Yearly Archives: 2023

Facebook is the most popular social network in the world. Its users are on the platform to connect with friends, watch videos, and share snippets of their own lives.

The channel is also a great platform for businesses, as many consumers report using it to interact with the brands they enjoy. In fact, in a HubSpot poll, 51% of respondents reported primarily using Facebook for product research.

Given this, it’s essential to understand how to use the platform to meet your business needs. This post will explain why businesses should post on Facebook and share an expansive list of Facebook post ideas that you can use to interact with your audience and generate engagement.

Keep reading, or jump to the section you’re looking for:

• Why should businesses post on Facebook?
• How often should you post on Facebook?
• What makes a business Facebook post great?
• 41 Facebook Post Ideas For Your Business

Why should businesses post on Facebook?

The decision to post on Facebook should depend on your business’s individual marketing goals, but we’ll outline some benefits below. Firstly, in Q4 of 2022, Facebook reported almost 2 billion daily active users on the platform, which means that segments of your audience are likely already using the network.

When your audience discovers you’re on the platform, you can work to develop a community of like-minded consumers and deepen the connection they have to your brand. When you engage with them, you’ll learn more about their likes and interests, making it easier for you to create content they’ll enjoy and interact with.

Also, maintaining a Facebook profile is a great way to show your audience that you’re active and in business. As most users use the platform to research products, stumbling upon an inactive Facebook profile may prompt them to bring their business elsewhere.

Lastly, 200 million + businesses are already using the platform to meet their business goals, so you should join them.

How often should you post on Facebook?

A recent HubSpot experiment found that, overall, businesses should aim to post on Facebook two to five times per week.

While this is simply an average, it’s okay to adapt your strategy depending on your audience insights and what seems to bring the most success on the platform. But the experiment did note that posting more than five times per week can substantially decrease ROI.

All in all, spend time on the platform, learn from your audience, and use your page metrics to find out the best combination for your business.

What makes a business Facebook post great?

Gives your audience something they need.

If you know who your audience is, the next step is figuring out what they need, and how to give it to them.

One way to figure this out is to look at your Facebook analytics. Track posts with the most and least engagement to see what type of posts resonate with your audience. Next, step back and look at your content from your customers’ perspective. This will help you ask useful questions and post the right Facebook post ideas at the right time.

Shares a clear message.

Every idea comes from somewhere. And if you’re the one coming up with the idea, you know where it came from. That gives you more information than your audience, and it makes it easy to think you’re posting a clear message, even when you’re not.

To make sure your message is simple and direct, try these tips:

• Create a quick outline of what you want to include in your post.
• After writing, step away for a couple of hours before you edit your message.
• Define or link to definitions of industry-specific terms.
• Use writing tools to edit and proofread your posts.
• Read your post out loud to yourself to make sure it’s easy to understand.

Has a personality and point of view.

B2B or B2C, professional or casual, people are still people. When your audience is scanning Facebook, they’re humans looking to connect or solve a problem. So, to grab your audience, it’s important to show them who you are.

But who are you? Are you being yourself on Facebook and is your personality what helps to sell your brand? Or are you a writer who’s writing on behalf of a business? First, understand who your audience wants to hear from. Next, look to your brand to develop a voice that’s consistent and authentic.

Once you have a writing voice that sings with brand personality, figure out how to use that voice. Think about the best way to add to a thread about breaking business news or how to announce an upcoming event. Decide which emojis add or detract from your text.

Whether you’re commenting, posting, or adding a tag, show your unique voice with every interaction.

Storytelling.

Stories are powerful tools. With just a few sentences, you can draw an audience in, inspire them, and drive them to take action.

And Facebook is an excellent platform for storytelling. You can use images and videos to tell your story, add captions to support your narrative, or connect a story to specific customers or followers.

Whether you want to share a challenging moment or a funny anecdote, storytelling can spark emotion and engagement.

If you’re not sure how to structure your story, this framework can help you get started.

Offers new or useful information.

If your Facebook page is all promotions all the time your audience may get in the habit of only checking your page when they want your product.

Instead, Facebook posts should be full of helpful insights that inspire your audience. The more time users spend scanning your Facebook posts, the more likely they are to become loyal customers.

To start, keep up with the latest news in your niche and industry and find easy ways to keep your followers up to date. Work with thought leaders for one-of-a-kind insights. Connect with followers to make user-generated content.

Then, find ways to connect the problems you’re hearing in comments and direct messages to the products and services you offer. This way, the useful information you’re offering helps your customers solve those problems while supporting your business goals.

Gives users some variety.

While some businesses choose two or three Facebook post ideas and stick with them, it’s best to try a little bit of everything to keep your Facebook page fresh and interesting. If some post types are too time-consuming to schedule consistently, try to create these posts in batches and space them out over time to surprise and delight your followers.

HubSpot customers: You can schedule and track your Facebook posts with HubSpot’s social media management software.

Grabs attention visually.

Over 35% of Facebook posts include images and 15% feature videos. This means that more than half of what’s posted on Facebook is visual.

So, don’t just think about visual media as an extra for your post. Make images the star, and use images that enhance your brand voice.

If you’re not a photographer or illustrator, that might sound like a big challenge. But there are a few tips that can help anyone pull powerful images into every Facebook post.

• If you use stock photos, find a way to edit each image to make it look one of a kind.
• Look into AI image choices.
• Pay attention to the details, like Facebook image best practices.
• Try taking original photographs — even images from your phone can look great.

If you’re new to photography, these product photo tips can also help.

Below we’ll list various Facebook post ideas for businesses that you can use to generate engagement, drive traffic, and boost conversions.

Facebook Post Ideas For Your Business

1. Promote your website.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Company Organization or Institution

Why it works: A great first post to make on Facebook is promoting your website. When you share a link on Facebook, customers get a full-sized preview of what the link leads to. If you’ve designed an eye-catching website, you may entice your users to follow the link and visit your website, which in turn drives traffic and helps you convert leads.

2. Tell a story.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

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Why it works: A smart way to engage with your audience on Facebook is to tell a story.

This story can be about your brand, like an experience that sparked your interest, or your brand’s mission and how you became what you are today.

You’ll share a bit of backstory with your audience, give them something to relate to, and get them interested in what you have to offer.

3. Share behind-the-scenes content.

Business types this post idea is best for: Brand or Product, Local Business or Place, Cause or Community

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Why it works: Customers enjoy doing business with you, but it’s also exciting for them to see how you do business. Sharing behind-the-scenes content on Facebook allows them to understand the day-to-day operations that generate the products or services they enjoy.

For example, if you’re a clothing company, you could share a video that shows how you make your products. Or a local shop could share progress on construction, like in the image above.

4. Ask your followers questions.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

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Why it works: A great way to generate engagement with your Facebook audience is to ask them questions. If people reply, you’ll gain valuable insight into how they think and feel, and you’ll also have the opportunity to respond to comments and let them know you’re listening. Above is an example of a question-type Facebook post from the Strand bookstore.

5. Post tutorials and how-tos.

Business types this post idea is best for: Brand or Product, Artist, Band or Public Figure

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Why it works: Sharing how-tos and tutorials on your Facebook page is a great way to generate engagement with your audience, especially if the content is relevant to your business offerings. They’ll recognize and appreciate that you’re willing to help them succeed with your product, and they’ll continue to return to your page to seek out similar information in the future.

This type of post allows for creativity, as it doesn’t necessarily need to be text-based. You can create an informational video tutorial, infographic, or whatever best meets your needs. Above is an example of a how-to video tutorial post on Facebook.

6. Share industry-related news and content.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution

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Why it works: Your Facebook audience is following you on the platform because they care about what you have to say. Given this, it’s safe to assume that they also care about news relevant to your industry, so consider posting this type of content on your Facebook page.

The example above is from Goodwin Recruiting, sharing insights from Harvard Business Review about career transitions.

7. Share user-generated content.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

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Why it works: A great way to generate trust with your audience on Facebook is to share user-generated content (UGC). UGC is content created by people who have used your products and services or have had some experience with your business.

UGC is also a valuable form of social proof, which essentially means that your audience will trust your legitimacy because other consumers like what you have to offer. In fact, according to 2022 Statista research, 84% of consumers are more likely to trust a brand that incorporates UGC in its marketing.

This content can be anything from product reviews and testimonials to photos that customers have shared using your products. The example above is from Uoma Beauty where they’ve shared a picture of a fan using their product.

8. Post videos.

Business types this post idea is best for: Brand or Product, Artist, Band or Public Figure, Entertainment

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Why it works: Consumers love videos, so sharing them on Facebook is a great way to generate engagement and excitement for your brand, especially if they’re high quality.

The video post above is an example from Bricks & Wood, an apparel brand, of a video they’ve posted on the platform featuring their most recent seasonal campaign.

9. Post blog content.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

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Why it works: Cross-posting content from your blog is a great way to drive traffic to your website and expose your blog content to an audience that may be unfamiliar with it. In the example above, SaaS product Userpilot shares content from their blog to Facebook.

10. Use hashtags.

Business types this post idea is best for: All business types

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Why it works: Facebook uses hashtags to organize conversations about specific topics all in one stream. Use industry-related hashtags in your posts to join in on conversations that are already happening on Facebook. You can also use brand-specific hashtags to increase visibility and engage with audiences.

11. Post about trending topics.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product, Cause or Community

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Why it works: Like using hashtags, posting about trending topics gives you an in on the conversations people are already having. People are also more likely to talk about a current trend in the moment, which can drive engagement to your page.

To make the most of this tip, stay on top of relevant industry trends and general internet trends. Then, post about topics you think your audience wants to hear about.

12. Share branded graphics.

Business types this post idea is best for: rand or Product, Artist, Band or Public Figure

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Why it works: One of the main goals of marketing is to increase awareness and recognition of your brand.

Given this, Facebook is a great platform to share branded graphics. This strategy shows your audience who you are and gives them the cues they need to recognize your brand and pick you out of the crowd.

13. Share product photos.

Business types this post idea is best for: All business types

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Why it works: The average engagement rate on Facebook is .07%. The average engagement rate for image posts on Facebook is 0.12%, so take advantage of this and post images on the platform.

14. Post infographics.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

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Why it works: Infographics are a great marketing tool for educating customers and sharing relevant information.

Consider creating high-quality infographics and sharing them on your Facebook page. The example above is an infographic created by Gusto about employment trends.

15. Host contests and giveaways.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Brand or Product

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Why it works: Hosting contests and giveaways is a great way to generate engagement and interact with your audience on Facebook. The parameters of your contest can follow the same structure as any other contest you’d post on social media, but this post can help you create a Facebook-specific giveaway.

16. Announce deals and offers.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product, Local Business or Place

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Why it works: Your Facebook audience may look a bit different from your email audience or your Twitter audience. So, it’s worth announcing deals and offers on all your social platforms to confirm that everyone has the chance to experience them. Above is a Facebook deal announcement from ClickUp, a project management app.

17. Share content from other social accounts.

Business types this post idea is best for: All business types

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Why it works: There’s nothing wrong with recycling content; in fact, it’s a valuable practice. Repost tweets, TikTok videos, and even blog posts, and share them on Facebook. As different platforms have different user bases, you’re ensuring that all your segments can enjoy what you have to offer.

Above is an example from the Cloud Paper Facebook account of a cross-post from Instagram.

18. Post Facebook Lead Ads.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

Why it works: Facebook Lead Ads allow users to submit information into a lead form without leaving the platform. This helps you collect the information you need to further nurture your leads.

Since they aren’t promoted to leave the page or navigate to a different window, users are also more likely to complete these, especially since they can autofill with information already shared in the user’s Facebook profile. Check out this post with Facebook ad tips to learn more.

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19. Post trending memes and make them relate to your business.

Business types this post idea is best for: Brand or Product, Artist, Band or Public Figure, Entertainment

Why it works: One of the great things about social media is how easy it is to go viral. Take advantage of trending memes, rework them to relate to your business, and share them on your Profile. Consumers appreciate this kind of content, as it often displays a sense of humor, and it also shows them that you actively track online conversations.

20. Post discounts and sales.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

Why it works: Like announcing deals and offers, cross-posting discounts and sales on Facebook is a great way to make sure that all segments of your audience are aware of your business offerings. This helps you drive traffic to your website and increase sales.

21. Partner with influencers.

Business types this post idea is best for: Brand or Product

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Why it works: 90% of marketers say that influencer marketing is effective. Partner with influencers to promote your business, and share the content on Facebook for interested consumers to see.

The example above is a Facebook post from accessories seller Chic Geeks, where they’ve partnered with a TikTok influencer.

22. Share your YouTube videos.

Business types this post idea is best for: All business types

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Why it works: As mentioned before, cross-posting content from your other channels is a great way to drive traffic and generate engagement. So, share links on Facebook from your YouTube videos.

23. Highlight products.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Brand or Product

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Why it works: Your customers may already be aware of what you have to offer, but why not remind them? Consider creating a Facebook post to highlight your product offerings. The example above is from the Linoto Linens Facebook page advertising luxury bedding.

24. Announce new products.

Business types this post idea is best for: Brand or Product, Company Organization or Institution

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Why it works: In a similar vein, Facebook is a worthwhile platform for product announcements. Above is an example from Acid League, a food brand, announcing a new product kit.

25. Share product reviews.

Business types this post idea is best for: Brand or Product

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Why it works: Product reviews are another form of user-generated content to post that will generate social proof and establish your authority with customers.

You can take screenshots of positive reviews on your product pages, email feedback, or social media comments. You could even invite customers to create reviews specifically for your Facebook page.

26. Share open job positions.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Company Organization or Institution

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Why it works: While Facebook is great for marketing, it can also help you attract new talent. Post job openings on your Facebook page, and you may find that engaged customers are also interested in becoming employees. Above is an example of a Facebook job post by Global Fund for Women.

27. Host ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) sessions.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Artist, Band or Public Figure

Why it works: Ask Me Anything sessions are a great way to engage with your audience. You can create a post around your desired topic and let your audience know that you’ll answer their questions in the comments and generate conversation.

28. Post answers to FAQ.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Company Organization or Institution

Why it works: A great customer service tip is to practice proactive customer service, where you get ahead of customer questions if you notice that there are commonly asked questions.

Consider creating Facebook posts that answer these questions. This way customers can visit your profile and find the answers they’re looking for before picking up the phone and calling a service rep.

29. Promote events.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

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Why it works: Some people don’t check their email or stay active on every social channel they have. So, sharing events on Facebook is another way to make sure all segments of your audience are aware of them.

Above is an example of an event announcement from Honeysuckle Biscuits and Bakery.

30. Live-post events.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

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Why it works: Live-posting isn’t just for big events.

Consider doing this on Facebook to create more opportunities for engagement with followers at your events. You’ll be around to answer their questions in real-time, take part in conversations, and inspire others to show up to your next event.

Above is an example from Partake Foods about a live-posting event with its CEO.

31. Create polls.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

Why it works: While there are no longer Facebook features to create polls on the newsfeed or timeline, you can still add polls to:

• Facebook Groups
• Stories
• Event pages

Facebook polls are a way to gain insight into your audience and their preferences. Learn more about Facebook polls for groups here.

32. Share employee-generated content.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product, Cause or Community

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Why it works: Just as people want to work for your company, your followers may want to learn about your company’s employees. Employee-generated Facebook business posts can showcase company culture, projects, and the talent that helps run your business. The example above is from the pet supply company Daisy by Shelby.

33. Post in industry-relevant groups or pages.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Company Organization or Institution

Why it works: While most of the posts you make will be on your own profile, it’s also worth posting in Facebook groups that are relevant to your industry. You’ll gain exposure to a new audience, and, depending on what you post, generate new leads.

34. Share a call-to-action (CTA).

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product

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Why it works: Sharing a call-to-action (CTA) on your Facebook profile can help you collect information on new leads, and drive traffic to your website. CTAs can take many forms. Many Facebook post CTAs will include links to blogs or product trials. But you can also add a CTA to encourage your followers to sign up for a newsletter or invite them to sign up for exclusive access to a new product.

35. Recycle content from popular posts.

Business types this post idea is best for: All business types

Why it works: One of the great things about social media is that it’s an ever-evolving landscape where people are discovering new things every day.

Consider recycling content from your most popular posts so newer followers and leads can learn from and enjoy that content as well. You can find your old posts in your activity log, then schedule your Facebook post for the time you want your repost to go live.

Check this post out for more content recycling ideas.

36. Create a themed series.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Brand or Product, Cause or Community

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Why it works: Creating a themed series is a great way to drive engagement and interaction. Besides connecting with new visitors, it entices your visitors to keep coming back to read new posts as they go live.

The content in your themed series should be relevant to your business. Example ideas for a content series include:

• Sharing information on a new industry trend
• Explaining how that trend relates to your business
• Explaining how that trend could affect your audience

In the example above, Cometeer’s Seed to Cup series goes into detail about the process of making their star product.

37. Share content from other industry leaders.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution, Cause or Community

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Why it works: Your audience trusts you because they believe you provide them with something of value.

Because of this, consider sharing content from other industry leaders or businesses that you think will benefit your audience and help them succeed. The example above is from the Everlaw Facebook account sharing an industry-relevant article.

38. Share your business values.

Business types this post idea is best for: Brand or Product

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Why it works: 63% of consumers say that they buy or advocate for brands based on their beliefs and values.

Aim to build trust with your audience by sharing your brand values on Facebook and letting them know what you care about. The example above is from pet supply company Spot and Tango’s Facebook page. Its Facebook posts communicate how to care for pets at all life stages.

39. Host a Facebook Live.

Business types this post idea is best for: All business types

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Why it works: Facebook Live is a native feature that allows you to broadcast real-time video to your page and newsfeed.

Live video gives you the unique opportunity to build trust with your audience with interactive two-way conversations. Your audience can ask questions in the comments, and you can verbally reply using their name and generate a familiar relationship.

Featured Resource: The Guide to Facebook Live

40. Connect with investors.

Business types this post idea is best for: Local Business or Place, Brand or Product

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Why it works: Facebook isn’t just for customers. If you want a chance to drive interest and funding for a new brand, Facebook has a range of features that can help you draw attention to your business.

Share videos, images, and stories as a way to drive investor engagement and gain funding for your brand.

41. Share content from your other Facebook profiles.

Business types this post idea is best for: Company Organization or Institution

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Why it works: Some companies have multiple Facebook profiles that correspond to different segments of their business. If this is you, share content from your other Facebook profiles to your main profile page. This can make your audience aware of the different types of content you have to offer.

The example above is from Google’s main profile page sharing content from the Google Small Business profile page.

Make Great Content for Your Facebook Page With These Post Ideas

Using the tips on this list will help you create an engaging Facebook business page. Each time your audience visits they’ll have a chance to learn more about what you have to offer and develop a relationship with your brand.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in April 2021 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

As a video marketer, knowing how to edit YouTube videos is a crucial skill, especially when it comes to post-production.

If you can’t seamlessly weave your shots together or get your cut to hit the right frame, your video will seem unpolished and disengage your viewers.

That said, if you’re operating on a shoestring budget, you might not be able to afford video editing software. So what’s a video marketer to do without editing software?

Fortunately, YouTube offers a web-based video editor that is entirely free and accessible through its platform.

In this post, learn how to use YouTube’s nativevideo-editingtools, as well as best practices to keep in mind when editing your videos to ensure you’re keeping your audience engaged and interested in watching more.

How to Use YouTube’s Video Editor

YouTube’s video editor is an extremely basic editing tool, butit can still let you trim clips out of any part of your video, so read on to learn how to chop up your videos right in the video platform.

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.

YouTube Studio is a platform provided by YouTube for creators to control their presence, edit and upload videos, and track performance. The studio is accessible via desktop or app.

2. Click Content.

If you’re using the desktop version, go to the sidebar on the left and click Content. If you’re using the app, the Content tab is at the bottom.

3. Click the thumbnail of the video you want to edit.

While YouTube is compatible with multiple formatting types (3GPP, AVI, FLV, MOV, MPEG4, MPEGPS, WebM and WMV), YouTube recommends format is MPEG4 or “MP4” when uploading any videos to retain the highest quality possible.

If you’re currently using another format, you can use tools like Veed’s video converter to change any video to MP4. This will allow you to upload the video to YouTube without compromising video quality.

4. In the left sidebar, click Editor.

5. Trim the beginning or end of your video.

If you want to trim the beginning or end of your video, select Trim, which is next to your video’s timer and right above your timeline panel.

You should see a blue box around the sides of your video timeline panel. Drag them to chop off the parts of the beginning or end of your rough cut that you don’t want to include in your final published version. Click Preview to view the edit, and click Save on the top right-hand corner if you’re satisfied.

6. Trim clips out of the middle of your video.

If you want to trim a specific clip out of the middle of your video, select Trim. Next, in your timeline panel, click the beginning of the portion of the clip you’d like to remove and press Split.

Next, in your timeline panel, click the end of the clip that you’d like to remove and press Split again.

7. Add an end screen to your video.

If you want to give your viewers the option to watch one of your related videos or playlists or subscribe to your channel, click the end screen icon shown at the bottom of your timeline panel.

The image below displays the end screen icon outlined in red.

You can upload your existing end-screen template by clicking Apply template in the pop-up menu (this is a helpful guide for creating your own) or choose from the editor’s native options: Video, Playlist, Subscribe, Channel, or Link.

While YouTube’s video-editing tool in Creator Studio can be helpful, you may be looking for a more robust editing tool. If this sounds like you, check out our post on some of the best YouTube video editor alternatives.

How To Edit Videos For YouTube

While understanding how to edit your videos is essential, it’s also important to make sure you’re editing videos into a final product that users are interested in. Let’s discuss best practices to keep in mind when editing your videos during post-production.

Create engaging thumbnails for each video.

Thumbnails are the first thing your viewers see before watching your video, so they’re your first chance to capture attention and draw in your audience.

Your thumbnails can be screenshots of specific moments from your videos or even text-based titles, but they should be exciting and leave your audience intrigued and wanting to learn more.

Here is a helpful guide to creating YouTube thumbnails.

Tell a story.

Just as we do when we read a book, we want the videos we watch to tell a story. This means that your videos should have a flow and follow the fundamental elements of storytelling: having a beginning, middle, and end.

You’ll want your story to guide viewers through what you’re sharing with them, and they won’t be left confused and wondering how one clip is related to another.

This post is a thorough explanation of the basics of storytelling and how you can apply its principles when editing your videos.

Use engaging elements in all your videos.

In addition to telling a story, adding engaging elements to your videos during editing is a great way to keep your audience engaged.

Engaging elements can be things like images, text and shapes, animations, music, and fun transitions.

Be sure to choose an element that makes sense and complements your videos, as you don’t want to take the focus away from your high-quality content.

Create a baseline video editing style.

One of the best ways to streamline your editing process and keep your audience engaged is to develop a baseline editing style that you’ll use and apply to every video.

This means a consistent way of editing your videos, thumbnail style, music, transitions, and any other added elements that you’ll always use.

You’ll spend less time finding new elements every time you sit down to edit, and your audience will come to recognize your consistent style.

For example, maybe you always give a snippet at the beginning of your videos of the most dramatic or exciting moment that will happen later on to draw in your audience.

Keep up this consistent style with all your videos, as it will give you a consistent framework to work from and keep your audience engaged and wanting more.

Keep it simple.

Although it can be tempting to do as much as you can to draw in your audience, it’s also important to keep it simple and not overwhelm your viewers.

Too many unnecessary transitions, loud music, images, and text can distract from your video content and have the opposite effect.

Aim to find a careful balance of original video content and supplemental elements.

Take time to step away and come back.

Editing video can be stressful, especially if you sit in front of a computer for hours at a time.

It can become easy to second-guess your work, so it can be beneficial to step away for a while so you can come back fresh, energized, and ready to make a final cut.

You can think of it like this: if you’ve been sitting at a desk for six hours editing a video, you’ve been hyperfocused on that and nothing else. You may start to feel stuck or like you’ve hit a wall and that your video is bad.

If you step away for a few hours or days, you can come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes to make final edits and realize that your video is good; you just needed to take a break and come back refreshed.

Editing YouTube Videos for Beginners: A Checklist

Keep this checklist in mind before, during, or after editing your YouTube videos:

• Include SEO-optimized tags and titles for your videos. TubeBuddy, Ahrefs, and HubSpot all contain tools you can use to optimize your videos to help them rank high SERPs.
• Have a realistic and consistent production timeline. For example, if you want to upload videos every two weeks, make sure you allot enough time to meet your deadlines.
• Include an eye-catching thumbnail.
• Make sure you have good-quality audio. It doesn’t matter how well-edited your videos are — if the audio is poor, audiences won’t tune in or share.
• Share to all the proper social media channels. Make sure to promote your videos on your brand’s social media platforms to reach as many people as possible.
• Track your post-uploaded analytics. You need to keep track of your video’s performance so that you know what you need to improve or focus on next time.
  

Keep an eye out for trends, such as when your audience is most active or what videos they enjoy the most.

Whether you use YouTube’s native tools or third-party software, editing your videos should be fun. Take the time to understand what works for the content you produce, create a consistent editing strategy, and watch the views roll in.

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

When you’re managing spreadsheets, even a relatively small amount of data can become difficult to manage pretty quickly. But tools like Google Sheets have many functions that help you work with data more efficiently.

A common challenge is figuring out how many instances you have of specific values within a large spreadsheet. That’s where the SumIf function in Google Sheets comes into play. Using this function, you can add up numbers in a spreadsheet based on certain conditions.

Using a SumIf function in Google Sheets effectively can take some practice, especially in more complex situations. So here are step-by-step instructions and examples of using SumIf in Google Sheets to help you on your way.

Table of Contents:

• What does SumIf do in Google Sheets?
• The Benefits of Using SumIf in Google Sheets
• How to Use SumIf in Google Sheets
• SumIf in Google Sheets Example
• Best Practices for Using SumIf

What does SumIf do in Google Sheets?

In Google Sheets, the SumIf function adds up the values in a range of cells that meet certain criteria. It allows you to add numbers in a specific range based on a given condition, such as values that meet a specified condition, fall within a certain range, or match a particular text string.

The syntax of the SumIf function in Google Sheets is as follows:

=SUMIF(range, criteria, [sum_range])

• Range: The range of cells that you want to evaluate.
• Criteria: The criteria that you want to use to determine which cells to sum up.
• Sum_range: The range of cells that you want to sum up. If this argument is not provided, the cells in the range argument will be used.

Let’s say you have a column of sales data, and you want to sum up a particular person’s sales. You could use the SumIf function.

You would specify the range of cells that contain the sales data, the criteria that specify which salesperson’s sales you want to sum up, and the sum range (which, in this case, would be the same as the range argument).

The function would then calculate the sum of all the sales that match your specified criteria.

The Benefits of Using SumIf in Google Sheets

Sometimes, you may need to sum up values in a range based on specific criteria or conditions. Without the SumIf function, you would need to manually sort, filter, and add up the values that meet your criteria, which can be time-consuming and result in many errors.

You might also need to perform dynamic calculations that update automatically as your data changes. By using the SumIf function, you can create formulas that are linked to your data and update automatically whenever new data is added or existing data is changed.

The SumIf function is also very flexible and easy to customize. It can be as straightforward or as complex as you need it to be. Google Sheets allows you to select a wide range of criteria and conditions for summing up values through the SumIf function.

Plus, it’s compatible with plenty of other functions within Google Sheets if you need to extend your formula or create complex calculations. This includes AverageIf, CountIf, MaxIf, and more.

How to Use SumIf in Google Sheets

1. Open a new or existing Google Sheets document.
2. Enter your data into the worksheet. For example, you might have a list of sales transactions with columns for date, product, quantity, and price.
3. Decide what criteria you want to use to sum up your data. For example, you might want to sum up the sales for a particular product or for a specific date range.
4. Click on the cell where you want to display the sum of your data.
5. Type “=SUMIF(” into the cell. This will start the SUMIF formula.
6. Select the range of cells that you want to search for the criteria. For example, if you want to sum up the sales for a particular product, you would select the column that contains the product names.
7. Type a comma “,” after the range of cells.
8. Enter the criteria that you want to use for summing up the data. For example, if you want to sum up the sales for a product named “Boots”, you would enter “Boots” in quotation marks.
9. Type another comma “,” after the criteria.
10. Select the range of cells that contains the values that you want to sum up. For example, to sum up the sales for the “Boots” product, you would select the column that contains the sales values.

1. Close the formula by typing “)” and press Enter. The sum of the values that meet your criteria will be displayed in the cell. In this instance, the SumIf function shows us that 16 pairs of boots have been sold in total.

You can also use the SumIf function to sum up values based on multiple criteria by using the “&” operator to combine the criteria. For example, to sum up the sales for the “Boots” product for 2023 so far, you would use the formula:

“=SUMIF(B2:B11,”Boots”,C2:C11&A2:A11,”>=1/1/23″)”

In this instance, B2:B11 contains the product names, C2:C11 contains the sales values, and A2:A11 contains the dates.

SumIf in Google Sheets Example

To get a sense of how useful SumIf can be with large data sets, let’s take a look at a more in-depth example. In this instance, you need the SumIf statement to use data from multiple sheets.

Suppose you have a list of employees and their corresponding salaries on one sheet and a separate sheet containing each employee’s job title.

In this instance, we’ll use the SumIf function to sum up the overall salary spent on employees with a specific job title.

1. Select the cell where you want the final value to appear and begin your SumIf formula. First, select the data in Column C (“Job Titles”), as this is the range you want to evaluate.
2. In this case, we’re trying to find out how many Occupational Therapists are on the payroll. So, “Occupational Therapist” has been entered into the formula as the criteria.
3. Next, we need to tell the function the range of cells you want to sum up based on the criteria. We want to know about the salaries of occupational therapists, which means selecting the data under Column B (“Annual Salary”).
4. When the Enter key is hit after closing the formula with “)”, we can see that the company spends $622,435 annually on salaries for Occupational Therapists.

If you wanted to know this information about each job title in the company, you would simply create another table in a separate sheet with one instance of each job title and copy the formula down, replacing the criteria for each row to match the job title you want to reference.

So, in just a couple of steps, you’d be left with a table that sums up all the information in one place rather than manually counting and adding up hundreds of cells.

Best Practices for Using SumIf

The SumIf function is fairly simple and easy to use. But like all spreadsheet functions, it’s easy to get an ERROR result if your formula isn’t formatted correctly or if you don’t stick to some key best practices.

Use descriptive criteria.

Using descriptive criteria can help make your formula more readable and understandable.

For example, if you are summing sales data for a particular region, use the name of the region as your criteria, rather than a generic term like “Region A”.

Use cell references.

Using cell references instead of typing criteria directly into your formula makes it easier to update your criteria if needed.

For example, if you need to change the name of the region you are summing, you can simply update the cell reference instead of editing the formula.

Check your ranges.

Make sure that the range you are summing and the range you are using for criteria are the same size and have the same layout. If the ranges are different, you may get unexpected results or errors.

Use the correct syntax.

The syntax of the SUMIF function is SUMIF(range, criteria, sum_range). Make sure that you are using the correct order of arguments and that each argument is separated by a comma.

Test your formula.

Testing your formula with a small subset of data can help you catch errors or unexpected results before applying it to a larger dataset. This is especially important if you are using more complex criteria or formulas.

Use other functions for more complex criteria.

If you need to sum data based on more complex criteria, consider using other functions such as SUMIFS, which allows you to specify multiple criteria.

For example, you can use SUMIFS to sum sales data for a particular region and time period.

Keep your data organized.

Keeping your data organized and well-formatted can make it easier to use SUMIF and other functions in Google Sheets.

Consider using tables or formatting your data as a named range to make it easier to reference in your formulas. You can also use filters or sorting to quickly find the data you need.

Getting Started

The SumIf function is a simple solution to summing up data based on specific criteria. By using cell references, descriptive criteria, and other best practices, you can make your formulas more readable, accurate, and efficient.

Whether you are summing sales data, tracking expenses, or analyzing survey results, the SumIf function can help you quickly and easily calculate totals based on specific conditions. With a little practice, you’ll soon be using this function with ease.

As marketers, we understand the importance of SEO in driving traffic and generating leads. But all too often, our efforts are hindered by a lack of resources or time.

That’s why many marketers use automation to streamline their SEO processes and focus on other growth strategies.

In this guide, you’ll explore what SEO tasks can be automated to save at least three hours daily. You’ll also find out which essential SEO tools you should have in your arsenal to create an effective SEO strategy quickly and efficiently.

Let’s get started!

What is SEO automation?

What SEO tasks can be automated?

12 Essential SEO Automation Tools

SEO optimization tools help marketers save time and resources while building an effective SEO strategy.

What SEO tasks can be automated?

Say goodbye to manual labor and hello to efficiency with SEO automation! Here are just a few of the tasks that can be automated with the right toolkit in hand.

1. Keyword research. Automation helps to quickly identify keywords relevant to your target audience for high-value traffic opportunities.

2. Content creation. Generate quality blog posts and website content with AI-driven writing services and make sure you’ve sprinkled enough keywords throughout the piece.

   SurferSEO, for instance, will provide you with these suggestions as you write.

3. Automated structured data markup. Generate and validate structured data for your site in a heartbeat.

4. Technical optimization. Save time on page speed optimization and technical audits while avoiding mistakes thanks to automated checks. Tools for an SEO audit will crawl your website and generate a report on any issues they find.

5. Reporting and analytics. Automatically generate reports to track SEO performance with analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Google Data Studio, and others.

   Get instant insights into how much traffic you are getting, what content is performing the best, where your visitors are coming from, etc.

6. Automated rank tracking. Monitor how you rank for target keywords in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Track competition and fluctuations in the SERPs and get alerted when a competitor’s content ranks higher than yours for a keyword.

7. Automated image optimization. Automatically optimize images for SEO to improve page loading times without losing image quality.

8. Backlink Analysis and Interlinking. Find backlink opportunities, monitor competitor links, and get suggestions for internal linking to create a natural-looking link profile for your website.

With automation, marketers can create more effective SEO strategies faster and easier than ever. If you are ready to take your SEO efforts to the next level, keep reading and find awesome SEO automation software for different tasks.

12 Essential SEO Automation Tools

We’ve gathered the 12 best SEO automation platforms to help you eliminate painstaking SEO work. Although each tool has many features, we’ll focus on a few of the most notable.

1. HubSpot Marketing Software

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HubSpot’s SEO Marketing Software provides actionable recommendations on optimizing your website for SEO, ranked in order of priority, so you can target the areas that most need improvement.

This tool can help you strategize your content to organize your website by topic, a critical component that search engines consider.

It also offers suggestions for topics your audience is interested in so you can expand your blog and draw those people in.

You can also get detailed reports on what terms and topics people are searching for, clickthrough rates, total impressions, and other vital metrics. See clearly what’s working for your site and where there’s room for improvement.

Best for: HubSpot’s Marketing Hub users.

Pricing: Included with Marketing Hub’s Professional plan.

Alternative: SurferSEO.

2. SurferSEO

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SurferSEO is a content optimization tool that analyzes your page or content outline and compares it to competitors’ pages to find SEO opportunities.

It gives you recommendations on keywords for headings and body text, word count, and the number of images and paragraphs.

SurferSEO auto-suggests keywords to include as you write. You can also create an SEO-optimized outline in a matter of seconds. Altogether, these features save hours when outlining and clustering keywords.

As a matter of fact, ClickUp revealed that SurferSEO has helped them publish 150+ articles and achieve blog traffic growth of 85% in one year.

Best for: Writing SEO-optimized blog posts at scale for B2C and B2B alike.

Pricing: Starts at $59 monthly for the basic plan.

Alternatives: Clearscope, Frase.

3. Looker Studio

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Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) will help you quickly build custom SEO reports and analyze data from Google Analytics, Search Console, SEMrush, and other sources via API.

You can also mine data, combine distinct datasets, and easily audit site performance.

One of Looker’s most outstanding features is its ability to create automated and visually appealing SEO reports. With Looker, you can regularly get insights into key performance metrics and track keyword rankings daily, weekly, or monthly.

Best for: Digital marketing agencies, ecommerce sites, and businesses looking for comprehensive SEO analytics.

Pricing: Free.

Alternatives: Databox, Tableau.

4. Ahrefs

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Ahrefs is an SEO automation platform that helps you identify keyword opportunities, monitor link-building efforts, and analyze competitor visibility in the SERPs.

One of the features we like is Link intersect for a backlink gap analysis. It allows you to compare links between your domain and competitors’ websites to uncover link opportunities that you might have missed otherwise.

Another epic feature is the “best by links” report. With it, you can easily uncover the most linked content on any website. Dig down to see what type of content lands thousands of links to find prospects and inspire link-building tactics.

Finally, use Ahrefs Content Explorer to find unlinked brand mentions and reach out to the website owners to secure a link.

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Best for: SEO professionals who need to monitor, discover, and scale link-building efforts.

Pricing: Starts at $99 monthly for the lite plan.

Alternatives: SEMrush, MajesticSEO.

5. SEMRush

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SEMRush is a suite of automated SEO tools that provide insights into competitor strategies and your domain’s online visibility.

SEMRush also helps you identify keywords to target with its Keyword Magic Tool. This one is especially useful for finding long-tail phrases related to your main topic and organizing them into clusters within a minute.

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We can’t stress enough how time-saving this feature is. Remember when SEO involved working on Excel and Google sheets to group keywords with super complex formulas?

Breathe freely with the SEMRush clustering tool or its alternative Serpstat.

SEMRush also offers a content marketing platform that helps you write SEO-friendly blog posts and optimize them for the SERPs. It even has an SEO writing assistant that suggests content ideas and provides readability scores for your copy.

Best for: SEO professionals who need a comprehensive suite of tools to analyze competitor data, monitor keyword rankings, and optimize content.

Pricing: Starts at $99.95 monthly for the pro plan.

Alternatives: Ahrefs, KeywordTool, Jaaxy, Serpstat.

6. Netpeak Spider

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Netpeak Spider is a technical SEO crawler that audits your website’s structure and finds broken links, duplicate content, and other issues. It also provides insight into the indexability of your pages and can detect malware or malicious code.

Moreover, Netpeak Spider has one of the most advanced filtering systems around. It allows you to customize reports for a more detailed analysis or generate an XML sitemap for submission to Google and other search engines.

Netpeak Spider comes with a convenient integration with Google Analytics and Google Search Console, so you can easily access data within the same dashboard.

On top of that, the tool supports white-label reports, making life easier for SEO agencies and consultants.

Best for: Agencies and SEO professionals who need to audit website structure, detect issues quickly, and generate white-label reports.

Pricing: Starts at $7 monthly for the starter plan, which allows one user.

Alternatives: Screaming Frog, DeepCrawl.

7. Google Search Console

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Of course, we couldn’t pass by the most powerful and free toolkit for website performance analysis and technical audits.

Google Search Console shares insights into how Google interprets your website. It helps you track and measure organic traffic, set up alerts for potential issues, and get data on clicks, impressions, and query positions.

You can also use Search Console to submit a sitemap directly to Google, run URL inspection and parameters tests, and request re-indexing of pages.

With its “Inspect URL” feature, you can check how Googlebot sees the page and troubleshoot potential problems.

Best for: Everyone who wants to monitor their website’s performance and stay informed about potential issues.

Pricing: Free.

Alternatives: Screaming Frog, Netpeak Spider, AgencyAnalytics, Searchmetrics.

8. Jasper

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Jasper AI Writing Assistant is an AI-driven copywriting tool that generates high-converting content in minutes.

Guide this tool with commands or use templates, like AIDA copies, for LinkedIn, blog posts, e-commerce listings, Google and Facebook ads templates, etc.

Thanks to its AI technology, Jasper can adopt and mimic your tone of voice, cutting off hours on writing copies for different content needs.

For SEO, Jasper AI Writing Assistant can generate creative and snappy meta descriptions, titles, etc. Integrated with SurferSEO, Jasper crafts copies enriched with target keywords.

Use these tools combined to maximize your SEO performance with minimal effort.

Best for: Companies and professionals looking for an AI-driven copywriting solution to quickly generate SEO-friendly content.

Pricing: Starts at $49 monthly for 50,000 words generated.

Alternatives: Writer, CopyAI, WriteSonic.

9. AgencyAnalytics

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AgencyAnalytics provides automated analytics for various platforms, including Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

This tool also integrates with over 40 marketing tools, like MailChimp and HubSpot, to offer a comprehensive view of campaign performance.

The tool’s SEO suite includes rank tracking, backlink analysis, site audits, social media analytics, and much more.

Best for: SEO agencies and consultants looking for an all-in-one tool to manage campaigns, and track analytics.

Pricing: Starts at $29 per month for the pro plan.

Alternatives: Searchmetrics, Kissmetrics.

10. Technical SEO Automation Tools by Merkle

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Merkle’s SEO tools are explicitly designed to automate various technical SEO tasks.

For example, you can test and validate your robots.txt and generate and submit XML sitemaps to search engines. Or query the Knowledge Graph API to find entities, their MREID, and relevance scores.

Merkel’s SEO automation tools also include a schema generator and SERP simulator. The best part? It’s all for free.

Best for: SEO professionals who need to automate complex technical SEO tasks, like robots.txt validation and structured data markup.

Pricing: Free.

Alternative: Schemantra.

11. Compress PNG

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Compress PNG is an online tool that lets you quickly and easily compress PNG images. It’s a great way to speed up page load times and reduce file size, which can help improve SEO performance.

Leverage Compress PNG to convert files from JPEG and GIF formats for better compatibility with browsers. Use this tool in tandem with another to improve your overall SEO strategy.

Best for: Anyone looking for an easy and free way to compress PNG images.

Pricing: Free.

Alternatives: TinyPNG, Compressor.io.

12. AccuRanker

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AccuRanker is an advanced rank-tracking solution for SEOs and marketers. It offers real-time insights into how your website performs in organic search and helps you identify changes in ranking over time.

The tool also provides detailed analytics, including accuracy scores, Share of Voice, and search engine position history. You can even set up automated alerts to stay on top of any changes in rankings or visibility.

With its advanced keyword filtering, you can quickly create tailored reports for specific searches, locations, or devices.

It also includes a drag-and-drop Master Filter, which allows you to group several keywords and track their performance simultaneously.

Best for: Enterprises and SEO agencies; for rank tracking.

Pricing: Starts at $130 monthly and offers 1,000 keywords to track. Get started with a 14-day free trial.

Alternatives: SEMrush, Ahrefs, SERPWoo, Serpstat, SE Ranking.

Making the Most of SEO Automation

SEO automation is a game-changer for businesses looking to optimize their website and increase their online visibility. Companies can focus on higher-level strategy and creativity by streamlining SEO tasks.

With the right tools, SEO automation can lead to more efficient, effective, and successful campaigns.

So why wait? Embrace the power of SEO automation today and supercharge your online presence!

Welcome to HubSpot Marketing News! Tap in for campaign deep dives, the latest marketing industry news, and tried-and-true insights from HubSpot’s media team.

A new social media platform is in town, and it’s quickly picking up steam.

Lemon8 is owned by ByteDance, the China-based parent company that owns TikTok, and it’s had a buzzy debut in the U.S.

It was originally launched in Japan in 2020 and became available in the U.S. and UK in February 2023. In the past month, it’s become the second most-downloaded lifestyle app in the U.S. behind Pinterest.

Speaking of Pinterest…

Lemon8 is described as a Pinterest-Instagram hybrid. At its core, Lemon8 is a photo-sharing app designed to inspire users.

While users and creators have been vocal about their frustrations with Instagram and its unpredictable algorithm over the past couple of years, are people looking for the next Pinterest when they could still use the original?

By the end of 2022, over 450 million active users were on Pinterest. Not too shabby, though the user base is significantly smaller than the likes of YouTube (2.6 billion users), Instagram (2.3 billion users), and TikTok (1.6 billion users).

Though Pinterest has a smaller user base than other social channels, its users are generally happy with the platform. In fact, 80% of Pinterest users feel positive when using it. Nine out of 10 Pinterest users refer to it as a “social media oasis,” and only three out of 10 social media users feel that way about other platforms.

With that in mind, is a “new Pinterest” necessary when the original seems to be doing a good job of keeping its users happy? It all comes down to how the app is used.

While Pinterest users are generally happy with the platform, they essentially use it as a visual search engine.

Many Pinterest users turn to the platform when they’re looking for inspiration related to a specific topic — perhaps a recipe using a certain ingredient, or ways to style a clothing item.  They hop on, find what they’re looking for, and hop off. While it’s great for inspiring purchases, it doesn’t have the addicting factor that platforms like TikTok or Instagram have.

That’s where Lemon8 comes in.

Image Source: Lemon8

I downloaded the app to learn more about its functionality and to see what kind of content is available on it (you know, serious investigative journalism). I was quickly sucked into the beautiful content that aligned eerily close with my interests.

Essentially, using Lemon8 is like having the TikTok algorithm serve you the inspirational content of Pinterest formatted like an Instagram post. The main feed is similar to the Pinterest home page, but the posts are reminiscent of Instagram carousels.

Where did Lemon8 come from, and why is everyone talking about it?

If it seemed like all of a sudden everyone on your TikTok For You Page was talking about Lemon8, that’s because they were.

Per The New York Times, ByteDance enlisted micro-creators from other platforms to begin posting on Lemon8. Naturally, creators who are eager to become early adopters on a new platform would want to share their new social media real estate with their existing followers on other platforms. Whether or not they have been compensated to do so has been speculated, but hasn’t been confirmed. 

Looking at the initial data, the grassroots approach appears to be effective. Since launching in the U.S. in February, Lemon8 has garnered over 17 million downloads in the app store.

How should marketers be looking at Lemon8?

Currently, Lemon8 is heavily user-generated content focused, with no major brands maintaining a notable presence on the app. Though it’s only a matter of time before more brands begin hopping on board.

If your company isn’t ready to start creating Lemon8-specific content, it’s certainly worth getting on the platform to secure your handle and see what’s trending in your niche — particularly for those in the fashion, wellness, and food industries.

It’s also worth noting the user-generated feel of the platform could be a big part of what’s attracting new users. On platforms such as Instagram and TikTok where influencer marketing is to be expected, users can often feel constantly sold to. The authenticity of the organic content on Lemon8 can be a breath of fresh air compared to the constant stream of #sponsored content on other platforms.

With this in mind, brands looking to establish a presence on Lemon8 can benefit from having a healthy mix of organic, user-generated, and promotional content to avoid fatiguing their audiences.

Is Lemon8 worth investing in?

As with any new platform, there are valid concerns over Lemon8’s longevity and whether it’s worth investing in.

Because Lemon8 is also owned by ByteDance, it could face the same scrutiny as TikTok over security concerns. With the future usage of ByteDance-owned apps in political limbo, if a TikTok ban were to occur, users in the U.S. could also be barred from Lemon8.

Also, while some social media platforms emerge with a splash, the excitement can quickly fade. In recent years, apps like Clubhouse and BeReal showed promising growth but failed to capture the attention of audiences long-term.

While it’s a good idea for marketers to have a basic level of understanding of new platforms that have captured the attention of audiences, only time will tell if Lemon8 is able to turn social media lemons into lemonade.

Elsewhere in Marketing

The latest marketing news and strategy insights.

Meta making money: In Q1, Meta reported a 3% earnings increase after three straight quarters of declining revenue.

Move over Twitter: Meta’s text-based app Barcelona is vying to be an alternative to the bird app.

For the AI-overwhelmed: Jasper’s VP of Marketing breaks down how to integrate AI into your marketing team’s workflow.

On trend: how marketers can use social media trends to get in front of new customers.

Speaking of trends… HubSpot just released the State of Social Media 2023, which features insights from over 1,000 social media marketers.

Moolah-la: the creator economy is expected to reach $500 billion by 2027.

ChatGPT has been one of the hottest topics in the B2B industry. Since it was made widely available to the public in late November 2022, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media have become flooded with examples of the chatbot’s responses.

No one is questioning how smart ChatGPT is. The question, however, is how good it can be at providing accurate information or making our lives (both private and professional) easier.

I’ve put the chatbot to the test to see how helpful it can be in day-to-day life. Here are the results.

What is ChatGPT?

How is ChatGPT being used today?

10 Examples of ChatGPT

Use with caution.

Make the most of ChatGPT.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a chatbot created by OpenAI, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically generate text. It’s able to communicate in a very human way as it’s trained on large data sets, which explains its eloquence.

The more data it’s fed, the more “knowledgeable” it becomes.

How is ChatGPT being used today?

As of 2023, ChatGPT has about 13 million unique visitors a day. So, you can imagine just how diverse the conversations are.

Some of the traffic comes from individuals who are simply eager to see what it’s like to chit-chat with the world’s most famous chatbot. However, it’s also popular among educational institutions and businesses.

In most cases, companies use AI technology like ChatGPT to run preliminary research on a topic or to generate business assets like social media copy, product descriptions, or even code.

One of the most interesting use cases I’ve seen so far comes from Exit Five’s Dave Gerhardt. He believes that AI can be a great advocate for brand voice if it is given information on your desired tone, voice, and company personality.

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So, if I were to find a human analogy for ChatGPT, I’d say it’s like a resourceful assistant — someone who can help you get the wheels rolling.

Just like humans, the tool can occasionally generate inaccurate or misleading information, especially since it doesn’t know much about what’s happened past 2021.

So, anyone currently using the chatbot for professional purposes needs to fact-check the information before they use it to build an opinion or business claim.

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10 Examples of ChatGPT

Without further ado, let’s see how Open AI’s tool handles a variety of questions — from simple research tasks to more detailed, sophisticated requests.

1. Provide me with a list of companies currently looking for a freelance performance marketer.

Here, I step into the shoes of a performance marketing specialist who wants to get a list of potential clients.

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What I like: The answer is short and to the point. This can be a good starting point for those new to the freelance scene.

What I dislike: ChatGPT can’t access the internet to collect data in real time, which shines through in this GPT-3 example. For anyone unaware of its limitations, this could be a huge disappointment.

Still, I appreciate that the bot didn’t leave me empty-handed and did all it could to help.

2. Write a social media post where I announce that I’ve started writing for HubSpot and that I write on sales and marketing topics.

Let’s now see a ChatGPT social media post example.

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What I like: I like how it turned out.

Given how little context I’ve provided ChatGPT with, I’d say it did a pretty good job. Notice how it mentions what I’ve asked for straight away in the second sentence and then adds a few supplementary sentences.

Bonus points for the hashtags. I didn’t expect they’d come as part of the results.

What I dislike: After giving it an initial read, I liked the tone but felt that one or two of the sentences could have been shorter.

I popped it into another popular AI tool, Hemingway, to check the readability score. Also, I would probably avoid using the term “HubSpot” three times in a post this short.

Still, I don’t think this is a big issue — you can always add the final touches yourself.

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3. How to write a high-converting blog post?

Writing a blog post that ranks well in Google and results in conversions is a challenge. I wanted to check how my AI friend would tackle it.

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What I like: The suggestions I got make sense. They pretty much cover everything that should be included in a high-converting article. I like the fact that it provided an explanation for each tip.

It can easily act as a checklist, which you can use prior to writing your content.

What I dislike: It seems like there is nothing to dislike. ChatGPT did a good job.

4. How can I promote a newly written blog post?

As marketers, we know that content distribution is a tough cookie to crack. So I was really curious to see how ChatGPT would cope with growth suggestions.

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What I like: It did what I asked — it might be a good starting point for a newbie.

What I dislike: From the perspective of an experienced marketer, these growth suggestions appear really basic. It’s something I could easily come up with.

I’d like to get ideas that are more outside the box — tactics that I could experiment with.

Since ChatGPT bases its answers on the already published content, it makes me think that the articles available are either poor or that the platform makes bad choices. It can’t really judge which tactics are worth mentioning.

5. Provide me a list of hotels in Vienna that charge below 70 Euros, located close to the airport.

I’m traveling to Canada this summer with a long stopover in Vienna, which calls for a hotel stay. I asked ChatGPT to come up with a list of hotels that are close to the airport and within my budget. Here is what I got:

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What I like: While I didn’t get accurate pricing, since ChatGPT doesn’t have access to real-time data, it gave me a list of hotels close to the airport. It also told me roughly how much it would cost.

It’s a good starting point, even though I’ll have to verify each option.

What I dislike: I don’t know how much exactly each hotel charges per night or if they have rooms available for my dates.

I think going to Booking.com would be much easier. I could simply select the dates I am interested in, the distance from the airport, and the price per night to get a list of hotel options.

6. Write me a poem on how great content marketing is.

Since I am a passionate content marketer, I couldn’t resist asking for a poem that glorifies this marketing technique. You won’t believe what I got!

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What I like: The result simply blew me away! Honestly, I didn’t expect anything as good as this. It understands the specificity of content marketing, it’s playful, and it rhymes. And look how long it is — way to go, ChatGPT!

What I dislike: I love it. There is nothing to dislike. And I can sincerely admit that I wouldn’t be able to come up with a better poem (and definitely not as fast).

7. Generate a list of companies that might be interested in outsourcing software development to a Python software development agency.

Let’s see how helpful ChatGPT can be for those who need new clients.

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What I like: Out of all the GPT-3 examples on this list, this is the answer that I am least satisfied with. How so?

What I dislike: The results are very general. Since ChatGPT’s data sets come from 2021 (so, not that long ago), I thought that it might suggest some companies that reported using Python.

I can imagine a company posting a blog post on “Why we went with Python to develop our CRM.” A software agency could then reach out and ask if they needed help with maintenance or extra support for their team.

While a similar question, listed above, worked well for a freelancer looking for work, it’s not actionable for a B2B enterprise.

8. Write me a social media post on a new line of IKEA chairs (in three tones of voice).

Time for a ChatGPT advertisement script example. Say that IKEA wants to post a social media video or a social media post in two tones of voice — a formal and informal one.

Next, let’s imagine what would happen if IKEA paired up with Eminem and asked him to endorse their latest chair line.

Here’s the formal version…

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Here’s the informal one…

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And, finally, here’s the IKEA-Eminem collab fantasy:

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What I like: There’s a clear distinction between each advertisement script or post. As for the last example, no one but Eminem can confirm if it sounds like him (particularly given how bold some statements are).

Still, I can see a big effort here. Kudos, ChatGPT!

What I dislike: I’m happy with the results; this was just an experiment. But I’d be careful with ChatGPT’s impersonations — at least for now. I generated a similar request for rapper Lil Wayne, and they were quite similar.

9. I’m writing a novel, and I need help with my main protagonist’s backstory.

What if you were a novel writer? Could ChatGPT help you build your characters? Let’s see.

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What I like: I feel like ChatGPT can be a fun brainstorming buddy in the creative process. And the backstory it came up with looks good but…

What I dislike: It took me about five tries before it generated the above response. The previous attempts had hints/storylines which didn’t fit the Victorian era. They referred to modern-day drug cartels and overall had a “modern” feel.

That said, would I read such a story or watch a series on Netflix? Possibly!

10. Write a 500-word article on perfume that features tips from the world’s top beauty experts.

For the final course, the most interesting result of all — a ChatGPT blog post example. At this point, I’d like to take you through the stages before summarizing what I liked and disliked in the result.

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It took a few seconds for ChatGPT to start working on the text. I stopped the answer generation quickly, as in the image above. Why? I’ve noticed that experts weren’t mentioned by name, which is what I expected.

I decided to run the query again and explicitly ask for the names and links to sources. Here’s the second take:

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The tips are the same as in the previous version, but now they’re attributed to the experts. However, I still didn’t get a list of links. I asked for them in a follow-up question, and here are the results:

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I clicked on all of the links, and here’s where things got interesting. Four out of five pages were unavailable.

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The only link that worked was the last one on the list. I realize that this could come down to the fact that ChatGPT uses posts from 2021 or earlier.

Perhaps, these pieces have been removed? Still, I found it suspicious that four out of five would have been deleted. So, I decided to dig a little deeper. I asked if, by any chance, any of the information generated was made up by ChatGPT:

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What I like: The only positive thing I can say is that the copy was OK.

What I dislike: I can’t help but have mixed feelings. The post read nicely, but — as a content marketer — I would never risk publishing an article that I can’t trace back.

Nor would I want to risk attributing words to experts without proof. What if they never said it in the first place?

Use with caution.

ChatGPT has great potential, but it should be used reasonably.

While it can be a good source of inspiration, you shouldn’t use it for writing blog posts or scripts for your campaigns.

You should always strive to write original content, not only to avoid plagiarism but also to provide more value to your readers.

Bear in mind that the answers that ChatGPT comes up with are only as good as the data it bases them on. And unfortunately, there is a lot of low-quality content circulating the internet, which impacts the quality of ChatGPT’s outcomes.

Still, let’s not demonize ChatGPT. Its shortcomings aren’t a result of manipulation. As it is with AI, it’s a work in progress, and it will become better with time.

Surely, it will never be able to appeal to emotions or our own experiences. But will it be able to substitute a big chunk of human tasks in three, five, or ten years from now?

Possibly, so if you’re against AI, refer to the old saying — if you can’t beat them, join them.

Making the Most of ChatGPT

I had a lot of fun playing with ChatGPT. While it can be very helpful when it comes to research, I definitely wouldn’t see it as an oracle.

You can treat the content it creates as inspiration or a starting point. But don’t use it as your final draft. It will never be able to understand your target audience as well as you can — it’s not a human being but brilliant technology.

That said, don’t treat it as your enemy or competitor either. Think of it as your assistant or a junior who can take over some of the mundane tasks you’d normally have to deal with yourself.

Check how ChatGPT can serve you and learn how to use it to its full potential. Enjoy!

Creating an Instagram SEO strategy is critical for marketers as the platform has become more popular than social media giants Twitter and LinkedIn.

SEO for Instagram is how you can create opportunities for those billions of users to see your content and engage with your brand. Luckily, you can apply the same SEO techniques you use to optimize web page content to drive organic growth to your Instagram account.

Think of Instagram as its own search engine. The platform has built-in search functions that act like its own mini-Google. Here, we’ll share 10 SEO techniques to expand your reach by working with the Instagram algorithm.

Table of Contents

• Optimize your Instagram profile.
• Have a primary keyword.
• Include a secondary keyword.
• Treat your hashtags as keywords.
• Place your hashtags strategically.
• Leverage your image captions.
• Take advantage of Instagram alt text.
• Track everything with analytics.
• Avoid these black hat techniques.
• Navigate the weirdly banned hashtags.

Instagram Optimization

1. Optimize your Instagram profile.

The first step you should take toward increasing your Instagram reach is to optimize your Instagram profile. Driving traffic to your Instagram account won’t benefit you in the long run if your profile isn’t optimized for the best user experience.

Here are a few tricks for optimizing your Instagram profile:

• Make your profile public.
• Choose a colorful, on-brand profile image.
• Create a recognizable and searchable @Username.
• Create an easily searchable business name.
• Register for an Instagram Business account.
• Include a trackable link in your bio.

Why it’s so important: These steps might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s critical to lay the groundwork before you make any other SEO changes. Once you’ve covered these basics, you can move on to more technical optimizations.

2. Have a primary keyword.

Your display name and @username are the two most important places to put your primary keyword. When users type their intention into the search bar, you’ll match, bringing you closer to that coveted top-of-search position.

To start, you’ll need to pinpoint your primary keyword. We’ll use a bakery as our example. When an Instagram user is looking to fill their news feed with baked goods, they’ll likely search the keyword “bakery.”

When you have this keyword in your display name and @Username, you’re more likely to appear in the suggested accounts search results.

As you can see here, four of the top five search results for bakery have that keyword in both their display name and @Username.

Pro tip: One or the other is simply not as powerful. To get the most out of your Instagram optimization, you should use your primary keyword in both places to increase your chances of being picked up by the algorithm.

This may be heartbreaking if you were excited about what you’d chosen when opening your account, but the change is a smart move toward optimization — and ultimately your own success!

3. Include a secondary keyword.

Now that you’ve taken care of your primary keyword, it’s time to get the most out of your secondary keywords. Secondary keywords are the phrases and topics that orbit your primary keyword.

If your primary keyword is “bakery,” your secondary keywords might be things like “cupcakes,” “wedding cakes,” “baked goods,” etc.

Let’s take a look at Magnolia Bakery, the top result for this keyword — their primary keyword is outlined in red, and their secondary keywords are outlined in orange:

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Magnolia Bakery has done a great job crafting an informative and fun bio, while still including a few important search-optimized keywords. A person looking for baked goods would likely follow Magnolia if they found them in the search, as the account matches the user’s search intent.

Pro tip: Secondary keywords are like a safety net — they catch the people who might not be searching for your primary keyword but could still be interested in your product.

Language differences cause many people to use different words when looking for the same thing, so be sure to consider synonyms that could also make good secondary keywords.

4. Treat your hashtags like keywords.

Once you’ve optimized your profile, it’s time to optimize your posts. This is an ongoing process that requires special attention. Most users aren’t going to look for you directly. They’ll likely discover you through a hashtag on a specific post.

That’s why each of your Instagram posts should have its own hashtag strategy. You should treat these hashtags like secondary keywords. Check out the example from CorePower Yoga below:

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They include their own brand name in two of the hashtags — #corepowercommunity and #corepoweryoga. The other two hashtags, however, are specifically for this image.

By including a variety of post-specific hashtags, CorePower increases its chances of attracting a broader, more diverse audience — people who search for terms related to yoga but also people who search #downdog.

This gives users a better chance of finding you than if you used the same five hashtags on every post. Variety and relevance are your keys to success.

Best for: All content types – this hashtag advice holds true for posts, reels, IGTV, and all the other types of content you add to the platform. Make any content you’re crafting as searchable as possible for the best results.

5. Place your hashtags strategically.

Now, where do you put those cleverly optimized hashtags? Previously, the common practice was to put them in the comments, but times have changed.

It’s important to adjust your Instagram optimization strategy when you’re given credible advice from, say, the company’s CEO.

According to Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, the algorithm now likes it when you add your hashtags in captions. He released a video in late 2021 letting us know how to appease the algorithm.

What we like: Videos like that one from the IG CEO are a great resource for honing your Instagram SEO strategy, and there are lots out there that can help, like this one.

6. Leverage your image captions.

In addition to adding hashtags to the end, the image caption itself is another opportunity to optimize.

Keep your content authentic to fit your image, but be sure to fold in some of your brand’s secondary keywords. Craft a compelling, engaging caption to satisfy existing followers, and make it keyword rich to attract new ones.

A robust caption can do more than just catch a user’s attention — it can also help you show up in search. Using secondary keywords in the caption allows the algorithm to determine that you’re what your unique audience is looking for.

The example below shows how DIFF eyewear manages to use keywords in their caption that will bring in the right users.

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Best for: Leveraging your image captions helps create a complete picture for Instagram’s algorithm and tells it that you should be ranking high in their search for those terms.

7. Take advantage of Instagram alt text.

Instagram’s alt text feature was designed to help visually impaired users enjoy their Instagram experience, but it can also be used for SEO.

Instagram will automatically populate alt text options ifyou skip this step. Still, it’s better to do it yourself to ensure the caption matches what’s actually in the photo and puts it in context with your brand.

To access your alt text options, advance to the screen just before you share your photo and click the “advanced settings” tab at the bottom.

Once you’ve done that, scroll to the bottom to where it says “Accessibility” and select the “Write Alt Text” option. From there, you can craft the perfect image description!

Once you’ve crafted your own alt text, share your photo as normal. The benefits of changing your Instagram alt text are the same as when you use alt text on photos for your website.

What we like: Optimizing your alt text can help your posts rank better in the algorithm, and what’s more, it also adds the possibility of having your results pulled for voice search, too!

8. Track everything with analytics.

If this is your first time using SEO techniques to grow, then you should be tracking how your new Instagram strategy impacts your overall social media goals.

While Instagram does have an in-platform analytics feature, it only allows you to pull data from a certain date. Once that window closes, the data is lost and replaced. While that might be fine for the casual user, it’s not ideal for marketing purposes.

Social media tools like Hootsuite, IconoSquare, or Sprout Social allow you to bypass this with robust data analytic tracking services, automated reports, and more. They allow users to analyze post and campaign performance so you can optimize your content for the future.

Best for: Collecting the hard data behind your content plan. Tracking the success of your new Instagram SEO strategy will help you refine your content as you go, gain buy-in from leadership, and improve the overall success of your strategy.

9. Avoid these black hat SEO techniques.

You might think that Google is the only website sophisticated enough to spot and punish users for using black hat SEO tactics. However, with the expansion of AI to handle the dense computational minutiae, those days are over.

Instagram has been cracking down on accounts that try to cheat the system.

Infamously, they’ve implemented a shadowban for users that break the rules. This makes it so nobody can see your content when they click on a hashtag you’ve used. Even your followers can’t see that content unless they specifically search for your account and visit your profile.

• Don’t steal content.
• Don’t use bots.
• Don’t keyword stuff.
• Don’t follow too many accounts too fast.
• Don’t buy followers.

Pro tip: SEO is a long-term strategy, and it can be frustrating when you don’t see results immediately. The quick fix can be tempting, but the results can be disastrous if you get caught. If you’re looking to build your Instagram account the right way, avoid these tactics at all costs.

10. Navigate banned hashtags.

There are some strange realities in tech right now: AI art programs crank out nightmarish hands (Google at your own risk), cryptocurrency connects directly to environmental decline, and Instagram has some weirdly banned hashtags.

Some content creators knowingly take advantage of hashtags to promote illicit content. #costumes, for example, could be popular around Halloween.

You can also imagine how that can quickly lead to problematic content in terms of indecent exposure and violating children’s rights.

Additionally, Instagram doesn’t want you to direct traffic away from the platform by using hashtags affiliated with other social media platforms. If you use #snapchat, you tempt the algorithm to flag you for a shadowban or even permanently ban you from the IG platform.

Pro tip: You can check recently compiled lists of banned hashtags, or you can take things into your own hands by searching for the hashtag you’re considering using. If content shows up and flows freely, it’s not banned.

If you get the dreaded “Recent posts from [the hashtag you searched for] are currently hidden”, then you know not to use that hashtag.

Do It For the ‘Gram

SEO may be primarily used for website optimization, but that doesn’t mean you can’t use what you’ve learned for social media, as well.

Take these tips and transform your Instagram presence in a way that puts the user first while also building your reach.

Whether on Facebook Messenger, their website, or even text messaging, more and more brands are leveraging chatbots to service their customers, market their brands, and even sell their products.

But, the if/then logic that powers many chatbots’ conversational abilities limits them from answering unique and new questions, which can hang your customer out to dry and leave them dissatisfied with your customer service.

Fortunately, the next advancement in chatbot technology that can solve this problem is gaining steam — AI-powered chatbots. In this post, we’ll discuss what AI chatbots are and how they work and outline ADD NUMBER of the best AI chatbots to know about.

The rise of language models like GPT and LaMDA (the podcast below discusses how they work) has made way for conversational AI chatbots with advanced capabilities that can mimic a human conversation style, find information online, and produce unique content.

Click here to listen to the full episode

The most important thing to know about an AI chatbot is that it combines ML and NLU to understand what people need and bring the best solutions. Some AI chatbots are better for personal use, like conducting research, and others are best for business use, like featuring a chatbot on your website.

With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the best AI chatbots for 2023. Read on to find the right one for you.

1. ChatSpot

Price: In Alpha for HubSpot users

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ChatSpot is HubSpot’s new conversational CRM bot.

Key Features

• Chat-based commands help sales, marketing, and service professionals maximize productivity
• Draft follow-up emails, compile analytics reports, or even prospect
• Connects to HubSpot software and leverages your existing data

2. ChatGPT

Price: Free; ChatGPT Plus $20/month

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ChatGPT is OpenAI’s conversational chatbot powered by GPT-4.

Key Features

• Uses natural language processing to understand the context of conversations to provide related and original responses in a human-like conversation
• Multiple use cases for things like answering simple questions, ideating and getting inspiration, or generating new content (like a marketing email)
• Improves over time as it has more conversations.

3. Bing Chat

Price: Free (requires Microsoft Edge)

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Microsoft describes Bing Chat as an AI-powered co-pilot.

Key Features

• Uses NLP and machine learning to understand conversation prompts
• The compose feature can generate original written content and images, and its powerful search engine capabilities can surface answers from the web
• It’s a conversational tool, so you can continue sending messages until you’re satisfied

4. Bard

Price: Free

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Google’s Bard is a multi-use AI chatbot.

Key Features

• Powered by Google’s LaMDA (instead of GPT)
• Use it for things like brainstorming and ideation, drafting unique and original content, or getting answers to your questions
• Connected to Google’s website index so it can access information from the internet

Note: The four chatbots mentioned above are conversational and generative bots best suited for internal business use for things like ideating, producing content, and getting answers to your queries. Below we’ll go over AI chatbots that are customer-facing.

5. Kommunicate

Price: Start : $40 /mo; Grow: $100 /mo; Business: Custom Pricing

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Kommunicate is a human + Chatbot hybrid platform

Key Features

• Conversational AI and NLP capabilities, which allow businesses to automate aspects of customer support, such as answering frequently asked questions or routing customers to the right support agent. 
• Offers a range of integration options, allowing businesses to seamlessly incorporate it into their existing workflows.
• provides advanced analytics and reporting capabilities, allowing businesses to track and analyze customer interactions and support metrics.

Kommunicate is a platform for real-time, proactive, and personalized support for growing businesses. It helps to engage with their customers across omnichannel channels.

6. HubSpot Chatbot Builder

Free Chatbot Builder Software

HubSpot has a powerful and easy-to-use chatbot builder that allows you to automate and scale live chat conversations.

Key Features

• Customers can get answers to frequently asked questions, book meetings, and navigate through your site.
• Conversations are stored in your CRM so you can qualify leads and trigger automation flows.
• Easy integration across your marketing, sales, and service tools because HubSpot is a CRM platform.

Keep in mind that HubSpot’s chat builder software doesn’t quite fall under the “AI chatbot” category of “AI chatbot” because it uses a rule-based system. However, HubSpot does have code snippets, allowing you to leverage the powerful AI of third-party NLP-driven bots such as Dialogflow.

7. Intercom

Price: Starts at $74/mo

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Intercom’s rule-based chatbot lets you create segmented custom messages to share with audiences based on visitor behavior.

Key Features

• It uses machine learning and behavioral data to respond to site visitors and provide a personalized experience.
• Use your business data to train the bot to carry out tasks and provide answers relevant to your business.
• Code-free builder to easily create a custom branded bot and leverage 250 out-of-the-box integrations.

8. Watson Assistant

Price: Free – $140/month

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IBM Watson Assistant is an AI-powered conversational bot that gives you impressive recommendations for further training so it gets better at its job.

Key Features

• NLP and machine learning to gather context.
• Train it with industry and business-specific data so it gives chatters business-relevant information.
• It can run on your website, messaging channels, customer service tools, and mobile app, and you can quickly get started with the low-code builder.

9. Drift

Price: Contact for pricing

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Drift is an automation-powered conversational bot to help you communicate with site visitors based on their behavior.

Key Features

• Rule-based and AI chatbot with a classifier that categorizes conversations by context for more meaningful conversations.
• Can handle context switching if the conversation flow or subject changes.
• Customizable chat widget for mobile and desktop with helpful out-of-the-box integrations.

10. Infobip

Price: Contact for pricing

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Infobip’s chatbot building platform helps you design your ideal conversation flow with a drag-and-drop builder.

Key Features

• AI and machine learning help you train your chatbot.
• Rule and intent-based bots that understand the context of and replicate a conversational experience.
• Omnichannel usability for WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Etc.

11. Botsify

Price: Starts at $49/month

Botsify is an easy-to-use chatbot builder with multilingual capabilities.

Key Features

• AI and ML-powered self-learning chatbot.
• Use chatbot forms to gather visitor information for further nurturing.
• Create a chatbot across six services (website, messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram, WordPress, and SMS).

12. Appy Pie Chatbot

Price: Starts at $6/per bot per month

Appy Pie Chatbot helps you design a wide range of conversational chatbots with a no-code builder.

Key Features

• GPT-3 powered intuitive chatbot with contextual understanding.
• Leverages your business data to give accurate results to queries.
• Deploy a chatbot on your website or mobile app.

13. Bold360

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Bold360 helps brands build omnichannel chatbots to deliver business-related answers.

Key Features

• NLP technology interprets complex language, remembers context, and generates natural responses.
• Chatbot maintains your brand personality and uses your business information to have quality and relevant information.
• Live agent chat routing for conversions that need a human touch.

14. Zendesk Answer Bot

Price: $49/per agent per month

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Zendesk Answer Bot integrates with your knowledge base and leverages data to have quality, omnichannel conversations.

Key Features

• Use Flow Builder to create custom AI-powered conversation flows.
• Deep learning capabilities to contextualize conversations and understand intent.
• Escalation to live agents who get insights and suggestions from AI to bring quick solutions.

15. Salesforce Einstein

Price: Available through cloud products

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Salesforce Einstein is a conversational bot that natively integrates with all Salesforce products.

Key Features

• Powered by predictive intelligence and machine learning.
• Builds contextual understanding and leverages existing Salesforce data to surface the best responses.
• Routing to human agents for more pressing conversations.

16. LivePerson

Price: Contact for pricing

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LivePerson’s AI chatbot is built on 20+ years of messaging transcripts.

Key Features

• The intent manager leverages data to understand the context of conversations.
• Create automated conversation flows across different messaging channels (website, mobile app, Apple Business Chat, etc.)
• Point and click builder to quickly and seamlessly create your bot.

17. Inbenta

Price: Contact for pricing

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Inbenta’s chatbot uses a lexicon and semantic search engine to power conversations.

Key Features

• Its chatbot leverages machine learning and Inbenta’s own NLP engine to detect the context of conversations.
• Use the dialog manager to craft custom conversation paths.
• Escalate conversations to live support agents across multiple channels (your website, Slack, etc.)

18. Ada

Price: Contact for pricing

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Ada is an automated AI chatbot with support for 50+ languages on key channels like Facebook, WhatsApp, and WeChat.

Key Features

• Uses pre-trained machine learning models that you can refine to meet your business needs.
• Intent detection understands context and uses profiles and metadata to personalize conversations.
• Connected to your business’ crucial data to bring appropriate solutions.

Want to learn more about artificial intelligence? Check out this learning path.

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

 

In 2023, having the right data can make or break your brand. But, for good reason, consumer data is harder than ever to get.

As data privacy regulations continue to tighten and third-party data channels are phased out, just 29% of consumers say they trust brands with their data.

While businesses should want the data of prospects and customers to be protected, some of the excess analytics that companies once used to pinpoint behaviors and preferences of target audiences will become inaccessible as we enter a more privacy-first world.

Today, more than ever, it’s up to brands to gain consumer trust, especially if they want to access the customer data needed to create effective and personalized experiences.

But – how do you do that when over half of consumers flat-out decline to share their data?

To help you build a data-gathering process that is effective, while also taking data safety and brand trust into account, we asked 600+ consumers what brands will need to do to make them feel more comfortable with sharing personal data.

How to Earn Trust When Gathering Data

Offering people control over their data, transparency into how it’s being used, and keeping data secure are all key to encouraging consumers to share data.

At the center of all of these considerations is building trust with consumers. Our survey found that 78% of people are more likely to share their data with a company they trust and 65% say trust is the determining factor in whether or not they choose to share personal information.

On top of that, 78% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from a company they trust with their data.

So let’s take a deeper dive into six steps you can take or consider in building trust with consumers (while still fulfilling your data needs). We’ll also look at the top incentives you can offer people for their data to create a mutually beneficial exchange.

1. Give Consumers the Power to Delete Their Data from Your Records

73% of consumers say they should have complete control over how companies use their data.

But right now, once they consent to sharing their data, consumers are mostly powerless to get it back. By letting consumers easily delete their personal data from your brand’s database at any time, you allow them to maintain a sense of ownership.

Empowering consumers in this way also allows them to hold companies accountable. If people decide they no longer support a brand or are concerned about how their data is being used, they can get it back in a flash.

With 46% of consumers saying this level of control would make them more comfortable sharing data with a company, it could significantly boost trust between the two parties.

2. Give Consumers the Choice to Opt-in (and Out)

The second way to make consumers comfortable with sharing data also comes back to control. All you have to do is ask whether or not consumers want to share their data.

Not only does it build trust, but you’ll also improve your data quality by collecting data from people who actually want to give it to you.

3. Emphasize How Data is Securely Stored

Another major concern consumers have with sharing data revolves around how securely it is stored. Especially when it comes to making purchases with credit cards or sharing sensitive personal data, it’s only natural to wonder what could go wrong if there was a breach.

Brands that can demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding consumer data will gain trust with their customers. By prioritizing data security, you create a trustworthy and safe environment that reassures consumers when it comes to sharing their personal information.

4. Clearly Explain How You Plan to Use Each Data Point

Another major concern consumers have is not knowing how their data is used. Without that knowledge, they can’t make an informed decision on whether or not to consent to it, so why would they?

41% of consumers say transparency on how their data is used will make them more likely to share it.

Especially if you’re using that data to benefit the consumer by improving your product or making their experience on your website more personalized, you should communicate that when asking for data.

Struggling to explain why you need a specific data point? This could mean you might not need it and can eliminate one of the data-gathering tasks from your process, and more importantly, avoid worrying consumers by asking them for way too much unnecessary information.

5. Explicitly Pledge to Never Sell Consumers’ Personal Data

At HubSpot, we don’t condone the selling of data and encourage you to build your own contact lists and data samples, especially when the data could be used by sales reps, email marketers or other entities that could make unwanted contact with your consumer.

Many consumers are very concerned about their data being resold to other companies. Suddenly they’re being bombarded with ads, phone calls, and emails from people they don’t know selling products they don’t want.

If you are or aren’t selling consumer data, make that explicitly clear. They should ideally know exactly where their data is going and be able to decline giving it if it could be sold to companies they might not know.

Additionally, if you’ll share data with ANYONE that isn’t part of your immediate company, note which companies the data could be shared with or link to a deeper page or document that goes into deeper transparency about which companies the data will be used by.

6. Comply with Government Regulations (and Flaunt it)

Some countries have strict laws about collecting data from users, and 36% of consumers say it would make them feel more comfortable to know that brands are complying with these regulations.

While some states in the US have enacted data privacy laws, there isn’t a nationwide equivalent to the EU’s GDPR. If you’re complying with data privacy laws in your country or state, make sure to flaunt it so consumers know their privacy is protected.

For example, HubSpot has an entire section of its site devoted to GDPR resources and information about how its tools should be used to create GDPR-compliant data-gathering and tracking strategies.

7. Offer Incentives for Sharing Data

Sharing data with a company can feel very one-sided. Making it a mutually beneficial exchange can help your data quality and build trust with your customers.

We asked consumers about what would incentivize them to share data. Here’s what we found:

Unsurprisingly, money is most preferred with 33% of consumers saying monetary compensation would encourage them to trade their data. This isn’t that shocking as these consumers were paid a small sum of money to give their very thoughts for this post.

Other than money, 28% say discounts or free trials can sway them. Coupons, gift cards, and store credits can all be great ways to reward customers for giving you valuable information.

If you’re a marketer who relies on data to better cater experiences to your loyal customers, you might be in luck with many of them. One in four consumers say they might be more likely to share their data for a more convenient shopping experience and 19% would be interested in sharing it for a more personalized experience.

You can also make trading personal data mutually beneficial by offering valuable content, like access to a blog or newsletter, in exchange for an email address. We discovered that 17% of consumers would be interested in that trade.

Despite all that, 32% of consumers refuse to be swayed, saying none of these would make them more likely to share data – though the tips we went over above could help address that.

The Future of Data Privacy

When it comes to the future of data privacy, all signs point to transparency, ownership, and trust.

With 74% of consumers in our survey saying that data privacy is a human right, creating a mutually beneficial exchange is key to gathering data from your audience and building an effective first-party data strategy.

Check out our 2023 Consumer Trends Report for more insights on topics ranging from data privacy to shopping habits, the impact of the recession, and the metaverse.

Disclaimer: This blog post is not legal advice for your company to use in complying with EU data privacy laws like the GDPR or state-by-state data privacy regulations. Instead, it provides background information to help you better understand the GDPR and existing regulations. This information is not the same as legal advice, where an attorney applies the law to your specific circumstances, so we insist that you consult an attorney if you’d like advice on your interpretation of this information or its accuracy.

In a nutshell, you may not rely on this as legal advice, or as a recommendation of any particular legal understanding.

 

Have you ever been hypnotized by social media? According to our recent Consumer Trends survey, users of it spend an average of three hours a day there.

It’s easy to fall into a social media trap, filled with endless distraction. One minute you’re checking a DM and the next thing you know you’ve spent an hour watching videos of corgis playing fetch.

But, it does make you wonder what consumers actually do while spending all that time on social media. And — as a marketer — you’re likely going a step further by asking: “What’s my target audience doing on there?”

Why Consumers Use (& Love) Social Media

Before asking social media users what the heck they’re doing on social media all day, we asked them to choose the top three reasons they log on in the first place.

And considering the average social media user spends three hours a day on their platforms of choice, it’s no surprise that they log on to do a bit of everything there:

In digging deeper, we determined the top three reasons users log on to each major social media platform:

While Facebook and Instagram are mainly used to share content from our lives and keep up with family, users turn to TikTok and YouTube for entertainment, education, and inspiration. We also have Twitter and LinkedIn, the only platforms that are primarily used to keep up with news and trends.

With that in mind, we can dive a little deeper into the top reasons people use each of these platforms.

What Social Media Users Do on Each Platform

Facebook users primarily keep up with loved ones — but also like to share media on their feeds.

Facebook — used by 69% of U.S. adults is the most popular social media app on our list.

Two in three Facebook users are on it to keep up with friends and family, 43% use it to share pictures and videos, and 26% go to Facebook simply for entertainment. About one in five lean on Facebook for news or trends, as well as to learn new things.

YouTube users seek out entertainment, education, and inspirational content.

YouTube is the second most popular social media platform, used by 57% of U.S. adults. Edutainment thrives on YouTube – the top reasons people visit are to find entertaining content, learn new things, find inspiration, and keep up with news and trends. About one in five YouTubers use the app to keep up with brands and products.

Instagrammers share multimedia content while keeping up with friends, family, and celebrities.

45% of American adults use Instagram, and the top uses are to share pictures/videos (38%), to keep up with friends and family (33%), follow celebrities and influencers (27%), find entertaining content (27%), and keep up with brands/products (24%).

TikTok users watch a mix of entertaining, educational, and inspirational content.

Just about one in three U.S. adults are on TikTok, but this shoots up to 62% when we look at Gen Z.

Overall, TikTok’s used much like YouTube – for entertainment, education, and inspiration. 23% use TikTok to keep up with celebs/influencers and 21% use it to share their own content. About one in five TikTokers go to the platform to follow brands/products, while the same amount use it to keep up with news and trends.

Twitter users crave news, entertainment, and celebrity content.

Twitter stands out as the only platform where keeping up with news and cultural trends is the #1 reason people use the app. Finding entertaining content (27%), keeping up with celebrities (26%), and learning new things (23%) are also top reasons for Twitter usage.

LinkedIn users surf feeds for education, industry news, and brand updates.

As the only social media platform on this list geared towards professionals, it’s no surprise that the top reason people use LinkedIn is to learn new things. About 1 in 4 LinkedIn users also log on to keep up with news or trends, brands and their products, and their network of friends and family.

More Social Media Trends

Looking for more social trends? Check out HubSpot’s Social Media Trends 2023 Report blog pos, or the full PDF version below. In this content, we dig into data from 1,200+ social media marketers as well as key insights comparing marketer data to our bi-annual Consumer Trends Report.