Lo and behold! Instagram is testing a new feature for adding hashtags as a separate block underneath the images.

App researcher Jane Manchun Wong tweeted earlier this week a screenshot of what looks like a beta version of a new Instagram feature, which should simplify and improve the way hashtags are presented on this platform. Currently, a lot of Instagram users stuff their captions with hashtags, which makes for less than a great user experience.

Instagram is testing the ability to add hashtags to posts without including it in the post caption pic.twitter.com/OhQn0xcCuw

- Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 20, 2018

While we are waiting on the official word (or release) from Instagram, I always recommend my clients to put hashtags in as a first comment. This will make your posts as discoverable as they'd be otherwise, and keeps your captions polished and engaging. Plus, if you share your Instagram posts to other social platforms where the use of hashtags is not part of an etiquette (such as Facebook and Pinterest), inserting your hashtags as a first comment keeps captions user-friendly on other channels.

So, next time you post on Instagram, write your caption and click Post. Then, go into the comments under this fresh new post and type up hashtags there.

There doesn't seem to be a limit to the number of hashtags per post for now. But I'm sure folks at Instagram will limit that when the feature is released pic.twitter.com/tneolkSELm

- Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 20, 2018

The new rumored feature also seems to not impose a limit on the number of hashtags under a single post. However, it is most likely that the feature will have a limit once it becomes available. 30 is the current maximum number of hashtags one post can have, which is plenty if you use them correctly.

I highly recommend you utilize all of them to increase visibility of your posts and attract more of your target audience to your handle. Hashtags are the most powerful way to get discovered on this platform! If you think about it, hashtags are really like keywords. So, if you want your ideal audience to find your posts, and thus, your handle, you need to up your hashtag game. Do not rely on someone accidentally stumbling across your posts; become very strategic about optimizing them for maximum exposure.

In my experience, newbie Instagrammers resist leveraging all 30 hashtags, because of the fear that it looks "spammy" and "desperate." To that I say: it is not true. If you pay attention to some of the most popular posts and handles, a majority of them take advantage of the hashtag limit -- and so should you. Unless you are Beyonce -- then you don't need hashtags.

But since you are not (yet) Beyonce, do your hard content-creating work a favor and maximize the reach of your posts! You spent time crafting a perfect image and then you've spent time polishing and accompanying glorious caption, and then... you do nothing for more people to see it! If you insert hashtags into the comment section, no one is actually forced to sift through them in captions -- so it is out of sight, out of mind.

However, not all hashtags are created equal. To truly leverage the power of hashtags, you need to get very strategic and use only those hashtags that are very relevant to your niche and that are popular, yet not overly-used. I recommend hashtags that have between 30,000 and 500,000 posts associated with them.

Also, strive to create a good mix of hashtags with low, medium, and high volume of content. More popular hashtags will ensure that your content is discovered by as many people as possible, while less popular hashtags ensure your content has a chance to stay up top longer.

It is also important to note how many engagements top posts in each given hashtag feed receive. Depending on your post performance, it may get to be featured in top posts for these hashtags. It is an awesome strategy to further maximize engagement and leverage the virality factor.

While there is still no confirmed information or date of release, I suggest you start researching the best hashtags for your business now. Whenever the new feature gets released, you will be ready and on top of your Instagram marketing strategy.

With more than 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is the second important digital marketing tool after Facebook. So, numerous influencers are trying to gain followers on it and consequently making money by selling their pages or getting advertisements. In this competition, many influencers may do something that results in their account being banned by Instagram.

In this article, we are going to summarize different types of being banned on Instagram.

Generally, there are 3 ways in which you can be banned on Instagram: Action Blocks, Shadow Bans, and Bans! The first one happens when you have done some specific actions too quickly such as likes, following, and unfollowing users. In this case, you may be informed by a message that your action has been limited. Sometimes you will not receive any message and the action does not work.

In Shadow Bans, you have either posted too many contents or used tags that have been prohibited. Although you will be able to use your account, your posts will be prevented from being appeared in your tags. The word Shadowban was widely spread in the early years of Instagram. Be careful, this kind of banning has practically removed numerous influencers in a blink of an eye. If you have noticed that your contents are getting fewer likes and generally fewer visiting, you must have been targeted by Shadowban.

Bans happen when you have clearly violated Instagram's terms of service. Bans will probably result in the deletion of your account. More importantly, in this manner your username will be blocked in perpetuity, so you cannot create your account again. Sometimes the problem maybe even worse, so Instagram prevents you from accessing the Instagram website and app by restricting your IP.

Here are several examples in which you can be banned by Instagram:

Using automation

Based on Instagram terms of use: "You must not create accounts with the Service through unauthorized means, including but not limited to, by using an automated device, script, bot, spider, crawler or scraper."

Although automation can be very safe, if you are not an expert and you want to follow settings on blogs, Instagram will easily detect your automation tools.

Neglecting using a proxy

Different IP addresses must be used for managing multiple Instagram accounts in case of using automation. When an account gets banned by Instagram, other accounts by that specific IP can be in danger. So, using a proxy for those who want to violate Instagram's terms of use is necessary.

Gaining fake followers and engagement

Fake accounts are against Instagram's terms of use and almost all of them are created via bots. When you gain fake followers and likes, your account will be subject to damage in case of deletion of those accounts.

Duplicating accounts

Again based on the app's regulations: "You must not create accounts with the Service through unauthorized means, including but not limited to, by using an automated device, script, bot, spider, crawler or scraper."

So, if you create duplicate accounts you can be banned by the application.

Spam comments and messages

Another paragraph in Instagram's terms of service clearly prohibits all harassing (unwanted or spam) messages, comments, emails, etc.: "You must not create or submit unwanted email, comments, likes or other forms of commercial or harassing communications (a/k/a "spam") to any Instagram users"

Sexual, inappropriate or copyrighted posts

"You may not post violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, pornographic or sexually suggestive photos or other content via the Service."

Promotion, buying, and selling of illegal products

"You may not use the Service for any illegal or unauthorized purpose. You agree to comply with all laws, rules, and regulations (for example, federal, state, local and provincial) applicable to your use of the Service and your Content (defined below), including but not limited to, copyright laws."

Instagram has implemented new algorithms for exploring pages in the last few years. These updates have caused many issues in terms of engagement. Many pages have seen a considerable drop in engagement as a result of this approach. Action Blocks will be removed automatically after 24 hours or a few days. In other cases, you will be faced with a longer process for getting rid of limitations. So, it is important to avoid any prohibited action on Instagram.

source: here

Are your social media followers on your email list?

If not, you're missing out on the opportunity to turn them into email subscribers and customers. Investing your resources in crafting email messages that convert is a good move. Combine that with a massive email list, and you've got a winning email marketing strategy.

In this post, we'll look at various options for adding your social followers to your email list-the backbone of every email marketing campaign.

Why Step Up Your Email List Building Efforts

Before diving into the hows of leveraging social media for email list building, let's take a quick look at the whys of it.

• Email reaches billions of audience 24/7 - Latest Statista figures show that there are 3.7 billion email users worldwide., and in four years, this number is seen to increase to 4.3 billion.
• Engagement via email is high - Campaigns which focus on email marketing achieve a 59% open rate and a 31% click-through rate, based on Help Scout data.
• Strategic email marketing campaigns rake in money - Email delivers over four times higher ROI - an average of 122% - than other digital channels, according to a survey among U.S. marketers.
• Email marketing is a powerful tool for lead generation when combined with social media actions - An Ascend2 study found that email and social media are the best channels for generating leads.

How to Tap Social Media to Grow Your Email List

Your biggest challenge in email marketing is competing with too many emails in anyone's inbox - 140 received daily to be exact.

So, how do you get email subscribers who are really interested in your brand? Social media comes to the rescue.

Beyond collecting email addresses, you can also use social to generate quality leads.

1. Use Social Media to Drive Traffic to Your Email Marketing Landing Page

You need to take every opportunity on social media to encourage your followers to visit your website, where you can offer a free newsletter, eBook, special report, webinar, or any useful content in exchange for their email address.

Here are three actionable tips to drive your social media followers to your opt-in page:

Put a Link on Your Social Profiles to Your Website

It can be your homepage or another landing page with a pop-up and a static opt-in form. Your followers who click on that link will get the chance to opt-in to your offer instantly.

Social media influencer Amy Porterfield does this so well with her Twitter bio. It includes a link to her site's home page, where she briefly introduces herself, along with a CTA button inviting visitors to download her cheat sheets.

Use the Click-to-Tweet Plugin

Click to Tweet is a nifty tool to use for email list building. With just a click, your followers and subscribers can share any of these milestones on Twitter - and of course, a link to your opt-in page:

• Subscribing to a newsletter
• Watching a webinar
• Downloading a special report or eBook
• Enrolling or completing an online course

When followers share their milestones on social, more people are likely to discover the valuable content you're offering and click through the link to your opt-in page.

Add a Sign Up Button and Opt-in Form to Your Facebook Page

The steady decline in organic Facebook Page reach has become so tough for businesses nowadays - but this may help you overcome it, at least to some degree. Add a Sign Up button at the top of your Facebook Page to add your fans to your email list.

You can also add an email sign up app to your Facebook page to reach out to those interested in knowing more about your offers. Clicking on the app will take your fans to an opt-in form where they enter their email address.

2. Run a Social Media Drip Marketing Campaign

Drip campaigns are a popular email marketing strategy, and can be highly effective via social media.

A drip campaign involves sharing a series of marketing messages with useful, relevant, and actionable information at scheduled intervals. This way, you can attract the right email subscribers who are likely to take your desired action.

So how can you deliver your drip messages without coming off as spammy or pushy? Share different forms of educational content on your social channels.

Here are some examples:

• In-depth blog posts
• Videos
• Infographics
• Quizzes and games
• Online courses
• White papers
• Product updates and offers (freebies, discounts, coupons, etc.)

In your social media posts, invite followers to subscribe to your newsletter or provide their email address to get the free content they want.

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Drip marketing on social media is harder than email. With email drip campaigns, you can automate sending emails at a regular schedule. There's no such simple automation on social, however you can save time and energy by running a social media drip campaign using tools like Hootsuite and Buffer which enable you to plan out and schedule your social media posts.

Here's an example of how Salesforce runs its drip campaigns on social media - the company regularly posts informative content on its Facebook Page, which are enticing enough to click.

Once you click on the link, you're taken to a blog post with a 'Subscribe' button at the top, inviting readers to sign up for the newsletter to get "more awesome content."

3. Hold Social Media Contests or Giveaways

Everyone loves free stuff, and with the right strategies for collecting email addresses from your followers, you can see your email list getting longer sooner than you'd expect.

Here are some tips on holding social media contests for increased email sign-ups:

• Use Facebook to your advantage, as it enables customization for promotions compared to other social media sites.
• Use a social media app (Fanappz, Strutta, Votigo, etc.) to run your contests. Social apps enable marketers to collect email addresses, something you can't do when hosting contests directly on your Facebook timeline.
• Create contest mechanics that are easy to understand and follow. You can ask people to submit their selfies with your products or videos about how they plan to use their prize if they win.
• Promote your contest across social channels. In your posts, include a high-quality image of the prizes or giveaways, a catchy and creative hashtag, and a link to the landing page where followers will enter their email address to participate.
• Encourage followers to promote your contest on social. Give them an incentive to share the contest with their friends by giving them extra entries for more chances of winning (while always remaining wary of social platform contest rules).

4. Promote Premium Content on Your Social Media Posts

This email list building strategy involves showing a sneak peek of your premium content on Facebook or Twitter, with a link to a landing page. When followers click on the link, they'll see the partially or fully hidden content, which they can access for free only after entering their email address.

What makes it effective? It isn't your typical sales pitch. People can easily hide or unfollow salesy posts that don't offer much value, but they won't for those they deem useful.

Consider offering different free resources on social, such as the following:

• Podcasts or downloadable audio
• Free templates
• ebooks
• Video tutorials
• Online courses
• Long-form articles

Shopify, for instance, builds its email list by promoting online workshops featuring e-commerce experts and entrepreneurs in social media.

The link on the social post takes the user to an event landing page. The eCommerce giant's followers can join the workshops through an online registration form, which asks for - you guessed it - their email address.

In addition, if a live workshop has ended, visitors are given the option to sign-up as a member to get emails about upcoming online events, instead of just uploading recorded versions on the site.

5. Invite Social Media Followers to Your Webinars

Do you hold free webinars and live-streaming videos? Great.

If not, you can start creating and hosting one for free with Google Hangouts. This is an excellent way to let your customers and prospects learn from experts and get answers and solutions to their problems.

Did you know that webinars can help you grow your email list? Just promote your event consistently across your social networks and get the email addresses of followers who want to join.

Businessman and life coach Aaron Walker maximizes his Facebook and Instagram following by regularly promoting his free webinars. His social posts include a link to a landing page on his website, where interested participants sign up with their name, email address, and phone number.

6. Generate Email Leads via Facebook Ads

Exhausted all means to grow your email list through social media but still aren't getting results?

Consider launching paid ad campaigns on Facebook. Yes, it's worth investing some money in social media advertising to generate email leads immediately. You also need to spend time learning how to use Facebook Ads.

You might also consider running paid campaigns on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

When running social media ad campaigns, look to offer useful content for free in exchange for an email address.

You should also seek to address your target customers' biggest pain points through your sponsored posts, then offer your brand, product, service, or educational content as the solution.

Summing Up

Social media and email marketing make a powerful tandem for marketers and entrepreneurs who want to grow their email lists. With the strategies outlined above, you can ensure that most - if not all - of your followers are also your email subscribers.

On top of that, chances are good that these people will share your content, which is a surefire way to further increase your subscribers.

source: here

While the marketing community has woken up to the detrimental effects of click farms and influencers having fake followers, the issue is still plaguing the industry.

According to a new report by analytics firm Points North Group, brands in 2018 spent a total of US$1 billion on influencer marketing in the US and Canada. They spent US$744 million of that on Instagram, US$102 million of which was to reach fake followers. Q4 was the year's largest quarter for influencer marketing, with brands spending US$235 million, up 35% from Q3.

While it didn't make it to the top 10, the report highlighted that about one quarter of Dove's Instagram followers was found to be fake in 2018. The brand, which is under parent company Unilever, only saw a slight dip in fake ratio to 23% in the fourth quarter. This is despite CMO Keith Weed's June announcement that Unilever would no longer partner with influencers who purchased followers sent shockwaves through the influencer marketing world, but it appears the company has not yet achieved this goal.

Points North Group obtained the estimates by sampling each influencer's followers and applying a machine-learning algorithm to identify patterns that differentiate real accounts from purchased bots.

Weed shared with AdAge his belief that the company is making progress, citing that a combined 1.6 billion fake accounts had been eliminated recently on social platforms including Twitter and Facebook. The goal, according to Weed, is to get the ratio down to 2% or less. He noted that fake followers can accumulate organically as well, making the cleansing process even harder. He hopes to see social platforms chipping in to help by developing self-service tools. Marketinghas reached out to Weed for additional comments.

Still, Dove is not the biggest victim. According to the report, Raw Sugar Living, Clarins, and Amazon's Zappos beat all the sampled brands to Ten Most Fooled category in the second quarter of 2018 at 48%, 45%, and 38% respectively. On the Ten Most Fooled list, sponsored posts went to audiences that on average were 36% fake, compared to 14% for the average campaign.

Beauty and skin care brands comprised five of the "10 Most Fooled". Just one P&G brand, Herbal Essences, made list. Kroger (33%), the US's second-largest retailer, appeared on the list for the first time, as did the California Lottery (32%).

Fashion and beauty brands dominated 2018's "10 Most Efficient brands", with five brands on the list. Two tech companies, Samsung Mobile and Uber Eats, also made the list. Energy Upgrade California topped the list, with a US$3.00 effective CPM. The average eCPM paid by the Ten Most Efficient was US$4.33.

CEO of Points North Group Sean Spielberg said, "A huge gap exists between the most effective and least effective influencer marketers. While worse-performing brands achieved CPMs above US$20 and served ads to 30%+ fake followers, elite marketers routinely achieve sub-US$5 CPMs and reach 90%+ real audiences. Brands that choose their influencers carefully can increase their campaign ROI by 500% or more."

image source: lupcy.com

source: here

Definition: Facebook marketing is the practice of promoting a brand and maintaining its presence on Facebook. Facebook marketing refers to both organic (free) postings/interactions, and paid, or "boosted" posts.

Drawing more than 1.4 billion users every month, Facebook is one of the most important mediums for generating brand awareness and interacting with customers.

Successful Facebook marketing strategies for businesses

Facebook marketing can be falsely limited to increasing exposure and engagement in the News Feed. As Facebook algorithm changes limited the number of commercial posts in user feeds, getting visibility valuable real estate

Companies that focus less on direct sales and instead use creative ways to blend into the experience users enjoy most about Facebook will make a greater impact with their marketing.

Focus on user benefit

Every post should have a clear benefit people will immediately recognize and respond to. Posts that inform and entertain customers always get higher engagement than others. Therefore, it's critical that you develop an intimate understanding of your audience is and what's important to them, according to Hootsuite. Focus your content on solving their problems, creating inspiration and getting them to share a laugh with your brand. You will see a difference in the response to your efforts.

Keep your posts succinct and use captivating images

People scroll through Facebook feeds the same way they channel surf with their televisions. Even though people check Facebook an average of 14 times a day on their smartphones, according to NBC News, their time and attention spans are limited. Brands that keep their status updates concise and compelling - while also using striking images and video - capture the attention of users as they scan through content.

Sharing content from other brands

People are not necessarily interested in only hearing about your company. Sharing content from other influencers can boost the value users get from following your page, making the brand a source of industry knowledge while also helping you network with these other sources. By sharing and commenting on the content provided by other influencers, you are nurturing a relationship with people who may return the favor later on.

Always engage your fans

Brands often forget that communication on Facebook is a two-way street. Commenting and replying to what others post on Facebook is powerful way to demonstrate that your brand listens just as well as it talks. Engaging people makes your company seem more human and approachable and may inspire interest in knowing more about what you do, Soci advised.

Why is Facebook advertising important?

The strategies above can make your Facebook marketing pay off on a larger scale, but it's also difficult to reach enough people to affect change without paying to expand your presence. Competition for News Feed exposure is fierce, and companies that pay to boost their posts are getting better results than competitors that don't.

Facebook offers several different advertising tools businesses can use, depending what their goals are. You can target your posts at audiences using advertising filters - like income, interests and behavior - driving people to your website or other apps where they can learn more about your products and ultimately make a purchase. You can also run advertising that helps build your community on Facebook, like "page like" campaigns.

Facebook marketing is a must for every business today. The companies that complement the experience people look for on the platform will get the most out of their efforts. Instead of selling people, brands need to focus on creating content that sparks the imagination with good storytelling and creative ideas. By helping people with your expertise, you will eventually earn their business and loyalty.

source: here

As noted by USPS, a postage meter prints postage directly onto mail or onto a meter tape. It can be used for all mail services except periodicals. Small and midsize businesses that send bulk mail should consider postage meters to save time and money. Forget the cumbersome task of sticking stamps on envelopes or wasting money by putting multiple stamps on a thick envelope that may only need one. Postage meters take the guesswork out of required postage, reduce time at the post office and streamline the way you send mail.

Where can I get a postage meter, and how much do they cost?

There is no such thing as purchasing a postage meter. You'll have to lease a machine instead. Federal law prohibits the purchase of postage meters because it sees stamps and indicia as a legal tender. Therefore, when inquiring about a postage meter, you can't walk into just any office supplies store - postage meters must be ordered through an authorized vendor. Lease rates and most other fees associated with the machines are set by the authorized vendors.

The best place to look for a postage meter is via BuyerZone, which will walk you through the process and help you choose the type of meter you need.

Editor's note: If you're looking for information to help you choose the postage meter that's right for you, use the questionnaire below to have our sister site BuyerZone provide you with information from a variety of vendors for free.

Approximately how many letters or packages do you mail per day?Less than 2525-200More than 200Not sureNEXT ▷

Popular vendors include Pitney Bowes and Neopost. Pitney Bowes offers a 60-day free trial for the SendPro C200 model, which starts at $36.99 per month. The SendPro Plus has a 90-day free trial and costs $75 a month after that.

Neopost offers low-volume postage meters, mid-volume mailing systems and high-volume mailing systems. Prices vary by system and are available upon request.

A good starter model for offices that send a lot of bulk mail is the IS-280 Postage Meter. The IJ-15K Digital Mailing System, by contrast, is considered a high-end solution.

In general, businesses that need midlevel postage meters can expect to paya lease fee of around $35 a month. A business that requires high-volume meters should expect to pay upward of $1,300 per year.

Your complete mailing system

Understanding the parts of a postage meter helps you make a more informed decision about your lease. A postage meter is just one part of a mailing system. These are some of its additional parts:

• Base - has been called the "envelope handler." This is the hardware that the postage meter sits on. In addition, it helps transport envelopes that need to be stamped.
• Feeder - guides envelopes through the meter. Not all models include a feeder, but sending a lot of mail takes extra effort without one.
• Postage scale - weighs postage and tells you how much postage each piece of your mail requires.
• Sealer - moistens the flaps of envelopes and closes them. Some models have a sealer built into their feeder.
• Stacker - stacks envelopes, helping to clear mailings from the equipment. Some low-volume and cheaper models use a tray as a stacker.
• Tape dispenser - applied through the meter when indicia can't print directly onto a mailing piece, stamping the tape with the indicia or postage amount.

Anything I should be aware of when leasing a postage meter?

Regardless of which model you choose, it's important to know that the meters come in small, medium and large, and there's a meter for every business. Typically, a long or short contract is required. It's also important to know that, in addition to service and leasing fees, you'll need to pay actual postage fees, the cost associated with compatible tape or labels, a reset of postage rates, property taxes for mailing equipment, and for possible machine add-ons, according to Business.com.

The USPS sets all the rates and regulations for postage meters. When postage prices increase, your vendor representative is advised to notify you. At the end of the day, no matter which postage meter you choose, having one is always helpful for sending bulk mail.

source:here