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The rise of AI tools comes with abundant opportunities, especially for marketers and communication specialists. The latest AI technologies enable more efficient content creation than ever before. For social media posts, AI-generated texts prove to be a real asset in terms of efficiency and time savings.

However, there is also a negative connotation attached to all these developments: is our work as marketers soon to become obsolete, taken over by the latest AI technologies? The rapid advancements in this field occasionally fuel significant concerns. There is no reason for fear or uncertainty, if you ask us. AI allows us to work more efficiently and should be seen as a tool rather than a replacement. Crucially, as a marketer, you must know how to leverage these AI developments to your advantage. This is where the opportunities lie: being able to apply AI to your daily content creation, making you more efficient. Keep on reading if you want to know how!

Automatically generating social media content

ChatGPT is now widely used for automatically generating high-quality content. The benefits are clear: thanks to this AI technology, you save a tremendous amount of time in writing texts. The strength of ChatGPT lies in its versatility and adaptability to effortlessly create tailored content in line with your brand and market.

However, writing a prompt requires some skill. It can be a bit challenging to figure out how to give the tool the right instructions to get suitable content as output. It's not just about providing the right data, but also a certain mindset to work with. A simple prompt in ChatGPT can lead to various outputs. But there is an easier way to quickly create suitable social media content.

Coosto’s AI Content Generator

The AI Content Generator in Publish, Coosto's social media planning module, is designed so that you get customized content with just a few clicks. The answer to uninspired moments or searching for the right words to effectively reach your audience. How does it work? Very simple.

Select the main goal of the social media post: more reach, interaction, or conversion. Then it's a matter of providing the right input. Describe with a few keywords, sentences, or a slightly longer description what the content should be about. The more specific the description, the better the output. Then choose the desired tone of voice: this can be done using a term like formal, humorous, or enthusiastic. You can also choose to embody a well-known character with a distinctive way of speaking, from Donald Duck to Barack Obama.

Finally, choose the desired language: Dutch, English, and Spanish are among the options. This way, you reach not only the local audience in your own country but also a larger and international audience! It's time: automatic content generation can start. Click the button, and voilà! Your tailored content is ready to be shared on social media.

AI: An endless source of content inspiration 

Generating social media content automatically is a breeze. But where do you draw your inspiration for new content? And how do you ensure that your social media posts align with the current conversation? Or better yet, anticipate emerging trends so that you're the first in your market to latch onto a groundbreaking topic.

The answer lies in Coosto's Discover. In this module, our tool analyzes millions of sources in real time and organizes all content based on algorithmically calculated Trending Scores.

Bonus tip! Pick a trending article that’s relevant for your target group and simply copy the title of this article. Paste the copied title into the ‘topic’ field of Coosto’s AI Content Generator and adjust the goal, tone of voice, and language. In a split second, you will have trending content to be shared on all your social media platforms. 

Helping to fight the disease

My personal motivation to participate in Alpe d’HuZes stems from a strong desire to help combat the disease. I've had this feeling for a long time, and it grew stronger when I started my own business. My first company sponsored good causes from the very beginning, and I was fortunate that the business allowed for it. I believe that when you are in a unique position as an entrepreneur to sponsor good causes, you should do so. Entrepreneurship is not just about starting new ventures, growing revenue, or making a profit; it is also about making connections, development, life, and contributing to society.

Coosto & charities

From the start, Coosto has sponsored various good causes, but a few years ago, we decided to fully focus on sponsoring cancer research and treatment. This includes supporting organizations like KWF, the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, smaller and sometimes personal initiatives, and we have been proud sponsors of the wonderful Alpe d’HuZes for eight years now.

Nothing is taken for granted anymore when dealing with cancer

As the years pass, I'm now 53, I have become increasingly aware of how lucky I am that my family, immediate relatives, and friends are in relatively good health. 

I often reflect on the special things in life, such as the fresh scent of an early morning or freshly cut grass, the colorful display of clouds and light during a sunset, peacefully grazing cows in a meadow, or an energizing techno percussion set blasting from the speakers during a car ride. I can enjoy these things without worry, without medical stress, and that feels like pure happiness. I wish this for everyone. All these so-called givens are no longer so obvious when you are ill or when someone you love is sick. These 'trivialities' then suddenly become special moments of happiness. 

Of course, this is different for everyone, and everyone experiences it in their own way. But if my company and I can contribute, even if it is just a drop in the ocean, to fighting cancer with the goal of increasing moments of happiness, then that is the best thing there is.

Alpe d’HuZes 2023

As mentioned, I am an entrepreneur, and from that background, I also wanted to participate and ride up the mountain as an Alpe d’HuZes participant. I love challenges, especially when they are tough.

In 2023, it was time; we participated for the first time, not just as sponsors but also by cycling and running. Being opportunistic, I thought I could just ride up the mountain. After all, it was just over 15 km; I used to cycle that distance to school, it couldn't be that hard. I started training by cycling about 40 km every weekend. With three months to go and extreme weather like snow and frost, I bought an indoor bike trainer to train at home. The advantage of this device was that I could simulate the climb of Alpe d'Huez, and that became my new training goal: climbing Alpe d’Huez as often as possible on the indoor trainer in the attic.

The first time I did it, I was in for a rude wake-up call. I started too fast, and as a result, 30 minutes later, I was completely exhausted and could barely move forward. It was one of my toughest sports experiences ever. I finished the training, but I was utterly wrecked, and the next day I could barely walk due to muscle soreness. That was a serious wake-up call. I realized I had severely underestimated it and that serious work was needed.

I began by reading up on how to train for climbing a mountain by bike. I read training schedules, watched various YouTube videos, and, on the advice of an enthusiastic cycling colleague (thanks for the tip, Stan), listened to the 'Beter Worden' podcast by Laurens ten Dam and gradually adjusted my training. I learned how to train based on wattage, how to adjust my diet, incorporate varied training, and the importance of a good night's sleep. Ultimately, the preparation for 2023 was too short, but I couldn't complain; Team Coosto did fantastic, and it left us wanting more, so we signed up for 2024 immediately.

Preperations Alpe d’HuZes 2024

This time, I planned to start training much earlier, but unexpected business circumstances threw a wrench in the works, and then my mother suddenly passed away. This combination resulted in little training. In the last few months, I have been able to train relatively well. Long rides on weekends of four to five hours, combined with hill training and intervals on the indoor trainer. The result is okay; it could be better, but I am glad I can participate given the circumstances, and I am looking forward to it immensely. It will be an amazing, yet emotional and impactful experience that I will savor to the fullest.

Regarding the sponsorship money, I have decided to personally double the final amount I raise. Hopefully, this will encourage everyone to give generously, but know that every donation is greatly appreciated.

I want to thank everyone in advance for their support, and of course, I will give everything I have on the mountain! 🙂! One last important word:

Don't forget to enjoy life, the little things, the big things, keep things in perspective, and go for it. It's not tomorrow, but now! ❤️

Do you want to contribute to Toine's mission to fight cancer? Donate here!

Whereas social media has become a filter on reality over the past years, TikTok brings back a sense of authenticity to the social media landscape. TikTok is an endless source of catchy video content, bringing us one step closer to reality. The content on this platform can be described as raw, real and realistic. Spending hours editing to create the perfect video? Forget it, TikTok fans would much rather take a peek into your reality.
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Another thing that makes the social media platform so popular: the user is in control of which content returns to the FYP page more often. TikTok's algorithm determines based on the viewing time per video which content is liked and which is not. Based on that, TikTok then shows similar content. For hours, users scroll through the endless stream of videos they find interesting. And therein lies the secret behind TikTok's success: it is incredibly addictive. As an organisation, this is the perfect opportunity to reach a large audience.
   
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X is the perfect social media platform for quick updates and news articles. This social media channel is the online spot to create a large reach: if you manage to create a domino effect with your content, then X is the opportunity to make world news. So, on this social media channel, the general advice is to post right away on X.

But not every post on X is as time-bound as just mentioned. Are you aiming for specific results, such as more engagement or conversions? Then you'll find the perfect moments here to achieve those goals. That's why we delved into the numbers and researched the ideal times for maximum results for each of those goals. 

The best times for more reach on X

Best day to post on X
Monday

Peak times for more reach on X

• Monday at 16:00
• Tuesday at 10:00
• Saturday at 12:00 and 16:00

For X, we see a gradual decline in reach as the week progresses. Our tip: post at the beginning of the week if you want to create a large reach with your post.

Do you want to post on a different day? Peak times on X occur around lunchtime (1:00 PM) and at the end of the afternoon (5:00 PM).

When we zoom in further, we see that Monday at 4:00 PM is the best time to post. We also see more activity on Tuesday morning and Saturday afternoon.

The best times for more engagement on X

Best day to post on X
Monday

Peak times for more engagement on X

• Monday at 16:00 and 19:00
• Tuesday at 10:00
• Wednesday at 12:00

The same applies to more engagement on X: post at the beginning of the week. Monday stands out in particular. Additionally, noon is the absolute peak moment during the week, along with 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

The best times for more conversions on X

Best days to post on X
Monday

Peak times for more conversions on X

• Monday at 6:00 PM
• Thursday at 9:00 PM
• Friday at 10:00 AM

It's hardly a surprise anymore. Even if you want to maximize the number of conversions, a post on Monday yields the most results.

When we look at the number of clicks per hour, the distribution is fairly even throughout the day, with a slight peak at 9:00 PM.
 

The best times to post for every platform

Are you curious about the best times for other social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn? You'll find them in this overview.

Do you always want to post directly at the best time? With Coosto's Prime Time, you can post with one click at the best moment for your account, your industry, or the platform in general. Based on previous posts, this handy feature calculates which times yield the most results.

The success of a social media post always depends on multiple factors. Of course, content plays a crucial role: does the content align with the interests, needs, and questions of your target audience? That is the ultimate key to optimal social media performance. In addition, we always remain dependent on the Instagram algorithm, which changes periodically and influences your content's performance.

But there's another important factor: the timing of Instagram posts. If you want to achieve results, choose the optimal times to reach your followers. These ideal times depend on when your target audience is online because that's when you'll achieve more results on social media. A detail that can truly make a difference.

To delve deeper into the behavior of Instagram users, we researched the best times for both increased reach and engagement. Additionally, we further examine the best times for Reels and carousel posts.

 

Best times to post on Instagram for reach

Best day to post for increased reach on Instagram:
Monday and Wednesday

Peak times for reach on Instagram:
Monday at 1 PM
Wednesday at 9 AM
Friday at 1 PM

With a slight edge over the other days, Monday and Wednesday stand out the most. Additionally, there are some general peak moments throughout the days: on Monday and Friday, in the early afternoon, and on Wednesday morning.

Despite the close figures, it pays off on Instagram to post on weekdays during office hours. However, don't hesitate to post at other times, as you can still achieve great results for your reach on Instagram.

Best times to post on Instagram for engagement
 

Best day to post for increased engagement on Instagram:
Thursday

Peak times for engagement on Instagram:
Sunday at 1 PM
Wednesday at 8 PM
Thursday at 4 PM

Thursday is the ideal day if you want to achieve as many likes, comments, and shares as possible with your Instagram posts. Additionally, Sunday and Wednesday are also good days for more engagement.

Regarding the time, 5 PM stands out significantly when looking at the general times. If you want to capture the real peak moments for more interaction with your followers, Sunday afternoon, Wednesday evening, and Thursday afternoon are the best moments.
 

Best times to post on Instagram for Reels
 

Best day for more reach with Instagram Reels       
Tuesday and Wednesday

Peak hours for more reach with Instagram Reels    
6 and 8 pm

Best day for more engagement with Instagram Reels       
Monday and Tuesday

Peak hours for more reach with Instagram Reels    
3, 6 and 8 pm
 

Best times to post on Instagram for carousel posts 
 

Best day for more reach with Instagram carousels 
Wednesday

Peak times for more reach with Instagram carousels 
9 AM and 5 PM

Best day for more engagement with Instagram carousels 
Thursday

Peak times for more engagement with Instagram carousels 
5 PM
 

The best times for your Instagram account

The above-mentioned times are based on the overall performance of Instagram posts and thus provide a good guideline for your social media planning. To achieve even better results on Instagram through proper timing, it is valuable to zoom in further, for example, into your industry, or even better: the performance of your business account.

This can be done with Coosto's Prime Time. This handy feature delves deeper into these times and analyzes real-time all social media performances for the best suggestions. With just one click, you can then select the best time to post on your Instagram account.

Curious about the best times to post on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Pinterest? Check them out here!
 

Previously, we explored the best times to post on social media for greater reach. In this blog post, we delve deeper into the best times for better performance on LinkedIn. As holds for any platform, your content must align with the interests, needs, and questions of your target audience for optimal results. And on LinkedIn, the business-oriented nature of the platform is also something to take into account when scheduling your social media posts.

With alignment with users, and more specifically, your target audience, you will achieve optimal performance on LinkedIn. When your post's content resonates with your target audience, details like LinkedIn tagging make a difference. Also, the times when you post.

Therefore, we delved into the numbers and investigated the perfect timing for maximum results. We can already reveal that the business nature of LinkedIn means that posts during office hours yield the best results. Keep reading to discover the exact peak times for each goal.

 

The best times to post on LinkedIn for more impressions

Best days to post on LinkedIn
Monday to Friday

Peak times for greater reach on LinkedIn

• Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 3 p.m.
• Friday between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

As mentioned above, the professional and business nature of LinkedIn means that you achieve the best results during office hours. If you want more reach on this platform for your organization, keep it within the workweek and preferably between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

We observe a peak throughout the day at 10 a.m. and later at 4 p.m.

Curious about the best times to post for more reach on other social media platforms? Discover them in this overview.
 

The best times to post on LinkedIn for more engagement

Best days to post on LinkedIn
Friday

Peak times for more engagement on LinkedIn

• Monday at 3 p.m.
• Thursday at 5 a.m.
• Friday at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

It should be no surprise that weekdays within office hours are undoubtedly the best moments for increased engagement. Friday slightly surpasses the rest of the weekdays, but it's obvious that you can expect little to no engagement on this platform during the weekend.

We see a peak in mid-morning throughout the day, decreasing around lunchtime. There is a resurgence in likes, comments, and shares around 3-4 p.m.

The best times to post on LinkedIn for more clicks

Best days to post on LinkedIn
Monday to Friday

Peak times for more clicks on LinkedIn

• Monday at 3 p.m.
• Friday at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

For the number of clicks there is no difference in the overall conclusion: office hours yield the best results. There is a slight peak towards the end of the week, but it is safe to say that Monday to Friday are all good days for a conversion-focused LinkedIn post.

Looking at the hours, the 9-to-5 pattern is evident once again. Post at 10 a.m. or between 3 and 5 p.m. for optimal clicks.

Note! LinkedIn groups all clicks under one category. This means that this data includes clicks on posts with a link but also clicks to your profile or, for example, clicks on a presentation post with multiple slides.\
 

The best times for LinkedIn posts for your accounts

The above data provides insight into when to post on LinkedIn to achieve your goal. However, these times are based on the general performance of LinkedIn posts.

To truly get the optimal results from your (LinkedIn) content, it's better to zoom in on when your target audience is online. This can easily be done with Coosto's Prime Time. Get direct recommendations for the best times for the chosen platform, your industry, and your company account in the social media planner. Based on previous posts, this handy feature calculates the times that generate the most clicks, engagement or reach for your account. Then, with just one click, you can select the best time to post.

Curious about how this works exactly? Request a free demo, and one of our Coosto experts will be happy to show you!

Facebook is still one of the largest social media platforms. With over 9.9 million users, this channel ranks in the top 3 largest social platforms. In short, there is a lot to gain here! We previously gave a sneak peek into the best times for more reach on Facebook in our blog about the best times to post on social media in 2024.

But there's more to achieve on Facebook: whether it's more engagement or clicks, you're in the right place. Scroll quickly and discover which times will yield better results for you on Facebook.

The best times for more reach on Facebook
The best times for more engagement on Facebook
The best times for more clicks on Facebook
  
 

The best times for more reach on Facebook

Best day to post on Facebook
Sunday and Monday

Peak times for reach on Facebook

• Sunday at 3 PM
• Monday between 3 PM and 5 PM
• Thursday at 11 AM

How do you reach the largest possible audience on Facebook? Very easy, by posting at the peak times mentioned above! Sunday and Monday are the days when Facebook users leisurely scroll through their timelines, increasing the chances that they will see your post. At the beginning of the week, you have the greatest chance of reaching a large audience.

 

The best times for more engagement on Facebook

Best day to post on Facebook
Saturday and Sunday

Peak times for more engagement on Facebook

• Sunday at 3 PM and 7-10 PM
• Monday at 4 PM
• Thursday between 8-10 AM

Interestingly, Facebook users tend to engage more with your posts during the weekend. The weekend is the moment when most users take the time to like posts or leave comments. Additionally, there is generally a clear peak in the mornings: at 9 AM, you can expect a lot of engagement on your Facebook posts.

If you want to leverage the absolute peak moments for more engagement, post on Sunday. Engagement is highest in the afternoon and evening hours.

 

The best times for more clicks on Facebook

Best day to post on Facebook
Saturday

Peak times for more clicks on Facebook

• Sunday between 7-10 PM
• Wednesday at 2 PM
• Thursday at 9 AM

Similar to the best times for more engagement, weekend days yield the best results here. For maximum conversions, post on Saturday or Sunday, preferably towards the end of the day.

During weekdays, there are also peak moments to achieve more clicks: schedule your posts for Wednesday afternoon or on Thursday morning.

 

Do you want to know your best times to post on Facebook?

Looking at the general best times to post on Facebook, we can conclude: Facebook users are most active on weekends. As an organization, it's especially useful to schedule Facebook posts in advance. You can do this with a social media planner like Coosto. That way, you don't have to sit behind the laptop on Sunday afternoon for optimal results on this platform. What a relieve!

What's also important to keep in mind is that this data is based on the overall performance of Facebook posts. If you want to find out when the best time is for your organization specifically to post on any social platform, Coosto's social media planner has a handy feature: Prime Time. This AI technology calculates, based on your company account, industry, and the chosen platform, the best times to post for more reach, engagement, and clicks on Facebook. With just one click, our tool then provides real-time advice on the best time for you to post.

Do you want to discover your best times to post for better results on Facebook? Our Coosto experts would love to show you more during a free demonstration.

The impact of AI on marketing

AI has permanently transformed the field of marketing and will continue to drive many developments in the (near) future. The impact of AI on marketing is undeniable. As a marketer, your task is to embrace these changes and familiarize yourself with the latest technologies.

AI significantly aids fundamental aspects of content marketing and social media. The graph below, derived from the annual B2B Content Marketing Trends research by the Content Marketing Institute, clearly illustrates how AI plays a key role in the daily activities of most marketers.

Think of practical tasks such as assistance in writing (social media) copy or achieving better results with AI-driven advice by posting on social media at the optimal time. However, the most mentioned use of AI by B2B marketers is gaining inspiration for content.

And it's not surprising. Manually going through numerous articles, trends, and developments is a time-consuming task. This is where AI comes in handy. For example, there are tools that gather relevant online content within a specific field or topic. Content within a particular subject is evaluated and ranked based on various factors, providing you with insights into what's happening and which topics are worth engaging with.

Discover by Coosto offers such an overview: by analyzing and sorting millions of sources in real-time, you get a digestible overview of all content with algorithmically calculated Trending Scores.

AI will not take over your work. Someone with AI knowledge will!

The numerous possibilities of using AI in marketing for daily tasks contribute to significant development. By applying AI intelligently, you save time, energy, and creativity. You no longer have to 'waste' these resources on routine tasks; instead, you can use them for more strategic and overarching activities. Think of developing a content strategy, fine-tuning and monitoring the strategy, and maintaining focus on achieving objectives. AI allows you to be less consumed by small tasks, which, albeit time-consuming, are essential.

An important shift is happening in the marketing field: marketers solely focused on execution will become less important and eventually be replaced by AI. Marketers with the necessary AI knowledge, outsourcing these tasks to technology, and dedicating their remaining time to strategic activities, will become indispensable. That is what the marketer of the future will look like.

How do you use AI in marketing to achieve more success?

The rise of AI in marketing promises a revolutionary shift in how marketers utilize their time and resources. When applied correctly, AI is not about replacing human input, but rather enhancing marketing professionals with AI knowledge. By using AI smartly for routine tasks, marketers can focus more on the strategic aspects of marketing.

In conclusion, knowledge (and skill) of AI in marketing is the key to success. Interested in learning how to acquire this AI knowledge and efficiently apply it to your daily work? We'd be happy to explain more during a free demonstration.

Threads: the newest Meta family member

On July 5, 2023, Meta introduced Threads: a new platform primarily focused on text, unlike its sibling Instagram. The platform had a flying start: despite only being available in Europe recently, it reached 100 million users in no time (read: 4 days!). Impressive! For comparison, Instagram took 3 years to reach 110 million users.

The rocket start of Threads is easily explained: creating an account on Threads is a breeze if you already have an Instagram account. For many social media enthusiasts, this was a reason to take a look at this platform, but what makes Threads so special?

Time to test it ourselves! As Coosto, we didn't hesitate to do so: follow us on Threads!

Threads distinguishes itself from other social media channels for several reasons, but the main one is this: Threads is set to become an open social network in the (near) future. By making the app compatible with ActivityPub, Threads becomes an 'interoperable' network. Those are a lot of technical terms, but what does that mean? Simply put, social media platforms will be connected: in the future, you could post on Mastodon or receive notifications from that platform via Threads, without having an account on Mastodon. An interesting development that Threads is currently working on.

Threads is already being widely used, now also in Europe. This gives rise to various ideas, myths, and opinions about the platform. But do they hold? We investigated this for you. 
 

Myths arounds Threads

1. Threads doesn't comply with European privacy laws

The reason Threads was not immediately available in Europe had to do with not complying with European privacy laws. The seemingly user-friendly and quick connection to your existing Instagram account was the main reason the platform clashed with our privacy standards.

Fortunately, we can also debunk this myth: Threads can be used without an account, allowing you to bypass the issue.
 

2. Define your timeline with Dear algorithm

If you've already created an account on Threads, you've probably seen posts starting with 'Dear algorithm,' followed by a list of topics. There's a rumor that you can influence the algorithm, telling it where your interests lie to personalize your timeline.

But unfortunately, this is a myth. Meta confirms that this rumor is not true. The Threads timeline is not influenced by such posts but by the user's behavior. Just like on Instagram, what a user sees is determined based on signals like interactions with posts and accounts. You can't influence it with a 'Dear algorithm' post to teach the algorithm a lesson.
 

3. Threads is a text-only platform

Although Threads is primarily focused on textual content, this doesn't exclude other forms of posts. The main approach of the platform is sharing opinions, ideas, and thoughts in a maximum of 500 characters. This can be done through voice messages, images, and short videos. Moreover, you can include links in Threads posts, unlike Instagram.

Threads also announces that they are actively working on new formats. In 2024, you'll be able to enhance your text messages with colored text and the ability to add the 'party popper' emoji (?) to your post for some digital confetti on your screen.

So, the third myth is also debunked!

4. Hashtags are a thing of the past

Let's be clear: hashtags are still very much a part of Threads. However, Threads introduces a new feature with a similar function: Topic Tags. You can add one Topic Tag per post to indicate the theme of your message. This improves the visibility of your post on Threads, a crucial feature as social media channels are increasingly used as search engines.

To prevent the misuse of Topic Tags, the maximum is set to one tag per post. A tag can consist of multiple words or even a short sentence to provide more specific information about the related topic.

Not adding a theme via a Topic Tag doesn't mean your post won't appear in search results if it's related to that topic. The search function displays all related posts, whether a Topic Tag is added or not.

Web developer Max Mykhalchuk examined the most used topic tags and hashtags so far to demonstrate the difference in usage. As you can see, there are quite a few similarities between the two:

Conclusion: hashtags are certainly not a thing of the past, but Threads also brings innovation in this way.
 

How to use Threads for your organization

A new social media platform means new opportunities for your organization. But how do you achieve your social media goals on Threads? Here are some possibilities:

1. Engage with your followers

Threads is the ideal platform to ask short questions to your followers to gauge opinions. This can be done, for example, with the poll feature, but Threads also sets a good example by approaching it differently. Useful and innovative!

2. Increase your reach

A new platform, new opportunities! This relatively new platform provides a clean slate and, therefore, a new chance to reach more followers.

Additionally, Threads offers an excellent opportunity to bring your existing content to the forefront and experiment with new social media content. A breath of fresh air through your social media and content strategy, so to speak!

Moreover, the strong connection with Instagram makes it easy to promote your content cross-platform. With just one click, your latest Threads post can become an Instagram story.

3. Generate more clicks and conversions

Finally, Threads is also a great platform for conversion-focused posts. The ability to include links in your post is the perfect opportunity to direct followers to your website.

Threads currently doesn't have advertising options, which means your posts with a clear call-to-action won't be overshadowed by ads. Take advantage of this! Importantly, respect this and ensure relevant and valuable posts for your followers.
 

Threads is not done developing yet

Since Threads is still a relatively new platform, new developments are being rolled out at a rapid pace. Meta is actively working to continually improve the platform and increase user-friendliness. They make adjustments and enhancements based on user feedback. This platform is far from being fully developed, and we are very curious about what awaits us.

This probably sounds familiar to you: multiple open tabs with different social media platforms and website performance statistics, a lot of copying and pasting to get all the numbers in one place. A very time-consuming, and above all error-prone, process.

For years, I have struggled with proving the cohesion between my well-performing social media campaigns and a constant stream of website conversions. Tying everything together: that was my biggest issue. I needed a clear overview, which helps me to prove the attribution of social media to conversions that lead to sales. And the fact that brand awareness isn’t just something we do for fun, as marketers.

It would make my job as Content Marketer so much easier. And way more interesting, as well. It would help me to focus on what makes it challenging and interesting for me. In the end, creating new content based on successful campaigns is what drives me!

The solution: complete integration of all statistics in one dashboard

Thanks to the possibility to connect Google Analytics accounts and all business social media accounts within Coosto, you easily combine all relevant metrics in one overview. The dashboard templates are the perfect way to display the metrics that are important for your business goals. By doing so, you gain insights on the performance of your social media posts, platforms and campaigns, in relation to your Google Analytics stats, such as conversions and page views.

To prove how easy it is to answer important questions about social media and content performance with the customizable dashboards, I have a few examples. Because in the end, actions speak louder than words!

Cases: how you prove the success of social media & content 

The effect of social media campaigns on website visitors and conversions
 

The first example proves the connection between website visitors and social media campaigns. How many (new) visitors reached your website thanks to a successful social media campaign? And how many conversions did I get out of this post?

To answer these questions, I had to manually combine all my website statistics and social media data. Google Analytics in Coosto enables me to put these numbers easily together. Check the performance of social posts from a specific campaign and compare these directly to the number of (new) users and conversions on your website, derivative from this campaign. 
 

The effect of brand awareness on cost-free web traffic

The second example is focused on the positive effects of a well-known brand name and media reach. Because how do your daily results benefit from a strong brand name? Often, the power of brand awareness is underestimated and for a long time, it has been difficult to prove the (long-term) effects of it. Time to say goodbye to this.

By comparing the total reach of your brand in all online media sources, and putting this next to the direct traffic stats on your website, you will quickly realize the peaks in these numbers match. In other words, all the efforts from the past and today to create a stronger brand are paying off! No advertisement costs are involved (anymore): these valuable website visitors know what they are looking for and therefore a very likely to convert to paying customers. All thanks to a strong brand name, and a high media reach.

To even analyze this a bit deeper, you can add the sentiment around your brand. To what extent is your brand mentioned positively or negatively? And can you relate this to peaks in website traffic? The customizable dashboards make it easier than ever to answer these questions. 
 

Discover how Google Analytics and social media numbers make your job more fun!
 

So, are you ready to start making the numbers speak for themselves? I dare to say, I’m starting to even enjoy putting all the numbers related to social media and website performance together. And the possibilities are endless! Combining the statistics from these platforms offers countless valuable new insights.

Like I said, running my monthly analysing is no longer a task I want to postpone. Who would have thought I would ever be the one saying this? I didn’t, that’s for sure. Nowadays, I surprise myself by wanting to look for new insights and enjoy combining interesting and relevant statistics. Think of the number of sales we make thanks to my social media posts, the relation between social media reach and the (growing) number of website visitors, and the contribution social media engagement to conversions on landing pages.

Do you want to experience for yourself how this improved way of approaching content analytics can take your strategy to the next level? Try it for yourself! During our free trial, you get to experience the benefits of the integration. 

Is er zoiets als ‘hét Instagram algoritme’?

We beginnen bij het begin. Wat is een algoritme? Heel plat gezegd is een algoritme een set van instructies die een computer of ander apparaat kan volgen om een bepaalde taak uit te voeren. Je kunt het zien als een Ikea-handleiding, waarin stap voor stap wordt verteld wat je moet doen om een kast in elkaar te zetten.

Een van de misvattingen over Instagram is dat er iets is als ‘Het Instagram Algoritme’. Het complexe aan Instagram is juist dat er niet één algoritme is dat bepaalt wat een gebruiker wel of niet ziet. Instagram maakt gebruik van verschillende algoritmes, die elk een eigen doel kennen. Instagram zegt hier het volgende over:

Wij willen het meeste uit jouw tijd halen, we geloven dat het gebruik van technologie om jouw ervaring te personaliseren de beste manier is om dit te doen.

Conclusie: Er is niet één gouden formule

Focus op de interesses van de gebruiker

Instagram is door de jaren flink gegroeid. Hoe meer mensen zich bij het platform aansluiten, hoe meer content er ook gedeeld wordt. Het werd hierdoor voor de meeste onmogelijk om alles te kunnen zien. Instagram heeft hier zelf onderzoek naar gedaan en zij kwamen tot de conclusie dat in 2016 gebruikers 70% van alle posts in hun feed misten. Om deze reden is er een feed ontwikkeld die posts rangschikt op basis van waar de gebruiker de meeste interesse in heeft.

Daarom maakt Instagram dan ook gebruik van een op maat gemaakt algoritme, dat is afgestemd op de gebruiker. Om aan deze behoeften te voldoen, rangschikt Instagram de content verschillend per onderdeel van de app: Feed en Verhalen, Ontdekken en Reels.

De rangschikking van Instagram

Instagram maakt gebruik van zogenaamde ‘signalen’. Deze bestaan uit alle informatie die zij hebben over accounts en voorkeuren. Deze signalen bepalen voor een groot deel wat een gebruiker op zijn of haar tijdlijn ziet. De volgorde waarin een gebruiker content ziet, wordt bepaald door de belangrijkste signalen per onderdeel. Hieronder vind je per onderdeel een overzicht van de signalen in volgorde van belang.

Feed en verhalen

• Informatie over de post
• Informatie over het account dat post
• Activiteit van de gebruiker
• De geschiedenis van de gebruiker van interactie met het account dat post

Ontdekken

• Informatie over de post
• De geschiedenis van de gebruiker van interactie met het account dat post
• Activiteit van de gebruiker
• Informatie over het account dat post

Reels

• Activiteit van de gebruiker
• De geschiedenis van de gebruiker van interactie met het account dat post
• Informatie over de reel
• Informatie over het account dat post

Wat houden deze signalen precies in?

Zoals je ziet komen dezelfde signalen steeds terug, alleen vaak in een andere volgorde van belang. Om hierop in te kunnen spelen moet je natuurlijk weten wat ze inhouden:

1. Informatie over de post/ reel
Dit zijn signalen die iets zeggen over de populariteit van de post. Denk hierbij aan het aantal likes en algemenere informatie, zoals de inhoud zelf, wanneer het gepost is, of het een video of afbeelding is en of er een locatie aan is toegevoegd. Hoe completer een post. hoe beter.

2. Informatie over het account dat post
Dit helpt Instagram de gebruikers een idee te geven over hoe interessant dit account voor hen is. Hierbij wordt gekeken naar de totale interactie die een account genereert. Leveren de posts veel likes, comments en shares op? Dan komt dat ten goede voor de ranking.  

3. Activiteit van de gebruiker
Dit helpt Instagram te begrijpen waarin de gebruiker mogelijk geïnteresseerd is. Het bevat signalen zoals hoeveel en welke berichten hij of zij leuk vond.

4. De interactiegeschiedenis van een gebruiker met een account
Dit helpt Instagram een idee te geven over hoe geïnteresseerd een gebruiker is in de content van een bepaald account. Hierbij wordt gekeken naar de mate van interactie met dit account, zoals comments op posts. Een signaal hierbij is de interactie met elkaar.

Hoe zorg je er als organisatie nu dan toch voor dat je gezien wordt?

Een vraag die je het lezen van dit blog waarschijnlijk in je op komt. Wees gerust. Wij hebben een aantal tips voor je klaarstaan, die ervoor gaan zorgen dat je bereik groter wordt.

1. Zorg voor een goede social media strategie.
Instagram hanteert verschillende metrics om te bepalen of de gebruiker iets ‘interessant’ vindt. Eén positieve uitschieter is niet genoeg. Zorg er met relevante en pakkende content voor dat je consistent hoog scoort op likes, shares en comments om regelmatig hoog in de feed van gebruikers te verschijnen. Een goede social media strategie is hierbij onmisbaar.

2. Domineer de feed!
Post consistent voor een goede plek in de feeds van je volgers. Om een relatie op te bouwen met je volgers, moet er namelijk voldoende content zijn waarmee je volgers kunnen interacteren. Als je ook reageert op comments, geef je het algoritme als het ware een seintje: je bent close met je volgers en bouwt een band op.

3. Doe onderzoek naar je volgers
Onderzoek met welk type volgers je te maken hebt. Als ze die-hard Instagram-gebruikers zijn, kun je gerust wat vaker posts publiceren en hoeft niet elke post een enorme hit te zijn. Openen ze de app wat minder vaak, dan kun je jouw posts beter wat meer beperken tot de echte top foto’s en -video’s. Hier lees je hoe je bepaalt hoe vaak je moet posten op social media.

4. Schat je bereik in
Vraag je je af welk bereikpercentage (bereik/aantal volgers) ‘goed genoeg’ is? Bekijk hoeveel accounts jouw volgers zelf volgen. Hoe minder mensen zij volgen, hoe groter de kans is dat ze de Instagramposts van jouw organisaties zien.

De Instagram algoritmes veranderen continu

Als we het hebben over algoritmes zie je misschien mensen voor je die achter ingewikkelde dashboards aan knoppen zitten te draaien. Zo kunnen ze bepalen welke posts hoger in een feed terechtkomen. Hoog tijd om van dat denkbeeld af te stappen. Het algoritme is gebaseerd op kunstmatige intelligentie, het is in hoge mate zelflerend en vooral: continu aan verandering onderhevig.

Als vandaag A het best werkt, kan dat morgen dus alweer B zijn. Het heeft dus niet zoveel zin om superpraktische tips te geven. Je kunt je beter gewoon richten op de 6 principes waarop het algoritme gestoeld is. Die zijn minder veranderlijk en geven je wat inzicht in achterliggende processen.

Of je het nu leuk vindt of niet: het blijft op Instagram voorlopig een strijd om aandacht. Als je die strijd wilt winnen, doe je er goed aan om de lessen hierboven mee te nemen. Dat levert je op lange termijn meer op dan geforceerde trucjes om het algoritme te manipuleren.

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Coosto offers a powerful integration with Google Analytics that enables users to draw more, better, and faster conclusions from data than ever before.

This integration opens the doors to better insight into online performance, thanks to the powerful combination of social media metrics and website performance. Here are some highlights of what this new integration with Google Analytics has to offer:

• Deeper insights: The combination of website performance and social media statistics makes connecting data easier than ever before. The integration creates a complete overview of the performance on a campaign level and helps detect opportunities for more success.
   
• Quicker decisions: Thanks to the seamless integration with Google Analytics, users are able to check and analyse all content and social media statistics in real-time. The overview makes it easier and faster to draw the right conclusions. Which enables you to take quicker action and make strategic decisions.
   
• More reach and conversions: By gaining insight into which content is most effective, you can easily increase reach and maximize conversions on all platforms. Identify trends and optimize strategies to achieve desired results in a targeted manner.

Try it yourself and discover how Coosto integration helps increase your organization's online success with the newest integration. The Google Analytics integration in Coosto is available to Coosto customers and can be tested for free by interested organizations. 
 

From creative challenge to an optimal content strategy 

How do you reach the target audience with compelling content? That was one of the challenges faced by the marketing team at WWF. A broad reach, especially through social media, is essential to make a difference. Only in this way can WWF's message stand out and create impact. But what are those exact pain points, and how do you ensure that a social media post does deliver the desired reach? The answer lies in the numbers.

"It was sometimes challenging to present the figures and data clearly and then use them for our content strategy," says Frank. WWF needed a user-friendly tool that could help them understand the online audience and stimulate online discussions. In short, the content strategy required improvement.

How insightful dashboards and reports lead to new insights

Fortunately, WWF now measures and demonstrates the success of content clearly through in-depth reports and live dashboards: "Thanks to Coosto, we can now focus on creating impactful content without spending a lot of time on lengthy reports. Moreover, the tool is very user-friendly."   

 

Increased online visibility with successful social media posts

WWF uses Coosto for more than just analyzing social media and content results. They measured the reach and, through Listen, were able to quickly respond to online conversations:

"An exciting event was scheduled for WWF in the European Parliament, where we advocated for the preservation and restoration of nature. Thanks to Coosto, we could prepare our posts and engage in the conversation on social media with the goal: #notwithoutnature. This hashtag marked a short but powerful collaborative campaign among all green NGOs in the Netherlands, where social listening played a crucial role in quickly responding to online discussions."

Through Listen, we also had immediate insight into the responses to this campaign and how much this hashtag was picked up by others.   
  

Measurable results and impact

The daily use of Coosto has become the norm for Frank and his team: "We use Coosto daily for content planning, analyzing message statistics, and adjusting our content goals."

"The results of WWF's use of Coosto are remarkable," says Frank. "Social media is a matter of experimentation. With Coosto, we immediately see whether our content is working or not. We adjust our content strategy based on the results and observe which formats perform the best. This has led to better content and increased engagement from our followers." Thanks to Coosto, WWF's engagement rate has increased by 147.5% on platform X and by a whopping 811% on TikTok. As the cherry on top, there's a 1478% increase in the average number of impressions on TikTok!

In addition, WWF uses Coosto to discover new opportunities, such as optimizing publication times using the Post Optimizer.

"Thanks to Coosto, I started scheduling posts in the evening, something I wouldn't have dared to do before," says Frank.

The recommended times from the Post Optimizer have indeed made a difference: the posts reached a larger audience and led to greater engagement. These significant results contribute to the amplification of the message's impact.
 

Coosto en WWF: an impactful collaboration

Thanks to Coosto, WWF can continually refine their content strategy and purposefully increase its impact. A social media and content tool like Coosto is indispensable for WWF to better respond to online discussions and optimize content. We look forward to the continuation of this successful partnership and the impact WWF will continue to make.

Collaboration is one of WWF's core values, and Coosto supports them in realizing their mission to protect and restore nature.

As mentioned, marketers often miss crucial input for new content. (Properly) analyzing existing content is a time-consuming task. Gathering statistics, combining relevant metrics, and then drawing the right conclusions: cross-channel data analysis can be quite challenging.

Precisely combining different results is crucial: it makes the impact per social media post, campaign, or channel truly visible. Which social media campaign is now generating the most conversions on your website? And do the highly-liked posts on Facebook also contribute to increased website traffic? Questions that were previously difficult to answer.

That is a thing of the past. The powerful integration of Google Analytics in Coosto ensures that you combine these statistics in one overview, making it easier to establish connections. We guide you step by step on how to effectively work with this.
 

1. Gain insight into all data

Connect your Google Analytics and social media accounts in Coosto and gather all statistics in one platform. This way, you no longer have to switch between different platforms and tabs. Easy, clear, and user-friendly.

2. Combine relevant statistics

Less is more! Focus on the statistics that are relevant to your marketing goals and campaigns, and don't hesitate to exclude statistics in your analysis. To gather the right statistics, it is essential to know what result you are looking for and what factors influence it.

In Coosto, you'll find ready-made dashboard templates focused on specific goals. This way, you don't have to search for the right metrics yourself, and you can focus on comparing and analyzing your numbers.
 

3. Draw the right conclusions

This might sound like a no-brainer, but is sometimes easier said than done. To make the statistics truly speak, you must be able to link them together. Only by doing so can you establish connections and draw the right conclusions.

By combining various statistics, such as social media link clicks, website traffic, and conversions, you truly understand how your campaign has performed. And that is precisely the insight you are seeking as a marketer.

4. Start applying your newest insights

The finishing touches are crucial in this case: insights are worthless if you don't apply them in practice. Translate new insights into action points and incorporate them into your content strategy. 

By regularly analyzing results, you'll naturally start recognizing patterns. This quickly gives you insight into which content, campaigns, and channels are effective in motivating your target audience to take action, and also what doesn't work well.
 

Ready to dive into effective data analysis?

Data is indispensable if you want to create optimally performing content. Experience for yourself how easy data analysis can be with Coosto. The powerful integration with Google Analytics makes data more accessible, transparent, and valuable than ever before.

Toine Verheul

For years, I had the idea of climbing Alpe d'Huez on my bike, inspired by the heroic images of the Tour de France, particularly the victories of Peter Winnen (1981), Gert-Jan Theunisse (1989), Lance Armstrong (2001), and of course, Marco Pantani (1995), who set a world record with an incredible time of 36 minutes and 50 seconds. Along the climb, the route was packed with enthusiastic supporters dressed in the most peculiar clothing. Every year, there was a supporter dressed as a red devil, chasing the cyclists with a trident. Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France was always a great spectacle and gained a mythical status.

On television, the climbs looked tough, and the riders suffered, but watching from the couch, I thought I could do it myself. Maybe I could even come close to a good time!

On June 6, 2006 (6-6-6), 66 people cycled up Alpe d'HuZes 6 times for a good cause, cancer research. There was limited media attention initially, but year after year, the media coverage grew, capturing my attention as well. I would love to participate one day, achieve a sports performance, and sponsor a good cause—a wonderful combination. But the years went by, and there was always a reason not to sign up. I was too busy, not fit enough, cycling wasn't really that enjoyable, supporting charities could be done in other ways, and so on. Until Corona emerged and gripped the world in a dreadful manner. The number of sick people and deaths increased rapidly, and the news mainly focused on vulnerable individuals and those with underlying conditions who passed away to a disease.

During that period, I got to know Maud Burgers and Marlies von Mansveldt from the Prinses Máxima Centrum for Pediatric Oncology. The trigger was an episode of Jeroen Pauw's program "Pauw komt binnen", filmed at the Prinses Máxima Centrum for Pediatric Oncology, where he spoke with children, fathers, mothers, and families about the impact of cancer, the fear, but above all, the zest for life. I happened to come across this episode, and I was captivated by the intensity, honesty, and the pure, sad, but also beautiful stories. When the episode ended, I had an irresistible feeling that I wanted to contribute, to help. That same evening, I sent an email to Maud, stating that I wanted my company to contribute to the good work of the Prinses Máxima Centrum. The next day, I received a positive reply and was invited for a meeting. Two weeks later, I went for a visit, and after a warm welcome, a good conversation, and an impressive and discreet tour, I was even more convinced. We must contribute, and that was the start of our collaboration.

From that moment on, the Coosto management team decided to choose one charity for sponsorship, and that was everything related to cancer research. We were already sponsors of Alpe d'HuZes, but we had never participated in the event. That had to change, and besides, it was an opportunity to climb Alpe d'Huez and make a contribution. In December 2022, I sent an email to the entire company, announcing that we were registering for Alpe d'HuZes 2023. And so it happened, but there was a small detail, and that was the preparation.

By nature, I am quite positive and somewhat limitless in my thinking. Climbing that mountain on a bike couldn't be that difficult, right? The videos on YouTube of cyclists effortlessly riding up the mountain confirmed my suspicion—climbing Alpe d'Huez is quite doable. I wasn't in a hurry to train because I believed it wouldn't be that challenging. At the end of February, I decided to do a simulation training of Alpe d'Huez on my indoor bike trainer. I started off well and got into a good rhythm, but a quarter of the way up, it started to get tough, and by the halfway point, I was already quite exhausted. At 75%, I no longer found it funny and wondered what on earth I had gotten myself into. Two hours later, completely drained and with a significant mental blow, I got off the bike trainer. With a sense of panic, I realized I had a problem—this was much, much tougher than I had expected, serious work was required.

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made a concise list of what needed to be done to cycle up the mountain multiple times. I needed to lose weight, sleep more, eat healthier, train more, vary my training routine, lower my heart rate, and, above all, find out how other climbers prepare. Slowly but surely, I made progress. My endurance training improved, my heart rate became more stable and lower, and my recovery also improved. But is it enough? Now, one week before the start, I still have doubts about whether I am adequately prepared, but the excitement for the event is growing. I think it's super cool that I can participate, and I won't disappoint my sponsors. On Thursday, June 1, I will be ready and give it my all, enjoy it to the fullest, and have a beautiful and extraordinary experience. Giving up is not an option.

Thank you for your support and generous donations, we're going for it!

Help Toine reach his goal and donate here

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Stan Ansems

Since 2009 I began cycling actively, started on mountain bike but currently I alternate between MTB, road bike and gravel bike. In recent years I have been cycling about 7.5 to 8000 kilometers per year.

Each year I try to make a nice challenge. For instance, a few times I participated in Scherpenheuvel -> Hapert (100 km MTB) and Diekirch -> Valkenswaard (270 km with 3000 altimeters) and last year I cycled the Pieterpad with friends (520 km in 3 days).

The Alpe d'HuZes had been on my list for a long time but had not happened until now.
Fortunately I do not have any close experience with cancer, but everyone has to deal with it directly or indirectly. So the combination of a nice challenge and raising as much money as possible for charity and that on my birthday couldn't be nicer.

he training is going well, for now I stand at 2800 km for this year, I try to incorporate as many altimeters as possible. In Brabant not the easiest of tasks, but the Gulbergen in Nuenen (old landfill and with 62m above sea level the highest point in Brabant) is a nice place to train. I recently rode up 25 times to get 1200 altimeters in one ride in Brabant. Furthermore I try to make nice longer distances, picking up the uniforms in Papendal was a nice trip of 160km via Veldhoven -> Papendal -> Den Bosch (with the train back to Eindhoven).

During the longer rides I try to pay close attention to nutrition and drinking with energy bars, powders and bananas.

And of course we keep track of everything on Strava and StatsHunters (a side project of myself as a developer).

Help Stan reach his goal and donate here.

Climb 1

At 04:00 I was already awake and ready to start the ascent. It's still half an hour until the start, and there's already a massive line of people waiting. Everyone has their lights on, even before it has begun, and I find it extremely impressive.

After a long wait, I finally crossed the starting line at 04:47. The first climb was in silence, and since it was so early, it was still dark outside. The route was beautifully illuminated with candles. In every turn, I saw a long string of cyclists, hikers, and runners winding their way up the mountain. It feels good to me, but the climb is steeper than expected. Throughout the climb, I kept my gears in the lowest setting, trying to keep my heart rate below 145. I crossed the finish line at 06:21. It feels like a victory. Almost immediately, I started the first descent. Since it's still early in the morning and the sun hasn't risen yet, it's extremely cold. Descending 14 km with a windbreaker and a jacket, it's cold but enjoyable! Down at the turning point, there's thankfully some hot coffee to warm up.

Climb 2

I take off my rain jacket, and at 07:08, I ride down to the start again. More and more people gather on the mountain to cheer us on. At 08:00, the DJ finally cranks up the volume. Different music in every few turns, the atmosphere is already great early on!

Along the way, I encountered many emotional moments—a group of friends embracing each other by the candles, a woman crying alone on a wall, a man with his son's photo under his saddlebag, and a banner with a picture of a loved one by the road. It sometimes hits you hard. I finished for the second time at 08:36. After a short break, a restroom stop, and refilling my water bottles, I descend again. I grab a soup for some extra salt and then go for it again.

Climb 3

At 09:31, I started the third climb of the day. The first few turns are still relatively easy, but the higher I go, the harder it becomes. Some pain starts to creep into my calf at turn 5. I can't shift to an easier gear. I keep hydrating, eat an extra energy bar, and hope the pain doesn't escalate.

By turn 2 (counting backward from turn 21 to 1), the pain doesn't matter anymore because the finish line is in sight. Once I cross the finish line, it's 11:02, almost 5 hours of riding, so having lunch sounds like a good idea. I take a longer break with a sandwich, a can of cola, and weigh whether another climb is feasible. Together with Toine, we decided to go for it. We descend together and agree not to wait for each other during the climb, but to go at our own pace.

Climb 4

At 13:22, Toine and I start our final climb. Initially, I pull ahead of Toine, but at one of the last turns, I have to stop to give my legs some rest. I take this opportunity to take some photos. Suddenly, I see Toine, and I immediately get on my bike to ride together for the final climb. At 14:58, we crossed the finish line together for the last time.The entire week was incredibly impressive and a challenge never to be forgotten!

Climb 1: 01:34 hours
Climb 2: 01:27 hours
Climb 3: 01:30 hours
Climb 4: 01:36 hours

Personal contribution: €3,500.00
Total funds raised by Coosto Warriors: €10,982.04

Eindhoven, April 5, 2023 - Coosto today announced its integration with ChatGPT technology, which allows Coosto users to produce fully automated content linked to their brand and relevant market trends. The ChatGPT Content Generator takes into account factors such as message length per platform, tone of voice, market trends, language, and sentiment.

Tests have shown that automated content production is done in a fraction of the time compared to conventional content creation. In some cases, it was reported to be up to 98% faster, while maintaining quality. 

The AI Content Generator is designed to support content creators instead of taking over their jobs. The level of input largely determines the quality of the automatically generated social media copy.

‘’Our background in AI made us embrace various AI models for several years. We have been following initiatives such as Open AI for quite some time, and it makes sense for us to work together in the world we operate in’’, says CEO Toine Verheul. ‘’There are also dissenting voices around the use of AI, and we think that is actually positive. We need discussion for further development in the right direction’’, Verheul adds. ‘’At Coosto, we see AI as a helpful tool for our customers, but the customer always remains in control.’

Coosto's AI Content Generator is as of now available for Coosto customers and can be tested for free by interested parties. 

Learn more about the new integration

The more media sources you monitor, the lower the odds you’ll miss an article that is relevant for your organization. Coosto therefore offers extensive coverage of various media, including social media, blogs, message boards, radio, tv and news sites.

The new Belga.press integration provides additional coverage of all major national and regional newspapers and magazines in Belgium. This helps you get an even better understanding of what is being written about your organization or industry.

Which media are available through the integration?

The Belga.press integration grants access to multiple outlets, both in Dutch and in French language. Major titles like RTBF, RTL TVI, De Standaard and l’Echo are all included.

The Belga.press integration enables you to measure the full impact of your PR efforts, base your communication plans on a more robust situational analysis and get even more ideas for new content.

Read more about all integration options via Belga.press

Negative reviews are a golden opportunity to improve your brand reputation. Respond with understanding, show empathy and try to straighten out any mix-ups. It lets you show the entire world how solution-driven and helpful you are. Positive reviews, on the other hand, are perfect for responses as well. Thank your customers for a compliment, or for the simple fact they took the effort to share their opinion.

No matter your response: from now on, it's possible in Coosto. Easily connect your Google My Business account, and all (new) Google reviews will automatically be imported in Coosto so you can start engaging right away!

The Coosto Hackathon is a yearly internal event, in which we challenge our colleagues to work on their own creative and innovative ideas. The most important precondition: you have to present the fully-fledged and worked out idea within one day to the rest of the company.

An event like the Hackathon helps Coosto to remain creative and renewing. It is the perfect occasion to think outside the box and maybe find new usable features for our product. Let’s call it a training in innovation.

Coosto + 1

No time to lose, we had to get right to it. The theme of this year’s Hackathon was called ‘Coosto + 1’, which meant we had to think of an idea that contained a combination of Coosto and a concept, feature or idea of another tool or app.

A variety of 8 interesting projects, worked out by a total of 33 colleagues, emerged from this theme. The ideas in a nutshell:

Tinder-like message approval

What would you get if you’d combine Coosto with the swipiness of an app like Tinder? This project decided to find out an presented a working prototype. A simple swipe gesture to the left or right would allow you to handle messages in Engage.

Did you know...

...the search helper in Coosto Listen derives from the winning project of the 2017 edition of the Coosto Hackathon?

Coosto Cards

This group presented a feature that was copied off the filters of Google Cards. Instead of setting general filters, you would be able to set Coosto filters in the search results. This would mean you can exclude the language, author and/or topic in every search result.

Coosto Periscope

Do you remember Microsoft’s Clippy? Why wouldn’t we try implement the little assistant in a Coosto theme? The goal of this project was to help customers directly in the tool, without having to navigate to the Support Center.

Lunch platform

This project didn’t find its inspiration in the product of Coosto, but in the internal lunch. They came up with a platform on which employees could make food suggestions and manage their attendance. This would help our lunch staff to prepare the right amount of food and stop waste.

Coosto LMS

This team came up with an idea to make a Coosto training more interactive. They set up a Learning Management System; one interface for all training information, using quizzes and tasks to assess whether a trainee masters Coosto sufficiently.

The podium

No hackathon without winners. A skilled jury chose the 3 best projects at the end of a great, tiring day.

Bronze: Coosto Loyalty

What if the daily use of Coosto would challenge you a little bit more? Let’s make a game out of it, this group imagined. By analyzing data in Listen, handling conversations in Engage en scheduling posts in Publish, you would earn points and badges. This would start a competition with your colleagues for the funniest and most legendary badges. Who gets the top spot in the leaderboard?

Silver: Coosto Break

A mini-game in Coosto. Fun, but what’s the point of it? This team had the answer: “Break stuff and recharge!” Every Coosto user who wants to express their frustrations after the umpteenth complaint of their customers, would have to start this game. Press a button and use a mouse to drag all Coosto elements to the edge of a screen and demolish them one by one. Wow, that’s a relief. You’re fully recharged to yet again be sympathetic to your customers.

Gold: Coosto Assistant

The winners presented an impressive piece of ‘Coosto + 1’, according to the jury. Their starting point: managers want to be up-to-date with their brand’s latest social media statistics fast and easily. That is why this project combined the intelligence of Google Assistant with the power of Coosto. No need to log in to Coosto, just ask your Google Assistant for the current situation on your smartphone or smartwatch. Coosto would push the data and Google would read your statistics aloud. An almost flawless demo showed it can be done!

Let’s make Coosto even better

There’s that. After this Hackathon we’re fully recharged with new inspiration for product improvements in 2020. Do you as a Coosto user have your own innovative feature requests? Please, share them with us. Hit the Feedback button in Coosto to submit your idea or vote for existing ideas.

Here’s to a beautiful and innovative 2020!

Instagram Direct Publishing has been one of the most wanted Coosto features for years now. This means we were prepared for the application, and we realized the integration immediately after the Instagram announcement.

Get more results with social media and save more valuable time with Coosto. We're now one of the only tools that support direct publishing for 6 major social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest. 

Are you curious about Coosto or do you want more information about this feature? Contact us.

The 33-year-old Alexander became acquainted with Coosto while studying technical computer science. “It started as a side job on weekend days when I was studying at Fontys. Even when I went to the university after that, I continued to do so. After my studies, they wanted to hire me and I stuck around.”

Employee from the very beginning

Alexander witnessed the entire growth of the company. “If I am right, I was employee number nine. I signed my first contract in April 2007, a long time ago. I have seen the company grow from a very small start-up to a large and professional organization. It now employs more than a hundred people, which was hard to imagine at the time.”

Alexander, born in Deurne, still enjoys working at Coosto. “The advantage of Coosto is that you are always challenged. You're not a code monkey here (someone who just writes code). Within Coosto you get the opportunity to do your own research and you get a lot of freedom in your job. You get the chance to develop and for that reason you never get bored. I came in as a rookie and have grown from there and I am still growing. I am learning every day.”

The hidden side of Coosto

Alexander is currently working on the "hidden side" of Coosto. “You don't see my work right from the front, but it is essential. I mainly work on the back of the tool. I am responsible for the links with our sources. Coosto has many sources such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, blogs, forums and so on. That produces a lot of data and that data is collected by programs that I have co-written.”

Alexander's work brings the correct data to the surface in Coosto. “All data must be cleaned up and in the correct format. In addition, we also don’t want any junk, spam or old data in our tool. It is my responsibility to ensure that those processes run smoothly. If the connection between the sources and Coosto does not work properly, then nothing will come out of the search engine. So I think my work is quite important haha.”

Special organization

In addition to the fact that Coosto continues to challenge you, Alexander also likes the working culture. “Coosto is a very flat organization. Everyone is equal and there are no ranks and classes. It is very free and open. I never feel that things are being discussed behind closed doors. Everyone thinks along and helps and everyone is taken seriously. You are always listened to and when you have a good idea, it is implemented.”

The connection between employee and employer is a special one, according to Alexander. “Coosto thinks along with you. When you want extra training, when you are sick, when you have an idea, you are really taken into account. I feel appreciated and I think that I am not just speaking for myself. Even now that we all work from home, Coosto regularly let you know that they are thinking about you. This can be through a flower or a nice message. They care about you and that is genuine. That is very much appreciated throughout the company.”

Every idea is a welcome

Activities outside the daily work are also appreciated. “Coosto is somewhat known for that. That is in the company's DNA. Successes are celebrated in a big way and Christmas is a big hit. Then everything is possible. But it's not just Christmas. All sorts of things are organized throughout the year. Such as a Hackathon, which I have been co-organizing myself for years. That's great. The involvement of everyone within Coosto is great anyway.”

To indicate that everything is possible at Coosto, Alexander touches on last year's winter sports trip. “I had the crazy idea to throw in a winter sport and I indicated that to HR. The Coosto-way is then: "Cool idea, look at the options and arrange it." So we went on winter sports. That was great. No matter how crazy your idea is; within Coosto they are always listened to and if possible, you can implement it. ”

Coosto challenges you

According to Alexander, anyone who wants to work at Coosto must have ambitions and want to develop themselves. “Of course I look at the technical side of Coosto, because that is my field. And if I look at that, you can go in so many directions at Coosto. You receive a personal development budget, you are allowed to go to conferences, you are given the space and freedom to conduct research and do you have an innovative and good idea? Then you can pitch it and perform it.”

However, those who prefer to get their work prepared is not in the right place at Coosto. “You really have to want to challenge and improve yourself. You get a lot of freedom within Coosto, but that also includes a lot of responsibility. You are expected to take it too. I really like that myself. That is why you always keep learning. When you come up with a good idea and are allowed to implement it, then that is really your project. That will not be taken over by someone from above who will advertise it. Isn't that cool ?!”

Alexander has been around since Coosto's foundation, but is far from tired. “Of course I have my ambitions, but I can realize them very well within Coosto. I am happy to work here and I am definitely not thinking of leaving. I appreciate Coosto and I have the feeling that that appreciation is mutual.”

1. Satisfaction

Content that’s shared the most is content that generates the most pleasure after reading it. It must leave the reader, viewer or listener feeling a little bit better informed or happier. It’s not difficult to create this sense of satisfaction, all you have to do is give an answer or solution to an issue affecting your target group. How do I make apple pie? What caused the banking crisis? Why aren’t bananas straight? What’s the best time to post on social media? Posing these kinds of questions and answering them leaves your readers satisfied: “Great, something else I know.”

So, why is this kind of content with solutions and answers more likely to be shared? Your reader feels satisfied after reading the content and then receives an additional reward by sharing it because any followers or friends who read it will experience the same sense of satisfaction, which contributes to the sharer’s status on social media.

2. Amazing Design

A piece of content, whether it’s a web page, news article or video, hangs or falls on how it’s designed. It can mean the difference between a visitor unconsciously deciding whether to read the content or clicking through to another page. Design is therefore an important factor because it has to be appealing enough to get visitors to read content and consequently to share it.

A well-designed piece can also help generate a wow factor, which in itself can be enough for it to be shared on social media. The special made by Dutch broadcaster NOS about depression is a good example. This page was published a year ago, but is still being shared on social media.

3. Element of Surprise

It may seem strange in this age of cognitive dissonance when everybody seems to live in their own bubbles, but content that challenges existing thinking patterns is shared more often.

Here’s a small test. Which of these articles would you read first?

1. Start your strategy with a clear goal
2. Take account of your target group in your communications
3. Why content marketing is nonsense

I’ll answer for you, because I’m pretty sure you’d go for the 3rd option, even though you yourself work in content marketing. That’s because the first two are far too obvious, while the third has real stopping power. You’re probably going to disagree with the author, but can't resist taking a look anyway. Frustrated, you read the piece in complete disagreement, and decide to share it on your social media while denouncing it. The important thing is, though ... you shared it. 

Perhaps that’s not the way you want your content to be shared, but you can invert the same idea to get a lot of shares from a positive perspective. Take an important or popular subject, and approach it from a less obvious angle. You could, for example, make an unexpected comparison (How to create better content by watching Netflix) or defend a controversial. The result will be that this type of content will be clicked and shared more often.

4. Emotion

As Point 1 showed, informative and practical content promotes sharing. However, you can also take the opposite approach, and post emotional content. It’s an inherent human characteristic to want to share emotions and feelings, both positive and negative. This is why friends and contacts on social media will really push you to engage with emotional content. You’re probably familiar with comments such as “This is so moving, you have to read it", or “Haha, watch this video”.

You can exploit the same thing in your content. Whether it concerns an emotional video, a humorous column, or a sad story. Unleashing an emotion on your target group will make them much more likely to share your content.

5. A Challenge

Although the last point is quite obvious, it’s sometimes forgotten: if you want people to share your content, just ask. Sometimes it can be very simple, such as the famous ‘World Record Egg’ posted by the Egg Gang with a message asking people to help make it the most liked post on Instagram, which set a world record.

It goes without saying that you don’t have to be so blunt and literal. Simply asking people to share a post or article with the reasoning that it will then reach more people often works very well. If your followers support your message, they’ll often be more than willing to share your content.

This recommendation doesn’t apply to ‘Share & Win’ competitions, which are banned on most social media. They can indeed result in content being shared, but very rarely promote any affinity with your brand.

Measure How Often Your Content Is Shared

So there you have them, the five triggers: satisfaction, amazing design, an element of surprise, emotion, and a challenge. From now on, try to use at least one of these triggers in your content, and use your social media planner to measure whether your posts are being shared more. Do you use a social media monitoring tool? If you do, you can immediately see if and how often your web pages, blogs or articles are shared.

By the way, did you enjoy this blog? Do you think it could help your network? Please share it on social media, and spread the word.

It's completely understandable that we often get the question what makes us unique. We think the best way to show this, is by telling you why our most satisfied customers continue to opt for Coosto with great conviction.

1. Market-leading software

Over 1600 organizations in 15 countries are daily using Coosto to manage their social and online media. Our extensive experience with thousands of users means that we precisely know what works and what doesn't, and we use this knowledge to further develop our platform.

2. Quality assurance

Our platform sets the very highest of quality standards. Guaranteed 24/7, in writing.

3. Result driven

Our platform is carefully built for your marketing and communication goals. In practice, this means you will achieve better results in less time using Coosto. Whether you want increasing conversions from social media content, a higher customer satisfaction, a better brand reputation or higher reach: with Coosto, it's all within reach.

4. World-class assistance

A team of Customer Success Managers and analysts is always by your side to help you achieve your goals.

5. Dutch quality

Our customers appreciate the fact that they can rely on a solid product of Dutch origin.

6. Unique features

As a Coosto user, you have a whole range of unique features at your disposal. For one, Coosto is the only platform in the world that doesn't only monitor messages in which your brand name is mentioned, but also all comments on those messages. This gives you a 40% more comprehensive picture of the buzz surrounding your brand.

7. Multilingual support

No automated menus or hassle. By phone, chat or mail: our multilingual support team will answer any question you might have in no time.

8. Partnerships and integrations

Coosto can be seamlessly integrated with Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, CM.com, Belga.press and many more. Take a look at all of our integrations.

9. Feedback platform

We value your ideas, and use your feedback to further develop our platform. You can track our progress in the transparent Feedback platform.

10. Data protection and Privacy

Security and privacy officers guarantee the integrity of data. All Coosto data centers are based in the European Union, and all software is assessed based on applicable rules and standards. Coosto is ISO27001 certified.