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21 Instagram Influencers and What You Can Learn from Them

December 9, 2017
Kaitlin Westbrook

21 #instagraminfluencers & what you can learn from their journey. #socialmedia
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Before the Internet, influence was fairly cut and dry. Film and television stars, politicians, and upper crusters were all people we might have considered influential. A stay-at-home parent, on the other hand, was simply a normal (albeit vital) member of society. How could a parent’s story possibly influence others? Who would care about a cosmetics-obsessed teen, a crafty twenty-something, or a traveling hippie? Forget about it.

The Internet has changed our definition of influential, and ultimately, our culture. Long gone are the days when people imagined what it must be like to be a celebrity because Instagram influencers are celebrities to many people. What’s more, they often interact with their followers, sharing their own relatable situations and struggles.

Why Are Influencers Popular?

Instagram celebrities often garner popularity because of their down-to-earth stories, rather than their stories of opulence or scandal. Whatever your niche is, in whichever subculture you belong, there is most likely someone who has made a related blogging business for you.

Although this may set unrealistic expectations for you, Instagram has become a place where everyday people can truly build careers by documenting their stories. So, what can you take away from these influencers when sharing what you have to say? Today, we’ll discuss 21 Instagram influencers and the lessons you can learn from them.

1. @hudabeauty

Who:

Huda Kattan is a beauty blogger and makeup artist with a whopping 22.8 million followers. Kattan covers products, beauty tips, natural skin and hair recipes, and more. She even has her own line of cosmetics and beauty products available worldwide.

What you can learn:

In some ways, Kattan’s success seems unattainable. However, it was her lifelong obsession with cosmetics that led her to make her first video, a video that would be the first of many.

Now, only a few years later, she is recognized as one of the top beauty influencers in the world. Even with her finance degree, Kattan pursued her interests on the side—it was the pursuit of that passion that earned Kattan her success.

If you have a lifelong obsession like Kattan, use it to pursue your business.

2. @babyboybakery

Who:

Jacqui Saldana is the founder of Baby Boy Bakery, a blog about baking, life, grief, and family. Saldana initially began blogging when her son was an infant and continued after he passed away. She continues to share recipe tips, personal stories, and, recently, posts about her daughter.

What you can learn:

Despite tragic circumstances, Saldana managed to build a business on her blog’s initial purpose: family and cooking. Through her work, she supported several charities and became an advocate for worthy causes.

If you’re are passionate about a cause or if a cause has affected you, think of the ways you can incorporate those causes into your brand and, consequently, touch others’ lives.

3. @brightbazaar

Who:

Will Taylor is an interior design author and creativity expert. He specializes in capturing beautiful spaces and places, wherever he goes.

What you can learn:

When you visit Taylor’s Instagram, you’ll notice his photos don’t show the landscapes of Bali or the streets of Rome. In fact, many of his pictures feature unmade beds or comfortable living rooms. Taylor’s photos are beautiful, however, because he photographs subjects in an artful way—the way he sees them.

If, like Taylor, you see ordinary things as beautiful, think of ways to capture them in a unique and creative way.

4. @asiyami_gold

Who:

Asiyami Gold is an art director with a beautiful, earthy style. Her Instagram is a travel diary packed with culture and texture. As a visual storyteller, Gold finds beauty in everything and shares it with her followers.

What you can learn:

Gold is someone who has made living part of her business, creating a highly specific aesthetic with her Instagram. By using travel as a platform for her brand, Gold is able to experience the places that are meaningful to her.

If there are places that are meaningful to you, incorporate them into your social media.

5. @itsdougthepug

Who:

Doug the Pug is the world’s most beloved pug. This tiny guy is potentially the best dressed dog out there, garnering fame and 3 million followers for his classically droopy face and adorably ironic outfits.

What you can learn:

People adore dogs. In an age where tragedy is a Twitter scroll away, pets offer a nice reprieve from daily life. Doug’s young owner, Leslie Mosier, worked hard to make Doug famous, building a brand from scratch and updating Doug’s blog consistently.

If you have a pet or an animal you adore, use it as a mascot for your brand and a mood booster for your audiences.

6. @thepacman82

Who:

Phil Cohen is an art director turned Instagram fashion influencer. He photographs outfits and accessories to over 600,000 followers daily in a consistent and beautiful way.

What you can learn:

Although Cohen wanted to photograph his daily outfits, selfies weren’t his thing. With a personalized flat-lay photography style, Cohen has become a major player in menswear blogging. By perfecting a style and sharing it with others, Cohen’s Instagram has become iconic.

If selfies aren’t your thing, think of creative ways to capture your products. You can lay them on a flat surface like Cohen or you can fit them on your brand’s live animal mascot.

7. @sanias

Who:

Sania is a Muslim-American lifestyle blogger and social worker. Her Instagram is a compilation of motherhood, personal events, and fashion statements.

What you can learn:

Although the life of a social worker and mom isn’t typically glamorous, Sania managed to construct a social media profile that is both gorgeous and down to earth. Sania blogs about daily life, and her blog constantly finds beauty in simple things.

Think of ways to add a little glamor to your social media presence, whether you’re captured drinking coffee at starbucks, working in front of a computer, or taking a stroll through the city.

8. @studiodiy

Who:

Kelly Mindell is a creative lifestyle and DIY blogger. Her brand is all about fun, color, and the projects that can incorporate both. Her blog and Instagram share craft ideas, holiday projects, and more.

What you can learn:

Mindell is the definition of hustle, or as she calls it, working the system. She has worked hard since middle school to teach herself art, design, and fashion, even during the time she was recuperating from cancer. Eventually, she created a brand that was unique to her and pursued it with everything she had.

Think about your unique style. Then work the system to create that style.

9. @joelsartore

Who:

Joel Sartore is a National Geographic photographer who uses Instagram as a platform to educate his followers about various animals and wildlife. If you’re an animal lover, this is the Instagram for you.

What you can learn:

Sartore not only shares photographs, but he also uses his influence for altruistic reasons, seeking to educate others about endangered species. By showing the beauty of wildlife to his followers, Sartore is encouraging his audience to care and take action.

Do you have charities you care about? If so, use your brand to educate others about that charity.

10. @thefeedfeed

Who:

Julie Resnick runs The Feedfeed, a community where bakers, chefs, and everyone in-between can share and benefit from colorful recipes and foodie photos. This community especially benefits those who seek to eat local, something very important to The Feedfeed team.

What you can learn:

The founders of The Feedfeed noticed there wasn’t yet a platform for cooks who made and ate local, seasonal food. Seeing an opportunity to help people like themselves, they created TheFeedfeed, a crowdsourced company made for people who love food as much as they do.

If you wanted something that doesn’t exist, create it.

11. @whitneyleighmorris

Who:

Whitney Leigh Morris is a creative director who is redefining the dream home. Her house in Venice, CA, which she lovingly refers to as the The Tiny Canal Cottage, functions as a home, office, studio, and now, a business—oh, and it’s under 400 square feet.

What you can learn:

Morris has made a business of living efficiently. Her blog documents what it’s like to live, work, and raise a family in a tiny house. She shares tips that allowed her to organize and live small.

Think about how you can redefine ideas about home and family in your own brand.

12. @theonigiriart

Who:

Yuija Hu is a Milan-based sushi artist. After taking a hiatus from art school to work in his family’s sushi restaurant, Hu began making sushi art based on the people and imagery prevalent in pop culture.

What you can learn:

Although his studies were interrupted, Hu continued his creative pursuits by pairing food and art. Despite a sudden change in circumstances, Hu cultivated a following of his most recent art style.

Think of ways you can creatively work an unexpected situation to your advantage.

13. @emilywrecker

Who:

Emily W. Recker runs a mom and lifestyle blog about her twins, as well as what it’s like to be a foster mom. Her Instagram focuses on family, spirituality, and all the small details of her life.

What you can learn:

Wrecker’s Instagram is a simple story about taking life and loved ones a day at a time. She provides a relatable blog people can read and enjoy.

Think of aspects of your life that help you relate to others. Then use those same aspects to connect with your audience.

14. @masgrimes

Who:

David Grimes is a calligraphy artist based in Portland. His blog is a place for both calligraphers and lovers of lettering. He offers resources, tips, and commission opportunities for his readers and fans.

What you can learn:

Although calligraphy may seem like something reserved for history books or luxury purchases, Grimes brings classic art to social media and makes it tangible for his audience.

Use your skillsets and educate others about them on social media.

15. @atomicmari

Who:

Mari Takahashi is a content creator and gamer extraordinaire. Her YouTube Channel, Smosh Games, is a widely popular channel with content for numerous video game lovers. Her Instagram documents her travels, life, and nerdy adventures.

What you can learn:

Takahashi is a strong female voice in a male-dominated industry. Her brand is uniquely her, catered to her interests.

Think of ways your niche interests can supplement your band.

16. @highenergyparenting

Who:

Kevin Cosmo is a full-time family man and vegan, with an Instagram that illustrates what it’s like to be a health-advocate dad. If you love raw eating and family blogs, this blog is a lighthearted combination of both.

What you can learn:

Cosmo has an Instagram and YouTube channel focused on raising a vegan family. His videos answer questions about the family’s diet and lifestyle choices as they grow.

Think of ways your brand can appeal to families with specific interests and lifestyles.

17. @toyinojihodutola

Who:

Toyin Oijh Odutola is a Nigerian-born, New York-based artist and traveler. Her Instagram doubles as a “studio diary” where she records art and various places worldwide.

What you can learn:

Oijh Odutola’s Instagram is strikingly different from many others on this list. Although the images are carefully curated, there is a rawness in the photos and art she features. Oijh Odutola’s studio diary proves that although Instagram is often a marketing platform, there is certainly a place for candid images and thoughtful art.

Think of ways you can craft your studio diary. Then think of how you could use it as part of your social identity.

18. @graceandsalt

Who:

Justin and Keary are parents and founders of Grace & Salt, a lifestyle blog about family, spirituality, adoption, food, and living in an RV.

What you can learn:

Keary uses her platform to educate people about living with diabetes (something she and her daughter both have), eating healthy, and living RV style. Keary’s Instagram proves these topics are ones people want to read and learn about.

If you are passionate about something that directly affects you, such as health or beliefs, build a brand around it.

19. @jamescharles

Who:

James Charles is not your average beauty blogger. Not yet in his twenties, Charles already garnered 2.7 million followers and earned the position of CoverGirl’s first male ambassador.

What you can learn:

Charles uses his platform to redefine societal expectations. He encourages others to embrace their identities as he does. Charles proves that embracing differences can pay off—literally.

Think of how your identity differs from societal expectations. Then think of a way to develop your differences.

20. @michaelxufuhuang

Who:

Michael Xufu Huang is an art collector and museum founder. His Instagram is a rabbit hole of art and personality. For artists and curators, Huang’s blog offers an inside look at the ever evolving art scene.

What you can learn:

Although you may not be an art collector or the founder of a museum, people are interested in experiencing art, both in person and through a screen.

If creativity can be a bold move for your business, think of ways you can bring an artistic flair into your brand.

21. @adventurouskate

Who:

Kate McCulley is just a girl in the world, one who made traveling a full-time business. Her Instagram documents her travels and adventures from dozens of different countries and cities.

What you can learn:

McCulley isn’t just one of the top travel influencers on Instagram, but she also uses her blog to answer questions and educate others. She discusses various destinations, her unbelievable journey, and the steps to becoming a travel blogger.

Use your social media and blog to answer questions that people ask about your brand.

Whether you’re trying to run a large company, grow a small business, or create your first online presence, Instagram has numerous influencers you can look to for inspiration.

These people prove interests vary greatly—there’s not just one type of successful blogger. Consider who influences you and consider how you can be influential to others. Then get out there and try it for yourself. What have you got to lose?

Kaitlin Westbrook is a content writer for Vecteezy. Kaitlin covers business, creative content, professional writing, and more. When she’s not writing, she enjoys movies, baking, and her Pomeranian. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 

The post 21 Instagram Influencers and What You Can Learn from Them appeared first on AdvertiseMint.

How to Install Facebook Customer Chat to Your Website

December 9, 2017
Anna Hubbel
Photo Courtesy of Messenger Developer blog

Facebook recently announced the Customer Chat plugin is now available in open beta to businesses globally. This plugin allows you to contact visitors on your website through Messenger. The plugin carries over any previous conversations with a customer on the Messenger app to the messages on your website.

Use @Facebook 's Customer Chat plugin to give customers the #Messenger experience on your website.…
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How to Install the Plugin

Step 1: Install Facebook SDK for Javascript on your website by inserting the following script on each desired page.

Photo Courtesy of Facebook for Developers

Step 2: Using Facebook Business Manager, connect your Facebook page to your website by going to “Page Settings” >> “Messenger Platform” >> “Whitelisted Domains.” This allows to you whitelist your domain.

Step 3: Place the following div code in the HTML section of your website to add the plugin.

 page_id=”” 

 ref=”” 

 minimized=””> 

 

2 Tips for Using Customer Chat

Before using Customer Chat, keep the following tips from the Messenger Developer blog in mind.

Tip 1: Use Your Customer’s First Name

Begin a welcome message to your customers with their first names. It personalizes the message, making your customers more engaged.

Tip 2: Inform Your Customers They Can Continue a Conversation on Messenger

Include a message at the beginning or end of a conversation that lets customers know they can continue the conversation on the Messenger app outside of your website.

This beta rollout of Customer Chat is only one example of Facebook’s attempts to monetize Messenger. The company is also currently testing a Messenger Broadcast feature, which would allow your business to send mass marketing messages to customers who have previously messaged you.

The post How to Install Facebook Customer Chat to Your Website appeared first on AdvertiseMint.

4 Consumer Behaviors Show You Need an E-commerce Store

December 8, 2017
Anne Felicitas

If you don't have an #ecommerce store, you could lose a sizeable amount of your customers. #business #retail
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With e-commerce growing 23 percent each year and 51 percent of Americans preferring to shop online, it would be crazy—irresponsible, even—not to own an e-commerce store. Granted, several impediments likely deter you from creating one, such as designing the website and buying a domain. However, the long-term benefits of an e-commerce store outweigh the few inconveniences you have to face to obtain one. In fact, consumer attitudes show that you need an e-commerce store to maintain your business.

1. Consumers Will Prefer Digital Payment Methods

When Forrester and American Express surveyed millennials aged 23 to 37 and Gen Zs aged 16 to 22, they found that these younger generations were more likely to use digital mobile payments such as Paypal, Visa Checkout, and Apple Pay. The reason for this preference, they found, is the need for quick and effortless purchases, a need that could be attributed to the popularity of e-commerce stores where multiple digital payment options are offered.

Because the digital-loving, younger generations are the future’s consumers, it’s likely that they will make digital payments a staple to the shopping experience. If retailers don’t complement their physical stores with online ones where digital payments are offered, they could lose a sizeable amount of their customers.

2. Consumers Prefer Online Shopping

As the success of e-commerce increases, the success of retail decreases. According to Business Insider, 6,300 stores such as Payless, Gymboree, and JCPenny will close by the end of 2017. The reason for this phenomenon that analysts call the retail apocalypse can be attributed to e-commerce’s convenience: people can quickly search for items and check out without leaving the comfort of their homes.

E-commerce is so popular, in fact, that this year many stores closed on Thanksgiving day, a day when shoppers normally stand in line to get ahead on Black Friday shopping. Because Thanksgiving sales declined (on-sale items are available for purchase online on Thanksgiving day), retailers found it economical to close their doors.

3. Consumers Spend Hours Online

Online advertising has made it easier for businesses to reach new customers. Of all the online advertising platforms, social media is the most effective in reaching audiences because it is omnipresent in people’s lives. A study from Qualtrics and Accel found that 42 percent of millennials, 26 percent of Gen Xers, and 29 percent of baby boomers couldn’t last five hours without checking their feeds. People who frequent social media see multiple ads each day, getting more and more acquainted with brands.

Additionally, because social media platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat have online and offline user data and sophisticated ad targeting technology, businesses can reach anyone at anytime, anywhere, whether that’s in a cramped subway, at Starbucks, or at home.

4. The Generation with the Most Purchasing Power Shops Online

According to eMarketer, the generation with the most purchasing power, Gen Xers aged 45 to 54, spend the most time on average per week shopping online. Emarketer also found that of all generations, Gen Xers are more likely to purchase products saved to their carts.

Although Gen Xers spend the most time shopping online, the younger generations aren’t far behind. Unlike Gen Xers who purchase through desktop devices, 64 percent of millennials aged 18 to 24 shop on smartphones.

Starting an e-commerce store may be an inconvenience, but consumer behavior shows that an e-commerce store is integral to maintaining your business.

The post 4 Consumer Behaviors Show You Need an E-commerce Store appeared first on AdvertiseMint.

Facebook Temporarily Blocks Ads Excluding Racial and Ethnic Groups

December 8, 2017
Anna Hubbel

Addressing concerns recently raised by lawmakers, Facebook temporarily prohibits advertisers from creating ads that exclude racial and ethnic groups.

Ads excluding racial and ethnic groups temporarily blocked by @Facebook . #nodiscrimination #safefacebook
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The temporary block will remain in place while Facebook completes an audit of how advertisers exclude minorities such as ethnic, LGBT, and religious groups. Following completion of the audit, Facebook will enforce stricter laws and anti-discrimination policies on advertisers. Before ads can go live, Facebook must first review them, and advertisers must confirm that they understand the law and anti-discrimination policies. These new measures will apply in the coming weeks.

Facebook made the block when the public voiced concerns that the network’s multicultural affinity marketing feature allows advertisers to discriminate against minorities, especially in the areas of housing, credit, and employment. News organization ProPublica recently brought the discrimination concerns to Facebook when it discovered its seamless ability to purchase dozens of rental housing ads on the platform that excluded various minority audiences. The ads allegedly received approval within minutes.

“ProPublica recently found that safeguards we put in place earlier this year were not as comprehensive as they should have been,” Rob Goldman, Facebook’s Vice President of Ads Growth and Solutions, was quoted by USA TODAY. “This was a failure in our enforcement. We must do better.”

Facebook Makes Amends

Facebook’s recent block, which comes not long after the network removed self-reported targeting after advertisers targeted “Jew haters,” is only one among many actions it’s taking to make its advertising platform safe and inclusive. Recently, Facebook vowed to carefully review controversial ads after it discovered that Russia ran politically divisive ads ran during the 2016 US presidential election. The network surrendered the questionable Russian ads to Congress to aid investigators.

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How to Reach Interested Customers During Holiday Peaks

December 7, 2017
Anna Hubbel

As mid-December hovers upon us, you’ll want to optimize your ad reach during the peak of the holiday season. Facebook offers various audience targeting options that will help you reach users who will most likely respond to your holiday ads. Here’s what you can do to reach interested customers.

Reach interested customers during the peak of the #holiday season with @Facebook 's #CustomAudience options.…
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1. Target Customers in Your Engagement Custom Audience

To ensure that you’re reaching consumers most likely to respond to your business, target users in your Engagement Custom Audience. This audience includes anyone who has interacted with your Facebook page, Facebook page content, or Instagram posts. Because these users already expressed interest in your business by engaging with your pages, accounts, and content, they are an audience likely to respond to your holiday ads.

2. Target Customers Who Visited Your Website

The Facebook Pixel is essential to targeting interested customers because it provides the data to create a Website Traffic Custom Audience. The Website Traffic Custom Audience includes customers that interacted with your website in some way, whether that’s purchasing a product, adding items to cart, or visiting a web page.

With the Website Traffic Custom Audience, you can target both existing customers who purchased and customers who came close but didn’t finalize the purchase. For the latter, you can use your remarketing campaign to push customers to buy. To do so, simply select “People who visited specific web pages” when defining your Website Traffic Custom Audience.

3. Target Customers Who Bought from You

One of the most effective ways to obtain information from customers that have bought from you is Lead Ads, which allow for a quick and efficient sign-up process on mobile devices. Lead Ads solicits basic user information such as email addresses and names. This data can then be downloaded in the form of a txt. or csv. file and uploaded to a Custom Audience.

Make this season merry and bright for your business by using all of the targeting and Custom Audience tools available to you.

The post How to Reach Interested Customers During Holiday Peaks appeared first on AdvertiseMint.

Messenger Broadcast Will Allow Businesses to Send Mass Marketing Messages

December 5, 2017
Anna Hubbel

Facebook may have another marketing tool up its sleeve for its ever growing Messenger app. TechCrunch recently discovered that the company is working on a Messenger Broadcast feature that businesses can use to send mass marketing messages to users. Currently, the feature is only being tested internally.

If @Facebook rolls out #MessengerBroadcast, businesses can send mass marketing messages. #Messenger…
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According to TechCrunch, the feature allows businesses to create a title, subtitle, and welcome message to distribute to potential or existing customers. Businesses can include a call-to-action button to encourage users to take a desired action, such as visiting the business’ website.

Allegedly, businesses can contact a limited amount of users through a single Messenger Broadcast at no charge. TechCrunch believes it is likely that Facebook would eventually allow businesses to pay to reach more users.

Messenger Broadcast allows businesses to send mass messages to customers. Photo courtesy of TechCrunch.

If Messenger Broadcast does, in fact, roll out to businesses, businesses can only message users who already started a message thread with them. Before businesses can include users in a Message Broadcast, they need to market to those users in other ways, with Direct-to-Messenger ads, for example, to encourage them to send a message to the business first.

Ads in Messenger

It comes as no surprise that Facebook is looking at Messenger’s marketing potential. Back in January, the company tested carousel ads in the app, although it is unclear as to whether or not the test was successful. Additionally, as theorized in a previous blog post, Messenger’s recent copy of Snapchat’s streak feature is potentially Facebook’s way of creating an environment for Messenger ads to thrive in. Facebook’s test of Messenger Broadcast supports the speculation that the company plans to further the advertising potential of Messenger.

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5 Common Mistakes Inexperienced Facebook Advertisers Make

December 5, 2017
Anne Felicitas

Have you made any of these 6 common #facebookadvertising mistakes? #digitaladvertising #facebook…
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Raaj Brar, CEO of Fetopolis lost $600,000 in Facebook ads

If you think you can run your ads without constant supervising, planning, and ad refreshing, don’t advertise on Facebook because your campaigns will fail. Don’t be like Raaj Kapur Brar, the CEO of Fetopolis who ran Facebook ads for four days and lost $600,000. To secure your first campaign’s success and evade catastrophic loss, avoid the five common mistakes inexperienced Facebook advertisers make.

1. Choosing the Wrong Objective

As the book that teaches beginners how to create and manage Facebook ads, The Complete Guide to Facebook Advertising, states, if you choose the wrong objective, your campaign will fail. Because objectives determine your ads’ results, choosing the wrong one is a damaging and expensive misstep.

Facebook has 11 objectives. When deciding which objective to choose, think about your business goal. Do you want customers to install your app, to buy products from your e-commerce store, or to give contact information? For those three goals, you must choose specific Facebook objectives (the app install, product catalog sales, and lead generation objectives, respectively). If you don’t choose the right one, you will pay for the results you didn’t want.

2. Choosing the Wrong Ad Delivery Optimization and Bidding Strategy

To spend your budget wisely, you must choose the right ad delivery optimization and bidding strategy for your goal. Your chosen delivery optimization will instruct Facebook to show your ads to users most likely to make a desired action, whether that’s to install your app or purchase your product. Your chosen bidding strategy will tell Facebook which action you want to be charged for, may that be for a link click, an app install, or a video view.

Advertisers can choose from a handful of Facebook bidding strategies.

When choosing your optimization and bidding strategy, think of your goal. If, for example, you have an app installs ad with an app installs objective, choosing the app installs ad delivery optimization will show your ads to users most likely to install your app. If you wanted to pay only for every time users have clicked on your ad to download your app, the Link Click (CPC) bidding strategy will best complement your objective and delivery optimization. If you choose the right ad delivery optimization and bidding strategy, you will be closer to achieving your business goal.

Advertisers can choose from 15 Facebook ad delivery optimization strategies.

3. Not Refreshing Creatives

To run successful Facebook ads, you must refresh and A/B test your creatives every two weeks. If you don’t, your audience will suffer from ad fatigue, extreme indifference resulting from seeing the same ad too many times. When users suffer from ad fatigue, they will ignore your ad or, worse, hide or mark them as spam. Once they make one of those three actions, your ads’ relevance scores will plummet, your costs will rise, and your ads will be harder to deliver.

4. Recklessly Spending

Don’t be like Brar who spent more than $600,000 in four days. Instead, spend the amount you can afford. When choosing your bidding amount, don’t bid too low otherwise competitors will outbid you. After your ads garner lucrative results, increase your budget slowly. If your ads underperform, stop your ads and fix the problem before running them again.

5. Targeting Too Broadly

If you target too broadly, you will pay for ads targeting users who are not interested in your business. To ensure that you target only interested customers, use these three targeting tricks.

1. Target existing customers by uploading a customer list to Facebook Custom Audience.

2. Target new customers similar to existing customers by creating a Lookalike Audience.

3. Target new interested customers by targeting those who have interacted with your Facebook page.

It’s easy to make these five common mistakes when you’re new to Facebook advertising. Fortunately, there are numerous resources that can help you. In addition to AdvertiseMint’s blog, Amazon books, such as The Complete Guide to Facebook Advertising, contains actionable advice on how to successfully manage Facebook ads.

The post 5 Common Mistakes Inexperienced Facebook Advertisers Make appeared first on AdvertiseMint.

6 Common Mistakes Inexperienced Facebook Advertisers Make

December 5, 2017
Anne Felicitas

Have you made any of these 6 common #facebookadvertising mistakes? #digitaladvertising #facebook…
Click To Tweet

Raaj Brar, CEO of Fetopolis lost $600,000 in Facebook ads

If you think you can run your ads without constant supervising, planning, and ad refreshing, don’t advertise on Facebook because your campaigns will fail. Don’t be like Raaj Kapur Brar, the CEO of Fetopolis who ran Facebook ads for four days and lost $600,000. To secure your first campaign’s success and evade catastrophic loss, avoid the five common mistakes inexperienced Facebook advertisers make.

1. Choosing the Wrong Objective

As the book that teaches beginners how to create and manage Facebook ads, The Complete Guide to Facebook Advertising, states, if you choose the wrong objective, your campaign will fail. Because objectives determine your ads’ results, choosing the wrong one is a damaging and expensive misstep.

Facebook has 11 objectives. When deciding which objective to choose, think about your business goal. Do you want customers to install your app, to buy products from your e-commerce store, or to give contact information? For those three goals, you must choose specific Facebook objectives (the app install, product catalog sales, and lead generation objectives, respectively). If you don’t choose the right one, you will pay for the results you didn’t want.

2. Choosing the Wrong Ad Delivery Optimization and Bidding Strategy

To spend your budget wisely, you must choose the right ad delivery optimization and bidding strategy for your goal. Your chosen delivery optimization will instruct Facebook to show your ads to users most likely to make a desired action, whether that’s to install your app or purchase your product. Your chosen bidding strategy will tell Facebook which action you want to be charged for, may that be for a link click, an app install, or a video view.

Advertisers can choose from a handful of Facebook bidding strategies.

When choosing your optimization and bidding strategy, think of your goal. If, for example, you have an app installs ad with an app installs objective, choosing the app installs ad delivery optimization will show your ads to users most likely to install your app. If you wanted to pay only for every time users have clicked on your ad to download your app, the Link Click (CPC) bidding strategy will best complement your objective and delivery optimization. If you choose the right ad delivery optimization and bidding strategy, you will be closer to achieving your business goal.

Advertisers can choose from 15 Facebook ad delivery optimization strategies.

3. Not Refreshing Creatives

To run successful Facebook ads, you must refresh and A/B test your creatives every two weeks. If you don’t, your audience will suffer from ad fatigue, extreme indifference resulting from seeing the same ad too many times. When users suffer from ad fatigue, they will ignore your ad or, worse, hide or mark them as spam. Once they make one of those three actions, your ads’ relevance scores will plummet, your costs will rise, and your ads will be harder to deliver.

4. Recklessly Spending

Don’t be like Brar who spent more than $600,000 in four days. Instead, spend the amount you can afford. When choosing your bidding amount, don’t bid too low otherwise competitors will outbid you. After your ads garner lucrative results, increase your budget slowly. If your ads underperform, stop your ads and fix the problem before running them again.

5. Targeting Too Broadly

If you target too broadly, you will pay for ads targeting users who are not interested in your business. To ensure that you target only interested customers, use these three targeting tricks.

1. Target existing customers by uploading a customer list to Facebook Custom Audience.

2. Target new customers similar to existing customers by creating a Lookalike Audience.

3. Target new interested customers by targeting those who have interacted with your Facebook page.

It’s easy to make these five common mistakes when you’re new to Facebook advertising. Fortunately, there are numerous resources that can help you. In addition to AdvertiseMint’s blog, Amazon books, such as The Complete Guide to Facebook Advertising, contains actionable advice on how to successfully manage Facebook ads.

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Users Struggle to Trust Social Media Ads after Russian Meddling

December 4, 2017
Anna Hubbel

Social media users are struggling to trust social media ads. After Russia disseminated controversial political ads on Facebook during and after the 2016 US Presidential Election, research indicates that users are expressing distrust of ads on Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

To regain user trust, @Facebook has taken numerous steps to prevent #Russian interference in the future.…
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According to eMarketer, US Internet users polled generated the following percentages:

59 percent consider current Facebook ads to be at least somewhat untrustworthy
58 percent consider current Twitter ads to be at least somewhat untrustworthy
55 percent consider current Google ads to be at least somewhat untrustworthy
About 25 percent intend to decrease Facebook activity
21 percent intend to decrease Twitter activity
14 percent intend to decrease Google activity

However, in light of events that bring social network ads into question, only a small amount of respondents said they would stop social networking activity altogether, with 16 percent saying they would stop using Facebook, 14 percent Twitter, and six percent Google. A higher percentage indicated no intention of stopping the use of any of the social platforms.

Facebook Tries to Regain Trust

After it was discovered that a Russian entity was distributing controversial ads during the election, Facebook has taken numerous steps to prevent such an event from occurring again in the future.

Recently, the network tested new ad transparency measures, which gives users an “About the ad” button that shows the other ads a page has purchased. It also forces advertisers of political campaigns to disclose the identity of the entity they represent and to include a “paid for by” messages for full transparency.

In its latest attempt to regain trust, Facebook offers domain verification so that publishers can preserve the integrity of their content and discourage misuse. Additionally, it is also working with publishers to promote news literacy and smart content choices to combat fake news.

To further prevent the spread of fake news, Mark Zuckerberg vowed to take various measures to prevent future Russian interference by hiring 250 employees strictly focused on security and safety.

Even with the negative headlines about its struggle with Russian interference, Facebook appears to have suffered little in its stock performance. The company’s Q3 shares rose 13 percent, beating out other major internet companies such as Amazon.

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Promoted Stories and AR Trial Ads May Save Snapchat

December 4, 2017
Anna Hubbel
Photo Courtesy of TechCrunch

After a discouraging Q3 2017 earnings report, Snap bounced back with a recent rollout of two new ad formats, Promoted Stories and Augmented Reality Trial.

Promoted Stories and AR Trial ads may save @Snapchat after a poor #Q32017 earnings report. #snapads…
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Promoted Stories

Promoted Stories ads, according to TechCrunch, consist of a series of three to ten Snaps that make up a slideshow-type format. These ads will either automatically progress into the next Snap or allow users to manually tap through them. Like all Snapchat ads, Promoted Stories ads come with analytics that include insights on impressions and conversions. Promoted Stories run for one day in a given country and have the potential to reach 88 million users.

Augmented Reality Trial

Augmented Reality Trial ads, or AR Trial ads, allow users to play with its AR features while also increasing awareness for an advertiser’s brand. For instance, if advertisers want to promote a new car, they can use an AR Trial ad to let users place that digital car lense anywhere in their environment through their phones. Users can change the car’s colors and walk around it as though the car is in the real world.

Promoted Stories and AR Trial ads, which can be swiped up to visit a brand’s website, will likely keep users engaged with ads. These two new ads are solutions to users quickly skipping Snapchat ads to get to the next Story.

Snap has been diving deep into advertising options for brands as a way to boost its revenue this year, such as with the rollout of Snap Pixel, Context Cards, and Advanced Mode for Snapchat’s Ad Manager. Hopefully, its efforts will not prove fruitless.

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