Tag: Digital Marketing

Posted on by Listen360

Influencers have a tendency to make social media look like easy, breezy fun. Yet when you’re the one behind your business’s social media posts, coming up with ideas feels a lot more like work. On top of that, you have to keep your brand’s message and target audience in mind while shouldering the responsibility of generating engagement. 

With all this circling in your head, it’s no wonder you lose creative inspiration every now and then! Keep reading to learn how you can make social media fun again and boost its effectiveness for your brand in the process.

Give Yourself the Gift of a Social Media Calendar

Fortunately, there’s an easier way to approach social media marketing. One of the best things you can possibly do for yourself and your brand is to plan ahead with a social media calendar. This may seem to take the “spontaneity” out of social media, but believe us, it’ll save you from the constant rush of trying to find buzz-worthy content on a minute’s notice. 

Most importantly, having your posts planned out can enable you to formulate a more cohesive social media campaign. That way, each post will build upon the other, providing added value for your audience and enabling you to tell a vibrant story over time.

This doesn’t mean you have to completely give up on ad-hoc posts. After all, responding to trending topics and hopping on the hashtag bandwagon can go a long way in increasing exposure to your brand. There can be plenty of flexibility within your social media calendar to post spontaneous content as well as content that is part of an overarching, well-thought-out campaign.

Fill Your Social Media Calendar with Our Favorite Post Types

Now that we’ve covered the importance of putting together a posting plan, you may wonder how you can generate enough content to fill the empty spaces on your calendar. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! 

Below, we’ve listed a range of post types to help get you out of your content rut. They’ll also ensure you’re hitting on all the different aspects of your brand messaging that you want to broadcast to the Internet.

1.       Giveaways

Looking to generate engagement with your posts? A giveaway here and there can do wonders to bring interactions with your content to new levels while also promoting your products and services.

2.       Countdowns

Are you launching a new product, or perhaps looking forward to a special event or holiday? Countdown posts can help your audience get excited about what’s next and engender curiosity among those who may be new to your brand.

3.       Links to your brand’s blog

You put a lot of work into maintaining a blog on your company website. Make sure everyone knows you’re putting out a wealth of free, informative content! Whether you want to point to new posts or highlight an older post that’s still relevant, you’ll be encouraging interaction with your brand on multiple levels by linking back to your own website.

4.       Insights into your company’s culture

Social media users love getting a behind-the-scenes look into different company cultures, so don’t hesitate to give the people what they want. From a quick video or image of your employees having a good time to an explanation of your workflow, there’s a ton of content to mine just by taking an inward look at how your company does what it does best.

5.       Quick questions

Most social media platforms have an easy-to-use feature that allows you to survey your audience with a question. Whether you request feedback about a certain product or ask your customers for their thoughts on current events, this is an easy way to spark interactions without having to invest time in content creation.

6.       Reviews or testimonials

If you’ve just received a glowing review or testimonial from a happy customer, amplify their voice through your own social media platforms. For example, you can retweet them, screenshot their review, or ask permission to use a snippet of their email in an eye-catching graphic.

Make sure you get the most out of social media by putting out varied content within a cohesive framework that represents your brand through and through. We hope these tips get you well on your way to a full calendar of fun posts you can be proud of!

 

Posted on by Listen360

When it comes to local marketing, precise targeting is key. In order to connect with the right audience, marketers must carefully target consumers based on their behaviors, where they live, and a number of other demographic characteristics. Of course, local marketers often only have a modest budget to work with, meaning they have to be particularly careful about how those marketing dollars are used.

For these reasons, programmatic ads and retargeting strategies are excellent options for local marketers. Unlike traditional display ads of the past, programmatic ads offer a range of capabilities, including a precise level of control over who sees them. By pinpointing the right consumers, these ads can increase both your rate of conversion and your ROI.

Programmatic ads are also an exceptional tool for retargeting users. Targeting previous customers dramatically boosts your likelihood of making a sale. In fact, you have a 60-70% probability of selling to an existing customer, while your chance of converting a new lead is much lower at 5-20%.

How to Use Programmatic Ads & Retargeting to Boost Customer Retention

As programmatic ads are so flexible, they can be used in a number of ways to increase customer retention rates and thereby stretch your marketing dollars. Take a look at our tips below to learn how to use programmatic ads to help your local marketing campaign achieve its full potential.

Keep it Consistent

Programmatic ads fall into the category of visual media, offering tons of flexibility and creative control. However, it’s important to ensure the visuals used in these ads convey your intended message. 

In addition, the look and feel of these ads needs to be consistent with other visuals used by your brand, such as on your landing page, email blasts, and other ad types. This will ensure previous customers instantly recognize your ads and pay attention to the messaging they contain.

Create Custom Audiences with Facebook

Facebook is an incredibly powerful resource, both for understanding your target audience and advertising to them. With Facebook, you can upload an email list to create a custom audience including your existing customers and possible leads. This can be done in the Audiences tab of the Facebook Ads Manager.

This custom audience function offers in-depth information about your customers, including details such as age, gender, profession, location, and interests. Relevant data can then be used to target both existing customers and potential leads through Facebook Ads. 

Facebook Ads are affordable and allow you to connect with your audience on a more personal level. This means they shouldn’t be overlooked in their effectiveness for retargeting consumers.

Minimize Shopping Cart Abandonment

If visitors to your site often fill their shopping carts but fail to actually make a purchase, you’re not alone. According to Statista, 88% of online shopping orders were abandoned in March 2020. Even if you’re able to reach just a fraction of the customers who have items waiting in their shopping carts and convert those items into purchases, it could make a huge impact on your sales!

Retargeting these in-limbo users can help you achieve this goal. A follow-up email with details about a discount, bonus, or reduced shipping rate may be the nudge abandoning visitors need to finally follow through with their purchase.

You can also encourage follow-through with remarketing ads, which target users who have previously visited your site. As these types of programmatic ads have incredibly high click-through and conversation rates, they’re an excellent way to keep your brand top-of-mind with both existing and potential customers.

Give New Platforms a Try

Stand out from the competition by trying something new. Many popular platforms are becoming saturated with programmatic ads, making it harder to cut through the noise. However, on platforms where programmatic ads are new or underutilized, your brand can be seen as a trailblazer. For example, OTT-CTV advertising is one option to look into to have your ads displayed via streaming services and devices.

Selling to existing customers is often cheaper and more straightforward than generating new leads. Therefore, targeting this audience should be a top priority for any local marketing campaign. 

With programmatic ads and retargeting strategies, it’s easier than ever to keep your brand front and center for the consumers who are most likely to make a purchase!