An Introduction to Social Media for Business

Twitter’s dark mode has landed on iOS

Twitter’s dark mode has finally made its way from Android to iOS. If you’re not clear on what a ‘dark mode’ does, it’s simple: it changes your background color to a darker grey, and tweet text to white. Check it out: Rolling out today – we’re bringing night mode to iOS! 🌙 https://t.co/XxNZHQdth9 http://pic.twitter.com/WLwKi4H0Oe — Twitter (@twitter) August 22, 2016 To activate it, Twitter says you just need to tap the Me icon at the bottom of your screen, then the gear icon towards the top. Select ‘turn on dark mode,’ and away you go. If you ever want to…

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How to Get a More Engaged Audience With Your Social Media Content

Twitter ‘quality filter’ works because it’s about news, not social

Recently, Twitter added a quality filter meant to help us all distill our timelines. It’s a handy feature, but I think it’s the clearest example Twitter is no longer a social app. First, the actual quality filter in the Twitter is describes as such: Quality filtering aims to remove all Tweets from your notifications timeline that contain threats, offensive or abusive language, duplicate content, or are sent from suspicious accounts. That’s all very vague, and even the highest praise shows how tricky filtering content can be. The Washington Post tested Twitter’s quality filter with decent success — but also says…

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‘Lifestage’ is Facebook’s answer to Snapchat, and it may be onto something

Facebook may be ubiquitous, but it’s not cool anymore. After pivoting its main app into a newsfeed, the company has released a new app for iOS called Lifestage, but it’s just for teens. More specifically, it’s for those under 21. Called Lifestage, the app is a video-first take on social networking. Rather than post status updates, you let the world know how you’re doing via video. In setting up the app, Lifestage asks you to shoot video of yourself with sad or happy faces, and even dance. It then compiles those snippets into longer-form video, which is used as your…

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How Author Paula Rizzo Grew Her Email List to 5K+ Subscribers with Email Courses + Free Media Attention

Five years ago, Paula Rizzo was apartment hunting in New York City. She knew what she wanted in her new space, but she kept getting distracted by non-essential amenities like wine refrigerators. (Although the term “non-essential” is up for debate.)

To make her life easier, she made a comprehensive list of everything she needed in an apartment. Her list helped her score the perfect place. It also sparked the idea for Paula’s business, List Producer, and her book, Listful Thinking.

Paula doesn’t exactly have all the time in the world to run her business, though. By day, she’s a senior television producer. That’s why she relies on email marketing to grow her business and maintain relationships with her followers.

“It’s tough when you have a full time and a side gig that you love, because you want to work on that side gig all the time,” she said. “It’s really fun, but it’s also a struggle to balance and manage them both. Email has been amazingly helpful to grow List Producer. It’s quick and you can do it on the go. I’ve done campaigns on vacation.”

Paula not only uses email marketing for time management, she also uses it to deliver paid email courses, stay in touch people who bought her book and keep her followers updated on her media appearances.

We’ll take a look at how Paula uses email marketing to nurture leads at every stage of her funnel, plus how anyone can get free media attention for their business.

Driving traffic to your blog + growing your subscriber list

Paula started her blog before she wrote her book to gauge interest in the topic of list-making. Her first task? Making a list, naturally.

 

“I wrote a list of 50 blog ideas I could write about,” she said. “From there, I started putting them together and putting blog posts up. I learned how to use social media. I wasn’t using email in the beginning, and a friend said, ‘You’re crazy, you need to start getting email addresses.’”

But Paula still needed a way to drive traffic to her blog so she could collect those email addresses. That’s where guest blogging comes in.

 

“I took all these courses about growing your email list, but I didn’t get a big boost until I started writing guest blog posts,” she said. “I started writing guest posts for sites like Entrepreneur that have more traffic, so I was able to get more subscribers. I set up campaigns just for subscribers from the websites where I guest posted to welcome them to my website.”

Not to worry – you don’t have to write for Entrepreneur to get traffic to your blog and grow your list. Instead, research popular industry blogs that are accepting guest bloggers and reach out to them with a pitch. Here are more ways to drive traffic to your blog.

Creating paid email courses (that are worth the money!)

When Paula creates content that her audience will have to pay for, she does her homework to make sure she’s creating content they actually want. That means doing extensive research via surveys to ensure she’s addressing her audience’s biggest needs with her courses.

 

“We sent out a lot of surveys to find out what they really want so we could create a product that they actually need,” she said. “We want to know what they think is valuable. Those surveys are helpful because we get to see exactly what the pain points are from their perspective.”

For Paula’s Take Back Your Inbox course, she helps address a common organizational issue her audience has: managing an overstuffed inbox.

“A lot of people said they weren’t using email the right way,” Paula said. “It wasn’t an inbox anymore, it was an everything box. People wait so long for the perfect response, and then they never write back. Just quick things like respond back as quickly as possible, mindfully and in a nice way. You don’t have to write a novel; just use two sentences to respond.”

The Take Back Your Inbox course has not only boosted Paula’s subscriber list, she’s been able to expand her reach to more people, too.

“I’ve noticed an uptick in subscribers since I launched the program,” she said. “That’s great because these aren’t just people who are interested in lists. These are people who are interested in email productivity and time management.”

Once her subscribers are done with her course, she follows up with a few more emails and gives them the option to opt into her blog list to receive Paula’s latest blog posts.

“I send out a couple more emails because I realize that it’s a work at your own pace course and sometimes people are not always as disciplined to do the course as soon as they buy it,” she said. “So I have a few follow ups for people who haven’t done the course, encouraging them to do it. From there, I’ll ask if they want to opt into my blog posts or if they want more info about my book.”

If you’re thinking about launching an email course, always follow up with your subscribers after they’ve completed your course. This allows them to continue their relationship with you and encourages them to purchase from you again down the road.

Managing multiple subscriber lists

Paula’s list-making talents come in handy when it comes to managing her subscriber lists. She has several subscriber lists, including a blog list that she uses to send her blog visitors her latest blog posts, her email course list with the people who purchased her Take Back Your Inbox course and a list just for people who have bought her book.

Because her subscribers on these lists have all had different interactions with List Producer, Paula makes sure to send them content that makes sense to them. For example, Paula sends people who bought her book content that builds on what they learned in the book.

 

“In the book, I have a specific URL where people can sign up for my list,” she said. “They can access special templates I’ve mentioned in the book. I’m able to target them in a different way than people who have read the blog or signed up for the email course list.”

Because her subscribers on those lists are all different, her open rates vary as well.

“I have about a 30 percent open rate,” she said. “I notice that the people who have read my book are a lot more eager to open my emails. On that list, my open rate is 50-60 percent. “

One obvious reason for that incredibly high open rate is that her book audience is already engaged. If Paula wasn’t collecting email addresses from people who bought her book, she’d be missing out on a huge built-in audience.

Have a paid product or service? Always ask your customers to sign up for your email list. Chances are, those people will be your most engaged – and profitable – subscribers.

Get free media attention for your business

Since Paula is a senior television producer, she knows what media outlets are looking for when they’re booking guests. She has an upcoming 4-week paid online video course, Lights Camera Expert, designed around helping people scale their brand and get some much-desired media attention. By the time her new 4-week course goes live, Paula will be gearing up to give away a free 3-part video course.

We couldn’t resist asking Paula about her most effective tips for boosting your brand in the media – tips that she uses to grow her List Producer following.

 

“Getting media for your own brand is super important because that’s gonna give you some credibility,” she said. “If you don’t have a book and you just have a blog or business and you want to get more media for it, check out HARO. I’ve gotten so many opportunities that way for my business and for my day job.”

Remember how Paula used guest blogging to grow her email list? This is also one of Paula’s top strategies for gaining media attention for small businesses. The good news is that if you already have blog content, you can start pitching your expertise today.

“Be specific about your pitch,” she said. “Don’t say, ‘I can help you out with anything!’ Instead say, ‘I’m a nutritionist and I help moms get their pre-baby bodies back.’”

Another way to score free media attention is featuring other experts on your blog. One way to do this is to propose a guest blog post exchange: That means you write a guest blog post for another website, and in return they’ll write one for you.

Featuring other experts could also be as simple as reaching out to others in your industry, asking them a few questions via email and incorporating their answers into a blog post.

“Featuring other people is a great way to pull in more eyeballs,” Paula said. “That way you get to feature them and they share it with their followers. I’ve done that a lot and people are always flattered to be featured.”

Let’s Recap!

• Thinking of writing a book? Start a blog first to test the waters.
• Seek out guest blog posting opportunities to drive more traffic to your blog. Make sure your blog has a sign up form so your new visitors can sign up for your email list!
• Email courses are perfect for educating your subscribers and monetizing your email list. But before you get started, survey your audience to find out exactly what they want to learn about.
• If you have multiple email lists, be sure to send your subscribers content based their experience with your brand. So if they purchased a product, send them content based on that that particular product.
• Use HARO to be discovered by journalists and feature other experts on your blog to score media attention.

Growing your following, monetizing your business and getting media attention may sound like daunting tasks, but they don’t have to be. Focus on one thing at a time, and use email marketing to save the time and hassle of keeping your audience engaged.

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The post How Author Paula Rizzo Grew Her Email List to 5K+ Subscribers with Email Courses + Free Media Attention appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.

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How to Create a Winning CTA on Your Sign Up Form

You’ve poured your heart into creating the perfect incentive to attract subscribers and build your email list. Now the only thing between you and greatness is your sign up form.

While there are several key components that go into creating an effective sign up form, one of the most critical is that little button that screams, “Click me!”

I’m talking about your call to action (CTA) button. It’s the last step that stands in the way of having a thriving email audience.

When building an email audience, your call to action (CTA) on your sign up form can make or break your chances of converting website visitors into email subscribers.

Your CTA carries a lot of weight in the decision to subscribe, so it’s important to avoid taking shortcuts and apply the following best practices when creating your CTA button.

What makes a good sign up form CTA?

Creating an effective sign up form is easier than you think. Here are some best practices to consider when creating the CTA for your sign up form.

Button Size

The size of your CTA button has an impact on its ability to convert visitors into subscribers. Does it get noticed right away? Make it big and easy to see or click. Remember, many people will see your sign up form on a mobile device, which means a lot of people will be clicking your CTA with their fingers instead of a small cursor.

Button Color

Color can have a potentially big impact on whether someone subscribes. Red buttons tend to convert best, followed by green. But regardless of what works for others, make sure you stay consistent with your brand. Don’t use a color that clashes with the other colors of your website.

Also be sure to use a color that contrasts with what surrounds it. You want it to be clear that it’s your CTA button.

Copy Length

Keep the copy on your CTA button brief and easy to read. If your potential subscriber can’t quickly read it and decide to take action, you’re likely going to lose them. Try to keep your CTA copy to less than 40 characters in length.

Voice & Tone

Your CTA button should align with your overall brand voice and tone. Consider your ideal audience: How would they respond? How would your CTA make them feel?

The key here is to write in a way that feels human and authentic. The usual “Submit” or “Sign up” copy feels dry and – dare I say – robotic. To bring some personality into your CTA copy, try using informal, humorous, or more common language like “Count me in” or “Let’s do this.”

Descriptive Language

The way you phrase your CTA copy can have a significant impact on its ability to convert your visitors into subscribers.

The text on your CTA button should take one of two approaches: relate to what your new subscribers are about to receive, or what action you want them to take.

Let’s talk about the first approach: making the copy relevant to what they’re about to receive. If you’re giving away a free ebook for subscribing, for example, your CTA button could say, “Send me my ebook!”

It’s tempting to try to entice people with offers of “free” stuff. But sometimes using the word “free” isn’t always better. Be sure to test this against something that doesn’t use the word “free.” (More on split testing later in this post.)

Now let’s look at the second approach: making the copy relevant to what action you want your would-be subscriber to take. There seems to be a negative stigma around using the phrase “Click Here” or something similar. However, in many instances, the phrase continues to outperform its counterpart.

In fact, CopyBlogger tested this approach and found that using “Click to continue” produces a click-through rate of 8.53 percent while “Continue to article” only produced a click-through rate of 3.3 percent.

First-Person Language

Using first-person language, such as “me” and “my,” can help your subscribers feel a sense of ownership of your offer. Since it makes it seem as though the incentive you created was made specifically for them, it can increase the chance that they will sign up.

Our own tests at AWeber have found that using first-person possessive words like “my” and “me” is an effective way to increase conversions. In one case, using possessive language on a CTA button increased clicks by 90 percent!

Oli Gardner from Unbounce also found this to be the case in a test he ran: “Get my free ebook” versus “Get your free ebook.” The CTA with the word “my” resulted in a 12.76 percent click-through rate, and the one with “your” produced a 8.85 percent click-through rate.

Urgency

There are several ways to create urgency with your potential subscribers. Offering something for a short amount of time or creating scarcity with a limited supply can be a great motivator for action. Yes, FOMO (or fear of missing out) is real, and it’s powerful.

So if you’re offering a webinar or a course, stress that there are limited seats in your CTA button to increase the feeling of urgency. Or if you’re offering a discount or special pricing on a product, emphasize the limited-time nature of your offer.

Exclusivity

You know that feeling you get when you go somewhere for the first time and everyone treats you like royalty? Feels pretty good, huh? First-timer offers or deals are a great way to motivate potential subscribers to sign up – and get a taste of what your business is all about.

To add exclusivity in your CTA, try including a special offer for new subscribers.

Examples of effective sign up form CTAs.

With those critical elements of an effective sign up form CTA in mind, let’s have some fun by dissecting a handful of sign up from CTAs to see these principles in action.

TOMS

The first example of an effective sign up form CTA comes from TOMS. Most people know TOMS for their philanthropic, giving nature: for every product you buy, they help a person in need (which they refer to as their One for One program).

When you first visit their website, you’re presented with this pop up form, offering you 10 percent off your next purchase when you subscribe to their email list:

What makes this sign up form CTA so effective?

There’s a lot to like about this sign up form, but we’ll specifically look at the CTA button, since that’s what this blog post is all about. Let’s run through our checklist to see what stands out about this CTA button:

Size: The button itself is very large and the text is done in all caps giving it an even larger appearance. There’s no way you can miss it.

Length: They kept the text to 17 characters, well below the 40 character goal.

Voice/Tone: The voice and tone TOMS is going for here is inspirational, which aligns very well with their brand and philanthropic efforts.

Color: Green FTW!

Descriptive language: While the CTA copy doesn’t specifically reflect the 10 percent discount you’re getting by subscribing, I think by focusing on the TOMS cause, they’re encouraging their subscribers to become part of something bigger. Being part of a cause while saving on some TOMS shoes gives you a pretty nice feeling, doesn’t it?

Exclusivity: Notice how the discount is given to those who make their first purchase. This is a great way to entice visitors who might be on the fence about buying to just go for it.

Marie Forleo

The next CTA example comes from entrepreneur and author Marie Forleo, whose website is dedicated to helping people become who they most want to be.

Marie offers her website visitors a free audio training to help you learn some simple ways to accomplish your dreams. Let’s check out the CTA:

What makes this sign up form CTA so effective?

Marie’s doing a lot of things right with her CTA, so let’s break it down:

Size: Even though the size of the CTA isn’t as large as other CTAs I’ve seen, it is still easy to spot and click (or touch on a mobile device).

Length: She kept her CTA length nice and short at 10 characters.

Color: While she’s not using one of the better-performing colors (according to industry best practices), her CTA does have good contrast against the lighter background and aligns well to the branding on her website.

Urgency: Although there’s no limited time or availability with what Marie is offering, she creates a sense of urgency by using the word “now” in her CTA.

Nerd Fitness

Next up is Steve at Nerd Fitness, a website dedicated to helping “desk jockeys, nerds and Average Joes” (sounds a little like me :)) get healthier and fitter and feel better about themselves.

One of the many resources Steve offers his website visitors is a free ebook called 15 Mistakes Newbies Make When Trying to Get Healthy.

What makes this sign up form CTA so effective?

I really love how well his sign up form matches his website design and brand. Let’s take a look at his sign up form CTA and see what’s working:

Size: The button itself is small, but on mobile it is actually easy to touch on the screen.

Length: At only seven characters, this is by far one of the shortest CTAs I’ve ever seen.

Voice/Tone: Although it’s short, the CTA copy reflects his voice and tone, and speaks to his ideal audience.

Color: While it aligns well with the branding of his website, there’s not enough contrast between the button and the background, making it hard to see for the website visitor.

First-person: Great use of first-person language.

Exclusivity: Using the phrase “I’m in!” creates a sense of belonging, like you’re now part of an exclusive VIP group.

Not Your Average Runner

And finally let’s look at Jill from Not Your Average Runner, a website that provides women with training and resources to start or improve their running so they can feel good and stay in shape. (By the way, you can see more of Jill’s story and how she grows her business here.)

Jill offers her website visitors a free 6-week training plan to help them get started with running:

What makes this sign up form CTA so effective?

Let’s have a look at what makes Jill’s sign up form CTA so good:

Size: First off, the CTA is large and noticeable. You can’t miss it!

Length: She stays within the ideal length with 30 characters.

Voice/Tone: The voice and tone she uses reflects her own personality, and is perfect for her ideal audience.

Color: This CTA certainly pops, and that’s because she the pink button against the white background adds good contrast. Plus, it matches the overall branding of her website.

Descriptive language: You know exactly what’s going to happen when you click the CTA button.

First-person: She incorporates “my” into her CTA copy to help her subscribers feel ownership of the training plan they’ll receive.

Split testing for greatness.

With any of these elements I’ve covered, it’s important to test them. After all, what works for one marketer may not work for another. You never know if you’re using the most effective approach unless you’re testing it.

To help you do so, here are 10 case studies of split tests marketers ran, as well as our guide to split testing your sign up forms.

Start creating effective sign up forms.

Don’t take shortcuts when it comes to your sign up form CTA. Be sure to apply the principles outlined above and you’ll start seeing your email list grow in no time.

Also, be sure to check out our eight ways to improve your call-to-action copy to get more subscribers.

What have you done with your sign up form CTA that have worked for you? Share in the comments below!

The post How to Create a Winning CTA on Your Sign Up Form appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.

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