How To Hire For Social Media Roles https://ift.tt/2w46zvj Modern companies can’t afford to have a lackluster social media presence if they want to remain competitive for very long, but having an amazing social media page that lures in droves of customers is easier said than done. Many entrepreneurs refuse to avoid hiring a social media guru because they don’t know how to begin doing so in the first place, which is understandable but nevertheless a costly mistake that’s going to come back to haunt you. There’s no need to allow your company to wallow in digital stagnation. Hiring a social media expert could be what turns things around for your ailing business. Here’s what to consider when hiring for social media roles, and what terrible mistakes to avoid as you do so. Investing in expertise It’s important to understand that when you hire somebody for a social media role, you’re investing in their expertise. Many individuals, especially those who don’t spend a lot of time on popular social media platforms, may have a low opinion of these platforms and the people who are familiar with them. Despite the possibility that you may personally distaste social media, it’s imperative to recognize that it’s a huge aspect of the modern world and not something that you can afford to ignore. What’s more important is the fact that you can’t properly master social media and its commercial potential without having somebody who’s intimately familiar with its ins and outs on your team. So, how should you hire a social media guru? First and foremost, know that there are perils to outsourcing your social media to a lackluster individual who lacks the appropriate credentials for the job. You should thus consider an internal hire, especially if you have low-ranking employees who have demonstrated that they have what it takes to learn and grow when it comes to their role within the company. By promoting an existing employee who has the tech savvy and social media familiarity needed to succeed in this role, you’ll also be guaranteeing that your new digital guru is already familiar with your company culture and the image you try to put out for yourself. If you want experts who can lead customers to informative sites like Ecigclick that will convince them to spend more money on your business, you need to pay for them, too. Don’t think that you can pay pennies for a social media presence and expect anything in return. Treat this like a real, serious position similar to your advertising or HR team, as social media fulfills the dual function of marketing your business to new consumers while also managing how consumers react to and engage with your brand image. It should thus be of little surprise that the common tips for hiring a social media manager include hiring someone who “gets” your brand. If they don’t vibe well with your employees or with your vision for the company’s future, they may not have what it takes to meet the demands of this increasingly important position. Mistakes to avoid Whatever you do, don’t consider somebody to be a social media expert just because they’re young. While young people did grow up with social media and may be more comfortable with it, you want to hire somebody who has the right credentials for the job. This isn’t to say that youthful individuals will be disqualified, but rather than youth in and of itself isn’t a credential which should be championed. When hiring a social media agency, rather than an individual, other rookie mistakes that you can commit include not reviewing their case studies or investing in a company that’s almost entirely new on the marketplace. When hiring for social media roles, don’t be afraid to closely assess the portfolios of the individuals seeking the position to determine how their past work meets your standards (or doesn’t). You should also familiarize yourself with what they consider to be key metrics. If you’re looking for increased user engagement with your posts but they only care about the total views your posts receive, it’s a sign you may be operating under a different philosophy as to which metrics are important. Now that you know which mistakes to avoid, you can confidently make social media hires in 2020 without having to worry about your decision backfiring. The post How To Hire For Social Media Roles appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog February 25, 2020 at 10:30AM
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How to Use TikTok Challenges for Business https://ift.tt/2T0GIgV Wondering how to get more exposure for your brand on TikTok? Have you considered a TikTok challenge? In this article, you’ll learn how to use TikTok challenges for your business. What Is a TikTok Challenge?TikTok is quickly becoming the social media platform of the moment, with recent statistics showing the app has now been downloaded over 1.5 billion times globally. And while TikTok advertising is still gaining traction, there’s plenty of opportunity for brands of all sizes to run a new form of campaign centered around what’s known as a TikTok challenge. If you’ve been on the internet for a while, you’ll recognize classic memes like an “arrow to the knee” (Skyrim), cereal guy, and “Brace yourself, winter is coming,” just to name a few. TikTok challenges are inspired by meme culture. Memes are ingrained in social media marketing, with more brands than ever jumping on the meme bandwagon when they spot an up-and-coming trend. Think back to earlier this year—did you post something for the #DollyPartonChallenge when that went viral? I sure did. Most social media memes consist of a combination of text and imagery to convey an idea or theme, but TikTok has brought with it (continuing what Vine started) a new type of meme: video memes. TikTok challenges, both organic and sponsored, are often a combination of three elements: text, sound, and movement (usually a choreographed dance). They can be started by individuals, usually TikTokers or influencers with many followers, or by brands that have invested in TikTok advertising. Generation Z, the largest demographic on TikTok, grew up in the golden era of the internet and have a knack for identifying trending memes and recreating them. It’s what has made TikTok and TikTok challenges so appealing to this younger audience. For brands that want to appeal to Generation Z, TikTok should be a priority, and with it, TikTok challenges. The driving force behind the creation of any good challenge is the sound, or audio element. TikTok offers a variety of sounds on the platform to choose from, as well as custom sounds created and uploaded by users, both influencers and everyday users of the app. Some of the best TikTok sounds are pulled from movies, viral YouTube videos, and music (including chart-topping hits and indie songwriters). The #Frozen2Challenge videos are a perfect example of a snippet of sound from a movie being used to create a TikTok video meme. Now let’s look at how you can get started with TikTok challenges. #1: Participate in a Popular Existing TikTok ChallengeThere are plenty of unbranded, organic TikTok challenges that businesses can jump on board with as a method of “trend jacking” to attract followers and potential customers. Just like recreating the Dolly Parton challenge, you can gain TikTok clout simply by creating a video based on a trending challenge. To make an impact with organic TikTok challenges, it’s important to keep an eye out for burgeoning trends so you can create your own video in a timely manner. Here are three ways to find a challenge that fits your brand: Look on the For You page: When you sign up for a TikTok account, your For You page will already be filled with suggestions for content you’ll enjoy. This page will change over time as you begin following accounts, kind of like Instagram’s Explore page. Checking in with your For You page regularly (and making sure to follow TikTok influencers your target market follows) will help you identify up-and-coming challenges that are worth recreating on your business account. Look at trending sounds on TikTok: Another way to find trending TikTok challenges is by going to the Sounds section of the app. Here, you’ll see a list of the top trending sounds. After tapping on a sound, you’ll see videos that have been created using that sound. Look through the videos using those sounds and see if any share common elements. Watch for repeated movements like dance moves or editing tricks. Watch TikTok compilations on YouTube: Jenna Marbles, an early YouTube star and a seeker of strange challenges (she turned her hair into a hot wheels track twice), has recently started sharing her own TikTok compilations. This type of content is really heating up on YouTube and it’s only just beginning. To save time as a social media professional or business owner, you could check out a couple of the top TikTok compilations for inspiration and research. You’ll probably get a laugh out of it, too! Tips to Film Your TikTok Challenge VideoIf you’re looking to participate in an existing organic TikTok challenge to grow your following, don’t fall into the trap of always going with your first concept. There are multiple different ways you can interpret a meme that’s relevant to your audience. It’s your job to come up with the most entertaining option. Make a list of potential concepts and run them past people on your team. Film a couple, edit them together, and compare them. Go with the one that gets the most laughs while remaining relevant to your target audience. When you film your TikTok challenge video, there are two ways to go about it. The first option is to use TikTok’s video functionality to record your content while the pre-selected TikTok sound plays through your phone speakers. This approach is especially useful if you’re lip-syncing to a song or movie clip. Your other option is to film your video using a DSLR or your standard smartphone camera. I filmed a TikTok challenge submission using this method and found it quite difficult. The video required a lot of takes to get the movement in sync with the audio from the Daft Punk song.
If you’re participating in an organic TikTok challenge, make sure to use the same audio clip as other challenge videos. You can find this out by looking at the bottom of videos in the TikTok challenge hashtag. When editing your content, be mindful of the sound levels in your original video (background noise). You don’t want the TikTok sound to be drowned out by people talking in the background or a noisy coffee machine. TikTok has a variety of video editing tools that let you add filters, stickers, text, and video transitions that will enhance the overall quality of your challenge video. Some challenges even incorporate a particular TikTok video effect, like the example at the end of this article. #2: Launch Your Own Branded TikTok Challenge CampaignA crucial element of developing your own TikTok challenge is context. While there are plenty of rolling-on-the-floor-laughing video memes you might create with movie sound clips, make sure you’ve got the context right. For instance, if you’re promoting your skincare products to women in Generation Z, consider using clips of recent chart-topping music that have a theme of beauty or female empowerment. Or make a list of the fandoms and movies with a beauty theme that your target audience would have grown up watching that will be nostalgic for them—think Mean Girls and The Princess Diaries. Short sound clips from existing content with context to your industry and audience can take your TikTok challenge idea from “meh” to “wow” in an instant. Plan Your TikTok Challenge CampaignWhen planning your branded challenge campaign, first consider the main objective. Do you want to let your target market know you’re on TikTok so you can gain followers? Are you hoping to drive sales for a new product you’re launching? Decide what your main campaign objective is and what methods you’ll use to track success—everything from Google Analytics goal completions to total uses of an exclusive promo code. Once you’re set on your objective, think about how you’ll promote your challenge. Here are some of your options:
Using what you know about meme culture and what you’ve learned from the top branded TikTok challenges, come up with a few different concepts for your challenge. When you’ve narrowed down your list of options, come up with challenge hashtag ideas that correlate with the message of your meme. Pro Tip: Be sure to do your research on TikTok before settling on your final choice of TikTok challenge hashtag. While it’s still early days, your hashtag idea may have already been taken. Plan Your TikTok Challenge ContentNow that you have a clear idea of what you’re hoping to get out of your TikTok challenge, it’s time to work out how to tell an entertaining story through your video. You have to get to the point fast and create something repeatable. It’s important to keep imitation in mind. If you make your challenge too difficult for people to recreate (i.e., too high of a budget or too many dance moves), your target market is less likely to participate in the challenge, ultimately diluting the effectiveness of your campaign. To visualize this, let’s take a look at an organic TikTok challenge that swept the platform thanks to influencers and everyday people posting their own videos imitating the meme. In the video below, Karen Sutherland, a PR and social media lecturer, participates in the challenge with a video that mimics the player selection screen that usually appears in video games.
If you analyze this challenge, it’s easy to see why it was a success. Due to the demographic split of TikTok users, you can assume that most people on the platform have played a video game before. The sound used in the video was uploaded by a TikTok user, but it only gained popularity once it was paired with the up-and-down movement that mimics the way digital characters are displayed on most player selection screens. The video meme comes full circle and becomes repeatable when text is added to indicate the characteristics or abilities of the “player” in the video. In this case, the player is known to be a University Lecturer, as identified in the black-and-white text at the top of the text overlay. Choose a TikTok SoundYour TikTok challenge sound could be your own original sound or a sound clip from a pop-culture staple like a movie or TV show you’ve come across on the platform. Consider the movies, viral videos, and hit songs that feature words and phrases that make sense for your industry. Choreograph Your TikTok Challenge MovementIt will look a bit strange if there’s no focal point in your challenge. Whether it’s a person, a group of people, a pet, or an inanimate object like Haribo’s gummy bears, you need to decide on the star of your video. If you want your challenge to be easy for others to recreate and for it to truly take shape as a video meme, it’s best to make your focal point an individual person or a small group of two to three people. The people (or inanimate objects) in your video will also need to be moving. It could be a slight movement or a short choreographed dance. Get creative for this part! Create and Publish Your TikTok Challenge VideoOnce you’ve got your movement, sound, and concept ready to go, you’re ready to start filming. It may take you a while to get the perfect shot but it’ll be well worth it in the end. When you’re happy with your video (or multiple short video clips), jump into the editing tools to start creating your masterpiece. While you could edit your videos using professional video editing software, your challenge will be more relatable and feel more native to the platform if you use the in-app editing tools. You can save your TikTok videos (and video captions) as drafts until you’re ready to post them. When the moment arrives, just go to your drafts section and make sure you add a few hashtags—and most importantly, your TikTok challenge hashtag! Then tap Post. Explore a Successful Branded TikTok ChallengeThe branded TikTok challenge from the blockbuster movie sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level, was popularized using paid advertising methods rather than pure organic growth. Here’s a quick analysis of this branded challenge. Objective: The main objective of the Jumanji challenge was to promote the launch of the movie sequel, particularly to the younger demographic on TikTok. Concept: In the Jumanji: The Next Level movie, the storyline has a plot twist where the main characters in the game experience a glitch and swap bodies or turn into entirely new characters. In a TikTok video, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson explained that users could participate in the challenge by filming a video using the challenge sound and “transforming” into something or someone else with the power of editing. They also had to use the challenge hashtag. Here’s a TikTok challenge submission from an influencer working on the ad campaign.
Sound: The audio used for the Jumanji challenge is the perfect representation of the movie itself. There are bird noises throughout, a suspenseful beat, and a distinct noise intended to be used when the transformation takes place during the video. Movement: Because this was a carefully coordinated advertising campaign, the Jumanji challenge came with its own AR video effect that TikTokers could use to perfectly imitate the meme. TikTok challenge hashtag: #JumanjiChallenge ConclusionOverall, TikTok presents an exciting opportunity for brands looking to engage with and attract a Generation Z audience. The app is continuing to grow in popularity globally and is a platform that can help you gain relevance with the next generation of consumers. Now that you know what a TikTok challenge is and the different ways you can get involved as a brand, from trend jacking to running an advertising campaign, you’re well-equipped to start creating content on TikTok. Get Expert Social Media Marketing Training!Want to keep ahead of your competitors? Need to master a social platform? Discover how to improve your social media marketing at Social Media Marketing World 2020, brought to you by your friends at Social Media Examiner. You’ll rub shoulders with the biggest names and brands in social media, soak up countless tips and new strategies, and enjoy extensive networking opportunities . Don’t miss the industry’s largest conference. Get in early for big discounts. Event starts Sunday, March 1, 2020.CLICK HERE TO LEARN MOREWhat do you think? What types of challenges has your business participated in? Will you create your own challenge? Share your thoughts in the comments below. More articles on marketing on TikTok:Social Media via Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner https://ift.tt/1LtH18p February 25, 2020 at 05:06AM
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3 Options for Domain Registration in 2020 https://ift.tt/2HUBmNu I’ve registered hundreds of domain names over the years. During that time, I bought a domain from virtually every platform in existence. Some experiences were great, others were awful, and the majority fell somewhere in the middle. Whether you’re buying a domain for the first time or looking for an alternative solution from your last registration, you need to understand that you have options. Where can you register a domain name? The choices can be segmented into three categories:
I’ll show you the difference between these options and point out the top platforms within each category. Use this guide to learn the best way to buy a domain name. 1. Domain RegistrarAs the name implies, a domain registrar’s primary function is domain name registration. There are some registrars that provide additional services as well, such as hosting plans or website builders. But the best domain registrars specialize as platforms to buy a domain name. Let’s review four of the top domain registrar services on the market today. Domain.comDomain.com is the best domain registrar for first-time and experienced buyers alike. The process is simple, straightforward, and the registrar provides exceptional service. You can register a .com domain for just $9.99 per year with Domain.com. During the checkout process, this registrar gives you the ability to buy your domain for up to five years. I love this feature because you won’t have to worry about renewing every year. When you register a domain, your name and address become available to the public. Domain.com offers privacy and protection for $8.99 per year per domain. If you’re registering a domain under a company name (that’s what I do), you can skip this. Otherwise, you’ll definitely want to add the privacy and protection. Some domain registrars offer this for free, but it’s worth paying a little extra for the personal privacy. Domain.com hits with you additional upsells throughout the checkout process. This is pretty standard practice in the domain registrar industry. I’d skip the add-ons. Things like an SSL certificate and SiteLock should come standard from your web hosting provider. Registering a domain from Domain.com takes less than a minute. It’s the perfect registrar for those of you who plan to buy multiple domain names. Domain.com also has exceptional 24/7 customer support, making it a top choice for domain transfers as well. NamecheapNamecheap is another top choice to consider for domain registration. More than 10 million domains have been registered through this platform. The process is easy for someone who has never bought a domain before. Namecheap has .com domains available for $8.88 per year. They also offer free privacy and protection, which is a nice bonus since it’s something you’ll likely need to have. Like most domain registrars, Namecheap offers a wide range of upsells during the checkout process. Since you’re getting privacy and protection for free, you can skip everything else. Namecheap has an excellent knowledge base of resources if you need some assistance. Live chat is available 24/7, and their support team provides ticket response times under two hours. With a simple process, free privacy protection, and outstanding support, Namecheap delivers everything you want and need in a domain registrar. NameSiloIf you’re looking for a no-frills domain registrar, NameSilo has you covered. As you can see from the screenshot above, their website is very outdated. But this hasn’t stopped them from becoming one of the most popular domain registrars in the world. Buying a .com domain from NameSilo starts at $8.99 per year. You’ll benefit from bundle discounts if you’re registering more than 50 domains in a single order. NameSilo lets you search for up to 500 domains simultaneously. You can even upload a list of domains from your computer to save you time. If the outdated interface doesn’t bother you, NameSilo will be a top choice for those of you who want to buy multiple domains at the same time. There are barely any upsells during the checkout process. WHOIS privacy and protection is free, and ICANN fees are included in the total. You can be out the door for $8.99 per year per domain. NameSilo allows you to enable auto renew as well, so you won’t have to worry about the name lapsing if you forget to do so manually. 2. Web Hosting ProviderEvery website needs to be hosted. So once you register a domain name, the next step is finding a web hosting provider. With that said, some hosting providers let you register a domain directly from through their platform. If you’re planning to register multiple domains over time, use a domain registrar. But if you just need one domain, you can save some money by bundling your hosting and registration together. Bluehost is the best web hosting provider for domain registration bundles. It’s what I recommend the most. But if you’re set on using another hosting provider, there are a few other platforms that deliver decent deals and service for hosting and domain registration. BluehostEven though Bluehost is a web hosting provider, you can still purchase a domain directly from them without using their hosting services. However, I don’t recommend this. A .com domain from Bluehost is $11.99 per year. Privacy and protection is $11.88 per year. For the same price, I can register two domains from a domain registrar and still have change to spare. However, you can get a free domain name from Bluehost if you bundle your domain registration with their hosting services. The process is extremely simple. Just choose your web hosting plan, and Bluehost will prompt you to register a new domain. If you follow these steps, your domain will be free for the first year. You’ll still have to pay $11.88 per year for privacy and protection. Bluehost provides a free SSL certificate, one-click WordPress installs, and 24/7 support. Bluehost is the best web hosting provider on the market today, and it’s the only web host I actually recommend for domain registration. DreamhostDreamhost is another top consideration for web hosting. While it’s not as popular as their web hosting products, Dreamhost does offer domain registration services. You can get a .com domain with Dreamhost for $7.99 per year. This includes free privacy and protection. Furthermore, Dreamhost has more than 400 TLDs, with .xyz extensions as low as $0.89 per year. While $7.99 for a .com domain is definitely a great deal, there is a catch. Your domain will renew at $15.99 per year. I really can’t justify this price, especially from a platform that specializes in web hosting, not domain registration. HostGatorHostGator is another well-known web hosting provider. In fact, they rank high on my list of the best cloud hosting services. In addition to web hosting, HostGator offers a wide range of other services, including a site builder and domain registration. You can register a .com domain with HostGator for $12.95 per year. While it’s a bit high compared to the domain registrars we reviewed, it’s just the introductory offer. The price actually jumps up to $17.99 per year upon renewal. Privacy and protection is an additional $14.95 per year. So your initial registration comes to $27.90 and will renew at $32.94 per year. I could get three domains from Domain.com, Namecheap, and NameSilo, for the same price. So can you get a domain name from HostGator? Yes, the option is available. But I really don’t see any reason why you would. SiteGroundSiteGround is one of the most popular and well-known web hosting providers on the market today. The platform also has domain registration services, although I can’t say I recommend it. You can register a .com domain from SiteGround for $15.95 per year. That’s nearly double the price of Namecheap’s registration, and there’s still a catch. You’re only able to use SiteGround for domain registration if you have a SiteGround web hosting plan. So if you wanted to buy a domain from SiteGround and host your site elsewhere, that’s not an option. For those of you looking to bundle domain registration with web hosting, you’re much better off using Bluehost. With Bluehost, you’ll get a free domain for the first year, which is not available with SiteGround. 3. Website BuilderMost people don’t associate website builders with domain registration. Similar to web hosting, I normally wouldn’t recommend buying a domain from anywhere other than a registrar. But with that said, there are a handful of site builders offering domain registration services. These are some of the best website builders to consider for buying a domain name. WixWix is best known for its simple drag-and-drop website builder. If you don’t know how to code and you’re creating a website from scratch, Wix is a top choice to consider. You can’t exclusively buy a domain using Wix. You’ll need to bundle your domain registration with their website builder. With that said, there are two ways to get a free domain with this platform. Every Wix site comes with a free Wix subdomain. Without spending anything, you can have a domain in the following format: wixusername.wixsite.com/yourdomain I don’t recommend this to anyone unless you’re just experimenting with the Wix platform. Once you’re ready to take things to the next level, you’ll need to register your own domain. Wix also offers a free domain for one year with all paid site builder plans. Privacy and protection is included free as well. You could even bundle your web hosting through them, although I can’t endorse that option. SquarespaceSquarespace is another one of my favorite website builders. It’s great for beginners and people with an eye for great design. But like Wix, getting a domain from Squarespace means you’ll have to bundle it with a site-building plan. All Squarespace annual plans come with a free custom domain name for the first year. WHOIS privacy and protection is included. Additional domains can be purchased between $20 and $70 per year, depending on the extension. Those prices are outrageous if you compare them to the domain registrars that we reviewed earlier. If you need to buy more than one domain, this is not the platform to do so. I would only consider registering a domain with Squarespace if you need one domain, you’re using the site builder, and you think it’s easier to purchase everything from one provider. Just know that you could run into problems if you need to transfer your domain and website to another platform in the future. WordPressWordPress is the world’s largest CMS platform. We use WordPress here at Quick Sprout to power our website. This website builder is best for those of who are comfortable with coding and want to get the most out of your site’s content. Although WordPress does have plugins that allow drag-and-drop building capabilities. You can also use WordPress to buy a domain. The domain will automatically be connected to your website, and renewals get handled through your WordPress account. While it may be tempting to get a domain directly from WordPress, it’s not the most convenient procedure. You’ll have to go through a six-step process, which includes creating your WordPress account. Plus, the domain registration is a bit pricey. A .com domain from WordPress costs $18 per year, which is more than double the price of the cheapest domain registrars. WeeblyWeebly is a website builder geared toward ecommerce sites. Compared to some of the other website builders out there, registering a domain name with Weebly isn’t the worst idea. Two of Weebly’s premium plans (Professional and Performance) come with a free domain for one year with an annual contract. Those plans start at $12 and $26 per month, respectively. You can use Weebly to register a domain without a site builder plan. The nice part about using Weebly for domain registration is that you’ll save money by registering for longer periods of time.
But even though you can save up to 37% off with an extended registration, the ten-year price is still more expensive than NameCheap, NameSilo, and Domain.com. How to Find the Best Place to Buy a DomainWith so many options to choose from, finding the best place to buy a domain can be challenging. There are certain features and elements that must be taken into consideration when you’re evaluating a prospective platform to buy a domain. This is the methodology that we used to narrow the search. Price and Contract TermsThe price should always be the first thing you look at. If all of these platforms are basically offering the same thing, it makes sense to go with one that’s cost-effective. Don’t just look at the cheapest extensions. Always compare the prices for .com domains, since that’s what you should be registering. Look at the length of your contract. Some providers will require a minimum registration period, such as one or two years. Others will offer discounts for long-term registration. Keep an eye out for additional fees. Most add-ons you’ll be able to ignore. But you’ll definitely want to get WHOIS privacy and protection. This comes free with your registration on some platforms, but others upcharge for it. Make sure that your contract makes it easy for you to renew your domain. Look for automatic renewals or contracts giving you a grace period after the domain expires, in case you forget to renew manually. Domain TransfersIf you’re unhappy with your domain registrar, for any reason, you might want to transfer your domain in the future. You cannot transfer a domain within the first 60 days of registration. However, you’re free to do what you want with your domain after that. Just make sure that your registrar makes transferring easy for you. Platforms like GoDaddy, have a reputation for throttling down outgoing transfers. So always check customer reviews about the transfer process before you settle. The best domain registrars make transfers easy and don’t impose any extra fees. Additional ServicesAs you’ve seen from this guide, you can get a domain name from a wide range of platforms. Some of those platforms specialize in additional services, like web hosting or website builders. The ability to bundle multiple services shouldn’t sway you toward one provider over another. Most providers are better at one service compared to the other. Just because a platform is one of the best website builders, it doesn’t mean they have a flawless domain registration process. In many cases, domain registration is more expensive from website builders and hosting providers. Some of these platforms let you to buy a domain independently from their primary services, while others force you to bundle everything. Sometimes it’s worth it to go with a service bundle. For example, Bluehost gives you a free domain for one year when you sign up for a web hosting plan. Support and User ExperienceRegistering a domain name shouldn’t be complicated. If a platform is making you jump through hoops, it’s probably best to look elsewhere. Most of the time, you should be able to register a domain in a minute or two, at most. If you’re interested in buying dozens or even hundreds of domains simultaneously, look for platforms that support those needs. In some cases, you may want to request some assistance. Although this usually won’t be required unless you’re transferring a domain. In any event, you’ll want to make sure that the platform provides excellent customer service to assist you with transfers or whatever else you need help with. ConclusionThere are three main options for buying a domain; domain registrars, web hosting providers, and website builders. Within each category, you’ll have tons of different providers to choose from. Buying a domain from a domain registrar like Domain.com will almost always be your best option. These providers specialize in domain registration, so you’ll get the best price, quality, and customer service here. Plus, domain registrars won’t force you to bundle your registration with another service. Using Bluehost to bundle your domain registration with web hosting is the only time that I’d consider bundling services. That’s because Bluehost gives you a free domain for one year when you sign up for a hosting plan. Other providers have similar offers, but overall, they fall short in one category or the other. Social Media via Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/UU7LJr February 24, 2020 at 09:44AM Best Business Checking Accounts for 2020 https://ift.tt/2SRE8cK Every business needs a checking account. Whether you’re running a startup, small business, single-member sole proprietorship, or side hustle, you’ll need to separate your business transactions from your personal finances. For the most part, a business checking account functions very similarly to a personal checking account. However, business checking accounts typically have extra fees, minimum balance requirements, and monthly transaction limits. So before you open a new account, it’s important that you find a bank that meets the needs of your business. Top 10 Best Business Checking Accounts For 2020There are hundreds, if not thousands, of business checking accounts on the market today. From small local banks to large national chains and online-only banking, there are really only ten accounts that I would consider.
The majority of these are free business checking accounts. Some do have a monthly fee, but it’s fairly easy to get those waived by meeting reasonable requirements. I’ll give you an in-depth review of the top business checking accounts below. We’ll cover the top features, benefits, prices, and any potential drawbacks that should be taken into consideration. The Best Business Checking Account ReviewsChase Total Business CheckingChase Total Business Checking is perfect for entrepreneurs and small business owners. You’ll have access to 4,900 branches and 16,000 ATMs throughout the country. There is a $15 service fee associated with the account. But the fee waived if you maintain a $1,500 minimum daily balance or link a personal Chase checking account. Top benefits and highlights of Chase Total Business Checking include:
You can earn $200 by opening a Chase business checking account. Simply deposit $1,000 within the first 20 days, and make five qualifying transactions while maintaining that balance for 60 days. Overall, this account stands out for its outstanding 24/7 customer support to business owners. Chase has all of the tools you need to manage your growing business, including some of the best business credit cards on the market today. Citizens Bank Clearly Better Business CheckingFor those of you seeking a free business checking account, look no further than Citizens Clearly Better Business Checking. You won’t have to worry about meeting any minimum balance requirements because there are no maintenance fees. This makes Clearly Better Business Checking a top choice for business owners who maintain a lower bank balance. Other top features include:
One potential drawback of Citizens Bank is its size. While the company has more than 1,000 branches and 3,100+ ATMs nationwide, most of them are located on the east coast. So if you’ll need to visit a branch, for anything, verify that there is a Citizens Bank near your business before opening an account. Unlike other business checking accounts, Citizens does not offer a sign-up incentive for Clearly Better Business Checking. NovoNovo is an alternative to traditional banking. It’s an online-exclusive business checking account intended for freelancers and entrepreneurs. I’d recommend Novo to any business owner seeking a straightforward solution with transparent pricing and no hidden fees. You can apply for a Novo account in less than ten minutes online. These are some of the notable highlights for Novo business checking:
Novo lets you open a new business checking account with just $50. This is a modern banking solution. You can integrate your account with Zapier, Xero, Slack, and other tools that your small business is currently using. Like any online-only bank, you can’t walk into a physical branch. So if your business has in-person banking needs, then Novo isn’t for you. However, Novo will reimburse you for ATM fees imposed by other banks. So you’ll still be able to access cash from anywhere without paying an extra fee. TD Business Convenience Checking PlusYou can open a TD Business Convenience Checking Plus account with just $100. However, you’ll need to maintain a $1,500 daily balance to waive the $25 monthly maintenance fee. If you link a personal checking account to your Business Checking Plus account, TD Bank counts your combined balance between the two accounts toward the daily minimum. So this is a great choice for business owners who already have an account at TD Bank. Let’s review some of the account benefits:
While TD Business Convenience Checking Plus does have a high maintenance fee, you’ll benefit from more free monthly transactions. For comparison purposes, Chase Total Business Checking has a $15 fee for just 100 free transactions each month. Plus, it’s easy to waive TD’s $25 fee by maintaining a low combined balance between two accounts. Even though you’re limited to $5,000 free cash deposits each month, you’re only charged $0.25 per $100 thereafter. So an additional $5,000 cash deposited in a cycle ($10,000 total) would cost you $12.50. That’s just 0.13% of your deposits, which is next to nothing. TD Bank gives you access to other services, like merchant solutions, business loans, and business lines of credit. US Bank Silver Business CheckingUS Bank Silver Business Checking is 100% free. They do impose a $5 monthly fee for paper statements, but you can waive that charge by going paperless. Here’s an overview of the account benefits:
One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the strange wording US Bank uses to limit cash deposits. The account allows 25 “units” of free cash deposits each billing cycle. After reading the fine print, you’ll learn that a unit is calculated by dividing each deposit by 100 and rounding the value to the closest whole number. Here’s an example. Let’s say you deposit $920. 920 100 =9.2 Round 9.2 down to 9, and you just used 9 of your 25 credits for the month. This credit system is a complex way of saying you’ll get up to $2,500 in free cash deposits each billing cycle. So if you’re making cash deposits on a regular basis, this account might not be the best option for you. Huntington Unlimited Business CheckingHuntington Unlimited Business Checking is a top option for larger organizations. If you have a higher monthly transaction volume, some of the other accounts on our list won’t fit your needs. The top features and benefits of Unlimited Business Checking from Huntington include:
Huntington does charge a $20 monthly maintenance fee for this account. But it’s waived with a $10,000 combined balance between all of your eligible Huntington Bank accounts. With an Unlimited Business Checking account, Huntington Bank allows you to choose one of the following bonus services as well:
This bank also has a tool called “The Hub” for business checking accounts. It comes with several digital tools for things like cash positioning and cash flow forecasting. The Hub is a great resource for managing your revenue and expenses. Navy Federal Business CheckingNavy Federal Business Checking is a top choice to consider if you or someone in your family is a member of the armed forces, National Guard, or DoD. It’s a straightforward and basic account, best for startups with a low transaction volume. The best part about this account is that it’s 100% free. You’ll never be charged a monthly maintenance or service fee. Your first 30 non-electronic transactions are free. After that, it’s $0.25 for any in-branch deposits, withdrawals, or transfers. But you can deposit up to 12 checks at the same time, and it will count as a single transaction. Another reason why I like Navy Federal Business Checking is because they have other banking solutions to meet your needs as the business grows. Once your banking activity increases, consider upgrading to:
Those accounts cost $8 and $20 per month, respectively. The Premium Checking maintenance fee is waived if you maintain a $5,000 daily balance. Axos Basic Business CheckingAxos is another online-only bank. So if you don’t have any in-person banking needs, you should definitely consider Axos Basic Business Checking. Here’s an overview of the account:
The online and mobile banking solutions from Axos are exceptional, as you would expect from an online-exclusive bank. You can deposit a check from anywhere using your mobile device. Overall, Axos Basic Business Checking is suitable for small business owners with modest banking needs. BBVA Business Connect CheckingBBVA has free banking solutions for small businesses. Sole proprietors can apply online for a BBVA Business Connect Checking account. Other business types need must apply at a branch. Here’s an overview of the account advantages and highlights:
BBVA gives you free unlimited transactions every month, sort of. You’ll get two in-branch deposits, and five in-branch withdrawals or processed checks free each month. All other transactions are unlimited at no charge. You’ll only find BBVA branches in the following states:
However, you’ll have access to a network of 55,000+ ATMs nationwide. That’s because BBVA is an Allpoint partner. There are no ATM fees at Allpoint ATMs and participating 7-Eleven locations. Azlo Business CheckingAzlo Business Checking is a bit unique compared to the other options on our list. This online-only banking solution is made for freelancers and entrepreneurs. The company is very straightforward in saying that they are not right for all businesses. Azlo doesn’t accept cash deposits or offer checkbooks. So it’s only suitable for businesses that send and receive digital payments. With that said, the account definitely has its advantages:
Azlo integrates with platforms like Stripe, PayPal, Square, QuickBooks, and Xero. Overall, Azlo is a modern way for freelancers to access their banking needs online. But it’s definitely not suitable for everyone. How to Find the Best Business Checking Account For YouAll business checking accounts are not created equally. The best choice for one business might not be ideal for yours. This is the methodology that you should use when you’re evaluating business checking accounts. I’ll explain each feature in greater detail below. FeesService fees and monthly maintenance fees are common for business checking accounts. In most cases, these fees fall somewhere in the $10 to $50 range. But there are still plenty of free business banking solutions. In fact, six of the ten accounts on our list don’t have monthly fees. While the remaining four contain fees, you can easily waive them by maintaining a minimum account balance. There’s no reason to pay these fees if you can avoid them. Balance RequirementsSome banks require a minimum opening deposit. So choose a bank with a reasonable opening deposit minimum based on your situation. If you’re launching a startup and don’t have a ton of cash on hand, you can open some accounts with as little as $50 or $100. Some banks don’t require a minimum opening deposit at all. In addition to the opening deposit requirement, some accounts will charge for you falling below a certain minimum daily balance. Make sure that your cash flow is enough to maintain your minimum requirements without getting penalized. Transaction LimitsPersonal checking accounts will rarely if ever, cap the number of transactions you can make in a billing cycle. But that’s not the case for most business checking accounts. Depending on the bank, activities like deposits, withdrawals, and transfers count toward a monthly limit. Some banks will restrict the number of in-person transactions you can make while offering free unlimited electronic transactions. For the most part, free monthly transaction limits start at 100. TD Business Convenience Checking allows for 500 free transactions per month. Other banks give you unlimited transactions, with a few contingencies. You’ll pay a small fee for each transaction over your monthly limit. This is usually somewhere in the $0.25 to $0.50 range. Mobile Banking and Online AccessibilityEvery bank offers some way to access your account online or through a mobile app. But with that said, some of these digital solutions are definitely better than others. Choose a business checking account that lets you deposit checks remotely, set up account alerts, and pay invoices automatically. I do nearly all of my business banking from a mobile app, and I’m sure you’ll want that convenience as well. Branch LocationsSome banks are region-specific, while others are large national chains. It’s important to choose a bank near your business location if you need to access a branch for anything. However, there are several business checking accounts that are online-exclusive. These banks don’t have any physical locations. But those solutions aren’t for everyone. For example, if your business accepts cash, you’ll definitely need access to a physical branch for in-person deposits. Online-only banking is very popular for freelancers and entrepreneurs working remotely and accepting digital payments. Additional Banking ServicesThis may not be important to you immediately, but it’s nice to have a bank that will provide you with additional services as your business grows. Whether it’s merchant services for credit card processing, additional accounts, or a business loan or line of credit, it’s easier to get these from a bank where you have an existing relationship. Always look at what else a bank has to offer beyond your immediate checking account needs today. ConclusionEvery business owner needs a business checking account. But everyone has different banking needs, which is why finding the best business checking solution can be difficult. These are the top ten best business checking accounts on the market today:
There’s an account for every type of business on this list. From freelancers and startups to small businesses and larger organizations with high transaction volumes, I’m confident that you can find a checking account from one of the options above. Social Media via Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/UU7LJr February 24, 2020 at 08:57AM
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How to Analyze Your Facebook Ad Results: 7 Metrics to Track https://ift.tt/2PiN3lu Do you know if your Facebook ads are working? Wondering which key metrics you should be tracking? In this article, you’ll discover seven important Facebook ad metrics you need to know, where to find them in Ads Manager, and what to do when you’re not getting the results you want. #1: Return on Ad SpendReturn on ad spend (ROAS) is the amount of revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. And, in a nutshell, it’s the metric to use to instantly understand your Facebook and Instagram advertising results. I think of it as the Holy Grail of ad metrics—making sure that every dollar you invest in your advertising efforts is returning you (at minimum) a dollar back in revenue. The formula for calculating ROAS is simple: Revenue ÷ Ad Spend = ROAS. You determine your total revenue generated according to the Facebook pixel (under the purchase conversion value column in Ads Manager) and divide it by the total ad spend it took to generate that revenue. Let me illustrate: You sold 10 units of a $27 product from your Facebook ad sequences last week, bringing in $270 of revenue. To make those sales, you spent $54 on Facebook ads. Revenue ÷ Ad Spend = ROAS $270 ÷ $54 =5x The x is a multiple of 1. In this case, every time you gave the Facebook ATM a dollar, it spits back $5 in revenue—or 5 times $1. If you’re anything like me, you’d love to have a bank machine that spits out $5 bills each time you made a $1 deposit but that’s not always the case in the Facebook advertising world. Pay attention to your ROAS to make sure your ads are profitable. When your ROAS is positive (a multiple greater than 1), your advertising dollars are earning more revenue than the amount spent on advertising. Otherwise stated: You’re making money. When your ROAS is negative (a multiple less than 1), you’re spending more on advertising than the amount of revenue generated. Otherwise stated: You’re losing money. Notice the above calculation didn’t factor in other costs of doing business like your team expenses, tools and software, and storefront (whether a physical location or a digital storefront like a website). I recommend that you factor in the rest of your variable expenses when calculating your ROAS to get an overall return on investment (ROI). To do that, take the total amount of Facebook ad spend plus the rest of your expenses and divide that into your total revenue: Revenue ÷ (Ad Spend + Expenses) = ROI It’s easiest to break down your ad spend costs and expenses in a monthly cadence; to visualize this, calculating January’s revenue and then dividing that by the sum of January’s ad spend and the rest of the expenses for that month. Going back to the earlier example, you spent $54 on ads last week to generate $270 in revenue. And you also incurred $73 of other variable costs. If you plug those numbers into the formula above, your ROI is 2.13x. $270 ÷ ($54 + $73) = 2.13x For every dollar you spent, you earned $2.13. #2: Purchase Conversion ValueFacebook’s purchase conversion metric tracks the total value of purchases made from your advertising efforts. In fact, Facebook makes it crazy easy to understand the total revenue generated from your ads by showing the purchase conversion value inside Ads Manager. You can manually calculate this number by going into your PayPal account or even your cash register and determining that the revenue came from this ad. However, the simplest way to calculate purchase conversion value is by having the Facebook pixel installed. Installing the pixel involves adding a small snippet of code to your website that lets Facebook know that this ad resulted in that revenue. If you don’t already have your Facebook pixel installed, don’t worry! This video walks you through the process:
To manually calculate your purchase conversion value, take the number of items sold and multiply that by their purchase price. # of Items Sold x Item Cost = Purchase Conversion Value In the previous example, you sold 10 items that cost $27 each so the purchase conversion value is $270: 10 x $27 = $270 The purchase conversion value is then used to calculate ROAS along with your ad spend. Everything might be fine and dandy if your purchase conversion value is positive but what if it’s a big fat zero? That means your Facebook ads aren’t working. If your Facebook ads are working and you’re making sales, the purchase conversion value will be a positive number. But if you see zero, it typically means there’s something wrong with your Facebook ads or with the sales process overall. The next metrics we cover will help you identify where the bottlenecks might be. #3: Cost per PurchaseI love looking at the cost per purchase, which is also commonly referred to as the cost per acquisition (CPA). Both phrases can be used interchangeably. Cost per purchase is a quick way to gauge whether you’re selling individual products at a profit or a loss after taking into account your ad spend expense. It tells you the total ad spend required to sell a single unit of product. It can also be used to quickly calculate your profit margin on individual items. With the Facebook pixel installed, Facebook automatically calculates this for you under the Cost per Purchase column in Ads Manager. You can use this number and the purchase conversion value we covered above as an alternative way to determine your ROAS. Let’s illustrate using the numbers in the screenshot above. Purchase Conversion Value ÷ Cost per Purchase = ROAS $1,735.20 ÷ 399.85 = 4.34 Additionally, by subtracting the cost per purchase from the product price, you can determine your profit margin: Product Price – Cost per Purchase = Profit Margin In this example, you spent $54 on Facebook ads last week to sell 10 units. That means your ad spend per unit would be $5.40: $54 ÷ 10 = $5.40 With a product selling for $27 that cost you $5.40 in ad spend, you have a profit margin of $21.60. $27 – $5.40 = $21.60 Remember to take into account your variable expenses so you can understand at a glance if your cost per purchase—what you’re spending to acquire a new customer—is relevant for your business. When your profit margin is a positive number (greater than $0), your advertising dollars are earning more revenue than the amount spent on advertising. Otherwise stated: You’re making money. When your profit margin is a negative number (less than $0), you’re spending more on advertising than the amount of revenue generated. Otherwise stated: You’re losing money. #4: LeadsA lead is a person who shows interest in your brand’s products or services—typically defined as someone who subscribes or opts in with their email address to receive further marketing- and sales-related correspondence. Every new email subscriber would count as a lead. On the flip side, if you’re an eCommerce business that sends people directly to your sales page or online store, you might not have email subscribers. Every new visitor to your online store would count as a link click. #5: Earnings per LeadDepending on which side of the equation you fall on, calculate either your earnings per lead (EPL) or earnings per click (EPC). EPL is the amount of revenue generated divided by the total number of leads it took to generate that revenue. If your business generates leads (or subscribers or opt-ins of some sort) where your sales process naturally happens via email, you’d use EPL. EPC is the amount of revenue generated divided by the total number of website clicks it took to generate that revenue. If you send people directly to your sales page or online store (not selling via email), you’d use EPC. To calculate your EPL or EPC, you need two things:
Now take the purchase conversion value and divide it by the total number of leads (or clicks) to get your EPL or EPC: Purchase Conversion Value ÷ Number of Leads (or Clicks) = Earnings per Lead (or Click) This dollar amount tells you how much every new subscriber who signs up for your email list or enters into your sales process is worth to your business. You can then use this information to estimate how much you’d be willing to spend to acquire a new lead (or click) since you now understand its value to your business. #6: Cost per LeadOn the flipside is cost per lead (CPL). As in the above equation, if your business doesn’t generate leads, replace “lead” with “click” in your calculation. CPL is the amount you spend to acquire a single new lead for your business. To calculate CPL, take the total amount of Facebook ad spend and divide it by the number of leads that ad spend generated: Ad Spend ÷ Number of Leads = Cost per Lead For instance, if you spend $130 to generate 100 leads, your CPL is $1.30: $130 ÷ 100 = $1.30 If your EPL is $2.70 and your CPL is $1.30, you’re earning $1.40 for each new lead who comes into your pipeline. Taking into account your variable expenses, you can determine how many leads you’d need to generate in a given period to hit your revenue and profitability goals. When you use Facebook pixel conversion events, Ads Manager will report this number to you automatically under the Cost per Lead column. #7: Click-Through RateThe metrics we’ve discussed to this point are based on the overall results of your Facebook advertising combined with the efficacy of your sales process. The way to effectively manipulate and optimize your overall advertising results and metrics is to have a strong Facebook advertising strategy in effect that helps you turn attention into revenue (on autopilot). Regardless of your overall sales process, your click-through rate (CTR) is an indicator of how engaging your ad copy and creative are to the audience you’re targeting with your Facebook ads. Facebook has two different CTR metrics:
When running feed ads, I typically aim for a CTR of greater than 1.5%. If the link CTR is less than 1.5%, I’d typically recommend you go back and edit the ad copy and creative. Right-hand column ads, on the other hand, typically get clicked much less frequently than feed ads. As long as your right-column ads are getting a link CTR of 0.5%, you’re okay. If not, feel free to edit those ads, too. You might have heard engagement rate thrown around as an important metric to track. In Facebook-speak, your engagement rate is your CTR (All). It’s the total engagements your ad post has received divided by the total number of impressions: Engagement ÷ Impressions = CTR (All) Similar to your link CTR, you want people to interact with your ads because no clicks result in zero sales. How to Access These Facebook Ad Metrics in Ads ManagerNow that you have a handle on these seven important Facebook ads metrics, let’s dive into Ads Manager and discover where to find them. The first thing you see when you get to Ads Manager is your general dashboard. If you look at the top of the columns, you’ll only see two of the metrics: Link Clicks and Website Purchases. So where do you find the rest of these metrics? Look for the button labeled Columns: Performance and give that a click. In the drop-down menu, you’ll see 13 different reporting views to choose from. It’s worth taking some time to familiarize yourself with each one, from Delivery and Video Engagement all the way down to Targeting and Creative. However, you’re not going to use any of these reporting presets because the metrics are all over the place. Instead, create your own custom reporting view that includes the specific metrics we’ve talked about today. To do this, select Customize Columns from the drop-down menu shown above. The window that opens lists each metric that Facebook allows you to track from any of your ads. You can scroll through them all if you like but because you know the exact metrics you’re looking for, it’s easier to use the Search functionality to find them. In the search bar, start typing in ROAS and you’ll see the Purchase ROAS metric come up. Select the checkbox under Total (metric #1). After you select Total, Facebook automatically adds this metric to the right-hand column. If you scroll down to the bottom of the list, you’ll see options to show your Website Purchase ROAS and Mobile App Purchase ROAS. I recommend unchecking both boxes unless you have a website and an app where you’re trying to track both metrics separately. When you’re done with ROAS, continue on to Purchase. Type “purchase” in the search bar and new options will appear. Next to Purchases, select the Value and Cost checkboxes (for purchase conversion value [metric #2] and cost per purchase [metric #3]). Again, these metrics show up on the right-hand side of the window. Be sure to deselect all of the checkboxes under Purchases Conversion Value. Next up is your EPL. Unfortunately, you won’t find your EPL inside of Ads Manager because it’s a manual calculation. It’s your total revenue divided by the number of leads you’ve generated from your Facebook ads (using the formula from metric #5 above). But you might be wondering how to find the number of leads generated. Well, that’s simple—just add the leads metric to your custom report. Type Leads in the search bar and then select the Total checkbox. Also select the Cost checkbox beside it to add CPL (metric #6). The last thing you need to do is search for CTR (metric #7). Select the checkboxes for both CTR (All) and CTR (Link Click-Through Rate). Before you save your custom reporting view as a preset, confirm that there are no checked boxes in the right-hand column. Then in the lower-left corner of the window, select Save as Preset and type in a name (like Most Important Metrics). Click Apply in the lower-right corner to apply your changes. Now you’ll see on the screen all of the metrics we’ve covered: ROAS, purchase conversion value, cost per purchase, total number of leads (to determine your EPL), CPL, and CTR (for both links and all engagements on your posts). Pro Tip: To save time analyzing your ad results, check out three Facebook ads custom reports to help you quickly analyze ad performance: ROI Snapshot Report, Lead Progress Report, and Engagement Report. Watch the video:
ConclusionThe biggest mistake that I constantly see marketers make when it comes to measuring their Facebook advertising results is thinking that they have to track everything. You don’t need to know every metric under the sun. We started with seven simple metrics today and those can already feel like a lot to wrap your head around. However, I want to assure you it doesn’t have to feel so complicated. Give yourself permission to go into Ads Manager and experiment today. Your understanding comes from implementation (and a little bit of trial and error along the way). Even if it doesn’t feel like this data is making much sense to you now, down the line when you have more experience in Ads Manager, you’ll slowly start to grasp the metrics that matter and how to use them to measure your results. Just be patient with yourself because it takes time. Get Expert Social Media Marketing Training!Want to keep ahead of your competitors? Need to master a social platform? Discover how to improve your social media marketing at Social Media Marketing World 2020, brought to you by your friends at Social Media Examiner. You’ll rub shoulders with the biggest names and brands in social media, soak up countless tips and new strategies, and enjoy extensive networking opportunities . Don’t miss the industry’s largest conference. Get in early for big discounts. Event starts Sunday, March 1, 2020.CLICK HERE TO LEARN MOREWhat do you think? How will these seven Facebook ad metrics help you improve your campaigns? Share your thoughts in the comments below. More articles on Facebook ads:Social Media via Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner https://ift.tt/1LtH18p February 24, 2020 at 05:02AM
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The Effect of Social Media on Luxury Travel https://ift.tt/2wIphZF The rise of social media has transformed countless industries including both hospitality and luxury travel. A recent study indicates that more than half of all global luxury travelers are interested in finding opportunities to capture and generate media content when visiting a new location. Social media has impacted luxury travel in numerous ways and proven to be a real game changer in terms of the way travelers choose to research potential destinations and travel plans as well as the types of destinations and activities they are likely to engage in during a trip or holiday. Travel Research Word of mouth, reviews based on first-hand experience and other information shared through social media sites and services is quickly changing the way that travelers research potential destinations. Savvy travelers have long based their travel plans and vacation ideas on stories and experiences shared by their friends and associates. Thanks to social media, learning more about specific destinations or finding an overlooked vacation spot or destination has never been easier. With an ever-growing user base and the ability to share more personal details, media and experiences than ever before online, using social media to conduct travel research is a trend that we can expect to see a whole lot more of in the days to come. Travel Fads and Fashion Destinations Appearances are important and an increasing number of luxury travelers are choosing to visit the destinations, attractions and points of interest that have gained greater popularity and exposure thanks to social media. Even destinations and travel itineraries that may provide comparable luxury, comfort and opportunities to enjoy the same range of activities are losing out to the latest travel fads and the most fashionable destinations. Bucket lists have also become increasingly popular with seemingly unconventional destinations, such as Antarctica, continuing to grow in popularity thanks to luxury travelers who are eager to post photos of their latest trip or to share media that showcases their past holiday or vacation. Seeking the Perfect Selfie While selfie sticks are among the least well-received travel trends in recent years, there is a reason behind their popularity. Thanks to social media, vacation and travel photos can now be shared with the entire world. Luxury travelers have developed a voracious appetite for selfies that showcase famous landmarks and jaw-dropping landscapes and backdrops. While not every traveler is concerned with finding the perfect photo op for their next selfie, there is an ever-growing number of travelers who are willing to alter their itinerary or even plan their entire trip just for the opportunity to take the perfect photograph of themselves. Influencers and Social-media Marketing Campaigns Marketing firms and advertisers have also taken notice of this trend, shifting their efforts in order to better leverage influencers. From travel agents to tourist brochures, conventional promotional tactics and outdated marketing techniques are quickly falling out of favor. Social media has proven to be the perfect format for creating and sharing reviews of luxury hotels, airlines and the exclusive destinations and experiences prized by luxury travelers the world over. Sponsored content, stealth marketing and even travel reviews that are part of an overt advertising campaign are all changing the way that the travel industry markets itself. Emerging Trends The rapid pace of innovation, new technology and the constant demand for new features have created a wide range of new social media trends, many of which are still in their infancy. Social media continues to provide new ways for travelers to tell their stories and for businesses to further establish their brand, making it a more attractive promotional tool than ever before. An increasingly digital world means that social media can be expected to have an even bigger impact on luxury travel, one that may lead to even bigger changes in days to come. The post The Effect of Social Media on Luxury Travel appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog February 24, 2020 at 12:40AM
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New Facebook Group Tools: What Group Admins Need to Know https://ift.tt/2SNsHmo New Facebook Group Tools: What Group Admins Need to Knowby Grace Duffy / / Leave a Comment Welcome to this week’s edition of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, a news show for marketers who want to stay on the leading edge of social media. On this week’s Social Media Marketing Talk Show, we explore new management tools for Facebook Groups admins and moderators and how they can leverage the growth of groups to engage their audience with special guest, Bella Vasta. Tune In to the Social Media Marketing Talk ShowListen to the replay of this week’s show below. You can also hear the show as an audio podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcast, Android, Google Play, Stitcher, and RSS. Watch the replay of this week’s show below. About Our Special Guest
Use the timestamps below to fast-forward to our top stories in the replay above.
divider Facebook Tests Admin and Moderator Activity Insights in Groups: Facebook is testing real-time analytics that will provide insights on group admin and moderator activity levels “down to the second.” This data can be accessed within the Groups Insights tab and can be downloaded to your computer to be used to keep separate records. This update was discovered and shared by Matt Navarra.
Facebook Shifted Focus on Groups and Changed How Users Access the Site: In a recent report, CNBC explored how Facebook’s focus on Groups following a number of fallouts and scandals in 2016 fundamentally impacted and changed how people use the site. Facebook reports that more than 400 million people were actively engaging in the “meaningful communities” offered in Facebook Groups as of April 2019, up from 100 million in February 2017.
Get Expert Social Media Marketing Training!Want to keep ahead of your competitors? Need to master a social platform? Discover how to improve your social media marketing at Social Media Marketing World 2020, brought to you by your friends at Social Media Examiner. You’ll rub shoulders with the biggest names and brands in social media, soak up countless tips and new strategies, and enjoy extensive networking opportunities . Don’t miss the industry’s largest conference. Get in early for big discounts. Event starts Sunday, March 1, 2020.CLICK HERE TO LEARN MOREWant to catch our next show live? Click here to subscribe or add our show to your calendar. Social Media via Social Media Marketing | Social Media Examiner https://ift.tt/1LtH18p February 22, 2020 at 05:02AM
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GoToMeeting Review https://ift.tt/32dHJVE GoToMeeting ranks high on our list of the best conference call services. The platform has virtually all of the tools you’ll need to run a successful business meeting. GoToMeeting stands out for its exceptional call quality, robust features, and excellent customer service. Whether you’re a small, medium, or enterprise-sized business, GoToMeeting has conference call solutions to fit your needs. Millions of people have used GoToMeeting, including some well-known names like Make-A-Wish and Marketo. If you’re in the market for new conference call software, GoToMeeting should definitely be taken into consideration. Use this guide to learn more about its benefits, plans, and pricing, as well as any potential drawbacks. GoToMeeting Features and BenefitsGoToMeeting has a wide range of features for different use cases. I’ll highlight some of the top advantages of GoToMeeting’s software and service. If you want to just jump right in then I suggest signing up for the GoToMeeting free trial. Conference CallsWhether you need to communicate with coworkers, customers, or prospects, GoToMeeting’s audio conference calling has you covered. Any device with Internet access can be used to host or join a GoToMeeting conference call. So whether you’re using a Mac, PC, or mobile device, you can participate from anywhere. GoToMeeting has taken the complexity out of business conference calling. From the initial setup to the call quality and meeting management features, it’s easy for anyone to use. All plans come with unlimited web audio conference calls. So you’ll never have to worry about exceeding a limit. GoToMeeting provides optional toll-free numbers for more than 50 countries. If you add-on this feature, you’ll only pay for what you use. This is an alternative solution to traditional VoIP phone services. You’ll also get custom email invitations, reservationless connections, integrated scheduling, and one-click meetings with the conference calling feature. Video ConferencesIn addition to audio calls, GoToMeeting provides HD quality video conferencing. This gives you the opportunity to host face-to-face meetings online. Up to 25 users can use their webcam at the same time with GoToMeeting. Other video conferencing platforms have confusing controls, syncing errors, and unexpected outages. But you won’t have to worry about any of these problems with GoToMeeting. The platform enables cloud collaboration for both desktop and mobile. Bandwidth is automatically adjusted for each user based on their resources and hardware, making it a seamless experience for everyone involved. Using the video conferencing feature is simple. GoToMeeting allows people using the desktop app to edit their webcam preferences. So you can change the display format before going live. Want to jump off of your camera without leaving or interrupting the meeting? No problem. GoToMeeting makes that easy to accomplish. Screen SharingOnline screen sharing with GoToMeeting will elevate the quality of your audio and video conference calls. You’ll be able to present your computer screen in real-time to meeting attendees. This is the perfect way to enhance your communication when visuals are required. Use screen sharing for things brainstorming ideas as well as team member training. You can also show conceptual designs or prototypes to your clients. With screen sharing capabilities, you can turn any conference call into a full-blown presentation in seconds. Another advantage of this feature is its flexibility. You can choose exactly what screen you want to share. Whether it’s your entire monitor or just a single app, GoToMeeting has settings to support your needs. Meeting attendees do not need to download any desktop or mobile software to access screen sharing capabilities. GoToMeeting offers screen sharing from all Chrome web browsers. This is perfect for people who are in a software-restricted environment or using an operating system where installing the app isn’t possible. These are both common scenarios for certain corporate firewall permissions. You can share your screen from an iPhone or iPad as well. You’ll even be able to switch between iOS devices seamlessly. If a meeting is running late and you need to step away from your computer, just continue on your mobile device without leaving the meeting. Transcriptions and RecordingsA common problem with virtual meetings is the ability to retain information. This is especially true for longer sessions featuring multiple presenters and participants. Hand-written notes aren’t always practical. Plus, it defeats the purpose of using technology to your advantage. GoToMeeting solves this problem with transcriptions and recordings. Simply click the record button. The presenter’s screen, along with everyone’s audio, will be captured. You can store these recordings locally or in the cloud. The Smart Meeting Assistant will also transcribe the conversation automatically. So you’ll always be able to refer back to those transcripts. There’s no reason to assign a designated transcriber to your meetings anymore. Instead of scrambling to write things down, you can actually pay attention to what’s going on. The transcriptions and recordings are also highly beneficial to coworkers or clients who were unable to attend. They can re-watch the meeting on their own time as if they were there. Hardware BundlesIn addition to providing software, GoToMeeting also has all of the hardware you need for hosting high-quality meetings. They have hardware bundles available for huddle spaces, as well as larger conference rooms. With Poly and Dolby Voice, GoToMeeting provides top of the line technology. The audio and video quality with these bundles is second to none. These out-of-the-box conference room solutions are incredibly user-friendly. Installation is easy as well. You can get the entire system set up in less than 15 minutes. There’s no reason to get your conference room hardware from a third-party provider. Bundling your solution with GoToMeeting is a cost-effective way to get top of the line equipment. Mobile ConferencingThe modern workforce is always on the go. Remote employees aren’t always tied to a desk with a computer at their disposal. GoToMeeting solves this problem by providing native mobile apps for iOS, Android, and Windows. Now you can schedule, join, or host a meeting directly from any mobile device. The mobile app still gives you all of the features and benefits that we previously discussed. You’ll be able to share your screen and record meetings as well. It works for both audio and video conference calls. Again, GoToMeeting will automatically adjust your bandwidth to ensure high quality, no matter where you are. Other Considerations of GoToMeetingGoToMeeting isn’t perfect. There are potential drawbacks that you should take into consideration before you sign up. Stable Connection RequiredIf your Internet service provider is frequently pinging your modem, GoToMeeting might give you some problems. The connection must be error-free for the software to work properly. Even brief interruptions can force a session to crash. Restarting a new meeting can be a pain, especially when there are lots of attendees. If your company experiences lots of Internet connection problems, you should switch providers before signing up for GoToMeeting. Equipment QualityThe quality of the equipment being used for hosting and attending meetings matters. GoToMeeting prioritizes the most up to date solutions but doesn’t keep up with outdated technology. If you’re using hardware that’s more than five years old, you’ll probably need an upgrade to get the full benefits of GoToMeeting. Fortunately, you can get a hardware bundle directly from this provider. Added Costs For Premium FeaturesAll features are not available for every plan. We’ll discuss the plans in pricing in greater detail shortly, and you’ll see what I mean. But the entry-level plan is not all-inclusive. You’ll have to upgrade to get the most out of GoToMeeting. Limited Chat CapabilitiesUntil recently, GoToMeeting’s chat was limited to meetings. Meaning you weren’t able to create chat rooms for on-demand instant messaging. Now they launched Business Chat, which includes this feature. However, I don’t think it’s at the point where you can use it to replace Slack or similar real-time messaging tools. Maybe this will change in the future. But for now, GoToMeeting is better for its conference calling capabilities, not chat functions. No Free PlanThere are lots of free conference call services on the market today. However, GoToMeeting isn’t one of them. They offer a 14-day free trial and provide discounts for annual contracts, but you can’t use the software for free indefinitely. Compare GoToMeeting Plans and PricesGoToMeeting has three different plans to accommodate businesses of all different shapes and sizes. I’ll give you an in-depth look at what each plan has to offer, including the price points. GoToMeeting ProfessionalGoToMeeting Professional starts at $12 per month per user with an annual contract. The month-to-month rate is $14 per month for each user. This package allows you to host meetings and conference calls with up to 150 participants, which is more than enough for a small business. In addition to the HD video, audio, screen sharing, and other benefits that we discussed earlier, GoToMeeting Professional comes with the following features:
You’ll also benefit from GoToMeeting’s 24/7 customer care team. The admin center is a robust and intuitive dashboard for managing calls, users, and your account. You’ll also have access to diagnostic reports for all of your meetings. This allows you to track the performance on an individual user level for advanced troubleshooting. Every update or change made within your account is tracked. You can view these logs with downloadable admin reports. Even with the entry-level plan, GoToMeeting gives you unlimited meetings with no time limits for audio and video calls. It’s tough to find a better entry conference call plan on the market with so many advanced features. Transcription and recording functions are not available with GoToMeeting Professional. So you’ll need to upgrade if you want those advanced features. GoToMeeting BusinessGoToMeeting Business starts at $16 per month per user with an annual contract. If you don’t want the long-term commitment, you can $19 per user on a monthly basis. This plan allows you to host calls with up to 250 participants, making it an appealing choice for medium to large-sized organizations. GoToMeeting Business has all of the features in the Professional plan, with extras like:
The meeting lock feature adds an extra layer of security to your calls. Once a meeting begins, late users need to wait until the host lets them in. GoToMeeting Business comes with Smart Assistant. This tool uses machine learning technology to detect highlights and action items in a meeting automatically. You’ll also benefit from the ability to take notes directly on the platform during a call or conference. GoToMeeting recently launched a new feature that’s available on the Business plan called “Slide to PDF.” During a presentation, you can automatically capture slides and create a sharable PDF with everything in chronological order. This is just another way to stay organized after a meeting is complete. GoToMeeting EnterpriseAs the name implies, this is an enterprise-grade solution intended for larger organizations with needs exceeding the limits of the other plans. With GoToMeeting Enterprise, you can host meetings and calls with up to 3,000 participants. This is an ideal solution for organizations with dozens of locations positioned across the country or globe. The Enterprise plan allows you to connect using your existing conference room system with InRoom Link (H.323, SIP). This provides an additional layer of security for your protection. Aside from the 24/7 customer support you’re already getting, GoToMeeting will provide you with a dedicated customer success manager. You’ll also benefit from custom onboarding, training, and quarterly reviews. GoToMeeting Enterprise pricing is customized for each organization. They provide volume discounts for extra users. You’ll need to contact the GoToMeeting sales team to get your quote. ConclusionOverall, GoToMeeting is an exceptional conference call service provider. They have solutions for small, medium, and large organizations. The plans are affordable and come with features that go beyond just basic audio or video calling. Even the entry-level plan comes with unlimited calling with no limits for up to 150 participants. Other conference calling solutions won’t give you as much out of the box. I like GoToMeeting because its technology is second to none. They are always using the most up-to-date equipment, and offer exceptional hardware bundles for businesses as well. Whether you’re hosting meetings from the office conference room, or on the go with your mobile device, GoToMeeting has you covered. While the platform does have a handful of drawbacks, I’d say the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Try GoToMeeting for 14 days with a free trial. You won’t even have to provide your credit card information, so there’s no commitment. Social Media via Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/UU7LJr February 21, 2020 at 10:06AM
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3 Tips for Hiring Digital Marketing Professionals https://ift.tt/2Pe23kn From placing ads to creating content, you want your digital marketing team to be the best that it can be. But how do you find the talent, vet them, and bring them on board? Navigating the hiring process for any position can be difficult but there are a number of unique factors to keep in mind when hiring digital marketing professionals. Here are 3 important tips to follow when you’re building out your digital marketing team to set your company up for success. #1: Decide on Your “Dream Team” There’s more to screening your digital marketing candidates than running the standard background check for employment (although it’s still essential to protect your business). When filling these positions, you need to take a strategic approach to finding the right fit. To build your ideal digital marketing team, first ask yourself this question: what roles do you need to fill? Some of the essential members of content departments include:
And more than that, what skills or personality traits do they need to bring to the team to help it operate at its highest possible level. If you’re running a small business, you may be working with a limited budget. If that’s the case, try to find someone with several or all of these skills. Fortunately, you’ll find that many digital marketing professionals are cross-trained in these areas. However, you want to make sure whoever you’re hiring is an expert, not just familiar with the basics of these essential duties. As your business grows, you’ll likely want to fill each of these positions individually, but it’s a good starting point. If your organization is just starting out and you’re not quite ready to dedicate a large part of your budget to these roles, there is also the option to bring on interns. However, due to the value these positions bring to your business’ overall success, it’s highly recommended that you hire experts in these fields as soon as possible. #2: Know Where to Look for Top Talent But how can you attract these candidates? This is one of the biggest challenges that businesses face during the hiring process, but when it comes to finding digital marketing professionals that are the best at what they do, this is especially important. To find the best candidates, it’s recommended that you rely on legitimate job boards or professional networking sites. Not only do these sites allow you to post job ads, but they also give you access to professional groups and connections that may lead you right to someone who will make a great addition to your team. Since many professionals in this industry are very on top of their social media feeds, posting job listings and having other professional connections share them is a good strategy for attracting the most qualified candidates. If you have the budget, you could even place targeted paid ads on social media sites. #3: Open Your Search When it comes to digital marketing staff, it doesn’t make sense to narrow your search to just locals. Instead, broaden your search on a nationwide or even global scale to truly find the top talent for each position you need to fill. You’d be surprised at the increase in viable candidates when you don’t restrict professionals in this sphere to working in-office. In fact, remote work has become a highly sought out perk, which can help your company beat out the competition when candidates are searching for employment opportunities. Fortunately, the work associated with these roles (especially those for higher-level positions) can be completed nearly anywhere at any time.
Starting with these three tips will get you on the right track to finding top-tier talent in the digital marketing industry. When you’re building out your team, you should also consider how these roles will need to work together and put expectations and practices in place to facilitate team collaboration. The post 3 Tips for Hiring Digital Marketing Professionals appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog February 21, 2020 at 06:09AM
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Messaging Matters: How to Attract Your Ideal Customers https://ift.tt/2ugzADh Want to attract more of your ideal customers? Do you know which words and phrases resonate most with your prospects? To explore how to come up with the right messages to attract your preferred customers, I interview Jeffrey Shaw on the Social Media Marketing Podcast. Jeffrey is a brand message consultant who helps businesses attract their ideal customers. He’s the author of the book, Lingo: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible, and host of the Creative Warriors podcast. Jeffrey explains why certain words are more powerful than others in your marketing messages, and shares how to research your customers’ emotional triggers to develop messaging that appeals to them. Attracting Your Ideal CustomersAfter attending photography school, Jeffrey returned to his hometown of Hopewell Junction, a small town a few hours north of New York City, with aspirations of becoming a high-end portrait photographer. One day, a woman came in to inquire about a family photoshoot. Jeffrey pitched all of the things that he would do as a photographer and stressed the importance of preserving children’s moments and having photographs to hand down from generation to generation. The woman looked at him and said, “That’s great and all, but I don’t have the luxury of worrying about my children’s memories. I don’t know how I’m paying my rent this month.” Jeffrey realized in hindsight that he should have known better. This was his hometown, which was a small, middle- to lower–middle-class community. He had been promoting his core message of long-term thinking: the importance of preserving life’s moments and having portraits to hand down to future generations. This interaction made him realize that if someone is struggling to pay their rent, the last thing they’re thinking about is anything long-term. That’s when he learned the importance of matching messaging to the audience. Jeffrey had been saying what seemed like the right things to him based on his own values and priorities. There was nothing wrong with those messages. There was just a mismatch: He was saying the right things to the wrong people. He realized that he could either change who he was and what he believed in, or he could find the people who valued what he had to offer. He chose the latter and has made a career of spreading that message to other businesses. This is how to define your ideal customers: Find yourself and then discover who would love that. Jeffrey decided to unpack the affluent community because he realized that the only people who could afford his offer had the discretionary income to plan ahead. Years after his photography business became successful, people began hiring Jeffrey as a speaker to teach them how to do what he had done. Once he was on photography stages, other people started hearing his message, and he saw the value in broadening his message beyond the photography industry. In 2018, Jeffrey published his first book, Lingo: Discover Your Ideal Customer’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible. He uses the phrase “secret language” because lingo isn’t necessarily jargon. It’s simply the words you need to use to capture your ideal customer’s attention. To truly understand the lingo of your ideal customers is to understand the unspoken essence of who they are. Jeffrey has found many parallels between photography and brand consulting. A photographer’s role is to understand the subject, capture their essence, and put it on display in the form of a portrait so that people who view it feel a connection to the people in it. Someone who’s looking for a family portrait is really looking for the photographer to create something that stops them in their tracks and gives them a feeling of connection to that moment in time with their family. Brand message consultants do the same thing. They help businesses understand the essence of their ideal customers and capture that in brand messaging. Once you do that, your brand message will swoop up everybody else of a similar ilk and value system in a way that’s guaranteed to be broad enough to build a successful business. Why Getting the Right People’s Attention MattersJeffrey feels that strong, clear brand messaging is especially crucial in our current culture. To get anybody’s attention and to be noticed by your ideal customers, you have to say a lot in very little time. It’s one thing to say the right things to the right people but Jeffrey helps businesses say the right things to the right people in as few seconds as possible. It all comes down to helping businesses create amazing brand messages. Jeffrey doesn’t buy into the theory that humans have devolved to have shorter attention spans. He believes the problem is simply that not much in branding and marketing is worthy of attention. For the past several years, many businesses have focused on standing out by being louder, crazier, more annoying, and more different. But that doesn’t work because it stands out to too broad an audience, which doesn’t really serve anybody. When Jeffrey speaks to companies or large audiences, he often asks how many people feel they’re working exclusively with their ideal customers. Hardly any hands go up. When he asks for a percentage, most feel that about 30% of their customers are ideal—meaning the most profitable and the easiest to work with. And 30% just isn’t good enough. The world is so noisy that it’s hard to get people’s attention. You want to make sure you’re getting the attention of the specific audience you want to reach. And that’s where brand messaging that’s zeroed in, that speaks the lingo of your ideal customers, becomes imperative. You’re not standing out to a broad audience, you’re standing out to the people who feel like you get them, which is a much narrower focus. When your messaging isn’t fine-tuned appropriately, you’re probably attracting the wrong kind of customer. Assessing Messaging Using the Lingo ReviewJeffrey says most messaging boils down to the home page. He goes through a process he calls a lingo review. The client first fills out a form so Jeffrey can hear what the company thinks they’re saying. He reads what they’ve written on the form and then he goes to their website. After reviewing hundreds of websites, Jeffrey can confidently state that approximately 98% of websites aren’t saying what the businesses think they’re saying. The business owner or the company may have an idea of their ideal customer. But when Jeffrey starts unpacking what that customer’s values are, their lifestyle and behavior, he often finds that none of that’s coming across on the company’s website. Brands think that because they’re standing out, or because they’ve done buyer personas and avatars, that they’ve somehow narrowed it down. But in today’s world, just standing out in itself is too broad. You don’t want to stand out to everybody or even just a large group. You really want to stand out to the people you resonate with. If you can get your messaging right, then you can send a signal to those ideal customers that you’re for them and they’re for you. That’s going to increase the likelihood that you’ll attract more of those ideal customers. Another factor that often gets overlooked is the use of mobile devices. More than 70% of people visiting your marketing materials, particularly your website, are on mobile devices. Behavior on mobile devices is entirely different. Technology became responsive but marketers forgot to respond to the behavioral difference. People on mobile devices don’t switch pages. They tend to sit on the home page because it takes too long to load interior pages. But most companies have their juiciest and best messaging on the interior pages. They’ve treated the home page as an old-style gateway. But on a mobile device, that home page is everything. Jeffrey believes that going forward, every page on a website will be a distinct home page. Jeffrey is a consultant offering a variety of services and he’s also a speaker. When someone inquires about speaking, he doesn’t send them to JeffreyShaw.com. He sends them to JeffreyShaw.com/speaking so that speaking page is now the home page to them. He doesn’t want to confuse them with the general information on the home page; he wants them to get exactly where they need to go. The messaging on each page needs to be specific to the audience you want to speak to and the services you’re offering. Understanding the Language of Your Ideal CustomersMost businesses have been built backward. Because we’re now such a content-rich world, the way businesses tend to be built is that somebody has an idea, they build a business, they have a logo designed and a business card printed, they launch a website, they fill it up with words and messaging, and then they spend years trying to hunt people down to fit them into the box they’ve created. The right way to build a business is to deeply understand your ideal customer—not just any customer, your ideal customer—and then build all those marketing materials that speak their lingo so they’re drawn in. Understanding your ideal customer is accomplished through five primary emotional triggers—perspective, familiarity, style, pricing psychology, and words—and they have to be considered in that exact order. PerspectiveYou simply cannot resonate with anybody—you can’t understand anybody, have empathy for them, trigger them emotionally, or understand their lingo—until you understand their perspective, how they see the world. Jeffrey grew up in a middle- to lower–middle-class community and ended up being the photographer for some of the most affluent families in the country. He was able to do that because he understood their perspective. It didn’t matter that he didn’t come from money. Any business can serve anybody if they take the time to understand the perspective of their ideal customer. Jeffrey needed to understand what his ideal client’s lifestyle was and what they valued. He studied this for months. He went to high-end brands, not so much to study the brands but to study the behavior of their customers. He explored how he would feel if they were his ideal customer: What triggered them, what were they seeing? That’s what he means by perspective. He defines it as deeply stepping into—not a projection, not an assumption, but to literally experience—the life of your ideal customer, preferably in ways that have nothing to do with your business. How do they live their life, where do they go, where do they hang out, what do they value, what’s their behavior, and what’s familiar to them? Years ago, Jeffrey went to Bergdorf Goodman, a one-of-a-kind exclusive department store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, just to see what it would feel like to be there. He noticed a lot of designer names. At the time, his photography business was called Light Images. That changed once he realized that in the lingo of the high-end brand identity, having a designer name had value. So he changed his business name to his own name, which, for Jeffrey, was the beginning of personal branding. He made Jeffrey Shaw a brand name. Another difference Jeffrey observed was word usage. The word “discount” means nothing to higher-end consumers; discounts don’t motivate them to buy. But if you throw an upgrade at them, they’re all over it. That’s the entire basis for airport lounges: free food, free cheese, free water. In his photography business, Jeffrey did an annual promotion where he offered his clients the option to prepay. This idea actually came from Starbucks. When Starbucks first introduced the Starbucks Card, it wasn’t originally thought of as a gift card. You preloaded it with money to buy your own drinks. That fascinated Jeffrey. They already had higher-priced coffee than anybody was used to paying for, and now they were convincing customers to pay for it ahead of time, before they even ordered the drink, with no discount. Where was the value in that? It made people feel cool, like they were part of an exclusive club. Jeffrey took that idea and offered his clients an upgrade: If they prepaid several thousand dollars as a deposit for a portrait session to be used anytime in the upcoming year, he would upgrade them an additional 10%. If they wanted to pay $5,000, he gave them an extra $500 on their account. Instead of giving them a discount, he gave them a freebie, which, in this case, was more of his valuable service. Understanding the lifestyle of your ideal customers is key to speaking their lingo. Jeffrey offered this upgrade every February when he knew his Wall Street clients all got their bonuses. His hook was, “If you want to be photographed this year, and you let me know which month, I’ll contact you 10 weeks before to make sure you get the ideal appointment because I have an 8-week waiting list.” This way, he guaranteed business with and for his best clients. The other key component of this offer was that it honored loyal customers, which is an essential part of the relationship when you’re working with high-end customers. Many businesses on the lower end are only throwing discounts at new customers. That would be disastrous on the high end because those customers are all about building relationships. Jeffrey didn’t assume that he understood his ideal client’s perspective. Instead, he went to places that allowed him to experience what it was like to be them, and he took cues from that and applied them to his business. Years later, Jeffrey has actually become an ongoing loyal customer of Bergdorf Goodman. He loves that he first went to the store as a poor 23-year-old to learn how to speak the lingo of the affluent market. As a result, his business became successful enough that he became one of Bergdorf Goodman’s customers himself. FamiliarityFamiliarity is one of the most powerful human emotions because we’re drawn to what feels familiar. Familiarity is so powerful that we’re sometimes duped by our own expertise. When Jeffrey moved to Miami, he scouted out a few different neighborhoods. People kept talking about a neighborhood in Miami Beach called South of Fifth. Jeffrey didn’t really want to live in Miami Beach but everybody told him to check out this neighborhood, and when he did, he immediately fell in love. There was a beautiful park in the center of the community with 180-degree views of the ocean. Smith & Wollensky, a high-end steakhouse with a well-known New York location, was also there. The fact that he was already familiar with the quality of their food helped Jeffrey be all-in. He went to his new accountant and said, “So much for saving money moving to Florida—it’s just as expensive. My rent is the same as it was in Manhattan.” And the accountant said, “Well, you’ve chosen a neighborhood geared toward attracting New York money. The park is modeled after Battery Park and there’s a Smith & Wollensky steakhouse. That neighborhood was architecturally designed to attract New Yorkers with money.” Jeffrey felt duped. Jeffrey ended up disliking living on the beach and later moved to downtown Miami. But the point is that the power of familiarity was so strong to him that he felt like he was at home and that he’d found exactly what he wanted. That’s a powerful thing for businesses to get to know about their ideal customers. Who are they already doing business with? What’s the culture of those businesses? Understand where your ideal customer is going. Where are they shopping? Does your ideal customer go to Costco, Publix, Trader Joe’s, or Whole Foods? Without a doubt, we can all agree the vibe and what feels familiar in each of those brands is very different: Costco feels entirely different than Whole Foods. The power of familiarity is in uncovering what they’re already experiencing. Recapture that in your brand message, brand image, and in the customer experience, and they’re in. A common challenge for B2B businesses is figuring out how to create something familiar when they don’t necessarily have a community that clients can walk into. Jeffrey says we need to break down the division in our minds between B2B and B2C. B2B tends to think that everything’s different for them. But at the end of the day, businesses are all run by humans. If your ideal customer is another business, that business has a culture. That business, and whoever the decision-maker is, has a personality. So you can still look at it the same way. To learn about his ideal clients, Jeffrey went to brick-and-mortar places such as Bergdorf Goodman because the internet wasn’t really around. In some ways, it’s easier to do this research today because we have access to so much information on the internet. Where’s your ideal customer? What blogs are they reading? What books are they interested in? Where are they spending their time—either inside or outside their home? Video in particular emphasizes the importance of the things we talk about and the way we say those things. Our audience is going to relate to what we’re saying or not, and that’s part of familiarity as well. Jeffrey often shows a video clip of Taylor Swift during his B2B talks. A few years ago, Taylor’s team followed about 100 members of her core fan base on social media for a year to learn everything possible about their lives. At the end of the year, Taylor sent Christmas gifts to those fans. They were based on pretty intimate details. In the video, you see a gift tag that says, “Congratulations on your acting gig.” When the fans received these gifts, can you imagine how blown away they were that a star as big as Taylor Swift took the time to understand not just their perspective but also the tiniest of details of their lives? That’s lingo through and through, knowing what’s familiar. We can find out so much of what’s familiar to people by just looking at social media. Jeffrey sometimes questions the accuracy of direct surveys because people will often give you the answer they think you want to hear. But if you do it almost secretively—if you go through somebody’s Facebook page and just find out where they’re checking in to eat, for example, it can tell you a lot about the style of restaurants and their price point. Familiarity is putting yourself in your customers’ position and asking yourself about the things they have in common or the things that are normal and familiar to them. What they have in common is a little tricky because you don’t want to stereotype people and throw them into a single bucket. But the fact of the matter is that there are similarities among large groups of people. Jeffrey’s ideal customers were affluent families and there are common denominators among that clientele—but there are also nuances. To visualize this, the way money is displayed in the Northeast is quiet and subdued, versus in a place like L.A. or Miami where people are more inclined to show off what they’ve got. Jeffrey photographed these clients differently. In the Northeast, he would never photograph a family with the big house on the hill, but in California, he would. A New England family would never send out portraits to their family members putting their wealth on display. But in Miami and L.A., that’s the primary objective. Understand who they are but also understand those nuances. Don’t throw everybody in the same bucket but try to understand a broad audience by knowing the commonalities. StyleStyle is the decision-maker and a lot of people don’t take it seriously enough. If you’ve ever shopped at a TJ Maxx or Nordstrom Rack or any other discount place, all of the medium shirts are in one section. What gets you to stop when you’re flipping through the hangers? The style. There’s something about that shirt that makes you more likely to take it off the hanger and say, “Wow, this is so me.” Something about that style speaks to you. That’s an important understanding when it comes to getting people to visit your website or open an email. Understand what style resonates with your ideal customer that’s going to cause them to stop in their tracks. That’s how you get their attention. Style is represented by brand voice—degree of humor, degree of formality versus casualness, storytelling, even right down to font and colors—because all of those elements give a feeling based on that style. Comedians do this really well. They’re not trying to appeal to everybody, nor should any of us. They know their audience has a similar sense of humor. Style is about understanding what resonates with your ideal customer so you can stop them in their tracks. That’s how you get people to open emails: It all comes down to the subject line. Does that subject line capture them and make them feel like you’re speaking to them in their style? Pricing PsychologyJeffrey’s observations when he went to Bergdorf Goodman were eye-opening because it was such a departure from what he was used to. Part of the reason why he’s able to do what he does as a brand message consultant is that he’s lived life on opposite sides of many fences, having grown up lower middle-class and then serving wealthy people. He can see definite differences. The key to pricing any product or service in any market is to base it on how your ideal customers see themselves in the world. We have all chosen not to buy something because it was inexpensive for us; therefore, we perceived it as cheap. Somebody else saw that very same price and it might have been too high for them. As consumers, we see pricing based on how we see ourselves in the world. You want to carefully position your pricing psychology to match your ideal customer. When it’s off, it can be one of the biggest breaks in business. That’s why you get situations where you’re trying to convince someone that what you have to offer is worth it and they don’t see it. Or they find themselves in a situation where they thought they could afford something and suddenly it’s a lot more expensive than they thought. Jeffrey says that disconnect is almost always the business’s fault because they didn’t accurately portray their price point to match how their ideal customers feel positioned in the world. At Bergdorf Goodman, Jeffrey observed that all of the prices were rounded off; there were no prices that ended in 97. Many people come to Jeffrey for help with their businesses and complain that their customers are trying to nickel-and-dime them. He looks at their pricing structure and sees that they’ve priced everything at $19.97, $4.97, $9.97. They’re the ones drawing attention to the fact that 3 cents matter so why are they surprised that customers are nickel-and-diming them? If you’re selling a higher-end product to a higher-end audience, you should just make it $1,000 instead of $997. Round it off and keep it vague. People contact Jeffrey for photography and ask how much he charges for his services. Jeffrey responds by asking them how many homes they have. If they have three homes, Jeffrey estimates about $15,000 because he’s found that his clients invest about $5,000 per home. He lets them know that it’s going to be a minimum of $5,000, up to $15,000, depending on if they’d like portraits in each of their homes. Walmart’s pricing psychology is down to the 100th of a cent so their cost-conscious customers know they’re not paying more than 1/100th of a cent more than needed. Most of us underestimate our value and price too low. It’s worth testing and seeing what works. If you don’t have anybody complaining about your prices, you’re probably too low. There has to be a certain percentage of people who are objecting; otherwise, there’s room to go higher. WordsOnce you’ve got perspective from your customers by trying to understand their lives, understanding what they are and aren’t familiar with, knowing their style, and beginning to grapple with their pricing psychology, now you’re finally to the point where you’re talking about saying the right things to the right people in as short a time as possible. As you’re going through these stages, keep track of repeating phrases and words that you’re going to use in your copy and hooks like “upgrade” instead of “discount.” One thing Jeffrey discovered while working with bedding company Ogallala was that their bedding materials were actually made from milkweed, which is a hypoallergenic substitute for down. It’s also extremely breathable, which makes it a better material for anybody who gets too hot under a big fluffy comforter. Milkweed also grows profusely in the Midwest so there’s more than enough of it available. But here’s the really cool thing. Milkweed is the only plant that Monarch butterflies lay eggs on—and they’re close to extinction. This was important. The company knew they wanted to capture the Millennial market. Millennials are very mission-conscious. Jeffrey was able to help change the company’s brand messaging: Not only are you getting a great product, you’re actually participating in saving Monarch butterflies. They didn’t really have much brand messaging before. Like a lot of websites, it just felt like a brochure saying, “These are your options.” But now when you go to their website, ogallalacomfort.com, their brand message is, “Bedding that breathes and saves butterflies.” You’re getting that right up front. The retention rate went up around 147% and time spent on the website and sales increased by 33%. Key Takeaways From This Episode:
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