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How to Create Customized Reports in Facebook Ads Manager https://ift.tt/2zpIXQN Need to get a better grip on your Facebook ads’ performance? Do you know which metrics in Facebook Ads Manager to monitor? In this article, you’ll discover how to set up a Facebook Ads Manager report that quickly reveals which ads are working well and which you need to adjust. Why On-Going Analysis of Your Facebook Campaigns Is ImportantOne common mistake that advertisers make is launching a Facebook campaign and doing no analysis while it’s running. It’s the analysis of your campaigns and the subsequent actions you take based on your findings that deliver exceptional return on ad spend (ROAS).
By analyzing your campaign performance on a consistent basis, you’ll be able to quickly spot fluctuations in campaign metrics that signal a need for testing refreshes or reveal winning Facebook ads you should scale. #1: Understand What 4 Core Metrics Mean for Facebook Ads AnalysisAnalyzing four core metrics — cost, relevance, frequency, and CPM — helps you identify and assess the performance of your campaigns and the ads within them. Let’s look at each core metric in turn. Cost per ResultThe first metric to look at is cost per result. The cost metric isn’t your overall spend or amount spent on each of your campaigns; it’s your cost per result based on your campaign objective and ad set optimization. If you’ve set a daily budget and aren’t scaling your campaigns, and you see your cost per result decreasing, your campaign results will be increasing. Suppose you’re running a conversion campaign optimizing for Add to Cart actions and targeting your website traffic. If you see the cost per Add to Cart decrease and the number of Add to Cart actions increase, you’re driving more clicks and sales from your website. The opposite is true if your cost per result is increasing. Your campaign is decreasing in performance and you’ll be getting fewer results for your budget. Relevance ScoreThe next metric to look at is relevance. A relevance score is a rating from 1–10 that Facebook gives to each of your ads. This score reflects the ad-to-audience fit and how well people are responding to your ad. This metric can be viewed only at the ad level of your campaigns. After 500 impressions, your Facebook ads will get an initial relevance score. However, this score will usually change, either increasing or decreasing in the first 72 hours as your campaign embeds in the algorithm. If your relevance score increases over time, you’ll typically see your cost per result decrease and your campaign performance rise. On the flipside, when your relevance score is decreasing, you’ll find your cost per result increasing, indicating your campaign performance is decreasing. FrequencyThe third metric to look at is frequency. Frequency is a delivery metric that tells you how many times on average someone has seen your ad. Your frequency will always start at 1 and increase over time as you spend more of your campaign budget and reach more of your target audience. As your frequency increases to 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on, you’ll notice that it impacts your cost per result and relevance score. The higher your frequency, the more people are seeing the same Facebook ads. Eventually, you’ll hit what’s known as ad fatigue. Your relevance score will start to decrease and your cost per result will start to increase. Overall, your campaign performance will be decreasing, and that will have a negative effect on your ROAS. CPMFinally, look at CPM, which is an acronym for cost per mille. This is your cost per 1,000 impressions. As your frequency increases and you reach more of your target audience, your CPM will start to increase. This means that it’s now costing you more for 1,000 impressions than it previously did. This will have an effect on the cost, relevance, and frequency metrics. For campaigns that are decreasing in performance due to ad fatigue indicated by a high frequency, you’ll also notice your CPM and cost per result increase. Therefore, your relevance scores will decrease. When you have a campaign that’s improving, however, your frequency will still be increasing, but at a slower rate because you’re reaching more of your target audience due to the high relevance scores. Your CPM will stabilize or decrease slightly, and as a result, your cost per result will also decrease, therefore increasing your result rate and your ROAS. #2: Create a Customized Report in Facebook Ads ManagerTo measure the four core metrics in one reporting view, you want to create a custom reporting column in your Ads Manager dashboard. First, navigate to your Ads Manager dashboard and select Customize Columns in the Columns drop-down menu. In the Customize Columns window, remove irrelevant columns, and under the Performance section, select the checkboxes to add Relevance Score and Frequency. Then under the Cost category, add CPM. In the lower-left corner, select the Save as Preset checkbox and name your new column “CRFC Metrics.” Then click Apply to save your changes. You now have a specific reporting view to use at the ad level of your campaigns. #3: Compare and Analyze Metrics ReportsUse the Compare feature to track changes in these four core metrics to measure the effectiveness of your Facebook ads. By using this feature in your data reporting, you can track how these metrics change over time while your campaigns are running. This gives you insight into how your ads are performing and when to make changes, known as “testing refreshes,” to reduce the impact of ad fatigue. One of the comparison reporting methods you can use is a 7-day running analysis. This is where you compare the CRFC metrics from the last 7 days to the previous 7 days. To use this tactic, navigate to the ad level of a campaign that has been running at least 2 weeks. Once you’re at the ad level, select the CRFC Metrics reporting column you created earlier. Next, in the reporting view, select Last 7 Days. Finally, toggle the Compare switch in the reporting view and the previous period of 7 days will be automatically selected. Click Update. You now see arrows next to the titles of your columns, as shown below. Click on the arrow for a column to see the change (from the first week to the second) in actual numbers for the given metric, as well as the percentage increase or decrease in that metric. Review this data for the Cost per Result, Relevance, Frequency, and CPM columns. In the example below, you can see that the cost per result — the Add to Cart action — has increased by 26.67% from £1.50 to £1.90. In particular, the first ad in the top row has increased by £0.77, the ad in the second row has decreased by £0.35, and the third ad has increased by £2.01. By doing this level of analysis on a rolling 7-day basis (comparing the latest week’s data with the previous week), you’ll be able to spot when your campaigns start to decrease in effectiveness due to ad fatigue. Then you can implement testing refreshes to combat the ad fatigue. You’ll also be able to identify the opposite effect, when your campaigns are increasing in performance and you want to find a winning ad to scale. .What do you think? Have you tried doing a 7-day running analysis on your Facebook ads? What changes did you make based on your findings? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Social Media via Social Media Examiner https://ift.tt/1LtH18p September 24, 2018 at 05:09AM
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3 Must-Do Marketing Diversification Strategies Beyond Organic Social Media https://ift.tt/2PU47vZ 3 Must-Do Marketing Diversification Strategies Beyond Organic Social Media The majority of brand new e-commerce companies are working with a very limited budget in the beginning, which forces them to focus their marketing efforts on just one or two channels, with social media typically being the main focus. While it’s a great primary marketing channel, it’s important to understand the importance of diversifying how and where you attract buying customers. If you put all of your eggs in one basket it can result in revenue completely stopping literally overnight. There are many things that are out of a company’s hand when it comes to social media, like a Facebook account being banned or deleted, Instagram shadow banning a profile, or an unexpected algorithm change. If something like this happens, all traffic and sales stop. In order to avoid this situation, you need to diversify, starting with the three suggestions below. Run Paid Ads for Immediate Revenue While organic social media is great, it can be very difficult to scale quickly enough to bring in the revenue required for growth. With so much competition for attention on social media, growing your following is much harder now than it was several years ago. Paid social media ads gives you access to the massive audience, laser targeting, and infinite scaling abilities, as long as you have money to spend. Facebook’s pixel technology, for example, allows you to target previous visitors of your website and display relevant ads pertaining to what page they visited on your website. Re-marketing or re-targeting is one of the most powerful and effective paid social advertising strategies. While Instagram and Facebook are excellent paid advertising options, you also want to look beyond them. AdWords is a great way to pull in targeted users based on Google search, and just another way to ensure your traffic sources are diverse. With video content exploding in popularity, YouTube is another paid advertising goldmine that should be tested. Every business will have different sweet-spots in terms of where their buyers will come from, but you will never know what yours is unless you test them all. Create an Organic Traffic Game Plan If you aren’t going after organic traffic from Google you are leaving a lot of customers and money on the table. In order to take advantage of organic traffic you need to create a content marketing strategy for both your website and off-site. Your blog needs constant high-quality traffic that is designed around keywords and search terms you want to rank for, and you should also explore guest blogging opportunities that will provide you with branding and referral traffic. All of this works together to help improve your search engine optimization. In much the same way that you can find tutors for any subject imaginable, even for things like economics homework help, the same is true for people searching online. Google continues to confirm that fully 15% of all searches are new, and have never been searched before. When creating content for your website, make sure it’s both interesting and informative for your visitors. You want them to engage with your content and then make a purchase, so create blog posts that answer common questions related to what you are selling. Anytime you can dictate how you solve a common problem, it helps to build trust and it establishes a relationship, which gives the consumer the trust and confidence requires to convert into a paying customer. Leverage Your Current Social Media Following If you used social media from the start, then you have an asset built up that you can leverage to create an army of brand supporters and promoters. Rolling out an ambassador or affiliate program is an easy way to generate more sales without having to put out up-front advertising and marketing funds. Every customer or follower you have is someone who potentially has an audience of people connected to them that would also be interested in what you are offering. By paying out a commission or referral fee for each sale you are rewarding them and also enticing them to put in extra effort to help promote your brand. It costs very little to nothing to roll this out, and since you are only paying for performance you don’t have to worry about wasting your advertising and marketing budget. Include an automated email with each new purchase, inviting every customer to join your program. If your compensation is attractive it can lead to massive exponential growth. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog September 22, 2018 at 04:35PM
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How Marketing Differs from Advertising and Why You Need Both https://ift.tt/2NzmB8k There is often a lot of confusion between marketing and advertising, and what each one really means. While they are very different, they are both required in order to create a successful business. There are numerous definitions of both terms, and if you ask several people what they mean you will receive completely different responses each time. The only thing everyone will agree on is that both are necessary and need to be a major focus. Even though both are required, it’s important to know what separates ‘advertising’ from ‘marketing’ and what each one does, while working together to help your business. Marketing is designed to bring attention (or drive awareness) to your product or service. Marketing is a bunch of actions that are done in order to attract attention to your brand and drive awareness, putting you in front of people that could potentially be interested in what it is that you offer. You can think of this as the first introduction. Social media is a great example of marketing, as you are putting your brand in front of a large audience and giving them something to engage with in the event that your offer or brand message is attractive to them. A common example of marketing is a brand creating a specific hashtag that is designed to raise awareness and draw attention to the company. Little things like this are done to introduce a brand and let everyone know the product or service exists, rather than directly selling. If you market correctly, it sets up your advertising campaigns to be much more effective. Advertising is a segment of marketing that reminds potential customers of your product or service. Advertising is what drives sales. Once you have branded your business through creative marketing, your advertising is what triggers that “reminder” and is responsible for pushing the audience to convert into a purchase. Your advertising needs to explain why your product or service is the right solution for the problem you solve. Not all advertising is designed to convert the recipient right away, as a lot of conversions require multiple “touches” before the consumer is ready to buy. Conversely companies like MyVoucherCodes are definitely near the end of the buying funnel. In order for it to be effective, your advertising needs to accomplish two things:
Advertising needs to live on multiple platforms, including social media, pay-per-click, organic search, etc. If you have an aggressive marketing campaign that delivers a lot of brand impressions you will want to supplement that with advertising in as many different places as possible in order to take advantage of the foundation already poured. Conclusion Both marketing and advertising are required and both are very similar, which is why there is always going to be a debate and some confusion regarding them. Your marketing needs to make your potential audience know you exist, and your advertising needs to tell them why they need what it is that you are selling. When your audience knows who you are and you explain to them how your product or service solves a problem they have, then the conversion-goal becomes much easier to obtain. The post How Marketing Differs from Advertising and Why You Need Both appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog September 22, 2018 at 04:29PM
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White House says a draft executive order reviewing social media companies is not “official” https://ift.tt/2O1w7jP A draft executive order circulating around the White House “is not the result of an official White House policymaking process,” according to deputy White House press secretary, Lindsay Walters. According to a report in The Washington Post, Walters denied that White House staff had worked on a draft executive order that would require every federal agency to study how social media platforms moderate user behavior and refer any instances of perceived bias to the Justice Department for further study and potential legal action. Bloomberg first reported the draft executive order and a copy of the document was acquired and published by Business Insider. Here’s the relevant text of the draft (from Business Insider):
While there are several reasonable arguments to be made for and against the regulation of social media platforms, “bias” is probably the least among them. That hasn’t stopped the steady drumbeat of accusations of bias under the guise of “anticompetitive regulation” against platforms like Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Twitter from increasing in volume and tempo in recent months. Bias was the key concern Republican lawmakers brought up when Mark Zuckerberg was called to testify before Congress earlier this year. And bias was front and center in Republican lawmakers’ questioning of Jack Dorsey, Sheryl Sandberg, and Google’s empty chair when they were called before Congress earlier this month to testify in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Justice Department has even called in the attorneys general of several states to review the legality of the moderation policies of social media platforms later this month (spoiler alert: they’re totally legal). With all of this activity focused on tech companies, it’s no surprise that the administration would turn to the Executive Order — a preferred weapon of choice for Presidents who find their agenda stalled in the face of an uncooperative legislature (or prevailing rule of law). However, as the Post reported, aides in the White House said there’s little chance of this becoming actual policy.
Social Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com September 22, 2018 at 04:21PM
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Understanding Social Media’s Role in the Explosion of the Wedding Industry https://ift.tt/2NtsyUh The reverberations of social media are felt in almost every sector of the American economy, but few have experienced more of a boom than the wedding industry. Studying this relationship a little deeper shows some interesting relationships and connections – takeaways that help us understand the significant role social media plays in business and larger society. The Pinterest and Instagram EffectFor the last seven years, the average cost of a wedding in the United States has steadily increased. According to The Knot’s 2017 Real Weddings Survey, the national average is now $33,391 – though the cost varies dramatically based on where you live. (Couples in New York City spend an average of $76,944, while couples in New Mexico spend just $17,584.) What’s most interesting is that the rise in cost of weddings almost directly parallels the emergence of social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram – and this isn’t coincidental. These social networks – among others – have produced an effect. They’ve made weddings seem even more significant, aspirational, and important than ever before. Many couples getting married today have been exposed to the onslaught of wedding exposure on social media for more than a decade. Not only has this built up a feeling of pressure to produce a noteworthy wedding, but it’s also given them time to dream big. “Social media has definitely influenced weddings in a way that couples are seeking larger-than-life ideas,” says Kristen Maxwell Cooper, executive editor of The Knot. “I think they are having greater expectations for how their day should look and feel.” The problem is that many of the pictures couples see on Pinterest and Instagram aren’t indicative of the average wedding. People see a five-course dinner from George Clooney’s reception and want to mimic it. Or they see floral arrangements from Kim Kardashian’s wedding, for example, and think that it’s the norm. (Hint: It’s not.) In other words, social media has glorified weddings – something that has had a direct impact on the overall cost and extravagance of these special events. And as more and more “social media babies” come of age, this trend will only be amplified. Wedding Vendors: Direct to BrideAccording to Cooper, 89 percent of couples now use smartphones to plan their weddings, meaning social media has overtaken the role of wedding planner. The ability for wedding vendors to directly engage brides and grooms is another example of a major impact social media has had on the wedding industry. Wedding planners certainly still play a role, but there’s less of a need for them (at least in terms of leveraging connections). Couples can find vendors online and book them directly. Wedding bands like San Antonio favorite The Grooves are a perfect example of this. They can use social media and digital marketing to push out promo videos, share them online, and reach couples who want to find live entertainment without having to sit through actual concerts and performances. Wedding venues are another example. Couples can do all of their research online – and many even book venues without visiting them in person. “Not only is it easier to find venues, but with other couples leaving reviews, couples can read about others’ experiences and determine whether or not that venue will be the right choice for them,” digital marketing expert David Wither writes. “Perhaps they think they’ve found the perfect one, but upon reading reviews, they find out that the guest limit is smaller than their invitation list, so they’ll know they need to continue their search.” Whether it’s wedding bands, venues, florists, caterers, or anything in between, social media bridges the gap between couples and vendors. The result is greater accessibility and transparency. Understanding Social Media’s ImpactIt’s nearly impossible to separate the wedding industry from social media. The former has become so influenced by the latter that it’s difficult to see a future without this relationship. Some of the influence is good and some is arguably bad, but there’s no denying that a mark has been made. The post Understanding Social Media’s Role in the Explosion of the Wedding Industry appeared first on Social Media Explorer. Social Media via Social Media Explorer https://ift.tt/2onGYog September 22, 2018 at 02:43PM
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Twitter Chronological Timeline Returns https://ift.tt/2O4Euv5 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 the return of the chronological timeline on Twitter and new ways to sell your products directly from the Instagram app. Our special guests include Madalyn Sklar and Jeff Sieh. Watch the Social Media Marketing Talk ShowIf you’re new to the show, click on the green “Watch replay” button below and sign in or register to watch our latest episode from Friday, September 21, 2018. You can also listen to the show as an audio podcast, found on iTunes/Apple Podcast, Android, Google Play, Stitcher, and RSS. For this week’s top stories, you’ll find timestamps below that allow you to fast-forward in the replay above. Twitter Revives Chronological Timelines: In a series of six tweets, Twitter shared that it’s “working on… an easily accessible way to switch between a timeline of Tweets that are most relevant for you and a timeline of the latest Tweets.” Twitter will begin testing this new option “in the coming weeks.” (3:07)
In the meantime, Twitter updated the Show Me the Best Tweets First setting such that turning it off will now show only tweets from people you follow in reverse chronological order. In the past, Twitter either displayed tweets that you might have missed (“In case you missed it”) and recommended tweets from people you don’t currently follow. Twitter will eventually replace this setting with the option to switch between algorithmic and chronological timelines. Twitter Redesigns Explore and Bookmarks on the Web: Twitter is testing an updated web version that includes access to some of its popular mobile features such as Bookmarks, the Explore section, and more. Twitter is currently testing the new experience with a small number of users, but tells all other users to “stay tuned.” (19:54)
Twitter Prioritizes Live Broadcasts: Twitter announced via tweet that it’s “making it easier to find and watch live broadcasts” from the accounts you follow by placing the live stream at the top of your timeline. This update will include breaking news, personalities, and sports and is rolling out now on iOS and Android. (23:47)
Twitter and Periscope Get Audio-Only Broadcasts: Twitter launched audio-only broadcasts on mobile on Twitter for iOS and Periscope. This new feature, which was confirmed in a tweet from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is available where you would normally launch a live video. Twitter hasn’t confirmed when it will be available on more platforms and devices. (26:43)
Twitter Experiments With Threaded Replies and Status Indicators: Twitter announced via tweet that it’s experimenting with threaded conversations and status indicators to make conversations on the platform “feel more conversational.” However, no further details on these features have been provided. (14:28)
Instagram Rolls Out New Ways to Shop From the App: Instagram introduced two ways to make it easier to shop directly from the app by expanding Shopping in Stories and testing a new shopping channel in Explore. Instagram began testing Shopping in Stories in June 2018 and is now rolling it out globally to 46 countries. (34:03) The new Shopping channel in Explore will feature content that’s specifically tailored to a user’s style, tastes, and interests. It will feature brands users already follow and brands they might like. The Shopping channel in Explore is currently testing and will roll out globally over the “coming weeks.” Pinterest Boasts Over a Quarter of a Billion Users Worldwide: Pinterest shared that 250 million people are using Pinterest every month, up from 200 million last September. The company also reported that more than half of its users and 80% of new signups come from outside the U.S. (43:03) Pinterest Launches Influencer Marketing API: Pinterest expanded its content marketing API to third-party influencer marketing platforms. According to the company, this update is intended “to help brands and influencers collaborate more effectively and create exciting new things on Pinterest.” With the help of eight influencer marketing platforms as launch partners, Pinterest Business clients will gain visibility into key stats like monthly views, followers, impressions, click-throughs, and saves. (45:45) Want to catch our next show live? Click here to subscribe or add our show to your calendar. Social Media via Social Media Examiner https://ift.tt/1LtH18p September 22, 2018 at 05:03AM
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Facebook Pages can now join Facebook Groups https://ift.tt/2O2mfqb Your Facebook Page can now join members-only Facebook Groups. In a new setting update spotted by social media aficionado Matt Navarra, Facebook is now going to let Pages on the site interact with communities through Facebook Groups. Within Facebook Group settings, a new option has popped up for group owners that enables them to “allow Pages to request to join as group members.” Previously, only personal profiles could join Facebook Groups and post and comment within them. “We've heard from people that engaging with public figures, non-profits, publishers, and businesses in a more intimate setting can be meaningful,” a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable. “We previously launched the ability for Pages to start Facebook Groups so that they can engage with their communities. We are now testing the ability for Pages to join existing Facebook Groups as well.” As Facebook points out, there are a number of Facebook Page types that really stand to benefit from this change. For one, there are actors, musicians, politicians and all other sorts of celebrities and public figures who use Facebook Pages as their main account. Some might not make their personal Facebook profiles public. Others might not even have a personal profile at all. Before this change, various public figures and brands could have been prohibited from interacting with their fans or supporters within Facebook Groups. Now that Pages can join groups, Facebook might soon see verified Pages with millions of “likes” interact on a more personal level within Groups. Page owners using the Page itself in Facebook Group can now also possibly see an uptick in likes due to these interactions as opposed to friend requests on their personal profiles from users they may barely even know. Page owners can now build the brand they properly want to use within Groups instead of being forced to use personal profiles which Facebook requires a real name to use. With the positives from these changes, there’s bound to be some negatives, too. Hiding behind a random Page name as opposed to your real name on a profile is bound to lead to some abuse. And Facebook seems to have prepared for that. Facebook tells me that Group administrators can turn off the option allowing Pages to join their Facebook Group. Admins can also ban Pages just as if they were any other group member. All Facebook Group administrators will soon be informed of this brand new feature. Enabling Pages to join Groups will be the platform wide Group default. Group admins will also be told how to turn the setting off. Facebook appears to be taking its Groups feature more seriously in recent months. Along with the options for Facebook Pages to both join and create Groups, earlier this summer Facebook announced a Group subscription plan option, allowing some Groups to charge members for access. Social Media via Mashable https://ift.tt/2DCFv97 September 21, 2018 at 03:27PM
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Twitter bug sent user direct messages to third-party developers for over a year https://ift.tt/2NxUKFB Twitter said that a “bug” sent user’s private direct messages to third-party developers “who were not authorized to receive them.” The social media giant began warning users Friday of the exposure with a message in the app. “The issue has persisted since May 2017, but we resolved it immediately upon discovering it,” the message said, which was posted on Twitter by a Mashable reporter. “Our investigation into this issue is ongoing, but presently we have no reason to believe that any data sent to unauthorized developers was misused.” Twitter said discovered the exposure on September 10, but took almost two weeks to inform users.
The company said that the bug affected less than 1 percent of users on Twitter. The company had 335 million users as of its latest earnings release. “If your account was affected by this bug, we will contact you directly through an in-app notice and on twitter.com,” said the advice. “No action is required from you,” the message said. Twitter said in a notice that a developer API used by businesses to interact with customers — like airlines or delivery services — may have collected those particular direct messages by mistake. In a separate blog post, Twitter said that it’s investigation has confirmed “only one set of technical circumstances where this issue could have occurred.” It’s the second data-related bug this year. In May, the company said a bug mistakenly logged users’ passwords in plaintext in an internal log, used by Twitter staff. Twitter urged users to change their password. A Twitter spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Social Media via Twitter – TechCrunch https://techcrunch.com September 21, 2018 at 02:03PM
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How to Become Profitable with Instagram Ads https://ift.tt/2O2JlwK I’m sure by now you recognize the importance of staying active on social media to promote your business. Your Instagram marketing campaigns need to be a priority. If you’re not using Instagram to reach your customers, there is a good chance your competitors are doing so. In fact, more than 70% of businesses in the United States are using Instagram. Furthermore, 70% of hashtags on this platform are branded. That’s why it’s so important for you to leverage your Instagram profile to connect with your current customers and target prospective consumers as well. Believe it or not, consumers want to interact with brands on social media. We know that 80% of Instagram accounts follow at least one business profile. If you’re getting lots of followers, that’s great. However, you need to learn how to convert your social media followers into customers, or your efforts won’t pay off. But what about the consumers who don’t follow your business on Instagram? They might be interested in your products, services, and content, but they won’t see any of your promotions if they’re not following your profile. That’s where Instagram ads come into play. Buying ads on Instagram will help give you a huge advantage over your competitors who aren’t willing to spend the money. That said, any time you’re spending valuable marketing dollars, it’s important to make sure those efforts yield a high ROI. You don’t want to blindly buy ads without making sure they’re profitable. If you’re new to Instagram ads or if your current ones need improvement, you’ll benefit tremendously from this guide. I’ll explain how to drive sales with your Instagram marketing strategy, get more followers, and expand your reach. Here’s what you need to know. Determine your marketing objectiveInstagram is owned by Facebook. You’ll be using the same platform you used to generate leads with Facebook ads. The first thing you’ll need to do is select your marketing objective: The goals are broken down into three main categories:
Truthfully, there is no right or wrong answer here when it comes to making this selection. Any choice can lead to profits. For example, if your goal is to generate website traffic, that traffic can eventually lead to conversions. If you are trying to increase your brand awareness, extend your reach or generate leads, those campaigns can end up creating sales in the future. But if you’re trying to get instant sales, you’ll want to select conversions, catalog sales, or store visits as your marketing objective. These types of ads will have actionable CTAs to drive sales. But we’ll discuss that in greater detail shortly. Again, your ads will be effective no matter what you choose. Everyone’s brand is different. Don’t expect your goals to mirror those of other companies. If you have the budget, you can even run multiple campaigns with different goals to see which ones are the most beneficial for your business. Then, you can continue running the most successful ones. Identify your target audienceNext, you’ll need to determine the audience you want to target. There are different approaches to this step, depending on the overall marketing goals of your company and each campaign. You’re able to select your audience based on factors such as:
Again, this will change based on each campaign. For example, let’s say your brand sells sports equipment to consumers in the United States. That doesn’t mean all your ads will be relevant to every location. An ad that promotes a sale on surfboards won’t appeal to someone who lives in Colorado. Ads for women’s golf clubs should be seen only by, you guessed it, women. I know this sounds basic, but you’d be surprised how often I see businesses make such simple mistakes. They try to target as many people as possible, which isn’t a profitable strategy. Another cool feature you should keep in mind when you’re selecting your target market is the ability to create a custom audience. This allows you to set your ads to reach users who have interacted with you before. For example, a person who doesn’t follow you can still see one of your posts on the Instagram “explore” page, also known as the “popular page.” That’s a custom audience you could target. You can also set a custom lookalike audience. These ads will target users similar to your current followers. Set a budgetI don’t recommend spending every dollar in your marketing budget on Instagram ads, especially if this is your first time using this strategy. Get your feet wet before you dive in head first. Everyone’s budget is different. But let’s keep things simple for now and say that your company has allocated $5,000 to spend on Instagram ads. That’s great. However, it doesn’t mean you should dump all $5,000 into one campaign. Mix it up. As I said before, you’ll want to experiment to see which types of ads benefit your brand the most based on your goals. Try running five campaigns at $1,000 each. Don’t run them all simultaneously. Not everyone who sees your advertisements will convert. But if they see three ads over the course of a couple of months, it might get the job done. While it’s important for you to spend within your means, it’s worth noting that even small business owners are planning to increase their Instagram marketing budgets. As you can see, Instagram is second only to Facebook in the list of all social media networks small businesses plan to spend more money on in the coming years. If you don’t have the funds to spend much money on Instagram ads right now, you should budget accordingly for the future. The last thing you want is to let your competitors beat you to new leads. Or even worse, lose your current customers to the competition because they ran ads and you didn’t. Choose which types of ads you want to runThere are a bunch of different types of ads you can run on Instagram. That’s because the platform is versatile. These are all the options for you to consider:
One of the best parts about Instagram ads is that your content appears naturally within the rest of the content seen by users. Such posts are clearly labeled as sponsored ads, but they still look like any other content from any other account an Instagram user might follow. For example, let’s say a user is browsing through the stories of the accounts they follow. If you run a story ad, your story will be presented between two stories posted by profiles they follow. Sure, a user may recognize they’re seeing an ad. But that won’t necessarily stop them from consuming your content. In fact, 60% of users say they use Instagram to discover new products. And 75% of that group follow through with an action after that discovery. The action may not be a purchase—it could be a click to find out more. But that should give you a chance to get these users to convert. Use an actionable CTAYour CTA will have a big impact on how users react to the sponsored content they’re presented with. Let’s assume you accurately selected your target market and your ad is being displayed to those interested in your product and willing to buy. How can you get them to convert? Invite them to buy with action verbs. Get right to the point. Check out this CTA example from a MeUndies advertisement on Instagram: Shop now. There is nothing ambiguous about this CTA. It’s much more actionable than something like “find out more information here.” That type of CTA won’t drive sales. But with a call-to-action such as “shop now,” users who see this advertisement will know exactly what to expect when they click on the button. As expected, this CTA brings you directly to the brand’s ecommerce shop. Take a look at this landing page to see how MeUndies is able to drive sales with its advertisement. It’s very simple. Since people are viewing these ads on their mobile devices, don’t try to cram too many products onto the screen at the same time. Here, when users scroll, they see only two products at a time. Now, take a minute to scroll back up to the original post. It featured a model wearing sweatpants. Naturally, the first two products displayed on the landing page are sweatpants. It makes sense and should promote conversions. Let’s say your Instagram advertisement is promoting a new backpack, but your CTA brings them to a page selling water bottles. Sure, the users might be interested in that product as well. However, they clicked on your CTA because they wanted to see the product in your original ad. Make sure the two match. We’ll discuss your landing page in greater detail shortly. Showcase your top benefitsYou need to realize how people use Instagram. They’re scrolling through posts at a fairly rapid rate. Don’t expect people to stop to analyze your ad if it’s overly complicated. If your benefits can’t be identified right away, the user has no reason to click your CTA button. You’ve got to come up with ads that are easy to recognize at a quick glance. Here’s a great example of how State and Liberty is able to accomplish this with its advertisement: It’s very clear what the carousel ad is trying to convey. Same model, two different shirts. The shirt on the left looks messy, coming untucked. Many guys can relate to that. But the shirt on the right looks great. It fits the model perfectly, which makes him look sharp. Combining two images in one picture is much more effective than showing one shirt without anything to compare it to. Once a user sees this, they may be interested enough to keep swiping through the rest of the carousel ad. The next image of the ad uses the same strategy. One shirt is neat, fits properly, and doesn’t cause the model to sweat. While the other shirt is messy, loose, coming untucked, and covered in sweat. Even if the differences are embellished, that’s okay. It’s still an extremely effective way to promote the brand. In just two pictures, this company is able to showcase how it differs from the competition by highlighting the top benefits of its product. This campaign paired with an actionable CTA is a great way to drive sales. Create a landing page that drives conversionsYour advertisement might be great. You were able to pick the right marketing objective and target the perfect audience, and the content of your ad is getting people to click on your CTA. However, all of this is useless if your landing page isn’t set up to drive conversions. When a user clicks a CTA that says something like “shop now,” they shouldn’t land on your blog or homepage. You want to bring them directly to your ecommerce shop. Make it easy for them to complete the checkout process with just a few clicks. However, depending on your marketing goal, you can set up other types of landing pages to drive conversions, even if those conversions aren’t sales. Check out this example of a landing page from Olivers Apparel: The company encourages users to recommend its brand to other people. By sending $25 to a friend, they’ll get $25 in return. It’s a very enticing offer for a user exposed to a new brand for the first time. You might be hesitant to spend money on a product you’ve never used before. But $25 off your order may be a good enough reason for you to buy. This strategy is a great example of a customer referral program that drives sales. Let’s look at another landing page strategy from Buffy. You might want to consider using it in your marketing: Instead of turning its prospective customers away with expensive prices, the brand’s landing page gives them an offer they can’t refuse. You can try this product for 30 days at no cost. They’ll ship it to you free, and if you’re not happy with it after a month, you can send it back—free too. Instead of a CTA that says “buy,” the company used “try.” Further, 30 days is plenty of time for prospective customers to decide whether they like the product or not. Since Buffy offers such an enticing deal, I’m assuming the team is confident in the quality of its product, expecting the customers to be satisfied. Sending Instagram users directly to your ecommerce shop is a great way to drive sales. But as you can see from these last two examples, you can use other types of landing pages that convert. Highlight what makes your brand uniqueThis concept is similar to the idea of showing off your top benefits. However, you and other brands may have similar benefits. If you can explain what makes your brand unique, you can have a competitive advantage. For example, let’s say you sell athletic footwear. Some of its top benefits may be related to comfort, durability, style, and performance. But does that really separate you from the crowd? Something that makes your brand unique may be that a portion of your sales goes to a particular charity. That’s unique. Here’s a more specific example from a Felix Gray Instagram ad: The company sells different types of glasses. But does that make them unique? Not really. However, this advertisement says that its frames are crafted by hand. That’s worth mentioning as part of a differentiation strategy. ConclusionYour company needs to have an Instagram marketing strategy. While you can use Instagram free, running ads can give you the competitive advantage you’ve been looking for. This will help you target new customers outside of your existing followers. Start by identifying your marketing objectives. Then, decide what audience you want to target with each campaign. Choose which type of ad you want to run. Budget your ads accordingly. Make sure your CTA is actionable. Create an ad that showcases the top benefits of your products. Explain what makes your brand unique. Design a landing page that drives conversions. If you’re able to accomplish everything I’ve explained in this guide, your Instagram ads will be effective and profitable. What types of ads is your brand using to drive sales on Instagram? Social Media via Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/UU7LJr September 21, 2018 at 10:00AM How to Get More Engagement With Facebook Live https://ift.tt/2Dkz3nE Want more people to watch, share, and comment on your live videos? Looking for tips on improving the quality of viewer engagement? To explore how to get more engagement with Facebook Live video, I interview Stephanie Liu. More About This Show The Social Media Marketing podcast is designed to help busy marketers, business owners, and creators discover what works with social media marketing. In this episode, I interview Stephanie Liu, a live video expert and social media consultant. She hosts a Facebook Live show called Lights, Camera, Live, which is focused on helping businesses succeed with live video. Stephanie explains how to promote your Facebook Live video with events and crossposting. You'll also discover how questions, requests to share, and bots can improve Facebook Live video engagement. Share your feedback, read the show notes, and get the links mentioned in this episode below. Listen Now Here are some of the things you'll discover in this show: Engagement With Facebook Live Stephanie's Story Stephanie is an ad agency veteran. After working in the ad agency world for about 15 years, she decided to start her own business focused on a social media strategy. In a crowded field, Stephanie decided the best way to stand out was to do live video. She wanted to be an early adopter to separate herself from the pack. About 2 years ago, when Periscope was a big deal and Facebook Live was just rolling out for the masses, Stephanie started going live with OBS Studio, and Facebook Live provided the most client referrals. In a collaboration with Chef Claudia Sandoval, the winner of MasterChef Season 6, Stephanie had one of her early successes with live video marketing. Claudia was working with T-Mobile and MasterChef on a Facebook Live promotion for the new T-Mobile Tuesdays app. Claudia noticed Stephanie's efforts to break into live video and asked for Stephanie's help figuring out how to do it. Stephanie planned a low-tech live video with Claudia using a regular iPhone 6 and one ring light. They created plans to generate buzz before the live event, keep people engaged during the broadcast, and keep the app top of mind and tip of tongue after the live broadcast. During the live stream, Claudia made her famous Tres Leches Cake recipe. The broadcast lasted about an hour and a half. The whole time, someone held the iPhone by hand. They didn't have a tripod because Claudia was moving around the kitchen, and this was before anyone was using a live gimbal. The results of the promotion were amazing. As soon as Claudia went live, the video had 843 peak live viewers. Right after the broadcast, 1.5 million people opened the T-Mobile Tuesdays app, and Claudia's cookbook had 178,000 downloads. Since then, Stephanie has continued to help clients build their brands and bottom lines with live video. Whether a client is launching their own Facebook Live show or incorporating live video into their events, Stephanie helps make their live video marketing a success. Listen to the show to hear Stephanie talk about her friendship with Claudia. Why Focus on Facebook Live? Stephanie thinks marketers who want to hit the ground running with Facebook should focus on Facebook Live because it has 10 times more reach than all other types of Facebook content. Since Facebook changed its algorithm in January 2018, organic reach has been dwindling to nothing. Facebook Live video also has six times more interactions than recorded video. These interactions keep your brand top of mind and tip of tongue, and are a way to attract the meaningful engagement that Facebook wants. I note that the results Stephanie has seen with reach and engagement reflect what Social Media Examiner experiences, going live multiple times per week. Stephanie has also learned that a new product, Facebook Live Producer, will make going live much easier. At the Facebook F8 conference in May 2018, Social Media via Social Media Marketing Podcast helps your business thrive with social media https://ift.tt/1LtH18p September 21, 2018 at 05:05AM |
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