How to respond to negative reviews online: Examples & 7-step template

If you’ve ever been surprised by a bad review of your business, you’re not alone. 

Whether you run a local business, Etsy shop, YouTube channel, or other type of service that receives online reviews, we all have to face the dreaded bad review at some point.

Naturally, you want to ignore negative feedback, especially if it seems unfair or exceptionally harsh.

However, data shows consumers are 41% more likely to do business with companies that respond to all of their reviews, positive and negative.

I reached out to businesses with first-hand experience responding to bad reviews, and nearly every one of the 50+ people that shared their stories volunteered a common message: Bad reviews present valuable insights and opportunity for growth.

In this guide, you’ll find tips on the most pressing issues surrounding negative reviews, such as:



How to write a productive response to nearly any type of bad review.


Why it’s so tough not to take negative reviews personally.


Why you should never delete or ignore bad reviews.

You’ll also enjoy stories and insights from businesses that have been where you are, and cheer for the CEO who used a surprise tactic to turn an irate reviewer into a customer evangelist.

How to respond to bad reviews

Are bad reviews good for business?

The psychology behind bad reviews
Why are people so harsh, and why does it get to me?

7 Steps to crafting successful responses to negative reviews
Tips, templates, and examples to help your team respond productively

3 Impressive review response stories with examples 
Find out how three businesses turned things around after negative reviews

Are bad reviews good for business?

You wake up to discover that your 5-star status dropped thanks to a harsh negative review. It feels like personal criticism, and your natural reaction is to defend yourself by pointing out their inaccuracies.

But you can take heart in the fact that bad reviews, when handled professionally, can be very good for business. 

For example, Laviet Joaquin, Head of Marketing at TP-Link, applies emotional intelligence when responding to poor reviews.


“When dealing with negative feedback, it’s not just a business issue. It’s a personal issue. 

I’ve learned to separate my emotions from my actions and to focus on constructive solutions instead of negativity. 

We’ve often restored their confidence and support by responding quickly and compassionately to their concerns.”

– Laviet Joaquin

The 3 Surprising Upsides of Negative Reviews

Negative reviews can humanize your business, legitimize your positive reviews, and boost your profits — provided you respond in a productive way.

1 – Responding to all reviews can result in a 41% boost in business. 

via GIPHY

Be warned, though, that ignoring reviews may have the opposite effect. 



A significant portion (41%) of consumers favor business that respond to all their reviews (positive and negative), however;



Nearly half (47%) of consumers won’t take a chance on businesses that don’t respond to reviews.

2 – Negative reviews reveal opportunities for improvement. 

Negative reviews provide you with valuable feedback that can help you identify areas for growth and improvement.

3 – Negative reviews humanize your brand. 

Admitting your mistakes and empathizing with unhappy customers shows there are real people behind your brand who care about their experience.

4 – Negative reviews lend credibility to the review system.

Have you ever felt suspicious about a company or product that has nothing but 5-star reviews? It’s a little hard to believe, especially knowing how many less-than-honorable companies pay for fake reviews. 

Negative reviews can serve as proof that your positive reviews are legitimate.

Jonathan Feniak, General Counsel at LLC Attorney, explains that, in the legal world, bad reviews are often simply part of doing business because “You can’t secure wins every time, which can make some clients very angry — even when your work went above and beyond.” 


“The occasional bad review is expected, but it should be balanced with an overwhelmingly positive sentiment from most of your clients or customers. 

At the same time, having perfect reviews looks even more suspicious to many people because it screams ‘reputation management’.

Deleting your negative reviews and other reputation management tactics can have the opposite effect and harm your credibility even more.

Jonathan Feniak

Many of the businesses you’ll read about below have used negative feedback to increase overall customer satisfaction, improve their products or services, and generate higher long-term profits. 

However, overcoming bad reviews becomes tougher when your star rating dips below a four or five.

How bad is good? What consumers look for in starred ratings

Negative reviews can be good for business — but too many of them can put a serious dent in your profits. 

Most consumers look for businesses with four- or five-star ratings. The majority (77%) of people will not do business with companies whose ratings are below three stars.

According to the Brightlocal 2024 local consumer survey, here are the lowest ratings consumers will accept when considering a business:

The psychology behind negative reviews

Bad reviews of your business, product, or service can be disappointing — and sometimes even emotional. 

For example, small business owner and Reddit user grizzlygrizet was devastated by her first negative review, and internalized the comments as a gauge of her businesses’ quality. 

“I just feel like a failure,” she explained, “as how else would we get such a rating?”

It’s normal to feel as if you’re on the other end of a gut punch when a bad review pops up, especially if you haven’t had much experience with negative reviews.

There are legitimate psychological and scientific reasons why unhappy customers often leave harsh reviews — and why it’s natural for you to sometimes feel hurt by them.

Why are unhappy customers so harsh in their reviews?

Negative emotions hit harder and last longer than positive ones. As a result, they need to be processed more thoroughly. 

So when a customer has a bad experience with a business, writing a harsh review helps them overcome their uncomfortably strong emotional reaction

On the opposite end of the spectrum, customers who’ve had a great experience tend to forget it more quickly. This is why it’s a great practice to encourage and ask for reviews on social media and in your email newsletters.

If negative reviews are good for business, why do they feel so hurtful?

Hurt feelings are a natural human response to negative feedback, which is why it’s easy to feel hurt over a bad review — even when it’s not personal.

via GIPHY

Psychologically, this emotional human response is 100% normal. Psychologists and researchers say there are a couple of reasons we struggle when receiving negative feedback:



By nature, negative feedback tends to cause feelings of shame. This is a natural human response to criticism because the brain often interprets negative feedback as a deviation from society’s standards. 



We humans often internalize negative feedback as a statement of our personal identity.



Additionally, our brains often react to negative feedback as if it’s a threat that must be staved off.

The desire to react defensively is a normal human response that likely traces back to the beginning of time. 

To overcome this natural reaction and respond productively, frame the feedback in a way that benefits you. Keep in mind that bad reviews can provide you with a type of insight, reflection, and clarity that you may never otherwise receive.


“Bad reviews helped me grow a thicker skin in every aspect of my life. 

Criticisms are hard to face, especially when you aren’t expecting them. I learned to look at customer reviews like a public performance review – the feedback isn’t personal and can help me build a better business. 

Bad reviews are always helpful even when they hurt because each one is an opportunity to learn and grow.” 

Brooke Webber, Head of Marketing, Ninja Patches

7 Steps to crafting successful responses to negative reviews

How you respond to reviews will determine whether you win over new customers or send them running in the opposite direction. 

Below is a 7-step process that will help you craft the perfect response to nearly any negative review.

#1 – Keep the end goal in mind

Maintain a calm and professional manner when writing your reply, even if the review is harsh or seems unfair. 

Avoid any temptation to defend yourself or argue with reviewers.

If you feel attacked or angry, take a pause and remind yourself that bad reviews can ultimately boost your profits. 

#2 – Respond quickly

Show that you take customer feedback seriously by responding quickly to negative reviews.  

Reviewers want to see quick responses to negative feedback



33% of consumers expect a response in 3 days or less


53% of consumers expect a response within one week.

Rex Huxford, Director of Demand Generation at MD Clarity, says that timely responses and resolutions make a strong statement about brand integrity.


“If we respond swiftly to negative reviews and find an adequate solution, that says far more about our brand’s values and priorities than anything we could write in an ad.

What matters most isn’t what businesses do in the best of times but how they react when things go “wrong” because every customer wants a guarantee that the money they invest in you is well-spent.”

Rex Huxford 

#3- Thank the reviewer and acknowledge their complaints

Start by thanking the reviewer for their feedback and acknowledging their poor experience.

Here are some examples:



[Reviewer’s Name], thank you for sharing your feedback. We appreciate you taking the time to bring this to our attention.



Hi [Reviewer’s Name], thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We value your feedback and are grateful for the opportunity to improve.



Thank you for bringing this to our attention [Reviewer’s Name]. Your insights are valuable as we strive to enhance our services.

#4 –  Understand, empathize, and apologize

Next, show that you understand and empathize with their experience and apologize.

For example:



We understand how [specific issue] can be frustrating. We’re here to help resolve this matter for you.



Hi [Reviewer’s Name], we’re truly sorry to hear about your experience. Your feedback is invaluable to us, and we’re dedicated to making things right.



We’re sorry you had a bad experience and assure you that we’re taking steps to prevent similar issues in the future.

Gauri Manglik, CEO and cofounder of Instrumentl, advises that acknowledging and apologizing shows you appreciate their input. 


“One key strategy is to acknowledge the customer’s concerns and apologize for their negative experience. 

This shows that you value their feedback and are committed to resolving any issues. Offering a solution or asking for more information can also demonstrate your willingness to address the problem.”

– Gauri Manglik

#5 Offer a resolution, possibly off-platform

To resolve their issue, you might need to take communication off the platform so that you can gather details, investigate, and offer a solution.

Here are some examples of how you can take the conversation off the platform: 



[Reviewer’s Name], we apologize for your experience and are committed to resolving this issue. Please reach out to [email/phone] so we can address your concerns personally.



Hi [Reviewer’s Name], we understand your frustration and want to make things right. Please contact [Team Member’s Name] at [email/phone] so we can address your concerns promptly.



Can you please provide more details with our (title) about your experience so we can address your concerns more effectively? Please reach out to [Team Member’s Name] at [email/phone] for further assistance with this matter.

In many cases, writing an apology email is the best way to address a problem. Other times, you may need to demonstrate your sincerity with compensation or proof that their feedback helped make changes to the way you do things.

#6 Close with appreciation and accountability

End your response on a positive note by showing appreciation and taking accountability for the customer’s poor experience.

Here are some examples of how to demonstrate appreciation and accountability:



Providing excellent service is a top priority for our team. We appreciate your patience as we investigate this issue.



We’re committed to providing a 5-star customer experience and appreciate your feedback in helping us achieve that goal.



Thank you for your continued support and feedback. We’re committed to earning back your trust and confidence.

#7 Recognize the positive reviews, too!

Responding to positive reviews shows consumers that you appreciate their feedback and value their support. 

Take the time to craft unique, personalized responses to all of your reviews — including the positive ones!

Examples of how businesses successfully respond to bad reviews

Three-quarters of businesses don’t respond to negative reviews, but many of the businesses that do respond swear by its results.

Zero Bounce, Capsule, and Thankbox share their experiences with bad reviews below.

Zero Bounce turns customer around with a whole-team effort

When a customer left a 2-star review and accused their company of “bait and switch,” due to an unclear pricing structure, the team at Zero Bounce didn’t take it lightly. 

Instead, a team effort resulted in changes that prompted the reviewer to update to a 5-star rating.

ZeroBounce PR Manager Corina Leslie explains, “We all thought the pricing structure was clear on our platform, but this customer pinpointed that the copy was causing confusion.

Our whole team got to work right away to fix the copy, then I reached out to the customer via email and shared the updates.

As a result, the customer updated her review to 5 stars and “is still a customer today,” according to Leslie.

Leslie praises the customer’s original review for allowing them to see things from the customer’s perspective.


“Whenever we get negative feedback, we get worried, but we never get mad. 

Instead of getting defensive and trying to poke holes in their complaint, we try to fully understand why they said what they said – and put in the effort to resolve the issue.”  

Corina Leslie, PR Manager, Zerobounce

Capsule wins over unhappy reviewer with surprise tactic

Shortly after Capsule launched its public beta, a video creator wrote a negative review of the company in his newsletter. 

Capsule’s response took the reviewer off-guard and turned him into a customer evangelist.

His surprise tactic: Agreeing with them!

“Hi! CEO of Capsule here. I read your review and while it wasn’t fun to read, I found myself agreeing with all your points.

It’s a tough call as a startup knowing when to push the “go” button. We chose to push it knowing that the product was far from perfect, but perhaps good enough that we could get some feedback.. Even if that meant some of it would be negative.

Thanks for writing, hope you’ll give us another shot soon!! We’ll be pushing fixes and features like mad 😉 “  – response written by Capsule CEO Eric Kinariwala

The reviewer, Video creator Tiger Joseph, was so impressed with CEO Eric Kinariwala’s response that he shared it on LinkedIn under the title “Quick story on humility for any CEO…”

“…Talk about a winning attitude.

If you can take harsh feedback & transform it into positive change, you have a RARE superpower.

I already have high hopes for Capsule’s future from this short response.”


“While negative reviews don’t ever feel good, they often signal something very valuable: that people care enough about your product to: 

1) have an opinion about it and 

2) take time to let you know where their expectations fell short.”

Natalie Taylor, Head of Marketing, Capsule

Thankbox CEO uncovers the benefits of consistent professional responses

Valentin Hinov, CEO and founder of Thankbox, says that the true benefit of responding to negative reviews is showing potential customers that you care about their experience.

“During the first year or two of my business,” he explains, “when I got bad reviews, I took them personally and did everything I could to appease the reviewer to get them to update their review.”

But Valentin says that one of his most important lessons was learning not to expect reviewers to update their public feedback, even after you help them.


“Negative review replies are for the benefit of your future customers, not the reviewer.

While you should be respectful and aim your answer at the reviewer, think about others who will be reading your reply and judging your business on it. 

Your future customers want to see that you’ve handled the situation correctly and that there’s a solution should they also find themselves needing support.”

Valentin Hinov, CEO & Founder, Thankbox

Writing productive responses to bad reviews

Regardless of your industry or company size, responding professionally to all your reviews (negative and positive) can improve your product, customer experience, and overall profits.

Here’s a bonus tip to help improve your review ratings:

Nurture relationships with customers in-between purchases by sending out a personalized weekly newsletter. Well-written, non-promotional newsletters can humanize your brand and encourage positive sentiment when people are writing reviews.
To get started with personalized email nurture campaigns, visit AWeber and sign up for a free account today.

The post How to respond to negative reviews online: Examples & 7-step template appeared first on AWeber.

Navigating the Video Marketing Maze: Short-Form vs. Long-Form

Are you torn between using long-form or short-form videos for your small business marketing campaign? Well, you are not alone. Despite 89% of consumers wanting to see more brand videos, there is no one-size-fits-all answer about the ideal video length.

However, this should not deter you from creating an effective video strategy. In 2023, people watched an average of 17 videos per day, highlighting the influence of video content in today’s digital landscape.

Both short-form and long-form videos offer unique advantages and come with their set of challenges. Join me as I uncover the benefits and limitations of each video format to help you make informed marketing decisions.

What are Short-Form Videos?

Short videos typically range from 30 seconds to less than 10 minutes long. They are popular on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.

Short-form videos deliver brief yet engaging messages that quickly capture the viewer’s attention. Here are some popular types of short-form video content.

TikTok Challenges

Instagram Reels

Snapchat Stories

YouTube Shorts

Twitter Video Ads

Benefits of Short-Form Videos

A previously cited report shows that 39% of marketers find short-form videos, ranging from 30-60 seconds long, more successful. The same study reports that 44% of customers prefer watching a short video to learn about a brand’s offerings.

So, it is evident that short-form videos have their benefits. Let’s take a closer look at some of them.

Attention-Grabbing 

Short-form videos capture attention quickly, making them ideal for the fast-scrolling nature of social media platforms. Your audience is more likely to watch them in their entirety compared to longer content.

Cost-Effective Production 

Creating short-form videos requires less time and resources compared to longer videos. As a small business owner with a limited budget, using short-form videos can be cost-effective. 

Increased Engagement

Short-form videos engage viewers due to their crisp and concise nature. This results in more likes, comments, and shares that boost your content’s visibility and increase brand awareness. 

Integrating short-form videos into your influencer marketing campaigns can further amplify your reach to new and diverse audiences. 

Highly Shareable

Short videos are highly shareable. This makes it more likely for your viewers to share them, increasing their virality. 

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There are multiple benefits of adding video to your website including increased engagement, improved SEO, and enhanced user experience.

Limitations of Short-Form Videos

While short-form videos offer many advantages in content marketing, they also present some challenges.

Limited Message Depth

Due to their brief duration, short-form videos may struggle to convey complex or detailed messages. Longer videos might be more suitable if you need to communicate intricate information.

Competition for Attention

Standing out on platforms flooded with short-form video content can be challenging. You must create content that stands out to avoid becoming lost in the sea of other videos.

Shorter Lifespan 

Short videos may lose their relevance with time. They can quickly get buried in users’ feeds, leading to a shorter visibility and engagement period than longer, evergreen content. 

This means you must consistently create short-form videos to maintain audience interest over time.

Limited SEO Impact

Short-form videos may be more challenging to optimize for search engines than longer, more keyword-rich content. This can affect the discoverability of your content outside the social media scene.

What are Long-Form Videos?

Long-form videos are typically longer, ranging from a few minutes to several hours. They extend beyond a few minutes to several hours, providing ample time for in-depth topic exploration and detailed content. 

These videos are particularly suitable for educational content, product demonstrations, and narrative-driven storytelling. Long-form videos are common on platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. Common types of long-form video content include:

YouTube Series

Webinars

Educational Tutorials and Courses:

Behind-the-Scenes Content 

Interviews and Conversations

Advantages of Long-Form Videos

Long-form video content is the fastest-growing segment, with videos above 30 minutes experiencing tremendous growth over the years. Let’s explore some of the benefits behind this growth.

Establishes Expertise and Credibility

Long-form videos allow you to provide in-depth information about various subjects, establishing your brand as an authority. Potential customers will likely trust and rely on your insights when you consistently deliver valuable content.

Builds Strong Audience Connections 

The more your audience watches your videos, the more they become familiar with your content and brand. This consistent engagement promotes trust and loyalty, helping you create deeper connections with your audience.

Provide SEO Optimization Opportunities

Long-form videos keep your audience engaged for a longer duration than short ones. This signals search engines that your content provides value, resulting in higher rankings and increased visibility. 

Besides, these videos provide opportunities to optimize for relevant keywords. This Attrock guide offers more insights into the value of SEO for your small business. 

They Are Sustainable

Unlike short videos, well-produced and valuable long-form videos have an extended shelf life. They can continue to attract views and engagement over an extended period, contributing to a sustainable content strategy.

Instagram reels are also a part of short videos and you can get benefits from this platform by integrating it with your website. You can learn how to embed Instagram Reels on websites and get extra benefits from your Reels.

Drawbacks of Long-Form Videos

Despite their benefits, long-form videos also have certain limitations, including:

Attention Span Challenges

Between distractions, juggling tasks, and information overload, user attention span quickly diminishes. Viewers may lose interest and disengage from your long video before its conclusion.

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Complex Production Process

Creating high-quality long-form videos requires more resources, including time, equipment, and skilled personnel. This can be disadvantageous, especially for small businesses with limited budgets.

Platform Limitations

Some social media platforms and video hosting sites may limit video length, making it challenging to distribute long-form video content. You may then be forced to repurpose your content to suit various platforms. 

Short-Form or Long-Form Videos: Which Are Better?

Now that you know the benefits and limitations of each format, which one should you choose? Short-form or long-form videos?

Well, it all boils down to considering several factors, such as: 

Content Objectives

What do you want to achieve from your video marketing campaign? Short-form videos are highly effective for quick brand exposure and generating buzz. Long-form videos, on the other hand, contribute to a more in-depth understanding of the brand.

Target Audience Preferences

Audiences with short attention spans likely prefer short-form videos, while long-form videos appeal to those seeking a more immersive experience.

Similarly, short-form videos may appeal more to younger audiences, while older demographics may prefer the depth of long-form content.

Platform Dynamics

Various platforms support different content formats. Short-form videos are well-suited for platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. On the other hand, platforms like YouTube and Vimeo are better for hosting longer videos.

Industry Type

Short-form videos would be ideal if your industry thrives on trends, entertainment, and quick messages. However, long-form videos are effective for industries requiring in-depth explanations or educational content.

Bottom Line 

Ultimately, choosing short-form or long-form videos depends on your business’s specific needs and goals. Since both formats have advantages and limitations, making a choice may prove difficult. 

However, it doesn’t have to be an uphill task. The key lies in recognizing when to incorporate each video format into your marketing strategy. Understanding your audience and its needs allows you to combine both formats strategically, maximizing the benefits of each. 

Continuously analyze performance metrics and adapt your video marketing strategy accordingly to ensure optimal engagement and conversion rates.

The post Navigating the Video Marketing Maze: Short-Form vs. Long-Form appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Best Linktree alternatives for driving traffic, conversions, and sales

You invest a lot of time and effort into building a successful social media community for your brand. Long nights. Tough decisions. Mornings spent racing to your page to discover how your last post performed. You’ve done it all.

Likes and comments don’t generate profits, though. For many brands, the key to generating traffic, conversions, and sales from social media is all about their link in bio.

When you’re ready to turn your social media followers into paying customers, a link in bio landing page can help you get there. Using your link in bio (on any social media platform) to provide a menu of options lets you serve people at every stage of your marketing funnel

Linktree is a popular link in bio service, but you might need more capabilities, customizations, features, or pricing options than what Linktree provides.

Discover the best Linktree alternatives for any social media audience in the guide below.

You’ll find examples, ideas, and unique features designed to help you turn social media followers into website traffic, email subscribers, and paying customers with a simple link in bio landing page.

Top Linktree alternatives

What are link in bio tools?
Best Linktree alternatives



#1 – AWeber


#2 – Campsite.bio


#3 – LNK.Bio


#4 – Contact In Bio


#5 – Bitly Link in Bio


#6 – Tap Bio


#7 – Many


#8 – Link in Bio

Top Linktree alternatives by feature
Top Linktree alternatives by social media platform
Tactics for driving traffic, conversions, and sales with link in bio

What are link in bio tools?

On most social platforms, brands can add a link to their bio (or “profile”) page. But between link limitations and ugly-looking links (with no anchor text), the standard link in bio isn’t always enough to prompt viewers to take action. 

Poor link options often result in lower conversions, sales, and profits for brands that invest their time and money into social media marketing.

A link in bio landing page solves that problem by allowing you to provide a selection of links aimed at meeting your marketing goals.

Instead of publishing a single-destination link, you can use your profile link to send viewers to a landing page with several options.

When set up to align with your marketing goals, link in bio landing pages help convert your profile viewers and social followers into email subscribers, web traffic, or paying clients and customers.

For example, you can include a link to your blog, special promotions, product pages, and other social media channels. 

Some Linktree alternatives even let you put an email subscription form directly into your link in bio landing page.

Best Linktree alternatives

We’ve included some of the top Linktree alternatives in the list below. 

Whether you’re looking for advanced customization, unique features and tools, more pricing options, or integrated marketing tools, this list will help you choose the best Linktree alternative for your marketing goals.

#1 – AWeber

AWeber link in bio tool examples

AWeber’s Link in bio tool provides an all-in-one marketing solution to help you drive traffic, conversions, and sales. 

AWeber’s fully customizable link in bio landing page includes:



Built-in Canva Designer


YouTube embeds


Email newsletter signup form


Ecommerce capabilities


Social media icons


Smart content capabilities

Tired of working with multiple apps to market your business?

AWeber’s integrated marketing tools let you manage it all from one platform:



Build a fully customized link in bio landing page that includes everything you need:  links, email subscribe forms, embeds, e-commerce, and more.



Create automated email campaigns that nurture your social media leads. Segment your audience and personalize content based on user behavior. Create email automated campaigns that sell your products for you.



Build and host product landing pages and lead magnet landing pages to drive more conversions and sales.

With AWeber, you get all the history, knowledge, and support that comes with a platform that has been in business for 20+ years. Unlike many other Linktree alternatives, AWeber delivers  outstanding customer support, a comprehensive training library, and constantly updated software that works exactly as it should 

Here’s why you’ll love AWeber’s link in bio tool:



Add practically anything to your link in bio landing page: unlimited links, email signup form, YouTube embeds, ecommerce, and more.



Built-in Canva Designer lets you customize your page for consistent branding across multiple platforms.



Its prebuilt templates and drag-and-drop interface make your link in bio landing page super easy to create.



Includes custom domain names, landing page insights, and embedded email subscribe forms.



Free plan available.


“AWeber is quite intuitive to use, and there is hardly a learning curve. The software is robust without the bloat of bells and whistles. It’s truly not lacking anything.”

Cheniece P, G2 review

#2 – Campsite.bio

Campsite.bio landing page examples

Campsite.bio link in bio tool gives you in-depth analytics, a personalized domain name, and premium integrations such as forms and tracking pixels.

The app provides several key features that brands look for in a link in bio landing page, including:



Unlimited links


Titles and dividers


Social icons


Analytics


Custom domain names


Premium integrations

Campsite is a good option for brands looking for a free Linktree alternative or a paid plan with more customization and analytics tools.

Why we like Campsite.bio:



Generous free plan available.


Pro plan allows for advanced customization and branding.


Pro plan provides access to in-depth analytics.


“I can easily direct my readers from Instagram to my recent blog posts, have them sign up for my email list, and schedule links when I want them to go live. It’s a game-changer. And I love being able to customize everything to my own branding.”

– Becca, Campsite.bio review, Trustpilot

#3 – LNK.Bio

Lnk.Bio landing page examples

Linktree alternative Lnk.Bio is the second biggest link-in-bio service worldwide. Its service is similar to Linktree but with more affordable pricing.

Lnk.Bio lets you post unlimited links on your landing page, including sponsored, social media, and website links.

Some of Lnk.Bio’s notable features include:



Link scheduling lets you create a variety of campaigns.


2,500+ icons so you can link to social media, music, contacts, and other services.


Monetization options that help you generate income include a donation box, a thanks box, and affiliate programs.


Some analytics are provided, including clicks, views, and CTR.

Its focus on social media profiles and icons makes it a good option for social-first brands that want to cross-link their other social profiles.

Why we like Lnk.Bio:



Super-easy, 1-minute setup.


One-time payment option or choice of subscription plans.


Personalized URLs available.


“I like how easy and intuitive the platform is. I never have any issues working on this software because everything is straightforward and easy for me to understand.”

G2 reviewer

#4 – Contact In Bio

Contact In Bio landing page examples

Contact in Bio gives users slightly more control over customizing their landing page. Its options include colors, themes, button styles, and background choices. 

The service also provides key features such as built-in contact forms, payment collection tools, and Messenger links for direct social messaging.

Contact In Bio notable features include:



Tracking options include Google Analytics tracking and Facebook pixel retargeting.


Design options that let you control the look and feel of your landing page.


An online store that allows viewers to purchase your products inside the Instagram app.

Contact in Bio may be a good choice if you’re looking for a Linktree alternative that offers more design options and a greater selection of features.

Why we like Contact In Bio:



Offers the ability to collect payments via Stripe and Paypal.


Provides messenger links that let users connect directly via social messaging.


Features in-depth analytics.


“Ideal for my Instagram page! Allows me to connect all my social media and webstore in one place!”

– Lufc Fanzone, Contact In Bio customer

#5 – Bitly

Bitly Link in Bio landing page examples

Bitly link in bio tool lets you create a simple landing page where you can add multiple links. These could be links to your website, other social media profiles, product pages, or other essential content.

As part of Bitly’s URL shortening service, you’ll also enjoy helpful click tracking analytics. 

Its main features include:



Basic personalization options that let you upload your logo or image and choose from preset color palettes.


Social link icons that connect users to your other social media channels.


Tracking features let you easily track views and clicks.


Link scheduling feature allows you to create link campaigns in advance by scheduling link stop and start dates.

If you already shorten links with Bitly, its link in bio tool is a natural extension and may be a good option for you.

Why we like Bitly:



Simple solution for businesses wanting an all-in-one URL shortener, QR code app, and link in bio landing page.


Advanced plan allows you to manage and analyze all links from a single dashboard.


Custom domains available.


“The platform has a very easy and reliable user interface even for first time users. The tool also helps you track engagement rates like clicks which is very helpful.”

Saurav S., Bitly G2 review

#6 – Tap Bio

Tap.bio Alyssa Milano example

Tap.bio  can host multiple links and pages, called “cards.”

Its layout differs from most link in bio tools because it looks more like an Instagram Story than a landing page. 

Its customizable “cards” allow you to stack several pages of content and links.

Tap.bio features include:



The ability to embed YouTube videos


Click link analytics


Multiple swipeable cards with every link in bio

Tap.bio may be a good option for creative-minded users. 

However, users might consider directing this type of engagement toward their Instagram or web content, rather than their link in bio.

Why we like Tap.bio:



Offers a fun and interactive way to present comprehensive information.


Provides you with extensive customization options.

#7 – Many.bio

Many.bio link in bio examples

Many.bio is a link in bio tool designed for Instagram and TikTok. Like Linktree, it lets you create a small landing page that can share multiple links from several sources.

Many.bio highlights include:



Unlimited links on your landing page


Customization options that include colors, fonts, and background images


Social media icons for linking to your other social pages


Messenger links so people can message you directly


Basic analytics so you know how many people visit your links

Many.bio may be a good option for people looking for a more simple and direct approach to a link in bio landing page. 

Why we like Many.bio:



Simple, straightforward link in bio solution.


50 ready-design themes


Custom URL options


Generous free plan

#8 – Link in Bio

Link in Bio sample landing page

Looking for a more complex link in bio program with a wide selection of tools and features? 

Link in Bio is a platform that lets you add links, music, video, shops, and email/SMS subscriptions to your landing page.

Some of its features include:



Automatically-generated link previews


One-click subscriptions


Unlimited links


Blue check verification


Branded pages


Insights allow you to track how many people click your links


Embedded YouTube videos

Link in Bio may be a good choice for users wanting multiple admins, dedicated support reps, and unique features such as link previews and instant verification.

Why we like Link in Bio:



Paid plans provide unique features such as instant verification and multiple admin users.


Pro plan offers collaboration tools and advanced insights.


Free plan allows you to get started with unlimited links and link previews.

The Linktree alternatives we’ve covered in this guide allow you to cater to any stage of your marketing funnel with customizable link menus for your social media audiences. Many of the services provide free trials or free versions, so you can give them a try to find out which one is best for you!

If you’re looking for specific features or the best fit for your favorite social media platform, the guide below will help.

Top Linktree alternatives by feature

Looking for specific features in a Linktree alternative? The lists below will help you find the best service for your needs.

Several of the above-mentioned services provide a generous free plans, including:



AWeber


Campsite


ContactInBio


Lnk.bio


Many


Link in Bio

Linktree alternatives with unique features

If you’re looking for a service with features that go above and beyond, consider:



AWeber: YouTube embeds, analytics, embedded email subscribe forms, built-in Canva designer, ecommerce features


Link in Bio: Blue check verification, auto-generated previews


Contact in Bio: Collect payments with Stripe & Paypal

Linktree alternatives with more customization options

If you’re searching for a Linktree alternative with more creative freedom, you might like:



AWeber; built in Canva Designer, fully customizable landing pages


Tap Bio; customizable cards let you create slider landing pages (think Instagram Stories layout)

Linktree alternatives with video embeds

Ever considered embedding videos in your link in bio landing pages? Some Linktree alternatives that let you embed videos include:



Link in Bio


Tap bio


AWeber

Top Linktree alternatives by social media platform

If you mostly use one social media platform, why not choose a link in bio tool that caters to it?

Linktree alternatives for Instagram

Instagram started the “Link in bio landing page” revolution. Its old policy of allowing only one link in your bio PLUS not allowing links in captions forced users to find a better solution. As a result, most link in bio tools work great with Instagram.

Any of the tools above make an excellent Linktree alternative for Instagram users. Our favorites are:



AWeber


Lnk.Bio


Many.bio

Linktree alternatives for TikTok

TikTok users looking for a small landing page should check out Many.bio, which was designed with TikTok in mind.

Linktree alternatives for LinkedIn

Like Instagram, LinkedIn only allows one link per bio. Plus, its algorithm favors posts that do not include links. This makes it an ideal social channel for the right link in bio landing page.

However, LinkedIn users are a discriminating crowd. Building a landing page that fits LinkedIn’s professional aesthetic is critical to building trust with your followers.

To fit in on LinkedIn, look for a highly-customizable, yet simple, Linktree alternative such as:



AWeber allows you to design professional, branded landing pages, perfect for LinkedIn.


Contact In Bio provides a sleek, simple design that you can customize for a professional aesthetic.


Tap.Bio’s creative approach is a good fit for designers who understand the LinkedIn aesthetic.

Tactics for driving traffic, conversions, and sales with link in bio

Link in bio tools provide a clear path to boosting your marketing goals. Here are some tips for using your landing page to drive results for your objectives.

Boost your website traffic

To boost your web traffic from social media, use a link in bio landing page to highlight your most engaging web pages.

For example, you might link to content such as:



Highest-performing blog posts


How-to guides


Landing pages


Free ebooks or educational resources


Checklists, templates, and infographics

To optimize the results of your traffic, include a link option for every stage of the marketing funnel: Awareness, interest, and decision-stage content.

Drive conversions

To boost email conversions, feature an email subscribe form at the top of your landing page. 

For example, Dork Tales Storytime Podcast focuses on driving conversions by putting its email subscribe form at the top of the landing page. Below it, the page includes links to highly engaging content such as a listener survey and printables shop.

Increase sales

Drive more sales from social media by featuring your best products and services on the link in bio landing page. 

Include compelling CTAs to encourage clicks. For an extra boost, add your best promotion, deal, or promo code at the top.

For example, HR Art focuses its attention on enrolling people in its classes and training. 

With selections such as “Book your first appointment,” “Join a virtual Qigong class,” and “Sign up for the in-person vision fest event,” the page acts as a catalyst for its #1 marketing objective: increasing sales.

Increase traffic, conversions, AND sales

If your current marketing goals are a balance of objectives, include a balance of links that cater to your goals.

To increase traffic, conversions, AND sales with your landing page, consider including the following:



A link to your current promotion, product launch, or best-selling item


An email subscription sign-up form with a free offer (lead gen) incentive


A link to your best-performing blog article


A link to your customer testimonials or case studies


A link to your booking schedule

Send traffic to your primary social media channel

If you’ve already built a strong audience on one social media channel, then it makes sense to send users from other platforms to your main audience.

For example, if your strongest community is YouTube, embed your most compelling YouTube videos in your link in bio landing page. 

To find a link in bio tool that lets you embed videos, check the “Linktree alternatives with video embeds” section above.

How to build effective link in bio landing pages

To achieve the best results from your landing page, ensure that every link you share aligns with your marketing objectives.

For example, many landing pages encourage you to add social media icons to your landing page. But before you do, ask yourself “How will this achieve the results I’m pursuing?”  In most cases, including additional social media icons won’t increase your conversions or sales.

Your landing page is a hub that can send massive traffic to the places where it will do the most good. To ensure that it’s effective, remain focused on your marketing goals as you create it.

Keep your landing page productive by including (only links) that will lead to the results you’re looking for!

Conclusion 

Linktree is a solid starting point as a bio link tool, but the best Linktree alternatives provide more enhanced features and tools to help you boost traffic, conversions, and sales.

Bio link tools are an excellent way to increase your social media ROI, but they’re only the beginning. Email marketing, product landing pages, and lead generation pages are critical tools for guiding visitors along their journey to becoming customers.

AWeber’s streamlined approach to marketing provides you with everything you need to nurture and convert leads from your social media channels. From email marketing to landing pages and link in bio pages, you can do it all from one platform.

No experience with landing pages or email marketing? No problem! Choose from hundreds of templates that let you create emails or landing pages in minutes. Sign up for a free AWeber account today and start building your link in bio landing page in minutes!

The post Best Linktree alternatives for driving traffic, conversions, and sales appeared first on AWeber.

Why The Sales Team Hates Your Leads (And How To Fix It)

You ask the head of marketing how the team is doing and get a giant thumbs up.

“Our MQLs are up!”

“Website conversion rates are at an all-time high!”

“Email click rates have never been this good!”

But when you ask the head of sales the same question, you get the response that echoes across sales desks worldwide — the leads from marketing suck. 

If you’re in this boat, you’re not alone. The issue of “leads from marketing suck” is a common situation in most organizations. In a HubSpot survey, only 9.1% of salespeople said leads they received from marketing were of very high quality.

Why do sales teams hate marketing-generated leads? And how can marketers help their sales peers fall in love with their leads? 

Let’s dive into the answers to these questions. Then, I’ll give you my secret lead gen kung-fu to ensure your sales team loves their marketing leads. 

Marketers Must Take Ownership

“I’ve hit the lead goal. If sales can’t close them, it’s their problem.”

How many times have you heard one of your marketers say something like this? When your teams are heavily siloed, it’s not hard to see how they get to this mindset — after all, if your marketing metrics look strong, they’ve done their part, right?

Not necessarily. 

The job of a marketer is not to drive traffic or even leads. The job of the marketer is to create messaging and offers that lead to revenue. Marketing is not a 100-meter sprint — it’s a relay race. The marketing team runs the first leg and hands the baton to sales to sprint to the finish.

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via GIPHY

To make leads valuable beyond the vanity metric of watching your MQLs tick up, you need to segment and nurture them. Screen the leads to see if they meet the parameters of your ideal customer profile. If yes, nurture them to find out how close their intent is to a sale. Only then should you pass the leads to sales. 

Lead Quality Control is a Bitter Pill that Works

Tighter quality control might reduce your overall MQLs. Still, it will ensure only the relevant leads go to sales, which is a win for your team and your organization.

This shift will require a mindset shift for your marketing team: instead of living and dying by the sheer number of MQLs, you need to create a collaborative culture between sales and marketing. Reinforce that “strong” marketing metrics that result in poor leads going to sales aren’t really strong at all.  

When you foster this culture of collaboration and accountability, it will be easier for the marketing team to receive feedback from sales about lead quality without getting defensive. 

Remember, the sales team is only holding marketing accountable so the entire organization can achieve the right results. It’s not sales vs marketing — it’s sales and marketing working together to get a great result. Nothing more, nothing less. 

We’ve identified the problem and where we need to go. So, how you do you get there?

Fix #1: Focus On High ROI Marketing Activities First

What is more valuable to you:

One more blog post for a few more views? 

One great review that prospective buyers strongly relate to?

Hopefully, you’ll choose the latter. After all, talking to customers and getting a solid testimonial can help your sales team close leads today.  Current customers talking about their previous issues, the other solutions they tried, why they chose you, and the results you helped them achieve is marketing gold.

On the other hand, even the best blog content will take months to gain enough traction to impact your revenue.

Still, many marketers who say they want to prioritize customer reviews focus all their efforts on blog content and other “top of the funnel” (Awareness, Acquisition, and Activation) efforts. 

The bottom half of the growth marketing funnel (Retention, Reputation, and Revenue) often gets ignored, even though it’s where you’ll find some of the highest ROI activities.

Most marketers know retaining a customer is easier than acquiring a new one. But knowing this and working with sales on retention and account expansion are two different things. 

When you start focusing on retention, upselling, and expansion, your entire organization will feel it, from sales to customer success. These happier customers will increase your average account value and drive awareness through strong word of mouth, giving you one heck of a win/win.

Winning the Retention, Reputation, and Referral game also helps feed your Awareness, Acquisition, and Activation activities:

Increasing customer retention means more dollars stay within your organization to help achieve revenue goals and fund lead gen initiatives.

A fully functioning referral system lowers your customer acquisition cost (CAC) because these leads are already warm coming in the door.

Case studies and reviews are powerful marketing assets for lead gen and nurture activities as they demonstrate how you’ve solved identical issues for other companies.

Remember that the bottom half of your marketing and sales funnel is just as important as the top half. After all, there’s no point pouring leads into a leaky funnel. Instead, you want to build a frictionless, powerful growth engine that brings in the right leads, nurtures them into customers, and then delights those customers to the point that they can’t help but rave about you.

So, build a strong foundation and start from the bottom up. You’ll find a better return on your investment. 

Fix #2: Join Sales Calls to Better Understand Your Target Audience

You can’t market well what you don’t know how to sell.

Your sales team speaks directly to customers, understands their pain points, and knows the language they use to talk about those pains. Your marketing team needs this information to craft the perfect marketing messaging your target audience will identify with.

When marketers join sales calls or speak to existing customers, they get firsthand introductions to these pain points. Often, marketers realize that customers’ pain points and reservations are very different from those they address in their messaging. 

Once you understand your ideal customers’ objections, anxieties, and pressing questions, you can create content and messaging to remove some of these reservations before the sales call. This effort removes a barrier for your sales team, resulting in more SQLs.

Fix #3: Create Collateral That Closes Deals

One-pagers, landing pages, PDFs, decks — sales collateral could be anything that helps increase the chance of closing a deal. Let me share an example from Lean Labs. 

Our webinar page has a CTA form that allows visitors to talk to our team. Instead of a simple “get in touch” form, we created a drop-down segmentation based on the user’s challenge and need. This step helps the reader feel seen, gives them hope that they’ll receive real value from the interaction, and provides unique content to users based on their selection.

So, if they select I need help with crushing it on HubSpot, they’ll get a landing page with HubSpot-specific content (including a video) and a meeting scheduler. 

Speaking directly to your audience’s needs and pain points through these steps dramatically increases the chances of them booking a call. Why? Because instead of trusting that a generic “expert” will be able to help them with their highly specific problem, they can see through our content and our form design that Lean Labs can solve their most pressing pain point. 

Fix #4: Focus On Reviews and Create an Impact Loop

A lot of people think good marketing is expensive. You know what’s even more expensive? Bad marketing

To get the best ROI on your marketing efforts, you need to create a marketing machine that pays for itself. When you create this machine, you need to think about two loops: the growth loop and the impact loop.

Growth loop — Awareness Acquisition Activation Revenue Awareness: This is where most marketers start. 

Impact loop — Results Reviews Retention Referrals Results: This is where great marketers start. 

Most marketers start with their growth loop and then hope that traction feeds into their impact loop. However, the reality is that starting with your impact loop is going to be far more likely to set your marketing engine up for success

Let me share a client story to show you what this looks like in real life.

Client Story: 4X Website Leads In A Single Quarter

We partnered with a health tech startup looking to grow their website leads. One way to grow website leads is to boost organic traffic, of course, but any organic play is going to take time. If you’re playing the SEO game alone, quadrupling conversions can take up to a year or longer.

But we did it in a single quarter. Here’s how.

We realized that the startup’s demos were converting lower than industry standards. A little more digging showed us why: our client was new enough to the market that the average person didn’t trust them enough yet to want to invest in checking out a demo. So, what did we do?

We prioritized the last part of the funnel: reputation.

We ran a 5-star reputation campaign to collect reviews. Once we had the reviews we needed, we showcased them at critical parts of the website and then made sure those same reviews were posted and shown on other third-party review platforms. 

Remember that reputation plays are vital, and they’re one of the plays startups often neglect at best and ignore at worst. What others say about your business is ten times more important than what you say about yourself

By providing customer validation at critical points in the buyer journey, we were able to 4X the website leads in a single quarter!

So, when you talk to customers, always look for opportunities to drive review/referral conversations and use them in marketing collateral throughout the buyer journey. 

Fix #5: Launch Phantom Offers for Higher Quality Leads 

You may be reading this post thinking, okay, my lead magnets and offers might be way off the mark, but how will I get the budget to create a new one that might not even work?

It’s an age-old issue: marketing teams invest way too much time and resources into creating lead magnets that fail to generate quality leads

One way to improve your chances of success, remain nimble, and stay aligned with your audience without breaking the bank is to create phantom offers, i.e., gauge the audience interest in your lead magnet before you create them.

For example, if you want to create a “World Security Report” for Chief Security Officers, don’t do all the research and complete the report as Step One. Instead, tease the offer to your audience before you spend time making it. Put an offer on your site asking visitors to join the waitlist for this report. Then wait and see how that phantom offer converts. 

This is precisely what we did for a report by Allied Universal that ended up generating 80 conversions before its release.

The best thing about a phantom offer is that it’s a win/win scenario: 

Best case: You get conversions even before you create your lead magnet.

Worst case: You save resources by not creating a lead magnet no one wants.  

Remember, You’re On The Same Team 

We’ve talked a lot about the reasons your marketing leads might suck. However, remember that it’s not all on marketers, either. At the end of the day, marketing and sales professionals are on the same team. They are not in competition with each other. They are allies working together toward a common goal. 

Smaller companies — or anyone under $10M in net new revenue — shouldn’t even separate sales and marketing into different departments. These teams need to be so in sync with one another that your best bet is to align them into a single growth team, one cohesive front with a single goal: profitable customer acquisition.

Interested in learning more about the growth marketing mindset? Check out the Lean Labs Growth Playbook that’s helped 25+ B2B SaaS marketing teams plan, budget, and accelerate growth.

The post Why The Sales Team Hates Your Leads (And How To Fix It) appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Battling for Attention in the 2024 Election Year Media Frenzy

As we march closer to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, CMOs and marketing leaders need to prepare for a significant shift in the digital advertising landscape. Election years have always posed unique challenges for advertisers, but the growing dominance of digital media has made the impact more profound than ever before.

In this article, we’ll explore the key factors that will shape the advertising environment in the coming months and provide actionable insights to help you navigate these turbulent waters.

The Digital Battleground

The rise of cord-cutting and the shift towards digital media consumption have fundamentally altered the advertising landscape in recent years. As traditional TV viewership declines, political campaigns have had to adapt their strategies to reach voters where they are spending their time: on digital platforms.

According to a recent report by eMarketer, the number of cord-cutters in the U.S. is expected to reach 65.1 million by the end of 2023, representing a 6.9% increase from 2022. This trend is projected to continue, with the number of cord-cutters reaching 72.2 million by 2025.

Moreover, a survey conducted by Pew Research Center in 2023 found that 62% of U.S. adults do not have a cable or satellite TV subscription, up from 61% in 2022 and 50% in 2019. This data further underscores the accelerating shift away from traditional TV and towards streaming and digital media platforms.

As these trends continue, political advertisers will have no choice but to follow their audiences to digital channels. In the 2022 midterm elections, digital ad spending by political campaigns reached $1.2 billion, a 50% increase from the 2018 midterms. With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, this figure is expected to grow exponentially, as campaigns compete for the attention of an increasingly digital-first electorate.

For brands and advertisers, this means that the competition for digital ad space will be fiercer than ever before. As political ad spending continues to migrate to platforms like Meta, YouTube, and connected TV, the cost of advertising will likely surge, making it more challenging for non-political advertisers to reach their target audiences.

To navigate this complex and constantly evolving landscape, CMOs and their teams will need to be proactive, data-driven, and willing to experiment with new strategies and channels. By staying ahead of the curve and adapting to the changing media consumption habits of their audiences, brands can position themselves for success in the face of the electoral advertising onslaught.

Rising Costs and Limited Inventory

As political advertisers flood the digital market, the cost of advertising is expected to skyrocket. CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) will likely experience a steady climb throughout the year, with significant spikes anticipated in May, as college students come home from school and become more engaged in political conversations, and around major campaign events like presidential debates.

For media buyers and their teams, this means that the tried-and-true strategies of years past may no longer be sufficient. Brands will need to be nimble, adaptable, and willing to explore new tactics to stay ahead of the game.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: A Perfect Storm

The challenges of election year advertising will be particularly acute during the critical holiday shopping season. Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which have historically been goldmines for advertisers, will be more expensive and competitive than ever in 2024, as they coincide with the final weeks of the presidential campaign.

To avoid being drowned out by the political noise, brands will need to start planning their holiday campaigns earlier than usual. Building up audiences and crafting compelling creative assets well in advance will be essential to success, as will a willingness to explore alternative channels and tactics. Relying on cold audiences come Q4 will lead to exceptionally high costs that may be detrimental to many businesses.

Navigating the Chaos

While the challenges of election year advertising can seem daunting, there are steps that media buyers and their teams can take to mitigate the impact and even thrive in this environment. Here are a few key strategies to keep in mind:

Start early and plan for contingencies: Begin planning your Q3 and Q4 campaigns as early as possible, with a focus on building up your target audiences and developing a robust library of creative assets.

Be sure to build in contingency budgets to account for potential cost increases, and be prepared to pivot your strategy as the landscape evolves.

Embrace alternative channels: Consider diversifying your media mix to include channels that may be less impacted by political ad spending, such as influencer marketing, podcast advertising, or sponsored content. Investing in owned media channels, like email marketing and mobile apps, can also provide a direct line to your customers without the need to compete for ad space.

Owned channels will be more important than ever. Use cheaper months leading up to the election to build your email lists and existing customer base so that your BF/CM can leverage your owned channels and warm audiences.

Craft compelling, shareable content: In a crowded and noisy advertising environment, creating content that resonates with your target audience will be more important than ever. Focus on developing authentic, engaging content that aligns with your brand values and speaks directly to your customers’ needs and desires.

By tapping into the power of emotional triggers and social proof, you can create content that not only cuts through the clutter but also inspires organic sharing and amplification.

Reflections

The 2024 election year will undoubtedly bring new challenges and complexities to the world of digital advertising. But by staying informed, adaptable, and strategic in your approach, you can navigate this landscape successfully and even find new opportunities for growth and engagement.

As a media buyer or agnecy, your role in steering your brand through these uncharted waters will be critical. By starting your planning early, embracing alternative channels and tactics, and focusing on creating authentic, resonant content, you can not only survive but thrive in the face of election year disruptions.

So while the road ahead may be uncertain, one thing is clear: the brands that approach this challenge with creativity, agility, and a steadfast commitment to their customers will be the ones that emerge stronger on the other side.

The post Battling for Attention in the 2024 Election Year Media Frenzy appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

Real estate email marketing: Turning potential buyers and sellers into clients

Email marketing for realtors. You’ve heard about it, but you’re not sure how it can help you connect with home buyers and sellers.

Imagine this scenario for a moment: You’re hosting another open house for a charming two-story Cape Cod home. A flood of people enter in and out, browsing around on their own without saying much to you. 

You leave out some business cards on a side table by the door and hope interested home buyers take one. But even if they do, there’s no guarantee that your card won’t end up lost in a purse or thrown out later on in the day.

If you had an email list you could ask potential homebuyers to sign up and guarantee future interactions. 

But email marketing isn’t just helpful for when you host an open house – it’s a great way to connect with potential home sellers and buyers in any scenario. And it allows you to reach a much more targeted audience. 

Email marketing for realtors allows you to stay connected with those who are interested in working with you, ultimately making it more effective than many other types of marketing.

Benefits of real estate email marketing

1 – Measurable 

Unlike other types of marketing that are difficult to measure, you can determine the ways in which your email efforts are impacting business by reviewing information such as open rates, click rates, traffic to your website, and more.

2 – Proven ROI 

Email marketing delivers a return of 3600%, according to Litmus.

3 – Preferred by clients

74% of consumers prefer to receive commercial communication through email. Think about that for a minute. In order for you to send emails to someone, they have to come up to you or go to your website and sign up, already knowing they’re interested in something you have to offer.

Posting an ad for your business can be good for raising awareness of your services. But you’re promoting yourself to a wide audience of people who will most likely look at your ad and move on. 

That means there will be no future opportunities for you to engage with that person. When someone gives you their email address, however, you get the chance to start up a conversation and build a relationship with that person by sending them content that is relevant to their lives (such as information about new house listings or tips for homeowners).

4 – It frees up your time 

As a realtor, your life is a busy one, and you need a way to manage your relationships with your clients while also having time to go on house tours, attend settlements, and so on. If you set up automated email messages, staying in touch with your clients becomes hassle-free.

Step 1: Find an email marketing provider

The first step to getting started with email marketing is to research and choose a reputable email marketing provider. A few characteristics to look for in a good provider include high-quality customer service and excellent deliverability.

By having a top-notch team of email experts to help you throughout your email marketing journey, as well as the highest possible chance to get your messages delivered to your subscribers’ inboxes, you’ll be better prepared for success.

Once you’ve found your match, you can begin collecting email subscribers to grow your client base.

Step 2: Grow your subscriber base

In order to sell a house, you need interested buyers and actual sellers, right? Email marketing can help you gain the respect and trust of potential clients. But first, you need a list of people to email.

Fortunately, there are many easy ways you can collect email subscribers once you’ve selected your email marketing provider. Here are the tactics that we find work best for real estate agents:

Your website

If you have a website, chances are you get tons of visitors but not nearly as many inquiries as you’d like. Fortunately, you can tap into some of those visitors by adding an email sign-up form on highly trafficked pages of your website (such as your homepage). 

Your sign-up form should inform your visitors what they’ll get out of signing up to your emails, such as updates on new listings, home improvement tips, and anything else you plan on informing them about.

In addition to including the value of your email list, be sure to add fields to your form that ask them to submit their name and email address. While you can also ask for additional information, such as whether they’re a home seller or buyer or what town they live in, remember that less is more. You don’t want to lose potential email subscribers by making them jump through too many hoops to hear from you.

If you want to attract home sellers, create a page that explains how you can help them sell their homes quickly and for the best possible price. Then use your sign-up form to offer exclusive email updates or a newsletter with tips for people selling their homes.

To attract home buyers, create a landing page with a different sign-up form that offers another type of email newsletter that provides information on homes that are for sale and other tips to help with the home buying process.

Open houses

At open house events, place a sign-up sheet at the entrance to collect email addresses of interested buyers. Even if they’re not interested in buying that particular house, they may be interested in working with you in the future.

On the sign-up form, be sure to explain what it’s for (e.g., weekly newsletter, updates on new listings) so subscribers know what to expect when they receive your emails. You also might want to offer more details about the specific house they’re touring, which they can get by signing up to your email list.

At the end of the open house, add your new subscribers to your email list and let the communication begin!

You can also collect email addresses by having a sheet with a QR code which sends them to a landing page to sign up.

Promotional materials

If you create print materials with property details to promote each listing, be sure to include a link to your email sign-up form so prospects can easily sign up for emails. You can even add the link to your business cards!

Email signature

Your daily email correspondence can also be a great opportunity to raise awareness of your email list, so include a link to your sign-up form in your email signature as well. You might want to include a little bit of information about the benefits of signing up to your email list, too.

Facebook business page

If you have a Facebook business page, chances are you have followers who have never interacted with you or your website. Set up your call-to-action feature to connect to your sign-up form, or a landing page that’s specifically designed to attract new email subscribers.

X (formerly Twitter)

Encourage your Twitter followers to sign up to your email list and share the link to your sign-up form in a tweet. Be sure to tell them about the benefits of signing up to your list!

Real estate email content ideas

Real estate email marketing offers a unique opportunity for relationship-building, because a lot of time can pass from when someone expresses interest to when they actually make a purchase.

The idea of sending regular emails to any number of people can seem daunting. But there are a number of ideas you can use for your email content, such as the ones listed below.

Regular email newsletter

Whether you send a weekly or a monthly email newsletter, these emails are perfect for keeping your subscribers up to date on industry news and policy changes as well as tips to help home buyers and sellers make more informed decisions.

You can also create two different email lists, so you can send tailored information to those who identify as home buyers or home sellers.

Whatever you decide to write about, keep in mind that your email newsletters should not be self-promotional. Rather, the goal is to create and share content that is valuable to them and where they are in their lives. 

As you begin on the first versions of your newsletter, consider what your readers should get out of the content.

New listings

Send targeted emails that feature new listings, foreclosures, and up-and-coming areas to clients in nearby areas. So if a new house goes up for sale in a specific neighborhood, send a geo-based email to your subscribers in that area (if you collect that information in your sign-up form).

You can continue to connect with interested buyers by sending another targeted email to those who opened your email and clicked on the link to view the listing online. This allows you to continue the conversation with someone who may have been interested, but for one reason or another did not reach out to you.

Home improvement tips

From painting tips to gardening advice, there’s a lot of helpful information you can share with homebuyers (both new and experienced). Other topics might include:



Remodeling


Kitchen renovations


Carpeting vs. hardwood flooring


Designing children’s rooms


Updating looks so they’re more modern


Exterior decorating


Interior decorating


Reviews of household appliances


Energy-saving advice


… and more!

Ask your readers what they’d like to learn more about! This can help you create content that is relevant to your subscribers.

Industry updates

Policies within the real estate industry are known to change every now and then. Email is a great way to keep your clients up to date on the latest news that can impact them.

When informing your subscribers of a new policy or a change in an existing one, be sure to offer your own explanation of what this means for them. Remember, your clients probably aren’t well-versed in real estate industry jargon, so break it down to them in layman’s terms.

Automated email series

Buying or selling a house is no easy feat. To educate your clients who want to learn more about each topic, you can also create an automated series of educational emails that clients can specifically sign up for.

If you want to educate a variety of clients, such as first-time home buyers, home sellers, or apartment hunters, an email series is perfect for providing subscribers with important evergreen content (i.e., content that will rarely change).

An email series can consist of one or 10 emails (up to you!) – whatever is necessary to teach your clients what they need to know.

Email series topics you can offer:



Everything first-time homebuyers should know. Give subscribers an overview of the journey and advice that’ll help them be more informed buyers.


Tips on maximizing the value of your current home. Within each email, focus on a different way readers can increase their home value.


Ideas for quick renovations you can do to sell your house faster. Share a new renovation idea in each email, or pick one idea and build an email series around that concept.

Tips for home buyers and sellers

On your sign-up form, consider asking your subscribers if they’re planning on selling or buying a home. With that information, you can send emails specific to each group to further educate them in their buyer or seller journey. 

When you have a clear understanding of what their needs are, it’ll help you identify content topics that will help them make the many decisions involved in buying and selling a home.

This makes for great content for your blog and social media posts, too!

User-generated content

Ask your clients to share their home buying and home selling experiences working with you. If you like them, consider including them in emails to your subscribers. This is a great way to encourage current clients that you’re the right realtor for them, as well as prospects who are still deciding whether they’re buying a house or moving.

Or increase the level of interaction you have with your clients by creating a contest that asks your clients to submit a photo of a redesign they’ve done. Share it on social media and ask for email addresses in order to enter. Leave it up to your audience to choose the winner!

Incentives

People love free stuff, so why not give your email subscribers free things to keep them interested in your emails?

Incentives you might want to offer in your emails or on your sign-up form include whitepapers, eBooks, or even a downloadable how-to guide.

Use this real estate email marketing guide

Educating your clients is essential to creating a great home buying or home selling experience. And email is a great way to maintain that relationship and gain the trust of your subscribers.

Email marketing for realtors is simple, but don’t get discouraged if it seems like a lot of work. As with any good habit, it’s important to stay motivated and stick with it. Consider devoting at least 30 minutes a day to nurturing your email list until it becomes routine. 

And if you do have any questions along the way, feel free to contact our email marketing experts at any time – we’re happy to help!

Looking for an email marketing provider for realtors – try AWeber. We’re a trusted, user-friendly platform that makes email marketing and lead generation simple and efficient. Why not sign up for a free AWeber account now and create your first landing page and newsletter today!

The post Real estate email marketing: Turning potential buyers and sellers into clients appeared first on AWeber.

How Standardizing Your Sales Process Boosts Overall Conversion

Let’s face it—it does no good to build a funnel and spend zero time optimizing for conversion. That’s a no-brainer, right?

But, how many of you are working closely with your head of sales to ensure that the opportunities you help generate actually convert into paying clients? Ultimately, if you want to be seen as a successful marketer, you’re going to have to show that marketing is driving sales.

Now, the challenge is that in today’s commoditized world, sales teams often struggle to stand out from the crowd. As a result, closed won rates plummet, and organizations find it challenging to demonstrate to prospects how their total value proposition is the clear winner against all of the other competitors.

To make matters worse, many organizations rely on “super hero” sales people or even the founder to close deals. This approach is not sustainable or scalable. You can’t build a successful sales team if you’re constantly relying on a select few individuals to bring in all of the business.

The solution to this problem is a sales process that follows a standardized approach while also creating clear differentiation with prospects at the same time. By implementing a systematic sales process, you can scale your sales efforts beyond just the founders and “super heroes.” This will lead to higher closed won rates and higher gross profit margins, as you’ll be able to win at premium prices.

The benefits of a systematic sales process are clear. You’ll be able to scale the process beyond founders and “super heroes,” achieve higher closed won rates, and enjoy higher gross profit margins as you’re now able to win at premium prices.

When I implemented a systematic sales process in my former agency, I was able to consistently have 60-70% closed won rates, even when I had zero involvement in deals. This is the power of a well-designed sales process. In fact, I standardized this process and called it the Systematic Sales Process.

So, what does a Systematic Sales Process look like? Here are the five stages:

Stage 1: Evaluation

In this stage, you’ll have a 30-45 minute call with your prospect. The goal of this call is to point your prospect in the right direction—it’s not to “make a sale.” The reason we want to take this approach is that many prospects are likely not a good fit for your firm, so let’s not assume that every first call is an “opportunity.” That’s why we call this call the “Evaluation”—you want to evaluate whether or not you can help your prospect, whether or not they align with your requirements, and whether or not they are ready to move forward. We call this “two-way qualification.”

It’s not uncommon to reach the middle-to-end of the call and determine that your prospect, in fact, needs someone or something else other than you!

IMPORTANT: You should NOT move anyone beyond this point unless you have full alignment.

Do this stage right and you will ensure that your pipeline is real.

Stage 2: Discovery

After you have alignment with your prospect from the Evaluation call, you’ll engage them and their team in a 60-120 minute Discovery meeting.

The key in this meeting is to have a strong business conversation and less of a tactical conversation related to what you do. You’re looking to create paradigm shifts with key stakeholders on your prospect’s side. You want them to leave the meeting thinking about their problem in a completely different way and with a sense of excitement about the potential of moving from where they are now to where they want to be.

IMPORTANT: You want to ensure critical stakeholders are present for this meeting, as they’ve agreed-to in the Evaluation call (this is non-negotiable), to whatever degree you require for your process.

Do this stage right and you will sub-consciously win the business.

Stage 3: Plan

In this stage, you’ll collaborate with your main point of contact to develop your plan. That said, be a leader and show them what needs to be done to achieve their desired outcome, then discuss how you can divide and conquer together. Don’t treat this as a “pick from a menu” excercise.

This collaborative approach to developing your plan helps your main point of contact see your plan as their plan, too. This increases the odds that they will be a champion for you.

IMPORTANT: During these dicsussions, be sure to have them help you avoid “land mines”—things that could lose the business for you.

Do this stage right and you will eliminate surprises at the next stage (Presentation).

Stage 4: Presentation

You’re now ready to present and officially win the business during a 60-90 minute meeting. That siad, do not call your plan a “Proposal”! Instead, give it a specific title that speaks to their goals (e.g. “How ACME Corp Can Drive 17% More Revenue Through Conversion Rate Optimization”).

Your presentation should tell a “story” that includes:

Their Vision

Their Goals & Objectives

Their Challenges

How to Win (Strategy)

Highlights (Tactics)

Required Commitments (Their time, money, and resources to make this plan a success)

Expected Results (ROI!)

Why Your Firm

After you present, answer any questions they have and when their questions are done, ASK FOR THE SALE.

IMPORTANT: You want to ensure critical stakeholders are present for this meeting, as they’ve agreed-to in the Evaluation call (this is non-negotiable), to whatever degree you require for your process.

Do this stage right and you will differentiate your firm.

Stage 5: Negotiation

Finally, you’re ready to provde the contract and negotiate, but don’t give this until they’ve given you the “verbal” that you have won the business. The reason you do this is to make sure that you’ve wont the business based on the material things before the prospect starts nit-picking your contract scope. That said, be clear about what you will do and what you won’t do.

Additionally, your standard terms and conditions will accompnay the scope. You want to know up-front the terms and conditions you will bend on and the ones you won’t bend on.  You don’t want to make a decision about an important term and/or condition during the emotion of trying to ink a deal. Knowing up-front your points of negotiation will help you make logical decisions in the heat of the moment.

Do this stage right and you will set up your team for success.If you’d like to learn more about how to grow your firm using a Systematic Sales Process, register for Frank’s free Systematic Sales Process training today!

The post How Standardizing Your Sales Process Boosts Overall Conversion appeared first on DigitalMarketer.

How to increase brand awareness on social media: 25 tips with expert insights and stories

Social media brand awareness can deliver huge advantages to businesses. 

A successful brand awareness strategy can expand your reach, improve your credibility, and dramatically increase your conversions, web traffic, and sales.

With the right approach, all those benefits can translate to big profits and a healthy ROI for your business.

But in a world where nearly 5 billion people upload 2 billion photographs and videos to social media daily, finding a way to stand out can be challenging.

Fortunately, you don’t have to wonder how to get noticed on social media because we’ve got answers for you in the guide below.

I reached out to several industry experts who shared first-hand experience and creative tips for building brand awareness on social media.

You’ll find their tips and success stories below, along with 23 ways to increase your brand awareness on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

What is social media brand awareness?

Brand awareness refers to how familiar and likable your business is on social media. It reflects your reach and visibility but doesn’t stop there. Brand awareness also encompasses your reputation and credibility.

Increasing brand awareness on any social media channel is the first step toward building an audience. It’s also an ongoing process of building, engaging, and converting your target audience so they become happy customers.

Why does brand awareness matter?

Brand awareness is the first step to getting people interested in your business. On social media, it translates into more followers and larger audiences.

Brand awareness also builds your business’s trust and credibility, which makes people much more likely to purchase your products or services.

Finally, a strong brand awareness can make your business stand out in your industry and on social media.

Keep your target audience in mind as you browse the tips below, and you’ll be on your way to creating successful brand awareness campaigns in no time!

25 Super-effective ways to increase brand awareness on social media

The following tips will help you grow your audience, reach, and brand awareness on nearly any social media channel. We’ve included some priceless expert tips, so take notes, bookmark this page, share it on social media — do whatever it takes so you can return any time for inspiration and ideas!

#1 – Understand Your Audience

You probably already have a target audience in mind, but how well do you know them? Check out your competitors, industry influencers, Reddit forums, and other online groups. Find out what your audience wants and needs, and support them with content that engages them.

#2 – Encourage user-generated content (UGC) campaigns

Contests and giveaways that encourage UGC can quickly expose your business to hundreds of new audiences.


“Encouraging user-generated content with branded hashtags or photo challenges can also help to expand your reach and generate buzz for your brand. 

For example, a beauty brand might launch a hashtag campaign encouraging customers to share their favorite makeup looks created with a specific product in exchange for prizes.” 

Gabrielle Marie Yap, Senior Editor & Culinary Entrepreneur at CarnivoreStyle

#3 – Live video broadcasts

Use live video broadcasts to interact with audiences and gain new followers.

#4 – Publish highly-shareable, non-promotional content

Every time someone shares your content, it exposes your brand to a new audience. Shareable content helps boost your brand’s reach and credibility. 

For example, digital marketing agency NP Digital shares marketing tips that appeal to its target audience.

Images, videos, illustrations, memes, and GIFs that are heartwarming, funny, informative, or entertaining are good examples of shareable content.

According to Museum Hacks CEO Tasia Duske, memes are responsible for helping her company’s Instagram page grow to nearly 35,000 followers.


“We were able to quickly grow our Instagram following by thousands (30,000k +,) rack up hundreds of likes per post, earn tons of shares, and make thousands more people aware of our ‘renegade museum tours’ through the power of social media memes.”

Tasia Duske, CEO, Museum Hack

Duske shared a few tips about how her brand developed the viral memes.

“Rather than chase the meme of the moment, we centered our strategy around our own, personalized meme format. Since it wasn’t directly brand-related, it was instantly relatable and attention-grabbing and encouraged sharing — yet, it was still on brand enough that people also learned about our product at the same time.”

#5 Interactive social media content

Publish interactive social media content that engages followers and encourages them to share with friends. For example, quizzes, polls, and surveys are excellent interactive content on any platform.

#6 Partner with influencers

Partner with influencers whose audiences are similar to yours. Experiment with different types of influencers and partner content to learn what drives the most engagement and awareness for your business.

For example, Dunkin’ Donuts partnered with e.l.f. Makeup for a “Wake up and make up” campaign that resulted in 2.3 billion impressions in one day.

You don’t have to be a giant company to create successful partnerships that boost your brand awareness. Micro-influencers and niche influencers often generate higher engagement rates from smaller audiences.


“Influencer partnerships can help you quickly build brand awareness, and a long-lasting relationship with a trusted influencer is invaluable. 

Build a group of reliable influencers for partnerships, but keep introducing new ones into the mix to test new strategies and expand to new audiences.”

Rex Huxford, Director of Demand Generation, MD Clarity

#7 – Post consistently at ideal times

You can learn the best times for audience engagement by monitoring your social media insights. If you don’t have enough analytics history to determine your best posting times, you can start with general posting guidelines and improve as you go. 

#8 – Share behind-the-scenes videos with your audience

Behind-the-scenes clips are  popular because users love seeing the real people behind their favorite brands. Brands love them because it helps to build a personal connection with their audience.

For example, Spread Great Ideas shares a fun video of its “Global rockstar team” on its YouTube channel.

#9 – Experiment with formats

Experiment with a variety of formats to find out what resonates best with your audience.

#10 – Use analytics to guide your content

Increase your content’s reach and engagement by monitoring your insights to learn what sparks engagement and sharing from your target audience.

#11 – Use location tags whenever possible

If you have a physical location, you can significantly Increase visibility by adding location tags to your posts on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

#12 – Optimize your captions

Include keywords and hashtags in your captions to expand your reach on search and other feeds. 

#13 – Email marketing

Use email marketing to promote your events, contests, and collaborations: Send an email invite to your subscribers and encourage them to share it with friends. 

#14 -Share brand awareness content

At the brand awareness stage, the ideal content is non-promotional and designed to entertain, educate, teach something new, solve a problem, or share a life hack.

For example, the Stallion Express Instagram post below provides helpful information and tips for shipping within the U.S. — without trying to sell or promote its services.

These 14 tips can help you boost brand awareness on nearly any social media platform. 

Keep reading to discover platform-specific tips for Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Instagram brand awareness tips

#15 – Run contests as often as possible

On Instagram, contests get about 64 times more comments than any other post type.

#16 – Understand and apply Instagram SEO

Don’t rely on hashtags for SEO – they’re only a small part of the puzzle. Implementing Instagram SEO techniques provides greater visibility in the Explore and Search feeds. 

#17 – Use eye-catching visuals

Use high-quality images and videos in all your content, to match the Instagram aesthetic. 


“When it comes to creating content for social media, especially Instagram, my top tip is to use the power of visuals to your advantage. 

Create eye-catching content that showcases your products and tells an exciting story. 

Building a presence on platforms such as Instagram isn’t just about showing off your products; it’s about creating an experience your audience will remember for years.

Diana Zheng, Head of Marketing, Stallion Express

#18 – Reels, Reels, Reels!

Short-form videos are popular on every social channel, especially Instagram. Whether you post filmed videos or create videos with an app like Canva, Reels can go a long way toward expanding your reach.

For example, NP Digital consistently posts Reels related to digital marketing.

Kimberly Deese, marketing and PR leader at NP Digital, recommends using short form videos to entertain and inform your audience.


“The best way to build brand awareness on Instagram is by featuring subject matter experts in consistent and persistent short-form video posts that provide value and entertainment to the audience while aligning with your brand’s messaging. 

These short form videos can make an even bigger impact when they offer unique perspectives on current industry trends, feature text-on-screen, and have eye-catching thumbnail images.” 

Kimberly Deese, Digital PR, NP Digital

#19 – Respond to all comments and DMs in a timely manner

On Instagram, engagement is your key to getting in the good graces of its algorithms. Responding to comments on your page and in messages (in a timely manner) helps boost your visibility in its feeds.

Facebook brand awareness tips

#20 – Long videos

Yes, you read that right. Videos over one minute long receive the most median interactions and reach on Facebook.

#21 – Join Facebook groups

Join Facebook groups in your niche and participate: Look for ways to encourage, advise, and support group members. 

#22 – Run Facebook ad campaigns

Use its sophisticated ad targeting features to deliver engaging content to your target audience.

Will Yang, Head of Growth and Marketing at Instrumentl, uses storytelling to create an emotional connection in Facebook ads.


“My favorite tactic for building brand awareness on Facebook is running video ad campaigns that tell a story. 

In my experience, nothing grabs attention and builds an emotional connection with potential customers quite like video content. 

The key is using video ads to showcase your brand’s mission, values, and impact in an authentic, human way. 

Will Yang, Head of Growth and Marketing, Instrumentl

Yang tells the story of a video campaign he once ran for a nonprofit organization that helps underprivileged youth.

“The video followed a student’s journey from a challenging background to graduating college thanks to the nonprofit’s programs. It highlighted the organization’s inspirational work while tugging at viewers’ heartstrings. 

We received tons of positive feedback from people who felt connected to the cause after seeing the student’s story. This just goes to show how powerful video storytelling can be on Facebook.”

YouTube brand awareness tips

#23 – Optimize YouTube videos

Optimize video titles and descriptions: to improve your visibility in YouTube feeds and encourage people to subscribe to your channel.

#24 – Invest in high-quality sound equipment

Invest in high-quality sound equipment to ensure that the sound quality of your videos is professional. 

Creating a high-quality sound doesn’t have to be expensive. The video below provides excellent tips for achieving high quality sound on a budget.

#25 – Collaborate with other YouTube creators

Collaborate with other YouTube creators to instantly expose your content to new audiences.

Vaibhav Kakkar, CEO of Digital Web Solutions, highly recommends YouTube collaborations for building brand awareness.


“For YouTube, my favorite tactic for building brand awareness is collaborating with other creators in our niche. 

Collaborating on content exposes the brand to a wider, targeted audience and adds credibility through association with established names in the industry.

Vaibhav Kakkar CEO | digitalwebsolutions

As you build social media brand awareness for your business, remember it’s a process. 

Keep publishing unique, engaging content on a consistent basis. 

Regularly monitor your industry influencers and competitors to discover new trends and learn what’s working in your niche. 

Network and collaborate with others in your industry as often as you can. 

Along the way, allow your target audience, marketing goals, and analytics to steer you in the right direction.

How to measure social media brand awareness

Determine how well your brand awareness campaigns are performing by monitoring the native social media insights on each platform. 

The following metrics help measure brand awareness:



Reach & Impressions: How many people see your content and how many times is it viewed?


Engagement: Are people liking, commenting, and sharing your posts?


Mentions: How often do people tag your brand or use your hashtags?


Follower growth: How does your follower count increase over time?


Competitor growth and engagement: Compare your engagement and growth rates to competitors on the same social media platform.


Off-platform accomplishments: How many people click on your external links, and how does that affect traffic, conversions, and sales for your business?

Consistently tracking the progress of the above measurements will give you a crystal-clear understanding of how well your brand awareness campaigns are performing on social media.

Turn social media brand awareness into profits

Building brand awareness on social media is an ongoing process that requires creativity, consistency, and a deep understanding of your audience. But building awareness is just one part of a successful marketing strategy. 

Turning brand awareness into conversions and profits is equally important.

At AWeber, we provide the marketing funnel you need to turn social media followers into customers. You can guide followers along the entire customer journey from one platform that includes:



Email marketing software with behavior-based segmentation and personalization, and automation that does most of the work for you.



Landing pages to feature your products, lead gen content, and link in bio hubs.



All inside an easy-breezy drag-and-drop interface with a massive selection of templates plus a built-in Canva Designer.



PS: You’ll love our help resources and blog, packed with tips and tutorials to help your business succeed with digital marketing!

Ready to turn your social media success into profits? Try AWeber for free today and start driving traffic, conversions, and sales right away.

The post How to increase brand awareness on social media: 25 tips with expert insights and stories appeared first on AWeber.

Interactive Posts: Steal these ideas and say goodbye to boring social media

Have you ever dreamed about waking up to discover that your brand’s social media page went viral overnight?

Or that, within a few months, you were able to build a highly engaged audience that feels like a real community?

Social media success happens on different timelines, but there’s one thing you can count on: Interactive content is one of the most reliable ways to get there.

Whether you’re looking to expand reach and awareness, grow your audience, or drive traffic and conversions, engagement is the key to making it happen on social media. 

Keep reading for creative and popular ideas on how to create interactive content for your brand. You’ll find ideas and suggestions, plus insights, stories, and tips from people with first-hand experience.

What is interactive social media content?

Interactive social media posts are any type of content that encourages users to actively engage with your content. Interactive posts may take the form of videos, Stories, image posts, ads, or any other form of content.

Some interactive content uses text to inspire engagement, while others feature tools or technology such as stickers, polls, and augmented reality.

For example, NP Digital uses polls, especially on Instagram and LinkedIn, to encourage engagement from its viewers.


“Our favorite type of interactive social media is polls – both on LinkedIn and Instagram – because they allow our audience to offer their input on industry trends, where they can comment on these posts to add further context.”

– Kayla Bautista, Social Media Manager, NP Digital

On any social media channel, interactive content can help boost your engagement rates, reach, and visibility in the feeds.

Why interactive posts matter

Interactive social media posts help boost engagement rates for your brand. Those higher engagement rates deliver several benefits:



Lets the platform’s algorithm know that your content is valuable, often resulting in better visibility in social media feeds for all your brand posts.



Builds community by creating a two-way conversation that makes your audience feel seen, heard, and appreciated.


Encourages sharing, which exposes your content to new audiences and boosts your brand awareness. 



Provides your brand with valuable insights into your audience’s opinions, preferences, pain points, and favorite types of content.

More than five billion social media users spend an average of 12 billion hours using social media platforms daily. Most of them (those aged 16 – 64) log on to keep in touch with friends and family, fill their spare time, and read news stories. 

A significant portion of social media users also log on to view and interact with brand content like yours. 

Here are a few of the main reasons people use social media:



35% are looking for content


27% are searching for inspiration on what to do and buy


26% are looking for products to purchase


22% want to see content from their favorite brands

One of the best ways to engage social media users is through interactive content. This opens the door to conversions, sales, and traffic that can generate real profits.

Interactive post ideas for social media content

Fundraising campaigns, UCG campaigns, and live videos are some of the most successful types of interactive social media content (across all channels).

Fundraising campaigns

Fundraisers are a great opportunity to share compelling stories related to a cause your audience cares about. They inspire empathy and build an emotional connection between you and your audience. 

Interactive posts inspire people to get involved and help make your fundraiser a success. 

Try the following interactive post ideas to support your fundraiser:



Quizzes about the cause


Contests and giveaways that inspire people to share photos or stories related to the cause


Challenges like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and the Betty White Challenge

UGC Campaigns

UGC (user-generated content) campaigns encourage interaction by asking followers and customers to create, share, or interact with content on your behalf. 

For example, the Natura Marketa UGC post below shows a typical UGC Giveaway contest. To enter its giveaway drawing, users must tag two friends. 

UGC campaigns give your brand reach and engagement a massive boost because they expose your brand to new people and build trust and credibility.

Other user-generated content ideas include:



Photo/video contests with prize incentives


“Caption this” challenges


Fill-in-the blank prompts


Testimonials and reviews

Priyanka Swamy, CEO & Founder of Perfect Locks, says interactive content, especially UGC, helps her brand build community and better understand its audience.


“When it comes to social media engagement and results, interactive content plays a very important role. One of the types of content that I love the most is user-generated content campaigns. 

We encourage our customers to post their experiences and pictures with our products. Not only does this help us build a community, but it also provides authentic feedback that resonates with our target audience. “

Priyanka Swamy, CEO & Founder, Perfect Locks

Swamy shared the following tips for businesses looking to boost their results with interactive content:



Create branded hashtags.


Host photo challenges or contests.


Invite participants to repost their content.


Share their stories.


Offer incentives, like discounts or features, on our social channels.

Interactive video 

Interactive video creates a two-way conversation that makes viewers feel like active participants instead of passive observers. 

Build trust with followers by answering questions about your product. Generate more leads by encouraging viewers to subscribe to your email list. Gain valuable insights by asking questions and encouraging live feedback.

Other interactive video ideas include:



Live polls and quizzes


Q&As


Live contests and giveaways


Product tutorials and demonstrations (encourage questions and answer them on the spot)


Virtual events


Live stream shopping

For example, watercolor artist and product designer Kristy Rice uses text overlays to turn Instagram Reels videos into interactive content. “Comment ‘empty’ and I’ll DM you a link to shop!”

Interactive Facebook content

Twenty percent of shoppers begin their search on Facebook, the world’s most-used social media platform. To engage users on Facebook, consider interactive videos, Stories, and image posts.

Interactive Facebook post ideas

On Facebook, a lot of users like to watch and observe without participating. That’s why inspiring people to engage with interactive posts can go a long way toward building a stronger connection with your audience.

This or That post example

Here are some ideas for interactive posts on Facebook:



Fill-in-the-Blanks: Present two options and ask people to choose their favorite.



This or That” Scenarios: Present two options and let people choose their favorite.



Caption Contests: Post a funny photo, and let your audience compete for the best caption.



Share Your Story: Encourage your audience to share experiences related to a brand-relevant topic.



Polls and surveys: Let your audience vote or test their knowledge in a playful way.



Carousels: Inspire swipe-throughs with compelling carousel posts and ads.



360 photos: Share 360 images that users can pan and explore. Try it here.

Interactive Facebook Live video ideas

Live streaming video is an excellent way to engage followers on Facebook and Instagram.

Here are some popular Facebook Live video ideas:



AMAs (Ask Me Anything): Host live Q&A sessions and let viewers steer the conversation with questions and comments.



Coffee Clutch: Create casual, conversational sessions focused on a specific (brand-related) topic. Hold coffee clutch sessions at a scheduled time each week for the best results.



Live Tutorials/Demonstrations: Share DIY tips, host a live cooking class, share helpful tips that solicit questions and comments, or ask for input on your next product.



Announce contest/giveaway winners: Build excitement with UGC content, then announce your contest winners in a live video broadcast.

Interactive Facebook ad ideas

Facebook ads provide you the chance to use augmented reality and 360 videos to prompt engagement from viewers. 

Here are some engaging ideas for interactive Facebook ads:



Instant Experience: A full-screen mobile experience opens up when someone taps on your ad.



Poll Ads: Include interactive polls directly in your ad.



Lead Ads: Ads that include a lead generation form users can easily fill out.



Collection Ads: Showcase a range of products and let users tap to learn more. 



360-degree Videos and Images: Let users explore products or environments from all angles for a more hands-on feel.



Quizzes & Trivia: Use a quiz format to educate users about your product or brand in a fun way.

Interactive Instagram content

Half of weekly Instagram users want to see more funny content, and more than 45% of them would like to see more creativity, according to a recent Statista survey.

As you’re considering interactive Instagram content, look for formats that allow you to get creative or funny!

Interactive Instagram post ideas

If you’re looking to boost engagement on Instagram, run more contests. Contest posts receive 64 times more comment engagement than any other type of post.

Here are some interactive post ideas for Instagram:



Contests or giveaways that require tagging or images with your brand hashtag


Photo contests, in-store contests, drawing, and giveaways


Before & after image posts relevant to your brand or product


“Would you rather” scenarios that let people pick a side

You can turn any Instagram image post into interactive content by asking the right questions or posing fun challenges!

Senior fitness coach Benedict Ang says that challenges and contests perform consistently well for his company, TotalShape.

Ang explains, “Whether it’s a fitness challenge like a 30-day workout program or a healthy recipe contest, these kinds of initiatives really get our followers excited and involved.” 

He adds that engagement isn’t the only benefit they enjoy, “When they see others participating and sharing their progress, it creates a sense of camaraderie and motivation. Plus, it’s a fantastic way for us to showcase the effectiveness of our programs and engage with our audience in a fun and interactive way.”

Interactive Instagram and Facebook Story ideas

Instagram and Facebook Stories are a must-publish for any brand looking to boost engagement on the platform. Its Story stickers let you turn every page into an interactive experience.

Best interactive Instagram Story stickers:



Poll Stickers


Quiz Stickers


Questions Sticker


Emoji Slider


Countdown Sticker


Mention Tag

Instagram Story stickers are a great way to engage your audience, and users love engaging in Stories. 

For example, Mercedes Benz and Chef Carla Hall use questions, poll stickers, and tagging in Instagram and Facebook content.

Steve Pogson, founder of First Pier e-commerce growth agency, says that interactive Stories make a big impact for his brands. 

“We focus on creating polls, quizzes, and ‘ask me anything’ sessions that are directly relevant to the brand’s products or services.” 

For example, Pogson used this interactive approach for a skincare brand, running daily polls about people’s skincare routines and preferences. “This not only increased story engagement rates,” he explained, “but also provided valuable insights into the customer’s needs and preferences, which further informed the brand’s marketing and product development strategies.”

Interactive content for engagement, awareness, and conversion

Interactive social media content can drive massive engagement and awareness for your brand.

It can also fuel the numbers that matter most: conversion and sales.

Next time you’re creating interactive content for your social media pages, consider ways you might encourage viewers to subscribe to your mailing list. For example, you might use a link in bio tool to embed an email subscribe form. Or mention that email subscribers get exclusive discounts.

Encourage your social media audience to subscribe to your email list accomplishes two things:



Gives you a way to nurture leads through your marketing funnel, eventually leading to more sales.


Grants you “ownership” of your social media followers, adding them to a platform where you own all the data. If the social platform ever gets shut down, or if you can’t access it, your email data will allow you to stay in touch with your audience — forever.

At AWeber, we specialize in helping you turn leads into sales with email marketing, landing pages, and link in bio pages. You’ll love our huge selection of templates that let you create professional landing pages, email series, and ink in bio hubs in minutes.

We’ve got a free account with your name on it. Try AWeber today!

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