
<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: How To Create A Brand Community


<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: 7 Tips For Better E-Commerce SEO


<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/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg" alt="a social media marketing tips board made out of cardboard." class="wp-image-3969" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Highlighted-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Highlighted-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Highlighted-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Highlighted.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Social media marketing is one of the best marketing channels available for small businesses. It is doesn’t require your budget to compete with industry giants as in paid advertising. It can create a long-lasting, high activity customer base and brand community. </p>



<p>Of course, most businesses are aware how strong social media marketing can be. There are thousands of accounts posting fresh content to get the attention of the audiences. And all the businesses are competing for a few seconds of attention.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Your business needs every help it can get to increase its social media presence. To help you get the competitive edge you need we compiled a list of 6 social media marketing tips for small businesses.</p>



<h2 id="h-1-choose-the-right-platforms">1. Choose the right platforms</h2>



<p>As a small business, your resources are much more limited. You can’t focus on all the possible marketing channels as large businesses can. So you need to focus on what matters the most.</p>



<p>This is also true for social media platforms. Drawing plans, creating content, analyzing and adapting to every social media platform is very resource-intensive. Focusing on every social media platform out there at once could produce abysmal results.</p>



<p>To get significant results, you need to know which platforms to focus on. Of course, being present on most platforms is always a good idea. But choosing a few to prioritize will make everything easier in the future.&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/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="A smartphone with the with the social media folder open. Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and one other app is on the screen." 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>



<p>To know the platforms you should choose, consider the following:</p>



<ul><li>Determine your target audience.</li><li>Search your audience on social media platforms.</li><li>Determine which platforms they are most active on.</li><li>Consider the type of content you can create.</li><li>Consider the format of your content.</li><li>Decide which social media platforms that content can fit into.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-2-have-a-clear-metrics-driven-goal">2. Have a clear, metrics-driven goal</h2>



<p>The first step of marketing is to determine goals. Social media marketing is no different.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Having clear, measurable goals will help you understand what you need to focus on.  Also, all of your analysis will be based on these goals. Likewise, it will be even easier to understand how successful your current plan is.</p>



<p>You need your goals to be realistic and measurable. The following examples are the ones you should avoid:</p>



<ul><li>Gain 2 million followers in a single month (unrealistic).</li><li>Gain more YouTube subscribers (non-measurable).</li><li>Increase engagement (unclear).</li></ul>



<p>Instead, try to come up with goals like this:</p>



<ul><li>Grow the number of followers by 7% per month during the first quarter of 2022.</li><li>Gain 1000 new YouTube subscribers until the end of March 2022.</li><li>Increase the average post engagement on Facebook posts by 10% until 12 December 2022.</li></ul>



<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-4-1024x538.jpg" alt="post it notes with hand-drawn graphs are on a board." class="wp-image-3985" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-4-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-4-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-4-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-4.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Getting your goals in order is one of the best social media marketing tips we can provide you.</p>



<h2 id="h-3-create-unique-engaging-content">3. Create unique, engaging content</h2>



<p>You can’t have a presence on social media without posting any content. People follow you based on the content you create, and how much value that content provides them. If you only post company advertisements and simple marketing messages, people will get bored of following you very quickly, and you will most likely not get much engagement.</p>



<p>The type of valuable content you post can include the following:</p>



<ul><li>How-to guides.</li><li>Informative texts, graphics, videos.</li><li>Funny, entertaining content.</li><li>Company news, product news, updates.</li><li>Sale/discount announcements.</li><li>Customer testimonials, success stories.</li></ul>



<p>As Bill Gates mentioned in his essay, “content is king.” Focus on creating valuable, engaging, unique content. This will be the backbone of your social media accounts. The rest of the strategy will be all about distributing that content more effectively.</p>



<h2 id="h-4-consider-using-third-party-tools">4. Consider using third-party tools</h2>



<p>Social media platforms came a long way since their first inception. The constant development cycle that they experience makes sure that they are both easy to use, and easy to manage.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Still, social media platforms do have certain limitations regarding their usage. Sure, in-app tools can help you get a lot of things done, but at certain points, using third-party apps to help you manage your social media marketing strategy can help you be more precise while spending less time.</p>



<p>Third-party social media tools range from management apps to content creation software. Here are some of them:</p>



<ul><li>You can use <a href="https://biteable.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Biteable</a> to create video content for social media.&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://buffer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Buffer</a> can help you manage and analyze multiple social media platforms at once.</li><li>With <a href="https://mention.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Mention</a>, you can get more insights into the social media presence of your brand.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-5-engage-with-your-community">5. Engage with your community</h2>



<p>Engagement on social media is a powerful thing. With more engagement, your posts will be much more likely to get recognized as trending posts. Also the users you engage with will most likely feel seen and heard by your brand, and this will improve their experience.&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/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-5-1024x538.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-3988" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-5-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-5-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-5-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Social-Media-Tips-For-Small-Businesses-Extra-5.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>To make sure that you are engaging with your followers, always monitor your direct messages and comments. Try to answer most of them, and be open to receiving content created by your followers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Of course, there are certain comments and messages you shouldn’t answer, as well as conversations you shouldn’t be having on social media. Try to be as civil, and constructive as you can while answering comments. Don’t get into arguments, and politely direct those who have complaints towards your customer service.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-6-partner-with-influencers">6. Partner with influencers</h2>



<p>Influencers are named “influencers” because of a simple reason: they influence people! So you should consider partnering with them, and maybe they will be able to influence people towards your direction.</p>



<p>The idea of partnering with influencers can seem like a costly ordeal, especially for a small business. The good news is that you don’t have to sponsor a world-famous influencer to reap the benefits. You can partner with a local influencer or a micro-influencer in your niche for very affordable prices. And the effects will still be significant.</p>



<p>We hope that you enjoyed our list of social media marketing tips for small businesses! If you want to learn more ways to improve your business, feel free to read our list of <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/top-9-e-commerce-tips-for-small-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">e-commerce tips for small businesses.</a></p>


Best 6 Social Media Marketing Tips 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/Growth-Hacking-highlight-1024x538.jpg" alt="Wooden blocks with &quot;Growth Hacking&quot; written on them are standing on top of a wooden floor." class="wp-image-3775" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-highlight-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-highlight-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-highlight-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-highlight.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>You have probably heard the “growth hacking” buzzword being thrown around a lot, and most of the time it is incorrectly used. Now, most companies or individuals consider the work they perform as growth hacking, but it is mostly just usual digital marketing.</p>



<p>This term was first coined by Sean Ellis, the founder and CEO of GrowthHackers, in 2010. It refers to numerous strategies that are used to acquire massive amounts of growth with a small budget.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Everyone wants to grow as fast as possible, with as little money as possible, so every start-up is looking for a growth hacker that can achieve these goals.</p>



<h2 id="h-what-is-a-growth-hacker">What Is A Growth Hacker?</h2>



<p>The only mission of a growth hacker is to grow the company as fast as possible. Growth is usually the most important metric for startups, and those that can’t grow fast enough will most likely fail.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Normal marketers usually follow long-term plans with set budgets and expected results. Growth hackers on the other hand do what it takes to achieve their goal. Sometimes, the goal is not even defined, only described as “massive growth”.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Growth teams can use certain shortcuts or adaptive techniques. But they are not only defined by that. Growth teams also familiarize themselves with the data and conversion funnel of the given company, spot the points of friction and remove them effectively.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-how-does-growth-hacking-work">How Does Growth Hacking Work?</h2>



<p>The way growth hacking works will depend on the product and the market. To implement it successfully it is necessary to understand the data and conversion process of each company.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Many early-stage start-ups use the “pirate funnel” described by Dave McClure to fuel their growth. This funnel includes five stages: acquisition, activation, retention, referral, and revenue (AARRR).&nbsp;</p>



<p>The main point is to get as much traffic and visitors as possible, turn those visitors into users, and retain your users as regular customers. Any type of awareness campaign or funnel that achieves this goal can be considered as a growth marketing method.</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/Growth-Hacking-extra-1-1024x538.jpg" alt="Post it notes with different hand drawn business graphs are on a board." class="wp-image-3778" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-1-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-1.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 id="h-how-can-i-start-growth-hacking">How Can I Start Growth Hacking?</h2>



<p>Before a company starts hacking their growth, it will need a product that can grow. A subpar product without growth potential will not respond to the strategies implemented by a growth hacker. If nobody is willing to pay for it, a fast-growth process might not be possible.</p>



<p>Test your product and only move on with it if you can find a market for it. Use this test to gather data regarding the customers’ journey. Understanding who your customers are is an essential process of growth marketing.</p>



<p>Keep getting as much customer feedback as possible and do not forget to implement them. Update and upgrade your product depending on the feedback you receive. Keep on marketing and foster growth, if a growth strategy is not taking hold then stop for a moment and optimize it. Optimizing techniques like A/B testing are essential for growth hacking.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 id="h-growth-hacking-strategies">Growth Hacking Strategies</h2>



<p>We can divide these strategies into three main categories,&nbsp;</p>



<ul><li>Content marketing</li><li>Product marketing</li><li>Paid advertising</li></ul>



<p><strong>Content marketing </strong>can be a low-cost strategy to create awareness for your product. Typical activities can include the following:</p>



<ul><li>Creating a blog&nbsp;</li><li>Focusing on social media content</li><li>Writing ebooks</li><li>Organizing webinars</li><li>Creating events and contests</li><li>Creating and managing a community&nbsp;</li><li>Using influencer marketing methods</li></ul>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="A person is working in front of a laptop. New Product is written on the top of the laptop screen, with Research, Analysis, Ideas and Function headers." class="wp-image-3781" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Growth-Hacking-extra-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><strong>Product marketing </strong>is the technique used for building a user base around the product. Typical techniques can include:</p>



<ul><li>Affiliate marketing synchronized with content marketing tactics</li><li>Creative on-boarding processes</li><li>Referral systems with incentives for the customer base</li></ul>



<p><strong>Paid advertising </strong>on the other hand focuses on paid digital marketing methods such as:</p>



<ul><li>Search engine marketing</li><li>Paid social media advertising</li><li>Display and video ads</li></ul>



<p>Other marketing methods, such as <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/email-marketing-guide" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email marketing</a> can be used at every step of growth hacking. As long as it results in growth, there is no defined limit on the strategies you can use.</p>



<h2 id="h-benefits-of-growth-hacking">Benefits Of Growth Hacking</h2>



<p>Growth hacking processes can provide a lot of benefits for companies, especially start-ups looking to grow as fast as they can. The main benefits of choosing growth hacking instead of usual digital marketing approaches are as follows:</p>



<ul><li><strong>Data driven and adaptable: </strong>Growth hacking strategies follow the available data closely and they can always pivot depending on what works and what does not.</li><li><strong>Low-cost:</strong> Growth hacking is focused on creating the most impact with the least amount of investment. A solid growth hacking strategy will come much cheaper than a traditional marketing strategy.</li><li><strong>Less resources: </strong>A growth hacking strategy can be performed by a single individual or a small group, resulting in less resources being used.</li></ul>



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



<p>A well-implemented growth hacking strategy can be a great boon for a start-up, but in the long term, they can’t replace a solid marketing strategy.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Long-term success comes from long-term investments. Use growth hacking to get your business on its feet, but never ignore to make plans for the long run.&nbsp;</p>



<p>We hope that our article was able to answer your questions.</p>


What Is Growth Hacking? A Brief Definition


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-1024x538.jpg" alt="email marketing guide" class="wp-image-1352" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Email marketing is one of the best methods to generate leads, increase inbound traffic and reclaim abandoned carts. It is also a great way to compliment your other marketing efforts. According to <a href="https://www.campaignmonitor.com/company/annual-report/2019/" rel="nofollow">Campaign Monitor</a>, each $1 spent on email marketing has an estimated average return of $42. Every marketer would agree that a return on investment like that is really, really good!</p>



<p>In this guide, we will list all the steps you need to undertake to create your first email marketing campaign. Even if you have tried email marketing before, our guide can offer you some information that could improve your next one!</p>



<h2 id="h-email-marketing-by-the-numbers">Email Marketing By The Numbers</h2>



<p>Numbers never lie! So here are some email marketing statistics for you:</p>



<ul><li>89% of marketing specialists state that email is their <a href="https://www.mailigen.com/blog/infographic-segmented-emails-is-what-the-future-holds/" rel="nofollow">primary marketing channel</a> for generating leads</li><li>The majority of marketers state that, compared to other channels, email marketing has the <a href="https://gr-dms.s3.amazonaws.com/resources/sites/2/2019/05/0645/email-marketing-and-marketing-automation-excellence-2018.pdf" rel="nofollow">highest score for excellent ROI</a>.</li><li>40% of B2B marketing specialists state tha<a href="https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/2017_B2B_Research_FINAL.pdf" rel="nofollow">t email newsletters are the most important tactic</a> for their content marketing efforts.&nbsp;</li><li>Targeted email campaigns have <a href="https://www.ana.net/content/show?id=thedmaorg-redirect" rel="nofollow">50% higher CTR</a> than non-targeted email campaigns.</li><li>According to <a href="https://blogs.constantcontact.com/email-marketing-statistics/" rel="nofollow">80% of industry professionals</a>, email marketing is the main driver in customer acquisition and retention.</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-learn-email-marketing-in-8-steps">Learn Email Marketing In 8 Steps</h2>



<ol><li>Build an email list.</li><li>Define your goals.</li><li>Create a targeted audience.</li><li>Consider an email marketing platform.</li><li>Choose an email type.</li><li>Write an enticing email copy.</li><li>Create a good design.</li><li>Test and analyze.</li></ol>



<h3 id="h-1-build-an-email-list">1. Build An Email List</h3>



<p>Before you can start your email marketing campaigns, you will need to <a href="https://ikas.com/blog/email-list" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">build an email list</a>. An email list usually contains email addresses with information regarding the person who owns that email address and their relationship with your business. There are several methods you can use to build a rock-solid email list.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<ol><li>You can place embedded sign-in forms on your website to remind your shoppers to join your newsletter.</li><li>Giving incentives for your customers to sign up can be a great way to convince them. You can offer them a discount coupon for signing for your newsletter, or you can give them special discounts!</li><li>It is possible to leverage content marketing to build your list. If you have a blog, you can ask your visitors to sign up to view some of the content.&nbsp;</li><li>Don’t forget social media! If you are giving incentives for people to sign up for your newsletter, social media can be a great way to announce it!</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="538" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-2-1024x538.jpg" alt="email marketing guide" class="wp-image-1355" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-2-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-2-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-2-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-2.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h3 id="h-2-define-your-goals">2. Define Your Goals</h3>



<p>Email marketing can be used to achieve different goals, and each goal will probably require a different approach. That is why before you go any further, you should define your goals.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Here are some goals you can aim for:</p>



<ul><li>Increase sales</li><li>Generate leads</li><li>Create brand awareness</li><li>Increase customer loyalty</li><li>Collect customer feedback</li></ul>



<p>Just write down the goals you want to achieve with your email marketing campaign. It is generally a good practice to create a different email campaign for each goal, but some goals can be achieved together. For example, your sales can increase if you generate more leads, or you can generate more leads thanks to increased brand awareness. You can choose the ones listed above, or you can come up with your own goals. Keep your goals in mind while moving forward to the next step, and decide accordingly.</p>



<h3 id="h-3-create-a-targeted-audience">3. Create A Targeted Audience</h3>



<p>Sending an email to your entire list might seem like a good idea, but trust us, it is not. People on your email list will have different interests, locations, age groups and even languages! So you should segment them according to the data available to you.</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/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-3-1024x538.jpg" alt="email marketing guide" class="wp-image-1360" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-3-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-3-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-3-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-3.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>The basic way to segment your audience is to segment them according to age groups, location, language, gender and acquisition method. The latter being the most important! You should be aware of where each email address comes from, so you can target newcomers to your business, or return customers with different emails. A shopper devoted to your brand would probably be offended if they receive an email addressed to your new customers.</p>



<h3 id="h-4-consider-an-email-marketing-platform">4. Consider An Email Marketing Platform</h3>



<p>An email marketing platform, also known as an email service provider (ESP) is a platform that helps you build and manage your email list. It can also help you design your emails, automate them, and create segmented email audiences depending on the available data.</p>



<p>With an email marketing platform, you can automate email campaigns triggered by your shoppers&#8217; behaviours. For example, you can instruct it to send a certain email when a customer abandons a cart, exits your site without making a purchase, or bails during the checkout process.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Here are some email marketing platforms you might consider:</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://www.hubspot.com/products/marketing/email" rel="nofollow">HubSpot Email Marketing</a></li><li><a href="https://sendpulse.com" rel="nofollow">SendPulse</a></li><li><a href="https://www.benchmarkemail.com/" rel="nofollow">Benchmark Email</a></li><li><a href="https://mailchimp.com" rel="nofollow">Mailchimp</a></li></ul>



<h3 id="h-5-choose-an-email-type">5. Choose An Email Type</h3>



<p>There are different types of emails you can send to your audience. Which type of email you use will depend on your audience and goals. The email you send to the new customers will be much different than the one you send to repeat customers. And an email to generate leads will be different than one written to increase customer loyalty.&nbsp;</p>



<p>When considering what type of email to send, you can consider the ones listed below:</p>



<p><strong>Welcome emails </strong>greet your customers when they first sign up! The first time a customer signs up to your website they are usually not business ready. You need to start building trust with them right away to turn them into converting, buying shoppers. A welcome email is a perfect tool for this! You can craft an email welcoming them to your online store, and you can even offer a coupon or a discount to entice them even further!&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Newsletters</strong> are emails containing information and news about your business. They can inform your customers about a new product line, an event, a sale, or an expansion of your business! These are great to build trust and a long-lasting relationship!</p>



<p><strong>Offer emails </strong>do just what the name implies, they make an offer to your customers. It can be a product bundle, a discount offer, or a sale. You can use offer emails to drive more sales.</p>



<p><strong>Abandonment emails</strong> are triggered by an action your shoppers started, but did not complete. For example, when a customer adds an item to their cart but leaves before completing the purchase, you can send them an email to remind them about the item they left. Or you can instantly offer a discount to entice them further!</p>



<p><strong>Review emails </strong>are used for asking your previous customers and contracts to provide a testimonial for your business. Social proof can be great in order to build trust with new customers. They show that other people tried your services or products before, and they were satisfied with the results. Sending review emails gives you a way to create customer testimonials.</p>



<p><strong>Time-sensitive emails </strong>inform or give your customers a time-limited offer. The time limit creates urgency and pushes your audience to make a purchase. These are great if you have specific products you want to sell fast.</p>



<h3 id="h-6-write-an-enticing-email-copy">6. Write An Enticing Email Copy</h3>



<p>This is the part where you write the email! So stretch your writing muscle, warm up your fingers, and get ready to press those buttons!</p>



<p>To write an enticing copy, the first thing you need to consider is the headline. Your headline should be short and concise. Your recipients should be able to understand the topic and the desired action just by reading your headline. So don’t forget to include a call to action!</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/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-5-1024x538.jpg" alt="email marketing guide" class="wp-image-1363" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-5-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-5-300x158.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-5-768x403.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Adsiz-tasarim-kopyasi-5.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>Your email content should reflect your headline. There is no need to be wordy. Give your customers what they need to know, tell them what you need them to do, and propose your offer if you have one. Of course, if you have creative copywriting ideas, you can always try them. But the tried and true method is to be concise.</p>



<p>Always review your email before sending it. Make sure there are no broken links or buttons, and no typos. Also, avoid industry jargon! Keep it nice and simple.</p>



<h3 id="h-7-create-a-good-design">7. Create A Good Design</h3>



<p>Visuals have always been great marketing tools, and there is no reason to exclude them from your email marketing effort! You can create a visual which gives a summary of your message, or you can give the main pointers of your offer.&nbsp;</p>



<p>While designing visuals for your emails, try to restrain yourself. One visual clearly describing the message is usually enough. Using too many visuals might distract your recipients from the real message. Short and concise is the name of the game, both for your copy and visual!</p>



<h3 id="h-8-test-and-analyze">8. Test And Analyze</h3>



<p>In marketing, testing, collecting data and analysis is the key. Even if you followed all the steps as best as you can, you might still not be able to get the results you wanted. Or even if the results were surprisingly good, there could be ways to improve your email marketing strategy even more!&nbsp;</p>



<p>A/B testing is also something you should consider. Try different copies and visuals and note down how they perform. People open emails in their inbox depending on the headline that is why A/B testing your headline could be especially important. Create two groups from your email list with the same or similar variables, and then try out two different headlines to see which one resonates more.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You can also run similar campaigns from different email marketing platforms to see their differences. Small features can have huge reflections on the numbers.</p>



<p>In essence, start with basics, then use your results to experiment and polish your process!</p>


Email Marketing Guide: Start Your First Email Campaign In 8 Steps!


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/jean-beller-6j56djYQgJs-unsplash-1024x683.jpg" alt="livestream shopping" class="wp-image-1219" width="1045" height="697" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/jean-beller-6j56djYQgJs-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/jean-beller-6j56djYQgJs-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/jean-beller-6j56djYQgJs-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/jean-beller-6j56djYQgJs-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/jean-beller-6j56djYQgJs-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1045px) 100vw, 1045px" /></figure>



<p>E-commerce has been evolving since one fated secure, encrypted money transfer signalled the internet open for commerce in 1994. Since that day, we have had the chance to see e-commerce take many forms.</p>



<p>Now, we have influencers dressed as anime characters selling weird products on livestream. What a period to be alive right?</p>



<p>This is one of the latest forms of e-commerce. And it is called, wait for it. Livestream shopping!</p>



<p>And trust me, it is entertaining, captivating, exciting and nostalgic at the same time. It is like those home shopping TV shows, except for being more interactive, faster and much more effective.</p>



<p>With the introduction out of the way, let&#8217;s talk about what livestream shopping is, and how can it help you increase your sales!</p>



<h2 id="h-what-is-livestream-shopping">What Is Livestream Shopping?</h2>



<p>Livestream shopping, also known as live shopping, livestream commerce and live commerce(too many names right?), is a marketing and e-commerce method where the products are advertised, promoted and sold during a livestream. A livestream shopping event is hosted by a streamer, who is usually an influencer or a celebrity.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/stanley-li-sW6qUDc0uQY-unsplash-1024x683.jpg" alt="what is livestream commerce?" class="wp-image-1200" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/stanley-li-sW6qUDc0uQY-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/stanley-li-sW6qUDc0uQY-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/stanley-li-sW6qUDc0uQY-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/stanley-li-sW6qUDc0uQY-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/stanley-li-sW6qUDc0uQY-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>During a livestream shopping event, shoppers can interact with the host. They can ask questions, leave comments, and learn more about the product or service. In some versions, they can even shop directly from the livestream.</p>



<h2 id="h-livestream-shopping-by-the-numbers">Livestream Shopping By The Numbers</h2>



<p>If you want some analytical information on livestream shopping, here are some quick statistics:</p>



<ul><li>By 2024, the e-commerce revenue generated from live shopping is expected to increase to 35$ billion. (<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1276120/livestream-e-commerce-sales-united-states/" rel="nofollow">Statista</a>)</li><li>The number of Livestream shopping buyers is expected to increase by %13.5 in 2021. (<a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/over-45-of-china-s-digital-shoppers-will-buy-via-livestream-2023" rel="nofollow">eMarketer</a>)</li><li>In 2019, around 37% of China’s shoppers made Livestream purchases online. (<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michellegreenwald/2020/12/10/live-streaming-e-commerce-is-the-rage-in-china-is-the-us-next/?sh=3d1778686535" rel="nofollow">Forbes</a>)</li><li>In 2020, Alibaba generated $61.7 billion gross merchandise value on its Taobao livestreaming platform for merchants alone.(<a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/how-important-will-livestreaming-social-commerce-2021" rel="nofollow">eMarketer</a>)&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-how-to-sell-via-livestream-shopping">How To Sell Via Livestream Shopping?</h2>



<p>If you have an e-commerce business, selling via a livestream platform can be a great additional sales channel for you. It can also be a very rewarding way of connecting with your customers, and getting some great feedback on your products or services.</p>



<p>Incorporating livestream shopping into your business can be as easy as streaming on Instagram with your phone, or it can be as complex as building a dedicated website and hiring a special team, studio and a group of influencers. It all depends on your goals and budget.</p>



<h3 id="h-step-1-plan-around-your-budget">Step 1: Plan around your budget</h3>



<p>As we have stated before, your livestreaming efforts can take different forms depending on the budget available. So before going any further, you should at least have a price range in mind.</p>



<p>If you don’t want to go all out, you can always livestream on a budget. It is okay to use your computer webcam or a mobile device. If you can get stable audio and decent video, this might be a great choice to start.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sharon-mccutcheon-8a5eJ1-mmQ-unsplash-1024x683.jpg" alt="what is livestream commerce? Plan around a budget." class="wp-image-1203" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sharon-mccutcheon-8a5eJ1-mmQ-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sharon-mccutcheon-8a5eJ1-mmQ-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sharon-mccutcheon-8a5eJ1-mmQ-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sharon-mccutcheon-8a5eJ1-mmQ-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sharon-mccutcheon-8a5eJ1-mmQ-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>You can appear on the livestream by yourself, or you can find someone else. Again, on a budget approach using your face would be the cheapest option. But if you want to invest more, you can try to find a local (or global if you want to go that far) influencer to be the face of your brand during the livestreams.</p>



<p>Equipment, location, host, special effects, and other variables can change depending on your budget. So always make sure your plans follow your budget. It will make things much easier in the future.</p>



<h3 id="h-step-2-choose-a-platform-your-audience-will-use">Step 2: Choose a platform your audience will use</h3>



<p>After you have made your budget-related choices, you will need to decide on which streaming platform you are going to use. You can use native social media apps to stream, or you can stream through a third-party streaming service.</p>



<h4 id="h-leading-native-apps">Leading native apps:</h4>



<ul><li>Twitch</li><li>LinkedIn Live</li><li>Youtube Live</li><li>Instagram Live</li><li>Facebook Live</li></ul>



<h4 id="h-leading-third-party-streaming-services">Leading third party streaming services:</h4>



<ul><li>OBS Studio</li><li>Zoom</li><li>Vimeo Livestream</li><li>Dacast</li><li>Be. Live</li><li>Brightcove</li></ul>



<p>When choosing your method of livestreaming, you need to consider your audience.&nbsp;</p>



<p>You probably already know who your target audience is, and if you have any data on them it is time to put it to good use.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Decide what platform your audience frequently uses. If you have a strong following on a certain social media platform (e.g Instagram) you can livestream on that platform to bank on your audience. Or if you have a significant audience from multiple platforms, using a third-party livestreaming service might be a better option.</p>



<p>When selecting a platform consider its technical features. Make sure the platform or service you use can withstand the number of expected viewers. If you are already familiar with a streaming service, using it might be more favourable as you will need to invest less time to learn all the features you need.&nbsp;</p>



<p>If you are hiring an influencer to be your host during the livestream, consider what platforms they are popular on. If they have a huge following on Twitch, streaming from another platform might not be a good idea.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-step-3-choose-your-format">Step 3: Choose your format</h3>



<p>You can provide a livestream shopping experience in different formats.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Informative:</strong> You can select a product or a group of products, and provide a detailed tutorial during your livestream. You can also receive and answer questions from your audience and showcase how to use your product or its features. This format can be great to debut a new product or showcase a trending one.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Customer testimonials: </strong>You can invite previous customers and interview them about your products. You can ask them to tell their story, or they can explain how your products/services helped them. During the interview, your audience can buy the displayed service or product.</p>



<p><strong>Pick an influencer and let them do their thing: </strong>One other thing you can do is just pick an influencer, and let them go nuts with your product or service. This might be a risky choice, but don’t forget that they know their target audience better than you. So they might be able to provide a more interesting, authentic experience for your customers.</p>



<p><strong>Offer: </strong>You can create an offer-based livestream event wherein you showcase products, give a small description, and immediately make a promotional offer or a discount.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Auction: </strong>If you have a business that specializes in one-of-a-kind items, organizing a livestream auction might be great! This way, you can focus on one product at a time and even sell the item for an unexpectedly high price.&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Q&amp;A Session: </strong>You can base your session on answering customer questions. Your customers can ask questions about your services/products live, and they can make purchases if they are satisfied with your answers! This might be a great way to build trust.</p>



<p>These are our suggestions. You can always create different formats for livestream shopping, or mix and match different types to make something unique.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-step-4-promote-your-livestream-event">Step 4: Promote your livestream event!</h3>



<p>If you have everything planned and ready, it is time to promote your event! If nobody knows about your event, all the work you put into it will go to waste. So do not skip this step!&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Picking the correct time to promote your event: </strong>The correct time to start your promotion depends on your audience and services. For small businesses, one to two weeks is usually a good choice. This will provide you enough time to reach your audience while making sure they don’t have enough time to get disinterested.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/campaign-creators-gMsnXqILjp4-unsplash-1024x683.jpg" alt="promote livestream shopping:" class="wp-image-1206" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/campaign-creators-gMsnXqILjp4-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/campaign-creators-gMsnXqILjp4-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/campaign-creators-gMsnXqILjp4-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/campaign-creators-gMsnXqILjp4-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/campaign-creators-gMsnXqILjp4-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p><strong>Picking the right channels: </strong>Promote your event from your social media channels, your website, and other platforms you have access to. If you have a channel to use your audience, use it! Email marketing can also be great at this point. Just make sure the channel and the message fit. If you promote an over-the-top event on a business forum, you might get negative feedback.</p>



<p><strong>Repeating the message: </strong>After picking your promotion channels, you need to make sure you repeat the message enough times without overdoing it. As a rule of thumb, you should start your promotion with a dedicated post. After that, you can repeat the announcement daily if you have a week. Or you can post a countdown story every day to keep your audience engaged. If you have more than a week left until the event, then posting once every 2 to 3 days is a better choice.</p>



<p><strong>Reach your influencer’s audience: </strong>If you have partnered up with an influencer, ask them to announce the event to their followers. Their audience might be first-time customers!&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-step-4-launch-your-livestream-shopping-event">Step 4: Launch your livestream shopping event!</h3>



<p>This is the part where the event happens! Make sure your customers have an easy way to reach your online sales channels. Monitor the chat for questions and inquiries. You can also consider adding some moderators to your livestream team, so they can answer simple questions via chat and can ban any trouble makers.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="h-step-5-gather-feedback-after-the-event">Step 5: Gather feedback after the event.</h3>



<p>After your livestream, ask attendees for feedback and write down the problems you identified. Also, gather your sales data during the event, and analyze how much the livestream contributed to your business.</p>



<p>If you are satisfied with the results then great! Use the feedback you gathered to make your livestream even better. You might have found a great new front for your business, enjoy!</p>



<p>If you are not satisfied with the results then decide if the outcome can be better with the feedback on your hands. You can always try one more time by implementing different strategies. Or you can decide livestream shopping is not for you.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Either way, you can try livestream shopping to see if it is right for your business. You can start with a low budget, try out and see how it works and increase your budget over time as you start getting results. Livestream shopping might not be for everyone, but it is a marketing tool you shouldn’t ignore!</p>


What Is Livestream Shopping? And Why Does It Matter?


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Video-marketing-1.jpg" alt="video marketing" class="wp-image-303" width="1250" height="607" srcset="https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Video-marketing-1.jpg 992w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Video-marketing-1-300x146.jpg 300w, https://cms.ikas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Video-marketing-1-768x373.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px" /></figure>



<p>Video marketing has always been an important part of a solid brand strategy. But now, video has become prominent on every social media platform and marketing channel.</p>



<p>We already know how important video content is for platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. But even Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said that the platform is <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/30/22557942/instagram-no-longer-photo-app-video-entertainment-focus" rel="nofollow">now focusing more on video content</a>.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Simply put, if you aren’t focusing on video marketing, your brand strategy will mostly suffer.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In this article, we will explain in detail what video marketing is, why it is important, the types of video marketing, and some important video marketing statistics.</p>



<p>So, if you are interested, keep on reading!</p>



<h2 id="what-is-video-marketing">What Is Video Marketing?</h2>



<p>Video marketing is the process of creating videos in order to promote your products to your target audience.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Your company produces videos that market your business, boost sales, improve brand awareness, or engage your audience in some way. It can be more complex in practice.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Video marketing, like many of your marketing initiatives, is data-driven, so you&#8217;ll want to keep track of various statistics and user engagement.</p>



<p>You can use video content to promote your business through social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram etc. Or you can use these videos to promote your business through more traditional marketing channels, like TV.</p>



<p>Simply put, there are a lot of places where you can use your video content to improve your brand awareness.</p>



<h2 id="video-marketing-statistics">Video Marketing Statistics</h2>



<p>As marketers, we believe that the best decisions are always made depending on statistical data. So if you are considering adding video marketing to your business venture, the best way to make that decision would be to analyze the current situation of the industry.</p>



<p>To help you get a more accurate overview of the video marketing industry, we have prepared the following list of statistics:</p>



<ul><li><a href="https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2019/10/2020-video-marketing-and-statistics-what-brands-need-to-know/" rel="nofollow">Nearly 78% of people watch videos online</a> every week, while 55% watch videos online every single day.&nbsp;</li><li>Surveys show that around <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/content-trends-preferences" rel="nofollow">54% of shoppers</a> desire to see more video content from businesses and brands they follow.&nbsp;</li><li>According to <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/03/08/video-marketing-statistics#:~:text=Video%20Marketing%20Engagement%20Statistics&amp;text=Marketers%20who%20use%20video%20grow,social%20videos%20(via%20tubularinsights).&amp;text=Social%20video%20generates%2012%20times%20more%20shares%20than%20text%20and%20images%20combined." rel="nofollow">WordStream</a>, brands that use video marketing grow their revenue <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/03/08/video-marketing-statistics#:~:text=Video%20Marketing%20Engagement%20Statistics&amp;text=Marketers%20who%20use%20video%20grow,social%20videos%20(via%20tubularinsights).&amp;text=Social%20video%20generates%2012%20times%20more%20shares%20than%20text%20and%20images%20combined." rel="nofollow">49% faster</a> than those that don’t.</li><li>Including video content on your landing page can increase your conversion rates by <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/03/30/video-for-conversion-rate-optimization" rel="nofollow">up to 80%</a>.</li><li>Internet users generally <a href="https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2019/10/2020-video-marketing-and-statistics-what-brands-need-to-know/" rel="nofollow">spend 88% more time</a> on websites that contain videos.&nbsp;</li><li>In the last five years, the online video consumption rate has increased across all age groups, but the most significant increase is seen in the <a href="https://www.limelight.com/resources/market-research/state-of-online-video-2020/" rel="nofollow">above 46 years</a><a href="https://www.limelight.com/resources/market-research/state-of-online-video-2020/"> old age group</a>.</li></ul>



<h2 id="the-most-important-types-of-video-marketing">The Most Important Types Of Video Marketing:</h2>



<p>No matter what type of business you are in, you can create tons of different types of videos to promote your business. You can create anything from entertaining commercials to product tutorials.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Of course, some types of video content are better than others, and focusing on the ones that will bring you the most benefit first can help you get better results.</p>



<p>Here are some types of video content you should consider adding to your marketing strategy:</p>



<h3 id="educational-videos">Educational Videos:</h3>



<p>The best types of videos are the ones that provide value to your audience, and the most straightforward way of providing this value is by creating educational videos for your viewers.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Educational videos teach something new to your audience. It can give them the information they have been searching for while establishing your brand as an expert in the industry.</p>



<h3 id="product-demo-videos">Product Demo Videos:</h3>



<p>These videos showcase how your products or services work, and gives your customers a chance to experience a part of it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Demo videos can only show your product from the outside, or explain its features in detail, and can even include some educational value.</p>



<p>Product demo videos can also create some kind of an aesthetic experience for your customers if you are selling physical products. If you are curious how just think about car commercials!</p>



<h3 id="event-videos">Event Videos:</h3>



<p>If your business is hosting an event like a seminar, fundraiser, or conference, then you can record some footage during them and prepare event videos!</p>



<p>Event videos go hand in hand with event marketing and can help you both engage with your customers and increase the demand for your future events.</p>



<p>Event videos can take many shapes and forms. They can be long-form videos that cover the entire event, or they can be short videos with only the most interesting highlights.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="customer-testimonials">Customer Testimonials:</h3>



<p>Social proof is exceedingly important for your business, and video testimonials can be a great way of adding some social proof to your brand.</p>



<p>Humans are social creatures, and they look for the experiences of others to help them make their decisions. For example, when a shopper is considering purchasing your product, they will want to see how your product affected other people.</p>



<p>That is where testimonials come in. By creating video content where your existing customers tell how your product affected them positively, you can make your prospective customers feel more secure about purchasing from you.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 id="company-culture-videos">Company Culture Videos:</h3>



<p>Company culture videos showcase the unique personality of your brand and communicate its uniqueness with your target audience.</p>



<p>You should make videos with your mission and values in mind for this form of video marketing. These videos build confidence between your company and the general public, particularly if you emphasize your commitment to your goal and values.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Videos about the company&#8217;s culture are also useful for attracting new employees. People will want to apply if your organization appears to be a fantastic place to work.&nbsp;</p>



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



<p>Adopting video marketing can help your business create a better communication channel with your customers. </p>



<p>As modern users are increasingly favouring video over other types of content, the ability to provide them with such is a great advantage. </p>



<p>The statistics all show video marketing to be a worthwhile investment, and it can even be great for small businesses. </p>



<p>So, if you want to boost your sales and brand awareness, consider adopting video marketing to your general marketing strategy!</p>



<p>If you have anything else to add or ask, feel free to leave it in the comments!</p>


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