Tag: social media

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Five Tips to Creating Your First Google Web Story

Before you publish your first Google web story, it is essential you understand the basics first. Google requires certain information and criteria to produce quality content worth sharing with its audience on its Discovery page or the Google search engine results page.

 

Google web stories offer your blog or website a new way to generate more traffic and revenue through a creative, powerful, and immersive storytelling format. They are much different from regular social media stories. You are the owner of all the content and the host – giving you more control, ownership, customization, and ways to increase your revenue than other platforms with the story feature.

 

Here are five tips to keep in mind when creating your first Google web story:

 

Think 10 to 15 Second Hooks

 

Each Web story slide lasts about ten to fifteen seconds, depending on how you set it. Meaning that the information you share in each frame, even if you create a full thirty pages, should be easily and quickly digested. It is unlikely many will go back too many times to re-read stories as it can be tedious. Of course, that should never be your goal when creating stories in the first place. The point of stories is to make it even easier for your target audience to take in your information.

 

Animate and Choose a Theme

 

Stories are more entertaining and easier to digest when they have a consistent theme and proper animations. Animations keep your viewers interested, and themes keep your brand image clear and focused.

 

Keep Titles and Story Lengths Short

 

Google stories that are between five and thirty frames perform the best. However, it highly depends on your niche and the type of content you create. Title lengths should be around ten characters long but no more than forty.

 

Include an Attractive and Compelling Cover Image

 

Before creating a valid google web story, you must add in your cover image and publisher logo. Be sure your cover image is highly attractive and makes your viewers want to click. Your cover image is no different than the image that appears before your blog post link or YouTube thumbnail. However, the more compelling it is, the more likely someone will click on it. Use images with a good resolution of 900 pixels by 1200 pixels.

Include Relevant Links

 

Always include a relevant link to your story. In fact, this needs to be done in order to create a valid web story. Again, the main function of Google web stories is to increase your website traffic. If there is no link, it’ll be hard for your viewers to reach you. They will be more likely to click off.

 

To maximize your reach and potential with Google web stories, following these tips is a must. These tips, along with the checklist the plugin provides, are required to properly communicate and build an effective story that converts to more revenue or increased traffic.

 

 

 

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How to Use Google Web Stories for Business

To reach a wider audience and market to nearly half of the internet population who uses their phone to shop online, Google web stories are a must-have business tool. It allows you to create a story through different visuals, text, and audio features that are highly engaging and shareable. Thus, making your other content more interesting to new readers or potential buyers. Not only that, but Google web stories can also add a new dynamic, creativity, and impact to your content altogether.

 

Here are the five steps to creating and setting up your first Google web story using the Google Web Stories plugin for WordPress:

 

Step One: Create a WordPress Blog

 

In order to use the Google Web Stories plugin, you need to have a WordPress blog. WordPress blogs offer more freedom and customized options, making them a great platform to create your website. It is also highly friendly to search engine optimization too.

10 Simple Steps to Building a Blog on Word Press.

Step Two: Find and Download the Web Stories Plugin for WordPress

 

Once you have established your blog, you will need to download the plugin and fill in the settings page. First, select “Plugins” from the WordPress menu to the left. Then select “Add New” next to “Plugin” when the new window appears. From there, you can search for “Web Stories” in the search bar that appears to the right. Next, select “Install Now” next to the right plugin. After it downloads, select “active.” You will then be instructed to fill in the settings page to connect your Google AdSense account and add your logo.

 

Step Three: Create a New Story or Explore Templates

 

Now you are ready to get creative and develop your first story. From the WordPress menu, look to the left of your dashboard, find “Stories.” Then select “Add New” or “Explore Templates.” If you select “Explore Templates,” this will lead you to a list of free templates you can use to create a more consistent story. Otherwise, you will be sent directly to the Web Stories builder.

 

Step Four: Fill in Required Information and Customize Your Story

 

When you get to the Stories builder, be sure to add your cover image and publisher logo in the Document panel to the right to create a valid web story first. This is where you will also develop a story description, set your page’s advance length, and add music. Then you will need to add a title no longer than forty characters long in the section labeled “title” above your story content. Once you have these set, you can add in your frames and customize them to your liking. Note that filling in the “link” section of your design after adding an image is also important.

 

Step Five: Preview, Publish and Test

 

As you customize, your frames use the preview option located at the top right of your builder next to “publish.” This way, you can get a clear view of your story as you are creating it. You even get to choose what device you want to view it from. Next, view the checklist provided in the bottom left to follow along with the suggestions provided by the application. Once happy with the results, publish the story and then test it using the Google Web Stories Test Tool to ensure you filled in all the important information required for a valid story to publish.

 

Overall, getting your first Google web story going is easy with the Web Stories plugin for WordPress. As you go along, be sure to read each tip and follow through the checklist it provides to create compelling, attractive, and quality content for Google to share.

 

 

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Eight Facebook Story Ideas for Increased Engagement

Creating Facebook stories is a fun and creative way to engage and interact with your target audience. However, suppose you want to stay ahead of your competition and get the most out of what Facebook can bring to your business. In that case, you need to take the time to craft compelling, interactive, and highly valuable stories.

 

Here are eight Facebook story ideas to try to increase your audience engagement and business success on this platform:

 

  • Ask a Thought-Provoking Question – One way to really boost engagement and action from your audience is to make them think. So ask a question without giving your answer, giving them time to respond. Then you can give them your solution that feels more conversational while also learning more about your audience gleaning information that can be used in the future for more content.

 

  • Share Something Behind-The-Scenes – Your true fans love finding out more about you. They like feeling like they’re VIPs getting a stage pass by getting a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes goings-on. Show them how you set up for a shoot, or how you make your product, or whatever you want that you think they want to know. If you aren’t sure, ask them.

 

  • Use A Trendy Topic for Inspiration – While you do need to keep going with a thought-out content plan that is based on the future offerings, you also want to pay close attention to trending topics that you can create off the cuff by sharing your thoughts or otherwise engaging with your audience around that trend.

 

  • Share a Meme or Infographic – If you have no other ideas about what to share, look at your current offerings and grab a meme or develop an infographic from them to showcase parts of your message.

 

  • Tell a Real Story – Do you have a story to share relevant to your audience that they can learn from or even be entertained by engaging with it? Tell a real story about yourself or your business, or even a customer.

 

  • Showcase Popular Products – If you sell products, showcase them on your stories as if you’re doing a review for them. You can also do reviews for others if you’re an affiliate right on your stories.

 

  • Highlight Your Email Newsletter or Opt-In – Create a story all about your email newsletter or opt-in that you’ve created.

 

  • Have Fun with Staff or Influencer Takeovers – A really fun thing to do is let someone else take over your page, or you take over someone else’s page who markets to your audience a complementary product or service.

 

Test these Facebook story ideas to see what personal benefits they can provide to your business. Each idea may suit certain business goals or niches better, so it is important to get to know your target audience and take risks to understand them better. Just because one post doesn’t deliver the results you want or need doesn’t mean the next idea won’t, nor does it mean you have failed. A proper social media content plan includes being aware of where you need to improve and doing the work to get there.

 

How to Easily Crank out Content Daily

 

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Five Tips for Using YouTube and YouTube Stories for Business

To squeeze more benefits out of your YouTube channel and stories, you need to plan and make quality content for your target audience. YouTube is only as beneficial as the content you bring to your viewers.

 

Thankfully, you can follow many tried and true methods or tips to ensure you get the most out of this platform. In addition, once you reach the required number of subscribers, you can also unlock their story features, giving you yet another valuable tool to creating better and more engaging content.

 

The following are five tips on using YouTube and YouTube stories to market your business effectively:

 

Create Content That Provides Value or Solves a Problem

 

While you also need to post highly valuable long-form content, stories should be no exception. However, make it more interactive and always think about how you can get the viewers involved. Think of the content you create as a conversation between a family member or another loved one.

 

Build Community

 

Use the reply to comment in the story feature to build a strong bond and community with your viewers and audience. Don’t ignore their comments or responses. This tool allows you to do it more directly and personally. Further increasing your credibility and trust as a business and a YouTuber. Adding a “Mention.”

 

Share Announcements or Updates

Use YouTube stories to update your audience with brand new information or product announcements and releases. Add an option for them to reply to get their direct feedback, and be sure to find a certain amount of time to respond to as many as you can.

 

Tease Your Next Long-Form Video

 

YouTube must have regular video content in order to take advantage of its stories features. The main purpose of the YouTube stories feature is to keep your audience subscribed and involved with your brand or niche. In other words, it further installs the value you bring to them with your long-form videos. So never miss a moment to share your new videos. YouTube stories provide a feature called the “Video” sticker to do this very thing – making it a super simple and easy process to get started.

 

Think Mobile

How to Repurpose Your Influencer Marketing Content

Finally, but certainly not least, YouTube stories can only be viewed on mobile – giving you another way to create different and new content.

 

Be sure you take advantage of the benefits YouTube provides by following each of these tips. The more you put into your YouTube channel, the more benefits your business will receive. Quality and engaging content allow you to build the community you need to market your business better and achieve your goals.

 

 

 

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Four Top Benefits to Using YouTube and YouTube Stories

Getting noticed against the massive online competition can make any small business feel overwhelmed and inadequate. However, a tool can make it easier to get noticed and be seen as an authority within your niche or industry. This can be done by creating and starting a well-run and quality YouTube channel. Eventually, once you gain ten thousand subscribers, you can unlock the story feature to better market to your target audience and reach even more followers or subscribers.

 

Here are more benefits to using YouTube and their stories feature for business:

 

To Get a Chance to Market to Nearly One Billion Monthly Users

 

Using YouTube gives you a low-cost and sometimes free way to reach a global audience depending on the tools or resources you need to create a high-quality and valuable video.

 

To Rank Higher on Googles Search Engine Results Page

 

The main power of YouTube relies on the fact that it is a search engine. The second-largest just behind Google. Even better is that Google owns YouTube, meaning your long-form content video will rank well when people search from Google. It is essentially the same engine. Did you know nearly ninety percent of clicks made after a Google search are from the first ten organic results? So reaching the first page and near the top is an important goal when creating your videos.

 

To Grow Your List and Traffic to Your Website

 

Stories are essential to YouTube as they help you further engage your audience and hopefully convert them to loyal and paying customers. To accomplish this, use the feature for advertising and growing your email list. In turn, this will also increase your website traffic and potentially increase your revenue.

 

To Increase Engagement and Make a More Obvious Impact

 

Furthermore, once you reach ten thousand subscribers, you will want to use the stories feature to enhance further your engagement and exposure against your current audience and subscribers. Just because they subscribed or followed your link to sign up for your newsletter or email campaign does not mean you should rely on it to keep their attention. Stories appear on YouTube’s platform, giving you another way to keep their attention and further away from your competition. The more valuable and useful you make the story, the more likely they are to share it to grow your subscribers list too.

 

Sixty-two percent of businesses took advantage of these benefits in 2019. The fact is, the more your YouTube channel grows, the more successful your business becomes. Add to the growth and success of your business by adding a YouTube channel to your business marketing plan today. The more value you show your target audience, the more chance you have at success.

 

 

 

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Four Benefits to Using Snapchat Stories to Market your Business

Did you know that there are nearly three hundred million active daily users on Snapchat, making Snapchat among the most popular social media networks worldwide, just behind Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok?

Almost forty percent of the world’s leading brands already know this and use Snapchat to market their products on a daily basis.

 

What’s even more powerful is that those who use Snapchat use the application for more than twenty minutes a day, right behind Facebook users.

Yet again showing you that Snapchat is still a powerful business tool to be taking advantage of.

 

Here are four more benefits to using Snapchat stories to market your business:

 

Drive Traffic and Boost Engagement

 

The purpose of social media stories on many platforms is to increase your audience engagement and boost your traffic or sales. The high number of daily active users means your chances of success on this platform are quite high if you use the platform right and market to a younger audience.

 

Connect to a Younger Demographic

 

Many of the users on Snapchat are said to be between the ages of twenty-four and twelve, which means if millennials and generation Z are the people you need to market to, don’t delay using Snapchat.

 

Offer a More Fun and Unique Customer Experience

 

Snapchat offers different and more unique features than other platforms. Their additional AR filters are by far the most popular. These are artificial filters that change how you, others, or animals look when shown on camera. They can even change your background, make it look like you are doing a certain action, and change the sound of your voice – making it a fun way to communicate with your audience and be less formal. While other platforms offer this, the ones created on Snapchat are often said to be more creative, fun, and easy to use.

 

Add Personality and Keep Followers Updated

 

The features Snapchat offers allow you to be more relatable and show your personality more. It is also a better way to share new and upcoming information about your brand or business. In addition, offering your audience your human side makes it more likely to grow an audience that trusts you and your credibility.

 

These benefits should inspire you to give Snapchat a try for your business. If you have a product-based business that anyone under thirty-five can use or would be interested in, Snapchat is the place to be. Its unique features make it a fun and personal experience for you and your target audience.

 10 Ways to Get to Know Your Audience Better

 

 

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How to Use Snapchat Stories

Snapchat stories are a fun marketing tool to use for businesses that need to advertise to a younger demographic. Around fifty-nine percent of those between twenty-four and thirty who use the internet use Snapchat. In 2019, the application had three hundred million downloads ranking them the seventh most downloaded application globally, showing you just how powerful Snapchat still is and can be to businesses. In fact, it is said that those who use Snapchat are sixty percent more likely to make an impulse buy. Meaning, if you have a product business, you should be using Snapchat.

 

Here are the four steps to using Snapchat stories:

 

Step One: Select Your Profile or Swipe to the Camera Function

 

To get to your profile, select your picture from the top left of the screen. Then select “Add to My Story” below “My Stories,” your photo, and your username. The second way to create a story is to swipe to the camera or click the camera icon currently located at the bottom center of the screen.

 

Step Two: Create Your Snap or Upload

 

From here, there are several different ways to create your story. Simply tap or hold to record or click the two small boxes located to the left of the record button. A new screen called “Memories” will appear where you will need to click “Stories” below the search box. Then click “Start a Story” to create a story with previous Snaps. The third way to create a story is to select the smile emoji next to the record button to pick a filter.

 

Step Three: Enhance with Features and Tags

 

Once you create the content, a menu to the right will appear. This menu includes adding text, stickers, choosing your font type or color, and adding popular emojis. You can also add music, links and change the time of how long each frame appears.

The most important feature from this list is the stickers that look like a post-it note. This is where you can make your stories more engaging and interactive.

 

Step Four: Select “Story” From the “Send To” Page

 

When satisfied with the way your story looks, it is time to post it. First, select “Send to”  then “My story” on the next page if you used the camera feature. If you created the story straight from your profile, select the play button that appears at the bottom right.

Top Fives Platforms for Social Media Stories 

Overall, getting used to editing and other features is what makes Snapchat different. Once you get used to adding them, you can improve your contact and engagement with your audience over time. Snapchat is a great tool for businesses that have a younger target audience and highly visual content. Follow these steps to get your first Snapchat story live in no time.

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How to Boost Sales with the Instagram Stories Shopping Feature

Visual storytelling will always be why Instagram remains the number one platform for stories and social media marketing. If you have visual products or can easily tell your message through pictures, videos, and other visuals, Instagram must be the platform you use, especially if you sell products with the Instagram story shopping feature.

 

Nearly eight hundred thousand users use Instagram to shop every single month. In addition, almost seventy percent of their five hundred million daily active users follow a business account even beyond the shopping feature. Meaning you will have no problem getting your stories in front of your audience. To use the shopping feature, you need to have a business account and connect to your Facebook catalog that sells physical goods.

 

Here are five ways to boost sales with the Instagram stories shopping feature:

 

Use the Product Sticker

 

Add or take a picture of you the product you want to promote. Tap on the “Stickers” icon and select “Product” stickers. Select the product from your Facebook catalog, then further enhance the story as needed. Be sure the product name you want to use is the name listed in the Facebook catalog. You do not have the option to change the name from your story. Select “Send to” at the bottom right of your screen when you are ready to share.

 

Highlight Customer Testimonials

 

Add other slides that include your products in action by customers or quotes about how much they love your products. Social proof or reviews is an essential part of the selling process. In fact, according to research published by Fan & Fuel, nearly ninety-two percent of consumers have stated they hesitate to purchase if there are no reviews on the product, and ninety-seven say they use reviews to influence their decision further.

 

Add a Swipe Up Link

 

Once you reach ten thousand followers, your account will unlock the “Swipe Up” feature to your stories to further encourage your viewers to click and go to your website and make a purchase.

 

Showcase One to Two Product at A Time

 

Don’t show too many products at once as it will only overwhelm your audience. Be sure each product you share is relatable to each other. For example, a clothing store highlighting a model sunglasses and hat for sale. Each of these products is near each other and has similar purposes. Thus, making it easier to market each product and tell a cohesive story.

 

Include Hashtags and Locations

 

Always include hashtags and location tags. This way, your viewers who don’t follow you have the chance to see your content. In addition, while stories advertise to your current followers, this gives you an increased opportunity to be placed on Instagram’s Explore page and those who search public accounts.

 

Use these tips to get your first sale through Instagram right away. Instagram shoppable posts and stories have been shown to increase traffic by over one hundred thousand percent — showing you just how important developing an Instagram stories content plan is to your overall business success.

Four Ways to Make Your Social Media Stories Stand Out

 

how to boost online sales on instagram

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Four Ways to Make Your Social Media Stories Stand Out

While social media stories are a good tool to market and advertise your business, they can easily get lost in the competition. Over five hundred million active users post Instagram stories alone – showing you just how important it is to make valuable and important content that stands out to your target audience.

 

Here are four ways to make your social media stories stand out:

 

Show Behind-The-Scenes Content

 

Give your audience a view of what it is like to be you behind a business every day. This is content that many viewers are interested in and attracted to. It also allows you to show a more vulnerable and personal side that your audience will admire. Social media stories are powerful because they are seen as less informal and more direct. Behind-the-scenes content is a great way to take advantage of it.

 

Post During Audience Active Hours

 

Post content when your audience is the most active. Not only does it make it more engaging to your viewers, but it also shows that you are aware of their needs while making it easier for them to view your content. You don’t want them to rely on coming to you, and many stories only last twenty-four hours. Therefore, posting content when they are active increases your exposure, engagement, and overall success.

 

Actually, Tell a Story

 

Don’t click bate or post generic content to your social media stories. Actually, plan out a consistent story that provides value, whether that be through new information or relatable entertainment. Stories need to be just as valuable, if not more, than your other posts to keep them engaged, interested and to persuade them to become loyal customers.

 

Ask Your Audience to Share Their Opinion

 

Always get your audience involved in some way through the platform features by asking them questions, submitting their own content or simply replying to your story. The more active and involved your audience is, the more likely they will convert into loyal or paying customers. Getting their feedback also allows you to improve your content further and provide superior value that your competition can keep up with.

 

As you can see, making your content stand out is really about highlighting and showcasing your audience. If you have good content and understand your target audience, you won’t have any problem creating quality social media stories that stand out. Solve a problem and get your audience more involved to see more results and benefits with your social media stories.

 

 

 

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Five Email Marketing Tips to Boost Sales

Email marketing is the most effective marketing strategy to date. Even compared to social media marketing by nearly 40% more. Industry or niche doesn’t really matter; you will see a high return on investment if you implement the proper email marketing tips and strategies.

 

These are the five email marketing tips you need to follow to boost your sales and increase your return on investment:

 

Enhance your Opt-Ins and Acquisition Process

You must generate leads by strengthening your acquisition process or opt-in forms. This is the content used to persuade viewers to subscribe to your email campaigns. Small eBooks, discount codes, or simple newsletters are a great place to start. Make sure the opt-in you use is what your readers want or need, and be sure to execute on that promise as soon as possible. If you know your audience struggles in a certain area, then this is the best place to start when developing opt-in or lead magnet content.

 

Value Your Subject Lines

While subject lines are short and sweet, you should take the time to craft the most compelling one. In fact, you should create at least two to three for every email you send and test them among different subscribers to pick the one with the best return eventually.

 

Perfect Your Call-To-Actions

Always include a call-to-action and be sure it is consistent between email and campaign. Don’t add more than one type per email, or you will likely split or confuse your subscribers. Instead, pick one goal and then perfect the call-to-action to optimize your chances of accomplishing it.

 

Focus on Personalization and Quality Content the Most

A huge benefit to email marketing includes how powerful it can increase your authority, credibility, and trust as a brand. The more personalized, engaging, and valuable the email content, the more likely you will convert your subscribers to paying customers. Valuable and quality content is key to gaining their trust and believing in your word. It’s simple if your target audience doesn’t know you very well, they are less likely to trust you with their money or time.

 

Create Multiple Landing Pages for Each Campaign

If boosting your sales is your email marketing goal, as it is for many, then you must create landing pages for each campaign you create. Landing pages are sales pages that further describe, entice or invite someone to join or purchase their products. Your call-to-action should lead them right to the landing page.

Work On Your Funnel Each Week And Continue To Branch Out 

Be sure to follow these email marketing tips or use them to audit your email marketing process to ensure you are doing what you need to boost your sales. Working on each part of the email marketing process is your key to success.