Top 7 Trends in Social Media for Marketing Agencies in 2019

Ten years ago, you could’ve successfully marketed your clients’ products without social media. Today, there’s no chance.

Social media is the first place after Google where customers look for products, and, what’s even more important – brand image. 87% of consumers would purchase a product based on values, and the average revenue increase when a brand is presented consistently is 23%.

Even though we love our PPC campaigns, there’s nothing like social media to help the customers get to know your clients and their products. And because technology and customer priorities change from year to year, today we’re taking a look in the future.

Here’s what we can expect in 2019, and how you can use social media as a marketing agency to ensure your clients succeed.

1. The Rise of Social Shopping

Social shopping has become increasingly popular in 2018 and with Instagram’s new shop-on-the-gram features, it’ll become even bigger in 2019.

Users will now be able to find products in images and videos, save them to their collections, and find new products in the Explore section. Even though there have been talks of Instagram creating a separate app, there’s no reason.

Consumers of 2018 love shopping through social media. It comes pre-packed with referrals and comments from other people, and they can see their favorite influencers advocating the products.

In addition to Instagram (which is a visual platform), Facebook took after WeChat’s social retail example and is now working on features that will make it much easier for customers to shop without leaving the app.

Even though we may have to wait sometime before you can integrate your clients’ stores with Facebook, the social shopping trend can still be incredibly beneficial for your clients’ businesses.

Social shopping is fueled by referrals, and with social shopping on the rise, you should consider using satisfied customer testimonials in advertising. Social proof is very important to consumers of 2018, and it’ll encourage them to buy from your clients even more in 2019.

2. Micro-Influencers Driving Macro Sales

Influencers are no longer people; they’ve become walking, talking billboards in the last five years. Their followers (and your customers) quickly realized who actually provides value, and who sells products they don’t believe in.

Social media marketing in 2019 will be value and thought-driven, no doubt about it. And as far as word-of-mouth goes, micro-influencers are the channel you want to use.

They’re typically social media users who have between 1,000 and 20,000 followers and extremely high (real) engagement rates. Their community is tight-knit, which actually means a narrowed-down niche for your clients.

In their study, Mediahub realized that micro-influencers increased their marketing campaign engagement by 50%. And what’s even more interesting is that influencers with around 1,000 followers actually resulted in more success for the brands they worked with, generating 85% higher engagement than regular influencers (with over 100k followers).

Since the main motto behind marketing and shopping in 2018 and 2019 is: value, honesty, and convenience, micro-influencers fit right into that category.

If you want to optimize your clients’ campaigns (and reduce the spend on that area) in 2019 as a marketing agency, start working with micro-influencers.

3. Relevant, Interactive Content

Content marketing is here to stay, and it’s the number one way to drive sales through social media. After all, content strategies increase your clients’ ROI: they generate 4x more leads per $1000 within 36 months.

It’s also good for branding and customer communication. Consumers today won’t repeatedly buy from your clients’ brands if they don’t understand them.

So in 2019, make it your priority to include content into your marketing strategy – and not any kind of content. Create content that’s relevant instead of outdated, and increase engagement by making it interactive.

[Image-Source:Ion-Interactive,https://image.slidesharecdn.com/marchthoughtleadership-2-150326170354-conversion-gate01/95/balancing-your-interactive-content-priorities-3-638.jpg?cb=1427390261]

With the state of social media features today, it’s not hard to create interactive content.

Interactive content on Twitter:

• Polls
• Hashtags
• Questions
• Conversational video
• Partnerships and sponsorships
• Daily trends (e.g. #MondayMotivation)

Interactive content on Instagram:

• Questions
• Polls

• Shopping features
• Stories

• IGTV

Interactive content on Facebook:

• Polls
• Stories
• Facebook Live
• Messenger chatbots
• Quizzes

Interactive content on LinkedIn:

• Storytelling
• Quick, relevant status updates
• Questions as a driver for white papers
• Advice (how-to posts)

Consumers in 2019 won’t be happy if they can just observe your clients’ social media. They have to actively interact with it in order to find value, and ultimately make the purchasing decision.

It’s incredibly important to establish a content calendar that will help you constantly engage your clients’ customers. You don’t have to do it manually, as DrumUp offers content scheduling features (and much more).

4. Social Media Marketing Personalization

Accurate audience segmenting and targeting has been the number one marketing priority since the dawn of marketing itself. However, when it comes to personalization, it seems like a lot of brands are struggling with it.

The lack of personalization puts off consumers so much that 74% of them feel frustrated when content isn’t personalized. As a counter-point, marketers who use personalized experiences see a 20% increase in sales.

[Image-Source: Accenture, https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20161013005226/en/549456/5/Personalization_Survey_Graph_1.jpg]

What can you do for your clients as a marketing agency?

The first thing is obvious: gather data. For this, use social listening. Social listening will also help you curate content better, and create a content calendar that perfectly fits the customers’ interests.

DrumUp makes this really easy. Without it, you’d have to go through multiple feeds at once – and still risk not getting the right information. DrumUp’s algorithm will do that for you, and show you exactly what kind of content your audience needs.

The second thing you can do to personalize your marketing efforts is to understand the customers’ motivation for buying the product. This may seem simple on paper, which is exactly why a lot of marketing agencies haven’t had the appropriate amount of success in 2018.

Run an audience analysis and cross-reference it with your social media strategy. No matter which social media you’re using, engagement should be your number one priority. Segment audiences according to channels, and tailor your approach to their personal preferences.

Focus on personal interactions. Even though we’re all looking at screens, don’t take the human touch out of the equation. Facebook Messenger offers innovative chatbot features, Twitter has DMs, and nothing has ever been as effective as LinkedIn outreach.

Speaking of LinkedIn, LinkedIn Dynamic Ads were quite a revolution when the platform announced them. Their significance will grow in 2019, as they’re an incredible way to personalize the experience for your clients’ customers.

Personalizing your social media strategy won’t just help you get new customers; it will help you retain the existing ones, and generate more referrals than ever before.

5. Brand Awareness and Values

Marketing success is going to be very hard in 2019 without openly stating your client’s brand values. This will be the ultimate way to reach new heights of brand awareness, and create customer loyalty from the very first purchase (while also increasing the value of each purchase).

The goal of social media marketing in 2019 is to sell to customers who feel like your client’s brand is their friend.

While brands traditionally steered clear of stating opinions or standing up for values, this will become indispensable in 2019. While keeping ethics in mind, your brand should stand for similar values to those of your customers.

[Image-Source:-SproutSocial, https://www.marketingcharts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Sprout-Topics-Demonstrating-Brand-Transparency-on-Social-Aug2018.png]

Sponsorships and donations can go a long way when it comes to brand awareness. So does employee advocacy.

Additionally, you can also use user-generated content to show appreciation for your customers. Big brands frequently do this, on a smaller or bigger scale.

For example, hashtag competitions are a big favorite of brands like Nike. Their customers are encouraged to post their own content related to the brand, and then the brand page re-shares it. This can be especially useful for your clients if they’re in the B2B space as it gives the other side more exposure.

It’s no longer enough to talk about what your brand stands for. Action should be following it closely. Especially where customer prioritization is concerned.

6. AI-Powered Customer Service and Marketing

A huge part of user experience has been shaped by instant customer service which SaaS companies like ZenDesk started providing. It’s easier and more pleasant for customers, and it means a lot for the bottom line of your clients.

However, you can use the AI-powered customer service principles for your marketing efforts, as well.

We’ve previously touched on Facebook Messenger chatbots, but while they can be used to respond to customers’ queries, they can also be used for marketing.

For example, if you want to boost the customer response to your client’s marketing campaign, you can contact them directly with the help of chatbots, and present the idea in a more personable way.

Twitter DMs can go a long way if they’re not robotic, as well. If there’s a particular offer that would interest a segment of your customers, you can divide them with Twitter Lists, and message them.

Same goes for LinkedIn: InMail is still the best way to directly reach customers.

Social media marketing in 2019 is going to be big on doing things directly. And great AI tech is going to help you do it without manual work.

7. Content Marketing Will Be a Major Player in 2019 Marketing

You probably noticed that we’ve emphasized the importance of content. However, it’s still one of the main ways to reach (new) customers on social media.

It’s an excellent way of providing additional value, educating prospects, warming up marketing campaign leads, and ultimately, converting them to customers.

You can experiment with different forms and channels, but the more your content stimulates engagement, the better will your results be.

This can be a lot of work if you’re doing it on your own, so try out DrumUp. It takes care of everything for you – from scheduling to finding content to share.

So automate your marketing, and focus on the most important thing: making your client’s business thrive.

[Image-Source: https://mybigplunge.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Infographics-Rise-Of-Social-Media-My-Big-Plunge.gif]

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8 Benefits to Investing in a Chatbot Instead of An App

No matter what industry you work in, you need to offer your customers opportunities to interact with your business efficiently. In recent years, many organizations have developed their own apps for this very purpose.
However, apps don’t offer the kind of personalized or conversational service that comes from interacting with an individual. That’s why you should consider developing a chatbot for your company, instead of an app.
Chatbot technology has improved dramatically over the last few years. It won’t be long before bots can authentically recreate the experience of talking to a human. The following are just a few reasons to consider focusing on chatbot development for your business, instead of an app.

You Don’t Need to Convince Anyone to Download Anything

Here are a few of the major downsides of apps:

• Apps take up space on a customer’s device
• They can be expensive
• It’s not always easy to convince people to download your app, especially among the over 2 million available

With chatbot tools, that’s not a problem. You can create your own chatbot that’s accessible via a service your customers already use, like Facebook Messenger.
They’re much more likely to make use of your product if they don’t have to download anything first. According to a recent survey, 56% of current Facebook Messenger users expect to use the platform more frequently in the future, making it a very powerful tool for marketers.

Chatbot Technology Reduces Business Expenses

A strong chatbot solution can theoretically take the place of a customer service representative. By offering your customers this type of chatbot tool, you’ll be able to save money on hiring, while still offering the personalized experience individuals desire from customer service.
This is ideal for any company, but it’s especially smart for startups that need to grow quickly while sticking to a strict budget. Experts already predict that chatbot development will reduce business costs by as much as $8 billion per year by 2022.

Customers Can Use Chatbot Technology More Easily

Although a talented UX designer can build an app that’s intuitive and easy to use, nothing truly matches the convenience of interacting with another person. When customers open an app, they still need to click on the right icons or buttons to access key features. This can get confusing.
Chatbot technology is different. If you want to access a feature, you simply tell the bot to open it. It’s a much more human and conversational experience.
For example, when we developed VICE’s VICELAND chatbot, we made sure one of the key features included was a simply command to access a full show schedule. We also let viewers select their favorite shows, and our chatbot tool then reminded them when that show aired. The entire experience begins with a personal greeting from Action Bronson, one of VICE’s most recognizable hosts.

Create Your Own Chatbot to Help Develop Emotional Connections

Some of the most successful companies in the world, like Apple, brand themselves so well that customers actually develop an emotional attachment to the brand.
While this is possible to achieve with an app, it’s not easy. You need the right combination of intuitive UX and appealing UI to trigger a genuine, strong emotional response in a user.
Meanwhile, a chatbot platform is much more effective in this respect. If you take the time to give your bot its own “personality,” you can create a brand that truly resonates with customers.
Partnering with a chatbot agency will make the process of individualizing and branding your bot even easier. As experts in the field, they understand both how to build the most successful chatbots, and also how to market them effectively as a representation of your brand that encourages customer loyalty.

Bots Can Help You Learn About Customers

A typical chatbot will answer user questions. By keeping track of what types of questions people commonly ask, the chatbot could help you learn a lot more about your customers. This makes it easier to address their needs quickly. Additionally, it helps you optimize your marketing strategy to reach customers in the most effective manner possible. When you understand how to personalize the marketing experience, your campaign is likely to become much more successful.

Building Your Own Chatbot is Cheaper Than App Development

Although quality chatbot development isn’t free, it can be much less expensive than developing an app. Again, services like Facebook Messenger allow companies to host their chatbot technology on existing platforms. Thus, the process of creating your own chatbot takes less time and less money than building your own unique app.
A top chatbot agency includes a self-service chatbot platform, which makes the technology even more accessible, customizable, and affordable. With access to chatbot tools like these, businesses can more easily deploy the technology and begin leveraging the effectiveness of conversational marketing experiences.

The Tech is Improving

Chatbot technology is improving at a very fast rate. More and more organizations are going to embrace this software in the near future as conversational marketing becomes the norm. By developing a chatbot for your business now, you’ll have an advantage over the competition, and you’ll be able to easily implement new features as they emerge.

Your main goal should always be to offer customers the best possible experience at the lowest cost. While an app may have been the ideal solution for the last few years, chatbot development is the wave of the future. Get started on yours now.



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4 Ways Automation Develops Real-Life Relationships with Buyers

A lot of people make assumptions when they see the word “automatic.”
They imagine it means less human, less engaging, and less insightful.
But the opposite is true for marketing automation.
The “automatic” aspect doesn’t cheapen your brand, it makes your voice stronger.
With digital marketing automation technology, you can develop consistent, spot-on communication that builds authentic relationships with your target buyers.
Here are four specific ways that marketing automation goes the extra mile to develop real-life connections with consumers:

1. Communication Is Consistent

When you make a new friend, the consistency of your day-to-day communication dictates how the relationship grows or fizzles.
You’re more likely to appreciate a friend who responds to your daily texts than someone who blows you off.
The same goes for marketing: buyers expect consistent interactions with a brand.
Instead of failing to juggle relationships with thousands (or tens of thousands) of potential buyers, use automation to connect consistently with your audience via email.
Expert Tip: Always send your email marketing at the same day and time — it sets up a positive expectation for your customers. 

2. The Focus Shifts To Your Brand Voice (Instead of Logistics)

Sending regular emails through an automated marketing program creates the opportunity to emphasize and hone your brand voice.
Instead of managing a ton of email addresses in Gmail, you can use that extra time to work on creating copy that resonates with buyers.
Marie Forleo, for example, personalizes her automated emails with brilliant humor and warm enthusiasm.
A recent email from Marie read, “So thanks, truly, for allowing us to travel along your side as you continue to create and expand your life.”
You can feel how genuine that connection is for her.
Automation, more than any other technology, allows those warm-and-fuzzy sentiments to reach a growing pool of readers.
Expert Tip: When you write marketing emails, ask yourself the question, “What emotion or feeling am I trying to evoke in my buyers?” 

3. Keeps You Relevant with Buyers

Marketing automation enables you to scale your business exponentially without losing your niche as a company.
As your business grows, you can stay relevant with your audience by breaking a group into multiple segments that draw on your strengths.
Let’s say you own a chain of local taquerias with two primary sets of buyers: local Spanish-speaking families and young college students.
Email automation allows you to send one email to each group rather than bunching everyone together.
You keep the conversation relevant by only including the information that benefits each one.
Expert Tip: If your target audience includes native speakers of multiple languages, consider sending out separate emails in different languages to segmented groups.

4. Seals the Deal With Personalization

Personalizing your marketing campaign develops a one-on-one dialogue that goes a step beyond segmentation.
To simulate the same experience of interaction at a brick-and-mortar store, automate your marketing to send triggered emails in response to consumer actions.
If a prospective client clicks on a guide you wrote or reads an email about a special offer, you can follow-up with a planned, automated email.
Here’s a great example:

“Hey there!
I saw that you expressed interest in our May offer. Is there any more information I can give you to help make that decision? Feel free to reach out to me on my cell phone (xxx) – xxx – xxxx with any questions.
Warmly,
Dan”

Expert Tip: Don’t trigger every customer action with an email. Too much of a good thing is just too much!

Marketing Automation and Buyer Relationships: Final Wrap Up

Let’s face it.
Anything you can do to increase productivity without losing your personal touch is worth considering.
With marketing automation, you do just that!
By supporting consistent and personalized email marketing, marketing automation technology strengthens the impact of your messages.
So, before you hit send on your latest campaign, consider these 4 tips.
Try to implement at least one today and reap the benefits!
Can you think of any more reasons to consider automating your communication?
Please share in the comments below so everyone can benefit from your insight!



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4 Ways to Promote Your Products on Social Media

Do you want more sales from social media?

Looking for new ways to share your products on social?

The latest features from Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram can help you get your products seen by more people.

In this article, you’ll discover four ways to promote your products on the top social media platforms.

#1: Add Links to Your Products in Instagram Stories

Now that Instagram feeds are arranged by popularity rather than in chronological order, it’s more challenging to get visibility for your business. Posting Instagram stories can help you get in front of your target audience. Instagram also lets you include links and mentions in your stories, which will make it easier for viewers to browse and shop your products.

Take a look at this Instagram story from social media influencer Caila Quinn. She included a link to a yellow bar stool because many of her followers had asked for more information about it. Notice the See More prompt at the bottom of the video, which encourages viewers to swipe up.

Influencer Caila Quinn includes both a mention and a link in her Instagram story.

The mention in this Instagram story is also tappable (as shown below) and takes followers to the official Lulu & Georgia Instagram page.

When viewers swipe up on the See More tab, they’re taken directly to a page on Caila’s blog, which features a number of products for sale, including the yellow leather bar stools and other items in her house. Instagram opens linked pages within the Instagram app, providing a seamless transition between browsing Instagram and shopping on an ecommerce site.

To see if this feature is enabled on your account, go to your Instagram home screen and tap Add Story at the top left. After you film a video or take a picture, look for four icons in the top-left corner: Link, Audio, Drawing, and Text. If you don’t see the Link icon, you don’t have access at this time. If you do see it, tap on the Link icon and paste your link.

If you don’t have linking enabled in Instagram Stories, you can still take advantage of the feature two ways:

• Choose businesses or publishers who have audiences that align with yours. They can draw attention to your account by mentioning you in an Instagram post. Make sure you have a featured link at the top of your profile where people can browse your products.
• Work with influencers who often get access to features before everyday brands. An influencer can talk about your post in an organic way to create interest in what you’re doing.

#2: Import Your Online Store to Your Facebook Page

Facebook business pages have traditionally been a great way to connect with your audience and promote products and events. Now you can feature your ecommerce page directly on your Facebook page with the StoreYa app for Facebook.

StoreYa’s WooCommerce Shop to Facebook plugin supports 30 ecommerce platforms including Etsy, eBay, Magento, and others. This example will show you how to connect a WordPress-supported WooCommerce shop to Facebook.

To get started, open your WordPress dashboard and click on the Plugins tab.

Then search for the WooCommerce Shop to Facebook plugin by StoreYa.

After you install the plugin, it will appear in your Installed Plugins section in WordPress.

Next, click the WooCommerce tab in the left sidebar (just above Plugins) and click Settings. You’re then prompted to go to StoreYa’s homepage. Click Connect Facebook Fan Page.

Now you’ll see the Import your WordPress Store Onto Facebook page. Note that you can add other ecommerce stores, like Etsy and eBay, by clicking Choose Another Import Solution.

Paste your ecommerce store URL in the field and click Continue.

Wait a few moments for the page to load and then click the green Preview button.

Now you’re taken back to StoreYa, and if everything worked correctly, you’ll see a confirmation message that says “Well done! Your Facebook store is ready.”

Click the Visit Facebook Store button to see what your store looks like.

One great feature of the app is that it imports all of your categories, so your products remain in the same hierarchy as your ecommerce site. This is also true when you connect your store through Etsy or another ecommerce platform.

#3: Display Your Products in a Pinterest Showcase

One of Pinterest’s most promising new business features is Showcase. It acts as a virtual storefront for businesses and lets you put your best products on display in a rotating gallery that can easily be updated.

Lowe’s featured a variety of holiday-themed boards in their showcase throughout the month of December. They included buyable pins that link back to their website, as well as inspirational and informational pins that link to other related websites.

To set up a showcase for your Pinterest business page, go to your page and click the red Add button above Build Your Showcase.

Next, you’ll see the Edit Showcase window with five slots for adding featured boards. Choose the boards you want to feature. Keep in mind that this is designed for buyable pins and standard pins, so it might be beneficial to feature the items you have for sale.

After you’ve selected your featured boards, click Save. You’re then brought back to your homepage where you can view your newly created showcase.

The best part of the Showcase feature is that you can change and adapt it at any time depending on your business goals. As always, it’s a smart idea to test the type of content you post and the frequency of your posts to see how your customers best respond.

#4: Get Personal With Customers on Snapchat

Snapchat ads, which appear between friends’ stories, are reserved for well-known brands with large advertising budgets. For businesses that don’t have the resources or brand recognition to pursue such advertising, Snapchat stories are a free strategic channel for promoting an ecommerce business.

Take a look at cost-conscious clothing retailer Everlane, for example. The company posted a holiday-themed Snapchat story that both engaged viewers and generated brand interest in a non-promotional way.

The story followed two brand ambassadors as they performed random acts of kindness, including handing out Everlane beanies to strangers, buying coffee for people in line at Starbucks, handing out a free AMC gift card, and buying lunch for a construction crew.

After showing their audience which gift they were going to give, they recorded each person’s reaction to the random act of kindness.

The company then urged their followers to “go out and spread those good holiday vibes” with the world around them.

This well-planned Snapchat story illustrates two effective tactics to better engage with your audience.

First, Everlane was able to engage people both in person and in digital spaces. Online retailers usually interact with customers in online spaces only, so using a Snapchat story to interact with people in real life is unexpected, and therefore memorable and impactful. The two women who received free Everlane beanie hats will forever remember the positive interaction with the company.

Second, the free lunch, coffee, and movie gift card provided a less-direct brand experience than the beanie, since it didn’t involve an Everlane product. These acts show the company’s caring side and reinforce their commitment to honestly priced, ethically sourced clothing. This tactic balances the free product giveaway so the Snapchat story doesn’t seem purely promotional.

As you craft a Snapchat story for your business, consider how you can generate interest in your products while reinforcing your brand message. Your goal is to create a memorable experience that makes an impact on digital viewers in real time.

Conclusion

Social media can be a powerful source of ecommerce revenue, so don’t miss out on the latest features today’s social platforms have to offer.

What do you think? How do you use social media for your ecommerce business? What tips can you offer? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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5 Ways to Help Your Customers Fall In Love with Your Business

Valentine’s Day. Some people love it, and others not so much. But regardless of how you feel on a personal level, it’s a great opportunity to use email marketing to let your customers know you appreciate them. In addition, there’s some lovable tactics you can use all year long to keep top of mind with your customers.

5 ways to help your customers fall in love with your business:

1. Ask their opinion (and use it!): We hear a lot about engaging customers by asking for testimonials, reviews, and survey responses. If you have a good relationship with your customers, they’ll likely give you what you’re asking for, especially if you’re offering a nice incentive like free shipping or a discount on their next order. But once you get this info, what do you do with it? How about putting it in an email and use it to sell more! I received a fun Valentine’s Day email with the subject line: Customers Kiss and Tell their Favorites! This is a great idea because people buy from people.

2. Communicate Clearly: Another Valentine’s Day email I received had a subject line that wasn’t quite as good (imo): Go South for VD – Fares from $9 Each Way. The discount on airfares is great, but they should have thought twice about using the acronym VD. And it wasn’t clear that the email was about Valentine’s Day until it was opened. It’s better to cut to the chase and say what you mean in the subject line, rather than playing with double-entendres that have possible “ick-factors.”

3. Get Personal: Using personalization such as first name or company name can make your customers feel special and unique. This is something you can test in your subject line or the body of your email. But be careful to make sure your information is accurate since no one likes being called the wrong name!

4. Use Flattery: I received an email from a make-up company a while back that said, “You’ve got a fabulous flair for beauty.” They were engaging their customers and asking for product reviews. And you know what? Flattery got them everywhere. Their compliment made me feel great and I wrote a glowing review for them.

5. Give Breathing Room: According to “The Social Break-Up,” the number one reason people unsubscribe from opt-in emails is over-mailing. It’s best not to smother your email recipients. Instead, monitor unsubscribe rates and find a frequency that works well for your business.

What tactics do you use that keep your customers falling for you all year long?

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