3 Rules for Building an Online Community. If building a customer community for an organization were like planning a wedding and inviting guests, customer communities often are the second cousin who’s invited only when slots open up on the attendee list. But take it from me (I’m in the middle of planning my own wedding), they really should be a guest of honor.
The Importance of Building a Customer Community Many companies see communities as a ‘nice-to-have’ and not as critical to the organization as sales and marketing, but the reality is that a customer community is a critical direct line to your customers and has the power to build your brand with your most powerful advocates. 2016 is the age of the customer, as the market moves at a speed not yet seen before, driven by customers’ high expectations for personalization of their journey. During the last few months, I’ve researched and planned for the 2016 execution of an online community for Invoca. 1. 2. 3. Ready, Set, Plan. Perpetual Traffic by Digital Marketer | Paid Traffic | Online Marketing | Digital Marketing by Keith Krance, Ralph Burns (Dominate Web Media), & Molly Pittman (Digital Marketer) talk Paid Traffic & Digital Marketing.
How to Raise a Ton of Money on Kickstarter and Make It Look Really Easy. Understanding the Analytics behind Google Adwords. How to Setup the Ecommerce Reporting in Google Tag Manager. Wondering how to setup ecommerce reporting in Google Tag Manager? Getting your ecommerce data to report in Google Analytics can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be if you use Google Tag Manager. Especially if you have an ecommerce platform or cart system that does not readily integrate with Google Analytics. In our case, we use Infusionsoft which does not have a direct integration with Google Analytics.
We had to purchase and use a WordPress plugin to get our ecommerce data to report. Of course, you can always do custom scripts such as API calls, but that would take a certain level of technical knowhow to accomplish and this is probably ideal if you have an in-house, on-call developer (which most of us don’t). Here is where Google Tag Manager saves the day — with the use of the data layer. What Is A Data Layer? IMPORTANT! 1. You will see later on why we enumerated these criteria as we go through the step by step of the setup process. ONE MORE THING! Setting Up The Data Layer Push Tag Step 1.
12 Sites That Will Teach You Coding for Free. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. There was a time when knowing how to program was for the geekiest of geeks. That's not exactly the case today. As most entrepreneurs, freelancers and marketers will tell you, learning how to program can help you succeed. Over the past year, I've been learning to code. It's helped me to become a much better entrepreneur: I can dive in, for instance, when my team needs to fix a few bugs on the site. You don't even need to shell out a ton of money or put yourself in debt to learn how to code, either. 1.
One of the most popular free places to learn coding is Codeacademy. Related: Want to Take Your Business to the Next Level? 2. Founded in 2012, Coursera has grown into a major for-profit educational-technology company that has offered more than 1,000 courses from 119 institutions. 3. edX EdX is another leading online-learning platform that is open source instead of for-profit. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Are FTC native ad guidelines the first step toward regulation? By design, native advertisements are largely indistinguishable from editorial content. But because of that, they can also confuse readers -- and they do.
Research from Grady College in Georgia published in December in the Journal of Advertising found that consumers couldn’t tell the difference between native ads and editorial content. In fact, in one experiment that involved subjects reading a native ad followed by an actual news story, less than 8% were able to identify the native advertisement as a paid content. To provide some clarity on how native ads should be presented, and to help protect consumers from more confusion about what is, and isn’t, paid content, the Federal Trade Commission released new guidelines for advertisers and publishers late last year with its “Native Advertising: A Guide for Business.” Too much clarity? Weltman said, “We (the IAB) have reservations about some elements of the commission’s guidance. Is the FTC putting teeth behind the guidelines? Getting Started in Social Media Series, Part One: Twitter - The Social Media Hat. 33 Free Social Media Marketing Tools for Small Businesses.
Small business owners may find it challenging navigating through the fast-paced world of social media. Their resources are valuable and they don't want to waste any of it. Here's a list of free social media tools that will save them both time and money. Headline Analyzers #1. Headline Analyzer: This free tools allows you to analyze how effective your ad will be at reaching customers in an emotional way. The analyzer will determine which of the following emotions will be impacted the most: intellectual, empathetic or spiritual. #2. . #3. Content Tools #4. . #5. . #6. . #7. Editorial Calendars #8. . #9. . #10. Image Editors #11. . #12. . #13. . #14. imgflip Meme Generator: Choose from thousands of prepopulated images. Video Editors #15. . #16. . #17. . #18. Ad Generators #19. . #20. Tracking and Analyzing #21.
. #22. . #23. . #24. Social Media Management #25. . #26. . #27. . #28. . #29. Stock Images and Videos #30. . #31.Unsplash: Choose from thousands of free high-resolution photos. . #32. . #33. Pebble and the Smartest Marketing Decision of 2015, Yet. Have you heard about Pebble? In case you haven’t, Pebble is the Smartwatch company which is currently disrupting the (smart-) watch industry. Yep, they are competing directly with Apple. But they started doing this three years ago. 12 days ago they launched a crowdfunding campaign for their latest model – the Pebble Time. In just 48 hours, the Pebble Time broke Kickstarter records – reaching 10 million in pledges in less than 48 hours.
Today the campaign has reached more than 17 million. That’s 17 million in sales before a single unit has even been shipped. Now, Kickstarter might sound like a strange platform for a company that doesn’t have any monetary problems and which has already a very successful predecessor of this next model in the market. But there is more to the story. How Pebble Was First Launched 3 years ago, Pebble wasn’t the successful company that it is today. Their project goal on Kickstarter was… conservative: 100,000$. The Situation Today for Pebble. 12 Tools to Help You Optimize Your Social Media Marketing Results. Should SEOs Only Care About DIRECT Ranking Signals in Google? Website Data Analysis Tools for 2016. Gathering data from your website is not just busy work, it’s important work that you need to do in order to ensure that you’re doing the best that you can to bring in the most targeted traffic to your website.
Studying the information, you gather and then analyzing it to ensure that you make the best choices is important for your success. Moz.com If you’re serious about search marketing and want to boost your visibility online, you can use all the SEO tools they offer at Moz.com. You can use their pro, local or content version to help you not only learn valuable information but also to understand how to use that information once you have it. SEMrush.com See your competitors’ best keywords, find new competitors, and see how domains change in ranking over time based on their activity. Maptive.com Take raw data, an address list and other information and turn it into an informative Google Map that will help you make great decisions about sales and marketing. QuillEngage.com Google Analytics. 10 Free Website Usability Tools to Improve Your Customer Experience. Join us in a city near you at Entrepreneur’s Accelerate Your Business event series kicking off Feb 23. View cities and dates » Usability is a crucial part of running a successful website.
Broken links, bad contrast, text blocks, over-complicated designs, technical clutter . . . these can spell death for both website traffic and sales conversions. The good news, however, is that these issues are enough of a problem that hundreds of tools now exist to assist with the process of properly testing a website. Related: Stop Being Such a Tight Wad. While certain process are worth putting money and effort into (for example, hiring testers to do a thorough check and recheck, and to do proper split testing), some things can be handled for free. Here are ten useful tools to get you started. 1. Always be there when your user needs you: WhatFix allows you to create interactive flows explaining any part of your site: You can create multiple flows and use them as the non-intrusive widget. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
The ultimate guide to creating the perfect social media calendar. Social media is hard! And building an audience even harder! (We even wrote about it!) Hard does not mean impossible and it certainly doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have fun along the way nor try and make the process as painless as possible. That’s where a social media calendar comes in… I know you weren’t expecting that! Well ok maybe it’s not the answer to everything, but it can certainly help you get a better handle on things and remove some of the stress from sharing. We already shared ways to develop your sharing schedule and I would like to build on that article to focus here on creating a social media calendar. A social media calendar can help you visualize all your planned posts for the next weeks or months ahead. Let’s take a look at how to make it happen! Preparing your Social Media Calendar Step 1: Categories The types of posts you share can include for example: You can get as broad or narrow with these as needed for your content.
Step 2: Categories Placement Step 4: Special Events. How to Monetize a Fashion Blog — blog ambitions. 101 Time Management Strategies For Marketers. As content marketers and bloggers, we all feel like we could use some better time management strategies from time to time. In fact, one of the biggest takeaways we learned from our 2016 Better Marketer Survey is that our readers are short on time. As we dug deeper into the data, it wasn’t hard to see why.
Most of our audience is working alone or with a small team, and usually without all the resources required to create all the content they need. The majority of respondents are also fairly new to content marketing and blogging, with 63% reporting they have two years of experience or less. Put that all together, and it sounds like a recipe for burnout. Get Your Free Time Management Strategies Checklist! If you’re feeling overwhelmed, however, there are ways you can get in control to tilt the odds for success back into your favor. Here are 101 marketing time management strategies to help you better manage your time, work more efficiently, and get back in control of your content. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 startups that used crowdfunding to grab headlines | Articles | Home. Many entrepreneurs raising money through crowdsourcing sites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo think in terms of launching the campaign, generating lots of press and then hoping the press gets people to sign up and fund the campaign.
There’s nothing wrong with this strategy, but smart startups take it a step further and leverage their fundraising success as a PR event in and of itself. Not only can this impact the crowdfunding campaign itself, but it also sets the stage for securing sales outside of crowdfunding as well as follow-on investment funding. Here’s how five startups took advantage of their crowdfunding success to generate PR buzz with major media outlets: 1. LIV Swiss Watches LIV Swiss Watches is an independent boutique style watch brand. “We pre-sold 500 watches during our campaign,” says Esti Chazanow, LIV's co-founder and brand manager. Media coverage in major outlets soon followed. Related: How to Choose the Right Crowdfunding Model for Your Business 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. Keeping WordPress Secure - The Complete Guide to WP Security. Like most website owners, security was never top of my priorities. It was only when one of my websites was hacked that I realized how common it was for websites to be compromised by malicious parties.
As the most popular web publishing platform on the internet (by a large margin), WordPress is a popular target for hackers and spammers. WordPress is known for being one of the most user-friendly website platforms available online, but out of the box WordPress is terribly vulnerable to attacks. According to WP White Security, more than 70% of WordPress installations are vulnerable to hacker attacks and the total number of hacked WordPress websites in 2012 was a whopping 170,000. This figure is growing every year. You may be wondering why anyone would want to attack your website, particularly if you have a low traffic website; however the vast majority of hackers are not looking to steal your data or delete important files.
I experienced this myself last year. Important Installation Settings. Keeping WordPress Secure - The Complete Guide to WP Security. Master Unbounce in 30 Minutes | Unbounce Academy. Episode 30: Ad Targeting: A B2B & B2C Case Study. On this episode of the Perpetual Traffic podcast, the PT experts will walk through two examples of ad targeting in action. Whether you’re selling business to consumer or business to business — you’ll learn to find and place your ads in front of hungry prospects. Also, we’ve just crossed 300,000 downloads on iTunes. Thank you to all of our Perpetual Traffic listeners! The Ad Targeting Checklist (No matter what you are selling, you’re sure to find your prospects when you complete this checklist)The “top ______” fill-in-the-blank trick you’ll use to find the right interests to target for your offer.How to use “Dog Whistle” call-outs and Facebook Flex Targeting to target smaller (more lucrative) segments of a broad audience.
Episode 08 – Ad Targeting: Put Your Offer In Front of the Right PeopleEpisode 28 – 7 Ways to Grow Local Businesses Using Paid TrafficEpisode 22 – Create these 4 Facebook Custom Audiences First Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us this week. The Ultimate Guide To eCommerce Email Marketing. I’ll start this post with a warning. This is a whopping 15,000+ word guide to eCommerce email marketing. Before you continue, bookmark this page now because you’ll want to return to it later. Part 1 – The Tools of an eCommerce Email Marketing Strategy (Published December 9th, 2015) Part 2 – eCommerce Email Marketing Campaign Roadmap – Stage 1 (Published January 19th, 2016) Part 3 – eCommerce Email Marketing Campaign Roadmap – Stage 2 (Published February 2nd, 2016) Part 4 – How eCommerce Companies Like Amazon, Bonobos and Envelopes.com Drive Millions With Email Marketing (Published March 24th, 2016) Imagine having email campaigns that trigger automatically — based on how someone interacts with your company and your website.
These “automated” campaigns then go out to do your bidding… …they drive a predictable stream of sales, every day of every week of every year. And that’s just the automated side of things. Regular promotionsSegmented blastsReengagement campaigns So let’s get into it, but first… How to Succeed in Baidu Mobile SEO | Dragon Metrics. By Ian Lau | February 5, 2016 Mobile search has been on the rise for quite some time, and nearly all major search engines take into consideration mobile-friendliness as a sizable ranking factor.
If your site is not properly optimized for mobile search engines, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity for organic traffic. With the launch of Baidu mobile rank tracking in Dragon Metrics this week, we thought it’d be a great time to provide an in-depth look at how to create mobile-friendly websites and optimize content for the best mobile user experience. While this article is written for Baidu Mobile SEO, many concepts presented are applicable to optimizing your site for any mobile search engine. Let’s dive right in! Why Optimize Your Site for Baidu Mobile SEO? Massive Opportunity Size Just as the growth in mobile search has impacted Google SEO, mobile search in China is growing at an even faster rate.
Increase Mobile Organic Ranking and Indexation Here’s an example of transcoding in action: SEO Tools: The Complete List (153 Free and Paid Tools) How to Cite Sources & Not Steal People's Content on the Internet. MarketHub - Premium Twitter Lead Generation Platform. How to Use the Power of 'Social Proof' to Attract Customers. How to Start a Business Blog: Seven Essentials for Success. Keeping WordPress Secure - The Complete Guide to WP Security. The Marriage Between Conversion Optimization & SEO. 23 Ways to Build Colossal Pre-Launch Product Buzz. Keeping WordPress Secure - The Complete Guide to WP Security. 10 Free Website Usability Tools to Improve Your Customer Experience.
How to Uncover Critical Content Marketing Insights Using Google Analytics. Ultimate Guide to Facebook’s Business Manager. 7 Questions for Determining the Right Burn Rate for Your Startup. 23 Ways to Build Colossal Pre-Launch Product Buzz. 10 Life Changing Books for Any Entrepreneur. Vytmin. You Need To Visit These 20 Websites If You Want To Learn New Skills. 25 Free Online Courses To Equip You With Valuable Skills. 25 Free Online Courses To Equip You With Valuable Skills. How to Curate a Roundup Blog Post of Industry Influencers : Social Media Examiner. Get your FREE copy of Booked! Lifehack. How to Use Hashtags on Instagram to Grow Your Reach : Social Media Examiner.
Learn more about Paper.li. Kit. 100 Podcasts That Will Make You Smarter, Better, and Wiser. How to Assess and Improve Your Social Media Marketing: A Monthly Plan : Social Media Examiner. The 5 Most Damaging Marketing Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make. How To Build A 5 Million Dollar Agency. Launching on Social Media: A Timeline for Business Owners : Social Media Examiner. Launching on Social Media: A Timeline for Business Owners : Social Media Examiner. How to Use Pinterest Analytics to Improve Your Marketing : Social Media Examiner. Business - Microloans. How to Find Content for Your Social Media Calendar.
The 25 Best Email Marketing Apps to Send Drip Campaigns - The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing Apps. Preparing a business profile - Department of Business. 7 Tips & Tools for Graphic and Magazine Design. 4 Ways to Finally Have a Successful Social Media Marketing Plan in 2016. The ins and outs of running a social media campaign. 6 Experts’ Secrets to Public Speaking for Authors | Hurdlr Blog. Online Payment Solution | Offer Installment Plans to Customers. 15 Tools to Create Automation in Your Small Business. 15 Tools to Create Automation in Your Small Business. Join Us – Infolinks. FanBread - A Home For Your Brand. 9 Productivity Tools for Social Media Marketers : Social Media Examiner. 23 Tools and Tips for Social Media Marketers : Social Media Examiner.
Ww-ga-view-lm — Seriously Simple Marketing. The Roadmap for Creating Share-Worthy Content with Massive Distribution. Why Does SEO Take So Long? - Search Engine Journal. Skills to Put on a Resume | 6 Trending Digital Marketing Skills. RELAY. Photo editor online - Pixlr.com. Recite.com - Create beautiful visual quotes as images. Facebook Conversion Pixel Changes: What Marketers Need to Know : Social Media Examiner. How Personalization & Automation Can Boost Email Conversions.
How to Post Curated Content Across Multiple Social Platforms : Social Media Examiner. Social Media Management Plans & Pricing. How To Promote Your Blog With 105 Blog Promotion Tactics. How to Set Up HootSuite Tabs and Streams. Jumpstart Your Email List. Episode 30: Ad Targeting: A B2B & B2C Case Study. The Ultimate Guide To eCommerce Email Marketing. #SEJThinkTank: 4 Stages of Link Building w/ Page One Power. Webinar 101: Using Webinars to Build Your Brand.
Backlinks.com - Buy & Sell Quality Backlinks. 11 Must Read eBooks to Get Content Marketing Smart for 2014. Resources. Pricing by data consumption | Linkdex (US) Content is a Verb: A Challenge for Freelance Writers.
The Complete Guide to Building a Successful YouTube Channel.