Brian Meert's Blog, page 114
July 3, 2018
12 Facts You Didn’t Know about Gen Zs
July 3, 2018Anna Hubbel
Photo Courtesy of Paste MagazineThings are about to get real, bruh. In a three-part series, Snapchat dives into statistical insights about Gen Zs, the largest and most influential generation in the US. Gen Zs are teenagers in the 13 to 17 age range. They’re significantly influential in regards to social norms and brand-consumer relationships. They’re very friend-focused, and they prefer spontaneity and authenticity to flashy advertising messages.
In the three-part series, Snapchat highlights the behaviors, personality traits, and “slanguage” of this demographic to help advertisers market to this GOAT (“greatest of all time”) generation. Here are the 12 facts about Gen Zs that will help you successfully reach them in your next campaign.
1. They Influence Family Buying
According to Snapchat, Gen Zs influence $600 billion in household spending. Statistics show that 96 percent of Gen Z parents agree their teenagers influence household money.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business2. They Influence Their Circle of Friends
Gen Zs place high value on their close circles of friends. Since they consider these friends to be like family (70 percent say so, according to Snapchat), it makes sense that they’d influence each other.
When marketing to these circles of friends, you should also realize that 85 percent of Gen Zs prefer to have just a few friends they’re really close with as opposed to having a large circle of friends that isn’t as close-knit. In other words, if you want to get on the Gen Z level, you want to incorporate messages that recognize those close networks.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business3. They’re Diverse
According to Snapchat, by the year 2020, 50 percent of Gen Zs will be part of a minority race or ethnic group. With such a diverse makeup, this generation expects the brands they buy from to be diverse and inclusive.
4. They Have Unique Me Time
Gen Zs like their me time, and they make sure they get it, even when they’re around other people. Snapchat says the average Gen Z spends seven hours on me time per weekday. If that doesn’t sound like a lot, they spend more than 11 hours on weekends.
The way Gen Zs spend their me time makes their behavior particularly important. Nineteen percent spends it on social media, 19 percent spends it listening to music, and 18 percent spends it streaming shows or movies. This behavior remains relatively consistent even when Gen Zs are around their friends.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business5. They Value Brains over Beauty
The idea that glamour and beauty sell is outdated, at least where Gen Zs are concerned. This generation, according to Snapchat, values smarts, authenticity, and spontaneity over the superficial. In fact, 65 percent of Gen Zs would rather have a great mind than a great body. Additionally, 65 percent would rather be real and authentic on apps and websites than portray their ideal selves.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business6. They Look For Similar Qualities in Influencers
If you want to work with influencers, look for ones that demonstrate qualities similar to those of your Gen Z audience. Gen Zs follow influencers who are genuine, unique, and innovative, so don’t go the glamorous route if it means being superficial. Identify which influencers Gen Zs are drawn to and consider the traits they exhibit. Those are the traits that will reach your Gen Z audience.
7. They Have Their Own Slanguage
That’s right, bruh. Gen Zs, like past generations, have their own slanguage (slang language). If you can do it without being extra (a.k.a., over the top), you can use some of their slanguage to craft marketing messages they can relate to.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business
8. They Use Technology Every Day
Most US Gen Zs (96 percent) have smartphones. Although that’s no surprise, it’s surprising to know that most of them got their first phone at age 10. As a result, technology is now rooted in their everyday behaviors. For instance, 68 percent of Gen Zs sleep with their phones right next to them, with 46 percent unable to exceed one hour away from their phone during the day. If you think this is unhealthy behavior, 85 percent of Gen Zs argue that technology improves their lives.
Fifty-nine percent of Gen Zs use technology to multitask, indicating that they believe it helps them accomplish more. Additionally, 61 percent choose to use tech to save their photo or video memories rather than have a physical souvenir. This preference supports the high teen usage of platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. Snapchat says Gen Zs are using Snapchat increasingly compared to last year.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business9. They Use Snapchat to Connect with Friends
Since Gen Zs place high value on their close friendships, staying connected through social platforms is very important to them. Snapchat has become the most popular social app for Gen Zs for this very reason: it allows them to share present and spontaneous moments throughout the day with best friends. It very much resembles real life in that moments disappear shortly after they occur.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business10. They Have Favorite Brands
Gen Zs have top brands they are loyal to and recommend to their network of friends (or “fam”). These include Nike, American Eagle Outfitters, Adidas, Amazon, Tarte, and others.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For BusinessThere are even some brands, according to Snapchat, that Gen Zs will remain loyal to for life. Unsurprisingly, Nike, Apple, and Amazon are among the top brands on that list of expected lifelong loyalty.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business11. They Look For Ethical Standards and Digital Presence
Snapchat says Gen Zs choose brands that meet certain qualities. Specifically, Gen Zs look for high ethical standards and a consistent digital presence, as both these qualities suggest commitment and trustworthiness. Additionally, when it comes to digital ads, 65 percent of Gen Zs like humorous ads while 64 percent like entertaining ads. Interestingly, 59 percent of Gen Zs don’t mind watching ads as long as they’re well made.
Whenever ads meet the Gen Z standards, they remain memorable to this generation. That should be the ultimate goal when you’re making ads: to be memorable. Among the most memorable ads to Gen Zs, according to Snapchat, are ones by Amazon, Doritos/Mountain Dew, and Nike.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For Business12. They Turn to Their Parents For Approval
Like all teenagers before them, most Gen Zs ultimately need approval from their parents before making a purchase. Forty-two percent of Gen Zs, to be exact, say they need parental approval.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For BusinessWith this in mind, you should think about how parents prefer to make their purchases. For example, for online purchases, parents typically use credit cards, debit cards, or gift cards. For in-store purchases, however, they prefer cash.
Image Courtesy of Snapchat For BusinessAs you construct your next digital campaign, keep this key understanding in mind: Gen Zs are a unique and powerful generation. If you want success for your brand, get to know everything you can about this generation and appeal to their personality traits, behaviors, and standards. It’s the only way to go from gucci to GOAT.
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July 2, 2018
How to Advertise Your App on Amazon
June 29, 2018Anna Hubbel
How to Advertise Your App on @Amazon. #amazon #amazonsellers #business
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It takes only 90 seconds or less. That’s how quickly Amazon says you can create an advertising campaign for your mobile app.
Amazon offers a self-managed app advertising solution called Advertise Your App, exclusively designed for Amazon mobile app developers. With the booming growth of Amazon advertising, as well as the broad user base of Amazon and its mobile devices, this solution is well worth your time, especially since it takes no time at all! You’ve already done all the hard work in constructing your app. Amazon recognizes that and makes the promotional step a lot easier so you can either sit back and relax or get back to developing more apps.
By advertising your app on Amazon, you get the benefits of
Reaching millions of US users
Placing on Fire tablet wake screens
Placing on the Amazon Mobile Ad Network
Boost awareness and drive installs by advertising your app on Amazon. It’s both simple and scalable.
How to Get Started
Step 1: Go to the Developer Portal and create an account or log in.
Step 2: Go to the “Promotions” tab in “Apps and Services.”
Step 3: Select “Advertise Your App.”
Step 4: Choose the app you want to promote. (Amazon automatically creates the ads for you.)
Step 5: Set a campaign budget (as low as $100).
Step 6: Enter how long you want your campaign to run.
Step 7: Enter your cost-per-click information.
Step 8: If desired, choose interest-based targeting options. You can also choose to let Amazon automatically choose targeting for you.
Step 9: If desired, enable the Google Play Support feature to allow users who don’t have the Amazon Store app to download your app from the Google Play Store.
Step 10: Submit your campaign.
Whenever users click on your ad, they’ll be directed to where they can download your app. To track your campaign’s performance, use Amazon’s campaign performance metrics, which allow you to see the number of clicks, conversions, and estimated cost per acquisition.
Your 90 seconds are up and your campaign is done. Now you have all the time in the world to be productive! (Or take a nap—you decide.)
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July 1, 2018
How to Create Irresistibly Shareable Content on Facebook
June 28, 2018Anna Hubbel
How to Create Irresistibly Shareable Content on Facebook. #facebook #socialmedia #socialmediamarketing
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Nothing. Not even the Cambridge Analytica scandal or Russian troll accounts can keep users away from Facebook. Even the Q1 2018 earnings report indicated that both users and advertisers continue to use the platform without wavering.
However, although users are not changing how much they use Facebook, they are changing some of their behaviors on the platform. According to marketing analyst Emarketer, 47 percent of Facebook users are sharing less content because they are concerned about how Facebook is using their personal data. A study conducted by Raymond James in March 2018 found more than 8 in 10 US Internet users expressed at least some concern about the security of personal data on Facebook. An April 2018 study by Gallup revealed that 43 percent of users have a high level of concern about Facebook invading their privacy.
How can you get users to share your content at a time when shares are declining? The answer is creating irresistibly shareable content. To make users feel secure enough to share your content, you have to make it impossible to resist. There are several ways to make that happen.
Be Honest
The more honest your content, the more trustworthy users will perceive it, and the more likely they are to share it. Health and beauty company Dove, for example, gets honest about bullying. You may think it’s a topic astray from the company’s brand, but the company promotes all health and beauty, including mental health and inner beauty. The post on this topic is honest about how things are in the world while still remaining relevant to the brand.
Make Funny Posts
Humor is seeping into more and more posts, even in ads. Users like to laugh (who doesn’t?) and share content they know will make others crack a smile. Nectar Sleep, for example, used humor in a fun animation of Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un to raise awareness for its mattress brand. The post contained text that read, “Setting a sleep schedule is important to maximize your potential. Here’s to hoping our world leaders get a good night’s sleep before Tuesday’s big meeting.”
Connect with Real People
Users share content that’s relatable, and what’s more relatable than other people? For example, Dollar Shave Club recently announced its first #DSCYourThing grant winner, an honor that recognizes members of the club who have unique passions. Dollar Shave Club then helps members share their passions with the rest of the world. This type of content doesn’t have the typical promotional angle, as it highlights a relatable person without focusing as much on the company or product.
Offer Practical Advice
Giving users something useful and actionable is more likely to generate shares. Noom, a nutrition and exercise coaching app, for example, posts content that gives users advice on fitness, eating habits, motivation, and self-care.
If you’re struggling to get users to share your content on Facebook, give them something they can’t resist sharing with their friends. Experiment with what works best for your brand, whether it be blunt honesty, humor, relatable connections, or practical advice. When you find what works, run with it. And don’t waver because Facebook is still going strong!
The post How to Create Irresistibly Shareable Content on Facebook appeared first on AdvertiseMint.
June 29, 2018
Facebook’s Snooze Update Will Hide Spoilers and Annoying Topics
June 29, 2018Anne Felicitas
Facebook’s Snooze Update Will Hide Spoilers and Annoying Topics. #facebook #socialmedia
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With the advent of social media, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to avoid spoilers. Miss one episode of Game of Thrones, and you’re destined to find fans gushing about the show’s shocking reveal online. But with Facebook’s Snooze update, those days will be no more.
Facebook is testing a new version of Snooze that allows you to mute posts by keywords for 30 days. Don’t want to hear about the season finale of Westworld? Simply snooze posts containing the keyword “Westworld.” Located on the upper right-hand menu in News Feed posts, Snooze temporarily hides status updates from friends, groups, and pages.
With this update, Facebook provides a more precise blocking tool for News Feed. Currently, you can’t mute posts about specific topics. Rather, you can only mute users, which may pose a problem. You may, for example, detest all of Mary Sue’s posts about Fortnite, but you don’t want to mute all of her posts from your feed because her hilarious rants about LA traffic delight you.
Once Facebook officially rolls out the Snooze update, you can temporarily mute all unwanted topics without blocking specific users from your News Feed—everyone wins.
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Instagram Reaches Major Milestone of 1 Billion Monthly Users
June 28, 2018Anna Hubbel
Instagram Reaches Major Milestone of 1 Billion Monthly Users. #instagram #socialmedia #advertisingagency
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Instagram has hit the big time. This month, the platform announced its milestone of 1 billion monthly active users. In September 2017, this achievement was foreshadowed with a milestone of 800 million. It was just a matter of time.
According to Tech Crunch, rival platform Snapchat saw only a 2.13 percent growth in daily user count in Q1 2018, bringing it to 191 million. Even Facebook’s monthly user count only grew 3.14 percent. Instagram surpassed its parent platform at 5 percent per quarter.
As we all know, great power comes with great responsibility. Now that Instagram has such a massive user base, Tech Crunch predicts the platform will be expected to take on a more prominent role in generating revenue for the Facebook family. Already, according to Emarketer, 28.2 percent of Facebook’s mobile ad spend comes from Instagram. Additionally, Tech Crunch says Emarketer predicts Instagram will account for $5.48 billion in 2018 US ad revenue.
Furthermore, Instagram’s new long-form video hub IGTV may become the focus of many advertisers who want to reach the platform’s audience of 1 billion users. Instagram recently launched the video space, which rivals YouTube and Snapchat Discover, as both an in-app feature and a standalone app. Nothing has yet been announced regarding monetization through IGTV; however, the growing popularity of Instagram all but guarantees the video hub will become a major source of ad revenue.
We must not forget that Instagram is a Facebook product. Any success for the former is a success for the latter. So although the Facebook platform is currently struggling to retain young users and recover from privacy scandals, Instagram continues to maintain a large following. Facebook is wise to foster more focus on Instagram because its visual appeal and separate branding appear to overcome any negative perceptions underlying the parent company. The biggest challenge for Instagram will be remaining diligent even in its success to avoid any privacy scandals on its own platform.
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June 28, 2018
Google AdWords Introduces New Creative Suite for YouTube Storytellers
June 28, 2018
Anna Hubbel
Google AdWords Introduces New Creative Suite for YouTube Storytellers. #google #adwords #youtube
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Telling a story that reels in your audience, captures their attention, and inspires them to take action is a great skill. It’s also hard. It’s especially difficult to also determine whether the video you spent a lot of time and effort on is performing the way you want it to.
You will be excited to learn that Google AdWords recently introduced a YouTube creative suite, which offers new tools for storytelling, testing, and measurement. That’s right: new toys! Let’s take a look at the suite and what video ventures await you.
Test Creative Using Video Experiments
AdWord’s new tool Video Experiments helps you test creatives to see how the creatives affect metrics such as awareness, consideration, and purchase intent. You can see results for cleanly segmented experiments in as little as three days, and the experiments can run at no extra cost on YouTube. Gone are the days of spending time and money on simulated ad scenarios to see what might work. Instead, spend it on something you know will work. Video Experiments will launch in beta this month.
Understand Performance Using Video Creative Analytics
Video Creative Analytics will make it easier to identify and read quantitative creative insights for your video creative. You’ll better understand how different audiences respond to different elements of your video. AdWords plans to expand this capability later this year to also tell you what percent of your audience views key moments (e.g. logo, a featured product, etc.) throughout your video. With this new resource, you’ll identify which elements are performing well and ultimately inform your creative efforts.
Create Multiple Versions Using Director Mix
YouTube Director Mix makes it possible to create multiple versions of a video. You can simply swap different elements for each version to see how they impact performance for different audiences or contexts. For example, you can see how your video works with two or more different images, changing only the image in each version. You can do the same with text, sound, and other elements. This tool is currently in alpha.
Showcase Your Message Using Video Ad Sequencing
Video Ad Sequencing offers a unique way to share the story of your brand or a product message in an ad series. You may choose to share these ads in sequential order or as scattered spurts of content within a randomized series. This tool is also in alpha, and it can drive deeper engagement, awareness, or consideration, depending on your campaign’s goals.
Who’s Using It?
Big brands are already taking advantage of YouTube’s new creative suite. Kellogg’s is using Director Mix to personalize different versions of its video creative for different audiences. The campaign resulted in a 29 percent lift in ad recall, a 15 percent lift in purchase consideration, and a 4 percent lift in sales and market share growth
Much like Kellogg’s, 20th Century Fox is also taking advantage, combining experimentation with Video Ad Sequencing to deliver storytelling intros for new films. The campaign generated a 149 percent uplift in consideration, a 33 percent uplift in view-through rate, and a 157 percent uplift in organic title searches.
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June 27, 2018
Why Is Instagram Advertising Important to My Business?
June 27, 2018Anna Hubbel
Why Is Instagram Advertising Important to My Business? #business #instagram #digitalmarketing
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With Facebook currently fixing PR nightmares and Snapchat still proving its worth to investors, Instagram is the one platform that’s remained steadfast in its success. Instagram’s focus on stunning visuals makes it a hit among users, and its brand-friendly features a cash cow for advertisers.
Instagram advertising is a must for any digital campaign because it offers significant creative opportunities for photo, video, and Story formats and offers a massive user base that you can attract with stunning, hyper-targeted ads. But those are just a few reasons for using Instagram to achieve your digital campaign goals. In this article, I’ll talk about some specific reasons why Instagram advertising is important to your business.
Instagram Advertising vs Organic Reach
Instagram has over two million monthly advertisers fighting for the attention of over 300 million daily active users. With these kinds of numbers, competition for a spot in Instagram feeds and Discover are high. This competitiveness makes it extremely difficult to reach users organically. Even if you use hashtags, those hashtags are used in thousands of posts—your posts can easily be pushed down to the bottom of feeds by other users’ posts, making it harder for people to find your content.
Here are examples of popular hashtags used by millions of users, to name a few:
#throwbackthursday—42,005,489 posts
#catsofinstagram—82,491,794 posts
#instafashion—84,415,976 posts
#smallbusiness—13,327,413 posts
#empoweringwomen—1,599,182 posts
#instaquote—3,170,108 posts
#flashbackfriday—12,684,252
#socialmediamarketing—5,333,499
These, among countless others, are used not only by other advertisers but also by average users. So you’d be right to assume that reaching users organically takes a lot of work. But when you use Instagram advertising, your content will appear higher in feeds for as long as you want, exposing you to more potential followers.
Instagram Influences Users’ Purchase Intent
Instagram is influencers’ favorite platform to grow their fans. Influencers are people (often celebrities) with a massive social media following. Huda Kattan, for example, is an Instagram influencer who specializes in beauty. She has 25.7 million Instagram followers and has worked with brands such as Revlon and Sephora. Another influencer, one whom you likely know, is Kim Kardashian West. Kim has 112 million Instagram followers. Because of her popularity, brands such as Sugar Bear Hair work with her.
Brands often work with influencers because of their large followings and because of their influence on their fans (hence the word “influencer”). Because their followers admire and trust them, they are the perfect partner to have when promoting products or services. Influencers, unlike the brands that sponsor them, suggest rather than sell products they’ve tried. For that reason, they function as social proof for brands.
Working with influencers is a big advantage of Instagram marketing. Many influencers use Instagram to connect with fans and post their content. Partnering with influencers on Instagram is particularly effect because, as it turns out, users become more interested in a brand after seeing it on Instagram. Imagine how much more interested those users will be when they see that a brand is highly recommended by a famous influencer.
Instagram Makes It Easy to Grow Your Business
Although Instagram puts its users first, it never neglects the businesses that rely on its platform for profit. Instagram has proven its worth to businesses by rolling out features that help people with their business goals. For example, Instagram recently released Instagram’s Shoppable Tags to Instagram Stories, allowing users to make purchases straight from Stories. Previously, the tags were only available to posts in the feed.
Instagram also released Mention Sharing (great for brand promotion), Native Payments (simplifies the purchasing process in the app), and full-screen ads (for a more immersive experience). All of these features make it easy for businesses to grow using its platform.
Find the Right Audience with Instagram Advertising
No matter how beautiful your ads, no matter how much time you worked on them, all of your efforts will be for nothing if your message doesn’t resonate with your audience. Imagine creating an ad that promotes your summer dresses only for those ads to be seen by 40-year-old men who have absolutely no interest in women’s clothing. In that situation, your ad’s costs will increase, your relevance score will drop, and your returns will dwindle. Thankfully, Instagram has numerous targeting tools to help you send your ad to the right audience.
With Instagram’s targeting options, you can target users based on
Location (e.g. states, provinces, cities, countries)
Demographics (e.g. age, gender)
Interests (e.g. apps they use, influencers or brands they follow)
Behaviors (e.g. activities they take part in both on or off Instagram and Facebook)
Custom Audiences (i.e. customers you already have in a list)
Lookalike Audiences (i.e. users with similar attributes to your existing customers)
Automated Targeting (i.e. an audience Instagram generates based on who it believes will be interested in your business)
Instagram’s targeting options help you identify and reach your desired audience with ease.
Many Businesses Found Success in Instagram Advertising
If you’re still debating the idea, look to the success stories of major companies that achieved their goals by advertising on Instagram.
Frito-Lay’s Tostitos partnered with the Dallas Cowboys in 2017 to promote its Tostitos Yellow Corn Bite Size tortilla chips on Instagram Stories. With a target audience consisting of users in the 18 to 65 age range with an interest in the NFL or the Cowboys, the campaign achieved the following results:
A 0.87 percent lift in sales
A 1 percent lift in household penetration
A total reach of 14.7 million people
With a goal of converting website visitors, fashion footwear company Chinese Laundry launched an “Instagram-only” sale to deliver relevant ads to its Custom Audience. Specifically, the company used a fun Boomerang video to promote the sale. Here are the results:
Increased return on ad spend by an average of 32 percent
An overall 8.8X return on ad spend
Gymshark, a UK-based fitness wear brand, advertised with Instagram Stories to drive sales for its Flex fitness line. Specifically, the brand used bold and colorful photos over which “Swipe Up Now” text flowed to drive website visits and purchases. The successful campaign generated
Over 2,400 sales
A 9X return on ad spend
50 percent lower cost per acquisition
As you can see, there are many reasons why Instagram advertising is important for your business. It’s more efficient than trying to reach users organically, it’s more influential, it offers precise audience targeting, and it has a great track record.
Convinced yet?
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June 26, 2018
Facebook Lifts Ban on Cryptocurrency
June 26, 2018Anne Felicitas
After months of deliberation, Facebook finally lifts the ban on cryptocurrency ads. Facebook announced the policy change today, which is effective immediately.
The ban lift, however, does not come without stipulations. Advertisers who want to run cryptocurrency ads must submit this application. The application will request additional public background information about the business including licenses and whether or not the cryptocurrency is traded on stock exchange.
Facebook will still revise the new policy over time based on feedback. Although Facebook lifts the ban on cryptocurrency, it did not lift the ban on binary options and initial coin offerings.
Why Facebook Banned Cryptocurrency in January
Facebook banned binary options, ICOs, and cryptocurrency earlier this year at a time of heightened interest in these types of alternative currencies. However, with heightened interest came bad actors, such BitConnect, a Ponzi scam, and Prodeum, a company that disappeared with investors’ money. Because of these bad actors and the negative reputation cryptocurrency gained, Facebook decided to ban cryptocurrency to protect its users from scams and deceptive ads.
“We’ve created a new policy that prohibits ads that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional products, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency,” said Facebook’s product management director Ron Leathern in a statement in January.
Lifting the ban on cryptocurrency will add to Facebook’s more than five million advertisers. With this many advertisers in its platform, it will be difficult for the company to surveil all businesses and their activities. For that reason, Facebook encourages its users to report any ads that violate its policies.
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Don’t Go Live on Facebook without These 7 Essentials
June 26, 2018Anna Hubbel
Don't Go Live on Facebook without These 7 Essentials. #facebook #videomarketing #business
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Starting a Facebook live stream video is daunting. You can’t edit it or control any unexpected occurrences. But with mobile video as one of the most popular forms of media consumption, live streaming offers major business benefits. It can also be a fun venture.
While some live stream videos work best as a spontaneous moment, when you’re going for a particular angle or message, you shouldn’t just wing it, according to Forbes. You should plan and prepare to leave a lasting impression and get the most out of live streaming.
To plan a killer Facebook live stream video, there are seven things you need to do:
Use Three-Point Lighting
Use a Tripod
Use an External Microphone
Use Facebook Pages Manager
Inform the Public Before Going Live
Don’t Panic While Streaming
Relax and Have Fun
1. Use Three-Point Lighting
According to Forbes, natural lighting works well in some cases, such as during a bright, sunny day outdoors. But depending on your subject matter and location, production lighting may be the better option for producing a professional live stream.
When live streaming, use three-point lighting, placing light in three different directions. Those three different lights are called key lighting, fill lighting, and backlighting.
Key Lighting: placed to the left or right of the camera, with the light angled and directed at you.
Fill Lighting: placed on the side of the camera opposite your key lighting. This lighting fills in the shadow cast by the key lighting, so both lights should be angled slightly towards each other.
Backlighting: placed behind you. This lighting highlights your frame so you stand out from the background.
2. Use a Tripod
A shaky camera can make viewers dizzy, even nauseous. Use a tripod to keep your stream steady. A steady camera also looks more professional and allows you to focus on the live stream instead of worrying about how you’re holding the camera.
3. Use an External Microphone
An external microphone produces clean and rich audio so your audience doesn’t have to struggle to hear while watching your stream. It also diminishes any disruptive buzz. Your audience is more likely to watch your live stream if your audio isn’t hurting their ears.
4. Use Facebook Pages Manager
Facebook Pages Manager is Facebook’s app that allows you to easily manage your Page from your mobile device. You’ll need this app to go live. Here’s how:
With Pages Manager open on your mobile device, select the post icon as you would for making any post.
Select the “Go Live” option.
Write a brief description of your video to generate interest.
Tap “Go Live,” which will start a 3-second countdown to your live broadcast.
To stop streaming, tap “Finish.”
As you’re live streaming, you’ll see real-time comments and reactions to your stream, as well as the number of users currently watching.
5. Inform the Public Before Going Live
When you have a specific date and time you plan to go live, share promotional posts or short videos about it to build anticipation and prepare viewers to tune in to your broadcast. Give them teasers or brief summaries of what to expect. This self-promotion will help build your number of viewers.
6. Don’t Panic While Streaming
Since you’re recording this video live, you have to accept that it doesn’t have to be perfect. You can’t edit it, and that’s okay. Audiences tend to enjoy spontaneous and real moments more than content that feels so planned that it’s stifled. If things don’t go as planned, don’t let your audience see you panic.
7. Relax and Have Fun with It
Audiences like videos because they’re fun. And when you’re having fun, your audience has fun. When you’ve planned your live stream to be as great as it can be, relax and have fun with it.
8. Examples of Things to Live Stream
Here are some examples of live streaming ideas you can use for your business:
Behind-the-scenes tour of your business or event
New product launches
Interviews
Q&As
Live online classes
Snippets of concerts
Product demos
Webinars
Now go out and go live!
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June 24, 2018
Build Better Chatbots Faster with Chatfuel’s New Template Marketplace
June 25, 2018Anna Hubbel
Build Better Chatbots Faster with Chatfuel’s New Template Marketplace. #chatbots #business #chatfuel
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Bot building just got better. Chatfuel, a site where people with no coding skills can design full-featured Messenger chatbots, recently launched a template marketplace for creators to share their designs. Now, bot builders can peruse templates built by experienced creators to further improve their workflow.
Chatbots and Their Benefits to Businesses
Chatbots present several benefits to businesses. They provide optimal user experiences for modern users who dislike phone calls, helping businesses contact customers or present offerings at a quick, automated pace. They also help businesses create personalized experiences so users are more receptive to marketing messages, ultimately resulting in conversions. Most important, chatbots can sell products directly to users, bringing shopping to Messenger. Despite all of these benefits, businesses face the challenge of creating bots that perform optimally according to the business’s goals.
Chatfuel Provides a Solution to Inexperienced Chatbot Creators
That’s where Chatfuel’s new marketplace comes in. Experienced creators, now officially dubbed Chatfuel Creators, inspired the genesis of such a marketplace after generously sharing their designs with the Chatfuel community. The final result is a dedicated space for awesome bot-building artistry. If a business doesn’t know where to begin when building a bot, it can refer to Chatfuel’s collection of templates for inspiration.
“Because when it comes to Messenger marketing, we’re all in the same boat,” Chatfuel said in a mass email announcing the marketplace launch. “If bots are spammy or poorly designed, the industry will suffer. Our marketplace is a gateway for sharing experiences that lift up the industry as a whole.”
Automated chats are the future of content marketing. As more resources like Chatfuel’s template marketplace become available, workflows will become smoother and more business goals will be reached. And more goals reached means more happy customers who will return again and again for great user experiences.
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