Tuesday, 5 December 2017

Everything You Need to Make the Best Google Remarketing Ads in MailChimp

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Monday, 4 December 2017

#SproutChat Calendar: Upcoming Topics for December 2017

The end of 2017 is upon us. To cap off the year, this month #SproutChat will be tackling everything from maintaining your social inbox to staying up to date with social and even how to put a webinar together.

Interested in a particular chat? Be sure to click the “Add to Calendar” button.

Wednesday, December 6: Getting to Inbox Zero

Getting to inbox zero can feel like an impossible task. In this week’s #SproutChat, we’ll chat about what inbox zero means to you, prioritizing messages in your inbox and best practices for productivity.

Add to Calendar: Apple   Google   Outlook   Outlook.com   Yahoo

Wednesday, December 13: How to Stay up to Date With Social Trends

As social media marketers, we all know the importance of staying up to date with trends and current affairs. With constantly changing algorithms and frequent updates on social platforms, you’ll want to keep up and know when and where to shift your strategy.

Add to Calendar: Apple   Google   Outlook   Outlook.com   Yahoo

Wednesday, December 20: The Ins & Outs of Webinars

Webinars can be a great way to reach a new audience and provide brand new leads for your sales team, but how exactly does a brand take on a webinar? We’ll chat about best practices, webinar tools and promoting your efforts on social.

Add to Calendar: Apple   Google   Outlook   Outlook.com   Yahoo

Wednesday, December 27: #SproutChat Holiday Party

During this week’s #SproutChat, we’ll be virtually toasting to the new year and participating in some Sprout Social trivia. Like any good party, there will be prizes so bring your Sprout fandom and your favorite GIFs.

Add to Calendar: Apple   Google   Outlook   Outlook.com   Yahoo

This post #SproutChat Calendar: Upcoming Topics for December 2017 originally appeared on Sprout Social.



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How to Optimize Your Facebook Advertising Strategy for 2018

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Friday, 1 December 2017

Becoming a Beloved Team Member: Taking the Initiative to Be Helpful

At Sprout Social, our engineering team works in small units called “squads.” Each engineering squad works very closely to one another as they tackle building our product together day in and day out.

Working with these teams, we’ve noted a few of the ways that team members become beloved assets to their squads. As we strive to create a merit-based culture, we pay close attention to individuals who go beyond offering empty gestures and take the steps to reaching solutions.

So what are some key differences that separate these folks from others? “They are helpful” is the obvious answer, but there can be a lot of nuance around “being helpful.”

To explain this, we’ve defined a spectrum of five levels to being helpful:

Level 1: Have Fun With That

Struggling teammate: This project is killing me. It’s way harder than I thought.
Bad teammate: Have fun with that.

The lowest level on our spectrum is responding to any team member needing assistance with cynicism. There’s a small amount of humor and sympathy shared, but ultimately it’s more important to offer a solution rather than leave them hanging with a feeling of futility.

Level 2: Let Me Know How I Can Help

Struggling teammate: This project is killing me. It’s way harder than I thought.
Mediocre teammate: Wow, interesting. Well, let me know how I can help.

Hearing folks say “let me know how I can help” to their peers is common, yet counterintuitive as it’s not actually helpful. That’s why this ranks low on our spectrum.

Although it feels productive to say to a coworker, “let me know how I can help,” in actuality you’re resigning to the low-probability they will take you up on it.

Some may say this as a genuine offer, but we’ve observed that it’s more often used as an empty gesture. It’s rare that this type of response is followed up and therefore not the most useful way to approach a struggling team member.

Level 3: What Can I Do to Help?

Struggling teammate: This project is killing me. It’s way harder than I thought.
OK teammate: Wow, interesting. What can I do to help?
Struggling teammate: Hmm. Thanks for asking. Maybe you can pair with me later to look at it together?

At first glance, this offer seems the same as the previous. However, the subtle wording adjustment and framing it as a question makes all the difference.

The question demonstrates genuine desire to help and seek information about how to actively help in the moment. Many team members will consider this question seriously and answer honestly.

That said, this is still not what we’d consider the ideal way to help your team. Many find it difficult to articulate how exactly they can be helped.

Level 4: “What If I ______ (Fill in the Blank)?

Struggling teammate: This project is killing me. It’s way harder than I thought.
Great teammate: I see. What if I took part of the project on for you?
Struggling teammate: That’d be awesome! You’re the best.

On the high end of our “helping your team” spectrum is offering a team member a specific way you can help them.

Let’s compare this method with the “let me know how I can help” from No. 2. The problem with saying “let me know how I can help” is that it leaves the burden of figuring out the best course of action on the individual that needs the help. They already have a lot on their plate, yet you’re asking them to figure out how you can get involved, which presents an additional effort to them.

In job interviews, there is a success principle: It’s not the company’s job to figure out how the candidate (i.e. you) may be a fit to the company based on your skills. Instead, it’s the candidate’s responsibility to figure out how you fit what the company needs and what problems the company is trying to solve.

If you’re interested in being viewed as a great asset to your team, take the initiative to figure out how you can help.

Level 5: Just Help, Without Seeking Recognition, Credit or Even Explicit Permission

Ideal teammate: You recognize a teammate is struggling with a project and proactively help push it forward.

We discussed how the previous method seeks permission and therefore causes cognitive burden to the person that needs help.

At Sprout Social, we sometimes use a metaphor, “mopping the floor when no one is watching,” to describe folks that help behind the scenes. We consider the pinnacle of helping your team as doing so “behind the scenes”—observing and empathizing with team members that need help, figuring out ways to be helpful and actively taking the steps to reach a solution.

This post Becoming a Beloved Team Member: Taking the Initiative to Be Helpful originally appeared on Sprout Social.



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#SproutChat Recap: Essential Tools for Community Managers

Communities vary from brand to brand. Some live strictly on social while others, like support-focused communities, commonly live on forums or private access sites. Whether or not the communities you manage live on social, it’s important to understand what tools and resources you’ll need to make your job a breeze.

In this week’s #SproutChat, we discussed the differences between a social media manager and community manager, tracking community metrics and significant differences in the types of communities amongst brands.

Similar, yet Different

While there may appear to be a ton of crossover between social media managers and community managers, there are key differences between the two roles. Social media managers are responsible for being the brand and brand voice on social, while community managers represent themselves on behalf of the brand.

Not All Communities Are the Same

Communities can range from advocacy to awareness to support. While they all have different objectives, it’s important to note that they all require consistent engagement from the start. Your communities may not be self sufficient from the get-go and can require a little TLC.

Track Metrics for Your Goals

As with anything in marketing, you’ll want to track key metrics in the community you manage. Define objectives that align with your organization’s overall goals. Work with teams or departments that overlap with your community and see if you can help them achieve any of their goals, as well.

These Skills Are a Must-Have

Every individual works differently, but there are some skills that every Community Manager will need to utilize at some point in their career. From excellent communication skills to empathy, you will be working with people on the daily so possessing certain skill sets can only help you along the way.

Be sure to join #SproutChat next Wednesday, December 3 at 2 p.m. CT, to chat about best practices for reaching inbox zero. Until then, join our Facebook group to connect with other folks in the industry.

This post #SproutChat Recap: Essential Tools for Community Managers originally appeared on Sprout Social.



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The Beginner’s Guide to Making Money with Email Marketing

make money email marketing

When it comes to making money online, the most powerful tool in your arsenal isn’t social media or SEO or paid search ads . . .  

It’s email.

Email marketing has the highest conversion rates of any marketing channel. In fact, sixty-six percent of online consumers made a purchase after receiving an email marketing message — which is more than social and direct mail, according to the Data & Marketing Association. And transactions from email are three times more profitable than those made on social media, reports the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

Want to start cashing in on the emails you’re sending out? Then follow these seven proven ways to monetize your email marketing.

How to monetize email marketing

1. Sell something!

Already have a product or service to sell? Awesome! Skip this section.

If not, this is your very first step. Find a physical or digital product or service to sell. Without a product to promote, it’ll be extremely difficult (dare I say, impossible) to make money with your email marketing efforts.

Not sure what to sell? Here are some ideas to get you started:

2.  Sell other people’s products

You don’t always have to sell your products or services to monetize email marketing. Instead, you can be an affiliate for other businesses' products or services. As an affiliate, you get commissions from a business to send traffic to their site and generate sales. 

Here’s an example of a great affiliate connection: An online business coach offers planning and operations advice to her clients. To help them turn her advice into reality, she recommends affiliate tools — like website hosting services and landing page providers — to serve her clients’ marketing and sales needs.

Many companies have affiliate programs you can join — like AWeber! You can sign up for our affiliate program here. 

One important note: Make sure you have a strong relationship with your subscribers and that you recommend products and services that clearly align with their interests. Otherwise, they may unsubscribe.

3. Upsell premium or exclusive products

In my opinion, one of the greatest opportunities for increasing revenue with email marketing is increasing your average transaction amount at the time of purchase a.k.a. upselling.

Say you’re a life coach. Your main product is an online monthly membership that includes access to a community of users, webinars and a database of resources.

A potential upsell: exclusive one-on-one coaching sessions. A participant can pick the topic they want you to focus on and ask questions they may not feel comfortable asking in a live webinar in a virtual room filled with other members. Many people will pay top dollar to get this individualized attention.

Or it can be much simpler than that. If you’re an online personal trainer, you could offer a free downloadable upper-body workout. When someone requests it, they receive an automated email with the download — plus an upsell to a comprehensive 12-week program that guarantees them results.

Here’s an example from the company Moo. The email tries to upsell customers on their new premium rounded corners feature.

[caption id="attachment_85800" align="aligncenter" width="680"]make money email marketing source: http://ift.tt/2AwXqfn]

4. Cross-sell related products

Every purchase a customer makes gives you insight into their likes and interests. You can use this info to entice them with other products they may also enjoy.

In fact, you probably have an email in your inbox right now that reads, “Because you bought this, you might be interested in this.” That’s because online shoppers who get targeted messages based on previous shopping decisions may be more likely to purchase again.

Here’s an example of a great cross-sell: A digital marketer offers a paid online course called “Learn How to Become a Master at Facebook Advertising.” Once a person completes the course, they're automatically sent an email that cross-sells another course — this time about Facebook video marketing.

I recommend sending an automated email with additional recommendations approximately one to three weeks after a customer’s initial purchase. It’s super easy to set up targeted, automated email sequences like these in AWeber. Give it a try! Create your FREE account today.

5. Get repeat purchases

Along the same lines as cross-selling, you may have a product or service that calls for repeat purchases. Sometimes a friendly reminder email is an effective way to keep bringing in a steady stream of sales.

This method to monetize email marketing works extremely well for businesses that rely on recurring, seasonal or perishable goods. For instance, a window cleaning service may email a client at the end of every season to remind them to schedule their next appointment.

Another tip: Throw in a coupon. Offering a person 15 percent off their next cleaning may give them the boost they need to book another session.

6. Have a cart abandonment plan

We’re all a bit forgetful, so it’s no surprise that buyers often get distracted or step away from a purchase because they weren’t ready to buy at that moment. But if you’re using an e-commerce platform like WooCommerce, you know what they left behind.

Now, you can automatically send highly relevant emails encouraging them to buy the product or service they were considering. Customers who received multiple abandoned shopping cart emails are 2.4 times more likely to complete the purchase than those who receive only one followup email, according to Experian. Try sending the first message one day after, a second message 48 hours after, and possibly a third message within three or four days of abandonment.

Keep cart abandonment emails short. It doesn’t hurt if you inject some humor or personality to catch the reader’s eye. Check out this example from the clothing company Chubbies.

[caption id="attachment_85801" align="aligncenter" width="667"]monetize email marketing Source: http://ift.tt/2AyX9ID]

And this example from the Dollar Shave Club that quickly reminds the person of all the benefits they’re missing out on by not joining.

[caption id="attachment_85802" align="aligncenter" width="680"]monetize email marketing Source: Really Good Emails[/caption]

You can even offer relevant information to help address questions or concerns they may have, or highlight your great customer service team. Many companies will throw in a discount to tempt you even further or create urgency with a limited-time offer.

7. Ask people to spread the love!

The last tactic I’ll write about is also one of the oldest marketing strategies: word of mouth!

According to a Nielsen report, 84 percent of consumers say they either completely or somewhat trust recommendations from family, colleagues, and friends about goods and services. That makes personal recommendations the highest ranked source for trustworthiness when it comes to making a purchase.  

So if you have an engaged, loyal customer base, send emails encouraging them to recommend your products and services to their friends and acquaintances. You can also go a bit further by asking them to give you positive online reviews and to “like” and share your social feeds.

Think about implementing referral links to incentivize your subscribers to spread awareness about your brand, too. Referral links allow your current customers to promote trackable links for your business. In exchange for sending new paying customers your way, you can give them incentives like discounts, coupons, vouchers, cash, prizes or redeemable points.

How to close the sale with email

While all of these tactics are excellent ways to make money using email marketing, they’ll most likely fall flat without some killer email copy or content to win over your potential buyers. Check out our FREE What to Write course. You'll learn how to craft the perfect email for every layer of your funnel, and get 45+ email content templates to copy and paste. 

Now it’s your turn. How are you using email marketing to sell your products or services?

The post The Beginner’s Guide to Making Money with Email Marketing appeared first on Email Marketing Tips.



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Reddit uses its front page to fight for net neutrality


Reddit is today joining the discussion about net neutrality, as most of the front page is plastered with posts and ads about saving the “free and open internet.” You might have noticed something a little different about Reddit this morning. We're running #NetNeutrality ads across our site to raise awareness for the fight to save the free and open internet. Share your story and see what you can do here: https://t.co/6ONXZaQY8a http://pic.twitter.com/FMZi2dBfl3 — Reddit (@reddit) December 1, 2017 Along with a series of posts about various US government officials and ads about the topic, the Reddit logo appears to load…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Reddit

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