It’s not just your imagination: There’s a pattern behind why some of your Instagram posts get better social media engagement than others, regardless of how hard you worked on them.

Experts have analyzed the science of why some posts seem to reap more than their fair share of clicked-on links, likes, shares, comments, new followers, active fans — and most importantly, results.

Like so much in life, it all comes down to timing. Let’s take a look at which times of day, and which days of the week, tend to have the highest rates of social engagement, and what variations exist within various industries. For consistency’s sake, we’re using Eastern Standard Time (EST) as our frame of reference, so adjust accordingly for your own time zone.

Best (and Worst) All-Around Posting Times

Wednesday is the best day overall when it comes to most-viewed Instagram posts, according to data compiled by the social media management platform Sprout Social. That’s factoring in all brands, influencer personalities, and smaller-scale, individual accounts. Specifically, Wednesdays at noon finds the highest spike of activity on Instagram.

The second most-successful posting time for Instagram users overall is noon to 1 p.m. on Fridays. In general, weekdays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. are good days and times in which to post to the ‘gram. (Probably not a coincidence that these are the times when so many people are chained to their desks at work!)

Before 7 a.m. and after 10 p.m. are the times in which you are least likely to find social engagement, as well as all day Sunday.

Keep in mind, however, that these figures represent all Instagram users. Within that broad audience are categories that have different social media habits. If you have a specific brand identity, it’s important to delve a little deeper to find if the “best all around” periods of engagement on Instagram is the guideline you should be consulting.

Although one might think that weekends are a no-brainer for people to be hitting social media, there’s a difference between idly surfing the ‘gram,  vs. actually interacting with brands, business services, non-profits, and so forth.

In other words, while your ideal customer might be dreaming of visiting your area over the weekend, she won’t actually be in hotel-booking mode on a lazy Sunday. In fact, the least-successful day to post when it comes to social engagement are Sundays, virtually across the board.

Variations by Industry

If you’re running the social media for a business — or are catering to consumers of specific industries — one size does not fit all when it comes to when to post on Instagram.

Travel and Recreation

The hospitality and recreation businesses are often operating on a slim profit margin, which means that every post counts. That’s true whether you’re operating a resort halfway around the world from your target customers, own a local eatery, or manage a water park.

For the recreation industry, around 2 p.m. is best, with Wednesday and Thursday posts seeming to perform most successfully. (This is probably not surprising, since a midweek “pick me up” post involving a special trip or weekend paddleboard rental can really help office workers make it through the rest of the day!)

As with most other types of industries, Sundays offer the least successful social engagement opportunities on Instagram for the recreation industry. If your own timetable doesn’t make a midday, mid-week posting time realistic (especially if you’re in a different time zone), split the difference by avoiding early morning or late night posts, which have the least amount of social engagement for the industry.

Nonprofits

It’s not enough to simply represent a good cause. It’s also important to find new ways to help current and potential donors and volunteers see why the need is urgent for your nonprofit organization. For example, using Instagram to present success stories is another way to balance the grim need with the positive results that can happen and you can hire an Instagram Advertising Agency.

So, what’s the best time to make an impact on Instagram for your nonprofit? Midweek is best, while Sundays are the least effective times for social engagement for charitable organizations. From about 2 to 4 p.m. are the best times to post, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Retail Sales

If you’re promoting consumer goods, Instagram presents the perfect way to tell a good story. That’s what makes the difference between “content” and “compelling content.” Rather than simply post a photo and description of the products you’re promoting, help your audience picture themselves using them. Work with influencer partners as well as your own in-house art department to coordinate fun, eye-catching and informative posts.

Whether it’s a flirty dress, container plants for the front porch, or a sleek new drill set, photos and engaging text help would-be customers see how your product will improve their lifestyle. Strike a balance between people who already follow you because they love your brand or store, and those who came across your post  by searching for “#sundress” or “potted begonias.”

In general, the best time to post for consumer goods is Wednesday at about 4 p.m. As with other industries, Sundays remain the days in which posts receive the least amount of commercial engagements when it comes to consumer goods. But, as usual, make sure to track sales and inquiries over a period of several months, because your business might actually do well with Sunday browsers.

Don’t Ignore Your Own Common Sense

If your Instagram caters to a specific audience, following the social engagement trends blindly may do your account more harm than good. If you’re a brand or retail outlet that caters to musicians, for example, they may still be sleeping at 2 p.m.!

Experiment to determine which times and days get the best responses. It may be at 2 a.m., when those hypothetical band members are still winding down from gigs — or in the evening, when they’re killing time before it’s time to hit the stage.

Likewise, a crafting-oriented audience may be looking for ideas before the rest of the family wakes up, making early morning the most likely time you’ll get the kind of social engagement you’re looking for from your niche audience.

As with many marketing initiatives, generalized data shouldn’t supersede your own expectations. Many social media accounts are continually surprised by the actual active hours of their target audience, as well as the types of posts which get the most attention. Rather than seizing on what you’ve gleaned after a few posts, take the time to look for longer-term trends — say, after a month or so, as well as after conducting a quarterly and yearly analysis.

YouTube has become one of the internet’s most popular moneymakers. But is it all a bunch of hype, or does making money through YouTube have real potential? The truth is that YouTube isn’t just great at making internet stars, it’s also a viable way to make money. Here’s the system with which you get paid out for ads on YouTube:

• Google pays the video publisher 68% of advertising revenue. So when an advertiser pays Google $100, you get $68.
• The amount the advertiser pays changes, but generally, it is between $0.10 to $0.30 per view, with the average being $0.18/view.
• This means that for 1,000 ad views, a Channel will get $18 on average. That works out to about $3-$5 per 1,000 video views.

So there’s the short answer. For every 1,000 views, a YouTuber will make $3-5. That’s not bad. But how simple is it to get those 1,000 views and how complicated is it to scale up.

What Can You Earn In Your Channel’s Early Days?

YouTube is not a great get rich scheme. The truth is that in the early days, it’s extremely unlikely that you will be making a great deal of money, or really any at all, by using YouTube in the very first days. While it’s possible to activate your AdSense account from the beginning and theoretically make money from posting your first videos, unless you’re already bringing over a large audience from another platform, it will take time to build enough of an audience to get enough views to make money.

Here’s an important aspect to keep in mind when evaluating all of this. While some advertisements are paid based on CPM (cost per thousand views), the vast majority are paid based on CPC (cost per click). This means that the money paid is calculated solely on the number of people who have clicked through on the ad. Because overall, very few people will click through, in order to make money it’s necessary to have the overall number of views be extremely high.

Even when the ad is being paid based on CPM, it requires the viewer to watch 30 seconds of the ad, instead of skipping ahead. This too increases the number of viewers overall necessary to make money. Additionally, you can only begin withdrawing payments from your AdSense account after you have reached $100.

So at the start there are not a lot of opportunities to make much money directly through advertising. There are however a few other options. One of these is affiliate marketing. By choosing a popular product and then linking to the product’s sales page for affiliate marketing, you can begin to make money more quickly.

Another important thing to consider in the early days is choosing the right niche for your market. By choosing an extremely popular topic your channel will have its best competitive edge. Here are some topics that are extremely popular:

• Celebrity gossip
• Food Reviews
• Funny Things (especially with animals)
• Gaming
• How-to and DIY
• Lifehacks
• News
• Numbered Lists
• Product Unboxing
• Spoofs

Moderately Successful Channels

After putting in your time in the early days and going about it all the right way, you should be able to achieve moderate success. At this point is when you can begin to see some AdSense money in addition to any affiliate marketing money you have been earning.

At this point you won’t be able to live off of the YouTube income, but you’ve become an influencer within your niche. At around 20,000 subscribers you can think about adding an additional revenue stream through crowdfunding using a site like Patreon. On average, payments through Patreon are $7 and the site takes 5% of the income. However the overall income from this source can be increased by uploading regular videos. This is likely to increase the number of times subscribers contribute to the Patreon.

After achieving some success with AdSense, it’s a good idea to build on this. Choosing the right key words and phrases can lead to higher CPCs as can choosing the right products to review.

At this point some channels may be getting requests for endorsements from smaller brands, but there is a lot of growing to do in this area. The period of moderate success can be a very trying time for YouTube channel. Certain expectations have been established, and the channel is required to upload regular quality content. This can amount to a full time job, but does not yet pay like one. It is especially easy to get discouraged during this phase.

Success Begins at 1,000,000

It takes a whole lot to get there, but once you’ve achieved 1,000,000 subscribers running a YouTube channel actually becomes easier rather than harder. While this number may seem completely out of reach, in reality there are actually 2,000 channels with over a million subscribers, so it can be done!

And once this has been achieved, then it’s time to start making the real money from AdSense. Of course channels still have to upload videos regularly but let’s break down how much they can make.

A channel that uploads one video a week has 1,000,000 subscribers. Each subscriber views the video. Assuming that 150 viewers watch an ad for every 1,000 views and the CPC is $0.18, the channel will earn $18,000. Upload two videos a week and double that.

At this point there are additional revenue stream options through sponsorship offers. Additionally some can independently sale their own merch direct to fans. Any review channel can make great affiliate money at this stage as well.

The YouTube Superheroes

Then there are those at the top of the pyramid. The ones making astronomical incomes from their YouTube activities. These are in the seven figure range and above. If this feels impossible, the most recent list of Forbes top ten YouTubers had a whole of kids on it. Let’s take a look at the Top 10 for 2019:

1. Ryan Kaji: $26 million
2. Dude Perfect: $20 million
3. Anastasia Radzinskaya: $18 million
4. Rhett and Link: $17.5 million
5. Jeffree Star: $17 million
6. Preston (Preston Arsement): $14 million
7. Markiplier (Mark Fischbach) : $13 million (Tied for 7th place)
8. PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg): $13 million (Tied for 7th place)
9. DanTDM (Daniel Middleton): $12 million
10. Van Oss Gaming (Evan Fong): $11. 5 million

Your website is one of the essential elements of your digital marketing strategy. You use it to inform people about your business or brand and to convince them into becoming your customers. Building your website with WordPress comes with a lot of benefits. One of those benefits is that you can easily create a multi-language site.

Having your website translated into multiple languages is a huge business advantage. It’ll help you reach a wider audience, become more dominant in foreign markets, and improve organic traffic. All you have to do is learn how to translate your WordPress site into other languages.

WordPress doesn’t have the translation feature, so you have to use plugins or other techniques to translate your website. But, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

Here’s how to create a multi-language WordPress site.

1. Human Translation

The first option you need to consider is translating your site by using human translations.

The advantage of human translation over machine translation is the following:

• better quality of the translation
• no literal translations
• adaptation of the content to suit the target language

Naturally, if you don’t speak the target language yourself, you’ll have to hire a professional translator. Still, if you have the resources to do it, we highly recommend that you do.

Apart from translating the content of your website, you’ll also need to add different language options to your website.  You can use the different plugins to help you out.

Polylang

Polylang is a great option for incorporating translations into your website and making it multilingual.

After installing the plugin, visit Settings and choose Languages to configure it. Within the Language settings, you’ll be able to:

• add different target languages you want to use on your website
• translate site title
• translate site description
• chose date and time format
• choose the default language

Once you finish with the settings, you’ll be able to add posts on different languages. All you have to do is:

• select a language
• create a post
• add different translations to different posts

So, the plugin doesn’t automatically translate your content and human translation is required. Still, it enables you to make the translations visible and smoothly incorporated into your website.

WPML

The WPML plugin is one of the best known, and most widely used WordPress multilingual plugins. It’s a premium plugin, which means it’s paid.

There are three options:

• Multilingual Blog, $29
• Multilingual CMS, $79
• Multilingual Agency, $159

The plugin offers full-time technical support and a 30 days money-back guarantee.

Here’s what the plugin offers and what makes it one of the best plugins for turning your site multilingual:

• over 40 languages
• adding your language variants
• translate every element of your website
• compatible with other WordPress plugins
• supports most WordPress themes
• ordinary WordPress users can be assigned as translators
• offers professional translators
• set translation deadlines
• media translation

So, the plugin is perfect for making everything ready for adding translations. Still, it doesn’t translate the content itself.

You have to translate the content or hire someone to do it for you. You can consider an online translation service such as Pick Writers.

Also, you can turn to machine translations and then paste the content to your dashboard.

But, there are plugins that offer automatic machine translations. Let’s take a look.

2. Automatic Translation

If you’re looking for an easier way to turn your website into a multilingual one, there are WordPress plugins that can help you out.

Weglot

Weglot is one of the best multilingual plugins available today.

It’s simple to use and it turns your website into a multilingual one in just a few minutes. Here’s how to use it:

• install and activate the plugin
• set the original and destinations languages
• translate

A language selection bar will be available at the corner of your website. People will be able to choose which language they prefer to read in.

Naturally, you can edit your translations to make sure everything is just the way you want it to be. You’ll be redirected to your Weglot account. You’ll be able to use a Dashboard with all your translations.

Here’s a couple of more Weglot features that might pleasantly surprise you:

• no coding needed
• delivers clean source code
• indexed by Googe
• customizable language button

Weglot is a simple plugin that can turn your site multilingual n just a few clicks. It allows you to edit the translated content and revise it all in a single dashboard.

Google Language Translator

Google Language Translator is another machine translation plugin that enables you to turn your website multilingual.

While most of the essential features are free, there’s the advanced paid version which comes with additional useful features.

The free version offers automatic translation of posts, pages, tags, widgets, etc. The paid version comes with additional great features such as:

• SEO indexing
• URLs translation
• manual translation correction
• translating metadata
• live chat support

This plugin can be a good addition to your digital marketing strategy, and help you expand your reach with translations.

However, be careful, since not all translations make sense and sometimes can be of poor quality.

Let’s Rewind

As you can see you have two options when it comes to turning your site multilingual.

If you have the knowledge or the resources for human translation, it’s a better option since it will provide accurate, adapted, and adjusted translations.

If you don’t speak the language and don’t have the resources for hiring translators, go for the machine translations.

There’s a plugin for each purpose, so you won’t have to go through too much trouble.

Final Thoughts

A multilingual website is inviting and welcoming to a wider audience. It helps you expand your target audience and reach out to them with confidence. It’s a valuable part of your digital marketing strategy.

Use the advice above to select the option that suits you the best. Turn your website into a multilingual one and you’ll see it was worth the effort.

Author
At a relatively young age, Donald Fomby has already amassed impressive experience as a freelance writer. Donald studied Computer Science at Texas A&M. He has a passion for technology, social media and travel.

Whether you’re looking to launch a brand new business or you’re hoping to grow your already successful firm even more, great marketing is key. One of the best ways to learn from the experts is to listen to a podcast while you’re commuting, working or relaxing. We’ve rounded up ten of the top digital marketing podcasts out there today for you. Make sure you check these out and find a new (and often quite entertaining) digital marketing informational resource.

Best Digital Marketing Podcasts

1. Digital Marketing Fastlane – This podcast isn’t afraid to “get real” to help you achieve real results. Hosted by Kevin Urrutia who is also the CEO of Voy Media and is Facebook Ads Agency, Digital Marketing Fastlane offers proven strategies and real success stories that are useful for both new marketers and those who are a bit more experienced in the game. These quick podcasts do not bog you down with useless information, but instead get to the meat of the matter quickly so that you can learn what it takes to succeed in today’s competitive digital marketplace. Plus, they are a fun listen too!
2. Duct Tape Marketing – If you’ve spent any time looking at podcasts in this area, you’ve probably come across this one. As a podcast that has been around for more than a decade, this one has a proven track record of success. You’ll enjoy the guest appearances from popular marketing gurus and helpful advice that is specifically targeted to beginning and novice marketers. This podcast covers a wide range of topics that are useful to nearly any marketer, however.
3. AskGaryVee – One of the few digital marketers that has transcended the marketing world into the public eye, Gary Vee is almost a household name. The AskGaryVee podcast is an interesting and entertaining look at the world behind the motivational speaker and digital marketing guru. This podcast does go “off the rails” at times, but there is so much great information that it is well worth a listen, and it is lots of fun too.
4. Mad Marketing podcast  – This podcast, hosted by Marcus Sheridan, who is a partner of HubSpot, focuses on SEO and content marketing. Based on his affiliation with HubSpot, that only makes sense. Marcus is an entertaining guy, and the show is straightforward to listen to as he is very high energy and adds plenty of personal stories to the mix. You may get started on this show for its entertainment value, but you’ll be hooked by the excellent knowledge he brings to the table.
5. Social Media Examiner – This is a big one if you are interested in the social media side of things at all. Social Media Examiner runs a website and hosts, on average, two podcasts per week that are chock full of information on how to take advantage of everything social media has to offer today. Hosted by Michael Stelzner, anyone who wants to grow their presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other platforms can’t miss this podcast.
6. Smart Passive Income – Pat Flynn has hosted the Smart Passive Income podcast for several years now. While it may have less to do with straight digital marketing, it is a great source for inspiration as he is a wonderful source for success stories, many involving digital marketing in one way or another. Plus, almost every episode has a few “hidden” digital marketing tips scattered in among the success stories, so it is worth a listen just for that.
7. Marketing Scoop – Marketing Scoop is a straight news podcast focusing on what is new and hot in the world of digital marketing. If you are worried about being the last to know about what’s happening in the marketing world, adding this to your playlist is certainly recommended. Hosted by the same people who bring you SEMRush, you’ll not only hear the news you need to stay ahead of the game, you will get interviews from some of the big names in the business too, so even the older episodes are worth a listen!
8. ProBlogger Podcast – Based off the successful blog of the same name, this podcast is for bloggers who are looking to scale-up in the business. The host, Darren Rowse has been blogging since 2004 and shares all his knowledge on how to succeed. With over 270 episodes already in the archives, there is plenty of older content available to listen to if you’re hoping to use blogging as a way to increase engagement, grow traffic and market your company or your brand to an even larger audience.
9. Online Marketing Made Easy – More so than any other podcast, the episodes of Online Marketing Made Easy that are hosted by Amy Porterfield feel like they are mini classes. Not only does she teach you lessons on how to market your business and grow your audience but at the end of every episode, she gives you an assignment on how you can take action and make a change right away. If you’re looking for something to truly motivate you to make changes right away, the Online Marketing Made Easy podcast could be just what you’ve been looking for.
10. Marketing Over Coffee – For a more relaxed approach to marketing, why not try marketing over coffee? This is a “coffee talk” so to speak about the marketing topics that matter most to you. Hosted by Christopher Penn and John Wall, you’ll learn plenty without feeling bogged down. They want you to see that marketing really does have a lighter side, even as you’re learning more about how to grow your business.

Technology has made it easier than ever to learn from experts and in turn, grow your business. With all of these podcasts, you have access to some of the greatest minds in digital marketing today–that you can listen to 24 hours a day! Take advantage and you’re sure to advance your knowledge of digital marketing so that you can achieve amazing things.

If your firm has a law website, having a way to instantly communicate with visitors can increase your firm’s intake of new clients.

Live chat software is a smart solution when it comes to your online marketing and advertising efforts. When a visitor engages with your live chat, you can quickly and immediately address their questions or schedule a consultation.

Before going on about the benefits live chat provides a law firm’s website, there are ethical issues to consider. While you may be eager to use clever marketing techniques to convert visitors into your next client, the American Bar Association has outlined some ethical rules for lawyer’s websites.

With an understanding of what you can and cannot do, the following five points will review the top benefits of using live chat.

Easy to Get Started

Worried that installing live chat on your law firm’s website will require technical knowledge?

Many live chat services can get their software running on your website in just a few clicks. Whether you have computer knowledge or not, once live chat is installed on your website, the next thing to do is to get ready for visitors to your website.

When a visitor arrives at your website, they will receive a notification that you (or qualified staff) is standing by to offer assistance. If the visitor engages with the live chat messenger, you will be immediately notified and a live chat session can begin.

All live chat services offer varying packages and features. Some can provide pre-scripted bots which allow you to direct visitors using prompted questions, toward providing their contact information.

Establish Trust and a Good First Impression

In a lawyer’s line of work, you know that most people do not enjoy the legal process. When it comes to finding a lawyer for their situation, people want to alleviate their problems and quickly as possible.

Live chat allows you to set a good impression the moment a prospective client lands on your website. You can quickly engage in a conversation and build trust by addressing their needs. You can respond to visitors specific needs and prepare them for intake.

When your prospective clients end the live chat session, they will feel listened to and relieved. This is a much better alternative to filling out contact forms and waiting anxiously for your phone call.

Differentiate Your Legal Services

Law firms are constantly searching for new ways to differentiate themselves from their competition. With live chat, law firms can provide a 24/7 reception and continue to collect leads for prospective clients after hours.

In certain situations that require legal services, prospective clients are often enduring emotional situations and want immediate assistance. Those recovering from a personal injury, going through a divorce, or on the brink of bankruptcy are looking for a solution as soon as possible.

Imagine being frustrated, sad, or extraordinarily angry, if you can’t find what you’re looking for on a website within a few seconds, you’ll likely go to another lawyer’s website with the solution.

Having live chat on your website is a sure way to address the immediacy and urgency of your prospective client’s situation.

Reduce Intake Time

In case you find yourself preoccupied with client’s cases and your staff is busy with administrative tasks, you can still use live chat to continue intaking.

Some live chat companies offer a unique service allowing you to have 24/7 live chat on a per-lead-basis. This means that whenever a visitor comes to your website, uses the live chat, and provide their contact information (i.e. e-mail, phone number, etc.), you pay the live chat company.

This is both time efficient and cost-effective as you won’t have to hire another receptionist or staff to handle inquiries at odd hours. Often, people are too preoccupied during typical work hours to contact your office. Live chat allows you to collect leads even after you have closed the office.

Another beneficial feature is that should the live chat provide a lead or begin intaking a client, you can receive an immediate notification. This allows you to respond either by email or phone call to that prospective client following their inquiry to your law firm.

Increased ROI and Conversion Rates

This is likely to be the most valued part of any live chat software. When you have a successful website with traffic coming in, converting them into clients is the next thing to do.

All that money you invested in web design, hosting and creative advertisements would be for nothing if visitors weren’t becoming your client. Live chat has a proven ability to increase conversion rates on websites.

Obtaining answers to problems is a high priority for people browsing online. Instead of wasting time search through help forums, FAQs, or irrelevant articles, live chat solves problems quickly.

In addition, live chat providers offer fair pricing and may even go so far as to guarantee an increase in conversions or your money back. Having this kind of promise allows your website to focus on what matters most: finding new clients.

Final Thoughts

If you’re using Facebook Ads or Google Adwords to promote your law firm the live chat icon on your website can improve your ROI. However, the American Bar Association (ABA) has stated a few rules about using live chats on a law firm’s website. To review these ethical rules, please see ABA Rules for Websites and Advertising.