Be Mine: A Brief History of Valentine's Day Marketing

When I was in grade school, Valentine’s Day was one of my favorite holidays. There were cards. There was the possibility that your crush actually liked you back. And, there was the chocolate -- so, so much chocolate.

Little did I know that the roots of this holiday bore little-to-no resemblance to my childhood experience of it. We were never taught that Valentine's Day actually originated with an arguably gruesome ancient festival, where there was no chocolate or exchange of cute, red-and-pink cards. But love it or hate it, those are the types of things we associate with the holiday today. After all, there's a reason why roughly 114 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year -- it's what's become expected of us. 

So how the heck did we get from an ancient Roman festival, to a holiday that compels many of us to spend no less than $147 on celebrating it? That story, it turns out, is thousands of years old -- but we'll try to condense it.

How Valentine's Day Began and Evolved

Ancient Rome

Source: Christie's

The roots of Valentine’s Day are cited by some sources to lie in the ancient Roman festival Lupercalia, largely because it took place annually on February 15 -- the day after what is today the observed date of Valentine’s Day -- and involved some very primitive forms of courtship and matchmaking. But it was also ancient Rome that saw the famous execution of a St. Valentine on February 14, around 278 A.D. According to legend, he wrote a letter on the night before his execution to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended, and signed it, “From Your Valentine.”

Over two centuries later, Pope Gelasius ordered that Lupercalia be replaced with the February 14 observation of St. Valentine’s Day. That set the tone, some believe, for the day’s forthcoming tradition of exchanging “love messages,” perhaps in remembrance of St. Valentine’s farewell letter.

The Romans are also credited with constructing the idea of Cupid -- a god of love often depicted with arrows that, as the legend goes, inflict love upon those who are hit by them. The Roman version of Cupid was adapted from Eros, a god of passion and fertility in Greek mythology. It seems that no one is quite sure when cupid became associated with Valentine’s Day, but the fact that both have origins in ancient Roman culture suggests that there may have been some very early overlap between the two.

Shakespeare (and Chaucer) in Love

Source: Internet Archive

When NPR’s Arnie Seipel set out to explore the history of Valentine’s Day, he found that it first became romanticized by classic authors like William Shakespeare in the late 16th century, and Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1300s.

Chaucer

Dartmouth English professor Peter Travis cites Chaucer's epic poem The Parliament of Fowls, which was one of the first literary references to St. Valentine’s Day, or “Seynt Valentynes day,” as Chaucer spelled it. One such mention is made, Travis explains, alongside the line, “Now welcom somer, with thy sonne sonne, That hast this wintres weders over-shake.” In other words, when we celebrate love in the coldest depths of winter -- in February, for instance -- it’s so heartwarming that it makes summer feel less far away.

Shakespeare

Some literary historians credit Shakespeare for the permeation of love into popular culture with his composition of “Sonnet 18” -- said to be written between 1593-1601 -- a.k.a., “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?” It’s unclear when or how this particular work became associated with Valentine’s Day, but like Chaucer, Shakespeare compares love to the seasons.

“While summer days may fade and fall into” colder months, writes Shakespeare analyst Lee Jamieson, “his love is eternal.”

Of course, Saint Valentine’s day is alluded to outright in Hamlet -- written between 1599-1601 -- when the character Ophelia recites a song about a young lady’s experience with the holiday, which includes lyrics like, “Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day,” and, “To be your Valentine.”

The 17th Century and Beyond

Source: American Antiquarian Society

By the 1700s, it’s said that Valentine’s Day made its way from Europe to the United States, which aligns with the establishment of the North American colonies between 1607-1770. It became traditional, according to HISTORY.com, “for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes.” That was more common in England, however, where the Industrial Revolution began earlier and eventually included the production of “fancy valentines [that] were extremely expensive to import.”

It’s said that one American woman, Esther Howland, was so intrigued when she received her first English valentine greeting in 1847, that she became infatuated with the idea of manufacturing them in the U.S. She was an early entrepreneur, and instinctively believed that there could be an American market for these formal, English-style greetings. After procuring materials like high-quality paper and lace from her father, a stationer, she created what many credit as the earliest American Valentine’s Day greeting cards.

Today, Howland is still honored with the nickname “Mother of the American Valentine,” with many citing her work as the start of a multi-million-dollar industry. But it didn’t happen overnight -- let’s take a look at how her work paved the way.

A Brief Timeline of Valentine's Day Marketing

1714

Charles II of Sweden begins communicating with flowers, by assigning a different message to each type. This tradition allegedly assigned love and romance to the red rose, setting the stage for this flower to be exchanged during the later, commercialized era of Valentine’s Day. However, it remains unclear if a specific brand is responsible for first marketing flowers as part of Valentine’s Day gift-giving.

1822

Source: The Chocolate Journalist

In England, where Valentine’s Day had by now already been celebrated with the exchange of gifts and cards for many years, the Cadbury chocolate company sells the first heart-shaped box of chocolates.

1849

In Massachusetts, Howland produces a dozen sample Valentine’s Day cards and sends them off with her brother to distribute during a sales trip for their father’s company -- S.A. Howland & Sons -- hoping to earn $200. Instead, he returns with 25X that amount, indicating a much higher-than-expected demand.

1850

The first print advertisement for Howland’s cards appears in the Worcester Spy.

1866

Source: Evan Amos

Conversation candies are developed, when Daniel Chase -- brother of New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) founder Oliver Chase -- uses vegetable dye to print words onto confections.

1870

Howland incorporates her booming card business as the New England Valentine Company, operating out of her home via an assembly line that was largely comprised of her friends.

1879

Source: Viintage

The New England Valentine Company moves operations from Howland’s home to a Main Street factory in Worcester, Massachusetts. That same year, the company publishes the Valentine Verse Book, which contained 131 “verses” that people could cut out and paste inside of cards that came without a greeting -- or those with a greeting that the buyer didn’t like.

1880 - 1881

Howland sells the New England Valentine Company to the George C. Whitney Company.

1888

Source: Worcester Historical Museum

Whitney has acquired at least 10 competitors, including Berlin and Jones, which had become New York City’s “largest manufacturer of Valentines.” Ten years later, the company moves to large-scale headquarters on Worcester’s Union Street.

1894

The Hershey Chocolate Company is founded, bringing what was previously "a European luxury product" to the U.S.

1902

Conversation candies become heart-shaped.

1906

Source: Vintage Recycling

American Greetings is founded, eventually becoming one of Whitney’s chief competitors.

1907

The Hershey Chocolate Company introduces Kisses candy.

1910

Source: Period Paper

That January, a massive fire destroys much of Whitney’s headquarters. However, most of the Valentine’s Day products had already been shipped for the season, having little impact on that particular holiday.

That same year, Hallmark is founded. Meanwhile, 1910 also saw the creation of Florists' Telegraph Delivery -- today known as FTD -- which pioneered the remote ordering and delivery of flowers, providing a way to send them to far-away loved ones.

1913

Hallmark produces its first Valentine’s Day card.

1948

Source: Vintage Ads

The De Beers diamond company launches its "A Diamond is Forever" campaign, sending the message that gifting high-end jewelry can be used as an expression of love.

1986

Hershey’s begins packaging Kisses candies in pink and red foil specifically for Valentine’s Day.

2005

Source: Wayback Machine

Valentine’s Day begins to go digital. On February 14, 2005, YouTube -- which originated as an online dating site -- makes its debut. Co-founder Steve Chen still credits its invention as the brainchild of “three guys on Valentine's Day that had nothing to do.”

2013

Source: Uber

Ride sharing company Uber rolls out “Romance On Demand,” allowing users to send flowers on Valentine’s Day via the app. This initiative would continue to progress, with on-demand skywriting becoming available the following year.

2016

Well aren't you accurate today, @netflix #HappyValentinesDay http://pic.twitter.com/pUK05gQ8Rs

— Tiffany Bukowski (@TheTiffy) February 14, 2016

NetBase, a social media analytics platform, releases a Valentine’s Day Sentiment Analysis, measuring how people engage with and discuss the holiday on social media. In total, it measured nine million mentions of Valentine’s Day, with the vast majority of them mentioning a specific brand -- Netflix. The top hashtag was #happyvalentinesday.

Be Ours

Like so many other holidays, Valentine’s Day has experienced a transition into pop culture that has shaped the way it’s perceived, discussed, and celebrated. Sure, it’s often accused of being nothing more than a money-making marketing holiday -- just look at these numbers compiled by HISTORY.com. But next time you hear someone label Valentine’s Day as “Hallmark holiday,” you’ll have a wealth of historical information to respond with.

So from our hearts to yours, Happy Valentine’s Day. We’ll be keeping an eye on its continued evolution.

What are your favorite Valentine’s Day marketing examples? Let us know in the comments.

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Want More Success Using Instagram? Experts Share Their Best Tips for Businesses [Live Hangout]

For many marketers, it’s no longer enough to have a strong Twitter or Facebook presence. We’ve got to go where our prospects and customers are -- and for many folks, that's Instagram.

Still working on getting started on Instagram? Got an account but struggling to get more followers and turn them into leads? Unsure how to post and schedule great visual content?

We’ve got tools and solutions to all of that, whether you’re new to or experienced with using Instagram for business.

In this YouTube Live event, experts from Iconosquare and HubSpot will teach you the most current strategies on how to grow, delight, and transform your Instagram audience into leads. With your help building the agenda, we’ll get your most burning questions answered by two bonafide Instagram experts.

Meet the Instagram Experts

Click here to help build the agenda before the event.

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How to Use Instagram Live to Generate Leads

Interested in using more live video for your business? Wondering how Instagram Live can generate leads? Using Instagram Live stories as a lead generation tool will help you stay one step ahead of your competitors. In this article, you’ll discover three ways to use Instagram Live video to generate leads for your business. Why Use [...]

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Why Agencies Need to Take a More Modern Approach to Winning New Business

The times they are a changing. Not a week goes past without someone I meet telling me they are evolving their agency structure or services in some way to be 'future ready', yet if I ask them - "How are you changing your new business process to be stay competitive in an increasingly oversaturated and challenged marketplace?" - they often draw a blank face.

It is one of the greatest ironies of our industry that we are appalling at marketing our own businesses. Much of how we approach the finding and winning of clients is still built on ideas that emerged in the 'Mad Men Era', or even worse, tactics that create a feeling for clients not dissimilar to receiving those unwanted "have you claimed your PPI?" calls. 

For those agencies who aren't part of a network, don't have a famous CEO, can't get coverage in trade publications or work through intermediaries, the road to growth is often long, winding and ineffective.  

For many agency owners, their approach to new business often looks something like as follows:

They decide to start an agency. 

First they pull out all their contacts from a previous life and try and get lunches with people they know. More often than not this does throw up some work, because people like to buy from people they trust. Maybe they pick up quite a bit of work and for 3 years things feel good. 

Then a niggling feeling starts to sink in. 

All their work is from referrals and they're over reliant on one client. They've never really had to clearly articulate what they do and define the value they deliver for clients, so they don’t really know what that value is? They want to grow, they know they’re good, but they don’t know how to proactively approach clients in an effective way and they aren't really clear on what makes them different and better to the competition. 

At this stage they maybe decide to bring in new business-person or outsource their prospecting activity to a new business agency. Sometimes they get meetings, but they always feel like they are ‘begging for biscuits’ because they've reached out to them rather than a client picking up the phone to them and saying they want to meet (the preferred scenario and result of effective marketing).

Sometimes those meetings turn into work, but more often than not they don’t and the effort that goes into creating endless creds decks and attending meetings takes a lot of time and effort for not much return. After a while they look at how much they're paying their new business resource, compare it to what they’ve delivered in cold hard cash and realise this is a bad investment.

At this point their business is five years old and they’re at a crossroads. They wonder, "Should I make the cold calls myself? Should I go back to my Linkedin account and see if there is anyone I haven’t tapped up for a lunch yet?" They're disheartened and they're not really sure what works when it comes to winning new business. They decide to bring in another director like who has his own contacts.

And so it begins again.

For the last six years I’ve been telling anyone who will listen that winning new business is an art, not a numbers game. I learnt this lesson first hand working at agency brands that focused all their efforts on owning a specific place in their target customer’s mind, relative to the competition. Rather than calling clients and asking for work, these agencies took a strategic and creative approach to growing their agency built around a unique and compelling proposition. They sell the outcome of what they did, not the output.

Realising that few agencies treated new business this way, I set up a series of events alongside another frustrated business developer Sarah Bradley. The purpose of these events was to educate new business people, agency management and founders/owners on better, more effective ways to grow. To date we’ve had everyone from Neil Christie, MD of Wieden + Kennedy sharing the story of how Wieden + Kennedy built an agency brand, to Tim Williams at Ignition Consulting Group running a masterclass on how to sell value, not time.  

This year we have launched an agency breakfast talk series in London that focuses on modern ways to grow an agency. Sponsored by HubSpot, this is a very practical ‘how to' series that will provide introductory sessions on subjects like how to win new business with social media, inbound marketing and digital marketing. We'll also cover topics that will be of interest to more senior agency management including how people innovation is the secret to agency growth and a session on IP covering how to make the most of what you own. Tickets are available here.

http://bit.ly/2krZjxy

How to Use Hashtags on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

A lot of words have been added to the dictionary over the past few decades thanks to social media, but few have become so widely used and accepted as "hashtag."

For a long time, the hashtag symbol (#) was known simply as the "pound" symbol. Now, I could swear that the only time I hear it referred to as a pound symbol is when I enter my PIN number to pay my cell phone bill.

While hashtags were originally made famous by Twitter, they're now used on many major social networks, including Facebook and Instagram. Let's explore what a hashtag is, why they're so great, and how they work on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

What Does 'Hashtag' Mean?

A hashtag is simply a keyword phrase, spelled out without spaces, with a pound sign (#) in front of it. For example, #InboundHour and #ChocolateLovers are both hashtags.

You can put these hashtags anywhere in your social media posts: in the beginning, at the end, or anywhere in between. (Read this blog post for more instructions on using hashtags.)

These hashtags tie public conversations from all different users into a single stream, which you can find by searching for a hashtag, clicking on one, or using a third-party monitoring tool like HubSpot's Social Inbox. Note that, in order for a post with a hashtag to appear in anyone's search, the post must be public.

What Makes Hashtags So Great?

Back in 2007 when hashtags were a brand new concept, Google's Chris Messina realized the value of hashtags right away. He wrote that the "channel" concept of hashtags satisfies many of the things group discussions do, but without inheriting the "unnecessary management cruft" that most group systems suffer from.

In addition, Messina wrote that they're easily accessible with the syntax on Twitter (and now on other social media networks), easy to learn, flexible, and works with current user behavior instead of forcing anyone to learn anything radically new. It also works consistently on cell phones -- whereas, for example, the star key doesn't.

A decade later, the hashtag continues to thrive. When used properly, hashtags are a great way for individuals and brands to make their social posts more visible and increase engagement. They can give people useful context and cues for recall, aggregate posts and images together, and update a group of like-minded individuals on certain a topic in real time.

Hashtags are often used to unite conversations around things like ...

• Events or conferences, like #INBOUND17 or #Rio2016
• Disasters or emergencies, like #Aleppo or #PrayForNice
• Holidays or celebrations, like #WorldNutellaDay or #NationalCatDay
• Popular culture topics, like #GameofThrones or #PokemonGO
• General interest topics, like #WinterWonderland or #ChocolateLovers
• Popular hashtags, like #tbt or #MotivationMonday

The key is to use hashtags sparingly and only when they add value. Use them too much, and they can be confusing, frustrating, and just plain annoying.

How Hashtags Work On Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

Click on a social network below to jump to that section:

1. How Hashtags Work on Twitter
2. How Hashtags Work on Facebook
3. How Hashtags Work on Instagram

1) How Hashtags Work on Twitter

A Twitter hashtag ties the conversations of different users into one stream. If Twitter users who aren't otherwise connected to one another talk about the same topic using a specific hashtag, their tweets will appear in the same stream.

Here's what a hashtag stream on Twitter looks like -- we'll use #MotivationMonday as an example:

Most of the good stuff takes place in the center of this page. For the hashtag #MotivationMonday, you'll see there are a few ways to toggle the hashtag stream: Top (the default), Latest, People, Photos, Videos, and More.

• Top: A stream of tweets using that hashtag that have seen the most engagement -- which usually means tweets from influential people or brands that have a lot of followers. (Download our guide on how to get 1,000+ Twitter followers here.)
• Latest: A live stream of the latest tweets from everyone tweeting out that hashtag.
• People: A list of top Twitter accounts to follow related to the hashtag.
• Photos: A collage of photos included in tweets that use the hashtag. When you hover your mouse over a photo, you can reply, retweet, or Like the tweet with just one click. You can open the tweet by clicking on the photo.

• Videos: A stream of tweets using the hashtag that have videos in them.
• More: A dropdown menu that has a few great options to pick from, including "From people you follow" and "Near you." You can also save your search here by clicking "Save this search." To access it later, simply click into the search box on the top right of your Twitter home screen and it'll appear as a saved search.

On the left-hand side of the screen on the #MotivationMonday stream, you'll find "Related searches." This is especially useful if you're looking for unofficial hashtags for your own events and campaigns and others'.

How to Use Hashtags on Twitter

Want to get involved in the conversation, or even start your own? Using a hashtag on Twitter is as simple as publishing a tweet from a public account that includes the hashtag, like this:

A little inspiration for your #MotivationMonday. http://pic.twitter.com/EtcyUm9p4O

— HubSpot (@HubSpot) December 12, 2016

As long as your account is public, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your tweet.

How to Find Hashtags on Twitter

There are a few ways to find hashtags on Twitter. If you already know the hashtag you want to search for, there are four main ways to search for it: a simple search, an advanced search, monitoring using a third-party tool, or typing it directly into the URL.

You can do a simple search using the search box in the top right-hand corner of your screen:

If you're searching for a hashtag but want to include more details in your search, try Twitter's Advanced Search. Here, you can search for tweets with specific words and phrases, written in a certain language, from certain accounts, near certain locations, published on certain dates, and even containing smiley :) or frowny :( faces.

For example, if I wanted to search for the sad #MotivationMonday tweets, I might search for the MotivationMonday hashtag with a frowny face, like so:

The results show up in a stream with different toggle options, just like our original hashtag search.

You can also use a third-party monitoring tool like HubSpot's Social Inbox to monitor certain hashtags. These tools will put certain hashtags in a stream beside any other streams you've set up in the tool already.

(HubSpot customers: To set up a stream in Social Inbox, click Social > Monitoring > “+” and enter the name of the hashtag you'd like to monitor. Click here for detailed instructions on how to create monitoring streams.)

Finally, you can search for a hashtag by typing it directly into a URL like so: twitter.com/InsertHashtagHere. So #MotivationMonday can be found at twitter.com/#MotivationMonday.

If you're searching for popular hashtags from scratch, the best place to look is the trending topics bar on the left-hand side of your homescreen. Popular hashtagged words often become trending topics -- which are topics so many people are talking about that they are a "trend." The topics bar will also show you if accounts you follow are tweeting about the trending topics.

By default, Twitter tailors these trending topics to you based on your location and whom you follow. If you want to change the location Twitter uses to tailor your trends, you can do so by clicking "Change" to the right of "Trends." In the window that appears, click "Change" again, and then enter in the location information you'd like Twitter to use instead.

Twitter's native "trending topics" is limited to only a few hashtags, so if you want to find more outside of trending topics and you don't know what to search for, consider using Advanced Search to browse tweets, or a third-party application like Trendsmap.

Twitter Chat Hashtags

Along with hashtags for events, campaigns, and promotions, there are these unique things on Twitter called Twitter Chats. Twitter Chats are live Q&A sessions organized around a hashtag -- either on the fly, or at a pre-arranged time.

I like how Buffer explains them: "Imagine a business networking event -- but without a dress code and with a keyboard instead of a bar. The same social customs apply -- courtesy and respect -- and it’s a great way to meet new people with similar interests."

There are Twitter Chats about pretty much everything, from marketing to personal finance to affinities for cats.

If you're looking for Twitter chats to engage in, check out TweetReports' Twitter Chat Schedule, which you can toggle by date, hashtag, and topics like writing, social media, and so on. You can also submit your own Twitter chats to be considered.

2) How Hashtags Work on Facebook

Like on Twitter, a Facebook hashtag ties the conversations of different users into one stream. But unlike Twitter and Instagram, where many people have public accounts and their posts can be seen by anyone, most people's Facebook posts and accounts are private. This means that even if individuals are using hashtags, they aren't searchable. The result? The hashtags you can search for on Facebook tend to be published by influencers, brands, and publishers, rather than by individuals.

Here's what a hashtag stream on Facebook looks like, using #MotivationMonday as an example:

Most of the good stuff takes place in the center of this page. For the hashtag #MotivationMonday, you'll see there are a whole bunch of ways to toggle the hashtag stream -- even more than we have on Twitter: Top (the default), Latest, People, Photos, Videos, Shop, Pages, Places, Groups, Apps, and Events.

• Top: A stream of Facebook posts using that hashtag that have seen the most engagement -- which usually means posts from influential people or brands that have a lot of followers -- and your Facebook friends posting using the hashtag.
• Latest: A stream of public Facebook posts using the hashtag, usually by influencers, brands, or publishers -- like a fitness guru posting an instructional workout video.
• People: People on Facebook with a name officially associated with the hashtag. For a hashtag like #MotivationMonday, there are no results here.
• Photos: A stream of public Facebook posts using the hashtag that have photos in them.
• Videos: A stream of public Facebook posts using the hashtag that have videos in them.

• Shop: Pages can now sell their products directly to Facebook users using this feature. For a hashtag like #MotivationMonday, there are no results here.
• Pages: This tab shows Facebook Pages associated with or posting about the hashtag you've searched for.
• Places: Places in the world with a name officially associated with the hashtag. For a hashtag like #MotivationMonday, there are no results here.
• Groups: Groups with a name officially associated with the hashtag.
• Apps: Facebook apps with a name officially associated with the hashtag.
• Events: Facebook events with a name officially associated with the hashtag.

How to Use Hashtags on Facebook

To use a hashtag on Facebook, all you have to do is publish a Facebook post to your Page or timeline that includes the hashtag.

Be sure your post is public if you want people other than your Facebook friends to be able to find it. To make a Facebook post public, click on the button to the right of "Post" and choose "Public" from the dropdown menu.

Once you publish the post to your Page or timeline, the hashtag becomes a clickable link, which takes folks to the hashtag page. Here's what a Facebook post with a hashtag looks like:

How to Find Hashtags on Facebook

If you already know the hashtag you want to search for, there are two main ways to search for it: a simple search or by typing it directly into the URL.

You can do a simple search using the search box in the top left-hand corner of your screen:

You can also search for a hashtag by typing it directly into a URL like so: http://bit.ly/1mnkr8QInsertHashtagHere. So #MotivationMonday can be found at http://bit.ly/1Sb1ZORMotivationMonday.

If you're searching for popular hashtags from scratch, the best place to look is the trending topics bar on the left-hand side of your homescreen. (Note: This is currently only available in English in select countries.) The articles and hashtags Facebook shows you are based on a number of different factors, including engagement, timeliness, pages you've Liked, and your location.

While most trending topics on Twitter are mostly hashtags, this is not usually the case on Facebook. You'll see that none of the trending topics below are hashtags:

3) How Hashtags Work on Instagram

An Instagram hashtag ties the conversations of different users into one stream, just like on Twitter and Facebook. If Instagram users who aren't otherwise connected to one another talk about the same topic using a specific hashtag, their posts will appear in the same stream.

Here's what a hashtag stream on Instagram looks like -- again, using #MotivationMonday as an example:

Notice the user interface on Instagram's hashtag stream is much simpler than those on Twitter and Facebook. There are three things you can do from this page: Scroll through related hashtags, look at the Top Posts, and browse Recent Posts.

• Related Hashtags: All related hashtags (like #dontquit, #getmotivated, etc. in this case), which users can scroll through sideways.
• Top Posts: The nine posts using that hashtag that have seen the most engagement -- which usually means tweets from influential people or brands that have a lot of followers. This is limited to nine posts.
• Most Recent: A live stream of Instagram posts from everyone posting that hashtag.

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram

Want to get involved in the conversation, or even start your own? Using a hashtag on Instagram is as simple as publishing an Instagram post from a public account that includes the hashtag, like this:

 

⬆️ #motivationmonday

A photo posted by HubSpot (@hubspot) on Dec 12, 2016 at 5:04am PST

As long as your account is public, anyone who does a search for that hashtag may find your Instagram post.

When you write a new post and start typing in a hashtag using the # symbol, Instagram will actually suggest hashtags to you based on their popularity. Check out the suggestions I got when I typed in the incomplete hashtag, #Motivation:

How to Find Hashtags on Instagram

If you already know the hashtag you want to search for, the only way to search for a hashtag on Instagram on your mobile device is through a simple search. You can do a simple search by clicking the magnifying glass at the bottom of your screen, which brings you to the "Explore" tab. From there, type the hashtag name into the search box at the top of your screen, and toggle your results by "Tags":

If you're searching for popular hashtags from scratch, the best place to look is in Instagram's "Explore" tab. Here, you'll find popular posts liked by people whose posts you've Liked, or posts that are Liked by a large number of people in the Instagram community.

Go to the "Explore" tab by clicking that magnifying glass at the bottom of your screen. Check out posts there to browse trending hashtags by scrolling down.

What About Using Hashtags "in the Wild"?

Although hashtags were born and work best online, you can point people to them in real life. Try placing hashtags in relevant and well trafficked public locations -- like in pictures or posters, menus, stickers, and so on -- to encourage people to search for that hashtag online.

What other hashtag tips do you have for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram? Share with us in the comments.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in February 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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5 Ways to Say 'No' At Work (Without Feeling Guilty) [Infographic]

With the new year well under way, we thought it might be fun to check in on how those resolutions are going. Are you eating more vegetables? Doing more community service? Achieving better work-life balance?

That last one is tricky, and might even conflict with other goals, like getting a raise or being more productive. It's hard to say, "No," when we're trying to be as industrious as possible and do something like earn a promotion.

But worst of all, when we say, "No" to the important people in our lives -- bosses, spouses, or kids -- it tends to come with guilt. More than half of us say we're too guilty to even leave our desks for a break. If something like that makes us feel bad, how can we possibly be expected to feel good about turning work down? 

As it turns out, it is possible to say, "No" in a way that's respectful, productive, and free of guilt. Our friends at Business Backer came up with five ways to do so, and compiled them into this handy infographic. So read on. And please -- just say, "No."

http://bit.ly/2kJY2W6