editor, Author at Mediastreet

In News

Why Small Business Owners Should Start Their Own Blog

August 5, 2022 No Comments

Marketing on a budget remains a challenge for many small businesses. This article explains the benefits of blogging and how to create a successful business blog.

Research shows that 20% of startup businesses close up in their first year of operation. The businesses that do survive that first year find it difficult to stay afloat, and 65% end up shutting down within 10 years. One of the main reasons cited was poor marketing. With few resources available, it can be a challenge for small business owners to effectively promote their brands.

Blogging is a very cost-effective tool used in marketing. So, if you are not sure if your small business should own a blog, I would say yes, because of its marketing advantages. There are currently 5 billion internet users worldwide, and 60 percent of consumers claimed to read blogs on a regular basis, which represents a huge prospective market to reach through blogging.

How can blogging help your business?

There are great benefits your business can enjoy from blogging, including:

Establish customer relationships: There are new businesses emerging every day, and that has made it quite difficult to maintain customer loyalty. However, with high-quality blog posts about your business and products, you can keep your visitors engaged and build strong relationships with them. You can interact with your blog visitors by answering questions or responding to their comments. In the long run, this will help you build trust with your audience.
Thought leadership: People often look for solutions online whenever they encounter a problem. Invest time in SEO so that your business shows up in the search results. By sharing your knowledge and experience, you can become the expert they will turn to whenever they need advice.
Create a sales lead: Blogging is a great way to generate traffic for your business. Make sure you research your target audience to understand their needs so that you can carve a niche for yourself. The use of SEO-based content can generate traffic to your website, which may turn into sales leads for your business.

Starting a new blog for your business may seem like an intimidating task. So, here are a few tips to help you create a successful blog:

1. Provide value

One of the main reasons people read blogs is because they want to learn something new. Blog posts with how-to guides, tutorials and tips are very popular, and they can help you achieve a vast amount of traffic. For example, Nepal Hiking Team has a comprehensive blog that shares information on everything you need to know about Nepal, from things to do and local Nepalese foods to transportation and souvenir guides. They offer a valuable resource for anyone looking for information about Nepal or planning to visit.

2. Allow guest posting

People love to share their ideas and experiences. Allowing them to guest-post on your blog gives them the opportunity to do that as well as interact with you and other visitors. Guest-posts are also great for helping you understand who your readers are and what they are interested in. A great example is Hackernoon, the online platform where anyone can publish and share anything related to technology.

3. Make it interactive and allow comments

A blog that allows its visitors to comment and ask questions on related topics draws more attention than those that do not. Create a user-friendly platform where guests can post their comments and ask questions. Making your blog interactive is very important for building good customer service and better understanding your customers, which may eventually generate more sales leads.

4. Monitor and analyse your blog traffic

According to Hubspot, many people prefer blog posts that are informative, entertaining and teach new things. It is important to track your blog traffic to determine which of your blog posts are performing best and find out what interests your readers. You can capitalize on that to grow more traffic and leads for your business.

5. Get external links to your blog

The “web” is literally a web of networks. By attracting external links from other online sources for your blog, you can considerably increase your Google ranking and get more traffic for your site. Consider launching a press release campaign or guest-posting on other, more authoritative sites for this.

With commitment, creativity and effort, blogging can be a very effective marketing tool for your small business. Blogging is a low-cost marketing strategy with great benefits if utilized properly.

By Kimmie Tang

Sourced from Entrepreneur

In News

The ‘Big Idea’: Five Keys To The Future Of Brand Marketing

August 5, 2022 No Comments

By Tracey Santilli

In a data-driven world, measurement and performance reign supreme. And that shouldn’t change. But in an increasingly fragmented communications landscape where it’s harder and harder for brands to break through the clutter, the “big idea” is more important than ever.

For brands, the big idea can unify and become the roadmap for more powerful storytelling and consumer engagement. And when executed well, the big idea can help a brand cut through the clutter, engage consumers and inspire brand loyalty. So, while performance media, AI, and other data will continue to be important in helping brand marketing teams show how they are driving results, they should also double down on the big idea. But where does the big idea come from, and what makes it successful? Here are five qualities your idea should have to achieve success.

1. Connected To Culture

According to a 2019 Magna and Twitter study, “The Impact of Culture,” a brand’s cultural involvement makes up a full 25% of a consumer’s purchase decision. So for any consumer brand, it’s ideal if the big idea is connected to culture. Think about Major League Baseball’s Field of Dream’s game inspired by the film or how the movie Black Panther ignited conversations about Black culture and heroes. On the business side, consider REI’s decision to close stores on Black Friday to encourage consumers to #OptOutside. Culturally relevant brands are likely to be more relevant to consumers, and the big idea is how you inspire and engage them.

2. Committed To Doing Good

While I’ve found that quality products and quality of service remain key drivers of consumer satisfaction, the impact of “doing good” as a brand cannot be understated. According to an IBM study (via The Chronicle of Philanthropy—registration required), 71% of U.S customers believe “corporations have a responsibility to prioritize their employees, the environment, and their community as much as shareholder returns.” Think about powerful consumer brands like Patagonia or Tom’s, whose products are inextricably linked to their brand mission of doing good in the world around them, or Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and his wife’s $5 million commitment to help Philadelphia students close the digital divide during the pandemic. (Full disclosure: Comcast is a Tierney client.)

3. Authentic To The Brand

Of course, when you look at those brands, you can see that the big idea is successful and connects with consumers because it is rooted in brand purpose and authentic to who they are as organizations. In a Gartner survey, 62% of consumers say brands should only express support for issues that are consistent with the company’s values, and 45% of consumers say brands should only take a stand on issues directly related to their business, products or services.

4. Grounded In Strong Brand Messaging:

If the big idea is authentic to the brand, then it should be easy to develop strong brand messaging or a brand narrative. This isn’t traditional corporate messaging or talking points about the business. Brand messaging today is cantered around powerful storytelling, and it should aid a brand in differentiating itself from competitors. It should also be understandable, inclusive, accessible and easy for anyone who touches the brand or talks about it—be it the CEO, a customer service rep or a TikTok creator. The development of a strong brand narrative should involve internal, and whenever possible, external stakeholders and brands should tap their agencies, strategists, internal and external communicators, channel experts and creative voices from across the organization.

5. Fully Integrated

Once the brand narrative is established and fully embraced across an organization, marketers should then thread it throughout all channels to reach consumers at every touch point in an integrated and interconnected way. On average, 2020 data from Doubleverify (via Forbes) found that consumers spent seven hours a day consuming content (compared to about three hours pre-pandemic), and brands are challenged to feed that content machine meaningfully empathetically—every day. I’ve seen them turning away from expensive campaigns and polished productions and increasingly sharing content that feels more real and authentic to consumers. Brands and agencies can create that content via in-house content studios to meet the 24/7 nature of content marketing today more quickly and efficiently. They can also turn to influencers.

Marketing teams shouldn’t be intimidated by trying to find the big idea that will break through the clutter and fully engage consumers. Embrace the opportunity that comes with the big idea. Connect it to culture or doing good. And most importantly, make it authentic to the brand, grounded in strong messaging and fully integrated across all channels.

Feature Image Credit: getty

By Tracey Santilli

Tracey Santilli is President at Tierney, a full-service marketing communications agency. Read Tracey Santilli’s full executive profile here.

Sourced from Forbes

In News

11 Steps to Help You Start Your Blogging Career

August 4, 2022 No Comments

By Saffrom Clacy

Are you interested in starting a blogging career and making money from it? Here are the steps you need to take.

Have you wanted to build a profitable blog, but don’t have a clue where to start? There’s no need to search tirelessly for tutorials.

With the right steps in mind, you can be on your way to having a blog that will showcase not only your online presence, but work effectively as an additional income stream.

1. Choose a Niche

This can feel like the most difficult part of the blogging process, but it’s important to establish a niche. It’s common to think that specializing in many things can be more appealing to others, but that’s not always the case. Focusing on a smaller space will draw in audiences who seek specific services.

Do you know everything about building computers? Use that as your niche. For example, an e-commerce copywriter writes for online stores, so this makes them experts in their field. You could have a technology niche such as reviewing computer graphics cards, Chromebooks, or Apple iPhones.

Think carefully about your primary focus; it can determine how many people want to find you, what brands will reach out to you, and how much you can make overall.

2. Research a Reliable Platform

What platforms are best for blogging? When publishing your blog, you want to use a reliable platform with a system that is easy to use, works well with the type of blog you want, and is in line with your budget. If you’re looking for great levels of customization, WordPress is perfect for your needs. There are hundreds of website templates you can play around with.

Squarespace is useful for visual blogs, such as photography, art, or design niches. LinkedIn is another alternative if you want to go the professional route and connect with people in your desired industry. However, if you’re a complete beginner when it comes to blogging or general website building, Wix may be a better choice. Here’s how to build a unique website without coding using Wix.

3. Customize Your Website

Although basic coding knowledge is really helpful, it’s not necessary for building a blog. After signing up for a website builder, choose a template you feel comfortable starting with. You can use a variety of pre-made templates to change existing features and make them your own.

Customize your blog by adding a homepage or an “About You” page with a photo of yourself, a contact page, so people can reach out to you, and of course, a homepage to start blogging. It doesn’t need to be perfect! What matters is that you’ve started piecing it together. However, if you’re struggling with this process, feel free to reach out to a website designer.

4. Publish Your First Post

Writing a blog post for the first time may seem intimidating, but the most important thing is to just get started. Think about what kind of blog topics would work well for your blog; would you like to write guides, written tutorials, recipes, lists, reviews, industry news, current events related to your niche, or just anything you find interesting?

How do you write your blog once you’ve come up with an awesome idea? First, consider what kind of heading will entice someone to read your blog; will it be witty, serious, or state a useful statistic? Secondly, write the way you would talk. Putting your voice and personality into a blog post will not only make it more genuine to readers, but will feel more natural to you.

Thirdly, keep in mind the way you’re laying out your piece; what kind of fonts do you want to use, and are you sticking to the standard US spelling style? Depending on your audience, the formatting will be very different.

5. Create High-Quality Images

Do you click on a YouTube video simply due to the colorful image alone? With blogs, visuals are very important to catching interest. A good quality image can decide whether somebody wants to read through a piece, so you want to make sure it’s high quality.

Think about the standard sizing for your feature images, as well as the photos you’ll use in a blog post. These should be clear, stretched to a pleasing size, and not blurry. Canva is always a great option here. If you’re feeling creative, you can use GIFs too.

6. Maintain Your Website

Have you ever clicked away from a website due to an unexpected page error? Keeping tabs on how your blog is running will determine how many people are viewing or staying on your site. Your site should be running effectively, have no broken links, be updated accordingly, and always be user-friendly.

If you aren’t very tech-savvy, make sure you hire someone who can do the technical work for you. An optimized website is something that always needs to be checked.

7. Take Advantage of SEO

Blog posts may be the main attraction of your website, but incorporating SEO is the main reason behind how you gain clicks, readers, and potential followers. Research the most-used keywords on Google with an SEO tool such as SurferSEO, the latest and popular trends related to your topic, and compare your posts to other blogs that rank higher on Google.

These SEO strategies, over time, can place you higher in search engines. Still confused? Check out some tools that will help you write the best blog titles.

8. Always Network

Networking with professionals within your niche is another useful resource as it can be the main driving force for your blog. Grow your online presence by joining relevant Facebook groups or blogging networks, attending courses to expand on your skills, and connecting with people on LinkedIn who share similar values.

Take note of how to network like a pro. This can be the key to you finding the next follower, or having people refer their audience to your site. It’s a win-win scenario, and it works.

9. Build an Email List

Using an email marketing platform such as MailerLite can do a lot for your blog. An email list is a collection of contact information from people who have signed up and opted to receive emails from you. However, building a reliable email list of clients and followers can take time. It isn’t about the quantity of data added to your list, but the amount of loyalty you have. You don’t want to spam inboxes!

How often are your emails being opened? Are people scanning, or clicking links to your blog pages? Are people sharing your blogs? By tracking these analytics, researching, and being a bit more creative, your email list will be one to rely on. If you’re new to email marketing, have a look at the ways HubSpot can benefit your marketing career. Using this program is a great way to get started.

10. Learn Affiliate Marketing

With affiliate marketing, businesses pay you if your blog refers people to their website or products, so having ads on the sides of your blog isn’t always a bad thing if it benefits both parties.

Not only is affiliate marketing helpful in getting brands and companies to notice you, but you can easily make a few cents per click. If you’re not really sure where to begin this process, there are a range of online resources.

11. Keep Track of Analytics Data

With any blog or website, keeping track of your analytics data is incredibly important to help you become profitable over time. Checking analytics daily will help you figure out where your viewers are coming from geographically, whether you’re being found organically or through social media, information on what keywords are being used on Google in relevance to your blog, and more. This will ultimately boost your traffic.

Start Your Blogging Journey Today

If you’ve been considering starting up a blog, now is the best time to start. Online spaces such as blogging are only growing more and more, and experts in their niche of choice are always appreciated. Creating a successful site definitely takes patience and dedication, but always trust the blogging process. Now you can start your first draft!

By Saffrom Clacy

Sourced from MUO

In News

The iPhone’s Next Breakthrough Features May Depend on These Technologies

August 4, 2022 No Comments

By Lisa Eadicicco

Apple’s smartphone just turned 15. Lidar and AI could play a big role in where the iPhone goes next, experts say.

For Lucy Edwards, a blind, UK-based journalist and broadcaster, maintaining a social distance in public during the height of the pandemic was challenging. That’s why she tried People Detection, a feature within the iPhone’s Magnifier app that uses the iPhone 12 Pro‘s and 13 Pro‘s lidar sensor to detect when others are nearby.

“I’m going to have to get used to it, but I’m really excited that I can be in control again,” Edwards said in a BBC video from 2020 documenting her experience.

Lidar, or light detection and ranging, is just one example of how the technology inside the iPhone has evolved in the last 15 years. When the first iPhone launched, on June 29, 2007, it had a 3.5-inch screen that would be considered minuscule by today’s standards and a single 2-megapixel camera. Now Apple’s most sophisticated phones come equipped with triple-rear cameras that are advanced enough to shoot films, sensors that help people like Edwards navigate the world, and powerful chips with billions of transistors.

The iPhone often served as a catalyst for the technologies introduced within, whether it’s digital assistant Siri, mobile payments or wireless charging, and helped drive the evolution of how we live our mobile lives. But in the future, the most important part of the iPhone might be everything around it. That’s according to analysts who’ve observed the mobile industry’s general trends and Apple’s strategy.

In the short term, we’re likely to see incremental improvements like higher quality cameras and giant displays. But over the next decade, the iPhone could evolve into a hub for smart glasses and other devices. AirPods, Apple Watches and CarPlay-enabled vehicles may be just the start. The iPhone’s core elements, like its display and charging systems, are also expected to get a significant boost.

“The next quest for the smartphone is to figure out what it will connect to next,” said Runar Bjørhovde, an analyst with market research firm Canalys. “Because the smartphone has not necessarily reached its potential yet, but as a standalone device I think the smartphone is getting closer and closer to the edge.”

Your iPhone at the centre of everything

There’s plenty of speculation about what’s next after the smartphone. The resounding consensus seems to be smart glasses, with companies like Meta, Snap and Google all working on their own version of high-tech spectacles.

Apple is no exception; reports from Bloomberg indicate that the iPhone maker could debut a mixed reality headset this year or next that supports augmented and virtual reality technologies. A pair of AR-powered smart glasses could arrive later this decade, according to the report.

So what does this have to do with the iPhone? Possibly everything. Even though Apple’s headset is expected to function as a standalone device, the apps and services it runs would likely stem from the iPhone.

Think of the Apple Watch. It doesn’t need a nearby iPhone to function, but a large part of its appeal involves its ability to sync closely with Apple’s phone. Many of the Apple Watch’s notifications are also tied to accounts and apps that were set up on the iPhone.

Whether it’s a smart headset, the Apple Watch, AirPods or HomeKit-enabled appliances, analysts expect the phone to remain at the centre.

apple-glasses-airpods-watch — The iPhone will likely remain at the centre of the Apple experience, serving as a hub for AirPods, the Apple Watch and possibly a pair of smart glasses one day.

Scott Stein/CNET

“The phone will be the anchor,” said Gene Munster, managing partner for tech investment firm Loup Ventures and a long time Apple analyst.

But it isn’t just about connecting to new personal tech gadgets. Apple is gradually turning the iPhone into a viable replacement for the wallet, weaving it even more tightly into the nondigital aspects of our lives.

Apple has made a lot of progress on this front over the past year by rolling out new features like digital IDs for Apple Wallet and Tap to Pay, which turns the iPhone into a contactless payment terminal for merchants without additional hardware. Apple also just announced Apple Pay Later, which lets Apple Pay users split a purchase into four equal instalments paid over the course of six weeks.

“It’s clear that there’s a lot of momentum within financial services with Apple, and I think we will see further advancements there,” said Nick Maynard, head of research for Juniper Research.

Better lidar, more advanced AI for better spatial awareness

Making educated guesses about Apple’s general direction for the iPhone is certainly easier than pinpointing specific changes that might be coming. But analysts have some ideas based on the seeds Apple has planted in current iPhones.

Lidar will likely continue to be important as the company pushes more deeply into augmented reality. Apple added lidar on the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020 to boost the performance of AR apps, enable new camera tricks and facilitate accessibility features like the aforementioned People Detection. The technology measures distance by determining how long it takes for light to reflect off an object and bounce back.

Yet the iPhone’s current lidar sensors might not be sophisticated enough to bring Apple’s augmented reality ambitions to fruition, said Munster.

“Specifically what needs to happen is the mapping of the real world needs to be more accurate,” said Munster, whose firm conducts research on topics like augmented reality, autonomous vehicles and virtual reality. “And until that happens, AR isn’t really going to happen.”

iPhone People Detection — The iPhone’s People Detection feature uses lidar.

James Martin/CNET

Lidar improves the iPhone’s depth-sensing skills, but it’s still up to the phone’s processor to make sense of all that data. Apple has leaned into artificial intelligence — one of Silicon Valley’s favorite buzzwords in recent years — to give the iPhone and other products more context about users and their surroundings.

Once again, you can look to the Apple Watch to see this approach at work. Apple’s smartwatch uses artificial intelligence and data gathered from its sensors for tasks such as tracking your sleep and noticing when you’re washing your hands.

Hanish Bhatia, a senior analyst for Counterpoint Research, provided a hypothetical example of how AI improvements could one day manifest in upcoming iPhones. He envisions a future in which Apple’s smartphone can observe a person’s habits to understand whether the phone’s primary user or a family member may be using the device.

“The way you use your phone, at what angle your smartphone is tilted … Do you press with a particular pressure, or do you just tap it with your nails or something like that?” he said as an example. “All of these are different types of behaviours which are very unique to a user.”

Bhatia’s example is speculative and doesn’t reflect Apple’s actual plans. But with advancements in AI and technologies like lidar and ultra wideband giving the iPhone more spatial awareness, it’s easy to imagine a scenario like this.

Displays and charging tech could get a big change

Perhaps one of the biggest questions surrounding Apple’s future smartphone plans is whether the company will ever create a foldable iPhone. Samsung, Apple’s biggest rival in the mobile space, has already launched several generations of phones with flexible designs. Motorola, Huawei and Microsoft have all followed suit, and Google is rumoured to be working on a bendable Pixel. Shipments of foldable smartphones are said to have increased by 264.3% in 2021 compared with 2020, according to The International Data Corporation.

But experts like Munster and Maynard are sceptical about whether Apple will take a similar approach. Though the tech giant has filed patents for mobile devices with flexible displays, those filings aren’t always indicative of Apple’s plans. Sales of foldable phones have been growing, but shipments still pale in comparison with regular smartphones. (Research firm IDC estimates that 7.1 million foldable phones were shipped in 2021 compared with 362.4 million phones shipped in just the fourth quarter of last year). And then there’s the question of whether foldable devices bring anything truly new or meaningful to the smartphone experience.

There are also challenges with creating a true glass screen that’s foldable, says Munster. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip has a glass screen, but that glass is also combined with “a special material” to “achieve a consistent hardness,” CNET reported in 2020.

“The piece that’s missing from my perspective is how [Apple] would actually do it,” Munster said.

Samsung Z Flip 3 — Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 can fold in half.

Sarah Tew/CNET

The iPhone’s charging experience is probably due for an upgrade too. Between USB-C, Lightning and MagSafe, it isn’t an exaggeration to say that Apple’s charging options are complicated. Maynard believes pressure from the European Union and US senators could mean a switch to USB-C might be in the iPhone’s future.

But more dramatic changes could also be in the pipeline. Rumours about a completely portless iPhone have swirled for years, and Maynard doesn’t think it’s totally out of the question.

“I suspect if any vendor was going to launch a fully portless system, then it probably would be Apple,” said Maynard, citing Apple’s decision to remove the iPhone’s headphone jack in 2016.

Wireless charging has also been a focal point for Apple in recent years, further supporting the case for a port-free iPhone. There’s Apple’s relatively new MagSafe chargers, and many CarPlay-enabled vehicles also support wireless connections. Apple has also patented wireless charging systems that would be built directly into MacBooks, enabling Apple’s laptops to charge iPhones, Apple Watches and iPads. The iPad Pro’s Smart Connector also provides a quick and easy way to attach accessories to Apple’s tablet without a port.

“The number of systems that actually 100% must have a cable are diminishing,” Maynard said.

Apple MagSafe Battery Pack — Apple’s MagSafe battery pack wirelessly connects to the back of an iPhone.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Otherwise, analysts expect to see routine upgrades to the camera in the near term. Munster says there’s room for improvement in the iPhone’s front-facing camera, while Bhatia expects Apple to continue to use display size and camera quality to distinguish the regular iPhones from its Pro iPhones.

It’s impossible to know what’s next for the iPhone without Apple’s input. But experts seem certain on one thing: Apple is laying the groundwork for the iPhone’s future today. Current iPhone features, like Apple’s lidar-powered accessibility tools meant to help people like Edwards, could provide a clue about what’s ahead.

“Everything we can see that they’ve done over the last few years is a good hint of what’s coming up next,” said Bjørhovde. “Because a lot of what I think they do is setting themselves up for the systems they want to integrate the iPhone into in the years to come.”

By Lisa Eadicicco

Sourced from CNET

In News

Advertising must focus on the consumer reality of the downturn

August 4, 2022 No Comments

By Rob Sellars

The marketing and advertising industry has long had a tendency to focus on the next shiny thing that sits on the fringes, promising virtual revolution. From the advent of social, through the questionable promise of VR or NFTs, to the infinite possibilities of the metaverse, many have made their way from the edge of the tech world to the slides of an agency deck.

This isn’t to dispute their worth, but to reflect on the fact that for every presentation or panel about how to utilize the virtual reality of the metaverse, how many focus on the very real and current reality for consumers. The people who we talk to, track and temp. The people who buy products and services we advertise. And now, the people who are in the midst of the harshest personal finance crisis in a generation.

The reality can’t be underestimated. UK inflation has hit a 40-year high of 9.1%, driven by soaring food and energy prices, exacerbating the fall in ‘real’ incomes (after tax and inflation) Brits have experienced since 2021.

YouGov found half of all Brits say their financial situation has become worse in the last month, with one in five already struggling or unable to make ends meet. 5% are already saying “I cannot afford my costs, and often have to go without essentials like food and heating”, up from just 1% last year.

Efforts from Chancellor Rishi Sunak to tackle the crisis were labelled by the Think Tank Resolution Foundation as a “big but poorly targeted policy package” which ultimately will still “see a further 1.3 million people fall into absolute poverty next year, including 500,000 children – the first time Britain has seen such a rise in poverty outside of recessions.”

So as purveyors of goods and services that we hope these same people will exchange their – increasingly restricted – disposable income for, it’s not a huge leap to say that we should take some responsibility and explore ways we can help.

Even if the human case weren’t enough, it’s worth noting that a third of Brits say they can mostly cover essential costs but don’t often have money for luxuries now. With that picture likely to get worse before it gets better, it’s worth considering how quickly your product or service could become one of those unattainable luxuries. The cost of living emergency is a significant crisis with no single solution. But here are some ways we might all be able to help.

B2B: less about cutting costs and more about adding value

It is crucial to hold fast during the crisis and avoid eroding or undermining your hard fought for brand equity. So where possible avoid price and promo strategies that reframe your product and its value in consumers eyes. When consumer confidence and disposable income rise again, you don’t want to be left behind.

Instead, consider other tactics as a business. Offering benefits or points for loyal customers who have long shopped with you shows that loyalty works both ways. Reducing charges for things such as delivery demonstrates that you understand that every pound counts and your willingness to go the extra mile. Or work with retailers and providers to offer free add-ons or savings with every purchase.

Consumer: less about short term pain and more about long term gain

If your prices go up or your products change (see the reported rise in ‘shrinkflation’) make sure you communicate with your consumers as to why, what it might mean for your business, and what it might mean for them.

If, for example, the issues in European supply chains mean you’ve started sourcing locally and therefore that might push up prices, demonstrate the benefit of that to communities and be honest about the impact – good and bad.

Consider other ways you might be able to help your customers save in the long run. Could you offer your product through a subscription service that ultimately saves them money, but also creates one less thing to deal with day-to-day? Are there small elements of added value you can offer, like gifts or free experiences to collect?

And think about those at the sharpest end of the crisis, who don’t know where their next meal might come from or how they’re going to clothe their families, and consider your scope for offering your help to charities, welfare providers and other partners who can put your products to good use.

Importantly demonstrate empathy with what might be happening, but don’t try to commercialise it or take advantage in any way. Our bullshit detectors are at their most sensitive in times of crisis.

Employer: less about pay and more about care

It might be easy to forget that some individuals within our companies will be feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis too. Those who we’re asking to immerse themselves in the metaverse so we look smart in front of a client, might likewise be worrying about their reality as any pay rises or bonuses are quickly outstripped by rising inflation.

So consider how you might be flexible and ready to work with employees on their needs.

For example some might feel the crunch on their home utility costs meaning they would rather be in the office, while conversely others might be less able to afford transport costs and so would rather work at home.

And consider how the benefits you offer to your teams might be able to help ease costs and pressure in certain aspects of their lives. Pay rises might not always be an immediate option, but there are other ways to ease their cost-of-living.

The future will come, the next marketing revolution will inevitably take hold. But here and now, we must consider the reality for our consumers, and the role our brands can play in tackling a very real crisis.

By Rob Sellars

Sourced from The Drum

In News

How to Master Socially Conscious Advertising … by Not Advertising at All

August 3, 2022 No Comments

By Farhoud Meybodi

4 steps to credible purpose-driven campaigns

Most brand marketers know they should be socially conscious. Of course. The most effective way these folks can do their job is by remaining conscious of their customers’ needs, wants and values. But therein lies the problem. This “socially conscious” aim traditionally remains in service to convincing people to spend money on products. Basic Marketing 101.

In reality, if you want to transform customers into brand evangelists, marketers should sell the ethos of their brand … not their product. You want your audience to “buy” into the heart and soul of your legacy and values. Only then will the same people support your business long-term.

In short, what if mastering socially conscious advertising meant not advertising your product? At all.

Brands must brush up on the reasons for their very existence, and elevate how they view the function of advertising—to sincerely connect with audiences and incentivize them to support their mission. The first goal out the door should not be tied to profit margin.

I have this conversation time and again with executives across a variety of industries. This inspired me to create a high-level roadmap they can use to craft purpose-driven campaigns:

Do the work.

For marketers with no experience in impact, a foundational component is sincerity. When embarking on brand-sponsored impact storytelling, sincerity is only possible after you’ve dedicated time and energy to bridge your company’s legacy/values with a social issue. Before crafting a purpose-driven campaign, ask: Do we have the right to participate in this conversation? Could the past/present reality of our brand get in the way of our desired goal?

To do the work, enlist external experts with a background in social impact. Ideally, they’ll audit your company’s policies, speak with team members and customers, and deduce how your product or service positively/negatively impacts the world. Now, this exploration may result in a recommendation to make internal changes before embarking on the campaign. But have no fear! Now you get to create change where it matters most: inside your company. You can always move forward with an external campaign, but only when you’ve earned the right to talk about it.

Stop selling products. Enrich lives.

Nobody cares about your KPIs. Most folks are bombarded by adspeak 24/7 and have the tools to see right through the puffs of smoke from Don Draper’s Luckies. Instead of pushing manipulative tactics to turn over SKUs, what if you could detach from the dated construct of commercial content existing to drive sales?

Before you accuse me of being too woo-woo, remember we’re at the conclusion (hopefully) of a global pandemic. We’re all yearning to connect and feel something deeply human and true. If you want to create purpose-driven stories that resonate with people from all walks of life, show them you understand this reality and want to add value to their lives without seeing them as a dollar sign. Human beings long for regenerative relationships rooted in understanding, growth and compassion. Why can’t this exist between brands and customers?

Over the past few years, marketers have embodied versions of this approach, with some even forgoing logo or product placement in their brand-sponsored storytelling. In 2017, Matthew A. Cherry’s “Hair Love” Kickstarter raised nearly $300,000 for a film boosting body confidence and celebrating the relationship between Black fathers and daughters. While Dove helped finance the Oscar-winning short, there was no Dove branding in the film. Unilever made sure Cherry’s culture change took place. They even co-founded the CROWN Coalition, pledging $5 million from Dove towards advancing hair discrimination legislation nationwide.

Dove | Hair Love

Be human.

Storytelling builds powerful connections within the psyche, helping us make sense of the chaotic world around us. Thankfully, it’s impossible to create purpose-driven storytelling that connects from a place of humanity if the creators aren’t being human while making it. You must be human in development meetings, when casting, allocating budgets and creating schedules. Empathy and sincerity aren’t meant to be buzzwords; they’re a way of life.

To create impactful stories, we must first affect the four walls around us, and the people within them. Treat your team members with respect. Pay people fairly. Give them space to recharge after a long week of work. Make sure on-camera talent feels safe and not exploited. Otherwise, you’re just piggybacking on a social cause to increase market share.

Now what?

This is where the work starts. Can your finished campaign represent something bold and artistic that’s worth your audience’s time?

I believe ads only become “worth it” when the viewer is valued by the creators and seen as more than just a “consumer.” If people feel that you took great steps towards ensuring their time was worth a damn, and that your content was crafted to feed their soul, they’ll feel seen. Every time they interact with your brand, they’ll remember that visceral connection. Why not create this transformational space for your audience? Do it sincerely, and I promise ROI will follow.

By Farhoud Meybodi

Farhoud Meybodi is an award-winning writer, director and executive producer focused on mass culture change. He is signed with New York-based production company Honor Society.

Sourced from Muse by Clio

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The Different Types Of SEO You Should Know In 2022

August 3, 2022 No Comments

Sourced from KHTS

As we move into the digital age, it’s more important than ever to ensure your business is taking advantage of all the online marketing opportunities available. SEO is one of the most effective ways to reach new customers and grow your business, but there are so many different aspects to it that it can be hard to know where to start. In this blog post, we’ll outline the different types of SEO you should be aware of in 2022 and explain how they can benefit your business. Read on to learn more!

Mobile SEO

The first type of SEO is mobile SEO, and as the name would suggest, this type of SEO focuses on mobile devices. Did you know that half of the global search traffic comprises mobile users? This is one of the reasons why Google now crawls a site’s mobile version first, which means businesses should keep this in mind. Mobile SEO is basically optimizing a website so that it displays and runs smoothly on mobile devices, which includes site speed, time to interact, as well as the sizing of fonts and images.

Content SEO

The next type of SEO is perhaps one of the most well-known: content SEO. And with so many digital marketing agencies offering these services, such as Cozab, it’s difficult to imagine that brands have not begun understanding the benefits this type of SEO provides. Content SEO is the creation of content that helps sites rank higher. Three factors determine the success of content SEO: keyword strategy, the structure of the site, and copywriting.

Local SEO

Another incredibly important type of SEO, especially for physical businesses, is local SEO. Local SEO focuses on increasing the ranking and visibility of sites based on their geographical positioning to their audience. In other words, local SEO refers to anything done to help physical businesses reach their local audience. The most important aspect of local SEO is ensuring you have a Google My Business profile; without this, it will be incredibly difficult to reach your local audience.

Off-Page SEO

One of the most important types of SEO, which is almost a category of SEO that other types of SEO fall under, is off-page SEO. Off-page SEO refers to anything done outside of your website to raise the ranking and visibility of your site on search engines. This could include getting good reviews online, having other sites link to your site, using social media to market your business, paid advertising on YouTube videos, and more. Off-page SEO increases your authority and drives traffic to your site.

On-Page SEO

The opposite of off-page SEO is on-page SEO; as the name suggests, this type of SEO involves optimizing your site to rank higher. There are many ways that this can be done, such as by optimizing your URLs, images, internal links, HTML, title tags, and more. However, that is not all it refers to; on-page SEO also involves optimizing engaging and informative content written for Google bots and improving the site’s user experience.

E-Commerce SEO

Technical SEO

Finally, the last type of SEO is technical SEO, which refers to helping Google bots crawl, index, and interpret your site. Why do you want to do this? Because the easier the job of the bots crawling and indexing your site, the more information the search engine has about your site, and the more accurately it can predict what type of searches to associate with it. For example, increasing your site’s mobile-friendliness and creating an XML sitemap are just some ways to do this

Sourced from KHTS

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5 New Ways to Make Money on Facebook and Instagram

August 3, 2022 No Comments

By Patrick Kariuki

Meta is rolling out new ways for creators to make money on Facebook and Instagram.

Content is king on social media, and all the platforms are in a sort of gold rush to ensure the supply of new content does not run dry. Every day, it seems, one platform or the other announces some new scheme or incentive for content creators to sign up to.

Not to be left behind, Meta has announced several new ways creators can monetize their content on Instagram and Facebook. Here are the details.

Meta Announces New Ways to Make Money on Instagram and Facebook

All social media platforms have one way or another of making money, and perhaps YouTube offers the most accessible ways to make money.

These monetization options are always being updated. Thus, Mark Zuckerberg has posted several new monetization tools Meta is rolling out for creators on Instagram and Facebook.

In addition, Meta’s blog confirms the company will not charge subscribers a fee on Subscriptions, Badges, Paid Online Events, and Bulletin for an additional year until January 1, 2024.

Clearly, Meta is going all out to attract and hold on to its best creators.

The New Monetization Tools on Instagram and Facebook

Meta has released five new ways for creators to make money on both Instagram and Facebook.

1. Interoperable Subscriptions

Facebook will now allow creators to automatically add their fans on other platforms to subscribers-only Facebook Groups. This allows them to receive payments from their fans on the other platforms, and save time by not having to manually let individual members into their Facebook Groups.

Facebook will launch the service with a limited group of partners before expanding.

2. Facebook Stars

Facebook Stars is now open to all creators. However, they must have at least 1000 followers since the preceding 60 days, be in a country where Stars are available, and meet Meta’s Partner Monetization Policies and Content Monetization Policies. This applies to Facebook Live, videos on-demand, and will soon be available on Facebook Reels.

3. Monetizing Reels

The Reels payment program was previously only available to creators on an invite-only basis. Now Facebook is allowing US-based creators to apply to join. However, they must have created more than five Reels and have a total of 100,000 views in the previous 30 days, and they must meet Meta’s Partner Monetization Policies and Content Monetization Policies to be eligible.

Facebook is also now allowing creators to cross-post Reels on both Instagram and Facebook and earn money on both platforms.

In addition, creators will shortly be able to use the “Paid Partnerships with” label for their branded content on Facebook Reels. This will allow sponsors to convert them to Branded Content Ads.

4. Creator Marketplace

Meta is following in TikTok’s and Snapchat’s footsteps by launching a Creator’s Marketplace on Instagram intended to match creators with suitable brands.

Creators will be able to indicate the brands and topics they’re interested in making branded content for. Brands will be able to find and collaborate with creators through the Meta Business Suite.

“When they’ve found a creator they want to partner with, they’ll be able to send a project that outlines the details of the opportunity, including deliverables and payment offered,” according to Meta.

5. Digital Collectibles

Instagram started allowing NFTs to be shared on its platform in May 2022. Now Meta will allow this feature to be available to more creators in select countries, and soon on Facebook as well (starting with a small group of US creators). Users will be able to cross-post on both Instagram and Facebook.

Instagram Stories will also start hosting NFTs, in partnership with SparkAR.

Creators Have the Upper Hand

In the old days, the content we consumed was determined by a few people at the top of a production company sitting around a boardroom table. These days, social media has shifted the power to independent creators who execute and deliver content directly to us, with no oversight.

The leading social media platforms have taken notice and are scrambling to find ways to lock in the best creators on their platforms in order to lock in our eyes as well. Clearly, it’s a good time to be a creator.

By Patrick Kariuki

Kariuki is a Nairobi based writer. His entire life has been spent trying to string together the perfect sentence. He is still trying. He has published extensively in Kenyan media and, for a hot 7 years or so, dived into the world of Public Relations where he discovered the corporate world is just like high school. He now writes again, focusing mainly on the magical internet. He also dabbles in the vibrant Kenyan start-up scene, AKA the Silicon Savannah, and occasionally advises small businesses and political actors on how to communicate better to their audiences. He runs a YouTube channel called Tipsy Writers, which attempts to get storytellers to tell their untold stories over a beer. When not working, Kariuki enjoys taking long walks, watching classic movies – especially old James Bond movies – and spotting aircraft. In an alternate universe, he would probably be a fighter pilot. More From Patrick Kariuki

Sourced from MUO

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How to Improve your Email Deliverability Rate

August 2, 2022 No Comments

By Bharat Patel

Is your email deliverability rate making you want to bang your head against a wall? Frustrating isn’t it?

After all, you likely spent a decent chunk of time crafting the perfect email to send to your subscribers, only to find out a large percentage didn’t even receive it!

To ensure that your emails get read, it’s important to understand the best email deliverability practices.

Several elements and practices define good email marketing campaigns, and your email deliverability rate is one of them.

Today, I’ll take you through the different aspects of email deliverability, such as:

Is there an average email deliverability rate?
What is a good deliverability rate?
How to evaluate test email for deliverability?

Understanding the concept of email deliverability

Ever find all your emails land in the receiver’s spam?

This makes it challenging for your business to reach the right audience and generate leads.

Therefore, it’s important to analyse and run tests and concentrate on email deliverability before you send an email to your audience.

Email deliverability evaluates the frequency of an email reaching the subscriber’s inbox. This process is occasionally termed inbox placement.

The ultimate goal of any company is to gain metrics on whether the email has landed successfully in the inbox and how frequently it is opened.

Several factors influence your mail’s landing in the inbox or the spam folder, and they are:

IP address reputation
Sender reputation
DNS records
SPF records

Your email-marketing process has a big effect on whether the email will land in the inbox or the spam folder.

Email deliverability is an actual rate that highlights whether the email made it to the subscriber’s inbox or not. You are bound to experience a poor email deliverability rate when your emails consistently land in the spam folder or when your email address is blocked.

Common email deliverability mistakes to avoid

In addition to the factors mentioned above, there are a few other factors that impact email deliverability, and they are:

Bad list quality
Low engagement
Missing email authentication

If you aim to improve your email deliverability rate, determine what’s wrong or missing. You could have missed a single or a combination of elements shared above.

Search for authentication methods such as DKIM, SPF, and others to improve your email deliverability rate. You can implement a DMARC record setup to enable email authentication measures and protect your domain.

Simultaneously, it is important to prioritize user engagement through the content of your emails. Remember, an email engagement rate is a mix of click and open rates that indicate positive engagement signals.

One of the primary causes of poor deliverability problems is bad email list quality. For instance, a couple of inbox providers facilitate the additional services of domain blocklist lookup, where they spam your emails if you fall under the email blocklist.

Other metrics such as the sender score can have an effect on your deliverability. Sender score considers your IP reputation and domain reputation.

The difference between email delivery and email deliverability

Before sending an email campaign it is important to ask the following questions:

Is your message acceptable?
Is the message getting delivered to the inbox?

Understanding email delivery

Email delivery revolves around the probability that a receiver will accept your email before the spam folder or inbox. If your email does not end up in the inbox, the delivery is less likely to be successful.

For instance, you have booked a flight ticket, reached the airport, boarded the right flight, and got to your destination.

Similarly, when you deliver the email correctly, it will land in the receiver’s inbox; they’ll learn about you and hopefully buy one of your products.

Understanding email deliverability

Is the message getting delivered to the inbox?

Your concentration is on the inbox placement; this means you have to be mindful of where your email gets delivered. Email deliverability in the spam folder, inbox, and other folders has different impacts.

Good deliverability comprises three essential elements:

Identification: This describes the primary protocols that confirm you are a reliable authority and all you quote in the email. Some protocols are shared via SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and others.

These protocols act as a security checkpoint for your organization that helps clear your email deliverability.

Reputation: Your sender’s reputation represents your email’s trustworthiness. Each ISP and firm have different scores for you, and curating positive behaviour can help you craft a good reputation.

Content: Do you share relevant messages with your target audience? Poor copy with unorganized formatting can repel readers.

Using abrupt and unclear formatting can harm your email’s deliverability. Instead, consider what your audience is searching for and quote email messages accordingly.

The identification and reputation efforts lead the email to either inbox or the spam folder. On the contrary, if you have delivery issues, you need changes in the infrastructure. It’s time to review and work on the email addresses on the list.

However, if you notice deliverability issues, your subscribers are not interested in your content, or your practices are outdated.

Regardless of where you stand today, there is a scope to improve email deliverability.

Email deliverability best practices for 2022

This image will give you an idea about blacklist emails. If your email is on the blacklist then it will show in this list. Email service providers used to check the email blacklist to check whether your email will go into an Inbox or spam.

Personalize your emails

Subscribers and marketers have different descriptions of spam emails. For example, subscribers prioritize relevance over algorithms or spam filters.

Are you sharing content that your audience is interested in?

Analyse your content relevance and errors before you hit the send button on your email.

Of all the marketing tactics, email is the most personal channel, and hence your content must resonate with your audience. So, naturally, this directly impacts your deliverability and reader engagement.

Informative and engaging emails can lead to long-lasting relationships with your audience.

Clear opt-in process

The way you accumulate email addresses plays a vital role in your deliverability rates. An optimized opt-in procedure is more effective and affirms that the list comprises handpicked engaging users.

When you tap the wrong audience, they are likely to mark you as spam, and the ISPs consider that you are spamming others on your list.

To avoid such circumstances, I recommend the use of a double opt-in strategy that involves dual verification for the user. This verification process ensures that you have an engaged email list and target them only. Make sure to clean the list regularly to avoid spamming boxes unknowingly.

Analyse subscriber’s expectations

It is essential to consider reader expectations to improve email deliverability. The best way to do this is to inform your readers what they are getting into through transparent communication.

This way, you can align with them and obtain better outcomes.

A few businesses and marketers prefer easy ways to expand email databases, but they seldom drive results and may hamper your sender’s reputation.

One of the key reasons for this could be that they were not ready for regular messages and end up ignoring them, marking them as spam, or unsubscribing.

ISPs can track this poor engagement and degrade your sender reputation, which gradually affects your deliverability rate.

Instead, ask readers for their consent before shooting them a series of emails and playing with your engagement.

Track your metrics

Whether the result is good or bad, it is important to keep tabs on your reader’s activity and not flood their inbox with unwanted emails.

How do you understand whether your subscribers are engaged and enjoy associating with you?

Open and click-through rates coupled with spam complaints and unsubscribes can notify you of the effect of your audiences’ preferences.

Besides, high bounce rates, negative engagement, and compliant rates are bad indicators of email campaigns. You can use email deliverability tools and hire digital experts to strategize an effective campaign for your brand.

This combination can assist you in improving your sender score and eventually reaching the desired benchmark.

Key takeaways

Hosting good email lists, updating your content regularly, and sending effective marketing emails are crucial to email deliverability. This will help increase the likelihood of having your emails delivered to your recipient’s inbox.

Managing email deliverability helps to a solid foundation for your company’s future success.

By Bharat Patel

Bharat Patel heads the digital marketing team at Brainvire Infotech. He is armed with over 12
years of experience in the fields of online marketing and project management. He is extremely
proactive in implementing the latest technological innovations in his projects. Bharat’s core
expertise lies in search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and conversion rate
optimization, among other things. His immense flare of writing encourages him to consistently
pen down words revolving around current trends and innovations that relate to his fields of
interest.

Sourced from Jeff Bullas

In News

The Best Marketing Strategies for eCommerce Businesses

August 2, 2022 No Comments

By Diana Ford

Every day, new internet users buy products online. From America to Europe to Asia, eCommerce is here to stay.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that global eCommerce sales are expected to hit $5.5 trillion in 2022, according to Statista. But while you have more potential customers, more competitors are also trying to take their share of the eCommerce pie.

So, don’t expect internet users to land on your website and launch a buying spree without your effort. That’s why marketing is vital to any successful eCommerce business’s operations.

Now, there’s no single strategy that works for every eCommerce business. So how do you know the best for your business?

This guide will show you the most effective marketing strategies and how to identify the best for your needs.

How do you know what strategy is best for your eCommerce business?

As I mentioned earlier, every eCommerce business’s marketing strategy is unique according to various factors. Nevertheless, here are three critical considerations to help you discover the best marketing strategy for your eCommerce business.

Your ideal buyer

While billions of users are online, only a few profiles of people qualify as your ideal customer. Therefore, defining your ideal buyers will determine most of your marketing and even business decisions.

You can define your ideal buyer by creating a buyer persona, which will include details such as:

Name
Gender
Age
Income
Favorite marketing channels
Location
Pain points
Ambitions
Hobbies

These pieces of information will determine elements of your marketing campaigns, such as marketing channels, brand voice, targeting criteria, and more. Here’s an eCommerce buyer persona example from Drip:

Your marketing goals

Although your overall goal is to acquire more customers and revenue, there are many stages of that journey. Your marketing campaigns at various buyer journey stages will have different goals.

Common marketing goals for eCommerce businesses include:

Brand awareness
Lead acquisition
Customer acquisition
Customer retention

Once you have a goal for your marketing campaign, it will inform your marketing messages, channels, and tasks. You must also define the metrics to measure your goal during the goal-setting process.

Without setting a goal for your marketing campaigns, you can easily fall into a scattergun approach. As a result, there’ll be no way to measure the success or failure of your campaigns.

Your marketing budget

First, your overall budget will determine the channels you’ll focus on. With a big budget, you can have more space to experiment. However, a small budget will restrict you to only a tried-and-tested strategy.

Whatever your budget, it’s vital to optimize it to obtain the best result possible.

Considering these factors, you can create a unique eCommerce marketing strategy to meet your business needs.

The best eCommerce marketing strategies

Below, we’ll consider six proven strategies to help you reach more customers. Of course, you can combine some of these strategies to achieve your marketing goals.

Let’s go into the details.

Ecommerce SEO

Before a customer is ready to buy your product, they’ve done a lot of research. So to give your business the best chance of converting prospects, you must connect with them during the research stage.

ECommerce SEO is the process of optimizing your web pages to rank high for essential business keywords. Here are tasks to execute to improve your eCommerce SEO:

Content Marketing: no page can rank on search engines without some content on it. Hence, valuable content is one of the most vital criteria for ranking high for a keyword. Today, SEO has gone beyond just stuffing a page with keywords. Search engines consider search intent and ensure your content provides the information a searcher is looking for. Therefore, creating pieces of content that solve your visitors’ problems is vital.
Technical SEO: includes tasks you execute in your website’s backend to ensure search engines can quickly discover your website. For example, you can submit your sitemap to index your pages and make them crawlable. Another aim of technical SEO is to improve the website experience for visitors. For instance, you can increase the speed of your website for a boost in rankings and usability. Another similar focus is making your website mobile-friendly to complement both of the points mentioned above.
On-Page SEO: these are SEO tasks you do on your web page. They include tasks such as adding your target keyword to the page URL, title, subheadings, and other aspects of your page. Header tags are essential, they help break down content to help search engines better understand your content.
Off-Page SEO: while you can improve SEO for your eCommerce website through many actions on your website, you can also take steps outside your website. One of the most prominent off-page SEO tactics is link building. When other websites relevant to your niche link to your page, they help build the authority of that page. Another critical factor is that the website linking to you already has a lot of high-quality backlinks to your pages will boost your chances of higher ranks.

By engaging in eCommerce SEO campaigns, you can acquire more leads and customers through search engines.

Pay Per Click Advertising

Improving organic search and social media performance can take a lot of time that you don’t have. However, with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, you can reach your audience now.

For PPC advertising on Google, you must take the necessary steps to improve your chances of success. They include:

Conduct keyword research: what keywords are your potential buyers putting in the search box? You can find the best keywords to reach your prospects through keyword research on Google Keyword planner and other research tools.
Adjust bidding according to your goals: Are your ads showing up for your preferred keywords? Is the competition too high? Is a click worth much higher than you’re currently bidding? You can also achieve better success with your bidding if you increase your ad quality score through high-relevant ads and better click-through rates.
Build relevant landing pages: your ad copy must align with your landing page copy to improve your chances of conversions. Some landing page builders allow you to take it further through dynamic text replacement. This will feature searchers’ keywords on your landing page.
Use Google shopping ads: These ads are usually created for transactional keywords. These ads will display your products and their prices on the search results page. You can also add shipping information and ratings.
Use retargeting ads: if someone has visited some pages on your website, you can send them ads related to those pages. For instance, you can target a shopper who has visited a product page with ads for that product. This will make them more receptive to your ads.

After executing these tactics, you can improve performance through A/B testing. Frankly, there’s no single ad that works for every business. So, you have to test various ad campaign elements to improve performance.

Email Marketing

According to statistics from Litmus, email marketing can deliver an ROI of $45 for every dollar spent by eCommerce businesses. So, unsurprisingly, this is one of the best marketing channels to improve performance.

That is because email marketing for eCommerce has many advantages compared to other marketing channels. First, your marketing messages will land in your subscribers’ inboxes. This is more exposure than other channels.

Second, sending different messages according to the subscriber’s interests is easy. In other words, personalization can make a lot of difference in your marketing campaigns.

Naturally, the best email marketing software you can use today will allow you to personalize your emails based on many criteria such as:

Name
Birthdays
Gender
Location
Purchase history
Emails opened
Website pages visited

As a result of sending relevant emails to subscribers, you’ll increase your open and click-through rates. And since you’re directing them to a relevant web page, there’s a higher chance of converting such visitors.

Beyond personalization, email marketing automation is another effective strategy. Email marketing automation involves sending a series of messages to your subscribers based on a schedule or when some conditions are met.

Some examples of automated email sequences are:

Welcome emails
Lead nurturing emails
Promotional emails
Abandoned cart emails
Up-sell and cross-sell emails
Onboarding emails
Re-engagement emails

To create these emails, you’ll find the necessary tools in your email marketing software. Better still, some software packages will provide automation templates you can use to create your campaigns. Here’s an example of a sequence built with

While creating your sequences, you can add triggers or conditions to add or remove subscribers from your email automation. For your eCommerce business, email marketing is a must rather than an afterthought.

Social Media

While social media is a platform to connect with friends, users also follow businesses and check out information and product offers. Here, eCommerce brands can provide value to their audience through content that can solve their problems.

Of course, your business needs to focus on social media platforms where you can reach your ideal customers. Some ways eCommerce businesses can use social media include:

Posting product tips
Displaying product use cases
Providing industry information
Making product announcements
Featuring user-generated content (UGC)
Featuring influencer content
Selling products
Customer care

In many industries, you’ll find experts and celebrities who have gained a big following due to years of excellent performance in their industries. As a result, these influencers have audiences who trust their product recommendations.

Naturally, eCommerce businesses have taken advantage of this phenomenon to promote their products. However, while launching an influencer marketing campaign, you need to find the right influencers.

The right social media management tool can help you find the right influencers. Then, it can help you track the effectiveness of your influencer campaigns.

Fortunately, you’ll find many examples of brands using influencer marketing on Instagram.

Over the years, social selling has become a popular strategy for eCommerce businesses. For instance, Statista found that about half of American social media users aged 14 to 34 made purchases through this channel in 2021.

In fact, some social media platforms now allow you to sell your products on their platforms. For example, Instagram allows you to add shopping tags to products on your Instagram posts.

A user can click on this tag to buy this product or shop more products without leaving the Instagram app. This allows you to eliminate the barrier of taking users out of Instagram.

Pinterest also allows influencers and brands to create shoppable pins. This will let users shop products on Pinterest or click a link to visit the eCommerce website.

On social media, there are many opportunities to promote and sell your products.

Affiliate marketing

Since you can’t reach all your prospects through your efforts alone, you can partner with publishers who will promote your products on blog posts, emails, social media, and videos. In return, publishers will take a share of the sales they refer.

This will help you increase your reach faster. After all, according to Backlinko, “40% of U.S. merchants cited affiliate programs as their top customer acquisition channel”.

First, you have to find a suitable affiliate marketing platform. This will help you organize details such as your affiliates, commissions, and other pieces of information. Moreover, your publishers can see the number of clicks, affiliates, paid affiliates, commissions, and more.

Some affiliate marketing platforms such as PartnerStack, Everflow, and Impact.com provide tools to run your affiliate marketing campaigns. On the other hand, you can use affiliate marketplaces such as ShareASale and Commission Junction.

Beyond this, you need to create an affiliate marketing page on your website. On this page, you’ll explain your affiliate terms to publishers. Publishers should also have a link to register.

After a publisher has registered as an affiliate, you should send emails to them providing tips on how they can promote your products more effectively.

Optimizing Website UI/UX

Your website is the first impression a shopper will have about your business. If your website design is poor, shoppers will see your business as sloppy. And sloppy businesses don’t make great products, right?

So, a shopper can leave before they get to see your wonderful products if your website UI/UX is poor. However, there are a few steps to ensure this never happens.

First, you need a simple site structure. This means shoppers should be able to get to any page in no more than 4 clicks. More so, you can install a search bar to help visitors find products easily.

You can also use a chatbot and live chat to answer any vital questions prospects may have during shopping. Another way to optimize your eCommerce website UI/UX is to make your website scannable and use obvious CTAs.

Today, a large percentage of your buyers will be on mobile devices. Having a mobile responsive website ensures all the essential elements on your page will be visible to mobile users.

Adding the geolocation feature helps provide shipping information and addresses of your nearest physical stores. Implementing these tactics will help provide a seamless experience to shoppers during the buyer’s journey.

Conclusion

As more people shop online, your eCommerce business should prepare for more challenging competition. Effective marketing is one of the best ways to give your business the right exposure.

Even if you have an excellent product, nobody will buy it if they’ve never heard of it. But with the right marketing strategies, you’ll attract more shoppers to your online store and sell more products to them.

Employ the strategies explained in this guide to boost your marketing results.

The post The Best Marketing Strategies for eCommerce Businesses appeared first on Due.

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