digital marketing – Speedflow Bulgaria

Facebook or Instagram what is better for my business?

Hristo — Mon, 03 Dec 2018 13:09:51 +0000

Very often, our customers are asking us about their strategy for marketing on social networks:

“Where to focus my efforts – on Facebook or Instagram. Which would do a better job for my business purposes?”

This is a very interesting question and we are sure that you have been asking it yourself too. The truth is that there is no universal formula, and it all depends directly on your business niche and the goals you have set.

Today we will give you some hints and insights to help you (hopefully) make the right choice for your particular business case.

Instagram advantages

A leader in users’ engagement

Instagram is a social network for sharing photos and short videos. And that’s exactly its strongest side. Consumers respond much better to visual content than to text-only, easier to remember, easier to associate with, more likely to interact with the brand. And Instagram offers just that. This is the platform with the highest percentage of user engagement. Posts in Instagram have a lot more “likes”, outperforming both Facebook and Twitter. For example, the average number of “likes” that a post on Victoria’s Secret on Facebook gets is [2,078], and on Instagram [283,030]!

The power of the #Hashtag

Instagram allows much faster and easier access to a new audience. This is possible thanks to the use of hashtags along with the posts. Facebook also allows the use of tags, but the extent of their influence on Instagram is much greater. A photo posted with hashtag in the description will be seen even by people who are not your followers. They may like it, comment, even look at your profile. And if they find what they are looking for, they can follow you. At the same time, in order for your Facebook post to be seen by someone who does not follow your page, you need to advertise your content.

Уounger audience

You must be aware of Instagram demographic data so you can properly build your strategy and produce effective content. Considering that 59% of social network users are between 18-29 years of age, Instagram is a “must-see” place for brand positioning and attracting the attention of young potential customers.

Influencers

Influencers are well-known individuals among the broad audience which make collaborations with big brands and advertise their products among their followers. About 80% of Influencers choose Instagram as a platform to make these promotions. Influencer marketing is a great way to boost sales growth. Allows you to reach thousands of new people in an elegant way.

What are the most frequently asked questions we get about Instagram, you can read them here.

Facebook advantages

The Phenomenon of Sharing

Here is one of the biggest benefits of Facebook in front of Instagram. Facebook is a social network for sharing content of all kinds.

You like the video – you share it!
You like an article – you share it!
You like a photo – you share it!

This is the idea of the social network – to voice your opinion to the things that are important to you and which others would appreciate. And if someone sees and really likes what you share, you can share it with your circle of friends. So the same post goes on the chain, over and over again. It’s called viral or more common “virus sharing” of information.

Everyday people see in their new feeds posts on pages that do not even follow, just because one of their friends shared them. This is not possible on Instagram. In the Instagram feed, the user only sees the personal posts of the followers. The ability of your brand to become a Facebook brand is much larger.

Different age audience

Not only does Facebook have the largest community of other social network users but also covers all age categories. The platform is widespread across the globe and your message can reach your target audience quite successfully, even if you do not set specific age limits. If you want to make your Facebook campaign really successful, read the article “8 essential elements of a Facebook campaign”

No limit on shared links

You are most likely already aware that in Instagram, links usage and sharing are limited. But on Facebook, they are not. You can share as many links as you like – to your own products from your E-commerce website to other pages, website, blog, video channel or whatever. This increases traffic to your website or landing page significantly.

Easy communication

Customer service is also made easier on Facebook thanks to the Facebook Messenger app. Your business can maintain a good relationship with its customers, resolve problems, create personal contacts, send promotions, and increase brand loyalty.

Well, what do you choose for your business? Facebook or Instagram? Or both? If you hesitate, contact our team at info@speedflow.bg. We will help you make the right choice!

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The Successful Landing Page Guide

Hristo — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 14:43:18 +0000

The main purpose of a “landing page”, also known as “click-through page” (the page that a visitor lands on after clicking an ad with a link to a website) is to boost your digital marketing campaign and make it even more effective. It can help you turn potential clients into real ones increasing the number of successful conversions. This is the page on which a user will end up after clicking on your ad/banner/message somewhere online urged by the desire to learn more about your offer, product, service, etc.

Every landing page is unique in itself!

Therefore it will be very difficult to find a universal guide that can be applied when creating any type of landing page. In today’s article, we present to you the main and most important elements which can guide your way when creating the perfect and successful landing page for your next advertising campaign. But before choosing which ones will best fit your initial purpose, you need to answer the following questions:

What do I need the user to do?
Why does the user have to do it?

So, here are the fundamental elements which we recommend that you try to incorporate in your next landing page to make it more effective and successful. Choose the ones that will best fit your goal:

A headline, which should be short, precise and straight to the point about what you are offering. It will be even better if it matches the anchor text (the text that links to the “click-through page”). Do pay special attention to your word choice. Words should trigger a genuine interest in what you are offering. If you are not quite sure how to do it, read our blog article “How to write a good title”.
A subheadline that complements the main headline and gives more details about what the user will get in return for completing a particular action. Be persuasive!
Any additional explanations or descriptions should be included in case the main headline and subheadline do not provide all the essential information a user might need. For example the date and time of your webinar.
Advantages and benefits of your offer as well as what differentiates you from your competitors.
What will the user gain after doing what you want them to do?
What will the user lose, if he/she does not complete a particular action?
Logical flow of all texts in the “after-ad-click page”. Your persuasive thoughts should be expressed in a logical succession. Every bit of information should be a perfect addition to the previous one.
Images should be both attractive and informative. If your landing page promotes an e-book, a prize in a competition, a webinar or anything else, include a visual of it.
SEO optimization of the landing page images and texts (meta titles and descriptions, alt text, keywords, URL, etc.) so that search engines can index it and rank it better in SERP.
URL address that includes keywords describing perfectly the page content and is as similar to the main headline as possible.
Design that provides a unique user experience. If possible all important information should be presented on a single screen, so that the user does not have to scroll and do any unnecessary actions. However, if that is not possible, try to put the most important information first.
Responsive design that adapts perfectly to any type of device screen. Let’s not forget that mobile search has surpassed traditional desktop search. Your landing page design should follow this tendency.
Eliminate help menus, extra navigation, top, and sidebars (if possible). Research has shown that including these in your landings negatively affect their conversion rate.
Do not use your home page as a landing page. Why? Because in general home pages are filled with lots of information that would rather confuse the user than give him/her any concrete direction of actions. They might not be quite sure what is expected of them. Where to click and what the end result would be. Having a completely new landing page developed for a specific purpose would be way more successful in turning a potential client into a real one.
Positive feedback, client testimonials, user ratings, expert recommendations.
A Contact form, which can be short or long depending on your campaign requirements and the information you want to learn about your prospects. We advise you to personalize all generic buttons. Instead of using a “SUBMIT” button go for “I want this brochure” button. Do not forget to change the settings so that anyone who has already filled the contact form is not able to do it again.
Guarantees and certificates are a powerful tool for boosting the authority of the page, your products and brand as a whole.
CTA (call-to-action) is a definite must. Use phrases like “Download now”, “Buy now”, “Check it”, “Try it”, “Optimize your business”, “Win for free”, etc. It is not a surprise that these are among the most widely used CTA. They influence people’s decisions. Of course, the right CTA for your campaign should be chosen elegantly and with style.
Sharing options can be included to make the click-through page even more popular. This would help with increasing its traffic, views and consequently conversions.
Put a logo to boost brand recognition.

Fig. 1 Landing page example

*As we have already mentioned, every landing page is unique and it is not necessary to include all of the elements presented in this article. Elements not used in this example template: 5 and 19.

Is there anything more you would like to add to this successful landing page guide?

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Four Inbound marketing trends in 2018

Hristo — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 15:14:31 +0000

The term Inbound Marketing was introduced by HubSpot for the first time in 2006 as “an approach focused on attracting customers through content and interactions that are helpful and relevant.” This is a multi-component strategy that includes search engine optimization (SEO), blogging, creating text, visual and video content, email marketing, social network marketing (SMM).

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is not an invasive way to attract consumers to a brand. It is not intended to interrupt users constantly without their permission as we know Outbound marketing does (billboards, ads, press releases, etc.). Inbound messages are not intrusive at all. On the contrary, they attract those who are looking for answers. By using Inbound Marketing tools, you help your potential customers find you more easily online. Provide them with enough information about your product or services and they will be able to make an informative decision about purchasing what you are offering.

Nowadays, it would be very unusual if a company does not use Inbound Marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. To find out where you should put your efforts in 2018, do not stop reading. Here are four Inbound marketing trends that will help your business become even more successful in 2018.

Chatbot

We hope that you are still not tired of listening about artificial intelligence (AI) and the benefits it has on business. Chatbots are a type of AI technology that is becoming a powerful tool for Inbound Marketing. Why?

Over the last few years, people have begun using messaging applications more than social networks to keep in touch with one another. What is interesting is that they use them more and more as a way to communicate with brands too. A chatbot is a computer program that makes it possible for brands to provide 24/7 customer service on the biggest messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger, Viber, Skype, and more. These virtual assistants answer user questions via automated messages. At the same time, they collect valuable information and statistics about their preferences. Companies can then use the gathered data to improve and update their marketing strategies.

Guest blogging

Everybody knows that having a blog where you publish articles regularly is an extremely successful method for generating organic traffic to your site. Millions of articles are published online every day. Blogging has grown into an actual industry. It evolves continuously and competition is becoming fierce. A good way to spice things up while attracting new customers is through guest blogging. This means that your article will be published on another website or blog. Although this is not a new practice at all, 2018 has set big expectations about it.

NOTA BENNE! Publishing an informative and quality article on a website that has less than 1000 visits per month and users who do not share its content would be totally meaningless. When you blog on popular websites with good rating and of relevance to your business, you will bring quality traffic and adequate potential customers back to your page. And this is directly related to the number of sales if the page offers some kind of product or service, such as “eCommerce website development” for example.

Podcast

A podcast is an audio show that is broadcasted over the Internet. More and more companies are incorporating such type of content creation in their brand awareness strategies. Consumers can listen to podcasts anywhere, even in the shower! Although this is a relatively new tool for Inbound Marketing, 11% of marketers are planning to include it in their marketing strategy in 2018.

Podcasts provide informative content in a very convenient way. They are extremely user-friendly. It’s nice to listen to something interesting without the need to constantly stare at the computer screen, phone or tablet. Podcasts are the favorite blogs of people with limited spare time.

Creating a podcast does not require any investment. The best part is that after broadcasting it, you can transcribe the dialogue and publish it as a blog post with a link to further increase the traffic to your website. Eric Siu, co-host of Marketing School along with Neil Patel, says that once they began making podcasts, their website traffic increased by up to 25-30%!

Live video

When we talk about trends in Inbound Marketing, we cannot miss mentioning live videos which will still keep a top position in 2018. People like live streaming and statistics show it clearly:

82% of users prefer watching a live video to reading a blog post;
Live videos are viewed three times more than regular videos on Facebook;
The most viewed live videos are about breaking news and conferences (56%) followed by concerts (43%);
67% are more likely to buy a ticket for a concert or conference after watching a live video about.

That’s why your brand should start live streaming interesting brand happenings. Share about an event you are attending or an interview with an expert someone, show people behind the scenes stories, anything that matters to you and your target audience.

What other Inbound marketing trends you think will rule in 2018? Share with us in the comment section below.

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3 major updates to Facebook News Feed in 2018

Hristo — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 11:24:01 +0000

Last month Facebook announced that they are making three major updates in the way the whole social media network works. The changes will completely revamp the algorithm which is responsible for the order in which posts appear in individual News Feeds.

As it’s already clear from our blog article “Facebook News Feed – changes and their impact on business” the platform is constantly being updated and changed. Here’s what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg shares on his wall:

“We’re making a major change to how we build Facebook. I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to help you have more meaningful social interactions.“

So about the last three updates and they are:

1. More posts from friends and family

Facebook and users

With the new Facebook version, people will see more photos and posts from their friends and family. The same goes to publications that encourage better communication between users in the form of comments, conversations, likes, shares. As a result, there will be fewer public posts from companies, brands, media, celebrities.

Posts that encourage engagement in communication will see a boost in the News Feed. These are for example live videos, group posts, business and media pages that share local events and news important to readers. Have you noticed that the changes are already taking effect and that your News Feeds is dominated by such posts? If not, try. You will definitely see the difference.

Facebook and business

Since space in the News Feed is limited, the new update will undoubtedly have an effect on public and corporate pages. A decline in their traffic is expected. Of course, the magnitude of the changes will vary from page to page depending on the content they publish and how people react to it. Pages that generally cause less interest, have no comments, shares, etc. will notice the biggest decline in reach on Facebook. On the other hand, pages that create prerequisites for dialogue and interaction between friends will not see a significant change.

!Nota Bene: Of course, your content will not disappear completely from the Facebook News Feed section. Facebook now offers to See First, an option where users can set their preferences and thus not miss posts from their favorite pages. The change is not supposed to eliminate public posts, but simply to display more publications from friends and family. The update does not apply to paid Facebook promo!

2. More posts from trusted sources

Shortly after Facebook prioritized posts from friends and family, from the management announced their next step towards bringing communities closer together – optimizing the quality of public posts. This change is aimed to reduce the amount of misleading and fake news. News that users rank as credible and from trusted sources will appear higher in Facebook News Feed. Thus the Facebook team wants to make sure public posts are of good quality and are useful to the global community.

However, it will take awhile for these changes to take place. A considerable number of surveys needs to be conducted. The process has been initiated in the United States and by the end of the year, it is expected that credibility will become one of the signals for post ranking in Facebook News Feed.

3. More regional and local news

There will be more local and regional news in the News Feed according to the latest Facebook update from 29^th of January. Your location, the pages you like and the posts from local publishers will determine what you will see first in your Individual News Feed. It is easy to predict that this will have a positive impact on public pages that share local news and are targeted specifically to local communities.

But how does it work?

Is this domain local?

Facebook says: “To determine if a domain is local to you, we look at where its readers on Facebook come from. If you live in the same area as the majority of those people, it is considered local to you.”

Is this domain a news source?

And: “We use a variety of signals to identify news sources on Facebook. These could include hard news, sports updates, a neighborhood blog, or other local sources.”

However, the change will initially start in the US and will gradually spread to other parts of the world.

Don’t forget to follow our blog and be one of the first to find out what other Facebook updates are coming! For now, only time will show.

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Image SEO optimization for search engines

Hristo — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 16:49:39 +0000

Many people associate SEO only with optimizing written content. However, if you want your website to rank higher in search engines like Google, you must start optimizing your website images too. Today we will focus on the important factors and steps you need to consider in order to achieve a better SEO. Boost your website traffic with perfect image SEO optimization for the web!

Image size

Image size has a great impact on website speed. And speed is one of the main factors determining your website position on Google. But that’s not all! Faster working websites provide a better user experience. And imagine if the case is an eCommerce website. Better UX/UI, better load speed and fast loading images mean more online sale. To learn more about this topic, feel free to read our article “How to improve your website speed?”

Meanwhile, during and after every website development, try to reduce the size of your images. Photoshop has a very useful feature for that called “Save for Web”. It is recommended that they do not exceed 70 kb, especially if you are going to use them for e-commerce projects. Does this sound too small? Of course, we do not want you to compromise on image quality. The next paragraph sheds some more light on the types of image format and their usage.

Image format

Here are the most widely used image formats for the web:

JPEG – One of the most popular formats on the Internet. It allows large image compression (up to 10 times more than the other two formats below), while maintaining relatively good image quality. However, that’s not always the case.
GIF – Generally, gifs are smaller images of less good quality. They are mainly used for icons, logos, animated or decorative images.
PNG – This format offers the best quality-compression ratio and is the most preferred image format for the web.

Image name

And here we start getting into the deep waters of keywords. Keywords are the basis for building a successful SEO strategy including image SEO. Now is the time for them to enter the picture – literally. Forget about the random DSC_46938.png image names. They must be directly related to what is depicted on them, as well as to the semantic core of your website. The more specific, the better.

Bonus: Rumor has it that Google prefers names written with dashes to those written with underscores.

Example:

Bad name: DSC_46938.jpg
Better name: lego_orange-09.jpg
The best name: orange-lego-design-work-speedflow.jpg

Alt attributes

Alt attributes are in fact text alternatives of images. Their function is to explain to the browser what the image is all about. This is particularly useful when your photo cannot be loaded by the browser for some reason. Originally created to help blind people read websites, they are currently being used as a powerful SEO optimization tool. Alt attributes provide you an ideal place to put keywords relevant to your website.

Note: Avoid keyword stuffing your alt attributes. Otherwise, they may have a negative overall effect on your position in SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

Title Text

Title text serves the same function as your image name. However, when filling in this text field in your dashboard, separate your words with spaces, not with dashes or underscores. If your image name is descriptive enough, you do not need to fill in this alt attribute.

Alt text

In this field, you can provide a more thorough description of your image. Thus, you will help search engines get a better understanding of your image topic as well as about the whole content surrounding the image, i.e. the general picture of your website. Here is the time to think about the right keywords to use.

The code for the example above should look like this:

Alt tag, in this case, is: “Orange lego design work by Speedflow Bulgari”

We recommend that at least one image per page contains a keyword that is relevant to your business. But do not simply through it in without a purpose. Try to be descriptive and create a meaningful text in which the keyword blends naturally. If possible, position it at the beginning of the text. Keep word length between 50-180 characters. However, it can actually be as long as it needs to be. Do not miss out on some important details just to fit into those recommendations.

Image Caption

If you are going to place an image within an article, then it is better to think of a caption to go with it. Make it easier for readers to skim through your article and still get a good understanding of what it is about. Moreover, captions provide an additional place to put keywords on your site. Do you need to do this for all the pictures in your article? Of course not. Only where necessary. Do not overdo it, cause it’s not going to be good for your image SEO.

Image Sitemap

If a website contains a lot of images, it needs an image sitemap. This way Google will recognize your images quickly and the overall website performance will be considerably improved, leading to better user experience.

Anchor Text

Do not directly share links to your images on the Internet. Better do that using appropriate and informative anchor text (visible text of a link) made up of wisely-used keywords.

Copyright

Add a watermark or your brand logo to the image. When Google finds the same pictures over the Internet, it tries to identify the original. Help Google, please.

We hope that you find these image SEO optimization tips helpful. If you have any questions, please contact our team at info@speedflow.bg.

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Digital4Plovdiv for the Online Marketing and E-commerce Practices

Hristo — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 11:18:24 +0000

Yesterday Plovdiv was the meeting point for hundreds of IT professionals, enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, the reason being Digital4Plovdiv 2017. This year the conference was dedicated specifically to online marketing and e-commerce. It took place on 30 November at the St. Petersburg Hotel, Plovdiv. Ivan Totev, the mayor of Plovdiv, gave a welcoming speech and started the discussions.

Our team was pleased to be a part of the conference and learn in more detail about the hottest topics and the latest practices in digital marketing and online shop optimization. More than 30 specialists presented the most effective tips and tricks for the successful development of e-commerce businesses and increase in sales.

The conference program was held in three different halls. There were lectures, presentations, workshops and case studies. Everyone found something new and interesting to learn and apply to their work or business, including our team. Among the most discussed topics were Behavioral economics, SEO audit, SaaS, ERP systems, Internet security, video marketing, remarketing and many more.

All lecturers were prominent experts in their field with extensive work experience. It was a real pleasure for us to be part of over 300 participants at the event. More information about Digital4Plovdiv 2017 can be found on the website.

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Instagram? You ask, we answer!

Hristo — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 15:58:04 +0000

We have gathered for you a few of the questions we get asked frequently by our customers about Instagram. Hopefully, you will be able to find the answers you have been looking for among them.

Why do I need Instagram for my business?

First of all, Instagram is one of the fastest growing social networks. Second of all, there are more than 400 million active users on the platform daily. And lastly, 60% of them claim to have first learned about a product or service on Instagram.

What do I need to know when setting up my Instagram business account?

Before you start promoting your Instagram account, you need to have at least 12 published photos that explicitly illustrate what your page is about.
The content should be catchy and your Bio should be straight to the point.
Make sure that the link you’ve put in your Bio is active and leads to your website, product, or anything else, which will make your users complete a certain action.

How do I increase the number of my followers?

The mere truth is that you have to be very active. And by active we do not mean regularly publishing pretty pictures online, but you rather need to:

Search for and follow users who have tagged you in their photos or mentioned you in a post.
Don’t forget to do the same for the posts added to your location (if you have one).
Engage with the people who have interacted with your profile in any way (commented, followed, liked, sent a message) and do the same.
Comment, like and follow your competitors’ followers. The more, the better!

How many #hashtags shall I use in my picture descriptions?

Instagram photos with at least one hashtag lead to 12.6% more user engagement compared to those without. So, do your research and find around 30 hashtags with high ratings and post them. For an even better effect, we recommend that you do this as a comment, not in the picture caption.

You can also use free online tools for hashtag popularity checking such as Keyhole.

Are there any Instagram practices I should avoid?

We would advise you not to purchase any followers or image likes. Even if it does work at first, it will be temporarily. You will not only lose what you have gained but might also discredit your brand.

Are there any tools that can help me manage my Instagram account?

Yes, there are. You can try the following online platforms:

Want to learn more about digital marketing. Contact us and we will help your business grow.

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Global AI trends and Chatbot development

Hristo — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 09:50:41 +0000

AI robots are being deployed to various industries, bringing benefits not only to hi-tech companies, but to customer-centric ones too. Nowadays we can see an explosive growth in the popularity of Chatbots. These innovative virtual agents communicate with clients, being a time-saving and cost-effective solution with a great future!

If you want to learn more about what exactly is a Chatbox and how it can help your business, read our article here.

Speedflow at the GITEX exhibition in Dubai

Last week Speedflow Team visited GITEX exhibition in Dubai, a leading event in the whole IT industry. It brings together decision-makers, engineers, managers, and marketers from the Middle East and from all over the world. All innovations and trends are discussed during numerous conference panels. One of the hottest topics at GITEX digital marketing vertical day was AI, Chatbots and their progressive contribution to business development.

Chatbots and their role in business

Chatbots become more sophisticated and at the same time more accessible for small and medium companies. They are a modern, yet effective way to improve customer support and increase customer engagement. According to recent research studies, in the near future Chatbots development will become an objective for the business and companies which have deployed them earlier will get a competitive advantage.

Market giants can allocate costs to develop and implement complex Chatbots without any big problems, but for small customer oriented companies it can be really expensive.

That’s why Speedflow recently launched its own Chatbot development platform oriented specifically to meet the needs of cafes, restaurants and the food delivery industry in general.

Our Chatbot as a service solution allows small to medium businesses to integrate intelligent robots on their Facebook page in a week’s time without CAPEX and programming knowledge.

Chatbot in no time!

Just a few working days and you will be able to “hire” a smart and trusted employee that is available 24/7 and is always ready to assist clients, speeding up business processes. We provide customized Chatbots, following the corporate style of your brand. Boost your brand awareness, improve customer loyalty and analyze your target audience simultaneously with our bot assistants.

Develop the Chatbot your business needs. Outrun and gain an advantage over your competitors. Don’t wait for the future to come, make it happen now and keep abreast of the times!

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40 ways to avoid spam filters

Hristo — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:56:53 +0000

Only those who haven’t run an email marketing campaign do not know what it feels like to be facing the fierce opposition of spam filters. Did you know that even if you get permission to send a message, 21% of your emails will still end up in the SPAM folder!

And of course! Spam filters do work hard for a good cause – higher efficiency and relevance of the content that ends up in your mailbox. But still, they hinder the deliverability of informative and important email messages to those who may actually need them. And we’re not talking only about the eCommerce business, promotions, etc. but actual important emails regarding updates, security info, and much more.

Therefore, we are presenting you today 40 effective ways to avoid spam filters in your next email marketing campaign. We advise you to use this checklist before clicking the “Send” button:

Send emails only to those who have allowed you to do so.
Use Double opt-in to increase your database of real subscribers.
Ask users to add your email to their “White List” (list of contacts).
A big no-no to purchasing email lists.
Do not send emails to those who have once unsubscribed from your services.
Multiple “Unsuccessful delivery” notifications? Stop emailing these recipients anymore.
Keep track of who deletes your emails without opening them. Stop sending them emails ASAP.
Send emails regularly reminding about yourself and your services. However, be careful with the frequency of it.
Keep yourself informed about recent law changes as well as the latest email marketing practices.
Your DKIM, SPF, ID, and Domain have to be set up correctly. Don’t have any idea what does this mean? Contact us here to learn more.
Use this free tool to check if you have been added to an email “Black list”. If so, take the necessary measures to be excluded.
Use a “From” name that is familiar to the recipient.
Do not use misleading titles like those beginning with “Re:” or “Fwd:”.
Use an actual email that users can reply to. Do not use noreply@xxxx.xx!
Avoid using words and phrases that are considered spam triggers. Free, buy immediately, money, cheap, offer are just a few examples.
Aim for a good image to text ratio.
The email content should match its title.
Avoid including attachments.
Use normal font size.
Be careful with the number of links you include in your text body.
Do not use too many links in your email signature too.
Use links that lead to credible and renowned websites.
We recommend using descriptive text for your links rather than simply pasting URLs.
Emails with personalized domain names are less successful than emails sent from Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.
Include an unsubscribe/opt-out If you already have one, don’t hide it.
Make sure that your unsubscribe/opt-out links work thirty days after the email has been delivered.
Format your text professionally.
Create a beautiful email design if you can.
Do not write whole words and phrases in capital letters.
Avoid using exclamation marks.
Text in red color? Forget it!
Do not include any video, Flash or JavaScript in the content of your email.
Do not incorporate forms or questionnaires in the email body.
Address recipients by their names.
Impeccable spelling, grammar, and punctuation are necessary.
Avoid keyword stuffing.
Optimize your email images, by creating alt tags.
The message, image, and language of your brand should resonate in the content of your email. This increases brand recognition.
Test your email by sending it to yourself first.
Use spam and email preview testing tools like Litmus, Email on Acid and Mail Tester.

What would you add to this checklist? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Google Remarketing for effective Digital Marketing

Hristo — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 11:24:49 +0000

According to a recent survey by Statista shopping cart abandonment in the Retail industry for the second quarter of 2017 has reached 77.3%. This means that a very large number of users add desirable products to their virtual shopping cart but shortly afterward they leave the website without making a purchase.

Looking at the graph above, it seems pretty clear that this is the case across multiple industries. The matter of the fact is that the majority of your website visitors are simply looking around and are not going to make an order. However, obviously, your products and services have triggered their initial interest. So, why lose those potential customers? There is a way to attract them back and increase your successful conversions. It’s called remarketing.

What is Google Remarketing?

First of all, let’s make a distinction between the terms “Remarketing” and “Retargeting“.

Historically speaking, when talking about remarketing, we mean collecting information about certain people and reaching to them later via mail or email, offering them a specific product or service.

Retargeting is used to display paid ads to people who have already visited your website. This is done by using information about the visitors’ actions that have been stored in their browser as “cookies”. The ad reaches targeted people using 3rd parties such as the Google Display Network.

Over time these two concepts have become interchangeable and marketers often put them on a par. Google even “borrowed” the concept of Remarketing and used it to name its retargeting campaigns.

So…

Google remarketing is an important part of digital marketing, also known among marketers as a retargeting. This method allows you to advertise your products and services to those visitors who have already viewed your website or have used your mobile app but have not purchased or ordered anything from it.

How does it work?

Once the user leaves your site, they will continue seeing your ads in different places all over the web – in their Google search results, in other websites or apps*, and the Display Network. Remarketing lets you run ad campaigns that meet your prospects’ needs. It encourages them to visit your web page again, and again, and again… Therefore, increasing their chances of successful conversions, such as purchasing a product from an online shop.

*Only if they have been registered in AdSense, they will have the permission to display ads.

Remarketing is a very successful and effective advertising method. Why? Because it is directly targeted at those users who have already shown some interest in your products and services. By reminding them of your online presence through a specifically targeted advertising campaign, you will earn a place on top of their mind.

Google AdWords allows you to run a wide range of remarketing campaigns and target visitors based on what they’ve done on your website. Therefore, the platform offers you several different types of remarketing – standard, dynamic, mobile applications, video, email, and search ads. For example, video remarketing allows you to show products or services to people who have watched your videos or browsed through your YouTube channel.

The benefits of Google Remarketing

Google remarketing will help your business. This is how:

Successful Targeting – Google Remarketing allows you to eliminate target groups that are unlikely to convert. In addition, you can target specific audiences depending on their history of website activity. Implement this information in your next ad creative. For example, if a user has looked at a specific shoe model, you can show him/her a banner with the exact same shoes, while he/she is visiting another website.
Higher CTR – Remarketing ads have a higher click-through-rate (CTR) compared to standard display ads.
More successful conversions – As we have already explained, the purpose of remarketing is to remind users about your products and services. This will make them finish an otherwise unfinished action on your website. When do users need extra stimulation? When they hesitate, overthink a difficult decision and find it hard to make a choice. If you are operating in the field of consulting, software development and digital solutions, you most likely have noticed this indecisiveness in your customers. However, by running strictly targeted advertising campaigns you will catch their attention and make them convert.
Less Cost – Remarketing campaigns are known for their cost-effectiveness. Just like PPC advertising on Google AdWords, you only pay when a user actually clicks on your ad.
Higher return on investment (ROI) – a Higher return on investment in remarketing happens because of the narrow and concrete targeting it is based upon. First, you have collected additional information about your target audience. Second, you can send individually tailored ads to specific target groups.
Brand recognition – When your potential customers come across your ad multiple times online, this greatly increases their chances of recognizing your brand more quickly. It will sink into their mind more easily.

Have you ever done a remarketing campaign? If so, we will be happy to hear about the results you got from it in the comment section below. If not, contact us to help you with a successful start.

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