Snapchat launches Your 2017 Story retrospective feature

2017 is (mercifully) almost over, and the social giants are ever eager to recap your year. For the past few years, Facebook has offered users a “Year In Review” video, and now it’s Snapchat’s turn. Your 2017 Story is pretty much what it sounds like. Snapchat selects Snaps you saved to your Memories throughout 2017, and packages them in a unique story you can save and share with your friends. To access Your 2017 Story, just tap the memories icon. You’ll find it at the top of the “All” tap. If you’re happy with it, you can save and share…

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No self control? Here’s how to combat social media addiction

How can you live the life you want to, avoiding the distractions and manipulations of others? To do so, you need to know how you work. “Know thyself”, the Ancients urged. Sadly, we are often bad at this. But by contrast, others know us increasingly well. Our intelligence, sexual orientation – and much more – can be computed from our Facebook likes. Machines, using data from our digital footprint, are better judges of our personality than our friends and family. Soon, artificial intelligence, using our social network data, will know even more. The 21st-century challenge will be how to live…

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Instagram Story Ads Best Practices & Ad Examples

#SproutChat Recap: The Ins & Outs of Webinars

Webinars can be an effective method for reaching new audiences and providing new leads for your sales team. But how exactly do brands take on webinars? In this week’s #SproutChat, we covered reasons for hosting a webinar, logistics for partnering with guests and best practices for keeping an audience engaged.

Provide New Leads With Webinars

Webinars are traditionally used as a demand gen tactic that provide new leads to sales teams. As a social media marketer, you can always add a social component to boost engagement.

A1a: Webinars allow you to get up to 1 hour with prospects. You can customize the story that will give the audience the most information about the topic you’re presenting on. #SproutChat

— Simply Measured (@simplymeasured) December 20, 2017

A1: Because anyone can attend from the comfort of their own computer! (Bonus if its recorded and they can go back and watch it) #SproutChat

— Apple Box Studios (@AppleBoxStudios) December 20, 2017

A1: learning about new things is intriguing to many professionals. To explain a complex topic that might be overwhelming to read about. Also I feel like listening is less energy consuming than reading and we listen faster then we read…#SproutChat

— Shannonigans (@mausi_nana) December 20, 2017

A1: Webinars allow you to connect with your audience and provide tremendous value. Plus, if you have a chat section, you can answer questions in real-time. #SproutChat

— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) December 20, 2017

A1: Can we include things like facebook live and the like into the webinar universe? The ability to "sit down" and teach, or explain something in any kind of live format is a great chance to not only inform but turn customers into brand advocates. #sproutchat

— Matt Taylor (@mattbtay) December 20, 2017

Keep It Engaging

The last thing that you want as a webinar host is having attendees drop off before the midway mark. Find a cadence that sets an engaging environment for attendees, either by soliciting questions or encouraging conversation on social media.

Q3: Asking questions that require viewer feedback, ex: polls #SproutChat

— Apple Box Studios (@AppleBoxStudios) December 20, 2017

A3: Some tips:
1. Welcome participants by name
2. Ask icebreaker question: where are you from, what is your favorite holiday, etc.
3. Make room for questions during the webinar
4. All Q&A at the end of the webinar#SproutChat

— Benny Gelbendorf (@BGelbendorf) December 20, 2017

A3: Timely or cultural references/examples can help explain a complex topic by using a theme or idea the audience is already familiar with. Word of warning: Fight Club is not as ubiquitous as I thought it was. Do not use it to level set during a webinar. #sproutchat

— Meg Hogan (@meghogan0) December 20, 2017

A3. Encouraging social discussion, specifically on Twitter and always using a webinar hashtag #SproutChat

— Cassie Longo (@cassielongoPR) December 20, 2017

A3: Include a Q&A part in the webinar. #SproutChat

— Tek Journey (@tek_journey) December 20, 2017

Establish Relationships

Go beyond keeping your audience engaged and partner with other companies that are adjacent, but non-competitors, to co-host a webinar. Tap your advocates or community members to create more of an intimate feel that feels more like a panel than talking heads.

A4: Choose a guest that is going to provide value to your audience. If you know someone who they look up to, that's a great choice. #SproutChat

— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) December 20, 2017

A4 Ask community members to join and give them a speaking role #sproutchat

— Toby Metcalf (@Toby_Metcalf) December 20, 2017

A4: Issue a well written mail to SME or influencer. Describe yourself and your audience. Let them know how they can promote themselves and the current venture. In most cases, they will not refuse #SproutChat

— Benny Gelbendorf (@BGelbendorf) December 20, 2017

A4. I love when there's comraderie between the hosts/speakers/company running it. Seems more authentic and real. #SproutChat

— Reva Minkoff (@revaminkoff) December 20, 2017

Utilize Contact Information

Knowing what to do with contact information post webinar is important. Rather than just hand them off to your sales team think about the best way to start communication as to keep the conversation going.

A5: It depends on the webinar!
All webinars- send confirmation, reminders, and follow-up emails.
TOFU- follow-up with related content
MOFU- SDR team will reach out to see if they need more info.
Customer- alert the CSM so they can follow up personally. #SproutChat

— Simply Measured (@simplymeasured) December 20, 2017

A5: Keep in touch with attendees afterwards to continue building a relationship with them. Don't just disappear! #SproutChat

— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) December 20, 2017

A5: We like getting email reminders its about to start, a follow up email containing a recorded version, and then an email later on informing about upcoming webinars. Don't want to over do it with the emails or come across as spammy #SproutChat

— Apple Box Studios (@AppleBoxStudios) December 20, 2017

A5: I add those to my distribution list and further engage the people to the next level of my marketing funnel #SproutChat

— Benny Gelbendorf (@BGelbendorf) December 20, 2017

A5: Send confirmation and reminder emails before the webinar takes place. Once the webinar is over, use the contact information to alert attendees of future webinars and also send over any slide decks/information from the past webinar (if applicable). #SproutChat

— Sortis Marketing (@SortisMarketing) December 20, 2017

Join us next Wednesday, December 27, for a fun Sprout Social themed #SproutChat at 2 P.M. CT. Until then be sure to join our Facebook community to connect with other social media folks.

This post #SproutChat Recap: The Ins & Outs of Webinars originally appeared on Sprout Social.

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Elon Musk accidentally shared his personal phone number with 16M followers

There’s two golden rules of privacy on social media: Don’t accidentally paste a password into a public message Don’t share your phone number if you’re in any sort of position of prominence In a tweet directed to Oculus CTO John Carmack, Elon Musk today broke rule number two. The wayward tweet was quickly deleted, but many of Musk’s 16.7 million Twitter followers had already taken notice. While TNW isn’t going to share the number, multiple outlets are confirming its legitimacy. As a CNBC reporter found, Musk’s ringing music was an homage to the classic PlayStation franchise “God of War.” We…

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What Every Affiliate Blogger Needs to Know about the FTC Disclosure Guidelines

No affiliate marketing program is the same. The terms and conditions may vary from one program to the next.

But there’s one rule that remains the same across the industry: You must comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s affiliate disclosure guidelines.

Whether you receive a commission, flat fee payment, free products or discounts in exchange for endorsing a product in a post or video, the FTC requires that you properly disclose your relationship. If you don’t, you or the business you’re promoting could get slapped with a fine.

Why you need to include an affiliate disclosure

While the FTC isn’t spending all its time monitoring blogs for noncompliance, they take affiliate disclosure seriously and will investigate complaints. That’s because the FTC’s rules are in place to make sure there’s transparency between all parties involved.

For instance, if an affiliate blogger promotes a new vacation resort on their blog, the FTC believes the consumer has a right to know the writer is being compensated to endorse the resort. Once the consumer has all the information in front of them, they can properly evaluate the blogger’s recommendation.

Any active affiliate program should follow these FTC disclosure guidelines. Here at AWeber, we require all of our affiliates to adhere to these rules completely because it fosters openness and accountability with our customers. Here are four key tips we give our affiliates to make sure they’re in compliance and creating the best experience possible for their consumers.

(Are you an AWeber affiliate yet? Sign up for our affiliate program and start making money today!)

1. Placement is everything

The reader shouldn’t have to search for your affiliate disclosure.

The full message must stand out in a way that is easily noticeable. It should be revealed at the “top of the fold” on the page, which means the reader shouldn’t have to scroll down the page or click a separate link to see it.

Simply having a link at the top of the page that says “click here for my advertising disclosure”, and/or a full statement at the bottom of the page, won’t cut it.

The example below shows a disclosure that follows the FTC’s guidelines. 

It’s placed at the very top of a blog article between the subject header and the body of the message. The light grey background provides contrast to make the text stand out. Plus, the message is clear: The blogger gets paid when you click. While a link is present, the disclosure still provides an appropriate level of context without it.

2. Disclose everywhere

The FTC’s rules apply to any online medium including articles, blog posts, social posts, video content, podcasts, webinars, infographics, and illustrations.

In video, the affiliate disclosure must be at the beginning and on the screen long enough to be read and understood. You are not allowed to put the disclosure outside the video in a description or related text field.

For audio disclosures, you must speak at a cadence that is easy for consumers to follow and in words consumers will understand.

If character limits are a concern in a social post then adding a short disclosure like #ad or #sponsored will likely be effective provided that any subsequent landing pages contain the full disclosure as outlined in number one. Below is an example of how to properly disclose a relationship via a Twitter post.

3. One size doesn’t fit all

While a disclosure’s placement must be at the top of a page, there’s some flexibility when it comes to the actual wording of the disclosure.

However, no matter how you phrase the disclosure, don’t try to fool or confuse the reader. The FTC requires that you use plain and unambiguous language.

So you could say something like, “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” It’s short and clear.

You may provide additional context, too. For example, “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. This is to help support my blog and does not have any impact on my recommendations”.

The first part completely satisfies the FTC requirements, while the second part explains why you are posting the links. It's not necessary, but it may help to reassure your readers that the opinions presented are free of influence.

4. Banners don’t count

The FTC states that banner ads do not need to be disclosed, as most people can reasonably understand their intent. You can think of them like commercials on TV.

It’s important to note that posting a banner on the same page as editorial content with affiliate links does not exempt you from posting the disclosure as outlined in number one — regardless of whether or not the banner relates to the article. You still need to add a prominent disclosure. 

Below you can see a banner ad followed by the blog affiliate disclosure. If this banner ad were to appear on a page with no affiliate links, you would not need to include the disclosure.

Questions or concerns about your disclosure? Leave a comment below!

Want to become an affiliate for AWeber? We’d love to have you on board. Sign up here and start earning a 30 percent commission on all referrals today!

The post What Every Affiliate Blogger Needs to Know about the FTC Disclosure Guidelines appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.

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Twitter’s latest white nationalist purge is predictably unpredictable

After announcing a new set of rules meant to scrub the site of “hateful imagery and display names,” and those who use a “username, display name, or profile bio to engage in abusive behavior” back in November, Twitter is now ready to enforce them. It started in predictable fashion. The platform today suspended the accounts of several well-known white nationalists. Among these suspensions were the incendiary far-right group Britain First, an account you may have heard of after President Trump retweeted three of its videos in November. The group is known for its pro-nationalist stance and inflammatory view on Muslims,…

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A Complete Calendar of Hashtag Holidays for 2018

Facebook’s crackdown on “engagement bait” is long overdue

Facebook is cracking down on “engagement bait.” Even if you’re unfamiliar with the term (it’s nowhere near as ubiquitous as the now-meaningless “clickbait”), you’ve probably seen an “engagement bait-y” post in your timeline. They use phrases like: “Like this if…” “Share if you…” “Vote to…” “Tag a friend who…” Moving forward, Facebook will downrank these posts in the News Feed, meaning fewer people will see them. The Facebook News Feed doesn’t list posts in a chronological order. Rather, it’s curated by an algorithm, which Facebook says filters out content it perceives as “low quality.” The move creates consequences for pages…

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#SproutChat Recap: Staying up to Date With Social Trends

Social media is a constantly fluctuating landscape and it can be difficult to keep a finger on the pulse of it all. It’s important to stay on top of these trends so that you can effectively update your own strategy along the way.

In this week’s #SproutChat, we talked about participants favorite and most often turned to resources when it comes to staying up to date. From Twitter accounts to news outlets to finding inspiration—we covered a few ways to help you from becoming dated in marketing.

Keep Tabs on Social Media Focused News Outlets

This week’s participants chimed in with great resources for social media focused sites and blogs that are fast to release news and can have an impact on your marketing efforts. Be sure to bookmark some of these so you can always know what’s around the corner.

A1: @socialmedia2day and @HubSpot are awesome resources to keep in mind and stay up to date.. #SproutChat

— Maria Marchewka (@_MariaMarchewka) December 13, 2017

A1: We keep an eye on @Hootsuite, @Inc, and of course @SproutSocial to stay in-the-know on #SocialMediaMarketing trends. #SproutChat

— Olive & Company (@oliveandco) December 13, 2017

A1: Depends on the day…usually @mashable , sections of @Adweek , @SMExaminer
and then Twitter lists I've created #sproutchat

— Russ Palmer (@RussPalmer) December 13, 2017

A1: I always keep an eye on @ExpWriters they're always on the pulse! I also check up on @Adweek @FastCompany and @BoF to see what's new and trending in social media for our industry. #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/SmxvBnE7no

— Independent Retailer (@indretailer) December 13, 2017

A1: #SocialMedia Examiner is a great resource for updates on all platforms and #digitalmarketing #SproutChat

— seoplus+ (@seopluscanada) December 13, 2017

A1: My go-to's were mentioned, so I'll just add this is one of the reasons I love #TwitterChat 's – always learning about new resources and ideas from fellow creatives! #SproutChat

— Jenny S. West (@jennyswest) December 13, 2017

A1: Blogs of @mashable, @SMExaminer, @SproutSocial are my go-to's for keeping up with social media news. But my general Twitter feed is also where I learn the latest too. #sproutchat

— Kathleen Gormley (@KathGorm) December 13, 2017

A1. I pay attention to @SMExaminer @AgoraPulse @RebekahRadice because they are always breaking new stories on social media trends #sproutchat

— Cheval John (@chevd80) December 13, 2017

News on the Go

Email lists and podcasts are great ways to gain insights while on the go. Whether you’re commuting by car or public transportation these resources can step in and help you grow anywhere, anytime.

A4: I love listening to @garyvee's podcast or watching him on YouTube. He always shares great information. #SproutChat

— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) December 13, 2017

https://twitter.com/netvantage/status/941045718051155971 https://twitter.com/LucasVandenberg/status/941045464518070277

A4 Definitely @whyisocial … it's an excellent series of interviews with the people who truly get (who truly get) social media. #sproutchat

— Martin Lieberman (@martinlieberman) December 13, 2017

A4: The @WhyISocial podcast and #FiveFavorites from @CBarrows and @Zonozi is fantastic!
The Pubcast from @jonloomer is always good too, super guests across both of those. #SproutChat

— Jeff Higgins Only Wears Banana Republic Boxers (@ItsJeffHiggins) December 13, 2017

A4: I'm currently out of the loop when it comes to podcasts & YouTube channels. Email newsletters? @adweek @SMExaminer & a bunch I'm blanking on right now which I'm going to blame on the single digit temperatures in NY. #sproutchat http://pic.twitter.com/AQzK4h1Yxi

— Russ Palmer (@RussPalmer) December 13, 2017

A4 e-newsletters: Think With Google, Mediapost, Digiday #sproutchat

— Andrew Stewart (@andrewtstewart) December 13, 2017

Inspiration Is Everywhere

It can be easy to fall into a creative rut as a marketer especially when you’re working in a fast-paced field like social media. Try to take some time for yourself and step away from your work to find inspiration. Scroll through your Twitter feed or go for a walk around the block to disconnect from incoming emails and messages.

A5: We find inspiration from our peers in the industry. There are so many creative and thoughtful people out there it's hard not to constantly be motivated! #SproutChat

— Flying Cork (@flyingcorkpgh) December 13, 2017

A5: Everywhere! So many individuals and companies are killing it, it's easy to be inspired by other's work! #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/TfRR6OSne5

— Lendio (@Lendio) December 13, 2017

A5 All over the internet! Something I read, or see on the streets, from a movie or TV show, talking with friends.. when it hits me, write it down or do it in that moment 🙂 #SproutChat

— Ivana Ćirković (@i_cirkovic) December 13, 2017

I find creative inspiration for content and social media posts is @facebook's newsfeed and @FutureLearn where I learn lots of courses that get me thinking of great writing ideas…There is no way you can write about something you don't know.Writers are readers… 😀#SproutChat https://t.co/dvVBGXPuCF

— Melissa Omolo (@AyotAdhiambo) December 13, 2017

A5 #SproutChat: cop-out, but #Everywhere! I've literally stopped my car to take a video or shot of a tree, flag blowing in the wind, building, etc. Have to always be ready/open for inspiration- it won't wait around for you! http://pic.twitter.com/yWV3hzX0bF

— Jenny S. West (@jennyswest) December 13, 2017

A5: twitter chats always spark inspiration, questions we receive, checking what's trending #SproutChat

— seoplus+ (@seopluscanada) December 13, 2017

A5b: But ALSO I do a lot of research on what other brands are doing and how I feel they are getting their message across.
Does it really fit their audience? Does it go over their heads or too subtle? what makes it pop?#SproutChat

— Jeff Higgins Only Wears Banana Republic Boxers (@ItsJeffHiggins) December 13, 2017

Join us next Wednesday on Twitter to talk about the ins and outs of webinars. Until then be sure to join our Facebook community to connect with others in the industry.

This post #SproutChat Recap: Staying up to Date With Social Trends originally appeared on Sprout Social.

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Facebook to add pre-roll ads and other changes to videos

Facebook today revealed several updates to its advertising policies concerning videos. The bad news is that six-second pre-roll ads will be coming to dedicated video tabs such as Watch. The less bad news is that it looks like they won’t be infiltrating News Feed. Approximately noone on the entire internet wants to click on a video and immediately watch an advertisement, but Facebook wants to try pre-rolls out to see if it works well enough to strike a happy tone with both publishers and viewers. According to a company blog post: While pre-roll ads don’t work well in News Feed, we…

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Facebook digs a deeper hole in response to former exec

A former Facebook executive recently said the site’s addictive qualities are destroying social interaction and the fabric of the global community. Facebook responded this week, and it tacitly confirmed his criticisms. Chamath Palihapitiya, the former vice president of user growth who last worked at Facebook six years ago, spoke about social media to a group at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He criticized the site for using “short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops” that are “destroying how society works.” Given his position, I’d say he’d know better than anyone how such things worked. If that was where the story ended, then Palihapitiya would…

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Here’s what went viral on Facebook in 2017

What content do Facebook audiences love to share, like and comment on? To answer this question we reviewed two billion articles and Facebook posts that were published this year. We set out our findings below, including: The content (articles, videos, and blog posts) that were most shared on Facebook The viral Facebook posts that gained the most engagement Expert reflections on the findings and the lessons for content marketers Reality check for the rest of us: These top articles and posts were exceptional outliers and we cannot expect to replicate their success. However, we can learn from them to gain deeper…

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95 Tools to Help You Be the Best Email Marketer on the Planet

Ultimately, email marketing has one purpose: to skyrocket your business growth. And at AWeber, we believe that should be the case whether you’re an AWeber customer or simply a raving fan of our blog content. That’s why we launched 95 new tools in 2017 to help you be a killer email marketing – like mind-blowing free courses, powerful new features and seamless app integrations. These 95 tools will help you reach your business goals in 2018 and beyond. In case you missed any of the awesomeness, we have all 95 of them in this post. We hope you enjoy them. Much love, The AWeber Team ❤️

5 huge, new AWeber features   

The theme this year: powerful automation. Automation has a huge list of benefits, like saving time, connecting with subscribers at the right moment and sending more relevant content. And that’s why we were laser focused on how we could make it easier for email marketers to reach their audiences with automation. Check out the new automation features we launched this year and more features to help you grow!

Segment your list with tags

You’ve always been able to segment in AWeber with custom fields and other data about your subscribers, like geographic location or subscribe date. But now, you can create segments of subscribers with tags. You can append tags to subscribers on your sign up form, in automation series, while importing subscribers and much more. Then, you can send one-time emails with exciting announcements or timely information to subscribers with a particular tag. It's a fantastic way to increase open and click-through rates and boost engagement. Learn more: Segment with Tags and Send Broadcast Newsletters to Tagged Segments

Automations

When your subscriber clicks on a call to action, it shows they’re interested in the content of the email. Wouldn’t it be great if you could then automatically send them more content similar to that email? Since you already know they’re interested in it, you’re more likely to keep engaging them with similar content. With Click Automations, you can do that. You can automatically add tags to your subscribers when they click on a link in an email and launch automation series or send one-time emails to them. This means that you can send subscribers emails based off their actions. Which can lead to higher email engagement and more sales! Learn more: Introducing Click Automations in Your AWeber Campaigns Soon after we launched Click Automations, we released our second Automation – Open Automations. With Open Automations, you can tag subscribers who open your messages in Campaigns. This opens up new opportunities to segment subscribers, trigger automated re-engagement emails and build the perfect marketing funnel – all based on what emails people open. Learn more: Tag Subscribers Who Open Your Emails – New in Campaigns

Confirmed opt-in emails in your audience’s own language

Bonjour! Olá! Konnichiwa! We have customers across the world. And our customers have subscribers who speak and read many different languages. Which is why we made sure our customers can connect with their audience in their native language by releasing localized confirmed opt-in emails. A confirmed opt-in email (often called a COI email) is a message that subscribers receive after submitting their email address to confirm they definitely want to be added to your list. Using confirmed opt-in improves your deliverability and makes sure that someone’s email address is legitimate. Now, you can select your language of choice (from 13 different options) when creating your COI email and deliver confirmed opt-in emails in your subscribers’ native language. Here are the 13 languages you can choose from:

• Chinese (Simplified)
• Chinese (Traditional)
• English
• French
• German
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Malay
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish

Learn more: How do I select the language for my confirmation message?

Blog Broadcasts with your secure feed

Our Blog Broadcast feature was perfect for anyone with a non-secure feed, an RSS feed which begins with http. But now it’s great for people with secure feeds, an RSS feed that begins with https, as well! When you publish a new blog post or video on your secure feed, you can use AWeber Blog Broadcasts to automatically deliver an email about it to your subscribers. This feature is great for saving time and keeping your audience up-to-date on your latest content.

More hours to talk to AWeber Customer Solutions

With all these new awesome features, we know you'll have some questions about the best way to implement them. Our award-winning AWeber Customer Solutions team is here to help. In fact, as of 2017, they’re starting four hours EARLIER every single day! (They’re available 4 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET Monday to Friday and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET Saturday to Sunday.) Maybe that's why our Customer Solutions team won two awards at the Stevie Awards — a.k.a. the Oscars of the customer service world — in 2017. Contact them: Chat, call or email our Customer Solutions team

4 mobile app upgrades so you can market on the go

Here’s the latest and greatest updates to hit your favorite AWeber apps – Stats, Curate and Atom.

Push notifications

Keeping a close eye on your email list growth wherever you are can motivate you, let you know when your growth tactics are working and help you track your progress. Now, with push notifications in the AWeber Stats app, you can set a notification to pop up on your phone when you get a new subscriber. Learn more: Introducing Push Notifications – Know When Your List Grows

3 more awesome upgrades

We created AWeber’s suite of mobile apps (Curate, Atom and Stats) to give email marketers the power to grow their list, send emails and improve their strategy — no matter where they are. This year, we made some pretty major updates to our Atom and Stats apps. Here’s what you can now do:

• View unsubscribes by list and by broadcast in AWeber Stats
• See more about your subscribers at a glance with a redesigned subscribers page in AWeber Stats
• Automatically add tags to your subscribers from Atom app, which allows you to have an email sign up form on your phone or tablet.

Learn more: Release Notes: Bringing the Data with AWeber Stats 2.1 and Release Notes: Exciting Upgrades to Your Stats and Atom Apps

9 educational courses and freebies to help you master email marketing

As a part of our mission to make you the best email marketer on the planet, we created a ton of educational content this year. Get all of it today!

“What to Write in Your Emails”

When we launched "What to Write in Your Emails" in 2015, it quickly became our most popular course. Not only did the course include tips on writing great emails, it also came with 25 fill-in-the-blank email copy templates — just fill them in, copy and paste into an email template. Ta-dah! A ready-to-go email! So this year, we updated it — adding 26 more (for a total of 51!)  fill-in-the-blank copy templates and a shiny new email course to go along with it. The email courses covers new topics like boosting your open and click-through rates, when to send emails and much more! Download it now for free: "What to Write in Your Emails"

“2017 Email Marketing Master Class”

In under 30 days, 8,000 people registered for our “2017 Email Marketing Master Class.” If you weren’t one of them, here are the great lessons you’re missing:

• Growing your email list
• Writing exceptional emails
• Designing beautiful emails
• Analyzing and optimizing your emails
• Automating your email marketing
• And making money with email marketing

Ninety five percent of course participants said they knew more about email marketing after completing the course and 96.2 percent said they liked the class content. We sell the course for $145 on Udemy. But to celebrate 2017, you can get all six lessons (including videos, worksheets, homework and bonus resources) for just  $15. That’s 90 percent off! Just use the link below to claim the discount and make sure to create a free Udemy account first. Buy it now: "2017 Email Marketing Master Class"

“Email List Growth Blueprint”

In 2017, many of you asked questions like: “How can I grow my email list?” “Do you have tips for building a sign up form?” “How do I write a really compelling incentive?” So we decided to create a video course to answer these questions. “Email List Growth Blueprint” will show you how to start growing your email list with step-by-step instructions and give you the homework and worksheets to get it done. Plus, it’s short! You can watch all the videos in under an hour. 😲 Download it now for free: "Email List Growth Blueprint"

“List Building Idea Generator”

If you already have a sign up form and incentive, you’re ready for more list-building techniques. At a loss for ideas? Try “List Building Idea Generator!” With a few clicks, you can get traffic, content or conversion ideas that’ll help you grow your list like a pro. It’s like Wheel of Fortune for email marketers instead of grandmoms. So click the button and spin the wheel to get list building ideas as often as your email lovin’ heart desires. Use it now for free: "List Building Idea Generator"

“Win at Email Design”

Email design can be tricky, especially if you’re not a designer. And since it can heavily impact your email engagement, it’s important to get it right. That’s why we started filming “Win at Email Design,” a video series which teaches non-designers how to build beautiful emails. So far, we’ve created two awesome episodes – each under five minutes long. There’ll be more to come in 2018. But for now, learn how to design a beautiful welcome email and newsletter with these step-by-step videos: Watch it now for free: How to Design an Awesome Welcome Email Watch it now for free: Two Ways to Rock the Design of Your Email Newsletter

Email Image Duo-Toner

Hello, Duo-Toner! Thanks to our awesome design team, you can now turn any image into a two-toned image like the one above with our Duo-Toner tool. Just choose a color, drag in your image, download your finished product and drop it into an email. BAM! Beautiful email. Try it out now for free: Duo-Toner from AWeber

"Ask Me About Email Marketing" seasons 2 and 3

In the Ask Me About Email Marketing podcast, AWeber’s Product Marketing Manager Tom Tate and an expert guest answer the tough questions about email marketing. This year, Tom produced two new seasons of the podcast. In season 2, he covered how to get started with email marketing with episodes about planning your email strategy, growing your email list and more. In season 3, he explained how to start podcasting. You can listen to the episodes for free by downloading them on iTunes. Download episodes now: Ask Me About Email Marketing podcast 

"Email Libs"

Not going to be the next Jane Austen or Stephen King? Then we have the tool for you. "Email Libs" is like Mad Libs for email! Simply choose an email copy template, fill in the blanks and poof! Your email copy is ready to go. Writing copy only needs to take a minute! Use it now for free: "Email Libs"

"Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing"

Just getting started with email marketing? The "Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing" walks you through all the basics in an easily digestible, written format. And bonus! Download the free toolkit to grab an email editorial calendar and analytics dashboard. Read it now for free: "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing"

Our 10 most popular blog posts

In 2017, we published more blog posts than we could count. But 10 posts were wildly popular, racking up thousands of shares, comments and reads. Here they are. Feel free to share them with your own subscribers, via a curated email newsletter perhaps. 😉

1. Email Marketing Best Practices in 2017
2. The 8 Most Effective Words to Use in Your Next Email
3. The Email Blast Is Dead: Here’s How You Should Really Connect with Your Audience
4. Your Holiday GIF Guide: Festive GIFs to Spice Up Your Holiday Emails
5. The 5 Most Common Subject Line Mistakes to Avoid
6. 4 Email Newsletter Ideas for Bloggers
7. Subject Line Formulas You Can Steal to Boost Your Open Rates
8. One Ridiculously Simple Email That’ll Get More People to Click Your Content
9. 7 Ways to Make Your Automated Emails Feel More Human
10. [Quiz] What’s Your Email Writing Style?

(Never miss a single post in 2018! Subscribe to our free, weekly newsletter.)

66 new app integrations    

Maybe you fell in love with a sign up form platform, like ConvertFlow, or a landing page builder, like Landing Lion, or a online event platform, like WebinarNinja. No matter which app you love, using it with AWeber should be seamless. That’s why we added 66 (That’s right – 66!) new applications to our Integrations Showcase. Check them out below in this alphabetized list:

Content management/monitoring

• Konnecktive CRM
• Podcast Websites

Customer relations

• Capsule CRM
• Chatmatic
• Freshdesk
• Repsly
• Trainerize

E-Commerce

• 3dCart
• DirectPay

Landing page builders

• Landing Lion
• Landing Page Cat
• LandingCube
• Landingi

Lead generation

• Better Coupon Box
• BookFunnel
• Contest Domination
• Convert Forms
• ConvertFlow
• Convertful
• ConvertPlayer
• Coupon Carrier
• Demio
• Eventable
• Fomo
• FormCraft
• Google Forms
• GrooveJar
• Interact
• Kajabi
• Leadshield
• Listery
• MailOptin
• Milotree
• Optin Labs
• Outgrow
• Paperform
• Picreel
• Rainmaker
• Rewards Fuel
• Signupper
• Votigo
• weForms
• Wheelio
• WP Ninja Forms

Social media

• LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms

Video

• SproutVideo
• Vidvision

Webinar

• EasyWebinar
• WebinarNinja

Other

• Automate.io
• AWget
• BriteVerify
• Gmail
• Google Contacts
• Join by Text
• MailSync
• Microsoft Flow
• Neatly.io
• Omniconvert
• Poptin
• Retently
• Reward Sciences
• SendForensics
• Sidekick
• Smartsheet
• Survey Anyplace

Here’s to 2018 🥂

In 2018, we’re committed to doing even more to help email marketers across the planet surpass their business goals with email marketing. Be on the lookout for more new features, awesome content and powerful integrations. Plus, a heck of a lot more! Not an AWeber customer yet? Want to join the squad? Try us out free for 30 days.

The post 95 Tools to Help You Be the Best Email Marketer on the Planet appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.

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How to Use Twitter Automation Without Ruining Your Brand

#SproutChat Recap: Getting to Inbox Zero

Anyone who manages social media knows that it can be difficult to keep up with incoming messages. From positive messages to timely complaints, it may seem like the incoming stream of messages never falls off. Inbox zero is a term that often applies to email, but the steps you take to achieve this can also be applied to your incoming social messages.

In this week’s #SproutChat, we honed in on how people tackle incoming messages, as well as discussing whether or not it’s necessary to respond to every message.

Inbox Zero for Social Media

Reaching inbox zero might seem like a unicorn of a concept, like a buzzword phrase thrown around by marketers. However, getting to inbox zero forces marketers to rethink their response strategies and take a step back to assess how necessary a response is for every message.

A1: Inbox Zero is the Promised Land.

Inbox Zero is the result of due diligence to keep up with and maintain your inbox and conversations on Social Media.
#SproutChat

— John Venen (@JohnVenen) December 6, 2017

A1: Inbox zero [in-boks zeer-oh], (n): When every message not only has a ✅, but has been relayed to the client and personally responded to by your team. #SproutChat https://t.co/1xZoRWX0uz

— Chatterkick (@Chatterkick) December 6, 2017

A1: Inbox zero for social media would be checking all notifications, which includes reading and responding to comments. #SproutChat

— Express Writers (@ExpWriters) December 6, 2017

A1. Is there such a thing as "inbox zero?" We like to make sure we monitor all channels throughout the day and comment/respond when appropriate, but it never really stops! #sproutchat

— Bisk (@biskeducation) December 6, 2017

A1: When you're caught up on all of the comments, responses, etc. on social media platforms. It almost never happens. #SproutChat

— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) December 6, 2017

A1 #SproutChat: Philosophically, I'd define the state of "inbox zero" as being up-to-date on the information you need/actions you needed to perform in order to best assist your audience… In practice, have to concur w @martinlieberman 🙂 http://pic.twitter.com/CdxLpVik1X

— Jenny S. West (@jennyswest) December 6, 2017

A1: All engagements that need to be responded to or addressed have been done. It takes a village! #SproutChat

— Kathleen Gormley (@KathGorm) December 6, 2017

Not All Incoming Messages Require a Response

Social is a fast-paced environment and that’s goes double for brands. Sometimes it can seem as though getting to inbox zero is an impossible task for incoming messages. Acknowledging that every message a brand receives doesn’t always require immediate action can help free up time for social media marketers.

A2 I thanks ppl for nice mentions, and inquire about concerns #sproutchat

— Toby Metcalf (@Toby_Metcalf) December 6, 2017

A2: If they should be responded to. Not all mentions require responses. #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/7L49LNI3R1

— Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) December 6, 2017

A2: It generally depends on the client but for most we do. We have some clients that their internal team manages "branded mentions" and we manage direct response. #sproutchat

— SocialXpresso (@socialxpresso) December 6, 2017

A2 Not all. If someone has an inquiry or shares something really positive then yes. #sproutchat

— Shannonigans (@mausi_nana) December 6, 2017

A2: as much as possible. A simple like takes a second but can go a long way. Important to note when something does require a message or worded response though #SproutChat

— Brand New Rules (@BrandNewRules) December 6, 2017

A2. Not *every* mention requires or deserves a response. This is where good judgment comes in, and a decision is made to either watch the conversation or interject yourself #sproutchat

— Holiday K. Lux ❤️🎄🤶 (@KellyLux) December 6, 2017

A2: I respond to *most* but we get a lot of the same mentions by consultants so those I don't respond to. Just depends! #sproutchat

— Jessie (@JessieAtAC) December 6, 2017

Prioritize by Importance

When putting together a social strategy, you’ll want to account for your response time and consider how you’ll go about responding to incoming messages. If you reply in chronological order think of the parameters for how long that task can take you.

A3: Typically chronologically, but always use judgement to determine if something needs more immediate attention. #SproutChat

— Ashton Hagood (@Ashton_Hagood) December 6, 2017

A3. Maybe filter by complexity. If you have a team, divvy up the notifications. There should be a plan in place. #SproutChat https://t.co/CzPa9vhSiG

— Mike Rana ✈️📱🇺🇸 (@michaelranaii) December 6, 2017

A3: I always monitor our FB group first and respond. Then in Sprout, I respond to everything else chronologically. #sproutchat

— Jessie (@JessieAtAC) December 6, 2017

A3. Stop fires. Always take care of customers who need you (generally people who have negative things to stay). Plus – answering/responding to positive posts after taking care of negative ones is a breath of fresh air! #sproutchat

— Bisk (@biskeducation) December 6, 2017

A3: Customer inquiries, then customer complaints. Then general messages/comments. #sproutchat

— Brad Lovett (@Brad_Lovett) December 6, 2017

A3 : Public Facebook comments have the longest lifetime, therefore are more risky which is why I recommend taking care of them first. #sproutchat

— Tristan Audet (@t_audet) December 6, 2017

Tackle Messages by Importance

It’s vital to respond to messages that require action, particularly if a brand provides a service to customers. If your brand does not have overnight support, check out some of the best practices that participants outlined for those “off hours.”

Handle them first thing in the morning…after reading @theskimm #SproutChat. Also putting the time we're responsive on our twitter profile helps.

— Shannonigans (@mausi_nana) December 6, 2017

A5: First thing, I get overnight support 😀
Second, my website & social media channels should be very specific about response hours.
Then I see two options:
1. Use auto-DM explaining opening hours and promising quick reply
2. Refer people to FAQ section in my website#SproutChat

— Benny Gelbendorf (@BGelbendorf) December 6, 2017

A5. Head first! Somebody should always be on call to sanity-check posts coming through, though. I aim to teach staff across our business to know who to contact if they see something that needs flagging.

There will always be a degree of risk over night without dedicated support.

— Dion Van de Kamp (@dionvandekamp) December 6, 2017

A5: @Facebook gives you the ability to mark "away". That way, you can have a response saying you're out of office and will get back to them soon. As for other channels, you can check throughout the day just to make sure you're not missing anything important! #SproutChat http://pic.twitter.com/5r7vrOecSv

— Lendio (@Lendio) December 6, 2017

Join us for #SproutChat, next Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT, to discuss staying up to date with social trends. This will be a great conversation for 2018. Until then join our Facebook community to connect with other social media folks.

This post #SproutChat Recap: Getting to Inbox Zero originally appeared on Sprout Social.

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Social Media Optimization: 6 Tips to Steal from SEOs

Instagram’s standalone messaging app could be a winner

Instagram is working on a dedicated messaging app. Photo-sharing service Instagram is working on an spin-off messaging app called Direct, which could one day remove the built-in direct message service in the mainstream app. Although pretty barebones, there’s a little to get excited here. When you open Direct, it goes straight to the camera — perhaps in an effort to condition you into creating and sharing content. You can also look at your profile and settings, and view and send messages to other Instagram users. According to The Verge’s Casey Newton, the raison d’étre behind this app is that Instagram…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Instagram

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