead is and what your goal is for contacting them. Spamming leads with countless emails is more off-putting than it is nurturing. So, ensure your content is worthwhile for leads to read and for your business to send. Follow these tips to get started:

1. Choose a purpose.

Have a goal in mind for your message, whether it is answering an FAQ, delivering on a promised reward, introducing a new product, offering a discount, or sharing other content to engage the lead.

2. Personalize the greeting and subject line.

An attention-grabbing subject line and a personalized greeting are the initial hooks of a lead nurturing email.

3. Address pain points.

How can this product or service improve this lead’s life if they were a customer? Point out a problem that they have that you can solve.

4. Include testimonials.

Knowing that someone else was pleased with your product or service grows the lead’s trust in your business.

5. Share a knowledge bomb.

Including a striking piece of information or research will give your lead something that they’ll remember later on their path to becoming a customer.

6. Use a CTA.

Encouraging your lead to interact with your business through a call-to-action pushes them toward a conversion.

7. Include an unsubscribe button.

Leads that have no interest in your business, product, or service can’t be nurtured into customers. Allow those to unsubscribe so that you can focus on the good-fit leads.

8. Follow up.

Once the email is sent, track what happens next. Did the lead click on your CTA? Did they continue interacting with your business? Did they do nothing? Use that information to determine the effectiveness of the email and to influence what you send to them next.

Make a Seamless Lead Nurturing Strategy

A potential customer’s first interaction with your business is just the beginning. As they proceed down the sales funnel from lead to repeat customer, you will need to continuously engage them. Lead nurturing emails build trust between leads and your business. The sales funnel you create through nurturing emails should smoothly guide your leads into doing business with you.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2010 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

7 Best Practices for Lead Nurturing Emails was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Strategies & How to Improve Your Digital Presence

Would it be correct to assume a major part of your marketing strategy today is digital? Probably.

Consumers and businesses alike are almost always online and on the go – and you want to be able to reach them and observe their behavior where they spend their time.

But when you're growing a business, this ever-changing digital landscape can quickly become an overwhelming one. With a number of other responsibilities and tasks that you need to do, how can you also efficiently create, fine-tune, and maintain an agile digital marketing strategy?

We've put together this guide about marketing strategies to help you improve your digital presence and grow better.

If you're a small business and you're unsure how to jumpstart your strategy, this digital marketing strategy template will help you get there. It includes actionable tips and templates to set you up for success.

Now back to this — are you confused about the difference between a marketing strategy and marketing tactics? We cover that below.

Marketing or not, there are three parts of any strategy:

1. A diagnosis of your challenge
2. A guiding policy for dealing with the challenge
3. A set of targeted actions that are necessary to accomplish the policy

Depending on the scale of your business, your marketing strategy may include several moving parts, each with different goals. With that said, working on your strategy can become daunting at times.

So, if you're ever feeling overwhelmed about your marketing strategy, refer to these three steps to keep you focused on achieving your objectives.

To provide a better understanding of what they may entail, check out the following list of basic marketing strategies commonly utilized by teams across a range of industries.

Marketing Basics

• Publish a blog.
• Advertise on specific social media platforms (e.g. Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads).
• Offer free educational resources.
• Search engine optimize your digital content.
• Create a giveaway and/ or contest.
• Test different campaign types to determine what works best for your audience.
• Organize a webinar.
• Produce a podcast.
• Create an email campaign.

Now, let's look at digital marketing strategy.

Similar to marketing strategies versus marketing tactics, "digital marketing strategy" and "digital marketing campaign" are also often interchanged. So, how do they differ?

We cover that in the following sections.

What is a digital marketing campaign?

Digital marketing campaigns are the building blocks and actions within your digital marketing strategy that move you toward a specific end goal.

For instance, if the overarching goal of your digital marketing strategy is to generate more leads through social media, you might run a digital marketing campaign on Twitter. You may share some of your business's best-performing gated content on Twitter to generate more leads through the channel.

1. Build your buyer personas.

For any marketing strategy – digital or not – you need to know who you're marketing to. The best digital marketing strategies are built upon detailed buyer personas, and your first step is to create them.

Organize your audience segments and make your marketing stronger with templates to build your buyer personas.

Buyer personas represent your ideal customer(s) and can be created by researching, surveying, and interviewing your business's target audience.

It's important to note that this information should be based upon real data whenever possible, as making assumptions about your audience can cause your marketing strategy to move in the wrong direction.

To get a rounded picture of your persona, your research pool should include a mixture of customers, prospects, and people outside your contacts database who align with your target audience.

But what kind of information should you gather for your own buyer persona(s) to inform your digital marketing strategy?

That depends on your business — it's likely to vary depending on whether you're B2B or B2C, or whether you sell a high-cost or low-cost product.

Here are some starting points that you can fine-tune and tailor to your particular business.

Quantitative and Demographic Information

• Location: Use web analytics tools to easily identify what location your website traffic is coming from.
• Age: Depending on your business, this may or may not be relevant information. But if it is, it's best to gather this data by identifying trends in your existing prospect and contact database.
• Income: It's best to gather sensitive information like personal income through persona research interviews, as people might be unwilling to share these details via online forms.
• Job Title: This is something you can get a rough idea of from your existing customer base and is most relevant for B2B companies.

Qualitative and Psychographic Information

• Goals: Depending on what challenge your product or service solves, you may already have a good idea of the goals of your buyer persona. Cement your assumptions by speaking to real customers and internal sales and customer service reps.
• Challenges: Speak to customers, sales and customer service reps, and any other customer-facing employees to get an idea of the common challenges your audience members face.
• Hobbies/Interests: Ask customers and those who align with your target audience about their hobbies and interests. If you're a fashion brand, for example, it's helpful to know if large segments of your audience are also interested in fitness and well-being to inform future content and partnerships.
• Priorities: Talk to customers and target audience members to find out what's most important to them in relation to your business. For example, if you're a B2B software company, knowing your audience values customer support over a competitive price point is very valuable information.

By combining all of these details, you'll be able to create buyer personas that are accurate and highly valuable for your business.

2. Identify your goals and the digital marketing tools you'll need.

Your marketing goals should always be tied back to the fundamental goals of your business.

For example, if your business's goal is to increase online revenue by 20%, your marketing team's goal might be to generate 50% more leads via the website than the previous year to contribute to that success.

Use a high-level marketing plan template to outline your annual marketing strategy, identify top priorities, and more.

Download the Template

Whatever your overarching digital marketing goal is, you must be able to measure the success of your strategy along the way with the right digital marketing tools.

For instance, the Reporting Dashboard in HubSpot brings all of your marketing and sales data into one place, so you can quickly determine what works and what doesn't to improve your strategy for the future.

3. Evaluate your existing digital channels and assets.

When reviewing your existing digital marketing channels and assets to determine what to incorporate in your strategy, it's helpful to first consider the big picture — this will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed or confused.

Gather what you have, and categorize each vehicle or asset in a spreadsheet, so you have a clear picture of your existing owned, earned, and paid media.

Owned, Earned, Paid Media Framework

To do this effectively, use the owned, earned, and paid media framework to categorize the digital "vehicles," assets, or channels you're already using and decide what's a good fit for your strategy.

Owned Media

This refers to the digital assets your brand or company owns — whether that's your website, social media profiles, blog content, or imagery. Owned channels are what your business has complete control over.

This can also include some off-site content you own that isn't hosted on your website (e.g. a blog you publish on Medium).

Earned Media

Earned media refers to the exposure you earn through word-of-mouth marketing. Whether that's content you've distributed on other websites (e.g. guest posts), PR work you've been doing, or the customer experience you've delivered. Earned media is the recognition you receive as a result of these efforts.

You can earn media by getting press mentions and positive reviews as well as by people sharing your content via their networks (e.g. social media channels).

Paid Media

Paid media refers to any vehicle or channel you spend money on to catch the attention of your buyer personas.

This includes things like Google AdWords, paid social media posts, native advertising (e.g. sponsored posts on other websites), or any other medium through which you pay in exchange for increased visibility.

Since you have a better grasp of what this framework entails, let's look at an example.

Say you have an owned piece of content on a landing page on your website that's been created to help you generate leads. You know you want to incorporate different parts of the framework rather than just working with owned, earned, or paid media alone.

To amplify the number of leads the content generates, you make an effort to ensure it's shareable so your audience can distribute it via their social media profiles. In return, this will increase traffic to your landing page. This is the earned media component.

To support your content's success, you might post about the content on your Facebook page and pay to have it seen by more people in your target audience.

This is how the three parts of the framework are able to work together — although, it's not necessary for success. For instance, if your owned and earned media are already both successful, you might not need to invest in paid. So, evaluate the best solution to help you meet your goal, and then incorporate the channels that work best for your business into your digital marketing strategy.

Now you know what's already being used, you can start to think about what to keep and what to cut.

Keep track of your paid media efforts with this free Paid Media Template.

Download the Template

4. Audit and plan your owned media campaigns.

At the heart of digital marketing is owned media — and it almost always comes in the form of content. That's because nearly every message your brand broadcasts can be classified as content, whether it's an About Us site page, product descriptions, blog posts, ebooks, infographics, podcasts, or social media posts.

Content helps convert your website visitors into leads and customers while improving your brand's online presence. And when this content is search engine optimized (SEO), it can boost your search and organic traffic.

Whatever your digital marketing strategy goal is, you'll want to incorporate owned content. To start, decide what content will help you reach your goals.

If your goal is to generate 50% more leads via the website than last year, your About Us page is most likely not going to be included in your strategy, unless that page has somehow been a lead-generation machine in the past.

Here's a brief process you can follow to work out what owned content you need to meet your digital marketing strategy goals.

Audit your existing content.

Make a list of your existing owned content, and rank each item according to what has previously performed best in relation to your current goals.

For example, if your goal is lead generation, rank your content according to which pieces generated the most leads over the last year (such as a blog post, ebook, or site page).

The idea here is to figure out what's currently working, and what's not so that you can set yourself up for success when planning future content.

Identify gaps in your existing content.

Based on your buyer personas, identify any gaps in the content you have.

For example, if you're a math tutoring company and know through research that a major challenge for your personas is finding effective ways to study, create some.

By looking at your content audit, you might discover that ebooks hosted on a certain type of landing page convert really well (better than webinars, for example).

In the case of this math tutoring company, you might make the decision to add an ebook about "how to make studying more effective" to your content creation plans.

Create a content creation plan.

Based on your findings and the gaps you've identified, make a content creation plan outlining the content that's necessary to help you hit your goals.

This should include:

• A title
• Format
• A goal
• Promotional channels
• Why you're creating the content
• The priority level of the content

This can be a simple spreadsheet, and should also include budget information if you're planning to outsource the content creation, or a time estimate if you're producing it yourself.

5. Audit and plan your earned media campaigns.

Evaluating your previous earned media against your current goals can help you get an idea of where to focus your time. Look at where your traffic and leads are coming from (if that's your goal) and rank each earned media source from most effective to least effective.

You can obtain this information using tools like the Sources reports in HubSpot's Traffic Analytics tool.

You may find a particular article you contributed to the industry press drove a lot of qualified traffic to your website, which boosted conversions. Or, you may discover LinkedIn is where you see most people sharing content, which increases traffic.

The idea is to build a picture of what types of earned media will help you reach your goals (and what won't) based on historical data. However, if there's something new you want to experiment with, don't rule it out just because it's never been done before.

6. Audit and plan your paid media campaigns.

This process involves much of the same process: You need to evaluate your existing paid media across each platform (e.g. Google AdWords, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to figure out what's most likely to help you meet your current goals.

If you've spent a lot of money on AdWords and haven't seen the results you'd hoped for, maybe it's time to refine your approach, or scrap it altogether and focus on another platform that seems to be yielding better results.

Use this free guide for more on how to leverage AdWords for your digital marketing strategy.

By the end of the process, you should have a clear idea of which paid media platforms you want to continue using, and which (if any) you'd like to remove from your strategy.

7. Bring your digital marketing campaign together.

You've done the planning and the research, and you now have a solid vision of the elements that will make up your digital marketing strategy.

To review, here's what you should have solidified so far:

• Clear profile(s) of your buyer persona(s)
• One or more digital marketing-specific goals
• An inventory of your existing owned, earned, and paid media
• An audit of your existing owned, earned, and paid media
• An owned content creation plan or wish list

Now it's time to bring all of this together to form a cohesive marketing strategy document. Your strategy document should map out the series of actions you're going to take to achieve your goals, based on your research up to this point.

Let's discuss how our digital strategy template can help.

Digital Marketing Strategy Template

While a spreadsheet can be an efficient format for mapping your digital marketing strategy, that approach can quickly become messy and overwhelming.

To plan your strategy for the long-term – typically between six to 12 months out, you need a reliable digital marketing strategy document. But, where to start? With our free digital marketing plan template.

This template will walk you through your business summary and initiatives, help you build your target market and competitor information, and flesh out your marketing strategy — including your budget and specific channels and metrics.

Use this digital strategy template to build out your annual digital marketing strategy and tactics. By planning out these yearly plans, you can overlay when you and your team will be executing each action. For example:

• In January, you'll start a blog that will be continually updated once a week, for the entire year.
• In March, you'll launch a new ebook, accompanied by paid promotion.
• In July, you'll prepare for your biggest business month — what do you hope to have observed at this point that will influence the content you produce to support it?
• In September, you'll focus on earned media in the form of PR to drive additional traffic during the run-up.

This approach provides a structured timeline for your activity which will help communicate plans among colleagues.

Finally, here are some examples of digital marketing campaigns and their strategies to inspire you.

1. Béis: Paid Ad

Travel accessory brand, Béis, recently launched a social media campaign to announce feature updates to one of its products. And they did it in the best way: by showing instead of telling.

In a 34-second clip, the brand showed how their product performed before and how it performs now following some changes to the material.

This is a fantastic campaign as it not only highlights an improvement on a product but it also shows customers that the brand is constantly iterating and improving. Secondly, they make sure to include captions in the video to ensure that it's accessible without sound.

2. Omsom: Social Media

Asian food brand Omsom leverages its TikTok profile to share behind-the-scenes content, recipes, and culturally relevant content.

In a recent video, the brand's co-founder shared how it sources one of its key ingredients and how they chose the more difficult route to preserve the integrity of the food.

@weareomsom

here's why we choose to make our lives harder as food founders! #business #sourcing

♬ original sound - Omsom

Here's what Omsom did right: They highlighted their brand's values while still building excitement around the product.

Sharing behind-the-scenes content is a great way to connect with your audience and share details that will simultaneously highlight your mission and/or values.

3. The General: Paid Advertising

After reports that consumers thought the brand was untrustworthy due to its low-budget ads, The General decided to revamp its entire marketing strategy.

In a commercial featuring basketball superstar, Shaq, the brand addressed the elephant in the room and introduced a new-and-improved look.

In addition, they also emphasize their credibility by mentioning how long they've been in business and how many people they've helped.

By addressing negative perceptions head-on, brands can not only change how consumers view them but also show that they are in tune with their target audience.

Grow Better With Marketing Strategies That Improve Your Digital Presence

Your strategy document will be very individual to your business, which is why it's almost impossible for us to create a one-size-fits-all digital marketing strategy template.

Remember, the purpose of your strategy document is to map out the actions you're going to take to achieve your goal over a period of time — as long as it communicates that, then you've nailed the basics of creating a digital strategy.

If you're eager to build a truly effective strategy to help grow your business, check out our free collection of content marketing templates below.

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

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Strategies & How to Improve Your Digital Presence was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

What Is the Average Time Spent On a Website? [+ How to Improve It]

According to a Pew Research Center survey, 85% of Americans say they go online on a daily basis, with 31% reporting that they go online “almost constantly.”

With people spending more time online than ever before, it’s important that your website is optimized for visitors to browse and stick around. But longer isn’t necessarily better. You want visitors to stay on your website because they’re enjoying the content and experience — not because they can’t find the information that they’re looking for or can’t complete a desired action, like making a purchase.

In this post, we’ll cover what a “good” average time on page and average session duration benchmark is, and how to improve these metrics on your website.

Average Time On Page Benchmark

According to Contentsquare’s 2021 Digital Experience Benchmark report, the average time on page across all industries is 54 seconds. While you can use that as a benchmark, meeting it doesn't necessarily mean your average time on page is optimal.

Like page views, bounce rate, and other website metrics, average time on page is contextual. What’s “good” depends on the type of website you have, the industry you’re in, and the web page you’re tracking, among many other factors.

For example, in their 2021 Digital Experience Benchmark report, Contentsquare analyzed data

from over 20 billion user sessions from across the globe. They were able to track average time on page across 10 industries, and found major differences.

Image Source

B2B, for example, had the highest average time spent on page with 1.37 minutes. This was at least 20 seconds higher than the other industries. The industries on the other end of the spectrum were grocery and energy, with an average time spent per page of 44 seconds. This gap emphasizes the importance of using an average time on page benchmark that’s specific to your industry.

A “good” average time on page also depends on the type of content. For example, you ideally want visitors spending more time on your product pages and blog posts. In fact, in a survey by Databox, 45% of respondents said that the average time on page for their blog posts is 3-5 minutes. A higher time on page indicates that the content is relevant, easy to read and understand, and targeted at the right audience.

On landing and checkout pages, however, higher time on page could mean that there are obstacles to conversion. The content, CTAs, or form might be confusing, for example.

Average Time on Page Google Analytics

Google Analytics is one of the most widely used tools to measure average time on page, among other performance metrics. It’s therefore important to explain how Google Analytics calculates this metric.

Google Analytics tracks average time on page by measuring the difference between the timestamps of hits. That means if a user lands on a web page and then closes their browser window or tab, or types another URL into their address bar, their visit is not counted.

So average time on page is calculated from the non-exits and non-bounces only, which is a smaller percentage than the total hits for a page.

That’s why this average is typically higher than average session duration, which we’ll talk about more in the next section.

Google Analytics also keeps tracking time on page even if the user’s browser window or tab is hidden. So while this metric is not the most accurate, it is still a valuable indicator of how engaging and effective your content is.  

Now that we have a better understanding of how to calculate and benchmark the average amount of time users spend on individual pages, let’s take a look at how to figure out how long visitors are spending on your entire website.

Average Time Spent on a Website

Average time spent on a website, like average time on page, is dependent on a range of factors. Industry, the type of website, and even the device that users are on impact this average.

For example, Statista calculated the 20 most popular websites worldwide as of June 2021, by time per visit. Users spent approximately 22 minutes and 44 seconds per visit on Google, the most popular website, and only .54 minutes on VK.com, the 20th most popular.

To calculate how long visitors are staying on average on your entire website instead of individual web pages, look at average session duration.

Average session duration measures the average length of sessions on a website. Google Analytics begins counting the length of a session from the time the user lands on a site until the user exits the site, or is inactive for a predetermined amount of time. (In Google Analytics, a session can last for up to 30 minutes without a user interacting with your pages.)

That means a session can consist of a user viewing a single page or viewing multiple pages, and can range anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours.

Average session duration is calculated as: total duration of all sessions (in seconds) / number of sessions.

This is a key difference between average time on page and average session duration. Whereas average time on page excludes visits that end in exits or bounces, average session duration counts all bounces as zero seconds. This can lower the average session duration significantly if your website has a high bounce rate.

The Google Analytics dashboard below, for example, is tracking the same website as above. So while its average time on page last week was 14 minutes and 50 seconds, its average session duration was 1 minute and 37 seconds.

To improve average session duration, or the average time spent on a website, try the best practices below.

1. Decrease load time.

Decreasing load time can help reduce your site’s bounce rate, which can significantly improve average session duration.

In a study commissioned by Google and conducted by 55 and Deloitte, decreasing mobile site load times by just one tenth of a second resulted in significant decreases in bounce rate: 0.6% for homepages, 5.7% for product listing pages, and 1.9% for product details pages.

Using a CDN, optimizing images, reducing redirects, and compressing files are just a few ways to decrease load time. To learn more, check out our full guide on optimizing your website speed.

2. Optimize your navigation.

Website navigation enables visitors to quickly and easily find the information they're looking for, like a blog post, and important information that they weren’t looking for, like pricing info. A good navigation system can improve the chances of visitors taking action and browsing your site longer.

When designing a navigation menu, follow these best practices:

• Put your most important items at the beginning of the navigation menu.
• Use navigation labels that align with your type of business and are SEO-optimized.
• Include a search box.
• Add navigation links in the header, sidebar, and footer of your site.

3. Add internal links.

Another way to enable visitors to easily find and read relevant content on your site is adding internal links. Internal linking makes your site easier to navigate, which increases the chances that readers look at more content and stay on your site longer.

Here’s an example of a blog post with lots of internal links encouraging visitors to dive into these subtopics in more depth:

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4. Improve the readability of your posts.

When evaluating the readability of your content, you need to consider what the words are on the page and how they look.

To improve the flow of the post, remove any instances of passive voice, shorten long sentences or paragraphs, and add transition words. To improve the look of the post, try adding headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break up chunks of texts. Also make sure you’re using an easy-to-read font and accessible color scheme.

A tool like Yoast SEO can help automate this process. In fact, it has a readability analysis tab where it provides actionable feedback to make your post or page easier to read.

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5. Add images and videos.

Adding multimedia content, like images, videos, and infographics, is another way to improve the readability of your content. Not only do they break up chunks of text — they can also illustrate complicated ideas (like APIs, for example) and appeal to different types of learners.

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Images and videos enhance the overall user experience and encourage visitors to stay on the page longer.

6. Optimize for all devices.

According to a study by Perficient, 68.1% of all website visits globally in 2020 came from mobile devices and only 28.9% and 3.1% came from desktops and tablets, respectively. However, desktops drove 46.4% of total time on site globally and tablets drove more total time on site than mobile devices.

This emphasizes the importance of having a fully responsive website that’s optimized for all devices. Sizing and styling buttons, SVGs, images, and fonts are especially important when creating a responsive site. For more best practices, check out our complete guide to responsive web design.

7. Use exit intent popups.

Exit intent popups appear when a visitor is about to bounce from a website. These contain an offer or message that’s designed to keep them on the page. Briogeo, for example, has an exit intent popup encouraging visitors to take their hair quiz before leaving the site.

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While this won’t convince every visitor to stay, it may convince some, which will ultimately help improve your average session duration.

Encouraging Visitors to Stay on Your Site

Average time on page and average session duration are excellent indicators of how engaging and effective your content is and whether you’re attracting quality traffic. Now that you understand what these metrics mean and what benchmarks to use to evaluate your performance, you can focus on optimizing your site to have visitors browse for longer.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

What Is the Average Time Spent On a Website? [+ How to Improve It] was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns

How to (Easily) Make Perfect Content Calendars in Google Sheets

What do you use spreadsheets for? If you're anything like me, you likely use them to collect data, track campaign or blog post analytics, or keep track of weekly assignments.

But have you ever thought about using spreadsheets to make a calendar? If not, let me tell you why Google Sheets is the perfect tool for your content calendar.

If you often work on campaigns for a few different clients, creating individual calendars in Google Sheets could be uniquely useful for ensuring the client understands when certain content will go live. Alternatively, perhaps you need to create an internal Google Sheet calendar for your team to keep track of upcoming projects.

Making a calendar in a tool that's commonly used for spreadsheets sounds a little intimidating, but don't worry, the process is actually pretty intuitive. And with the help of some tips, you can easily make a functional calendar that you can sync your schedule with.

Below, we'll go over how to make a calendar in Google Sheets and include some tips that'll help you elevate the design. At the end, your calendar will look something like this:

Open up Google Sheets and get ready to create your very own calendar. 📅

1. Open a new spreadsheet and choose your month.

First, open a new spreadsheet. 

Then, choose your month. For this example, I decided to do January 2022, so I filled that into the first cell. What's great about Google Sheets is that it automatically recognizes dates, so typing in a month, followed by the year in YYYY format will tell Google that you're going to be working with dates.

2. Begin to format your calendar.

Next, format your calendar. I selected the text, January 2022, in Column A, Row 1. I highlighted seven columns (A-G), and clicked Merge to make that cell span across the entire column. You can find this button to the right of the Fill tool.

Here, I also center-aligned my text using the tool next to Merge. Then, I increased the font size and bolded the month.

3. Use a formula to fill in the days of the week.

Next, fill in the days of the week in each column (A-G). You can do this manually but I decided to use a formula. Sheets has a function that lets you type in formulas to complete certain actions at once.

To fill in days of the week, in the cell where you want your first weekday to be, type: =TEXT(1, "DDDD"). What this tells Google is that your number will be replaced by a date or time and the format you're using is weekdays.

Highlight the number 1 in the formula and replace it with: COLUMN(). Then, press enter and select your first day. You're going to copy the formula in Sunday's cell by dragging the selector to the end of your row, (A-G), and pressing enter again.

Pressing enter should automatically fill in the rest of the week. Remember, if this doesn't work for you, you can always fill in the days manually.

Pressing enter should automatically fill in the rest of the week. Remember, if this doesn't work for you, you can always fill in the days manually.

4. Fill in the numbers.

Excellent! You have your days of the week. Now we're going to fill in the numerical values. Before this step, I took the time to add color to the days row and changed the font to one I liked a little more.

For the numerical values, we’ll simply identify the first day of the month and click and drag to fill in the rest.

How?

Place the number 1 on the box right underneath the first day of the month, then click and drag horizontally. Depending on the day of the week, you may need to follow this process using the second day of the month so you can click and drag horizontally.

5. Fill in the rest of the numbers.

Note: In this step, I filled in the calendar numbers every other row to help with my formatting later.

Now that you’ve filled out your first row, it’s time to fill in the rest. Manually insert the next number under “Sunday,” then click and drag horizontally to fill in the rest.

Repeat the process for the next rows. You’ll insert the first number manually, then click and drag down the row. Here’s what that looks like for the next row in January.

Note: Make sure to end the month on the right number! For January, that would be the 31st.

6. Reformat your calendar if necessary.

Everything is starting to look like a calendar, right? At this stage, I reformatted things to clean up the look of my calendar a little.

Remember those extra rows in between the numbered rows? I expanded those rows to create boxes underneath the numbers. To do this, I simply dragged the rows down to make those cells bigger.

Here are some additional formatting tips:

• Select the empty rows underneath your numbers and center them using the center text alignment tool.
• Select your entire calendar and vertically align all elements so that they’re in the center of their cells. To do this, use the vertical alignment tool.
• Bold your day numbers.
• If desired, lightly shade your numbered rows.
• If desired, gray out the Saturday and Sunday columns so that your workdays stand out.

7. Add design elements to professionalize the look.

Finally, you can add in some fun design elements to personalize the look and feel of your calendar. If it's for a client or upcoming project, you'll want to incorporate the necessary launch days here.

For this step, I added in a few fun images, included a few hypothetical calendar events, and played with font sizes.

8. Repeat the process from February to December.

It’s time to repeat for the month of February to December. Simply duplicate your January calendar once you’ve designed it how you want it to look. To do this, right-click the sheet’s tab and select Duplicate from the menu.

To fill in the numbers, you’ll only need to know the beginning day, then click and drag to fill in the rest of the rows. Here are the first days for every month for the year 2022:

• January: Saturday
• February: Tuesday
• March: Tuesday
• April: Friday
• May: Sunday
• June: Wednesday
• July: Friday
• August: Monday
• September: Thursday
• October: Saturday
• November: Tuesday
• December: Thursday

Next, you’ll want to know how many days you’ll need to fill in. Here are the number of days you’ll need for each month:

• January: 31
• February: 28 or 29
• March: 31
• April: 30
• May: 31
• June: 30
• July: 31
• August: 31
• September: 30
• October: 31
• November: 30
• December: 31

And then, you're done!

It's handy to use Sheets because you can open your calendar right on your browser. You can also keep track of your schedule in a place that's separate from your phone.

Alternatively, you can create important business documents such as social and editorial calendars. Below, I share a template that’s perfect for the task.

Google Sheets Calendar Template

Here’s an editorial calendar template for all of your editorial planning needs. This template helps you lay out a strong editorial strategy on a daily basis.

Featured Resource: Free Editorial Calendar Templates

Download the Free Templates

Use a Google Sheets Calendar to Organize Your Tasks

If you're handy with Sheets and want to give it a shot, create a Google Sheets calendar. It’s a great option if you need to create a clean calendar to track an internal marketing campaign, organize a client's upcoming projects, or share an event calendar with key stakeholders. But if you don’t want to create one from scratch, use our editorial calendar template to jumpstart your planning and organization efforts immediately.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

How to (Easily) Make Perfect Content Calendars in Google Sheets was originally posted by Local Sign Company Irvine, Ca. https://goo.gl/4NmUQV https://goo.gl/bQ1zHR http://www.pearltrees.com/anaheimsigns