How to Prepare Your Website and Business for a Digital Advertising Campaign

Internet advertising isn’t all graphic design and keyword research, as important as those things may be. Sometimes online advertising methods look like neatening up your site’s layout, tracking numbers and figures, and similar prep work. Check out our steps below so that your site is up to snuff before launching your big ad campaign!

Step One: Optimize That Landing Page

Your landing page is what appears to customers in response to a search engine optimized result. In plain English, it’s your customer’s starting point, the first glimpse they get of your website, and sometimes your brand. Landing pages aren’t necessarily the same thing as home pages, but there’s often overlap.

Point being? First impressions matter, especially when preparing your site for digital advertising. If you want to amp up those conversions, you need to make that first impression count.

Keep it Simple

We’ve discussed this in previous posts, but when in doubt, simplify your landing page. Navigating your site should be a straightforward experience, especially for first-time users. Are links easy to locate? Have you clearly stated your brand’s mission, your CTA(s), or what your business does that no one else can? Consider removing pop-up ads (unless they are indeed useful), dead links, gratuitous buttons and graphics, and so on.

Ensure it’s Mobile-Friendly

A staggering 86% of the top landing pages are optimized for mobile—emphasis on the word top. Customers don’t have the patience for non-responsive sites, oversized images, tiny text, or any other problems that come with a non-mobile-friendly site. Your customers will be more receptive to your digital advertising campaign if they can easily access it on their phones as well as their PC.

Step Two: Track the Impact of Ads

The last thing any of us would want to discover is that our hard-earned advertising budgets were being funneled away on a failed campaign. That’s why it’s essential to track the ads’ success at all stages of your marketing plan.

Get Organized

Look, we get it. Tracking ads can be arduous, especially when you have to do it weekly or even daily. But a wise man once said, “your habits will determine your future.” Your future being, in this case, the success of your business.

We recommend setting reminders in your content calendar to review the stats of your ad campaign regularly. Determine what’s working well and what needs improvement. Whenever possible, point to specific numbers and percentages to back up your claims. Better to find out that one aspect of your campaign isn’t going according to plan early on instead of halfway through the year. Or, worse yet, after the campaign is already over and done with.

Track Your Success on a Variety of Channels

Okay, we admit it, telling you to “check up on your campaign” regularly is pretty vague. What do we mean by that, exactly? Where exactly should you be checking?

The short answer? If it can be monitored, and if it’s a means by which customers hear about or get in contact with your business, track it! We’re talking about conversion tracking on Google AdWords and Facebook Ads, as well as CRM and KPI tracking. Heck, we’re even talking about tracking incoming phone calls. 

Now, wait a minute—phone calls? That’s right; those customers hear about you from somewhere before they call you, don’t they? So ask them where they heard about you! Was it from a Facebook ad? Or perhaps a Google one? Feedback like this will help you figure out where most of your ad budget should be going. And if you forget to ask, don’t worry. Phone tracking systems like Dynamic Number Insertion assign different numbers based on the source of the call. In other words, you can see what site a customer is calling from without actually asking the question.

Step Three: Ensure You Can Handle the Surge in Leads

We don’t typically think of sites being unable to handle heavy traffic these days. After all, this isn’t 1997! An influx of guests isn’t going to mess with page load times, is it? Well . . . yes, unfortunately, this can still happen, even in the year 2020.

We discussed keeping things simple in Step One, and the same applies here. Optimize file and image sizes, cache heavily, and anything else that will minimize lagging. And speaking of “tracking the impact,” it pays to monitor what times of day, and in response to which ads, traffic surges. That way, you can prepare yourself for those spikes when they’re most likely to occur.

Remember, as frustrating as slow load times and increased traffic can be, they’re actually a blessing in disguise. Your business is booming, and your ads are, indeed, effective! If those aren’t reasons to be proud, we don’t know what are.

Partner With Snap, Your Internet Advertising Guide

Need to create a knockout ad campaign? No problem! We’ll set you on the right path for crafting landing pages, regularly monitoring analytics, and preparing for hiccups such as surges in traffic. For a full rundown of our digital advertising services, shoot us a message. We can’t wait to hear from you.

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Local SEO for Lawyers and Attorneys

Law firms need visibility just like any other business, no surprise there! And for many, that means local SEO. This is not as simple as inserting the right keywords; SEO for lawyers means staying up-to-date on Google My Business, local ads, and similar cutting-edge SEO tactics. Without further ado, let’s examine some of these tactics more closely and see how attorneys can incorporate them into their practices.

Google My Business

We’re not exaggerating when we say we love Google My Business. A one-stop shop for your company address, contact info, and a link to your homepage is ideal for boosting a law firm’s visibility quickly. Google My Business listings are also perfect for pairing with local SEO.

We’ve discussed programs like Google Search Console before, which help companies research and choose the best matches for keywords and keyword phrases. Once your law firm has conducted a little keyword research, you can pop said keywords right into your Google My Business post.

Let’s say, for example, that your law firm operates in Minneapolis, and standard search phrases include “best attorneys in Minneapolis, MN” and “Twin Cities professional law firm.” Does your Google My Business description include these phrases? Do FAQs, or answers to customer queries on your GMB listing, have them? It’s all about honing in on what your customers care about and search for the most—and directly addressing those points or queries.

Voice Search

Back in the days of yore, Siri or Alexa’s voice search was for asking silly questions with equally irreverent answers. Nowadays, voice search is a powerful marketing tool on mobile and personal computers alike.

Consider that 58% of people have used voice search to get info about a local business. You know how it is: you’re driving around in search of a fantastic professional service near you, and you ask Siri to find something within driving range. The same happens with attorneys; it’s more convenient to find a skilled lawyer in your area than drive miles out of your way.

Point being? Tailor your local SEO for voice search! One way to do this is by incorporating SEO keywords into featured snippets. These are the boxes of larger text you typically see at the top of a Google search, and they exist to answer the user’s question immediately. Over 40% of voice search answers come from these magical “answer boxes,” so remember that when writing content. While you can’t ensure you’ll be featured in a snippet yourself, structuring your writing as short answers to specific queries will boost your likelihood of that happening. For example, one of your FAQs could look a little something like this:

Q: “Who are the top local criminal law firms in Minneapolis, MN?”

A: “[Your Business Here] is a top local criminal law firm in Minneapolis, MN. We specialize in…”

See what we mean? Easy as pie.

Local Ads

There’s truly nothing like a good old-fashioned digital ad. And to be completely frank, that can mean so many things for a local law firm. Maybe that means partnering with a local influencer, or creating ads that reference specific locations in your metropolitan area. It could also mean brushing up on your knowledge of geofencing and developing ads that appear to users within certain pre-ordained geographic boundaries. This could simply be some thorough keyword research and incorporating those top search terms into your Google Maps Ad campaign. With SEO for lawyers, “local ads” sure does sound like a catch-all term, but we prefer to think of it as room to explore and innovate.

The (New) Google Screened

If you’re a professional service firm (*cough, cough* such as a law office), you should know about the all-new Google Screened! It’s sort of like being “verified” on Instagram, but for local businesses. Google Screened for lawyers means an extensive background and license check to make sure you’re the real deal. If you pass the test, you earn a green checkmark next to your business’s name. And if your client is caught between a local attorney with that green checkmark and an attorney without one, which one seems more reputable?

So what are you waiting for? Get your law firm verified on Google Screened before the market becomes oversaturated with those green checkmarks. It’ll do wonders for your business—especially if you act quickly. 

Snap: Spotlight on Local SEO for Lawyers

Local SEO for lawyers can be challenging; we get it. Standing out among the competition is hard enough, even without being held to such high professional standards. Luckily, here at Snap, we have a strong eye for detail and the latest and greatest SEO trends. For help navigating attorney marketing and the professional service landscape, we’re here to help. Give us a call today.

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Google Ads to Begin Testing Images in Ads

Google has always wanted to be the most popular and effective search engine out there, and we can’t help but admire their ambition. But staying the biggest and best means rolling out new features to keep customers happy and the site running smoothly.

The same goes for Google Ads. If you’re up to date on advertising and digital marketing trends, you may have seen Google throwing around terms like “responsive search ads” and “Google Search image ads” before. And no, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill Google image searches or sidebar ads, even if the phrases do sound similar. The development is a bit bigger than that, so let’s examine just what Google means by “testing images in responsive search ads.” Buckle up; there’s a lot to unpack.

First of All, What Are Responsive Search Ads?

What does a traditional search ad look like? Static headlines with equally unmoveable text are probably what come to mind. Marketing experts craft the ad, and the finished product appears the same way to anyone who makes a relevant search.

But what if you could mix and match headlines to narrow in on your demographic? With responsive search ads, you’ll be able to enter multiple headlines and bodies of text from the get-go. Google Ads tests different combinations of headlines and text bodies to see which are the most effective to audiences.

For example, let’s say that you’ve created several headlines and text bodies—we’ll have letters represent headlines and numbers mean the text. For some audiences, Google would use the header “A” with text body “1.” On others, “A” may be paired with text bodies 2, 3, or 4. Bodies 1, 2, 3, and 4 could instead be paired with the headers B, C, and D you’ve created. Mind-blowing, huh? At the end of the day, it’s all about adapting your message to your audience and figuring out which ad combos (ahem, which responsive search ads) perform best. It’s on you, the creator, to come up with eye-catching headers and text bodies, but Google does the shuffling for you. The more options you provide, the more Google has to work with and test out.

Clearly, this is search engine optimization at its finest, even though responsive search ads are still pretty new territory. But what if we told you that, on top of these flexible ads, Google was adding images to them, too?

What Will Responsive Google Search Image Ads Look Like?

As crucial as the right keywords and keyword combos are in SEO, we’re still a visually-oriented species. This means that even if your search ads appear in response to the right keywords, your customer’s eye won’t necessarily gravitate toward your ad. Don’t get us wrong, positioning your ad right at the top of the search results gives you some major clout. But images can provide ads with that little extra push to pique a customer’s interest and get them clicking through to your site.

Let’s say, for example, that you’re a high-end bridal shop. Your customer is in search of a snazzy three-piece suit for their friend’s wedding. Pairing an image of a sharply-dressed model with your search ad is sure to catch their eye. In the case that your business sells more than just three-piece suits, you’ll want to prepare different headers, text, and of course, different images in response to those customers’ queries. Sure, you’re still advertising the same business, but you’re highlighting other aspects of that business for other customers. The bride of said wedding, for example, would probably rather see the image of a wedding dress, paired with subtly different text, than the wedding guests. Make sense?

Benefits of Images in Google Ads

There are all sorts of perks in this new development, many of which will only become evident over time. We’ve compiled a list of the benefits of images in Google Ads below; go on, give it a look!

• The ability to emphasize time-sensitive deals
• Grabbing the attention of a 65% visually-oriented population
• Even greater ad variety keeps potential customers engaged
• Honing in even further on the right demographic by curating images as well as text
• Images breathe life and authenticity into what could quickly become just a bunch of shuffling headers and text bodies

And that’s just the beginning! As Google continues to roll this feature out, we’ll have even greater insight into how images interact with responsive search ads. It’s difficult to say just yet, but we can’t imagine this development being anything other than successful.

What Other Elements Can We Predict for Google Ads?

Again, we don’t want to do too much predicting without substantial evidence, but we’re 99.9% sure we’ll see an uptick in personalized, image-centric ads in the future. Clearly, Google is having some fun with responsive search ads as a whole, so we’ll be keeping an eye on those to see what gets added, tweaked, or removed from this feature entirely. We’re excited to ride the wave of change as Google Ads rolls it out from under us.

Your Business + Snap: An Image We’d Love to See

Want to stay up to date on ad trends like this one? Want some help preparing those headline and text body combos—and finding the most visually striking images to match? Well, you’re in luck, because that’s what we here at Snap do best. What are you waiting for? Message us today; let’s stay on top of the trends together.

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3 Types of Email Campaigns and When to Use Them

We’re always on the hunt for the latest and greatest email marketing strategy. And why, you may ask? Because email marketing is effective. Whether you’re a local mom-and-pop business or a corporate entity, email campaigns reach target audiences in personalized, cost-effective ways. Not to mention that you connect with 2.6 billion potential customers in the process.

Let’s explore further some of the most effective email campaigns and when to use them. Can you identify which technique(s) would be the best for your business going forward? (Hint: it’s likely more than one, if not all of the above.)

1. Remarketing Email Campaigns

At its core, remarketing is the process of following up with customers who browsed your site but didn’t make a purchase. It’s all about reintroducing and re-attracting visitors who may have been on the fence about making a purchase before, and turning them into repeat customers. Ever heard the phrase “second time’s the charm?” (well, okay, it’s typically the “third time,” but you know what we mean). Sometimes all it takes to convert a customer is repeating the same info, while wrapping that info in new, pretty packaging.

What does this email repackaging look like, exactly? That’s up to you! If you want to keep it simple, you may send out the same, catch-all ads with different pictures, email-exclusive deals, customer testimonials, or wording. We suggest taking it one step further and tailoring your remarketed emails toward individual demographics and search habits. What if the email featured the exact item that the customer had been eyeing earlier? Or if it included a “picked just for you” section with items geared toward that customer’s demographics (age, gender, occupation, or income bracket)? Your possibilities are endless.

2. Abandoned Cart Emails

Technically, abandoned cart emails should be filed under the “remarketing” header, but they’re such effective email campaign examples that they warrant their own section.

Let’s put it in perspective: there are many reasons a customer might close out of your site with items in their virtual shopping cart. Never fear, not all of them need be bad—maybe their web browser glitched, or the customer got distracted by something IRL. Have you ever been in the situation where you spotted that life-changing product, told yourself, “I’ll look back at it later,” and forgotten the site or product name entirely? In those hair-pulling scenarios, abandoned cart emails ensure that that excellent find isn’t lost in the void of the internet forever.

But enough talk—what are these abandoned cart emails, specifically? They’re automated email reminders that customers have closed out of your site without purchasing the items in their cart. In email marketing strategy, we love a good gentle nudge—and in this case, that nudge might be just enough to get your customer saying, “You know what? Maybe I will buy that product, after all!” At the very least, it’ll keep your business on the customer’s radar.

Still not swayed? In a recent study of 41 businesses, carts were abandoned at a rate of nearly 70%. Yikes, right? Those stats jump even higher for mobile purchases, where it’s easier to “X” out of a tab on a moment’s notice. Thankfully, abandoned cart emails convert, on average, 10-20% of customers, those stats again being higher for mobile sales. And that’s quite the difference.

3. Drip Email Campaigns

You’ve probably heard of drip marketing, but you might not even realize it. It’s the practice of sending “drips,” which are pre-written sets of messages to customers over time. They’re most prevalent in email marketing, especially for companies with an extensive buyer list who want to reach many people quickly.

Although they’re automated, drip emails aren’t sent out simultaneously, with the same phrases, to every customer. Words or phrases are often adjusted to fit the shopper’s demographic, purchase habits, and specific behaviors. You, the company, have a slew of automated emails at the ready that are tweaked to fit your customer’s unique profile.

Now, drip campaigns may sound intimidating, especially with all the subtle adjustments that need to happen. Don’t worry, sites like MailChimp are already designed to make the process an easy one. You’ll want to conduct some demographic research in tandem with such platforms, though.

One last thing—send emails with triggers! These are specific actions the customer must take to receive emails. A common example is a post-purchase confirmation email; bonus points if you recommend similar items in the process. Other examples include subscription renewals and sign-ups for more info, or better deals on future products. A good, old fashioned call to action on a drip campaign has been shown to boost clicks up to 371%. And that’s quite the leap.

Snap: Email Campaigns Made Simple

We take pride in our email campaigns here at Snap. We’re committed to paving the way in email marketing, whether you’re conducting a drip campaign, remarketing strategy, or something else. Join us to be paired with the best email marketing techniques for your business—and straightforward ways to implement them.

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SMEs: The Key to Strengthening Your Content

If you work in a professional service sector, you’ve probably heard the term “subject matter expert” or “SME” before. What you may not have known is that SMEs are one of the strongest ways to strengthen your content, particularly in marketing. They boost the quality of a piece by lending their expertise—and if you can cite them or get them to share your work, even better.

But hold up, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First, let’s cover our bases and examine just what an SME is, and why they matter so much.

What is the Role of the SME?

The role of the SME is one of authority. That’s a pretty broad description, but we’re completely serious. Wikipedia’s definition of SME is literally “a person who is an authority in a particular area or topic.”

In professional services, it makes sense that you’d have an SME on hand. We wouldn’t trust our medical practitioners, accountants, lawyers, etc. unless they were authorities in their fields, would we? Whether they’re offering data-driven insights, contributing to written or visual content, or simply lending you a quote, SMEs are invaluable people to have in your corner. 

In Digital Marketing, What Kinds of People Are SMEs?

The term “SME” may cover quite a bit of territory, but there are several traits that make SMEs stand out in online marketing. Let’s break those traits down:

SMEs Are Detail-Oriented

As thought leaders in their industry, SMEs won’t overlook the crucial details. Whether you’re developing a long-term content strategy, writing technical pieces, or analyzing this quarter’s SEO data, SMEs have your back.

Make note, however, that technical SMEs and marketers will not necessarily be the same people. Take written content, for example. The SME’s keen eye for detail may contribute to the content, but someone else may be doing the writing itself so that it appeals to a wider audience. If you have an SME on hand who doubles as a digital marketer, fantastic! If not, we can’t recommend tag-teaming it highly enough.

SMEs Can See the Big Picture

This may sound contradictory given our last point, but it’s that combination of attention to detail and a big-picture focus that brings an SME’s vision to life.

The “big picture” can look very different for each company. For some, it’s developing that content strategy out one, two, three years ahead. For others, it’s setting clear goals for conversions through likes, shares, and other forms of audience engagement. You’ll want to identify your goals, broadly speaking, before calling in an SME—and then further refine those goals once you’ve heard your SME’s insights.

SMEs Are Thought Leaders

We used this term earlier, and no, it’s not just some pretentious turn of phrase. What makes a good subject matter expert is that they know both the here-and-now of their chosen topic and can also make predictions about that industry’s future. This is especially important in marketing, where we constantly have to make projections about how well a campaign will do. In other words, SMEs have the prior knowledge and the confidence to say, “Yes, that plan will prove profitable, and here’s why” or “No, based on X, that’s not a wise plan of action.”

How to Get an SME to Contribute to Your Content

SMEs can be either internal (i.e., from your product or sales team) or external industry experts. In both cases, once you’ve reached out and shared your vision with an SME, there are multiple routes you can go to gain their contribution:

Have Them On Stand-By to Offer Their Expert Opinion

We touched on this earlier—the bond between an SME and a content marketer (whether they be a writer, web designer, strategist, or something else) is like no other. How you decide to work together with your SME, though, is your choice entirely.

For many, SMEs perform the “behind the scenes” work. In recent years, however, we’ve seen an increase in SME appearances in live video content, like webinars and Instagram Live videos. Here they can field questions and talk up your brand with the statistics to back their claims up.

Ask Them to Share Your Work

What better way to boost credibility and increase reach than to have an SME share your content? This can go both ways: the SME can talk about your business on their site, or you can quote them on your page and provide a citation. We especially love SME quotes in short marketing content pieces. Think of how much more “oomph” an 800-word blog post or an at-a-glance infographic has with an expert’s opinion woven into it!

Snap: Award-Winning Digital Marketing SMEs

At Snap, we’re SMEs in the digital marketing field. (Well, the Fast 50 award we won this year for substantial company growth would certainly suggest so.) We’re constantly growing our business through SEO, web design, social media marketing, and more—so what are you waiting for? Come chat with our subject matter experts today!

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How to Choose the Right Platform to Advertise On

Where is the best place to advertise? It’s a question that keeps many brands up at night. It doesn’t help that there’s no one straight answer. A cursory, “where should I advertise?” Google search brings up thousands of conflicting results. It appears there are as many answers as there are brands.

When we answer this burning question with the phrase “it depends,” bear with us. There are countless platforms out there, yes, but there are several that, in our minds, rise to the top. Essentially, all platforms are suited to different goals. The key is to identify these goals strategically and work with the platform(s) best suited towards them.

Let’s look at some of the best digital platforms for advertising and break down what makes them great.

Google Ads

As you may already know, Google Ads is based on a bidding system, where advertisers get to display brief ads, product listings, videos, and so on. Those ads can appear in search engine results, non-search websites, mobile apps, and more, making their reach far and wide. It uses a pay-per-click (PPC) pricing model, which means that the ads you pay for appear in response to specific keywords and keyword combos. Whenever a user clicks your ad and is directed to your site, you pay a specific dollar amount.

Positives

Google Ads are best for those lower in the funnel stage of advertising. That may not make sense immediately, as this platform can be a tad pricey. However, the clicks are usually more targeted; you can ensure that your ads only appear at certain times of day, for example, or in response to a specific chain of keywords. It’s all about the balancing act: ensuring that your ads are, indeed, appearing to the right people, but that your advertising budget isn’t going to waste on random or conversion-less clicks.

Not only are the clicks more targeted, but businesses make, on average, double the revenue for every $1 they spend on Google Ads. Well, technically, it’s around 2 to 2.3 times their total expenditure, but Google took the modest approach in a recent report.

Drawbacks

The biggest drawback with Google Ads is, again, the expense, but don’t let that deter you! To continually optimize your PPC ad campaign (and protect your ad budget while you’re at it), you can regularly review keyword performance and keep an eye on your bidding budget.

Social Media

Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and even TikTok encourage content creation and sharing valuable product information. This is not the place for boring product manuals or technobabble (unless you can condense it into a nice video or infographic). It relies heavily on user-generated content to help individuals and businesses connect. If you’re looking to create a social media ad campaign, you’re in good company; there were over 3.8 billion social media users at the start of 2020. 3.8 billion—nearly half the world’s population!

Positives

Is your product visually appealing, or does your brand have a memorable aesthetic, whether in color scheme, company voice, or something else? Then social media is an excellent route to go. Even if your products and services aren’t exactly straightforward or glamorous (we’re looking at you, B2B businesses), social media helps boost user engagement by breaking your company down into digestible chunks. That could mean explaining products in bite-sized social media ads or giving those ads a cohesive color scheme for a visually-oriented public.

Not sure where to start? Instagram is one of our favorites, placing extra emphasis on visuals over text. What’s more, approximately 90% of users follow a business on the platform, meaning that IG users are already looking to hear from and interact with brands and ad campaigns.

Drawbacks

One of the most evident drawbacks of social media advertising is that it’s time-consuming. Tasks may include staying up on trends—or continually refining your brand’s voice, look, stance on important issues, etc. With social media and the world around us constantly changing, it pays to have an alert digital marketing team monitoring and tweaking your ad campaign when needed.

LinkedIn

Okay, we know that this technically should be filed under the “social media” category, but LinkedIn does function differently from the rest. It’s all about professional networking, so ads that recruit new employees, in addition to boosting brand awareness, tend to be the most successful.

Positives

LinkedIn offers effective targeted ad options, such as Sponsored InMail, that’s sent to other LinkedIn members. This allows companies to connect with those already interested in growing professionally, rather than spammers. There’s also Sponsored Content, which runs ads in users’ news feeds and Lead Gen forms. These techniques are worth a look; feed engagement has grown 50% in response to sponsored ads alone.

Drawbacks

As we talked about with Google Ads, LinkedIn advertising can come at a steep price. For many businesses, $5 or more per click isn’t a worthy investment. Moreover, many LinkedIn users are just job hunting, meaning they may not be receptive to your sales pitch. That’s why it pays (literally) to know your target audience and accommodate their needs.

Snap: Crafting Show-Stopping Ad Campaigns Since 2010

What constitutes the “best ad platform” is debatable, but thankfully, the “best digital marketing agency” is not. Okay, okay, we’re being facetious, but we really are great at what we do, and creating killer ad campaigns is no exception. Message us today to find out more.

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How to Organically Build Your Email List

What is one of the best ways to connect with customers and improve your conversion rates? A good old-fashioned email list, of course! On average, email marketing lists boost ROI an average of 38 times its original amount. The conclusion? Email lists work. (In fact, they work wonders.)

What’s the catch, then? Simply put, making a large email list quickly or organically isn’t always an intuitive process. So, without further ado, let’s examine some of the best, most creative methods for growing an email list that customers are delighted to be a part of.

Utilize Pop-Up Ads

We know what you’re thinking. Pop-up ads? Don’t customers find those really obnoxious? Well, yes, sometimes, if the pop-ups are distracting, repetitive, or irrelevant. When intentional and truly helpful, a little pushy salesmanship can go a long way, and can even lead to over 9% more conversions. That may not sound like a lot, but if we’re talking out of all the users who stumble across your site, it’s quite the leap.

Not only do pop-ups have a 100% view rate, but they also require users to engage. And if those users have to close out of the pop-up window anyway, they may as well plug their email and sign up for deals. 

We suggest only showing one major pop-up ad per customer—a new member discount, an email signup ad for return shoppers, etc. After all, pages with two or more pop-ups can come across as unrefined or, indeed, obnoxious to users.

Offer Specials in Exchange for Information

If you’ve decided to go the pop-up ad route, congrats, you’ve just combined two techniques in one! If pop-ups aren’t your thing, you can still encourage customers to join your email list by offering special perks in return. This often manifests in a tasteful sidebar web form of some sort, where customers can enter their contact info in exchange for sweet deals. In many cases, names, phone numbers, and addresses aren’t necessary—just that email address. This is an email marketing campaign, after all!

Again, these so-called “special offers” have to be worth your customers’ time. No one wants to sign up for email discounts to find they’re barely earning 5% back. Similarly, don’t bombard your customer with emails—two to three a week should do it, and even less than that if you’re marketing to an older crowd.

Administer Customer Surveys

Post-purchase email surveys are a great way to get inside customers’ heads and understand what they really think of your brand. Not to mention that 24.8% of customers respond to targeted surveys, which means you’re reaching a huge market. Imagine how much those numbers would increase if said surveys had some reward or incentive upon completion? From there, you can add your survey-taker to that ever-growing email list.

Not sure where to start? Platforms like MailChimp are designed precisely for such questionnaires. What are you waiting for? Connect with customers, get some feedback, and watch that email list grow.

Host a Virtual Event or Webinar

Is your product a tad complicated? In other words, could it benefit from a live demo or question and answer session? Webinars are just the way to do that. Besides which, they’re great for getting customers who were already curious about your brand to keep asking questions and requesting more info. Allowing your audience either before or after the webinar to submit their email for updates is a savvy way to build your list organically.

Encourage Discussion and Calls to Action on Blog Posts

Does your content warrant a regular blog post? Do you have questions prepared to ask your customers, whether they’re direct or open-ended? Whatever the case, a call to action (CTA) drives engagement and can be a useful tool in building an email list. For example, say that the customers couldn’t respond or join the conversation until they provided their email address?

Once you’ve got people subscribed to your list, keep the calls to action coming! A single CTA can boost clicks up to 371%. Essentially, the end goal is not merely to get customers to sign up for emails, but to keep them regularly engaging with them, too.

Are you worried about the comment section getting heated, but still want customers to engage with your blogs? Consider disabling comments but allowing users to subscribe (*cough, cough* by email) to your blog or newsletter instead. If you go this route, make sure your written content is riveting enough—or otherwise worth subscribing to in the first place!

Snap: Grass-Fed, Cage-Free Organic Email Marketing

At Snap Agency, we’re dedicated to helping your business build its email list in a natural and straightforward way. For help crafting stellar email marketing content, customer surveys, blog posts, and the like, come talk with us.

The post How to Organically Build Your Email List appeared first on Snap Agency.

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How to Use Infographics to Enhance Content and Earn Links

Infographics and other custom graphics are the keys to a successful content marketing strategy in 2020. Broadly speaking, they’re great for increasing your content’s visual appeal and utility, leading to a better user experience all-around. Today, we’ll break down some of the many reasons infographics are the future, and why you should start implementing them across your digital marketing strategy right away.

(We know what you’re thinking: “A blog post… about infographics? Not an infographic about infographics?” We know, we know. But blog posts paired with visuals deliver high on the UX front, too, so bear with us for now.)

What Are the Benefits of an Infographic Marketing Strategy?

Let’s examine some perks of infographic content—as well as the stats to back them up:

Eye-Catching Visuals Boost Engagement

You’ve probably heard that humans are more visually oriented, but is there any truth in it? The short answer: YES! Approximately 65% of the population are visual learners, as opposed to a mere 30% for auditory learners. This means that, yes, you’d be wise to incorporate some auditory media to go with your visuals now and again (product demos, anyone?). As far as infographics go, however, the emphasis should be on compelling, high-quality visual content.

When we talk about visuals, we don’t just mean black-and-white images. Your infographics should have pops of color as well; viewers are 80% more likely to pay attention and engage with info online if it has an eye-catching color palette. Keep in mind that vibrant colors placed willy-nilly still won’t cut it. Read up on color psychology and recall your brand’s color aesthetic to ensure you’re being deliberate with your design choices.

Captivating Infographics Increase UX Like Nobody’s Business

Okay, we know you love your brand, but a large part of that is already knowing it backward and forwards. The insight you’ve gained over time isn’t always apparent to the casual user. What if, heaven forbid, users actually found your product descriptions boring, and clicked away before they even got to learning anything about the brand itself? Hasta la vista, online leads.

Worry not, however, infographics are the answer. Breaking down complicated or snooze-worthy subject matter into digestible pieces will help you get your message across quickly and clearly. Your viewer is asking themselves, perhaps unconsciously, “why does this brand matter to me?” Being able to tell them exactly why it matters—in layman’s terms, no less!—is the key to their hearts. There’s a reason infographics are 30 times more likely to be read than your standard blog posts.

Infographics and Link-Building Are a Match Made in Heaven

Digital marketing is all about link-building, whether it be to internal posts or between fellow brands and influencers. Recent studies show that articles with infographics got nearly 180% more inbound links than other posts. Case in point, visuals get people clicking.

We work with many brands who wonder how to pair backlinks with infographics. In other words, do you have to be some sort of graphic design wizard, or fill your text to the brim with clickbait-style links? Well… no, not quite, and thank goodness for that.

For starters, you’ll want to ask yourself what kinds of resources your users would like to “learn more” about. Identify gaps in information on your site, create content to fill those gaps, and link them when relevant to keywords on your infographic. Have you ever fallen down the YouTube or Wikipedia rabbit hole? Your users will get to have that same experience, just on your site instead!

If you’re feeling ambitious, partner with other brands to get yourselves a mention across the web. Did you interview an authority on your brand? Link the quote back to their page on the infographic! Did you, in turn, provide a quote, stat, or endorsement for that partner’s page? Have them link back to you. It’s an age-old adage: scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.

Speaking of Backlinks, Don’t Overlook the Power of SEO!

We’ve talked at length in other blog posts about how backlinks and SEO work together. Essentially, SEO-friendly backlinks ensure that your site will rank well with Google. You can utilize this same tactic with infographics as well.

Boosting SEO on infographics is pretty similar to boosting SEO in blogs. You’ll need to research popular keywords and keyword phrases, then pop those into your infographic. To start, look up common customer search queries and answer them, perhaps while linking to another page on your site. Just remember, as always, to keep your answers concise. For help “cutting out the deadwood” in wordy infographics or getting minimalist in your writing style, consider pairing with a copywriter or digital marketing agency. Your words can still pack a punch and hit all the right keywords, even when you have fewer of them.

What Are You Waiting For? Start Your Infographic Strategy Today!

And how will you implement this strategy, you ask? By pairing with the marketing team at Snap, of course! We’ve got knowledgeable content strategists and graphic designers prepared to get your infographic campaign off to a great start. Talk with us to learn more.

The post How to Use Infographics to Enhance Content and Earn Links appeared first on Snap Agency.

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What Is OTT and CTV, and Why Should You Consider Advertising on It?

Can you remember a time before TV streaming services dominated the market? Neither can we. In fact, as of May 2020, 62% of adults in the United States were subscribed to some streaming service or other (Statista). That statistic is almost certain to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, while many of us are at home with time a-plenty to binge-watch our favorite shows.

If you’re in marketing, the takeaway here is that traditional TV advertising (i.e., basic cable and public ad slots) are nowhere near as effective as they used to be. While you can reach a specific geographic audience with traditional ads, it’s still much harder to narrow in on a target demographic than with OTT and CTV. These funky little acronyms hold the key to reaching precisely the right audience at precisely the right time. Let’s find out how this works.

OTT and CTV Advertising: The Basics

OTT stands for “over-the-top,” and no, in this case, it doesn’t refer to your eccentric neighbor or coworker. It’s a service used to stream digital content to a “connected TV” (CTV), which is a streaming device such as a smart TV, game console, HDMI stick, and so on.

What Are Some Examples of OTT Advertising Companies?

Here are some of the most popular OTT advertising companies. How many of the following do you already have installed on your connected TV device?

• Netflix
• Hulu
• Amazon Prime Video
• Sling TV
• Crackle

What Are Some Examples of CTV Devices?

OTT wouldn’t be complete without a CTV to match, so let’s review some popular connected TV devices, too.

• Roku
• Apple TV
• Amazon Fire TV Stick
• Chromecast
• X-Box
• PlayStation
• Wii U

How Does Advertising Work With OTT and CTV?

OTT and CTV advertising is online advertising that targets relevant audiences and content channels. You’ve seen it before, perhaps without fully realizing it—an ad break on Hulu that features a similar (or the exact) product you were researching earlier that day. Not everyone in your geographic area receives that same ad, even if they use the same CTV device as you. Unless, of course, you all have the same interests and search history at all times (but we’re going to assume that’s not the case).

Benefits of Investing in OTT and CTV Ads

Unsurprisingly, OTT and CTV-based ads are reshaping the digital marketing landscape. Here are just a few of the ways they are transforming this sphere for the better.

• They’re efficient. Given their ultra-targeted nature, OTT and CTV ads don’t waste valuable paid ad slots on the wrong target audience.
• They’re engaging. Relevant ads are less likely to lead to skips from exasperated users.
• They’re (sometimes) unskippable. Depending on the streaming service and the type of paid plan in use, some OTT ads must be consumed before the viewer can keep watching a program. While this may momentarily frustrate some users, it inevitably gets your brand on their radar.
• They’re data-driven. Readily available statistics make it that much easier for marketers to measure an ad’s success and demographic reach.

Ad Streaming: Frequently Asked Questions

Streaming may have been around since the early 1990s, but OTT and CTV advertising are still relatively new concepts. With that in mind, let’s answer some of your burning questions about this innovative digital marketing method.

What Is OTT Inventory?

As you may know, ad inventory is the amount of space available in the media for ads. This amount of ad space is, of course, finite. OTT inventory, then, is the amount of ad space available on an OTT platform.

OTT inventory typically means a 30-second ad slot, though some 15- and even 7-second inventory is available as well. The number of ads varies per platform; Hulu, for example, typically has three ads per half hour for a total of 5 minutes ad time.

How Do I Buy OTT Ads?

There are two main ways to buy an OTT or CTV ad: Guaranteed Insertion Orders and Data-Driven Programmatic. With Guaranteed Insertion Orders, buys have set prices and impressions, based on frequency, reach, and many other factors. Data-Driven Programmatic is based on a bidding environment, which doesn’t promise prices or impressions but does allow agencies and companies alike some amount of control.

Snap: Not Your Parents’ Advertising Techniques

Successful OTT advertising requires a well-defined creative strategy. Lucky for you, Snap is well-versed in just that, as well as all the up-and-coming digital marketing tactics that help brands target the right audience. Let’s chat and stay ahead of the curve together.

The post What Is OTT and CTV, and Why Should You Consider Advertising on It? appeared first on Snap Agency.

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How Much Does My Blog Really Matter to SEO?

For your average digital marketer, SEO is like clockwork. Conduct keyword research. Insert those keywords into a site’s written content. Appear at the top of the search results. Gain those long-awaited conversions. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Exemplary digital marketers, on the other hand, know that SEO is only deceptively easy. We say “deceptively” because plopping keywords and unique phrases into copy isn’t what will keep viewers on your page. Your content has to be readable and engaging, too. It needs to answer your target audience’s burning questions. When we ask ourselves, “how do I write SEO rich content?” the emphasis should be just as much on the “rich” as the “SEO.” And for many brands, that can be a tricky balance to achieve.

Don’t get us wrong; “how do I write an SEO friendly blog?” will always be a great question. We’ve talked extensively about it in other blog posts (here, here, and here, to name a few). Today we’ll shift gears a little and examine just how and what type of blogs bring in the most leads. If you haven’t started a company blog yet, or if your blogs are just barely hitting the once-a-month minimum, read on. Your copy may be in need of an extreme makeover.

Write Topics Based Not Only On Keywords, But Emerging Trends

The word “trending” can mean so many things nowadays, especially in internet marketing. Let’s review how to use trending topics to your advantage.

Trends Can Mean: The State of the World as We Know It

We’re sure you’ve caught on by now, but 2020 has been something of a case study in enormous, rapidly changing trends. COVID-19 has changed so much of what we search, with questions related to employment status, health and wellness, and quarantine hobbies at an all-time high. With that in mind, how can you tailor your blog posts and your SEO towards any of these trending topics? Maybe your brand wants to go bold and take a stance on a political trend. How can you incorporate your perspective, and the relevant SEO tactics, into your blog?

Trends Can Also Mean: Technical Topics, Like Google’s Ever-Changing Search Algorithm

Google loves changing its algorithm on us, which is why it’s crucial to stay on top of not only world events, but technical trends. For example, Google is preparing to focus on how user experience affects search rankings in the coming months. That means reviewing UX (and how it affects blogging and SEO) should be at the top of your priority list. And when the algorithm changes again? Keep on top of those trends, too.

SEO Success Stories That Generated Huge Leads 

Here at Snap, we’ve crafted some pretty successful SEO content. To prove it to you, let’s look at some of our top SEO case studies—and how our blog posts brought them that success.

Insite Packaging Automation

Insite wanted to introduce their case erectors and case sealers to a broader audience, and we helped them do so by answering some FAQs in blog form. Not only did we conduct SEO research to boost Insite’s visibility, but we also researched trending topics related to the secondary packaging industry. Examples of these included concerns over waste bans (and what they meant for secondary packaging), the increasingly-popular artsy packaging designs, and much more. By addressing user questions and trends, Insite brought clarity and simplicity back into the automated packaging experience. Now they’re reaching a wider audience than ever.

Elevate Living

Elevate wanted to increase leads on sites like ApartmentFinder.com by conducting data-driven SEO research and blog posts—and we were more than happy to oblige. We developed a whopping 37 unique campaigns for keyword targeting and demographic analysis to retarget users who’d seen their ads. Demographic research cued us into the millennial crowd that was apartment hunting, and the types of trends they were following that we could incorporate into blog posts. Such trending topics included summer event ideas, ways to stay happy and healthy, and how to connect with fellow residents. The combination of on-point SEO and exciting blog topics has helped Elevate Living appeal even further to a young adult crowd seeking upscale living.

Blogs Matter in SEO. Good Thing We’re an SEO Powerhouse.

Partner with Snap today and let us help you write on-trend blogs that optimize those search results like never before. There’s a bright future full of leads and conversions waiting for you. Connect with us to find out more about our unique SEO process—and the value it’ll bring to your business.

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Is Facebook Banning Political Ads?

Back in July, there were murmurings of a Facebook ad boycott on all political ads. Social media marketing for politics is always tricky to navigate, but what are the implications of banning political ads on Facebook in the first place? And what could it mean for your business? Moreover, how can you ensure that your political ads showcase your platform while still adhering to social media best practices?

What Is the Facebook Boycott?

Banning political ads on Facebook has been under discussion since last fall, but it really became a hot topic this past month. Given the political climate, Facebook considered banning ads specifically in the days leading up to the November election. The boycott push was compounded by the level of criticism Facebook has faced for allowing politicians to run false or misleading ads. Many wanted Facebook to remain neutral on such topics, and others suggested that “misleading information” in these ads was a slippery slope into “hate speech.”

To put it in perspective: Twitter banned political ads last year, but Facebook has yet to follow. According to Twitter’s CEO, political messages should “be earned, not bought.” Even Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has gone back and forth on whether his platform should take a page out of Twitter’s book.

What Was Facebook’s Ultimate Decision Regarding Political Ads?

There’s no easy answer to which political ads are “acceptable” or “correct,” which is one of the big reasons Zuckerberg vetoed the Facebook ban. After all, it’s unclear where the cutoff for a “political ad” even exists in the first place. For actual banned content, such as violence, there tends to be a clear indicator when it doesn’t fall within acceptable guidelines for a family-friendly platform. 

Political ads run such a gamut of topics—from immigration to women’s issues, LGBTQ+ rights, environmentalism, and more. Many of these subjects have become political, but they don’t necessarily endorse a single politician. However, we can’t ignore that these ads come from platforms and organizations with clear goals, whether you agree with them or not. After all, every business—even the nonpolitical ones—have an agenda of some sort.

Zuckerberg also cited how relevant political ads are to our country’s collective voice. Local candidates and other grassroots organizations, for example, are most likely not getting coverage in The Washington Post or People magazine. If we leave it up to big-name news outlets to decide what’s covered, these candidates could get lost in the sea of more prominent, vocal political platforms.

In short? No, as of now, political ads have not been banned on Facebook. However, if such ads do contain blatant hate speech, they will continue to be taken down. 

Social Media Marketing for Politics: Best Practices

If we’ve learned anything from the Facebook boycott, it’s that navigating digital marketing for politics is no easy task. In light of this, let’s review some of the best practices when launching political digital ad campaigns below:

1. Don’t Forget to Fact-Check

This may seem like a given, as the Internet age has made us all skeptics on some level. Still, a surprising number of people would be willing to believe an ad speaks the truth simply because it was paid for and run by a popular social media outlet. That’s not to say that you’d assume that “X Candidate is the Best” simply because an ad said so—we’re talking about the quotes and statistics run in those ads, as long as they sound legitimate enough.

When fact-checking your ads, double, triple, and quadruple check your sources. Hire a team of editors or arrange for an approval process before running your political ad. You owe it to your audience to share information responsibly. 

2. Ask Questions & Respond to Them

What better way to boost social engagement than by asking questions? We love a good Q&A for solidifying your current platform and swaying an undecided voter or two. You can share your organization’s beliefs and keep the social media emphasis on “social.”

If you want to appeal to a younger audience, consider hosting a Q&A on Instagram Live. After all, more than half of IG’s users are under the age of 34, which means you’ll capture the interest of millennials and Gen Z-ers alike. If you want to reach a more mature audience, Facebook and even LinkedIn are ideal platforms for your messaging. 

3. Emphasize the Positive (While Still Addressing the Real Issues)

Political tensions are through the roof these days. In fact, that anxiety is why it’s crucial to break up that partisan content with something a little more lighthearted now and again. If you’re a local candidate, this might mean sharing an inspiring local story that would warm an audience’s hearts, regardless of your political stance. Or what about a holiday post to bring communities together in celebration? Just be sure to maintain that fine balance by addressing the important issues, too. 

Navigate the Changing Political Tides With Snap Agency

We know firsthand just how challenging it can be to use digital marketing in politics. Fortunately, we’re well-versed in navigating these choppy waters. Whether you want to create a balanced social media content calendar, edit your facts and turns of phrase, host an Instagram Live, or something else, we can’t wait to help. Send us a message today, and we’ll get you started.

The post Is Facebook Banning Political Ads? appeared first on Snap Agency.

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Why Are Google Results Different for Every User on the Same Keyword?

Picture this: you and a friend are craving “the best bubble tea” in your area, so you both hop on Google to find such a place. You’re on your own mobile devices, yes, but the internet connection is the same, and so are the keywords. Somehow, though, you both get different Google search results. Maybe there’s a little overlap here and there, but for all intents and purposes, the best bubble tea for you is at a completely different location than your friend’s.

So what just happened? Are Google search results different for everyone? Does it have something to do with being on mobile? If so, why are mobile search results different? What does it all mean? Fear not, we’re here to solve the mystery for you.

Are Google Search Results Different for Everyone?

In a way, yes. Granted, someone with a very similar search history who lives in the same location as you may have similar results—but now we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Think about it this way: much like targeted ads are directly related to your location and search history, Google tailors its results to give you the most relevant, individualized experience that it can. Let’s break down some of the criteria Google examines when doing so.

User Location

If you were to search, say, “craft breweries in Minneapolis, Minnesota,” you’d wind up with dozens of choices (56, to be exact). Wouldn’t it make more sense to be paired up with the ones that are closest to you?

Google, the powerhouse that it is, now employs location-based targeting, which means you don’t even have to type in the location during your search to be matched with some great fits nearby. And we have both geofencing and geotargeting to thank for that. Geofences are virtual perimeters around real-life locations, such as school zones or neighborhoods, that show you what’s nearby without excluding a specific demographic. On the other hand, geotargeting offers a different personalized experience based on frequently-visited locations, age or gender demographics, and so on. You may be directed to a craft brewery closer to your apartment building with a fellow twentysomething crowd. At the same time, an older relative might be recommended a more laid-back location closer to their residential neighborhood.

Search History

Another way Google customizes your search results for you is with a tool called Google Personalization. It gives Google the ability to examine your previous 180 days of search history without being signed into your Google account. Essentially, it examines anonymous cookies in your browser to give you highly-curated results. It’s a little spooky, but it’s mostly awesome.

For example, let’s say that you’ve been scoping out digital Urban Outfitters ads this past month. Not buying anything, necessarily, but clicking on links and spending a lot of time on their online catalog. Maybe you’ve pinned a thing or two from the Google results to your Pinterest board. That sends a message to Google that, hey, you like Urban Outfitters an awful lot, and you would probably enjoy seeing more search listings from them. Makes sense, right?

If this is all feeling a little 1984-esque to you, don’t be alarmed. You always have the option to “Remove Web History Items” on your account’s dashboard. The same goes for if you don’t want your searches to become too personalized—i.e. if you seek genuinely new information or something entirely out of your comfort zone. Just remember that, at the end of the day, search history and SEO are there to make your life easier.

Why Are Mobile Search Results Different?

Mobile search results differ from user to user for several reasons. For one, you’re most likely carrying your phone with you when you leave the house, which results in some serious geotargeting. Your personal computer has a wealth of search history to examine, yes, but unless you’re toting it around with you at all times, the results may be subtly different from your mobile ones.

But what if you’re logged into the same Google account on all of your devices, you ask? This creates an even larger map of user data for Google to work with, adjusting those search parameters on all devices. You may be in the habit of searching for one of several things while on mobile, or on-the-go, that you wouldn’t on your PC or tablet. Or you may frequently string together different keywords with voice search on mobile that you wouldn’t anywhere else. Basically, Google takes a top-down approach by examining your search habits as a whole, then narrows in on patterns based on device, location, search method, etc.

Snap: Let’s Master the Google Search Algorithm Together

Maybe you’re a business that wants to better utilize geotargeting and geofencing. Maybe you want to conduct demographic research to further appeal to your current audience or rope in a new one. Maybe you’d just like a crash course on SEO and other digital marketing tactics. Much like Google search, we know each brand needs a different approach and a unique set of results. That’s where Snap is here to help, so go on, send us a message.

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Why Is Social Engagement So Important for B2B Businesses?

B2B marketing is already challenging as it is, but boosting social engagement for such companies on platforms like Twitter or Facebook? Is such an endeavor destined to fail before it even begins? Well, no, of course not. Read on as we break down why B2B businesses need to take advantage of social media channels if they want to drive customer satisfaction and grow online.

Why Is B2B Marketing So Difficult?

If you’re a B2B business, you already know that your products are complicated, or niche, or both. These aren’t items that fly directly off the shelves at your local Wal-Mart. Frequently, they’re software, technical machinery, or raw materials that either need to be refined or will help streamline an operation. Not exactly the stuff of flashy advertisements or trendy social media campaigns—or are they?

Another challenge with B2B marketing is that so many of these companies actively avoid using social media. You read that right—the very thing that helps generate interest in their product and starts conversations isn’t being used in the first place. And that’s a shame.

How Does Social Media Actively Boost Social Engagement?

Other than the fact that both phrases contain the word “social,” you mean? Let’s dive deeper.

Social Media Appeals to a Visually-Oriented Audience

Scientists believe that the majority of the population is visually-oriented. That being said, even your most industry-savvy B2B customers may have trouble scrolling through big blocks of text about your product now and again. Try switching up those informative articles on your website with colorful Instagram product demos or contests for other B2B companies on your Facebook page. This will be a welcome reprieve from all the dense reading these employees have to do every day.

Social Media Gets People Talking

User-generated content. Happy customers tagging your company in posts. The chance to read reviews and respond to them. Collaborations with influencers of a similar background to your audience. The list goes on. When we say “social media gets people talking,” that may be the greatest understatement of all time.

Social Media Is a Chance to Personify Your Brand

That’s right; you can have a little fun with your content now and then without sacrificing your brand’s values or mission. Though it can feel unnatural at first, viewers are far more likely to respond to social media channels with heaps of personality, creativity, and passion.

If your social media platform of choice does, in fact, make greater use of text (Twitter or LinkedIn, for example), this is your chance to curate your brand voice. Does your B2B company have a lighthearted, casual vibe? Or do you want to establish your brand as a cutting-edge industry authority with a confident, assertive written voice?

Text not your thing? Try a cohesive color scheme or familiar structure to your company videos on Facebook or Instagram. Keep in mind, however, that “cohesive” and “familiar” are not the same as “comfortable” and “boring.” Strike that balance between the brand familiarity your customers love and pushing the envelope, or you’ll be known as the B2B organization that is too afraid to take risks.

With Social Media, the Numbers Don’t Lie

More and more consumers and even businesses are turning to social media as a news source, rather than your typical news outlets. B2B companies, for one, are famous for conducting substantial research before investing in a product (those sales cycles are long, after all). And 84% of B2B executives do research through social media during this process. You’ve got your clients perusing social media anyway, so it only makes sense to meet them halfway!

How Can My Business Start Incorporating Social Media Today?

We won’t ask you to jump from never posting on social media to posting a full 40 hours a week. In fact, over 40% of businesses spend only six hours a week on social media marketing. In our opinion, that amount (and perhaps just a little more occasionally) is your sweet spot. We’re talking from an hour to an hour and a half each day. Easy as pie.

Point being, you can start small and work your way up. Here are some quick suggestions for getting your social media channels up and running.

Plan Out Your Posts in Advance

We’ve discussed at length in other blog posts how often you should post on each channel, so be sure to take a look at those tips. Once you’ve got a clear sense of how often to post, make decisions about content. Are you shooting for one video post on Facebook per week and one original infographic? Is your research telling you to host an Instagram live session somewhere between 1 and 5 p.m.? When in doubt, the combination of a content calendar and some statistical analysis will see you through.

Define and Track Your Goals

Again, your B2B social media strategy requires structure! Identify realistic metrics for your brand, and monitor your performance. Review your follower counts, conversions, and, of course, engagement rate. How many responses do you expect from customers on the open-ended questions you post, for example? How many answers to these posts are realistic for your brand, on average, in the first place?

Call in the Experts

That’s right! We’re talking social media influencers, B2B brand ambassadors, and—you guessed it—digital marketing professionals. We know all about social engagement and what really captivates your audience, and B2B clients are no exception. In fact, they’re our bread and butter!

If you want help tracking your social media goals, connecting with your demographic, or creating content that positively reflects your brand, Snap is here to help. Let’s start a conversation.

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