Webzool

Being an entrepreneur is engaging for many reasons. Some people think about their business idea all their life but never get around to doing it. They’re living on ‘Someday Isle’ as motivational speaker Jack Canfield usually likes to say. “Someday, I will tidy up the garage. Eventually, I will hang that picture. Sometime, I will open a business.”

Then some people open one or more businesses, hustle their way through whatever gets thrown their way, and make it with a little lost of ambition and bit of luck. I am very familiar with this person. I face him every day when I look in the mirror.

You have a million business concepts or maybe just this one nagging idea that does not seem to go away. The question is, where do you start? How do you figure out that your business idea is good enough to pursue?

I met someone in this exact situation just a couple of weeks ago when it seems to me that even the most seasoned entrepreneurs still find themselves regularly evaluating business ideas. It can be quite challenging to know whether it is worth the investment and commitment your plans may need — which is why most people I know approach this regularly.

How to Know Whether a Business Idea is Worth Pursuing?
The small answer is: if you would have to waste the rest of your life regretting never having pursued one particular idea, go ahead and start your business because life is too short for regrets.

Unfortunately, not every decision is as straightforward because sometimes the actions you would be regretting the most is never having attempted any of your thoughts, and there’s no particular business idea that you have placed your heart on at the moment.

For those of us who have a diversity of business ideas and want to narrow it down, here are five ways to figure out whether your business idea is good or not.

1. What Do Competitors Advertise? You can go ahead and ask competitors what they think their strengths are. The issue with that is twofold:

a) they might not respond at all;
b) what they say might not reply to what their numbers are telling.
One simple way to find out what sells for them is to check out their online advertisements. Whatever makes them most competitive in their given market is 99 % of the time spelled out in their online text advertisements.

Let’s look at a real example and imagine the business concept is to sell shoes online. We can now search on Google and type in “buy shoes online,” have a look at the advertisements, and figure out what the general selling points in the industry are.

Here are some of the advertisements that can show up for the keyword “buy shoes online”:

Looking at the image above, you can tell immediately that companies promote only two things: their brand and discounts.

Additionally, shipping seems to be significant as well.

What Does This Mean for Your Business Idea?
If you were going into selling shoes online, you would now know based on the advertisement analysis that you either need be very competitive with prices or to have a known brand and have flawless shipping set up. New businesses do not have a well-known brand, so you either need to be conscious of the fact that you require a lot of budgets to fight as a brand or you now know that your only solution is to beat people’s prices and better have the fastest free shipment in place that the world has ever seen.

Looking at these advertisements as a marketer, you also notice that at least three of these ten advertisements are part of an at least medium scale campaign that uses dynamic keyword insertion or that the commercials are part of a powerful search campaign.

How do I know? Check out the heading of these three advertisements that are highlighted below:

This looks like effective keyword insertion which is a code that is usually used by advertisers that have to introduce a medium-sized campaign with around 75k+ keywords. All this code does automatically insert the keyword that was triggered by the search query in the heading of the advertisement. You can manage the capitalization of those keywords with a small code modification which is what tipped me off here.

My keyword was “buy shoes online,” and those advertisements say “Buy Shoes Online” with every word capitalized – to automatically capitalize every word just so happens to be the most famous code. If there’s space after the code, you could also attach the brand name. Using the code is an excellent way to get a good click-through-rate on AdWords while setting up thousands of advertisements with Excel in an almost short amount of time.

Dynamic Search Campaigns are usually used for large inventory e-commerce businesses, so either way, it seems that whatever potential competitor we are dealing with online is ready to sell a considerable amount of products at a high price.

As a startup, this looks like funding to me either from your pocket, from investment capitalists, or whatever else is a choice for you.

What if You Aren’t Looking to Open an E-Commerce?
The example above was just a show of how to analyze online advertisements and consequently draw summing up about what it may take to be able to compete in this industry. Not every idea requires funding, and not everyone minds need funds, so the conclusions will be changing depending on what business idea you are looking into.

1. Can You Make it a Purple Cow So let’s say you have drawn a picture of what you would be presenting. Now the question is, how can you make your service and product stand out from the crowd? Best-selling author Seth Godin explained this thought well with the term “purple cow.”

The concept behind the purple-cow-concept is to present your service and product in a way that would make it so prominent as if it was a limited edition. Prominent is a significant term here because it is defined as “worthy of attention.” If you didn’t make an extended version of what you are offering, I would say to cross this business idea of the list because if you do not stand out, nobody will purchase.

If you are asking for a particular example of performing the purple cow idea, look at Tim Ferriss’ “4 Hour Work Week” book cover as an example. He divided the cover by putting the book next to other books with a diversity of covers, watched what people overlooked and what they picked up, and then made a judgment of what the book cover would look like. He chose what was “worthy of attention.” He also split tested various titles of the book with Google AdWords advertisements and chose the one with the highest click-through-rate which is a standard technique to split test business names.

1. Competitive and Perceptual Positioning It is a chance to go back to the drawing board. Use a competitive positioning matrix to find out where your brand or business would rank compared in the current industry.

The traditional competitive positioning matrix looks at quality and price:

Naturally, having a low quality at a low cost and having high quality at a high cost are the two distinct ways to position yourself. Anything else usually is challenging to achieve. There is another matrix to think through which analyzes how people distinguish your brand, also referred to as perceptual positioning.

The ordinary perceptual positioning metric looks at how a brand is perceived, not how companies are recognized. This differentiation is hugely significant because a company can carry more than one brand that is perceived very individually from each other.

If you only provide one brand, then you can, of course, apply the perceptual positioning metrics for the business as well.
If you have a tough time thinking of the individual perceptions for your perceptual positioning matrix, think of the six biggest brands in the market and find one word for each that best explains how you think people feel about the brand.
If feelings aren’t your thing, consider of a typical item that you connect with the company.
For example, for Starbucks, it would be coffee in a paper cup, for Nike it would be the running shoes, and so on. Then find words that buyers would use to describe the item.

These are just examples to explain the concept, the perceptions of the matrix change based on what brand or industry you are looking at and of course based on what you are planning on selling.

1. Likelihood of Successful Execution Based on your outline of point 1-3, how likely is it that you will be able to make your business idea a reality? There’re some things to take into account when determining the chances of success.

Aspects to consider include but aren’t limited to:

-Up-front costs

-Funding needed yes/no/when/how much

-Time commitment

-Core competency required

-Dependency on others

-Market size

-Level of competition

There are very a couple of niches nowadays where the level of competition is low. One of the things I feel is most ignored is the question of why the level of competition is high. It isn’t enough to figure out that you are competitive and able to handle the competition. Managing the competition isn’t the game. The game of entrepreneurship – or at least part of it – is beating the competition.

How to Beat the Competition
For being more successful than others, you first need to know how the industry works. One of the ways to figure out is by using Michael Porter’s Five Forces. I was cursing at this model during all my two business degrees, but I have to indicate that this model is truly famous. It helps to immediately get an overview of what kind of industry you are possibly getting yourself into.

The simplest way to understand this model is with examples. Think of it as a microenvironment that surrounds the company, almost like an ecosystem that the business lives in.

Here are a few examples.

If you are driving a protein product that is directed at people who are going to the gym, there is a huge threat of new entrants. Hundreds of new protein products come out daily.

You can also use this model about the perceptual positioning matrix. The threat of substitute services or products can be the perceived level of product determination. Think of bottled water for example. The water in the bottle is the same anywhere; it’s pure drinking water.

The business power of clients refers to price sensitivity among other things. As it is shown in the example with the online shoe store, clients can be so sensitive to prices and go for the lowest price. This is one of the features companies like Walmart count on for example.

1. Impact Your Lifestyle Great business concepts can take over your life. The trouble with being a passionate entrepreneur is that you do not mind. I recently spoke to one of my customers who is a small business owner.

He is going through the process many small company owners go through. You start your first business and enjoy working on a 24/7 schedule. Afterwards the talks began with friends who think that you should take a day off and you start thinking that they ask, you grow apart, you find more friends that know what you are doing and only after a while do you admit that what you are hurting from what I name the “Golden Cage” syndrome.

The “Golden cage” is a successful business that you can’t get out of because the cage needs the bird and you are that bird. It is an excellent cage to be in because the business is earning money, but it requires you to be there all the time and is not deserving a whole lot without the bird in it. It is difficult to be bought at this point because the business does not work without you.

Conclusion
I have seen enough small business owners stuck with their businesses. Rather than suggesting you start whatever has high prospects of succeeding, I would instead say start something that allows you to live the lifestyle you envision for yourself.

You can’t improve the world in a cage anyway, so why start building one in the first place? Making a variation and living the life you want aren’t mutually exclusive, so go for what is best thinking your happiness also. Happy leaders inspire and inspiration is the base for any success.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/how-to-find-out-that-your-business-idea-is-good-enough-to-pursue_

With so much content running through an organization, from advertisement campaigns and branded marketing materials to social media updates and digital media content, it is easy to see how an organization could get a little lost while trying to keep lasting brand identity.

Many people creating many branded elements can make it difficult to maintain things aligned. For both big companies and small business, it can be easy to turn off course, sometimes without even realizing it.

The lack of consistency may not be evident at first, but failing to identify and stick to a consistent brand identity can eventually have a severe impact. The brand can become unreliable, disjointed, and divided so much that it confuses clients, customers, employees, and even the executive team.

So, if you feel like you are starting to lose the identity of your brand throughout your organization, use the following steps to get back on course.

1. Understand Why a Consistent Brand Matters It is hard to put any plan into action when you do not understand why you are doing it. So first, you have to know why consistent branding matters. Also, train your team to follow the same, so they see the value of inconsistent brand positioning.

A consistent brand matters because of it:

Projects professionalism. A cohesive brand looks more professional than an opponent that is all over the place with their identity and marketing.

Establishes authenticity. When you stay true tо a core identity, it determines that the identity is a part of whо you are, not just something you designed for promotional purposes or marketing.

Provides clarity. A consistent position clears up any uncertainty that clients may have about who your company is and what you stand for.

Builds trust. Clients are more likely to trust an organization that presents an authentic professional and a clear brand image.

Offers internal direction. Being clear about brand identity also helps executive teams and employees stay aligned with core values and positioning.

Provides simplicity. When you have a defined brand image, it is easier to make branding and marketing decisions because you have an existing plan to guide you.

A brand is not just about the way a company’s logo looks. It’s about who they are and why they are in business, so be sure to document those guidelines and values.

1. Know the Business The essential step of an identity engagement is developing a complete understanding of the company. You cannot begin to predict the future without looking at the past. Do your research.

Organize meetings and talk to employees across a wide range of departments to start to understand the company’s real personality. This’ll help you get the company’s voice and be able to represent it.

1. Understand How Brand Identity Affects the Bottom Line
   Brand identity is not just about what looks the prettiest. It should have a direct link back to the business plan. People all have their tastes as to what looks best visually, but what is most significant is how the visual design will push the business forward. Is the main goal of the company to come across as stable and strong? Nimble and intelligent? Pioneering and creative? Those attributes are all reflected in very many visual representations, and your identity should reflect that.

2. Create a Brand Guide
   Once you realize the value of a consistent brand, you’ll see why a brand guide is a critical business document. Every business, both small and big, should have a complete brand guide with sections related to:

-Brand mission;

-Value propositions and differentiators;

-Voice and tone;

-Logo usage;

-Iconography;

–Brand colors;

-Fonts and typography;

-Signage specs;

-Media formatting;

-Photography and graphic styles.

As you build your handbook, look at examples of brand guides to get ideas for forming a document that establishes guidelines and helps keep your entire business on the same page.

1. Circulate the Brand Guide Branding seems like a point that is reserved for the design and marketing departments, but it should be incorporated into a whole organization.

Because the brand guide explains not only how the company is offered, but also on what the organization is established, it needs to be available to all departments including:

Sales teams: so they know how to present the brand vаlues to customers.

Product prоduction: so they know how to packaging and design products to match the style of the brand.

Third-party freelancers and consultants: so they can immediately learn how to replicate the unique voice and tone of the brand.

Potential partners: so they can recognize an organization’s core values before forming a partnership.

A brand guide serves as a valuable resource for all layers of a business and even some people outside of the origination.

1. Audit and Update Existing Branded Materials Once you establish consistent and clear brand guidelines, put them to work. Audit and update all of your existing branded materials to be certain that they equal to the new brand guide.

Update the public marketing resources such as:

-Web pages;

-Social media profiles;

-Social media posts;

-Brochures;

-Business cards;

-Signage;

-Presentations slides;

-Videos;

But, do not forget the subtle elements of your business that also represent your brands such as store decor, on-hold messaging, labels and packaging, overhead music and employee uniforms.

Remember, your brand is not just about placing your logo in the right place. It is about the entire client experience. Your brand should be consistently represented at each client-facing touchpoint within your company.

1. Develop a Visual Brand Identity The next step is to transpose these brand values into something visual. This is where your business website and logo come in. Before you can start to form your site, you need to register a domain name; this creates your web address and should be the same as your brand name.

Once you have chosen and registered a domain name, no one else can use it, so this is also a critical part of protecting your brand. Getting a domain is a relatively straightforward process – check the availability of your desired name, register it online and it is yours. You can then continue to create your website. The colors, font, and overall design should all reflect your core brand values and the whole vibe you are going for, so choose carefully. The same goes for your logo; before you start, it is worth giving a sight at this guide to common logo design mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. Find Your Voice Every brand requires a voice, and consistency is essential. If your brand were to speak, what would it sound like? Find a tone that matches both your target audience and your core values – be it down-to-earth and casual or informative and formal.

Your brand voice will define the way you communicate with your clients, so it is essential to get it right. As with all features of branding, the brand voice must be consistent throughout, regardless of whether you’re writing a blog post for your website or posting on social media. Learn more about why the tone of voice is so necessary with these branding success stories.

1. Tell a Story

The brand identity should evoke a feeling in your clients, speak for the brand, and tell a story about where the company is going. Your clients should quickly understand something about the brand just by observing its visual personality. Amazon is a good example, with its subtle, arrow-based smile signifying the fulfilling feeling of happiness that clients get from the no-stress shopping experience on the site.

1. Establish Core Values Having recognized the basic qualities of your brand, it’s now time to mold these into solid brand values. Core brand values are what your organization stands for; they’re the pillars of your brand identity and will be used to build relationships with your clients.

Apple is synonymous with innovation; your brand values should be reflected in everything you do. Avoid general terms like “trustworthy” and “reliable” concentrate instead on what truly sets you apart. Think about what you, as a business, are excited about and why your clients would choose you over your competitors. These are your main brand values, and they’ll be used to shape every aspect of your brand.

1. Design for Adaptability
   Your brand identity isn’t just one stagnant image. It needs to be able to adapt and change based on the medium. It moves without saying that social media is a necessary component to today’s brands. When designing a brand identity, you must take into account all the different mediums across which the brand will exist, and create something that is flexible enough to remain identifiable across all channels.

2. Do not Launch a New Identity in Isolation
   When launching a new brand identity, it’s most strategic to start alongside another piece of a new initiative or company news. The inescapable fact is that people do not like change and no matter how fantastic the design, some percentage of your client base won’t like it. By following the brand identity with a corresponding announcement, you can support the change beyond just aesthetics and prove to clients why it is required.

In 2010, The Gap released a new logo. Panned by clients and critics for the design itself, the logo did not say anything new about the clothing brand. The logo wasn’t introduced to drive anything transitional larger about the brand and eventually meant there was no reason to keep it around after the strong backlash, and the previous logo was reintroduced quickly.

Creating a robust brand personality is both a science and an art. But, by mixing research, creativity, and data, you can create a final product that resonates with clients and drives the whole company forward.

1. Bring Your Brand to Life

Your brand identity now has a unique and clear identity – all that is left to do is share it with the world. You can start creating brand awareness through email marketing, social media, video marketing and even blog content; whichever channels work best for your target audience.

No matter what your marketing policy, remember the brand personality you have built and make sure it shines through at every given opportunity. This way, your audience recognize and gets to know your brand – thus laying the foundations for long-term engagement.

1. Create a Plan for the Future Once you go through steps, your work is not over. Failing to follow through with this final step will take right back where you started – slowly shifting away from your core brand personality.

Without a plan for doing to consistency in the future, you put yourself at risk for falling back into your old ways and losing your identity. So, create a plan for the future.

Schedule an annual update for your brand strategy. Maintaining a consistent brand is necessary, but that does not mean you should not evolve. Schedule a time to review and update your brand plan as your organization grows and changes.

Schedule an annual update for your design components. Trends change and style so branded elements also need to evolve.

Schedule a bi-annual content audit. Check in to make sure that the design and creative departments are sticking to the set guidelines.

Conclusion
Checking in and ensuring that you are aligned with your brand guide will provide clarity for clients, customers, employees, potential partners, and executive teams. So, do not put off these 14 simple steps.

Create and stick to a brand plan will help your company stand out, build trust, and present a memorable experience for every person who connects with your organization.

Since branding is a never-ending adventure, you should be open to further development. When you work towards branding consistency, it helps to make your business more result-driven and scalable. What is your unique strategy for making your brand identity more consistent?

1. Facebook marketplace You can quickly transform your Facebook page into the ‘social’ landing page of the century by using a form. The advantage of a Facebook contact, newsletter subscribe or another customized form is that it makes it easier for your potential customers to communicate with you as they do not have to leave your Facebook page.

There are plenty of resources online for creating forms like Wufoo, JotForm, and Formstack. Once your form is created, you can embed it into your Facebook page, and it will show up as a new tab on your Facebook page. You can also use Facebooks iFrame application to create custom forms.

Posting a link to your recent blog post to direct Facebook fans to your website and then eventually to your landing page is classic social media lead generation. In order to make it work, keep your Facebook posts visually appealing. Use an image instead of text-only and boost user engagement by 2.3 times. Just make sure you include a clear link back to your website in the caption.

1. Social Media Engagement If you have a few potential prospects actively asking questions or commenting on a post, this is the best chance to engage with them and generate leads. Ask for their email address or another convenient way to directly converse so that you can give them a personal experience, address their questions, and potentially land a new customer. As experiential marketing is becoming more and more widespread, customers are leaning toward brands which they can engage with. A great way of doing this is by conducting polls and surveys that allow customers to give their input and feel involved.

By getting a live pulse of your audience, you will be able to provide to their demands better and create lead generating content. You should request an email address to see the survey results once it is completed to keep them engaged.

The use of custom hashtags can help you to personalize and separate a brand from its competitors. By building a unique following with custom hashtags, you are making your brand more memorable in the eyes of potential customers that can pay off down the road when they are ready to make purchase decisions.

Do not make hashtags too long or crazy —simple, to the point, will do the trick. You can use them for product releases, events or just about anything else that needs promoting.

1. Cold Calling Cold calling is an attempt to generate a lead from a potential customer, via the telephone. If your company is new one without financial means or the connections to take advantage of other forms of marketing cold calling represents a “ready-to-go” method of finding new leads. Though it is not always considered the most productive, cold calling is an important technique in every salesperson’s arsenal. In its truest sense, a cold call is cold because even a prospect which is a good match for your service or product won’t necessarily be perceptive, which is why the effectiveness of cold calling is usually called into question.

Making a productive cold call is tricky because of the various possible types of responses from your prospect. Oftentimes, the recipient will simply hang up. But in the worst case, you might even receive verbal abuse. Furthermore, the comparative attractiveness of cold calling is decreasing in comparison with more modern types of prospecting.

1. Visiting prospects in person Going to prospect in person gives you access to clues which you would not have a chance to uncover over the phone call. How the prospect’s place of business or home looks is the main indicator of what type of person they are. Is it perfectly maintained or shabby? Is it all gravel and concrete or is the landscaping lush? How large is the office or house? What decorations and colors did they choose? All of these are clues to your potential customer’s state of mind and can tell you which approach will work better to secure an appointment.

Dropping in on an office place allows you to talk to employees who are not decision makers, but who might have general, helpful information about the company. For example, talking to the receptionist for a couple of minutes can yield information such as the name(s) of the purchasing agent or decision maker(s), how they feel about the product they currently own, what their schedule is like, and etc.

Sometimes, you will not be able to simply walk into the building and wander at will because of the security officer. In these cases, keep the names of those companies for a later phone call or email.

Do not forget to chat with the people at the security desk, as you may learn a useful small piece of information or at the least, leave them with a nice memory of you for when you hopefully come back later with an appointment.

1. Organic content marketing Organic content marketing finds ways to make customers look for you naturally. In effect, it means using any type of marketing method that does not require a direct payment. This type of inbound marketing involves providing valuable content which customers need and providing answers to questions, highlighting why you have the best solution and then, supporting it with a constant, online presence (often through social media). An organic content marketing system is customer-centric and focuses on giving your customers an improved online experience.

If you can place yourself as a reliable source of important content, you can build an engagement with your customers and, in turn, you build your brand. But this type of marketing requires time and effort, and a good system is essential to reap rewards.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/5-steps-you-can-start-generating-leads-without-paying-upfront

Entrepreneurs worry so much over a number of other details as they get started and then leave one of the most critical aspects as an afterthought which is the brand name.

Naming your startup may seem minor, but it is actually one of the most important and undervalued aspects of your company. This name will be attached to your company image for years to come. Therefore, you need to get it right from the beginning.

The sad truth is that the right name can make all the difference when it comes to propelling a company to success, rather than just slogging on.

Names are quite powerful. Each one has a distinct difference. So, get the name right, and you get branding as a by-product of your advertising.

Below are 19 valuable tips to consider when determining a business name:

1. START WITH YOUR BRAND PROMISE It is essential to know what your brand stands for before you pick your name. Your brand promise is not what your product or service does. It is the more profound emotional connection it should have with your users. It is the way your brand should make your customers feel.

1. KEEP IT SHORT The name of your company should roll off the tongue.

People should not have to take a breath midway through saying your brand name out loud. Just think about some of the worldwide dominating brands such as Nike, Apple, Walmart.

Your business should not sound like a sentence. Sure, in some instances, two words might be appropriate.

But most importantly, bear in mind that keeping the name short will make it easier for customers to remember it, which will help you a lot with your marketing campaigns.

1. MAKE SURE IT IS EASY TO SPELL Put yourself into the shoes of consumers.

Let’s says they hear your company name somewhere. Whether it is on TV, the radio, or in a conversation. Next, they search for it online, but cannot find you because they do not know the spelling because it is too complicated.

Stick with names which are spelled exactly the same as how they sound.

Even if they see your oddly spelled company name written somewhere, they may forget how to spell it when they look for it.

Do not do anything weird, like using the number 8 to replace the “ate” sound or use the letter “Z” in a place where you should have an “S.”

1. BE EVOCATIVE, NOT DESCRIPTIVE
   Descriptive names like YouSendIt are fine, especially when you are first starting out. While a descriptive name can help your product get discovered in search marketing, ultimately, such a name will probably limit your business. If you have taken over the world-sized ambitions, follow the Apple model. In a world of Microsoft and IBM, Apple’s more abstract name allowed them to move from computers to phones and music players without consumers balking. It has brand extensibility. But Apple is not just a random name plucked from the dictionary. It evokes important symbols of human development. It is the fruit of the tree of knowledge in the Bible and the object that fell on Isaac Newton’s head, inspiring the theory of gravity. And it had personal significance for Steve Jobs from his days living on an apple orchard commune.

2. USE A REAL WORD

It will be tempting, when faced with the difficulty of securing URLs and trademarks, to make your life easy by making up or misspelling a word. My advice is, do not do it. You are just making things harder for your potential customers to pronounce it, spell it and remember it.

In general, people prefer the familiar. By taking familiar words and applying them in unconventional ways, a name will stand out.

1. CONSIDER THE CONTEXT Company names are like baby names. When it is still in the womb, tell people a name you are considering, and they may have an emotional reaction based on their own experience: “I had a horrible boss named Alex.” But add context in the form of an adorable, tiny human being: “Oh, he looks like Alex.”

It is the same with your company name. Even when you are at the stage of presenting options to the other decision-makers, do not just show naked words. Put the name in context. Design a logo and mock it up on business letterhead or a web page. Seeing the name in action makes it easier to envision.

A great example is Square. The word hardly suggests forward thinking on its own. But in the context of a nice, square-shaped gadget that has changed how small businesses accept payment, it is perfect.

1. MAKE IT CATCHY Your company name needs to resonate with consumers. It should not be forgettable.

Even though you are in the early stages of your startup, you should always be looking towards the future and thinking about potential marketing campaigns.

How will this brand name fit with your campaigns? Will it be easy to come up with a company slogan that flows well with the name?

You cannot pre-determine whether something will be catchy or not, and there is not a tool that can help you with this. Yet you can still figure it out based on your gut feeling and feedback of others.

1. CHECK THE DOMAIN NAME So you think you are ready to settle on a name.

Next, use an online tool, such as GoDaddy to see if the domain is available:

Businesses often make this mistake. A company settles on a name, but someone already has the .com domain. But instead of trying to purchase it, they decide to use another extension, such as “.biz,” “.net,” or “.org.”

Doing that is not recommended. Consumers have grown accustomed to associating “.com” domains with established and credible businesses.

But that also does not mean you should make your domain different from the name of your startup to secure a .com domain.

I suggest that if your domain name is taken and you cannot purchase it, try to find a different name for your company.

1. KEEP YOUR LOGO IN MIND Your business name will be tied to all your marketing steps. So, keep your logo design in mind as well.

Different color schemes can impact sales. That is because visuals are processed faster than words. Consumers will remember a name if the logo is memorable.

Think about McDonald’s “M” golden arches which are iconic.

How will your company name translate to your logo and will it be recognizable? Ask yourself this when coming up with a name.

1. BE ORIGINAL If you want your brand to be unique, your name needs to be memorable and stand out from the crowd.

Do your best to avoid common names such as “Ben’s Repair.”

How many repairs out there do you think have that name? I can bet that there is more than just a handful.

You want your name to stand on its own, without any confusion or association with other companies.

1. RESEARCH SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES This is similar to the domain name search.

You want your branding to be consistent across all your marketing channels. See if specific social media handles are taken.

Having different social media handles on each platform will confuse your customers. It will complicate your efforts to build brand awareness for your new business.

If your name is available on all social media platforms except for one, reach out to the user and see whether you can buy it from them, or consider coming up with a new name.

1. DO TRADEMARK RESEARCH You do not want someone else to be able to steal your name.

Search USPTO.gov to see whether you can trademark it.

This website provides the information and resources you need to know about existing trademarks and the application process for your trademark.

1. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BRAINSTORMING TOOLS If you are stuck on a name, you can use technology to get help.

Use tools such as NameMesh, Namium or Shopify to come up with a unique domain name based on specific themes. These business name generators help you come up with ideas while checking for domain availability at the same time.

1. ASK FOR FEEDBACK You do not have to struggle alone naming your company.

Sure, you can come up with some ideas and ultimately have the final say. But if you have got partners or a team, make it a group discussion and write down your ideas. Then, narrow the list down to 5 or 10 names.

Then reach out to your family and friends. See what they think. If one name by far stands out from the crowd based on that feedback, you should consider it more than the others.

1. HAVE A THICK SKIN
   Some people will hate the name you choose. There will always be a loud minority of haters. You have to accept their right to criticize. Plus, you can still be amused by the inevitable charge of obscenity.

2. IT IS NOT A DEMOCRACY
   Choosing a brand name is not a democratic process. With no harsh rules for success, names will always be subjective. Getting a consensus will be hard, so keep your creative and approval teams as small as possible. But once you have picked your name, get everyone on board.

3. DO NOT REBRAND UNLESS YOU HAVE TO
   If you are choosing your first name, this is one last warning to get it right the first time. If you are thinking of re-naming your company, think hard. Re-naming is a messy and expensive process. Some of your customers will not like it, which is understandable as name changes are for the company’s benefit, not for the customer’s. Even if you are thinking about changing your logo, you should challenge yourself to prove that it is necessary.

4. DO NOT DRIVE YOURSELF CRAZY
   Picking a name is essential. But do not let it consume your life.

It should not turn into a 6-month project. If you take time for working things out, you will be just fine.

Will the name be perfect? Maybe not. But what is?

Do not keep second-guessing yourself. Go with it if you are sure about the followings:

all the pieces line up
the domain is available
the feedback is good
nobody has the social media handles
you can trademark it.
19. MAKE SURE YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT
The name of your business will be something you hear, write, say, and think about all the time.

If you do not like the name, do not use it. This startup is your baby. You would not name your baby something you do not like, right?

The same concept applies here. Otherwise, you will regret it, and that could impact your behavior and the way you run the business moving forward.

CONCLUSION
What is in the brand name? More than you think.

The name of your company will be your new identity. Do not approach this task haphazardly.

Whether you are struggling to come up with a name or you, have a name in mind, but you’re unsure how to proceed, use this guide to help you finalize the decision.

It is better to take the time and be sure of it now as opposed to trying to rename your business in the future.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/19-tips-for-naming-your-company

The objective of every business is to sell more. In the competitive business environment, many small and large business owners are continually facing a common dilemma – to improve their business sales. Their usual step to this is to spend more for AdWords, or they’re spending more time performing SEO, in their attempt to increase website traffic for their business.

However, there is a new and perfect sales strategy which will allow you to increase your business sales. So then, a well-placed explainer video might be worth considering if increasing conversions and sales is on your to-do list.

Here are 10 ways how explainer videos can increase your sales:

1. ENGAGES THE VIEWER
   There is a philosophy that the audience should be involved in the sales process. Engagement measures the extent to which a viewer has a meaningful brand experience. An explainer video engages the client immediately. Studies show if a customer isn’t interested within eight seconds, they’ll navigate away from the page. While customers may be disinterested in a great deal of dull text, animated explainer videos captivate customers.

2. EASY TO UNDERSTAND
   Text can be interpreted in many ways which means that your audience may miss your main selling points. However, you tell a story there’s no confusion because videos tend to create less clutter than straight copy and stagnant photos. An explainer video will take the guesswork out of explaining what is you are offering.

3. EXPLAINER VIDEOS ARE THE NEW USER MANUALS
   Text can easily be misread and misunderstood. But an explainer video only can replace your boring text manual and a talkative salesperson.

Explainer video provides its audience with a clear and meaningful idea of your business and website. It is equivalent of a face-to-face business demonstration. In a simple sentence, we can tell ‘Explainer videos are your next sales team.’

1. MAKE YOUR SALES PITCH MEMORABLE Explainer videos can be used for sales inducting, presentations and training staff, or even as components for educational slideshows, to live up all the information you are conveying to potential customers or imparting to your pupils and students.

Imagine, when a dreaded PowerPoint comes out in a sales meet (Death by PowerPoint) if a 60-second explainer video that gets your message over in a fun and engaging way. It will leave your prospects wanting more and understand what your product or service is all about. So you do not only get the online benefits but also maximize usage by using in sales meetings.

1. GENERATES HIGH TRAFFIC Explainer videos engage your viewers and urge them to remain on your website for a longer. Explainer video helps minimize visitors’ confusion and answers questions they have about your company. Also, explainer video has the power to keep your web traffic on your site for longer and reduce bounce rates (i.e., the rate at which users move away from your site).

Once viewers finish watching the video, they’re more likely to take the next step. This is why it is essential that your explainer videos offer up what the next step is, such as buying from you, registering for your e-newsletter, or picking up the phone to give you a call.

1. UP THE INTEREST LEVEL IN YOUR SERVICE OR PRODUCT Explainer videos tell your viewer, why you love selling the service or products, what is your passion or your drive for selling the product. Also, explainer video tells them why people want or need your item or service to up their interest level.

All else, explainer videos are perfect for creating interest and being shared. They’re evergreen and go on and on being viewed and converting leads into sales consistently.

1. EXPLAINER VIDEOS ARE SHAREABLE
   The great thing about explainer videos is that because they’re often entertaining and engaging people share them too. This means that people start spreading your content via a platform such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. When a viewer shares your explainer video, it increases your chances of making another sale.

2. RELATES TO YOUR CUSTOMER
   Explainer videos answer the viewers main query “Why Should I buy this?“ with a relatable storyline. Displaying your product/service benefits with a real-life situation or a story in a video can be powerful. Because when consumers can relate to the service or product being offered, they can see a real need or want for buying it.

3. IT IS AN ELEVATOR PITCH
   An elevator pitch is a short, 35-60 second introduction to your company that focuses on the value you offer to the viewer. According to a research, if you simulate the auditory and visual senses, you increase your viewers understanding of your pitch by 75%.

You can use your pitch to accomplish three critical tasks such as Raising Money, Building Trust, Acquiring Customers. However, many sales interactions occur in the virtual environment, so making your elevator pitch a video is a key to standing out from the crowd, sharing more information in a shorter period, and snagging those critical initial customers.

1. Adds Personality to your Business

The old phrase that ‘People Buy from People’ is still correct. Customers will buy from the company that they like more. Using an explainer video allows customers to see not only products but also personalities.

In online businesses, mainly, demand because of the lack of a face behind the website can put people off. An explainer video can reflect your personality and make web visitors feel they have not come to a virtual equivalent of an empty shop.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/10-ways-how-explainer-videos-can-boost-sales

Email is not going anywhere. There are 3.8 billion global email users, and that number is expected to grow to 4.1 billion by 2021. What is more, this communication channel is supremely popular: People check their emails multiple times a day, and when you are trying to market your company, you can get your name into thousands of inboxes just by launching an email marketing campaign.

Email marketing works 40 times better at getting customers than Facebook and Twitter, and compared to social media it offers 17% higher conversion. The secret to success is making every single email count. Email not only converts better than the most popular social media platforms but also people spend up to 17% more when they make a purchase.

The cost? Email marketing is also super-affordable, which makes it great for small businesses. And this means that, even if a campaign bombs, the marketer is not in trouble. In comparison, given their high spend, failed advertising campaigns using direct mail, print advertising, radio and TV can be disastrous.

But just sending an email message promoting your business is not enough. Consumers are inundated with a ton of promotional emails every day, and most get deleted without ever being read. That is why you need to make sure your emails will stand out through the noise.

So, where do you start and what can you do to be successful with your first email campaign? Let’s jump into it: Here is how to launch your first email marketing campaign and boost engagement for your company and its sales.

BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST
To have a successful email marketing campaign, you will need people to email. That is why you have to build up your email list to be a money maker for your business. Having an email list enables you to have a lot of qualified leads at your fingertips, and you can email them any time you want to promote your company. But how do you get people signed up?

Using a nonintrusive, exit-intent popup on your site is a great, attention-grabbing tactic to get more email subscribers. Offering an incentive in your pop-up will convince users to hit that subscribe button, so consider offering a discount or another freebie in exchange for a prospective customer’s email address. Building a substantial email list is the backbone of any successful email campaign.

CHOOSE AN EMAIL MARKETING SERVICE PROVIDER
Once you have built up your email list and gotten tons of users ready for you to send a message, it is time to get your email campaign in motion. Using Gmail or Outlook is strongly discouraged for sending bulk emails. That is why you need to choose an email marketing service provider. Some great options are Constant Contact, MailChimp or ConvertKit.

By using an email service provider, you will get many benefits, including the ability to send bulk emails and manage your email database, campaign-management services, and customizable email templates. You will also be able to ensure you are compliant with CAN-SPAM laws.

DEFINE THE GOAL OF YOUR CAMPAIGN
Before you send out any emails, you should figure out why you are sending out the emails in the first place. Not defining a focus for your email marketing campaign will make that campaign appear all over the place, and confuse readers. So what is the goal of your campaign? Typical goals include:

Promoting products or announcing a sale
Educating users about your product/niche
Increasing engagement on your blog/social media
Upselling customers
Pinkberry’s goal with the following email campaign was to target its “inactive” users with a surprise incentive to return:

Remember: Not only you must decide “why?” but also “whom?” Will you be sending this campaign to consumers who have already purchased, users who have never bought or everyone on your email list? How you design your emails depends on what you want from your campaign, so determine your goal and plan your campaign around it.

CRAFT YOUR EMAIL
After you decide what type of email marketing campaign you are gonna launch, start crafting the email. The first tip is to produce a catchy subject line that will grab attention and make people want to open your email. You can use a free tool like CoSchedule’s Email Subject Line Tester to see whether your subject line makes the grade or not.

Other tips which will get your emails opened include personalizing them to each user; people will pay closer attention if you say their name. Designing an eye-catching email with a good mixture of images and text is also essential. Design experts usually recommend that emails employ a 60/40 text-to-image ratio.

Finally, when writing a copy for your email campaign, keep it snappy and short and show some personality because you want to get your point across without boring the readers by making them scroll through a long email to find out what you are talking about. You should focus on content which shows readers how they will benefit, instead of just telling them how great you are.

Now you are ready to launch your first email marketing campaign. Do not forget that once you hit “send,” you can start to measure your results, like your open rate and your number of orders or registrations, for example. When you measure your results, you will be able to see what’s working and what is not; and the next time you send out a campaign, you will get even better results than the first time around.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/how-to-launch-your-first-email-marketing-campaign

When it comes to the creative aspect of your Facebook ad images, it is important to note that it does not necessarily need to be all about the offer. Make sure your creative reflects the marketing message that is in your copy.

Visuals such as images and videos are what grab our attention while swiping and scrolling through our News Feed. Reaching people on Facebook means being able to communicate visually, and to do so quickly. Facebook favors visual content over written content because time has proven that visuals are what users want to see. Plus, visuals are more easily remembered, and they are far more likely to be shared.

Ads grab your attention with bright, complementary colors and an artfully eye-catching arrangement of your products.

Moreover, your ads and images must be relevant to the audience viewing them. If your ads do not resonate with your audience, there is little chance they will take a 2nd look at your ad, let alone engage with it. Irrelevant ads are a complete waste of money and time. Tell your audience why they must engage with your ad. What value are they going receive and what makes your offer better than the rest? Your value proposition is the “why” behind the action you request.

In addition to that, including a clear and relevant CTA (call to action) in each ad in order to motivate your audience is also necessary. You cannot blame them for not taking action if you do not ask them to do so. Make sure you make it direct, clear and, if possible, include a sense of urgency by using words like, “buy now,” or, “shop today and save 25%.”

There is a lot of thought that goes into this process, and there are a number of important things to think about whenever you are working on your creatives. We have gathered 25 essential characteristics that Facebook ad images should have.

1. SHOW PEOPLE USING YOUR PRODUCT
   Your ad should look like it belongs in someone’s news feed. If your audience is used to seeing updates from friends and family, make sure your ad does not alienate them before they have a chance to see what it is you are offering. Show people using your product rather than merely displaying your product by itself.

2. CREATE DIFFERENT FACEBOOK AD IMAGES FOR DIFFERENT PERSONAS
   If you have not created buyer personas, start there. If you have, make sure to create separate Facebook ad images for each of your different personas. Personas will definitely help you to understand exactly who it is you are trying to reach and how to do so most effectively.

3. USE TARGETING TO NARROW YOUR AUDIENCE
   This can seem out of place when talking about images, but listen up: You have defined a clear target for your audience (or at least you should have). Now it is time to create imagery that is ideally suited to that target. One-size-fits-all does not exist in Facebook advertising. Custom targets call for custom Facebook ad images.

4. USE IMAGES OF FACES

Facebook will tell you itself that ads with faces in them receive a lot more engagement. That is also true for Instagram, and almost anywhere we post images. We seem to relate more with ads when we can see people’s faces. It is where most of us look when we first meet a person, and it helps us to connect with them straight away. It does the same for Facebook ad images.

1. URGENCY
   As a general trend, people tend to hate missing out. This instinctive loss dislike helps us to take advantage of opportunities in our surrounds, but it also gives us an uncomfortable feeling when we might be missing out. Setting a deadline on your offer and even including the words “limited-time offer” can help those sitting on the fence to make decisions.

2. KEEP YOUR FACEBOOK AD IMAGE FREE OF EXCESSIVE TEXT
   Facebook used to suggest advertisers include less than 20 percent text overlay on their images. Their updated recommendations advise against using any text overlays at all or using as little as possible to get your point across.

While some advertisers do not need text overlays to reach their audience, many find it more useful to include at least a short message. We recommend including a small amount of text and using Facebook’s tool to test whether or not your image will be approved, penalized, or disapproved. Just upload your finished media file, and Facebook will give you a level of approval based on its guidelines.

1. MAKE YOUR MESSAGE THE FOCUS There should be an especially important part of your image that communicates your message, and you should make sure to crop tightly around that part of the image to ensure your audience sees it.

Ask yourself, “Without reading any copy, would you understand what this image is advertising?”

1. INCLUDE SOCIAL PROOF
   Social proof means using real-life testimonials, and including these in your ads can be very powerful. Use well-crafted customer testimonials—gleaned from blog post comments, tweets, reviews, and Facebook posts—to create compelling and unique ads which show what real people think of your product.

2. ONLY USE HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES
   Nothing looks worse than a low-quality picture in your ads. For this reason, make sure to use the highest quality images possible to help your ads seem their best.

3. SIMPLER IS BETTER
   Think about how fast users are scrolling through their news feeds. Then think about how long time do you have to communicate your message. Therefore, the simpler the image, the faster you can get your point across. Do not miss out on opportunities by making your audience think too hard about your picture.

4. EFFECTIVE FACEBOOK AD IMAGES DISPLAY BENEFIT
   Remember the fundamentals of effective Facebook ad mentioned above? This is a critical point, and it applies to the image as well. As your image is the first thing your audience will see, it must display the benefit quickly and precisely.

5. KEEP YOUR COPY AND GRAPHICS CONSISTENT
   That’s a problem we see all the time. You would be surprised how many Facebook ad images have nothing to do with their copy and vice versa. You are trying to create a cohesive ad that influences your audience to take action, so make sure that there is not any disconnect between what they are seeing and what they are reading.

6. LIMIT YOUR ADS TO ONE CTA
   This can sound confusing, but let’s tie this back to the introduction section above. A call to action is necessary, but using more than one in a single ad can be confusing. Do not offer a free e-book to download and ask your audience to “shop now.” Choose the appropriate call to action when constructing your ads as well.

7. PEOPLE LOVE FREE STUFF
   People quickly take notice of the word “FREE” in any advertising. We love the idea of getting something for nothing, so use it in your ad imagery as much as you can. Do not worry about giving your product away for free though! Something as easy as including a FREE download, a FREE consultation, or FREE shipping could be enough to improve the engagement rates of your ads dramatically.

8. USE NUMBERS TO GET YOUR POINT ACROSS
   Most of us are conditioned to pay attention to numbers in ads to help them understand its value more instantly. Make sure to use any number that helps support your ad’s benefit such as: “3 for 1” or “10% off!”

9. USE A SCROLL TEST
   When you are coming up with ad creative, make sure to see what competitors are doing well and what you want to avoid. Try a “scroll test.” Scan your feed to see what ads make you want to stop and look. Note the reasons you stopped on each and try to replicate their success in your images.

10. TEST A VARIETY OF COPY
    The copy in your ads may be letting down otherwise stellar Facebook ad images. Be sure your copy resonates with your audience by testing various versions before you change your images. That is especially true for the text overlays, as it is the copy which people react to first. Try running several variants simultaneously (A/B or split testing) and devote your budget to the most successful one.

11. TRY USING MULTIPLE IMAGES
    In some instances, the use of multiple images can improve the efficiency of your ads. This is especially true of e-commerce ads where various products can be tastefully grouped to create a compelling Facebook ad image.

12. IMMEDIATELY DISCERNABLE MARKETING MESSAGE
    While an outstanding image may capture someone’s attention, a compelling ad image must also get your marketing message across instantly. There should be zero time between catching someone’s eye and their understanding of what your ad is presenting.

13. USE COMPLEMENTARY/CONTRASTING COLORS
    Try using contrasting or complementary colors to get people’s attention when crafting your Facebook ads. Using 2-3 complementary colors will help your ad stand out. You can also want to shock someone into looking at your ad by using deeply contrasting colors. Remember, the whole point is to get attention. That is said, once you have it, you only have a short time to get your marketing message across. Make the most of your attention-grabbing colors by using text overlays, an image, and copy that keep people hooked.

14. STICK TO 1-2 FONTS
    Too many fonts can make an ad image feel confusing, hard to read at a glance and overwhelming. Viewers tend to shy away from things that make them feel uncomfortable, even if they cannot pinpoint exactly what is causing them to feel that way. Stick to a single font or add a complementary secondary font.

15. APPEAL TO BOTH RATIONAL AND EMOTIONAL JUDGMENT
    Most of us use the mix of our rational and emotional judgment to make decisions. That said, your Facebook ad images should appeal to both sides to be most effective. Let’s look at an example.

An ad for an e-commerce shoe store can advertise, “countless winter styles to look your best on any time,” to appeal to their audience’s emotional side while including, “plus quality and prices which will make you a certified Smart Shopper” to appeal to their rational side.

1. EMPLOY THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR
   Most top creatives understand the physiological stimulus generated by each color. Different colors create specific feelings when we see them. Also, particular demographics tend to appreciate specific colors. You can reach your audience more profoundly by using the colors they prefer to look at. While this isn’t a foolproof plan, the concept is backed by plenty of studies and is worth testing in your images.

2. LOCATION-SPECIFIC GRAPHICS
   This tip is extraordinarily powerful for local businesses. When people see places they know in Facebook ad images, they’re far more likely to connect with them. Therefore, showcase your area in your local ads and help viewers to take notice of your local business. Location-specific pictures can also be helpful when porting travel or destination-based products.

CONCLUSION
Designing incredible Facebook ads is not as complicated as you might have thought. While it’ll take months, possibly even years, of tweaking and testing before you have a fully optimized campaign, you will find the effort worth it. By implementing these simple techniques, you will see your Facebook campaigns and, by extension, your business, flourish.

source: https://webzool.com/sochial-networks/24-key-characteristics-your-facebook-ad-images-should-have

Social media marketing has become one of the most effective ways for businesses to have success in the digital era. In fact, 95% of adults between the ages of 18 and 34 follow brands on social media. Facebook leads the way in this category. According to Statista, Facebook has 2.2 billion active monthly users.

The sheer volume of users alone makes Facebook a digital marketer’s playground.

When it comes to Facebook advertising, I could speak about a list of done-to-death conventional techniques.

And most are still quite useful.

Below are 18 advanced Facebook advertising techniques you probably did not know about but should most definitely try.

1. Using “Pages to Watch” Facebook has a pretty great feature called “Pages to Watch.”

It is not something we use for marketing directly, but it can provide some useful insights to assist you in your marketing.

Long story short, you can gather a list of pages you are interested in along with analytics.

Just add pages from brands which are relevant to your industry and have a robust Facebook presence.

This is useful because you can see which posts are the most and least engaging. In turn, you can use this information when deciding what to post on your page.

1. Post images via Instagram Here is a sneaky little tactic I stumbled upon.

Instead of posting pictures directly on Facebook, post them via Instagram.

Why?

A study from Buzzsumo found that “pictures posted via Instagram get 23% more engagement.”

And that makes sense, considering the insane level of engagement Instagram receives.

Engagement with brands on Instagram is ten times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest and 84 times higher than Twitter.

In theory, following this simple step can net you nearly a quarter more engagement than merely posting directly on Facebook.

1. Forget the hashtags

Hashtags are useful in certain situations.

In fact, they are quite beneficial on networks such as Instagram and Twitter.

But not so much on Facebook.

The same study from Buzzsumo found that posts with hashtags received less engagement than posts without.

Not only does this save time, but you will also get more bang for your buck with every piece of content you post.

Think of it as a mini-hack.

1. Post between 10 p.m. and midnight local time I am sure you already know that timing is essential on social media.

Even if you post a masterpiece, it will have only a marginal impact if your audience never actually sees it.

It will get shuffled to the bottom of their feeds.

From my experience, the ideal time to post is between 10 p.m. and midnight local time.

There are 2 main reasons why.

First, there are fewer people posting content, and that means more visibility and less competition.

Second, there are enough people still awake and active on Facebook to make it worth your time.

Stick with this 2-hour window, and you should be great.

1. Using “Audience Insights” The “Audience Insights” feature is perfect for helping me get a detailed snapshot of my audience so I can cater to them more efficiently and create relevant content based on their interests.

And relevancy is essential because it ultimately maximizes your impact and increases your ROI.

You can get information on:

Age
Gender
Lifestyle
Education level
Job title
But this’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The data you generate from this can spill over into other elements of your overall marketing campaign.

1. Work video into your core strategy I think we can all agree that videos are huge at the moment.

The exciting thing is that video accounts for only 3% of all content on Facebook.

I found that number to be astonishingly low.

But it also presents a great opportunity.

Posting plenty of high-quality video content lets you grab the low-hanging fruit many of your competitors appear to be missing out on.

This leads me to my next point.

1. Directly embed videos Considering YouTube is so vast, your first instinct may be to insert YouTube videos into your posts.

But that is the wrong move.

That is because directly embedded Facebook videos get a lot more engagement than YouTube embedded videos.

Just look at how much the total quantity of interactions from direct embedding dominates the number of those embedded with YouTube.

Keep it in mind moving forward, and your engagement levels will increase considerably.

1. “Crowdsource” your business decisions You are probably familiar with the term “crowdfunding,” where capital is raised with contributions of a large number of people.

You can implement a similar concept to Facebook with “crowdsourcing” key decisions.

Below are some examples:

Ask your audience to choose your brand’s new logo
Ask which new background to use for your Facebook profile
This is cool because:

a) it lets your audience know you are genuinely interested in their opinions, and
b) it is a natural catalyst for engagement.
The easiest way to crowdsource is to create polls in which people can vote.

1. Keep posts under 150 characters in length Less is best regarding Facebook character count.

In fact, I recommend treating it like Twitter—use a max of 150 characters.

Why?

It is simple. Shorter Facebook posts receive far more engagement than longer ones.

Posts with 50 characters or fewer than 50 receive the most interactions, and the number of interactions slowly decreases as more characters are added.

In other words, keep it short and sweet.

1. Add Call to Action buttons to your Facebook ads

The average advertising click-through rate on Facebook is 0.9%.

But adding a CTA(Call to Action) button can increase your click-through rate by 2.85 times.

Just think of the long-term effect this can have on your campaign.

1. Using “Facebook Groups” for community building Groups are an essential component of brand building.

But one resource I think that many marketers are failing to capitalize on is “Facebook Groups.”

It is a lot like LinkedIn Groups where you create a specific group based around a critical topic of interest (usually your niche).

This is beneficial for several different reasons:

It strengthens your relationships
It helps you build new ones
It makes brand equity
It facilitates interaction
You can gain valuable intel
12. Pin your most epic post
Another very useful feature that I recommend is the option to “pin” posts at the top of your timeline.

By that way, users see your best content once they land on your page.

It is kind of like putting your best foot forward, which hearkens back to the halo effect.

I suggest looking over your timeline and finding the highest quality post that received the most engagement and “pinning” it to the top.

1. A/B test your ads with Qwaya I will not start a long-winded discussion of how much I love A/B testing.

However, that it is your ticket to maximize conversions and for cleaning up any general inefficiencies.

But how can you perform A/B testing on Facebook?

I advise using Qwaya which is a great Facebook ad manager that will help you take things to the next level.

If you are funneling a considerable amount of money into Facebook ads, this tool is a must for sure.

1. Use plenty of “question” posts You do not have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that “question” posts are ideal for generating interactions.

It is probably because people like to get in on the action and have their voices heard, so I suggest using this quite a bit.

1. Stick with articles between 1k and 3k words Long-form content plays best on Facebook. Particularly, posts between 1,000 and 3,000 words are ideal.

Nevertheless, you do not want to go any further than 3,000, considering the fact there’s a notable decrease in the number of interactions.

1. Understand the psychology of color

According to a study, 90% of all split-second judgments that we make about a product are a result of the product’s color. If you extend this statistic into the realm of advertising, you will quickly realize that the colors you choose for your ads can make or break a campaign. Consider these science-backed observations regarding the consumers’ response to different colors.

Older individuals more heavily favor blue, purple and green. On the other hand, younger people tend to prefer yellow, orange and red.
According to a poll, comparing results from 232 consumers across 22 countries, orange is the most disliked color, with yellow, purple and brown following closely behind.
Red is the most attention-grabbing colors
While you should use this data to improve the visual attraction of your ads, do not forget that these statements are generalizations. “One size fits all,” does not exist and the greatest factor in the success of your chosen color scheme is whether or not it complements what you’re trying to sell.

1. Stand out in the newsfeed
   Although you do not want to use creatives which stand out for the sole intention of standing out, there are a number of methods to stand out in the newsfeed. Try to use contrasting colors. When you create an ad, make sure that whatever colors you use contrast one another because that catches people’s attention. Video ads or gifs can also be used to grab people’s attention because they move. If you convey the marketing message while making it a little flashy, but still on brand, that is great. If you are running an image in the newsfeed and it does not stand out, you are probably going to have trouble because it is going to blend in with everything else.

2. Spark emotion
   The next essential thing to remember when you are creating your Facebook ads is that people are emotional creatures, not logical ones.

Instead of focusing on logistics and data, focus on emotion.
Tell consumers about the benefits they are going to receive.
Tell them about how your service or product will change their lives.
Find the pain point they’re struggling with, and press on it until they’re willing to pay the money to purchase whatever you are selling.
Another point to keep in mind with regards to sparking emotion is that people relate more actively to human faces than they do to any other image.

Conclusion
Having an active social media presence is an effective way to promote your brand at little to no cost. But if you want to take your social media marketing strategy to the next level, you should be running Facebook ads like a pro.

These ads are perfect because Facebook offers tools specific for lead generation.

They are easy to set up as well. Just follow this guide as a reference to steer you in the right direction.

I think Facebook gets overlooked these days sometimes because it has become the old man of social media platforms.

By this I mean there are always newer, hipper networks popping up.

But Facebook is not going anywhere anytime soon.

In fact, it is on track to reach three billion users within the next couple of years. That is pretty insane when you think about it.

By going beyond the basics and diving into deep, you can find some true potential for high-quality leads.

And by following the correct formula, you can cash in on a large number of those leads and convert them into customers.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/18-strategies-to-make-facebook-advertising-like-a-pro_

Creating an app opens an entirely new channel by which you can interact with your customers. A haven in which your dedicated audience always has access to you in one simple click. Your app is a space fully customizable to their needs. The problem in most cases isn’t the app itself. Rather, it is the crucial step so often missed after the app is created, promotion.

A general rule of thumb is to spend as much time promoting your product as you do to create them. For instance, if you spend 2 days writing a blog post, then spend the next 2 days sharing your blog post in as many outlets as possible.

The more you promote your content, the easier and faster the process becomes. We know small businesses don’t have a large budget to dedicate to marketing or promotional events. Even those who do have the money may find themselves only having a few channels to promote their content.

We have gathered 15 steps to guide you in marketing your app effectively. These steps will only cost you time, and we’re confident that if you follow them, you’ll have a notable increase in a number of followers and downloads.

Leverage Your Mobile Website
If you have an existing website which is fully functional and mobile-friendly, then it can be one of the greatest assets for promoting your app. At one point or another, all of your customers or anyone interested in your company will find their way to your website, and when they do, it’s important they all know you have an app.

Including your app in your site could mean sectioning off a part of your website exclusively for the app. Such as towards the middle of the webpage or the corner of the screen. While this method can bring in more downloads, I recommend taking an alternate approach. Instead of placing it solely on your website, have a pop-up page display whenever someone visits your site.

By this way, the app is the first thing the viewers see. The pop-up page is just a gentle reminder that you have an app and your customers are given either the option to continue to your mobile site or download the app.

Feature the App in an Official Blog
In addition to including your app on your website, including it in your regularly scheduled blog post is another marketing strategy you can leverage. You can do so by creating a comprehensive blog post entirely about your app or including a CTA (call to action) at the end of each blog post to invite your visitors to download the app.

When writing the blog post completely about the app, write a complete story about your app and let your viewers know the purpose behind it. Tell them how this app can help and make things easy for them. Include your app links, videos, and screenshots to help them get a good understanding.

Feature The App in Your Emails
Your app needs to be engraved into every aspect of your marketing, which includes all of your emails. As a business, you’ll send out countless emails and not including your app in each of those is a missed opportunity.

Any email which is sent out, whether it be from your newsletter, your tech support or even the payment confirmation email should include a footer with one line advertising your app. Include details such as what can be achieved through the app and a link redirecting towards the download page.

Create a Demo Video
Demo videos are an easy way to showcase everything that your app has to offer. For the demo video, create a simple half a minute commercial with the principles of Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle: Why, How, and What.

Assign a team to work on this video together. The collective minds of more than one will help you to finish projects faster and with fewer errors. Keep in mind that your demo video isn’t meant to stay the way it is now. Your videos, along with all your content, should be updated weekly or monthly.

Apply for Awards
Participating in-app awards is the most recommended channel, and I would highly suggest you take advantage of it. It can give you tons of press, reviews, exposure, and plenty of downloads. Even though the chances of winning very much depend on your pitch and app idea, if you succeed to get things right the first time, you can enjoy a little stardom.

Here are some of the most famous app awards websites:

Appy Awards
Best App Ever Awards
AppCircus competition
Apple Design Awards
Appsters Awards
Ericsson Application Awards
The Webby Awards
Best Mobile App Awards
OZApp
Create An Eye-Catching App Icon
With over 3.3 million apps in the Google Play Store and 2 million in the App Store, there is a lot of noise in any category you choose to have your app in. Due to that noise, many people choose to take an interest in apps, only when the app icon entices them.

To make your app icon stand out, it should:

Have a unique shape that stands out
Have a limited pallet of colors – 2 is enough to create contrast
Avoid using a photo – it blends in too much!
Avoid a lot of text, and it is barely readable anyways
Be creative!
Testing your app icon out on a dozen different wallpapers also doesn’t hurt.

App Store Optimization
App store optimization (ASO) is, at its core, search engine optimization (SEO) for the Google Play and App Store. Just like SEO, app store optimization focuses on search relevance, keyword relevance, and the keyword density in your description.

With almost half of iPhone users in the US are finding apps through search, your app description is one of the essential things that you can focus on in your app marketing efforts.

Build A Great App Landing Page
A great landing page is a must have for any business, even if you do not have a mobile app. Having a great landing page is like having a great business card, just in case you ever need it, it is good to have with you.

Breaking it down, while the page has multiple links out, the two most prominent links are the Google Play Store and App Store buttons. They are several times larger than the social sharing buttons, great to have for helping visitors to the site share the app, and they stand out just as much as the images to the right of them.

As you scroll down, each panel has a single call to action, which leads directly back to the primary call to action – to download the app.

Get Featured On Mobile App Review Sites
Getting on an App Review Site means you are going to have to send them a pitch which means you have to convince the website that your app is good enough to be reviewed by them and featured on their site. Most of these app review sites are looking for things such as:

Beautiful graphical designs in high quality
Original and unique content, mechanics, themes, and art
Stable apps with no glitches, crashes, overwhelming loading times or poorly pieced together content
When you reach out, you’ll most likely have to provide supporting material for your app. It is usually done in the form of a document containing the following:

A link to your app in the app store
A summary paragraph describing your app and what makes your app stand out
Screenshots of your title screen, app logo, and in-app content
Links to videos of your app from Vimeo or YouTube
A promo code that are keys giving access to download the app for free if it is a paid app,
Promote Your App Through A Promo Video
Having a good promo video is a staple of any mobile app. It is a quick and easy way for anyone to understand the most common use case behind the app and how they can use it.

An additional benefit of a promo video is that you can take advantage of video SEO.

For instance, if people search for “the best list-making app” and your YouTube video title matches, then it will show up before the rest of the search results.

Use Your Social Network
Social media, despite the heavy focus of most businesses, is still a very underutilized channel of promotion. Sending the message once is good, but sending it several times over a month or two is even better.

The typical Facebook page post reaches 16% of the page’s fan base. Now if you’re to send the same message, re-write it 4 or 5 times and send it out once a week for five weeks and you are apparently reaching 80% of your Facebook page audience.

Reach Out To Influencers
Marketing your app can also extend beyond your usual field of influence and often, these foreign connections are exactly what your company needs. Developing authentic, honest and mutually beneficial relationships with influencers will go a long way in helping to promote your app.

Influencers are people with the power to influence the buying and engagement decisions of a particular group of people. Business owners reaching out influencers should be careful to only present content that is truly relevant for the influencers and their audience. While some marketers often offer monetary compensation in exchange for influencer promotion, we recommend you instead find influencers that genuinely value your company.

Your viewers and theirs as well will quickly catch on that the influencer is being paid to act on your behalf. The last thing you want is customers’ feeling that you are “faking” how great your business is. Genuine sponsorships will aid your company much more and build a stronger following.

Let influencers know you’re building or have built an app. Ask if you can have some time with them to discuss the development of the app or to gather some feedback. If you want to have them on board, give them their section within the app or work towards building an app that provides to both parts needs. And if you decide to go with either of these choices, make sure your interests, values, and customers align.

Join Developers & Entrepreneurs Groups on Social Media
Increase your visibility on social media groups, especially Linkedin, Google+ and Facebook, to become better known among entrepreneurs and app developers go.

Ask for their feedback about your app and give them a free promo code to try it out. Discuss current features, future updates, bug fixes, and value their opinion. You can build a great relationship with them which might present the opportunity to cross-promote each other’s apps without spending a cent.

Blog Commenting
Have a look at blogs in the space which are relevant to your mobile app. Identify the opportunity to add value by commenting on relevant blogs that makes sense. Make sure to provide valuable insight and also link to your mobile app or your mobile app’s landing page. It can be used in mobile app marketing to drive high-quality, relevant links and traffic to your mobile app’s landing page or download link.

Roll Out New Updates Constantly
Your customers need to know you’re always making the app better for them. Apps that aren’t being cared for will be thrown away. Users will feel betrayed if you aren’t doing all you can to make the experience better for them. This is particularly true if you still have not addressed many of the issues that customers rage about in the review sections. Keep your app content fresh and let your customers know that you are always planning something more for them to enjoy.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/15-steps-to-do-proper-marketing-for-your-mobile-app_

Are you trying hard enough to handle your shopping cart abandonment?

The first step is to track and recognize how many customers are leaving items in their carts without finalizing the purchases.

If you are not addressing it, you are missing out on sales.

Take a moment to think about how you can improve the customer experience.

First, the consumer becomes aware of your products, services or brand.

Next, they have a want or need that sparks interest in something more specific.

Once the customer knows what they want, they consider the purchase.

Adding a product to their shopping cart qualifies as the consideration part of this conversion funnel process.

They are now just one step(click) away from finalizing the sale.

So, what is the problem?

If consumers are getting all the way to the shopping cart, you do not have a problem with your homepage or product service page.

What about your contact page or customer service information availability?

It is possible the customer does not feel comfortable finalizing the purchase based on the provided information about your business, reputation, warranty, or return policy.

But again, they have already made it to the checkout page with items in the cart.

So, the issue has to be in the final step of your conversion process.

In this post, we will show you some techniques that will minimize shopping cart abandonment on your platform and increase your conversion rates.

1. Recognize that customers are price sensitive Your prices may be deterring the consumer from finalizing their purchase.

Apparently, you are trying to make money.

I am not telling you to start giving everything away.

You should be making a healthy profit on each transaction.

But unexpected prices are the first reason why consumers are abandoning shopping carts.

So, the initial price of your item might be okay.

But the added charges are turning customers away.

Some examples of these extra charges may include:

Processing fees
Sales tax
Shipping
Any other hidden costs
Is there a way you can discharge some of these?

Here is an idea.

Maybe you can take on the shipping fee.

Rather than putting that burden on the customer, you can adjust the original prices of your products to account for the shipping charges.

The customer will still end up paying more, but it is not an unexpected charge.

You have got to find a middle ground and try to keep your prices competitive while still generating a nice profit.

You may be making slightly less money in each transaction, but it is worth it if you can increase the transaction rate.

1. Make sure your website and checkout process are secure In the last five years, 46% of Americans were victims of credit card fraud.

That is an alarming number.

Americans are being the targets of nearly half of all the credit card breaches worldwide.

This is a real concern for consumers.

Your customers may have had a negative experience in the past, and that can make them hesitant about online shopping.

Therefore, the purchase process on your website needs to be secure.

You hold the responsibility for your customers’ credit card information.

Do not be the reason for their accounts getting hacked.

Take the proper security measures and place the corresponding badges on the checkout page, similar to the graphic above.

It makes the consumer feel more comfortable on the checkout page.

A secure website and checkout process need to be a priority for your e-commerce store.

1. Let your customers check out without creating a profile You want customers to have an account with your company.

It is a great way to track their behavior and keep them informed of special offers and promotions.

However, you should not be forcing people to create a user profile to make a purchase.

Why?

It is an extra step. People are in a hurry, and you want the procedure to be quick.
They may have a fear of getting unwanted text messages, emails, or junk mail.
If your website does not have a guest checkout option, you are making a mistake.

There should be two clear options.

Returning users can easily sign into their accounts, and customers without an account can proceed without creating one.

This ensures you are not losing sales.

However, to complete the checkout process, the customer still needs to enter their information.

Which means you will have their name, location, email address, and other information.

Once the sale is finalized, you can entice them to create an account.

All they need to do is create a password.

You already have all the other information in your records, so they do not need to submit information twice.

Give the customer a reason to create an account.

What’s the customer getting in return?

Option to track the order
Exclusive discounts
But they should not be forced to create a profile just to make a purchase.

So, make sure that is optional.

1. Accept a broad range of payment options for the customer What kind of payment options are you accepting?

Visa only?

Do you not accept Discover cards?

I understand that particular credit card companies have higher processing fees than others.

Accepting transactions from PayPal or similar platforms could be even more costly.

By not accepting some payment methods, you could be turning customers away.

You might think everyone has one of the credit cards you accept, but that is not always the case.

Give the consumer lots of options because alternative payment methods are trending upward.

If you are accepting only 1 or 2 payment forms, it could be the reason for your shopping cart abandonment. Because some customers get to the checkout process only to discover you are not offering their preferred payment option.

1. The process needs to be mobile friendly Your website should be mobile friendly, and the checkout procedure should be optimized for mobile devices.

Research shows 84 percent of smartphone users have experienced a problem completing a mobile transaction.

And 40 percent of users will go to your competitor after an unsatisfactory experience on your mobile site.

What do these numbers tell you?

People want to shop on their phones.

Almost 5.2 billion people have a mobile device across the world.

Of course, not all these people are your potential customers.

But a large part of them could be.

Do not alienate people from shopping on their mobile devices.

It is estimated that half of the e-commerce transactions happen on mobile platforms.

If getting to a desktop or laptop is the only way for your customers to shop, it could be hurting your sales.

Make sure your checkout procedure is optimized for mobile devices to decrease your shopping cart abandonment rates.

1. Avoid your competitors from stealing your customers How unique is your service or product?

Chances are, you do not own the space outright.

You have plenty of competition.

It is not always easy to compete with the big players like Amazon or Walmart.

36% of shoppers abandon a shopping cart because they found a better price elsewhere.

If your prices are higher, that needs to be justified.

Make sure your service and quality are outstanding.

Your customer needs to understand this.

The website needs to load fast because 64% of smartphone users expect a site to load in 4 seconds or less.

And do not make the process too complicated.

We know that 25% of consumers abandon their shopping carts if the navigation is too complex.

They will go to your competitors instead, and therefore you should be aware of how your competitors are operating.

1. Send a reminder email if a cart is abandoned So you may not be able to prevent everyone from abandoning their shopping carts.

Even if you reduce the abandonment rate, you will not get that number down to zero.

Where do you go from here?

Do not give up just because a customer abandoned their cart.

If you have their information, reach out and send them a reminder.

Sending an email, you can accomplish a few things:

remind the customer of their shopping
create a sense of urgency
offer an additional incentive
The reminder alone can be enough to get the customer to finalize their purchase.

But if it is not, it can create a sense of urgency by saying “high sell-out risk.”

It can also provide an extra incentive by offering a discount.

Earlier I mentioned that consumers are price sensitive.

They may abandon the cart for financial reasons.

Giving the customer a discount will show them you care.

That promotion may be enough reason for them to finish the checkout.

1. Use A/B testing to simplify your checkout process How long does it take the consumers to purchase on your site?

Every extra click they have to make gives them a chance to second-guess their decision.

You can run an A/B test to see which checkout procedure is more successful.

If you have a long checkout system, you should definitely shorten the procedure significantly.

Run an A/B test by using your current system as the control group and a shorter version as the experimental group.

See if you there is a difference in your shopping cart abandonment rates between these two groups.

1. Create a sense of urgency You can do FOMO(Fear Of Missing Out) on your checkout page to reduce cart abandonment.

Some customers are just browsing.

New customers most likely will not buy anything on their first visit to your website.

But you can give them an additional incentive to finalize their purchases.

Create a sense of urgency.

“Limited quantity remaining.”

“Sale price expires at midnight.”

“8 other people are looking at this room right now.”

“14 people booked this flight in the last 24 hours.”

I am sure you have seen phrases like this before while browsing online.

Airlines and hotels do this all the time.

Act now, or miss out.

You can incorporate this psychological method into your checkout process to reduce cart abandonment.

Conclusion
The shopping cart abandonment is a problem for your e-commerce website.

But it is not too late to make changes to your checkout process to prevent future cart abandonment.

You can follow the advice above to keep your abandonment rates low while increasing your conversion rates and revenue.

Customers are price sensitive so do not hit them with any unexpected charges.

You should accept multiple forms of payment while also making sure the payment procedure is entirely secure. Customers will not shop on your website if they think their credit card information is at risk.

Do not force customers to create a profile to check out. Instead of that offer a user account as an option after they complete the process.

Make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. Because if not, your customers can go to your competitors.

The checkout process has to be short. You can run an A/B test to play with different formats and options.

To avoid cart abandonment, create a sense of urgency: if the customer does not act now, they may not be able to get the exact product in the future.

Even if someone abandons their cart, it is not too late. Send them a reminder email about the product.

You can also offer a promotion or discount as an extra incentive to finalize the sale.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/9-tips-to-minimize-cart-abandonment-in-your-checkout-process_

What is Repurposing Content?
Repurposing content is a way of taking content that you have used for one mission and reusing it for another. Just as you can repurpose an old shoe into a flower pot, you can repurpose a blog post into an infographic, or an interview into a blog post. Content repurposing is a digital marketing strategy that comes in handy for many reasons. It can enhance your marketing, save you time, help with your online presence, and many more.

Benefits of Repurposing Content
As a small business owner, you have already got enough on your plate. Why not save yourself some time and effort by stretching your content a bit further? Below are 12 reasons why to start gathering up your existing content. From the old to the new, the top performing pieces to the flops, all content can be repurposed.

1. Enables You to Achieve Multiple Goals
   If you have a content that is performing well in one area, there is a chance it can perform well in other fields too. Maybe you have a blog post which is driving traffic to your website. Why not change it into a printed pocket guide with a tracked phone number, which you can hand out at your next event?

2. Gives You a Chance to Purchase Less Successful Content

Some of the content you publish isn’t going to perform as well as other ones. Though, it may not be that the content itself is weak. It may be the context in which it is presented. An eBook that did not capture many leads for your business might make an excellent series of blog posts that drive traffic to your website. Or, a series of blog posts that are not getting many visits might cumulatively make a great e-book that attracts a lot of consultation requests.

1. Helps You to Reach New Audience Members
   Whether it is a blog article or social media post, something you published a year ago will not reach the same people if you publish it now. Every day new social media users are creating accounts. Besides, you build and refine your audience over time, so try to spruce up an old piece of content and re-publish it to get it in front of your new and loyal followers.

2. Expands Your Reach
   Your targeted audience members may have a lot in common, but they’re likely to range in their preferences and learning styles. Some are visual learners, and others prefer audio. Some like to see numbers, and others like to look at examples. Repurposing content into different forms of media is an excellent way to extend your reach out to the various members of your target audience.

3. Broaden Your Content
   Consistency is vital in marketing, but that does not mean you should use the same medium for everything. Instead, you should convey the same message across different mediums and marketing channels. Repurposing the same content into various forms will help you to achieve consistent messaging across diverse channels.

4. Enables You to Target Buying Stage
   Not everyone in your targeted audience is at the same stage in the buyer journey. Those who are on the verge of making a purchase might be looking for longer pieces of content so they can make a choice. Those just getting familiar with your business may be searching for quicker, bite-sized pieces of information. Instead of creating different pieces of content for each of these buyer stages, repurpose one piece.

5. Maximizes Time and Effort

When you repurpose your content, you can yield more output with the same amount of input, while maintaining the quality. It will save you time so that you can work on new marketing ideas and focus on other aspects of your business.

1. Increases Your Online Presence
   Repurposing content leads to more quality content and the more of that you have online, the higher your online presence will be. Having a powerful online presence is crucial for raising brand awareness, building your audience, and ultimately getting more customers.

2. Improves Your SEO
   Another benefit of repurposing content is that having more content online helps to increase your SEO or search engine optimization. Search engines like Google prefer websites they can trust, so the more pages of quality information you have, the easier they can recognize you as a credible source of information.

3. Provides More Backlink Opportunities
   Online users love to share useful and interesting content, such as images, blog posts, and infographics. So, the more you put out there, the more possibilities you have to get your content shared, which creates backlinks for your site—another SEO perk.

4. Strengthens Your Messaging
   You can think that it’s redundant to take information in one form and convert into another. The truth is, this is a grand repurposing strategy that can help strengthen your messaging. The more diverse ways you can convey your expertise and brand voice, the stronger it will be. As your audience sees a common theme across each of your channels and mediums, they’ll start to see that you are an expert in X, or that you’re passionate about Y.

5. Enhances Your Knowledge and Skill Set
   You can never be perfect at what you do. Repurposing content helps you to reinforce the knowledge that you already have in your head, to add on to it, and become even more well-versed in what you do. Besides, repurposing allows you to get familiar with the different forms of content and various platforms, making you a more versatile marketer for your company.

Content holds a lot of value, but it may be holding even more than you think. Take a look at your existing content and think about how you can repurpose it. And even better, create new content with this strategy in mind, so that it can be easier for you to repurpose down the line. Repurposing your content will make your life easy, but you can make repurposing even easier by thinking one step ahead.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/12-reasons-you-should-repurpose-content_

Online shopping has made many people’s lives much more comfortable. Not only can you order things to your door, but you have a world of products at your fingertips. We are no longer limited to the selection of products available at our nearest stores. As incredible as it is to have all of these options, it makes owning an e-commerce store a challenge. The market is getting more saturated every day.

Standing out as an e-commerce business can be tough. Today, online retailers abound in practically every niche, and many have gotten their distribution and shipping down to a science.

In a time of very high online competition, it is important to stay on top of trends and do everything you can to make your website and product stand out.

So how can you draw attention to your e-commerce shop and make it stand out from the crowd? Here are five ways that will help distinguish your e-commerce website from the competition:

Create a powerful brand
Somebody else is selling what you sell. It is virtually impossible to stand out based on your products and services. The key is building a brand that positively differentiates you from your competitors.

Your branding is impacted by everything from your choice in the logo to the content on your website to your company’s mission statement. It is mostly your company’s personality; it drives how people see your business, and the type of customers your business attracts. Successful branding requires a branding strategy that defines how customers perceive your store and the products you offer.

Your e-commerce store may not be able to compete on product, price or shipping. If that’s the case, then recognize that your brand voice is something others can’t duplicate. Even if they can copy your business in every other regard, your branding remains your own. Look for the ways to highlight unique aspects of your business.

Offer a great website experience

Customers form an opinion about your business the minute they land on your website. So your site should be designed to make the steps to purchasing as pleasurable and straightforward as possible. Nothing frustrates consumers more than a website that is slow, unclear and unprofessional looking. Having a beautifully designed website and logo can make your store stand out from others which use pre-made layouts or logos.

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and try to purchase on your website. Conduct frequent audits of your website, especially the checkout process to ensure that everything works smoothly. Don’t forget to test using different devices and browsers. It’s important to serve up an excellent experience for all customers.

Also, make sure your site works on mobile. This is increasingly becoming more and more important to the bottom line of e-commerce stores, so stay with the crowd.

Use high-quality images
Using high-quality images is very important in your product presentation. Make sure that your photos are explicit and show what the product is. The higher quality the photographs, the better. Having pictures which look expensive convinces customers that the product is high quality as well.

Many people underestimate the importance of excellent photography that highlights the unique features of a product. We often use placeholder images when designing a website for our clients, and this gives us the opportunity to show the client what type of photography we recommend using. However, when the site goes live, clients sometimes replace our placeholder images with not-so-professional photos, and it completely alters the look.

It is essential to show off your products as best as you can. You want to evoke a feeling that makes visitors want to grab the product through the screen – and immediately click on the “buy” button.

Increase your Social Media efforts

Social media is where potential customers are looking for you. 75 percent of customers will check out social media before they make a purchase. If you aren’t actively engaging with customers on social media and posting content written by your top writers, then you lose your chance to reach them.

Social networks offer new ways to reach the customers. Share user-generated content from social platforms on your website. It will add credibility to your company, showcase the community of your followers and give your users ideas on how to use your products.

Post engaging content with your logo on your social media accounts such as motivational quotes, short videos, gift ideas and much more. Always be sure that your social posts include clear calls to action that bring people back to your website to buy your products. Make sure to bring your followers to your website by sharing links to your landing page.

Social proof
Social proof indicates credibility; it can stimulate new website visitors to place an order with you. Moreover, if they’ve been scanning your site for a while without coming to a buying decision, little social proof can be the tipping point they need.

Social proof comes in many forms, but for e-commerce, the most important is customer reviews. That’s because we all trust them, and many of us base our entire purchasing decision on them.

There are various ways to leverage social proof on your website, try at least some of them. If you do not have the customers yet, influencer reviews and testimonials can work as well. Contact the influencers in your field on social media and ask them if they would be interested in reviewing your product.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/5-ways-to-make-your-e-commerce-business-stand-out_

Frequently seen in the pay per click (PPC) advertising world, click fraud is a deceptive technique that is costing entrepreneurs and companies thousands. Click fraud mostly involves malicious, the massive clicking of your pay per click ad by a competitor in the hope that you will panic when you see your sky-high PPC advertising bill and stop running it. Once you can’t any longer afford to advertise and remove your ads from Google or Yahoo, this means more clicks and more sales for the competitor’s services or products.

In 2017 alone, about 1 in 5 clicks on adverts were fraudulent, with the number slowly increasing every month.

Click fraud not only drives up advertising costs for businesses, but it also skews analytical data which many companies rely on to make useful marketing decisions. Maybe you have a pay per click campaign with a high converting and profitable keyword which delivers 80% of your sales. If that keyword suffers from regular click fraud and you don’t detect it, then from a marketing perspective you might decide to remove it. From looking at your data, the click-through rate would be remarkably high, while the conversion rate would be very low. Since you get charged for every click, ultimately the cost of the ad will overweigh the profit, and you will have to give up on it.

However, if you have sufficient data and monitor the keyword closely, then there is a high chance you would see a change in performance, alerting you to the fact that something shady might be going on with that keyword.

By staying vigilant and knowing the tell-tale signs of click fraud, advertisers can help themselves and make PPC platforms safer for everyone. Here are some ways how you can identify a click fraud:

Look out for sudden spikes in traffic
Keep an eye on your Google AdWords reports, and Google Analytics reports. In Google Analytics you can clearly see which traffic is coming from AdWords. You should review them regularly and look out for strange spikes in traffic that do not match with increasing your budget.

Check for sudden conversion rate drops
A sudden drop in conversion rates despite traffic remaining strong can also be an indication of click fraud. Compare your organic conversion rate to your conversion rate during pay per click campaigns. You should always keep track of the rate difference. Changes you make onsite can alter the conversion rates for both paid and organic traffic, but changes made within PPC management will only affect paid conversion rates. By regularly reviewing this ratio you should notice any strange changes that do not correspond with actions taken by you. If you have been experiencing somewhat steady conversion rates with traffic remaining steady and a few changes have occurred onsite or in your account, but conversion rates suddenly fall, then this could be a sign of click fraud.

Look for traffic from weird locations
If you see surges in traffic, reportedly coming from areas outside your geo-targeting; this should be immediately come suspiciously to you. If it is 1 or 2 clicks, it is usually fine, but sudden traffic growth from a location you are not targeting may well be fraud. Click fraud experts can use fake IPs to make to seem like their fake traffic is coming from an area when really it is not.

Check for high bounce rates
One of the main signs of click fraud is a sudden increase in bounce rates and shorter sessions on site. Of course, this could be due to your PPC manager targeting a new but unsuitable audience or an unsuccessful change to a website’s landing page. Though, if no changes have been made and traffic from AdWords starts to have growing bounce rates and little amounts of time spent on site, then that is a bad sign and potentially click fraud.

Now that you know you are being click frauded, below are the best practices you can use to avoid click fraud:

1) Exclude IP addresses
If you can identify the person, company or even better- IP addresses of those doing click fraud, you can then block them in AdWords. The hard part is discovering their IP, but you can surely look at your server logs or invest in third-party tracking software that specialises in revealing IP addresses.

2) Keep geotargeting tight
By keeping your PPC geotargeting tight, you can limit exposure to countries where click fraud is frequently committed. It also makes your campaign more relevant and discrepancies easier to spot.

3) Keep keywords relevant and specific
By avoiding broad match and keeping your keywords hyper-relevant, you can run a more relevant campaign, and this will also make it more difficult for fraudsters to target you. Click fraud tends to target broad and expensive keywords. Because these terms mean they can waste more money and as they receive high traffic volume anyway, they are less likely to be caught. By having a firm grasp of your keywords, you limit the chances of becoming a target.

4) Use ad scheduling
If you suspect someone has been doing click fraud against you at a particular time of day or on a specific day of the week, then use ad scheduling to avoid those times and keep your budget intact.

5) Use managed placements on display networks
Using automatic placements is the easiest way to get targeted with click fraud on the display network. By using managed placements, you can choose only reputable and relevant sites and avoid nefarious publishers.

6) Use click fraud prevention software
With all these efforts, click fraud can still slip through the net, but there are third-party specialists in click fraud prevention software. If you are a large brand and reasonably sure you are losing significant money to click fraud, it could be time to invest in extra software.

source: https://webzool.com/marketing/what-are-best-practices-to-avoid-click-fraud-in-google-adwords