HNG BLOGG

Research estimates that 80% of new leads will never result in sales, and companies that excel at lead nurturing will generate 50% more revenue with 33% less cost. How well are you nurturing your leads? 

When we think about lead nurturing, the first things that come to mind are to be friendly to your leads and answer their questions. However, implementing a campaign that makes people want to convert takes much more thought and creativity. How can you connect and engage with consumers and convince them you’re the solution to their problems? That’s where the marketing funnel can help.

The marketing funnel is a model that shows you how to appeal to consumers as they travel through the customer journey. It includes several stages designed to build brand awareness, engage with audiences, and ultimately lead to customer conversions. As consumers enter each step of the marketing funnel, marketers try to capture as many leads as possible to create a loyal customer base.

Successful marketing strategies cater to all funnel stages to reach users. Understanding each stage of the funnel helps you create individual touchpoints and appropriately interact with your audience wherever they are in the customer journey. Below are the marketing funnel stages and each stage’s goals.

Awareness is the first and most crucial stage of the marketing funnel since it’s where customers first get to know your brand. The awareness stage encourages interaction and engagement. In this stage, leads are drawn in for further nurturing in the rest of the funnel. 

The critical question during this stage is how will you attract your audience? How do you get your content out to them? You can build brand awareness through content like blog posts, social media posts, and infographics. Webinars, special events, and advertising can also attract the right audience. 

The main goals of the awareness stage include

After becoming aware of your brand, people move on to the interest and research stage. In this stage, they spend time researching and learning more about the company, its products or services, and any other helpful information the company shares. Companies now have the opportunity to develop a relationship with their new audience through classes, emails, and newsletters. 

People want to learn more about your brand during the interest stage. They want to know how your products or services can benefit them. The interest stage should focus on building trust with your leads. 

The main goals of the interest and research stage include

During the consideration stage, leads are now seen as potential customers. Leads that reach this stage are interested in your brand and ready to choose you over competitors. At this stage, keeping the relationship going and guiding them to make a purchase is essential. Producing targeted content and having meaningful interactions can help you nurture the relationship. This is also an excellent time to offer free trials and case studies.

As part of this stage, it’s crucial to clearly demonstrate the differences between your brand and competing brands. What makes you stand out from the competition? How can your offerings better suit the needs of your potential customers? Automated emails offering more information about products and offers can encourage potential customers to purchase from your company. 

The main goals of the consideration stage include

The purchase stage is where prospects make their buying decision and become customers. During this stage, the most crucial goal is positioning your brand at the top of prospects’ minds. Demonstrate how you can solve prospects’ needs and how to choose the right products or services to meet those needs. 

By this point, prospects have learned a great deal about your brand and feel confident in making a purchase. Make the purchase process as straightforward as possible. Ensure they know how to complete a purchase on your website or who to contact about a consultation. Include clear calls to action to direct people where they need to go to complete their purchase. 

The main goals of the purchase stage include

Companies that spend time nurturing their lead relationships have a better chance of converting those leads into actual customers. The marketing funnel helps companies shift their strategies throughout the customer journey to target the right audiences and appropriately nurture their leads. Other benefits of the funnel include

It’s common for brands to flip the funnel after a purchase is made. This flip, commonly known as the customer experience funnel, defines the process for turning customers into brand advocates. Creating brand advocates can refuel the marketing funnel through awareness and referral. The stages of the customer experience funnel are outlined below. 

Once a customer has made a purchase, the next step is to convince them to return. Continue to nurture customer relationships through interactions and follow-ups after the purchase to prove to them why it’s worth returning.

Customers develop a preference for a company during the customer loyalty stage and begin to identify with the brand. Building a personal connection is essential during this stage. The best way to build this connection is to develop a brand community, regularly engage with customers, and provide any needed support. 

Customers loyal to a brand are more likely to refer them to others. They may suggest your brand or products when asked for recommendations or share the word of your business with friends and family. 

Loyal customers have the potential to become brand advocates. They may write positive reviews about your brand or products or share your products on social media, which can generate more leads. 

A recommendation from an outside source unaffiliated with the brand can influence prospects. To better support advocates, companies can build their communities, ask advocates to take part in case studies, and engage with them on social media.

The main goals of the customer experience funnel are to increase the number of purchases and encourage more awareness and referrals to fuel a new marketing funnel. 

When people are ready to make a purchase, they’re more likely to choose a company they’re more familiar with. The more people know about your brand, the more likely they will convert into customers. Therefore, understanding your brand and how it fits into a marketing funnel is essential for success. 

If you’re struggling to determine how to cater to consumers throughout the marketing funnel, Avalaunch Media® can help. We launch brands to their highest potential by walking them through specific marketing strategies and creating content that appeals to their audience. Visit our website to learn more about how we can help you navigate through every marketing funnel stage. 

Time management is a skill that can make or break your career. However, people aren’t born productive. If you don’t feel like you’re skilled in this area, the good news is that time management isn’t a talent — it’s a skill you can develop. We have some tips to help you learn about it and start utilizing it moving forward.

Learning to be good at time management can make your life easier in the long run in so many ways. Effective time management can reduce stress, give you more opportunities at work, and enhance your ability to achieve goals. Once you experience the benefits of this skill, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to learn it!

You need to manage your time effectively in every aspect of life to reach your full potential. Although your work-life balance makes it seem like your job and the rest of your life should be separate, one always affects the other. Both are elevated when you learn to manage your time effectively.

No matter your job or how much you work, you’re bound to experience stress. At least a portion of that stress is probably due to a lack of scheduling and managing your time. When you learn to set goals and prioritize tasks, you are more likely to reduce stress and enjoy work more. 

Seeing your to-do list in real-time and blocking time to finish tasks can help you breathe a little easier and use your time more effectively. Be in charge of your schedule instead of letting your schedule be in charge of you. More than almost anything else, this will help relieve stress at work.

Creating a list of everything you need to do and scheduling time to do those things may help you realize that you have more time to accomplish your goals than you thought. It helps to write out your entire day and what you need to do at any given time.

The act of time blocking can help focus more deeply and finish your tasks faster — and with greater success. You can block out distractions because you know exactly what you should be doing at specific times. 

When you have more time, you may find yourself with more opportunities. These opportunities could be at work, in your personal life, or even both. You can grow and excel in your career when you know how to manage your time well. 

Your supervisors will start to notice that you are managing your time effectively, and they might start offering you more opportunities and chances to further your career and your goals. Being able to meet deadlines with aplomb once you know how to manage your time will show others that you are capable and responsible enough to take on other responsibilities and projects. 

Whatever goals you want to achieve in your life, effective time management can help you get there. You won’t be scrambling to find time to work on your own projects because you’re overwhelmed by deadlines and work projects. After learning how to manage your time with schedules, to-do lists, time blocking, etc., you’ll be able to start adding your own goals, both short- and long-term, into your life and shooting for the stars. 

Time management skills take little to no innate talent to develop, so don’t give up if it takes some time to get the hang of it. Keep working at it and see the difference it can make in your life.

Now it’s time to dive into our tips for effective time management. Implementing these strategies into your work and personal life can make all the difference for you. You might find yourself with more time to do the things you want to do, and you can finish work tasks faster and with more skill without feeling overwhelmed or rushed through tasks to meet deadlines.

People in your life might notice that you excel at time management, and they’ll want to know your secrets. It’s no big secret, though. Just learn some skills and integrate them into your life to create new habits.

While any sort of goal is a move in the right direction, it’s essential to set goals correctly. Your goals need to be achievable and realistic. You should set daily, weekly, monthly, and long-term goals. All of your goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. You can then put your plans into to-do lists.

When your goals are too nebulous, they’re pretty tricky to accomplish. Solidify your plans and know what you want from your career and personal life. And remember, a goal that isn’t written down is just a wish. Write down your goals and focus on what you want to accomplish.

Once you have your goals, you must prioritize them. It can help to divide your goals into the 4 Ds of time management: Do, Defer, Delegate, and Delete. Do the most important tasks. Defer the tasks that are important but not urgent. Delegate tasks that are urgent but not necessarily important. Delete tasks that are unimportant and not urgent. 

After figuring out your tasks’ priority order, make a to-do list. Seeing your tasks physically written down keeps them at the forefront of your mind. Then you can cross them off as you accomplish them, which is good for your mental health. Just be sure to keep your list simple. If there’s too much, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged by a half-finished task list.

Setting a time limit means you have to define your tasks well to get them done within the time limit. Setting time limits helps improve your focus and encourages you to work more efficiently. If you don’t control and define your tasks, they can get on top of you and take longer than they should.

This might feel counterintuitive, but taking breaks is necessary for productivity. After each task you complete, take a break and let your brain reset. If you continually move from one task to the next, you are more likely to burn out quickly. It’s better to give yourself a rest.

Your brain cycles through rest and activity cycles. Every 90 minutes, your brain goes from higher to lower alertness levels. You’re likely using energy reserves when you keep working past 90 minutes. Even if you don’t finish your task in 90 minutes, you should at least be taking breaks that often. Let your brain rest and come back later, refreshed and ready to work hard.

Organization will look different for everyone. Find what works for you and stick with it. You can plan your week on Sunday and break down your weekly goals into smaller, daily tasks. Making your to-do list for the week will help you get your brain into ‘work mode’ and prepare for the week ahead. 

It can also be helpful to automate your emails. Most email servers allow you to assign labels and filters to send incoming emails to specific folders automatically. You can also create email templates to make repetitive emails easier to send. 

Non-essentials is another way to say distractions. In either case, these are things that keep you from being productive. Checking your email every single time there’s a notification, getting sucked into conversations with coworkers, and getting hung up on small details in an attempt to achieve perfection are all examples of non-essentials. Each of these lowers your productivity and disrupts your flow.

Batch your emails and schedule specific times to answer a couple of times a day. Most emails don’t need to be answered immediately and can wait until your designated time for emails. If you know you’re prone to get sucked into conversations, try noise-blocking headphones or work elsewhere. In theory, striving for perfection is nice, but in reality, it can destroy your productivity. Strive for done, not perfect. Perfect is the enemy of good. 

This goes back to making goals and lists. Ideally, you should plan out lists at least a day ahead, but it’s even better if you can do it at the beginning of the week and the beginning of the month. The more you’re able to plan ahead, the more likely you are to finish your tasks and achieve your goals. Use your calendar to time block your work and keep track of deadlines that you need to meet.

Visualize how your day or week will go. Take a moment to close your eyes and see your day or week playing out exactly right. When you have that vision in your mind, you’ll have a greater drive to manage your time efficiently. While you’re making your plans, try to allow for buffers. Schedule to be finished with a task at least a day early, if possible. Then, you don’t have to scramble to meet deadlines if something comes up.

Poor time management can lead to some of your biggest problems at work. Successful time management can solve a lot of problems. If you struggle with it, you can experience poor workflow, wasted time, and loss of productivity and control over your day. All of these lead to lower job performance and satisfaction.

Beyond the lower job satisfaction, poor time management can also lead to decreased happiness in your life outside of work. When you’re missing deadlines at work, you might have to do more work on your own time and have less time to pursue your personal interests and goals. 

Your workflow suffers when you don’t use your time efficiently. When this happens, you’re more likely to be overwhelmed by your workload and miss deadlines. If you’re always frantically looking for the time you need to finish tasks, you add a lot of unnecessary stress to your job and your life. 

Workflow is one of the most significant indicators of your productivity in the workplace. If your workflow doesn’t look good, you don’t look good as a professional. Poor workflow can also make you appear unprofessional and unproductive to your supervisors. They might start trusting you less or overlook you for possible promotions.

Time is a perishable and nonrenewable resource, and when you waste it, you can never get it back. You must respect time and implement good time management habits to make the most of such a crucial aspect of life. When you don’t know how to manage your time well, you’re likely to just waste a lot of time instead of using it wisely to achieve your goals.

When you get everything done at work in a reasonable amount of time, you have the freedom to use what’s left for your personal goals. Otherwise, you’ll be left to wonder where the time went and why you don’t have enough bandwidth to do the things you need and want to do. It can also lead to misery and dissatisfaction in your life.

Eventually, a lack of effective time management can launch you into a state of panic and pandemonium. You can experience burnout and work imbalance. This loss of control can take a toll on your mental and sometimes physical health. You want to be conscious of where your time is going and how to use that time to best benefit you.

If you’re not in control of your own schedule, who is? Do you really want someone else to be in control of your time? Your answer is probably a resounding no. In that case, it’s probably time to implement some of the time management tips discussed above.

Time management allows people to do more work well in less time. While it’s true that everyone has 24 hours in the day, people who know and practice the techniques for managing those hours optimally can accomplish more than people who don’t. Time is too precious a resource to waste, so don’t spend it doing something that doesn’t add value to your life.

Did any of these tips resonate with you? What strategies do you use to manage your time correctly? Find the habits that work best for you, and run with them. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish when managing your time effectively.

Your marketing says a lot about your company, so it’s essential to execute your marketing plans in a strategic way. When developing these strategies, your company will have to decide whether to use an in-house marketing team or outsource to a marketing agency. 

There are pros and cons to both marketing options; in-house marketing allows for better control over your marketing strategy, but a marketing agency will give you access to a broader range of marketing talents. To help you make the best decisions for your company, we’ve compiled a list of pros and cons for both in-house marketing and marketing agencies. Using this information, you can make an informed decision and choose how to move forward with your marketing strategy.

In-house marketing is when you utilize the people within your company or hire new in-house employees for the specific purpose of running your marketing. It involves building an internal team to create, manage, and maintain your marketing strategy — and very little, if anything, is outsourced to another company. 

With in-house marketing, you can have more control over things like content creation, task management, payroll, etc. An in-house marketing team only markets its own brand and therefore has specialized knowledge, but talents in an internal marketing department aren’t quite as diverse. When your entire marketing team is within your company, it’s easy to control projects from start to finish. It’s also easier to maintain the quality of your marketing implementation, as well as rearrange priorities and take on tasks that need a quick turnaround time. 

Agency marketing involves outsourcing your marketing needs. A marketing agency takes on clients and can handle every aspect of their campaigns, including email automation, social media, blog posts, website content, etc. In this case, your own employees do very little by way of marketing. This way, you don’t have to worry about hiring employees to fill marketing roles and can instead have an external group handle all of it. 

With agency marketing, you get access to expertise you might not have otherwise. Agencies hire employees that are experts in their respective fields. While choosing to go with an agency for your marketing means that you might have to wait for the work to be done, you can rest assured they know what they’re doing — and you won’t need to find employees to cover your advertising.

What’s more, the diversity you’ll be able to find in the talent pool of a marketing agency is unparalleled. You will also get to access software and technology that is relevant to your needs but could be expensive for your company to acquire. This helps your marketing campaign get in front of your target audience more quickly and efficiently.

Choosing to do all your marketing in-house has pros and cons. It’s easier to keep everything organized and together when all of your marketing needs are kept in one place and within your company. But marketing requires full-time attention, which can be a big lift for your employees. It can sometimes be too much if you don’t have a large in-house team or if your team doesn’t have the expertise needed to succeed. 

In-house marketing means every team member is focused on your business and only your business. If your in-house team is on top of things, they can quickly get projects done. Since agencies take on multiple clients at once, the workflow speed can be affected.

Communication is vital to successful project management, and collaboration is crucial for teamwork. When everyone is a part of the same company, already uses the same tools, and has the same company knowledge, it can make for simpler marketing management. The team can work on project goals and expectations together with fewer bottlenecks.  

Data security is easier to achieve when you don’t have to share it with a third party. With an in-house marketing team, you can limit the accessibility of your data to those who need it while making it easier for the appropriate individuals to access it when necessary.

Since an agency usually has multiple clients, they have to learn to brand in several different voices, and there may be a number of people working on your messaging at once. This can sometimes affect the cohesiveness of your voice. Having an in-house marketing team means you have complete control over the tone of your marketing assets and the way your brand is presented. In-house marketers will also have a more sound knowledge of your industry, products, and services while an agency will require time to learn about them.

On the other hand, keeping your marketing in-house limits your resources. If your company is smaller, you’ll only have a small marketing team, which means you have limited skill sets available to you. Big companies can have larger marketing teams, which can require breaking the team into smaller groups for easier management, slowing down communication. Hiring a marketing agency can prevent this issue and often cut costs as well.

When your entire marketing team is internal and plans are only circulated through the company, it can sometimes be challenging to see the forest for the trees. Your ideas and strategies are created in an echo chamber, and suggestions can be limited. An outside perspective can help with this issue. A marketing agency will share suggestions and raise reservations about your plans, which can make your projects more successful.

A marketing agency can bring in years of experience while an in-house team has only as much expertise as your employees have. Having an agency on your side brings in more expertise and unique contributions that can optimize your marketing efforts.

There are plenty of perks to outsourcing your marketing efforts to an agency. Doing so frees up your employees to work on other tasks and projects and gives you access to industry professionals and specialists you wouldn’t have otherwise. You can use their expertise to further your company’s marketing goals. In this age of technology, you can outsource your marketing needs to the best in the business, no matter where they are.

When your marketing plans have only been reviewed by your in-house team, it’s easy to miss gaps in your strategy. Ideas can get stale when they’ve been suggested and reviewed repeatedly. Hiring a marketing agency allows you to collaborate with marketing experts who know your industry inside and out and can bring in new ideas and fresh eyes.

Marketing agencies hire people who are experts in their fields, and that expertise can be hard to match with an internal marketing team. Your company benefits from this deep industry knowledge when you hire agencies with successful track records. An agency also has a broader range of skill sets because they hire people specifically for SEO, social media management, content writing, paid advertising, and more.

A marketing agency can provide you with knowledge and support in specialized topics, meaning your team doesn’t have to scramble to learn niche information that an agency already knows. In turn, your team can concentrate on the tasks that fall within their area of expertise. This means your own team doesn’t need to worry about it and can focus more on productive tasks and provide greater flexibility. 

Agencies have also cultivated and carefully curated creative tools over years of experience. Whatever task you throw at them, they have someone suited to take it on. The way an agency is set up makes it easier for employees to be creative and explore different options to best succeed at a task.

As we’ve mentioned, marketing agencies often serve several clients at once, and they have to prioritize their work to keep on top of everything. Because of this, communication can sometimes be slow. Prompt communication is more accessible when your team is in-house, mainly because many agencies use phone or email to communicate with their clients. Phone calls can be inconvenient when they happen regularly, and email can be a slower form of communication.

Collaboration can also be slower with a marketing agency if no processes exist. The back-and-forth communication can slow the process down, affecting your bottom line if you’re not careful.

For an agency to provide you with the content you want, they need you to clearly communicate your goals. This often means getting a detailed brief to them for each task you need them to do. Creating a brief can be time-consuming and tedious without a system in place. An in-house marketing team would probably need fewer details because they already know the company’s necessary goals and tasks.

Because you want to keep your data safe, the data access you can give an agency is sometimes limited, meaning an agency may have to make decisions with limited information. Making a blind decision can affect your marketing efficiency and lower conversion rates.

If your company has a reasonable marketing budget but only has limited resources for an internal marketing team, then a hybrid marketing model might be a good option for you. This model uses a combination of in-house and agency marketing to reach your goals. If you do it correctly, hybrid marketing can be as effective as the exclusive use of in-house or agency marketing. 

With a hybrid marketing model, you have an in-house marketing team to handle the tasks that need to be done quickly and an agency to provide their expertise and experience in long-term goals. For a hybrid model to work best, you must ensure clear roles and expectations for your in-house team and the agency. Both sides of the coin complement each other to create an effective marketing strategy. 

If you choose to use a hybrid marketing strategy, you can make data-driven decisions without giving private information to a third party. This means that your data is safer and can still be used to make decisions that will benefit your business and clients.

You’ll also have access to available experts through an agency, but you don’t have to convince them to join your own company to get their expertise. When internal and external perspectives are taken into account, you will be able to get more points of view and brainstorm more effectively.

Many agencies have effective but expensive software. Hybrid marketing allows you to utilize this software without finding it or paying for it yourself. The agency side of your marketing team can use that software to find out how to elevate your business, and the in-house side can put those ideas into effect.

As with any business choice, you must set clear expectations with your in-house team and the agency. If you don’t have specific jobs for everyone involved, you might find that more than one person is doing the same job. In that case, you’ll be paying for the same work multiple times. 

Hybrid marketing tends to cost more. You have to pay both your in-house marketing team and the agency you’re using. Your in-house team could work on client-facing tasks while the agency works on your online presence. Before you choose hybrid marketing, you need to be sure that you have the budget for it. 

Regardless of the marketing model you decide to implement, some factors are necessary for all of them. You need to have clear processes in place, increase transparency, and enforce clear communication. To develop an effective marketing model, you also must establish good contact, ask for regular feedback, use the right tools, and implement effective collaboration techniques.

Having transparent processes in place ensures everyone involved is on the same page. Set up a workflow structure that outlines how tasks are assigned, finished, delivered, reviewed, edited, and approved. Consider the timeframe to complete projects and who should assign tasks and check them when they’re finished. 

Your employees are likely to be more productive when transparency is high. Transparency increases trust and improves relationships within your organization and between employees. Keep relevant information in an easily accessible place where all collaborators can find it and track how tasks are being completed. It would also serve you well to have regular meetings and even group activities to help your teams connect on a personal level.

Standard communication isn’t enough with projects like this — you need to encourage direct and effective correspondence. It can be helpful to set up a communication plan to make it easier for your team to converse with each other. Direct contact provides guidance, corrections, and other communications that should be private. Effective communication with clients is also essential, as it sets everyone up for success.

Be consistent and transparent in conversations with your contacts. This goes along with the communication mentioned earlier. Whether you’re working in-house or with an agency, the better your contact, the better you can build a strong relationship. You don’t want any gaps in communication because important tasks can start to slip through those gaps.

Regular feedback is one of the best ways to improve the quality of your marketing model. You should be asking for input from both your internal and external marketing experts. Everyone wants to feel like their opinions are appreciated, so be sure to consider all the feedback you receive.

Integrate effective communication software tools to keep in touch with everyone involved in your marketing strategy. Many options are available that allow for intercommunication while also storing pertinent files. Using the valuable features of the right tools helps your team converse in real-time. 

Many teams find that communication software such as Slack, Google Chats, Discord, and the like are helpful tools. Emails allow for a lot of information to be shared, but it’s not always as immediate as the aforementioned options. Google Drive also provides a space for everyone on your team to share and access information and pertinent files.

You should also encourage creativity and innovation when you’re looking for solid collaboration between team members. Employees shouldn’t have to spend a lot of time finding pertinent information and tracking down task details. Open communication, clear expectations, and specific goals set your team up for success.

Avalaunch Media® is a leader in the digital marketing industry. We work with a wide variety of client types and help them succeed in their marketing strategies. Our company has been around for over a decade, and we have the knowledge and talent to help your brand grow. Our proven strategies can help you grow your business in today’s digital marketing space. 

The Avalaunch team will walk you through every step of taking your company to the next level. We learn your business’s needs and desired outcomes inside and out and develop a framework that will take your business from start to finish. Collectively, we are passionate about marketing and providing tangible results for all of our clients, and we focus on sustainable and long-term success in marketing. 

When your company decides to use a marketing agency for your marketing needs, get the best of the best with Avalaunch Media®. Check out our website to learn more and see how we can launch your company! If you have any questions about our services, feel free to reach out. 

The year 2022 holds many new possibilities for search engine optimization (SEO). Every day, the practice of SEO continues to evolve as it becomes more complex and precise. For something that has only been around for a little over 20 years, this analytical tool has made itself invaluable to the online community. 

If you’re new to SEO, this article can serve as your guide to the latest SEO news of 2022. But before we go over that, let’s take a look at how far SEO has come. From there, we can move on to the future and possibilities of SEO. Keep reading to learn about SEO in 2022 and to see what the future of SEO holds.

To understand the latest SEO trends, you first need to understand SEO in general. SEO entered the general lexicon in 1997. At that time, Google didn’t even exist. There were other search engines, but they didn’t have the complexity or power they do today. They acted more like directories. Because no algorithms were in place, there weren’t really rules for displaying results. As companies noticed their URLs weren’t as prominent as they would have liked them to be, the idea of SEO was born.

With SEO, companies were able to vie for that top position on the search engine results page (SERP). A new method of digital marketing was born as companies sought to outrank each other online. And while SEO might not have been one of the top marketing strategies in the late 90s, it’s definitely made itself a priority since then. By implementing SEO best practices, you can attract more attention to your business, generate more traffic, and benefit from increased recognition and sales.

SEO is no longer a simple directory of available services and products. Today, SEO strategies can make or break businesses looking to make their mark in their chosen industry. Whether you’ve been using SEO and are interested in learning what’s new with SEO in 2022 or you’re brand new to this marketing strategy, here’s what you need to know about Google’s algorithm updates for 2022.

As Google updates its technology, SEO gets more precise — and with each update, quality content across your blog, website, and SERP meta descriptions becomes increasingly important. It’s essential to make sure your keywords, H1s, and content are all correlated so customers understand what services you offer. When people find content about the topic they’ve searched for, it keeps them engaged and active on your website.

Google also updates its analytic software — for example, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) — so you can take advantage of even more data. This data can be personalized to provide accurate results relating to your organization’s goals and metrics. By analyzing these accurate assessments, you can take stock of how well your website is performing and make necessary tweaks to increase your website’s performance.

Just because you can find a way to repetitively use keywords to keyword stuff your page doesn’t mean you should; this antiquated practice is no longer beneficial and may even incur a penalty, as it violates the SERP rules. With more precise algorithm updates comes the need for better website optimization. Optimizing your website means ensuring each page is well-written, informative, free of duplicate content and repetition, and spurs the reader to action. Be sure to include all the critical points for top SEO performance — keywords, link building, original content, and working pages in moderation. Google will recognize your website as being well-optimized and reward you with higher SERP rankings.

As Google updates its algorithms and new SEO trends debut, they all have something in common — relevance. Google now works overtime to improve your search engine experience. This means matching information based on previous searches, page visits, and more. Suggesting pages and results combined with relevant search terms provides web readers, consumers, and customers with a more relevant and rewarding search experience. Consumers get more personalized search results, and corporations can get more relevant information.

While accuracy, optimization, and relevance are the SEO trifecta, many additional features contribute to an improved SEO experience. Here are some of the current SEO trends for 2022 that we expect to be around for a while:

To capitalize on these trends, write quality long-form content that answers questions, utilizes keywords, and offers a great website page experience. Google continually updates its ranking factors, so stay on top of current features and always watch for new ones.

With Google’s algorithm update earlier in 2022, things are getting more precise and fine-tuned. We can expect more accuracy, data, and top-ranking results.

Is your business getting the type of online traffic you’re expecting? Do you want to see better SERP rankings?  Are you looking to captivate more web readers and turn them into customers? All of this is possible with the help of Avalaunch Media®. We are a full-service performance marketing agency specializing in SEO. Our goal is to launch people and businesses through exceptional work quality and skilled implementation strategies. Get in touch with us to learn more about how we can help your business excel online. We’ll walk you through current SEO trends, help you learn SEO 2022 tips and tricks, and stick with you through any changes expected in the future of SEO.

Your branding is what distinguishes your business from competitors and helps people recognize you in the marketplace — and it’s essential for your success. In order for your branding to be effective, you need to be familiar with the components of bad branding. Whether branding a new company or rebranding an existing company, learning from others’ mistakes yields valuable lessons. Keep reading for examples of branding gone wrong, how to avoid rebranding fails, and what to do instead to create successful branding. 

Lousy branding is any branding that attracts the wrong kind of attention. This could look take the form of carelessly designed logos, unintentionally hidden meanings in an advertisement, or any other oversight that is obvious after the fact.

In many cases, bad branding can be worse than no branding. Without it, customers may never become aware of your brand. With bad branding, you could be sending the wrong messages and inadvertently turning potential customers in your competitors’ direction.

A poorly maintained brand has consequences. Perhaps the worst is the possibility of losing your core customer base. If your brand upkeep efforts are lazy or careless, you’ll likely lose touch with customers and see a downtick in sales, clients, and enthusiasm for new products and services. After that, if you can’t pull it back up, you could lose your entire company. Fortunately, it’s not too late to salvage a poorly maintained if you’ve been slacking as a company. We’ve listed some mistakes you can avoid and ideas you can follow through with below to successfully brand your company.

With access to the internet and information about branding gone wrong, it’s never been easier to learn about common branding mistakes and how to avoid them. We’ve identified some of the most common mistakes and why these moves could hurt your business.

Cold email campaigns are ones that target people who aren’t familiar with your brand. While these campaigns can be beneficial for exposing your brand to a new customer base, don’t make the mistake of trying to sell to them before you have established a relationship. If you do, you could be wasting your email marketing budget and end up in a spam folder.

For many consumers, Google is the end-all-be-all. You need to know how to play the Google game to stay relevant — and to do that, you need to take advantage of SEO. Research relevant keywords and the way your customer base is searching for them so that you can develop a strategy that will capitalize on these terms.

Your digital presence needs to be strong. Web design can help you reach further than you probably could otherwise; developing an impactful logo, a memorable color scheme, and an easily navigable website can help you stand out in customers’ minds and increase your chances of conversion. However, poor design choices can have the opposite effect and reflect poorly on your brand. If a customer has a negative experience on your website, they’re unlikely to try again, so you’ll lose customers.

Inconsistent branding is a quick way to kill your brand recognition. It not only makes it difficult for people to identify your business from platform to platform, but it also makes your audience think you don’t know what you’re doing or who you are. This may stir up distrust in your customers and give your company a bad reputation. You need to have a strong brand style guide and know what your company stands for so your marketing can be consistent wherever your brand appears. 

If you don’t research the target audience you’re trying to reach, you won’t know how to connect with them. Being inclusive and accessible in your designs makes it easier to form connections and win over a wide range of people.

Your customers can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. Even if you get away with ‘faking it’ for a while, there’s always a chance that your audience will find you out, and then you risk losing them. Be true to your brand and trust that your ideal customers will find you. 

It’s really easy to produce generic content — anyone can do that. Your audience wants to see what your brand is all about. Check your logo, images, brand name, and marketing materials for anything that isn’t representative of your business or unique to your company. Your customers are less likely to care about or even remember a generic brand that makes no effort to be different from everyone else.

There are plenty of companies and products out there that need rebranding. While the brands below might not be the worst examples, they could definitely benefit from some professional help. Whether it’s a company that hasn’t changed with the times or a brand that has made oversights or rebranding mistakes, their brands have a lesson to offer. Read about these companies below that could benefit from a rebrand or that have failed in their rebranding to learn what to avoid in your efforts. 

Avon used to be the epitome of convenience with their door-to-door cosmetics that gave homemakers a chance to earn extra money. But now we have online shopping, which has become more convenient than door-to-door sales. In 2014, Avon had a series of bribery suits that caused its wholesome facade to fade. This former trendsetter could probably benefit from a rebrand. 

Johnson & Johnson has had a scandal problem in the last few years. They had to recall thousands of bottles of baby powder because of traces of asbestos. Beyond that, the company has known about the asbestos problem for at least 50 years. Their family company image was hit hard, and a rebrand could help them get ahead of the scandal once the suits have been settled. 

Pepsi hasn’t positively changed its image in years. Their logo isn’t relevant to their product, and customers are noticing. They tried to rebrand in 2014 with a new logo, but it was considered a failure after the negative criticism they received. This attempt exemplifies how essential it is to get feedback from long-time customers when you decide to rebrand.

Weight Watchers is a company known for wellness around the world. When the company changed its name after 55 years, its customer base was confused. Changing the name to WW left people unsure about what they were advertising. The name change is considered a rebrand misstep, even though the company decided to keep the new name.

In 2013, Yahoo! developed a marketing campaign around rebranding its logo. It spend a month building up to its new logo, but in the end, it didn’t up being much different from the original one. This left the customer base pretty disappointed. When rebranding, try not to hype up your audience if your changes will be indistinguishable from your original branding. If there’s going to be a significant buildup, your audience will expect a reveal to match the publicity. 

Before you jump into a rebranding project, it’s important to figure out a timeline first. There’s a right and a wrong time for a rebrand, and taking that leap is a move that should be well researched and understood in advance.

Your “why” is the most critical part of a rebrand; if you haven’t yet developed an answer that justifies the time and expense of such an undertaking, take a little time to think it out. We have some suggestions on why you might want to reposition your business and rebrand. 

When you change the way you do business, it changes your brand. If your brand and mission are misaligned, that’s a great reason to reposition yourself accordingly. A well-strategized rebrand will bring your business back in line with your mission. 

Introducing a new product or service may present a good opportunity for a rebrand. Adding a new product line or service could justify a rebrand to introduce the new offering and show how it relates to your existing brand.

If your brand has recently earned a negative reputation, a rebrand can help eliminate the bad associations and give you a fresh start if you give it time and thought. Whether you’ve experienced a scandal or been called out for your business practices, you can come back from it — as long as you do it properly.

Most industries are continuously evolving in this technological age. If you notice that the new generation of consumers isn’t drawn to your brand, a rebrand could be just the ticket to getting new business and putting your company in front of fresh eyes. 

Sometimes, a rebrand may be needed simply because you’re not competitive in your industry, and your rivals are getting the better of you. That can happen even to the largest and best companies, but you can fix it. A rebrand will help your company to stand out from the crowd.

Even worse than not rebranding when necessary is suffering from rebranding failures. Here are some suggestions for avoiding the common pitfalls and mistakes that are commonly encountered when creating or rebranding a company.

You need a talented designer to make your rebrand come to life. They can use their expertise to make your brand exceptionally appealing, and they’ll be able to help you avoid design problems. It will serve you both better if you give them background information and broad ideas instead of specifics that will pin them down creatively.

You’re missing out on critical opportunities if you only involve creative teams in your rebrand. People from other departments offer insights from a different perspective and might help you catch mistakes or provide meaningful feedback.

When it comes to rebranding, it’s vital to consider your customers’ perspectives. It’s easy to find out what they want by sending out a survey to your customer base; most people will jump at the opportunity to influence their favorite brands. Try to be as inclusive as possible when getting feedback, or you’ll lose out on opportunities to hear from broader audiences.

Rebranding your company is an investment. You want to ensure that it can withstand the test of time in your industry. Use abstract imagery and a broad purpose statement rather than committing to a design that will date your company in a year or two. It’s also important to do your research so that you can expand globally in the future if that’s your hope.

It can be helpful to look at your history so you can plan your future. Knowing the history of your company will help you avoid discarded branding and keep you from repeating rebranding failures. Instead, you’ll be able to concentrate your efforts on new, quality work instead of ideas that have already been rejected.

One of the most important things to consider when rebranding is your competition. You don’t want your rebranded company to look too much like a competitor’s brand. This can make your marketing assets look generic, which you don’t want, or it can lead to trademark violations and other legal issues. Your company should stand out from the competition and draw in customers with its own flair.

Think about your brand in every context; make sure that any acronyms don’t spell out something inappropriate and that there aren’t any unfortunate rhymes or unintentional messages. Your logo should avoid unwanted images in the positive and negative space and from any direction you look at it. Look up words related to your brand in different languages and ensure there aren’t any issues.

You also need to ensure your brand doesn’t touch on social or historical issues. To prevent that, show your brand to people from different generations and cultures. Do your research before you release your new brand.

If you’re looking to rebrand but are unsure where to start, our expert marketers can help. Avalaunch Media has over a decade of experience assisting companies with their brands and successfully helping them rebrand when they need to. We’ll help you handle everything from brand messaging and content to PR and web development. 

Check out our website to learn about our services and how we can help you elevate your business. If you’re ready to launch, contact us and let us do what we do best. 

🔓 Creators Unlocked is a content series that delves into the world of creators to uncover the stories behind their social media posts.

Through in-depth interviews with various creators, the series seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the creative process and the challenges of being a content creator.

From Twitter to TikTok, the articles aim to offer insights and learnings for aspiring and established creators while also offering a glimpse into the lives of those behind the screens.

Welcome to the first installment of our new series, 🔓 Creators Unlocked, where we speak with creators to understand what it's like behind the screens of the tweets and TikToks to learn from their experiences. We are kicking off with Jayde Powell, content marketer/creator extraordinaire.

Jayde has established herself as a creator, writer, and founder, especially through her series #CreatorTeaTalk hosted through LinkedIn Audio Events every other week to a rapt 100+ audience. On top of her content series, she regularly publishes culture-forward marketing content to her combined audience of 35,000+ followers.

In this interview, we discuss all things content creation – from favorite platforms to her advice for creators on showing up authentically online.

Q: Welcome, Jayde! I’ve been following you for a long time, so it’s great to finally connect. To jump right in, what inspired you to start creating content on social media?

Content creation was a byproduct of my work and then it became the parts of my work that I love the most. I wouldn't say I was particularly inspired, I’ve just always consumed and created content. It's just how we kind of define it today that has changed.

I started my career in social media in 2013, around the time when social media marketers were just becoming a thing. That was a different time – when we had to prove the ROI of social media to the businesses and brands that we were working with. And content creation was always part of the work – copywriting, photography, throwing images and text together to make it look good.

Over time, as Instagram became very popular, I was part of the early users creating lifestyle content for the platform. Then I shifted focus to Twitter, where I was doing more marketing and pop culture-focused content. And I’ve found my voice on each platform and my content has evolved accordingly.

Q: What are your favorite tools for content creation?

I love Canva – I do everything with it. Why get specialized training to use Adobe Photoshop when there’s an easy tool right there?

I also love Splice, which I can just use on my phone, Descript for transcribing audio and adding captions, and ezgif, which is great for quickly creating and sharing GIFs. I use Notion for project management and Grammarly for writing content.

tools i use to keep my shit together as a content creator:

1️⃣ @canva
2️⃣ @splice_app
3️⃣ @DescriptApp
4️⃣ @NotionHQ
5️⃣ @Grammarly
6️⃣ @GoogleWorkspace
7️⃣ @Apple notes

Q: What are your goals for 2023, and how will you measure success?

I split my goal-setting in two: goals that align with my career and personal vision for myself, then goals related to my businesses.

My first goal is to create further delineation among all the different brands I have because they all serve different audiences. Another goal is to explore my city, Atlanta, and build community there. Finally, I'm very big on saying no to things so that I don't become stressed. So prioritizing joy is my main focus no matter what I'm doing.

Q: Do you have favorites among the different social media platforms?

My favorite platform depends on my headspace. Sometimes I'm very Twitter-focused; other times, I'm very Instagram-focused. It just depends on where I am mentally and creatively. But I find that certain aspects of each platform play a different role.

For example, LinkedIn is a space where I feel like I am actively challenging people to rethink how they use the platform. I am very informal on LinkedIn because that's how I am in real life. I always want people to know what they get if they work with me. Then there’s Instagram which allows me to be a little more creative. And I love Twitter because I can tweet quick thoughts that don't really require creativity. They each have their time and place.

Q: Speaking of LinkedIn, why did you go with LinkedIn Audio Events for #CreatorTeaTalk over similar platforms like Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces?

That’s the funny thing – when I had the idea for #CreatorTeaTalk, it was supposed to be on Twitter Spaces because that is where I have a community. I didn’t even know that LinkedIn had an Audio feature, but the sponsor of my first two episodes pushed me to try it. I already had an idea and outline of what those first episodes would cover, but it didn’t work out how we wanted so we decided to pivot.

We also considered Clubhouse and even TikTok Live, but in the end, we went with LinkedIn Audio Events because it made the most sense given the context of my show. The show, which is about bringing creators, influencers and brands, and marketers together to have conversations centered on the industry. And these people already use LinkedIn because they create content professionally.

What I've found since I launched the show is that people are making connections while the show is airing and after the show. So I think if it's a space where people can get more visibility into the work that they do, then those become like networking opportunities and potential paid opportunities down the line.

Q: You have a very distinct voice that feels true to you. What advice would you give creators who may be worried about showing up authentically online?

You have to do what feels natural and most comfortable to you while simultaneously not being afraid to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. If your instinct is to censor yourself, that's something you might want to rethink that.

I’m a big believer in showing up as your full self in all spaces, but depending on what those spaces look like, you may not be able to do that in the beginning. It’s a matter of testing the waters, doing what makes you feel comfortable, and expanding that with time.

Q: One thing that many creators struggle with is consistency. Given that you publish pretty consistently on top of running #CreatorTeaTalk bi-weekly, what does your creative process look like?

I'm a marketer, so my brain is trained to think strategically, which is fortunate because I can combine that with creativity. For example, with #CreatorTeaTalk, episodes are based on cultural conversations combined with evergreen topics creators already discuss.

Essentially, I’m always looking out for interesting, timely conversations and pairing that with relevant topics that will engage my audience. I always want creators, influencers, and brands to actually get the insight that they need from the conversations.

Q: How do you find or are you working on finding a balance between the need to be on social media all the time as a marketer and creator and being present in your personal life?

Setting boundaries for myself has been great for balance. Ironically, my new boundaries were a big reason for my career change because I actually stopped being a full-time social media marketer in 2021. I stopped doing social media marketing for many reasons but one of them was that I was spending way too much time on social media. I still do marketing full-time but stepping back from the social media aspect means my time spent on it is no longer as aggressive.

I now take naps during the day, which helps me refresh and disconnect. I’m also more intentional about keeping my phone away while I sleep so I’m not checking it constantly (it used to sleep under my pillow with me).

One of the things I've done recently is turn off Story replies on my Instagram because my friends and my community will respond to my stories all day long. And because I want to engage, I’ll reply to every single one but that’s not sustainable.

Q: As someone very in tune with social media and creators, what are some trends and developments you've noticed that you think social media creators should be paying attention to?

Less of a trend and more of a prediction, I think we'll see many more creators establishing their own personal brands, which might take away the focus on influencers.

Consumers aren’t necessarily trying to be influenced anymore – I think they want to see what creators are working on. Some people might become influencers, but simply creating on social media will help creators gain an audience and opportunities. We might also see more creators building businesses out of or related to what they create on social media.

We’ll also see more people establishing properties across different channels. For example, how I started on Instagram and Twitter but have navigated over to LinkedIn, where I now have a show. In turn, more creators will evolve to create assets off digital platforms like books or TV series.

Q: You're not like a traditional content creator, but you hit many of the markers – lots of followers, lots of engagement, and a very engaged community. So what challenges have you faced in your own unique experience as a creator so far?

Being a non-traditional content creator is actually one of the more challenging things for me. I get invited to influencer and creator events which is great, but when it’s time to network, I can’t figure out the box I fit into. Different people perceive my online presence in different ways.

Another challenge is that I’m constantly educating brands that want to work with me that when they reach out to collaborate, they’re not just getting content from me. They’re getting years of knowledge, experience, and access to my strategy muscle.

Q: What advice would you give to creators looking to monetize their social media presence and build community with other creators, brands, and their audience?

One, figure out where your strengths lie because that will help you to determine what you can and cannot monetize. Two, know your unique selling proposition – what makes you stand out from other creators. Three, identify something that doesn’t feel like work to you so you feel good doing it consistently. And four, think beyond the traditional ideas of monetization.

You may have a brand pay you to post about them or whitelist your content. But if you want to approach content creation like a business owner, determine what negotiations you can build from a brand partnership. Maybe that looks like being paid to go to an event and then make content about it. Or sharing your latest project or product with my email list. It's just figuring out what makes sense for you and the partnership that you're in.

Here are the top three takeaways from Jayde’s journey as a creator:

Whatever you land upon as your unique content offering, share it through Buffer, the all-in-one toolkit for content creation.

In just two and a half years, TikToker Toni Bravo has made a full-time career out of her social media. In fact, the 23-year-old is financially independent and has been able to sustain her Los Angeles lifestyle through brand deals and other gigs she’s landed through TikTok.

While the content creator is grateful for her job, she never set out to have this career –  it happened organically. But this isn’t surprising considering her background.

“I was definitely a theater kid. I was always recording myself and filming things. I was on YouTube when I was nine. None of this feels new,” Toni said. “I think the biggest transition was turning it into a full time job.”

Here’s how the 23-year-old went from an amateur creator to making social media – particularly TikTok – a career.

In spring 2020, when the pandemic had first started, Toni moved home from college as everyone was preparing for a lockdown. But instead of just staying cooped up inside, she began roller skating with her friends at skateparks from 8 am to 3 pm and posting it all on TikTok.

These initial TikToks weren’t staged or highly edited but showed herself and her peers having fun while skating. Her videos began getting traction online, and Toni found herself in a very unusual position: brands were contacting her.

did a whole lot of nothing today😌♥️ #rollerskating #skating #beach

“Roller skating is definitely what introduced me to social media being a job and being able to make money and work with ridiculous brands,” Toni said. “I had no management, I had no representation, I was doing everything myself. It’s insane, because I did some pretty cool things with some friends.”

For reference, Toni has modeled for brands including Coca-Cola, Calvin Klein, and Nike. And was even featured in Buzzfeed, Teen Vogue, and Vogue, to name a few publications, all because of her roller skating.

After Toni’s initial success with roller skating content, she graduated from college in June 2022 and got a job at Rare Beauty – a makeup brand created by Selena Gomez – as a social media associate. Through this job, Tony naturally became more interested in the beauty community and was learning a lot through handling Rare Beauty’s TikTok.

“I was creating TikToks, coming up with TikToks, editing TikToks. Posting and monitoring the comment section and just learning a lot about the beauty community,” she said. “So this was my first experience posting about makeup and making videos regarding beauty.”

A love letter to our founder @Selena Gomez 💌 #greenscreenvideo #selenagomez #rarebeauty #ipledgeallegiance #selenator

Toni then started posting makeup content consistently on her own TikTok in late 2022 and saw her account grow substantially. In fact, she’s now reached over 370,000 followers.

While her corporate job at Rare Beauty helped Toni broaden her horizons as a TikToker, she also got a crash course on creating great content when she applied and got accepted to one of Buzzfeed’s creator programs. There she was able to sit in on brand meetings and learn from social media strategists and creative experts.

“It basically centered around us being the best creators we could be,” Toni said.

When Toni was originally approached by brands back in 2020, she was without an agent. But, instead of handling contracts by herself, she worked with her friends to negotiate deals.

The creator and her friends were transparent about the offers they were getting and the rates that they were charging for creating content. In this way, pay transparency was huge for the content creator at the beginning of her career. By being so transparent about money, Toni and her friends knew from early on what they deserved and weren't afraid to ask brands to reconsider their offers.

@Nike has you covered for another month of 🔥 ladies.

The #NeeditNow collection has must-haves & more. ⛸️ https://t.co/yVBsJfGFvv

📷 @bonitravo pic.twitter.com/3jyTw85EFr

“If we were all working on a project we would negotiate offers together. We would pop on calls and be like, ‘here's what they're offering you. This is what they're offering me.’ Let’s all come back to them with this number,” Toni said. “We would all just be like, ‘yo, like, let's demand this.’ And we’d get it every time.”

Toni went on handling brand deals on her own for some time. Since she posted her email on all of her social media bios, she found that brands were able to easily contact her. And because she gained so much traction online with her rollerskating, she was in demand.

In late 2022, it got to a point where the content creator felt overwhelmed and knew it was time to get a manager.

“I was missing out on emails and threads, because they were just too many. And I could not track the details and numbers and contracts,” Toni said. “And that's when I was like, okay it makes sense [to get a manager].”

While Toni’s manager, Kiki, handles all of the logistics of her brand deals, Toni is looped into every aspect. She is typically given a creative brief, information on the brand’s specific campaign, along with a contract that details all of the financial aspects and the timeline of the deal.

A brand she’s worked with multiple times is Saie, the beauty brand first contacted her back in 2020 after finding Toni through Instagram, and they’ve recently worked with TikToker again for a recent launch.

When making these videos, Toni never goes out of her way to over-produce them. Instead, she keeps them as lowkey and simple as possible. Oftentimes, she’s just filming in her car, making her content feel authentic and genuine.

my quick & easy @saiebeauty concealer routine🎀 #brighteningconcealer #saiehydrabeam #saiebeauty #concealerroutine #saiepartner

While some brands are a bit more strict than others, Toni enjoys creating branded content and says she’s able to make each TikTok and Reel her own creation – her favorite part of her job.

“I have a huge amount of autonomy, which is why I love doing it,” she said. “I like having fun with how I make things and how I edit things.”

As Toni is in her third year creating TikToks, she’s been able to make this her full-time job and is getting paid well for her work. While part of her salary increase has to do with the rates she’s charging going up as she continues to grow her accounts, she also credits it to the early conversations she had with her friends about salaries.

“Obviously, the more you start doing gigs, the rates go up as the followers go up, and the engagements go up,” she said.” And I think a huge part was also having those conversations with my friends.”

yes, i’m a sagittarius

She advises aspiring TikTokers to be consistent in posting and also to listen and engage with their audiences. But most importantly, she thinks the main reason for her success is that she only posts content that she’s genuinely happy to create.

As Toni continues her social media career, she is adamant on not boxing herself into one category. She’s made videos on roller skating, beauty, knitting, and her dog, and believes the reason all of this content performs so well – and has landed her dozens of brand deals – is because she genuinely cares about her work.

“I think just showing up authentically [on social media] is always the best way.”

An important part of growing your Instagram is connecting with other brands and accounts on the platform, and doing so just got easier with Instagram Collab posts. With this feature, you can share content in collaboration with another account. This means your content, whether it be photos or a Reel, will be shared from both accounts rather than just your own.

There are a ton of occasions where sharing an Instagram collab post can be more powerful than simply tagging another account. Read on if you want to learn how to create an Instagram collab post and the benefits of doing so.

Instagram announced Collab posts in late 2021 and said the feature would allow for two accounts to share a Feed post or Reel. The original author can tag another account to become a collaborator, or co-author, which allows the post to be posted from two accounts.

According to Instagram, a Collab post between two accounts means:

This is a great way to present content on Instagram with people you’re working with including other small businesses, brands, and content creators.

Collab posts are an easy and efficient way to boost the reach of your content, which can lead to these benefits:

To create a Collab post with another account, you need to first invite that account to be a collaborator. Once they accept the invitation, the post will be shared from both accounts.

To be clear, the original author owns the post and if they delete it, it will also be deleted from the collaborator’s account. The original author also has to have a public profile to create a Collab post.

Once they’ve accepted the invitation, the post will live on both of the accounts’ grids and feeds.

Here are just a few ways small businesses and content creators are using Instagram Collab Posts.

Instagram Collab posts are perfect for two brands that are collaborating on special promotions and want to get the word out to both of their communities.

Here, Sourdough bakery, Rize Up Bakery, shares a Valentine's Day collaboration with Charles Chocolates.

A post shared by Rize Up Bakery (@rizeupbakery)

The Cosmic Latte, an astrology account, also did a Collab post with a jewelry brand, Sequin Jewelry. The partnership showcased the best accessories for each horoscope sign.

A post shared by Cosmic Latte (@thecosmiclatte_)

Collab posts are ideal for when brands work with content creators or vice versa because it allows both parties to share the posts together, representing the partnership.

Seattle Chocolate is a company that cares about sustainability, so when they highlighted eco-feminist, artist, and activist Burcu Koleli, they tagged her as a co-author. This made her profile more visible – a huge plus considering she has a smaller following compared to Seattle Chocolate.

A post shared by Seattle Chocolate (@seattlechoc)

Similarly, Twisted Green – an account that shares vegan recipes – partnered with content creator Jake Dryan aka Plant Future, and used Instagram Collab posts when sharing their joint Reel.

A post shared by Twisted Green | Vegan Food (@twistedgreen)

Influencers or content creators who are working together can use Instagram Collab posts as well, as Zach and Tee of ZachandTee did with Alyssa of Gaming_Foodie for their joint cooking Reel.

A post shared by Zach & Tee (@zachandtee)

If you’re posting a giveaway alongside another brand or content creator, the Collab post is a good option to share the giveaway news.

Here, content creator, Meghan Yuri Young shares her giveaway with the nonprofit Twentytwenty Arts.

A post shared by MYY 🇰🇷🇱🇰 (@meghanyuriyoung)

When launching a new product alongside another brand.  announcing the news through an Instagram Collab post is the way to go.

The Pastry Project used a Collab post to announce their new baking kit in partnership with Kola Goodies.

A post shared by The Pastry Project (@thepastryproject_)

We hope this post gave you some inspiration and ideas to include Instagram Collab posts in your social media strategy.

Get started with Buffer for free today and schedule your Instagram posts and Reels!

Imagine this: You open your inbox, and there sit a dozen new articles you’d be thrilled to share on social media. Simple as that!

Welcome to the world of email newsletters, where experts from a wide spectrum of topics are creating and sharing the best content they discover—perfect for you to read, schedule in Buffer, and share with your social media audience.

There are a ton of great newsletters to choose from – almost too many. So for this list, we focused on newsletters that are relevant to our audience of social media managers, creators and small businesses. With the newsletters on this list, you'll be able to stay on top of all developments in social media and learn from amazing experts.

TheFutureParty is a newsletter that tracks news and trends in business, entertainment, and culture through the lens of tech and social media.

The Morning Brew offers a wide range of newsletters, but brands and creators may find the most use of the Marketing Brew, which details the latest in the industry. It’s also a great source of links across different topics for social media publishing.

Yes, this is the newsletter for the blog you’re reading right now. The weekly newsletter is short and sweet — full of all the latest social media news from Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and more, plus the newest tools and trends.

Rachel Karten is a social media consultant with an extensive portfolio and years of experience. She brings that experience and the connections she's built to Link in Bio, making it the ultimate resource for social media managers and a great source of content inspiration

Matt Navarra is a social media personality with his fingers on the pulse of everything happening in social media. His newsletter is a great way to keep up with the constant changes in the space. He also has a Facebook Group where members can get updates as they happen without having to wait for the newsletter to be published.

Social media expert and Social Proof interviewee Jack Appleby publishes a weekly newsletter covering the latest in social media strategy, the creator economy & more.

The Tilt is a great resource for growing content creators, and its newsletter offers great zero-click content from a wide range of experts. It focuses on helping creators grow as entrepreneurs that don’t rely on social media platforms.

The Hustle is a newsletter aggregating news and trends in an easy-to-digest email you can work through in 5-minutes. The platform also offers its newsletters in video and audio format through YouTube and a podcast.

One of their many valuable content efforts, The New York Times Morning Briefing efficiently summarizes the top news stories of the day and offers a long list of feature stories that are worth a 20-minute read. A great place to look when you have that extra time and want to dig deeper.

This newsletter by Jay Clouse is full of great advice for creators, as Jay focuses on sharing the results of his experiments, expert interviews, and actionable advice every week.

Social media consultant and expert Lia Haberman puts together everything you could possibly need to know about what's going on in social media, from the companies to individual creators.

A unique entry to this list, Every offers a bundle of newsletters, most of which you pay to read in full. However, it's worth it, as experts (including Fadeke Adegbuyi) break down everything from the creator economy to tech startups.

Recode by Vox explores everything happening in the digital space and is great for getting detailed reporting on the evolutions in the companies and industries we rely on for the Internet to be a safe space.

I hope I’ve hit on a few of your favorites in the list here, as well as given you some good ideas on possible new ones to grab!

Which newsletters do you subscribe to? Which are your favorites? Which ones have you found most helpful with finding content to read and share?

I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!

This article was originally published in February 2015. We refreshed it and updated it in March 2023.

On the surface, it would seem that Juliana Pache landed her dream job. The New York native was the head of social media at Rolling Stone – the famed music magazine. But in reality, the gig was anything but. Despite working in a job that blended her two passions – music and social media – Juliana found herself weighed down by an unhealthy work culture and demanding schedule.

As she dealt with the stress of her nine-to-five she developed a side hustle – making clay jewelry early in the mornings. While she initially started the venture as a hobby, a way to ease into her hectic days, she soon realized she had something special. After 11 months at Rolling Stone, she quit to launch Pache Studio.

made more in my first year as a full time small business owner than I did last year as a salaried employee and I just want to say thank you to everyone who stressed me out beyond my limit at my 9-5 because without you I wouldn’t have taken the leap! happy new year ☺️

By betting on herself, not only has the entrepreneur achieved inner peace, but she’s also making more money than ever before. Matter of fact, in her first year of operating her small business full-time, Juliana brought in more money than at Rolling Stone where her salary was $90,000. Here’s exactly how she did it.

Born and raised in Queens, New York, Juliana had a culture shock when her family moved to the suburbs of Florida during her middle school years. The minute she turned 18, she knew she needed a change of environment and landed at Temple University in the heart of Philadelphia where she majored in media studies and production.

A singer herself, Juliana originally envisioned a career in music but after a few classes, she realized the technical aspect of producing music wasn’t for her. This led her to shift her focus to journalism and media. During college, she landed a marketing internship at Red Bull where she worked with the infamous “wings” team.

The experience was formative for her and she worked at the energy drink company after college. But needing another change, Juliana left Red Bull and moved back to New York where she did marketing for a coconut water startup. Unfortunately, it was no comparison to her previous job.

“Red Bull is an outlier. It's an exception to the rule. Right?” she said. “It was really cool. They do stuff with arts, music, sports, and culture. It was just completely different.”

Luckily, it didn’t take Juliana long to find another position where she would thrive. She became the social media editor at the Fader, a publication that covers music and the culture around it. The job blended all of her interests including music, journalism, and social media. In her three years there, Juliana worked her way up to become the social media director. She then moved to do socials for VICE, a larger and well-respected publication, and was then hired by Rolling Stone a year later.

But while her career trajectory looked amazing from the outside, this was a difficult time for the media professional.

“Rolling Stone broke me,” she said.

Juliana found herself in a toxic work environment where she was given an unreasonable amount of work and no support. It all became too much for her.

“I was having frequent panic attacks. And not only that, but the hierarchy at Rolling Stone is so old, white, male dominant. And they have a certain way — culturally — of communicating that they don't recognize is demoralizing and condescending,” she said. “So the combination of all of those things, I just felt like I was alone out to sea. No support.”

Realizing that she was being taken advantage of, she quit only to have the company offer her two extra weeks of PTO and the promise of bringing in additional support. But after a month and no hiring progress, Juliana left for good.

Leaving a stable job was risky, of course. But Juliana had a plan. In the morning and evenings when she had a respite from her day job, she was working on a side project she started at the end of 2020 and decided it was time to fully invest in it.

“I had started my [jewelry] business, Pache Studio,” she said. “It was a side hustle, a creative outlet. It was a way to make some extra income. By the time I quit Rolling Stone, I felt like, ‘oh, I have enough of a following here that I could really make something of this.’”

Technically, Pache Studio started as a hobby. Having stretchy and sensitive earlobes, Juliana found herself getting most of her earrings from Etsy because they were lightweight.

“I was buying clay earrings a lot on Etsy,” she said. “And I was like, 'I wonder how they're making this?'’”

After doing a Google search, she purchased all of the necessary materials and decided to try her hand at producing jewelry. Two weeks later, her Etsy store went live.

A social media professional herself, Juliana was able to get the word out about her small business relatively easily and grew Pache Studio’s Instagram organically. While she was still at Rolling Stone, the volume of orders for Pache Studio was quite low, which allowed the entrepreneur to slowly work on the business.

A post shared by Pache Studio (@pachestudio)

An early riser, Juliana naturally goes to bed from 9:30 - 5:30 am. This meant she had several hours every morning she could dedicate to jewelry making before her day job. At the time, she wasn’t necessarily thinking about expanding this project into a full-time business. Rather, she found the craft was becoming a form of therapy.

“Producing the jewelry was kind of my creative outlet,” she said. “It was a very relaxing, kind of repetitive hobby. So that worked out in my favor.”

The stars just happened to align and when she found herself at her breaking point at Rolling Stone, Etsy approached her and wanted to feature her business. This helped Juliana take the leap to leave her salaried job in October 2021.

​​“I knew I was gonna have a flood of income coming,” Juliana said. “Etsy featured me in their blog. They featured me in the newsletter on Small Business Saturday. So I was good.”

After leaving Rolling Stone, Juliana devoted all of her time to Pache Studio and it became her main source of income in 2022. This was also the year she prioritized in-person sales and began tabling at local markets throughout New York City. She found great success with this approach.

“I kind of shifted some of my priorities to do the in-person markets,” Juliana said. “Because it's quicker. I can just bring the earrings, put them in a bag, and make the sale,” she said.

Juliana recalls that her first in-person sale was at a small popup in Bushwick. Despite feeling a bit unprepared – she forgot to bring a tablecloth for her display – the day was a success.

“I just remember that whole time at that market, feeling like, ‘oh my god. I can't believe I sold this many earrings,’” she said.

While it’s never easy to let go of a stable paycheck, Juliana’s found greater financial freedom through her small business.

The entrepreneur made more in 2022 than she did in 2021 when she was employed full-time at Rolling Stone. While she did do a bit of freelancing for VICE, the majority of this income came directly from Pache Studio. Here’s a look at her company expenses and what it costs to operate a small jewelry business in New York.

Initially, Juliana paid exactly $1,250 to open up Pache Studio. This included the $500 fee to start an LLC (limited liability company) in New York City along with an additional $500 to get the LLC published in the newspaper. The remaining $250 was the cost of the first supplies and materials Juliana bought to make the earrings.

The entrepreneur spends about $250 on admin tools every month, including her Shopify website and Quickbooks. The materials for her jewelry can be anywhere from $200 - $400 a month. Her monthly vendor fees also range from $400 - $600 depending on how many markets she attends. On the high end, her total expenses per month can be around $1250. Still, Juliana has been profitable every month she’s operated Pache Studio.

Her schedule is broken down into spending about three hours a day on admin work: fulfilling orders, responding to customers' requests, going to the post office, updating inventory, tracking expenses, and tweaking the website. The remainder of the day – anywhere from two to four hours – is dedicated to the production of the jewelry.

Depending on the technique and assembly required, Juliana spends about two to five hours on one batch of earrings which amounts to 12 to 15 pairs.

Currently, Juliana is operating as a team of one. She does work with a part-time employee who helps her at the markets and sometimes utilizes Taskrabbit for help on shipping out orders, including hiring someone to pierce holes in the earring cards.

With Pache Studio growing, she feels like it’s time to bring in a team member to assist her. As a small business owner, it can be a bit intimidating from a financial perspective to take this step, but Juliana acknowledges that she needs the help now.

“I've decided now I need to hire someone because it’s just not sustainable,” she said. “Mentally, I'm buzzing around. And I'm checking things off my to-do list, but every time I check something off, it feels like five more things are put on my list.”

Finances aside, Pache Studio has allowed Juliana to tap more into her creativity, something that’s been with her since her childhood.

“I’ve always been a very creative person,” she said. “In elementary school, I was in the art club. I just remember using materials in a fun, creative way.”

Now, years later, she’s continuing to experiment with materials – this time as a career. Each earring is hand-crafted by Juliana herself using polymer clay and hypoallergenic materials. First, she shapes and molds the clay and will sometimes add mixed elements like hardware and resin. Once she has finished manipulating it, she cuts the earrings up into different shapes and will then bake them in the oven.

Designing the earrings comes naturally to Juliana, as she’s always had a penchant for identifying striking color combos and patterns in everything from buildings to fabrics.

“I was looking at the preview of The Real Housewives of Potomac reunion and the colors and the set design — they had these lush purples, blues, and little hints of pink – and I was like, oh my god, that would be such a great color scheme for some earrings,” she said.

While Juliana has made a career out of managing social media for large news organizations, she applies the same principles for posting when it comes to promoting her own brand: giving back to the audience. She’s found that filming Instagram Reels that showcase the creative process gets the most engagement.

“I've tried to think about, “what is the most generous thing to post?” Because that is oftentimes the most engaging thing to post. Like, what am I offering to the audience?” she said. “I'm offering something that is really interesting to look at. So I'm not just selling earrings, I'm also offering them something that piques their curiosity.”

A post shared by Pache Studio (@pachestudio)

Despite all of the responsibilities of Pache Studio falling squarely on Juliana’s shoulders, she’s in the healthiest place she’s ever been both mentally and financially. It may seem like a paradox, but the freedom and independence she’s gained from her small business has allowed her to thrive.

“Honestly, it's way less stressful to put that amount of inertia into a business, knowing that it's controlled by you, you set the rules, you set the pace, you make the schedule,” she said. “It's a different kind of stress because it's not the kind of stress where you feel like, 'what is the point of this?'”

In fact, Juliana was able to open her second small business, Black Crossword, because of the mental clarity she’s found. A fan of word games, Juliana created the crossword as a way to highlight and honor the diversity of Black culture. In a New York Times interview, she said her goal with the project was for, “people of the Black diaspora to learn about each other in a way that’s fun and rewarding.”

Running two small businesses is difficult, sure, but it’s also been fulfilling and purposeful for Juliana. The entrepreneur especially appreciates that she’s in charge of her schedule and says becoming her own boss has has drastically improved her life.

“The quality of life is so much better when you don't have to work with jerks,” she said. “If I want to break up my day and go to a cafe and read a book, or go to a park, I can do that. I just feel more in control.”

She acknowledges there can be a lot of condescension from others when it comes to small business, and that not everyone is supportive of this lifestyle. But even so, she encourages other aspiring entrepreneurs to take the leap and trust themselves as she did.

“Your friends might not know what you're doing. They might think you're crazy. They might think that you're twiddling your thumbs with your little arts and crafts,” she said. “But you just have to forget about all of that and focus.”

So often as a mission-based business owner, it can feel like I have the most important message in the world—but nobody wants to listen to it.

When I first started building Diversability with the vision of creating a community of people with disabilities (and the allies who support us) elevating disability pride, I kept encountering roadblocks when trying to get the word out. When we were first getting started as a student club in 2009, I remember initially struggling to get my peers to join. In 2015, when I relaunched Diversability after graduating, I struggled to gain visibility for this side hustle while working my full-time corporate development job. There were a plethora of events happening in New York City, but I wasn’t sure how to become a speaker. I’d reach out to journalists via Help a Reporter Out and hear crickets. I couldn’t figure out how to get people to care about disability.

And then I remembered a lesson from my own disability experience. One of my arms is paralyzed and I’ve always found that, if someone hasn’t designed something for me, I have to figure out a way to do it myself. I decided to take the same approach to marketing Diversability: If people wouldn’t hand me a microphone, I’d become my own hype person instead.

Now, in 2023, we have 80,000 followers across our social networks and 5,800 in our closed communities. Here are some of the surprisingly easy and affordable DIY strategies that my team and I used to get there, and the lessons learned that can help any business owner generate their own buzz.

After struggling for a while to find events for me and our disabled community members to speak at, I decided to start hosting them myself—and was surprised to find how easy it was.

I leveraged some early connections I made with disability organizations and other advocates, offering them a stage to share their story. I was fortunate to make some connections with venues that offered to host us for little to no charge (a coworking space that let us use the facility on nights they didn’t have other bookings, a tech company that opened their office to community events). In 2020, we moved to our events being held almost exclusively virtually, which lowered the bar even more for how easy it was to do.

We used Eventbrite to sell tickets for our events on a sliding scale basis (and still do!), which helped us cover event costs while making sure that they are accessible to those who want to attend. I would create the event graphics myself using Canva, and use them to promote the events on Diversability’s social channels, amplify them on my personal accounts and within other disability communities (like Facebook groups I was part of), and share the marketing materials with our speakers to help expand our reach. In the early days, I was doing much of this by myself (we now have a team of eight), and each event would take me about 10-15 hours and cost $50-$100 to make happen.

A post shared by Diversability® (@diversability)

In the first year, we had “sold out” events with more than 70 people and also had much smaller events with only eight to ten attendees. But every time we hosted one, someone would reach out either asking to speak at an upcoming event, wanting to get involved in another way, or just making sure they’d be notified when the next one was happening so they could come again. We knew we were onto something.

We now call ourselves “year-round disability conference,” hosting monthly virtual Diversability Unplugged events with topics ranging from financial equity, sexuality, work, and Gen Z through a disability lens. In 2022, our events welcomed more than 1,100 attendees, not only giving an incredible platform to diversity thought leaders who may not have found one elsewhere, but helping grow our own brand equity and reach.

I was always frustrated that, even with the rise of “list culture”—Forbes 30 Under 30, Create and Cultivate 100, Inc 5000, etc—I rarely saw people with disabilities featured. So, I created our own list to elevate those doing big things in the disability world.

The D-30 Disability Impact List honors 30 disabled leaders annually who are making an impact in their community. Again, this was surprisingly simple to launch. We created a Google Form to collect nominations. We reached out to people with strong networks to be part of our selection committee in the hopes that they would help us get the word out. We created a folder of marketing assets (like graphics and social media post copy) to make it easy for others to promote the nominations form, and did the same when announcing the honorees to help people celebrate them.

A post shared by Diversability® (@diversability)

In the past three years that we’ve published the list, we’ve received almost 1,000 nominations, and we’ve been able to share the work of 91 truly impressive disability advocates. On top of getting to honor their work, we always see a bump in website traffic during nominations and after the list is published, and find that many new members discover our community thanks to this list.

From the start, I was intent on public relations being a part of our marketing strategy. Not only did I want the Diversability message to be featured on as many platforms as possible, I wanted to share press opportunities with our community members in order to elevate their voices. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a place to spend thousands of dollars a month for formal PR support and couldn’t justify the cost for this “top of the funnel” marketing. So we started creating our own original content across multiple platforms to serve as a sort of press outlet.

I started by writing posts on Diversability’s blog and connecting community members to write guest post features of each other. In 2022, we brought on a dedicated writer on a part-time basis to create three articles a month featuring our community members, both for our own blog and to pitch to other publications. Our blog pieces have been syndicated on MSN and Medium and we have been published in Thrive Global, Women Enabled International, Ability Magazine, and World Institute for Disability.

We also started treating social media as a sort of press, focusing on creating educational content about the disability experience and opportunities to highlight our members, like my “Anti-Ableism Series,” which has over 5 million views. Our original content about the disability experience reached over 140,000 people last year.

A post shared by Tiffany Yu (@imtiffanyyu)

Finally, we launched a podcast. We tried to make this as low-lift as possible, using Zoom to interview members of our community recording both audio and video so we could use the content for our YouTube and social channels, and leveraging Zoom’s captioning feature to include a rough transcript of the conversations.

Ironically, creating our own “press” helped us tap into more traditional press outlets over time. We’ve recently gotten inquiries from journalists at The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Mirror, Yahoo Life and more looking for quotes from the disabled community—no cold pitching required on our end.

I’m not saying that every business owner should use these exact strategies. Even though they are extremely affordable, the tradeoff is that they take time. Plus, not all approaches work the same way for every business—you have to make it your own and find what works for you.

But I do think it’s helpful to call out the common thread between the DIY marketing approaches that have helped my business succeed: bringing other people in. My marketing is not just about promoting Diversability. It’s about promoting other leaders and influencers in the disability space, relying on the power of community and the network effect to raise their voices and raise our brand equity in the process.

Even if your core business isn’t as community-oriented as mine, it’s worth considering how you could apply this. Could you host an event or an Instagram Live where you chat with a thought leader your users would care about? For example, we at Diversability have recently partnered with a body positivity conference, a therapy platform, and a youth social impact group, cross-pollinating our audiences. Could you find a meaningful way to highlight your customers or users on your blog and make that a place where people want to be featured?

There are so many more pathways now for getting the word out about your business and your mission. Instead of waiting for other people to tell that story, why not take matters into your own hands and show them why they should start paying attention.

Have you ever looked back at a moment or event in your life and realized that it was an impactful turning point? I just recently had that experience.

A couple of months ago, a change to my main role at Buffer prompted me to re-evaluate how I organize myself and plan my day. The results? They’ve been impactful.

I’d love to share a bit of context.

I’m a Customer Advocate working in the support team at Buffer. For the most part, my approach to work has always been quite passive. I was able to succeed in my role by consuming information and reacting to questions brought to me. I didn’t push a lot of information outward.

Most of my time is spent working directly with our customers or contributing to projects that would impact the customer experience. Most of my meetings (we call them ‘syncs’) were with other members of the Customer Advocacy team.

Then, in January 2022, I had the exciting opportunity to jump into a new function as a liaison between the Customer Advocacy team and our Engineering, Product, and Design (EPD) teams. Some of my responsibilities would include making sure our support team is fully informed about what features we’re building, passing along customer feedback and insights to EPD, and helping to plan new feature launches.

I was all-in, but I also had a lot to learn about how EPD works, how marketing launches flow, and more. Things move fast, and the relevant information that I need to be effective in this role can pop up in any one of a number of our communications apps. There’s no way I could do all this without being much more organized than I was before.

I had no choice but to shake up how I work. I could no longer function in the uncertainty or anxiety that I might have forgotten something important that I was supposed to do. And, while I do love the fresh start that a new notebook and pen provides, this effort required more of me than just a new stationery purchase.

Over the last several months, I found that a combination of six mindset tweaks and new habits have helped me keep up with my commitments and reduce uncertainty.

*Disclaimer: While all of these habits have worked nicely for me, it could be the case that you’ll want to tweak them or completely ignore them based on your own preferences and work style.

Working from home can quite easily mean that not much happens between the bed and the laptop. That’s never felt great to me, and even before we got a dog, I would leave the house for a walk to get a coffee or for a run or a gym session. I needed to feel like I was doing something before ‘going to work’. Now we have Diego, his morning walk is part of a routine that really helps me start my day right.

When I sit down to work, I have my list of tasks, which I have set up in a board view in Asana (the tool I use for planning my work). The columns I work with are Today, Tomorrow, and Later. This helps me keep today’s priorities in focus.

Then, I have a checklist of all the places I review every day: email, Slack, Threads, and a bunch of bookmarked internal documents so that I don’t miss a thing.

I check my calendar and make sure I’m ready for any meetings and syncs that day. For bigger meetings, such as a performance review, I’m sure to have a reminder set days or even weeks in advance in Asana.

All of these practices give me a clear idea of what today will look like. Once I know what to expect, I’m ready to dive in.

To make sure I don’t miss any important conversations I should be aware of, I set up notifications to let me know when someone makes a change to a specific document, when someone comments in certain Slack channels, and when new updates are shared in key Threads forums.

While checking individual apps for their notifications is a great flow for some people, I’ve found that sending all app notifications to my email inbox is the most thorough process for me to follow because everything is in one place. I hold myself accountable to this by having a daily goal to clear out my inbox.

Prioritization hasn’t always come naturally to me. There are often tasks with a similar level of urgency, and picking and choosing which feels more important/urgent isn’t always easy. There can be feelings of guilt for not doing something that you’d planned or committed to, and that cognitive friction just adds to the challenge.

I’ve found that the best way to really honor prioritization is to consider the impact of not doing that work. Would it matter?

If honoring the true prioritization means that I have to delay another commitment, I’ve learned that the best way forward is to communicate to the other stakeholders as quickly as possible, to ask for help, or to delegate.

Some projects, such as launching a new feature, can be divided into subtasks and milestones. When doing this, it’s usually quite clear which order things need to be done in, and I’ll add a due date for each task/milestone.

If other people are involved, I’ll be clear with them about the timing I have in mind. The beauty of this is that if some unexpected time becomes available, perhaps if a meeting gets canceled, I know I can make progress with a sub-task rather than feeling like I need to wait until I have a whole day clear before I can get started.

It’s ok to say no, delegate, or ask for more time. It can feel good to say “yes” to requests for help, especially if it’s a task I think I’ll enjoy. I’ve learned that, unfortunately, the pleasure of getting involved in something new can sometimes become outweighed by the dreadful feeling of an uncompleted task getting pushed down the list. I’ve learned that saying “no” or “Is it ok if I get to that next week?” can sometimes be the best gift I can give to the other person. I also like to think through who else might be a better option as the owner of this. Perhaps we can chat with them about taking it on or sharing the work.

Tackle quick jobs on the spot and add bigger jobs to the to-do list. Some tasks that crop up can be done then and there, even if they’re not high priority. If something takes 5-10 minutes, I like to tackle it. However, I like to be alert and use discernment! It’s important to ensure that many small tasks don’t derail bigger plans for the day.

Strip the to-do list! I’ve found that it’s important to revisit my to-do list-- especially if it seems ever-growing – and delete things from it. It feels great! The question ‘what would happen if I didn’t do this?’ normally helps bring clarity to the decision of deleting something. Once finished, I inform anyone else involved in that work.

Get started even when motivation is low. Big projects, tasks that don’t feel exciting, and low-priority projects that have been put off can end up as standards on a to-do list. I like to approach these projects by dedicating just 10 minutes. Sometimes this small bit of momentum allows the rest to fall into place.

I want to prioritize myself by taking time for periodic mental health check-ins. Am I fed, hydrated, and rested? Would a 5-minute break help? It’s so tempting to push stubbornly against a brain that doesn’t want to function properly, but ultimately it’s unproductive.

As humans, if we’re feeling slower than normal, less focused, or have a lack of motivation, it’s important to lean into those cues.

Some ways I’ve learned to ease the drag are to:

Once the moment is dealt with, I like to reflect on what happened. When I have a sense of it, I can create a plan to avoid it next time.

I’m grateful that this new opportunity afforded me enough disruption to shift my mindset positively. It put me on a journey to becoming more organized and productive. The above are six things that have helped me thus far, but I have a lot of learning still to do and would love to learn from you. Speaking of which…

Over to you! What tips and tricks have you picked up that have made a big difference? I’d love to hear the stories behind them, too! Feel free to reach me via the social channels listed on my Start Page.

With the holiday season just around the corner, and the prospect of sending more emails to your subscribers than usual, not to mention the influx they’ll no doubt receive from other brands, we want to make sure you feel prepared and holiday ready.

We sat down with John Peters, Campaign Monitor’s Deliverability Manager and advocate of email sending best practices, to ask him how you should prepare for the influx of emails this holiday season, and how you can maximize inbox placement and engagement at this busy time.

Read on to see how you can make an impact with your email program this holiday season, for all the right reasons.

Sure! Email deliverability can be complicated and may, at times, seem part science and part magic.

To demystify deliverability, let’s look at the journey of an email from when someone clicks “send” to the email arriving in the individual recipient’s inbox. We can break this journey down into two main stages.

Stage one is where our system compiles the email and sends it to the mailbox provider like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or business domains. The mailbox provider will either accept the email, or reject it and if the email is accepted we call this successful email delivery.

Stage two is what happens after the email is accepted. There are more automated checks carried out by the mailbox provider’s system, and these checks determine where the email ends up. If the customer has a good sender reputation their email will land in the inbox. Otherwise it will get blocked or filtered to the spam folder. And this is email deliverability.

I think it’s important to acknowledge that a marketer has direct control over the majority of factors that impact deliverability. For the most part deliverability is about sender reputation and subscriber engagement, that is to say whether a person reacts positively or negatively to their emails.

As such, a marketer can make sure they follow these 5 steps:

It is normal during the holiday season for global email traffic to increase and peak over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. During this time, marketers send more emails and with greater urgency and mailbox providers are strained to manage the surge in email volume.

In such a peak time, mailbox providers must strike a balance between over-filtering incoming email and placing legitimate emails in the spam folder. Or the mailbox provider may not filter enough emails and let spam through to a person’s inbox.

Marketers want to reach their subscribers’ crowded inboxes (especially at this time of the year), and to do so successfully they need to know the constraints and affecting environment of the email ecosystem. Otherwise they may find that their well crafted and curated content is being filtered and not reaching their subscribers’ inbox.

No, this is the perfect time to prepare for the coming holiday season. Even if your holiday programs have already begun, it’s not too late to follow these deliverability best practices. The savvy marketer knows now is the time to audit their database and review their campaign and mailing reports.

Focus on list hygiene. Permission to send emails isn’t evergreen, and monitoring list hygiene is an ongoing process. If a subset of a list has poor engagement metrics, consider trying to re-engage that particular group.

Sending a “check-in” email to those less engaged subscribers is a great way to see if they wish to remain on your list or if they do not then perhaps it is time to bid them goodbye and remove them from your list rather than damage your sender reputation.

Don’t make sudden and unexpected changes to how you send emails, such as changing the “From” email address you use to send emails or changing your branding. These are your calling card which helps people remember who you are and why they are receiving your emails and it helps your email stand out in their crowded inbox.

If you anticipate a dramatic increase in your email volume or sending frequency make sure you have a ramp up plan to accommodate the change in cadence. Mailbox providers treat sudden changes in email volume from a sender as suspicious and may filter your emails to the spam folder or block them.

Make sure you have DKIM set up for your sending domain. Campaign Monitor now has a virtual Assistant that helps customers know if they haven’t authenticated their sending domain.

Included in your Campaign Monitor account is our Insights reporting. In this reporting you can immediately see overall statistics for your campaigns. You can review your results over a period of time, which you are able to define using the date selection tool. This will help you look for trends in your performance over a period of time.

Marketers should closely monitor their email results for any signs of subscriber email fatigue. A drop in engagement will impact your sender reputation, and a fatigued subscriber is more likely to mark an email as spam.

Landing in the inbox is a privilege rather than a right. If we want to be invited in as a welcome guest, we need to make sure we present ourselves as trustworthy and respectful senders who are mindful of our sending practices and the expectation of our subscribers.

While it’s tempting to maximize sales by sending in higher cadence even to unresponsive subscribers, any small increase in ROI is not worth the longer lasting negative impact to future inbox placement, especially leading up to the post Black Friday/Cyber Monday holiday season.

By following the above practices marketers can increase the quality of their email list, better manage their database and increase the overall effectiveness of their email programs and inbox placement.

The post Get Holiday Ready: Email Sending Best Practices appeared first on Campaign Monitor.

Let’s break down the secrets to success behind The New York Times’ The Morning, and what you can learn from it for your own newsletter.

Some people say newspapers are dead, but The New York Times (NYT) isn’t taking that lying down. It has maintained its classic brand and award-winning content while evolving its product to serve a digital audience. Besides its website that serves as a digital news source for its readers, it has curated one of the most popular daily email newsletters in the world. The newsletter, called The Morning, has garnered over 17 million subscribers.

So, how has The New York Times built a newsletter subscriber list over twice the population of New York City? It took the strengths of its centurial newspaper and adapted them to a new platform. It translated attention-grabbing headlines into subject lines. It adapted award-winning photojournalism into newsletter illustrations. And it turned renowned news stories into a newsletter its subscribers eagerly wait for each morning.

While your organization may not be an iconic newspaper, you can apply many of the same principles The New York Times has used to build your own successful newsletter. That is, a newsletter that is engaging and informative, keeps your readers coming back, and ultimately promotes your brand to a captivated audience.

Eye-catching newspaper headlines have been a long-standing tradition in the world of journalism, a skill The New York Times has leveraged in its email newsletter subject lines. The Morning features succinct subject lines with compelling descriptions you can’t help but want to open.

The Morning email subject lines are typically no more than four words following the title of the newsletter. They offer enough for the reader to know what the featured story is about but hold back the details, so the reader has to click to find the resolution.

Don’t worry — even if you don’t have harrowing war stories or political unrest to share in your newsletter, you can still curate eye-catching headlines. Start with determining a distinct perspective or value to share with your readers. From there, isolate the most essential concepts or words and think about the goals of your customer.

For example, if your value proposition is a 50% off sale on summer clothing, don’t just share a deadpan subject line that says, “we have a sale.” Instead, offer your customer the tangible and aspirational value of the sale in your subject line. For example, your subject line could be “50% Off Summer Fashion Statements!” This highlights the savings value as well as the goal they can attain by participating (making a fashion statement).

Source. In this issue of The Morning, the subject line only uses two words (and an abbreviation) following the title of the newsletter. And yet, just those couple of words create a striking image in the mind of the reader.

The first thing you see when you open The Morning is an in-your-face graphic or image. Let’s just say The New York Times definitely takes advantage of its award-winning photojournalists and designers when it comes to producing its newsletter. The image immediately conjures an emotion, making the reader invested right from the start.

The opening graphic in your email newsletter is like the welcome mat to the narrative you create within. Make sure it invites your readers in and tells them what they can expect. Maybe it says, “groundbreaking news” or “innovative ideas.” Or maybe it says, “If you’re pizza, Amazon, or Ryan Gosling, I’m home” (our favorite).

Source. The striking image of grieving loved ones puts a face to the opioid crisis, driving home the individual impact of the headline.

The Morning makes it clear what its readers can expect in each section with descriptive section headers and clear dividing lines. The simple black and white print is not only reminiscent of its newspaper roots but also makes its content easily legible.

So maybe a straightforward black-and-white design doesn’t fit your brand or audience but maintaining legibility is still key. This includes taking into account the 49% of users reading email on a mobile device. Are your emails optimized for mobile? Is your content skimmable? Is the contrast between the font and background stark enough that it’s easy to read?

Source. Each The Morning newsletter opens with a header, the author’s name, and then the lead story, separated by a thick dividing line. Similarly, the rest of the newsletter is broken into sections by a thick black line and section title. The sections are divided by news, opinion pieces, books, Times Magazine content, and games, so the reader can easily skip to the sections that interest them the most.

The Morning gives readers everything they need to carry on conversations about culture and world events. It features events that are happening currently but also provides resources to understand upcoming news-worthy topics. The newsletter also explores cultural moments in time such as food, literature, art, and entertainment.

Even if your business is not reporting the news, it’s worth taking a note from The New York Times when it comes to timeliness cultural relevance in your content. This might look like making sure your promotions are in line with current holidays, your event reminders give your audience enough notice to act, and your voice and tone are in line with cultural trends.

Source. The Morning features a headlining story each day that highlights a major current event before moving into the culture and entertainment sections. No need to wonder what everyone is talking about around the water cooler when you get The Morning every … well, morning.

Even the most renowned newspapers in the world have to maintain authority and trust with their readership. Most major news organizations try to distance their journalists from their work to promote the idea of unbiased news. However, The New York Times takes a unique stance in its newsletter by having each one “hosted” by one of its renowned journalists. This builds a personal connection with the reader and establishes trust and credibility by having a respected name on the byline.

In addition to naming the writer, the content is written in a strong authoritative voice and tone. There are no qualifying statements or punches pulled; the writers take a clear stance in every issue.

You may not be a leader in political or cultural opinion, but you do have the opportunity to be an authoritative voice in your industry niche. Own your space, take a stance on industry practices or trends, and challenge the status quo. Make a statement your readers will not only remember you for but come back for.

Source. The New York Times is not above questioning even commonly held beliefs about “science.” No topic or entity is too big for it to address; journalists write with the authority of an organization that leads public opinion.

You may not be The New York Times, but you can still create unforgettable newsletters that subscribers will come back for and share. Good newsletters can promote their email enough to build a list, but great newsletters will grow themselves. Get started creating yours today with our easy drag-and-drop templates that will make your newsletter stand out in the crowd.

The post What Makes NYT’s “The Morning” Newsletter One of the Most Popular in the World appeared first on Campaign Monitor.

Email newsletters often don’t bring immediate conversions or sales. They take significant time and resources to create. Is it even worth it to launch one?

Those in the know think so. The Content Marketing Institute’s 2021 B2C content marketing report found nearly 3 in 4 marketers use email newsletters. Among those who run at least two types of content marketing campaigns, 26% say newsletters are the most effective.

Email newsletters are an essential marketing tool for sharing information that goes beyond your products and services. People trust brands that fulfill the trifecta of strong products, a good customer experience, and support of social issues that align with their own. This trust leads to increased sales and loyalty, which is why newsletters are worth the investment.

The question isn’t whether it’s worth it to launch a newsletter; it’s whether you can afford to not have one. However, building a newsletter from scratch is no easy task. This post outlines everything you need to know about how to make an effective newsletter. It’s not just about writing, either — these tips cover everything you’ll need to go from initial idea to successful launch.

Content creation and distribution are two separate operations, but you have to consider both at the same time. Set up everything you need to send your email beforehand to make a process you can easily replicate in the future.

First things first: Don’t try to send your newsletter manually using Gmail, Outlook, or any other standard email service provider. Google Workspace limits senders to 500 external recipients (people outside your company) per message and 3,000 per day. It’s not a scalable solution, nor does it have important tools like email templates, segmentation capabilities, or analytics. You’ll run into similar restraints with any app that’s not dedicated to email campaigns.

Your email newsletter service should have an easy drag-and-drop editor, come with sign-up forms, and be built for collaboration so even a well-meaning blunderer like Michael Scott could get great results. Campaign Monitor offers all these features, plus automation, real-time analytics, and more, for a competitive price.

The first step in planning an email newsletter is choosing a subject matter that’s both interesting to your audience and relevant to your company. You also need to decide when to send your newsletter. You don’t want to send too often (and annoy your subscribers) or too infrequently (and have them forget why they’re on your list). Just make sure your installments go out on a set schedule.

When it comes to timing your send, no one rule works for everyone. Campaign Monitor comes with testing capabilities and analytics that help you determine the best time to send to your customers. You can build off your existing email marketing strategy, and use practices you already know are successful.

A newsletter can only help your marketing efforts if people read it, which means you need subscribers before you start sending. You may already have customer emails from previous list-building campaigns. If you don’t, use these effective tactics to bring in new subscribers:

The easier you make it for people to subscribe to your newsletter, the more success you’ll have.

Don’t ever buy an email list to get more readers. Purchased subscribers are much more likely to flag your newsletter as spam and tank your deliverability.

From CAN-SPAM to the GDPR and beyond, email marketing is regulated by multiple laws worldwide. Make sure you understand email legislation and follow it to the letter to avoid fines.

Some legal requirements, like getting consent from people before emailing them and including an unsubscribe link in every message, are common sense. Others require more technical knowledge. Campaign Monitor has tools to help you comply with major legislation like the GDPR.

The copy and design of your newsletter should work together to support its theme and reflect your brand identity. Your first newsletter needs to set the tone, as it will be a template for all future installments. Take the time upfront to make a process you can easily repeat.

There are a lot of decisions to make at this stage. You don’t have to make them all alone. Rely on the advice of experts who have been where you are.

Save time on your email design by using a free email template for newsletters. Choose one that works for the type of content you want to share and then customize it. Our email newsletter design tips can help anyone make a newsletter template look like their own.

If you get stuck during the newsletter process, try looking at our favorite resources for inspiration:

Still having trouble? Try to find a different template that better fits your needs. This is frustrating, but it’s better to take time to find the right template than to struggle with design and layout every month.

The only reason subscribers will engage with your newsletter is if its content is valuable to them. When looking for topics for your next newsletter, consider ideas that are:

Depending on the size of your email list and the depth of your resources, you might want to create different newsletters for different segments. Most beginners — and those working in smaller departments — won’t have time to create content that’s personalized with that much depth. However, you should still use basic personalization, like customers’ names, to connect with readers.

Creating content regularly often leads to writer’s block. Don’t worry if you’re struggling — just refer to our list of 50 engaging newsletter ideas, which range from new product announcements to case studies to user-generated content. Or, you can check out some fabulous examples and get a breakdown of why they work from our list of 15 of the best email newsletter examples we’ve seen.

Email newsletters aren’t just about the body content. Don’t forget the other parts of your message. While they may take up less space, they’re just as essential to your newsletter’s success:

These elements are the ones readers use to judge whether they should engage further with what you’ve sent. Take time to execute them well if you want your newsletter to succeed.

Verifying everything in your email works before you send matters just as much as A/B testing and looking back at analytics afterward. Each installment you send is an opportunity to improve on your process and your results.

Pre-send tests should include email list maintenance, content optimization, and email previews. These 17 low-budget email testing tools can help you cover all the major bases. Set up a good workflow to automate as much of the testing as possible.

After you’ve sent, the only thing to do is wait for the results to come in. Your KPIs should match the goal of your newsletter; whatever your chosen metrics are, make sure you faithfully track them. Our 2022 email marketing benchmarks can help you compare your open rates, click-through rates, click-to-open rates, and unsubscribe rates to senders across 18 industries.

You don’t have to stick to the rules you set for yourself in the beginning if they don’t perform as expected. Don’t be afraid to experiment by adding new content or retiring sections that aren’t resonating with your readers. It’s hard to send a quality newsletter, and sometimes it takes time for new attempts to really find their groove.

The most important thing you can do is listen to your readers to learn how you can better serve them.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Writing Your First Email Newsletter appeared first on Campaign Monitor.

When Amanda Natividad started her newsletter, the VP of marketing at SparkToro and classically trained chef focused mostly on the craft of creating a strong newsletter. Six months in, she had a repeatable format she was comfortable with, a steady cadence…and only 400 followers.

All her hard work deserved a bigger audience. Amanda turned to her considerable marketing experience and created a newsletter growth plan. She reached 1,000 subscribers a month and a half later.

Today, she has 2,600 readers and gains around 500 more each month. Here’s the method that helped Amanda gain 600 new subscribers in six weeks — and can help you, too.

Consistency is essential to building a successful newsletter. Before you write your first email, decide what you want to send and how often. The most important thing is finding a schedule you can stick to.

It might take some time to figure out what works. If the format you chose is causing you stress, keep iterating until you find one you can stick to. Swap out a section you never have enough content for in favor of something more flexible or send less often than you initially intended.

[I]f you aren’t sure whether you’ve found your groove, keep testing new things.

“And if you aren’t sure whether you’ve found your groove, keep testing new things,” Amanda advises. “Not just new ideas, but test your schedule, writing cadence, try seeing if publishing ahead of time begets new ideas for a newsletter.”

Amanda’s newsletter has been through multiple changes since it launched. “I knew from the very beginning I wanted to have some curation element,” she said. But it took her a while to land on the name Petits Fours and the four-link format. At one point, she included screenshot interviews in each issue but dropped them because they took too much time. She can try new things without losing followers because she’s consistent in delivering high-quality, topical information.

Your network can help you get your email list started, but you’ll need access to a bigger audience to continue growing. Even with word-of-mouth support from her initial subscribers, Amanda was limited in how many people she could reach. Her subscriber count started rising again when she looked to built-in social media audiences.

Amanda promoting her newsletter on Twitter.

She used her social media presence — largely on Twitter — to drum up interest for her newsletter. If you don’t have a lot of followers, reply to big accounts with fresh insights or funny observations. Follow up every attention-getting post with a plug for your newsletter. Twitter hashtag discussions can help you get traffic and earn new followers. Amanda also joined writing communities on and off Twitter to find support and subscribers.

Your relationship with your audience shouldn’t be one-sided. Amanda A/B tested headlines and tracked link clicks to refine her content. The main metric she focused on was the open rate, which she got up to 60%. For reference, our latest benchmarking report found the average email open rate is 21.5%.

Amanda also solicited feedback by asking her subscribers questions. In fact, she still does “when it feels organic.” Only a small percentage of subscribers reply, but their comments can be invaluable. Sometimes, readers will respond without prompting if they have strong feelings about something: “One time, I skipped the recipe and instead offered a food tip, and 2 people replied to say they were bummed I didn’t send a recipe,” Amanda says. She’s doubled down on including recipes since then.

More people are rooting for you than you think.

The one thing Amanda wishes she’d tested was sending a shorter newsletter. “Sometimes I wonder if my newsletter is too long, but it might be strange to renege on length now that I have a few thousand subscribers,” she told us. However, her top takeaway had nothing to do with her content, scheduling, or newsletter logistics. “[The] biggest thing I learned is, truly, the importance of creating a safe space for yourself to test ideas,” Amanda said. “More people are rooting for you than you think.”

Even engaged followers are unlikely to take your word that they should sign up for your newsletter. Amanda offered value with signup magnets. She didn’t go the traditional route of giving a downloadable resource to anyone who shared their email. She told her Twitter followers they’d get her recipe for Bulgogi Shepherd’s Pie if they signed up before she sent her next email. Seventy of them joined that day. It wasn’t an offer she could use more than once, but it did provide a sense of urgency.

For subscribers who don’t see the incentives she tweets, Amanda shows exactly what her newsletter provides. Her website, amandanat.com, has copies of every newsletter she’s sent. Offer free previews, so readers can see what they’re signing up for before committing.

The easier your signup form is to complete, the more subscribers you’ll get. Amanda sends emails through Revue, which is owned by Twitter. As a Twitter user, she loves how anyone who finds her on Twitter can sign up for her newsletter with one click.

Elements of a good newsletter signup page

How can your signup page reduce risk and make it easy for new readers to subscribe? Here’s what Amanda Natividad recommends:

Reach beyond your audience by appearing on podcasts, writing guest posts, or contributing to other credible media within your niche. Choose promotional efforts that benefit you and another creator in your niche for the biggest effects.

Every external marketing opportunity needs to have a double purpose or else I can’t commit.

The size of your audience and the amount of time you have to spend on promoting yourself will shape the types of opportunities you should look for. Here are Amanda’s recommended methods:

Cross-promotional opportunities can also help you come up with ideas for your own newsletter. Write an entire issue about something you discussed on a podcast, or add an excerpt from your guest post to your next newsletter.

Amanda now considers how opportunities can boost her personal brand or that of SparkToro, where she currently works. “Every external marketing opportunity (like a podcast or webinar) needs to have a double purpose (say, to promote SparkToro AND serve as inspiration for a Twitter thread for my personal account) or else I can’t commit,” she says.

Be careful not to stretch yourself too thin. Amanda learned the hard way that taking every opportunity means losing time she’d like to spend on other pursuits. She advises writers to “block times on your calendar for serendipitous opportunities (like potential podcast appearances), and STICK TO IT.” While too many opportunities may sound like a good problem to have, you don’t want your newsletter (or other commitments) to suffer because you’re too busy.

Everything Amanda did is replicable if you’re willing to put in the work. You will see a return on investment for the effort you expend to promote yourself and your newsletter.

The most valuable thing you can give your newsletter is time. “I spend maybe 2 hours on each newsletter edition, the day of the send. The fastest I’ve been able to do this is just over 1 hour,” Amanda shared.

She’s also constantly thinking about how to improve her emails. “Now that you ask me, I might always be testing a new section. You might see me experimenting with new ways to promote my YouTube show in the near future,” she told us.

You can see her new efforts for yourself by subscribing to The Menu or following her on Twitter at @amandanat.

The post How Amanda Natividad Got Her First 1,000 Newsletter Subscribers appeared first on Campaign Monitor.

SMS marketing has quickly become an essential channel for businesses. Here are seven best practices to help you make the most of it.

Did you know the average consumer spends around 36 minutes using their smartphone to text or call people every day? Most of these communications are done without a thought. However, the rapid-fire texting you do with your friends isn’t appropriate for marketing communications.

SMS marketing is one of the more interruptive ways of communicating with consumers because people feel compelled to read text messages. The 2020 Mobile Consumer Engagement report by Sinch found that 2 in 5 consumers have more than 50 unread emails in their inbox, but only around 2 in 50 have more than 50 unread texts. Many bulk SMS providers emphasize high open rates as one of the best features of text message marketing. We see it as a sign of higher stakes.

Our team here at Campaign Monitor gathered a list of SMS marketing best practices to help you meet consumers’ expectations as you launch your text message marketing campaigns. Success requires following regular marketing rules while considering how consumers interact with texts. Your customers are likely to unsubscribe from your texts if you don’t fit into their inboxes. Follow these SMS marketing tips to make sure your texts are a welcome interruption.

Industry guidelines may vary depending on what country (or state) that you’re sending to. However, there are some principles that we recommend following, regardless of where your audience is.

Set yourself up for success by:

Always make sure to refer to the relevant legislation in the country you’re sending to:

The best SMS marketing campaigns offer consistent value to everyone on your contact list. Send time-sensitive info (like a flash sale announcement) or critical updates via text to improve consumers’ relationships with your brand.

Source

We also recommend adding an element of exclusivity by rewarding subscribers with special offers. SMS-only coupons and free shipping are great perks to entice sign-ups and keep consumers on your list. Show readers the benefits of being on your list by including a clear CTA in each message.

The optimal frequency for most text campaigns is one message a week. Start there — and then try varying your message cadence once you have a big enough contact list to gather meaningful data. If you know your target audience well, you might risk starting with a higher send frequency. Just don’t get too spammy. Upland data shows there’s a significant increase in unsubscribe rates once a brand reaches the threshold of 10-15 messages a month.

The reason message cadence is so important goes back to what we mentioned earlier about text messages interrupting your customers. Everything you send must be worth an immediate read. If it’s not, you’re betraying the trust your consumers put in you when they shared their phone numbers.

Don’t forget to consider the best times to send a campaign, either. Generally, 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM local time is a good guideline — with audiences being most likely to engage between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Sundays typically have the lowest amount of engagement, so unless you have a particularly good, timely reason to send on a Sunday, it’s likely best to wait.

Do U want 2 rcv a msg that lyk dis from ur fave brand? Neither do we. Sure, there are only 160 characters to use and you want to make the most of them, but text speak is annoying and unprofessional. Avoid abbreviations where possible because they make texts harder to read. Stick to common ones if you must use them.

Take this example from Ulta: Instead of writing out “24-piece,” the company wrote “24 PC.” Most people can figure out what the message means, but it takes time to translate. The capitalization doesn’t help — a PC is, to most, a computer.

Source

Make the best of your limited space by starting with something exciting. Flag a sale as “4 hours only!” or let SMS subscribers know when a deal is on its way out by telling them it’s their “LAST CALL” to shop. You can also just start with the goods. “BOGO” and “50% off” are things customers love to hear. Crafting the perfect SMS marketing message takes more time than you have characters, but doing it right pays off.

Your text message marketing efforts should respect the medium’s primary purpose: conversation. Readers should feel like you’re talking to them, not at them. SMS is a great place to bring your brand’s voice to life in a more personal way.

Start by using personalization and segmentation to send messages that reflect consumers’ interests and past behaviors. Then, write a text message, not a subject line. Messages should sound like they’re for one person rather than your entire marketing list.

The following efforts from bebe and Sally Beauty show why these details matter. One reads naturally and creates a connection with the customer. The other is a pain to scan and looks like a mass text sent by a computer.

Source

Source

Your SMS marketing strategy can benefit from integration with other marketing efforts. If you have a CX or CRM system, connect it to your SMS marketing software to take advantage of existing data and add new insights. The lessons you learn from other customer interactions can guide your text message marketing efforts. Likewise, SMS campaigns may surface interesting data points that point to new opportunities elsewhere.

Successful omnichannel marketing means sending the right message via the right medium. Not everyone will sign up for SMS, which means you can’t rely on it as a primary mode of reaching people. Given the other constraints we’ve discussed — namely message length and frequency limits — SMS works best when integrated with email, social media, and other marketing tools.

Email and SMS work best when they’re used strategically — picking the right medium for the right situation. This table shows some common use cases where you might opt for email, SMS, or both.

As is the case with any marketing channel, testing will be key to your success in SMS. As much as we as marketers like to think we know what will perform best, we’re all just guessing. The only way to learn about our audience and what they respond to is by testing.

This means trying out different types of offers, different text lengths, different send times — pretty much any variable you can think of — and seeing how your audience responds.

Ready to create stronger connections and grow your business? Then Campaign Monitor SMS is for you.

See how you can add SMS to your marketing mix – talk to us today.

The post 7 SMS Marketing Best Practices to Know Before You Hit “Send” appeared first on Campaign Monitor.