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7 Content Marketing Tasks to Automate Right Now

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By Aaron Agius

Rapid advances in AI technologies mean marketing automation is no longer optional. It’s a mainstay of modern marketing.

Not all content marketing tasks can or should be automated. No matter how far AI advances go, software will never replace a human for crafting an insightful and meaningful blog post.

But as you go through your daily content tasks, it’s worth asking, “Can this be automated?” Chances are, many of them can.

Let me help you choose the areas to automate to plan your approach effectively.

Proofreading: Grammarly

Cost: Free browser extension or paid premium version

You could write a great piece of content, but your readers won’t trust it (and many won’t even read it) if it’s full of spelling and grammar errors.

It takes a lot of time to go through a draft with a fine-toothed comb to find and correct every mistake.

Tools like Grammarly can automate proofreading in a more comprehensive way than the usual spelling and grammar features found in Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

The free Google Chrome extension offers basic spelling and grammar corrections in almost every place you write content across the web – web-based emails, social media updates, Google Docs, etc.

The paid version ($11.66 per month) picks up more advanced errors and suggests enhanced vocabulary. It also can identify plagiarism to help make sure you don’t duplicate content.

Email marketing

According to a recent survey from Econsultancy, email is the most effective channel. It helps you garner and follow up on leads and helps prospects through the sales and after-sales processes.

But data shows that companies are spending far too much time producing emails. According to The Litmus 2017 State of Email Report, 68% of companies take at least one week to produce one email. With most companies reporting having one to five emails in production at any given time, that means a lot of time is spent just on email. Yet there’s an abundance of automation software to choose from, including BuzzBuilder Pro and Mailchimp.

List building: BuzzBuilder Pro

Cost: $250-plus a month

Taking into account the testing of content and subject lines, cold lead generation can take months to execute.

BuzzBuilder Pro helps automate and speed up list building. It helps craft personalized cold emails and integrates with your LinkedIn account to send follow-up emails. Other features include a web form builder, social media marketing, and hot lead alerts.

Automated emails: Mailchimp

Cost: Free and paid versions (starting at $10 per month)

From a simple “Thank you for signing up for our newsletter” to “You have items in your shopping cart,” emails offer you an opportunity to keep your customers informed and engaged.

Mailchimp is up there with the best of the automated email software. It lets you store thousands of contacts at a time, segment and A/B test them, and create campaigns that you can save and reuse later. It also lets you schedule your email send times to get the optimal open and click-through rates.

Its automation feature lets you set up complex workflows based on triggers so your customers receive the right kind of email at the right time.

BONUS TOOL: GetResponse (pricing starts at $15 per month) covers much of what Mailchimp does (email workflow automation, triggered events and emails, and lead nurturing). But it’s expected to introduce a CRM feature to allow brands to measure their relationship with their customers in the same place they automate their email workflow.

Social media promotion: Zapier

Cost: Free trial; tiered pricing starting at $20 per month)

Promoting your content via social media is another time-consuming task, especially if you manage several platforms at a time, from pinning to Pinterest, to tweeting via Twitter, to uploading to Facebook. And that doesn’t include the time to “like” and share other content.

Platforms like Buffer are great for bulk-uploading your content in advance and scheduling it to send out to your various social accounts. Integrate it with Zapier and this process can be automated.

Once you set up your Zapier account, you link it to your social media profiles. You also need to set up your RSS feed. If you need help with RSS, read this guide.

Click on the “explore” tab to set up your cause-and-effect triggers. In the following example, when a new item is published to my blog, it’s automatically posted to my Facebook page.

Set up a few cause-and-effect triggers so each time you publish a blog post it automatically gets promoted on your social media.

Workflow automation: IFTTT

Cost: Free

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a go-to for any marketer wanting to automate content workflow. Since its 2010 launch, it’s been free. The automation possibilities are almost endless.l

IFTTT lets you connect your online “services” (e.g., social media accounts, WordPress blog, Gmail account, Google Calendar, and even other external blog RSS feeds) and set up condition statements (applets) that trigger an automation.

For example, you can set up an applet so that every time you post to Facebook, it immediately shares it on your Instagram account. Or, if you want to regularly share industry or topic-related news from The New York Times, your applet could automate posting news from a category (e.g., world news) to your Twitter feed:

Other IFTTT recipes to consider:

  • Sync your WordPress site with social media so when you post a new blog article it immediately shares to your social profiles.
  • Sync your Instagram and Pinterest accounts so every time you post a photo on Instagram, it is shared to one of your Pinterest boards.
  • Sync your YouTube account to social media so every time you upload a new video, it posts to your social profiles.

Monitoring and analysis: Google Analytics

Cost: Free

Google Analytics lets you set up custom reports to automatically send updates on the data you want to focus on. It can be helpful to identify what content is getting the most engagement and pinpoint content areas that drive the most traffic and conversions.

Time to do more

Content marketing is time-consuming work that requires daily input if it’s to bring any kind of ROI. And time, as we know, is money.

But, thanks to advances in big-data technologies and AI, automation is more cost-effective and user-friendly than ever. If you want to streamline your content ideation, creation, curation, and promotion, then it’s time to automate.

And better still, automate your analytics so you’re receiving regular and accurate insights into how your content is performing.

With these tasks automated, you’ll be freed to do more strategic work. Knowing that a lot of your content marketing is ticking on by itself will give you the breathing space to think about new and creative directions in which to take your content marketing.

What tasks do you automate? What tools have you found helpful? Please share in the comments.

Please note: All tools included in our blog posts are suggested by authors, not the CMI editorial team. No one post can provide all relevant tools in the space. Feel free to include additional tools in the comments (from your company or ones that you have used).

Automate your education in content marketing. Subscribe for the free weekday newsletter from the Content Marketing Institute. 

Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute

By Aaron Agius

Aaron Agius is an experienced search, content and social marketer. He has worked with some of the world’s largest and most recognized brands to build their online presence. See more from Aaron at Louder Online.

Other posts by Aaron Agius

Sourced from Content Marketing Institute

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How to Build a Facebook Ad Funnel

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By Juupiner

Do you want more conversions from your Facebook ads?

Wondering how funnels can help?

To explore how you can build Facebook ad funnels that improve conversions, I interview Susan Wenograd.

More About This Show

The Social Media Marketing podcast is an on-demand talk radio show from Social Media Examiner. It’s designed to help busy marketers, business owners, and creators discover what works with social media marketing.

In this episode, I interview Susan Wenograd, a Facebook ads expert who specializes in Facebook ad funnels. She’s also a consultant and regular speaker on Facebook ads.

Sue explains how video-based funnels create micro-conversions.

You’ll discover how to nurture prospects using a Facebook ad funnel.

Facebook Funnels

Susan’s Story

Susan got her start in ecommerce in the mid-2000s, when she worked for Circuit City. Back then, her focus was email marketing and paid search. After she moved to another job, she learned about Facebook advertising. At the time, Facebook ads were easier to learn because Facebook had half of the advertising features it does now.

Running Facebook ads, Susan was able to experiment and get to know the platform. She loved that these ads took her back to the marketing 101 stuff she enjoys: branding, content, the language you use, and so on. Facebook ads allowed her to use a little more creativity than paid search did.

Click HERE to read the remainder of the article.

By Juupiner

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How One Can Run an Online Startup?

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By Nikhil Kale and Satyam Shastri

Once you start a business, consistency is all you need for it runs for a long time, be consistent with your marketing, constantly provide the items you intend to sell.

The world we live in is changing and this particular change can be seen in every aspect of our life. And social media has been one of the biggest reason behind this change.  The way it has revolutionized everything is just amazing. Right from connecting with people spread around the globe to getting news and information within seconds to expanding your business worldwide, social media platforms can be used for anything. The only key here is the right way or approach needed.
Now, business is that one thing which not only needs the right approach but also, determination, ideas, execution, hard work and what not. Using social media is one such important or in today’s world, mandatory element. So, what exactly is the right way? What steps one should take? Here are a few points which might help you:

1) Know Your Business
It is important to know your business before working on it. What’s important here is how well you know the very market you belong to. Research as much as you can. Try to understand and note the risk factors before taking everything online. People who despite having a steady business offline fail to achieve the same online. So, before you create a site and start selling your product or service, observe and see what others are doing.

2) Understand Your Target Audience
This is one of the most important factors. The moment a seller gets to know his/her audience, his/her consumer, no one can take away the profit from him/her.

3) What are the Dos and Don’ts
Social media marketing comes with a number of dos and don’ts. Never overdo anything, even while advertising. Be subtle with your words and provide the right amount of information needed. Online business is solely based on trust and being an entrepreneur, you should totally respect and keep it. Once you cheat a customer, that trust and the goodwill you have been working for, dies.

4) The Right Platform for Your Business
There are a number of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and what not. It is important to the right platform needed to start a business. For some, Facebook’s algorithm work, for others something else. This, yet again totally depends on the type of business you want to have and research helps in knowing the right platform.

5) The Team
Social media marketing has a number of elements and a person alone cannot really tackle everything and for that, a team is needed. Assemble the right team; people who have the right knowledge of various software, who understand the algorithm and even know the right kind of posts needed.

6) Understanding the Trend
Social media is all about trend and if you are not following, you are going to be left out. And the same applies to an online business. If you keep selling things which are not in trend anymore, you are likely to get out of the market soon.

7) Consistency
The last yet the most important point. Once you start a business, consistency is all you need for it runs for a long time. Be consistent with your marketing, constantly provide the items you intend to sell. Keep updating your business related pages on regular basis.

Feature Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

By Nikhil Kale and Satyam Shastri

Sourced from Entrepreneur

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Twitter Marketing: Creative Ways to Connect With Your Audience

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Wondering how Twitter engagement can help your business? Looking for tips on sharing authentic tweets and conversations with prospects?

To explore creative ways to interact with your Twitter fans, I interview Dan Knowlton.

More About This Show

The Social Media Marketing podcast is designed to help busy marketers, business owners, and creators discover what works with social media marketing.

In this episode, I interview Dan Knowlton, a creative marketer, speaker, and trainer. He co-founded KPS Digital Marketing, an agency that specializes in social and video marketing.

Dan explains why he stopped using Twitter automation tools and how other tools help marketers engage with fans more effectively.

You’ll also discover tips for starting conversations and building relationships on Twitter.

Click HERE to read the remainder of the article

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Sourced from Social Media Examiner

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5 Bad Habits Marketers Should Drop in 2019

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Habits are hard to break – especially the bad ones. In marketing, bad habits manifest in a number of different ways, but five of them, in particular, can cost hours of productivity, not to mention lost opportunities, if they become part of the pattern of a marketer’s daily routine.

Audit your marketing team’s practices against this list of bad habits. If you’re doing any of them, replace them with more effective, efficient practices, and start strong in the New Year.

1. Getting bogged down by the data

Google Analytics has become an invaluable tool for marketers to track how their campaigns perform, as well as to see how much traffic their website receives. However, organizing and analyzing data becomes a problem when using every website’s native analytic tools, as the information may not always align. Data from Google Analytics, scheduling tools, and all of the social media channels may differ depending on when the data is collected.

Trying to use multiple tools can lead to inconsistency and misrepresented data. In 2019, ensure that the marketing team doesn’t fall into this trap – it’s important to focus on a few analytics tools to maintain consistency.

Figure out which KPIs are most helpful in tracking performance and forget about the rest.

2. Having too many or too few CTAs

Effective content should be clear in its message and include clear calls-to-action (CTAs). Not having a CTA will likely result in a user losing interest and clicking off of the page, while alternatively, having too many CTAs can lead to confusion and end with the same results. This can have a negative effect on bounce rate and the average time people spend on your site, both of which are essential to Google rankings.

By adding clear CTAs to your content, marketers can guide how users interact with their website, leading to longer engagement and higher rates of conversion. In 2019, marketers should make sure to include clearly defined CTAs – ideally one per page.

3. Posting erratically on social media

An erratic social media strategy is a big no-no, and a bad habit that marketers need to leave in 2018. Having a consistent social media strategy and planned content, will help marketers avoid scattered posting.

For smaller brands without a strong following, posting should likely be limited to once or twice a day across all social media platforms. Too many updates over a short period of time, without user engagement, can have a negative effect on reach and visibility. Consistently posting 1-2 times a day, with the aim of educating and entertaining, rather than selling, will help grow an interested audience organically. Taking on the mindset of “quality over quantity” on social media can help achieve higher growth and increased engagement.

Using scheduling tools to organize and plan social media content is another option marketers can, and should, incorporate to break out of the pitfall of a messy social media strategy in the upcoming year.

4. Mass emailing random people

There’s no place for mass emailing non-subscribers in 2019.

This is the online equivalent of junk mail, and it can have a detrimental effect on branding. Successful marketing should be concentrated around creating a dialogue between a company and its customers. Bombarding uninterested customers with outbound marketing techniques is outdated and ineffective. And since the EU’s GDPR laws came into effect May 2018, it’s also illegal.

Email campaigns should solely focus on an address book of contacts that have clearly subscribed. A well-put-together newsletter that’s sent out at the same time and day to an already intrigued customer base will garner more engagement and interaction. Furthermore, effective content marketing which offers consumers something in return for signing up will see an increased amount of subscribers.

In 2019, marketers should avoid sending mass emails to a general audience, and focus on sending intriguing emails, with clear CTAs to encourage conversion from already interested consumers.

5. Not adding to the marketing toolbox

Marketers can get into a loop and end up using the same tools over and over again. As marketing is ever-changing, updating your marketing “toolbox” is necessary to stay competitive – otherwise, you run the risk of leaving your current audience disinterested, missing out on new customers, and ultimately, resulting in stagnation.

Maintaining brand identity is important, but so is avoiding repetition. Unique and fresh approaches can keep a trusted brand interesting. For example, blog posts that would have formerly been made up of text and pictures could be supplemented with embedded video or infographics.

The beginning of a new year is the perfect time to learn new skills and to test new tools so that the entire marketing team stays ahead of the curve. Start by banishing these common bad habits now and ensure the team has the right tools and practices in place to achieve your 2019 goals.

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33 New Content Marketing Statistics You Need for Your 2019 Strategy

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By Ramona Sukhraj

Recently, I found myself looking at a movie poster thinking, “what weird content” and was quickly taken aback.

Not because the poster was that appalling, but because I referred to it as “content.”

A great marketer and friend of mine once wrote, “everything the light touches is content” — and she’s right.

Turn back the clock to 2008 and when you heard the term “content marketing,” people were most likely referring to written blogs, but the landscape has expanded and evolved dramatically in the past decade.

Today, content takes the form of video, imagery, quizzes, social media stories, GIFs, Google Ads, printed posters, and even words across a t-shirt.

If your organization isn’t investing in it in one form or another, it’s very much in the minority.

According to the “B2B Content Marketing 2019” Report from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, 58% of marketers reported spending more on content creation in 2018 than in 2017.

Despite challenges from SEO/search (61% of marketers said they’re concerned about these), social media algorithm changes, and hurdles turning content into a revenue stream (noted by 41%), the industry is clearly only growing.

With this in mind, below I’ve gathered 33 new and eye-opening content marketing statistics to give you insight into the current competition and help you shape your strategy for 2019.

Content Marketing Strategy Statistics

1. In 2018, only 39% of content marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. That number, however, jumps to 65% among top performing organizations. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

2. Despite concerns about algorithms and organic reach, only 3% of B2B marketers have decreased their social media use in the past year. 61% have increased. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

3. 54% of marketers feel they’re not maximizing their use of Instagram to achieve their goals. (Contently & Libris)

4. Only 54% of B2B  marketers are using content to “delight” and build loyalty with existing clients/customers. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

5. 64% of B2B marketers place importance on building relationships with influencers (i.e. brand advocates, journalists, etc.) (CMI & MarketingProfs), and 65% of B2B buyers prefer credible content from industry influencers (Demand Gen Report 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report)

Yet…

6. Only 24% of B2B marketers are actually partnering with others to expand their audience reach. (CMI & MarketingProfs).

7. Only 27% of B2B marketers are using content syndication/promotional tools. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

8. 75% of content marketers report using technology to gain insight into how their content is performing, while only 56% use it to gain insight into audience preferences and behavior. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

9. 90% of the most successful B2B content marketers prioritize their audience’s informational needs over their own sales/promotional message. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

However…

10. Only 42% of B2B content marketers are actually talking to customers to understand their needs when it comes to content. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

Audience Behaviour & Preferences

11. 71% of buyers/readers say they were turned off by content that seems like a sales pitch. (Economist Group’s “Missing the Mark”)

12. 71% of B2B buyers said they consumed blog content during their buyer’s journey. That’s up from 66% in 2017. (Demand Gen Report 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report)

13. 64% of B2B buyers noted they give more credence to peer reviews, user-generated feedback, and third-party publications and analysts over that of brands. (Demand Gen Report 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report)

14. 64% of B2B buyers report they would like to see content organized by industry on company websites, followed by business role (52%), vertical (46%), size of organization (18%), or location/region (14%). (Demand Gen Report 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report)

15. 52% of buyers strongly agree that if brands packaged relevant content together, it would help expedite the research phase. (Demand Gen Report 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report)

16. Roughly 84% of buyers said they either frequently or occasionally access business-related content on their smartphone. (Demand Gen Report 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report)

17. 66% of B2B buyers strongly agree that companies should make it easier to access their content, by using fewer form fields, better mobile optimization, etc. (Demand Gen Report 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report)

Content Marketing Mediums & Tactics

18. In 2018, B2B marketers rate blog articles as the most effective content format in the awareness stage, whitepapers during consideration, and case studies during decision. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

19. 62% of marketers use stock photography/videography for their content. (Contently & Libris)

20. 33% of marketers report custom video drives the most engagement out of all visual content for them, but only 6% reported live video specifically (*TRIVIA ANSWER*). (Contently & Libris)

21. 64% of B2B marketers increased their use of audio/visual content in the past year, but only 43% of marketers overall actually used/developed video snippets. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

This may be because…

22. 81% of respondents claim video is still the hardest type of content to produce (Contently & Libris)

(Note: Pst… We can help with that.)

23. 70% of marketers reported that content incorporating visuals assets performed better than those without. (Contently & Libris)

24. Only 7% of B2B marketers report using chatbots in their marketing; Only 4% are using AI. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

25. 87% of marketers are using still email to nurture their audience, while only 45% are using storytelling. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

25. Only 23% of marketers are incorporating interactive features into their content; That number only rises slightly to 37% among top performers. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

26. 74% of B2B marketers created long-form written content in the past year. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

27. Only 37% of people dedicated time to producing social media story content in the past year. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

28. 64% said they prefer podcasts at the top-of-the-funnel, while 48% said webinars were valuable to them in the mid-stage of their buying journey. (Demand Gen Report 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report)

Content Marketing Distribution Statistics

29. 71% of the most successful b2b content marketers are using paid methods to distribute content, compared to only 55% of the least successful. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

30. 80% report paid distribution as an effective way to attract a new audience, while 65% report it as an effective way to generate traffic when organic isn’t delivering. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

31. 70% of marketers are using paid distribution on social media; 64% are using PPC or search engine advertising. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

Content Marketing Budget & Reporting Statistics

32. Over 50% of marketers expect to increase their content marketing budget in 2018. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

33. When asked if they’re tracking their content marketing ROI, 51% of marketers either said “no” or “unsure.” — Only 25% report being extremely proficient in tracking their content marketing metrics overall. (CMI & MarketingProfs)

Set the Scene for 2019

The new year will be here before we know it and in our volatile industry, when the calendar turns a page, your strategy will likely need to as well. So, don’t phone it in! Use the statistics above to inform and guide some game-changing content marketing experiments in 2019.

By Ramona Sukhraj

Sourced from IMPACT

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Entrepreneur ‘comes clean’ about struggles, triumphs of becoming one’s own boss

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By Carissa Villacorta,

It was 2012 when Rechelle Balanzat decided to give entrepreneurship another try with Juliette, an invitation-only mobile app offering premium dry cleaning and laundry services.

She had tried putting up business before with a social media marketing company that did not quite take off the way she wanted.

Even though she faced many hardships in launching and then shutting down her first company, Balanzat felt more confident and in control when it came to her second one.

Not only was she armed with a great idea and a desire to change the status quo, she had also gained a wealth of knowledge from her previous experience. So, while there were risks, she happily jumped back into the game.

Fast forward to 2018 and Juliette has expanded from providing service to just three buildings in New York City to its first brick-and-mortar store. And not only has its clientele grown over the years, it now also includes supermodels, A-list celebrities, and award-winning singers.

Balanzat recalled how she built her business and what lessons she drew from her journey.

‘Humility is the greatest obstacle, failure the best teacher’

Under normal circumstances, humility is seen as a good thing – a virtue, Balanzat said. But she said it is the opposite when one is an entrepreneur building a brand, and have something to say.

“You can’t be shy. You have to be able to put the business and yourself out there or you won’t get anywhere and achieve anything. That’s exactly what I did,” she said.

“When I first launched Juliette, I approached a former client who owned several buildings and I asked if it would be okay to introduce my service to the residents. I got the go signal and went to town with the promotions. I put up signs in the elevators, sent out email blasts, installed a stand in the lobby and even gifted everyone with laundry bags.”

Another thing Balanzat saw differently as a business owner is failure.

“For some people, it’s (failure) quite possibly the worst thing that can happen, but not to me. It lets you learn so much about yourself – your limits and your capabilities. Once you know what those things are, you can manage yourself better in the real world. And beyond failure? That’s where all the great ideas are; that’s where all the amazing things happen,” she said.

‘It can’t be all heart; but it can’t be all brain either.’

Balanzat advises: Chase what you want in life, but balance it with what you need to succeed.

Before venturing into entrepreneurship, Balanzat was with the Kohlberg Capital Corporation and then with Stellarhead. Here, she worked hard and realized that if she exerted the same effort for herself, she would get ahead so much faster.

But things were not as simple as she thought.

Before Juliette, Balanzat had a social media marketing agency. She had to close it down because she realized how difficult it was to scale.

“I studied the numbers, did my homework and opted to cut my losses, and just move forward,” she said.

Balanzat said the idea for Juliette was formed when she noticed that cleaners were not taking care of her clothes the way that she had wanted. Apart from this, she saw that not many were tech-savvy or had a sense of customer service or marketing. This is when she decided to launch a company that would deliver quality service with the convenience of technology.

“When I first started, it was all about breaking even, but as I grew into it, I started to find the work more fulfilling and meaningful. I remembered what my intentions were as an entrepreneur and what my goals were for Juliette. So now, every day is a balancing act between profit and purpose,” she said

‘Don’t go by the book just because everyone says so.’

Success is not a blueprint, but a personal journey.

Balanzat advises that people have to carve out their own path and educate themselves with books, podcasts, and through mentors. But they must also remember to pick and choose from the things they have learned, and apply these to their own experiences.

“You don’t just copy and paste how other people have achieved success. If it was that easy, everyone would’ve done it by now,” she said.

“Keep in mind that whatever resources you might have, they’re there to help you be the best version of yourself, but if you’re only reading one book, listening to one podcast, and conversing with one mentor, then that’s never going to happen.”

To know more about this project, visit www.phtimeisnow.com

By Carissa Villacorta, PHTimeIsNow

Carissa Villacorta is an author and a publicist. She is the creator of #PHTimeIsNow. She has been running her own PR firm in New York since 2007, with high-profile business executives and multinational companies as her clients.

Sourced from ABS CNN News

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How to Use Social Media to Get Millennials to Buy From You

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By Gabriel Shaoolian

By following these tips, you’ll be sure to create a digital presence that captivates millennial consumers.

Ecommerce sales in the United States are projected to surpass $504 billion by the end of this year — and millennials are historically a driving force in the ever-increasing growth of online shopping.

What’s better, they are currently the most valuable target demographic for modern businesses.

But, with a plethora of digital marketing tactics, remarketing campaigns, email campaigns and more inundating consumers, how can brands capitalize on this digitally inclined demographic to boost their own bottom line?

Target them on social media, of course!

Young target audiences flock to social media in droves.

A study from the Pew Research Center examined U.S. adults’ use of social media. All in all, the overwhelming majority of Americans regularly use social media. In fact, a whopping 68 percent alone frequent Facebook.

However, it seems that the younger the user, the more prominent the social media use. The research found that 88 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds and 78 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds use at least one social media channel — which almost perfectly aligns with millennials’ age group of 22 to 37.

Studies show that social media platforms influence ecommerce shopping experiences with millennials.

My company DesignRush.com conducted a study that analyzed 219 millennials’ ecommerce behaviors on social media platforms. We found:

  1. Thirty percent of millennials purchase products directly on Facebook.
  2. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest foster the most brand trust and help young adults find discover products they would actually use.
  3. Snapchat is irrelevant for ecommerce and branding — only 5 percent of millennials believe it creates the most trustworthy relationship.
  4. Sixty-one percent of millennials trust a friend’s endorsement the most, followed by their own experience with a brand (51 percent) and website reviews (48 percent).
  5. Thirty-one percent of respondents said social media influences their purchases. However, they complete the transaction elsewhere.

The survey’s key findings show that social media marketing has a direct effect on brand visibility, awareness and conversion rates. These results also reinforce the ideas that the best platforms are those that are robust, ever-evolving and user-centric — such as Facebook.

Here’s how to integrate your ecommerce and social media marketing strategy.

The findings of millennials’ social media shopping habits can be used to improve your own brand’s strategy.

After all, if brands were left to guess which platforms would appeal to a younger demographic, they might find themselves going all-in on Snapchat. However, despite boasting a hefty 300 million active users, Snapchat lacks the finesse, brand discoverability factor and website traffic capabilities to truly inspire meaningful purchases or build long-term brand growth.

Therefore, businesses shouldn’t leave themselves to guess which social media channels will inspire a millennial audience, but instead look at more specific insights when formulating a strategy.

Luckily, the survey’s findings outline a few simple fixes that can drastically improve ecommerce conversions through social media, including:

Invest in Facebook initiatives.

Millennials audiences (and, frankly, all demographics) overwhelmingly rely on Facebook for their social media needs. Luckily, there are plenty of tactics that can improve your brand identity, customer services and even direct purchases right on the platform. Try strategies such as:

  • Organic and sponsored posts
  • Retargeting advertisements
  • Advertisements targeting a custom audience
  • A fully functional ecommerce store, embedded directly into the social platform

There are several programs to help you achieve the latter. These include WooCommerce, WP-eCommerce and Ecwid. By creating a separate Facebook shop, you can target potential consumers with ads and products that might love and make it easier for them to complete a purchase, which increases conversion rates.

Utilize user-generated content.

A younger target audience trusts real people as opposed to influencers and celebrities (although influencers do historically perform better than traditional famous people). Therefore, whenever possible, humanize your brand by including user-generated content.

Repost real people’s photos on Instagram, ask for personal testimonials or even try a social media video featuring real consumers. This will foster an honest brand-to-consumer relationship that is proven to grow brands and increase revenue. Warby Parker, SoulCycle and Aerie, respectively, are all great examples of these user-generated content tactics in action.

Plus, don’t forget website reviews! Make it easy for customers to leave reviews on your website — and give them a few options for rating the product, such as star ratings, images, recommendations and paragraph descriptions. Not only will this build credibility with new customers, but it will make your returning consumers feel as though their voice is welcome and will be heard by your brand.

Build an authentic, well-branded online community.

Although integrated ecommerce shops and targeted advertisements are crucial for reaching millennials on social media platforms and transforming them into regular customers, taking the time to create a community that represents your brand will result in longevity. To achieve this:

  • Ensure you also publish non-paid social media posts.
  • Respond to comments and customer service requests.
  • Create campaigns that engage consumers.
  • Ensure your imagery and messaging.
  • Don’t just promote your products — add some informative posts and information to your social channels, too.

These strategies can still add business value by driving traffic to your website, showcasing your area of expertise or promoting your brand’s core values. However, going the extra mile and incorporating these tactics will cultivate a well-rounded and comprehensive social media presence that will appear genuine to consumers and add validity to those oh-so-important ads and ecommerce promotions.

Social media and ecommerce strategies can work together to grow your business.

It’s undeniable that social media marketing strategies directly influence conversions and revenue. However, it can be difficult to understand how to leverage social media platforms to ensure success.

By following the tips above, you’ll be sure to create a digital presence that captivates millennial consumers. This will empower you to transforms them into life-long users of your brand for decades to come, ensuring a long line of success for your business.

Feature Image Credit: Image credit: Elizabeth Fernandez | Getty Images 

By Gabriel Shaoolian

Sourced from Entrepreneur Europe

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