
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="512" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/eng-1024x512.jpg" alt="we have raised $3.5M in seed funding!" class="wp-image-6486" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/eng-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/eng-300x150.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/eng-768x384.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/eng.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>We have excellent news for you today!</p>



<p>ikas has raised $3,5M in seed funding with the participation of <a href="https://500.co/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">500 Global</a>, <a href="https://www.revo.vc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Revo Capital</a>,<a href="https://www.beresfordventures.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> </a><a href="https://www.oyakyatirim.com.tr/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Oyak Yatırım</a>, <a href="https://finberg.com.tr/#/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Finberg</a> and other significant global investors. Existing investors <a href="https://www.qnbeyondventures.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">QNBEYOND VENTURES</a> and the CEO of United Payment <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/isozdinler/">İlker Sözdinler </a>also participated.</p>



<p>We are incredibly proud to be supported by such amazing investors, customers, partners and followers. Thank you, for believing in us, believing in what we have built and what we will become. With the new seed funding, we will continue to expand our team and develop the new generation e-commerce infrastructure ikas!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="512" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/investors_1-1-1-1024x512.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6489" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/investors_1-1-1-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/investors_1-1-1-300x150.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/investors_1-1-1-768x384.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/investors_1-1-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 id="h-what-are-we-doing-with-the-new-funding">What are we doing with the new funding?</h2>



<p>We will continue to develop ikas and provide new generation e-commerce solutions with our new funding.&nbsp;</p>



<ul><li>We are constantly adding new features and integrations to make international commerce easier.</li><li>International marketplace integrations will be here soon! (Etsy, Zalando, Allegro etc.)</li><li>We are planning more logistics, ERP, fintech and marketing integrations, especially in the UK and Germany.</li><li>We will soon announce a new project about NFT exchange!</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-why-choose-ikas">Why choose ikas?</h2>



<p>Our first priority as ikas is to provide all the features SMB’s and entrepreneurs need to grow their business.</p>



<p>And most importantly, we want these features to be easy to access, learn, and use.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We developed ikas to allow anyone to start their e-commerce and international commerce journey.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In short, with ikas you can build your e-commerce store without coding, design it however you want, manage it easily, and grow your business internationally.&nbsp;</p>



<p>And you can do all these while being independent.</p>



<h2 id="h-the-future-of-ecommerce">The future of ecommerce</h2>



<p>We would like to express our gratitude again to our investors, partners, customers and everybody who has supported us.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As ikas, we want to determine the future of e-commerce, not just keep up with it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>So, let’s keep going towards the future!</p>


With $3.5M in funding, we are picking up speed in Europe!


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg" alt="A man writing an abandoned cart email" class="wp-image-6269" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-Highlighted-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-Highlighted-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-Highlighted.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Being able to reclaim an abandoned cart is what makes or breaks an ecommerce store.&nbsp;There are several techniques you can use to reclaim abandoned carts. And we believe that the best method to reclaim abandoned carts is to write an abandoned cart recovery email!</p>



<p>Customers abandon carts for a variety of reasons. They might want to see the combined prices of all the items they want. Or they might be waiting for their paycheck to finalize their purchase. Maybe they decided that the price is too steep at the last minute. Hell, some people can get distracted mid-purchase and forget they were shopping at all (which happened to me personally).&nbsp;</p>



<p>No matter what the reason is, reclaiming abandoned carts is nothing new. Most ecommerce businesses expect first-time customers to abandon their carts. Therefore, they develop tactics to counter this event.</p>



<p>This <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/email-marketing-guide">email</a> will be sent to your customers after they abandon their carts! The main intention is to make sure they return and complete their purchase.</p>



<p>If you also want to write an abandoned cart email, follow the 6 steps below!</p>



<h2 id="h-1-write-a-great-subject-line">1. Write A Great Subject Line</h2>



<p>The subject line is where the customer decides if they will read your email or not. That is why it is essential to write a great email subject line.</p>



<p>You can follow the steps below to write a great subject line:</p>



<ul><li>Keep it short, a typical inbox will only reveal the first 60 characters of a subject line. While a mobile phone shows only the first 25-30 characters.</li><li>Place the most important parts first. If you are offering a discount, make sure it is visible on the subject line.</li><li>Be clear and specific. Make sure your customers know what to expect even before opening the email.</li><li>Use keywords your customers may use to filter or search their inbox.&nbsp;</li><li>Never put words in ALL CAPS. It will get their attention, but also annoy them.</li><li>Reread and revise. Test if you can.</li></ul>



<p>After you have the subject line ready to go, we can finally move on to the body!</p>



<h2 id="h-2-develop-an-on-brand-copy">2. Develop An On Brand Copy</h2>



<p>For customers who have opened the email, your copy needs to be convincing to make them reclaim their cart.</p>



<p>Keep the following in mind:</p>



<ul><li>Personalize the email, start by greeting the recipient.</li><li>If you are making an offer, or giving a discount, mention it at the beginning.</li><li>Keep it short, explain what the customer had in their cart, and why they should reclaim it.</li><li>Keep your copy on-brand, make sure it follows your other copies.&nbsp;</li><li>End with a call to action.</li></ul>



<p>Having a good copy and a subject line are the musts of an email. But they will not be enough to get your customers&#8217; attention. Now, let’s move on to the visual elements!</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-ekstra-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="A woman checking abandoned cart emails." class="wp-image-6272" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-ekstra-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-ekstra-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-ekstra-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Abandoned-Cart-Email-ekstra-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 id="h-3-include-visuals">3. Include Visuals</h2>



<p>Nowadays, including visuals in your brand emails is a must. Most customers do not have time to read every email they receive, so you might need visuals to get their attention. Here are the steps you can follow to improve your visuals:</p>



<ul><li>Summarize the message in the visual. If you are offering a discount, reflect it on the visual.</li><li>Include some product pictures. This way your customers will remember what they were purchasing, and why they wanted it.&nbsp;</li><li>Adding small motion designs could be a great way to make your emails stand out.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-4-add-ctas">4. Add CTAs</h2>



<p>A call to action (CTA) is a necessary component of any retargeting strategy. And you should include call to action buttons on your abandoned cart emails.</p>



<p>Your CTA’s should directly lead the customer towards the checkout page. Which helps them to easily continue where they left off seamlessly. If you are offering a discount, make sure you reflect that on the CTA, and if you can, apply the discount to the checkout page opened by the CTA button.</p>



<h2 id="h-5-offer-a-discount">5. Offer A Discount</h2>



<p>The best way to make sure that your abandoned cart email closes the sale is to offer a discount to the recipient. It could be the final push a customer needs to make a purchase.</p>



<p>If you are adding a discount, make sure you mention it at the beginning of the email. Mentioning it in the subject line and also referring to it early during the body of the email is always a good idea.</p>



<p>Don’t forget to mention it on the visuals. Just add the discount percentage, along the lines of “30% OFF!” to the visual, or creating a dedicated visual for the discount could be a great way to get the attention of the customer.</p>



<h2 id="h-6-test-and-adapt">6. Test And Adapt</h2>



<p>Testing is always the most important step in marketing.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Create multiple emails and send them out. See which one of them works better and which does not perform well. Always be on the lookout for ways to improve your email. Whether it be a copy, subject line or visuals.</p>



<p>You can try creating different subject lines for the same email and see which one of them gets opened the most. Then, you can try the same subject line with different contents to see which one converts more.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-final-remarks">Final Remarks</h2>



<p>Sending automated emails is one of the best ways to reclaim abandoned carts. Now you have an idea of how to write an abandoned cart email!&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you have anything you want to add, or ask, feel free to leave a comment!</p>


How To Write An Abandoned Cart Email In 6 Steps


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-Highlighted-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="Community management for brands" class="wp-image-5852" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-Highlighted-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-Highlighted-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-Highlighted-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-Highlighted-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Brand communities and community management existed before the advent of the internet. But the communication between a brand and the customers used to be a one-way street. Brands published their advertisements, and customers bought their goods. The channels customers could use to respond were limited. The rise of<a href="https://ikas.com/blog/social-media-marketing-tips" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> social media</a> changed everything.</p>



<p>Now customers can easily voice their opinions by using a multitude of social platforms. And these platforms are usually visible to anyone. They can’t be ignored like an <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/email-marketing-guide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a>, because hundreds, even thousands of people can see the unanswered tweets and posts.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The back and forth answering of these comments and social media messages gave rise to brand communities, where people gather online to <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/brand-awareness-101-how-to-measure-it" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">discuss a brand</a>, create experiences, and engage with both each other and the company team.</p>



<p>These communities can give the customers a sense of belonging. They can also be a great way to create free <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/digital-marketing-channels" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marketing opportunities</a>.</p>



<p>To make community management easier, we have created a 6 step guide on how to create a loyal brand community!</p>



<h2 id="h-1-find-the-right-platforms-for-your-brand-community">1. Find the right platforms for your brand community</h2>



<p>There are so many social media platforms to choose from. But not all of them will be the right fit for your target audience. So if you want to create a vibrant community around your brand, you need to find the platforms where your target audience feels comfortable.</p>



<p>Consider your social media accounts, the type of people your customers are, their interests, and the typical platforms they probably have used before.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="Community management, people with thought bubbles." class="wp-image-5859" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>For visually appealing products and brands, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are great choices. Twitter and Instagram can also be great platforms to create some funny content to delight your audience, or they can be a place for educational tips.</p>



<p>Facebook is usually better with older audiences. Younger generations are a bit distant to Facebook, but it is still a good idea to remember that it is a powerful platform. A company page or a group can go a long way.</p>



<p>Creating a Discord channel can be a great way to engage in conversations with your already existing community, especially for younger generations. This way they can have conversations without your team having to jump in.</p>



<p>Consider the platforms available to you, and focus on the ones that your audience uses the most.</p>



<h2 id="h-2-create-content-for-your-community">2. Create content for your community</h2>



<p>Yep, you can’t expect to have a presence on the internet without creating content. This is doubly true for community management. If you have no content, there is nothing for your community to engage with.</p>



<p>The best way to turn your audience into a community is to share valuable content. The more experiences you create for your audience, the more they will have in common.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="Influencer creating content for community management." class="wp-image-5862" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Creating common experiences is the cornerstone of any community. And by creating the spark in the form of content, you will be giving your audience both something to hold in common and something to expand upon.</p>



<p>Consider the following options when creating content:</p>



<ul><li>Educational videos</li><li>Blog posts</li><li>Videos/pictures from your office or team</li><li>Memes and funny content regarding your business, community or services</li><li>Industry tips</li><li>Webinars</li><li>Newsletters</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-3-be-consistent">3. Be consistent</h2>



<p>To create a long-lasting, consistent community, you need to be consistent yourself too.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Make a schedule about when you will post, and what you will post. Your community will appreciate knowing when to expect the new video or blog post to come out. The more specific you can be with your schedule, the better.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Continue posting and creating content even if you don’t see much engagement. Don’t stop just because the results are not what you expect. Most communities don’t see a large growth until they have a significant backlog of content ready and waiting for newcomers.</p>



<p>Create weekly events where you or your team takes their time to engage with the brand community. These can be Q&amp;A sessions, Discord chat hours, Reddit AMAs etc.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-4-sincerity-is-key-for-your-brand-community">4. Sincerity is key for your brand community</h2>



<p>The fastest way to lose your community is to not be sincere with them. People appreciate transparency and sincerity, and they expect the community they will be a part of to be open with them.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="A man and a woman hanging out." class="wp-image-5865" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>If you want to find out how to be sincere with your community without breaking your brand identity, consider the following steps:</p>



<ul><li>Never lie to your community.</li><li>Be open about the situation of your business without giving too much information.</li><li>Don’t act like you don’t have a financial incentive.</li><li>If you promise something, deliver.</li><li>If you can’t fulfil your promise, apologise.</li><li>Inform your community if your content or products is going to be delayed.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-5-give-incentives-to-join-and-engage">5. Give incentives to join and engage</h2>



<p>If you are reading this article, you most likely have a financial incentive to learn community management. You might be working for someone else, you might be considering opening your ecommerce store, or you might already have a business. In either case, you are not building a community for free. So don’t always expect your customers to do the same.</p>



<p>You will have loyal customers who will join your community without any incentive, but there will always be a large portion of your target audience that will require a little push.</p>



<p>The incentives can provide just that!&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can offer discounts to join a Discord channel, or following a social media account.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Creating events with incentives can also be a great way to build your community. These can be giveaways, contests, or flash social media sales.</p>



<h2 id="h-6-be-patient">6. Be patient</h2>



<p>Creating a vibrant brand community can take some time. So being patient is important.</p>



<p>Think of your community as a jet engine. There will be a long check-up and warm-up process even before you can start moving on the runway. And then you will need to build momentum on the ground before you can fly.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-4-1024x538.jpg" alt="A clock on a wooden platform." class="wp-image-5868" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-4-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-4-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-4-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Community-Management-extra-4.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>So, the first steps of community building will not always be exciting. Your first videos might be watched by only a handful of people, and your Discord channel might only consist of 10-20 members at first. But have patience, and keep working on it. Once your community gains momentum, you will be surprised at how fast it grows.</p>



<h2 id="h-final-remarks">Final Remarks</h2>



<p>Building a brand community can be a great way to increase customer loyalty. It can also be a great way to create free marketing opportunities.</p>



<p>Content, consistency, engagement, patience and sincerity are a must. Make sure you tick those boxes, and you will be set to go! Then, it is a matter of long term community management.</p>



<p>Do you have anything to add? Feel free to leave a comment about it!</p>


Community Management For Small Businesses


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-Highlights-1024x538.jpg" alt="How to encourage customers to write reviews? A customer writing a review." class="wp-image-5720" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-Highlights-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-Highlights-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-Highlights-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-Highlights.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Customer reviews can be a great tool for businesses. They can provide your business with the much needed social proof. Which in turn, will <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/8-ways-to-increase-online-sales" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increase your sales</a>. In fact, <a href="https://business.trustpilot.com/guides-reports/build-trusted-brand/the-critical-role-of-reviews-in-internet-trust#downloadreport" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">89%</a> of consumers consult reviews before making a purchase. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why social proof is so important.&nbsp;In this article, we will discuss how to encourage customers to write reviews on your e-commerce website.</p>



<p>Here are the 6 tips you can use to get more customer testimonials:</p>



<ol><li><strong>Make it easy to leave reviews</strong></li><li><strong>Utilize social media to get reviews</strong></li><li><strong>Offer incentives for your potential reviewers</strong></li><li><strong>Engage with already existing reviews</strong></li><li><strong>Request reviews with timed emails</strong></li><li><strong>Personalize the request</strong></li></ol>



<h2 id="h-1-make-it-easy-to-write-reviews">1. Make It Easy To Write Reviews</h2>



<p>The process to leave a review should be frictionless for your customers. Most customers see the act of leaving a positive testimonial as a favour they do for a business they like. If the process to write it is long or takes several steps your customers might be discouraged to provide social proof. The same is true if your comment section is hard to find.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="How to encourage customers to write reviews?" class="wp-image-5723" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>To encourage your customers to leave a review you should design the process to be hassle-free. The review section should be easy to spot. And it should take only a few steps to navigate to the section. You will get more testimonials if the process is especially easy.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Make your reviewing process as accessible as possible. You can ensure this by asking for a review at strategic points during a customer’s journey. Adding checkout comments can be a great way of doing this. </p>



<p>In short, don&#8217;t make your customers search for the review field. Instead, always keep it easily accessible to them.</p>



<h2 id="h-2-utilize-social-media-to-get-reviews">2. Utilize Social Media To Get Reviews</h2>



<p>Using <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/social-media-marketing-tips" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social media</a> can give your business a variety of benefits. And one of them is the ability to ask for reviews!&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="A woman writing comments on social media." class="wp-image-5728" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Social media can increase the number of reviews you get. The simplest method is to share posts to encourage your followers to write reviews! </p>



<p>Well designed social media posts asking for testimonials can encourage people to leave reviews. Or even asking for comments under a post or video can work. Positive social media comments are testimonials too!</p>



<h2 id="h-3-offer-incentives-for-your-potential-reviewers">3. Offer Incentives For Your Potential Reviewers</h2>



<p>One surefire way to increase the number of reviews is to offer incentives! </p>



<p>Customers who enjoy the process of writing reviews will probably do so without any added input from you. Some customers might just need you to ask. And others might need some incentives to spend their time writing reviews. Offering rewards will ensure that more people will leave reviews.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="A group of discount coupons." class="wp-image-5737" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>There are different incentives you can provide. The simplest way is to offer your customers a discount coupon for writing reviews. This choice is very effective, but can also get expensive.</p>



<p>Making charitable donations for reviews is also a great way to encourage your customers. When asking for a review, you can offer to make a donation to a charity on behalf of the customer.</p>



<p>When providing rewards for testimonials, don&#8217;t forget to streamline the process! If you are giving incentives to every single review, people might try to exploit it. So only offer the incentive option once per purchase. Or even once per customer. </p>



<h2 id="h-4-engage-with-already-existing-reviews">4. Engage With Already Existing Reviews</h2>



<p>One way to liven up your reviews section is to engage with already existing reviews. </p>



<p>Your customers might feel ignored if you don&#8217;t engage with their comments and reviews. And nobody likes being ignored!</p>



<p>Thank people for the positive reviews. Provide answers to questions, and join in if there is a constructive discussion going.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-4-1024x538.jpg" alt="A women writing a testimonial to be used as social proof." class="wp-image-5740" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-4-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-4-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-4-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-4.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>You can also create an automated system to send thank you messages. Still, constructive feedback might require you to handle matters yourself. But sometimes there is nothing more to write other than a sincere “thank you”.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you answer reviews timely, you might even create an environment where other customers also join in the conversation. This might give you a chance to create a community for your customers. Comment section dialogues can go a long way in increasing customer loyalty&#8230;</p>



<h2 id="h-5-request-testimonials-with-timed-emails">5. Request Testimonials With Timed Emails</h2>



<p>Sending emails to ask for testimonials is one of the best ways to get them. Especially if you send those emails at the right times!</p>



<p>There are key points during a customers’ journey where asking for a review might be more successful. Determining those specific points and sending an email request is a great strategy.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-5-1024x538.jpg" alt="The word &quot;testimonials&quot; is written on a notebook. How to encourage customers to write reviews?" class="wp-image-5743" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-5-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-5-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-5-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/How-To-Encourage-Customers-To-Write-Reviews-extra-5.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>As a rule of thumb, asking for a testimonial right after a purchase, preferably at the thank you page is a good starting point. This testimonial will be about the purchasing experience and not the product. After the consumer received the product, you can ask for another review via email. Lastly, you can send a review request a week after the purchase to ask for in-depth feedback about the product.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you were wondering how to encourage customers to write reviews, using <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/email-marketing-guide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email marketing</a> is one of the best options you have.</p>



<h2 id="h-6-personalize-the-review-request">6. Personalize The Review Request</h2>



<p>Personalization is one of the <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/e-commerce-trends" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">e-commerce trends of 2022</a>. As the e-commerce industry is evolving, personalized experiences are getting more important. This statement also holds when asking for testimonials.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Sending the timed emails we have discussed before is a great first step to starting your personalization procedure. Mentioning the customer’s name, their specific purchase, and their previous interactions during the ask is also a great touch to increase the amount of personalization you can provide for your customers.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-final-remarks">Final Remarks</h2>



<p>Like all things in e-commerce, the best way to get a review from the customer is by providing a good service. All the topics we have discussed above will only help you generate positive reviews if you are making your customers happy. So before you try the strategies above, make sure you are satisfying your customers!</p>



<p>We hope that we were able to answer the question of how to encourage your customers to write reviews. </p>


How To Encourage Customers To Write Reviews?


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg" alt="Digital Skills - People in Japan Tokya, in a hall with digital decorations." class="wp-image-5601" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Highlighted-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Highlighted-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Highlighted.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>The job market is changing with the influx of new technologies. Automation and artificial intelligence are already making it possible for tasks to be done by fewer people, in less time.&nbsp; As a result, traditional jobs are slowly disappearing.&nbsp;Blue-collar jobs were being replaced by automation for quite a while, especially in manufacturing. <a href="https://www.workandmoney.com/s/dying-professions-83f89af396e34d92" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">But white-collar, office jobs are also threatened</a>. Especially those that perform repetitive tasks. The good news is that there are certain jobs and skills that will not be replaced by automation for a while. <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-after-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Especially jobs that require improvisation, creativity and constant optimization are quite safe</a>, like digital skills.</p>



<p>Sadly, most traditional schools and colleges do not teach these skills. These industries are constantly changing, and they are relatively new skills, to begin with. So traditional education did not have the time to adapt.</p>



<p>So to future proof your career, and acquire a skill that will be profitable for a long time, you need to educate yourself. To make this process even easier, we have prepared a list of 5 digital skills that are in demand right now!</p>



<h2 id="h-what-are-digital-skills">What Are Digital Skills?</h2>



<p><a href="https://en.unesco.org/news/digital-skills-critical-jobs-and-social-inclusion" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Unesco defines digital skills as</a> “a range of abilities to use digital devices, communication applications, and networks to access and manage information. These skills enable people to create and distribute digital content, communicate and collaborate, and solve problems for effective and creative self-fulfilment in life, learning, work and social activities”.</p>



<p>In short digital skills include using digital platforms and technologies to create content, share, communicate and manage information. In the business world, these skills help companies to market their products better while communicating effectively with their customers on digital platforms.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="A woman learning digital skills with a laptop." class="wp-image-5604" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>These skills can include anything from analyzing the behaviours of digital users to creating better content for social media channels. Businesses will always require people with these specific skills to manage their digital presence.</p>



<p>Those who learn these skills will both be employable immediately, as well as acquire future proof skills that can constantly be updated by continuously learning.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can also use these skills to start your<a href="https://ikas.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> own online business</a>. By mastering digital skills, you will be able to market any product or service you want. And with so many options available, the only thing you will need is a robust, <a href="https://ikas.com/">easy-to-use ecommerce platform.</a></p>



<h2 id="h-1-paid-search-advertising">1. Paid Search Advertising</h2>



<p>Paid search advertising is the process of creating paid ads to be displayed on the search results. This process usually includes selecting certain keywords and search queries to target. When a user searches for the keywords you are currently targeting, your ad will have a chance to appear on top of the organic search results.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Of course, paid search is a very, very complicated digital skill. There are thousands of businesses competing on different keywords. And considering that you will be paying money for every single click, optimizing your search ads to get the people who are most likely to convert to click is essential.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="Google Analytics screen on a laptop." class="wp-image-5607" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Companies are ready to pay top dollar for people who can produce positive results in paid search marketing. Those who can correctly optimize and manage these campaigns are in high demand.</p>



<p>Becoming a paid search expert is a long process that will require dedication and determination. But you can start learning for free! Google has some <a href="https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">great courses</a> just waiting for you!</p>



<h2 id="h-2-search-engine-optimization-seo">2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)</h2>



<p>Paid search advertising will help you place ads on top of search results. But as we have stated before, those are ads and not organic results. People will be fully aware of the fact that they are seeing an ad, and you will be required to pay for every single click.</p>



<p>So, businesses also need a way to rank higher on organic search results. These results will probably not be as targeted as paid search, but they will be drawing organic traffic that will not require you to pay for every single click. The question is, how do you rank higher on organic results?</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="A person making a search on Google." class="wp-image-5610" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>The answer is <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/seo-best-practices" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">search engine optimization</a> (SEO).&nbsp;</p>



<p>SEO is the process of optimizing your website, and implementing strategies that will help your business rank higher in search results. These strategies can be technical improvements, backlink building, and content marketing.</p>



<p>To learn more about SEO, feel free to visit <a href="https://learningseo.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">LearningSEO.io</a> and take a look at their roadmap!</p>



<h2 id="h-3-content-marketing">3. Content Marketing</h2>



<p>Content marketing and SEO go hand in hand.</p>



<p>In short, content marketing is the process of creating engaging and targeted content to draw more traffic to your business. The most apparent application of content marketing is creating blog content with targeted keywords to rank higher on organic search results.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-4-1024x538.jpg" alt="A study desk with laptop, glasses, notebooks, a phone and other decorative items on it." class="wp-image-5613" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-4-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-4-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-4-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-4.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>A well-kept blog is one of the best investments a business can make. The blog itself could draw organic traffic, and specific blog posts could rank first in search results. It can also increase the overall domain authority of the business website, and propel even non-blog pages to higher search rankings.</p>



<p>Content marketing can also include creating content for social media websites, creating ebooks, and creating printed content.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you want to learn more, HubSpot has a <a href="https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/content-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">great certificate course</a> for content marketing!</p>



<h2 id="h-4-video-editing-production">4. Video Editing / Production</h2>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Wyzowl</a>, 80% of marketers state that video has increased traffic to their website. And according to <a href="https://influencermarketinghub.com/video-marketing-statistics/">HubSpot</a>, 54% of consumers want marketers to produce more <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/what-is-video-marketing">video content.</a></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-5-1024x538.jpg" alt="A video editing tool open on a laptop." class="wp-image-5616" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-5-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-5-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-5-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Digital-Skills-Ekstra-5.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>In short, video content is very popular, and it is only going to get even more popular. Businesses will always need specialists to create, edit and manage quality video content. And they will be willing to pay for highly skilled individuals.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you want to learn video editing, <a href="https://www.udemy.com/course/video-editing-101-learn-the-basics-of-video-editing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Udemy</a> has some great courses!</p>



<h2 id="h-5-social-media-marketing">5. Social Media Marketing</h2>



<p><a href="https://ikas.com/blog/social-media-marketing-tips" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Social media marketing</a> involves promoting a business on social media platforms through paid and unpaid means. These can involve placing social media ads, creating and sharing great content, organizing social media events etc.</p>



<p>A good social media presence can create great advertising value for businesses. It can increase customer retention, form a brand community, and generate leads.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can focus on several different aspects of social media marketing. Businesses need people who can produce social media content, manage social media accounts, analyze user behaviour on social media, and marketing strategies.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you want to learn social media marketing, <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-media-marketing-resources" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">HubSpot</a> has a great blog post for you!</p>



<h2 id="h-final-remarks">Final Remarks</h2>



<p>You can use these digital skills to find new employment opportunities, start a freelancing career, or even create your own business!&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you consider starting your own online ecommerce business, <a href="https://ikas.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ikas</a> is always here to help you!</p>


Top 5 Digital Skills You Should Learn In 2022


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-highlighted-1024x538.jpg" alt="A marketing team measuring brand awareness." class="wp-image-5454" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-highlighted-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-highlighted-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-highlighted-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-highlighted.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Brand awareness is the point where everything begins. In the end, your customers cannot shop from you without knowing that you exist. </p>



<p>You need to make sure that your target market knows you. </p>



<p>That is why we wrote this article to show you the methods and techniques you can use to measure your brand awareness.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This way, you will be able to understand what your target audience thinks about you. And you will be able to measure the success of your branding campaigns.</p>



<h2 id="h-what-is-brand-awareness">What Is Brand Awareness?</h2>



<p>Brand awareness is the measure of the familiarity of consumers with your brand, company name, logo, products and other assets.&nbsp;</p>



<p>When somebody mentions cola or soft drinks, we all think of Coca Cola and Pepsi. If we hear burgers, Mcdonald&#8217;s and Burger King come to our minds. When we think of fried chicken, we think of KFC. That is brand awareness at its finest.</p>



<p>We can’t expect a <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/top-9-e-commerce-tips-for-small-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">small business</a> to have a widespread appeal like the industry giants. Still, you can have a profound effect on your niche or your local area.</p>



<p>Everyone in your local community probably thinks of the same establishments when you mention a service. There is always a well-known hairdresser, a local restaurant or a coffee place.</p>



<p>It is the same with your hobbies, interests and needs too. All customer niches have well-known brands that cater to their needs. Local bowling lovers probably have a favourite bowling place. Same with other hobbyists or customer groups. </p>



<h2 id="h-why-should-i-measure-brand-awareness">Why Should I Measure Brand Awareness?</h2>



<p>Collecting data is one of the most important aspects of any marketing strategy. You can’t plan the next step without knowing the place of your current situation. And brand awareness is vital data.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-1024x538.jpg" alt="Two business people working together." class="wp-image-5457" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>The benefits of measuring brand awareness include:</p>



<ul><li>Being able to make more efficient marketing plans.</li><li>Learning how much your previous <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/digital-marketing-channels" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marketing efforts</a> have helped your business.</li><li>Getting a clearer picture of the wider market.</li><li>Understanding if it is time to expand or not.</li><li>Knowing how to adjust your marketing budget.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-5-ways-to-measure-brand-awareness">5 Ways To Measure Brand Awareness</h2>



<p>You can use the following methods to measure your brand awareness:</p>



<h3>1. Surveys</h3>



<p>Asking your target audience directly could be one of the best ways to measure your brand awareness.</p>



<p>Simply determine your target group, and reach out to them with your survey.</p>



<p>To specifically measure your brand awareness, conducting an online survey aimed at consumers at large is your best bet.</p>



<p>You can use social media platforms and <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/email-marketing-guide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email marketing</a> to find participants for your survey. Or you could use paid advertising methods to get some data too.&nbsp;</p>



<p>At first, it might be hard to get people to participate in your surveys. You can offer incentives, such as discount coupons to sweeten the deal. Which can also turn into a small marketing campaign for you!</p>



<h3>2. Social media analysis</h3>



<p>Consumers tend to discuss and follow brands on <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/social-media-marketing-tips" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social media</a>. Therefore a general social media analysis will help you get some baseline information.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-2-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="A group of people having a meeting." class="wp-image-5463" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-2-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-2-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-2-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-2-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>First of all, start with the number of your followers. Check the follower growth of all your social media accounts. A positive growth would indicate that the awareness surrounding your brand is increasing. While a static number or a very small growth would indicate little to no change. A negative number will mean that you should revise your social media strategy ASAP.</p>



<p>To get more information about your social media presence, you can use <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/top-9-social-listening-tools-for-online-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social listening tools</a>.</p>



<h3>3. Google Trends data</h3>



<p>With Google Trends, you can see how many people are searching for your business. The data also shows the mentions of your brand around the web and can indicate if your brand awareness is increasing, or decreasing.</p>



<p>You can also use Google Trends for competitive analysis too! You can compare the mentions of your brand name to your competitors. This can help you see how you are compared to your competitors.</p>



<p>If your brand name is generic, or if it could be mistaken for something else, beware while using Google Trends as people might be just using the word in its other meaning.</p>



<p>For example, if the name of your company is Orange, Google Trends might not be able to differentiate between the mentions of your company, the fruit orange, and the colour orange.</p>



<h3>4. Branded traffic analysis</h3>



<p>Organic traffic can be a great way to measure the success of your marketing efforts.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="A team of marketers measuring brand awareness around a table." class="wp-image-5466" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Brand-awareness-extra-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Generally, Google Analytics is a good method to measure your organic traffic.</p>



<p>Simply put, check how many people are coming to your website. If people are specifically looking for you on the search engines, this will indicate that your brand awareness is bringing you organic traffic.&nbsp;Which will mean that your brand awareness is helping your business grow!</p>



<h3>5. Keyword analysis</h3>



<p>If your brand is utilizing paid search or content marketing strategies then you will most likely have access to a keyword analysis tool like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush or Ubersuggest.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The good news is that you can also use these tools to measure the awareness of your brand.</p>



<p>By analyzing branded keywords, such as your brand name, product names, the name of your mascot if you have one, or any name related to your brand, you can see how much they are being searched around the web.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Like with previous entries, an increase would mean a rise in your brand awareness, while a decrease would mean the opposite.</p>



<h2 id="h-final-remarks">Final Remarks</h2>



<p>Measuring brand awareness might require several different tools and methods, but it is still a worthwhile pursuit.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We hope that our article was helpful for your business!</p>



<p>If you want to learn more about small business marketing, feel free to read <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/digital-marketing-channels" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top 7 Marketing Channels For Small Businesses</a>.</p>


Brand Awareness 101: How To Measure It?


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg" alt="A board with different SEO best practices and marketing strategies written on it." class="wp-image-5153" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-Highlighted-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-Highlighted-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-Highlighted.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>You have probably heard how SEO can improve your business. People go on and on about how SEO can create boundless organic traffic for your business, and <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/8-ways-to-increase-online-sales" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increase your online sales.</a>&nbsp; Well, all of this is actually true! A solid SEO strategy can get more traffic to your website. It is also an invaluable <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/digital-marketing-channels" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">digital marketing channel</a> for your business! Of course, there are certain practices you should know to improve your SEO. These are called SEO best practices.</p>



<h2 id="h-what-are-seo-best-practices">What Are SEO Best Practices?</h2>



<p>SEO is a boundless topic. There are different techniques you can use to increase your search engine rankings. SEO best practices are the most essential of these techniques. Basically, they are processes that make crawling, indexing, and understanding your content easier for search engines.</p>



<p>The practices we describe below are mainly for on-page SEO. Which involves the content on your website. Employing these practices will have a positive impact on your page rankings.</p>



<h2 id="h-7-seo-best-practices-for-e-commerce-businesses">7 SEO Best Practices For E-Commerce Businesses</h2>



<h3>1. Target a keyword with high search traffic potential</h3>



<p>The first step of any SEO strategy is to determine keywords. You will spend your time trying to optimize content to rank for keywords. So it is essential to choose keywords with actual potential.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Not all keywords are created equally. Some keywords just don’t have enough traffic to provide you with any exposure. Some keywords on the other hand are just too competitive. They might have great search volume. But it is nearly impossible to rank because of how over-saturated they are.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="Back view of a person working on a laptop with the text SEO PERFORMANCE on display." class="wp-image-5160" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>While looking for keywords you should focus on two metrics:&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Average Search Volume: </strong>Average search volume is the number of searches a keyword generates per month on average. The ideal search volume will depend on the topic, so there is no rule here. Compare keywords to others in the same niche to understand the expected volume.</p>



<p><strong>SEO Difficulty / Ranking Difficulty:</strong> SD(SEO Difficulty) is a score between 1-100 given to a certain keyword to signify how difficult it is to rank on it. The higher the number, the harder it is to rank. As a rule of thumb, a lower number is better as long as there is enough average search volume to justify focusing on it.</p>



<h3>2. Structure your meta title tags</h3>



<p>A meta title tag is a title that is displayed in a Google search. This is the first thing about your content or web page a user will see.</p>



<p>When preparing your title tag you will need to focus on two different aspects.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>The user</strong>: When a user makes a Google Search they will only see the meta title tag and meta description of each entry. They will most likely ignore the description if your title tag doesn’t pique their interest. Your title tag should be clear and concise. It should state what the user will find inside, and how it can help them. You need to give a reason for users to click on the title!</p>



<p><strong>The algorithm: </strong>The algorithm is what brings your web page in front of the user. If you can’t convince the algorithm to display your content, no one will see it, and your web page will be buried. As a rule of thumb, include your primary keyword in your title tag.&nbsp;</p>



<h3>3. Consider the search intent</h3>



<p>Google searches have different intents behind them. Some people want to navigate to a page, while others just want information.</p>



<p>Your web pages should be aiming for certain search intent, and everything from the content within to the title tag should reflect it.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="A cardboard cutout of a search engine homepage" class="wp-image-5163" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>There are mainly 4 types of search intent:</p>



<h4>1. Informational intent</h4>



<p>A user with the informational intent is searching for specific information. For example, they are looking to learn &#8220;how to cook an egg.&#8221;</p>



<h4>2. Navigation intent</h4>



<p>Users with navigational intent want to go to a specific part of the web. Think of writing the name of a website on search engines to navigate to it. </p>



<h4>3. Transactional intent</h4>



<p>Transactional intent involves wanting to make a purchase or transaction. These users mostly know what they want to buy. They just want to get to the product page.</p>



<h4>4. The commercial investigation</h4>



<p>People with commercial investigation intent are there to mainly compare their options. For example, they could be looking for &#8220;The cheapest lawnmower to buy.&#8221; Or &#8220;the best network streaming devices.&#8221;</p>



<h3>4. Meta descriptions</h3>



<p>The meta description is the piece of text that appears right under the title tag on the search ranking page. Users will see it right after the title tag. So this piece is important to convince users that the content inside is significant.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="Close-up of a woman working on a business tablet." class="wp-image-5166" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>It is also important to consider the length of a meta description. Google usually cuts snippets longer than 155-160 characters. Still, your meta descriptions should be long enough to be descriptive. So aiming for a length of 60-150 characters is a good idea.</p>



<p>You should generally focus on 4 aspects when crafting your meta descriptions.</p>



<ul><li>Accuracy</li><li>Character limit</li><li>Originality</li><li>Call to action</li></ul>



<h3>5. Use a short and clear URL</h3>



<p>URLs are only a minor ranking factor, but they should not be disregarded!&nbsp;</p>



<p>When structuring your URLs you need to focus on two aspects.</p>



<ul><li>First of all, we have the<strong> search algorithm</strong>.  Your URLs should include your main keyword, and they should be concise.</li><li>The second aspect you need to consider is the <strong>user. </strong>Your URLs should be readable by people, so they will know what to expect if they ever encounter your naked URL. They should be short and reflect the content of the page.</li></ul>



<h3>6. Optimize your images</h3>



<p>The images on your page affect the overall SEO performance. They should be optimized both for the users, and the search engines.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You need to consider several different subjects when optimizing images for SEO.</p>



<h4>1. Image format</h4>



<p>There are a lot of image formats you can choose from, but the most common formats for the web are PNG and JPEG. PNG usually produces better quality images but comes with a larger file size. On the other hand, JPEG could reduce the quality, but you can find a good balance between quality and file size.</p>



<h4>2. Compress your images</h4>



<p>Images can slow down your website, that is why you should compress them to increase your page loading speed.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-4-1024x538.jpg" alt="Close-up of a graphic designer working on optimizing images for SEO." class="wp-image-5172" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-4-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-4-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-4-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/SEO-Best-Practices-extra-4.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h4>3. Customize the file name</h4>



<p>Search engines consider the file name of your images to classify them, so your file names should include your primary, or secondary keywords depending on the specific image. Try to be descriptive while keeping it short.</p>



<h4>4. Write alt texts</h4>



<p>Alternatives texts appear in place of the images when a page is unable to load them. You need to optimize the alt text to make sure it includes relevant keywords. Also, the alt text should describe what the picture is to help people understand it even when they can’t load the image.</p>



<h3>7. Make your content easier to read:</h3>



<p>Look, nobody likes a big block of text. It is hard to read, it hurts your eyes, and makes reading the whole content seem like an impossible task. So do both yourself and your readers a favour, and structure your content!</p>



<p>Having well-structured content with several headers, bullet points and lists will make it easier for search algorithms to understand what your text is all about. The better an algorithm understands your page, the better it will be able to index it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>While structuring your content, try to divide the subject into subtopics. Create headers with the “[H2]” tag and consider adding a table of contents to make it easier for users to jump to specific sections.</p>



<p>Also, don’t keep your paragraphs too long! Usually, 4-5 lines per paragraph are plenty. Having shorter paragraphs will increase the readability of your content.</p>



<h2 id="h-final-remarks">Final Remarks</h2>



<p>Improving the SEO of your website requires patience and dedication, but in the long haul, it can increase your organic traffic. It can even make other marketing methods seem redundant(they are not). We hope that this article will help you improve your SEO. Thank you for reading!</p>


SEO Best Practices for E-Commerce Stores


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg" alt="beauty trends, several products such as cosmetics, salts, and essential oils." class="wp-image-4864" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Highlighted-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Highlighted-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Highlighted.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>When we talk about trends in beauty we must remember that the beauty industry is much bigger than makeup. It includes many different sub-categories. Such as skincare, fragrance, and personal care. We can even list hair care and bath products.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Beauty is one of the fastest-growing online industries. It is expected that by 2023 almost half of all beauty sales will be through e-commerce. By 2022, the global cosmetics market is predicted to reach <a href="https://www.kbvresearch.com/global-cosmetics-market/#:~:text=The%20Global%20Cosmetics%20Market%20Size,indispensable%20part%20of%20modern%20lifestyle." rel="nofollow">12.8 billion dollars</a>.</p>



<p>So, how do you keep up with an ever-changing, ever-growing industry? Here are some trends in the beauty industry that will be game-changing in 2022!</p>



<h2 id="h-1-inclusivity">1. Inclusivity</h2>



<p>The rising demands for diversity and inclusivity is not just valid for the beauty industry. But especially in recent years, it influenced what products become trends.</p>



<p>Online discourse, from Twitter to Youtube saw brands being dragged for their limited selections in foundations to concealers. The launch of Fenty Beauty in 2017 was a game-changer in this regard. To call this a trend is not exactly fair. But not keeping up with it would be a bad business call.</p>



<h2 id="h-2-influencer-marketing">2. Influencer Marketing</h2>



<p>Influencer marketing works. It is especially good for cosmetic brands. This is not new, and it seems that it won’t be old news either. Brands are spending considerable amounts of money on influencers. Whether it is to send free products, have them create content or simply feature the product in something. All this effort seems to pay off.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="A woman golding a sign that says &quot;follow&quot;." class="wp-image-4867" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>The appeal of influencers come from the fact that their public personas are usually blurred in with their personal lives. It may be the illusion of intimacy but it is intimacy nonetheless. This makes them a more sincere source for recommendations, and brands know this. If you want to sell beauty products online in 2022, investing in influencing may be the best way to get clicks.</p>



<h2 id="h-3-personalized-services">3. Personalized Services</h2>



<p>If you are interested in beauty and you watch Youtube channels related to beauty or fashion, or anything at this point, you’ve come across them; ads for personalized hair and skin products. The main idea behind personalized beauty services is to create a “unique” experience for the customers, and it works!&nbsp;</p>



<p>According to <a href="https://www.epsilon.com/us/about-us/pressroom/new-epsilon-research-indicates-80-of-consumers-are-more-likely-to-make-a-purchase-when-brands-offer-personalized-experiences" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">research by Epsilon</a> done in 2017, personalized experiences make 80% of customers more likely to make a purchase. A personalized product allows the customer to tailor it to their needs and also to connect with the brand and more and more brands are jumping on this trend every day.</p>



<h2 id="h-4-natural-and-clean-beauty">4. Natural and Clean Beauty</h2>



<p>Chemicals in cosmetics have been a conversation topic for years now, but the last few years showed rising concerns with brands racing each other to come out with “clean” beauty lines. However, the terms “clean,” “green” or “natural” can be very misleading when it comes to the restrictions imposed in different places.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="Some beauty products on a table. " class="wp-image-4870" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Beauty-Trends-Extra-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>In the US, FDA only bans 11 ingredients from being used in beauty products, a number that doesn’t hold up compared to the 1328 ingredients banned by the EU. However, genuinely clean and natural products by indie brands are on the rise which can be observed from the number of solid shampoos, conditioners, bamboo toothbrushes and bio-degradable products that are appearing on e-commerce platforms. Cruelty-free beauty is also a huge selling point with especially young customers. This new perspective on beauty, or trend for this list’s sake, seems to have staying power.</p>



<h2 id="h-5-brand-x-collaborations">5. Brand x Collaborations</h2>



<p>This trend seems to be everywhere, all the time, as 90’s TV shows, 70’s artists and musicians, comic books and cartoons surround us even when we’re looking to buy lipstick. These collaborations with cultural icons are profitable due to different reasons. One, they usually bring their fans, even people who are not interested in beauty might be interested in these collaborations because they love the cultural aspect instead of the product itself.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Two is related to the idea that beauty is now more than products, it is about collections. People may be tempted to buy these products because they are seen as collector’s items due to their limited edition, special collaboration status. These collaborations speak to a more emotional side of customers and therefore will be trending for at least a bit longer.</p>



<h2 id="h-6-subscribing-to-beauty">6. Subscribing to Beauty</h2>



<p>No, we’re not talking about subscribing to beauty channels on Youtube. We’re talking about beauty subscription services, for those not in the know, these are companies that send you boxes filled with beauty products at regular intervals, like receiving gifts when you’re least expecting, for a price. The charm of these subscription services is apparent, as who wouldn’t like to receive a box of goodies just when you forgot you had made such a purpose.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Another appeal of these boxes is that usually, their contents cost more than the price they charge which makes people feel like they’re saving money even when they may not need half of the things in the box. This new trend also saves people from making individual purchases and enables them to try new things. It is a promising path in beauty in 2022.</p>



<p>If you are interested in getting involved with one of the fastest-growing e-commerce industries, beauty is certainly the way to go. We hope our list can inspire some ideas and you can learn more about how to run an e-commerce business on our website!</p>


Top 6 Beauty Trends In E-Commerce


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-highlighted-1024x538.jpg" alt="A person doing print on demand. What is print on demand?" class="wp-image-4714" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-highlighted-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-highlighted-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-highlighted-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-highlighted.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>First, we had e-commerce, which worked like normal commerce, except it was online. Then we found out there was something called dropshipping. It worked like normal e-commerce. Except the sellers didn’t need to buy, store, or ship any of the goods themselves.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Now, we have a new term on the block: Print on Demand. You have probably encountered the term on <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/social-media-marketing-tips" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social media</a>, or seen some ads about it. In either case, this business model managed to take root in the general e-commerce market. And it is time to answer the most important question. &#8220;What is Print on Demand?&#8221;</p>



<h2 id="h-what-is-print-on-demand">What Is Print On Demand?</h2>



<p>Print-on-demand businesses work by selling products with a printed design, text, or logo on them. These designs can be funny texts, artistic expressions, interesting images, merchandise, or even memes. The main difference between a normal e-commerce business that sells these products and a print-on-demand business is the way they operate.</p>



<p>Simply put, Print on demand businesses operate with a simple defining principle: <strong>print after the order. </strong>So instead of keeping a stock of already printed, ready-to-go products, they instead print the designs on the specified product <strong>after</strong> an order has been made.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Some print-on-demand businesses have their digital printing facility and a stock of blank products. Other print-on-demand businesses work with print-on-demand platforms.</p>



<h2 id="h-what-is-a-print-on-demand-platform">What Is A Print On Demand Platform?</h2>



<p>Artists and sellers can make money with print-on-demand without keeping stock.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="A t-shirt with leaf prints." class="wp-image-4717" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Print-on-demand platforms allow businesses to upload their designs, place them on products, and put them on sale. After a purchase has been made, the platform will print the design on the specified product. Then ship it to the customer. There are two different ways a print-on-demand platform can operate:</p>



<h3>Platforms with internal marketplaces: </h3>



<p>These platforms, such as <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">RedBubble</a>, have their marketplaces for print-on-demand products. Sellers can upload their designs, place them on the products, and put them on sale. After that, these platforms will handle everything else. When a sale is made, the platform will take the payment, fulfill the order, handle any necessary customer support, and pay the artist or seller a percentage of the sale price.&nbsp;</p>



<h3>Platforms without internal marketplaces</h3>



<p>These platforms, or more accurately Print on Demand Providers<strong>, </strong>allows artist or sellers to upload their designs on the desired products, and fulfill those orders when a sale has been made. But the sellers need to sell these products on their own marketplaces. Instead of giving a percentage of the sale price to the artists, these providers charge a fixed price and allow artists to keep all the sales income, as long as their price has been paid.</p>



<h2 id="h-what-is-the-difference-between-print-on-demand-and-dropshipping">What Is The Difference Between Print On Demand And Dropshipping?</h2>



<p>Dropshipping involves manufacturers shipping their products directly to the consumers after a merchant makes a sale. In a sense, dropshipping is a specific method of fulfilling an order. Sellers pass the orders to a provider, and the provider handles the shipping and fulfillment.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="A women in a mask is dropshipping her print on demand items." class="wp-image-4720" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>In this sense, print-on-demand also resembles dropshipping, but there is a specific difference. During dropshipping, manufacturers can make an inventory of bulk products. And ship them immediately when an order is passed to them. But during the print-on-demand process, the product will be prepared and completed after a sale has been finalized.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-what-are-the-benefits-of-print-on-demand">What Are The Benefits Of Print On Demand?</h2>



<h3>1. Product customization</h3>



<p>With a print-on-demand provider, you can easily create new products and customize them depending on the feedback you receive from your customers. As you are not keeping an entire stock of already printed products, you can change previous designs, or make a new one without wasting any products.&nbsp;</p>



<h3>2. Easy to start</h3>



<p>Opening a print-on-demand business is easier than ever. You don’t need to spend months finding a supplier, or weeks creating an inventory. If you have designs ready to go, you can create your new print-on-demand e-commerce website in a matter of hours. You only need some designs, a provider, and a sales channel. Marketplaces even offer fullfillment and sales channels in the same place!&nbsp;</p>



<h3>3. Low-cost</h3>



<p>Opening a print-on-demand business is a low-cost endeavour. If you are using a provider and setting up your e-commerce store yourself, you will only need to pay for the e-commerce platform. Or if you are using a provider with an integrated marketplace, you won’t have to pay for anything! The only payment you need to make will be for the designs themselves if you are not making them yourself. The providers or platforms will only charge you if you sell something.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="A man working on a laptop, while taking notes on a notebook." class="wp-image-4723" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Print-on-demand-extra-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h3>4. Easy to scale</h3>



<p>Print-on-demand businesses are known for their ability to easily scale. You are not keeping your stock, printing with your machines, or shipping your products yourself. So when you make more sales, your workload will not increase in a significant way. All the needed production and fullfillment scaling will be handled by the provider or the platform.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-final-remarks">Final Remarks</h2>



<p>If you are interested in designing, or if you are good at marketing them, print-on-demand can be a great opportunity for you. It can be a full-time endeavour, or you can just use it to make some extra cash.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A low entry barrier means that anyone can start a print-on-demand business and this results in increased competition for newcomers. Still, there is always room for fresh ideas, and you can always get ahead of the competition by having a solid marketing plan.&nbsp;</p>



<p>All in all, with starting cost being so low, you won’t lose anything from trying! If you have a good design idea, just put it on a t-shirt and see if it sells! Worst case scenario you will lose several hours, but if it goes viral, you can make some serious money.</p>


What Is Print On Demand? How Does It Work?


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Listening-Highlights-1024x538.jpg" alt="A business woman looking at the analytics data of social listening tools." class="wp-image-4390" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Listening-Highlights-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Listening-Highlights-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Listening-Highlights-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Listening-Highlights.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Social media is a great tool to help your business grow. But failing to manage your presence can have negative consequences. Knowing what people are saying about your brand can create opportunities. To do that, you need to track your social media presence. There are several tools that can help you achieve that goal. We call them social listening tools. </p>



<p>In this article, we will provide you with a list of great social listening tools. Using them can help you manage your brand. Which will no doubt improve your marketing.</p>



<h2 id="h-what-is-social-listening">What Is Social Listening?</h2>



<p>Social listening is the process of monitoring your brand&#8217;s social media presence for customer feedback, direct mentions, and conversations about your relevant keywords, competitors, subjects, or industries.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Being able to track them will help you improve your brand presence.</p>



<h2 id="h-what-are-social-listening-tools">What Are Social Listening Tools?</h2>



<p>Social listening tools help you monitor multiple social media platforms from a single point. This way you can easily check the mentions of your brands and manage your presence.</p>



<p>These tools will also allow you to schedule posts and manage social media accounts.</p>



<h2 id="h-the-best-social-listening-tools-for-online-businesses">The Best Social Listening Tools For Online Businesses:</h2>



<h3 id="h-1-brand24">1. Brand24</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="462" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.07.04-1024x462.jpg" alt="The landing page of social listening tool Brand24." class="wp-image-4393" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.07.04-1024x462.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.07.04-300x135.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.07.04-768x346.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.07.04-1536x693.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.07.04.jpg 1643w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://brand24.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Brand24</a> is a social listening platform. And it provides information about what people are saying online about your brand.</p>



<p>With the Mentions Feed, Brand24 allows you to see mentions of your brand in real-time. And allows you to take immediate action via its dashboard.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Features such as mention analytics, influence score and sentiment analysis allow users to categorize mentions easily and understand what they should focus on.</p>



<p>Brand24 offers a wide price range, starting from <strong>$49</strong> for the Individual Package, to <strong>$249</strong> for the Enterprise Package.</p>



<h3 id="h-2-buzzsumo">2. BuzzSumo</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.09.11-1024x420.jpg" alt="The landing page of social media management tool BuzzSumo." class="wp-image-4397" width="1024" height="420" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.09.11-1024x420.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.09.11-300x123.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.09.11-768x315.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.09.11.jpg 1451w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>BuzzSumo describes itself as a content analysis tool. But it is also a great tool to use for social media listening.</p>



<p>With <a href="https://buzzsumo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">BuzzSumo,</a> you can find all content related to a search term on the web. You can use it to research all the mentions your brand has on the web.&nbsp;</p>



<p>However, it doesn’t only show you the content itself. You can also see the number of engagements that content has. So you can see engagement figures for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, etc.</p>



<p>The Pro Plan for BuzzSumo is <strong>$99 per month</strong>. While the most expensive plan is <strong>$299 per month</strong>.</p>



<h3 id="h-3-buffer">3. Buffer</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="569" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.11.22-1024x569.jpg" alt="The landing page of Buffer." class="wp-image-4400" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.11.22-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.11.22-300x167.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.11.22-768x427.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.11.22.jpg 1472w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://buffer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Buffer</a> is a social listening tool and management platform all rolled into one. With Buffer, you can find social media discussions that are most important for your brand. Then, you can join in to immediately take action&nbsp;</p>



<p>The tool offers a centralized dashboard where you can see replies, post content, and engage directly with the brand’s audience.</p>



<p>You can use it to plan effective social media campaigns. Also to analyze audience behaviour and integrate multiple platforms to manage them from a single screen.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The paid Buffer packages start at <strong>$5</strong> per social media channel. The Team package costs <strong>$10</strong> per month, and the Agency package is offered at <strong>$100</strong>/month per 10 social channels.</p>



<h3 id="h-4-tailwind">4. Tailwind</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="537" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.12.20-1024x537.jpg" alt="The landing page of marketing tool tailwind." class="wp-image-4403" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.12.20-1024x537.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.12.20-300x157.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.12.20-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.12.20.jpg 1416w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://www.tailwindapp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Tailwind</a> allows you to schedule posts for Instagram and Pinterest. You can schedule content to auto-post, or use Smart Scheduler to find the ideal times to share content with the best hashtags for the subject.</p>



<p>You can also use it as a social listening tool by managing and reporting all the aspects of your Pinterest and Instagram presence.</p>



<p>The Pro package costs <strong>$19.99</strong> per month, while the Advanced package costs <strong>$49.99</strong> per month.</p>



<h3 id="h-5-agorapulse">5. Agorapulse</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="490" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.13.27-1024x490.jpg" alt="The landing page of Agorapulse." class="wp-image-4406" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.13.27-1024x490.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.13.27-300x143.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.13.27-768x367.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.13.27-1536x735.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.13.27.jpg 1909w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://www.agorapulse.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Agorapulse</a> is a social media management and social listening software that allows you to unify your inboxes.</p>



<p>With this tool, you can manage your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube accounts from a single dashboard.</p>



<p>You can also use it to discover feedback from customers, and search brand mentions, as well as to manage ad comments.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The Pro Plan for Agorapulse costs <strong>$99</strong> per month, while the Premium Plan costs <strong>$199</strong>/month. There are also customer prices available for enterprises.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-6-brandmentions">6. BrandMentions</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="549" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.14.50-1024x549.jpg" alt="The landing page of BrandMentions." class="wp-image-4412" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.14.50-1024x549.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.14.50-300x161.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.14.50-768x411.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.14.50-1536x823.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.14.50.jpg 1803w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://brandmentions.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">BrandMentions</a> scans every corner of the internet to find all relevant mentions about your brand.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Basically, it can monitor everything that is being said about your brand on the internet and social media.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This social listening tool allows you to engage with your customers and manage your brand reputation by providing great insights into your target market.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can start using BrandMentions for<strong> $99</strong> per month with the Growing Business plan. While the most expensive plan, Enterprise/Agency, costs <strong>$499</strong> per month.</p>



<h3 id="h-7-hootsuite">7. Hootsuite</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="419" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.16.33-1024x419.jpg" alt="Landing page of Hootsuite." class="wp-image-4415" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.16.33-1024x419.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.16.33-300x123.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.16.33-768x314.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.16.33-1536x629.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.16.33.jpg 1778w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Hootsuite is a well known social media management tool, but social media listening is not a part of their Hootsuite Platform. For that, they have a separate tool called <a href="https://www.hootsuite.com/products/insights" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Hootsuite Insights</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>This social listening tool allows you to measure the social sentiment surrounding your brand. So you can spot what each segment thinks about your brand.</p>



<p>And you are not only limited to social media platforms. With Hootsuite Insights, you can “listen” to discussions on different parts of the web. Such as blogs, news sites and forums.</p>



<p>Like with most social listening tools, you can get real-time data to your dashboard. You can also set alerts for unusual spikes in sentiment or volume.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-8-keyhole">8. Keyhole</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="399" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.18.04-1024x399.jpg" alt="Keyhole homepage." class="wp-image-4418" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.18.04-1024x399.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.18.04-300x117.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.18.04-768x299.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.18.04-1536x598.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.18.04.jpg 1772w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://keyhole.co/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Keyhole</a> is a social listening tool that allows you to get relevant data instantly.&nbsp;It does that by automating your reports.</p>



<p>The tool also provides the ability to track keywords, hashtags and influencers. While advanced plans include additional features, such as sentiment analysis, media moderation, and advanced analytics.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But without a doubt, the main selling point of the platform is the ability to access social analytics and reporting easily. Being able to monitor and post in real-time is a great benefit too.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Keyhole offers <strong>custom pricing</strong> depending on the company&#8217;s size and needs.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-9-mention">9. Mention</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="561" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.19.24-1024x561.png" alt="Mention landing page." class="wp-image-4421" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.19.24-1024x561.png 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.19.24-300x164.png 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.19.24-768x420.png 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Screen-Shot-2022-03-25-at-10.19.24.png 1518w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><a href="https://mention.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Mention</a> allows users to track content sources across numerous languages. With that, you can find brand mentions all over the entire world.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can also choose which content to filter out or focus on, so you can pay attention to discussions that actually matter.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can also use Mention to compare your brand agains competitors, so you can ensure that your content is always in top shape.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The cheapest Solo plan costs <strong>$29</strong>, while the ProPlus plan costs <strong>$199</strong> per month.</p>


Top 9 Social Listening Tools For Online Businesses


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-Highlight-1024x538.jpg" alt="A women pointing towards the marketing writing on the wall. There are several marketing channels written in post-it notes." class="wp-image-4247" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-Highlight-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-Highlight-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-Highlight-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-Highlight.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Choosing the correct digital marketing channels is essential for <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/top-9-e-commerce-tips-for-small-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">small e-commerce businesses</a>. The marketing budget is always tight, and there are a lot of available channels. Investing in the correct opportunities at the beginning could make all the difference.</p>



<p>Digital marketing has evolved a lot since the first banner ad was published in 1994.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Display ads, static banners, and simple links were once the norm. Now it is possible to deliver personalized, targeted ads depending on the preferences of individuals.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Beyond ads, there are other options to market your brand. Such as SEO and social media marketing.</p>



<p>Of course, not all digital marketing methods are created equally. Some are better for short-term goals, while others require a long-term investment to work.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We wrote this article to make choosing a channel easier for you. Below, you can find a list of different marketing channels and their descriptions. If you would like to learn more, read on!</p>



<h2 id="h-1-email-marketing">1. Email Marketing</h2>



<p>Email marketing is a great marketing channel for businesses of every size or industry. Any ecommerce website could make use of this method to increase its revenue immediately.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Email marketing returns <a href="https://www.litmus.com/blog/infographic-the-roi-of-email-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">$36 for every single dollar spent</a>. That is a great return on investment! This method is valuable no matter the size of your business!&nbsp;</p>



<p>Of course, this marketing method is not a stand-alone solution. Email marketing shines when it is complementing, or supporting other marketing methods. You can use this method for the following:</p>



<ul><li>Reclaiming abandoned carts by sending automated emails.</li><li>Informing your <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/email-list" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email list </a>about discounts and sales.</li><li>Reactivating old customers.</li><li>Improving customer relations by newsletters.</li><li>Retargeting previous visitors.</li><li>Announcing new products or services.</li><li>Converting new customers.</li></ul>



<p>These are only some of the ways you can use email marketing.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="A computer desktop made out of cardboard, with a mail service screen open." class="wp-image-4258" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>To start email marketing, you will need:</p>



<ul><li>An email service provider (ESP)</li><li>A way to build your email list</li><li>Email templates and copies</li><li>An email marketing strategy</li><li>Visuals and creatives to support your emails</li></ul>



<p>To learn more about email marketing, you can read our <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/email-marketing-guide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email marketing guide</a>.</p>



<h2 id="h-2-social-media-marketing">2. Social Media Marketing</h2>



<p><a href="https://ikas.com/blog/social-media-marketing-tips" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Social media marketing</a> is one of the greatest methods to increase your brand awareness. Using social media is a must for nearly every brand.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Social media can help you reach new customers. Even if you are not using it actively, people will look up your social media to learn more about your business. </p>



<p>There are mainly two types of social media marketing:</p>



<h3>Paid Social Media Advertising: </h3>



<p>These are the paid advertisement methods social media platforms provide for businesses. You choose the creatives and texts you want to display, landings, and the audiences you want to target. You will be charged for each impression or click.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="A phone with social media folder open. There are different social media apps on display." class="wp-image-3982" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h3>Unpaid Social Media Marketing: </h3>



<p>This is a marketing method where you create brand awareness through social media activities. These activities mainly take the form of regular content uploads, community management, and engagement.</p>



<p>Paid social media ads could be a great way to draw in customers. But if you are not careful the money you spend might hurt your profits. So a certain level of expertise is required with paid ads.</p>



<p>On the other hand, unpaid social media marketing strategies can take longer to pay off. But with a consistent strategy, you can create a great digital marketing channel that will boost your brand for years.</p>



<p>Unpaid social media is one of the inbound marketing channels.</p>



<h2 id="h-3-referrals">3. Referrals</h2>



<p>Referrals are a great way to create converting customers. But it is also a hard marketing method to control.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Referrals can take the form of word-of-mouth marketing, comments, linking you on social media or a website, or a good old referral system. In either case, customer satisfaction plays an important role. Unsatisfied customers will not refer you to their friends, it is as simple as that.</p>



<p>There are also other ways to increase your referrals. You could create referral incentives for customers. So they would feel more inclined to mention you to their friends. These incentives can take the form of discounts, gift cards, or in-app currencies.</p>



<h2 id="h-4-paid-search">4. Paid Search</h2>



<p>Paid search marketing, also known as pay-per-click(PPC) and search engine marketing(SEM) is an advertising method where you pay search engines to display your brand in search results.</p>



<p>Mainly, businesses pay to appear on different keywords. When a user searches that keyword, a bid is automatically placed by each business depending on the budget they allocated.  Then, businesses are ranked on the SERPs depending on several variables.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="A digital marketing channels analysis screen on Google Analytics." class="wp-image-4264" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>These are:</p>



<ul><li>Ad quality</li><li>Bid amount.</li><li>Format and extensions.</li><li>Expected CTR.</li><li>Relevance.</li><li>Quality of your landing page.</li></ul>



<p>Just appearing on the search results ususıally costs nothing. Businesses only pay when a potential shopper clicks on their link.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you are looking for direct response marketing channels, this is a great option.</p>



<h2 id="h-5-organic-search-seo">5. Organic Search(SEO)</h2>



<p>Search engine optimization(SEO) is the process of implementing certain strategies and techniques to increase the organic search exposure of a website.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Most customers start their search online. They use Google to find the products they want or get information. Appearing on top of the organic results ensures that most of this traffic comes your way.</p>



<p>There are a lot of SEO practices available for marketers. Technical SEO can help you rank higher. You can build backlinks to increase your authority. Optimizing your pages around high-quality keywords is also important.</p>



<p>But you can’t mention SEO without mentioning:</p>



<h2 id="h-6-content-marketing">6. Content Marketing</h2>



<p>Content marketing is the method of creating quality content to:</p>



<ul><li>Turn them into leads.</li><li>Guide them to your products and services.</li><li>Increase your brand awareness.</li><li>Improve customer loyalty.</li><li>Get more traffic to your website.</li><li>Nurture leads.</li></ul>



<p>There are different types of content marketing. </p>



<p>For example, blogging and SEO writing is probably the most well-known method. It can improve your search rankings, while also providing the benefits listed above.</p>



<p>SEO writing is the method of analysing the searches made on search engines and producing content (mainly blog posts) depending on the queries made online.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-seo-content-writing">SEO Content Writing:</h3>



<p>Let’s assume a business selling loose leaf tea wants to get more leads from search engines. The SEO content creation process will look like this:</p>



<ul><li>A general analysis to pinpoint relevant keywords.</li><li>The analysis finds out that the term “Which type of green tea is better?&#8221; has a high search volume. </li><li>The content marketer also finds out that the terms “green tea” and “best type of green tea” are searched online.</li><li>To draw this traffic, the content marketer writes a blog post titled “Which type of green tea is better?” Where they also use the terms “green tea” and “best type of green tea”.</li><li>If it is done right, the blog post will start appearing on SERPs.</li><li>Searchers will click on the article. While reading, some will realize that the website also sells tea. As these users are already interested in tea, some will decide to check out the products.</li><li>Some will leave and never return, some will leave but become converting customers later, and others will convert immediately.&nbsp;</li><li>If the article is successful, people will spend more time on the page, they will share it with their friends and link it on other domains. These actions will increase the domain authority of the ecommerce store, and the other pages will also appear higher.</li></ul>



<p>There are also other content marketing methods. Such as <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/what-is-video-marketing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">video marketing</a>. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="A women writing a blog post." class="wp-image-4274" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Marketing-Channels-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Even creating content for social media posts or emails can be a part of this marketing method.</p>



<p>Content can be considered the cornerstone of inbound marketing channels.</p>



<h2 id="h-7-affiliate-marketing">7. Affiliate Marketing</h2>



<p>Affiliate marketing is the process of rewarding outside institutions or individuals for each lead or sale they bring to your business by their marketing and sales efforts. These rewards usually take the form of commissions or fixed payments.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The level and size of an affiliate marketing strategy can change a lot depending on the amount of effort or budget you want to spend on it. You can start an affiliate marketing program where everyone can participate, or you can contact institutions that specialize in this digital marketing channel.</p>



<h2 id="h-final-remarks">Final Remarks</h2>



<p>Instead of trying to keep every marketing channel active, focusing on a select few of them will be a better choice at the start.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Social media presence is something you want to establish immediately. Getting the results you want may take some time, so starting earlier is a great choice.</p>



<p>Content marketing is another channel that requires a certain amount of time before it begins providing traffic for your website. So if you are looking for an instant solution, it might not be the best choice.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Paid marketing methods are great if you want to start getting sales now. But start with a low budget if you are inexperienced, optimizing the perfect paid campaign can take some time.</p>



<p>You will need SEO, trust us. Getting an expert on the job, at least a general analysis will go a long way.</p>



<p>We hope that our article helped you understand the digital marketing channels available to small businesses.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Have anything you want to share? If so, feel free to leave a comment!</p>


Top 7 Marketing Channels For Small Businesses


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/soft-skills-for-entrepreneurs-1024x538.jpg" alt="soft skills for entrepreneurs" class="wp-image-4191" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/soft-skills-for-entrepreneurs-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/soft-skills-for-entrepreneurs-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/soft-skills-for-entrepreneurs-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/soft-skills-for-entrepreneurs.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>We all know how important hard, technical skills are. Those who have enough technical skills to create software are in high demand, so do people who can draw up financial plans for entire businesses. These skills can land you jobs, or help you start your own business! But there are also soft skills that can help you climb the ladder of success. Especially if you want to become an entrepreneur. These soft skills are what separates most people from entrepreneurs.&nbsp;</p>



<p>To help you understand which soft skills you should focus on, we have compiled a list of 5 soft skills every entrepreneur should have to succeed in their business endeavours.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-1-growth-mindset">1. Growth Mindset</h2>



<p>Probably the most important aspect of a successful entrepreneur is their mindset. You can have all the charm and technical skills you want, but without the correct mindset, your full potential will never be unleashed. That is why the first soft skill that an entrepreneur should have is a growth mindset.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The growth mindset is a term coined by Stanford professor Carol Dweck. According to her, this mindset is defined as the belief that with enough determination, effort and self-drive, people can improve themselves beyond their natural capabilities.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="Entrepreneurs talking amongst themselves." class="wp-image-4195" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Simply put, those without the growth mindset will believe that their abilities are near-static. If they are unsuccessful at a certain subject, they will stay unsuccessful at that. While people with the growth mindset will understand that failing is only the process of learning.</p>



<p>This also extends beyond the self and affects how we see other people.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Those who have the growth mindset will know that people can improve themselves given the right tools and the right mindset. So when selecting partners and employees, they will focus on the ability to grow, instead of their current situation.</p>



<h2 id="h-2-teamwork">2. Teamwork</h2>



<p>We mostly picture entrepreneurs as successful loners, those who go without a pack, simply lone wolves. Modern media and almost cult entrepreneur personalities make it seem like they are a one-person company, where they do everything that needs to be done by themselves.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But most entrepreneurs who are in the early stages of success will tell you one simple thing: teamwork is dreamwork.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="People working together." class="wp-image-4199" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>One person cannot master all the elements of a business, and can’t micromanage everything as the company grows. In a scalable, growing business, the entrepreneur should know how to function in a team.</p>



<p>This can show itself as being able to delegate responsibilities without micromanaging, judging each point of view fairly without asserting that theirs is the most important, and being able to help those in the team who need guidance.</p>



<h2 id="h-3-persuasion">3. Persuasion</h2>



<p>Being able to convince and persuade is a skill everyone needs in the business world. If you can’t convince your customers to buy your product, or a potential employee to work with you, you won’t be able to go far.</p>



<p>The best entrepreneurs are usually those who manage to persuade those around them. This can be persuading their partners and employees to believe in them, or convincing investors to invest in them.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-5-1024x538.jpg" alt="Two women talking." class="wp-image-4208" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-5-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-5-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-5-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-5.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>You may think that persuasion is a static ability, but as we have mentioned in the first entry, believing that you can improve yourself is the first step.&nbsp;</p>



<p>There are many videos, blog posts, books and courses that teach people how to be more persuasive. So if you find yourself lacking in persuasion, start searching on YouTube for training videos!</p>



<h2 id="h-4-ability-to-adapt">4. Ability to Adapt</h2>



<p>Starting, growing or stabilizing a new business is not an easy task. And it will be full of unforeseen circumstances.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Employees will quit, new global situations may affect your business, partners may decide to follow other pursuits etc. A lot can change, and a lot can affect a business. Being able to adapt, and take action during turbulent times is an important ability for every entrepreneur.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Instead of stressing over the new circumstances, accept them fully, and immediately start thinking of ways to make the situation better. Note what created this problem, and how you can prevent it in the future.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-5-critical-thinking">5. Critical Thinking</h2>



<p>Critical thinking is the ability to actively analyse, synthesise and evaluate received information. It is simply the ability to correctly process all the information received, without letting your emotions cloud your judgement.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-6-1024x538.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4212" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-6-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-6-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-6-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Entrepreneurs-6.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>As an entrepreneur, you will receive a lot of information from a variety of different sources, and you will be expected to make decisions based on it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>These decisions can be anything from determining the path your business will take, deciding on how to spend your budget, choosing who to hire, and deciding if you should pivot your entire company or not.</p>



<p>To make these decisions wisely, you will need to develop your critical thinking abilities.&nbsp;</p>


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