5 Snapchat Geofilter Tips

Using Snapchat filters adds a unique element to your posts and geofilters can show viewers a special overlay that is accessed in certain locations. Snapchat recently made it possible for viewers to create their own geofilters which opens up new creative possibilities for posts. Whether you use Snapchat’s existing geofilters or create your own they can add a festive design element that can be useful for marketing or simply showcasing new sticker graphics.

Initially Snapchat geofilters were somewhat limited because they were only offered through the company. Now there are community submitted geofilters that are free and available to users and you can make your own custom geofilter for a special event. Businesses can create a custom geofilter using their logo or brand to promote themselves to Snapchat users.

Here are some tips for using Snapchat geofilters to your advantage-

1. Define the Geographical Area

The way that geofilters work on Snapchat is that the user must be within a certain range to use the filter. If you purchase a custom geofilter that range is about 20,000 square feet or more. You will need to provide details about the area where you want the geofilter to appear and then Snapchat will create a “geofence” for your filter. When users are in that area your filter will appear as an option for them to add to their posts.

In order to find a geofilter the user will need to have the filters box checked under their settings and have their location available on their smartphone. As long as they are within the geofence they will be able to see your geofilter appear as one they can add to their photo or video.

2. Follow Business Guidelines

If you are choosing to create a custom geofilter in order to promote your business you will need to make sure that you follow Snapchat’s guidelines. Businesses creating a filter must have the necessary usage rights and permissions to include any brand or business names well as  logos or trademarks. It is important for anyone who creates a geofilter to know that filters must not contain any photographs of people, URLS, hashtags, phone numbers or emails.

For businesses that means that you might have to be more creative in getting people to contact you when they see your filter. Having your business name may be enough but you can also find ways to include your social media handle or website without using an @ symbol or “.com” so that Snapchat doesn’t recognize it as a URL.

3. Understanding Specifications

It is important to have a good idea of the guidelines and specifications for a geofilter to avoid having your custom filter rejected by Snapchat after you submit it. If you follow all the specifications then you are more likely to have your filter approved so you can use it right away without having to make any adjustments. The files need to be 1080px by 1920px high, under 300KB in size and saved as a .PNG file with a transparent background.

4. Using Templates to Design

If you don’t have a designer to help you make a custom geofilter the good news is that Snapchat offers templates to help people create their own filters. You can edit and customize the templates if you don’t have any of your own design programs to create an overlay. These pre-made design elements can inspire you but you can also look at other people’s geofilters for ideas and inspiration.

5. Choose the Right Date for Your Filter

Custom Snapchat geofilters are only allowed to be active for 30 days and then they can no longer be run. You will also need to schedule the exact dates that it will run but not any more than 30 days ahead of the day you submit. That means you need to time your submission accordingly and have an idea of the specific time period where your filter will be most effective.

Geofilters can be effective if you are using them to help promote a special event or let people know that your business recently opened in the area. You can choose the exact start and end dates for the filter so that it falls prior and during your event or opening. If you want to create another geofilter after the 30 days are over you can simply submit a new design and choose new dates.

Snapchat geofilters are a great way for users to show their followers where they are and what they are doing. Custom filters can be a useful way to promote a business, a specific occasion or just be more creative with Snapchat. As long as you understand and follow Snapchat’s rules and guidelines about designing geofilters they can be a fun and effective addition to your online presence.

The post 5 Snapchat Geofilter Tips appeared first on SEM Blog & News - SEO, PPC, Social, Marketing & More.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/5-snapchat-geofilter-tips/

What Can a Digital Marketing Agency Do for You?

Businesses that are looking to expand their reach online might be interested in getting some help from marketing experts. The world of marketing often changes very quickly and it can be difficult to focus on both running a business and advertising it online. A digital marketing agency can provide some support in launching bigger or more effective campaigns in order to grow your business.

Traditional marketing methods are rapidly becoming a thing of the past as most people focus on search ads and social media marketing campaigns. The tactics behind these methods can be complex because they work best when they are specifically targeted to an audience. A digital marketing agency has the experience and understanding of how to create ads that cater toward certain individuals online and can make sure that they see them.

A digital marketing agency has more skills in analyzing data so that they can target brand promotion more effectively. They can organize digital marketing campaigns and take the guesswork out of reaching audiences online so that you can immediately see positive results. Businesses that want to get the most out of their digital advertising efforts benefit from an agency that can make it easy for them.

Organized and Focused Marketing

What makes a digital marketing agency more effective than a business attempting their own marketing strategies? A digital marketing agency focuses on results-based marketing using a team of strategists, consultants and developers that work to create a campaign. They are not simply creating ads and hoping that they get results, they know how to use tactics that will develop your brand and generate leads.

A digital marketing agency has the ability to take over a businesses marketing efforts from top to bottom so that they see some real improvement. The agency can start by evaluating your unique needs as a company so that they can develop a strategy that will work to maximize your profits. They focus on the bigger picture of seeing your business improve rather than just producing individual ad campaigns.

The agency can help you set goals and define your objectives based on areas that could improve your business. Many companies find it difficult to clearly understand what their marketing objective should be or even what their best targeted buyer should be. The digital marketing agency can help determine the best target audience so that you can develop a message for them in your advertising.

Developing Your Online Presence

Once a digital marketing agency has created a definition of your ideal buyer they can then start to develop your images and find ways to showcase your brand. This could mean having a more effective website that appeals to your target audience and figuring out which platforms and channels will work best for you. Your ideal buyer can help determine which social media sites suit your brand and where most of your audience hangs out online.

A marketing agency can use these channels to position your company as a market leader and establish your brand authority. Target buyers can start to see you as an expert in your field and they will look to you for the best products. The agency creates content that showcases your expertise while also helping to build organic search results.

Your online presence will continue to grow with the help of a digital marketing agency in a way that establishes your brand and allows you to maintain your position as a competitor in your industry. The agency will identify your competition and help you stay in the game so that you aren’t left behind when it comes to what’s new in marketing. A refocused and more effective online presence can begin to have a big impact on your profits and increase your return on investment.

Save Time and Energy

One of the biggest advantages of using a digital marketing agency is that you can allow them to revamp your marketing from the ground up while you focus on running your business. You won’t have to use your valuable resources on advertising yourself and you can instead put more energy into making your business the best that it can be. Hiring a marketing agency frees up time and resources so that you can grow your business from the inside while they improve and develop your brand’s image.

Overall, a digital marketing agency gives businesses the chance to work with marketing experts that know how to get results and won’t waste time or money trying strategies that aren’t useful to you. They have all the experience and qualifications that make it easy for them to get the results that you might struggle with. Their efforts can help you boost profits, improve your business and  establish your brand authority and presence online.

The post What Can a Digital Marketing Agency Do for You? appeared first on SEM Blog & News - SEO, PPC, Social, Marketing & More.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/digital-marketing-agency/

YouTube Ads Overview

Businesses that have create video advertisements often need an easy way to get more people to view them. YouTube is the perfect place to get millions of users to see your ad and potentially click through to your website. However YouTube ads can be a little different than other types of paid advertising online so it is important to familiarize yourself with the format.

There are two different types of YouTube ads you can purchase for views to see. TrueView ads are a standard video ad on YouTube that viewers can watch and interact with. With these types of ads marketers can choose to only pay for the viewer to see 30 seconds of the video ad and the user has the option to skip the remaining time of the ad after watching 5 seconds. Non-skippable ads are required to be between 15 to 20 seconds in length.

Other YouTube ad types include Video Discovery Ads which can show up on the homepage or in related videos after a YouTube search. If the user clicks on the ad then a companion banner display ad will appear. These displayed ads do not automatically play but need to be clicked on in order for views to see them.

You can set up a YouTube ad through Google Adwords by selecting video ad under the list of campaign options. You can then select the format, the budget and the networks where you want your video to appear. There are also options to target the video for a certain audience to see on YouTube.

It can be difficult to get people to view video ads when it is simply embedded in your homepage or placed in a social media post. YouTube ads are an easy and fast way to get a much bigger audience to see your ad and learn more about your company.

The post YouTube Ads Overview appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/youtube-ads-overview/

Cryptocurrency in Advertising

Digital currencies such as Bitcoin have been making headlines recently as the price soared over thirteen fold last year. However, sites such as Facebook and Google have decided to ban advertising for cryptocurrency amid scrutiny of the financial products that have become a rapidly growing market. Concerns about cryptocurrency have motivated these sites to protect their users from ads persuading them to purchase products like Bitcoin.

Google employees responsible for the decision have stated that cryptocurrencies are “unregulated” and speculative in nature which could prove to be a threat to the user experience. Facebook made a similar decision as part of an effort to rebuild trust with its users on the platform. Google chose to ban all ads about cryptocurrency-related content including initial coin offerings, wallets and trading advice on the ad platforms.

As a result of these bans, even companies with legitimate cryptocurrency offerings won’t be allowed to run ads using any of Google or Facebook’s ad products. The websites believe that there has been enough consumer harm or potential for consumer harm as a result of cryptocurrencies to warrant the ban on advertising. Cryptocurrency scams are the main concern that could negatively affect users and put them in financial danger.

Understanding Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency products like Bitcoin are essentially used as an electronic cash system that doesn’t rely on banks or third parties to verify transactions and create new units. Transactions are instead confirmed using cryptography on a publicly distributed ledger called the blockchain which enables peer to peer payments. Cryptocurrency transfers can happen more quickly than with traditional banking systems which may take days to transfer money while crypto transfers happen in minutes.

In the same way that credit cards require a signatures, cryptocurrencies also require a digital signature. The transactions are secured through a system called public key encryption which allows each user to have a private key and a public key on their account. The private key is used as a digital signature for the user to prove who they are and authorize a transaction.

Bitcoin users were able to profit significantly from using the cryptocurrency which is making these financial products highly sought after. Unfortunately, scammers have become an issue with cryptocurrency and many are losing money as a result of investing in fake currencies. Scammers are making millions off of unsuspecting investors who believe they are paying for a currency similar to Bitcoin.

Countless high profile scams are what led Facebook and Google to ban advertising for all cryptocurrencies to prevent users from investing their money in a fake financial product. Google has been known to crack down on advertising that doesn’t follow its rules and the company said that it took down more than 3.2 billion ads in 2017 that violated its policies. Since cryptocurrency has become less trustworthy, banning all ads was their solution to protect users as much as possible.

Legitimate and Scam Cryptocurrencies

The reason Google chose to ban all of these types of ads from their site is because they find it nearly impossible to identify legitimate projects versus scam artists. People have been inundated with fraudulent advertisements claiming that users can make money by investing in new forms of cryptocurrency. There has been a major backlash against cryptocurrency products and especially ICOs or Initial Coin Offerings.

An ICO is a way for start-ups to crowd fund investment and ask people to invest in a cryptocurrency in exchange for a token that’s issued by the start up. The digital coin can then be used in exchange for future services offered by the company. There is also the possibility of the value of the coin climbing much higher than the initial investment as was the case with Bitcoin.

Although there are legitimate possibilities for people to make money and benefit from investing in an ICO, there are plenty of scammers online because ICOs are unregulated and investors don’t have the same protections as with other assets like stocks. People can invest in something that seems legitimate until they begin to see warning signs such as a lack of correspondence from its founders and failed attempts to recoup lost funds. These scams take people’s investments, don’t develop anything and eventually cut ties with investors.

Because there is no way for Google or Facebook to tell which cryptocurrency ICOs are real and which ones are going to steal from users, they have banned all ads across the board. This may protect people from being swayed by an ad asking for their investment in a false cryptocurrency. Some believe that Google may eventually modify their ban to include legitimate crypto ads once ICOs become more regulated.

For the time being however, users will not see any further advertisements on Facebook or Google for cryptocurrency starting in June of this year.

The post Cryptocurrency in Advertising appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/cryptocurrency-in-advertising/

Top 10 Powerful Testing Tools to Check a Landing Page

If you manage any of your Internet ventures with a specific goal in mind, you know the importance of landing pages. Getting email subscribers for your newsletters, traffic for your new blog, downloads for your ebook, or sales for your latest productivity hack courses – landing pages do it for you. But what makes some landing pages more successful at conversion than others?

Successful web entrepreneurs know that the secret of success with landing pages is – testing. Yes, with so many digital marketing tactics being tried out every day, and so many uncontrollable factors involved in how audiences interact with your landing pages, you can only rely on strong testing practices to know what works and do more of it. In this guide, we will cover 10 power-packed tools to help you check and test landing pages.

Google Analytics

This is the cornerstone of all Internet-based analytics, with data fed to it directly from Google’s unimaginably vast pool of sources. Using Google Analytics is easy enough because there are detailed online tutorials available for all major functionalities it offers. For landing page A/B split testing, you will need to work with the Content Experiments feature. Here, you can create different split test page variants, and get advanced reporting for them. There’s no visual editor here, which is a bit of a letdown, but Google Analytics is free! You might also want to try the ‘Goals’ feature that lets you easily track business targets from your web assets.

Optimizely

For anybody ready to work with a paid split testing tool, Optimizely is a reasonable priced and feature rich option. With Optimizely, you can set up split tests for your landing page versions, and let the tool collect data and weave it into meaningful reports for you. Optimizely offers multivariate, split, and mobile testing, and showcases data in an easy-to-understand manner, so much so that you won’t even need basic data analytics knowledge to begin using it to maximum effect. The good part with Optimizely is that you can always upgrade and avail more advanced features as the data analytics and split testing requirements of your web brand increase. One downside is that you need to create passable landing pages on your own, as the tool doesn’t offer any support there. The easy and intuitive interface with a visual editor, however, makes it a sweet deal.

Visual Website Optimizer

Though pricey, Visual Website Optimizer is worth every penny you spend, courtesy the vast range of testing options it provides. A/B testing, advanced multivariate testing, Split URL testing conversion tracking, targeting, usability testing, and heat-maps and click-maps – that’s a whopping collection of testing functionalities. A great part of Visual Website Optimizer is that it offers you some pretty smart idea generation features that can help beginners think creatively about the kind of split tests they can carry out for their landing pages. If you anticipate quick growth in your web traffic, or already have substantial traffic (more than 1,000 visitors every month), it’s time you considered a wholesome testing suite such as Visual Website Optimizer.

Unbounce

The tools we discussed till now are a lot more than landing page testing tools, whereas Unbounce is focused on landing pages. With 80+ optimized pre-designed landing page templates, beginners are absolutely going to love this tool. All presets are engineered specifically to improve conversions. Of course, on top of that is the A/B testing interface of Unbounce. Plus, you get some basic metrics to interpret the split test data, along with peripheral tools in higher priced subscriptions. Unbounce has clear goal – help beginners create and split test conversion-optimized landing pages; it achieves its goals like a pro.

KISSmetrics

KISSmetrics is one of the leading testing tools available for digital marketers, offering insight on customer interaction with websites like no other tool. Its super flexible data reporting options make it a powerful analytics engine for all kinds of digital brands. KISSmetrics is also a lot about the human side of data and captures invaluable data and metrics related to the entire customer journey across web pages, websites, and platforms. With KISSmetrics, you can carry out advanced split testing for all your landing pages, and connect the data to real people. It’s also pretty easy to integrate with other software, and hence a favorite of digital marketers already aligned with the idea of automation tools.

A/Bingo

This Ruby on Rails split testing framework is available as a plugin and can test behavioral differences across web pages using a single line of code. The analysis is fast, and it can make measurements for statistical significance across all kinds of tests. The A/B tests are defined in the code of the landing pages, and hence there’ no setup or configuration needed. With A/Bingo, you can create your own multivariate testing dashboard, or use the one it provides by default. The best part – it’s free tool.

CrazyEgg

Specializing in click tracking, CrazyEgg helps you make sense of user behavior when they visit their website and interact with your landing page. The tool is particularly recommended for marketers with a liking for easy to consume visual representations of data. CrazyEgg offers its analytics reports in 6 visually enriched formats, helping business owners understand how exactly visitors engage with their landing pages. It’s a pretty reasonably priced and simplistic entry level landing page testing tool for beginners.

Five Second Tests

This tool helps you understand as to what attracts the audiences about your landing pages in the first 5 seconds of their interaction with the page. Users control settings like the number of respondents needed for the test, apart from options such as click test, preference test, navigation flow test, etc. All you need to start is upload an image, set the test up, get the custom URL, and share it with test instructions. This is a pretty cool tool to use in conjugation with one of the more data-centric tools described above.

Convert Experiment

This tool brings together advanced multi-domain A/B testing and multivariate testing along with detailed reports to help you make sense of the massive data. Plus, there are JavaScript, CSS, and jQuery development tools in the package. Use easy style sheet editing for intuitive content experiments, in conjugation with the easy to use visual editor. You can test landing pages, product pages, and any other web pages using a JavaScript code snippet that allows for easy integration. In addition, you get complete test setting controls such as conversion tracking, test durations, traffic allocation, behavioral and segment tracking, automatic bounce measurements, and engagement evaluations.

Maxymiser

Pretty much like the Convert Experiment tool we discussed above, Maxymiser lets you easily set up basic split tests or advanced multivariate tests for landing pages. The visual editor is breezy to work with and helps you create tests on the fly. A superb feature is that it lets you remove poor performing variables from your testing scope and brings in powerful insights that can be applied to segmentation of audiences. It uses your CRM data to create unique personalities for each website visitor. This one’s for digital marketers looking for advanced landing page testing.

The post Top 10 Powerful Testing Tools to Check a Landing Page appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/10-tools-check-landing-page/

Top 10 Email Marketing Tips

There are plenty of different options for online marketing strategies but one of the most direct and useful is through email marketing. Reaching customers through email can give you the opportunity to communicate the information that you want them to know in a format that they are more likely to respond to.

However, it is important to tailor your email marketing strategies so that your emails get read and are not ignored.

Here are some helpful email marketing tips so you can get the most out of your email campaigns-

1. Keep Building Your Subscriber List

Even if you have a good amount of clients or loyal customers to get started, you should always continue to add to your email list. It can be very simple to keep gathering more emails by offering a signup feature on your website, blog and anywhere else you can add a subscription form. Collecting more subscribers increases your chances of getting positive responses every time you launch an email campaign.

2. Personalize Emails to Connect

Email marketing is often more effective when it is catered specifically to each customer so that they feel unique and valuable to you. Customers want to be acknowledged so including their name in the subject or somewhere in the body of the email can make them more likely to read. You can also tailor your content based on what each customer is interested in or what they have purchased in the past.

3. Use Enticing Subject Lines

In addition to adding the customer’s name, the subject line should also include some element that encourages people to open the email and read the content. You should use subject lines to both speak to readers directly and offer them something that will make you stand out from other emails. This could be a special discount, free shipping or new products that will particularly interest them.

4. Create Targeted Content

Part of personalizing emails includes writing content for specific demographics that will uniquely appeal to them. You can segment your email lists to certain groups so that you can tailor the message to resonate with them. Using only one type of content for everyone is much less effective because it may not interest every demographic in your customer base.

5. Be Entertaining

People want their emails to be useful but they are also persuaded by content that is entertaining, funny and quirky. If you take yourself too seriously and create dry or boring content for your emails then people will quickly start ignoring them. You can be conversational and use humor to make your company seem more human and less salesy to readers.

6. Keep Track of When People Unsubscribe

In order to minimize how many customers you lose it is a good idea to pay attention to when and why people unsubscribe from your email list. In order for readers to unsubscribe you can include a survey that asks them the specific reason why they are leaving. You can also analyze what types of content tend to cause people to respond positively or negatively so that you can adjust your campaign accordingly.

7. Include Links and Calls to Action

You want your emails to communicate something important to readers but you also want to get them to respond, be involved and potentially by something. Many of your emails should include an interesting link or a call to action so that you can increase traffic to your site and get more people to view your products. You can use promotional text and a visually striking button to get people to click through to your site instead of just reading and forgetting your email.

8. Adjust to Seasons, Holidays and Time of Year

You want your emails to seem relevant and timely instead of generic so it is important to create content based on what is happening in that moment. You can create special holiday emails, summer or winter themes or relate to something going on in the particular time of year.

9. Make Emails Mobile Friendly

Most people check their email on the go so it is important to make sure that your email campaigns look great and function well on smartphones. Emails should be optimized for mobile phones so that you avoid missing out on those clicks.

10. Test and Analyze Data

Email campaigns can become more effective over time if you put in some effort in testing your emails,reviewing and tracking data. You need to know if your emails are effective and have a better idea of what’s working and what’s not. Looking at data can take some of the guesswork out of creating content that will get people reading and visiting your site with every email.

Email marketing campaigns are more effective when you tailor them to what your audience wants to read. Following some of these tips can help you generate more success with your emails.

The post Top 10 Email Marketing Tips appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/top-10-email-marketing-tips/

What Does this Facebook Drama Mean for My Ads?

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, has been through a rough time recently with the scandal involving the social media platform. The market cap for Facebook plummeted by $50 billion after the public discovered the truth about how their data was shared with third parties. Zuckerberg was forced to speak at a congressional hearing and asserted that he would make some much needed changes to Facebook to protect user privacy.

If Facebook gets an overhaul as a result of this scandal then people might be worried about its impact on users, especially businesses who rely on social media as part of their advertising tactics. Any changes to Facebook could also impact Instagram which is owned by the same company that might feel compelled to follow the same guidelines regarding personal data. Protecting user data is an important goal for Facebook but how will it affect businesses running ads on the social media platform?

Social media experts are predicting that data changes may not have as dramatic an effect on the way people use Facebook and Instagram as you might think. Advertising may not be hindered if Facebook allows businesses to continue promoting themselves through the platform and using the information they need to target ads. Many industry experts believe that advertising on Facebook and Instagram actually won’t change much, at least in the short term.

Protecting Data and Maintaining Business

When the news broke that Facebook allowed user data to be accessed by a company called cambridge analytica, it caused many people to question the integrity of the social media platform. Cambridge analytica is a political data firm that was hired by the Trump administration in order to gain access to user data on Facebook. The company was able to access private information on more than 50 million Facebook users and used tools to help influence their behavior during the 2016 election.

The data that was accessed by the company included users’ identities, location likes and friend networks which was used to map personality traits and then target audiences with digital ads. Users that took a personality survey and downloaded an app, consented to have their information taken and used by the third party although they were told it was for academic use only. Facebook allows researchers to gather data for academic purposes but Cambridge analytica violated the social media platform’s rules by allowing the data to be sold and transferred.

Although Cambridge analytica is mostly to blame for its violation of user privacy, Facebook has responded to the incident by removing the app that gathered data. The company also asked for this private data to be deleted so that it would not be used again in the future. However, it is likely that users will be more wary in the future of sharing their data online.

People using Facebook and Instagram may be more cautious about providing private information but it does not necessarily mean people will steer clear of these platforms. Instagram is less politically themed and more focused on design and visuals so it not likely that advertising on that platform will be affected in the near future. Ultimately when Facebook figures out how to resolve issues with data it will eventually transfer to Instagram.

Third Party Access to Data

One possible consequence of the Cambridge analytica scandal is that Facebook may scale back access to third party data. Legislators are beginning to understand that the platform leaves private data vulnerable and they may attempt to intervene. More government oversight may lead to attempts to break up the company which has control over a large portion of the social media world.

If there is any further backlash to Facebook following the scandal it could lead to more advertising potential on Amazon as another option for businesses. Amazon is currently struggling to keep up in the marketing world because it has a smaller number of advertisers and accounts can be more difficult to set up than Facebook. However, if Facebook becomes too problematic for users, Amazon may be a useful alternative for advertising online.

In the short term, it doesn’t appear that Facebook and Instagram’s advertising services will be affected much by any new changes. It will take some time for Facebook to resolve its data issues and enact significant shifts in the way that it handles things. For the time being most businesses will be able to carry on with their usual advertising tactics and not see too many negative changes.

It is difficult to tell how Facebook will handle data in the future and how it will adjust in order to prevent privacy violations. Businesses can maintain their advertising campaigns on the site but will also benefit by exploring other options. It will likely be some time before any real significant changes occur that will strongly impact Facebook Ads.

The post What Does this Facebook Drama Mean for My Ads? appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/facebook-drama-mean-ads/