How to Beat the Instagram Algorithm

by with No Comment Instagram marketing

7 Proven Instagram Algorithm Hacks

Because of its complexity, many people prefer to grow on Instagram with help of Instagram marketing tools.

Many of you might not remember the Instagram from years ago, where the highest quality content was the picture of your morning coffee. Since then, Instagram has changed its content formats, its user interface, and of course the underlying algorithm..Today, Instagram depends largely on user behavior and interests to rank content that ultimately determines your follower count. 

Because of its complexity, many people prefer to grow on Instagram with help of Instagram marketing tools. This is a great form of initial boost and actually works quite well!

1. Utilizing Carousels to Beat the Instagram Algorithm

Now, the thing is that Instagram’s algorithm doesn’t have a specific command which favors carousels. However, it has always favored engagement- which is higher in such posts. It has been shown that carousel posts actually constitute 17% of the Instagram feed.

Moreover, they get three times the engagement as compared to other posts along with a 1.4% higher reach. Carousels can easily shift your focus on multiple aspects of a product or an idea.One of the slides is bound to click with different people viewing the content. Hence, they are liked more and shared more.

2. Mastering Reels: A Game-Changer for Instagram Algorithm

Now reels are much more popular than regular Instagram content because they are considered an ‘effortless watch’. Users generally stream hundreds of reels in a day without feeling inconvenienced or being bombarded with information. Moreover, the algorithm FAVORS reels and they often hit the explore page more frequently than traditional posts.Boosting Your Instagram Game: Expert Tips to Outshine the Algorithm

Consequently, their reach and engagement rates really boost your accounts’ performance. In order to make good reels, always remember to stay original and showcase your true personality. Hop on to the hottest Instagram trends as quickly as possible and post frequent content related to your niche.

3. Leveraging Analytics Tools: Key to Algorithmic Success

Usually, we recommend switching to a business account on Instagram as it provides better insights. However, you can also consider using a third-party tool to generate analytics reports on your Instagram performance. If these prove to be too expensive, you can opt for the best Instagram marketing tools to gain Instagram followers who already have access to advanced marketing tools.

These will easily help you figure out when your audience is most active, what keywords have high engagement potential, and what content is most popular among your audience.

4. User-Generated Content: A Winning Strategy for Instagram Algorithm

Once you start to gain traction, you will also have the possibility to tap into great user-generated content. The most popular form is Instagram challenges that are initiated by your account. However, the lesser-known forms also include reviews, comments, and story responses.

Many top brands and famous influencers showcase this quiet interaction going on between them and their followers. If you are a brand, you can also feature reviews from outside Instagram in your stories and posts. You also get to tag other accounts and expand your reach further.

5. Strategic Hashtags: Unlocking Instagram Algorithm’s Potential

Hashtags are the first things that the Instagram algorithm takes into notice! It is on the basis of popular keywords that your post ends up on the feed of a responsive user. Now, you must choose a hashtag that is not overpopulated all over Instagram, or else your post will get lost in the fray.

Further, study the hashtag strategy of top-performing influencers in your niche. Also, it is a great idea to experiment and track Instagram insights to find the hashtags that generated the maximum leads. Although a little time taking, this tactic always works!

6. Collaborations and Partnerships: A Boost for the Instagram Algorithm

These have become a go-to strategy for people who want instant access to their competitors’ audience base. When you collaborate with a similar account- you are exposing yourself to an audience that already has an interest in your niche. Consequently, these people have a much higher rate of following you.

However, in order to get collaborations your partner must feel that they too are profiting through the deal. Therefore, you need to have a good fan following on Instagram, and you might even have to purchase Instagram followers. But make sure that you also have a corresponding number of likes and comments on your posts.

7. Building a Strong Community: The Algorithm’s Favorite

Instagram is a ‘social’ media app. Clearly, this place is all about creating great bonds and increasing your networking skills. Therefore, if you want to beat the Instagram algorithm- you need to create a supportive community. In order to do this, you have to engage consistently with other accounts. This also includes the accounts that do not follow you!

Also, you have to be consistent in your content quality. Your community should never feel that you are giving them halfhearted content. Lastly, don’t forget to give a personal touch to your posts time and again.

8.Understanding Your Audience: A Crucial Step in Algorithmic Growth

Research and analyze your target audience to understand their interests, preferences, and behaviors. Tailor your content to resonate with them, and consistently provide value through your posts.

9.Consistency: The Algorithm’s Secret Ingredient for Success

Regularly post content to maintain an active presence on Instagram. Develop a content calendar and schedule your posts to ensure a consistent flow of content that keeps your followers engaged.

Use These Hacks Today

All seven hacks listed above have been known to increase engagement on Instagram. However, in order to keep up with the ever-changing trends of this platform you might have to renew your strategies quite often.With these tips be ready for your huge audience response.

How To Optimize your Instagram Profile And Get More Engagement

by with No Comment Instagram marketing

After 2017, the growth of Instagram increases day by day. Now the number becomes 1 billion. Instagram is the second-ranked traditional social network based on active users, after Facebook.Instagram profile optimization for higher engagement.

The average person uses Instagram for watching photos and videos uploaded by friends, celebrities, and brands. Companies use Instagram because users engage on Instagram 10 times more with the products than other platforms like Facebook or Twitter.

Business accounts can “boost” by relatively inexpensive paid promotion which ensures to increase the audience whatever you post. Instagram recently announced some Business tools which help companies to become the best site and grow their businesses on Instagram. To show Instagram’s potential to hike followers, it is important to earn the attention of target audience members. By following the points stated below, social media marketers the huge number of followers helps to satisfy business outcomes. No doubt Instagram is a competitive and super marketplace, but there are a huge number of ways to increase your Instagram engagement and buy followers on instagram.

1. Increase Engagement with the similar type of accounts every day

Engagement gives engagement is the basic rule of Instagram. By interacting with other users’ accounts, you can Instagram profile optimization for higher engagement. The quality and quantity of engagement on Instagram depends on the investment of time on similar accounts. To discover a similar type of account checks the following ways:

  • Always check Instagram’s recommendations of content of your choice, or by category.
  • Find accounts that appear by searching keywords. Then enter them into the search bar followed by selecting ‘People’. Search more for specific keywords for the most relevant matches.
  • By entering a hashtag into the search bar, to get related hashtags things to browse as well Instagram profile optimization for higher engagement.

2. Choose Best Time to Post

Instagram engagement would be limited by posting at the wrong time. Followers increase in Instagram engagement if you post when your audience is most active. 

To know about the best time to post, spend some time monitoring and tracking and do some Instagram analysis to learn about the best time to post to attract an audience. “Best Time to Post feature” automatically calculates 7 top posting times by analyzing best performing posts from recent month data. Always find the personalized best time to post on Instagram because every Instagram account has unique followers from different time zones. In this way, more people will follow, and engagement increases.

3. Interact with Instagram Stories Stickers

More than 500 million Instagram users put Instagram Stories every day. Instagram Stories have features like multiple filters, location tagging, and gifs. For influencer marketing, Instagram stories are a place. Instagram Stories stickers like Quiz Sticker, Countdown Sticker also encourage followers to comment, chat and share opinions and experiences.

4. Analyze about New Content

A lot of the Instagram algorithm recognizes your post as interesting to the followers choice, this leads the post to come up followers feeds, this is known as Engagement in straight away which increases engagement in the first hour of posting. Involve with other posts before and after creating your post. This will increase the number of followers to visit your profile within the first hour of posting.

Trial, error, and content experiments help you to make a stronger strategy to earn followers.

Posting “Saveable” Content 

Instagram saves button also increases engagement along with comments and shares sections. Always create more content that encourages your audience to save.

“Saveable content” is the content in which the audience will want to revisit after some time. Carousel posts with some valuable tips and information increase the number of saves, so that the audience can revisit the post when they need the tips. 

For example, travel content creators by posting mini-blog style and information about their destination can engage followers.

5. Use long-tail hashtags

Long-tail hashtags are detailed and they increase the context of your post.

Putting hashtags before particular items match it to similar tags, but the latter by some associated posts, your content will appear to more people through like and comment. New posts added to your similar hashtag every minute second, your post becomes more visible quickly. These are known as long-tail hashtags.

6. Post with photos and Reply to comment as soon as possible

Photos with faces are 38% more reactive than photos without faces. Posting photos with peoples faces boosts engagement, no matter selling or promoting products on Instagram.

To promote your brand you can share photos with your customers and people your brand serves, or models holding your products. Through this, you can humanize your brand, connect with the audience and boost engagement.

Conversation with people and help the post to the top of the feeds of followers. More and more posts on Instagram recognize it as a valuable piece of content. Always give a reply straight away with a quick reply to all comments. 

Conclusion

So next time if you post your product, blog you must plan for well-mannered hashtag-based Instagram content, with these tips be ready for your huge audience response.

Antalya, Turkey - May 6, 2011: iPad is on the Apple Macbook Pro. Youtube logo on iPad screen. Youtube is the largest video sharing website in the world.

How To Create a YouTube Thumbnail in 6 Steps ?

by with No Comment content marketingDigital MarketingInternet MarketingSocial Media Marketing

YouTube is a website that many professionals, such as marketers, can use to connect with new audiences through video. On this platform, creators can incorporate their branding and style into multiple forms of content besides videos, such as YouTube Thumbnail. Learning how to use video thumbnails can help you attract attention from potential viewers while adhering to marketing style and branding guidelines. 

In this article, we explain what a YouTube thumbnail is, how to create a YouTube thumbnail and why it’s beneficial to have a good one, then we share tips to help you use thumbnails to benefit a brand.

What is a YouTube thumbnail?

A YouTube thumbnail is the image that represents a video when viewers are browsing videos on the YouTube homepage, search results or on a creator’s page. This small image typically displays some of the people, images or text in the video to show potential viewers what to expect if they click on the video. Some creators choose to add text to their thumbnails to draw attention to their image or clarify the content in the video. Having a visually attractive thumbnail may help you gain more viewers and improve the credibility of your video or channel.

How to create a YouTube thumbnail

You can follow these steps to create a video thumbnail:

1. Research your competitors’ thumbnails

You may find inspiration for your thumbnail by researching thumbnails of other videos you find compelling. This research can help you understand thumbnail design trends and industry standards that may improve your design. Using your research, make a list of elements you might want to include in your thumbnail. Consider researching elements like:

  • Background image
  • Font
  • Colour
  • Contrast

2. Choose an image editing software

Choose an image editing program to use to create your thumbnail. These programs typically offer a variety of fonts, visual effects and colors, so it might be beneficial to research to find a program that aligns with your style. Some online software programs also have thumbnail templates that you can use. If you decide to create your thumbnail in an image editing software without a template, make sure your thumbnail image fits YouTube’s parameters:

  • Resolution of 1280 pixels by 720 pixels
  • Minimum width of 640 pixels
  • Format as a JPEG, GIF or PNG file
  • Under two megabytes
  • An aspect ratio of 16-to-9

Many templates already have these parameters set, but consider checking to make sure the parameters are correct even if you’re using a template. Checking the size and resolution can also ensure that the thumbnail uploading system can accept and display your thumbnail correctly. You may have the option to save your final image in a variety of formats, so ensure you’re downloading it in a compatible one.

3. Add a background image

The background image takes up the majority of the space in your thumbnail, and most creators use a moment from their video to give viewers an idea of what the video looks like. Look through your video for a frame that’s representative of the video without giving away too much information. You can also consider how the text in your thumbnail may appear against the background image. If the brand already has a color scheme or a visual aesthetic, consider picking a background image that adheres to that style.

4. Include text

Including text in your thumbnail can provide your audience with context before they click on your video. Text may also get your audience interested in viewing your video content. Try to include an engaging and relevant title that conveys the purpose of the video to potential viewers who aren’t familiar with your content. Since the thumbnail is small, consider keeping your text short and simple as well. If you’re creating a series of videos, you can also include the video number in the thumbnail text so viewers can easily find the right video.

Once you know what you want the text to include, you can design its appearance. Choose a font that’s easy to read in a small size, and consider picking a striking color that creates a contrast between the background image and the font. For example, if the background is primarily white, you might use black letters. Contrast can help viewers read the text quickly and clearly. It can also be visually appealing to your audience.

5. Create a template

Once you’ve created a visually attractive thumbnail that aligns with your brand and follows the thumbnail parameters, you can create a thumbnail template to reuse for future videos. Using a template can help you create thumbnails more efficiently. It also creates uniformity across your videos, which can make your channel look more professional and branded. If you’re using a custom thumbnail format, you may want to save the size and format of the thumbnail before creating a new one so you can keep the parameters.

Having one type of thumbnail can also provide visual cues to your audience. For instance, you might indicate that certain videos are part of a series by using a similar thumbnail for each video in the series. A signature thumbnail style can also help your viewers to recognize your content when searching the site for videos.

6. Upload your thumbnail

Once you’ve designed your thumbnail, you can upload it onto YouTube. To do this, select the image you want and upload it to the “Thumbnail” section of the video upload dialog box. If you’ve already uploaded your video, you can use these steps to change a thumbnail:

  1. Select the “Content” option. In your YouTube Studio account, on the left-hand side of the browser, select “Content” from the panel of options.
  2. Choose your video. Find the video you want to add a new thumbnail to and click on its preset thumbnail or title. Clicking the video makes various settings for that video appear.
  3. Add your custom thumbnail. In the “Settings” dialog box, there’s a section labeled “Thumbnails” with preset thumbnail options. Select “Upload Thumbnail” on the left side of the options.
  4. Upload your file. Click on “Custom Thumbnail,” which causes a dialog box to appear. Select the file that you want to use as your thumbnail and upload it.
  5. Save your file. After uploading the file, click “Save,” causing the dialog box to disappear and the thumbnail to update with your new image.
  6. Review your thumbnail. Review how the thumbnail looks to ensure the proportions and colors are correct.

Benefits of a good YouTube thumbnail

The thumbnail is often the first thing a potential viewer sees about your video or your channel. A good thumbnail could:

Tips for creating a YouTube thumbnail

Here are some additional tips you can follow to create compelling thumbnails:

Use a high-quality image

When selecting an image to be the basis of your thumbnail image, choose a high-quality one so you can see the image clearly regardless of the thumbnail size. Having a clear image can better display the design elements in your thumbnail and increase your professionalism. Viewers who quickly glance at your thumbnail may also be able to understand the context of the video based on the clear image.

Use simple images

Thumbnails are generally small, so having simple images can be easier to view in smaller portions. For example, a picture with mountains, trees and lakes may look unclear in a small size. However, a close-up photo of a single flower can be easy to distinguish, no matter the size, because the image is simpler. Your thumbnail communicates the context of your video to the audience, so make sure they can see what the image is on their devices.

Display a person’s face

Including images of faces can encourage people to look at your thumbnail. This is because people often identify with emotions they recognize on other people’s faces. Showing people in your thumbnail can also allow viewers to gain a sense of familiarity with your content. For instance, if you have video series hosted by one person, having their face in the thumbnail for each video can show continuity and encourage viewers to watch the familiar content.

Follow thumbnail trends

The popular design formats, colour schemes and font choices for YouTube thumbnails typically change over time. Consider monitoring thumbnail trends so that you can update your template with new design elements that keep your thumbnails looking original. Regularly updating your thumbnail format according to these trends may also make your video appear professional.

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How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace: Rules & Best Practices

by with No Comment content marketingDigital Marketing

Facebook Marketplace has become a ubiquitous online force, as one of the world’s largest businesses with billions of monthly active users.

In 2016, the company expanded into the world of ecommerce businesses, building out its eponymous platform Facebook Marketplace.

By leveraging the enormous customer base already present within Facebook, the company and platform reached immediate success, with more than a billion monthly visitors by 2021.

For both individual sellers and small businesses, Facebook Marketplace signifies a real opportunity. By knowing how to sell, what to sell and not sell, you can be empowered to take the challenge head-on

Why Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook is an essential tool for brands interested in selling their products to targeted audiences.

Previously only available as a peer-to-peer shopping marketplace, Facebook Marketplace has expanded to include merchant selling. As the retail world becomes increasingly omnichannel with more and more opportunities to sell in different places, Facebook Marketplace gives brands a chance to capitalize on the interactions already taking place on Facebook.

By 2021, more than a billion visitors each month will use Facebook Marketplace to browse, buy, or list items, allowing retailers to drive discovery and sales of key products in a place where their consumers are already shopping.

Things to Consider When Selling on Facebookmarketplace

Orders must be shipped within 3 days and received within 7 days.

After you sell an item on Facebookmarketplace, you have three business days from checkout to ship it using any carrier that has tracking services.

For sellers used to different delivery methods, you will want to readjust to ensure that your items arrive in a timely manner and that there aren’t any issues. Your reputation as an online seller will suffer if anything does come up.

Not all ecommerce platforms sync with FacebookMarketplace.

Not every ecommerce business platform syncs up with Facebook. When reviewing whether or not your business wants to sell on FacebookMarketplace, ensure that they integrate with the platform. 

If it doesn’t, you could run into issues managing inventory counts or keeping listings up-to-date.

There will be lots of communication/messages from buyers.

As with any sales channel, on Facebook Marketplace you’ll receive questions from people who are interested in purchasing your product or from people who have already purchased and are organizing how they will receive the item.

You’ll want to quickly master your tone and communication templates for customers for pre- and post-purchase inquiries.

Customer service communications are an often-underused way to make your brand voice shine and genuinely delight customers.

The Benefits of Selling on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace has grown as an alternative option for online sellers and buyers, even surpassing for some the traditional online markets of Amazon, Craigslist and eBay.

They accomplished this primarily because of two reasons:

Extended reach.

Facebook is a social media behemoth, with nearly 3 billion active monthly users on the platform. The Facebook app is also the platform on which users in the US spend the most time during the day.

With these numbers backing it, Facebook Marketplace has grown significantly in 6 years, with a billion monthly visitors of its own and a million monthly active Facebook Shops.

For sellers, there may be no better market available to reach the widest audience.

Personalized customer experience.

Like Facebook itself, Facebook Marketplace grew in popularity due to its customizability — especially for its customers.

Through the help of a smart algorithm, the platform surfaces products relevant to consumers and their search patterns, helping your business find the right customers.

This also helps to ensure that your product is being seen by the right audience, resulting in the increased likelihood that an interaction will lead to a purchase.

How to Sell on Facebook Marketplace

Selling on Facebookmarketplace is a relatively straightforward process. However, it is different for merchants versus individuals. Here, we’ll dive into both.

For individual sellers.

For first time individual sellers, the process should be streamlined. If you already have an active Facebook account, simply go to the left-hand side of your Facebook newsfeed and click on the FB Marketplace tab.

From there, click on the “Create new listing” tab.

Once you add a product photo, title, price and product description, you’re set and ready to sell.

For BigCommerce merchants.

Integrating the Facebook Marketplace into your BigCommerce store is easy and takes little time with the help of our Channel Manager.

Channel Manager allows you to discover, connect to and manage all sales channels available for your store and offers free BigCommerce-built integrations for Facebook Marketplace and Instagram.

To start, go to Channel Manager, click + Create Channel and then click Connect next to Meta.If you don’t already have a Facebook Page/Business Page for your store and/or a Meta Business Manager, you can create them now.

When you’re ready, click “Connect”. You will then be redirected to Facebook. On the subsequent few screens, you will be asked to:

  • Connect your BigCommerce store to Meta.
  • Select an existing catalog or create a new one.
  • Select or create a new Ad Account,
  • Select or create a new Meta Pixel.

Once complete, you’ll be returned to your BigCommerce control panel to finish setting up shipping options and payment method details for your Facebook Shop.

By connecting your BigCommerce store to Facebook, you’ll be able to create ads for your products that appear in Facebook users’ feeds and offer your products for sale onsite on Facebook via Shops and Marketplace.

Facebook Marketplace Rules

To learn more about Marketplace — including what kinds of products are allowed and prohibited — make sure to view the Facebook Marketplace Commerce Policies.

The Commerce Policies apply to Marketplace, buy and sell Facebook groups, page shops and Instagram Shopping.

What can be sold on Facebook Marketplace.

As long as you follow Facebook’s Commerce Policies, you can sell almost anything on Facebook Marketplace. According to Facebook, the top five most popular item categories are:

  • Household items.
  • Furniture.
  • Baby and kids items.
  • Women’s clothing and shoes.
  • Automobiles, including cars, trucks and motorcycles.

What cannot be sold on Facebook Marketplace.

Facebook maintains a list of items not allowed to be sold on Marketplace. These items include:

  • Digital products or subscriptions.
  • Weapons, ammunition or explosives.
  • Animals.
  • Illegal, prescription or recreational drugs.
  • Medical or healthcare products.
  • Tobacco products and related paraphernalia.
  • Ingestible supplements.
  • Adult products and services.
  • Real money gambling services.
  • Real, virtual or fake currency.
  • Misleading, deceptive, or offensive items.
  • Recalled products.

You must sell a physical item.

Anything that isn’t a physical product for sale cannot be sold, such as:

  • “In search of” posts.
  • Lost and found posts.
  • Jokes.
  • News.

Services like housekeeping and event tickets are only available on the marketplace by coordinating with one of Facebook’s partners.

The description of the item must match the image.

The photos of your items that you upload must match the title and description that you give it. Although descriptions are not required, adding an honest one to your listing can help you to get more offers and gain more trust with potential buyers.

Additionally, Facebook Marketplace listings cannot show or describe a before and after picture to describe the benefits of a product.

The Final Word

This bears repeating: by 2021, a billion people worldwide use Facebook Marketplace each month to browse, buy or sell items.

As competition increases and omnichannel strategies come into play, merchants are looking for new ways to diversify their sales channels, including tapping into existing networks and online platforms.

teyitciler-youtube

Youtube marketing Strategy for Your Brand

by with No Comment Digital Marketing

Youtube has approximately 2.5 billion monthly active users. YouTube is the second largest social media platform in the world. But YouTube’s large user base isn’t the only reason brands shouldn’t sleep on including the platform in their overall Youtube marketing Strategy.

Recent Sprout Social data shows consumers are increasingly turning to YouTube for entertainment, education and product research. Marketing on the platform can help your business increase brand awareness, build stronger relationships, boost SEO and drive high-converting traffic.

In this article, you’ll learn what Youtube marketing Strategy, why it’s important and how to implement it successfully with proven tips and strategies.

What is YouTube marketing?

YouTube marketing Strategy is the process of promoting your brand, product or service on YouTube. Primarily, there are three ways marketers use YouTube:

  • Create original videos: YouTube is primarily a video hosting platform. Publishing high-quality videos is key to succeeding on the platform.
  • Partner with influencers: There’s a reason brands spent over $600 million on YouTube influencer marketing in 2021. The platform is an excellent place to work with creators and build credibility in your niche.
  • Run video ads: 70% of consumers say they’ve bought a product after seeing it on YouTube. Running ads on the platform can deliver high returns for your brand.

YouTube is also the world’s second largest search engine. But ranking on the platform is highly competitive.

There are more than 5 billion videos on YouTube, with 500 hours of content being uploaded every minute. Understanding how the YouTube algorithm works and optimizing your videos accordingly is key to gaining visibility.

Why is YouTube marketing important?

The latest YouTube stats all point to one truth — marketers and consumers love video. Research shows people are 2x more likely to share videos with friends and family over other content types.

And there’s no better place to leverage video content than on YouTube, where people watch over 1 billion hours of video daily.

YouTube marketing has tons of benefits for your business. Below are a few reasons investing in YouTube should be your top priority:

Reach a large audience

YouTube has an incredibly large, active user base. Publishing quality content consistently and partnering with influential creators in your niche can get you massive exposure and traffic.

Better yet, YouTube lets you tap into an international audience. The platform is available in 100+ countries in 80 different languages. With features like auto-translated captions, it’s easy to create targeted content for global audiences.

Improve search visibility

While YouTube is a big enough search engine on its own, it’s also great for boosting your visibility on Google. A significant number of Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) now include video carousels, and more than 94% of those videos are from YouTube.

Conducting keyword research on Google and YouTube lets you choose the right topics, match search intent, and optimise your videos to rank higher on both search engines.

Increase brand awareness

YouTube is a great place for generating brand awareness. According to Google, 90% of people around the world use YouTube to explore new brands and products.

Publishing content like product reviews, how-to videos, explainers and video ads can help you spread the word about your business. Additionally, using tactics like visual branding and brand voice consistency can help your audience connect with and remember your brand.

Build trust and credibility

YouTube is the most trusted social media platform for finding and purchasing products. If you’re looking to build credibility around your brand, YouTube is a great place to start.

Video testimonials, brand storytelling, visual tutorials, hands-on reviews and live demos are just a few ways you can shed light on how your product can solve problems. Partnering with creators in your niche can also help you build trust with potential customers.

Drive sales and traffic

YouTube marketing can positively impact your bottom line. In fact, 81% of marketers say video has directly increased sales for their business.

With YouTube’s shopping features like cards, end screens, channel stores and tagged products, marketers have tons of opportunity to sell products both internally and externally through the platform.

Generate leads

YouTube is also an effective lead generation tool. Along with using features like lead form ads, you can share webinar promos and online course trailers to encourage people to sign up.

Additionally, you can add links to landing pages and lead magnets in your video descriptions. Share your videos on other platforms like social media or websites to get more exposure.

Make extra revenue

Channels that meet YouTube Partner Program’s eligibility criteria can monetize their videos and make money based on the number of views and engagement. Check out our article on YouTube monetization to learn more about how you can earn revenue on the platform.

YouTube marketing strategies and tips

YouTube marketing is competitive but highly rewarding if done right. Simply creating a channel and publishing videos is not enough. Brands need to strategically approach the process of planning, producing and distributing content on the platform to see tangible success.

Below are some tried-and-true best practices to make the most of YouTube marketing and drive business growth using the platform.

1. Create and brand your YouTube channel

The first step to YouTube marketing is setting up your channel — your brand’s “home” on the platform. This is where you’ll publish videos, create playlists, respond to comments, view analytics and more. Follow this guide to create a YouTube channel for business.

But simply creating a channel is not enough. You also need to brand it properly to establish consistency and generate brand awareness.

Customise these elements on your channel so it’s aligned with your branding style guide:

  • Profile picture
  • Banner image
  • Channel description
  • Social links
  • Channel trailer
  • Custom URL

Additionally, ensure your video thumbnails, titles and descriptions are all on-brand, even if you need to optimise them for SEO purposes. You can create a branded thumbnail template based on what works for you, and keep all future thumbnails consistent with that design.

Are you looking for a YouTube banner that doesn’t require additional design resources? Check out our free social media templates tool with free YouTube banners that you can download and add to your channel today!

2. Define your YouTube audience

Before you start creating content, know who your videos are for.

Not all potential customers are watching your videos on YouTube, so find out who makes up your target audience on the platform.

  • Are they males or females?
  • What’s their age range?
  • Where are they located?

Additionally, consider your audiences’ interests to create engaging videos.

  • What kind of content is your target audience currently watching?
  • Which channels are they subscribed to?
  • Why are they on YouTube in the first place?

Use a mix of social media market research, analytics, and social listening to understand your audiences’ problems, questions, and goals — especially in terms of online video consumption.

Build an audience persona to visualise your target audience and keep it in mind every time you create a video for your channel.

3. Conduct a competitive analysis

Identify channels your audience is watching and learn from their efforts. This is important for spotting trends, finding keywords and understanding audience interests. Analysing the competition also helps you set realistic goals and benchmarks for video performance.

your own marketing strategy

  • What does their posting schedule look like?
  • How are they engaging with their audience?
  • What type of videos do they publish?
  • What do their thumbnails look like?

Moreover, find content gaps your brand or channel can fill. There may be dozens of video opportunities your competitors are missing out on. Take advantage of those keywords or topics before they catch up.

4. Create quality YouTube video content

There are billions of videos on the platform and not everything is worth watching. Users have to sift through the noise daily to find meaningful content on the platform. This is also why YouTube’s smart algorithm favours some videos over others.

To stand out, you need to consistently create high-quality videos viewers love watching and engaging with. Check out these YouTube video ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Research audience pain points, analyze trending keywords, and practice social listening to find topics and inspiration for your videos. Also, use good quality equipment, build a powerful story, and invest in editing and post-production to make your videos look professional.

5. Experiment with YouTube Shorts and other features

YouTube Shorts is a recent feature that lets you leverage the power of short-form video — the latest short-form video marketing feature for quick content viewing and increased mobile usage.

Use YouTube Shorts to reach mobile-first audiences and drive more engagement for your brand. Shoot videos up to 60 seconds long in vertical format, and creatively use the built-in audio, text and filters to make your videos stand out.

Also, leverage features like live streams, premieres and 360 videos to consistently deliver unique video experiences to your audience.

6. Optimize your videos with SEO best practices

YouTube SEO is an often overlooked aspect of video marketing on the platform. But it’s crucial for showing up at the right time. Otherwise, your videos will get lost in the sea of unwatched content and stay there for good.

Optimising your videos starts at the beginning of the video creation process — during ideation. Conduct keyword research to find the right topics and angles for your videos. Then, optimise the following elements when publishing on YouTube to maximise visibility:

  • Titles and descriptions: Use primary and secondary keywords naturally. You can also translate your video titles in multiple languages to reach a global audience.
  • Thumbnails: Browse top videos and identify which thumbnails perform well for a particular keyword. Thumbnails with faces, expressions and text often stand out from others and drive more clicks.
  • Tags: Add relevant words and phrases to tell both YouTube and viewers what your video is about. While tags are less important than they used to be, they can still impact your search rankings.

YouTube’s algorithm also favours videos that see more engagement. Promote your videos on other platforms like social media and forums to get more views and give it an initial push.

Also, link to your video from other videos on your channel using cards and end screens. Lastly, don’t hesitate to ask people for likes, comments and shares. You’ll be surprised at how effective proactively reaching out can be.

7. Actively engage with your audience

YouTube marketing is all about building an engaged subscriber community. And interacting directly with your audience is a great way to do that.

Respond timely (and nicely) to the comments on your videos. Take audience questions seriously and answer them quickly to resolve any issues.

Additionally, create interactive video content on YouTube to engage with your audience. For example, host live Q&A sessions and webinars, publish behind-the-scenes content and premiere videos to watch together with your audience in real-time.

8. Attract more YouTube subscribers to your channel

Subscribers are the bread-and-butter of all YouTube channels. The more subscribers you have, the more exclusive features you’ll be able to access. Plus, YouTube’s algorithm is likely to rank your videos higher if you have more subscribers.

Create problem-solving content that meets audience goals to get more YouTube subscribers. Ask people what they want to see on your channel and keep your promises. People subscribe to channels they’re getting value from and want to see more of.

Also, promote your videos outside of YouTube to widen your reach, and build relationships instead of pushing out one-way content.

Finally, stick to a consistent publishing schedule so subscribers know when and how often to expect your videos. Consistency is the key to YouTube marketing success. While creating and editing quality content takes time, make sure you have a posting schedule and stick to it.

Having a proper publishing schedule makes it easier for you to plan your content and schedule videos ahead of time and sets and expectation for your subscribers. YouTube channels with consistent publishing are generally favoured by the algorithm as well.

9. Use YouTube ads to drive targeted traffic

Running YouTube ad campaigns can help you reach a wider audience, drive traffic to your website and deliver personalized messaging to your target audience.

YouTube supports three types of ads:

  • Bumper ads: These are short, non-skippable ads that run before a video starts.
  • In-stream ads: These can be skippable or non-skippable, and run at certain points throughout your videos.
  • Overlay ads: These are non-video ads that appear as banners or text on top of or below your videos.

Be careful about your goals when running ads on the platform. YouTube ads are not meant to replace your organic strategy, but to boost it. Also, views acquired from ads don’t contribute towards monetization revenue.

10. Partner with YouTube influencers

There are millions of creators on the platform with thousands of loyal subscribers. Brands can partner with YouTubers in their niche to promote their products and services in creative ways.

Does it work? 70% of marketers believe so!

Here are some ideas for YouTube influencer marketing campaigns:

  • Unboxing videos
  • Product reviews
  • How-tos and tutorials
  • Day-in-the-life vlogs
  • Contests and giveaways

Set a budget prior to working with creators and use influencer marketing tools to narrow down your search for the perfect brand partner. Set expectations upfront, share creative briefs and involve creators in the planning phase to streamline the process.

Additionally, plan ahead for product deliveries, and consistently measure performance during and after the campaign to tweak your future strategy.

11. Monitor your YouTube analytics

Tracking YouTube analytics helps you identify your best (and worst) performing videos, understand what type of content resonates with your audience, and find out which specific factors impact video performance.

You can access the platform’s built-in analytics in YouTube Studio. Track metrics like views, subscribers, watch time, audience retention, traffic sources and devices. Also, analyze audience demographics and interests.

Knowing this helps succeed on the platform and create an effective long-term strategy. It also helps you focus resources where they matter.

YouTube marketing tools

Channel and video branding tool

Canva is an online design tool that lets you create branded visuals for your videos and channel. Use and edit templates for YouTube thumbnails, profile pictures and banners. You can also add creative intros and outros to your videos using the tool.VidIQ 

Video marketing and analytics tool

VidIQ is a specialized video marketing intelligence tool for YouTube creators. Its key features include daily video ideas, keyword research, optimization suggestions, competitor analysis and performance metrics. The tool also comes with a free Chrome extension for easy access.

Keyword software tool

Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool used for keyword research and site analysis. The platform also offers a YouTube Keyword Tool that lets you find trending keywords in 170 countries. View detailed reports for each keyword showing search volume, clicks, questions and other data.

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WhatsApp Business API

by with No Comment Digital Marketing

Introduction: WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion users. It has quickly become a popular tool for businesses to communicate with their customers. WhatsApp Business API is a powerful tool that can help businesses automate and streamline their communication with customers on the platform. In this blog post, we’ll explore how businesses can create engaging content for WhatsApp Business API.

  1. Personalized Messages: Personalized messages are a great way to engage with customers on WhatsApp. You can use data about your customers, such as their name or past purchase history, to create personalized messages that are relevant to their interests. This can help improve customer engagement and build stronger relationships with your audience.
  2. Rich Media: WhatsApp Business API supports a range of rich media formats, including images, videos, and audio messages. Businesses can use these formats to create engaging content that grabs the attention of their customers. For example, you could use images to showcase new products or services, or use videos to provide tutorials or behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business.
  3. Automated Messages: WhatsApp Business API allows businesses to create automated messages that can be triggered by specific actions. For example, you could set up an automated message to be sent to customers who have just made a purchase, thanking them for their business and providing information on how to get in touch if they need any further assistance.
  4. Interactive Content: Interactive content is a great way to keep your customers engaged on WhatsApp. You could create quizzes, surveys, or polls to get feedback from your audience or offer them a chance to win prizes. This type of content is not only engaging, but it can also help you gather valuable data about your customers.
  5. Chatbots: Chatbots are a powerful tool for businesses that want to automate their customer support on WhatsApp. They can be used to answer frequently asked questions, provide product recommendations, and even process orders. Chatbots can help improve customer satisfaction by providing instant responses to their queries.

Conclusion: WhatsApp Business API is a powerful tool for businesses to communicate with their customers. By creating engaging content that is personalized, rich, and interactive, businesses can build stronger relationships with their audience and improve customer engagement. With the help of chatbots and automated messages, businesses can also streamline their customer support and provide instant responses to their customers.

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What is the Benefits of content marketing for B2B companies?

by with No Comment content marketing

Content marketing has become an essential component of marketing strategies for businesses of all types, including B2B companies. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of content marketing for B2B companies.

Benefits of content marketing:

  1. Establishes Thought Leadership

Creating and sharing valuable content helps B2B companies establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry. By consistently producing high-quality content, companies can demonstrate their expertise, provide value to their target audience, and build trust and credibility. This can lead to increased brand recognition and even potential partnerships and collaborations.

  1. Increases Brand Awareness

Content marketing can also help B2B companies increase their brand awareness. By creating valuable content and sharing it across various platforms, companies can reach a broader audience and generate more leads. This can lead to increased website traffic, social media engagement, and brand recognition.

  1. Generates Leads

One of the primary benefits of content marketing for B2B companies is lead generation. By creating content that speaks to the pain points and challenges of their target audience, companies can attract potential customers and nurture them through the sales funnel. This can result in higher conversion rates, increased sales, and a higher return on investment (ROI).

  1. Improves Search Engine Rankings

Producing high-quality, SEO-optimized content can also help B2B companies improve their search engine rankings. By including relevant keywords and optimizing their content for search engines, companies can increase their visibility and reach more potential customers. This can lead to increased website traffic and more leads.

  1. Cost-Effective Marketing Strategy

Compared to traditional marketing methods, content marketing is a cost-effective strategy for B2B companies. With the right strategy, companies can produce and share high-quality content that resonates with their target audience without breaking the bank. This can result in a higher ROI and a more efficient use of marketing resources.

In conclusion, content marketing is an essential strategy for B2B companies looking to establish thought leadership, increase brand awareness, generate leads, improve search engine rankings, and save costs. By creating and sharing valuable content, B2B companies can build trust and credibility with their target audience, attract potential customers, and ultimately, grow their business.

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What is a digital marketing strategy?

by with No Comment Digital Marketing

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for businesses of all sizes. However, simply creating a website and social media accounts is not enough. To truly succeed in the digital landscape, you need a well-defined digital marketing strategy.

What is a digital marketing strategy?

A plan is a that outlines how you will use digital channels and tools to achieve your marketing objectives. It involves identifying your target audience, understanding their needs and behaviors, and creating content and campaigns that resonate with them.

Why is a digital marketing strategy important?

  1. Helps you reach your target audience: A well-defined Digital will help you reach the right people at the right time with the right message. By understanding your audience’s preferences and behaviors, you can create content and campaigns that speak directly to them.
  2. Increases brand awareness: By consistently sharing valuable content and engaging with your audience on social media, you can increase brand awareness and build a loyal following.
  3. Generates leads and sales: With a clear, you can create campaigns that are specifically designed to drive conversions. Whether you’re looking to increase website traffic, generate leads, or boost sales, a digital marketing strategy can help you achieve your goals.
  4. Provides measurable results: One of the biggest advantages of digital marketing strategy is the ability to measure results in real-time. By tracking metrics such as website traffic, social media engagement, and email open rates, you can see exactly how your campaigns are performing and make adjustments as needed.

How to create a digital marketing strategy:

  1. Define your objectives: What do you want to achieve with your marketing strategy efforts? Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, or generating leads, your objectives should be specific, measurable, and aligned with your overall business goals.
  2. Identify your target audience: Who are you trying to reach? What are their needs, pain points, and interests? By understanding your target audience, you can create content and campaigns that speak directly to them.
  3. Choose your channels: Channels are most relevant to your audience? This may include social media platforms, email marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising.
  4. Create your content: Based on your objectives and target audience, create a content calendar that outlines the topics, formats, and distribution channels for your content.
  5. Implement and measure: Once your Marketing is in place, it’s time to implement your campaigns and track your results. Use analytics tools to monitor your progress and make adjustments as needed.

Conclusion:

Essential for any business looking to succeed in today’s digital landscape. By defining your objectives, understanding your target audience, and creating a plan for your digital channels, you can increase brand awareness, generate leads, and drive sales. So, if you haven’t already, it’s time to start creating your today!

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Benefits and Process of Email Marketing

by with No Comment Email MarketingInternet MarketingUncategorized

Benefits and Process of Email Marketing is the most profitable and cost-effective direct channel, generating an average return on investment of $42 for every $1 spent. For this reason alone, email should be a key pillar of your digital marketing strategy. Not doing any email marketing is like leaving money laying out on the table. 

But if you’re a bit confused about where to start, that’s totally normal. Email is a vast discipline. It’s easy for beginners to get lost in a sea of tools, techniques, and terminology.

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing is a direct marketing channel that lets businesses share new products, sales, and updates with customers on their contact list. Its high return on investment (ROI) makes it crucial to most businesses’ overall inbound strategy. 

Modern email marketing has moved away from one-size-fits-all mass mailings and instead focuses on consent, segmentation, and personalization. This may sound time-consuming, but marketing automation handles most of the heavy lifting for you. In the long run, a well-designed email marketing strategy not only drives sales, but helps build a community around your brand.

Types of marketing emails

Marketing emails can be promotional, informational, or serve a specific purpose in the buyer journey.

Promotional emails

Benefits and Process of Email marketing campaigns are used to promote special offers, new product releases, gated content like ebooks and webinars, and your brand at large. A campaign could consist of 3-10 emails sent over several days or weeks. 

Promotional emails have a clear call-to-action — CTA, for short. The CTA represents the specific action you want the reader to take, whether it’s visiting a page on your website or using a coupon to make a purchase. 

Your business’s sales and marketing rhythm typically determines how often you send this type of marketing email. 

During crucial periods like Black Friday, you may be sending multiple promotional emails in the same 24-hour period. During slower periods in the marketing calendar, there may be a few weeks between your promotional campaigns.

Informational emails

Newsletters: A newsletter, as the name suggests, shares news related to your business. Think: new milestones reached, new product capabilities, or featuring valuable content like case studies. Sent at regular intervals — weekly, bi-weekly, monthly — newsletters help maintain consistent touch points with your email subscribers. 

Simply put, a newsletter is an opportunity to share insights, thoughts, tips — whatever brings the most value to your audience. 

Check out our post to learn more about how to create a newsletter.

Announcements: Email is the perfect way to inform customers of company announcements, new product releases, changes to the service, etc.

More often than not, email is the go-to channel for important messages. If there’s a glitch on your website, shipping delays, or an outage in your system/software, updating your contacts via email is the best way to maintain communication. It’s secure, instant, and can match the formal tone of even the most important announcements.

Re-engagement emails

Another important type of marketing email is the re-engagement email. As the name suggests, re-engagement emails help reconnect with customers or subscribers who haven’t been active lately.

Why Email Marketing Is Important

Email isn’t a new technology. In fact, it was one of the very first means of digital communication to arrive back in 1971. But at 50 years old, email marketing is used today more than ever before. 

channels, especially considering the reach and conversion rate associated with email marketing. This is part of what makes email marketing so ideal for small businesses.Finally, what makes email marketing so powerful and lucrative is that it gives you direct, individual access to your audience’s inboxes. 

The Benefits of Email Marketing

From order confirmations to newsletters, emails are an essential part of the growth and management of your business.

1. Conversions (selling your products and services)

Launching a sale or promotion? You can send your subscribers an benefits and Process of email marketing campaign to drive sales. In addition, try using these email marketing techniques to further boost conversions:

  • Personalized coupons or special offers for subscribers’ birthdays/anniversaries, in welcome emails, and as a way to re-engage your audience.
  • Abandoned cart emails triggered whenever a visitor adds an item in their cart but doesn’t check out.

2. Brand awareness

What’s great about email is that it lets you reach someone directly. It’s one-to-one communication at its best. And people don’t just let anyone into their inbox these days. It’s a curated space reserved for favorite brands and publications.

Showing up in someone’s email inbox will help your brand stay current in the minds of subscribers. A personalized marketing email is more impactful than a social media post where you can’t be sure if someone has actually seen your message.

One of the major benefits of email marketing is its scalability. This means that emails can be sent to a large number of recipients while remaining cost-effective (compared to other marketing channels). 

3. Customer loyalty

Email drives customer loyalty at every stage of the buyer journey: lead-nurturing, conversion, onboarding, retention. As well, email marketing is necessary tool to use alongside sales CRM systems to streamline communication.It’s truly a powerful way to build a community, as discussed in our guide to building relationships with email.

How to Do Email Marketing

Businesses use what’s known as email service providers (ESP) to send marketing emails. 

An email service provider is a software that sends and manages email marketing campaigns.

It’s also referred to as an email marketing platform, email marketing tool, email marketing service, or email marketing software.

Now you might be wondering, can’t I just send marketing emails with my regular inbox provider? Do I really need to pay for a product on top of that?

Technically, it’s possible. (We even explain how in our guide to sending mass email with Gmail.) Beware, though. You’re likely to run into problems with limited email bandwidth, design, and more importantly, email deliverability. Here’s why:

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc. are designed for personal use — not for email blasts. Although they’re free to use, they’re not free bulk email senders. So when a mass email is sent from an ISP, it’s easily flagged by spam filters and your account can be disabled for suspicious activity.

Email service providers (ESPs), on the other hand, have the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure good email deliverability rates — i.e., the ability to land emails in your subscribers’ inboxes. If you want to set yourself up for email marketing success from day one, get yourself a dedicated email marketing service.

Add signup forms to your website and other places

Create an email signup form to make subscription as easy as possible. Then place your email subscription form in highly visible places where people will definitely see it. 

Typical subscription form hotspots include blog posts, the homepage, and contact page. Creating a pop-up form on your website can be a good idea, too. Just make sure not to disrupt the user experience too much. Pop-ups that prevent visitors from using your site can be big deterrents! (Think of your signup form placement like your call-to-action placement.)

How to define an email marketing strategy

To define your email marketing strategy, think about what you want to achieve with your first campaign. Here are some common goals for email marketing beginners:

  • Promoting a new product
  • Sharing a discount with loyal customers 
  • Getting more downloads for your latest ebook
  • Updating subscribers on with company news  

Your goals can be specific or broad — as long as they fit with your business and your audience. In either case, having a clear, measurable goal will make it easier to create your email content. 

How to write your email copy

Email copy needs to offer value, feature topics that interest your audience, and embody your brand’s tone of voice.  

To write persuasive, engaging email copy, keep these tips in mind:

  • Ask yourself, “What does my audience need from me? How can I help?”
  • Imagine you’re writing to one person. 
  • Show your brand personality.
  • Tell a story.
  • Write to instill curiosity, starting with the email subject line — more on that below.
  • Use a conversational tone and write the way you speak.
  • Break up the copy with short paragraphs and use bullet points where possible.
  • Use the name of a real person for the email signatur instead of a faceless brand logo.

10 Strategies for Email Marketing Success

1. Never buy email lists

Buying a list will put your business at risk because:

  • Sending unsolicited emails and storing people’s data in your CRM without consent is illegal per GDPR and CAN-SPAM.
  • People are more likely to mark unsolicited emails as spam, damaging your email sender reputation and potentially ending you up on an email blocklist. 
  • Most email marketing services will refuse to work with you because purchased lists can harm the deliverability of other users on shared IP addresses.

In short, don’t buy email lists. Build your list organically — however slowly — and you’ll reap the benefits in the long run.

2. Use double opt-i

As already mentioned, the term “opt-in” refers to the signup process. There are two different types of opt-in for email marketing:

  1. Single opt-in is when the subscriber is added to the email list once the signup form is submitted.
  2. Double opt-in is when you send a confirmation email with a link to each new subscriber. The subscriber must click the link to complete the subscription. Without this verification, they won’t receive emails from you. 

3. Segment your mailing list

List segmentation is the process of dividing your list of subscribers into smaller sub-lists with common traits. The idea behind this technique is to engage subscribers with more relevant, targeted emails. 

Typically, contact lists are segmented by demographic information like age and location as well as customer information like lead score and purchase history. (This is where having a sales CRM that works with your email marketing tool comes in handy.)

4. Personalization

People generally appreciate when brands add personal touches and pay attention to small details. When it comes to making us feel valued and understood as a customer, a little effort goes a long way.Email personalization is essential to building relationships with prospects and customers.Here are some simple email personalization ideas to help increase your open, click through, and conversion rates.

  • Use subscribers’ first names in the email subject line and content.
  • Consider time zones when scheduling campaigns to maximise the chances of your email being read. Where are the bulk of your subscribers located? 
  • Segment contacts so that messaging is targeted and relevant.
  • Use behaviour-triggered emails based on how customers interact with your product/service.

5. Optimize your email subject line, sender name, and preview text

Email subject line

Introducing one of the most important elements of your email marketing campaign: the email subject line.These few words could determine whether your email is read or not. And with so much competition in the inbox these days, they need to stand out.

Aim to create intrigue or a desire to open in just a few words.

  • Keep the subject line to 50 characters.
  • Highlight your most interesting offer.
  • Appeal to your subscribers’ emotions and ambitions..

6. A/B test your email marketing content

Test different email subject line formulas, content formats, and CTAs. See which ones get the best engagement and adjust your strategy accordingly.

7. Optimize email deliverability

Even more than subject lines, calls to action, and copy, email marketing success hinges on reliable email deliverability.

While deliverability often depends on technical factors, there are plenty of non-technical ways to help your email newsletters reach the inbox.Here are some deliverability best practices:

  • Make sure the email subject line doesn’t come across as spammy or overly promotional. If a contact decides your email is spam before even opening it, your deliverability rate is likely to suffer.
  • Keep your subscriber database up to date by removing unengaged contacts and inactive addresses.
  • Only send to opt-in subscribers. Send emails to someone who’s never heard of you and it’s likely they’ll report you as spam. This will harm your future deliverability.
  • Always include an unsubscribe link. Under the GDPR (Europe’s data protection regulation), an individual has the right to dictate how their data is being used. The act of unsubscribing falls fully within those rights so this option should always be available.

8. Clean your email list regularly

Keep your database up to date for optimal email deliverability and higher engagement rates.

Got subscribers who’ve dropped off the radar? If someone hasn’t engaged with your emails in at least six months, send a reactivation campaign or even ask for a second opt-in. See if you can get them interested again.no one likes losing subscribers, but email list cleaning is better for your deliverability in the long term.Another important point: Make it easy to unsubscribe with a clearly visible unsubscribe button. If people can’t find the way out, they’re more likely to mark you as spam.   

9. Keep track of email marketing metrics

Analyzing key email marketing metrics will teach you how to improve your strategy for future campaigns. Most ESPs have an analytics dashboard with at least the following real-time metrics:

  • Open rate: The ratio of the number of people who opened your email divided by the total number of recipients.
  • Click-through rate: The ratio of the number of people who clicked on a link in your email divided by the total number of recipients.
  • Unsubscribe rate: The number of people who unsubscribed divided by the total number of recipients. If this number is high, you need to review your email frequency and segmentation.
  • Bounce rate: The number of emails that failed to deliver divided by the total number of emails sent.
    • Soft bounces are due to temporary issues like the recipient’s inbox being full.
    • Hard bounces, on the other hand, are due to permanent issues, like an inactive email address.

10. Scale with autoresponders and email automation

Once you’ve got the hang of things, automate your email marketing strategy to make your business grow even faster.

The welcome email is the most common autoresponder example and most email marketing services have an autoresponder function. Armed with the right email automation software, you can go one step further and set up complex email automation sequences using if/then/else logic. This kind of email series is highly effective for lead nurturing and lead scoring. 

seo-vs-social-media

Search Engine vs. Social Media Marketing

by with No Comment Business::Article MarketingEmail MarketingInternet MarketingSocial Media Marketing

Search engine vs social media marketing are two essential components of digital marketing. Each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages, but when used together, they can create a powerful combination that can help businesses reach their target audience. When it comes to driving traffic to your website, there are a variety of ways to get visitors. The primary two that individuals and businesses almost always have a struggle with investing their time and money into are search and social. Sometimes the issue is convincing people why these are a necessity for a thriving business. Other times, the conflict is whether to invest in one marketing strategy more than the other, or to only pursue one marketing strategy but not the other.

How Search Beats Social

First of all, let’s look at the reasons why you might want to choose search engine marketing over social media marketing.

More People Look for Business on Search

Think about your own habits. Whenever you are looking for something, from an air conditioning repair company to a zumba instructor, where do you go first? Most likely, you will go to a search engine – Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask, AOL, Blekko, or one of the many other options available.

A report by Econsultancy found that 61% of consumers use search engines to help them in product research before making a purchase. This means that if you want to get discovered, you will want to rank well for your target keywords.

Know What People Are Searching For

When it comes to search engines, while the numbers might not be exact, you have a lot of great tools to use in your research of what people are searching for. Google AdWords Keyword Tool is a great start in this process. While “pet supplies” may not actually get an exact one million searches per month, you will know that “pet supplies” is a more popular keyword phrase over “pet supply” that comes in at only 368,000 monthly searches.

Buy Your Way into the Results

If you can’t make it to the top of organic search results, you can always buy your way into the sponsored links section of Google using Google AdWords.

In a search for “printer ink,” two domains that are not in organic search results appear in the top two spots. Even though organic search results might get more clicks, having any presence on the first page is still better than having no presence at all.

The bonus of paid search listings is that you can customize your appearance in search results. Instead of your usual website’s title and description that is used in organic results, you can use something that calls out to a specific sale in sponsored results. As an example, the company ranking 2nd in organic search also shares its Cyber Monday sale in the sponsored listings to the right.

How Social Beats Search

Now, let’s take a look at where social media marketing meets or beats search engine marketing.

Peer Recommendations Happen with the Click of a Like

In the same report by Econsultancy mentioned earlier, they found that 75% of people in the 18 – 26 age group used recommendations on social sites in product research before making a purchase. One of the nice sides to social media is once you have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, peer recommendations will happen when someone likes your page, mentions your Twitter handle, or tags your brand name. When someone takes these actions, their connections will see them which may help your business get discovered by others with that perceived seal of approval.

Respond to Criticism in Real Time

One of the worst problems when it comes to search engine results, aside from not coming up in them at all, is having something negative come up. Online reputation management is a thriving service thanks to rip off reports, bad reviews, and other damaging articles about a business. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to counter these in search engine results themselves.

Whenever you are presented with criticism on social media, however, you will have a chance to turn those complaints into compliments by responding back to them in real time. There is a lot of great information today, including books like The Now Revolution that help businesses learn how to plan for, find, and manage real-time crises in the social media space. Knowing how to do this is essential to showing current and potential customers how much you care about everyone’s satisfaction with your business.

Buy Your Way in Front of Your Target Audience

Thanks to Facebook Advertising, StumbleUpon Ads, Promoted Tweets, and other social media advertising, businesses can put their content in front of social media audiences. This is a great way to generate traffic to your website, fans for your Facebook page, and visibility for your messages on social media platforms.

Why You Should Choose to Invest in Both Search and Social

While the above mentioned points may make you believe that one strategy is better than another, there is one good reason you want to invest your time, money, and efforts into both search engine marketing and social media marketing. You simply don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket.

If you have Google Analytics installed on your website, go take a look at it now. Go to your Traffic Sources > Sources > All Traffic. Then look at your top five traffic sources and ask yourself what would you do if you lost one of them.

Take a moment to click on each traffic source to see the percentage of visitors that source drives to your website.

In my case, Google (40.1%), t.co (Twitter – 4.54%), StumbleUpon (3.2%), and Facebook (2.47%) are my top sources for the last 30 days. So I want to ask myself what I would do if I lost my Google traffic? That would be a loss of almost 10,000+ visitors in a month. Or if I lost my Twitter traffic, that would be a loss of 1,000+ visitors.

What you might find more interesting is using the Compare to past option under your date dropdown.

Now you can see, for the last 30 days vs. the 30 days in the previous month, how your traffic is changing. In this comparison, I noticed that my search engine traffic dropped.

While your numbers may vary, the one thing that is safe to say is that if you are investing your time in both search and social media, you’ll have a good balance of traffic. This means if one source begins to fail, you could always boost your efforts in another area and know that you will not lose all of your visitors entirely.

Is it possible to lose one source of traffic completely? Of course! Imagine if 80% of your traffic was from Google, and your website was hit with the first Panda update that left top domains with a loss of 34% to 86% of their keyword positions in search. Without incoming traffic from other sources, you would be in some serious trouble!

Regardless of whether you fear the loss of your search engine traffic due to a penalty or loss of rankings to a competitor, or the loss of your social media traffic because of a misunderstanding that resulted in the removal of your Facebook page, fear should not be your only motivating factor in diversifying your marketing efforts between search and social. Did you know that search engine marketing can help you with your social media marketing, and vice versa?

How Search Engine Marketing Helps Social

Search engine optimization doesn’t just happen on your website. Did you know you can use the same keyword research and on-site optimization strategies that you use for your website’s search engine marketing campaign for your social media marketing?

Keyword Research for Social Media

Keyword usage is important in social media. Although you can’t find the specifics on how many people search for particular keywords on social media, you can use different tools to get a good idea.   

Using various methods like these will help you fine tune your status updates and bio information for search within social networks.

On-Site Optimization for Social Media

While On-Site normally just means on your own website, you can take the same principles for title tags, meta descriptions, image alt tags, and so forth to better optimize your social media profiles for search. For example, you can optimize Google+ for search…

Almost all social media profiles have some customizable elements, whether it is your profile’s name, description, or image that can be tweaked for better search optimization. Just use tools like Google Chrome’s SEO Site Tools on your own social profiles when logged out of the network so you can see the public display version viewable by search engines.

Pay attention to the Title, Meta Description, Meta Keywords, Img Tags, and H1 through H4 Tags to see which ones you can edit for better branding and keyword placement.