tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43360389434019058762024-02-07T00:06:23.472-08:00The dotLaunch BlogSmall Business Marketing tips, techniques and resources.dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-58577052273782219942019-05-02T13:42:00.001-07:002019-05-02T13:42:30.592-07:00Your 2019 Website Redesign Checklist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x6sItAXTf_52KxgR3q0jegXRa-RLpP3Zppa6KPnv8QkbfAcP8NivgwhDg6439R-Cg6oci6084q0VKNXe4f1S6Z_oAJJAAwmdj1Z0Fmzp2SAuMWPw2OIgU6P-OEmKh1LIiBuNvTmBOuE/s1600/website-redesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="823" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x6sItAXTf_52KxgR3q0jegXRa-RLpP3Zppa6KPnv8QkbfAcP8NivgwhDg6439R-Cg6oci6084q0VKNXe4f1S6Z_oAJJAAwmdj1Z0Fmzp2SAuMWPw2OIgU6P-OEmKh1LIiBuNvTmBOuE/s1600/website-redesign.jpg" /></a></div>
Certain work often gets pushed aside during the busy year.<br />
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For a lot of business owners, that work often includes redesigning your website.<br />
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The website that was bright and shiny and looked just how you wanted it to a few years ago probably isn’t pulling its full weight anymore. Every website owner should periodically revisit their website’s design to look for opportunities to improve.<br />
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How to Tell When It’s Time for a Website Redesign</h2>
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Taking on a website redesign project requires a commitment in time and money, which makes it easy to find excuses not to do it.<br />
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But there are few compelling reasons that are good enough to squash those excuses and move forward in 2019 with a website redesign.<br />
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<i>It’s been years</i></h3>
Web design best practices change. Just because your website was intuitive to visitors five years ago doesn’t mean it is now. And if you haven’t done a thorough update in a few years, you’re likely missing opportunities to get more out of your website based on current trends in SEO (search engine optimization), UX (user experience), and new technology.<br />
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If your last website design project was years ago, at the very least you should do a thorough review to figure out if your website is currently meeting your needs or could use a makeover.<br />
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<i>You’re not getting as many visitors as you’d like</i> </h3>
If you’re not seeing much traffic, you should both step up your online marketing and look for ways to strengthen your website. A website redesign presents the opportunity to analyze any weaknesses in your current website and spot missed SEO opportunities, so you can create a version that will perform better in search and bring in more visitors. <br />
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<i>Your visitors aren’t sticking around or returning</i> </h3>
Getting visitors to your website doesn’t matter much if they immediately click away and never come back. A good website is designed to get visitors to stick around, click through to additional pages, and keep coming back for more.<br />
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If your visitors aren’t doing that now, you’ll want to reconsider your website strategy and look for ways to redesign your pages to encourage longer and repeat visits with useful content and compelling CTAs (calls to action).<br />
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<i>It doesn’t work on mobile</i></h3>
One of the top sins of web design in 2019 is having a website that’s awkward or difficult to use on mobile. Too many people do their web browsing on mobile devices now for you to get away with providing a bad mobile experience. If your website is hard to use on a small screen, visitors will click away and the search engines will punish you in the rankings.<br />
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This is probably more urgent than any other item on this list. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, a website redesign project is imperative.<br />
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<i>Your business strategy has changed</i></h3>
For business websites, a New Year means revisiting your business plan and considering if your overall strategy and goals need to change. Anytime your business embarks on a new strategy—developing a new unique value proposition (UVP), introducing a new product, deciding to target a new demographic, etc.—your website needs an update to bring it in line with your new approach.<br />
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<i>You’re tired of the website you have</i></h3>
Really, this is a good enough reason on its own. If you’re no longer happy with the website you have—maybe you want different colors, think the design looks outdated, or have recently come across a few websites with designs you like more—that’s a good enough reason to change your website so it better matches what you really want.<br />
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<h2>
10 Steps to Include on Your Website Redesign Checklist</h2>
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When launching a website redesign, you can cut down on a lot of guesswork and risk by spending time on research and planning. Here’s a ten-step checklist to help you get your website redesign right.<br />
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1. Clarify your goals. </h3>
Before you start working out the details of your website redesign, define what you want to accomplish. Every website will have some main overarching goals, such as making sales or developing an engaged community. In addition, you may have a number of smaller goals that help you achieve your main ones, like increasing traffic or getting people to sign up for your email list.<br />
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Write out a list of the main goals your website ought to achieve, and determine the priority levels of each so you know what to focus on in your website redesign. Where possible, assign specific metrics to track to each goal so you can better measure your success once your new website is up.<br />
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2. Analyze your website metrics. </h3>
Dig into your website analytics to gain a clear understanding of what about your current website is working, and what isn’t. Your analytics will reveal insights about who your audience is, how they find your website, and what they do once there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91sGymKrSIAfv4aljiNwt_Fp1T9ep7Bg9secZhKJALshyzsnMLl3s6M8yq1tIQ3S2xXePRXW5_c8rpCMooZECq4tmraj7JA4ipdZBJCuO_n4DyjEJV0M5AGBR2xcXAxA00GZkAeas9YQ/s1600/site-analytics.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91sGymKrSIAfv4aljiNwt_Fp1T9ep7Bg9secZhKJALshyzsnMLl3s6M8yq1tIQ3S2xXePRXW5_c8rpCMooZECq4tmraj7JA4ipdZBJCuO_n4DyjEJV0M5AGBR2xcXAxA00GZkAeas9YQ/s1600/site-analytics.png" /></a></div>
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Look for trends in the data that suggest the types of topics, CTAs, and design elements your audience responds to. And confirm that the audience you’re attracting now is the one you want to reach—otherwise, your website and marketing may need to take a different approach to get in front of the right people.<br />
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3. Develop a persona. </h3>
While you definitely want your website redesign to produce a website you like, that’s actually less important than making sure your website appeals to your target audience. For your website to work for the people it’s really for, every decision about the website’s design needs to put them top of mind.<br />
A buyer persona is a basic sketch of the type of person you most want to reach. It typically includes demographic details, a description of their interests and online behavior, and notes on their common questions and problems. A persona lets you picture the person you’re building your website for, so it’s easier to get inside their head and make sure you center their experience in your approach to the design.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ7goFDGaPNirMxzuATm3zykYvMULzQki8sYWP8K5jvV3YhcvtRpAu18awEt8jdgMXP0n4gclGCpFDxDgY5vzY4AY6iRmJ-NN29bLGgXG_q2bqs-7tQ1WFEnlUVQ5yWfvHilCRwD-uNI/s1600/persona.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ7goFDGaPNirMxzuATm3zykYvMULzQki8sYWP8K5jvV3YhcvtRpAu18awEt8jdgMXP0n4gclGCpFDxDgY5vzY4AY6iRmJ-NN29bLGgXG_q2bqs-7tQ1WFEnlUVQ5yWfvHilCRwD-uNI/s1600/persona.png" /></a></div>
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4. Do keyword research. </h3>
Keyword research is both a crucial step in optimizing your website for the search engines, and a useful way to gain knowledge about what your audience is looking for and the language they most commonly use. Using the terminology your customers use is a helpful way to make the website more user friendly for them, and increases the chance that your site will show up in the search engines for the terms they’re looking for.<br />
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For on-site optimization, choose a relevant, unique primary keyword for each page of your website, along with a couple of secondary keywords. Work them into the URL, title tag, headings, alt tag, and website copy—but always naturally, don’t try to force them in.<br />
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Lots of keyword research tools are available to help identify the best keywords for each of your website’s main pages, and many of them are free. If you do content marketing, keyword research is also a valuable resource for finding the topics your audience cares about.<br />
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5. Do a content and SEO audit. </h3>
A successful website redesign doesn’t require starting over from scratch—you can still use a lot of the pages you already have, but look for ways to make them better. A thorough SEO and content audit will reveal opportunities to make the content you already have on your website go further and get better results.<br />
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In particular, in reviewing your current website, look for:<br />
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<ul>
<li> Web pages that aren’t well optimized for search now</li>
<li> Web pages that lack a clear CTA, or have one that isn’t getting results</li>
<li> Opportunities to improve your site structure so it’s more intuitive for users through more useful categories or a clearer menu</li>
<li> Successful content that can be repurposed into different formats</li>
<li> Successful content that can be updated to better drive visitors to take the actions you want</li>
<li> Underperforming content that can be improved upon for better results</li>
<li> Broken links or other issues contributing to high bounce rates</li>
<li> Content that no longer supports your goals, that your website is better off dropping</li>
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While your content has little to do with your website’s visual design, incorporating it into your website redesign plan will ensure your new design supports your content—a crucial feature of a strong design.<br />
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6. Develop a style guide </h3>
A style guide is a helpful tool for clarifying the general look you want your website to have. If more than one person will be involved in your website redesign, it will keep everyone on the same page when it comes to the website’s primary design elements. Even if your website redesign will be completed by one person, it makes it easier to ensure each web page communicates a consistent visual brand.<br />
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Your style guide doesn’t have to be something complicated. It can be as simple as defining your color scheme, choosing your typography, and addressing formatting choices. You can also include choices about the images to use, the button colors and styles to go with, and the proper icons to use (and not use). Whatever you decide to include, a simple style guide will serve as a handy reference point as you work to helps you achieve visual consistency throughout the site.<br />
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7. Find the right designer and/or website builder </h3>
With your basic research and strategy in place, the next step is deciding how you’re going to create you new website design. Your main two options are hiring a web designer or choosing a website builder or both. Each option has its advantages. Most notably, a web designer can design advanced features and allows you more flexibility and control, a website web builder provides convenience and affordability, and hiring a designer to custom design using a content management system gives you the best of both worlds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcw5IQ-wGqsXK9awX_sLFeqUHCVss4-MfCKlrCGB8wxbRPJhKx0EXk55jr4BF2vl5BNY5ggSRzpmGK4DEZEkTgTcteInGEKqsWQVErVH5yDkSSHkft09gE_IMALlgY0wdxNZG1VSV7Ng/s1600/cms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="902" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcw5IQ-wGqsXK9awX_sLFeqUHCVss4-MfCKlrCGB8wxbRPJhKx0EXk55jr4BF2vl5BNY5ggSRzpmGK4DEZEkTgTcteInGEKqsWQVErVH5yDkSSHkft09gE_IMALlgY0wdxNZG1VSV7Ng/s1600/cms.jpg" /></a></div>
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Whichever you’re leaning toward, take some time in this step to research your options. Hiring a web designer that’s a good fit for what you want is crucial to the overall success of your website redesign process. And choosing the best website builder for your needs will make the designing process easier and ensure you have all the features and functionality you need.<br />
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8. Consider UX </h3>
UX is the term used to describe design that centers the user experience. In other words, thinking through how your visitors will interact with your website in order to spot issues that may be confusing or difficult for them.<br />
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For example, if a significant number of your visitors come to the site looking for kids’ products, then making sure you put a link to the Kids category of your website right in the menu makes it easier for people to find what you’re looking for. Other factors that influence UX include making sure your text and buttons are in colors that are easy to see, your fonts are easy to read, and your links are well sized for people on mobile.<br />
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Before you settle on your new website design, go through it looking for any factors that could make it difficult or confusing for your visitors to take the actions you want them to take.<br />
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9. Prioritize the mobile experience </h3>
A mobile friendly website is a requirement in 2019. When you’re considering your website builder options, take into account whether they offer responsive templates that make creating a mobile friendly website easy. Or, when you’re interviewing designers, ask about their experience creating responsive websites.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqqP_okOttqbGtoyH8Q_HpHEaSqCPmEZHAQpKGEPUMn2lDKOgKFHamg73yU23__OrsjKWi38drC9GcF6eD9F0EsTgzSZQWfmfnb-3Ho4R4XUlq8cKCq3mftzFfoDw31OD2AwARz8TBdI/s1600/responsive-web-design.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="145" data-original-width="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqqP_okOttqbGtoyH8Q_HpHEaSqCPmEZHAQpKGEPUMn2lDKOgKFHamg73yU23__OrsjKWi38drC9GcF6eD9F0EsTgzSZQWfmfnb-3Ho4R4XUlq8cKCq3mftzFfoDw31OD2AwARz8TBdI/s1600/responsive-web-design.png" /></a></div>
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Double check how all your design elements look and work on mobile devices. A too-small button or link can make a website that otherwise seems fine basically unusable on mobile. You can’t treat mobile as an afterthought any more, it ought to be top of your mind throughout the website redesign process.<br />
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10. Do user testing </h3>
When you’ve finally got everything else on this list checked off and your website seemingly finished—don’t publish just yet. You’re never going to be as good at seeing your website the way your visitors will as someone who comes to it with fresh eyes.<br />
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So find some customers or friends to help you test out your website. Ask them to complete a few main actions on the site, like making a purchase, filling out a form, or navigating to a particular product. Encourage them to do so on different types of devices and in different browsers. And make a note of anything they have trouble with, so you know what changes to make before you go live.<br />
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Launch Your New Website! </h3>
Once you’ve checked off all ten steps, your new and improved website is ready for the public. Publish it to the web, but keep a close eye on your website analytics to see how it fares. You never want to assume a website redesign will accomplish everything you hoped. Track specific metrics based on your stated goals to see what’s working, and continue to make small tweaks to the design as you go based on what the data tells you.<br />
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Your redesign is a great way to make your website go further in 2019 and beyond, but when it comes to website maintenance, your work is never entirely done.<br />
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Ready to transform your website? <a href="https://www.dotlaunch.com/contact" target="_blank">Contact dotLaunch’s Web Design team today</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Kristen Hicks </i></span></span></div>
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<br />dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-63361840413977345092019-02-02T13:30:00.000-08:002019-02-02T13:30:17.375-08:00Google is shutting down Google Plus. What does that mean for you?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kpVX29uLXIAtIbhxBfEFB868_Caxjssw8Cn7ZEpXUJ3V09vfNTBPiokJbPkzTZVP_TrS19bqOAR1htMzZcg24N420J0nd6tji1IPguFeyB9E7jcKNKWg3ahUYHVUxX75Xy2o69VcSrQ/s1600/Google-plus-shutdown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Google Plus Shutdown and SEO" border="0" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kpVX29uLXIAtIbhxBfEFB868_Caxjssw8Cn7ZEpXUJ3V09vfNTBPiokJbPkzTZVP_TrS19bqOAR1htMzZcg24N420J0nd6tji1IPguFeyB9E7jcKNKWg3ahUYHVUxX75Xy2o69VcSrQ/s1600/Google-plus-shutdown.jpg" title="Google+ Shutting Down" /></a></div>
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Google sets April 2 closing date for Google+, download your photos and content before then.</h2>
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Google has an official closing date for its troubled Google+ social network: April 2.<br />
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The search engine giant says on that date Google+ accounts and any pages created will be shut down and begin being deleted. Should you have any photos or other content you want to save, "just make sure to do so before April," <a data-track-label="inline|intext|n/a" href="https://support.google.com/plus/answer/9195133" target="_blank">the company said in a blog post</a>.<br />
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Photos and videos also stored in Google Photos will not be affected. Google has posted <a data-track-label="inline|intext|n/a" href="https://support.google.com/plus/answer/1045788" target="_blank">directions on how to download an archive of your Google+ content</a>. Any photos and videos backed up in Google Photos will not be deleted.<br />
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Google began accelerating its shutdown last year after announcing in October 2018 that a vulnerability found earlier in the year had potentially compromised up to 500,000 users' data. Google says that it found no evidence any profile data were misused.<br />
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Then two months later, Google said a software update in November had caused a security bug that leaked the data — such as name, email and occupation — of 52.5 million users.<br />
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Google said in the blog post the decision to shut down Google+ was made "due to low usage and challenges involved in maintaining a successful product that meets consumers’ expectations."<br />Even though the free consumer version of Google+ will cease, Google+ will continue on as part of Google's G Suite for enterprises.<br />
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What does it mean for your business SEO?</h2>
Google+ was owned by the search engine giant and any social signals sent out by Google+ were expected to deliver strong SEO benefits.<br />
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But that didn’t quite happen. Google+ could never quite become Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook. It was always an “also ran”, despite Google’s best efforts to leverage its pre-eminent position as a search engine behemoth.<br />
<br />Even if you were active on Google+, promoting your business or those of your clients, the exit of Google+ from the social media scene will have minimum impact on your SEO. Social media signals from other sites will easily make up for any perceived dip in SEO performance. Remember, social media signals have some SEO value but not in the same category has backlinks or a well-designed website with good internal structure.<br />
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How will the shutting of Google+ Affect My Social Media Strategy?</h2>
How frequently were you using Google+? Users were few and user engagement was low. Webmasters were getting multiple times better returns for their efforts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Nobody was really using Google+ in isolation. It was invariably a part of an overall social media strategy that included posting content and networking on other social media sites.<br />
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Simply remove the Google+ social media icon from wherever you’ve displayed it on your website. It’ll soon be a dead link and you don’t want dead links emanating from your website.<br />
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Will Google + shutting down affect my Google My Business Listing & Reviews?</h2>
No worries, your Google My Business page will be unaffected by the shutdown. Many people confused Google+ with GMB (another reason Google+ failed), but they are separate entities. For excellent search results keep posting on your GMB page. That should more than make up for any loss you sustain from losing Google+.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2019/02/01/google-close-google-social-network-april-2/2741657002/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #999999;"><i>Courtesty of USA Today & Elvin Marketing</i></span></a></span></div>
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dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-11240265014152189852018-11-20T20:20:00.002-08:002018-11-20T20:20:41.337-08:00The 3 Best Ways Your Business Can Utilize Hyperlocal Marketing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcsHKMxzwOD9QJGmNRTJs7zeBcG_ZeE8Ct7ZYxo05lBSXKrDiddoMZABhn_5RqkKDF8sG4m4yDb88nwLQenpsyLtheY54WhoEXx_J7YKy-uRh3iwUK-_EYrc3iG1m8Sl9hyphenhyphen3akznEUQk/s1600/SmallBizMarketing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small Business Marketing" border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIcsHKMxzwOD9QJGmNRTJs7zeBcG_ZeE8Ct7ZYxo05lBSXKrDiddoMZABhn_5RqkKDF8sG4m4yDb88nwLQenpsyLtheY54WhoEXx_J7YKy-uRh3iwUK-_EYrc3iG1m8Sl9hyphenhyphen3akznEUQk/s1600/SmallBizMarketing.jpg" title="Hyperlocal Marketing" /></a></div>
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In this globalized age, where internationally recognized brands’ marketing efforts spread far and wide, it can seem like the new industry buzzword ‘hyperlocal’ is a recent phenomenon. In fact, before the advent of the internet, TV, or radio — markets were very much hyperlocal in nature.</div>
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However, with today’s technology, marketing to micro areas can be done in a much more efficient and impactful way than merely shouting the loudest. With ‘Near me’ Google searches increasing by <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/near-me-searches/" target="_blank">500%</a> from 2015 to 2017, this could be a strategy you can’t afford to miss out on. Not only this, but the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10104493997365051" target="_blank">recent change</a> to the Facebook algorithm means generic blanket marketing campaigns are being trumped by hyperlocal, targeted efforts. Here are the top 3 ways your business can succeed in building local relationships through hyperlocal marketing: </div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Hyperlocalize your social media strategy</h2>
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The world has a staggering 3.03 billion active social media users as of April 2018, with 81% of all small and medium businesses using some kind of social platform. Marketing on social media has become a no-brainer for the vast majority of companies, but few of them are taking advantage of the benefits that adopting a hyperlocal strategy can bring.</div>
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Remind consumers of the rich value of their local communities by serving them hyperlocal content through social media channels. Digitalizing the daily smiles and friendly chats that consumers have in their local communities through a hyperlocal social media strategy can help you build relationships and brand trust.</div>
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This can be done on Facebook through regularly posting image and video content centered around your store, local employees, happy customers, and points of interest in the area. Facebook is also a great place to get local customer feedback, which builds trust between you and the target audience, like the guys at <a href="https://hootsuite.com/resources/case-study/five-guys-case-study" target="_blank">Five Guys</a> did.</div>
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With Instagram, you can post updates to an event on your story, tagging local influencers involved and the location where it’s being held — which extends your reach to other people browsing content in the same area. Instagram’s ads are highly visible, with the potential to receive a lot of interaction when targeted properly. </div>
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<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Tell local stories</h2>
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It’s no secret that people identify with stories that have real people behind them, rather than just blanketed, soulless marketing messages. The effect of this is intensified further when those stories are hyperlocal, and could easily have come from anyone in your community. Hyperlocal marketing allows the consumer to feel like they’re buying into the personal. Take a look at gym franchise <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkIUVjJjV2H/?hl=en&taken-by=orangetheory" target="_blank">Orangetheory</a>, which does a great job of showcasing users’ fitness testimonials in local settings on their Instagram, which keeps people engaged and localizes their marketing strategy.</div>
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Instagram stories serve the storytelling purpose perfectly, along with Instagram and Facebook Live videos, which are watched <a href="https://www.martechadvisor.com/articles/social-media-marketing-2/4-storytelling-ideas-for-social-media/" target="_blank">3x more</a> than traditional videos. Tweetstorms also work great for longer stories — where the account posts a series of tweets that consumers can follow with anticipation, often aided by including the same hashtag.</div>
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Go out and engage</h2>
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Active hyperlocal marketing strategies that add value to their communities by engaging with local people are a sure fire way to build meaningful relationships with your target consumers. Just think about how much more memorable a brand is once you engage with it in a real-life way, while it’s doing something memorable in your community. By activating your employees to reach out to the community, your business can get people more than just digitally engaged with your brand.</div>
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Just look at the success of <a href="http://www.hotcow.co.uk/portfolio/sensodyne-case-study.htm" target="_blank">Sensodyne’s</a> London event where it offered the public dental checks, the chance to play games, and photo opportunities with Tower Bridge as a backdrop — 232 people participated in a world record attempt, 600 goody bags were distributed, and the brand received 150 mentions, giving them a reach on social media of over 4,000,000.</div>
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Run events, or sponsor those already going on, and make sure to market these on your social media accounts, keeping your omnichannel approach seamless. Furthermore, 65% of consumers say that live events and demonstrations help them understand a product better than a standard commercial method — ultimately promising more sales.</div>
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With all this in mind, the many benefits that hyperlocal marketing can bring — not least relationship building and brand engagement — make it a strategy for success that your business can’t afford to miss. By framing your brand image around its local impact and local people, a culture of trust and loyalty can evolve between you, your employees, and your consumers.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">-by Andreas Füchsel</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of <a href="https://martechseries.com/mts-insights/guest-authors/best-3-ways-business-can-utilize-hyperlocal-marketing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MarTechSeries</a></span></i></div>
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dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-51816459381561667372018-11-14T12:51:00.002-08:002018-11-14T12:51:12.055-08:00Want your new iPhone or iPad delivered tomorrow? Try Amazon.<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Amazon to start selling Apple products.</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHN1B7pZYtvWBehJWJNsiOScm5eRMnLgcu2cijPC2ZkHIwe7iSqJH4npqiFyyi-gmRJAin6M5TcNrJknhJv_tb7tZFm6J-PZtY9hXPZAJgHDGKPi48VoY3HrXbpXH_NdcjKd18UIVtr0Y/s1600/appleamazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="780" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHN1B7pZYtvWBehJWJNsiOScm5eRMnLgcu2cijPC2ZkHIwe7iSqJH4npqiFyyi-gmRJAin6M5TcNrJknhJv_tb7tZFm6J-PZtY9hXPZAJgHDGKPi48VoY3HrXbpXH_NdcjKd18UIVtr0Y/s1600/appleamazon.jpg" /></a></div>
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Amazon has made a deal with Apple that will see the Cupertino tech company sell its products — including iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches — directly on Amazon, according to a report from <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-pumps-up-its-amazon-listings-with-iphones-ipads-and-more/" target="_blank">CNET</a>.<br />
<br />Amazon has sold Apple products before, but those have been from third-party sellers, which means that the prices are often variable (and wildly different from the “official” Apple prices) and that sourcing isn’t as reputable.<br />
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Apple products will start rolling out on Amazon sites in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, and India over the next few weeks, including both Apple’s devices and those sold under the Apple-owned Beats brand. The deal doesn’t include every Apple product, though. For example, Apple’s Echo-competing HomePod is notably not going to be sold on Amazon.<br />
<br />In a statement released to <i>The Verge</i>, an Amazon spokesperson commented, “Amazon is constantly working to enhance the customer experience, and one of the ways we do this is by increasing selection of the products we know customers want. We look forward to expanding our assortment of Apple and Beats products globally.”<br />
<br />As part of the deal, only Apple or Apple-authorized resellers will now be allowed to sell Apple and Beats devices through Amazon’s site. Any companies that are currently selling Apple products on Amazon will see their listings taken down starting on January 4th, and they’ll need to apply to Apple to become official resellers before they’ll be allowed to sell them again on Amazon.<br />
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Alphabet Inc's Google pulled its video streaming app YouTube from two Amazon devices last year because of several complaints against the online retailer, including its decision not to sell some of Google's products. Amazon now carries the Apple TV, but only after it became compatible with Amazon's Prime Video.<br />
<br />"We’re working with Amazon to improve the experience for Apple customers on their site and we look forward to those customers having another great way to buy iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and more," Apple said in a statement.<br />
<br />About 71% of Apple's sales in fiscal 2018, ended in September, were through indirect distribution channels like Amazon. – Reuters<br />
<br />dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-34139244498385535262017-09-28T10:51:00.001-07:002017-09-28T10:51:12.718-07:00Malware starting to appear in WordPress plugins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOVYX2ktlZs4ENtyfKcXRt5dKfenpzTMD0cj7E9wHKQw5iyE7g3rE_JnL-9smjYsTl_dCquqoFDdaOOZE60BSoHzdOPSgpxi0ob4Rjhu3IGeIsnuL6-QA5fMeB1_qk1mDKXHrmr1R8Vk/s1600/wordpress-plugin-removed-security.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOVYX2ktlZs4ENtyfKcXRt5dKfenpzTMD0cj7E9wHKQw5iyE7g3rE_JnL-9smjYsTl_dCquqoFDdaOOZE60BSoHzdOPSgpxi0ob4Rjhu3IGeIsnuL6-QA5fMeB1_qk1mDKXHrmr1R8Vk/s1600/wordpress-plugin-removed-security.jpg" /></a></div>
A set of three popular WordPress plugins were discovered to have malicious code in recent updates. Eric Karkovack writes about this newer avenue for hackers and how the industry needs to respond to ensure designers and developers can safely use plugins in their designs.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Malicious code in previously trusted WordPress plugins is now a reality.<br />
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In case you missed it, three widely-used WordPress plugins were recently found to have malicious code included with recent updates. <b>Display Widgets</b>, <b>Fast Secure Contact Form</b> and <b>SI CAPTCHA Anti-Spam</b> were each removed from the official WordPress Plugin Repository due to SEO spam discovered by users.<br />
<br />One thing each plugin has in common was that they were all previously trusted and generally considered secure. More recently, they were sold by their original authors to a new developer, who used these popular plugins to spread payday loan spam posts. In fact, security plugin company Wordfence recently reported that up to 9 plugins have been found with malicious code added through various means.<br />
<br />While many web designers and developers have become more proactive in securing their sites against typical threats like brute force attacks, etc. – malicious plugins appear to be a whole new ballgame. We’re used to defending against security holes, but not authors who are intentionally trying to propagate malware. And in the case of the plugins mentioned above, immediately updating to the latest version was the worst thing we could have done since that was how the code was installed.<br />The question now becomes, what can be done to prevent this from happening again?<br />
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<h3>
A Matter of Trust</h3>
The team in charge of vetting WordPress plugins in the repository has a really difficult job. There are currently over 52,000 free plugins available and it’s darn near impossible to continually scrutinize each one for security. Why, just think of the sheer amount of updates to those plugins that occur on a daily basis. It’s undoubtedly difficult enough to vet just the new plugins that come in – never mind checking out each and every subsequent update that is released.<br />
<br />Still, we’ll often just trust that whatever we download to our sites is safe. There are always worries about outdated code that would allow a hacker to do some damage – but how many of us ever thought to question the motives of the author themselves?<br />
<br />In the open source community, there is a great deal of good will. Code is shared and improved on a regular basis. There are so many outstanding people who give their time and talents to make the web a better place. While this spirit of giving is a wonderful thing, it also leads to some complacency on our part. We don’t stop to think that someone out there may not really be looking to do us a favor.<br />Even worse, in this case the attacker took code that had been trusted for years by scores of users and turned into something else entirely. And the truth is that only hardcore WordPress news junkies had any idea what was going on after the fact.<br />
<br />Sadly, it seems to be a reasonable assumption that the vast majority of folks using these plugins have absolutely no idea that they were removed from the repository. If they do notice it’s missing, they may not know why. That’s got to change.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wQPqdSikXim_xmbnsS0DSprkiKQhyphenhyphenrMOeVReZf3VRJogVKtszm5OnTpbMChw3EHPxj3L6rE9QjxVOx39mNeCnhtk2ivdJx3hyuiJDpxXuFWNAmJ8Yh5nENMoJMCbWzh32talV_wymYE/s1600/wordpress-plugin-removed-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wQPqdSikXim_xmbnsS0DSprkiKQhyphenhyphenrMOeVReZf3VRJogVKtszm5OnTpbMChw3EHPxj3L6rE9QjxVOx39mNeCnhtk2ivdJx3hyuiJDpxXuFWNAmJ8Yh5nENMoJMCbWzh32talV_wymYE/s1600/wordpress-plugin-removed-01.png" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Finding a Way to Warn Users</h3>
The issue of a malcontent purchasing a previously-trusted plugin and turning it into a tool of destruction is (hopefully) not a common occurrence. But plugins are routinely removed from the repository and the average user probably will never hear about it.<br />
<br />While the team responsible for the repository has some ideas (here and here, for example) on keeping users better informed, I think it needs to go even further. In my view, security issues like this should be displayed on the WordPress plugin management page within each installation. This is the same area that tells us when a plugin requires an update, and it makes sense that a message could be placed in that same area – perhaps with a link to a more detailed explanation.<br />
<br />It’s understandable that there is concern about just blurting out major security holes or malicious code. That information could certainly be used for the wrong reasons as well. But how does that balance out with the risk of essentially telling no one about the issue?<br />
<br />True, these particular plugins were spewing SEO spam – not necessarily a matter of life and death. But what if something out there starts deleting database tables or spreading ransomware?<br />
<br />We’ve reached a tipping point. There must be a way to disseminate this type of security information to sites that have these plugins installed.<br />
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<h3>
Stranger Danger</h3>
It’s truly a shame that someone took advantage of the trusting nature of the WordPress community. But maybe it’s the wakeup call that we needed to realize that malicious attacks come from both the inside and outside of a WordPress install.<br />
<br />I don’t envy the people who have to make decisions on how best to let users know what’s going on. It seems like no matter what path they choose, there are serious risks involved. But it feels like some sort of action is needed.<br />
<br />If the new reality is that what we install on our websites isn’t always going to be on the up and up, then we need to be informed of any found dangers. For me, this all started with the Display Widgets plugin, which I had installed on a few sites. The Wordfence plugin alerted me to the fact that it was removed from the plugin repository. From there, I had to do some research to find a forum post that explained the situation (and it was not easy to find since the plugin page had been removed).<br />
<br />Web Professionals work with WordPress on a daily basis and write about it quite often. If we've had a hard time finding information regarding this incident – how is the average site owner supposed to find out? It’s a situation that seems untenable for the future.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-by Eric Karkovack </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of <a href="https://speckyboy.com/malicious-code-wordpress-plugins/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SpeckyBoy</a></span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-71665799205947643172017-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:002017-07-14T08:00:08.736-07:005 popular UX design patterns that users hate!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gH8oxsRe-h9BuRrG3TZ1lEENC2bBY0NQkCvRQt2Jg4ywbL2C0X-s89Bb3pGt6U3DXfCq4jEbbUzjfDGh6VDZ-15-A9fV8N1Epzo7uk8TS2C8dbq7YkvN5vUO9X_dUYpUUEp4_bBONZs/s1600/hatedUX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="UX Mistakes" border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5gH8oxsRe-h9BuRrG3TZ1lEENC2bBY0NQkCvRQt2Jg4ywbL2C0X-s89Bb3pGt6U3DXfCq4jEbbUzjfDGh6VDZ-15-A9fV8N1Epzo7uk8TS2C8dbq7YkvN5vUO9X_dUYpUUEp4_bBONZs/s1600/hatedUX.jpg" title="Hated UX patterns" /></a></div>
UX patterns are design solutions that can be repeated for common problems. Their aim is to make user accessibility much easier, which leads to better performance in terms of conversion or retention. However, sometimes these patterns can actually become quite a nuisance for your users instead of benefitting them. That’s why I’m here to show you which UX patterns are really grinding their gears and how you can fix them.<br />
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1. Popups</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCBuROtMBrMuWaehqc5f5W_qGQuL3DmN0Nmwn7Lu4r0P_QwbRl-37sIBoNN5OAlPAyYiI6K9gR2tHsMKsE30QuWct4fNsmmu1x2SW1HvzACuY_Q0NgKEHGvADLM3X8KiwXupBc6sDxrE/s1600/hatedux_popups.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Popups" border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCBuROtMBrMuWaehqc5f5W_qGQuL3DmN0Nmwn7Lu4r0P_QwbRl-37sIBoNN5OAlPAyYiI6K9gR2tHsMKsE30QuWct4fNsmmu1x2SW1HvzACuY_Q0NgKEHGvADLM3X8KiwXupBc6sDxrE/s1600/hatedux_popups.png" title="Popups" /></a></div>
I know you’re with me on this one. You click a link to open up a web page and half way through reading the content you’re abruptly interrupted by a huge overlay begging for your email address. I understand they think they have a pretty good newsletter going that I would probably enjoy, that’s why I clicked on their link, but they will never make new friends by shouting down their throats.<br />
<br />Instead allow users to read content and get acquainted before asking for anything. Give them the chance to decide on their own instead of forcing it on them. This could either be a subtle pop-out after reading the page, or a popup modal before the user clicks off the page.<br />
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<h2>
2. Social Integration</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhML5GnmR-ZZSitULjx4VI5LuiNGlvQU8dALxlh8lN5_odWm36B8yy8vQjjOic86lp_WV1onNt7CjSluu_GO6iLY318DT2DO_NVBrVw2MNOhQK2zluNE_oP2FwNa2T2cXGY0dBE57y4R_4/s1600/hatedux_social.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Social integration" border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhML5GnmR-ZZSitULjx4VI5LuiNGlvQU8dALxlh8lN5_odWm36B8yy8vQjjOic86lp_WV1onNt7CjSluu_GO6iLY318DT2DO_NVBrVw2MNOhQK2zluNE_oP2FwNa2T2cXGY0dBE57y4R_4/s1600/hatedux_social.png" title="Social Integration" /></a></div>
Sharing is awesome. Especially for your business as it’s the most cost effective way to get customers to your website. Social widgets on the other hand should be used sparingly. Why spend hours of your time producing a great piece of content only to distort it with eager social buttons.<br />
<br />Sharing on social media should be an organic experience, not a forced one. A user will want to share your content more if they are not patronised into it, so limit your widgets and consider using a pleasant message at the end of the content asking them to give it a quick tweet if they enjoy your work.<br />
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<h2>
3. Page Preloaders</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi36ubBf_XXNsj_W94jfEv6qnX0pV71vx3rikjIXUEnoqVEiksUklKdg9yrl86jdkH76YYskNNSWPxMTWP7LkBXSWBscMpjsD69b0xwvzlya74zriAlDepOajCrQtWFHe4B0dF1cH0_Do/s1600/hatedux_preloader.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Page preloaders" border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi36ubBf_XXNsj_W94jfEv6qnX0pV71vx3rikjIXUEnoqVEiksUklKdg9yrl86jdkH76YYskNNSWPxMTWP7LkBXSWBscMpjsD69b0xwvzlya74zriAlDepOajCrQtWFHe4B0dF1cH0_Do/s1600/hatedux_preloader.png" title="Page preloaders" /></a></div>
As technology progresses our generation gets more impatient and in 2017 we shouldn’t have to watch a spinner load a 2MB website. I know this might just be a fancy trend, and I’m sure 80% of them weren’t actually loading anything but used aesthetically, but speed should be a priority when building a web application.<br />
<br />If you are having speed issues, load in the lighter elements of the page first—like the navigation—and use a loader for the heavier content, instead of leaving the user on a blank screen staring at a cute animation. This way the user doesn’t feel like you’ve stood them up on a date, and that you are still there.<br />
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<h2>
4. Mega Menus</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5s-uwXSWxIysKCwLocjw1teMFi-xVPkMC3mBqEYiYS5162fU6WSDWPMt56Bw25FZzdRRzF2xkB6RDFliNzhaYSGENE8012yxsPOfAADmFEJhPT1Cpv8MFQaRH23h_nBb9tRCz7sxIv0s/s1600/hatedUX_megamenus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mega Menus" border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5s-uwXSWxIysKCwLocjw1teMFi-xVPkMC3mBqEYiYS5162fU6WSDWPMt56Bw25FZzdRRzF2xkB6RDFliNzhaYSGENE8012yxsPOfAADmFEJhPT1Cpv8MFQaRH23h_nBb9tRCz7sxIv0s/s1600/hatedUX_megamenus.jpg" title="Mega Menus" /></a></div>
Mega menus may seem like a good solution for a website that has many pages and sections, but it’s not. The problem being is that they create a maze-like experience for the user as they try to find their desired page. It forces the burden of navigation to the user and they will quickly get frustrated or bored.<br />
<br />If you don’t want your site’s navigation to resemble a game of Where’s Waldo, you can split up the different links into sections. You could also swap out some of the text links for imagery to make it less mundane. Lastly, for the sake of all humanity, please stay well away from hover activated dropdowns.<br />
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<h2>
5. Infinite Scrolling</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingdGykge1xJtothala4TnSve4EtkS9zAGRiTozvTQkgsLBwQsTBGdE7tTHECOwNCFzG2LYulAjBHSDLODarnfSnM057JYLkTPaUU4sgDtqxT9nsCyHDB722tvH4Ki-xpVf2QzCLmEdfw/s1600/hatedux_scroll.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Infinite Scrolling" border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEingdGykge1xJtothala4TnSve4EtkS9zAGRiTozvTQkgsLBwQsTBGdE7tTHECOwNCFzG2LYulAjBHSDLODarnfSnM057JYLkTPaUU4sgDtqxT9nsCyHDB722tvH4Ki-xpVf2QzCLmEdfw/s1600/hatedux_scroll.png" title="Infinite Scrolling" /></a></div>
While infinite scrolling solved retention issues for us, it created more problems than it fixed. If you need to reach an important page that’s located in the site’s footer and the site has auto infinite scrolling activated, it is a lost cause. Another problem being when you have been scrolling for a while and visit another page. Time to go back and carry on from where you left off? Not a chance.<br />
<br />Just like mega menus, infinite scrolling has great potential if implemented correctly. Blend the pattern with traditional pagination and allow the user to choose to continue scrolling with an action. This will help keep your footer accessible. In order to fix the issue of users losing where they were up to, have the URL change whenever the page loads up another section.<br />
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<h2>
Wrapping Up</h2>
A quick disclaimer to bear in mind is that although the above UX patterns are insanely annoying, that doesn’t mean that you should avoid them like the plague. While they are not the best option, some of them might work for your website depending on your requirements.<br />
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However, try empathising with your users and think before you employ any of these patterns.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-by Nick Hiley</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2017/07/5-popular-ux-patterns-that-users-hate/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Web Designer Depot</a></span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-34002298842665161702017-07-13T17:10:00.000-07:002017-07-13T17:10:00.156-07:00Apple adds PayPal as payment option in 11 new markets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFhsUDFju-gNnU-fu_HQy4d9Y6UCQ6_8EDGXsothCVuNWb0Xw22c2F5tpOjTm4I_pBZw9hjXXhP6eIhdm-erKkj6g9uF57tXkUaEfO4buYjxKwViYwT53FzD8RM27f-8B4MI0tp4_vgQ/s1600/paypal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Apple now lets you pay for digital goods with PayPal" border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFhsUDFju-gNnU-fu_HQy4d9Y6UCQ6_8EDGXsothCVuNWb0Xw22c2F5tpOjTm4I_pBZw9hjXXhP6eIhdm-erKkj6g9uF57tXkUaEfO4buYjxKwViYwT53FzD8RM27f-8B4MI0tp4_vgQ/s1600/paypal.jpg" title="IOS adds PayPal" /></a></div>
Users of iOS devices in 11 new markets will soon be able to easily access PayPal as a payment choice, part of a growing partnership with Apple. The feature offers an alternative to using credit cards for mobile payments.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Apple is opening up its digital ecosystem to PayPal from today, with
customers now able to use the omnipresent payment platform to purchase
goods through iTunes, iBooks, Apple Music, and the App Store.<br />
<br />
Kicking off in Canada and Mexico, PayPal payments will be slowly
rolling out to other markets — including the U.S. — “soon after,”
according to a <a href="https://www.paypal.com/stories/us/paypal-now-available-on-app-store-apple-music-itunes-more" target="_blank">statement issued by PayPal today</a>.<br />
In real terms, this means that rather than simply setting your credit
or debit card as your default payment mechanism, you will now also have
the option of selecting PayPal.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqBnunlt0ThAUcH3vx-JP3yjArnpePv1fa2LpTrkrOPe6wrATqMXYmS3ng-GEPR2ZVsCigbuBYNiMKg2EfdxHVKc8AOO3sKjzaylu0iNjl1PIVLHIpB6pB2xXxNcymTR1jzBAgt9JgmY/s1600/iospaypal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="402" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqBnunlt0ThAUcH3vx-JP3yjArnpePv1fa2LpTrkrOPe6wrATqMXYmS3ng-GEPR2ZVsCigbuBYNiMKg2EfdxHVKc8AOO3sKjzaylu0iNjl1PIVLHIpB6pB2xXxNcymTR1jzBAgt9JgmY/s320/iospaypal.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
<br />
Apple has already embraced other third-party payment methods in some markets. Last year, for example, the company <a href="http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/105059/20161101/apple-now-accepts-alipay-payments-chinese-users.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">opened to Alipay</a>, a service that is effectively the PayPal of China.<br />
<br />
This latest integration also opens up PayPal to Apple’s
voice-activated digital assistant, Siri, meaning you will soon be able
to ask Siri to make a payment using the PayPal app directly.<br />
<br />
Notably, this also opens up PayPal’s <a href="https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/one-touch-checkout" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">One Touch payment</a> smarts to Apple devices, meaning you will be able to purchase goods on compatible sites and mobile apps.<br />
<br />
It’s worth noting here that this isn’t the first time Apple has
embraced PayPal payments. Apple used to offer PayPal’s Credit service in
the U.S. to enable consumers to finance physical products, such as Macs
and iPhones, but <a href="https://www.macrumors.com/2015/11/06/apple-drops-us-paypal-credit-support/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this was discontinued in 2015</a> — though it is still available in some markets, <a href="https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/browse/finance/PaypalFinancingLandingPage" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">including the U.K</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-by Paul Sawers</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2017/07/12/apple-now-lets-you-pay-for-digital-goods-using-paypal/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Venturebeat</a></span></i> </div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-17664990338901475882017-07-13T14:10:00.000-07:002017-07-13T14:10:09.706-07:00Critical marketing mistakes on social media<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgED8w9LNdIsGhqYfXqWUyTSN3daVyYqePJT-UxmhiX-HT6iiO3C_lBSVuDB6NvsYE8n-wkEMshuLwh4kSmcEr6wQxmJUuxDT7GyHscGw9AeA97iCI29DhzMJ8Ai1j0VSxyRM6ckQIF2hw/s1600/socialmediamistakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="What to know when marketing on social media" border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgED8w9LNdIsGhqYfXqWUyTSN3daVyYqePJT-UxmhiX-HT6iiO3C_lBSVuDB6NvsYE8n-wkEMshuLwh4kSmcEr6wQxmJUuxDT7GyHscGw9AeA97iCI29DhzMJ8Ai1j0VSxyRM6ckQIF2hw/s1600/socialmediamistakes.jpg" title="Social media marketing mistakes" /></a></div>
<br />
Social media has become an integral part of daily life, but some business owners are still not using this marketing channel to its full potential. Posting inconsistently, sharing too many promotional messages and allowing accounts to become inactive can hurt your results.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Social Media has become such an important part of our everyday lives. People of all ages across the globe use Social Media. It has become a major source of news, local information, business information, consumer research, as well as a place to keep in touch with old friends and new or to stay in contact with family that may not be nearby.<br />
<br />However, one of the most important aspects of Social Media has been the opportunity for businesses of any size, in any location, and any industry to reach an audience of consumers. Marketing and Advertising on Social Media has become a necessity for businesses.<br />
<br />Unfortunately, there are still business owners and marketers who either do not understand how it is supposed to work or they are still using it as though it were 2010.<br />
<br />
Social Media Marketing has changed drastically over the past several years, and it continues to change. It also requires knowledge and experience to do it correctly and effectively.<br />
<br />Here are 6 things business owners need to know about using Social Media to market:<br />
<br />
<h2>
1. Posting an update whenever you think of it may hurt your business.</h2>
Each Social Platform has an algorithm. An algorithm is “a set of rules that precisely defines a sequence of operations.”<br />
<br />In Social Media, this algorithm determines what people see, what information gets out to specific people. If you are only posting sporadically your updates are likely not showing in many News Feeds, if any at all. Thus, your updates are not generating any views or interest and basically are not worth the time you took to post.<br />
<br />In order for your updates to be effective you must post consistently, every day, a few times a day, as well as posting content that is relevant and interesting to your audience.<br />
<br />
<h2>
2. Posting anything, at any time will not work.</h2>
Social Media Marketers educate themselves on what to post, when to post it, how many times to post each day, what to share, etc. There is a definite method to the madness, and it involves more than just posting a link to one of your products.<br />
<br />
<h2>
3. Posting only company or sales information is not an effective strategy.</h2>
People are not using Facebook or Instagram to see sales messages from businesses. Sure, they are using Social Media to research their purchases, but they are doing so on their own terms. They are seeking out the information, they do not want the information coming at them when they don’t want or need it.<br />
<br />Social Media Marketing is about developing your brand and improving your visibility. Sharing information that users want to see, articles related to your business, links to relevant information they can use, posting reviews from current customers are all useful and not annoying or overwhelming.<br />
<br />
Unless you are Amazon or another big box retailer or large company, sharing only company-related information is not a good strategy.<br /><br />
<h2>
4. Running an ad does not mean people will be clamoring to buy your products/services.</h2>
In the history of advertising there has never been a guarantee that an ad will generate sales. In the old days, traditional newspaper ads or television ads were sold based on the number of people that would see your ad. These ads were no guarantee that a sale would be made.<br />
<br />Advertising is an audio or visual form of marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, nonpersonal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea.<br />
<br />Social Media Advertising is a more direct way to reach people and this is where it is acceptable to directly display your products and services. The overall goal is to reach people and make them aware of your products or services so when they make their purchasing decisions (when THEY are ready to purchase) they think of your business first.<br />
<br />
<h2>
5. Just having an account on the Social Platforms is not enough.</h2>
If you are going to establish accounts on the Social Sites it is necessary to keep those accounts active and monitor them for comments and questions. Opening an account and listing the icon on your website is not enough. In fact, if you do have accounts on the Social Sites and you are not using them, updating them, or watching for comments it can have a negative effect on your business.<br />An inactive account on Social Media sends the message that you don’t care. Additionally, people seeking out your page only to find it has not had an update in weeks or months may think your business is closed. Either way, an inactive page with updates from weeks or months, or even years, ago signals your business doesn’t care and negatively affects your reputation.<br />
<br />
<h2>
6. An Office Manager, Assistant, Billing Manager, Intern, etc. cannot manage Social Media effectively.</h2>
Just because the Social Sites are free and “anyone” can use them, does not mean that one of your employees or interns can provide an effective and successful campaign on Social Media.<br />
<br />Social Media Marketing requires experience and knowledge. If you want your marketing and advertising to be useful and profitable it needs to be done correctly.<br />
<br />Hiring a professional to manage your campaigns is the best way to ensure that your budget and efforts with Social Media are beneficial to your bottom-line.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-by Laura Donovan</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of <a href="http://www.business2community.com/social-media/6-things-business-owners-need-understand-social-media-marketing-01877736" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">B2C</a></span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-72630859749004639832017-03-27T17:01:00.000-07:002017-03-27T17:01:28.865-07:00How to make your videos appear in Google search with Video Marketing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXqA91Xrwn5uGRRvv2vDB6TJhyphenhyphenzzpczLhyphenhyphen7bYQ8LCkn9JYX0lfwFpjUszOkrnct7YCFwSRPn1NsLzU-YfudXQPSCYhd58rzkCSQ8OmKImi61ZIGMKCAKUudz4MXtdX7p-BrImHiXz2QQ/s1600/VideoMarketing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="SEO Video" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXqA91Xrwn5uGRRvv2vDB6TJhyphenhyphenzzpczLhyphenhyphen7bYQ8LCkn9JYX0lfwFpjUszOkrnct7YCFwSRPn1NsLzU-YfudXQPSCYhd58rzkCSQ8OmKImi61ZIGMKCAKUudz4MXtdX7p-BrImHiXz2QQ/s1600/VideoMarketing.jpg" title="Video Marketing" /></a></div>
5 steps you can take to improve your video search ranking, including transcription, content, keywords and more.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Videos are becoming increasingly important for B2B marketing. Companies with dedicated video marketing strategies generate more leads, earn more revenue, and enjoy better brand awareness than those engaging in all other forms of marketing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ruVCVjhYafUZ53LS8uJrfRFBo2AoVXMoSu0uo3wHiYMXcnv9K8wwjtLR48UtJTzpVVtI8GI6h3K-er1RczqTFsXs79CneosPEMlgNi1P9xC1SY5Yqiu93F-_tRjBzeNdk_3S8-MU6Rk/s1600/impact-of-video-marketing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Impact of video marketing" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ruVCVjhYafUZ53LS8uJrfRFBo2AoVXMoSu0uo3wHiYMXcnv9K8wwjtLR48UtJTzpVVtI8GI6h3K-er1RczqTFsXs79CneosPEMlgNi1P9xC1SY5Yqiu93F-_tRjBzeNdk_3S8-MU6Rk/s1600/impact-of-video-marketing.png" title="Impact of video marketing" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are
great places to get eyes on your video content, but prospects aren’t
necessarily in work- or buy-mode as they scroll through these platforms. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">We do know, however, that <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/articles/the-changing-face-b2b-marketing.html" target="_blank">90% of B2B decision-makers</a> use search to research business decisions</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.
To reap the benefits of video marketing, your videos must be optimized
for search. By following a few best practices for video SEO, you’ll
enjoy more visible video search results and drive more organic
traffic—and qualified leads—to your video content.</span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">How Does Google Rank Videos?</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">In its general search and video
search functions, Google ranks videos using the same ranking factors as
written content—content quality, number of backlinks, and <a href="http://searchengineland.com/faq-all-about-the-new-google-rankbrain-algorithm-234440" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">RankBrain</a>
are the most important signals. When hosting videos on your site, the
tasks for optimizing video content are similar to those for written
content and images.<em> </em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>Similar</em>, but not identical. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Here are five steps you should take to improve your search rankings so your videos stand out in search results: </strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><br /></strong></span></span>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">1. Transcribe Your Video Content</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Providing both a video and
transcription on a single page offers dual benefits: it caters to
different reader preferences, and it makes video content more likely to
appear in general Google searches.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Video transcriptions can be optimized
for search in the same way as any other text-based site content. While
this may seem to break duplicate content rules, transcriptions actually
provide a good user experience by catering to different learning styles.
While some visitors may prefer videos, others may prefer reading. In
fact, <a href="http://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/consumer-marketing/content-survey-discoveries/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">85% of business executives</a> prefer reading over watching videos</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> when making business decisions.</span><strong> </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>When transcribing video content, there are two approaches you can take:</strong><br />
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Provide a full, word-for-word transcription as Moz does for their <a href="https://moz.com/blog/how-to-prioritize-your-link-building-efforts-opportunities-whiteboard-friday" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Whiteboard Friday</a> videos.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Provide text highlights like Content Marketing Institute does for their <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2017/02/medium-wrong-business-model/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This Old Marketing</a> podcast.</li>
</ol>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Full transcripts provide more
engagement SEO opportunities, while highlights are good for long
videos and can encourage more views by teasing readers with compelling
content that’s discussed in more detail in the video. Ultimately, use
the approach your audience prefers: you can poll them to find out, or do
some A/B testing to see which approach drives the kind of engagement you’re looking for.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">2. Optimize Video File Metadata</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Just like general search results,
titles and descriptions display in video searches. While Google will
find something to display if this data isn’t provided, you’ll drive more
views and rank higher in results if this metadata is optimized.</span><strong> </strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Video titles and descriptions should:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Be compelling to encourage click-throughs.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Be relevant and applicable to the content.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Include keywords that match user intent.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Feature titles that are 55 characters or less.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Use meta descriptions that are 155 characters or less.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Additionally, Google displays a thumbnail for video results. </span>Thumbnails are to videos as images are to blog posts<span style="font-weight: 400;">—choosing
the right thumbnail is crucial. While most video processing programs
will select a thumbnail using a single screen from the video, you should
create a custom thumbnail that illustrates video content, attracts
attention, and inspires interest.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">3. Implement Schema Markup</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">While some users conduct searches
using Google’s video search function, many just use the general search
tool. To help videos stand out in general search results, use schema
markup (semantic vocabulary) to provide the information search engines
need. With schema markup, general search results will appear in the same
way as video search results, providing a video thumbnail and length.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">At a minimum, you’ll need to add
schema markup for the title, description, thumbnail, and either embed-
or content-URL for each video. You may also want to include video
length, upload date, and height and width dimensions. Google has a page
describing exactly <a href="https://developers.google.com/webmasters/videosearch/schema" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what it expects </a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">from schema markup for videos and allows you to validate schema markup with the <a href="https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool/u/0/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rich Snippet Testing Tool</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">4. Submit a Video Sitemap</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">While Google’s crawlers will discover videos on your site, you can enhance discovery of site-hosted videos by <a href="https://developers.google.com/webmasters/videosearch/sitemaps" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">creating a video sitemap</a> a</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">nd submitting it to Google Search Console. Create a separate video sitemap, or add video entries to an existing sitemap.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Entries in a video sitemap must
include video title, description, play page URL, thumbnail, and raw
video file URL, and must match the information included on your site.
There are a number of optional pieces of data that can be included as
well—video duration, rating, view count, category, and live status.
While the optional fields do not need to be included in a video sitemap,
they provide additional data Google can use to properly index video
files.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">5. Find Keywords That Populate Video Results</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">The best way to know if users prefer
video content for certain queries is to conduct searches for targeted
keywords. If video results appear on the first page of results, it
signifies that users are typically satisfied with video content for that
query. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, conducting a
Google search for the query “Twitter tutorial” results in a YouTube
video in position two, just below the official Twitter support page.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KrLHbbWztUY7IDrkIEsMwnpc0bJsSREyA2H5pxghGfXyeAzbNR_gZo6_Jjp2Dc6zrE7xLIUFOKNQh7pkDdCVGt0ntNZSfC6Skkj9M6ETydSpain0YMfo0Krzurs0xy7kzA7nOcsbB2M/s1600/video-marketing-keywords.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="video marketing keywords" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KrLHbbWztUY7IDrkIEsMwnpc0bJsSREyA2H5pxghGfXyeAzbNR_gZo6_Jjp2Dc6zrE7xLIUFOKNQh7pkDdCVGt0ntNZSfC6Skkj9M6ETydSpain0YMfo0Krzurs0xy7kzA7nOcsbB2M/s1600/video-marketing-keywords.png" title="Video marketing keywords" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Prioritize video creation for
keywords that populate video results in general search and create videos
that are higher quality or more comprehensive than those that are
already ranking for relevant keywords.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The Most Important SEO Video Ranking Factor</span></h3>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Video content is held to the same
standards as text content in search results—it must be high quality.
Optimizing fluff videos isn’t a valuable use of your time because—like
general content—engagement factors are important. If people are watching
only a few seconds of your video and then leaving, your engagement
scores will fall, and Google may determine that your video is either
irrelevant to the query or low-quality.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Video content should cater to user
intent, provide value to viewers, and have a high production value. That
doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune hiring actors or designing
animations that make Pixar jealous, but it does mean that videos should
be in focus, audio should be clear, and unnecessary pieces should be
edited out.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Once you’ve created high-quality,
engaging videos, upload them to your site, add transcripts, and optimize
display in results with metadata, schema markup, and sitemaps.
Completing these tasks will enable more visible—and higher
ranking—search results for video marketing content.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-weight: 400;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">-By Nate Dame<br />Courtesty of <a href="http://blog.marketo.com/2017/03/5-seo-tips-for-videos-how-google-ranks-them-how-to-optimize.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marketo</a> </span></i> </span></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-28751937653740964402017-03-14T13:34:00.001-07:002017-03-14T13:34:56.706-07:00Design Myths to Avoid<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #767676;">by Paula Borowska</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpQkDVahipOz0-2xEJDQj5AmAS0JRVRctQVJxEZwMvwi8y6LyDSnwIvTEpy_2K8H83tCh1FplWjVJF1fIoOOXYCIeX0peDqP8XGt0C6Nu095IEMay1oOshL82pD7-Af8x3QjrT3YHby8/s1600/DesignMyths.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Design Myths that will ruin your website" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpQkDVahipOz0-2xEJDQj5AmAS0JRVRctQVJxEZwMvwi8y6LyDSnwIvTEpy_2K8H83tCh1FplWjVJF1fIoOOXYCIeX0peDqP8XGt0C6Nu095IEMay1oOshL82pD7-Af8x3QjrT3YHby8/s1600/DesignMyths.jpg" title="Design Myths to avoid" /></a></div>
<br />
Adhering to design myth guidelines can result in bad design and a poor user experience, Paula Borowska writes. Borowska outlines seven of the most common myths she regularly sees, including the idea that the home page is the most important page and only minimalist designs can be simple.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="single-first-p">
When I was a junior designer I made plenty of mistakes. I believed false assumptions mostly because I did not have the experience yet to know better. I still don’t know it all. But, I am always eager to learn new things about design and to see which preconceived notions are accurate or a complete myth. That’s how this post came about. I want to address seven common design myths which I still see influencing design decisions.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, false design myths like these to lead to poorer quality design and poorer experiences for end users. We can avoid this by making smarter design decisions to improve the quality of our designs.</div>
<br />
<h2>
1. The homepage is your most important page</h2>
For a long time, people believed the homepage was the most important
page. Way back when, it may have been the case when the homepage served
as the main directory in getting around to the rest of the pages. It’s
no longer the case. The way we browse, and even find web pages, has
changed dramatically. Often, visitors will land on a web page from a
direct link to a product page, missing the home page altogether. This
direct access to other pages is largely due to SEO results or links
shared on social media.<br />
<br />
Today, home pages serve one main purpose: to get you to the content,
whatever it may be. For websites that are constantly filled with new
content such as BuzzFeed or Darling Magazine, the home page serves to
show the top stories. There are also websites that show off products or
services, like <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://www.maisondeux.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maison Deux</a>.
In both of those cases, the user is bound to enter the content specific
page because they are not there for the homepage, the directory, they
are there to consume information or make purchases. Next, there are
services like Mailchimp or InVision where users are interested in using
web apps instead. There are plenty of websites out there whose homepage
you don’t see as a logged in users, such as Facebook.<br />
<br />
Viewing many design gallery sites such as Dribbble, Behance or
Awwwards by the sheer number of showings of creative and amazing home
pages. There is nothing wrong with having a great looking and well
functioning homepage. However, let’s get one thing straight: compared to
other pages on a website, a homepage is not as important.<br />
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<br /></div>
<h2>
2. Minimalism is the only way to achieve simplicity</h2>
Minimalism is a style, while simplicity is about the overall feel and
functionality of an application or website. A complicated and extensive
design can be made simple. The goal of simplicity isn’t to have the
minimal amount of things such as steps, UI elements or interactions.<br />
<br />
<a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://blog.learningbyshipping.com/2015/03/16/frictionless-design-choices/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Steven Sinofsky put it well</a>.
He explains that minimalist design decreases the visual surface of a
design and its experience, whereas simple design—which he calls
frictionless design—decreases the energy required for the experience.<br />
<br />
Let’s take for instance the UX of a form with no labels but only
placeholder text. We all know this infamous pattern. So although having
less visual elements, in this case missing a label, is more minimal the
interaction is often confusing for users filling out the input. The
interaction is no longer simple. Adding the extra UI element, the label,
even providing an example outside of the placeholder, adds to the
quantity of UI elements. But, the interaction becomes simpler, easier
and more intuitive for the users. That’s a great differentiation between
minimalism and simplicity. They are not one and the same.<br />
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<br /></div>
<h2>
3. Limit the number of navigational choices</h2>
Many people misinterpret George Miller’s theory that the human minds
can keep track of 7 (plus or minus 2) bits of information at a time. His
theory still holds true but it’s exclusive to the human cognitive
condition regarding short term memory. Somehow <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://gadgetopia.com/post/9106" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this theory made its way into web design</a>, specifically to navigation and menus.<br />
<br />
Additionally, there is research on <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://freakonomics.com/2009/12/02/is-the-paradox-of-choice-not-so-paradoxical-after-all/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">limiting the number of choices</a>, which
was popularized by Barry Schwartz. Barry Schwartz’s research was
referring to choices in product. In his research, Schwartz was referring
to jams where the customers had a harder time picking, committing and
therefore purchasing a jam if there were a multitude of options. The
customers were purchasing jams at a significantly higher rate if they
were presented with just a few choices. This can apply to any other
product like cars, phones or online subscriptions. They key here is
still products.<br />
<br />
Neither of those two pieces of research has anything to do with
navigation. The job of a navigation is to help a visitor explore what a
website has to offer. Back in 2006, Jared Spool wrote on the <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://articles.uie.com/linkrich_home_pages/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">topic of link-rich websites</a>
which are sites filled with many links and pages. In the article he
uses an old version of the Dove website to demonstrate his point, and
although the website has changed, the conclusion still stands. Dove’s
sitemap was more usable to a visitor than their own homepage’s
navigation. The reason for this is that is allowed anyone looking for a
specific product to find the necessary product page.<br />
<br />
Navigation can be large but still allow the user to browse to the
product they are looking for. Good navigation won’t hide the multitude
of pages. Instead, it will cluster and group them into similar
categories to be findable by a visitor. Now, if the groups and clusters
are poorly made that’s also not helpful to the user. The bottom line is,
hiding pages from the navigation is not beneficial to the user.<br />
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<h2>
4. Everything must be no more than three clicks away</h2>
On computer interactions, the rule is said to be three clicks but
this rule has also been extended to mobile devices in the form of <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://www.fastcodesign.com/3041374/3-rules-of-app-design-according-to-yahoos-marissa-mayer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">two taps</a>. Multiple usability studies prove that this is bogus.<br />
<br />
Visitors and users don’t care about the exact amount of clicks or
taps. They care about obtaining the information they are looking for,
they care about finishing the task they are doing. Additionally, it’s
relevant to the user whether clicking through will get them to the
desired information. If the user feels they won’t find what they need in
their journey, they may leave without clicking just once even though
the information might be revealed after a single click. Users will keep
on going through <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://articles.uie.com/three_click_rule/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">as many as 25 clicks</a>,
as found by UIE, in order to complete their tasks. The UIE research
also states the importance of user satisfaction is also irrelevant to
the three click rule.<br />
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<h2>
5. Mobile device users are always on the go and are always distracted</h2>
When speaking about mobile apps or responsive websites, both of these
points are mentioned. First, mobile device users are presumed to be on
the go. Second, they are also presumed to be distracted. Way too often,
these two assumptions seem to go hand in hand with one another. Someone
who is on the go is bound to be distracted. The fact of the matter is,
neither is actually the case.<br />
<br />
Let’s tackle the first assumption first. A 2012 Google study found out that <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/the-new-multi-screen-world-study_research-studies.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">majority of smartphones were used at home</a>,
60% to be exact. Another study in 2012, this time by InsightsNow on
behalf of AOL, found that 68% of mobile page views happened at home.
InsightsNow’s study excluded texting, calling and emailing. But, as you
can imagine, playing games, browsing Tumblr or Facebook, and any other
mobile interactions such as reading articles or shopping, is mostly done
at home. Although we should still keep designing for on the go use,
it’s not the primary way most of us use our mobile devices now.<br />
<br />
Next is the assumption regarding distractions. Distractions are
eminent everywhere, albeit it working, watching tv, driving or using a
mobile device. That’s just a fact of life. Just because someone is using
their smartphone instead of a desktop computer does not make them more
distracted. I will point to the same 2012 Google study which found that
while using a PC 67% of the time a user is also using another device
compared to 57% while using a smartphone.<br />
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<h2>
6. Good usability is good enough without aesthetics</h2>
Don Norman devotes a whole book to explain how emotions and design go
hand in hand. That’s because while great usability may be a great start
and it’s certainly necessary, it still may not actually be good enough.
Don Norman’s book centers around emotional connections created through
design.<br />
<br />
Positive emotions can be powerful in helping sell products.
There are numerous studies to show that more attractive products appear
to perform better than products with poorer designs. Not to mention that
first impressions are excessively made through appearances.<br />
<br />
More importantly, looks and design are often related to credibility. <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://credibility.stanford.edu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stanford University’s Credibility Project</a>
proved just that. They presented people with websites to learn about
the correlation of credibility. They found the 46% of people based the
credibility of a website by its appearance.<br />
<br />
Emotional responses play a
greater role in connecting with people than usability. Emotions are
human while usability is technological. Therefore, great visual design
and aesthetics is a competitive advantage and a differentiator within a
marker. Ultimately aesthetics help enhance usability as mentioned in Don
Norman’s book, <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/841.Emotional_Design" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Emotional Design</a>.<br />
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<br /></div>
<h2>
7. Your users will tell you what they want</h2>
This one is my favorite. Asking your users for feedback is important.
It’s equally important not to take their feedback literally. Noah J.
Goldstein wrote:<br />
<div class="blockquote-wrap">
<blockquote>
people’s ability to understand the factors that affect their behavior is surprisingly poor.
</blockquote>
</div>
And he couldn’t be more right. This type of thinking goes back to
days of Henry Ford where he famously said: “If I had asked people what
they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” That’s because people
are bad at explaining their own behavior patterns, intentions, and
behavior predictions. This phenomenon is also known as introspection
illusion, in psychology. It’s okay, I’m bad at it too.<br />
<br />
Another reason why listening blindly can lead to trouble is that
people often speak only about the solution to the problem they might be
facing. As a designer, I’m sure you’ve received design feedback such as
“make the text bigger” with no explanation as to why. A client or a
colleague might have a hard time reading the text with a smaller font or
they might feel that the smaller font is less noticeable compared to
everything else in the section’s design. The same goes for user
feedback. Like I said, it’s important to listen to customers and users.
But, it’s more important to get to the bottom of the problem first. Do
further research based on user feedback, requests or complaints to
figure out what the problem at hand might be, and solve it for that
instead of their comments alone.<br />
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<h2>
Conclusion</h2>
There are still many more design myths and assumptions out there.
These are the seven most common ones I see other designers cling to,
especially junior designers or design students. We’ve all been
there—I’ve been there. It’s important to realize that these assumptions
are baseless and be smart about them moving forward. Hopefully, exposing
these seven will help you make better and smarter design choices.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy <a href="http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2017/03/7-design-myths-that-will-wreck-your-site/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WebDesignerDepot</a></span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-34931874270455632982017-03-10T10:23:00.000-08:002017-03-10T10:23:06.313-08:00Boost content marketing with better research, targeting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyszEmX1py7KUmuhA6FMmfO6CZCcmCbILCOlK-COQfPDtbtarK3Orq-VeX8DGHwc6UUQLyrtaqhrtn3bmqI7yiQ5P-BJjcubNCcSLMjKW_rJhSIBNSkk0MPnrg3BLtKlOI_dFpUUulrk/s1600/Boostcontent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Marketing Research" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyszEmX1py7KUmuhA6FMmfO6CZCcmCbILCOlK-COQfPDtbtarK3Orq-VeX8DGHwc6UUQLyrtaqhrtn3bmqI7yiQ5P-BJjcubNCcSLMjKW_rJhSIBNSkk0MPnrg3BLtKlOI_dFpUUulrk/s1600/Boostcontent.jpg" title="Boost Content" /></a></div>
Use digital analytics tools and social listening to understand the content topics of most interest to your audiences. Tap customer segmentation to target and personalize content, and don't be afraid to experiment to see which combinations are most effective.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h2>
Three Steps for Crafting More-Personalized and Better-Performing Content</h2>
Most content marketers strive to create content that not only speaks directly to their target audience but also compels that audience to take desirable actions with the marketer's business or brand.<br />That sounds terrific in theory, but producing such content is easier said than done; there simply isn't a template or solution that works for every business.<br />
<br />To create high-performing content that drives business goals, content marketers must create content highly tailored to their specific industry or niche—no matter how oversaturated or "boring" that industry may seem—and also personalized for their specific audience.<br />
<br />Concentrating more on your audience's needs, segmenting your community, and using content experimentation can help you to plan for the crafting of more personalized content that's best suited to meet your marketing goals—as well as inspire your customers to take actions you'd like them to take.<br />
<br />
<h3>
1. Invest in learning about your customers</h3>
Organizations that are committed to investing in their customers are up to <a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/09/customer-research-tactics/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">60% more profitable</a> than "non-customer-centric" companies, and <a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Why-Personalization-Key-Content-Marketing/1014261" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">67% of senior marketing executives</a> use customer customer insight- and emotion-based data to develop the right content.<br />
<br />
Agencies and research firms can help you get to know your audience,
but they typically cannot replace the hands-on insight that you can
collect internally by analyzing your own data sources and by engaging
with your customers directly and organically.<br />
<br />
To learn more about your current customers, start by consulting your
Web analytics software (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, etc.) to get a
better understanding of your online visitors.<br />
More specifically, you should look at audience reporting metrics to
learn about the demographic information, interests, and behavioral
trends of your online users.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NBL2zjocKk2tkHD8qXCjHtZiogTxdWhHmJSeeWTHNEwgJKF3_5H5FiUrf9yVVmIcalh30NCesgHe9GtxDZAxTZgvxp_QBhvuF1VDN3-3gLVD0kPd6u9vtH5lfuFqgJdKMXl2aozRy4U/s1600/target-age-trends-report.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Audience/Demographics/Age Trends Report, Google Analytics" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NBL2zjocKk2tkHD8qXCjHtZiogTxdWhHmJSeeWTHNEwgJKF3_5H5FiUrf9yVVmIcalh30NCesgHe9GtxDZAxTZgvxp_QBhvuF1VDN3-3gLVD0kPd6u9vtH5lfuFqgJdKMXl2aozRy4U/s1600/target-age-trends-report.jpg" title="Google Analytics" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Audience/Demographics/Age Trends Report, Google Analytics</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Audience reports can help you determine whether your current content and other marketing efforts are attracting the age group of your target audience—and help you identify any surprising outliers in your data.<br />
<br />For example, if the marketers with the above-depicted data set were aiming to reach a Millennial audience, their marketing efforts would be aligning well with their target audience; however, if they were targeting senior marketing executives, there would be a serious disconnect.<br />
<br />Next, look into your acquisition insights to determine where your visitors are coming from:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtEHyV7EaIgtsetXWNYj8-so7SkGQEeQKxrzzwj145JLU9fgNGTVzzSYArQ7xk2O_MJKhKPeYaEV95bNo4VA_WJkWGINHJ1htaoQony8YZ09S6t5reZFFxWdBuWmsVjKUZ4CAjM0nc1o/s1600/target-channel-report.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Acquisition/All Traffic/Channel Report, Google Analytics" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtEHyV7EaIgtsetXWNYj8-so7SkGQEeQKxrzzwj145JLU9fgNGTVzzSYArQ7xk2O_MJKhKPeYaEV95bNo4VA_WJkWGINHJ1htaoQony8YZ09S6t5reZFFxWdBuWmsVjKUZ4CAjM0nc1o/s1600/target-channel-report.jpg" title="Google Analytics channel report" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Acquisition/All Traffic/Channel Report, Google Analytics</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For this site, a majority of traffic is coming from organic search,
which could indicate that its content has been properly optimized for
search engines. Since the content is performing well in search, the
marketers could invest in additional keyword research to understand more
about what their customers are searching for online.<br />
<br />
In a similar situation, you may find that your site is receiving
significant traffic from an unexpected source. If so, you'll need to dig
deeper into the channel that's sending the traffic to identify the
cause.<br />
For a more hands-on approach to learning about your audience, begin
engaging with your current customers, speak with your sales team, sit in
on product-demo calls, and start conversations with your potential
customers.<br />
<br />
Consider doing the following to learn more about your audience:<br />
<ul>
<li>Meet with your customer success teams and ask them about your buyers.</li>
<li>Send out surveys, or ask for other feedback, through email.</li>
<li>Research online content to learn more about <a href="https://www.clearvoice.com/marketing-tools/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what your customers are talking about</a>.</li>
<li>Research product-review sites for public ratings or feedback.</li>
<li>Monitor mentions of your brand using social listening tools or Google Alerts.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
2. Segment your audience to inform your content strategy</h3>
<strong></strong>After getting a top-level idea about your customers via both your
analytics solution and hands-on engagement, you are ready to begin
creating customer segments.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/06/segmentation-content-marketing/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Customer segmentation</a>
can help you target the different types of people who are engaging with
your content by informing how you should market content to them.<br />
<br />
Start by integrating all of your customer data. For many content
marketers, Google Analytics is the go-to; however, others use Adobe
Analytics, Tableau, or Mixpanel for mobile solutions, among many others.
Use the tools available to you.<br />
<br />
Next, identify customer differentiators or behaviors that are important to your business goals.<br />
The idea is that you become familiar with all of the ways that you
can segment your audience using your analytics platform so that you can
better understand what type of personalized content and user experiences
that you should create.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdSFsalv7PbBzg7NFcErx9lm3TSCFLp8MuVb3uD0yCml3leDgWHpKNGKuPy3qPUfs3hgLWNYolNYYN1udcgBxRzwW04l4iifO9wDkDGuaU5j3xZoEELvCpmZC_jZywAG1FX6zs7vNtpQ/s1600/target-audience-segmentation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Target audience segmentation" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdSFsalv7PbBzg7NFcErx9lm3TSCFLp8MuVb3uD0yCml3leDgWHpKNGKuPy3qPUfs3hgLWNYolNYYN1udcgBxRzwW04l4iifO9wDkDGuaU5j3xZoEELvCpmZC_jZywAG1FX6zs7vNtpQ/s1600/target-audience-segmentation.jpg" title="Google Analytics" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Audience Segmentation, Google Analytics</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For example, software companies with a subscription model should
learn more details about why certain customers are retained month over
month or annually, whereas other customers cancel their subscription.<br />
<br />
Key differentiators could be...<br />
<ul>
<li>Age, gender, location</li>
<li>Buyer personas</li>
<li>Purchasing history</li>
<li>Brand and social engagement</li>
<li>Time on site</li>
<li>Total number of pageviews</li>
</ul>
Although there are many ways you can segment your audience, start
small by identifying 3-4 groups that are valuable enough to market to.
This approach can help you avoid over-analyzing and increases the
likelihood that you will be able to take action on the segments you
create.<br />
<br />
It's also a best-practice to create segments that are mutually
exclusive, to avoid overlap in your customer data that could muddle your
research and lead to miscommunication.<br />
<br />
<h3>
3. Experiment with your content to identify wins</h3>
<strong></strong>After thoroughly researching your audience and determining which
segments to target, the next step is to create new content and marketing
campaigns to address your findings.<br />
<br />
Experiment with at least five content formats, such as detailed
articles, video tutorials, whitepapers, webinars, conferences, e-books,
and others to better determine what content resonates with your
segmented audience.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2016/09/accurately-measure-content/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Measure the performance of your content</a>
efforts by analyzing how the data in your audience segments changes in
the days, weeks, and months after executing your content. Remember that
content marketing efforts can be slow to yield returns, so you should
keep your short-term expectations within reason.<br />
<br />
Also collect insight on your content distribution methods to identify
how your audience wants to receive content. Think about paid
advertising campaigns, promotion through social channels, influencer
marketing, employee advocacy, press releases, and other ways to that you
are distributing your content. Analyze how much traffic each of your
marketing channels is driving and the actions on site that those
visitors are performing.<br />
<br />
Generally, you should address the needs of one segment before moving
on to others, and you should start with the segment that is most
valuable to your business goals.<br />
<br />
If you don't know where to start, experiment with a few of your
segment ideas until you find traction. Doing so can help you and your
team work through the growing pains of marketing to new audiences
without the added stress of trying to cover all segments at once.<br />
<br />
For more advanced personalization techniques, you can use a tool like
Optimizely, Visual Website Optimizer, or Unbounce to deliver custom
user experiences for each of your segments and <a href="http://marketingland.com/4-steps-successful-content-personalization-96854" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">personalize content</a> across your website, mobile app, and any other connected devices.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jacob Warwick, <a href="https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2017/31715/three-steps-for-crafting-more-personalized-and-better-performing-content" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MarketingProfs</a></span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-69047543576155567532017-03-10T09:58:00.001-08:002017-03-10T09:58:23.427-08:00How to convert web traffic into business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLk8WTRWD0dM2OYDiYtNQpKaEFAfCwqan5VFPWnGYH9xreadGZm2e0OM1ssdD1D7DYT-cVe2qsIWdcnd3_rDrNbeRIzFW2azPkTjCz4SjuIrzdPY1hzvQRcLwthzYXino7I5EIAZZuILE/s1600/ConversionFunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Conversion tunnel" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLk8WTRWD0dM2OYDiYtNQpKaEFAfCwqan5VFPWnGYH9xreadGZm2e0OM1ssdD1D7DYT-cVe2qsIWdcnd3_rDrNbeRIzFW2azPkTjCz4SjuIrzdPY1hzvQRcLwthzYXino7I5EIAZZuILE/s1600/ConversionFunnel.jpg" title="Traffic conversion" /></a></div>
Small-business owners might be initially discouraged by how few website visitors become paying customers, but there are ways to improve conversion. Here are 6 tips for optimizing AdWords campaigns, streamlining the conversion process and running retargeting campaigns.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Search engine traffic is one of the hardest customer acquisition channels to understand, especially for small business owners. Generally, these are the reactions I see from small business owners when they first have Google Analytics installed correctly and learn how to segment the channels down to search engine traffic: <br />
<ol>
<li>Panic — Some immediately panic because they can’t understand why 98 percent of their website visitors don’t convert into a customer.</li>
<li>Confusion — Some wonder why AdWords isn’t producing a 30-1 return on their investment.</li>
<li>Dismay — Some are happy that they get so many visitors but wonder why there are not enough customers.</li>
</ol>
Generally, what happens from here, is they either blame their website, their content, or their consultant/agency who manages or built their website for any shortcomings in getting them new customers.<br />
<br />
However, the issues normally don’t have anything to do with any of those. Instead, it is how small business owners look at search engine traffic and how they are converting them into customers. It is very difficult to get a customer from the search engine and immediately convert them into a customer. Generally, the <a href="http://searchengineland.com/7-conversion-rate-truths-will-change-landing-page-optimization-strategy-191083" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">average conversion rate on websites is around 2 percent</a>.<br />
<br />
Now, this can be a little different for small businesses. Let’s say that someone is searching for a local oil change location. In that case, searchers are more likely to convert. However, it is not that far off because, at the end of the day, customers have two different intents:<br />
<ol>
<li>Buy — They are looking to buy a product or service at that moment. This also means that they could have chosen your competitor.</li>
<li>Research — They are looking for more information and considering different research before they buy a product or service.</li>
</ol>
So, when you take those two intents into consideration, it really isn’t a stretch to think that a 2 percent conversion rate isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Searchers get a ton of different options when they search Google. They might not choose you, or they might not be ready to buy from you. So, it’s important to capture the 98 percent of those that don’t convert into a customer immediately from their search and try to get them to convert later on down the road. Sounds easy, right? Not exactly. But, don’t worry — here are some tips on converting search engine traffic to help:<br />
<br />
<h2>
Tips for Converting Search Engine Traffic to Sales</h2>
<h3>
Focus on the Long Tail</h3>
One issue that you might be experiencing has to do with the customers that you are targeting. If you are running AdWords, and you buy short phrases such as “Pizza Place,” it might be too generic to convert them. However, if you buy “The Best Mushroom Pizza in (Your City),” then you are going to be more likely to convert.<br />
<br />
When running your AdWords campaigns, focus on the <a href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2013/01/long-tail-keywords-seo-infographic.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">long-tailed keyword phrase</a> and capture them, as they are more likely to convert.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Optimize Your Campaigns</h3>
Similar to above, you want to make sure that you are optimizing for your physical location. Check your Google local page(s) to ensure that they have the correct information and that the directories have the same information as Yelp, YellowPages, etc. The worst thing that you can do is have the wrong local information that takes potential customers to the wrong location.<br />
<br />
With regards to AdWords, one <b>gigantic </b>mistake that I tend to see a lot is not using the right location settings. It is absolutely <b>critical </b>that you use the correct settings below to make sure you target the right areas if you are trying to use AdWords to acquire local customers. Make sure you set it to “people in my targeting location” for both of those location options below.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1ohYi4C1kkNS5PwaHiSksVB3pH8IWgR0xlngYEYDomBdIllQrJmTnmMDIa8vNaBsOiU_-lhhufxJ_L3iBYQe-ALM2qR39ZC6O5RULlrNEdgDpqWDFbYBA8fNAj8vxBS5229j9MXO0N0/s1600/AdWords-Location.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ad Words Location" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1ohYi4C1kkNS5PwaHiSksVB3pH8IWgR0xlngYEYDomBdIllQrJmTnmMDIa8vNaBsOiU_-lhhufxJ_L3iBYQe-ALM2qR39ZC6O5RULlrNEdgDpqWDFbYBA8fNAj8vxBS5229j9MXO0N0/s1600/AdWords-Location.png" title="Ad Words Location" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Make it Easy to Convert</h3>
Another fatal mistake that I see a lot is when small business owners
make it extremely hard for website visitors to convert. Usually, this is
done in three ways:<br />
<ol>
<li>Phone or other contact information is hard to find</li>
<li>Locations are hard to find</li>
<li>No reviews or reasons to choose them</li>
<li>There are thousands of options on their contact forms</li>
<li>Contact forms do not work</li>
</ol>
If you are a potential searcher, and you have 4 different local
businesses to choose from, you will choose the one that stands out. If
you want to be eliminated quickly from the content set, then do one of
the five options above.<br />
<br />
If you don’t want to be eliminated, make sure you don’t make it hard
for a customer to do business with you. Make your website inviting and
easy to use, and have differentiators of why they should choose you.
Were you named #1 Pest Control business in your city? If so, say that
your website. It makes you stand out from your competition.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Retarget Campaigns</h3>
This one should be a no-brainer for a small business owner. If you are not, please, please start retargeting campaigns
now. Ninety-eight percent of customers do not convert on the first
click. Getting them back and staying on top of their mind is critical.<br />
<br />
Luckily, it is easier than ever before to use tools like AdRoll or
create retargeting ads yourself. By doing so, you will get website
visitors to come back and, it is hoped, buy when they are ready. I
firmly believe offering discounts or other various incentives in your
retargeting ads will help convert them into customers.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Use Content and Email Gathering</h3>
Similar to retargeting, it can be very difficult to convert searchers
into customers immediately because they need to be warmed up. This can
be very apparent in small businesses with a high revenue per purchase,
such as automotive or housing businesses.<br />
<br />
If you are having trouble converting them immediately, I would suggest trying to capture their email addresses
and sending them an email chain to stay on top of their minds. In
addition, you can build trust by giving them valuable content. I
personally use SUMOMe and Active Campaign for this.<br />
<br />
Using SUMOMe, I use content popups and other various content in order
to get their email addresses. From there, they get the content, and
they go into my Active Campaign account. Through this, they get a
12-email series, which tries to get them to convert within the next 3-4
months.<br />
<br />
If you are in the automotive business, you could use popups with
content such as “12 Mistakes Our Customers Make When Buying.” These
guides that show mistakes, failures, or pitfalls when making a large
purchase are attention grabbing and will surely convert at a higher rate
than your standalone web pages. Then your email chain will continue to
build trust and value.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Employ Calls to Action in Content</h3>
If you are eCommerce retailers or sell products in retails stores, you can also have calls to action in your content. When writing compelling blog content solving researching questions, you can also include calls to action when you mention your products/services.<br />
<br />
You can include items such as “click here for 10 percent off” or
other various monetary discounts to give them the urgency to convert
into a customer. You can also induce urgency by saying things such as
“very limited inventory” or other various phrases to show them that they
should buy so they do not get left out.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Conclusion</h2>
These are the top ways to convert the “<a href="http://searchengineland.com/how-to-use-the-marketing-funnel-for-seo-inbound-marketing-173663" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">top of the funnel</a>”
search engine traffic that has traditionally been a “low conversion
rate” source of traffic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ronald Dod, <a href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/03/converting-search-engine-traffic.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SmallBusinessTrends</a></span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-53574319058189033072017-03-08T15:16:00.001-08:002017-03-08T15:16:17.882-08:00Websites must resonate with visitors in an instant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Iy9OjxxMljJlxNUkQ9K7XaQz2J-UX2YltqT_RbyZotQI3JmkFBfOaJttECn7jDcyQroVyNydEtX-882aZP5Wixwxzep3FKfoQGqHW6VyT0kHFFDz4P3z52YJolre_b6WoXquAvfOZiI/s1600/USP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Unique Selling Point" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Iy9OjxxMljJlxNUkQ9K7XaQz2J-UX2YltqT_RbyZotQI3JmkFBfOaJttECn7jDcyQroVyNydEtX-882aZP5Wixwxzep3FKfoQGqHW6VyT0kHFFDz4P3z52YJolre_b6WoXquAvfOZiI/s1600/USP.jpg" title="Unique Selling Point" /></a></div>
A picture is said to be worth a thousand words, and that's especially important in designing a site that will immediately grab a visitor's attention, Tim Brown writes. He explains that designers need to imagine how they would enjoy the product in order to create a site that will resonate.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Common web design problem: Just writing out why a company is special is usually an insufficient way to tell a story to people in a way that will give them a rapid understanding of what makes a company’s product or service awesome.<br />
<br />We have to get visual—people should be able to blur their eyes when they land on a site and know what you do, and what key actions they would take on the site immediately. But it also takes deeper collaboration with key stakeholders in the company you’re working with to be on board, so you can allocate project resources.<br />
<br />Ideally a site visitor in a company’s demographic should have a positive reaction to the site that is instinctive and immediate. This is why it works so well when sites use photography of a person smiling, interacting with the product or receiving the benefit of the service; when visitors see that, it’s their natural instinct to imagine that scenario—with themselves at the center of the scene. A website created with an understanding of how humans instinctively react to certain types of imagery, will most certainly be more effective in driving action.<br />
<br />If someone imagines themselves as a client, or enjoying the benefits of a product when viewing someone smiling and doing so, it’s referred to as the “<a href="https://timbdesign.com/psychology-hacks-in-web-design-mirroring-effect" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mirror effect</a>,” and you can use it to your advantage if you can first get to the core of why the startup you are marketing appeals to it’s best customers. This works best in conjunction with “future pacing” or website copy that invites them to think about what it will be like when they are enjoying their new purchase—like “imagine how you will feel ten days from now when you are driving a Tesla home from work.”<br />
<br />
<h3>
Ask: “Why do your best customers come to you vs. the competitor?”</h3>
The answer to this question—is not only pinpointing the core demographic, but is also digging up the key differentiation that’s so critical to hammer on, in a website design. If you can determine not only who the best customers are—but why they come to your client and not their competitor, then it’s time to show the visual representation of that somehow.<br />
<br />Dig deeper—ask key stakeholders or people in the startup to give actual examples of people that have told them why they went with them over competitors. If there is a sales team, there will be many examples, since people often chew through their considerations before closing a deal. If it’s a product, talk to those doing customer service and ask them the questions they get asked over the phone with people considering purchase. These questions, and the positive answers that led to a sale, will be keys to showcase visually on the site.<br />
<br />For instance in the case of juicing startup <a href="https://www.juicero.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Juicero</a>, their biggest differentiator is the lack of a mess and the no-hassle aspect of their first at-home cold press juicer for mass market. They show someone enjoying the juice, but also a very clean counter behind them—the number one differentiator between their solution and cheaper at home juicers that make an incredible amount of mess.<br />
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJDKXVSFSpfQkKMlDK4LP0EioEdcHDNA2ieBm6sZoyGYT1A9R88tqUtq1J5Z-mFiAQZqLTyOC4X2-9bK-XGJAM7x98LC-tbZDm0HB4Q_j_lCZQqgrYO0fap_GLoyClLs_DnKwWhCGYoo/s1600/Juicero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Juicero" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJDKXVSFSpfQkKMlDK4LP0EioEdcHDNA2ieBm6sZoyGYT1A9R88tqUtq1J5Z-mFiAQZqLTyOC4X2-9bK-XGJAM7x98LC-tbZDm0HB4Q_j_lCZQqgrYO0fap_GLoyClLs_DnKwWhCGYoo/s1600/Juicero.jpg" title="Juicero" /></a></div>
If your product has a better user interface than the competitor –
perhaps show that in all its glory in a couple different devices, so
people can get a feel for what they’re buying, like this site for <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://oppsource.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oppsource</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tft4O73DPhdyhyphenhyphenqpnxbhn05RUZZUcRPU1h4zYof9FQhHRnEtNj4udjcs0NsSTz9zSfhNixt6YahmLBlMsdc59Lw-46sC4HDHB_MYCXNYvQhoRDtEI-JmMXbO6nwaABMe51aAjXFWBqI/s1600/OppSource.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="OppSource" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Tft4O73DPhdyhyphenhyphenqpnxbhn05RUZZUcRPU1h4zYof9FQhHRnEtNj4udjcs0NsSTz9zSfhNixt6YahmLBlMsdc59Lw-46sC4HDHB_MYCXNYvQhoRDtEI-JmMXbO6nwaABMe51aAjXFWBqI/s1600/OppSource.jpg" title="OppSource" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And of course – if it’s a beautiful product, simply showcase it with
well done photography in a way that shows its best features like this
site for <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://starry.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Starry Wi-fi systems</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2N-LiIjk-sHV1psE89l0pYJKKobGG_IFK0vPYoE39iB6aoeNYIp8GakWRm_dMA9Ot_vPiy5sx31I1h0RQacnTUcE_KP5k53jmkcdonTKKXUY2d_xCXh4Ns6_nTqC7nRop0xYDnHofMnY/s1600/Starry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Starry Wi-fi systems" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2N-LiIjk-sHV1psE89l0pYJKKobGG_IFK0vPYoE39iB6aoeNYIp8GakWRm_dMA9Ot_vPiy5sx31I1h0RQacnTUcE_KP5k53jmkcdonTKKXUY2d_xCXh4Ns6_nTqC7nRop0xYDnHofMnY/s1600/Starry.jpg" title="Starry Wi-fi systems" /></a></div>
<h3>
Ask: “What does a successful interaction look like physically? What
does a pleased customer look like as they’re receiving the benefit of
your product or service?”</h3>
A happy customer is always going to be your client’s best sales tool.
Whether they be through referral, testimonials on your website, or my
favorite—photos of previous customers, or pictures of people happy and
receiving the benefit of what the company does.<br />
<br />
For a traditional business—this might be a satisfied man in front a
perfectly cooked steak, taking his first bite, or a woman looking at
herself in the mirror with something she finds fits her perfectly well.
This is the single most effective principal of effective web design—it’s
not about your product or service, and every detailed feature, it’s the
customer or client experience—the benefit, and showcasing the emotional
appeal of that benefit that will tell the story you need for the site
visitors to feel.<br />
<br />
For this medical device and solutions startup <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://www.nuance.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nuance healthcare solutions</a>,
they needed to show that their documentation solutions aren’t just the
same old, but rather make it more natural with visual components, voice
documentation, and imaging exchange within the software.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOE5fUIfNxJx_EZLylSNVSNialExU8dWJ4EJ3jgIq52bkkmr5G0_NI8dssFO6myQ5AE5BG6EUwtlPxrMqM9f9mHFHGnQmaFh6hgLGArcDUezi4OCSOJOfsU3wO4xkf68DBCOdommsmvZU/s1600/Nuance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Nuance healthcare solutions" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOE5fUIfNxJx_EZLylSNVSNialExU8dWJ4EJ3jgIq52bkkmr5G0_NI8dssFO6myQ5AE5BG6EUwtlPxrMqM9f9mHFHGnQmaFh6hgLGArcDUezi4OCSOJOfsU3wO4xkf68DBCOdommsmvZU/s1600/Nuance.jpg" title="Nuance healthcare solutions" /></a></div>
By showing someone, directly benefiting from the solution—interacting
with a patient and using voice documentation, rather than taking notes,
they are able quickly allow a visitor to understand, at an instinctual
level, how their practice might benefit from the software.<br />
<br />
Ask: “How can we get photography, iconography, graphs, visual
statistics and trust factor badges to support the claim of superiority
for this offering?”<br />
<br />
Of course it’s not just about the homepage hero section—there are
ways to do icons in a way that feels commonplace and generic, and then
there are ways to do them that feel intentional and specific to your
brand.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Ask: “How can we show your real team in a fun and down-to-earth way that helps people trust you?”</h3>
<br />
People want to see who works for the company. Whether that’s two
founders by themselves, a 15 person team at a grill out, or even like
this photo for <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://buffer.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Buffer</a>, sharing transparently how they <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://open.buffer.com/inside-buffer-retreat/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">spent 100k on their team retreat</a> and – thanking customers for their support through their subscription:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbTEu9UwRm099bUOh8EDi1mE6tB9TNYPS9e9Kj3ujjk81lHPTS004qxt1f8NxirRCW79cWrphBBVOwM1NNOGwLhnF2EndEnVT1IQEsM96OMeak1ylxVmR5zLHPeVimSShrl9IOKIzDz8/s1600/Buffer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Buffer" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBbTEu9UwRm099bUOh8EDi1mE6tB9TNYPS9e9Kj3ujjk81lHPTS004qxt1f8NxirRCW79cWrphBBVOwM1NNOGwLhnF2EndEnVT1IQEsM96OMeak1ylxVmR5zLHPeVimSShrl9IOKIzDz8/s1600/Buffer.jpg" title="Buffer" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
To recap, the keys to helping people have a positive reaction when they land on the page are:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Making it easy for them to find what the site is about quickly, and what key action the site is for.<br /></li>
<li>Showing smiling faces of customers—or smiling faces on the startups team.<br /></li>
<li>Demonstrating the benefit from the startup’s product or service in a
visual way by showing it in action, or someone who is receiving the
benefit. Make it immediate and evoke emotion.<br /></li>
<li>Display brand appropriate iconography that actually makes sense with
the key points of differentiation the site is supposed to demonstrate,
and consider how motion can communicate those unique value propositions.</li>
</ul>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Written by <a href="http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2017/02/how-to-visualize-a-startups-usp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tim Brown</a></span></i></div>
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dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-40080078373461128822017-03-08T14:41:00.003-08:002017-03-08T14:41:42.394-08:00The right ways to use a hashtag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_Qj91U470hwHr1YnuAevPWRHvZfCgwklADG73-L8L-GNZ4U5KEslefX0S1XdLe66UdpOH3UvZ4EaeMaHr9GB0R0OkedgMydk_u6snER8VtyeYs7bluGUNM2TmCS2Xa_tXWgFvcBETsA/s1600/hashtag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="6 rules for using hashtags effectively" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_Qj91U470hwHr1YnuAevPWRHvZfCgwklADG73-L8L-GNZ4U5KEslefX0S1XdLe66UdpOH3UvZ4EaeMaHr9GB0R0OkedgMydk_u6snER8VtyeYs7bluGUNM2TmCS2Xa_tXWgFvcBETsA/s1600/hashtag.jpg" title="6 rules for using hashtags effectively" /></a></div>
Matthew Dooley, founder of Dooley Media, gives advice on the best ways to use a hashtag in a marketing campaign, including using it frequently, rewarding the fans who use it, and using a live hashtag feed to both recognize your fans and promote the hashtag's use.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>A hashtag can help social media marketers encourage and guide conversations related to your brand. When they succeed, hashtags provide a great means for you to create a community around a topic, to help people contribute to a bigger conversation related to your brand, to connect with your fans—and to have something measurable to present to the boss.<br />
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Unfortunately, hashtags often fail to give you a great ROI (or maybe ROH – return on <i>hype</i> – would be a better phrase). Sure, you might spend hours coming up with dozens of hashtag possibilities before landing on that perfect combo of brevity and clarity, but how can you make sure your new, beautiful branding device lives up to its potential?<br />
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If you’ve ever found yourself saying <i>WTH?!</i> when it comes to hashtag marketing, here are a few things you can do to get the most out of your brand’s latest hashtag.<br />
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<h2>
Make the hashtag visible.</h2>
It sounds obvious, but making sure you put your hashtag to use at the brand level is the first step to promoting its use to your target audience—and this is often the first misstep.<br />
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<b><i>Consistency is key: you have to put your hashtag everywhere to make sure people </i>remember <i>it. </i></b><br />
<br />
Use your hashtag frequently and on multiple channels. Twitter and Instagram are the most popular social networks for tagging, but hashtags can also be effective on Facebook and even LinkedIn (<a href="http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/linkedin-now-supports-hashtags-again-sort" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"sort of"</a>). Be sure to promote your hashtag outside of social, too. Think about your website, in-store signage (print and digital), packaging, uniforms, stickers, flyers, menus, and the like. Figure out <i>where </i>your customers are when they would ideally use the hashtag, and find a way to put it in front of them in that moment.<br />
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<h2>
Reward fans who use it.</h2>
It's not just about pushing out a hashtag and sitting back and hoping for the best. <i>You have to work it. </i>You need to promote your hashtag every day, and one of the best ways to do that is by finding, recognizing and rewarding users who have joined the conversation.<br />
<br />
When people use your hashtag, do a happy dance (if there's time) and engage with the post:<br />
<ul>
<li>Like it.</li>
<li>Comment on it.</li>
<li>Share it.</li>
<li>Send them a message to say thanks for the shout-out.</li>
</ul>
A little bit of recognition goes a long way.<br />
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You can also offer a reward to those who use the hashtag. Just don't expect someone to use up their own social media in exchange for something small like a coupon. Put something exciting on the line, like special access or an exclusive experience. One example: Oreo’s Super Bowl ads asked viewers to join the <a href="http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/oreo/307896/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">#OreoDunkSweepstakes</a> for a chance to meet Shaquille O'Neal or Christina Aguilera.<br />
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If you're really good, you can scout for the best hashtag uses and then reward <i>after</i> the fact—these are called <i>post-action rewards</i> (PARs). When you surprise people with a reward, it not only reinforces the behavior (in this case, participating in the hashtag conversation), it also encourages significantly more word-of-mouth marketing. People love to share unexpected, happy events in their lives. Think about all the wedding proposals, celebrity sightings, random acts of kindness, and other surprisingly delightful events your friends frequently share online. Now consider how your brand could instigate that random, exciting event for your fans.<br />
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This <a href="http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/12/17/nhl-fans-social-media-content" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sports Illustrated article</a> has some great examples of social media being used to reward NHL fans. The most pertinent example is the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/yotographer/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">#YoTographer</a> Instagram campaign used by The Arizona Coyotes. Here’s the money quote from Marissa O'Connor, the social media manager for the team: “We ask fans to upload their best shot of the night before the end of the second period, then we go through all posts with #YoTographer and select our favorite one. That person gets their photo re-grammed on our account and gets to watch the third period on the glass with the professional photographers. It makes them a true ‘Yotographer.’”<br />
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Now that’s a great way to use a hashtag to encourage authentic brand conversations!<br />
<br />
<h2>
Employ a live hashtag feed.</h2>
A live feed is a one-two punch for recognizing people and promoting your hashtag’s use. Live feeds (also sometimes called "social walls") allow you to display everyone's hashtagged content in real-time, whether that's on your website or in your lobby. This is a great way to combine your brand posts with user-generated content (UGC) in a fun, engaging display that will encourage even more participation.<br />
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There are tons of digital vendors you can partner with to provide a professional live feed for your business or event. Services vary based on price and features, such as the ability to curate posts (versus feeds that show any and all posts that use your tag, which is, in many cases, a huge risk).<br />
Some popular live hashtag feed services include:<br />
<ul>
<li>UGC content aggregator for live displays, websites, and more</li>
<li>Free Twitter hashtag monitoring and website embedding</li>
<li>Paid platform for social media walls at events</li>
<li>Paid "earned-content platform" for curating user-generated content</li>
<li>High-end digital display system that includes a social media wall feature</li>
<li>Ohio-based social media displays service</li>
</ul>
These feeds can be used in tons of cool ways. I’ve seen them deployed successfully on websites, in corporate lobbies, inside bars, on a billboard outside the bar, on the jumbotron at Reds and Bengals games, and on screens in between speakers at industry events. Don’t forget about your email list, too. (Tip: There’s a local Cincinnati <a href="http://storyports.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">startup</a> that allows you to quickly pull social content into your e-blasts.)<br />
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<h2>
Leverage influencers.</h2>
Come out of the gate strong by leveraging a group of people who can push the hashtag out early and often.<br />
<br />
Visibility will be the key to launching strong and sustaining your success, and there’s no better way to get high-quality eyes on your hashtag than by tapping local influencers and micro-influencers to spread the word to their friends and fans. Search out the people in your target community who are very active on hashtag-friendly platforms like Twitter and Instagram, and think of ways you can include them in your campaign. This might include paying professional bloggers to write a post, or you could employ a strategy where you invite users to special events or offer up VIP treatment in exchange for social media participation. <br />
<br />
In the same vein, don't forget that your own employees can and should be your biggest advocates. Make sure your internal stakeholders (everyone from the CEO to the sales team to the receptionist) understand the goals behind your new hashtag. Encourage them to engage with it using their personal accounts, and make sure to explain what’s appropriate. Even better, invite your team to help you in the planning process early on, so your coworkers will take part in ensuring the hashtag’s success.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Promote a hashtag people will want to use.</h2>
There are plenty of articles out there that provide great tips for creating a tag for your brand, usually with pointers like "keep it short" and "keep it simple." But there is one thing I’d like to add: <i>It is immensely helpful if your hashtag does NOT include your company name. </i>Unless you’re trying to get people to #ShareACoke, or your brand is a TV Show like the #AmazingRace, chances are good that most people won’t want to tag your business name in their post.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Learn from the best.</h2>
For some extra hashtag inspiration, here are a few of my favorite non-branded brand hashtags:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>#TweetFromTheSeat</b> (<a href="https://twitter.com/Charmin/status/416343258940571648" target="_blank">Charmin</a>)</li>
<li><b>#LikeAGirl </b>(<a href="https://twitter.com/Always/status/829094899899330561" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Always</a>)</li>
<li><b>#PutACanOnIt </b>(<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BLwF2bbDzTV/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Red Bull</a>)</li>
<li><b>#CollegeIn5Words </b>(<a href="https://twitter.com/dennysdiner/status/596039650092797952" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Denny’s</a>) <i>Note: Denny’s didn’t create this one, but creatively took advantage of the trend.</i></li>
<li><b>#ThrowMeBack </b>(<a href="https://twitter.com/expedia/status/492282624354701314" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Expedia</a>)</li>
<li><b>#NoFunLeague </b>(<a href="https://twitter.com/GNCLiveWell/status/828348030478843904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">GNC</a>)</li>
<li><b>#RuleYourself</b> / <b>#IWILL </b>(<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJEo7hOgFGL/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">UnderArmour</a>)</li>
</ul>
<i> </i><br />
<i> </i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.blogger.com/A%20hashtag%20can%20help%20social%20media%20marketers%20encourage%20and%20guide%20conversations%20related%20to%20your%20brand.%20When%20they%20succeed,%20hashtags%20provide%20a%20great%20means%20for%20you%20to%20create%20a%20community%20around%20a%20topic,%20to%20help%20people%20contribute%20to%20a%20bigger%20conversation%20related%20to%20your%20brand,%20to%20connect%20with%20your%20fans%E2%80%94and%20to%20have%20something%20measurable%20to%20present%20to%20the%20boss.%20%20Unfortunately,%20hashtags%20often%20fail%20to%20give%20you%20a%20great%20ROI%20(or%20maybe%20ROH%20%E2%80%93%20return%20on%20hype%20%E2%80%93%20would%20be%20a%20better%20phrase).%20Sure,%20you%20might%20spend%20hours%20coming%20up%20with%20dozens%20of%20hashtag%20possibilities%20before%20landing%20on%20that%20perfect%20combo%20of%20brevity%20and%20clarity,%20but%20how%20can%20you%20make%20sure%20your%20new,%20beautiful%20branding%20device%20lives%20up%20to%20its%20potential?%20%20If%20you%E2%80%99ve%20ever%20found%20yourself%20saying%20WTH?!%20when%20it%20comes%20to%20hashtag%20marketing,%20here%20are%20a%20few%20things%20you%20can%20do%20to%20get%20the%20most%20out%20of%20your%20brand%E2%80%99s%20latest%20hashtag.%20Make%20the%20hashtag%20visible.%20%20It%20sounds%20obvious,%20but%20making%20sure%20you%20put%20your%20hashtag%20to%20use%20at%20the%20brand%20level%20is%20the%20first%20step%20to%20promoting%20its%20use%20to%20your%20target%20audience%E2%80%94and%20this%20is%20often%20the%20first%20misstep.%20%20Consistency%20is%20key:%20you%20have%20to%20put%20your%20hashtag%20everywhere%20to%20make%20sure%20people%20remember%20it.%20%20Use%20your%20hashtag%20frequently%20and%20on%20multiple%20channels.%20Twitter%20and%20Instagram%20are%20the%20most%20popular%20social%20networks%20for%20tagging,%20but%20hashtags%20can%20also%20be%20effective%20on%20Facebook%20and%20even%20LinkedIn%20(%22sort%20of%22).%20Be%20sure%20to%20promote%20your%20hashtag%20outside%20of%20social,%20too.%20Think%20about%20your%20website,%20in-store%20signage%20(print%20and%20digital),%20packaging,%20uniforms,%20stickers,%20flyers,%20menus,%20and%20the%20like.%20Figure%20out%20where%20your%20customers%20are%20when%20they%20would%20ideally%20use%20the%20hashtag,%20and%20find%20a%20way%20to%20put%20it%20in%20front%20of%20them%20in%20that%20moment.%20Reward%20fans%20who%20use%20it.%20%20It%27s%20not%20just%20about%20pushing%20out%20a%20hashtag%20and%20sitting%20back%20and%20hoping%20for%20the%20best.%20You%20have%20to%20work%20it.%20You%20need%20to%20promote%20your%20hashtag%20every%20day,%20and%20one%20of%20the%20best%20ways%20to%20do%20that%20is%20by%20finding,%20recognizing%20and%20rewarding%20users%20who%20have%20joined%20the%20conversation.%20%20When%20people%20use%20your%20hashtag,%20do%20a%20happy%20dance%20(if%20there%27s%20time)%20and%20engage%20with%20the%20post:%20%20%20%20%20%20Like%20it.%20%20%20%20%20Comment%20on%20it.%20%20%20%20%20Share%20it.%20%20%20%20%20Send%20them%20a%20message%20to%20say%20thanks%20for%20the%20shout-out.%20%20A%20little%20bit%20of%20recognition%20goes%20a%20long%20way.%20%20You%20can%20also%20offer%20a%20reward%20to%20those%20who%20use%20the%20hashtag.%20Just%20don%27t%20expect%20someone%20to%20use%20up%20their%20own%20social%20media%20in%20exchange%20for%20something%20small%20like%20a%20coupon.%20Put%20something%20exciting%20on%20the%20line,%20like%20special%20access%20or%20an%20exclusive%20experience.%20One%20example:%20Oreo%E2%80%99s%20Super%20Bowl%20ads%20asked%20viewers%20to%20join%20the%20#OreoDunkSweepstakes%20for%20a%20chance%20to%20meet%20Shaquille%20O%27Neal%20or%20Christina%20Aguilera.%20%20If%20you%27re%20really%20good,%20you%20can%20scout%20for%20the%20best%20hashtag%20uses%20and%20then%20reward%20after%20the%20fact%E2%80%94these%20are%20called%20post-action%20rewards%20(PARs).%20When%20you%20surprise%20people%20with%20a%20reward,%20it%20not%20only%20reinforces%20the%20behavior%20(in%20this%20case,%20participating%20in%20the%20hashtag%20conversation),%20it%20also%20encourages%20significantly%20more%20word-of-mouth%20marketing.%20People%20love%20to%20share%20unexpected,%20happy%20events%20in%20their%20lives.%20Think%20about%20all%20the%20wedding%20proposals,%20celebrity%20sightings,%20random%20acts%20of%20kindness,%20and%20other%20surprisingly%20delightful%20events%20your%20friends%20frequently%20share%20online.%20Now%20consider%20how%20your%20brand%20could%20instigate%20that%20random,%20exciting%20event%20for%20your%20fans.%20%20This%20Sports%20Illustrated%20article%20has%20some%20great%20examples%20of%20social%20media%20being%20used%20to%20reward%20NHL%20fans.%20The%20most%20pertinent%20example%20is%20the%20#YoTographer%20Instagram%20campaign%20used%20by%20The%20Arizona%20Coyotes.%20Here%E2%80%99s%20the%20money%20quote%20from%20Marissa%20O%27Connor,%20the%20social%20media%20manager%20for%20the%20team:%20%E2%80%9CWe%20ask%20fans%20to%20upload%20their%20best%20shot%20of%20the%20night%20before%20the%20end%20of%20the%20second%20period,%20then%20we%20go%20through%20all%20posts%20with%20#YoTographer%20and%20select%20our%20favorite%20one.%20That%20person%20gets%20their%20photo%20re-grammed%20on%20our%20account%20and%20gets%20to%20watch%20the%20third%20period%20on%20the%20glass%20with%20the%20professional%20photographers.%20It%20makes%20them%20a%20true%20%E2%80%98Yotographer.%E2%80%99%E2%80%9D%20%20Now%20that%E2%80%99s%20a%20great%20way%20to%20use%20a%20hashtag%20to%20encourage%20authentic%20brand%20conversations!%20Employ%20a%20live%20hashtag%20feed.%20%20A%20live%20feed%20is%20a%20one-two%20punch%20for%20recognizing%20people%20and%20promoting%20your%20hashtag%E2%80%99s%20use.%20Live%20feeds%20(also%20sometimes%20called%20%22social%20walls%22)%20allow%20you%20to%20display%20everyone%27s%20hashtagged%20content%20in%20real-time,%20whether%20that%27s%20on%20your%20website%20or%20in%20your%20lobby.%20This%20is%20a%20great%20way%20to%20combine%20your%20brand%20posts%20with%20user-generated%20content%20(UGC)%20in%20a%20fun,%20engaging%20display%20that%20will%20encourage%20even%20more%20participation.%20%20There%20are%20tons%20of%20digital%20vendors%20you%20can%20partner%20with%20to%20provide%20a%20professional%20live%20feed%20for%20your%20business%20or%20event.%20Services%20vary%20based%20on%20price%20and%20features,%20such%20as%20the%20ability%20to%20curate%20posts%20(versus%20feeds%20that%20show%20any%20and%20all%20posts%20that%20use%20your%20tag,%20which%20is,%20in%20many%20cases,%20a%20huge%20risk).%20%20Some%20popular%20live%20hashtag%20feed%20services%20include:%20%20%20%20%20%20UGC%20content%20aggregator%20for%20live%20displays,%20websites,%20and%20more%20%20%20%20%20Free%20Twitter%20hashtag%20monitoring%20and%20website%20embedding%20%20%20%20%20Paid%20platform%20for%20social%20media%20walls%20at%20events%20%20%20%20%20Paid%20%22earned-content%20platform%22%20for%20curating%20user-generated%20content%20%20%20%20%20High-end%20digital%20display%20system%20that%20includes%20a%20social%20media%20wall%20feature%20%20%20%20%20Ohio-based%20social%20media%20displays%20service%20%20These%20feeds%20can%20be%20used%20in%20tons%20of%20cool%20ways.%20I%E2%80%99ve%20seen%20them%20deployed%20successfully%20on%20websites,%20in%20corporate%20lobbies,%20inside%20bars,%20on%20a%20billboard%20outside%20the%20bar,%20on%20the%20jumbotron%20at%20Reds%20and%20Bengals%20games,%20and%20on%20screens%20in%20between%20speakers%20at%20industry%20events.%20Don%E2%80%99t%20forget%20about%20your%20email%20list,%20too.%20(Tip:%20There%E2%80%99s%20a%20local%20Cincinnati%20startup%20that%20allows%20you%20to%20quickly%20pull%20social%20content%20into%20your%20e-blasts.)%20Leverage%20influencers.%20%20Come%20out%20of%20the%20gate%20strong%20by%20leveraging%20a%20group%20of%20people%20who%20can%20push%20the%20hashtag%20out%20early%20and%20often.%20%20Visibility%20will%20be%20the%20key%20to%20launching%20strong%20and%20sustaining%20your%20success,%20and%20there%E2%80%99s%20no%20better%20way%20to%20get%20high-quality%20eyes%20on%20your%20hashtag%20than%20by%20tapping%20local%20influencers%20and%20micro-influencers%20to%20spread%20the%20word%20to%20their%20friends%20and%20fans.%20Search%20out%20the%20people%20in%20your%20target%20community%20who%20are%20very%20active%20on%20hashtag-friendly%20platforms%20like%20Twitter%20and%20Instagram,%20and%20think%20of%20ways%20you%20can%20include%20them%20in%20your%20campaign.%20This%20might%20include%20paying%20professional%20bloggers%20to%20write%20a%20post,%20or%20you%20could%20employ%20a%20strategy%20where%20you%20invite%20users%20to%20special%20events%20or%20offer%20up%20VIP%20treatment%20in%20exchange%20for%20social%20media%20participation.%20You%20can%20also%20check%20out%20my%202017%20social%20media%20strategy%20post%20for%20more%20information%20about%20micro-influencer%20marketing.%20%20In%20the%20same%20vein,%20don%27t%20forget%20that%20your%20own%20employees%20can%20and%20should%20be%20your%20biggest%20advocates.%20Make%20sure%20your%20internal%20stakeholders%20(everyone%20from%20the%20CEO%20to%20the%20sales%20team%20to%20the%20receptionist)%20understand%20the%20goals%20behind%20your%20new%20hashtag.%20Encourage%20them%20to%20engage%20with%20it%20using%20their%20personal%20accounts,%20and%20make%20sure%20to%20explain%20what%E2%80%99s%20appropriate.%20Even%20better,%20invite%20your%20team%20to%20help%20you%20in%20the%20planning%20process%20early%20on,%20so%20your%20coworkers%20will%20take%20part%20in%20ensuring%20the%20hashtag%E2%80%99s%20success.%20Promote%20a%20hashtag%20people%20will%20want%20to%20use.%20%20There%20are%20plenty%20of%20articles%20out%20there%20that%20provide%20great%20tips%20for%20creating%20a%20tag%20for%20your%20brand,%20usually%20with%20pointers%20like%20%22keep%20it%20short%22%20and%20%22keep%20it%20simple.%22%20But%20there%20is%20one%20thing%20I%E2%80%99d%20like%20to%20add:%20It%20is%20immensely%20helpful%20if%20your%20hashtag%20does%20NOT%20include%20your%20company%20name.%20Unless%20you%E2%80%99re%20trying%20to%20get%20people%20to%20#ShareACoke,%20or%20your%20brand%20is%20a%20TV%20Show%20like%20the%20#AmazingRace,%20chances%20are%20good%20that%20most%20people%20won%E2%80%99t%20want%20to%20tag%20your%20business%20name%20in%20their%20post.%20Learn%20from%20the%20best.%20%20For%20some%20extra%20hashtag%20inspiration,%20here%20are%20a%20few%20of%20my%20favorite%20non-branded%20brand%20hashtags:%20%20%20%20%20%20#TweetFromTheSeat%20(Charmin)%20%20%20%20%20#LikeAGirl%20(Always)%20%20%20%20%20#PutACanOnIt%20(Red%20Bull)%20%20%20%20%20#CollegeIn5Words%20(Denny%E2%80%99s)%20Note:%20Denny%E2%80%99s%20didn%E2%80%99t%20create%20this%20one,%20but%20creatively%20took%20advantage%20of%20the%20trend.%20%20%20%20%20#ThrowMeBack%20(Expedia)%20%20%20%20%20#NoFunLeague%20(GNC)%20%20%20%20%20#RuleYourself%20/%20#IWILL%20(UnderArmour)%20%20Matthew%20Dooley%20is%20a%20Cincinnati%20native%20whose%20life%20is%20all%20about%20connecting,%20innovating%20and%20giving%20back.%20He%20founded%20dooley%20media,%20a%20social%20media%20agency%20that%20transforms%20local%20companies%20into%20talkable%20brands.%20He%20also%20leads%20an%20exciting%20wearable%20tech%20company,%20Kapture,%20which%20debuted%20their%20always-on%20audio%20recording%20wristband%20in%20early-2015.%20Matthew%20developed%20the%20social%20media%20curriculum%20at%20Xavier%20University%20and%20is%20currently%20teaching%20both%20MBA%20and%20undergraduate%20students.%20Follow%20him%20on%20Twitter." rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SmartBrief</a></span> </i></div>
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dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-22402027047742652272017-03-07T10:00:00.001-08:002017-03-07T10:00:56.591-08:0010 Reasons Ecommerce Sites Fail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUA6x0mIq7V4yD6QAxtw0wQlje5kHN6aZsmqNcqAe2R9ea3sRi9LeiyKKYeFxxu5-qXRGYIUEYNY9qT0Y8MBlZ1g6KWsmaoIn1ieHL2qk47crm7_efwg1bK_BlaubUC4qHJst0DmdfK4U/s1600/ecommerce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ecommerce Website Mistakes" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUA6x0mIq7V4yD6QAxtw0wQlje5kHN6aZsmqNcqAe2R9ea3sRi9LeiyKKYeFxxu5-qXRGYIUEYNY9qT0Y8MBlZ1g6KWsmaoIn1ieHL2qk47crm7_efwg1bK_BlaubUC4qHJst0DmdfK4U/s1600/ecommerce.jpg" title="eCommerce Website Mistakes" /></a></div>
Ecommerce offers fantastic revenue opportunities, the ability to be open 24/7 and traditionally fewer overheads when compared to bricks and mortar retailing. Yet, despite the fact that more than 12 million Australian consumers shop online -- and we are experiencing year-over-year double digit growth in online shopping -- a huge number of ecommerce businesses are struggling to be profitable, or in many cases, survive.<br />
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If you own an ecommerce store, or are planning on building one, here are 10 crucial items to be aware of that will have a significant impact on the success or failure of your business. </div>
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<b>1. Poor quality images and product descriptions.</b></h3>
When shopping online, customers are unable to pick up a product and take a good look at it. Instead, they rely on the images your store provides, along with matching descriptions. If you have poor quality photos or offer limited descriptions, you’ll almost definitely lose sales.<br />
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Always offer photos that display the product from multiple views, using only high quality images, and be sure to include unique detailed descriptions. Don’t use generic product descriptions from the supplier. Don’t rely solely on price. Entice visitors with great imagery and product detail.<br />
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<b>2. Missing contact information.</b></h3>
It seems like a small issue, doesn’t it? But not displaying full contact information, or trying to bury it deep in the site, is a major trust barrier for potential customers. Before they buy, they will look for this information, as they want peace of mind that if they need to contact you, they can. If you refuse to show location and contact information -- including a phone number -- you are going to have a hard time establishing trust with potential customers.<br />
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<b>3. Complicated checkout.</b></h3>
Amazon pioneered the simple purchase process. And when they did, it revolutionized ecommerce. Consumers were begging for simpler checkout methods with fewer steps. A complex, multi-step checkout process is a frustrating experience for customers, and they’ll likely give up before completion.<br />
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Avoid frustration by offering a very short checkout process. Also, don’t require registration for checkout. Let customers go through the process and choose the option to register and save their details at the end, in case they want to come back. Otherwise let them checkout as a guest, without the need to register.<br />
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<b>4. Hidden fees.</b></h3>
This is a big one. Cart abandonment is high as a result of this issue. Shipping rates should be shared upfront, at product selection. Hiding them until the very end is guaranteed to anger the buyer. Provide your customers with a shipping calculator that works based on the items they’re interested in and their postal code. This is technically easy to achieve, and there’s no excuse to not offer this.<br />
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<b>5. Big screen, small screen.</b></h3>
We’re a society moving more and more to mobile. This is especially true for ecommerce. If your online store hasn’t been properly designed for mobile, you will be offering clutter, poor navigation options and an incredibly difficult user experience for mobile users. Make sure your site is mobile responsive.<br />
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<b>6. Customers don’t know what to do.</b></h3>
Even with an ecommerce website, you need to make it very clear what you want the customer to do on your site. Non-product pages should direct the customer using a blatant and obvious call to action. The most successful ecommerce sites tell customers exactly what to do. Never leave customers to guess what the next step is. It is about guiding the user through your site, step by step, and ensuring they perform the actions you want them to.<br />
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<b>7. Online marketing.</b></h3>
What use is a watering hole in the desert if no one knows where it is? You might have an industry leading ecommerce store, backed by outstanding customer service, however, without targeted traffic, you’ll not reach the heights you desire, or possibly not make enough sales to sustain the business.<br />
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Creating an inbound marketing funnel will deliver leads from social media, Google organic and paid results and referral sources. Once you build up sales, and testimonials and reviews begin flowing in, that will have another positive impact for you.<br />
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<b>8. You’re not engaging your customers.</b></h3>
Being ignored is as bad as being bullied by a sales person. Engage prospective and existing customers when possible. Use social media to join the discussion, and keep your products and services in front of potential customers or those returning. Join in, or lead industry-related discussions, to show your knowledge, credibility or perhaps, quirkiness.<br />
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<b>9. You’re targeting the wrong audience.</b></h3>
You may have organic and paid search campaigns on the go, along with comprehensive social media management. However, this is all wasted if you aren’t targeting the right audience. Are you targeting generic terms that may not be appealing to people looking to purchase? Research is needed here to select the right approach to generate sales. In addition, constant ongoing review and tweaking is required to ensure you are making the most of your budget.<br />
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<b>10. Your pricing is all wrong.</b></h3>
Pricing is a huge factor online. People can compare your pricing in seconds, instead of having to trudge around multiple physical stores. If you are too low, customers may think your products are low quality. If you are too high, they'll feel like you’re trying to rip them off.<br />
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Don’t forget, shipping is a factor here as well. Keep that as low as possible, and offer free shipping when possible, or on orders over a certain amount. Obviously this is specific to what you are selling. Research and trial and error can help you find the pricing sweet spot you need to gain and keep customers.<br />
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Ecommerce is a great way of starting a business with minimal overheads, however don’t make the fatal mistake of believing it’s as simple as putting up an underwhelming site as fast as possible and putting products up without consideration. By applying the rules above, you will hopefully succeed in your ecommerce ventures, and avoid the pitfalls so many sites make.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Written by Nathan Sinnot</span></i></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i>Courtesy of of <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/288511" target="_blank">Entrepreneur</a></span> </i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-69393681087943773442017-03-06T12:56:00.000-08:002017-03-06T12:56:52.046-08:00Study: Push notification open rates see significant boost from emojis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_WawoXItI16z2pWriPoDGeLnG_aADexxK4l9kxOSweXPEfp6CVy44-zSMaIH3jK0Jr4bpTrpUz8cuAjZ6nOpjTarIKaso5nr-RpzRBqIueySTkvEElQMKM8dYpjcT07208FIGKsg5M0/s1600/Emoji.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Push notifications open rates get boost from emoji" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_WawoXItI16z2pWriPoDGeLnG_aADexxK4l9kxOSweXPEfp6CVy44-zSMaIH3jK0Jr4bpTrpUz8cuAjZ6nOpjTarIKaso5nr-RpzRBqIueySTkvEElQMKM8dYpjcT07208FIGKsg5M0/s1600/Emoji.png" title="" /></a></div>
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Emojis can boost push notification open rates by 85%, App Annie and Leanplum report. The use of emojis by marketers in push notifications increased 163% between 2015 and 2016.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Standard push notifications are only opened 2.44 percent of the time, according to the study by <a href="https://www.leanplum.com/" target="_blank">Leanplum</a> and <a href="https://www.appannie.com/" target="_blank">App Annie</a>. Push notifications that contain an emoji are opened at much higher rate: 4.51 percent. That helps mobile app publishers or marketers improve engagement with users and customers, and it’s a big step on the path to monetization.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4iGREkXkIDHt8xo_K6hWd6FaRyJfdIhE8jU-YcILiQxi2IvA-vLZdE2QMegc-8Htl2cN1-8c1QEsn1gtHe4EkDSuU7l4RSxC7g0Ivvjjru5ImcZQQMae647-cHhCbZeGQ-PHrLoDgCI/s1600/Emoji1.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="emoji push notification study" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4iGREkXkIDHt8xo_K6hWd6FaRyJfdIhE8jU-YcILiQxi2IvA-vLZdE2QMegc-8Htl2cN1-8c1QEsn1gtHe4EkDSuU7l4RSxC7g0Ivvjjru5ImcZQQMae647-cHhCbZeGQ-PHrLoDgCI/s1600/Emoji1.png" title="" /></a><br />Perhaps not shockingly, app marketers are using more emojis lately.<br />
<br />The study, which reviewed 5,000 push notification campaigns and 2.6 billion individual push messages, found that emoji-using notifications grew 163 percent from 2015 to 2016.<br />
<br />Why do emojis increase engagement?<br />
<br />According to the report, people’s brains react to emojis the same way they react to people’s faces. They’re nonverbal, and therefore processed as an emotional signal, not a logical one. That attracts a different part of our brains, and therefore has a chance to make an impact beyond the pure logic of the message.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGsWoTXSvvSny8uMdygmEUlJiDegOmUj6yc1Blc4qzQhLgeBNUn3sfmapLznossfD5mqentZ7Bv1pZWf6uil7F5tlxB4XaocrBk3WCmpGaP8cuj7rKX1SLdMOkGus3qb70xMU96TV3TM/s1600/Emoji2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="iOS Emoji reactions" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGsWoTXSvvSny8uMdygmEUlJiDegOmUj6yc1Blc4qzQhLgeBNUn3sfmapLznossfD5mqentZ7Bv1pZWf6uil7F5tlxB4XaocrBk3WCmpGaP8cuj7rKX1SLdMOkGus3qb70xMU96TV3TM/s320/Emoji2.png" title="" width="225" /></a></div>
iOS and Android users respond differently to emojis, however — or the platforms differ.<br />
<br />Emojis boost Android push notification opens by 135 percent, while only providing a 50 percent lift for iOS.<br />
<br />Why the difference? Push notifications live longer in Android tray than on iOS, and the report speculates that this means more time to see the notifications and open them.<br />
<br />Similar factors may be at play for in-app messages.<br />
<br />Apps that use emojis in in-app messages could see boost in engagement of as much as 9 percent, the report says, citing an experiment by Canva, a design app. And one app saw a boost in retention as well, with a 28 percent increase in day-two retention.<br />
<br />Clearly, emojis can help.<br />
<br />However, to get orders-of-magnitude better open rates, ensure your push notifications are personalized in response to user behavior.<br />
<br />“Your car is arriving in 2 minutes” is always going to be a stronger motivator of behavior than “Get 10 percent more coins if you buy now,” regardless of how many emojis it contains.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2017/02/27/emojis-boost-boost-push-notification-open-rates-85-study-says/" target="_blank">VentureBeat</a></span></i> </div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-61092925378695310932017-02-15T22:11:00.001-08:002017-02-15T22:11:28.014-08:0010 Clever Guerilla Marketing Ideas By Store Owners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<img alt="Guerilla Marketing" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjBmbfp2EokuFpifo1O8ilF8CW8PuYQEcNSI1R7RdB_cYrvMbX-3dHUD8upoQLtwRsYHBGzasGqkjVFWceHSv1Aq_d6YXCky7SNy_6KPcapIA1n7aqEKLIzxnlVP1mx4sR091IJZ0AiQ/s1600/CleverAds.jpg" title="Clever Ads" /></div>
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Marketing can be expensive, and that's where guerilla marketing comes in. These store owners and employees take guerilla marketing seriously - targeting both occasions and customers, giving them both a surprise and something they'll remember.</div>
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#1 Getting Ready for the big game<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhOmvn4sEQKhHj2hyphenhyphent9ZX5mSpzXCTTSXJh7M5zsOevziLURbXBJaeu86oj2kvGmO2vUs45nKWT-1BQL-A9utcldszaXpE_Xh6LwkxaJoWjKJVvu60wK-SNmJfmGJMzY2hJKNko5bq1gg/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-1.jpg" /> </h2>
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#2 Creative Selling!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPt8NHcNGpVvMEPgVWFiUm81CT7YuEd4d1kTwvnB7DijknL-bV_fhJNwX0KnXOGNMg9FxfMJQvFd4WXwYHPdL-Q88FD8r1iI2P2h97EIYGJsvpMjrH7fwz4gzCGgro0lnALF5KKwtvRc/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPt8NHcNGpVvMEPgVWFiUm81CT7YuEd4d1kTwvnB7DijknL-bV_fhJNwX0KnXOGNMg9FxfMJQvFd4WXwYHPdL-Q88FD8r1iI2P2h97EIYGJsvpMjrH7fwz4gzCGgro0lnALF5KKwtvRc/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-2.jpg" /> </a></h2>
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#3 Knowing your customers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8j6kUo6bvvH_GxyEi0-6RI9f-metKeg5JOnpZ7U9K4Rvd_ndavDK4jZNp6FP7Qg0CaL2xovpdVfrniCSdYUDHsH3ZBjZz4c4gCDZwcjctg5HRM6cXIbsym8xbgFCrvNeF3baKU5cN4k/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8j6kUo6bvvH_GxyEi0-6RI9f-metKeg5JOnpZ7U9K4Rvd_ndavDK4jZNp6FP7Qg0CaL2xovpdVfrniCSdYUDHsH3ZBjZz4c4gCDZwcjctg5HRM6cXIbsym8xbgFCrvNeF3baKU5cN4k/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-3.jpg" /> </a></h2>
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#4 Avocados!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCRXgYpyrfw2c4jwJReQUyjSGQXoVDME5cUla7v-KIblroone6OAP2NiR3QszCQ8CYfR4OHNWb4JE9Ld3_ppdMZ-PIImrY3LKuwGcTtaqLfRSdH-UvXFHSgQWhLX_d6phiau0gyO0aEI/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdCRXgYpyrfw2c4jwJReQUyjSGQXoVDME5cUla7v-KIblroone6OAP2NiR3QszCQ8CYfR4OHNWb4JE9Ld3_ppdMZ-PIImrY3LKuwGcTtaqLfRSdH-UvXFHSgQWhLX_d6phiau0gyO0aEI/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-4.jpg" /> </a></h2>
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#5 Those who saw it, know<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywGFZ8bgBTSWl49zb3u5RRt_fqXRf4BvPX1ZWc_aanjv1dPc-Gw_hwUjv-wtTX5GOC6t5rHgoXReefGpcuBNMmIDpcBp8eAw4luvyLGai2YC43TmF-qazRAjbx-H1cKMiUDJiW6AGdvk/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywGFZ8bgBTSWl49zb3u5RRt_fqXRf4BvPX1ZWc_aanjv1dPc-Gw_hwUjv-wtTX5GOC6t5rHgoXReefGpcuBNMmIDpcBp8eAw4luvyLGai2YC43TmF-qazRAjbx-H1cKMiUDJiW6AGdvk/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-5.jpg" /> </a></h2>
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#6 Which came first?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-4QehXOWPukNbgTXYQdWiTMgILBhrMloAEtAPWWLAozz5I3Lw2-D8ymyJDtOGRDw7tKgxWm9ovYc6kqjTp1rBMznlB2SAkG9NcDU-8zOy86IxRo0TNszbYZqna-xMPvLGWzKF-XsBRk/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-4QehXOWPukNbgTXYQdWiTMgILBhrMloAEtAPWWLAozz5I3Lw2-D8ymyJDtOGRDw7tKgxWm9ovYc6kqjTp1rBMznlB2SAkG9NcDU-8zOy86IxRo0TNszbYZqna-xMPvLGWzKF-XsBRk/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-6.jpg" /> </a></h2>
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#7 Spinach Party!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmPd-FWt__Q6-V0MorYbyTC0__j6OqiYzshcSq7cuosQuoe2QjGd4JAgR_D4QL_xiqZ7Mb5RPzIAnrStCx12QG2LguH0u0wzwUbGgrDbyDJJA11RETobxDu-3ZpSQhjsanFhYEjbr0Eo/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmPd-FWt__Q6-V0MorYbyTC0__j6OqiYzshcSq7cuosQuoe2QjGd4JAgR_D4QL_xiqZ7Mb5RPzIAnrStCx12QG2LguH0u0wzwUbGgrDbyDJJA11RETobxDu-3ZpSQhjsanFhYEjbr0Eo/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-7.jpg" /> </a></h2>
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#8 At a local Trader Joe's<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbys4KONv7i5_BuCoPeyqGCv6QBhg20_46pkj-WRURD5WqRIfYv-cMYbUJN5yhXV5I_QFbWcinQoFfU8TzTbvzxKtfDvtbnfDbH7N4VysA-iIlABKhwYqXmT3TWD6ZTR0Km7DYVlKsl2A/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbys4KONv7i5_BuCoPeyqGCv6QBhg20_46pkj-WRURD5WqRIfYv-cMYbUJN5yhXV5I_QFbWcinQoFfU8TzTbvzxKtfDvtbnfDbH7N4VysA-iIlABKhwYqXmT3TWD6ZTR0Km7DYVlKsl2A/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-8.jpg" /> </a></h2>
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#9 Well played, Target, well played<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmdypKoYi_tD7omLROUXVQtf0sc4hv_VY6S3bggGeadNpCajgHKi87XcDeZy4XPGMLDyPuBguC1DY7FS4zXcTutarJjx_i1ieM9hnb1pW6ui-Rh-tNeD-NznBky9pN4CcpJkdTuagKKY/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmdypKoYi_tD7omLROUXVQtf0sc4hv_VY6S3bggGeadNpCajgHKi87XcDeZy4XPGMLDyPuBguC1DY7FS4zXcTutarJjx_i1ieM9hnb1pW6ui-Rh-tNeD-NznBky9pN4CcpJkdTuagKKY/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-9.jpg" /> </a></h2>
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#10 Appealing to singles...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_oAWlUugIMJkaNxM5ktb8iFqbakD9HYk5iqeLHwf_N4o-bnUAyYrJ7UFk4LzwooVr-WcVEUGnaQOOtxSE-LR1HrWBuE_m77XnOXGNWnej5Xlfq-0judLR_czXemcfSxniOnWv1yuB0U/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-_oAWlUugIMJkaNxM5ktb8iFqbakD9HYk5iqeLHwf_N4o-bnUAyYrJ7UFk4LzwooVr-WcVEUGnaQOOtxSE-LR1HrWBuE_m77XnOXGNWnej5Xlfq-0judLR_czXemcfSxniOnWv1yuB0U/s1600/creative-guerrilla-advertising-in-store-ads-10.jpg" /></a></h2>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">- Courtesy of the InterWebs and those who submitted.</span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-19817005591455276802017-02-09T16:15:00.002-08:002017-02-09T16:15:56.558-08:00Mobile web use edges out mobile apps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pMuJFxVvTR8KgOcTEjjgNRLUIX31nhBs00zfiFV38TWVI13Mpm8Crfow1Y8ofJH-l1LNh0UbpbYwM153x9YPsx1hMYahpA7vjoZH38dF-YfqUUInt6U-M2rzmX38V9ZhhdneIOqKLhg/s1600/MobileBrowsing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mobile Web Users vs Mobile App users" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pMuJFxVvTR8KgOcTEjjgNRLUIX31nhBs00zfiFV38TWVI13Mpm8Crfow1Y8ofJH-l1LNh0UbpbYwM153x9YPsx1hMYahpA7vjoZH38dF-YfqUUInt6U-M2rzmX38V9ZhhdneIOqKLhg/s1600/MobileBrowsing.jpg" title="Mobile Web Users vs Mobile App users" /></a></div>
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Twenty-three percent of consumers use mobile web browsers to access content, outpacing the 15% that use mobile apps, CodeFuel reports. The researchers found that users prefer the freedom found on mobile web browsers, which gives greater ability to browse than do their app counterparts.<br />
<a name='more'></a>There are two ways that people use their smart phones to access online content: The browsers that come with the phones or dedicated apps.<br />
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When they use the browsers on their phones, it is just like if they were using the browsers on their personal computers – albeit on a smaller scale. They can go to Google and search for information, or they can enter in a URL and go to any website that they want. So long as the site features a responsive design, it will show up appropriately on the device.<br />
<br />CodeFuel recently completed a large <a href="http://www.codefuel.com/real-user-survey-findings/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">research project</a> to get to the bottom of how people behave online and how they access information. Here’s what we found about mobile users, particularly about mobile web users vs. mobile app users:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVntl1uob6e4KsM_b84GsRzZiEh-lNERnJ30-7HDMtGZeg_X_uXTuw3Cm7hJINIHfGvVRJO_59fzl8tMzeomdyPesN0HV6uQw6_-7s7ZkPpx97pOlR8jFGYMpjNZWpIr1QfH3gaZg_DUk/s1600/Preferred-Mobile-Tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Preferred Mobile Tools" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVntl1uob6e4KsM_b84GsRzZiEh-lNERnJ30-7HDMtGZeg_X_uXTuw3Cm7hJINIHfGvVRJO_59fzl8tMzeomdyPesN0HV6uQw6_-7s7ZkPpx97pOlR8jFGYMpjNZWpIr1QfH3gaZg_DUk/s1600/Preferred-Mobile-Tools.jpg" title="Preferred Mobile Tools" /></a></div>
<h2>
Mobile App Users</h2>
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When smart phones were relatively new, the big thing was to develop a dedicated app for your brand.<br />App games and tools were very popular, but you quickly started seeing apps for companies like the New York Times or Pampers. Most of the advice for brands in those early days was to invest in creating an app – either a dedicated app for the brand itself or a related app like a game or useful tool.</div>
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But our research found that few people actually use mobile apps to access information. In fact, only 15 percent of online users also use mobile apps.</div>
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<br />That’s not to say that mobile apps are useless. You just need to think more carefully about how they can benefit the consumer if you intend to put the massive time and expense into creating one.</div>
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<br />The best mobile apps are those that provide some tool for the user. For example, apps that track exercise or food consumption are great for those looking to lead healthier lifestyles. You can also create apps that help parents track their kids’ chores or give them ideas for activities to do on a rainy day.</div>
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<br />The apps would not open your website directly, but they can link to your site and feature relevant links to your content prominently. You just need to think strategically about how to merge the usefulness of the app with the information you want users to have.</div>
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<h2>
Mobile Web Users</h2>
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More people are like to use a mobile browser to access information than they are to use a mobile app.</div>
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<br />Our research found that 23 percent of people use the mobile web browser to go online. The web browser provides them more freedom to search or to browse websites than do apps, which are dedicated to a specific site or purpose. The exception, of course, is an app like Google or Bing that is dedicated to search and connects users to other sites.</div>
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<br />Another important finding from our research is that only 38 percent of users total are relying on their smart phones to look up information. Add 14 percent for tablet users, and you have a total of 52 percent. While that is a majority, it is just barely so.</div>
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<br />A whopping 48 percent of people prefer to look at websites on their personal computers because the content just looks better and is easier to read on a big screen. Even when websites are designed to appear appropriately on mobile screens, the text is smaller and the ability to navigate is limited.</div>
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<br />You have much more freedom browsing on a desktop, and you don’t have to strain your sight so much to see all the details (or zoom in to only a small part of the screen, requiring you to move the screen every few words).</div>
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Your Marketing Plan</h2>
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So what does this all mean for marketing your brand?</div>
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<br />Mobile users are growing in number, and more people are going to be using these devices to access information online. But desktop users are never going to go away.</div>
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<br />You should, of course, have a website that is properly designed for all mobile devices, and you should optimize your site for mobile search.</div>
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<br />However, you should focus your efforts so that the content users would most likely need when they are on the go is best optimized for mobile.</div>
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<br />Think about what people will need when they are out and using their phones to search: Directions, an immediate answer to a question, instructions, product reviews, and so on. Then determine what content on your site offers that and develop a plan to optimize it for mobile users.</div>
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<br />You don’t need research and figures to always tell you what to do. All you need to do is think like a user. What do you use your mobile device to find? What websites and ads appeal the most to you in search?</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">- Roee Ganot, <a href="http://www.business2community.com/mobile-apps/mobile-web-users-vs-mobile-app-users-01766681" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">B2C</a></span></i></div>
<br />dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-90163942628876528442017-02-09T15:54:00.001-08:002017-02-09T15:54:17.355-08:00Major icon design trends to watch in 2017Ben Bate looks at five icon design trends expected to make their mark in 2017, including complimentary color gradients, hand-drawn iconography and greater depth through the use of overlapping, shadows and bright colors.<a name='more'></a>The icon design industry has come a long way over the past decade and is reaching new heights all the time, as startups and companies realize the importance and potential upside to investing in this area.<br />
<br />Below, we’re going to take a look at five exciting icon design trends that look set to continue throughout 2017.<br />
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First, to put it into perspective how far icon design has progressed, here are a couple examples of the best icon trends from the past few years.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXUPsIgSoAZdp9_hIYL6Qf1bcZTnwHg_jHglBWblXjuCmj7XXerfBsqNbH0-1JL1Uy0OuwJKCIRma4j_6P0z0tB8Fn8xUMnqKDOoIqMrjPd4jK-qKr_LPZLaBpoXjPZXcyvt3jVo6mb0/s1600/icon-design-past-trends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Icon Design Past Trends" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXUPsIgSoAZdp9_hIYL6Qf1bcZTnwHg_jHglBWblXjuCmj7XXerfBsqNbH0-1JL1Uy0OuwJKCIRma4j_6P0z0tB8Fn8xUMnqKDOoIqMrjPd4jK-qKr_LPZLaBpoXjPZXcyvt3jVo6mb0/s1600/icon-design-past-trends.jpg" title="Icon Design Past Trends" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Past icon design trends</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3>
Icon Trend #1 – Complimentary Color Gradients</h3>
Despite the popularity of flat design, Gradients are making a comeback in user interfaces, particularly in icons.<br />
<br />The use of harsh linear gradients was a little too much when Apple first introduced them in iOS 7, but since then designers have developed a taste for implementing them once again. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gnFtbwXDxkw9PYcwN3cHpCyDM-eP3akMGVvyK07Na-18FuPvgJEDnmwFEXKKhg6vwu6iDckYWUy_G7a64ObuB3coLif9XX3djf5h64W0mxErGVmfohukUw1sxS2YtqkElrBi5UV10WA/s1600/icon-design-trend-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Icon design trend 1 - Gradients" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gnFtbwXDxkw9PYcwN3cHpCyDM-eP3akMGVvyK07Na-18FuPvgJEDnmwFEXKKhg6vwu6iDckYWUy_G7a64ObuB3coLif9XX3djf5h64W0mxErGVmfohukUw1sxS2YtqkElrBi5UV10WA/s1600/icon-design-trend-01.jpg" title="Icon design trend 1 - Gradients" /></a></div>
<h3>
Icon Trend #2 – Hand-Drawn</h3>
In various forms, hand-drawn iconography has come and gone over the last decade. A number of designers are showing just how effective and appealing hand-drawn style icons can be when executed skillfully.<br />
<br />They succeed in providing satisfying contrast to the clean and structured layout of an interface. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbTLm2PPy0IqDiSOItUvFgUjMiqqAXMkKa0t8OprW9f2cDiZwOVErqkvsP3vffYu3i4eFdZjDE3dixxixxeJv3rbq2fjwU1u6SOs7e91c-riMn5plHJTAN1tFXecP05T1CbhqVkNhhP4/s1600/icon-design-trend-02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Icon design trend 2 - hand drawn" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkbTLm2PPy0IqDiSOItUvFgUjMiqqAXMkKa0t8OprW9f2cDiZwOVErqkvsP3vffYu3i4eFdZjDE3dixxixxeJv3rbq2fjwU1u6SOs7e91c-riMn5plHJTAN1tFXecP05T1CbhqVkNhhP4/s1600/icon-design-trend-02.jpg" title="Icon design trend 2 - hand drawn" /></a> </div>
<h3>
Icon Trend #3 – Staggered Gradients</h3>
Staggered gradients are a very recent trend and one certainly to keep an eye on through 2017. They combine the subtlest smooth gradients with brighter, staggered gradients, providing both depth and visual interest.<br />
<br />Ryan Putnam’s example below is a perfect execution of this style and provides an insight into the colors and direction we can expect from other designers this year. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnT2ZA4vWpm162RkkVUi8BgTPXilQjVbdYPJyvHBfnhQus9ln2fGQ9NsamGF2YGGYvMggPb9yPO2ZZfVKiap-BwB5HaFtr6OznsnrZtGdUAxXGqhynJlxOzwHA0qMhYrlGB1tfpo1rUE/s1600/icon-design-trend-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Icon design trend 3 - staggered gradients" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnT2ZA4vWpm162RkkVUi8BgTPXilQjVbdYPJyvHBfnhQus9ln2fGQ9NsamGF2YGGYvMggPb9yPO2ZZfVKiap-BwB5HaFtr6OznsnrZtGdUAxXGqhynJlxOzwHA0qMhYrlGB1tfpo1rUE/s1600/icon-design-trend-03.jpg" title="Icon design trend 3 - staggered gradients" /></a></div>
<h3>
Icon Trend #4 – Stars and Speckles</h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A prevalent trend of last year was the styling of icons with subtle surrounding shapes. As UI designers find more and more creative ways to implement this effect, it continues to grace the icon design industry into 2017.</div>
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<br />The effect succeeds in drawing attention to an icon and framing it in a neat and visually impressive way.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV5ESvBgKxsnciLtvh-eAb4ibjwqBalpTTh4QTsRdf6Mbnyai9G9MVE898LILD1qqjofY8S8vFqeFC3ButEaiGiMnUgFC6rqHYtRqFYaoZ7Sq5g9hVLFOVOIJUphA_Wd0f8x3jX5RiV4/s1600/icon-design-trend-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Icon design trend 4 - stars and speckles" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhV5ESvBgKxsnciLtvh-eAb4ibjwqBalpTTh4QTsRdf6Mbnyai9G9MVE898LILD1qqjofY8S8vFqeFC3ButEaiGiMnUgFC6rqHYtRqFYaoZ7Sq5g9hVLFOVOIJUphA_Wd0f8x3jX5RiV4/s1600/icon-design-trend-04.jpg" title="Icon design trend 4 - stars and speckles" /></a></div>
<h3>
Icon Trend #5 – Depth</h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1stwebdesigner.com/material-design-guide/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Google’s Material Design guidelines</a> show no signs of regressing as icon designers too, now begin to adapt their styles to reflect Google’s vision.</div>
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<br />In its simplest form, the trend includes adding depth through subtle shadows, overlapping elements, and bright impactful colors throughout.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31R1ha0slr4fW8gqYVFt0DYIzuoNL-dDAHr65w-Vqoip2UuzvwiB74mzknlc6UcxIPK1DohtmzX0OxNb-RdlpggAbGZkEndFPQKGl2P1X6oVI0CzMMY1Gagw1mti6Mea5LF_-gqg2o84/s1600/icon-design-trend-05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Icon design trend 5 - Depth" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31R1ha0slr4fW8gqYVFt0DYIzuoNL-dDAHr65w-Vqoip2UuzvwiB74mzknlc6UcxIPK1DohtmzX0OxNb-RdlpggAbGZkEndFPQKGl2P1X6oVI0CzMMY1Gagw1mti6Mea5LF_-gqg2o84/s1600/icon-design-trend-05.jpg" title="Icon design trend 5 - Depth" /></a></div>
<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
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It will be interesting to see which of these trends continue to gain traction in 2017, and which new icon design styles develop.</div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">- Ben Bates, <a href="http://1stwebdesigner.com/icon-design-trends/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1stWebDesigner</a></span></i> </div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-44043569317125106952017-02-09T14:20:00.000-08:002017-02-09T14:20:41.009-08:00Dunkin' Donuts goes all in on mobile for Valentine's Day<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9Y1om-NP9R_f70UecLuaK6uAcBl4A9av5oTVL6FR9OOinHtMQs4YVEDegA6ga_jykYt1EdsWDyCmG6cvud_Pg1MIySI_IuKjh0Qs4pd0VenV5aSbQilw2l7ZpIARwa_ONPACZGL6RPM/s1600/DunkinDonutsVday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dunkin' Donuts" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9Y1om-NP9R_f70UecLuaK6uAcBl4A9av5oTVL6FR9OOinHtMQs4YVEDegA6ga_jykYt1EdsWDyCmG6cvud_Pg1MIySI_IuKjh0Qs4pd0VenV5aSbQilw2l7ZpIARwa_ONPACZGL6RPM/s1600/DunkinDonutsVday.jpg" title="Dunkin Donuts Valentine's Day" /></a></div>
Dunkin' Donuts is leveraging Valentine's Day with Instagram, an emoji keyboard and a Facebook Live concert to engage consumers on mobile. The campaign includes a contest inviting users to share their love stories.<br />
<a name='more'></a>Dunkin’ Donuts, which in recent years has been going toe-to-toe in mobile innovation with rival Starbucks, is using Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to flex a variety of new engagements, including an emoji keyboard and an Instagram promotion.<br />
<br />The coffee chain will also host a Facebook Live concert with acoustic pop group Us The Duo on February 13, performing their song “Stop Just Love.” Even for the generally mobile-happy brand, this is a full-court press; expect Dunkin’ Donuts to heavily push for brand interaction on mobile over the course of next week, and for the foreseeable future if any one of these offerings take off.<br />
<br />"We’re always looking for new ways to add value to our fans’ daily lives through content and tools, and the emoji keyboard felt like the perfect avenue to do just that," said Melanie Cohn, digital and social brand strategy at Dunkin' Donuts. "We've added this to the Dunkin’ app as a new feature for existing Dunkin’ fans, and another reason for people to download the app and explore Dunkin’ further.<br />"For us, it’s all about celebrating our brand loyalists where they are, and with messaging being such a powerful daily platform, we’re excited to enhance that chat experience even more for Dunkin’ fans everywhere."<br />
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<h3>
#DunkinLoveContest</h3>
Beginning today, fans of Dunkin’ Donuts can enter the #DunkinLoveContest by sharing how the coffee chain plays a part in their own personal love story on Instagram. One grand prize winner will receive a year’s worth of both coffee and donuts, as well as $2,500 that Dunkin’ suggests they can use towards “an extra sweet Valentine’s Day gift this year.”<br />
<br />Dunkin’s new emoji keyboard is now also available in the Dunkin’ application, allowing users to engage with the brand within their messaging platforms through the same process that emoji keyboards such as Kim Kardashian’s Kimoji app have become massively popular with younger mobile users.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9almNzfITIUDvFdeT44i4tcU5yIcWu81Q2GXJoS8QI5HJIjQqjuf67d96Ba1DXZvpKF3j9Qi786WC8PH2izCfXjnBAjBj1qqFoXkmGA904U2VybV0n4eFYHDT9p8POiOvZydgfvlUB0/s1600/DunkinValentines.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dunkin' Donuts Instagram" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9almNzfITIUDvFdeT44i4tcU5yIcWu81Q2GXJoS8QI5HJIjQqjuf67d96Ba1DXZvpKF3j9Qi786WC8PH2izCfXjnBAjBj1qqFoXkmGA904U2VybV0n4eFYHDT9p8POiOvZydgfvlUB0/s1600/DunkinValentines.png" title="Dunkin' Donutes Valentines" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dunkin's branded iMessage cards</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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The coffee chain is clearly gunning for the messaging space as it rolls out yet another branded effort that will work within the broken-open iMessage platform on iOS10. Users can access the iMessage Card Builder (also called Dunkin’ Stickers & Cards) to create a custom card, add a Dunkin’ Donuts Valentine's Day themed sticker and send to their Valentine all through iMessage. Other iMessage users can respond to the card and send back as well.<br />
<br />And Dunkin’ is also getting in on the latest brand fad on mobile, offering two branded Snapchat geofilters, one on the day before Valentine’s Day and one on the day after. The first will be put in place to celebrate the holiday itself, and the second exists to promote the emoji keyboard.<br />
<br />"We’re always striving to provide tools and utility to our fans that add to their experience versus interrupt it, and Snapchat Geofilters are a perfect example of this," Ms. Cohn said. "It gives our fans a way to make their content better, and in turn, gets them excited to use it.<br />
<br />"This choice-based content drives more impactful awareness since it's coming from a friend to a friend," she said. "That 1:1 sharing is where decisions and influence really happens. <br />"We think the everyday nature of Dunkin’ certainly lends to this – but Dunkin’ also has so much love and brand loyalty, so the geofilters give customers a fun way to express that."<br />
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<h3>
Investing in mobile</h3>
If it feels as though there is another story about mobile developments at Dunkin’ Donuts every few weeks, it is because Dunkin’ has made it clear that its ambitions lie in converting sales via mobile in a variety of ways. Its heated competition with Starbucks notwithstanding, Dunkin’ Donuts has every reason to want to invest in mobile, especially considering that it markets itself as a brand for hardworking, on-the-go individuals who could benefit from advancements such as mobile ordering.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5xcgQOvyp0-QkN0sL0eRkc2H4d_WcIW2JtU38AETUjRoksU3sQ-gOu3eEyWxMsDsfFmJWwq8BN044S8Usfcy8tjgEaWkN4HFq3vWd2rTkx-KXe9tIZHo_ny_7b_sexVGARhuocZqOZE/s1600/DunkinDonutHeart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dunkin' Donuts Valentines Heart " border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5xcgQOvyp0-QkN0sL0eRkc2H4d_WcIW2JtU38AETUjRoksU3sQ-gOu3eEyWxMsDsfFmJWwq8BN044S8Usfcy8tjgEaWkN4HFq3vWd2rTkx-KXe9tIZHo_ny_7b_sexVGARhuocZqOZE/s1600/DunkinDonutHeart.png" title="Dunkin' Donuts Valentines Heart " /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The coffee chain will be selling limited-edition donuts</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Another on-brand mobile play is its testing of curbside pickup for app users, currently only available to loyalty members (see story).<br />
<br />Recently, a Dunkin’ executive called its freshly minted On-the-Go ordering feature “the company’s biggest operational innovation since implementing a drive-thru,” before outlining a few lessons that she — and Dunkin’ Donuts at large — learned in the years-long process of implementing the service (see story).<br />
<br />"Valentine’s Day — and week — is a busy time for us as a brand," Ms. Cohn said. "We want to continue to be a destination for the day through fresh and unique content that showcases our sweet treats.<br />
<br />"Additionally, the sweet-themed products and natural brand love lend itself so well to social content, which is why we decided to build a bigger program around it. Fans go nuts for our coffee and heart shaped donuts, plus the passion for our brand gives us credibility to really own the day."<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">- Rakin Azfar, <a href="http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/social-networks/24450.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MobileMarketer</a></span></i></div>
<br />dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-38569322986848928862017-02-03T12:07:00.000-08:002017-02-03T12:07:15.441-08:00Master design with the help of psychology<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdjxPUPeflKzk4jTRS8UnlAIBJuUipRUhHMR8KqHz7jZloRep1ON8URMoKxVQR-niCrTP55HXYlRe5OKzD2Mq-tfGLcct6ZXV_w0DUBRi7CKkq-CUORiEazkkTO7Eo9fUpjS31kfo0h0/s1600/design-psychology.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="UX Design Psychology" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdjxPUPeflKzk4jTRS8UnlAIBJuUipRUhHMR8KqHz7jZloRep1ON8URMoKxVQR-niCrTP55HXYlRe5OKzD2Mq-tfGLcct6ZXV_w0DUBRi7CKkq-CUORiEazkkTO7Eo9fUpjS31kfo0h0/s1600/design-psychology.jpg" title="Psychology of Design" /></a></div>
"There's a psychological approach to web design -- based on decades of studies and psychology experiments," Robert Mening writes. Mening outlines five psychology-backed user experience tips to keep in mind during the design process, including understanding the importance of color selection and choosing the right font size.<br />
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Experience-based design…if that’s how you define your work as a designer, it might be a good time to reevaluate your approach.</div>
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Now, there’s nothing wrong with being an experienced designer; your experience could be an asset! However, it is essential to realize that there are many moving parts in a working design. For example, do you know that you shouldn’t just drastically redesign a website? Or that the color that works on the exact same website (featuring the same thing and in the same niche) will differ if the audience was predominantly male compared to if the audience was predominantly female?<br />
<br />
<b>There’s a psychological approach to web design—based on decades of studies and psychology experiments. Below are five psychology-backed UX tips for your next redesign:</b><br />
<br />
<h2>
1) Weber’s law of just noticeable difference</h2>
Anyone who’s used Facebook over the last 5 years knows that not much has changed in that time. Facebook is a mega corporation <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/21/investing/facebook-stock-trillion-dollar-market-value/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">worth over $350 billion</a>, so you might expect a lot to have changed in three years. Why is Facebook retaining every key element of its design? The answer to this same question explains why every major website—including Google, Twitter and Amazon, despite their large budgets—do not make drastic redesigns.<br />
<br />
It is explained by <i>Weber’s law of just noticeable difference</i>, which states that the slightest change in things won’t result in a noticeable difference; if you’re looking at a bulb, for example, and the light dims or brightens just a bit, you’re unlikely to notice the change—if it brightens significantly, however, you will notice the change. In the same way, if you’re carrying a weight of 100kg, removing 1kg from it is unlikely to make much of a difference in the weight, you’re unlikely to notice it. If you were to remove 10kg from the 100kg weight, however, the difference in weight becomes instantly apparent.<br />
<a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103110001599" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Research shows</a> that we dislike a massive change in existing structures and systems, even if those changes will benefit us, and there is <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Controversial-Website-Redesigns-21501951" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ample evidence</a> that show protests when major websites make massive changes and redesign.<br />
<br />
Simply put, Weber’s law coupled with our natural averseness to change shows that the best way to approach a redesign is subtly; make your redesign slow and subtle, changing a little here and there gradually—in such a way that most people won’t even know you’re doing a redesign—until you’ve completely revamped the redesign. Not only will this ensure your design is well accepted by the majority, but a good portion of your audience would have gotten used to your redesign before it is completed and very few will complain.<br />
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<h2>
2) Understand that we respond to color differently</h2>
While we often deeply trust our instinct and experience, it is another thing for them to stand science’s test. For example, do you know that the same design that works for an audience of male readers often won’t work for an audience of female readers—even if it’s for the same website selling the very same products?<br />
<br />
One of the most important factors you should consider when redesigning a website is the audience. Are the audience predominantly male or female? This matters a great deal!<br />
<br />
Research has found that people will form an opinion about things within 90 seconds, and that <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00251740610673332" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">color influences up to 90 percent</a> of the opinion people form. The color you use for your design alone can make it a failure or success.<br />
<br />
That said, it is important to realize that men and women see colors differently. The graphics below show the colors both men and women like as well as the colors they dislike the most:<br />
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<h3>
COLORS THEY LIKE:</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFoLZHgq-wK_8VUXJE-xPKIzd_WLXKoIlw0L4scI-EL-lLw-b33h2-XmnLhYrpLTrNEtziVgcHBmLVq-7s2tmAtB4-11pirJA5I6xz9yECT5uEnDr-zLWgLKW6XSa61GZwlL2b7JROJo/s1600/fav-colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Favorite colors for web design" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFoLZHgq-wK_8VUXJE-xPKIzd_WLXKoIlw0L4scI-EL-lLw-b33h2-XmnLhYrpLTrNEtziVgcHBmLVq-7s2tmAtB4-11pirJA5I6xz9yECT5uEnDr-zLWgLKW6XSa61GZwlL2b7JROJo/s1600/fav-colors.jpg" title="Favorite Web Colors" /></a></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">COLORS THEY DISLIKE</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_nFPFkLMWBG6bIkKDjQ3wpabLHcdkDDBaA_vEenzKOvJnqk1hkoODt74sJPlXdQoMhw5VtZebhY0dr7QM7VgYrduB7cUr0i48LvKQdBoDmkwrv0WQz6thWv7MpTFwclWxakHUSJ3PLE/s1600/least-fav-colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Least favorite colors for web design" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_nFPFkLMWBG6bIkKDjQ3wpabLHcdkDDBaA_vEenzKOvJnqk1hkoODt74sJPlXdQoMhw5VtZebhY0dr7QM7VgYrduB7cUr0i48LvKQdBoDmkwrv0WQz6thWv7MpTFwclWxakHUSJ3PLE/s1600/least-fav-colors.jpg" title="Least favorite colors" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Image Credit: <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HelpScout</a></i></div>
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<br />
When doing your next redesign, consider the audience of the website that will be using the design. Are they primarily male or female? Let their gender influence the color you use.<br />
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<h2>
3) The sensory adaptation phenomenon</h2>
Have you ever wondered about why you don’t feel your clothes or shoes? Ever wondered about why, even though you were initially irritated by it, you no longer notice your neighbor’s dog’s constant barking?<br />
<br />
This is explained by a psychological phenomenon called “<a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Sensory%2520Adaptation" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sensory adaptation</a>.” It states that we tend to tune out stimulus if we get repeatedly exposed to it—initially, we find it annoying, but later we just don’t notice it.<br />
<br />
Now, how does this relate to web design? It’s simple: you design a website and use the very same color scheme and button color for important parts that you want the user to take action on. Due to the fact that these essential parts blend in with the design color scheme, and that people have been seeing the same color all over your design, people are naturally wired to tune them out—they don’t see the key elements on your page, and you lose out on conversions.<br />
<br />
When designing or redesigning a website, it is essential to make your CTAs stand out; if the whole design color scheme is blue, you must not use the color blue for the CTA or to highlight the most important action on the page. Most people believe <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/20566/The-Button-Color-A-B-Test-Red-Beats-Green.aspx" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the color red or orange</a> is the most effective for boosting conversions; it isn’t. A color red button used on a page with red color scheme will convert awfully, but a color green button on the same page will convert much better.<br />
<br />
Use something that stands out for essential elements; this way, it doesn’t activate people’s sensory adaptation, and your conversion doesn’t suffer.<br />
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<h2>
4) Type: bigger is better!</h2>
When it comes to text, designers often obsess over look and appeal: “Wow, should I use a serif?” “That new font looks dope! Let me give it a shot!” Except that psychology shows that, when it comes to design, most of the things we designers give importance to are not what the end users really care about. Why we care about aesthetics and how appealing the latest typeface will make our design appear, the average user cares about basic things like usability.<br />
<br />
In essence, the average user cares a lot more about font size than about font type. In fact, research <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0036042" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">has shown</a> that people want type to be bigger and simpler, and that larger type elicits a strong emotional connection in readers.<br />
<br />
In essence, people want simple, large type. Based on data from <a class="external inner-link-effect" href="http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_display_board_fonts.shtml" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">available research</a>, experts advise not using a font-size lesser than 16px.<br />
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<h2>
5) Perceptual set</h2>
Is this a monster or a tree?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmP9q6lH67vtI8vJ2sKQ_4pfLkPWpaHjhKtTVeYwM1A1wqINpESzxbl9mI_Lvc4cL95nzi6fDiubBW6zkLyAKSTS8iy3JcB9akCg7gEiNaz4JDOIRU5UkvoHpLIfGs3bdl_gGrFOUe6Y/s1600/nessie-getty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Nessie" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJmP9q6lH67vtI8vJ2sKQ_4pfLkPWpaHjhKtTVeYwM1A1wqINpESzxbl9mI_Lvc4cL95nzi6fDiubBW6zkLyAKSTS8iy3JcB9akCg7gEiNaz4JDOIRU5UkvoHpLIfGs3bdl_gGrFOUe6Y/s1600/nessie-getty.jpg" title="Nessie" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Okay, how about this, is it a vase or two faces?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX76JGzm3HkmAV0lkS_ycrCn-QHrjS_XbVyuH-Y25cNMeC3AVPxoLIagNw3Kb25Qwa5xw19Hg6CJYBZLbhy-CfvaDuB0SlvndN1cSAfk6IdYTQM7fG7uK-bQT_yw6gM82tph137gN38yU/s1600/rubins-vase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX76JGzm3HkmAV0lkS_ycrCn-QHrjS_XbVyuH-Y25cNMeC3AVPxoLIagNw3Kb25Qwa5xw19Hg6CJYBZLbhy-CfvaDuB0SlvndN1cSAfk6IdYTQM7fG7uK-bQT_yw6gM82tph137gN38yU/s1600/rubins-vase.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
What you see will differ depending on your experiences; as with the image of the “vase or two faces,” if you’re an artist, especially if you just finished working on a vase, you’re likely to see a vase in the image. If you just left a gathering of lots of people, and if you’ve not seen a vase in months, you’re likely to see two faces.<br />
<br />
This phenomenon is explained by the “perceptual set theory,” which explains our tendency to perceive information based on our expectations, existing information and experiences. In essence, people from different cultures are likely to perceive the very same thing differently.<br />
<br />
The implication for web designers is that people have certain expectations of web design—some general and some based on certain industries. For example, most people have a certain expectation for where a site’s navigation bar will be (in the header), putting it elsewhere (in the footer, for example) will confuse a lot of users and lead to bad user experience. The same goes for every element of your site design.<br />
<br />
It’s good to be innovative. When you’re going to be innovative, however, make sure you include clues to guide people about the new elements. Most importantly, test people’s response to the new elements and readily change anything people do not respond well to.<br />
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<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy, Robert Mening, <a href="http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2017/02/5-psychology-rules-every-ux-designer-must-know/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WebDesignDepot</a></span></i></div>
</div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-47398458900957582322017-02-03T11:32:00.002-08:002017-02-03T11:32:43.018-08:00Fox Sports app offer VR Super Bowl experience<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf_xW3Cq9fpczI3pumrV2Aqn9KIDc2K63WsinIrWSZLHKaQRoIMTwNI6GC3tfBplJ7PDNk5g0zwTlxLunckONS98q4HB8TT9HX9SvqYXWLwUMMFY0M_wfJZxA_JHtGNzgoDYVy3K8HQs/s1600/VRFootball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="VR Football" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEf_xW3Cq9fpczI3pumrV2Aqn9KIDc2K63WsinIrWSZLHKaQRoIMTwNI6GC3tfBplJ7PDNk5g0zwTlxLunckONS98q4HB8TT9HX9SvqYXWLwUMMFY0M_wfJZxA_JHtGNzgoDYVy3K8HQs/s1600/VRFootball.jpg" title="Virtual Reality SuperBowl" /></a></div>
The Fox Sports mobile app plans to offer football fans a near real-time virtual reality experience for the Super Bowl. Users will be able to don a headset to experience game highlights and certain aspects of being in the stadium during the game.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
It's almost impossible to score Super Bowl tickets. Unless you're
willing to sacrifice your first born or shell out thousands of dollars,
you're out of luck. Though most people prefer to watch the game from the
comfort of their own home, FOX Sports, a mobile app, wants to take it a
step further. The app actually wants to put you inside the stadium via
virtual reality.<br />
<br />
FOX Sports will be broadcasting Super Bowl
highlights in near real-time. All you have to do is strap the mobile
headset to your face, fire up the app, and experience a handful of
select clips from various angles. Whether it's down on the field or up
in one of those special boxes, you'll be able to see it all.
Unfortunately, you can't watch an entire game in virtual reality just
yet. A girl can dream, right?<br />
<br />
You can download the free app on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fox-sports-vr/id1148177808?mt=8" target="_blank">iOS</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livelike.vr.fsgo.cardboard&hl=en" target="_blank">Android</a>, and <a href="https://www.oculus.com/experiences/gear-vr/1282459145111104/" target="_blank">Gear VR</a>.
It works with both Gear VR and Cardboard. Just download the app and
drop your phone in your mobile headset. The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 pm
EST on Sunday, February 5th. Don't miss it!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Ashley E Barry , USA TODAY </span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-30616735683981059182017-02-02T11:44:00.000-08:002017-02-02T11:44:09.083-08:00Social Media Marketing trends to watch in 2017 #SMM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOpVNjluunTDubwUvu7uA7b1BiaD_rEPBNN11TEWMi-1yDT6cEfBPZGfFZtlo1Bw6ikxzo96_V3ZewYcD08tr20jmtaeCH8ZDnsoBNSR8k2bDlcEiUpq3aM61cf3utxgPydyTrKrKKns/s1600/SocialMediaMarketing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Social Media Marketing Trends 2017" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOpVNjluunTDubwUvu7uA7b1BiaD_rEPBNN11TEWMi-1yDT6cEfBPZGfFZtlo1Bw6ikxzo96_V3ZewYcD08tr20jmtaeCH8ZDnsoBNSR8k2bDlcEiUpq3aM61cf3utxgPydyTrKrKKns/s1600/SocialMediaMarketing.jpg" title="Social Media Marketing 2017" /></a></div>
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</div>
Companies should be aware of the latest software and trends as they seek to reach out to the massive number of people around the globe who frequent social media. Jessica Davis reviews five developing trends in this field, including the growing use of visual marketing.<br />
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In the last five years, social networks have acquired about <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1 billion</a>
new users. Over one third of the world’s population is now accessible
via social media, and companies have gone from being skeptical about
social media marketing to seriously investing in it.<br />
<br />
In this social media dominated world, marketing is heavily reliant on
technology, but that technology remains focused on people. This year’s
trends will help marketers reach and engage their audience on a more
personal level, over social media noise. Companies will be able to
fine-target their niche communities, with increased support from
software solutions.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Social Media Marketing Trends and Tips</h2>
The following is a list of trends and tips for social media marketers to leverage now.<br />
<br />
<h3>
1. Investment in Visual Marketing Will Increase</h3>
Most social networks have already launched their versions of live-streaming. Twitter has Periscope, <a href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/02/what-is-facebook-livestreaming.html" target="_blank">Facebook’s Live</a>,
and other networks like Blab and DubSmash support live video sharing.
Live-feeds are becoming the “in-thing”. Even the US Presidential
election updates were broadcast live by BuzzFeed on Twitter.<br />
<br />
You can use live video platforms to engage you audience will
near-tangible experiences. If you don’t have a Facebook Live strategy,
now is the best time to get one.<br />
<br />
With social feeds growing crowded and viewer attention spans growing
shorter by year, you’ll need powerful graphics to captivate your
audience. In the last five years, the graphic design <a href="https://blog.drumup.io/blog/the-complete-list-of-visual-apps-and-resources/" target="_blank">software</a> market
has expanded, giving marketers extensive options to choose from. You
can put together graphics on a drag-and-drop editor to simplify your
content creation process.<br />
<br />
<h3>
2. Personalization Will Become Priority</h3>
Today’s social media users are faced with ads and commercial content
on multiple fronts. The receive information from multiple sources, and
breaking through that barrier is becoming a tough task for brands and
marketers. <a href="http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/2016-marketing-prediction-less-more-content-personalization" target="_blank">Personalization</a> will help marketers slice through the chaos and reach only the people who matter.<br />
<br />
Tracking consumers’ behaviors on social platforms and targeting them
based on interests will become an essential part of marketing. Some
social media marketing tools and apps are already incorporating features
to support personalization and targeting. More technology solutions
will appear in the time to come. You can target your high-potential
market by posting content that only they can relate to, or by targeting
them using data pulled from tools.<br />
<br />
<h3>
3. Brand Advocacy Will Grow Popular Among Marketers</h3>
Ad saturation is driving brands to look for alternative means to
reach their target markets. Investment in advocate marketing has seen a
steep increase (by about <a href="http://go.pardot.com/l/69102/2015-07-16/sgj4w" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">191 percent</a>)
in the recent times. Micro-influencers could be the key to increasing
your brand’s reach on social media, because they are more influential
and credible than your brand can be.<br />
<br />
Employees, customers and social fans are among the micro-influencers
that brands are activating. There a quite a few great employee advocacy <a href="https://blog.drumup.io/blog/the-ultimate-social-media-employee-advocacy-guide/" target="_blank">guides</a> and <a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/turn-employees-brand-ambassadors/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">case-studies</a>
that you can look at for inspiration in building your brand advocate
outreach programs. You can use an advocacy platform to build and run
your brand advocacy program.<br />
<br />
<h3>
4. Native Content Promotion Will Expand</h3>
In Joe Pulizzi’s words, native advertising is content marketing’s
“gateway drug”. The modern audience is wise to commercial ploys, and
traditional advertising alone may not be a great option for branding
your company. Native ads help you create awareness without disrupting
users’ activities. Content delivered in this manner can help you connect
with your audience without being too pushy. According to a study,
native ads are set to to grow to <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/274259" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">$21 billion</a> by 2018.<br />
<br />
Content discovery tools, content distribution platforms and content
amplification tools are interesting means to having your content shared
organically on social media. You could use one of these solutions to
have your content positioned where it can earn you some traction.<br />
<br />
<h3>
5. Marketing Automation Will Go Mainstream</h3>
Companies with constrained marketing budgets may have not used marketing automation until now, but according to a study, <a href="http://www.jeffbullas.com/2016/09/19/0-top-social-media-marketing-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2017/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">92 percent</a>
of these companies are losing revenue because of that decision. 2017
may see business of all types and sizes adopt marketing automation. <a href="http://ascend2.com/home/wp-content/uploads/Marketing-Automation-Trends-Survey-Summary-Report-160210.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">91 percent</a> marketers are convinced that automation is an indispensable part of marketing.<br />
<br />
Each social network is unique in terms of demographic and use-cases.
This may force businesses to be present on more than one of them to keep
consumers and prospects engaged. Managing social pages can be a time
intensive task, without the assistance of a supporting social management
tool. The idea is to use the tool to automate tasks that don’t require
personal attention – like posting created content to multiple accounts
and catching mentions of your brand. You can also curate content with a
tool and take the final call on what to share. It all comes down to the
extra-time that you can save to better invest elsewhere. Managing
content on a central platform can also help you maintain consistency
across different pages.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<strong>Wrap</strong></h3>
Social media <a href="http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/evolution-social-media-infographic" target="_blank">marketing</a>
is set to evolve into a highly tech-focused and detail-oriented effort.
To succeed at reaching and engaging your target market, you need to
explore and stay abreast of the latest developments and technologies
offered for social. The areas mentioned on this post are good places to
keep tabs on.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jessica Davis, <a href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/01/social-media-marketing-trends.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">SmallBizTrends</a></span></i> </div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-34288225979723230232017-01-31T11:22:00.002-08:002017-01-31T11:22:58.826-08:006 cloud-based tools to help drive engagement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgW4bBoR8Kg-vDjDhIb5pbUxr6piHymAdfOVXB44CUH00Pa1HJ35czGPImiWvlAZE0_zR3mu8SwAFlgRS0pXW-V0XODAjSDbiFNyoxVoJm7xh_mRfCtOAotea_Oh-5WejVU5UZq_L7LU/s1600/CloudTools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgW4bBoR8Kg-vDjDhIb5pbUxr6piHymAdfOVXB44CUH00Pa1HJ35czGPImiWvlAZE0_zR3mu8SwAFlgRS0pXW-V0XODAjSDbiFNyoxVoJm7xh_mRfCtOAotea_Oh-5WejVU5UZq_L7LU/s1600/CloudTools.jpg" /></a></div>
A lot of online marketers say things like “content is king” and “if you build it, they will come”. Sure, content is the main building block of modern online marketing – whether you’re broadcasting newsletters or <a href="http://www.business2community.com/seo/21-insanely-effective-ways-increase-website-traffic-part-01756566" target="_blank">building traffic</a> through your blog. However, having thorough and in-depth content is meaningless if your audience isn’t engaged enough to absorb your message.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Remember that audience engagement is affected by a lot of things other than content quality. To make them listen more, you must first connect with them, win their trust, and get them more involved with your online presence.<br />
<br />Below are six tools that will help you accomplish this:<br />
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<h2>
1. <a href="https://www.123contactform.com/" target="_blank">123ContactForm</a></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://cdn-main.123contactform.com//images3/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://cdn-main.123contactform.com//images3/logo.png" /></a></div>
A website is essentially a communication medium that connects brands with their target audience. If you want to have the other party more involved, you need to establish a two-way communication and give your audience a voice.<br /><br />As the name suggests, 123ContactForm allows you to create functional contact forms using a visual interface. By offering contact forms, you encourage your visitors to engage with your brand either by asking questions or sharing their thoughts. You can also use 123ContactForm to create surveys, quizzes, and polls so you can quickly extract their insights on issues regarding your company.<br />
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<h2>
2. <a href="https://www.tawk.to/" target="_blank">Tawk.to</a></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.tawk.to/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/tawky_big.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://www.tawk.to/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/tawky_big.png" /></a></div>
Implementing live chat on your website has numerous benefits that affect audience engagement. Not only does it improve customer satisfaction, 63% of customers are more likely to return to websites that offer live chat.<br /><br />The good news is, it doesn’t take any technical knowledge to integrate a live chat feature to your website. With Tawk.co, all you need to do is to copy and paste a bit of code within your website’s <body> and wait for your audience to engage. Don’t forget to <b>enable desktop notifications</b> from the settings menu so you can respond to messages as soon as possible.<br />
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<h2>
3. <a href="https://moosocial.com/" target="_blank">MooSocial</a></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://moosocial.com/wp-content/themes/mooblogs/images/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://moosocial.com/wp-content/themes/mooblogs/images/logo.png" /></a></div>
Another way to have people talk about your brand and build your authority is to let them participate in your own social network. For this, you can use MooSocial to build and launch your own network without writing a single line of code.<br />
<br />MooSocial works similarly with content management systems like WordPress. From the main dashboard, you can access a number of features such as user accounts, themes, and menus. The social networks you can create with MooSocial are also mobile-ready to cater to smartphone and tablet users.<br />
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<h2>
4. <a href="https://muut.com/" target="_blank">Muut</a></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6XfMM7Rkb978hVKGe9HE_dbj7QZtuwq8HFtWOKBXb_x7IUvehnhbRdgDYU5Qowcoqd9vRDWJkvXCr5wR4zVyvzkTR_Ekat6FGNlXo72tc2Oio5Eo33mWD5TO5_RUhGVtUdEee4ZA5Hg/s1600/muut-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6XfMM7Rkb978hVKGe9HE_dbj7QZtuwq8HFtWOKBXb_x7IUvehnhbRdgDYU5Qowcoqd9vRDWJkvXCr5wR4zVyvzkTR_Ekat6FGNlXo72tc2Oio5Eo33mWD5TO5_RUhGVtUdEee4ZA5Hg/s1600/muut-logo.jpg" /></a>If you’d rather keep discussions within your website, you can easily integrate a forums section using a tool like Muut. It also comes with commenting and private messaging features to improve the community aspect in your website.<br /><br />Upon registering, Muut will walk you through the essential steps of getting your community ready. This includes creating your welcome post, specifying a reply email, uploading a custom banner, and generating the codes you need on your site. You can also customize your forums even further by picking a theme, assigning moderators, and adding third-party integrations.<br />
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<h2>
5. <a href="https://www.yotpo.com/" target="_blank">Yotpo</a></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBugkcLpuKzD1ZhT340SQWpGznn-uYhE-MtMtWGjd5Jul9bwqjCj8Wcn9zjvjJgOaDY5QoOIICcHu8fhljxTgia0oflHgfAvehHhQ0zIOuApbNsSFeiSZ3vDZje7wgi8V0v_1wyPU9RMU/s1600/yotpo-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBugkcLpuKzD1ZhT340SQWpGznn-uYhE-MtMtWGjd5Jul9bwqjCj8Wcn9zjvjJgOaDY5QoOIICcHu8fhljxTgia0oflHgfAvehHhQ0zIOuApbNsSFeiSZ3vDZje7wgi8V0v_1wyPU9RMU/s1600/yotpo-logo.jpg" /></a></div>
Statistics show that <a href="http://digitalintelligencetoday.com/word-of-mouth-still-most-trusted-resource-says-nielsen-implications-for-social-commerce/" target="_blank">92%</a> of consumers trust peer recommendations for their online purchasing decisions. The only challenge now is getting your customers to vouch for your brand by leaving reviews and ratings. This is where Yotpo steps in.<br />
<br />With Yotpo, you don’t only encourage customers to rate your products, you also aggregate their feedback and make it easier for you to convince other potential buyers. Its key feature is the Mail After Purchase, which automates an email that requests for customer reviews after purchases.<br />
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<h2>
6. <a href="https://myrealkarma.com/" target="_blank">MyRealKarma</a></h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hUt6nLYobZqVVM16MAxwQ5faC0OTE-aymgDiCrpxtyMtNWobxo1wuja-yPxRaOWe5Mrkw-S5lygNkO9_6y92naL4yJXDXh7cnK9IXr90m4DttC4DOqxvemQrNJrCm2kLxCc1SqX-qRU/s1600/myrealkarma-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hUt6nLYobZqVVM16MAxwQ5faC0OTE-aymgDiCrpxtyMtNWobxo1wuja-yPxRaOWe5Mrkw-S5lygNkO9_6y92naL4yJXDXh7cnK9IXr90m4DttC4DOqxvemQrNJrCm2kLxCc1SqX-qRU/s1600/myrealkarma-logo.jpg" /></a></div>
If you’re running an e-commerce business, showing off customer reviews and testimonials is a great way to boost potential buyers’ confidence. The best way to do this is to use MyRealKarma to collect reviews from eCommerce platforms like eBay and Etsy. You can also specify your own website as the source of reviews if applicable.<br />
<br />MyRealKarma works by adding a badge to your site, which will lead customers to your seller profile. Here, they’ll be able to see customer feedback from other marketplaces and verify the credibility of your business.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Other Tools for User Engagement</h2>
Getting your audience more involved with your brand is a puzzle – and the tools above might be the missing pieces you’re looking for. If not, <a href="http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/99-online-marketing-tools-you-wont-be-able-to-live-without-01310136" target="_blank">here’s a big list</a> of online marketing tools you should check out.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of <a href="http://www.business2community.com/marketing-automation/6-cloud-based-tools-will-get-audience-involved-brand-01761029" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">B2C</a></span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4336038943401905876.post-77251384327842270642017-01-28T12:43:00.003-08:002017-01-28T12:43:59.474-08:0010 testing tools to help boost your UX, on a budget<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnpsiA_snXM8mr-4-vqFtaWkx-DsGllX62i8WAQ2KhaROrIy8h_UrMEdjbLoV8-HoJARA2LgWCN2N39uew5Lekg8LbXhFOtSmbfCL_EcjQTCZVZtZ6xTqADypH_9TE00ig0WQ6R5nTdI/s1600/WebsiteTools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnpsiA_snXM8mr-4-vqFtaWkx-DsGllX62i8WAQ2KhaROrIy8h_UrMEdjbLoV8-HoJARA2LgWCN2N39uew5Lekg8LbXhFOtSmbfCL_EcjQTCZVZtZ6xTqADypH_9TE00ig0WQ6R5nTdI/s1600/WebsiteTools.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Once your website is live, it's important to test usability in order to strengthen landing pages and boost action on your site. Katy Cowan's list of usability testing tools includes Crazy Egg, UserFeel and Peek.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>You've got your website up and running. You've played around with it until you can't see straight. Now it's time to stop making assumptions on whether it's working, and make use of some of the best available usability testing tools.<br />
<br />
We've teamed up with <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Squarespace</a> to put together a range of helpful advice on creating a successful website. We've looked at <a href="http://www.creativeboom.com/tips/10-reasons-why-you-need-your-own-website/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">why you need to get online</a> and considered the <a href="http://www.creativeboom.com/tips/six-most-overlooked-things-when-building-your-own-website/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">things you need to remember when pulling together content</a>.<br />
<br />
Now let's examine the tools that will strengthen your landing pages, encourage people to stick around and take action. Because the more you optimise what's there, the more chance you'll have of winning customers.<br />
<br />
And if you're worried that you're not a UX designer or usability expert, scrap that thought! Even the smallest change in text can make a huge difference, and why wouldn't anyone want to make their website as successful as possible? What's more, the following suggestions won't break the bank, and will offer valuable insight into what's working and what isn't.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<a href="https://www.crazyegg.com/" target="_blank">1. Crazy Egg</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRaugkK663fL21spHP5A2UWI5VUXbaaY0c-hhXiZosytMoy-9GPNWPrJKNeh2dEbahKOyRJu3zsmkx4tfS3r4noFBEYw-Sm16N6-o7vz7hDOuF1GtQss0j1HqMa_kaaraynTKlVWCLvA/s1600/CrazyEgg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRaugkK663fL21spHP5A2UWI5VUXbaaY0c-hhXiZosytMoy-9GPNWPrJKNeh2dEbahKOyRJu3zsmkx4tfS3r4noFBEYw-Sm16N6-o7vz7hDOuF1GtQss0j1HqMa_kaaraynTKlVWCLvA/s1600/CrazyEgg.jpg" /></a></h3>
What's making your visitors leave? That's the question posed by <a href="https://www.crazyegg.com/" target="_blank">Crazy Egg</a> – a fantastic resource that helps you discover how users click and scroll through your website. With helpful 'heat maps' and 'scroll' reports – you'll soon understand where you need to make improvements. Try the 30-day free trial, and stay a member if you can afford the inexpensive monthly fee.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<a href="http://fivesecondtest.com/" target="_blank">2. Five Second Test</a></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9rLpH9q-sKP-1p-wiFxcksXwZUyyDmyYa7n_wv2aEubQx4mQXr1A2lL6dGkXxatg00Zdtji0zci8Dln5uHsfgNYZN25KYtKrYq6i3fnQfdfNLWYc4PTTrwfwsz_uaJUVw7HXmyqWO1o/s1600/FiveSecondTest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9rLpH9q-sKP-1p-wiFxcksXwZUyyDmyYa7n_wv2aEubQx4mQXr1A2lL6dGkXxatg00Zdtji0zci8Dln5uHsfgNYZN25KYtKrYq6i3fnQfdfNLWYc4PTTrwfwsz_uaJUVw7HXmyqWO1o/s1600/FiveSecondTest.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Optimise the clarity of your website by measuring people's first impressions – that's what the <a href="http://fivesecondtest.com/" target="_blank">Five Second Test</a> offers with its simple usability quiz. You submit your website design, and then Five Second Test shows it to people for five seconds. When the time is up, those participants will be asked questions about what they remembered. A fantastic free tool for discovering if your website is immediately working. And if you want access to more features, the ProPlan costs just $99 per month with no contract.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="http://fivesecondtest.com/" target="_blank">3. Usabilla</a></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-hJpP3k2L45m_SYeTrJFmUgFRuE-B0fqfc_n0r8C-Zi7W1iEKwb_GbSBn6djz_owOrL9B9dZ8AJZj_ytwgKsENsVlxbuysNNYwHJuYyrWI4en_OK8QwpCw338pC540QygILm2djija0/s1600/Usabilia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-hJpP3k2L45m_SYeTrJFmUgFRuE-B0fqfc_n0r8C-Zi7W1iEKwb_GbSBn6djz_owOrL9B9dZ8AJZj_ytwgKsENsVlxbuysNNYwHJuYyrWI4en_OK8QwpCw338pC540QygILm2djija0/s1600/Usabilia.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://usabilla.com/" target="_blank">Usabilla</a> eliminates the guesswork and allows you to optimise your website with live user feedback. You can find out why people are leaving your site through 'exit surveys'. Or you can get feedback through emails. Pricing starts from $49 per month.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.optimizely.com/" target="_blank">4. Optimizely</a></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_Fb-j6yh-DXfnPz1D6WxOByU3g3tFsqvYr05azxJJAWTGf5BeR0_6TvxdtpBoi4q6v8CnTk-ZWwiBJmtdukdIQtizHABId2Avjhks8yZUgdD0CD7N5DPa9kGCM4gWGwqsKbsO7_FHxY/s1600/Optimizely.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_Fb-j6yh-DXfnPz1D6WxOByU3g3tFsqvYr05azxJJAWTGf5BeR0_6TvxdtpBoi4q6v8CnTk-ZWwiBJmtdukdIQtizHABId2Avjhks8yZUgdD0CD7N5DPa9kGCM4gWGwqsKbsO7_FHxY/s1600/Optimizely.jpg" /></a></div>
Need to check if something is working? Or perhaps test two versions of your home page's headline and see which gets the most clicks? This is where A/B testing becomes your new best friend. <a href="https://www.optimizely.com/" target="_blank">Optimizely</a> allows you to track visits and conversions with mobile testing, cross-browser testing, visitor segmentation and geo-targeting. You can trial Optimizely for free for 30 days. After that, you have to contact their sales team to request pricing.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://www.userfeel.com/" target="_blank">5. UserFeel</a></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJUjOO6QFaGMgFZZcn4UCkO1TAzL1XPe2u54PDYondTj9PQky43I5sS_gMYEkVF-pNVDQa0Kxe01fiIYKyaFvm55Lxi5RBUqXt7Y_4w9GCo8fgpnlRnsq5qXNasA7U_ABYhTRPNxgiUY/s1600/UserFeel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJUjOO6QFaGMgFZZcn4UCkO1TAzL1XPe2u54PDYondTj9PQky43I5sS_gMYEkVF-pNVDQa0Kxe01fiIYKyaFvm55Lxi5RBUqXt7Y_4w9GCo8fgpnlRnsq5qXNasA7U_ABYhTRPNxgiUY/s1600/UserFeel.jpg" /></a></div>
Unleash your website's potential with remote usability testing, and get results in less than 24 hours. That's the exciting promise from <a href="https://www.userfeel.com/" target="_blank">UserFeel</a>, a remote usability testing resource that allows you to set scenarios and tasks for anonymous participants to test. And you can then watch videos of testers using your website, so you can discover which parts need immediate improvement and increase your ROI. An affordable $49 per user test.<br />
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<h3>
<a href="https://qualaroo.com/" target="_blank">6. Qualaroo</a></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPf2kw1hsLjnRxu23-I7VVvAd-BchyphenhyphenmldGadRqzKfaW23qnmZ1ElkRqRP_I6xejGc-mNm-M-mYiJYEa8SSs23nq-NyOxHx3UIdmOUBQXdSzsREEw7EkzQbzQXZ5iG09ml23zfmMgysvQ/s1600/Qualaroo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPf2kw1hsLjnRxu23-I7VVvAd-BchyphenhyphenmldGadRqzKfaW23qnmZ1ElkRqRP_I6xejGc-mNm-M-mYiJYEa8SSs23nq-NyOxHx3UIdmOUBQXdSzsREEw7EkzQbzQXZ5iG09ml23zfmMgysvQ/s1600/Qualaroo.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://qualaroo.com/" target="_blank">Qualaroo</a> allows you to ask your visitors targeted questions in real-time, helping you to perfect your website's usability. So you might question whether people found what they were looking for. Or perhaps understand how they heard about you. Not the cheapest option at a minimum of $199 per month, but you can enjoy a free trial and see if Qualaroo would also benefit your clients – that is, if you work in web design or marketing.<br />
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<a href="https://userinput.io/" target="_blank">7. User Input</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7qZBtqld9mw3avRdgczoHOWynRD1IS-PfmuM71bp24ECje4PZLE_bfT3ra8OGmsHs-v4PxpnaTaXfSAGa56a2DDMsgavcTek517zKaJdeGdf1bhiBCQp1mYOiw1ut9kNNpJe3bV1Kz0/s1600/UserInput.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7qZBtqld9mw3avRdgczoHOWynRD1IS-PfmuM71bp24ECje4PZLE_bfT3ra8OGmsHs-v4PxpnaTaXfSAGa56a2DDMsgavcTek517zKaJdeGdf1bhiBCQp1mYOiw1ut9kNNpJe3bV1Kz0/s1600/UserInput.jpg" /></a></div>
Want to know why you're losing customers? Of course you do. <a href="https://userinput.io/" target="_blank">User Input</a> gives you actionable feedback from 10 or more real humans in your target market, so you can fix the problems and grow your business. Starting at $39 you can uncover the hidden conversion killers in your website. Pricing starts from $39 for the lowest package.<br />
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<a href="http://peek.usertesting.com/" target="_blank">8. Peek</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfvZslsN0P8auH6OQ6kIAHSGdInPORV9tFElvB40ESxGwHmtbf5k0UYfLqAZSWe-JDtXoG2RyPJKMx0kGkIaFP07Rau7hNsw2xxia3xZPE42t7aOXHjuX7_SP3Cvp4XcDVXjo9CKCVm4/s1600/Peek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfvZslsN0P8auH6OQ6kIAHSGdInPORV9tFElvB40ESxGwHmtbf5k0UYfLqAZSWe-JDtXoG2RyPJKMx0kGkIaFP07Rau7hNsw2xxia3xZPE42t7aOXHjuX7_SP3Cvp4XcDVXjo9CKCVm4/s1600/Peek.jpg" /></a></div>
Get a peek into the mind of your users with, you guessed it, <a href="http://peek.usertesting.com/" target="_blank">Peek</a> – a user testing tool that lets you see and hear a five minute video of a real person using your website. It's super fast, and totally free!<br />
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<a href="http://www.inspectlet.com/" target="_blank">9. Inspectlet</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXpgMyviVoIeeoVYHraFpLL7x6D6glIAr_aRqxst6_4ikA9cHdCdSFZY18_o0ht2Tll7BIDXof5mgS8jJXbYk2HmYsop-qNrDGA8RWecX2-V8-qJ_1O6pd7wE8MpmB1xq9vHbys_4Nzc/s1600/Inspectlet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXpgMyviVoIeeoVYHraFpLL7x6D6glIAr_aRqxst6_4ikA9cHdCdSFZY18_o0ht2Tll7BIDXof5mgS8jJXbYk2HmYsop-qNrDGA8RWecX2-V8-qJ_1O6pd7wE8MpmB1xq9vHbys_4Nzc/s1600/Inspectlet.jpg" /></a></div>
Google Analytics tells you what, <a href="http://www.inspectlet.com/" target="_blank">Inspectlet</a> tells you why. Or at least, that's what this tool claims, stating that you can "stop guessing what your visitors want". The app records videos of your visitors as they use your website, allowing you to see everything they do. See every mouse movement, scroll, click and keypress – you'll never need to wonder how people are using your site again. What's more, the basic plan is completely free, then pricing starts from just $39 per month to access more features.<br />
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<a href="http://www.trymyui.com/" target="_blank">10. TryMyUI</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQbGY_rqTeYQnMDfk7Rb0fvBP_CNctE1FFcyhPesjo5SApI5mVZIfcNPGzW4byqoDOpP1QRkkyiYQEejn_8ZucpnqDsbiIfgC_VsiakLkaIFdjxH1qPqUM03-2KnFvb7xwj2wf63rfas/s1600/TryMyUI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQbGY_rqTeYQnMDfk7Rb0fvBP_CNctE1FFcyhPesjo5SApI5mVZIfcNPGzW4byqoDOpP1QRkkyiYQEejn_8ZucpnqDsbiIfgC_VsiakLkaIFdjxH1qPqUM03-2KnFvb7xwj2wf63rfas/s1600/TryMyUI.jpg" /></a></div>
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How can you optimise your website? Watch videos of real people using your site and find out how to make improvements with <a href="http://www.trymyui.com/" target="_blank">TryMyUI</a>. Similar to UserFeel, this little beauty allows you to set up a specific test, pick a target user and watch a video of them interacting with your website. Based on your findings, you can then take action and ensure your website is as effective as possible. How much does it cost? On the 'Personal' plan, it's free and you pay-per-test at $35 each time. Not bad for what you get in return.<br />
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As a final point, <a href="http://bit.ly/2jbt2ud" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Squarespace</a> has its own in-built <a href="http://bit.ly/2jwWQ5A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Analytics</a> which help you track upticks and traffic to certain pages on your website. It will even show 'abandoned cart' page views and other such insights that can help you improve what's there. Not yet sorted a website? Check out Squarespace, but remember to use the CREATIVEBOOM code, and you'll get a 10% discount when you sign up.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of <a href="http://www.creativeboom.com/resources/10-of-the-best-usability-testing-tools-to-help-optimise-your-website-on-a-budget/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CreativeBoom</a></span></i></div>
dotLaunchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02199489843416062079noreply@blogger.com