Neil Patel, co-founder of NP Digital and one of the world’s leading digital marketing experts, has identified eight critical trends that will shape marketing success in 2026. These insights come from analyzing patterns across hundreds of brands and dozens of industries, revealing shifts that most marketers haven’t even noticed yet.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore each trend in detail and provide actionable strategies you can implement immediately to stay ahead of the competition.

1. Stop Sending Traffic Off-Platform: The New Lead Capture Revolution

The traditional approach of driving social media traffic to landing pages is killing your reach and costing you leads. Here’s why this fundamental shift matters and how to adapt.

The Platform Penalty Problem

Social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook actively throttle content that attempts to send users off-platform. Even innocent phrases like “click the link in my bio” or “visit our website” trigger algorithmic penalties that:

• Dramatically reduce your organic reach
• Increase your advertising costs
• Limit your content’s visibility to your existing audience

This happens because platforms want to keep users within their ecosystem, not send them elsewhere. When you try to move traffic off-platform, you’re working against the algorithm’s core objective.

The Mobile Drop-Off Crisis

Even when users do click through to external pages, mobile conversion rates suffer due to:

• Slow-loading forms and pages
• Poor mobile optimization
• Friction in the conversion process
• Context switching between platforms

The On-Platform Solution

The solution is to capture leads directly within the platform using automation tools like ManyChat. Here’s how it works:

1. Trigger Setup: Users comment with a specific keyword on your post
2. Automated Response: The tool automatically sends them a direct message
3. Lead Capture: Collect their information without them leaving the platform
4. Nurture Sequence: Continue the conversation through automated messaging

This approach delivers multiple benefits:

• Reduces friction and increases conversion rates
• Boosts engagement signals to the algorithm
• Captures higher-quality leads based on behavioral intent
• Maintains platform algorithm favor

2. Search Everywhere Optimization: Beyond Google SEO

Search has fragmented across multiple platforms, and your SEO strategy needs to evolve accordingly. This trend represents one of the most significant shifts in digital marketing.

The New Search Landscape

Search is no longer confined to Google. Consider these staggering statistics:

• Instagram: 6.5 billion searches per day
• YouTube: Over 3 billion searches daily
• TikTok: Emerging as a primary product discovery engine
• ChatGPT: Becoming a trusted research and discovery tool
• Snapchat: Invested $400 million in Perplexity to power their search

Buyers now jump across platforms like stepping stones, and most brands only show up on one of them.

Implementing Search Everywhere Optimization

To succeed in this new landscape, you need to optimize for discovery across all major platforms:

Keyword Integration Strategy

Weave your target keywords naturally into:

• Video scripts and audio content
• Captions and descriptions
• On-screen text and graphics
• Hashtags and metadata

Topic Cluster Development

Create multiple pieces of content around the same core theme to:

• Establish topical authority
• Help platforms understand your expertise
• Increase your chances of being discovered
• Build comprehensive coverage of your niche

Conversational Search Optimization

Optimize for how people actually search by:

• Using natural language and full phrases
• Including audio captions and transcripts
• Adding visual text that algorithms can read
• Matching user intent across different query types

3. The AI Slop Problem: Using AI Intelligently, Not Blindly

While AI promises increased efficiency, many marketing teams are experiencing the opposite due to hallucinations, errors, and poor implementation strategies.

The Hidden Costs of AI Dependence

Research shows that both free and paid AI tools have similar hallucination rates, meaning teams are trusting confident-sounding but completely incorrect information. This leads to:

• Wasted time on rework and corrections
• Campaign failures based on false data
• Decreased team productivity despite AI adoption
• Loss of critical thinking and validation skills

The Real Story Behind AI Layoffs

Many companies blame AI for workforce reductions, but industry experts, including Perplexity’s CEO, suggest the real reasons are:

• Overhiring during growth periods
• Slower-than-expected division growth
• Profitability pressures
• Market correction needs

AI becomes a convenient public explanation that sounds better to shareholders than admitting strategic miscalculations.

How Top Performers Actually Use AI

Successful marketers don’t use AI blindly—they use it strategically:

AI for Ideation, Not Execution

• Generate first drafts, not final content
• Brainstorm ideas and approaches
• Explore different angles and perspectives
• Create content outlines and structures

Verification and Quality Control

• Cross-reference all AI-generated statistics
• Verify sources and publication dates
• Fact-check claims and assertions
• Build internal quality assurance processes

AI as a Discovery Channel

The biggest ROI comes from using AI platforms like ChatGPT as discovery channels to drive traffic and conversions, rather than just content creation tools.

4. Digital PR: The New SEO Foundation

As AI tools become discovery engines, they’re prioritizing trusted sources and external validation over self-promotional content.

Why Digital PR Matters More Than Ever

AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini are developing authority systems similar to Google’s, but with key differences:

• They favor external citations over self-promotion
• Structured content gets cited more frequently
• Consistent formatting improves citation chances
• Micro-niche authority builds compound results

The Listicle Strategy

Publishing comprehensive “top 10” lists in specific niches helps train AI to see you as an authority:

• Top 10 SaaS marketing agencies
• Top 10 e-commerce optimization tools
• Top 10 affordable marketing solutions
• Top 10 franchise marketing strategies

The more micro-categories you own, the more AI platforms cite you as a source.

Building External Authority

Focus on getting other trusted sources to cite and recommend you:

• Pitch journalists and industry publications
• Contribute to industry reports and studies
• Participate in expert roundups
• Build relationships with industry influencers

Technical Optimization for AI Citation

Make your content easy for AI to extract and cite:

• Use clear headers and bullet points
• Include tables and structured data
• Add schema markup to your pages
• Keep content updated with last-modified dates
• Integrate case studies and verifiable statistics

5. AI Ads: Facebook Targeting Meets Google Intent

When ChatGPT launches advertising, it will combine the best of both worlds: Facebook’s behavioral targeting with Google’s search intent accuracy.

The New Advertising Paradigm

AI ads will target users based on:

• Complete search history and patterns
• Intent signals over time
• Behavioral interests and goals
• Problem identification and solution seeking

For example, if someone searches for marketing agencies but their last 9 searches were about weight loss, the AI might show them a fitness ad instead because that’s their primary current interest.

Preparing for Identity-Based Targeting

To succeed in this new advertising landscape:

Define Your Category Early

• Establish clear brand associations
• Build topical authority in your niche
• Create content that teaches AI who you help
• Focus on specific problem-solution relationships

Leverage First-Party Data

• Integrate CRM data with ad platforms
• Use purchase history for targeting
• Track customer interaction patterns
• Build detailed customer personas

Create Specific Positioning

Instead of saying “we’re a marketing agency,” say “we help SaaS companies scale from $1M to $10M through performance marketing.” This specificity trains AI to understand exactly who you serve.

6. Browsers as AI Platforms: The Next Discovery Frontier

Browsers are evolving into AI-powered platforms that provide answers, recommendations, and ads before users even visit websites.

The Browser Evolution

Major browsers are integrating AI capabilities:

• Chrome’s Gemini: AI-powered search and recommendations
• ChatGPT’s Atlas: Browser-integrated AI assistance
• Perplexity’s Comet: Search and discovery integration

This means users can get answers, comparisons, and recommendations directly in their browser without visiting individual websites.

Preparing for Browser-Centric Discovery

Early Adoption Strategy

• Start running AI-driven ad campaigns (like Google’s Performance Max)
• Learn how these systems optimize and target
• Build experience with AI advertising platforms
• Test different creative and messaging approaches

Technical Preparation

• Implement comprehensive structured data
• Use schema markup throughout your site
• Create clear, scannable content formatting
• Optimize for easy AI extraction

Content Strategy Shift

Treat your website as a data source that feeds AI systems, not just a destination for human visitors. This means:

• Organizing information for easy extraction
• Creating comprehensive resource pages
• Maintaining accurate, up-to-date information
• Building authority through consistent, quality content

7. Live Content: The Authenticity Advantage

In a world saturated with AI-generated content, live video provides the authenticity and human connection that audiences crave.

The Live Content Opportunity

Despite growing demand, few brands are capitalizing on live content:

• Nearly 30% of YouTube users watch live streams weekly
• Live content receives higher engagement rates
• Platforms prioritize live content in their algorithms
• Live streams build stronger audience relationships

Benefits of Regular Live Content

Audience Connection

• Builds trust through real-time interaction
• Humanizes your brand
• Creates community around your content
• Establishes thought leadership

Content Multiplication

• One live stream creates multiple content pieces
• Platforms auto-generate clips in different formats
• Horizontal and vertical versions created automatically
• Repurpose into shorts, reels, and TikToks

Live Content Strategy

Consistency Over Production Value

• Go live weekly with valuable content
• Focus on teaching and helping your audience
• Answer questions and address current trends
• Share case studies and behind-the-scenes insights

Content Ideas

• Q&A sessions with your audience
• Industry trend analysis and commentary
• Case study breakdowns
• Tool demonstrations and tutorials
• Guest interviews and collaborations

8. Multilingual Content: Global Reach Without Barriers

Language barriers are disappearing thanks to AI-powered translation and voice synthesis technologies.

The Global Content Revolution

Tools like YouTube’s auto-dubbing and HeyGen enable automatic translation and voice synthesis in multiple languages, allowing creators to:

• Reach global audiences instantly
• Expand into new markets without additional costs
• Generate 30-50% of views from non-native languages
• Scale content production globally

Implementation Strategy

Platform Optimization

• Enable multilanguage audio on YouTube videos
• Use automatic translation features
• Optimize video settings for global distribution
• Monitor performance across different languages

Website Globalization

• Implement hreflang tags for international SEO
• Add language selectors to your site
• Localize call-to-action buttons and forms
• Ensure checkout processes support multiple languages
• Create region-specific landing pages

Content Localization

• Adapt content for cultural differences
• Consider local market preferences
• Adjust messaging for different regions
• Test performance across markets

Implementing These Trends: Your 2026 Action Plan

To successfully implement these trends, prioritize based on your current capabilities and market position:

Immediate Actions (Next 30 Days)

1. Set up on-platform lead capture using tools like ManyChat
2. Enable multilanguage audio on your video content
3. Start going live weekly with educational content
4. Audit your content for AI-friendly formatting

Medium-Term Strategy (Next 90 Days)

1. Develop topic clusters for search everywhere optimization
2. Launch a digital PR campaign to build external authority
3. Implement comprehensive structured data on your website
4. Begin testing AI-driven advertising campaigns

Long-Term Vision (Next 6-12 Months)

1. Build a comprehensive content ecosystem across all platforms
2. Establish category leadership in your niche
3. Develop global content distribution strategies
4. Create systems for consistent quality control and verification

Conclusion: Leading the 2026 Marketing Revolution

The digital marketing landscape of 2026 will reward brands that understand and adapt to these fundamental shifts. Success will come to those who:

• Embrace platform-native lead capture strategies
• Optimize for discovery across all search surfaces
• Use AI intelligently while maintaining human oversight
• Build authority through digital PR and external validation
• Prepare for identity-based advertising
• Optimize for browser-integrated AI discovery
• Leverage live content for authentic connection
• Scale globally through multilingual content

The brands that implement these strategies now will have a significant competitive advantage as these trends accelerate throughout 2026. Don’t wait for your competitors to catch up—start implementing these changes today.

For more insights on digital marketing strategy and implementation, visit FML Marketing for expert guidance on navigating the evolving digital landscape.

The post The 8 Digital Marketing Trends That Will Define 2026: A Complete Strategy Guide appeared first on FML Marketing.

What is Social Media Management?

Social media management is the process of creating, scheduling, and monitoring content across various social media channels. A social media manager is the person responsible for managing a company’s social media presence. This includes creating posts and responding to comments, as well as creating strategies to increase brand reach and engagement.

Social media management is a complex process. It requires the ability to think strategically, create compelling content, and stay on top of the latest trends. To be successful, a social media manager must have strong organizational and communication skills, as well as a deep understanding of the target audience.

The goal of social media management is to create an effective social media presence for a company. This involves creating content that resonates with the target audience and engaging with users to build relationships. When done correctly, social media management can have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line.

Benefits of Social Media Management

Social media management has a number of benefits for businesses. Here are some of the key benefits of social media management:

• Increased brand awareness: Social media management helps businesses reach a wider audience, build relationships with potential customers, and increase brand awareness.
• Improved customer engagement: Social media management helps businesses engage with customers and build relationships. This can lead to increased loyalty and sales.
• Increased website traffic: Social media management helps businesses drive more website traffic, which can lead to increased conversions and sales.
• Improved customer service: Social media management helps businesses respond quickly to customer inquiries and complaints, which can lead to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Increased sales: Social media management can help businesses increase their sales by targeting the right audience and building relationships with potential customers.

Social Media Management Statistics

Social media management is a powerful tool for businesses. Here are some key statistics about social media management:

• 97% of marketers say social media has helped them increase their brand exposure (Source: Oberlo)
• 75% of businesses are using social media for marketing (Source: Oberlo)
• 79% of businesses say their social media efforts have increased traffic to their website (Source: Oberlo)
• 57% of consumers say social media affects their purchasing decisions (Source: Oberlo)
• 78% of marketers have seen an increase in website traffic from social media (Source: Oberlo)

These statistics show that social media management can be an effective way to increase brand exposure, traffic, and sales.

Social Media Management Strategies

There are many different strategies that businesses can use to manage their social media presence. Here are some key strategies for social media management:

• Establish a presence on multiple social media channels: To maximize reach and engagement, businesses should establish a presence on multiple social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
• Develop a content strategy: Developing a content strategy is essential for social media management. This involves creating content that resonates with the target audience and is aligned with the company’s goals.
• Monitor and respond to comments: It’s important to monitor and respond to comments in a timely manner. This helps build relationships with customers and increases customer satisfaction.
• Leverage influencers: Influencers can be a great way to reach a wider audience and increase engagement.
• Analyze data: Analyzing data is essential for understanding how the company’s social media efforts are performing and what changes should be made.

These strategies can help businesses maximize the impact of their social media presence.

Creating Your Social Media Management Plan

Creating a social media management plan is key for success. Here are some steps for creating a social media management plan:

• Define goals: Define what the goals of the social media management plan are. This could include increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or increasing sales.
• Identify target audience: Identify the company’s target audience and create content that resonates with them.
• Establish a presence on multiple channels: Establish a presence on multiple social media channels to maximize reach and engagement.
• Create a content plan: Develop a content plan that is aligned with the company’s goals.
• Monitor and respond to comments: Monitor and respond to comments in a timely manner.
• Analyze data: Analyze data to understand how the company’s social media efforts are performing.

Creating a social media management plan is essential for success.

Social Media Management Tips

Social media management can be a daunting task. Here are some tips to make it easier:

• Keep it simple: Don’t try to do too much. Focus on creating content that resonates with the target audience and engaging with users.
• Automate when possible: Automation can help save time and ensure posts are scheduled and published on time.
• Focus on quality over quantity: Quality over quantity is key for social media management. Focus on creating high-quality content and engaging with users.
• Be consistent: Consistency is key for social media management. Post regularly and respond to comments in a timely manner.
• Analyze data: Analyzing data is essential for understanding how the company’s social media efforts are performing and what changes should be made.

Following these tips can help make social media management easier.

The Best Social Media Management Platforms

There are many social media management platforms available. Here are some of the best:

• Hootsuite: Hootsuite is a powerful social media management platform that helps businesses manage multiple social media accounts. It offers post scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration tools.
• Sprout Social: Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management platform that helps businesses manage multiple social media accounts. It offers post scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration tools.
• Buffer: Buffer is a user-friendly social media management platform that helps businesses manage multiple social media accounts. It offers post scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration tools.
• Agorapulse: Agorapulse is a comprehensive social media management platform that helps businesses manage multiple social media accounts. It offers post scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration tools.
• SocialFlow: SocialFlow is a powerful social media management platform that helps businesses manage multiple social media accounts. It offers post scheduling, analytics, and team collaboration tools.

Choosing the right social media management platform is essential for success.

Courses for Social Media Management

There are many courses available for social media management. Here are some of the best:

• Hootsuite Academy: Hootsuite Academy offers courses in social media management, including courses in strategy and analytics.
• Coursera: Coursera offers courses in social media management, including courses in content creation, data analysis, and optimization.
• Social Media Marketing by Udemy: This course covers the basics of social media management, including creating content, measuring performance, and optimizing campaigns.
• Social Media Management by Skillshare: This course explores the fundamentals of social media management, including content creation, scheduling, and analytics.

These courses can help businesses learn the fundamentals of social media management.

Social Media Management Services and Outsourcing

Social media management can be a time-consuming process. Here are some services and outsourcing options for social media management:

• Freelancers: Freelancers can be a great option for businesses that need help with social media management. They can help with content creation, post scheduling, and analytics.
• Social media management agencies: Social media management agencies specialize in helping businesses with their social media presence. They can help with content creation, post scheduling, and analytics.
• Social media automation tools: Social media automation tools can help businesses save time by automating post scheduling, analytics, and other tasks.
• Virtual assistants: Virtual assistants can help businesses with a variety of tasks, including content creation, post scheduling, and analytics.

These services and outsourcing options can help businesses save time and maximize their social media presence.

Managing Multiple Social Media Channels

Managing multiple social media channels can be a challenge. Here are some tips for managing multiple social media channels:

• Set up a calendar: Set up a calendar to keep track of when posts should be published and when responses to comments should be made.
• Create content in batches: Create content in batches to save time. This can help ensure content is consistent across multiple channels.
• Automate when possible: Automation can help save time and ensure posts are scheduled and published on time.
• Monitor and respond: Monitor and respond to comments in a timely manner to build relationships with customers.
• Analyze data: Analyze data to understand how the company’s social media efforts are performing and what changes should be made.

Following these tips can help make managing multiple social media channels easier.

Using the right tools can help businesses maximize the impact of their social media presence.

Social Media Management Agencies

Social media management agencies specialize in helping businesses with their social media presence. Here are some of the best social media management agencies:

• FML Marketing: FML Marketing is a social media management agency on the Costa del Sol. They specialize in creating compelling content, managing multiple accounts, and optimizing campaigns.

Hiring a social media management agency can help businesses maximize their social media presence.

Social Media for Business

Social media is an important tool for businesses. Here are some tips for using social media for business:

• Define goals: Define what the goals of the social media campaign are. This could include increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or increasing sales.
• Identify target audience: Identify the company’s target audience and create content that resonates with them.
• Establish a presence on multiple channels: Establish a presence on multiple social media channels to maximize reach and engagement.
• Create a content plan: Develop a content plan that is aligned with the company’s goals.
• Monitor and respond to comments: Monitor and respond to comments in a timely manner.
• Analyze data: Analyze data to understand how the company’s social media efforts are performing.

Following these tips can help businesses maximize the impact of their social media presence.

Conclusion

Social media management is an essential part of any business’s marketing strategy. It involves creating content, scheduling posts, and engaging with users. When done correctly, social media management can have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line.

To succeed with social media management, businesses must have a clear plan and understand the fundamentals of social media. They must also use the right tools, services, and outsourcing options. Following these tips can help businesses unlock their brand’s potential with social media management.

The post Unlock Your Brand’s Potential with Social Media Management‍ appeared first on FML Marketing.

We are regularly asked if we know of any sites where you can download good free stock photos. Since we’ve been in web design for roughly 10 years, we know them all, so it’s just as handy to share this information with you in this article. There’s plenty of choice in this area, but we’ve listed our personal top 6 (in random order) below for you.

Freepik

Our favourite recourse for free stock pics is for sure Freepik. This website is a must for anyone active on social media or with content marketing. And it even goes beyond just photos. You can also download icons, vector/psd.ai files to customise later with photoshop or Illustrator. Best of all…the database is updated every day and we are sure you will find some relevant pictures here.

Unsplash

Unsplash’s database is impressive with more than 200,000 high-resolution photos. The platform grows daily with hundreds of new photos thanks to more than 40,000 photographers who have all made their photos available free of charge for both personal and commercial use. Visit website: https://unsplash.com/

Above we give the creator credits for his/her work, but this is not mandatory. We do it for blogs, but not for other pages on the website.

You can create an account on the website with which you can create your own collections. With an evening of inspiration you can easily create a beautiful collection where you can have a great time in your blogs or social posts. You can easily search for individual photos, but with each search term you immediately get to see the collections that others have already made on that search term.

Pixabay

Another very nice site with a lot of choice is Pixabay. This platform has over a million images to choose from and besides photos, it also has illustrations, vector files, illustrations and videos. As with Unsplash, you can use all materials freely and it is not mandatory to mention the source of the photo.

Pixabay is available in Dutch, so if your English is not too good, then this is probably a better option than Unsplash, for example. On Pixabay you can also create a free account with which you can save your favorite images, follow other users and even send messages.

Pexels

Pexels is a bit smaller than the other free stock photo services, but still a nice site to browse through. With an estimated 50,000 images, there’s always something in between for a blog post or a social post (maybe together with Canva). The database of Pexels grows monthly with about 3000 images, so it’s definitely worth a bookmark!

Magdeleine

One of the nicest free stock photo websites is Magdeleine. Although this platform does not have the offer of all previously mentioned websites, they make up for that with the quality of the photos. Magdeleine prides itself on the fact that all photos on the site have been personally selected on quality and nothing has been lied about. The many original images lend themselves perfectly to blogs or posts for inspiration. Especially if you do something in coaching or management we would definitely look for the tag “People” on the website.

Burst

Burst is a free photo database from Shopify (an e-commerce platform) and offers a nice collection of photos that you can use without mentioning any source. You can use and edit the photos commercially as well as non-commercially.

There is no need to create an account on this website and you can download photos in both low and high resolution. The latter is for example super handy if you need an image for printed matter such as a flyer or brochure. You can search the site in English, but you can also browse through various collections to see if there is something in between for you.

FML Marketing

Client that create a website or webshop with us always wget access to a number of paid stock photo services. For example, you can use up to 20 Freepik Premium photos to build your website or shop at no extra cost.

Thank you for reading our blog! FML Marketing is an online marketing agency, located in Alkmaar, The Netherlands and Estepona, Spain. We specialise in web design, SEO and PPC marketing campaigns.

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Questions? Feel free to contact us for free advice on photos and web design!

The post Free stock photos: 6 of our favourite websites appeared first on FML Marketing.

Instagram has decided to ‘punish’ accounts that have bought followers, and likes, harder. In order to do so,The social media company has already developed tools for this purpose. These tools enable Instagram to recognize accounts that make use of this. One of the measures is, among other things, that accounts that are cheating will be asked to change their password. This immediately prevents third-party tools and companies that inadvertently have access to an Instagram account, can access the acounts.

Instagram influencers are a hot topic

Why? Well, actually everyone with an Instagram account is an influencer. Because even with few followers you are – if you notice a little – a nano-influencer. Especially if your Instagram account is thematic.

Instagram growth is a hot topic

Having a strong Instagram account, with many followers, is currently a massive challenge. Only those who have real media coverage will have a chance to reach a tremendous amount of followers. For large, or small accounts, the magic lies in having a lot of interaction. This is the sweet spot of where things are wrong.

Recognize fake Instagram followers

Needless to say, most accounts with an unickely lage amount of followers and likes are fake. You can recognize them, they are the private accounts, they have hardly any followers, sometimes have only posted five messages and the last one was in October 2017. Yet, they like your post and brands are overjoyed about it.

Shoot oneself in the foot

The market is in fact fooling itself. Because brands want to fully use and profit of all that authority on Instagram. But the people responsible for Instagram do not stick their heads in the sand. They are fully aware of the fact that if they want to boost their business model, they have to better monitor the quality of the platform. Whether that will work depends on the cleverness of the algorithm and the robots that have to carry out the cleaning. On the other side, the hackers and Insta-entrepreneurs who earn filthy stacks of cash by selling followers and likes, will not surrender without putting up a fight…

To be continued!

The post Instagram to hunt down fake followers and likes appeared first on FML Marketing.

These profiles are then converted into a business page by Facebook and usually, you can no longer join them. Therefore, just like me, be proactive and turn your personal Instagram into a business account. A business Instagram account also has the advantage that you get access to statistics and promotions. In this article, I will discuss the creation of a company profile, the statistics on Instagram and the option to promote Instagram messages.

Create a company profile

If you get the message from Instagram to make your business account a business account, you can follow that message. Sometimes you get the message that you are not a page manager, while you are. Then first do the following: First, link your Instagram to your personal Facebook page. Permission is then requested to be able to access the pages and you have to give them. Otherwise, you will not get any further. Then you can link your Instagram to your company page.

Company information on your profile

Then, you are enabled to click on the company profile almost at the bottom of settings. You then indicate with your page which information you want to share, such as your e-mail, telephone number, and address. If you have a store, you obviously want to share the address, but if you have an online business or no office where people can visit you can also keep the address for yourself and click on it. Then you can change or delete it.

Now there is a link next to your profile picture that people can click to email, call or to see your address. This can be very interesting because the step to do business with you via Instagram has become a lot smaller. Followers no longer need to go to your website first and find out everything there. It is now just a push of the button and you are in touch. Ideal!

Read also: Instagram and the use of hashtags

Or: Create your Instagram Business account now!

Instagram statistics

First, you had to check your statistics via external sites and grant them all kinds of permissions. Now you can check your statistics on Instagram yourself. If you click on the icon of the statistics in the app you will first get a kind of general page. This indicates how many people have seen your messages that week. Then you see the most popular messages, the time when your followers are online that day.

Views

In the views, you first see the total number of times your messages have been seen. Then you can swipe through and then you also see the number of people you have reached that week, how many people have seen your profile and how often you clicked through to your website.

Popular messages

In the popular messages, you can see which messages have been seen the most in the last 30 days. If you click through it you will get an overview with every number the number of how many times it has been seen.

Followers

For followers, the average time for your followers on Instagram is on the day you watch. If you click on more, you will also see how many followers you have and how many new you have received that week.Then you see the gender distribution of your followers. The ages of your followers, where you can also click on the gender for more specific insights, and you see where your followers come from. This may be important, especially for local companies. Because you want followers in your environment. At the bottom of the followers, you can click through to the other days of the week to see at which times your followers are online. This is useful for the best timing when posting messages.

Promote messages directly on Instagram

And therefore no longer via Facebook! It is the link with Facebook after a social medium that you can use individually for your online marketing activities and get people quickly on your website or on your phone. Promoting a message on Instagram is similar to promoting a message on Facebook. Would you like to know more about drafting, planning and promoting messages for Instagram? Then we can always help you with a workshop, social media coaching, or social media management.

The post Instagram for Business: Create company profile appeared first on FML Marketing.

Quantity and number of hashtags

Many people place as many hashtags under their a photo, with a maximum of 30 pieces. From now on Instagram will pay attention to the use of the same and the number of hashtags. If you always use the same 30 hashtags with each photo, it can now be that Instagram gives you the label ‘spammy’. Ultimately this can lead to a shadow ban!

A shadow ban is often used with spam accounts/bots, because it often has nothing to do with the site or the subject. The result is that the content is no longer visible to others. In the case of Instagram, this means that your own placed photo in your feed is shown normally. However, when other people search for corresponding hashtags, your photo is not shown.

How do you prevent this?

Below I give 3 tips on how to best use hashtags

1. Location of hashtags

Many people put their hashtags in the first comment of their post. It is recommended to always place the hashtags in the body of the post (the direct text below your photo).

2. The number of hashtags

It is recommended to use between 5 and 10 hashtags by mail. This way you prevent the ‘spam label’.

3. Which hashtags

Do not always use the same hashtags. Vary with hashtags by mail, this way you remain unique and Instagram does not give you the ‘spam label’. Win-win!

How to find more relevant #hashtags on Instagram

Besides scouting Instagram users manually to find the right hashtags, there are two more effective ways to get new and relevant hashtags. The first one is using the search bar in the top of your screen. If you choose the ‘tags’ tab, you will be able to search the popular tags.

The second option is a handy tool called Display Purposes. This simple, yet effective tool will search for more relevant hashtags, based on a hashtag (s) that you enter in the search box. Easy, fast and super effective!

FML Marketing – Social Media solutions Costa del Sol

Thank you for reading our Marketing blog. We try to share as many free tips as possible on our blog. Visit our Facebook and Instagram pages for more free insights or subscribe to our newsletter in the footer of the page. Or contact us if you are looking for a professional social media approach or social media content strategy.

The post #hashtags on Instagram: the dos & don’ts for 2018 appeared first on FML Marketing.

Social Media for your business

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5 tips to use Instagram Stories for your company

The Instagram Stories feature has been around for a while and is being used by more than 300 million people worldwide. Not only is it interesting for personal accounts, but companies can also make good use of Instagram Stories.

Instagram Stories are images, boomerangs or short films that you can add to your Instagram account. Your content will then be visible to others for 24 hours (this is also called ephemeral content) and that is precisely the success of Stories. Stories responds to an important trend within marketing: FOMO (fear of missing out).

With these 5 handy tips to use Instagram Stories for your company, you can be sure that you will not miss any opportunities:

1. Set clear goals

The first step is always determining your goals. Think carefully about what you want to achieve with Stories. Do you want to give a look behind the scenes of your organization or promote a product and generate more traffic?

2. Consider the content and make a schedule

As soon as your goals are formulated clearly, you start working on creating and creating the content for your Stories. Make sure you make a clear plan … and you’re good to go! Leave some space for spontaneous actions or current events.

3. Place a link

Stories lend itself well to generating more traffic to your website. There is a big ‘but’ behind it, namely: you have 10,000 or more followers, otherwise you can not place a direct link to your Stories. Very sorry, but no panic. There is a convenient way to generate traffic with a smaller account.

You can – regardless of the number of followers – add a link in the bio on your Instagram profile. You can then state your organization in the Stories by clicking on ‘Aa’ (= function to add text) and then typing @your organization. In this way, you still refer the users to the link (in your bio).

4. Add Highlights

Nowadays it is also possible to store the temporary Stories as Highlights on your Instagram profile. Go to your Story and click on ‘Light’ in the bottom right corner. Ideal for example to highlight your products and generate more traffic.

5. Create a poll

Create interaction and increase engagement by simply adding a poll to your Stories. The poll has two answer options and is an excellent way to ask for the opinion or feedback from your followers. Make the poll a part of your story and involve your target audience in the process. By sharing the results of a poll you make voting more fun.

So you see that Instagram Stories is not only reserved for the individual users but that there are also many opportunities for companies. Get started, experiment and analyze what works best for your organization. Also, tell your story with Instagram Stories.

Do you want to know more about the successful use of social media? Contact FML Marketing now by leaving your details below, or give us a call at (+34) 6 50 80 12 43. 

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