Brian Meert's Blog, page 55

3 Tips For Using Remix on Instagram Reels

It seems like about twice a day there is another Instagram update that either alters the way the app looks or adds entirely new functionality. Due to the constant updates, it can be easy to naturally start to ignore them. While ignoring new updates may not matter for most run-of-the-mill software updates, Instagram’s newest Remix feature is definitely one that you should spend some time learning about.

This article will take a look at three tips for using Remix on Instagram reels.

What does the Remix feature do?

You should already be familiar with Instagram’s Remix tool if you’ve ever used TikTok’s duet feature, as it’s essentially the same thing. If not, Instagram’s new Remix feature allows you to incorporate other people’s reels into your own posts via a split-screen. The other person’s original reel will appear on the left and you will be able to create a new reel that plays alongside the old one. 

Now, let’s take a look at three tips for using the Remix feature.

Invite your audience to interact with you

Duets were one of the biggest features that made using TikTok feel more like a social experience, instead of just a passive video watching experience. They directly let people interact with each other, participate in challenges, and share their reactions to other videos. They are definitely part of the reason why TikTok has become so wildly popular.

Keep all of this in mind when you are creating Remixes on Instagram and encourage your audience to share and participate in your reel. Encouraging people to remix your reel (or creating content that is easily remixable) opens up your videos to the possibility of going viral. The first step in doing this is to make sure that the Remix feature is actually turned on, which has to be done manually before posting a reel.

Let your creativity show

In social media, it seems like challenges and “meme formats” dominate the landscape. By this, we mean that a framework emerges for creating successful content so people take this framework but tweak it slightly to make it their own. This phenomenon was first seen during the Harlem Shake phase, where everyone took the framework of a video idea and altered it just slightly to make it unique. While it’s important to participate in challenges and viral movements when they come along, don’t forget to always bring your own ideas to the table.

To do this, really think about what sets your online brand apart and how you can use a Remix to exemplify that. This could be anything from humor, sophisticated editing, education, or opinionated pieces. Platforms are saturated with generic content so set yourself apart by being original.

Always include closed captions

This may sound like a minor or obvious tip but it’s so incredibly important that it might be the most critical on this list. A huge majority of people don’t have sound on when they’re scrolling through reels. Making sure that you have closed captions on will make a huge difference in whether they stop and watch or simply scroll past. 

We hope that you’ve found this article valuable when it comes to understanding 3 tips that you can use for using Remix on Instagram reels. If you are interested in learning more Instagram tips and tricks, check out our article on building a strong Instagram account, or subscribe to our newsletter below!

Amazon’s New Feature Lets You Contact Unhappy Customers with Bad Reviews

Amazon sellers were shocked to find a casual message on their dashboard recently, which informed them of the platform’s new feature: the option to message and even offer refunds/reimbursements to negative reviewers. This “Contact Buyer” button came out of the blue, with no official press or testing ever being announced by Amazon regarding this decision. 

Now that it’s here, how do you contact negative reviews on Amazon Seller Central? How does it allow you to contact a specific Amazon reviewer? And lastly, how could this help you improve your seller feedback and boost sales?

When can Amazon’s Contact Buyer Feature be used?

Not every seller on Amazon has access to this new feature. The company has only given the option to sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry. Additionally, not every customer review will have the “Contact Buyer” option. There are two main criteria to determine which customers you can contact using Amazon’s new feature. Firstly, the review has to be critical (i.e. 1-3 stars). Secondly, they have to be from a verified purchase. 

How to Contact a Bad Review on AmazonFirst, you need to see your product reviews on Amazon Seller Central. To do so, select the “Customer Reviews” button under the Brands Menu.Search through your product reviews. Identify reviews of specific products by entering their Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) in the search bar. Find a customer review that is 3 stars or less. Click the “Contact Buyer” button located at the top right of the review. Note: there is a glitch that results in this option being unavailable despite the review meeting the criteria. However, this minor glitch is easily fixable after being reported.After selecting “Contact Buyer,” you should see a window with two options: Courtesy Refund, or Customer Review.

Courtesy Refund

The courtesy refund option allows sellers to offer the reviewer a full refund for their item or a replacement item. Once you select “Courtesy Refund,” a review window will appear including a template message to the buyer, product information, order ID, and more. The customer then has the option to either respond “Full refund” or “Replace item” depending on their preferences.

Customer Review

Similarly, if you select the “Customer review” option, a second window pops up including the customer’s information and product information, but with a different message template. Instead of offering refunds or replacements, this template quotes the review the purchaser left on your product and prompts the customer to respond anonymously to the brand’s inquiry.

Contacting Critical Amazon Customers: Is it Worth it?

Though many might rejoice at the thought of being able to change the hearts of their customers to get a better review, others remain wary, and for good reason. Contacting critical reviewers to offer refunds or reimbursement is now both encouraged by and prohibited by Amazon simultaneously. In fact, their official policies on customer reviews still state that it is a violation if “…a seller offers to provide a refund or reimbursement after the buyer writes a review (including reimbursement via a non-Amazon payment method). This could be done via buyer-seller messaging on Amazon or directly contacting customers or using 3rd party services, websites, or social media groups.”

This leaves brands in a confusing middle ground when it comes to using the “Contact Buyer” feature. Secondly, this option could easily change buyer-seller relationships on the platform or perhaps even create a toxic environment. Brands could be incentivized to lose out on profits to please upset customers, and opportunistic individuals could become incentivized to leave negative reviews in return. 

However, others are extremely happy with the ability to contact negative reviewers. Many devoted brands have longed to be able to make things right with unsatisfied purchasers, and it could do wonders for a brand’s reputation to turn a 1-star reviewer into a loyal fan. Previously, sellers had no option but to accept negative reviews unless they violated Amazon’s guidelines. Brands now have the choice to take action, communicate, and maybe even turn ranting reviews into raving ones.

The impact of this new feature has yet to be seen, and it’s likely Amazon will make adjustments to it in the future. Regardless, now that sellers have this ability, they should consider its impact on their customer service strategy, and keep it in mind when creating a top-notch Amazon marketing strategy.

6 Creative Tools to Level Up Your YouTube

If your brand isn’t using video for marketing yet, it’s definitely time to get on top of the trend. As much as 60% of businesses are now using video as a marketing tool, and 50% of marketers who use video have been doing so for at least a year. Some brands are putting out videos several times a week, and a few are even putting new ones out daily.

Video content can help you do everything from raise awareness and engage with your audience to build trust and drive sales. And while you can post video to platforms like Instagram and Facebook, YouTube has the best ROI.

Knowing you need a presence on YouTube is only part of the battle, though. Actually being able to create video content is tough, especially if you don’t have an in-house team at the ready. (P.S. You’re not alone there – 17% of marketers have to completely outsource video creation, and nearly half of marketers use some sort of software or tool for making videos. Few people are bona fide videographers!) Luckily, these six tools and services will help you stay competitive.

Kaizen Ad

If you already have existing photo and video content that you need converted into ads for YouTube, Kaizen Ad can help. Bonus: Their ads are optimized for mobile, so you won’t be excluding that entire segment of viewers.

Instead of using templates, actual designers will take your collateral and turn it into YouTube video ads. In less than a week, you can have multi-format ads at your fingertips, ready to run on YouTube. And if you don’t like what you see at first, you can ask for up to two rounds of modifications.

The process is simple. You’ll explain what you want to a Customer Success Manager, and then a creative brief will be created. Creative professionals, called Optimizers, are assigned to your brief based on their background, and in one week, you’ll receive the video and submit any modification requests to the Optimizers.

Tongal

With Tongal, you can connect with other Creators to share your ideas and get inspired. Who are the Creators in the community? They’re animators, editors, directors and writers – basically, every type of talent you need to create compelling video content for YouTube (and other social media sites, like Instagram, too).

By subscribing to Tongal, you’ll have unlimited access to a creative team, plus online tools to improve your workflow. After letting Tongal know your most urgent creative need (for example, maybe you need an animator for a video), they’ll create a brief for the community. Then, creatives will pitch you their vision by doing something like submitting a treatment or showing you a relevant piece from their portfolio. You can greenlight the creator(s) you like best.

Genero

Genero is aimed at marketers and marketing teams, offering a Professional creative network, a software platform and efficient workflow tools. Genero helps you scale your creative resources without hiring more in-house personnel or increasing your overhead by too much, and their efficient management tools let you oversee the entire process, from the brief to production.

The creatives who are part of Genero are located around the world and are proficient in creative, marketing and/or production. Like with Tongal, you’ll upload your creative brief to Genero and receive pitches, which you can choose based on the one(s) you like best. Your in-house team can then work with those you’ve partnered with through Genero to create the most compelling YouTube content you’ve put out yet.

Thanks to platform partnerships with YouTube and other social and streaming brands, your videos will always follow the necessary best practices, too.

SmartShoot

If you know that you need to create YouTube content but you don’t have an in-house or freelance photographer and/or videographer to depend on, SmartShoot may be the solution you’re looking for. You can get customized images and videos created specifically for your brand and with your guidelines in mind.

Through SmartShoot, you can connect with photographers and filmmakers around the world. And the content you receive is scalable, too – web-based tools mean you can collaborate, monitor, edit and download everything, and you’ll also be able to keep it safe with cloud storage.

With SmartShoot, you actually have two options. The first is to use their service to handle the entire photo and/or video creation process for you. The second is to use their tools with your own photographers or videographers.

VidMob

VidMob helps you create better ads so that your budget can go further and you can get better results. What VidMob has that other platforms don’t have (or that they at least don’t put front and center) are excellent monitoring tools. You’ll be able to check your creative health score to see how your own ads are performing and how you compare to the competition. You can then use those insights to change ads that are mid-campaign to quickly improve the results.

The Agile Creative Studio is where your best recommendations will live. You’ll be able to get actionable insights that give you suggestions for improving your ads in the moment and get the boost you want right away.

Creadits

Access creative talent from around the world with Creadits. Their strategists, directors and producers will take your concept and turn it into a YouTube ad that will deliver results. The best part is that Creadits has some of the most well-rounded teams of any service on this list. They go far beyond photographers and videographers to bring you professionals experienced in:

3D animationCinematicsConcept artCopywritingHTML5 playable adsLive shootingLocalizationMotion graphicsStoryboardingVoiceovers

They don’t have standard plans to choose from. Instead, they customize plans per client based on how many ideations and assets are needed.

Are you ready to elevate your fantastic YouTube content even more? We have a lot of help on our blog, including how to boost channel subscribers and engagement using giveaways, tips for analyzing the most important YouTube metrics and how to increase your subscriber number.

Facebook Retargeting Strategies You Haven’t Tried Yet

We all love online shopping for one reason or another, but how many times have you laid in bed, adding item after item to your cart, only to leave it be and not actually buy anything? For brands, those abandoned carts are new opportunities to connect with potential customers. And there are other similar chances to reach out to an almost-customer, too.

FabFitFun / Facebook Ad Library

As an advertiser, you have to be savvy and creative to get those potential customers back and converted. That’s where retargeting strategies come in – and Facebook makes it easy to run these sorts of campaigns.

In this article, we’re going to cover Facebook retargeting strategies that you can use to reel in would-be customers who are close to converting.

Note that while there are differences between remarketing and retargeting, for our purposes, we’re going to use the terms interchangeably.

What Are Remarketing Facebook Campaigns?

Remarketing campaigns show customized ads to users who have already somehow engaged with your brand. How do they do that? Whenever a user visits your landing page, social media page or website, their browser logs a cookie or pixel. You can then digitally follow them around the web, showing them content that’s targeted right to them – like ads for the exact items they left in their cart.

If a potential customer somehow got off of their customer journey and stopped traveling through your sales funnel, this is one highly effective way to get them back. With the Facebook remarketing pixel, you can do the following:

Cross- and up-sell products to recent customers.Encourage a user to complete their purchase or learn more about an item they’re on the fence about.Show your message to users who visited specific landing or website pages.

The reason retargeting works so well is because the information available is extremely specific to the user. Now, let’s get into the strategies.

Encourage Past Customers to Buy Again

New customers are always welcomed by brands, but old customers are much more valuable because repeat purchasers tend to buy over and over again. With retargeting ads from Facebook, you can continually appeal to them to keep enticing them back (and back again).

For example, you can run an ad that shows them a newer version of a product they purchased a year ago. You can also run a cross-promotion ad for an item that will go with something else they purchased. Or, customize discounts just for your best customers to treat them like the VIPs they are.

Know Which Blog Visitors to TargetSkyBlue Portland Real Estate Group / Facebook Ad Library

By using website parameters in ads, you can narrow in on the blog visitors who are most likely to become valuable for your brand. Those include:

People who have viewed two or more blog posts.People who visited both a blog post and a landing page.People who visited both a blog post and a pricing page – the pricing page shows that there’s a lot of interest in what you’re offering.

Essentially, you can set up remarketing ads to show to people who engaged with your content on a deeper level than simply reading one article and leaving your site.

Reach Users Who Showed Interest in a ProductSunny Health and Fitness / Facebook Ad Library

For users who checked out a product page but didn’t add an item to their cart, you can target ads to them that show the product they clearly had their eye on. Facebook even lets you exclude users who went through with an order so that you’re not showing them products they just purchased. The idea here is that the user may not have been ready to buy when they looked at the product, but they may be ready now – and showing them the product again can remind them of that.

Reduce Your Cart Abandonment Rate

If a potential customer went so far as to research, find and add an item to a digital shopping cart, odds are they’re pretty interested in buying it – even if they abandoned the cart without making a purchase. They’re so close to the part of the sales funnel where they actually buy that you can give them the tiny nudge they need with a retargeting campaign. (You can also run campaigns that encourage people to purchase items on their wish list.)

Create Special Offers

Few things are more motivating for shoppers than a discount. When a user has already shared their content info to score a freebie, like an ebook or free trial, you can target ads to them that offer a paid product or service at a discounted price. Or, if you think that the user still isn’t ready to spend money and they need to be nurtured more, you can offer another freebie, like an extended free trial.

Choose the Right Timetable

The point of retargeting users is to keep your brand and product front and center in their minds. You can only do that if you get to them in the right window of time. For brands with a short sales cycle (and a limited number of touchpoints along the customer journey), remarket to users within 15 to 30 days. If your sales cycle is more nuanced, you can take a bit more time.

Also, don’t remarket too soon to recent customers. If a user just converted, they don’t want to see an ad promoting the product they just bought or even pushing your brand in general. Unless you have an excellent cross-sell item to show them, don’t remarket to recent customers until two weeks after their purchase.

Wrapping Up

Shoppers go through the trouble of finding items they’re interested in, selecting their preferences and adding those items to their cart – only to then forget about them and never actually make a purchase.

That’s a lot of money you’re not making, not to mention missed moments to make a stellar impression on a soon-to-be loyal customer. If you don’t want to let all of that go, check out how to create a retargeting campaign on Facebook – or chat with us about handling it for you.

Everything You Need to Know About Facebook Rise

Advertising professionals who have been impacted by furloughs or layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic now have a way to get serious career help…and without spending any money on continuing education or certificate training courses. Facebook has stepped up to help those in the ad industry learn the skills needed to compete for a job through their no-cost Rise program. Possibly more importantly, the program specifically caters to those who have lost their job (in some way) due to the pandemic. For those who fall under that umbrella, there’s help where there wasn’t before – and possibly a new job in the near future.

In this article, we’re going to tell you everything we know about Rise, including who qualifies for the program and how you can access it.

What is Facebook Rise and Why Was It Created?

Rise is a free program that Facebook launched to help people make career changes or enhance their skills so they can be in a better position to find and excel at work. The program takes place within a private Facebook Group, which is part of how it connects industry personnel with one another. By basing the program in an interactive, social setting like Groups, more opportunities can open up naturally, and you’re not only depending on the ones that Facebook itself seeks out and brings you.

According to Facebook, “Ad agency professionals continue to grapple with job cuts and uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic…Alongside these trends, internet media employment is at a record high. Digital roles in marketing are among the fastest-growing in the industry, providing opportunities for agency professionals to develop new skills, hone old ones or even pivot careers.”

The program is run via Facebook Groups and was initially launched in Brazil in July of 2020. Now, it’s been adopted across several other countries, including the U.S. and Canada. People in Italy, Latin America and Singapore can also get involved with the program, though they’ll sign up through different Groups specifically for their location.

What Can You Do With Facebook Rise?

Here’s what Rise strives to do:

Help you make industry connections.Offer Facebook Blueprint training (more on that below).Provide digital skills training for ad agency professionals.Stream live Q&As and pre-recorded sessions.Tune you in to valuable industry insights.

A little more about Facebook Blueprint training, as referenced above: The Blueprint program lets you access certifications, online courses and training programs so that you’re better able to use Facebook’s marketing tools.

The idea of Rise is that with all of this help, ad agency professionals should be able to up-skill and/or re-skill in order to meet the demands of the market and find available positions in their field.

What Type of Content Does Rise Offer?

Rise’s content falls into three categories: Learn, Grow and Thrive. Let’s briefly get into each one.

Learn

These educational resources will help professionals enhance their digital skills and technical know-how. Live sessions with trainers from Blueprint will cover topics like creative strategy and media buying. You’ll also get training from marketing science experts at Facebook to learn in-depth about the factors that drive digital ad performance.

Grow

Career perspectives and soft skills training are offered to help you develop professionally. You’ll be able to access sessions that cover topics like building your portfolio, writing your resume and preparing for an interview.

Thrive

You’ll have the opportunity to listen to inspirational accounts from entrepreneurs and influencers on business and career topics. The idea of the Thrive content is to help you feel inspired, strong and resilient during an uncertain time.

Who is Facebook Rise Available To?

In general, Rise is open to ad professionals at any level (just about; super-new beginners are excluded), but you had to have been impacted by COVID-19 by being furloughed or laid off during 2020. If you were let go for another reason during 2020, you won’t be able to take part in Rise. Also, the program isn’t open to first-year, entry-level employees who weren’t able to find a job in 2020 due to COVID or who were quickly let go from one of their first positions in the industry.

In order to qualify for Facebook Rise in North America, you have to meet the following criteria:

You reside in Canada or the U.S.You were furloughed or laid off due to COVID-19.You’re not employed at an agency right now.You have a minimum of one year of ad agency experience.

If you can say “yes” to all of the above, you’ll be able to join Rise’s private Facebook Group and access all of the guidance for free. (There’s a bit more information about joining the Group if you follow that link, but the essentials are covered here.)

How Do You Sign Up for Rise?

If you meet the criteria above, you can sign up for the program. Here’s how:

Step 1: To join Rise’s North America Facebook Group, you can do one of these two options:

Go to this link in your browser.From within Facebook (the browser or mobile app), search for “Facebook Rise – North America,” which should bring up the Group.

Step 2: Click Join Group.

Step 3: There are three quick questions to answer, and you’ll also see the Group’s rules.

Step 4: Wait one business day for acceptance (assuming you meet the necessary criteria).

That’s it! You’ll then be part of the Rise Facebook Group and able to take advantage of everything the program offers, all for free.

Final Thoughts

Rise offers support and career advancement opportunities that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else, especially for the low, low cost of absolutely nothing. Here’s what you need to keep in mind, though: Once you’re in, it’s important to pay attention to and stay active in the Facebook Group. That’s where the true magic happens, and it’s your best chance (within Rise, at least) to make important industry connections. You never know who you might meet who can tell you about a job opportunity or give you invaluable advice you’ve never heard anywhere else.

How to Use Facebook Dynamic Ads for Streaming

Facebook Dynamic Ads for Streaming are a brand new, niche ad option for marketers of streaming content brands. Facebook added this type of ad option because of the popularity of streaming services and what those services offer users: options. Users try out streaming services because of the range of content available, and Facebook decided that they needed an ad style to match.

Glenn Carstens-Peters / UnsplashWhat Are Facebook Dynamic Ads?

To understand the new Dynamic Ads for Streaming, it helps to first understand Facebook’s basic Dynamic Ads option. With Dynamic Ads, Facebook shows users the ad format and item (like from an e-commerce product catalog) that they’re most likely to engage with based on their activity on either Facebook, Instagram and/or your site.

What Are Facebook Dynamic Ads for Streaming and Why Are They Important?

Dynamic Ads for Streaming work in pretty much the same way as regular Dynamic Ads, but instead of showing users a catalog product or service listing (like hotel room booking options), they’re shown a video that’s personalized to their interests. Like with regular Dynamic Ads, the interests are based on activity on Facebook or Instagram. For example, if the user liked a Facebook page about haunted house attractions, they may be shown a trailer for a scary movie; if they’re a fan of a celebrity’s page, they could be shown a video that stars that person.

When a user views an ad for a streaming service, they’ll be able to swipe through to see the titles that are most relevant to them. There will be a call-to-action (CTA) button, too, so that users can start a free trial or sign up for your service.

Source: Facebook

The idea is that streaming brands can now highlight the videos from their content library that will best match the viewer’s interests, creating a better opportunity for engagement and conversion. Before these new ads were launched, advertisers would have to promote titles in their library separately, targeting different segments of their audience for each one. With Dynamic Ads for Streaming, personalized ads are generated from one campaign, and targeting is mostly handled for you. This means you can reach an audience you didn’t even know you had and that you’d be missing if you were to set the demographics yourself.

How to Be Effective With Dynamic (and Other) Ads for Streaming ServicesAndrea Piacquadio / Pexels

Dynamic Ads for Streaming are brand new, and tips and tricks for making the most of this ad type will emerge in the coming weeks, but we already have a handful for you to test out.

Showcase Different Types of Content

Let’s say you run a travel-centric streaming site. You want the videos you upload to your campaign to cover a wide variety of topics, like different types of locales (city vs. beach) and vacation styles (adventure vs. relaxation). The idea of all of Facebook’s Dynamic Ads is to show the breadth of what you offer so you can reach a wider segment of your target audience(s).

P.S. Through the process of creating Dynamic Ads, you may realize that your content library isn’t robust enough. You may feel that you don’t have the content to reach the audiences you want to. If that’s the case, this is the perfect chance to round out your offerings. And as you do, you can add those new titles to the ad campaign’s options so they’re added into the mix.

Create Videos That Match Intent Stages

Let’s take another example: A cooking video streaming site that requires membership. For users in the discovery stage, you want content that shows the types of cooking videos offered on the site. For users who are more along in the customer journey and are closer to signing up, you can show a video about all of the perks that come with membership. By matching the content to where the user is in the buyer’s journey, you can cater best to what they’re interested in right now while gently nudging them to take the next step.

Catch Users Before Their Free Trial Ends

Whatever you do, don’t miss the chance to snag a subscription right before a free trial ends. As the free trial nears the end – like on day 29 of 30 – show users ads that remind them to sign up. Don’t forget to show them all of the great content they’ll miss if they don’t subscribe. You can also offer a discount for their first one, two or three months of service, or give them a unique referral link to share with a friend for another free month.

Use Other Ad Types In Your Strategy, Too

Dynamic Ads for Streaming offer marketers a new and effective way to show relevant video content to potential fans and customers, but they shouldn’t be the one and only type of ad you run. For example, Facebook also has app install ads, which are excellent for brands that can deliver content via a mobile app (as most streaming services can). With these ads, you can direct a Facebook user to the app listing in their smartphone’s app store – and since so much Facebook traffic is already mobile, they’re on a prime device for pressing that download button.

Wrapping Up

Dynamic Ads for Streaming work similarly to how streaming services work in general. When you go onto the Netflix app, you don’t simply see a random preview of a title that’s available. Instead, you see personalized recommendations based on what you’ve watched in the past.

Dynamic Ads for Streaming work in the same way, catching the attention of the user with content they’re interested in and giving them confidence that they’ll be able to find what they like if they use your service. And because they’re so easy to set up – Facebook does the heavy lifting – they’re just as beneficial for advertisers as they are for consumers and viewers.

If you’re new to Facebook advertising, we’ve gathered 100 of the top resources to help you hone your skills. Check them out here.

5 Key Differences Between Shopify And Shopify Plus

APR. 26, 2021

Unsplash / Roberto Cortese

Shopify makes a name for itself as one of the leading e-commerce platforms in today’s digital marketplace. As a user-friendly and reliable software, Shopify makes it easier than ever for online businesses to sell their products, create a digital storefront, and design the e-commerce website of their dreams. 

5 Core Differences That Set Shopify Plus Apart From Shopify

A few years after Shopify established itself as an asset to e-commerce businesses, the platform created Shopify Plus. While both Shopify and Shopify Plus give businesses the opportunity to create a customized e-commerce storefront, Shopify Plus’s additional features can take an online business to the next level of professionalism. 

Wondering if an upgrade to Shopify Plus is the right business move? Here are 5 of the most pressing differences between Shopify and Shopify Plus to keep in mind: 

#1: Shopify Plus Has Built-In Training Opportunities

No matter how successful an e-commerce business might be, there is always room for further learning and development. Shopify Plus understands this need by offering an exclusive Shopify Plus Academy, a group of courses aimed at improving all aspects of the online business journey. This includes exciting topics related to paid advertising, business expansion, remarketing, personalization, and more. 

#2: Shopify Plus Has More Personalization Features

To create an online experience that is completely unique to a business style and consumer needs, Shopify Plus is there to help. While Shopify offers a level of customization through its features, it cannot compete with Shopify Plus’s exciting personalization methods. 

Personalization features exclusive to Shopify Plus include:

A customized customer checkout experience 100 themes to pick from Certified app integrations and channels Extra API Integrations such as a gift card resource, multipass login, and user resource#3: Shopify Plus Supports Expansion Opportunities

The beauty of Shopify Plus is that it gives businesses a lot of wiggle room for growing and expanding as they see fit. With the added resources that Shopify Plus offers, the easier it is for businesses to grow with their account. Some of the best features that support growth and development include: 

Multiple Storefront Management: Unlike Shopify, Shopify Plus grants access to multiple storefronts under one shared, organizational level account with the help of the Shopify Organization Admin. Furthermore, its option to sell on an entirely separate wholesale channel is a paramount feature for businesses interested in simultaneously growing both B2C and B2B storefronts. Unlimited Staff Accounts: A traditional Shopify account allows a finite number of staff members to manage and access the backend of the store. On the other hand, Shopify Plus gives as many team members an account as a business pleases.  

Whether it’s a change to the team size, storefront, or even the type of business model, rest assured Spotify Plus can help businesses scale up with ease. 

#4: Shopify Plus Connects Businesses To The Right People

While both platforms have ample support with 24/7 customer service, community forums, and a help center, Shopify Plus takes the additional step of connecting merchants with the people and partners that can help their business grow and thrive. 

This is found through: 

A Launch Engineer: Shopify Plus designates a launch engineer to help businesses have a seamless and stress-free launch. A few of the many technical tasks that a launch engineer takes on include data migration, domain and URL structure, theme selection, and more. Exclusive Shopify Plus Service Partners: Whether it’s for improving SEO, marketing strategy, website UX design, or something else, Shopify Plus contains exclusive ties with companies that can be hired to assist merchants with a variety of e-commerce needs. A Thriving Facebook Community: Shopify Plus merchants can network, bond, and swap ideas with fellow online business owners on the private Shopify Plus Community Facebook group. #5: Shopify Plus Warrants A Higher Price Point

While Shopify has three defined monthly price points to choose from, a Shopify Plus membership is more individualized. This is because an account can significantly vary in price depending on the level of personalization and the number of extra applications and partnerships utilized. For these reasons, a traditional Shopify account is a better option for those with smaller and more concrete budgets just beginning their online business endeavors.

Who Is The Best Candidate For Shopify Plus?

At the end of the day, Shopify Plus, though quite valuable, is not always necessary for small e-commerce brands. Shopify plus is an ideal platform for brands that fall within these parameters: 

Brands looking to manage multiple e-commerce storefronts at onceLarger-scale enterprise businesses with big teamsBusinesses with future growth and expansion goalsBusinesses with higher budgets and financial securityElevate Your Shopify Plus Store Today

All in all, if Shopify Plus is indeed the best fit for a storefront’s needs, working with a capable Shopify Plus Agency gives businesses the best chance at maintaining a high-quality online storefront! 

A/B Testing for Facebook Ads (How it’s Done and Why it’s Important)

APR. 23, 2021

Unsplash / Austin Distel

When you’re in charge of running Facebook Ads, A/B testing is a must. But some advertisers are unsure of exactly how to do it or have tried it in the past without success. Don’t let A/B testing overwhelm you – we’re here to help.

The point of A/B testing is to figure out exactly what resonates with your audience, from the wording you use in the ad copy to the background color of the ad’s main graphic. Without trying new elements and collecting data, you’re essentially guessing – and when you’re talking about your business and budget, you need to do more than simply assume.

What is A/B Testing?

Also referred to as split testing, A/B testing is when you test a specific element – one element – of your ad to see which version performs best. By doing this, you can figure out exactly what your audience responds to the most. You can then take that information and use it to guide future ads. Another perk of A/B testing is that your audience won’t get ad fatigue, which is what happens when they see the same ad over and over again, eventually ignoring it by default. 

Elements you may want to change include:

The main graphicAn element of the main graphic, like the gender of the person pictured or the background colorThe number of lines of ad copyThe wording of the ad copy, like changing the content or the styleUsing emoji vs. not using emojiThe CTA button wording (for example, Download Now vs. Learn More)

Here’s a good example from Capital One. The only difference between the ads is the copy; everything else is the same.

Capital One / Facebook Ad Library

Why just one element at a time? Because if you change more than one, you won’t know which of the two (or more) changed elements your audience is responding to. Change one, collect your data, stick with the version that performs best, then change another. Rinse, repeat.

Planning Creative Elements for A/B Testing

Planning to A/B test your ad starts when you create your ad, not when you’re ready to run a variation of it. As you create your ad, also create the following:

Four to six versions of the ad copy.Three versions of the headline.Two versions of the graphic or video, if you have control over it.Two versions of the CTA button.

These ads from Bed Bath & Beyond have the same copy and CTA, but the media is different:

Bed Bath & Beyond / Facebook Ad Library

You don’t have to limit the tests to just this – for example, you can run A/B testing on four versions of the CTA button if you think that’s best – but these guidelines are a good start. 

Also, when creating all of these ad elements, make sure they’re interchangeable. You should be able to run any headline with any version of the copy, for example. This means sticking to a similar style for all of your versions. Let’s say you’re going to take a youthful approach. All of the elements should support that – you wouldn’t want to mix a youthful headline and graphic with stuffy ad copy.

A/B Testing Other Ad Elements

When you set up an A/B test on Facebook (more on that in the next section), you’ll change a variable. In addition to creative variables, like the ones covered above, you can also test the following:

Audience: Test out the different audiences you’re trying to reach, like by region or age group.Placement: Find out if your ads perform better when they’re placed in different locations for the user.Delivery Optimization: Discover if your ad performs better when you let Facebook optimize your ad budget.Product Set: This is ideal for retailers who want to see if different products shown in ads garner different results.

Again, just like with the creative elements, you want to pick one variable at a time to test – so, audience or creative; placement or product set; etc.

Setting Up A/B Testing on Facebook

When using Facebook Ads, you’ll create the initial Facebook Ad and then set up A/B testing afterward. This support article will walk you through the process and point you to more how-to guides – and since you already have the different versions of your ad ready to go, you’ve done the hardest part. 

There are a few different ways to set up A/B testing in Facebook:

Use the Experiments tool. This tool lets you create or duplicate a campaign to fine-tune it and plan out your test.Set up different versions as you create your ad. While this option isn’t always available to all creators, you may have the option to arrange the A/B test while you’re building your original ad.Duplicate an existing ad or campaign. Possibly the easiest option is to duplicate an existing ad, ad set, or campaign and then change the element you want to test.Let Facebook make a suggestion. You may get a suggestion from Facebook to try out A/B testing if they feel your current ad could get traction from a change.Wrapping Up

Can you run Facebook Ads without A/B testing them? Sure – and some may even generate pretty decent results. But if you don’t A/B test, you’ll never know if your ads could be even more successful – and that’s a big risk to take. 

Also remember this: You have to be patient. Running proper A/B tests can take several months because you have to test each element at a time, working through every element of an ad. When handled methodically, though, this strategy can mean serious ROI on your ad spend.

Become a social media marketing pro with these 100 resources for Facebook Ads beginners .

These Are the Facebook Metrics You Need to Focus On

APR. 21, 2021

Pexels / Tobias Dziuba

Facebook is an incredibly powerful platform for brands and advertisers, allowing you to track all sorts of metrics – so many metrics, in fact, that it can get overwhelming. All of that data is useless if you don’t know what you need to pay attention to and how to decipher what you’re seeing. 

In this article, we’re going to cover the most important Facebook metrics to watch, including those for video and ad content.

What Are Facebook KPIs?

Facebook’s KPIs – which stands for “key performance indicators” – measure the performance of the content you post, whether that’s an organic post or a Facebook Ad. Essentially, KPIs tell you how well your content is performing, and they can also clue you into where you need to make improvements. Furthermore, every time a user sees or interacts with the content you post, Facebook gathers data about it, which can help you narrow down your target audience.

FYI, KPIs and metrics are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but they actually have specific differences. For our purposes, we’re referring to KPIs and metrics by the definition outlined above. If you want to explore more about each term, check out this article .

The Most Important Facebook Metrics for 2021

The most important Facebook Ad metrics to track depend on your specific business and goals. However, we’re going to cover the main ones we think you should consider.

Engagement: The number of times users take action on something you post, like leaving a comment or sharing the post. (Engagement is important because it means that people like what you post. Also, Facebook favors popular posts, so the more engagement yours gets, the more Facebook will show it.)Impressions: The number of times a post was seen, even if it was viewed multiple times by the same person. (The more times a person sees the same post, the more likely it is that they’ll take action; impressions also show you how viral your post has become.)Page Likes: The number of people who “like” your page and want to see your content in their feed. (While thought of as a vanity metric by some, you should see your page likes growing with time – this is an indication that your audience is growing, too.)Reach: How many people see your Facebook content, whether that’s organic or paid. Referral Traffic: How many visitors your website gets from Facebook. For example, if a user clicks a link in your profile or post, that data is included in the referral traffic metric.

Most of this data can be found in your Facebook insights, and there are also third-party tools that you can use to track and analyze this information. For example, you’ll need something like Google Analytics to measure referral traffic.

Video Metrics to Pay Attention To

If videos are part of your Facebook marketing strategy, you’ll want to keep a close eye on these two metrics:

Video Engagement: This engagement metric is similar to the one defined above, but on top of actions like comments, likes and shares, you’ll also see how many times your video was clicked to play (not auto-played). Video Retention: How much of your video users are watching. If you’re spending time creating a 5-minute video but users are only staying tuned in for 45 seconds, you either have to cut the length down or create a more compelling video. 

Unsplash / NeonBrand

Facebook Ad Metrics to Pay Attention To

Facebook Ad metrics are in a category of their own, and there’s a lot of data to work with here. To start, give these metrics more than a passing glance:

Ad Frequency: How many times people see one of your ads. This one is tricky – you want people to see your ads more than once for them to be as effective as possible, but too much exposure can lead to ad fatigue. A good rule of thumb is that users should see your ad up to two times per week, but not more frequently. This is also a good case for A/B testing because users will be exposed to the same information without seeing the exact same ad over and over.Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of people who view your ad and then click (through) to your landing page. If the CTR is too low (like under .9%, the industry average), it means that people don’t feel compelled to take action when they view your ad.Cost per Action (CPA): With CPA, you can find out how much you pay per action, like when a user downloads your app or subscribes to your email list. WordStream reports that the average CPA is $18.68, so your data should be around that number.Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM) / Cost per Click (CPC): With CPM, you’re charged per thousand impressions; with CPC, you’re charged whenever someone clicks an ad. CPC is the more common option of the two, and according to WordStream, the average is $1.72 – so if you’re paying much more than that, your ad isn’t optimized enough.

“Cost per…” metrics refer to how you’re charged for Facebook Ads, and they can be more important than how much you spend on ads overall because they tell you how efficiently you’re spending. 

P.S. We have a bunch of articles about Facebook Ads and metrics, like this one about Facebook Ad retargeting for e-commerce and this one that covers the difference between reach and impressions more thoroughly.

Wrapping Up

Before you plan out the next phase of your digital strategy, consider the data you collected from Facebook metrics. Also, limit how many metrics you focus on at one time. Pick two or three that matter the most to you and dig deep into them. When you feel you’ve optimized your content as much as possible, move on to another. Data is going to be continually collected, so you can always tap into other metrics sometime in the future.

7 Ways to Grow Your Instagram Following with Email Marketing

APR. 19, 2021

Unsplash / Matthew Fournier

Email marketing is one of the oldest yet the most effective communication channels for brand communication. 

Most customers are open to sharing their contact information like names and email addresses when they buy from brands as they want to receive communications from retailers via email: 

Source / eMarketer

However, it’s also important to be active where your target audience spends the most time and find new communication channels. More and more brands integrate social media with email marketing for maximum impact. For instance, many companies combine Instagram and email marketing.

Whether you have an Instagram presence or you’re just starting with Instagram marketing, it’s a good idea to attract more followers to your profile. One of the best ways to grow your Instagram following is to tell your email subscribers about your social media presence. 

Why Should You Use Email Marketing to Grow Your Instagram Following?

Living in the era of social media platforms, when people spend a considerable amount of time on Instagram, email marketing and Instagram marketing go hand in hand. Here are the main three reasons to use email marketing to grow your Instagram following:

Email subscribers are loyal to your business: When people sign up for your email list, they are more likely to be interested in your company. According to one report, 91% of email subscribers want to hear from companies and 86% of customers would love to receive promotional emails. This means your email subscribers are loyal to your company, so it gives you an opportunity to start a conversation with your customers and ask them to follow your company on social media platforms like Instagram.People spend more time on Instagram: Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms as people are visual learners who love perceiving visual content such as images and photos. It’s one of the reasons why people spend more time on the platform. In fact, an average Instagram user spends around 53 minutes daily on the platform. This means brands get an opportunity to interact with engaged users if they have an Instagram presence.Customers want to interact with brands on Instagram: Despite the popularity of emails among customers, brand communication isn’t limited to email. With the growing popularity of Instagram, users want to follow their favorite brands in-app. Today, 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business on the platform which means your customers are open to communication with your company on Instagram.

As you can see, Instagram presence is important to brands of all sizes and niches. The more followers you have, the better as they help to spread the word about your company, provide potential customers with social proof, and even boost sales. 

Thus, we’ve gathered email marketing tips that can help to convert your loyal email subscribers into Instagram followers. Here are seven excellent ways to grow your Instagram following with email marketing.

Spread the Word about Your Instagram Profile

To attract more Instagram followers, it’s important to tell your customers that you have an Instagram presence. This tactic works best when sending welcome emails to newly acquired customers who don’t know much about your brand.

Why? Not only does it tell email subscribers about your business growth, but it also gives your email subscribers an opportunity to choose communication channels they are interested in. Thus, it’s a good idea to write an email that tells more about your Instagram profile.

The easiest way to do it is to add social media icons to your email and show off all social media platforms where your company has a presence and therefore give your subscribers an opportunity to follow you where they are more active:

But if you want to hook your audience’s attention and encourage your email subscribers to follow you on Instagram, you can give a special discount to your followers, just like in the example from Casemate:

Source / EmailTuna

Show Your Instagram Followers as Social Proof

It’s psychologically proven that people tend to imitate others, so your customers are more likely to follow you on Instagram if other customers do it as well. Thus, it’s a smart idea to find user-generated content, ask your customers for permission to use it, and show these images as social proof as a part of your email marketing strategy.

Here’s the deal:

As specified in the latest report on user-generated content, 93% of marketers agree that people trust photos/videos from customers more than branded content and 75% of marketers also claim that posting fan-made content on business profiles makes the company more authentic. 

Here’s an example of this strategy from Italist. The company features the customers’ photos in their products, tag the authors’ accounts, and invite email subscribers to follow the company on Instagram:

Source / EmailTuna

To make the most out of this idea, use email segmentation and create emails that feature products or content your selected subscribers last viewed. Not only does it help to remind your customers about products they show interest in, but it also provides potential customers with social proof.

Tell About Your Instagram Profile in the Email Signature

To tell about your Instagram account without being too promotional in the email, let your email subscribers decide whether they want to follow you on the platform or not. 

As a result, it’s a good idea to create an Instagram icon for email signature and therefore spread the word about this platform among those subscribers who show interest in finding out more about your company.

Whether your email marketing campaigns are personal or impersonal, you can still build brand trust and help interested subscribers learn more about your company by adding the email signature. 

To get more Instagram followers, you can create a ‘Follow us on Instagram’ banner with a clickable link that redirects email subscribers to your business profile. Check out this example below:

Source / Wisestamp

Celebrate Instagram Milestones with Email Subscribers

If you have a solid following on Instagram, that’s great. This means you have the right Instagram marketing strategy that attracts people to your account. 

But wouldn’t it be great if you could double your Instagram followers?

To tell about the good news and encourage more people to follow you on Instagram, you can share Instagram milestones with your email subscribers.

People want to belong to something special, so this strategy not only shares the company’s achievements but also creates a sense of belonging that encourages email subscribers to become your social media followers. 

Let’s take a look at Bluebella. When the company got 500k followers on Instagram, Bluebella created a thank-you email and sent it to all customers to share the good news with their customer base and encourage other people to follow their profile on Instagram:

Source / EmailTuna

Encourage Subscribers to Follow Your Brand Hashtags

Both marketers and social media users know the power of hashtags as they help to organize content by theme or topic. The popularity of hashtags is growing, so more and more companies create Instagram hashtags that help their community discover relevant content.

Do you have brand hashtags? Great! Now it’s time to tell your customers about these hashtags and encourage them to follow your hashtags on Instagram. Working on email marketing campaigns, you can tell about your brand hashtags, just like in the example below:

Source / EmailTuna

When your customers know how to find relevant information about your company and products on the platform they use daily, it helps to improve customer experience and therefore leads to higher customer engagement. What is more, it also motivates email subscribers to find your Instagram business profile and track your company’s news on the platform which means more Instagram followers. Win-win!

Promote Your Instagram Giveaway via Email 

Free stuff is irresistible. Modern customers want to test out products for free before buying them, so they participate in social media contests that give away valuable prizes. In fact, one report says that Instagram accounts with contests grow 70% faster than others. 

With the popularity of social media contests, Instagram giveaways help achieve your business goals, whether you want to boost brand awareness, spark interest in your product variety, drive website traffic, or increase e-commerce sales. Plus, Instagram giveaways have become one of the easiest and fastest ways to grow your following.

But if you want to attract more followers, it’s important to promote Instagram giveaways, and telling your loyal email subscribers about them is a proven way to gain more participants. Once you have an Instagram giveaway, don’t miss a chance to tell your email list about it. Check out how Salomon did it:

Source / EmailTuna

Retarget Your Email Subscribers on Instagram

If you’re reading this blog post, it’s more likely you have an email list with all customer data. To make the most out of this information and turn your subscribers into followers, you can give Instagram advertising a try. 

It allows marketers to create custom audiences and run ads to customers you already know based on their email addresses. This means you can interact with your existing customers on the platform even if they don’t follow your company on Instagram.

Case in point:

To increase brand awareness and drive sales, Alice + Olivia created an Instagram ad campaign:

Source / Business Instagram

The company used different audience segments, including the audience of existing customers based on their email addresses. The campaign got a  72% increase in revenue and 5x more conversions.

In Short

Modern customers use various communication channels to keep up with brand news and product updates. Today, Instagram and email marketing go hand in hand with each other which gives marketers an opportunity to turn loyal email subscribers into Instagram followers. 

If you’re focused on getting more followers at the moment, there are 7 excellent ways to grow your Instagram following with email marketing, so check out our list and find out what works best for your company.