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Social Media - Snap Chat

Snapchat Advertising How-To Guide

June 3, 2020/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

While most businesses crown Google or Instagram as King of Advertising, Snapchat is often overlooked as a powerful, effective, and relatively inexpensive way to reach the highly coveted millennial demographic. This guide is designed to show you the benefits of advertising on Snapchat and how it compares to its competitors. It will show you how to create successful Snapchat ads, and what metrics to look for after your ad is implemented.

Benefits Of Advertising On Snapchat

Here are some benefits to Snapchat advertising:

  • The spending power of users
  • Ability to target younger demographics
  • Ease of ad creation
  • Specific location targeting
  • Full-screen ads
  • Unique Snapchat features

Targeting your core demographic is a vital part of picking what platform to place ads. Snapchat users are primarily within the Millennial and Gen Z demographic. If your target audience aligns with these age groups Snapchat would be a favorable platform to place ads.

According to a Hootsuite article written in 2018, Snapchat captures 41% of those ages 18-34 every day. It also has the sixth-highest concentration of Millennials among all mobile apps.

Millennials and Gen Z have a $1 trillion spending ability. By neglecting Snapchat as an advertising platform you are leaving money and potential consumers behind.

In a Murphy research study, they found Snapchat users were 60% more likely to impulse buy.

Snapchat’s Ad Manager interface is extremely user friendly. It intuitively guides you through the whole process with their ‘Instant Create’ option. Comparatively, Facebook and Google have much more complex processes for creating an ad.

If you’re a seasoned ad creator, Snapchat has a more advanced ad creation option called ‘Advanced Create’. Anyone with a business Snapchat account has access to this feature. You can find the ‘Advanced Create’ portal from your desktop by logging into your Snapchat account and hovering over the ‘Create Ads’ button in the top left corner and selecting ‘Advanced Create’. Within the advanced create feature you can access a lot more customizable campaign options like:

  • Split Testing
  • Campaign creation instead of a single ad creation
  • Access to more specific controls for who views your ad
  • Access to a lifetime budget instead of just a daily budget
  • Advanced bidding options (Auto-bid or Max bid)
  • Tags that allow you to be able to target users that may consume products related to it
  • Topsnap testing

In addition to its younger user demographic, and workable interface, Snapchat is the only platform that allows super-specific location targeting. It allows advertisers to target universities, parks, or even specific buildings. This allows you to target areas that largely contain your demographic instead of targeting a whole city, region, or country where your ad dollars would be wasted.

How Is Snapchat Different From Its Competitors?

Snapchat gives you the creative license when deciding what you want your ad to look like. You can use a GIF, video, or static image.

A ‘Snap Ad’ will run in a full-screen video format with the sound on. This differentiates itself from other platforms where the sound is turned off until the user decides to turn it on. This is a huge opportunity to make an initial impression with sound. The 100% full-screen ad is advantageous, Instagram is the only other platform to use this method of advertising. It’s only within their story feature and it doesn’t include sound.

There are three different types of Snap Ad formats displayed below:
Snap Ad Formats

App Installs look like this on the app:
Snapchat App Install Ad

Long-form videos are presented like this:
Snapchat long Form Video Ad

Last but not least, web view ads are presented like this on the app:
Snapchat Web View Ad

The full-screen ads differ from other platforms. For example, Facebook and Instagram feed ads take up about 25%-33% of the screen when scrolling through a timeline or browser this allows for the user to be distracted by other information, while on Snapchat the ad has their full attention when the advertiser uses the full-screen presentation option.

Another Snapchat exclusive feature is branded tiles on the ‘Discover’ page. These are companies like Seventeen magazine that make content consistently to be featured within the ‘Discover’ page but companies can also pay to be a sponsored tile on the page.
Snapchat Discover Page Sponsored Tile

Other Snapchat advertising options include sponsored lenses and sponsored filters.
Here’s an example of a Snapchat lens:
Snapchat Sponsored Lens
This is one of Snapchat’s success stories.

The last example is a Snapchat filter that was launched in Germany. It was a huge success for the brand. View their KPI’s here.
Snapchat Sponsored Filter

Here is a helpful link that explains what filters and lenses are and how to create one for your business. These features are unique to Snapchat, and while Instagram has tried to copy Snapchat’s lenses and filters the quality falls short.

Marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk praises Snapchat for its ability to capture the attention of its users. He said he hasn’t seen such an active user base since Twitter in 2007 and 2008. Let’s compare Snapchat stories to emails. According to Gary, on the best day, only 25% of his emails are opened this would be a very low percentage of stories viewed on Snapchat.

Industries Advertising On Snapchat

Naming all the businesses that advertise on Snapchat would be almost impossible, so instead here’s a list of industries that Snapchat has hosted ads for:

  • E-commerce
  • App services
  • Technology
  • Entertainment
  • Consumer packaged goods
  • Auto
  • Retail
  • Restaurants
  • Travel
  • Financial services
  • Health
  • Telecommunications
  • Insurance
  • Government/Politics

How To Engage An Ad Viewer

The average Snapchat user is very engaged with the app, opening it 18-25 times a day. While the users are loyal to the app it is important when creating an ad to catch their attention as soon as possible with a clear message, USP, and call to action. Here is an example of a brand that had clear messaging, engaging visuals, and a clear call to action.

https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/inspiration/e-l-f-cosmetics-efficiently-gains-share-with-millennials-and-gen-z

Elf had eye-catching visuals to open the ad with, then by the third second of their ad they had their USP displayed on the screen, and finished with a ‘Shop Now’ call to action. They followed the formula for a successful Snapchat ad.

Engage in 1-2 seconds + Present USP in 3-4 seconds + Finish strong with a call to action
Snapchat e.l.f. Advertising

Questions To Ask Before Creating A Snapchat Ad

  • Who is the target audience?
  • What do you want your viewers to do?
  • Gain awareness of the brand, buy a product, download an app, visit a website
  • What type of ad will you run?
  • How do you want the ad to look?
  • Video, GIF, image
  • Will there be ad copy?
  • Is there music or a voice-over?
  • What is the daily and lifetime budget for the ad/campaign?
  • How long should the ad run?

Most Effective Snapchat Ads

Lead Generation Ads

  • Best for audiences you don’t have a relationship with
  • Offer something that solves a problem or provides value

The benefit:

  • You receive the customer’s email that can be used to occasionally promote your business
  • You can retarget those that visited your site in the future (this requires the Snap Pixel plug-in)

Doorbuster Ads

  • This ad gives something away for free that gets customers into a brick and mortar location

The benefit:

  • People came in for the freebie but bought additional items

Counterpart Ads

  • This is an ad served to customers that are theoretically interested in the same things your current customers are.

How to do it:

  1. Load up your email customer contact list into Snapchat. (located under the assets tab in the ‘Audience’ section)
  2. The app then builds a list of potential new customers that will theoretically like the same things as your current customers.
  3. Create an ad for this specific customer base.
  4. The ad you’ve created will then be served to the people that the Snapchat algorithm deemed of value to you.

Note: You should have more than 1,000 emails to make sure the Snapchat has enough people to use in their algorithm.

How To Create Snapchat Ads

The first step to creating Snapchat ads is to download the app.

Creating your business’s Snapchat account:

  1. Download Snapchat from the App Store
  2. Open Snapchat
  3. Tap ‘Sign Up’
  4. Enter your name and tap ‘Sign Up & Accept’
  5. Enter your date of birth
  6. Create a username
  7. Create a password
  8. Enter your phone number and verify it *optional
  9. Use your username and password to access Ads Manager within the app

Once you’ve accessed the Ads Manager follow these steps to create your ad with Instant Create:

  1. Select ‘Instant Create’ option
  2. Select an ad goal
  3. Input website
  4. Select the image, video, or GIF you want to use
  5. Crop image or video if necessary
  6. Enter ad copy and choose a layout template
  7. Edit template as desired
  8. Continue and fill ad demographic information, the location where you want the ad to appear, the duration for the campaign, and business and payment information

Follow these instructions to create an ad with ‘Advanced Create’:

Build Your Campaign

  1. Choose what you want your viewers to do and convert to.
    Snapchat Build Your Campaign
  2. Choose a detailed name for your ad.
    The best option is to name it by the objective of the ad and the time frame in which it will run. Then choose the time frame you want the ad to run through
    Snapchat Choose Campaign Name
  3. Choose daily and lifetime budgets
    Snapchat Set Ad Budget

Ad Sets

  1. It’s suggested you name your ad set by the audience, budget, goal, and schedule.
    The more detail the better considering you can run multiple ad campaigns and ad sets.
    Snapchat Ad Set
  2. Select the ad format and ad type, then attach the file that you wish to advertise.
    Commercial ads cannot be skipped and are recommended.
    Snapchat Ad Format Selection
  3. Select your placement preferences, audience location, demographics, and language.
    This will vary from business to business and should all be decided in the research phase before creating an ad.
    Snapchat Ad Placement Preferences
  4. Select audiences predefined category, operating system, and connection type
    Snapchat Ad Audience Selection
  5. Choose the status of the ad, budget, start and end date of the ad, the goal of the ad, and your bid type.
    As a newcomer, it is recommended to choose the auto-bid option. This takes the guesswork out of how much you’ll need to spend on daily ad budgets in the future. It will also allow you to figure out your cost per action or in layman’s terms how much you spend for someone to complete your desired ad goal.
    Snapchat Ad Delivery Settings

Build Your Ad

  1. Fill in your ad name, brand name, and headline then choose whether you want the ad to be sharable. Test your ad in Topsnap to make sure it meets the minimum requirements.
    Snapchat Design Snap Ad
  2. Select whether you want the ad to be active and fill in the tags that correspond to your ad.
    Snapchat Impression Tags Settings

Review and Publish

  1. Review your previous ad choices, fill in your business information, and payment details.
    Snapchat Review Ad
  2. Publish your campaign
    Snapchat Publish Campaign Button

How To Install Snap Pixel

Snap Pixel is an important program you will want for the purposes of retargeting and analytics. You can add it to your website by following this video tutorial.

How To Measure Success On Snapchat

KPI’s (key performance indicators) are what you will use to measure the success of your campaign. If you already have a website, your current KPIs might be conversion rate, total revenue, or time spent on your web page. Outlining metrics to measure your success in advance is helpful because it keeps you (and your team) focused on the end goal throughout the entire project and helps avoid distractions.

There are two apps needed to measure your KPI’s on Snapchat. Snaplytics and Delmondo.

Neither app measures every KPI.

Snaplytics measures open rates, story views, average screenshots per story, and completion rate.

Delmondo tracks more helpful metrics and provides a more detailed view of your audience, basic metrics, and channel comparisons to your other social media channels.

Here are some of the specific KPI’s tracked by Delmondo

Audience Insights

  • Location
  • Age
  • Interests

Basic KPI’s

  • Impressions
  • Views
  • Completion rates
  • Screenshot rates

Channel Comparisons

  • Measures how well your Snapchat is doing against your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Other important KPI’s to measure that aren’t on Snaplytics or Delmondo

  • Fall-off rate – The fall-off rate takes a little bit of grade school math to calculate. Here’s how you do it:
    • Compare the views of your first two photos on your story
    • The first has 500 views and the second has 400
    • 500 – 400 = 100
    • 100 / 500 = .2
    • .2 x 100 = 20%

    Therefore your fall-off rate is 20%.

  • Number of followers – Below are the steps to locate your follower count
    • Open Snapchat
    • Click on your Bitmoji in the top left corner
    • Look under your yellow snap code and beside your username
    • The number located there is your follower count
  • Geofilter analytics – Here’s how to locate your geofilter analytics
    • Log into the desktop version of your Snapchat account
    • Click on your name in the top left corner
    • Click ‘My Geofilters’
    • Select the geofilter
    • Scroll to view your metrics

Here’s a link to successful Snapchat ads and their KPI’s. The list can be sorted by region, industry, and campaign goal.

Here’s How Can We Help

If you would like to take full advantage of your advertising budget, outsource your Snapchat marketing or other digital marketing needs to experts please contact Ventura Web Design at (813) 556-7990 or fill out the online contact form.

Operating Your Business Online

Keeping Your Customers Informed During COVID-19

April 2, 2020/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

Businesses are transitioning to an online environment

The coronavirus is severely impacting businesses of all sizes from bankruptcies to layoffs, to gaps in revenue. One of the most important pivots to make is committing to the online transition where you can and where it makes sense.

Evaluate your services and products. Are there ways you can translate these virtually or digitally? How can you provide a similar experience to your customers? Is there a way you can provide an even better experience?

Regardless of the changes you’re currently making, you have to effectively communicate these changes and updates to your customers. Without proper messaging, your customers aren’t informed. If they aren’t informed, they aren’t going to know that your business is open, and they aren’t going to know about how your business is actively adapting to their needs.

Ventura Web Design & Marketing has proven, agile experience in translating and creating messaging appropriate for different businesses in this current climate. COVID-19 is changing the way businesses interact with their customers, and we’re the experts who can help you keep up.

We have a wealth of experience with SEO, PPC, social media campaigns, website updates, and more that can help flip the revenue switch. Online traffic is more important than ever. Making sure your customers are aware of your new services is imperative. For a consultation on how you can improve your marketing strategy, online traffic, and engagement, contact us today.

Ventura Web Design & Marketing remains open during normal business hours. However, our team is working remotely to keep our clients and staff safe. We are here for immediate assistance and emergency strategy sessions. Be sure to contact us today and keep your customer base informed.

Yelp Updates during Coronavirus

Custom Yelp Alerts During Coronavirus

April 2, 2020/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

Coronavirus is impacting your business on Yelp

COVID-19 is impacting businesses in many different ways, and Yelp is one of them. Yelp is now displaying generic alerts on business account pages concerning the coronavirus. You can (and should) customize these alerts. It’s important that you take advantage of this opportunity to keep your customers informed.

It’s likely that your business has changed and is offering virtual and digital alternatives to your traditional services. For example, if you feature online courses or virtual appointments to accommodate social distancing, be sure to update your Yelp account. This helps you pivot and transition alongside your customers.

It’s important that while you’re creating your custom COVID-19 alert, you’re also updating your business hours, location, photos, and more. Keeping your Yelp account up to date is imperative for maintaining trustworthy communication with your customers.

Covid-19 Response

Ventura Web Design & Marketing COVID-19 Response

March 27, 2020/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

Ventura Web Design & Marketing Is Open During Regular Operating Hours

We Are Here For You And Working Remotely Until Further Notice

We are all aware of the impact and gravity of current events concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to slow the transmission and spread of the coronavirus nationwide, most of the U.S. economy has come to a jarring halt. We understand how seriously this affects you, your family, your team, and your business. Our dedication to you is why Ventura Web Design & Marketing will remain open during our regular operating hours. To protect our clients and our team, and adhere to national health recommendations, we have implemented a remote work policy which is in effect until the U.S. Government provides us with additional guidance. We are not currently scheduling any in-person meetings.

If your business is being severely impacted, please do not hesitate to contact us immediately and set up an emergency strategy session. If you have a brick and mortar business that is suffering, we can discuss options to pivot towards an online or virtual experience for your customers. We can organize messaging so your customers are kept in the loop, know that you are open, and know you support them. Reach out to us so we can help you correct or alleviate your current revenue trajectory and lessen the possible impact.

We do everything we possibly can to help our clients make it through this difficult, uncertain, and hopefully temporary disruption of normal business. While we do not yet know what the near future holds, it is our sincere hope that once the national lockdown period is lifted, businesses and families will flourish again and do so better than ever before.

As always, we continue to strive to operate at peak efficiency – even while our team is working remotely. Although working together in close physical proximity is the ideal, technological improvements have made remote work more possible and efficient than it has ever been. If your business is operating remotely and new to web conferencing, please read our comprehensive guide to web conference etiquette and get the most out of your virtual meetings.

We wish you, your teammates, your families, and your customers peace during this very difficult time for our nation and global community. Stay strong and trust that we will come through this together.

Sincerely,

Kevin Richards
Founder / CEO, Ventura Web Design & Marketing

The Complete Guide to Video Conferencing Etiquette

The Complete Guide to Video Conferencing Etiquette

March 27, 2020/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

Many of us are transitioning towards a remote work environment. This means our meetings are no longer in person and we’re using digital platforms to discuss ideas. We’ve put together a list of things you should (and shouldn’t) do during your virtual conference calls to help you stay focused, productive, and professional.

DO: Give Notice

Try to let all participants know when to expect a meeting, or that they will be receiving an invitation soon. This is not only polite, but it gives everyone a chance to check their schedules and make adjustments. You can avoid repetitious meetings or constant rescheduling by making sure everyone has the availability first. Send out virtual invitations if possible to let everyone know the designated time and date. Depending on which platform you’re using, you may even be able to share a link to the meeting beforehand.

DO: Set The “Place”

Let everyone know “where” to meet. This means you should be designating the platform you all are going to use. Some popular platforms include Google Hangouts, Zoom, Skype, or Slack. Most everyone on your team should be using the same platform already. However, specifically naming the platform can give everyone a chance to update their applications or install the software in case they’re using a different computer to work remotely. This can also give your team the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the technology ahead of time if they’ve never used it before.

DO: Provide a Topic

Try your best to let your team know why there’s going to be a virtual meeting and what is going to be discussed. This will give everyone more time to mentally prepare and gather necessary materials that may be needed during the meeting. Impromptu meetings certainly aren’t ineffective, but the more time you can give your employees or coworkers time to prepare, the more meaningful your discussion will be. Providing a topic ahead of time also gives structure to the meeting which helps keep everyone on track and focused.

DO: Look Professional (At Least From The Waist Up)

Just because you’re aren’t at the office, doesn’t mean you aren’t at work! Working remotely has its benefits: no commute, more sleep, closer to last night’s leftovers in the fridge. However, it’s still business and it’s important to appear as professional as you would in the office or traditional work environment. You’re also more likely to look less presentable on camera than you would in person. You may need to adjust accordingly by paying attention to how your outfits, hair, makeup, etc. appear through the lens.

DO: Control What You Can

Traditional conference rooms are set up with little distractions and designed for focused discussion. When working remotely, you need to create a space like that in your home so you’re prepared for virtual meetings. This means you need to control everything that you reasonably can when it comes to your remote set-up. Do you have pets or children who can be picked up on your  microphone? What is in the line of sight of your computer’s camera?

Minimize background noises and tidy up what other people will be able to see. Remember that your work computer and phone can be a source of distraction as well. Remember to mute your notifications sounds and silence your cell phone during a meeting. If you’re working from home and you have roommates, family members, etc. you can always have a sign or signal that you’re in a meeting so others don’t barge in.

DON’T: Eat Or Drink On Camera

Unless it’s absolutely necessary (i.e. your boss deemed this meeting as a working lunch), avoid eating and drinking on camera. Not only is it unprofessional, it’s something most people would avoid anyway during traditional meetings. Remember to save snack time for after the meeting.

DON’T: Bite Your Fingernails, Groom Yourself, Etc.

Just like a physical office, employees, employers, coworkers, etc. are expected to show up to work ready for work. This means that you still need to get all of your personal grooming and hygiene habits out of the way before the beginning of the day. At the very least, you should be avoiding these on camera during a virtual discussion.

DON’T: Forget You Can Be Seen And Heard

If you don’t mute your mic or turn off your camera, you’re still visible. Some of us tend to forget that we can be seen and heard through our computers when on a call. Try to be aware of yourself and your surroundings when communicating virtually because you can be a distraction to others, or do something you may regret later.

DON’T: Forget To End Or Leave The Call

In the same vein as pocket dialing, forgetting to end or leave a virtual conference call can make for some embarrassing moments. Most of us are unlikely to do or say anything wild. But there’s a chance your coworkers may be on the other side of the screen seeing you chew with your mouth open or talking to your grandmother. Be especially aware of this if you were screensharing during the meeting. By ending a call, you’re also signaling to all other participants that it’s time to act on whatever was just discussed.

DON’T: Interrupt Or Have An Unorganized Meeting

A good rule of thumb is to mimic your traditional meetings and come up with ground rules so people aren’t talking over one another. Because of the way that virtual calls are set up, it’s difficult to tell who the speaker is talking to because we’ve lost that spacial perspective. If you’re the speaker, try to say someone’s name before asking a question or sharing information. This gives them an auditory clue that they are being engaged and you can skip over the “are you talking to me?” questions.

DON’T: Avoid Eye Contact

Remember to pay attention to your screen and try to mimic traditional eye contact. For example, you can lower or raise your computer’s camera to it’s closer to your natural eye level. This method makes you appear as though you’re giving eye contact which signals to other participants that you’re engaged and actively paying attention.

DON’T: Be The Only Person Without Your Mic or Camera On

Another general rule of thumb is to make sure all participants are on the same page when it comes to mic and camera use. Everyone should be on camera (the ideal choice), or they should all be off camera. Test out the meeting platform ahead of time to adjust settings. Figure out how to mute your mic and turn your camera on and off ahead of time as well, as you’ll likely need to do both of these at some point.

Now you’re ready for the world of virtual meetings in the digital world. By following these guidelines, you should be more prepared for remote productivity.

Spotlight on Pinterest and SEO

Using Pinterest to Improve SEO

February 10, 2020/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

Social and digital marketing is constantly evolving. Depending on the type of business you have, Pinterest may be an overlooked resource in your tool box. Here is a list of commonly asked questions (and answers!) when it comes to understanding the relationship between Pinterest, your business, and SEO.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a social media platform that’s highly visual, categorically organized, and has an exploratory nature. Users can have different boards they can “pin” their interests to, and each board can have its own category. It’s essentially a collection of digital corkboards or vision boards that users can share with friends and family members.

Does Google own Pinterest?

No, Google does not own Pinterest. However, there has been talk for several years that Google might buy out Pinterest since both are interested and seriously invested in the search business. Pinterest and Google working together could mean serious growth in terms of search power. Because Pinterest’s price tag keeps going up and up each year, it’s unknown whether Google might purchase it any time soon. Pinterest has reported that it is impacted by Google and Facebook algorithm updates despite not being directly related to either.

Does Pinterest affect Google rankings?

Yes! Pinterest does affect Google rankings, but maybe not in the way you’re thinking – buckle in, this gets a little complicated.

As a business, you likely have different pins for different items. The pins themselves do not count as follow links. For example, if you create a hundred of the same pin for the same item, this alone will not impact your Google ranking on the search engine results pages (also known as the SERPS) because of this fact. However! The more interesting pins you have (quality images, quality content, logical use of keywords), the more repins and likes you’re going to receive. Likes and repins are different in that users can edit the description of a repin. It’s important to note that with both likes and repins, the original source-link remains attached to the pin. Or in this case, a repin contains a link to a product or space on your website.

The more likes and repins your original pin receives, the more exposure you have to more users, and more links to your website are floating around and being shared within a pool of your target audience. Over time, this increases actual traffic to your website, thus increasing your Google ranking.

Does Pinterest convert traffic?

Pinterest can and does convert visitors into customers, if you have the right mindset and set-up. You won’t have a high conversion rate if you don’t make it easy for your potential customers to access the product and buy it online. With each hoop a user jumps through, the less likely they are to become a customer because you’ve made it difficult for them to be one.

Examples of things that can negatively impact your Pinterest conversion rate:

  • Links on pins are leading to the wrong product
  • Links on pins are broken (i.e. lead to nothing)
  • Product images on your pins don’t match up with images on your website

How do I optimize my Pinterest?

There are several ways to optimize your Pinterest account. Here are a few strategies to get you started.

Step 1: Make it helpful

People use Pinterest for many different reasons. However, most of them are trying to solve a problem in an entertaining way. For example, users are searching for the best haircuts for their face shape, or gift ideas for their grandmothers. They have a problem, inquiry, or task, and they need to find a solution. This is where your Pinterest pins come into play.

Think about the audience you are trying to reach, their problems or tasks, and how your product or business fits into that equation. By having helpful pins, i.e. helpful solutions, you’re one step closer to having a Pinterest account that boosts your business.

Step 2: Make it attractive (and keep it accurate)

Pinterest is a very visual environment. While pins have a longer shelf life compared to Facebook posts or tweets, you have a limited amount of time to catch someone’s attention. By creating visually attractive and stunning pins, you’re increasing your chances of generating likes and repins.

People want to look at their own Pinterest boards and see they’ve curated something beautiful. If your pins can add value in this way, you’ve upped your chances of converting a user into a customer. However, beware of creating inaccurate pins. Make sure your images and visuals stay accurate to your product or service, and also are consistent with your brand. Building trust with your users takes time. Inaccurate portrayals of your business can prevent you from building trust, or break the trust you’ve already built.

Step 3: Use the right words

You can (and should) include words on your pins to describe them. Because Pinterest is a search engine, a good rule of thumb is to treat your pin descriptions like they’re titles of a website. Think about your target audience or who you want to reach and research trending keywords that are relevant to this audience and to your business. Try to keep the stronger keywords towards the beginning of the description you’re writing.

Most importantly, pay attention to your alt tags. By using alt tags, you not only increase your account’s accessibility, but you’re also enhancing your overall SEO.

After you’ve created interesting, valuable, and attractive pins with useful descriptions, you can keep track of progress using Pinterest Analytics. Take a look at impressions, engagement, and the behavior of who is looking at, liking, and repinning your posts. You can use this information to edit your existing pins and/or create more successful pins moving forward.

Are there any Pinterest trends I should be on the lookout for in 2020?

Customers want a seamless experience from start to finish. If your Pinterest pins aren’t lining up with the webpage you’re linking to, this can throw your potential customer off. Changes you make to one (e.g. your website), you should make to the other (e.g. your pins).

You also have to make sure your pins are fresh and intriguing. Trends are constantly changing, not only from year to year, but also from season to season. Take a look at your branding, your current color schemes, and even your website layout. If you’re noticing any inconsistencies, it’s probably time to hire an expert to help you evaluate your online presence.

How can Ventura Web Design & Marketing help me?

Whether you’re looking to incorporate social media into your marketing strategy for 2020, or you’re looking to have your current strategy updated, Ventura Web Design & Marketing is your ticket to online success. We stay updated with the latest industry trends and have decades of experience to ensure you’re getting the most from your digital agency.

From your social media accounts (including Pinterest!) to online marketing, we have the expertise and talent to take your business to the next level. Make sure to contact us today for a free consultation.

Boosting Brand Awareness With Instagram Stories

Boosting Brand Awareness With Instagram Stories

November 22, 2019/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

With over 1 billion active monthly users, Instagram is a fantastic platform for connecting with your customers and boosting brand awareness. Building your brand on Instagram takes more than just setting up a profile. 

Simply having a presence on the platform just isn’t enough these days. To take full advantage of the social media juggernaut, you should consider utilizing all of the tools that Instagram has to offer. One of the most powerful tools Instagram has in its arsenal is the Instagram Stories feature.

What Are Instagram Stories?

For those who haven’t been using this feature, Instagram Stories is a feature within Instagram where users can capture and post pictures or video content in a slideshow format. Audiences are then able to click on your profile picture and view your content. After 24 hours, your pictures or videos disappear back into the ether.

Instagram stories can be a unique branding opportunity that not enough businesses are taking advantage of. If you’ve been considering using stories, why not give it a shot? Read on to learn how you can leverage Instagram Stories to increase brand awareness.

We’ll Do It Live

One of the most exciting aspects of Instagram is its ability to showcase events in real-time. Whether you’re launching a new product or attending an industry event, going live on the ‘Gram is a surefire way to entertain your core audience.

For example, if you’re an online retail company getting ready to launch a new product, do a live Q&A for customers to interact with and learn more about the launch. Live video allows your audience an authentic behind the scenes view that they may not be privy to otherwise.

Then after your live video ends, add it to your stories for the rest of your followers to enjoy for the next 24 hours! Live video is fast becoming one of the best ways to keep your audience entertained and connected and can do wonders for your brand awareness.

Tag, Use Hashtags, & Add Locations

Just like traditional posts, Instagram allows you to add #hashtags to your stories. Using a similar strategy as your traditional posts, adding hashtags to your Instagram story is an excellent place to use your own branded hashtags. 

Brands can also add their location as a way to connect with people in your local community. This can also be an opportunity to connect with other people and institutions within your IRL community. In a similar vein, you can tag other accounts within your stories and try to generate meaningful interactions.

These features can be a fantastic way to foster relationships with people and businesses within your area and humanize your brand in the eyes of your local community.

Swipe-Up Feature

Do you have that coveted little blue check next to your profile? How about at least 10,000 followers? Congratulations! You can take advantage of Instagram’s swipe-up feature.

Swipe-up allows users who view your story to swipe up on their screen and go directly to a landing page of your choosing. The best part? The user can do all of this without ever leaving the Instagram platform.

If you don’t have access to this feature, don’t sweat it. Though it’s only available to a select amount of users at the moment, that doesn’t mean it will always be that way. Keep an eye out on the latest Instagram updates in case the powers that be decide to make the feature public in the future.

Highlights

Although stories are designed to be ephemeral, the highlights feature allows you to keep your stories in a more permanent place. Anytime you post a story, you have the opportunity to save it as a “highlight”. These are the buttons that appear on your profile, below your bio and above your regular feed.

How you create and arrange these can vary, just remember to keep them on brand! You can even go above and beyond and create branded highlight covers. These will keep your profile looking great while presenting information or content that resonates with your audience.

Become A Storyteller

At the end of the day, the most important feature of Instagram stories is simply the stories themselves. Stories connect us, both in real life and with our audience online. Instagram stories allow brands the unique opportunity to tell their own stories and nurture positive relationships.

When you relate to your audience on a human level, you foster goodwill between yourself and your audience. Think of Instagram stories as opportunities to continue to build your brand and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

If you’re curious about getting started on Instagram or have specific questions relating to stories, we’d love to hear from you! Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Your Go-To Guide for Holiday Marketing

Your Go-To Guide For Holiday Marketing

November 11, 2019/in eCommerce, Marketing, Small Business, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

Holiday Season 2020 is Here Now!
The Holiday Season is starting early in 2020.  Business owners need to plan out thier marketing now to ensure that they’re reaching their maximum potential, and customers don’t shop elsewhere.  Below are some of the key dates to plan for.

DOWNLOAD THE 2020 HOLIDAY MARKETING CALENDAR

November 1st-15th
This is the time to ensure all new products are uploaded on your site. It is a great time to review your product categories and organization to ensure that the customer can easily find items in your store.  Work with your web designer and marketing team (Ventura Web Design & Marketing) to ensure that all marketing materials are in place and ready to go.

November 15th- November 25th
A few weeks before Thanksgiving is usually when companies begin promoting the deals they will be running the following week. This is the perfect time to start drumming up hype for your Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions.

Cyber 5 – The Biggest Days of the Year

 

Thanksgiving Day

November 26th
More companies than ever before will begin Black Friday promotions on Thanksgiving Day. As soon as everyone has enjoyed their second helping of turkey, the race to get the best deals is on.  Use discounts, promotions, and scarcity in your marketing to bring urgency to the buying experience.

Black Friday

November 27th
The granddaddy of holiday marketing, Black Friday, is the single busiest shopping day of the year. Your Black Friday promotions should be promoted heavily for a week or two before the actual date. Some businesses choose to extend Black Friday promotions into the weekend, then head right into Cyber Monday.  Just imagine that huge stack of orders that will await your team on Monday.  Perhaps you should consider asking your team to work Friday, Saturday, and even Sunday to keep up with the orders… That is if you’ve done your marketing in advance.

Small Business Saturday

November 28th
Small businesses can keep the Black Friday hype train steaming ahead to Small Business Saturday. This holiday is a unique opportunity for small businesses to get their holiday sales off to a strong start.  Remember to tap into the excitement both online and in person.

Sale Sunday

November 29th
Sale Sunday is a newer date added to the cyber shopping weekend. Many people will be traveling home and searching online for new and interesting gift ideas for those “hard to shop for friends and family.”  Experience and personalized gifts will be a big hit in 2020. You may want to promote your specialized gifts that can be personalized on Sale Sunday.

Cyber Monday

November 30th
Another behemoth, Cyber Monday, is the biggest day of the year for online shopping. In 2018, consumers spent over 6 billion dollarson Cyber Monday in the U.S. alone. Much like Black Friday, you should start promoting your Cyber Monday deals at least a week or two beforehand.

Free Shipping Day and Green Monday!

December 14th
Free Shipping Day and Green Monday land on the same day in 2020! Don’t miss out on taking full advantage of this hectic shopping day. This is when the holiday season really gets into full swing. Green Monday is the 2nd Monday of December and is typically the best online sales day for the month.  For the last several years, retailers big and small have teamed up to promote “Free Shipping Day.” This year combine them and see the revenue pour in!

Expedited Shipping

December 14th – 20th
Though specific dates may vary among businesses, it’s important to consider the time period where you can guarantee delivery by Christmas. This is an excellent time to run promotions on shipping.


Super Saturday / Gift Card Promos

December 19th
The procrastinator’s favorite holiday! Super Saturday (sometimes referred to as “Panic Saturday”) is the last Saturday before Christmas Day. It’s a good idea to think about running a one day sale specifically tailored to last-minute shoppers. This is the perfect time to offer Gift cards at a slightly discounted rate to bump up your after Christmas sales and traffic.


Christmas Eve & Christmas

December 24th & 25th
For the master procrastinators, this is their last chance to purchase gifts for friends and family.

After Christmas Specials

December 26th – January 2nd
Ring in the new year with promotions for both New Year’s Eve and New Years Day. Promote your clearance sales to make room for your new 2021 products and promotions. Then pat yourself on the back for executing another successful holiday marketing campaign!

social media speech bubble graphics

Misusing Social Media: A Love Story

November 4, 2019/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

Social media has become the main tool by which most of society communicates. Wonder what Aunt Karen is up to in her modern sculpture class? Check Facebook. Want to see the latest pictures of your second cousin’s best friend’s kids in their Halloween costumes? Instagram has you covered. Looking to send a not-so-flattering selfie to an old classmate you haven’t seen since college? Open Snapchat and let your freak flag fly. 

However you’re using social media in your personal life, the game changes when you’re running social for a business. It’s not just about updating your followers on your cats anymore – you’re trying to sell your business and your product. Typically when I think about corporate content on social media, I envision the same inspirational quotes, fun staff photos, and nonsensical stock imagery across the board. Can you use all of these things and still succeed? Yes. Can you do it in a way that won’t make your consumers roll their eyes and scroll faster? Also, yes.

Enter the art of misusing social media. Consider your key demographic – what do they like to do? Where do they live? What music do they listen to? What would they like to see different in the marketplace? As a general rule of thumb, if you wouldn’t want to see your content on social media, most likely your demographic won’t want to see it either. This is going to sound like a cliché but stick with me: you need to think outside the box. Tear the box up if you have to. If you want to post an inspirational quote as content on your business page, think about how you can do it differently. Maybe you have a younger demographic focused on street fashion – your demographic would probably be open to seeing an inspirational quote as street art. Same content idea, different approach. 

The key to misusing social media to gain a foothold with your following is creative problem solving. If your main problem is common content, how many different ways can you take it a step further? Create content that will set you apart from your competitors while creating impact for your audience. Know the limits of your platforms so you can push the boundaries. 

hands holding phone and texting

Ad Impressions on the Rise Thanks to Facebook News Feed and Instagram Stories

November 4, 2019/in Marketing, Social Media /by Kevin Richards

This week Facebook reported a considerable increase in ad impressions from this time last year. To recap, an ad impression is the number of times an ad is viewed on the platform. Through optimization efforts on behalf of the team behind the curtain at Facebook, businesses seem to be getting more bang for their advertising buck. 

Within the same report, Facebook declared that ad spend was down, albeit by a small margin, but down all the same. This decrease was caused primarily by the focus shift to ads in Stories on the platform as well as feed ads. Despite the decrease in ad spend, overall revenue for Facebook is up 28% which works out to approximately $17.4 billion over the last year, with mobile ad revenue claiming 94% of that total figure1. 

Though these numbers show that advertisers are more than willing to continue spending money on the platform, the daily active user growth remains flat. Showing very little or no growth in the daily user amount doesn’t necessarily spell danger for the social titan. By expanding into Stories, Facebook shows that their success stems from the innate ability to show advertisers where their key consumers are already existing. 

1Marketing Land. Facebook ad impressions rise, driven by News Feed, Instagram Stories and Feed ads. Source.

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