Studies also show videos to be a powerful marketing strategy, with 93% of marketers admitting to landing a new client with the help of video. 79% of consumers also say that a brand’s video has encouraged them to buy a piece of software or app. 

In short, a video is an essential marketing strategy, and if you have not yet created one – now is the time. Having a promotional video helps convert your visitors into customers.

But there is the problem of creating the actual videos. How do you make one without investing thousands of dollars into equipment and professionals?

Luckily, online video makers come to the rescue. They are easy to use and require significantly less technical experience. In fact, even novice users can use them without much design knowledge to create beautiful and engaging videos. 

And this is where this guide comes in. Here, we will tell you about some of the best online video tools to help you create videos in the easiest way possible. 

So without further ado, let’s get on with our list. 

1. Wave.video

Wave.video is my favorite online video maker for its ease of use. It is also very functional and has all the tools you need to create short videos.

One of the best features of this video maker is the availability of stock footage. Even if you don’t have your own videos, Wave.video has you covered with one of the biggest stock libraries of over 40 million stock photos and footage.

Wave.video is equipped with several innovative features like an auto caption and text animation effects. It also has 30+ video formats, allowing users to create videos for different platforms, including social media channels, with a single click. 

Wave.video is free to try out but has limited exporting facilities. You can, however,  purchase the paid version for as little as $39/month. 

2. Animoto

Another free and easy-to-use video maker is Animoto. Ideal for marketers, this video creator lets you make not only videos but also slide shows, presentations, virtual tours, and other marketing material. 

When it comes to a stock library, Animoto offers a music library and an asset of Stories. This means you will need original content or material from other sources to fill in the visual gap. Their template library, however, is vast.

Animoto’s basic features are free to use, but, beware, the free version comes with Animoto’s watermark.  To remove that, you can upgrade to a professional and team account for as low as $15/month and $39/month, respectively. 

3. Flyr

If you are more into aesthetics, then Flyr is the best option for you. With millions of videos as part of their stock library, Flyr lets you create videos quickly, even if you don’t have any customized footage of your own. Easy to use, Flyr has a lot of export options with a variety of video formats. 

One of the unique aspects of Flyr is its integration with artificial intelligence. Through this protocol, you can insert keywords and have Flyr supply a background image and color-coordinated overlays for your use. 

The only downside is that Flyr is not available on your web browser and is only accessible through iOS. Other than that, it is one of the most intelligent tools out there. 

4. Biteable

As one of the ‘world’s easiest video makers,’ Biteable allows you to create videos in an instant. You can even make one during your lunch break without any technical knowledge or experience. And with over 800,000 stock images and animations, creating a unique video is easier than ever. 

The only thing that Biteable lacks is the customization aspect. You have limited color swatches to choose from, and text capabilities are also minimal compared to other video makers in this guide.

Other than that, it’s pretty simple to use, and you can create an attractive video within 3 minutes. Besides videos, it lets you make over 40 different media types, including animations, explainers, ads, and even product demos. 

Biteable has two pricing plans: Free and Annual. The free plan gives you 5 free videos that you can only upload to YouTube and Facebook. On the other hand, the annual program has no such restrictions and gives you unlimited capabilities and no logo or watermark for $267 a year. 

5. ClipChamp

Trusted by brands like Microsoft and Dell, ClipChamp is an online video creator with almost 8 million customers. From templates to stock footage and a vast music library – ClipChamp is the perfect resource for all things videos. And, once you get the hang of the online video creator, you will not need to go anywhere else for a specific task. 

When it comes to features, ClipChamp has everything you need to create the perfect, engaging, and attractive video. However, the features are limited for free users, and you will have to purchase a premium pack for $9 and $19/per month to unlock many resources, including the stock library. 

6. FlexClip

FlexClip is a simple yet powerful video creator that lets you make videos within minutes. From family vacation videos to marketing ads, the FlexClip online tool allows easy creation of videos by both amateurs and professionals. 

One of the best things about FlexClip is that it’s completely free to use. It’s available within the browser as well, and there is no download required to use the software. 

When it comes to features, the FlexClip tool supports various templates, including text, overlays, clips, and more. You also get access to its stock library, so creating a video without custom footage is easier than ever. 

7. Adobe Spark

Lastly, we have Adobe Spark as one of the free online video makers. Adobe is a one-stop solution for all video needs with various tools in its kitty to help you create engaging videos. However, the videos can only be short… 30 seconds, so if you are looking for longer animations, you should look at some other tools listed in this guide. 

When it comes to stock footage, the users of Adobe Spark have access to Adobe Stock – a library of royalty-free pictures offered by the company. However, there are visible watermarks when you use these photos. 

Customization is top-notch with Adobe Spark and you can customize videos according to your style with the easy user-interface. 

These are just some of the online video makers you can use to create both – personal and professional footage. Try them out and you won’t be disappointed.

The post 7 Best Online Video Makers in 2021 appeared first on SiteProNews.

Now it’s been made even easier to source high-quality, professional images for your website with free stock image integrations on some of the world’s leading website builder platforms. 

However, not all website builders offer this kind of feature. This article highlights the ones that do, so you know exactly where to go to save time when searching for high-quality images. 

Is It Okay to Use Free Stock Images on Your Website?

I’ve been asked many times if it’s okay to use free stock photos. Some of the people asking that question fear that they will get sued for infringing copyright laws and some are worried that using stock images will damage their SEO. But, the truth is, it is absolutely fine to use free stock images as long as you follow a few simple best practices.

In terms of SEO, there is a school of thought that websites will get penalized for using stock images because search engines will see them as duplicate content. However, this is simply not true. If it were, more than half of the internet would not be able to rank on search engine result pages (SERP). You’ll notice that lots of sites using stock images do rank in the top spots on search engines. To ensure that the images you use benefit your SEO, rather than harm it, here are some things you can do.

• Rename the file and include a keyword 
• Create alt-text
• Reduce the file size to improve loading speeds 
• Include only relevant images for a better user experience

When using a free stock website there is little risk that you will be infringing any copyright laws, but it is important to double-check and confirm the license with which the image has been granted. Most images on free stock image sites are released under the Creative Commons license (CCO) which allows commercial use of images, and most of the time don’t require attribution. Although, the artist will appreciate it if you give him a mention.

Where to Get Free Images for Your Website?

Even though you might end up building and managing a website on a platform that has free stock image integration, it’s never a bad thing to have multiple options. This will ensure that you have the resources you need to find the perfect image you are looking for and not have to settle for one that ‘kind of works’. So, here’s a list of the top 10 free stock photo sites that you can have in your back pocket if you can’t find what you’re looking for. Open them up and save them to your bookmarks so they’re ready when you need them.

1. Unsplash
2. Pixabay
3. Pexels
4. PikWizard
5. Gratisography
6. Pxhere
7. Picjumbo
8. Life of Pix
9. ISO Republic
10. Rawpixel

Top Website Builders with Free Stock Image Integrations

The list below includes 7 of the best website builders that also have a free stock image feature that allows you to search through thousands, sometimes millions of free stock images, and upload them to your site with just one click. Lots of platforms use similar integrations but there will be some differences in how you can use and edit the photos. So, we will briefly discuss the photo editing features on each platform to help you decide which one suits your needs best. 

Zyro

Zyro is an up-and-coming website builder with great stock image features. Unsplash integrates with the Zyro editor to provide Zyro members with over a million curated stock images. Unsplash is great because it provides cool, stylish, and high-quality images that feel unique. Zyro also offers an AI background remover and image resizer tool to help you make further edits to your website images.

To find an image you can search for a keyword and scroll through the hundreds or thousands of options that come up. Then, when you’ve found the one you like, you can double click on it, then click ‘add to page’ and your HD image will be uploaded to your website in seconds. I noticed with Zyro that the alt-text field was already completed with appropriate information which saves you even more time. However, there is no way to edit the image title when using images directly from Unsplash.

Wix

The Wix website builder is one of the most popular on the market thanks to its long list of easy-to-use features. The brand doesn’t let you down when it comes to its free stock image features either. Wix users have the choice of ‘Media from Wix’ and Unsplash to source free stock images, as well as Shutterstock for premium stock images. All three stock image integrations can be found in the ‘add images’ pop-up and added to your site with just a couple of clicks. Together, the stock image sources available on Wix will provide you with access to millions of images. With Wix, unlike with other platforms, you’re unlikely to need to look anywhere else but your Wix dashboard for high-quality images for your website. 

Wix also has a relatively sophisticated photo editor that allows you to create frames, add filters, crop, and even add animations to create dynamic effects to your website imagery. 

Squarespace

Squarespace is another top-rated website builder that’s well known for its stunning design capabilities. One reason why it’s easy to create such great designs using this platform is the stock image integrations. Like Wix, Squarespace offers a free and premium option for its users. The free stock images are supplied by Unsplash while the paid-for images are supplied by Getty Images. You can search for images using keywords directly from the on-page editor so there’s no need to leave your tab to find high-quality images. 

The Squarespace platform has some advanced image editing features that allow you to apply filters, crop, resize, and change things like brightness, saturation, and contrast to create your own enhanced look.  Additionally, you can decide if you want the image to be full-bleed or inset, change the opacity and apply quirky image effects to make your website stand out even more. 

Weebly

Weebly has been around since 2006 and went through a dramatic change in 2018 when they were bought by Square. The eCommerce features of the platform were upgraded as well as the free image features. Like many others on this list, Weebly decided to use Unsplash as the source of their free images. When you go to add a new image to your Weebly website there is a ‘free photos’ tab that has a search feature and provides access to the millions of free stock images available on Unsplash.

The platform also allows its users to connect their Instagram accounts so that you can use your Insta photos on your website. This has the huge benefit of keeping a consistent look and feel across spaces for people that interact with your business and goes a long way in building trust and loyalty between your brand and customers. The Weebly platform has very basic image editing features that allow you to zoom, straighten and rotate your images. You can also apply a filter to improve readability which is useful when overlaying text on an image. 

Webnode

Webnode is another popular website builder that is famous for super-fast loading times, beginner-friendliness, and superb web template designs. It has a basic free stock image feature that isn’t as powerful as other platforms, but it does have a couple of redeeming features that give it the right to be on this list. The first is that the free images supplied are only available to other Webnode users, unlike the free images available on Unsplash that are available across platforms and to anyone on the internet.  The second is that Webnode offers hundreds of free icons that you can use to create interesting designs.

Unfortunately, there is no search feature for the free stock images available, so it can take a lot of scrolling before you find the right image. There are also very limited image editing features available on the platform. The only thing you can do is create an image alt-text. 

Jimdo

Jimdo has helped to create more than 20 million websites and each user has had the benefit of accessing the millions of free stock images available on Unsplash from their web editor dashboard. The Jimdo platform doesn’t support a search feature for its free stock image library, but it does let your filter by categories such as health & wellness, music, sports, and photography. Adding your selected image to your site is achieved with just one click and each image has information about the artist so you can provide credit if you wish.

Jimdo has eight filters that you can apply to your free stock images to create a unique look that matches your brand. You can also zoom in or out to focus on a specific area of the photo but unfortunately, that is where the photo editing features stop. Jimdo allows you to sync with your Facebook and Google accounts so that you can import photos used on those platforms to your Jimdo media library. 

Bookmark

If for some reason you thought that Unsplash didn’t provide enough options, Bookmark is the website builder for you. It integrates with Pixabay and Unsplash to provide its users with free stock images. Pixabay hosts over a million images and each one has been vetted by a photographer or image editor to check for quality and legal validity. So with Bookmark, you have access to two huge libraries of free images.

Bookmark also has one of the most powerful image editors of all the website builder brands on this list. You can crop, rotate, draw, and add shapes, icons & text to your images. There are also 7 filters that you can use and several effects that you can add to your images. All of your edits will be applied to your images immediately and these changes will show up on your website straight away.

The Benefits of Using a Website Builder with Access to Free Stock Images

Do you know which platform offers the best free stock images and photo editing features for your needs? Hopefully, this article has helped you to find the right platform. Before you run off to transform your website, I want to round this article off with the benefits of using website builders with access to free stock images.

• Most website builders provide access to millions of free stock images
• Free stock image integrations save time when searching for images for your website. There’s no need to leave the tab your working from
• They are easy to use. Adding new images to your website can be achieved in just a couple of clicks
• Images supplied by credible free stock images sites like Unsplash and Pixabay are vetted for quality and legal validity
• Because free stock image sites accept submissions from everyone, the images are often less cliché than paid alternatives

The post 7 Top Website Builders with Free Stock Image Integrations appeared first on SiteProNews.

You would therefore be crazy not to use a video maker to keep building your online presence, especially when it’s so easy to use and highly cost-effective. Toolssuch as this online video maker provide you with hundreds of business marketing templates to choose from to make life easy for you. Of course, you can then customize as you wish. Either way, don’t underestimate the power of video.

Top 5 Reasons for Using a Video Maker

People love videos because they’re so much easier to process than text. In fact, here are 5 key reasons why you can’t ignore using a video maker:

1. Reach a larger audience and Increase your Sales

Sharing the right images is a powerful way to connect emotionally to people. Colors and music impact our moods and so do images. With the right combination, people will want to spread your message and are more likely to post comments and re-share on social media. This does wonders for your organic growth.

Online videos are also an impactful way to keep connecting with your current customer base. Perhaps you want to remind them of your product or tell them about new launches? Amazingly, 73% of site viewers watch a video then follow up with a purchase, according to HubSpot.

2. Make more Impactful online videos and Boost your Brand Awareness

Making memorable online videos is all about grabbing attention. A video maker allows you to do this easily because you start with a business template. These video templates have a variety of designs with all the colors and animations you need for your online videos to stand out. 

You can then drag and drop any special content you might want to include. This is your opportunity to perhaps share some industry insights whilst showing your personality. The more human you make your brand, the more likely people will relate and remember what you stand for.

Don’t forget that you can also include customer testimonials which is another effective way to build trust and credibility. Of course, you still need to keep your online videos short and snappy otherwise you’ll lose people. Finally, use your video maker to make fun and interesting content according to what your ideal target customer would want to watch. 

3. Create a Following and Build Engagement

Most video maker tools connect easily to social media and you can upload your video directly. YouTube and Facebook are still the most widely used platforms. Nevertheless, there are many platforms out there so make sure you know where your target audience likes to hang out. Naturally, you shouldn’t spread yourself out too thinly either so don’t try to cover too much.

A useful tip for making your online video more shareable is to include an attractive or unique thumbnail. Research shows that this grabs people’s attention and makes them more likely to share the link. You might want to check how this works with the video maker you choose before you get started though. 

Regardless, your online videos are the perfect opportunity to establish yourself as the expert and to show what you stand for. If people connect to your values, then they’ll naturally help you build an engaged community.

4. Cost-Effective

Online video maker tools are highly cost-effective and actually most of them have a free basic option. You can, of course, sign up for the monthly subscription and access a lot more functionality, although this will depend on how complex you want your online video to be.

Regardless, your video editor has many tools and options to do classic editing such as trimming or cutting and pasting. Moreover, you can include animations, text, logos, and of course, your own content. 

Last but not least, some online video maker tools have varying sizes of music libraries and again, most of them allow you to add your own audio if that’s your preference.

5. Easy to Use

Finally, the most exciting part of any online video maker is that it’s easy to use. Clearly, there are some designed for beginners and others that are targeted at advanced users. Nevertheless, even the advanced platforms have basic options. You can, therefore, trial and error and develop your editing skills as you get used to your chosen online video maker.

Final Thoughts on Using a Video Maker for Marketing your Business

If you’re serious about growing your business, then you have to accept that the online world is the way to go. An online video maker makes your life as easy as you want it to be because you can simply build on the business templates they offer. 

With so many cost-effective options available, you really have nothing to lose and you’ll be able to make high-quality online videos effectively. Not only that, but your customers will thank you for it. After all, they’re asking for more online videos. So, don’t lose any more time and get creative with your favorite online video maker.

The post 5 Reasons you should be using Video Marketing for your Business appeared first on SiteProNews.

And honestly, the mobile app industry has never failed in this regard. They have made the tech world thrilling and exciting by continuously coming up with new app ideas and concepts. 

Keeping up with the new developments and trends is, without a doubt, the most critical part of success. So let’s explore the top 10 mobile app trends that are likely to dominate 2021.

1. Internet of Things

IoT is a technology trend that has been talked about for quite some time and has the power to transform our lives. It is a network of physical devices that allows users to perform valuable household, financial, trading, and other operations with less work on their part.

We all want smart assistants who can do small tasks for us, but we need both IoT-enabled devices, data, sensors, and secure networking links to make that a reality. 

A great example of IoT is using a smartphone to link to a house’s heating system. Mobile applications have been developed that can control the heating system and change the settings as needed.

IoT methods are expected to be used in various industries in 2021. Healthcare, banking, manufacturing, agriculture, and retail are sectors where IoT will boom.

2. 5G Technology

5G is a game-changing technology that can deliver standard speeds of 1—50 Gbit/s, making it the easiest way to transmit data wirelessly.

Speed and performance are essential in this fast-paced world, and 5G is expected to shape mobile apps’ upcoming trends. With a 10x reduction in latency and being up to 100x better than 4G, 5G can literally change mobile apps development dynamics.

With the increased speed, developers will be capable of introducing new functionality and features without worrying about output and performance. Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and HD resolution video streaming will be easily incorporated into every mobile tech sector. And that’s just the start. We will see 360-degree video recording, virtual reality mapping systems, and 3D industrial modeling on mobile devices with the help of 5G.

3. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

According to PWC, companies in the U.S are accelerating towards AI technology. The widespread adoption of Artificial intelligence in most market segments, especially on regular mobile devices, has opened a new era.

Compared to previous models, applications like Google Assistant, Siri, and Replica have become incredibly powerful and reliable. They learn from you and use the Internet of Things to complete different activities, thus enhancing our quality of life.

What’s interesting is that Artificial intelligence is becoming a significant part of mobile app marketing. Marketers use AI-powered Machine Learning (ML) to research users’ behavior and optimize products accordingly. You can save money and time, which is wasted on inaccurate polls and direct customer feedback. The advantages clearly suggest that ML-based mobile apps are likely to increase in 2021.

4. Mobile Commerce

The past few years have clearly shown that mobile e-commerce applications have a higher conversion rate than mobile pages. 53% of mobile users purchase using apps of manufacturers or companies. Why is that so? People get used to mobile commerce apps and find them easier to use than most mobile sites.

Every day, a growing number of companies release an app in order to increase sales. Companies like Amazon work with any client and company that sells online. And to stay in business with these giant companies, we’re reaching the stage where you’ll need a mobile commerce app to remain successful.

Ease, high speed, filters, incentives to use an app, customized content are all reasons one would prefer a mobile e-commerce app. So keep this in mind when you build your own app.

5. Applications for Wearable Devices  

Wearable devices connect with the user’s primary mobile and receive messages and other mobile internet connection updates. They are rarely directly linked to the Internet.

Wearable devices started trending since Apple introduced its first 

Smartwatch and are likely to trend in 2021. Since these devices are highly dependent on wearable apps, the wearable software market is expected to rise exponentially.

Features like collecting user’s health data, accessibility to social media, virtual reality games, and even reducing the communication gap have made wearable devices the hottest trend in 2021.

According to an analysis of existing smartphone app trends, the most profitable wearable apps in 2021 will be in the wellness, healthcare, and automotive category.

6. Chatbots

Chatbots have progressed and grown even more sophisticated over time. Chatbots on websites have grown in popularity due to user demand. They are quickly becoming the latest industry-standard in terms of customer service. 

However, only a limited number of the millions of applications available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store use chatbots. 

With their mobile devices, the next generation of users want to save as much time as possible. Instead of spending their time in offline interactions, users choose to study, order, visit, and receive information online. With the availability of chatbots, this information can be provided instantaneously while also cutting a support team’s cost, precisely why websites and applications are starting to integrate chatbots to improve user experience.

7. Mobile Wallet App Development

Paying with a mobile will be the latest thing in 2021. Online transactions, online orders, online purchases, and online cash are popular applications for mobile wallets. With the ease and convenience mobile wallet apps offer, speculation is that paper money will be wiped out earlier than expected. 

Online shopping has peaked due to the pandemic, and applications like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay have gained popularity and importance. Almost all transactions and orders can be done with these mobile wallets. Even Amazon and other e-commerce websites have upgraded wallets that contain money from sellers due to incorrect or faulty merchandise.

In a few years, virtual money is expected to be the main currency, and 2021 is expected to be the year where mobile wallet applications will be trending.

Final Thoughts

The industry of mobile app growth is constantly evolving. To maintain a competitive advantage, mobile app development companies should remain up to date with the latest trends. Making the most of the above developments can drive your company to new heights.

The post Top 7 Mobile App Trends in 2021 appeared first on SiteProNews.

The internet is full of useful photo editing apps, but you may find yourself in a fix when it comes to quality. 

While there are various online photo editors out there, in this post, I will give you a list of 8 of the Best 2021 Photo Editing Apps for you to enjoy.

Let’s get right to it!

1. Snapseed

Being a cross platform editing tool, Snapseed is currently one of the most used apps. Users can also use the app for professional work like Adobe Photoshop. One of its best features is editing and saving a photo for future use.

The app has a total of 29 features to adjust the preset of the filters. You can also edit RAW and JPG files using Snapseed. The app allows you to edit photos precisely using healing tools like black and white, vintage, brushes, etc.

If you are new to the world of photography and editing, you do not need to worry because Snapseed has you covered. The app provides in-app tutorials for everything you need to know about editing.

2. VSCO

Suppose you want to edit your pictures and show them off to people with similar interests. In that case, VSCO is the perfect photo editing app for you. The app has a large community of professional photographers and allows them to share their work for inspiration and appreciation.

The app has a built-in camera which uses AI technology to adjust the frame, exposure, and grid. It is also able to click images automatically. There are ten filters to choose from to edit your pictures. You can also use the manual adjustment tools.

If you opt for the paid version, you will get access to 130+ filters. You can easily import your pictures for editing and then export them after editing.

3. Adobe Photo Express

Want to edit professional photos on your phone? Adobe Photo Express is the answer for you. The app delivers a whole range of filters and tools to make your pictures the best. The app can also fix crooked and distorted images.

The app also provides different options to edit RAW and TIFF file formats.  In addition, Adobe Photo Express provides automatic adjustment of all one-touch adjustments like contrast and red-eyes.

Any spots or blemishes on the images can be removed with a single touch. You can also directly upload your pictures on social media through the app.

4. Adobe Lightroom

A free, professional, and easy to use app that is bliss for all photographers. It provides excellent adjustment and correction facilities. If you are in a rush, you can use the filters with a single touch.

The app also solves all storage issues. Files edited using the app are saved in the Adobe Creative Cloud. Hence, you can access all your photos at any place and time.

5. Pixlr

Pixlr is an open-source application that allows users to make professional-looking edits to their pictures. The tools include film light leaks, color temperature, and lens distortion, all of which can be used easily.

You can use filters, effects, and overlays to make images look impressive. You can also convert a PSD format image to PNG or JPG format. It really is a fantastic tool to create visual content.

6. Canva

Not a master of photo editing? No worries when there are apps like Canva on the market. The app allows for the creation of breath-taking pictures by just using drag and drop and can be easily used to create a design from scratch.

Canva provides extensive feature and filter options which allow you to make your pictures look the best. The app’s main features are a photo straightener, image cropper, transparency tool, and web wireframe. It’s excellent for publishing photos on social media and certainly is a very useful tool for web designers.

7. PicsArt Photo Studio

If you are fond of photo collages or memes, then this is the app for you. The app is simple and easy to use. There is a single page with a collage maker, drawing tools, photo, and video editor. There is also a vast array of filters that can be used to perfect images.

8. inPixio

inPixio is ranked reasonably well based on features, speed, support, and useability. The app has phenomenal tools to correct picture perspective and to dehaze correct images.

Unlike other apps, inPixio allows its users to manipulate metadata to add headlines, captions, and copyright details. You can also erase objects easily from the pictures.

Conclusion

 So, this was a list of the best photo editing apps present in the market at the time of writing. Hopefully, it will serve as a guide to the perfect app for you. After all, pictures are memories, and memories should always be beautiful.

The post 8 Awesome Photo Editing Apps for 2021 appeared first on SiteProNews.

Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing in which advertisers team up with individuals boasting an established fanbase across one or more social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, etc., for the promotion of a product or service. 

However, working with social media influencers isn’t as simple a task as one may want it to be. In fact, there are several variables that determine the success rate of collaboration. 

In this article, I will shed light on some important tips for you to learn on how to work with social media stars. 

Influencer Marketing: Numbers to Note 

A look at the following numbers might convince you why influencer marketing is one of the best social media strategies for 2021. 

1. As per a 2019 report prepared by SocialPubli, 93% of marketers rely on influencer marketing.
2. On average, a $1 investment in influencer marketing yields $6.50 in revenue. 
3. As per SocialMediaToday, 87% of people decided to purchase after an influencer encouraged them to do so. 
4. Nearly four out of every 10 (39%) marketers are considering increasing their influencer marketing budget. 
5. By 2022, the influencer marketing industry is expected to be valued at $15 billion, almost double its worth in 2019 ($8 billion). 

Therefore, it’s high time for businesses to benefit from the potential of influencer marketing and: 

1. Boost their Sales
2. Increase Brand Awareness
3. Get More Eyes on their Products/Services 
4. Learn the Type of Content that Appeals to Social Media Users

Working with Social Media Influencers: Seven Steps to Follow

Marketers striving to increase ROI and reach their target audience by using influencer marketing should follow the following tips and tricks. 

1. Look for Influencers Whose Interests Align with Your Brand’s

While searching for influencers to endorse your product/service, do not get tempted by their content right away. You need to collaborate with someone whose niche links with the stuff you are trying to promote. 

Their followers will only be drawn to your product/service if they see that the influencer is genuinely committed to what he/she is promoting. 

Moreover, the same interests also prevent collaboration from looking fabricated. For example, an influencer promoting a vegetarian diet plan one day and then a KFC deal the next day would come across as dishonest. 

So, reach out to those social media stars whose interests and content align with the nature of the product/service you want them to promote. 

2. Don’t Micromanage Influencers 

The TV advertisements that most of us have grown up watching follow an exciting approach. Such marketing campaigns and ad strategies are planned by personnel within the same organization, promoting that particular product/service. 

However, when you rope in a social media influencer to enhance your business’s reach and sales, don’t dictate what they should upload. The reason is that these influencers have a better idea of the type of content their followers interact with, as well as the ongoing trends that can be taken advantage of.  

While you are more than welcome to offer your suggestions, the influencer in question should have complete creative freedom. 

3. Aim for Better Engagement

On the surface, an influencer with 55,000 followers on Instagram might seem a better fit for increasing brand awareness than an influencer with 15,000 followers, right? However, that’s not the case at all. 

While better reach is impressive in its own right, it doesn’t amount to much if people aren’t interacting with the content. 

This is where micro-influencers and nano-influencers come into play. While only a few thousand people might follow such influencers, the engagement on their content is unrivaled. This is because their fanbase comprises loyal users who wouldn’t hesitate to check out the promoted product/service. 

4. Avoid Collaborating with Influencers Working with Too Many Brands

It’s not fair to restrict an influencer to only work with your business. However, it’s also not wise to work with someone who has way too much on their plate. 

Influencers who spam their followers with way too many sponsored posts (of items belonging to different brands) on a regular basis aren’t the ones you should be looking for. 

It’s not recommended since the abundance of sponsored content can cause their audience to experience burnout and ignore the stuff being promoted. 

5. Strive to Establish a Mutually-Beneficial Partnership 

In addition to reimbursing social media influencers financially, there’s so much more you can do for them. Invite them to your events, make them host giveaways and other creative campaigns, boost their credibility, and whatnot! 

Make them realize that the collaboration opportunity will be as beneficial for them as it is for you. Only then will they take pride in representing your brand. 

6. Study the Influencer and Plan your Budget Accordingly

Before hitting up an influencer, do your research on them. Study the niche they specialize in, their audience demographics, social media analytics, etc. 

Also, it goes without saying that these metrics, along with the number of followers the influencer in question has, will help you plan the budget for the campaign. 

You should also note that many influencers opt for a commission structure rather than collecting a definite fee.

7. Keep Tabs on the Campaign’s Performance

Your role as a marketer doesn’t end when a social media influencer uploads a sponsored product to give your brand a shoutout. While hundreds, if not thousands, of likes, comments, and shares should impress you, these metrics don’t fully determine whether the campaign succeeded or not. 

In order to gauge how the campaign is performing, you need to find out how many people visited the link that the influencer asked them to check out. Moreover, how many of those visits turned into sales or subscriptions is also a critical factor in determining the campaign’s success. 

In short, measuring ROI should be your top priority. 

Conclusion

Social media marketing’s growth in recent years has been nothing short of impressive. Nowadays, many leading brands and businesses rely on influencer marketing to boost their sales and increase their following. 

An ideal social media influencer helps a business by posting content relevant to both their interest and the brand’s ideology. This content should reach an impressive number of people and attain reasonable engagement in order to increase the ROI of the investing party. 

I hope your introduction to influencer marketing through this article turned out to be a valuable experience. 

The post Influencer Marketing in 2021: How to Work with Social Media Influencers appeared first on SiteProNews.

According to research, 20% of small businesses fail in their first year, and they each have one thing in common – lack of proper planning. While business owners may deem themselves as a Jack (or Jill) of all trades, finance is something that not many are experts in – leading to low savings, inability to manage day-to-day cash flow properly, and lack of retirement plan. 

If you are also struggling with this, choosing a financial advisor is the right solution. In this guide, let’s take a look at some ways a financial advisor can help (save) your small business.

1. A Plan for Future Growth

As a business owner, you may have lots of plans for your business. For its future success, you must have planned out various long-term goals. However, many of these goals are often unrealistic and hard to attain. 

A financial advisor looks at your business plan from a third-party perspective and ensures you have a clear vision of the road ahead. 

He can also evaluate your company’s performance on a daily basis and align it with different performance indicators like market conditions, changing competition, and technological advancements to predict the likelihood that your business is heading in the right direction. With this information, you will know whether your planning is paying off or a change in strategy is required. 

2. Saving Time and Energy

Small business owners wear a lot of hats. If you are an entrepreneur, you may find yourself juggling between the different departments within your company. One minute, you are researching a new product to bring to the market, and the next, you are handling a customer service issue.

With so much on your plate, not everything gets your full attention. And in the end, your financial planning suffers the most with poor bookkeeping, unsound financial decisions, and cash flow discrepancies.

This is why delegating your business finances to a professional comes in handy. While you are busy handling the operations of your business, your financial advisors will keep a check on the capital and ensure that it is properly maintained. 

3. Saving Money

Business owners who neglect the financial condition of their business often fail to notice where they are overspending. In this case, a financial advisor will evaluate your business finances and keep you informed regarding unnecessary costs. 

Once you identify needless expenses, you can take corrective action as soon as possible and ensure your spending is within budget. 

4. Evaluating Market Trends

Financial service providers are equipped with some of the best tools, enabling them to research market trends more effectively. Moreover, some markets are more competitive than others and having an expert opinion helps analyze how your business fares in these markets more proactively. 

They will also use research to provide you with solutions to any of the problems you are facing in the business world. 

For example, if your business is out of cash, your financial advisor can better facilitate you to the type of loan you should be opting for. They can also offer you tax advice and help you out with any tax problems you are facing. 

5. Retirement Planning

Many business owners are wrapped up in the logic that they will later sell their business and fund their retirement. While there is nothing wrong with giving all to the business you have in hand, it is not a wise practice. When it comes to investment, it is smarter to have an investment portfolio that is diversified. 

A financial advisor can help you choose which investment plan works best for your unique situation – including when and how you want to retire. 

As your business starts generating more revenue, the financial advisor can help you decide how to invest the capital and continue to grow your business further. 

6. Succession Planning 

Besides planning your retirement, you should also plan out what will happen to your business, or who will keep the company running, when you are no longer in charge – for any reason. 

Known as a succession plan, the small business advisor will help you draft out a document with clear instructions on how to keep the business running or prepare for sale in your absence. 

7. Keeping Personal Finances Inline

Most people start a business to improve their financial position. In fact, making more money is the main motive of any business. However, many business owners become so engrossed in running their business that they neglect their personal finances and end up overspending. 

A professional and experienced financial advisor will keep a check on all your spending and coordinate all aspects to ensure your business and you stay on the right financial track. 

Do you Need a Small Business Finance Advisor?

While it is not mandatory to hire a small business financial advisor, it is highly recommended that you dedicate one for your organization. With the help of a financial advisor, you can keep a check on all your finances and ensure you are on the right track when it comes to managing your financial position. 

Instead of thinking of it as a cost, consider a financial advisor as an investment – one that you won’t regret. 

The post How Can Financial Advisors Help your Small Business appeared first on SiteProNews.

A website with a concrete image SEO directly translates to more organic traffic. Images with high-quality and relevant alt-text descriptions help readers get a better idea of what your product is about.

But high-resolution images on your website mean you are compromising loading time. This factor can drop your website’s position in search engine rankings, making the optimized images useless.

In this post, I’ll show you five ways you can optimize images for search engines that bring in more traffic

1. Optimize Image Size for Greater Visibility

Image size should be just as small or big to result in optimal web performance.

The maximum upload size is 20MB with a resolution of 1024 x 1024.

However, using an image less than 500 KB is what I recommend.

Google’s crawler is unable to read an image beyond this size limit.

A greater size could also delay your web upload speed, which shouldn’t exceed more than three seconds.

How to Enlarge an Image without Losing Quality?

If an image on a website is too small, it will fail to convey the appropriate message. Customers will have to struggle to understand what the image is trying to show.

If you have taken a photo using a simple mobile camera and can’t afford a DSLR professional photoshoot, the photos will most likely suffer from digital noise and distortion.

Thankfully, you can now use a high quality free AI image upscaling tool to enlarge small-sized image files without losing any quality.

The tool allows you to upscale any photo by up to 8x easily. As a result, these images come out more refined and enhanced.

What about Oversized Images?

On the other hand, images that are too large slow down a website’s loading speed. It’s best to compress them to ensure viewers have a web-friendly experience while viewing your website.

2. Optimize Image File Name

The name of the image should describe in text form what is being visualized.

Both search engines and humans should be able to make perfect sense of the name.

Phone images and those you download online have different coded names like DCM0004.jpg.

Instead of using those, make the name more meaningful and search engine friendly. For instance, ‘‘SEO-Image-optimization.jpg” is a better name for an image.

File names should be concise but make sure they don’t miss any critical piece of information.

3. Make Images Responsive to Different Screen Sizes

A website’s fluid layout allows the image size to adjust when viewed and downloaded on varying mediums.

A 720 pixel image results in 2 problems for users when viewed over a phone with a display of 320 pixels:

• Consumes internet bandwidth
• Website load time

This doesn’t mean you need to upload various sized images to make them screen responsive. You can upload a single image and have them automatically adjust to different displays by 

using CSS. 

So a 1000×600  image can be squished down to somewhere close to 300 x 250 when someone views it on a mobile.

This single step will considerably boost loading speeds.

4. Optimize Image Alt Text

Alt-text is the second most crucial image description one finds after the image file name.

Alt text is also interchangeably used for terms like alt description/alt tags/ alt attributes. 

Why Does an Image Need Alt Text?

Well, sometimes, a filename is not loaded correctly. In this case, alt text provides an accurate description of the image in the text.

Alt text was initially designed for visually impaired users who use screen readers to understand images. 

Google image crawlers also use it to index an image properly.

The focus keyword in the example above is ”Black Bag”.

However, if you want to earn a Google ranking for an image, it is wise to supplement the alt text with Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords.

LSI Keywords allows Google to understand your overall content in depth. They are closely related to the main keyword, and no, they are NOT synonyms of your focus keyword.

Where Can You Find LSI Keywords?

Several tools generate LSI keywords. 

We suggest using Google Suggest long-tail keywords as the source for LSI keywords.

This is found at the bottom of Google search results for any keywords. For instance, if you search for “black bag”, Google Suggest provides these phrases:

• Black shoulder bag
• Black bag plastic
• Black crossbody bag
• Black handbags Zara
• Black handbag with zip
• Black bag for ladies
• Tote bag

Using one of these phrases in the alt text of images can make a whole lot of difference to where your image appears when someone does a relevant search. Google pushes an image higher in the SERPs when it finds the description closely related to a query. 

5. Image Position should be Identifiable

Google updated its Image Search algorithm in 2018 with regards to an image’s placement and still uses the same approach:

“It wasn’t long ago that if you visited an image’s web page, it might be hard to find the specific image you were looking for when you got there. We now prioritize sites where the image is central to the page and higher up.

So if you’re looking to buy a specific pair of shoes, a product page dedicated to that pair of shoes will be prioritized above, say, a category page showing a range of shoe styles.”

Search engines tend to rank an image for a particular topic and place it on top of your content.

Google prefers an image that is near the title or below the first subheading. This image summarizes your entire post in one look.

Add value to images with relevant and specific alt text, captions, and titles to make it easier for Google to ”read” your photos.

Conclusion

When optimizing images for Google, know that it only reads the associated information in written form (image size, name, alt text, caption, title, position).

I hope my guide helped you sort out how to optimize an image to rank it on Google and provide an overall user-friendly experience.

The post 5 Image Optimization Tricks That Guarantee More Traffic appeared first on SiteProNews.

We live in a tech-savvy world where most businesses take technological aid to perform daily operations, streamline tasks, and lessen manual work. 

Yet, they continue to use the ‘traditional’ mode of signing a piece of paper to validate all agreements. In fact, most organizations follow the strategy of printing digital documents, getting them signed, and scanning them back to retain the soft copy – wasting both time and resources. 

However, thanks to advancements in technology, signatures are not exclusive to pen and paper. 

Let’s discuss what electronic signatures are and why it is essential to migrate towards the latest signing trend.

What Are Electronic Signatures?

An e-signature is basically an electronic expression of a signature. It doesn’t necessarily have to replicate our handwritten signature but can take any form such as a symbol, a recorded message, or a process similar to the ‘click to accept’ checkbox. 

The key takeaway is to authenticate the document’s writing and impose the said liability on all parties involved. 

E-Signatures are also legally binding. This means that the signatures are lawfully recognized after approval from The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the ESIGN Act. 

Combined, both regulatory bodies allow the use of e-signature to replace handwritten ones. 

The Importance of E-Signatures in Business Today

Electronic signatures are a highly beneficial protocol for businesses today. Let’s take a look at some advantages of adopting the model in your business strategy. 

1. Less Paperwork

One of the main benefits of migrating to e-signatures is the lack of paperwork. With everything being digitally incorporated, many businesses continue to store bundles of ‘signed’ papers in file cabinets. 

The result: Overflowing cabinets and lots of paperwork to deal with!

E-signatures help get rid of the paperwork by storing each document digitally. 

E-signatures also reduce the manual hassle of finding documents or scanning them before sending them to another party. Since they are digitally stored at all times, you only have to click the ‘send’ button to share with others without worrying about postage and stamps.

2. Saves Time

Just imagine how much time it would take to get a single document signed by multiple parties – especially if there is a commute involved. 

If you choose to use e-signatures, you can get the signing done within minutes, even if the signatory party is located in another part of the world.

Meanwhile, you can use the time saved on many other things that will help enhance your business model. 

3. Cost Saving

Did you know that the unnecessary cost of paper and printing is the costliest activity of any business?

• An average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper annually
• It can cost up to 31 times the original cost to send information on paper 
• 7.5 billion documents are created, and 15 trillion copies are made each year

Moreover, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is predicted to save $1.5 billion in the next decade from their recent decision to go completely paperless in their operations. 

The NHS has also initiated its Paperless2020 vision, which may result in savings of £4.4 billion.

Simply put, integrating e-signatures and gradually shifting towards a paperless route can help your business save a good amount of money in the long term. Instead of wasting money on paper and copying, the money saved can further improve and upgrade business operations.

4. Environmental Friendly

Similarly, going the paperless route can bring an environmental-friendly solution to your business process. By making your business paperless, you will reduce paper use, and eventually, you will become an environment saver. 

Consumers also favor companies that adopt eco-friendly solutions over their competitors. So integrating e-signatures will help you save trees and project a positive impression to the world. 

5. Safe and Secure

Dealing with paper documents imposes a responsibility on the business owner of keeping the papers safe from theft, loss, and tampering. However, when dealing with digital documents, there is no concern about documents being destroyed or replaced. 

Additionally, e-signature tools have digital encryption in place and will ensure your data remains safe from hacks and breaches at all times. 

6. Legally Abiding

Most countries worldwide have legalized e-signatures and accepted them, just like they would a handwritten signature. Therefore, signing a document with an electronic signature verifies the signatory’s intention and abides it legally. 

These signatures are more acceptable in case of a legal dispute, thanks to the log or the audit trail associated with the e-sign. 

7. Client Satisfaction

Lastly, every business aims to keep their clientele happy and satisfied with their services. By using e-signatures, you offer your customers a fast, reliable, and up to the mark service that will keep them coming back for more. 

Moreover, concerns about COVID are rising all over the world. While consumers are shying away from physical interaction, businesses are also marketing their services online to reduce the pandemic’s impact. 

An e-signature will give your clients the ability to sign anytime, anywhere, and from any device. It will also keep any of their hesitations regarding the virus at bay and allow them to resume business processes in a safe manner. 

Are You Ready to Make the Shift to Electronic Signatures?

As you can see, making the shift towards electronic signatures can make the signing process more user-friendly, fast, safe, and convenient for all parties involved.  

Simply put, using an electronic signature is a great idea, so take the decision and make the shift towards newer ways to sign off!

Good luck, and let us know your thoughts on the e-signature protocol.

The post 7 Benefits of Electronic Signatures appeared first on SiteProNews.

Yes, just like traditional marketing modules, digital marketers are also required to operate within a set of pre-defined legal boundaries. Unfortunately, many digital marketers fail to comply with the rules and ultimately find themselves in ‘hot waters’ with the law authorities.

In this guide, let’s take a look at some of the critical legal areas you need to be aware of in the world of digital marketing.

1. Intellectual Property

Marketers sometimes use other content creator’s property to assist in their advertising. This includes using copyright material such as artwork, photographs, music, and even video footage from other creators without getting permission or obtaining a license to do so.

For example, some marketers simply take a random image generated from a Google search and use it in their own branding. However, most images present on Google are not ‘free to use.’ You need permission from the authorized owner before integrating it with your own work.

The same rule applies to music and video clips. If you would like to include any form of media in your advertising, you have to get consent – depending on how you want to use it.

And remember, modifying the content of others will also not avoid copyright infringement. In fact, this can land you in deeper trouble in case the author decides to file a lawsuit for altering material without their consent.

How to Avoid Legal Action:

• Use original and customized multimedia
• Read licensing details associated with the content carefully
• Make use of Creative Commons material that allows free public use
• Obtain permission from the content creator
• Only purchase licensed photos
• Don’t use images that include recognizable features of a person, trademark, logo, landmarks, or private properties
• While it is not necessary by law, give credit or attribution to the original author as an act of appreciation

If you work with third parties that provide the marketing content for you, ensure that their work is free from plagiarism.

2. Privacy Law

Suppose you are sending out emails and messages to your consumers and visitors. In that case, you have to establish a policy that explains:

• What information you are collecting;
• How you will store, protect, and utilize the specific information; and
• The effective date of the policy.

Your privacy policy should also include instructions for opting out of data collection. For instance, if you plan to send promotional material through different mediums (email, SMS, postal mail, etc.), get the client’s permission for each.

Most countries worldwide have privacy laws in place that require marketers to notify consumers before they collect their personal information.

How to Avoid Legal Action:

Whether your business page collects personal information or not, it is best to include a privacy policy on your page to ward off any potential litigation.

Ideally, you should consult a lawyer who drafts a privacy policy according to your business/website’s nature in compliance with the region you are operating from.

You can also make use of privacy policy generators that offer basic policies for free.

Make sure to link your privacy policy or terms and conditions in the area that you ask for consent or collect data. For example, add a click box to ‘I Agree’ in the section where the user subscribes to a newsletter or makes a purchase.

Keep a separate policy for ‘Cookies’ that you are using to track consumers’ behavior through your website.  

It is also necessary to have appropriate cybersecurity measures in place and inform customers that you are securing their personal data.

• List the protective mechanism you have in place along with the privacy policy
• Enable SSL encryption to provide a secure connection between your website and the visitor’s
• Secure the collected information with a reputable and reliable cloud storage provider

Finally, regulatory bodies prohibit sending spam messages, so make sure you have the recipient’s proper consent before you send marketing material.

3. Consumer Marketing

The FTC prohibits marketers from making any false claims to mislead consumers or influence their buying decisions. Marketing claims should be evidence-based and not leave out any relevant information about the product’s functionality.  

Misleading marketing and advertising representations include:

• A false claim about the characteristic of a product/service. For example, selling a product that is different in color, size, or weight than the one advertised
• Adding manipulative illustrations or using images from other brands to make the product look more appealing
• Misrepresenting a price. For instance, advertising that a particular product is offered at a 50% discount from the original price of $100. But factually, the original price was never $100 but less
• False claims about the quality or origin of a product. For example, labeled as ‘Made in America’ when it is not
• Making false environmental claims, such as labeling a product as ‘recyclable,’ ‘biodegradable,’ and ‘environment-friendly’
• ‘Hidden’ fees that are not specified
• Making claims based on flawed research
• Leaving out important information, such as how long a packet of milk is consumable, etc.

Bait and Switch is another tactic that advertises a specific product to the customer but substitutes it for a similar high-priced product. Bait and Switch generally works by stating that the first product is not available or sold out when the customer comes to buy. 

How to Avoid Legal Action:

Being careful when advertising your product/service is the best way to protect yourself from consumer marketing laws. Educate yourself with the best practices and refer to FTC’s guidelines to ensure you are following them as stated.

Have your advertising material re-checked by a third-party, preferably someone from your legal team.

Besides the FTC, keep in mind the policies stated by other regulators as well. This includes the National Advertising Review Board and the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU). If you are endorsing a product targeted towards children, make sure you comply with the rules stated by the CARU.

How to Protect Your Own Data?

While you may be proactive about using others’ material, don’t forget to safeguard your own from being misused on the internet. If you have a brand or logo, do trademark it to prevent others from using it.

Ensure that the logo you are using is not similar to other brands and have it assessed by an attorney specializing in the format.

You may also want to copyright any specific font, illustration, graphic, or name you are using in marketing.

Final Words

Marketers are often ignorant of the law. But as digital marketing gains pace, the risks of litigation also increase. This is why keeping ‘potential legal issues’ in mind will ensure that you won’t run into any problems and allow you to tap into the world of digital marketing seamlessly.

And in case you do fall into any legal trouble, take guidance from a lawyer specializing in digital marketing laws for assistance immediately.

The post Key Legal Issues Facing Digital Marketers appeared first on SiteProNews.

Yet, many small business owners feel insecure about marketing, thinking that they do not have the resources that large companies do. Some are also under the impression that a good product will spontaneously attract customers and not require much nudging.

Yes, you did come up with a business idea you believed in and worked tirelessly to build a product/service around it. But not even the best product can speak for itself. It needs a little help to tell prospective customers about its functions and how it can help people looking to solve a problem or be entertained.

Thankfully, there are many ways to achieve that goal. And unlike traditional ‘old school’ marketing, small business owners can efficiently get the word out about their product at little to no cost.

How? Let’s find out below

1. The Best Place To Hide A Dead Body Is The Second Page Of Google Search Results – Unknown

You may already have a website or an online store running for your new business. However, when posting content on the online medium, make sure to tighten up your SEO skills to improve the likelihood of being found by the relevant audience.

According to Moz, the first page of Google results garners around 71 % – 92 % of traffic. Other studies also show that the initial five results receive 67.6% of clicks, whereas the remaining five just receive 3.73%.

Instead of posting just any content, focus on building a strategy that DOES NOT get buried on the second page of Google. Conduct thorough keyword research and see what your competitors are doing. Analyze the search intent of your targeted audience. And then create content accordingly.

2. We Don’t Have A Choice On Whether We Do Social Media, The Question Is How Well We Do It? – Erik Qualman

With over 3.81 billion active social media users worldwide, the need to maintain a robust social presence is apparent.

Create accounts on each of the leading social media channels. Besides posting your own content, encourage visitors to share their experience with your product/service. As we all know, word of mouth is the best advertising strategy. Enticing users to promote your brand through giveaways and contests can go a long way in building a credible profile.

You can also add social media plugins to your website to increase your social media account’s traffic to your main landing page.

3. If Social Media Is The Cocktail Party, Email Marketing Is The ‘Meet-Up For Coffee. The Original 1 To 1 Channel – Erik Harbison

Email marketing is often overlooked by entrepreneurs and small business owners. But did you know: For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42.

In fact, emails are said to be more effective than social media. What’s more? They are more read than social media posts and generate exceptional results such as click-through rates, open rates, and downloads.

Entice new visitors or customers to sign up for your email address by offering a freebie or a discount. Keep your email relevant and straightforward. Update readers regarding the latest happenings of your brand. And make sure to add a personalized touch to your emails by adding the recipient’s name in every newsletter you send out.

4. Videos Can Attract A Different Audience, One That Might Not Want To Take The Time To Read A White Paper Or An Article – Brick Marketing

Video is another valuable marketing approach that enables business owners to convey more information in a short time frame. Viewers also retain 95% of a message when watching it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. Overall, videos generate more engagement, conversions, and shares.

When it comes to marketing, video content can be delivered through many different formats. For example, you can show instructional videos on how to use your specific product or do a live Q/A session on Facebook Live for real-time interaction.

You can also shoot ‘behind-the-scenes’ of new product development or share videos of consumer testimonials on your social media pages to build awareness and trustworthiness.

5. The Secret Gift Of Paid Search Is That You Get To Control The User Experience, Rather Than The Search Engine – Avinash Kaushik (Market Motive Inc.)

Paid Search methods are usually disregarded by marketers as expensive methods of advertising. And yes, truthfully, they are a bit pricey, but paid search methods offer enhanced exposure and visibility to a brand. The average click-through rate is also higher than other marketing methods, with PPC visitors 50% more likely to purchase than organic visitors.

To cut costs down, look for promo codes and discount offers for Google and Facebook Ads. Some web hosting companies offer advertising discounts to their members as well.

For PPC ads, make sure to identify the most accurate keywords in your particular niche. Create attractive ads and optimize each area to improve your chances of getting clicks.

Paid ads on search and social media sites also give targeting options. This allows you to show your ads only to those who are more likely to be interested in your product. When creating ads, make sure you consider your target audience and filter the demographics to reach the desired audience more efficiently.

6. The More Advocates You Have, The Fewer Ads You Have To Buy – Dharmesh Shah

Having as many supporters as possible for your business is the simplest and cheapest way to get the word out about your brand.

For example, ask friends and families to promote your product/services. Send freebies to influencers and ask them to post reviews on their social media channels. You will be surprised to see how many of them happily endorse your product for a freebie.

Talk to your existing and prospective customers as well. Respond to every query or comment you get on social media. Participate in online forums like Quora, HARO, and Reddit and answer questions relevant to your industry.

You can also collaborate with other businesses in your niche market and introduce your business to a relatively newer audience.

7. Stopping Advertising to Save Money Is Like Stopping the Clock to Save Time – Henry Ford

Last but not least, remain consistent in your branding efforts. With so much competition, it may seem like a challenge to get the word out about your company.

Don’t lose hope and put a stop to marketing if results don’t seem favorable. Instead, keep your business goals in mind and continue pushing various advertising strategies to continually entice the audience. With time and effort, you will surely be able to get the desired results.

Good luck!

The post 7 Low Budget Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses appeared first on SiteProNews.

Instead, marketing to the right audience is more about having an experimental mindset. One cannot rely on a single strategy to secure a place in the highly competitive marketing world.

That’s why some famous growth hacking agencies, with their data-driven approach, are so good and fast at taking any brand’s ROI to millions. They run multiple campaigns and try new ideas. After carrying out A/B tests to validate the techniques that bring results for the brand, they stick to them and improvise.

What are those experiment-worthy marketing strategies that make a brand turn into a standard household name?

In this post, we have rounded up the top 6 marketing trends that work great for brands in 2020.

Let’s see what these are.

1. Infographics Are Here to Stay

Marketers love Infographics for their “soft-selling” potential.

They make it easy for prospects to get an insight into your product’s growth by displaying ‘original content’ in the most concise manner. 

This transparency compels them to ‘buy’ without making marketers appear pushy at the same time.

In fact, high-quality Infographics receive three times more social media shares than any other visual content. There is a clear reason for it. Nobody has the time and patience to go through a 2000 word long post when the same points can be summarized in a pictorial representation.

But it is essential to mention here that infographics are a saturated space. To cut the crowd and make an infographic go viral, you need to do more than just feed data and images into it.

Take inspiration from DimeHub, a Kenya based Digital Marketing firm for creating Car Insurance infographics that got 5000 shares.

2. Social Media Live Streaming is in Demand

Live streaming is a more refined entry in video marketing.  

Consumers get to see the behind-the-screen of their favorite brands through live videos. The instant interaction between brand and customer fosters a high engagement rate. 

Customers find it easier to make up their minds to buy a service after receiving a real-time video response to their confusion or queries. This is precisely why 82% of viewers, when given a choice between a social media post and a live video, go for the latter option.    

Keeping this figure in mind, Molbak’s Garden + Home leveraged the opportunity in lockdown to collectively reach out to 17,000 audiences through live streaming their planting tutorials. 

3. Advocacy Marketing Builds Lasting Brand Authority

As online audiences and brands become savvy, Influencer marketing is losing momentum. 

There are now tools to detect influencers with fake followers and engagement. The number of influencers who buy followers to appear ‘big’ is increasing.

Consumers also find it difficult to trust ‘All The Good Praises Only’ about any product from these influencers. Thus, people become skeptical about an influencer using the product on himself.

When customers are pleased, they love to share their experiences. Advocacy marketing uses them as ‘advocates’ to vocalize their true feelings about a product. 

But you have to be creatively intelligent to make a campaign look real. For example, Apple asked its customers to take photos with their iPhones, share them with the company, and then

 selected the best ones. 

In short, although the participants did not realize it, their content was serving as a ‘referral’ to new customers.

4. Giveaways Always Bring New Business

Giveaways create a lot of buzzes.

If nothing else, they bolster brand awareness.

Although it is an old way of marketing, ‘Free Stuff’ still triggers people the same way.

There are heaps of contests already running on Instagram and Facebook. To make their giveaway posts discoverable, brands use hashtags and paid advertising on these platforms.

TikTok is one channel at the moment which is not saturated with giveaways. Hence, the scope to find potential audiences genuinely interested in trying your product is enormous. 

Where successful marketing with giveaways is concerned, simplicity goes a long way. Your giveaway post should clearly tell what the winner gets, its value, and the rules to enter the contest.

GroMo was wise enough to leverage all the online mediums to promote its giveaway which yielded a return of $8000 in sales.

5. Podcasts Create Positive Interaction

Podcasts can educate your audience about your brand while they also multitask.

If the speaker is creative enough, he can easily stretch hour storytelling most engagingly. Once the audience gets hooked, he can promote his brand in the most subtle way.

The on-demand availability of podcasts is what makes it stand out from other promotional media.

Even a retail giant like Sephora tapped into this minefield of marketing opportunities to carry out some savvy branding before launching its new lipstick series. 

6. Google Featured Snippet Has Upped the Marketing Game

A featured snippet is the shortest and most concise piece of information Google thinks answers a query right away. Thus, it displays this information along with the website on top of all search results. 

Even if your site is ranking on #10, it can get the top position in search results for its snippet. 

This eventually leads to more ‘Clicks.’

A youtube video that is SEO optimized to answer a query in 00:17 seconds also makes it featured. 

No method beats featured snippets in getting a brand the visibility and credibility it deserves.

Wrap Up

For a quick review, here are the best working marketing strategies of 2020:

1. Make engaging and concise infographics
2. Make live streaming an essential part of your marketing plan
3. Engage more and more customers through advocacy marketing tricks
4. Market using free giveaways
5. Incorporate podcasts in your promotional activities.
6. Make featured snippet worthy content, whether text or video.

We hope you liked this post.

The post Top 6 Marketing Strategies for 2020 appeared first on SiteProNews.

Fast forward to today, his words hold true with videos making up a significant portion of the user’s News Feed! In fact, the latest Facebook statistics show that approximately 100 million hours of videos are watched on the platform each day – making it one of the most popular social media networks for watching videos. 

Naturally, advertisers are quick to grasp the popularity of videos and use it in various forms to enhance attention towards their businesses. Facebook also says that around 81% of business pages share video content on the network while publishing seven video ads per month is the average ratio for most brands.

The Result…

• Video ads get 20% more clicks than an image
• Facebook videos are 10X more shared than Youtube videos
• Experts predict Facebook to garner roughly $10 billion in annual revenue from video ads alone in the next few years

Undoubtedly, Facebook video ads are one of the most excellent marketing strategies to leverage in the coming years! And if you are not using videos – you are probably missing out on one of the greatest techniques to engage visitors, increase engagement, and push leads. 

How to do it? And what are the best practices you need to follow? Find out below!

How to Create a Facebook Video Ad

Creating video ads for Facebook is a straightforward task. Simply follow the steps below:

1. Log in to the Business Account of Facebook and go to the Ad Manager tab.
2. Click on the ‘Campaign’ option and select ‘Create Ad.’
3. Choose ‘Video Views’ as your Marketing Objective. 
4. Set up Add Account by filling in the relevant information. 
5. Choose the demographics for your targeted audience. 
6. Set up Ad Placement by choosing between Automatic Placement or Edit (manual) Placement. 
7. Choose a format – Single video or Slideshow for your ad. 
8. Upload the video, keeping in mind all the specifications suggested below.

Best Practices to Create Effective Facebook Video Ads in 2020

Although there is no one-size-fits-all protocol in marketing, there are some factors that have proven to be successful for all. 

Let’s take a look at some of the best practices for Facebook Video Ads you should grasp in 2020. 

1. Make the First Impression Count

Marketers often make the mistake of ‘beating around the bush’ when it comes to the introduction part in their videos. 

However, the audience usually doesn’t wait too long for advertisements to get to the point. As a matter of fact, they get bored and move on to other video content.

Additionally, video ads have a short time frame – the approximate duration for an ideal video is between 5 – 15 seconds. This means that you literally have seconds to make your impression. Thus, the best practice to grab the viewers’ attention is to eliminate any formal introduction and get to the point immediately.

Because the duration for effective videos is so short, you’ll want to choose your words carefully for any content that’s to be narrated. If you’re not comfortable writing the video copy yourself, work with a professional copywriter who can help in scripting your message. 

2. Focus on Visuals, Not just the Sound

Facebook video ads are on mute by default. But interestingly, a LOT of people watch videos without sound. Facebook users have also gotten used to scrolling their feeds and watching videos on the go, in areas (such as bus, train) where increasing the volume may not be appropriate.

So, create self-explanatory videos. Invest in text overlays and sharp graphics to tempt them into watching. Make your videos informative, so the audience understands the message without the need for sound.

3. Think Mobile

This should go without saying – but make sure to have your videos optimized for mobile.

The majority of users access Facebook and other social media networks via their smartphones. Increasing amounts of Facebook’s video ad revenue come from mobile users.  Statista also reports more than half of digital video traffic comes from smartphones and tablets.

Because of this, keep mobile users in mind when designing the format of your video ad to ensure the best experience. 

4. Don’t Forget a CTA

Create a clear Call-to-Action (CTA) to show your audience the specific action you want them to take. The CTA can be customized as per your business requirement to Shop Now, Learn More, Get in Touch, etc. 

But do you know the best placement for a CTA in your video ad?

It is a common practice in blog posts to include a call-to-action at the end, but when it comes to video ads – the middle of the video has the maximum conversion rate.

Research also shows the conversion rate for a CTA in the middle of the video ad to be 16.9%. The same CTA included at the end has a conversion rate of 10.9%, and in the beginning – 3.15%. 

5. Target the Right Audience

It is a known fact amongst marketers that not every user on Facebook will be interested in watching video ads. And certainly, not everyone can be a prospect!

By selecting Custom Audience in Facebook Ad targeting, you can identify the right people who have viewed your video previously or are more likely to engage with your product/services.

This will help you to shortlist your primary audience and target those who have a better chance of converting. It will also improve the interactive experience for potential customers and leverage better relationships and trust with your brand. 

6. Keep an eye on the Video Metrics

Understanding analytics is a key practice of savvy Facebook marketers. 

Mark Zuckerberg’s flagship network has dedicated video ad metrics that help marketers analyze how many people watch the video, the average duration of the video watched and clicks each video receives. 

The video ad metrics give you an insight into what is working and what is not! It will also help you plan out better videos for the future and ensure that you are giving users the content they can best resonate with. 

7. Go for Variety

Experimenting with various types of video is the best way to understand your audience, avoid major pitfalls, and reach your target business goal more efficiently. Besides video ads, there are many types of videos you can add to your social media marketing protocol.

These include:

• Live videos
• Facebook Stories
• Informational content
• Tutorials or how-to’s
• Behind the scenes of production or the office premises
• User-generated content such as their testimonials or videos of them using your product/services

Final Words

With the tips in this guide, you can now easily create Facebook ads to promote your products, engage with the viewers, and enhance brand awareness. 

So…What are you waiting for? Integrate video ads into your marketing strategy and further promote the message of your brand.

The post 7 Facebook Video Ads Best Practices in 2020 appeared first on SiteProNews.

And the trend continues to evolve – allowing users to enjoy modern website designs with user-friendly navigation and layouts that are easy to understand.

As Steve Jobs once said:

“Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works!”

Suppose your website does not offer your visitors the experience they require. You can expect to see visitor retention and conversion go down rapidly. 

Therefore, it is essential that you stay updated with the latest trends and incorporate them to bring more functionality to your website.

In this guide, we’ll look at some of the top trends predicted to dominate the coming years.

1. Dark Modes

Already a big trend, dark mode is anticipated to get bigger next year. Dark mode web designs make the website appear modern and grabs the attention of the audience immediately. They make the elements pop out from the dark background, instantly highlighting the core message to visitors. 

Moreover, a dark mode layout reduces eye strain when viewed in low light conditions. Just think of how many people scroll through their phones at night and the damage it causes. Having a dark mode reduces some of the stress and lets your site visitors enjoy the website even with the lights off.

2. White Space

In contrast to the black, white spaces will also be prominent in web design. Also known as the negative space, white space can be any color or even texture.

The idea behind it is simple: to leave blank spaces between text, graphics, images, and columns to make the page more scannable. White space directs the visitor’s focus to the main elements of your web page without creating a distraction or making the page look cluttered.

3. Adding 3-D Elements

Integrating 3-D elements in web design is another trend that is intriguing both visitors and web designers. And the result it gives is just amazing!

However, one thing is crucial when it comes to 3-D elements and that is website speed. If you have a website that lags in loading time, it won’t support such heavy content. As a result, your page will load at a slow pace and impact the overall user experience.

4. Mix and Match

High-quality photographs are the lifeblood of any webpage. The visual interest they create overlaps even the best of text content and helps brands stay unique in the crowd.

But while photographs are doing great on their own, we are seeing designers overlapping graphics with real pictures. The collage-like effect adds extra personality to the website and reinforces the brand image.

Adding imperfect, hand-drawn elements is another trend that will see a spike in 2021 web design trends. Up until now, viewers were accustomed to seeing neatly typed text on their webpages. However, upcoming trends suggest adding some hand-drawn realness to make the page more personal.

5. Voice User Interface

As technology becomes smarter, users are becoming lazier. Instead of typing, they now resort to voicing their search engine queries. In fact, it is estimated that around 8 billion people will use digital assistants and voice-activated searches by 2023.

This means that your web design should be able to handle voice search as an additional option to traditional text searches.

6. Chatbots

Chatbots are a huge part of today’s web trends. When visitors can’t find information on your website, they usually turn to chatbots for assistance. They are especially helpful in resolving issues and getting detailed answers to queries. Not having a chatbot can lead to visitor frustration and a higher bounce rate.

Another chatbot benefit is its ability to serve 24/7. Chatbots fill in for staff unavailability during night times and holidays. They also connect visitors to a human instantly if there is a problem that requires manual checking.

With these chatbot advantages in mind, you can easily see why they are an essential part of today’s design trends and beyond.

7. Accessibility

Making a website accessible is the practice of ensuring that your website and integrated applications are usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. For example, suppose you add videos or podcasts to your webpage. In that case, you need to consider captioning, transcripts, and other non-visual equivalents.

For visual elements like Infographics and photographs, you will have to think about making the content available for those who can’t see them. Moreover, the use of colors should be carefully considered to avoid combinations that are difficult to read by people with color blindness.

Accessibility has long been a vital component of mature organizations. However, many web designers often overlook the accessibility aspect of a website. It is something that you need to look at, however, if you’re going to provide an inclusive user experience.

8. Micro-Interactions

Micro-interactions are another way to show your visitor what is happening on the page. A micro-interaction element responds to a user’s action. When triggered, it lets users know that their action has had the desired effect.

One great example of micro-interaction is changing color on a clickable link when you hover your mouse over it. This indicates to users that clicking on the specific text will open a new page. Other examples include the swiping on our touchscreen phones, the ‘pull’ to refresh, and the number indicator that confirms when we add items to an online shopping cart.  

9. Micro-Animations

Micro-animations are small but functional elements that give users visual feedback and display changes more accurately. Scrolling animation is one of the best examples of micro-animation that we see frequently. The scroll animation avoids clicks and makes the transition to another page smooth and streamlined.

Another example of micro animation that you may have seen is the mouse over effect in eCommerce. Shoppers can easily view different colors and combinations available through this function as they hover their pointer over the product.

10. Website Load Time

This may not be a new trend in web designing, but it certainly is an essential requirement of keeping your page accessible to visitors. Numerous studies show that fast website load times increase conversion rates, reduce bounce rates, and boost search engine rankings. In fact, it is reported that 1 in 4 visitors will abandon a webpage if it takes longer than four seconds to load. Even a second delay decreases customer satisfaction by 16%.

Given these numbers and the surge in the competition of keeping your website digitally available – it goes without saying that any web design you implement should ensure a fast page load time.

11. Mobile First

When a web design is mobile responsive, it means that the developer has designed it with desktop users in mind. Later, he deploys web development techniques that adjust the page according to the user’s screen size.

However, this approach is no longer sufficient because users are now accessing websites first, or solely, through mobile phones. Therefore, developers need to design websites from the mobile end and then expand to include desktop usage.

Conclusion

As you can see, many exciting trends are waiting beyond the horizon in 2021. Take a good look at the above trends for inspiration and see how they can be integrated with your website design. 

Remember, a good design is not only about creating aesthetic appeal that grabs user attention but one that also emphasizes creating user-friendly experiences.

The post The Web Design Trends to Follow In 2021 and Beyond! appeared first on SiteProNews.

That is all a business is about.

But filling the sales pipeline remains a challenge for marketers in 2020. Your prospective clients have a LOT more options to look to.

What do you do then? How do you win the hearts of most prospects? How do you make them stay and buy ONLY from you time and again?

This post has got all the answers simplified for you. I will be explaining how to:

• Find ideal prospects for your business.
• Channels to use to reach your prospects fast
• Nurturing the prospects – making them go “Not Ready to Buy” to “Very Excited to Buy!” from you.

If you are willing to ENTIRELY dedicate just one hour each day nurturing your prospects, read ahead. Yes! Just one hour daily! 

The sales prospecting tips coming forth in this post gets to the core of each customer’s wants. 

The rule is simple:

“People trust a business with their money when they think it understands their needs better than they do.”

That’s why sales prospecting outperforms all other traffic generating tactics. 

Most essentially, keep this in mind! You are NOT reaching prospects to close more deals. You are investing your time in building a life-long relationship with them. This is important because:

Sales are momentary. Whereas relationships stay.

Here are the top 3 most impactful sales prospecting tips to date.

1. Analyze Your Traffic

Come down to a LOT more granular level to study your website’s visitors.

Mastering the art of harnessing user data through analytics will increase your business sales tenfold.

Identify the fluctuations in the stats and understand what causes them.

This is the best means to learn about your target audience’s behavior. 

Google Analytics Comes Handy

Track your leads and marketing campaigns daily.

From the most engaged “Hour of the Day” to the most engaged “Day of the Week,” Google tells you all.

Assessing traffic data will help you make an informed decision in your next marketing strategy. 

When you understand what your customers love more in your business, you will know where to invest more time and effort. 

There are three stages to a buyer’s journey:

Awareness – Consideration – Decision

Using analytics, you can perfect your sales collateral assets to win the leads that are stuck in the Consideration Stage and push them to the Decision Stage.

77 Agency, the winner of the “Best Use of Data,” 2019, shared their strategy “thinking globally and acting locally” for its Shutterstock campaign. They utilized Google Analytics’ internal site search report to meet their clients’ exact search demands next year.

2. Apply Conversational Leads Follow-Up Approach

Be straightforward in your response to your lead’s queries. But never be robotic.

Create Personalized Email Replies

60% of marketers agree that personalization is the key strategy for sales prospecting.

Getting a qualified lead to convert has got much more to it than just answering the request. 

Since they have approached your brand themselves, they are ready to buy. Their purchase decision is just a correct response away. 

Ideal Customer Engagement Day and Time

According to a Lead Response Management Study:

• If you choose to call your leads, do it on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 4-5 pm. There is a 49% higher response rate on Thursdays compared to Tuesdays.
• Monday, 3 pm onwards is ideal to get back to your leads via email.

Think of ways you can make your prospects feel they are listened to.

One way is to address them with their names, instead of the cliched “Dear valuable customer.”

Emotional Affirmance is Important

“Dear James, I can feel you are confused/frustrated/excited…but I am here to help.”

Leaving any of your leads’ requests unattended, puts your brand reputation at risk. At the least, you can acknowledge their emails and assure them you will return to them when you have a solution to their query.

3. Utilize Every Channel of Communication There Exists

You would never want to regret losing a potential client in the hands of an untapped opportunity to engage with them. With over 3 billion users, social media is an excellent platform to drive more visitors to your site.

Replying to Social Media Comments

After an in-person interaction, social media platforms are now the second most sought after areas where customers find comfort to get in touch with a brand. 

Therefore, you should never make them feel you are too busy to reply back to their comments. 

Many sales prospects hesitate to ask about a product in public and get ignored. Your replies to other customers will motivate them to put their queries before you because they will know you will respond to them.

And hurry!

83% of the commenters will want a brand to reply back to their comment within a day, or they will move to the brand’s competitor.

The 80/20 Rule

Keep the posts coming in. Be consistent.

But only 20% of your content should be based on selling. This 20% will bring 80% of the sales.

The other 80% should:

Create Awareness – Entertain – Educate

Share humorous content, personal photos, and literally anything your audience will be excited to see.

Commenting on Others Posts

Commenting on others’ blogs and social media posts also give your brand the exposure it needs. 

Make the comments appreciative, fun, and engaging. 

Conducting Webinars

20% of webinar attendants end up buying premium products from a brand. That’s crazy, right?

But it’s believable looking at how webinars facilitate explaining a product’s use to those interested to know. 

Unlike social media comments and emails, webinar leads don’t have to wait long to get their answers.

The live commenting helps them clarify doubts, if any, there and then. 

By the time the webinar is over, they’ve made up their mind regarding making the purchase.

Make sure your post-webinar lead nurturing strategies are done correctly.

Put these three sales prospecting tips into action and witness your sales outrank your competitors.

The post 3 Sales Prospecting Tips to Supercharge Sales in 60 Minutes appeared first on SiteProNews.