Month: March 2019

Categories
Social Media

Are You Wasting Your Money on These Facebook Ad Mistakes?

There’s no doubt about it. Facebook is a pay-to-play platform when it comes to advertising your business. Organic reach is at an all-time low and only those who are spending at least a little bit of money are gaining real traction and visibility.

If you have a tight budget, that’s a problem. Even the littlest mistake can destroy your reach and waste your budget. To help you avoid hitting those pitfalls, here are a few specifics to watch out for.

A Lack of Strategy

This is a major problem, especially among newer Facebook advertisers. To be successful on Facebook, you simply must have a clearly defined strategy. You need to understand your goals and objectives and you must be prepared with a plan as to how and when you will assess your analytics.

What are you really trying to accomplish? Do you want engagement on your page, traffic to your website, app downloads or warm leads? Choose one objective at a time.

Audience vs Offer

Another huge problem I see when assessing Facebook ads is targeted audience misalignment. As a business owner, you need to experiment with different offers, but that new offer may also appeal to a new demographic. You can’t automatically assume the audience you’ve been targeting will love your new deal. Experiment by testing different audiences (try A/B split testing) to see which respond better so you can direct your budget accordingly.

Adjusting the Audience Size

In Facebook marketing, audience size matters. If the audience is too small, you won’t reach enough people to make an impact. Too large and you’ll end up with a lot of unqualified or poorly targeted leads. You’re going to have to experiment with your interest targeting to find the perfect middle-ground – the place where you are reaching a steady number of people who are truly interested in your niche. Aim for anywhere between 500,000 to 2,000,000, based on the size of your budget.

Ignoring Video

Hey, look…I get it. Creating video ads isn’t really easy. It’s time consuming and can be costly if you don’t have the in-house tools or expertise to get the job done.

That said, video is huge right now. It stands out prominently in a sea of content. The more creative you are in the first few seconds, the higher your odds of a person watching through to the end. Make your videos a part of your ad campaign and watch your numbers soar.

Set It and Forget It

You absolutely can not set up an ad and let it run its course without checking on it. That just isn’t how strategy, analytics, and adjustments work. You need to check in on your ad on a daily basis to make sure you are having an impact. It’s completely acceptable to make adjustments to your targeting mid campaign, especially if you aren’t seeing the results you were hoping for. Don’t think the ad is doing well at all? Shut it off and start again. Don’t let your ad spend run out.

Fans vs Non-Fans

Want to grow your audience and turn cold leads into warm leads via relationship building? Target your ads to non-fans so you can increase overall engagement over time. Want to convert sales? Target your sales-based ads to the people who are already fans of your page. They’re the ones who have already shown interest and are more likely to make a buying decision on the spot. You’ve worked hard to make them familiar with your brand, so they’re the ones most likely to convert.

Limiting Your Images

Facebook allows you to upload more than one image to an ad for a reason. The platform is designed to assess which of your ad images is doing best, automatically directing more of your budget to the one(s) getting the best engagement. Uploading only one image is a huge waste of your time and money. Upload at least three or four and allow the system to do the testing for you.

Text on Ad Images

Speaking of images, remember the 20 percent rule? Facebook used to disallow any ad that had text over more than 20 percent of the image area. The rules have relaxed a bit, but ads with more than the set amount of text still don’t perform as well as those that adhere to the rule. Use the text overlay tool to keep your text area as low as possible. Your ads will spend a lot better.

Multiple Campaign Audiences

Are you running more than one campaign at a time? If so, you need to make sure you’re using completely different audiences for each campaign. Even if both ads would appeal to the same audience, running them both at the same time, targeted to the same audience, means you are competing with yourself. You end up driving up costs and, in many cases, your ads will completely underperform. If you’re lucky, they won’t deliver and waste your spend at all. Always target different audiences when running more than one campaign.

Ad Fatigue

The more people see your ads, the more tired of them they become. The last thing you want is for people to start clicking through to hide your ads. Customize your ad audiences so that people who enter your sales funnel become excluded from your campaigns. Not that sophisticated yet? Edit your reach objective so that the frequency of your ad is limited to a small number of impressions in a set time period.

Don’t listen to anyone who tells you Facebook advertising is a waste of money. Marketing is a part of business and the online world is growing. Experiment and pay attention to your ad sets as they run. Your images and audience targeting skills will make a huge difference, and the analytics won’t lie when it comes time to assess your results. A few simple adjustments could make a huge difference when it comes to how far you are ultimately able to stretch your budget.

Categories
Outreach

Guest Blogging 101: Are You Missing Out?

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when internet marketers were flooding the internet with “guest blogs.” These articles were comprised of niche-related content stuffed with keywords and often, of little actual substance. Marketers would then use them to fish for backlinks to websites.

Things have changed, but back then there were often massive issues with quality. Some of the articles being published didn’t really fit on the sites that took them, while others were really solid quality-wise, yet were filled with unrelated links.

It didn’t make a ton of sense to the people reading them, let alone Google’s search algorithms. Eventually, they caught on and included some algorithm changes that altered the value of certain types of links.

Does that mean guest blogging is useless now, though?

Absolutely not.

While those marketers were attempting to game the system, web-savvy business owners got to know the importance of EAT (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness) in marketing.

It turns out guest blogging is a whole lot less about the acquisition of backlinks and is now far more focused on creating quality brand partnerships.

So let’s talk about that, shall we?

Guest Blogging and Branding

I’m not discounting the benefits of guest blogging on your SEO efforts; I’m just saying that there’s more to it than keywords and backlinks. You don’t want to write content for just any website, and you really don’t even want just any backlink.

What you really want (need) is networking opportunities. Your goal is to make connections with website owners in both your field of expertise and in related fields.

Networking and guest blogging does require that you make any sort of deal with your direct competitors, either. There are plenty of people in your industry who don’t do the exact same thing you do. This means you will find a lot of opportunity to share information specific to your niche with new audiences, while at the same time welcoming others to share new perspectives on your site. The more you’re able to publish on related sites, the stronger your brand becomes.

Guest Blogging Benefits

There are plenty of reasons (aside from branding) to consider guest blogging. In fact, if you do it right (i.e., network first), it can actually be really beneficial.

What’s not to love?

  • Guest blogging on an industry-related site ensures traffic that comes back to your own website is highly targeted.
  • You’ll have an opportunity to expand your personal network by connecting with influencers in your field of expertise. This could potentially position you as an influencer in the process.
  • Any leads you generate from your guest blogs will essentially be pre-qualified because of the relevancy of the original site to your niche.
  • Guest blogging not only sends traffic to your website, but can also boost likes and follows on your social media platforms. This ultimately improves engagement.
  • This method of content marketing is extremely cost effective. Building great relationships with other industry experts opens doors for an exchange of content, which means you won’t have to pay top dollar for publication like you would with a traditional ad.

How to Get Started

Ok. So now you know why you need to guest blog and how it benefits you, but now what? It’s time to get the ball rolling.

The very first thing you need to do is make sure your own business site is up to date. Give your entire domain a once-over, not just your blog pages. Niche influencers won’t want to take content from or link back to a website that isn’t clean, informational, and professional in nature. You have to get your own act together before you can approach anyone else.

The next thing you’ll want to do is make sure your social media profiles look good. Your business pages need to be populated with industry-specific posts and information tailored to your company. Your personal page needs to either be rather neutral or locked down to friends-only status.

A good business owner is going to check out your online presence before agreeing to your pitch, and that includes making sure your ideals are aligned with theirs. You might, for example, find that a business with a neutral political standpoint will not want to align itself with a business owner who is very vocal about certain controversial issues.

Have all your ducks in a row? Now you can start looking for potential guest blogging partners. Try asking these questions to find the right connections.

  • Is the website somehow related to your niche? Let’s say, for example, you sell light bulbs. You might want to look for energy providers, home builders, and lamp manufacturers.
  • Is the audience engaged? Do they already respond well to posts on the blog or participate in chat threads when those posts are shared on social media?
  • Can you solve a problem for the site’s audience? You’re going to need to offer something of value or they won’t have any interest in reading your post.
  • Does the company update their blog on a consistent basis? This is important. Even if a blog matches your niche, you won’t get much traction if they don’t update on a regular basis.

Once you have a list of businesses and blogs, you need to start networking.

(I bet you thought I’d tell you to start pitching, right? Wrong. Or at least, I won’t say that just yet, anyway.)

Warm up your potential partners by engaging as part of their audience first. Comment on blog posts, follow their social pages, and try to connect with the CEO on LinkedIn. Other site owners will see the content you are putting out there, become more familiar with you and your work, and will ultimately be more receptive to your pitches.

Network first, pitch second. When you are ready to pitch, make sure what you send is personalized — no canned templates. Customize the greeting with a specific name, talk about what you love about their business or site, and ask if they’re open to discussing a guest posting partnership. You might even pitch a few topic suggestions.

Don’t come off as pushy or self-serving. You want to build a mutually beneficial relationship. Your goal isn’t to convince them why you’re great, it’s to convince them how you can benefit each other (the greatness is a side effect).

Guest blogging can be an incredibly effective method for increasing brand awareness, reaching new audiences, growing your email list, and even making sales. The process takes time, though. It isn’t about sending out 100 emails and seeing which ones stick. It’s about taking the time to truly know your own audience and searching for sites with similar interests. Before you know it, you’ll be creating long-term projects.

Categories
Social Media

12 Social Media Apps You Probably Aren’t Using (But Should)

There is really no reason at all for any brand to not be on some form of social media platform for marketing benefits. The reality is that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn aren’t the only platforms out there – they’re just the most common.

But what about other non-standard options? Not only do they exist, but they also can create lucrative opportunities to reach new people. From YouTube to Tik Tok, we’ll tell you about them in this post.

YouTube

YouTube isn’t dying. Don’t let anyone make you think it is. As a matter of fact, YouTube is considered not just the second largest social platform, but also a major search engine  surpassed only by Google.

People love video content, and that means you can use YouTube to share your message in most cases. Anything you create should be cross-posted either to the platform, or from it to another. You can share links, embed video onto your website, or save your live videos and upload them for preservation.

Facebook Messenger

Yes, it’s a separate app. The only people who can see Facebook Messenger without a separate app are those accessing the platform from desktop. Anyone on mobile — which is the majority of your audience — is using a separate app. Messenger has evolved quite a bit. Your brand can enhance its engagement levels by utilizing chatbots to start new conversations or by pushing ads into the messenger feed.

Tik Tok

Tik Tok is slowly growing in popularity, with a major focus on music. It was initially incredibly popular in eastern countries, but it has been growing in popularity in the US as well. Users can record their own videos with music and special effects, sharing them within the Tik Tok app and across other social platforms. As a business, you can encourage people to participate in specific campaigns, creating videos and sharing them with branded hashtags.

Snapchat

A lot of businesses shy away from Snapchat because the posts disappear so quickly, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. One of the cool things about Snapchat is that you can create your own geographic filters for users to utilize as they take photos. A lot of people do save their photos to their phone galleries, cross-posting them in other places. This particular platform is really geared towards a younger audience, especially college crowds.

Pinterest

Pinterest has been absolutely exploding in terms of business branding. It’s another great platform where simple visual images can have a huge impact. You can upload content directly to the site, pin it from your own website, or share the content created by others. People are using Pinterest for more than just DIY tutorials these days. They’re looking for products and want to see who is using them, recommending them, and sharing them. This is an especially great platform for specialized service providers, like photographers or caterers.

Medium

Want to get more mileage out of your blogs and written content? Set up a profile for your brand on Medium and post some original and repurposed blog content to the site. You’ll reach a new audience and can include links back to your website so that users can find additional unique content and more information about what you have to offer.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is similar to messenger, but with enhanced features. Businesses have been integrating the platform into their customer service strategies, offering enhanced levels of support, order updates, tracking information, and more. The app allows for individual and group chats; there is also a calling feature.

Pheed

Pheed is a great app for budding entrepreneurs, but can be incorporated into other business strategies as well. While you can share free content, the platform can also be used to create paid feeds where you can charge a set rate to access your videos, photos, and more. This is great for those who want to offer tutorials or other forms of premium content.

Tumblr

Part social networking, part microblogging platform, Tumblr is like a cross between unique and maybe just a little odd. People love to hop on Tumblr to share and follow blogs, post strange memes, and leave opinionated commentary. That said, they also use the platform to share products and services, ask questions, and make purchasing decisions.

Ask.fm

Users on Ask.fm can ask and answer all sorts of questions. Create a profile and look for questions that pertain to your niche or area of expertise. You can post answers in the form of text or video, establishing your brand as an authority in your field.

About.me

Having a profile on About.me is sort of like having an online business card. This platform has been around for ages and is still underutilized. Create a profile, connect your resume, and let people know what you’re about. You can view other profiles and track statistics on who visited your page.

Rounds

This is a cool app that makes it easy to have live voice and text chats with small groups of people. You can see each other, play games together, or create extra visual content and photos, even if you aren’t all in the same place. Brands can use this type of app to communicate internally or with those who are telecommuting.

It can even help you cut down on meeting time, but stay connected (and maybe even create some fun visual content for your other social feeds).

There are dozens of social media platforms out there, so don’t get stuck on the idea that you have to focus on Facebook or Twitter. What works best depends on your product, services, target age group, and geographic location.

Marketing in China? You may want to stick with QQ.

Marketing in the US? WhatsApp may be better.

Do your market research and choose a few new apps to either connect with your audience or enhance your business. Just remember, it’s better to develop and learn one platform at a time. Once you have the hang of things, move on to the next. Before you know it, you’ll have a far-reaching network of social channels.

Categories
Digital Marketing

What Does Your “About Us” Page Really Say About Your Brand?

Visit any website and you’re bound to find an “About” or “About Us” page. I don’t know about you, but I love reading this particular piece of content. It gives me a great sense of where a company came from, how it was conceived or inspired, and what the overall mission is.

…Except, of course, when it doesn’t.

Some “About” pages are hastily put together; you can tell the business owner or web developer thought it was the least important element of the site.

That’s definitely not the case – and I want to help you understand why.

Why The “About Us” Page is Important

Generally speaking, you have quite a bit of control over the first impression your visitors get when they land on your website. Unless they landed on your page from a Google search, they’ll likely end up on a landing page or even on a shop page. Beyond that, you have no control over where you visitors go next. Your job is to make sure every page is filled with compelling content.

That said, visitors who go to your “About Us” page are looking for something more. These people are looking for details. They aren’t willing to give their money to just anyone. This is the type of shopper who wants to know the story behind the company, or who wants to better understand a brand’s values, before they spend their dollars. What are they going to see when they land on the page they’re looking for?

The core elements of the “About Us” page need to answer these six common questions (hint: you learned about them in school):

  • Who – Who are the main faces behind the brand? What’s your experience?
  • What – What are you doing?
  • When – When did the brand launch? What’s your history?
  • Where – Where are you located? Where can people buy your offerings?
  • Why – Why should a customer choose you? What sets you apart?
  • How – How do you do what you do? How will you deliver the end product?

Throw in some great visuals, like a short video and some colorful photos, and you’ll be cooking with fire. Anyone who visits your “About Us” page is genuinely interested in your brand. Consider this page an important part of your relationship building efforts.

How to Improve Your “About Us” Page

Now that you know how important your “About Us” page really is, it’s time to take a closer look at what you currently have on your website. This page needs to be informative, establish credibility, and let people know you’re trustworthy.

So how can you make yours better?

Introduce Yourself

If someone were to introduce you at a party, what would they call you? Introduce the people behind the brand — first and last name. Pseudonyms are fine here; plenty of people use them and some businesses models demand more privacy than others. Just don’t leave people wondering who the mystery people are behind the brand.

Establish Your Voice

This isn’t exactly the page where you want to place a piece of tight-knit, SEO-friendly copy. Let your personal voice shine through in the writing.

Don’t get all corporate on your reader! Use humor, if appropriate. Let people get to know you a little bit.

Publish a Photo

This is optional (sort of). Choosing to post a photo of yourself (or you and your co-founders) is great, but I do understand that some people get more than their fair share of personal critique when they share stuff like that on the internet. Use discretion and make the decision that feels best, but don’t be too hard on yourself over it.

People love being able to match a face with a name. If a personal photo doesn’t work, use a real photo of your office building, workspace, or products. No matter what, do your best to avoid stock images on this particular page.

Talk About Your Why

You hear this often – especially online. People want to know what motivates you, whether it’s your family, a charitable cause, or something else. Your why appeals to people’s emotions and adds to the human element of your company.

Incorporate Social Proof

Yes, you can (and should) showcase your awards, positive reviews, and even media mentions. Allowing the public to see these things isn’t bragging. Social proof shows people you have a great reputation and helps build trust. You can certainly have a separate page for awards, but at least some should appear on the “About Us” page. Link from here to the full page if you’d like to showcase more.

Don’t Forget Your Customer

They’re what this is all about, right?

Let your potential customers know what you can do for them. Make sure your “About Us” page gives them a bird’s-eye view of your capabilities. What can you do for them? How will you make their lives easier? Do you have statistics that can backup your claims? Offer specific, measurable, statistics that prove what you can accomplish on behalf of your customers.

Don’t Be Too Modest

In other words, get over your hesitation to talk about yourself. Be proud of your accomplishments and what you’ve done with your business. The more fun you have talking about yourself, the more relatable your description of your business will be. Your personality will shine through.

They key to an amazing “About Us” page is to remember your inquisitive visitor. They aren’t on this particular page because you forced them there (or at least I hope you’re not). They’re on this page because they have chosen to learn more about you, your history, and your amazing story. Leave the fluff out, but don’t get too self-absorbed. Don’t throw up a simple paragraph or worry about making this page sound super professional and “corporate.” Give your potential customers a glimpse into the soul of your business. They’ll appreciate your honesty and transparency, and you’re almost guaranteed a new fan!

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