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Deciding to start Email Marketing is a great leap in the right direction. Chances are, you're starting off with a small email list of your current clients. That's great! Now let's look at how you can grow your email marketing list to make your messages heard far and wide.

The Importance of Growing Your Email List

Growing your email list is a constant struggle. The average email list loses about 30% of its contacts every year due to unsubscribes, bounces, or spam reports. This is on top of those who just stop opening your emails out of disinterest or just ignoring their email altogether. For this reason, it's important to keep your email list fresh and market to interested consumers often and as soon as possible.

The easiest way to grow your list is by putting a method to signup for it on your website. There should be a signup button on every page of your website, including the search and checkout pages. Make the signup link prominent on the home page. There's no reason anyone should have to hunt for it.

Further entice customers to signup by giving them a reason to! People want to know what in it for them, so offering a list of reasons to signup is valuable. Here are some reasons why someone might want to join your email list:

Up to date product news or news related to your industry.

Most email marketing programs offer an autoresponse to new signups. Offer a one time coupon for new signups, and watch your list (and sales) grow.

If you run an online store, you that customers enter their email addresses at checkout. This does not imply that they are giving you permission to market to them, unless you specifically ask! Be sure to add a checkbox (that's checked by default) that asks if they would like to opt-in to receive special offers and discounts via email. This will help your list grow while preventing spam reports.

Leverage your social audience to grow your list. When you send out your regular promotions via email, you can also send out some of those same promotions via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.). When you do, be sure to include a link to signup for your newsletter.

A popular way to increase your list size is to run a contest or a survey. For entering your contest or survey, offer a small coupon or potential prize drawing, and require an email for your list!

When you sell a product online, do you pack it yourself? Retailers often forget that customers will read everything included in the box. Send a thank you note that asks them to signup! You can even include a QR code on your note that takes them directly to your signup form.

Popular email marketing platforms like Constant Contact have an easy way to allow your customers to signup for newsletters via text. This allows you to include short line on your website that says something like "Text your email to 555555 to signup".

If you have a physical store, it's easy to put out a signup sheet, or leave a fishbowl for business cards. And of course, don't forget to just ask. If you're on the phone or face-to-face with a customer, it never hurts to smile and ask for their email address.

Growing Your Email Marketing List

 people to/from your business and grant them permission to assets in your Meta Business Manager. These steps are for adding individual people to your Business Manager, not partners such as other businesses. Learn more 

. We recommend that you add most people as employees and only grant admin access to those who need it to perform their job.

Don't add people to your Business Manager if you don't know them

. People you don’t trust may create fake accounts and request access to your Business Manager. If you’re unsure if a request is authentic, contact the person to confirm they initiated the request and that you’re comfortable adding them to your Business Manager.

Facebook never asks for access to a Business Manager

. If a business that claims it's Facebook asks you to add them to your Business Manager, it's not a legitimate request. We recommend that you deny the request and 

Third-party businesses can't get you verified

. If a business claims it can help get your business verified on Facebook and wants you to add them to your Business Manager, it’s not a legitimate request. We recommend that you 

. You can only complete business verification through the Business info section of Business settings. It doesn't require any specific person to have access to your Business Manager. Learn more 

We strongly recommend all users of your Business Manager enable two-factor authentication

. Two-factor authentication is a security feature applied at the personal Facebook account level that requires individuals to enter a special security code each time they try to access Facebook from a browser or mobile device we don't recognize. Note that if you created your Business Manager 90 days ago or longer, we require all business admins and employees with advertising access to turn on two-factor authentication on their Facebook accounts. To help protect your Business Manager, we’ll restrict people who don’t turn on two-factor authentication from advertising with any ad accounts associated with your Business Manager.

How to add people to your Meta Business Manager

Enter the work email address of the person you want to add.

Select the role you'd like to assign them. Be sure to read the description for each role. Choose either 

Select the asset and the task access you want to assign the person.

The person will get an invitation to join your Business Manager in their email inbox.

How to Add People to Meta Business Manager

Add Instagram business accounts to your Meta Business Manager. Then associate them to ad accounts or partners that are also in your Business Manager. Like other assets you add to your Business Manager, you can assign task-based permissions for Instagram business accounts in 

To add an Instagram business account to your Business Manager, you must have the username and password for the account.

The Instagram business account you’re trying to add can’t be owned by another business. Instagram business accounts can only be claimed by one Business Manager.

 can add Instagram business accounts in the Business Manager.

If your Instagram business account is linked to a Facebook Page, you should add both your Facebook Page and Instagram business account to the same Business Manager. Learn how to 

To associate an ad account with an Instagram business account, the ad account and Instagram business account must already be in the same Business Manager. You can't associate ad accounts to Instagram business accounts in a different Business Manager.

Add an Instagram account to your Business Manager

To add an Instagram account in your Business Manager:

Enter your Instagram username and password. 

: We may send you a security code to the email or phone number associated with the account to verify your identity.

You'll have the option to select the ad accounts and Pages you'd like to assign on the next screen. Click 

. You can also click the X to skip this step.

Once you’ve added an Instagram account to your Business Manager, you can add people and assign them permissions to carry out certain tasks, such as create and manage content, manage community activity and view insights. To add people to your Instagram account:

Select a person from the left-hand column. Then toggle on the tasks you want to grant permissions for. A blue toggle means it’s on, and gray means it’s off.

You have now added and assigned permissions for your Instagram business account in Business Manager.

Add an Instagram Account to Your Meta Business Manager

Looking for a website design company that can build your mobile friendly website? Ventura Web Design & Marketing specializes in mobile web design for WordPress and eCommerce.

Do you need a responsive website built for your business?

 Trust the experts at Ventura Web Design. 

Should My Online Store Use Responsive, Adaptive, or Mobile-First Web Design?

The way people browse the web today is rapidly changing, more and more people are using their phones exclusively as their computers, foregoing the traditional laptop or desktop computer. For these people and many other who browse the web on their mobile device, a traditional web site designed for the desktop will no longer make the cut. In fact, Google recently made an algorithm change in their mobile search results penalizing website that aren’t designed for mobile devices and promoting mobile ready sites. The trend from desktop to mobile computing shows no signs of slowing down, if anything, the trend of moving towards mobile is speeding up.

You can check the mobile readiness of your site by visiting 

. If your site fails the test you may be losing valuable visitors and potential clients from your site. 

 interpret the results of a test like this and determine what can be done to improve your scores.

Now is the time to update your site, make it mobile friendly, and win back those lost visitors. What is a phone ready website design called? There are two different types of mobile friendly (phone ready) design: 

With responsive design the web site is designed to expand and shrink depending on the size of the screen the user has the design itself is fluid. Adaptive design also called progressive enhancement is more like having two completely separate web sites, one that is designed for mobile screens and on for laptops or desktops. There is a debate among designers and developers over which method is better for building your site, and both methods have their positives and negatives. See below for the advantages an disadvantages along with 

With responsive design the layout of your page grows or shrinks based on the resolution of the screen the user has. Images will grow and shrink to fit the space and text and other elements will flow to fit as the space either grows or shrinks.

Responsive design is a powerful tool in the modern web designer‘s arsenal as it allows an optimized viewing experience for users no matter what device they are using to access your content. Responsive design works by using a combination of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to determine the size of a user‘s screen and display the page accordingly. This means that images, text, and other elements will automatically resize based on the user‘s device, allowing your page to look great no matter what device it is being viewed on.

Furthermore, responsive design can be used to create custom layouts for different types of devices. For example, if you have an e–commerce website you can create a layout optimized for tablets and desktops that displays more content than the layout optimized for mobile devices. This way your users will have the best possible experience regardless of what device they are using. Additionally, responsive design can help improve SEO since search engines like Google take into account how mobile–friendly a website is when ranking sites in their search engine results pages (SERPs). By having a responsive website you can ensure that your site will be highly visible in both desktop and mobile SERPs.

Faster development times: You only need to develop one site that will fit multiple devices, this cuts down on development time.

Less maintenance: By their nature responsive sites are less complex than adaptive. If you need to make a change to the site, you only need to make one change. In adaptive you might need to make changes in more than one spot to make sure they design changes carries over to mobile.

Future proof: Okay, nothing is really future proof, but by their nature, the flexibility of responsive sites will fit more screen resolutions. Most adaptive sites are designed to fit a desktop device and a mobile device, many leave out tablets serving a tablet either a mobile version of the site or a desktop version. With responsive web design the site will look good in a tablet such as an iPad.

Responsive redesigns are more expensive than Adaptive because they require additional work. But once complete, Responsive requires less maintenance than an Adaptive site, producing a long term overall savings in web development fees.

When you choose to make your site Responsive, you will need to redesign your entire site and not just add a mobile template. This is usually a benefit, as your mobile and desktop sites will both match and look great, creating a consistent user experience.

Adaptive website design is like having two completely different web sites, one designed to fit on your phone the other designed to fit on your desktop. Using JavaScript and other elements different version of you site are served to the user depending on what type of device they are on.

Generally, it a great way to ensure your website looks good and works properly regardless of what device your viewer is using. Using JavaScript or other elements, the website will detect the size of the screen and deliver a tailored version of it that fits perfectly on that viewing platform. This way, you can ensure that users have a consistent experience across multiple devices, whether it be a small mobile phone or a large desktop monitor. Not only does this make for an enhanced user experience, but it also helps to improve SEO rankings because search engines can more easily index your website‘s content when it is optimized for various devices.

Adaptive design also helps to reduce development time since you don‘t need to create separate websites for different devices, just one that adapts itself automatically to fit any screen size. In addition, by using responsive images and adaptive media queries, you can ensure that all visual elements are correctly rendered on any device regardless of its size.

Since you are basically building a separate site from your desktop site images, logos, and other bandwidth and resource intensive processes can be left out of the mobile version of your site or better optimized for mobile, leaving you with a faster and leaner site. You only need to use the assets you think are most important to your user.

No need to redesign your current desktop site. If you are happy with your current desktop site, you can leave it as is and 

You can provide a link to the desktop version of the site to let the user choose what version of the site they will see.

The design can be specifically tailored to mobile devices. With responsive design, one design needs to work with all devices, with adaptive design you can design specifically for mobile phones.

Longer development times: You have to develop for both the desktop and mobile. In some cases, depending on the platform, they may have completely separate templates for the desktop and mobile, so in essence you are developing two different sites.

More maintenance: If you want to update the desktop site you may also need to make changes to mobile site as well. Adaptive sites are generally more complex than responsive sites.

Many adaptive designs are desktop or mobile only, leaving out the users on tablets, who usually will either see the mobile site or the desktop version.

Mobile first web design is a concept that website designers will think about and design for users on iPhones and other smart phones as their primary user base. This approach is unique because the first devices used to access the Internet were desktop and laptop computers. As smart phone usage became ubiquitous, starting as far back as the year 2014, 

 of this trend and began rethinking how they designed websites.

Mobile–first design is a unique concept that takes into account the increasing prevalence of smart phones for accessing the Internet. This approach looks at designing a website with mobile users in mind first and foremost, ensuring an enjoyable experience for them on any device. This includes creating an easy–to–navigate layout with larger buttons and links, making sure the content is readable on a small screen, and optimizing loading times. In some cases, web designers may even opt to focus exclusively on mobile users instead of creating one website for all devices.

Beyond providing better user experiences, mobile–first design can also help improve search engine rankings by optimizing content for both desktop and mobile devices. As such, it has become increasingly popular among website designers looking to reach more people and increase their online visibility. With this approach, websites are designed specifically for mobile users, making them more accessible and providing a better overall experience for them.

The design looks cleaner and is much easier to read.

Sites are put together in a more linear, top to bottom format. This makes it easier for your web design and marketing team to tell the story in a logical and comprehendible way.

Websites built for mobile first can be designed with fewer images and other rich media that sometimes slow down the website experience.

Your website team may ignore the desktop design altogether, or not put as much effort into it as they should when building out this side of your website.

The linear layout of the site makes it more difficult for those users who prefer to skim a website, rather than read it thoroughly.

Should I use mobile first design on my new website?

Mobile first means that the mobile experience of your website takes priority when strategizing. We design the mobile version of your website first, instead of starting with the desktop version. This assumption is based on the fact that more and more users are accessing websites from their mobile or smart device, rather than a laptop or desktop computer. It‘s important to consider who your audience is and how they may be discovering you in order to tailor the best experience for them. That‘s why this mobile–first approach is essential. Not only does it ensure your website is optimized for mobile users, but it also provides an opportunity to exceed their expectations.

By taking the time to create a great mobile experience, you can ensure your website stands out and provides a great user experience no matter how they‘re accessing it. In this model, we assume that the majority of your users will visit your website from a mobile or smart device, instead of a laptop or desktop computer. With the pervasiveness of smart phones, it’s more important than ever to evaluate who your audience is and how they’ll most likely be finding you.

Ventura Web Design CEO, Kevin Richards, says that mobile first web design is a piece of the larger marketing puzzle.

“As you’re putting together your new website, it is important to spend time on your strategy. Who will use your site? Why will they choose you over others? If we answer these questions during the strategy phase of your project, we can ensure a much higher likelihood of success.”

If you believe, or the data shows, that your customers will primarily access your website from a 

, then you should absolutely invest in a mobile first web design and strategy session with your web design company. While you’re here, why not 

 and see if we’re the right fit to help with your web project.

If you‘re looking for a beautiful, responsive website that will engage and convert your customers, you need look no further. Our team of experienced web designers are dedicated to creating stunning websites that are optimized to maximize conversions. With our professional designs and attention to detail, we can help you take the next step in your business.

Mobile Web Design: Responsive vs Adaptive

If you've ever shopped online, chances are that you've seen and considered reviews for merchants you shop with and products that you've browsed. Customers prefer real testimonials to marketing fluff, so it's no surprise that reviews are the fastest growing social marketing tool for online stores. According to a 2012 study, almost 33% of shoppers trust reviews over a particular brand or its marketing. If you're considering adding reviews to your website or online store, there are a few things you should know.

Online reviews are a becoming a big factor in determining your placement in search and shopping results. Total number of reviews, review quality and length, and trust of your review platform all play a big role. A 2013 study reported that almost 85% of users considered reviews before visiting a new restaurant, hiring a contractor, or making a major purchase, so it's no wonder that search engines take reviews into account more than in the past.

In general, there are 3 different types of reviews.

 are a measure of trust in your business in general. When someone fills out a merchant review, they're reviewing your customer service, shipping time, and overall quality of shopping experience. Merchant reviews are powerful incentives to trust your brand.

 rate the quality of individual products. Product reviews help build trust in the particular brand of a product, and allow customers to read personal stories from other buyers who've used that product, as well as share those reviews on social media. In fact, 42% of all Amazon customers have left product reviews, and products with postiive review have sold 200% more than those with no ratings. The best and most trusted review programs only allow reviews from someone who has actually bought that product.

 are reviews you collect either in your physical business location or on the go (using a tablet or phone, for instance). You can then syndicate that review to many online lists and social media platforms to get you the most exposure available when someone searches your business.

While you can always install a simple review plugin or use whatever comes built-in with your e-commerce platform of choice, it's far better to have reviews collected by a Google and/or Microsoft approved third-party review company. Those reviews are guaranteed to be from actual customers, which means they can't be faked. Depending on who is collecting your reviews, can be used to boost your visibility and attractiveness in Google Adwords, Google Shopping, Yahoo and Bing ad networks.

We've found Shopper Approved to be the best review company overall. Their prices are highly competitive and their customer service is top notch. Their review management tools are easy to use, and they're one of the most trusted names in the business. Shopper Approved collected 70% more review and are historically more visible on search engines than their competitors. Most importantly, their ratings are fed to Google so shoppers will see your review stars when browsing Google shopping.

Want to get started with reviews for your website or online store today? Ventura can set you up with a 30-day free trial of Shopper Approved. For more information, 

Resources

Learn Web Design and Marketing

Growing Your Email Marketing List

How to Add People to Meta Business Manager

Add an Instagram Account to Your Meta Business Manager

Mobile Web Design: Responsive vs Adaptive

The Importance of Online Reviews

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