But why is web design so important? What are the cornerstones of a great website?

You’ve done it! You have taken the leap to create an online business, and now you are on a mission to create a website. Usually, you’ll find out pretty quickly that there are a lot of web designers, agencies and other companies competing for your business, and actually choosing the right web designer for you can be difficult.

The Importance Of Web Design

As technology evolves, so do consumer expectations when it comes to websites and their performance. Because of this, it’s imperative that your website stays on top of that evolving technology, as well as offers a dose of exceptional usage. A website is fundamentally the window display of your online store, and no one wants (or wants to see) a poor-quality window display.

Website design, when done correctly, can pay huge dividends for any online business and here are the pillars that create thriving websites. Each of these points you should be discussed with your agency or designer to confirm they have covered all these bases:

Design And Usability

When creating a website, the lines between great design and great usability can sometimes become blurred and can lead to a catastrophic end result from users who simply don’t engage with your website.

Design and usability should go hand in hand to complement each other: a site may have an outstanding aesthetic look, but if users can’t easily find what they’re looking for, you’ll lose that visitor in 2-3 seconds, and that’s it. A lost sale.

Discuss usability with your web designer or agency before the site is built. Take a look at the colours and other design elements that can help make your website look good.

Navigation And User Paths

This section refers to how to plan the navigation.

Without a doubt, navigation is one of the most important things to think about when building a website. At this juncture, you need to map the customer journey through your site and decide what is going to be the most effective way for your users.

Talk to your web designer about navigation and what will go where. You’ll find that once you’ve thought about and planned your navigation, it enhances the overall appearance of any website, which is great for business.

Talk About Brand

Building a brand is what most companies dream of. Becoming a household name where a large part of your search traffic comes from brand-related searches, at this point, you can say to some extent, “I have done it”.

However, in your new foray into the world of online business, you’ll need to start somewhere to build that brand, and a website is the best place to do it.

Discuss branding and brand consistency with your web designer and discuss how to keep the brand consistent across the site to ensure customers start to engage with the business; Branding is important when it comes to successful web design.

Calls To Action

Any online business requires a call to action. Whether it’s shopping online, picking up the phone and asking, or simply sending an email with a query, there’s usually always a need for a call to action (or CTA).

A good web designer will help you establish good calls to action throughout the site to ensure that customers are browsing or buying. A good web designer should be experienced in the types of CTAs, work effectively and use this knowledge in your build.

Search Engine Optimization

Having a web designer with experience when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) is absolutely crucial.

During the process of building a website, you should have the peace of mind that your website is being built with search engines in mind, which means that when you finally launch it, you have the best chance of success on Google.

Discuss with your web designer what they know about SEO and what steps they will take to ensure that your site is search engine ready – it’s a critical element of your website’s future success.

The post Why Great Web Design Is Critical To Online Success appeared first on Tech Splashers.

Even if you have clever digital ad copy and creatives, it is unlikely that the overall campaign will ever reach its highest potential if you do not place them in the right location at the right time for the right people. That is why programmatic advertising enhanced with ML-based optimization is a game-changer for advertisers. And now, let’s dig deeper!

Example #1: Data-Driven Traffic Source Selection 

Understanding the target audience in an ad campaign at a more granular level requires an in-depth analysis of user data. When digital advertising decisions are driven by real-time and big data analytics, it is easier to continuously improve performance and make more accurate predictions for the future. 

Programmatic platforms can strategically change bidding strategies and events through auto-optimization algorithms powered by machine learning. Therefore, programmatic advertising campaigns can be refined and improved as they happen without having to wait until the end of the campaign to measure their success and make changes after.

Example #2: Customized Ad Targeting

Traditional advertising used to rely on generalized demographic information they collected from surveys and research to target their ads. Digital advertising, even in its infancy, has had cleverer means and tools to target audiences in more sophisticated and efficient ways. Machine learning takes those customized ad targeting capabilities in digital advertising to a whole new level. 

ML allows advertisers to decipher the demographics of a specific target audience with extreme accuracy and detail, allowing them to pick the exact audience they require to get the best possible ROI for their advertising campaigns.

Example #3: Customers’ Experience Personalization 

Providing deeper targeting and highly personalized customer experiences is another massive perk of using ML in digital advertising. It directly results in growing customer engagement and improving conversion rates. 

It also helps companies create unique differentiation in a highly saturated digital world. 

For instance, many digital advertisers merely show their customers ads for their most popular products without real personalization. Unfortunately, this often dilutes the customer experience and prevents new customers from discovering new items in the company’s catalog. 

Machine learning enables advertisers to scale their reach and make their advertising campaigns more customer-centric. 

Example #4: Advertising Budget Optimization 

Achieving a high ROI in paid advertising campaigns requires optimal budget allocation at the channel and campaign levels. Using ML-driven strategies to optimize ad spending would help companies to maximize the value of their digital advertising data. 

By analyzing historical campaign data, ML helps automatically detect anomalies that help make informed decisions on ad spending. It also helps run ad performance and revenue predictions for each campaign and then analyzes the combinations of all possible predictions to find the most effective budget allocation to reach all the campaign goals.

Example #5: Transparent Reporting In Real-Time

Getting real-time reports on all the KPIs of the campaign is another benefit you get from programmatic advertising equipped by ML to boost your digital advertising campaigns. 

Live and detailed performance reports help edit and improve advertising campaigns as and when they happen. You can also automate the performance and KPIs of those campaigns to keep them optimized even if you are offline using so-called bidding rules. 

Machine learning helps automate the ad buying process and remove time-consuming manual tasks, laser-focus on targeting audiences, optimizes the ad spend for better ROI, get real-time reports, and optimize the reach and the relevancy of your ad campaigns. With the advent of programmatic advertising in the ever-evolving digital advertising landscape, the days of manually gathering data and performing ad campaign analytics are becoming obsolete. 

The post 5 Examples Of How Digital Advertising Benefits From Machine Learning appeared first on Tech Splashers.

It is no wonder, then, that many companies like to use Facebook as their primary platform for running marketing campaigns.

The unique back-and-forth that ensues between the company and its customer on this platform has proven to be an invaluable resource, as businesses can use this interaction to create more personalized campaigns, improve their product or generate hype more efficiently.

However, none of this would be possible without specialized tools. These tools enable businesses to keep track of the immense amount of data generated from engaging with Facebook, recognize trends, and automate certain campaign features.

If you’re interested in these tools, look no further! In this little article, we’ll present you with some of the best Facebook marketing tools used by the best of the best in the marketing business. Let’s check ’em out!

SEMRush

Let’s start with an ol’ reliable. SEMRush is among the best tools available to marketers today. 

It is an all-encompassing tool that includes over 50 products, add-ons, tools, and plugins that allow you to analyze market data, do keyword research, formulate ads and ad campaigns, and perform various optimizations of your campaigns.

One of the best things about SEMRush is that it has a free trial, so if the tool ultimately doesn’t fit your needs, you don’t have to commit to anything by picking a subscription model.

BuzzSumo

Content is king in today’s market. In fact, content marketing is so strong that 66% of marketers are looking to increase their content marketing budget in 2022. This is where tools like BuzzSumo come in.

BuzzSumo is a tool designed to enhance your content and content marketing strategies. It allows you to analyze modern content trends and apply the best of them to your content. 

In addition to this, BuzzSumo lets you monitor that content, its engagement levels, and lead generation potential, so that you can plan your next steps.

Just like SEMRush, the tool comes with a free trial and paid subscriptions, costing $99, $179, and $299.

Canva

Another awesome content creation tool, Canva is the thing to use when you want your designs to shine.

This tool’s primary focus is the design and creation of social media posts. As such, it comes with several pre-made templates created by other world-class social media marketers and content creators, so you can always pick a winning design.

On top of that, Canva is an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop style content creation tool, so anyone can use it, even if they don’t have previous experience with graphic design or content creation in general.

The tool features a free model as well as two paid models. One interesting thing about Canva’s plans is that all of them can be scaled to your team, so the tool has varied pricing based on your team size: 1-5, 10, 20, or 50+ people. Their Pro plan also allows you to choose whether you want to be billed monthly or yearly.

Sprout Social

If platform integration is the game, Sprout Social is the name.

Sprout Social is a tool dedicated to social media platform integration, supporting all major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

The tool allows you to curate content, publish and analyze it. It also features automation tools, like a BotBuilder, so you can create chatbots that will engage with your followers.

Sprout Social has three payment plans – Standard, Professional, and Advanced, costing $89, $149, and $249, respectively. However, you can choose to be billed monthly, and, if so, the prices become $99 for Standard, $169 for Professional and $279 for Advanced. All models can have a free trial.

Whatagraph

If you need a data-collection, -monitoring, and -analysis tool, then Whatagraph is the right choice for you. This tool facilitates cross-channel data collection and analysis, allowing you to be on top of your social media marketing campaign at all times.

The best features of Whatagraph are its clear and engaging visual style for data graphs, its ability to facilitate cross-brand collaboration, automated report generation, and integration with a number of third-party data collection tools, enabling you to collect data from multiple sources, making it a favorite of some of the most popular SEO companies.

Whatagraph has two fixed-price plans, Professional and Premium ($199 and $299, respectively), but also allows you to create a custom payment plan in case you don’t need (or have need of more) features presented in one of these two plans. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

ShortStack

Another one of the all-time favorites, ShortStack, has been the go-to SEO and marketing management tool for years. This exceptional tool lets you create mailing lists, curate and generate content, optimize your SEO, gather and analyze data, and perform various other functions.

When it comes to social media, the tool enables you to create and run a number of contests (hashtag, photo, comment, refer-a-friend), which often generate a good amount of engagement for brands, as well as various quizzes. On top of that, ShortStack also features real-time analytics.

ShortStack comes with a free plan, as well as three paid plans: Starter ($29/mo), Business ($99/mo), and Agency ($199/mo), and each has a free trial attached to it.

Facebook Messenger

Finally, there is one tool that’s usually looked over, but that’s right under everyone’s noses. We’re, of course, talking about Facebook Messenger.

Indeed, Messenger is often forgotten as a basic tool but is nonetheless very powerful if used correctly. Using Facebook Messenger, you can increase engagement with your audience many-fold and enact very subtle but highly-successful campaigns.

Among other things, you can use Messenger to run click-to-messenger ads, which, instead of leading to a landing page, lead the person to interact with a bot in their Messenger. 

Messenger can also be used to create email lists, as it allows you to extrapolate that information from the persons you engage with or run chat blaster campaigns.

And all this is completely free and right under your nose! Thanks, Mark!

Conclusion

And there you have it, some of the best tools to enhance your Facebook marketing campaign.

Social media is a very powerful marketing tool. So much so that most brands today cannot gain any ground in their niche without it. 

Luckily, with the tools we presented you today, you’ll be able to get your foot in that door and, hopefully, grow your business and thrive!

The post Facebook Marketing Tools to Level Up Your Campaigns appeared first on Tech Splashers.

It is estimated that more than 60% of searches made on Google over the last few years ended without a click on any of the sites that were offered as a result. This data is even more alarming when it comes to mobile devices, where it exceeds 70%. But what exactly is Zero Click Search,  and how can it affect a web page?

What Are Zero Click Searches Or No Click Searches?

The term Zero Click Search, also known as searches without a click, refers to those searches that end without a click on any of the web pages suggested as a result in Google. 

The fact that there are searches without a click is due to the fact that Google itself offers an answer to the user, so they do not have to go to a site. If you have already got an answer to what you were wondering, what need is there to visit a web page that will give you the same?

Google also offers answers in the SERP  of any topic and sector, so the user can find anything from a movie listing to how to do a yoga posture, a recipe, or the benefits of a certain product without having to click on one. Web page.

Here is an example of a rich text snippet that Google has grabbed for the “marketing” query. It is popularly called “position 0”. Someone looking for a quick answer has it, and there is no click.

How Does Click Less Search Affect You?

These advances in Google algorithms and this precision to offer such specific answers to users are affecting web pages, which can see all the positioning work in danger, among other things.

These are the consequences of Zero Click Search:

Organic Clicks Are Reduced.

Many web pages saw reduced organic clicks, especially those that came from mobile devices, when Google began to provide direct answers to users in the same SERP. This is large because the user already has the answer, so they don’t need to visit any web pages.

To this, we must add that Google, whenever possible, tries to take the user to a web page of its property when looking for maps, images, news, or videos.

We Lose Potential Leads.

The fewer visits a web page has the less chance of generating leads. This is one of the main concerns of brands since the objective of having a web page with the content is to get visits that become leads and then become customers. But with Zero Click, by losing organic clicks, you also lose a lead generation.

Impressions On Our Page Are Reduced.

If the user already has the answer to what he was looking for, he does not pay attention to the web pages that appear in the SERP, so he loses visibility and reaches. Also, by losing organic clicks, Google stops considering that site relevant, so it loses position and stops showing it.

All the consequences are related to each other since the fact that the user can have a quick response makes him lose interest in the web pages that offer information about it, which translates into a significant decrease in organic visits, leads, customers, range, and visibility.

How Do You Recover Traffic From Searches Without Clicking?

Although it may seem that Google is only going to harm web pages and that there is nothing to do about it, with a good job of content creation, web traffic can be recovered. Here’s what to keep in mind to go against no-click searches:

Consider Search Intent

When creating content, you always have to take into account the user’s search intention in order to create rich snippets or enriched fragments. These are text fragments written in such a way that the search engine can clearly understand the information or data on that web page and decide to display them in response to some searches.

In other words, having the user’s search intention clear, you can offer a direct and understandable answer so that Google decides to show it. In this way, in addition to recovering web traffic, you can beat the competition and be ahead of it in the SERP. Also, the chances of getting the click increase when you are at the top of the results.

Use Long-Tail Keywords

There are several reasons why using long-tail keywords is a very good idea, one of them being that it is highly rated by Google. In addition, these types of keywords have less competition, which makes them easier to the position. In fact, through these keywords, it is also easier to appear in the rich snippets.

Improve Your Web Content

It is essential to offer content that is interesting, original, attractive, and of quality. In addition to the fact that the user may have the page as an information reference, Google also values ​​and positions it. This means that you have to avoid writing the same thing that the competition has written or doing it in the same way.

In addition to the text, including maps, graphics, photographs, videos, or any other resource that can make the user’s reading more enjoyable is beneficial and can help in positioning. The more relevant information is given, the more likely that Google will consider that web page as a reference in the sector.

Index In Other Search Engines

Although Google is one of the most used search engines, we must not forget others, such as Ecosia, DuckDuckGo, and Tor, among others. So you have to try to index in other search engines that, although not as popular, can also generate web traffic. In addition, and taking into account the privacy problems associated with Google, more and more people prefer to look for alternatives. In fact, there are countries where Google is not the public’s first choice.

We can conclude that although Google is trying to improve the user experience by offering answers to your questions without having to click on a website, with a good content strategy, you can stop the drop in web traffic, visibility, and reach that it causes.

The post What are Zero Click Or Searches Without Clicks? appeared first on Tech Splashers.

• That the web is optimized is part of the fundamental foundation where the rest of the considerations and marketing actions are later consolidated. A fast, non-slow loading experience is helpful and keeps unnecessary bounce rates and abandons away.

• Describing well what is sold is a content marketing task. It’s not just selling, but it’s also selling. Do not hide, write the content of the product file well and offer all the essential information.

• Take care of the image you upload in each product file. Not only quantity but quality, that reflect the reality of the product and that resolve any possible doubts that the client may have. The video increases the chances of success in each operation, keep it in mind to complete all the information.

• Is there a lot of competition? Make a price comparison with the ones you have the lowest. A good accompanying online marketing strategy will help the online consumer to establish differences between the physical store and the digital one

• Recommend. Content marketing is also for that. Refer to blog posts that help with clear recommendations on who, why and for what this product should be used and not another. Does the funnel technique ring a bell?

• Maintain fluid contact with the community and users who buy from your store. If they receive help, solve their doubts and serve your client in a simple, effective and efficient way, that will differentiate you from sites that do not have these tools.

• Finally, as a seventh piece of advice, Cerotec recommends responsive design as fundamental. More and more users (90%) access the different online stores from the mobile or tablet instead of the computer. You know, for all OS and any device.

But let’s never forget the last part, which is the purchase process: the gateway must have few obstacles, be simple and include information related to security in the process as well as additional costs for shipping or the like.

The post 7 digital marketing tips for an online store to succeed appeared first on Tech Splashers.

The marketing industry makes the most out of video marketing, from shorts to live sessions, Instagram stories, etc. But, overall, video marketing is at its peak, and now, it is getting more challenging to make videos that engage and help the audience turn into customers.

Let’s look at some of the video marketing insights over the years.

• According to Wyzowl, 92% of marketing professionals who utilize videos state that it’s an essential part of their marketing approach.
• From the marketers who don’t currently use video, 79% say that they plan to start in 2022.
• Almost nine out of ten individuals enjoy seeing more videos from brands, making video an outstanding tool for lead generation and brand awareness. 
• According to OptinMonster, 72% of consumers stated they would rather learn about a product or service by watching a brand’s video. Moreover, 84% of buyers have stated they have been convinced to buy a product or service after watching a video.

WordStream report shows that marketers who employ videos in their marketing plan increase revenue 49% faster than non-video users.

Effective Ways You Can Create Successful Video Content for Business

All the stats made the necessity of video marketing clear for the newbies. You must have a video production strategy that allows you to create professional and entertaining videos. 

Below are a few ways to enhance your video content strategy and get ahead in the competition online. 

1. Always Have a Plan

Creating videos for an audience that has a short attention span is not as easy as it may seem. You don’t do it randomly, as multiple factors impact the success of a video. 

Before getting started, you must plan everything from having an idea to writing a script, planning the setup, and adding visuals to the video.

Here are a few points to consider,

• Set a Goal
• Brainstorm ideas for the video content
• Identify the trending topics on social media
• Create a script
• pick the right platform
• Ready to play the record button

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Marketers have talked about the importance of the target audience time and again. Can you ever be successful in video marketing without knowing who you are targeting online?

It is imperative that you understand the likes and dislikes of your potential customer to make your video successful. It will help you get more leads and viewership. Your script and tone of voice are based on who you are talking to.

For example, you need to be quick, fun, and informative while creating videos for millennials and GenZ, whereas information and clear graphics are for an older audience.

Use the performance tools, Google analytics, and YouTube metrics to understand your target audience. Find the most suitable people who can be your customers and support your brand, and you are halfway there to make shareable video content

3. Experiment With Videos

Once you have finalized a topic for your video, now is the time to choose the most suitable type of video you should create. There are multiple video categories for various marketing goals, and you have to select the most ideal for the age group you are targeting. 

For example, if you are willing to educate your audience to understand a complicated product, Explainer video ideas are the best to reach a maximum number of buyers.

The entire video editing process depends on what type of video you are creating. Here are some popular video categories you can go with,

• Animated explainer videos
• 3D Animated videos
• Live Sessions
• Motion graphics
• How-to Tutorials
• Educational Webinars
• Product Demos
• Testimonials
• Behind the Scenes and Company Culture

The more you dive into video marketing, the more options you have to experiment and get the reach you expect.

4. Quality Equipment & Resources

Selecting the appropriate light and equipment is equally important as having a unique storyline. Audiences like to watch content that is shot professionally and does not feel random. 

Whether you hire an in-house team for production or do it yourself, you must focus on the video quality. Hence you should always use high-quality cameras, studio lighting or natural lighting, advanced audio recorders, professional editing software, etc.

The best way to find the right resources is to hire professional video production agencies who can handle everything from recording to editing.

5. User-Generated Videos 

Another great way to keep your content alive and engaging is to use user-generated content. For example, you can ask your viewers to create Reels or short videos by either reviewing your product or service or just mentioning them.

This enhances user engagement as social media users love to create such videos. This could also work when you are promoting a particular product or service. 

Furthermore, make sure you are aligned with what’s trending and what brands include in their video marketing strategy.

6. Tell Stories To Connect With Your Audience

Most people would never want to see a video that does not make them feel emotionally content. Stories and information blended together appeal more to the audience, and you should know how to do that.

Tell stories that add value to the audience, so they feel connected to your brand and want to know more. Make your narrative friendly and optimistic while conveying your brand’s story.

For example, Nike always posts extremely engaging videos that convey a story.

7. Collab On Social Media

Another effective way to boost the quality of your video marketing is to find influencers you can collaborate with. Influencer marketing has become the most trending way to gain potential buyers and followers online. 

Find an influence in your niche to highlight your product or service with a creative video. Utilizing influencers, you can educate more people about your brand and product/service to help them make a purchase decision.

8. Live Stream Videos

Live streaming can be your savior if your video content isn’t working as expected. Live sessions have rapidly gained popularity in the past few years as it allows customers to share their experiences or review a product directly to the brand.

Today, brands host live events and chats almost every week to engage the audience and get better insights for growth. Therefore, live streaming videos are a must-have element of your video marketing strategy, whether you are a new business or an established one.

Final Words

Creating a successful video marketing strategy that brings results takes a lot of time and effort. However, with the right strategy, resources, and creativity, even a small business can generate business within weeks or months. 

All you need is to find the right video production approach, trending topics, and tools to tell engaging stories. Apart from these, promoting your videos on the right platform also does the trick. 

If you are willing to make the most out of your video content, run regular ads stories, and adopt the latest marketing techniques to target a specific audience. 

Try these simple techniques to create videos for your business, and measure your performance to get better with each post.

The post How To Improve Video Marketing Content Through These Simple Techniques? appeared first on Tech Splashers.

75% of companies that use a referral program say that it is the cheapest system to get new customers and that it will soon be a trend.

While it is true that the Internet has facilitated free access to information, at the same time it has caused “infoxication” among users. The information overload to which we are subjected on a daily basis makes it very difficult to make purchasing decisions. Going back to the origins, to word of mouth, is an alternative to address the problem that is gaining strength at the present time.

According to a Nielsen report, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know. In addition, a study by Industry Research “2019 State of Referral Marketing” highlights that 30% of companies already have a referral program and 75% of those who use it, say it is their lowest cost method to acquire New customers. As if that were not enough, that figure jumps to 82% among those who refer through SaaS or external providers, such as applications or websites.

In short, if according to the results it is an upward trend, then what are the reasons that prevent more betting on reference strategies? 25% say they don’t have time, 20% say they don’t have marketing resources, and 50% don’t know how to get started.

5 beneficial reasons to incorporate a referral program in your business:

• Its operation is easy : The company’s sales protocol or its marketing plan are not altered. It requires no time or effort. Providers do the rest. Fulltip, for example, provides referrers who recommend customers potentially interested in the product. Your only task will be to talk when they contact you.

• ROI is increased : Sales cycles are reduced and marketing spending is more controlled because it is focused on a single action, recommending.

• Quality prescribers : You have the guarantee that you will access more satisfied customers since they start from a previous interest in your product and good references from someone you trust. It is true, the final sale will depend on our commercial ingenuity but, without a doubt, this paves the way quite a bit.

• Boost visibility for your brand : Each user who enters your partner’s application will be indirectly accessing your brand information and all the impacts generated by the app will be linked to your brand.

• A system tailored to you : Commercial proposals can be personalized thanks to the extensive information obtained from the client interested in the product or service and the knowledge of the ambassador who recommended it.

The post 5 Reasons To Bet On Recommendation Marketing In Your Business appeared first on Tech Splashers.

For some, that happens. They go viral.

Others, though? They drop straight into obscurity. 

Why?

What’s the difference between a video that pops up in people’s recommendations and gets thousands of views, and a video that barely manages a dozen? 

In many cases, it’s a matter of SEO – search engine optimization. 

After all, YouTube is the world’s second-biggest search engine – right after Google. Millions of people launch queries every day.

And YouTube has a sophisticated, complex algorithm that makes sure that the results of these queries match their users’ expectations. 

Your job as a video creator is to make sure that YouTube’s algorithm can find and index your content properly. 

That’s where YouTube SEO comes in. By working through the steps below and ticking all the boxes, you’ll be able to help your video on the way to going viral.

1 – Choose Your Keywords Carefully 

First, carefully think about which keywords you want to aim for. Keywords are words and phrases that people use in their searches. 

The more specific your target keywords are, the better. 

For example, someone who’s trying to learn how to knit might search for “knitting socks for beginners” instead of just “knitting”. The better your keywords capture the search intent of your target audience, the more likely they are to find your content. 

If you’re strapped for keyword ideas, you can check Google’s autocomplete feature, as well as Google Trends and keyword research tools. The latter will also give you an idea of the volume of searches for specific keywords and how difficult it is to rank for them.

2 – Select The Right Title 

Next, carefully craft your title. Make sure to include your exact keywords. 

While it’s OK to be creative, your title needs to reflect the content of your video. Don’t be cryptic – most users would rather know what to expect. 

Before writing your own title, check what formats are popular in your YouTube niche. Trends and preferences vary considerably – and so do the expectations of viewers.

3 – Optimize Your Video Description And Include Chapters 

As a third step, optimize the description of your video. 

Again, you should include your keywords and any information that could be pertinent to users. 

If you’re aiming to monetize your YouTube channel, this is also where your affiliate links or links to tipping platforms go. Don’t forget to disclose all your affiliations here, too.

One particular SEO booster to include in your video description are chapters. Simply identify important points in your video and include a timestamp and title for them in the video description.

In Google searches, chapters already show up as key elements of video results. And in Summer 2021, YouTube announced that it would also show them in its on-page search results.

While there is now also an algorithm that adds chapters to videos automatically, doing it manually gives you an advantage: You can explicitly include all your keywords and related words and phrases.

4 – Harness Hashtags And Tags 

As a next step, think about which tags and hashtags to use. 

Tags you can set in your video metadata. They used to be fairly important to YouTube SEO, but have lost much of their traction since the mid-2010s. Nowadays, they are useful mostly if you include words like brand names or names of individuals that are easily misspelled. 

Hashtags, on the other hand, are up and coming. By #tagging your content, you signal to YouTube’s algorithm what broad context your video falls under. It complements setting a category for your video in your metadata. 

In addition, YouTube recently launched hashtag landing pages. When users search for a particular hashtag, the first result is now a landing page.

This landing page offers curated content on a particular topic that users can explore. It’s interesting for SEO because it mixes older and newer videos, those with millions of views and those with only a few thousand. 

How exactly this works, YouTube hasn’t yet revealed. However, it gives your content another shot at being discovered.

5 – Upload Captions 

Another SEO avenue to pursue is to upload custom captions to your videos. 

As for chapters, YouTube auto-generates these – in a few languages, at least. However, as in the previous case, adding them yourself lets you place your keywords prominently. 

Generally, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of captions. A survey by Verizon found that as many as 69% of people like to watch YouTube videos with the sound off in public. 25% also do so in the privacy of their own home.

Furthermore, solid captions are also a great basis for translating them into different languages, which makes your video available to a wider audience. 

If you want to go with auto-generated captions, though, at least make sure that you say your keywords several times throughout the video. 

7 – Optimize Your End Screen 

Finally, you can also optimize the end screen of your video. This might not come to mind immediately when you think about SEO, but it matters indirectly. 

By creating an end screen that links back to your channel or to other videos, you can increase the likelihood that people who have watched one of your videos will also watch others.

This matters to YouTube’s algorithm. If people who have stayed until the end of your video click on to more content of yours, it works like a badge for the quality you have produced. It thus increases the chances of your video showing up in search results and recommendations. 

Conclusion 

Optimizing your video for YouTube SEO is a crucial step to make sure your fantastic videos actually get discovered by viewers. 

At first, ticking all the boxes above may take some time and getting used to. However, after uploading your videos like this for a while, it becomes part of your routine. 

And ultimately, it will help you on your way to growing your YouTube channel, establishing an audience, and going viral.

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What Is The Marketing Mix?

One definition of marketing that I like is “putting the right product in the right place at the right price and at the perfect time.” Each of these points seems simple, but hides a lot of work behind it. And for the product to work, you need all of them to be ready: a single element out of place can be a disaster for your brand.

The marketing mix  is a concept that we use to refer to the entire set of decisions that organizations must make to bring a product or service to market. There are different ways to classify these decisions. The 4 Ps is probably the best known and most useful, but there is also talk of the 7Ps (an expanded version of them) or even the 4Cs (from the consumer’s point of view).

The 4Ps Of Marketing 

As we’ve just seen, the 4Ps are a  simple formula for identifying and working on the core elements of the marketing mix . Although it is not new at all (it was first proposed by EJ McCarthy back in the 1960s), it is still a very advisable classification to quickly clarify the central points of your marketing strategy. It is based on four different elements.

1 #Product Or Service (Product)

The product or service is at the root of any marketing strategy, since it is the means through which the needs of the target audience are met:  what can we offer them?

From the point of view of modern marketing, it is preferable to define the product from the  needs and motivations  of the customer and the benefits it brings, rather than from the characteristics or “objective” attributes.

Within this P of marketing we must define the company’s product portfolio, what is its life cycle and how they differ from the competition. The image, the brand, the packaging or the after-sales services also fall within this key element.

2 #Point Of Sale Or Distribution (Place)

Distribution deals with defining and managing the  channels  for a product to reach consumers. The strategic points of commercialization can range from an ecommerce to a distribution chain with physical stores in several countries.

The purpose of the distribution strategy is both to facilitate customer access to the product or service and to help sales by providing a good brand experience.

Within this P we have all kinds of decisions regarding storage, inventory management, transportation, location of point of sale, off and online ordering processes.

3 #Price (Price)

The final price of our product or service is  one of the most complex marketing decisions , since it involves a lot of factors:

• Product manufacturing costs
• The commercial margin that we expect to obtain
• The economic objectives of the company
• The demand for our product or service in the market
• The prices of the competition and possible substitutes
• The purchasing power of consumers
• Trends and tastes
• The positioning of the product: sometimes it is interesting to raise the price to give a higher quality image

When setting the price, we must also take into account factors such as payment methods or discounts. In the end, only customers can decide if the price of the product seems appropriate or not.

4 #Promotion (Promotion)

And last but not least, we find promotion: all the  communication actions  that we carry out to publicize the characteristics and benefits of our products and services in order to increase sales.

This P is a true “mixed bag” in which many different forms of communication fit: advertising, public relations, personal selling, direct marketing… Today, digital marketing influences all of them. No matter how “traditional” your product or service is, you need to be up to date with  trends, news and marketing news

What Questions To Ask Yourself With The 4Ps 

As you can see, each of the 4Ps has a lot of factors to consider, so you may feel overwhelmed when making decisions. To make your task easier, I have created this questions  that you have to ask yourself to clarify each of the 4Ps.

1 # Questions about the product or service:

1. What does the consumer want from my product or service?
2. What are the benefits it offers?
3. What needs does it satisfy?
4. Are there other ways to meet the same needs? If so, what advantages and disadvantages do you have over them?
5. What are the characteristics of the product or service? Is it possible that something is missing that can improve my offer? Am I including one that is expensive, but does not provide enough value?
6. How and where will my product be used? Are there several different usage scenarios?
7. What is its appearance? Are there different sizes, colors, etc.?
8. How does it complement other products or services, from my company or from others?
9. What will the consumer experience be like when using it?
10. What’s it called? What will the brand be?
11. What will make it different from the competition?

2 #Questions About The Point Of Sale Or Distribution:

1. Where do customers go to find my product or service? Some ideas: specialized stores, supermarkets, online, through catalogs …
2. How can I access the right distribution channels?
3. Do I need to have a sales force? Go to fairs in my sector? Send samples to catalog companies? Being in contact with online sellers? Set up my own online distribution site?
4. What is my competition doing, and how can I learn or differentiate myself from them?

3 #Questions about the price:

1. What is the manufacturing cost of my product or service?
2. What trade margin do I need to obtain?
3. What is the value of my product or service to the consumer?
4. What are the usual prices for products and services similar to mine?
5. How price sensitive is my typical customer? Is it possible that a small decrease will win me many clients or that a small increase will go unnoticed?
6. Can I offer discounts and promotions at specific times, or for certain types of customers?
7. How is my price compared to the competition?

4 #Questions about the promotion:

1. Where and when can I get my message across to the right audience?
2. Which of these options suit me: banners, search engine advertising, social media marketing, radio, press, television, billboards, direct marketing, public relations, email marketing…?
3. When is the best time to promote? Does my product or service have a seasonal component?
4. What are my competitors doing and how should that influence my decisions?
5. ¿ What KPIs will be used to measure the result  of my actions to promote?

Use The 4Ps Of Marketing 

I hope that all this information has helped you organize your ideas, but do not forget that there is still the most important step: get going! Whether you’re looking to launch a new product or rethink your current marketing strategy, the 4Ps have a lot to offer you. This  step-by-step plan   will help you get the most out of this classic marketing formula:

• Identify the  product or service  that you need to analyze.

   

• Answer the  questions  on the list in the previous section. As much as possible, try to base yourself on objective facts. If you have doubts or feel that you do not have the appropriate information, it is time to invest in a good market study.

   

• Once you’ve defined your marketing mix with these questions, it’s also a good idea to take a look at it from your consumer’s point of view  :
  1. Does it meet all your needs? (Product or service)
  2. Will you find it at the points of sale you usually go to? (Distribution)
  3. Does the price seem right to you? (Price)
  4. Will the brand messages reach you to motivate you to buy? (Promotion)

• Create  hypotheses  by turning your answers around with “why?” and “what if…?” For example, “what would happen if I raise the price by 5%?” “What if I put more sizes on sale?” “Could I benefit from selling through my own ecommerce?” “What happens if I move 25% of the investment  from Facebook Ads to Twitter Ads?”

   

• Time to take action! Test the hypotheses in the previous section,  measure the results  and incorporate the changes that prove worthwhile into your strategy. Finally, don’t forget to establish regular checks on your entire marketing mix strategy, as market circumstances change faster and faster. Good luck!

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But the good news is that there are several strategies you can employ to ensure you get the most benefits out of your little marketing budget. You can also work with some of the best-rated advertising companies Manchester, if you’re in the area, or advertising professionals in your locality. Outsourcing your marketing functions from such companies will ensure you maximize your little budget so that you can realize high returns on your investment.

In this article, you’ll learn some simple yet effective tips that can help you manage your advertising budget. But before that, you need to understand what the marketing budget is. Read on to get enlightened.

Marketing Budget Defined

A marketing budget is an advertising or a promotional plan that sets out how much funds are allocated to the marketing department and how marketers intend to spend these funds. In other words, it’s an estimation of the amount of money that a business requires to promote its products or services. 

A marketing budget includes all the promotional expenses like the cost of employing marketers, advertising costs, office expenses, website maintenance fees, and other market-related costs. A marketing budget helps managers make more informed calculations and decisions.

How Can You Manage Your Advertising Budget?

Set Realistic Marketing Budgets

One of the essential aspects of managing an advertising budget is to set a realistic budget. Depending on the performance of your business in terms of profits and losses, ensure your marketing budget is affordable. 

Apart from setting an affordable budget, ensure that it’s sustainable throughout your marketing campaign period. For instance, if you plan to run your marketing campaigns for three months, ensure your budget can sustain you throughout this period.

Create An Effective Marketing Strategy

Most businesses get it wrong by trying out every type of marketing strategy without considering which techniques best suit their businesses. For that reason, they end up spending a lot of money only to realize none or little results. You can avoid that by creating an advertising strategy that can help meet your business needs.

Also, developing a well-thought marketing strategy allows you to invest only in platforms or avenues with the most significant impact. There are many advertising strategies you can use to market your business to help realize positive results. Some of these strategies include blogs, social media ads, digital content, paid ads, etc. Though all these strategies can positively impact your business, you need to find out which strategy works best with minimal resources and then invest in that strategy.

Re-Use Your Ads

There’s no harm in re-using your ads in the business, especially when running out of budget. Even if you’ve already achieved your objective through those ads, you can always consider re-using them. 

While it’s a fact that most ads can become outdated within a short period, they can be re-used to target a new audience, where your ads will be treated as if they are new. However, to get the most benefit out of your old ads, you need to adjust them to fit the current market.

Determine Your Total Marketing Budget

Another tip that can help you to manage your advertising budget is to determine how much you’re willing and able to spend on your marketing functions. While most business owners think they shouldn’t spend money on marketing their businesses until they start making profits, that’s a wrong approach because most customers might not be aware of the existence of those businesses. This makes it hard for such firms to make any sales.

So, rather than asking yourself whether you should use money or not in promoting your new business, the question should be how much money you should use. There are many ways you can consider to determine your total marketing budget. For instance, if you’re a startup trying to penetrate the market, it’s recommended to spend less than 15% of your total capital on marketing. 

On the other hand, if you’re already an established business, you can consider spending about 20% of your revenue. Spending 20% won’t hurt your business because you’ve already established a customer base. This means that you’re using some marketing strategies to engage your customers or to find new customers.  But most importantly, when determining your budget, ensure that it’s affordable and sustainable.

Monitor Your Marketing Budget

All business expenses must be monitored, and the marketing budget isn’t an exemption. Keeping track of your marketing budget involves reviewing the allocated amount regularly to check your spending and make sure you’re not going beyond your budget. 

So, when tracking your budget, ensure you’re not going over your daily, weekly, or even your monthly limits.  You can monitor your budget using a simple excel worksheet, which should include your total budget, the money left, and the remaining number of days to the end of your marketing campaign. You can maximize finance software programs developed specifically for this task as well.

Know Other Hidden Costs

Finally, if you want to manage your advertising expense effectively, you need to understand that there are other hidden costs that can affect your marketing budget. So, it would be beneficial to establish all other expenses related to your products or services. 

Some of these costs include operating expenses and other costs of running your business, such as water and electricity bills.  Considering all these expenses when developing a marketing budget helps set a baseline for your return on investment. For instance, if your business spends USD$20 to produce product X, which will later be sold for USD$60, such information will be helpful when drafting your marketing budget. These details give you an idea of how much you should spend on your marketing efforts and still make some profits.

Takeaway

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of a business that shouldn’t be ignored. However, advertising without a budget might put your business at risk. This is because if you don’t set a limit, you can spend more money than you can get in terms of returns. So, to increase your return on investment, you need to keep your marketing budget at the minimum level, which can be achieved by following the above tips. 

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