Tag: testimonials

Facebook organic reach is down. Way down.

In the past, posting a link on your Facebook or Instagram page could drive hundreds of clicks. Not any more.

Social media referrals have stagnated around 5 percent of all traffic for years.

The average Facebook post will reach just over 5 percent of your followers.

The encouraging news is social media reach is still massive.

There are more than 3.5 billion active social media users.

But reaching that massive audience is harder than ever before.

What’s the answer? That’s exactly what we’ll cover in this article.  

Let’s get started.

What Exactly Is Organic Reach On Facebook

Organic reach is the number of people who see your content without paid distribution. It includes people who are shown your posts in their own feed or because their friends have interacted with you.

Paid reach is the people who see your content as a result of paid promotions. It is influenced by your Ad targeting options and can also impact organic reach.

But it’s not so simple.

Your content’s reach has a lot to do with engagment — that is how many people like, react, comment, or share your post.

Engagement rates are way up — but organic reach is way down.

And it is still on a rapid decline.

So why aren’t our posts being surfaced more often?

Let me explain.

Why Facebook Organic Reach Is Declining

There are two major reasons Facebook organic reach continues to drop:

1. More content: More content is being published than there is news feed space for it to be shown. Every minute, more than 510,000 comments and 293,000 statuses are posted on Facebook.
2. Personalized news feeds: Facebook provides the most relevant content to each user. To increase engagement and optimize user experience, content is tailored to each user’s individual interests.

Can businesses keep succeeding with this decline in organic reach? Absolutely.

You can still get tons of traffic from Facebook.

The network’s ad platform has cushioned the damage for those who’ve made the most of it. The advertiser count to date has surpassed 9 million.

Knowing this, should marketers really worry about organic reach?

Wouldn’t we be better off focusing on Facebook ads?

Yes and yes.

Here’s why.

Why You Need To Think About Declining Facebook Organic Reach

Organic reach is important for several reasons.

Reason 1: Nurture More Leads and Organic Conversions

Many people use social media solely for brand awareness.

That’s fine – but it leaves so much opportunity on the table to drive real results for your business.

Lead generation is one of the missed opportunities.

It also happens to be the linchpin of any successful marketing campaign.

You need to attract potential buyers and funnel them into your sales funnel. When you do this organically, it won’t cost you anything besides time and effort.

In turn, the price of converting these potential buyers into actual buyers will be less.

That’s because the results of an organic campaign tend to snowball. This means that when more people engage with your content, it adds context to your campaigns.

The more organic reach that you have, the better your lead generation and conversion funnels will work.

Reason 2: Reduce the Cost Per Click of Paid Campaigns

Yes, Facebook’s ad product is one of the most intuitive and impressive that we’ve ever seen.

And yes, the sophistication of the audience targeting options is every marketer’s dream.

AdExpresso analyzed over 100 million dollars of ad spend and determined the average ad cost for the whole of 2016.

Here’s what they found:

As you can see, the average CPC for ads can be very low if you master the other variables.

But here’s the deal:

You can just as easily spend a fortune on Facebook ads and see no return.

This means that to increase the effectiveness of your ads and to stretch your advertising dollars, organic reach is critical.

Reason 3: There Are Tons of New (Under-Utilized) Facebook Features

In the past, your options on Facebook were pretty much posts, videos, and ads. Now there are tons of new features like Facebook Stories, Facebook Watch, Facebook Groups, and Facebook Live.

Many companies aren’t making the most of these features — which creates an opportunity to drive organic traffic by filling the gap.

With that said, let’s look at how Facebook’s news feed algorithm works to surface content.

Then, we’ll dive into some strategies to increase your page’s organic reach.

Understanding Facebook’s News Feed Algorithm

Facebook’s algorithm has changed drastically in recent years. The introduction of reactions and the “Why am I seeing this post” feature has changed how Facebook decides what posts to show users.

Facebook uses hundreds of thousands of factors to decide which posts show in a user’s News Feed.

Who you interact with, the type of media, and the popularity of the post are all used as ranking signals

According to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook now prioritizes posts that spark “meaningful interactions” and posts from friends and family.

There are other detailed data points that come into play:

• How recently the post was published.
• How frequently the publisher posts content.
• The number of likes, comments, and shares on the post.
• How often the user has interacted with the page posting the update.
• Past user interaction with the same post type.
• Negative feedback on the post.
• How useful the post is.

The list goes on but these factors give us enough food for thought.

What’s Facebook’s ultimate goal for News Feeds?

Like other platforms, Facebook cares the most about its users. It wants to continuously improve their experience with high-quality, relevant content.

Overly promotional content doesn’t fare well with users so Facebook cracked down on that type of content.

To top it off, Facebook is cutting traffic from publishers in favor of user-generated content.

So, how can you drive traffic from Facebook when these algorithmic changes are decreasing your reach?

Let’s take lessons from BuzzFeed.

They boast an impressive Alexa Rank of 147.

Facebook alone drives about 37% of their traffic.

What is BuzzFeed doing right? Besides posting engaging content on Facebook, they’re spending millions of dollars on Facebook Ads.

Now, most people don’t have a ton of cash to spend like BuzzFeed.

So, we’ll take the smarter route that doesn’t require a heavy investment for a small business owner.

Before we look at the secrets to improve your organic reach, here are five things you must avoid doing at all costs on your Facebook page.

1. Don’t Automate Everything

It’s a social platform and your brand needs to have a human touch. Don’t just schedule your latest blog links and product updates. Post your team photos like Zappos.

Social media marketing should show your funny or creative side like Nutella.

Or, share inspirational graphics like me.

2. Don’t Just Promote Products and Services

Facebook is based on interest, not intent. Not every update you send out on your Facebook page should be promotional. Rather, 80% of your updates should be social. Otherwise, users won’t hesitate in clicking the unlike button on your page (it’s just a click away).

Instead, use Facebook to build a community. Add value and start conversations with your audience.

It’s best to vary your posts to include different types of content:

• Brand story posts
• Authority building posts
• Lead nurture posts
• Personal posts

3. Don’t Try to Cheat the Facebook Ecosystem

Buying 5,000 likes for $5. Using clickbait headlines. Bombarding your fans with 10 poor-quality updates in an hour.

It’s a sheer waste of time and money.

Facebook seriously cracks down on spammers. Stick with the Facebook code and stay in their good graces.

Not only that, these manipulative tactics add no real value to your business. In fact, they’re likely to hurt you.

AdExpresso conducted a paid like experiment where they posted an identical video on three of their fan pages. They then paid to boost each post.

The result?

The two pages where they bought likes saw zero engagement, even after Facebook had automatically deleted the likes that were paid for.

4. Don’t Build a Fanbase You Can’t Sustain

The brutal truth about a large fanbase – no matter how targeted – is that your reach will automatically be lower.

This means that you have to put in extra work to create content that is relevant and useful to several different segments of your audience.

Would you rather have a small but hyper-engaged audience or a large and unresponsive one?

It’s a no-brainer.

How To Track and Analyze Your Current Facebook Organic Reach

Now that you know what you shouldn’t do, it’s time to work on what you can do to improve your Facebook organic reach.

The first step is to pinpoint where your shortcomings are. We’ll be gathering some key metrics to measure your performance.

Without this diagnosis, you won’t know where to focus your efforts.

Let’s jump in.

Step 1: Export Insights Data from Facebook

First, click on the “Insights” tab on the left sidebar of your Facebook business page.

At the top of the insights page, there’s a button that will allow you to export your data both on a page and post level.

A window will pop up with three different options for your insights:

Select your option and click “Export Data.” Your data will be saved onto an excel file.

Step 2: Delve in Deeper to Post Metrics

In my experience, post level metrics are more insightful than page metrics.

Page metrics give a great panoramic view of your performance. Post metrics provide a more detailed look at how users interact with your content.

And that’s what really makes the difference.

To get a deeper view, go to “Posts” and then “Post Types.”

With the data you collect, you can tell:

• Which posts have the highest organic reach
• What types of posts that your audience prefer
• Number of likes on each post

These will give you a good guideline for launching an effective content strategy.

Step 3:  Fine Tune Your Data and Select Only The Metrics You Need

Not all of the data points will be useful.

Sift through them and choose the ones that make sense for you — and that might vary based on your industry and social media goals.

Here’s the data that will tell you the most:

• Organic reach
• Engagement
• Link clicks
• Number of people who gave negative feedback

Now that you’ve analyzed your organic reach, it’s time to make some improvements.

20 Strategies to Boost Facebook Organic Reach

Remember that every industry and audience is different. I don’t recommend implementing all of these strategies right now. Instead, look at your data and see where you can make the most improvements, then pick a handful of strategies to try.

Keep what works, ditch what doesn’t, then try another strategy. Rinse and repeat.

1. Build Your Presence and Authority

I know what you’re thinking.

If organic reach decreases as the size of your audience increases, where is the value in growing your presence?

Well, there are still several benefits of having a large presence.

• You get to add social context to your ads, which makes them cheaper and more effective.
• You’ll have better posts and page insights to tailor your marketing efforts. This includes both demographic and psychographic data.
• Your perceived influence will increase, which amps up your credibility factor.

Growing your presence is not about increasing your page likes. The number of likes your page has gives no indication of how your content will perform.

What matters is that you build enough authority to command your audience to action. This means that they will engage with your content more favorably.

Here’s what you can do to increase engagement:

Attract the Right Kind of People to Tour Facebook Page

Random fans are useless.

They don’t engage and they don’t have a positive influence on your marketing campaigns.

This is why I don’t recommend trying to grow your Facebook page at the expense of building a targeted audience.

You want people who are finely tuned to your business interests.

This way, the content you publish will be more relevant to them. In turn, it will have a greater chance of showing up in their newsfeeds.

What can you do to build a targeted audience?

Have a Strong Brand Presence

If your brand is watered down, chances are your audience will be too.

What you want is a brand image that sticks in the minds and hearts of your audience.

Constantly reinforce your message, post content that is relevant to your business, and always be consistent.

Use Audience Insights to Build a Target Persona Specifically for Facebook

Earlier, we walked through the tracking of your page and posts insights. This same information can be used to construct your persona.

Gender, age, background, location, and occupation are all black and white data points that you can collect.

You can then flesh it out with more substantive information like:

• What are their pain points?
• What are their interests?
• What are their attitudes and beliefs towards you business or industry?
• What are their objections and how will you address them?

Target That Demographic When you Boost or Promote Your Posts

You can create a custom audience modelled after your ideal persona. This way, when you boost or promote a post, you’re more likely to reach those people.

Later, I’ll walk you through the best practices for paid campaigns.

Make Sure Your Like Campaigns are Very Targeted

I’m all for more likes – but not if it’s only a vanity metric.

You want quality over quantity.

There a few ways you can attract the kind of people who care about your brand:

Apart from running like campaigns on your target audience, you can invite people who have liked your individual posts to like your page.

First, plug in your page in the search bar.

Select one of your posts and click on the group of people who’ve liked it.

This is a goldmine for finding people who already have an affinity to your content.

Browse through to see how many people who’ve liked your posts but have not liked your page.

Invite them to do so.

9 out of 10 times, they will.

Add Integrations and Customizations to Your Page

You can integrate your Facebook page with other apps, tools, and platforms. These can increase the usability of your page as well as amplify your marketing efforts.

Here are some of the customizations that you can include:

• Custom tabs
• Email capture forms
• Podcasts
• Video players
• Quizzes
• Polls
• Landing pages
• Apps to run contests
• Appointment schedule apps
• Blog and RSS feeds
• Ecommerce tabs

Cross-Promote Other Social Media Platforms with Facebook

If you’ve built a sizable following elsewhere, you can use these platforms to grow your Facebook page.

Here’s what you can do:

• Leave a link to your Facebook page in the bio of your other social accounts
• Place clickable social icons on your cover photos
• Broadcast to your other networks about your Facebook page and ask them to engage

2. Drive Facebook Organic Reach By Publishing Evergreen Content

Too many people aren’t strategic with their social media content.

Whatever your goals are for your Facebook page – be it to generate revenue or drive traffic – evergreen content is the most powerful tool at your disposal.

Freshness isn’t just Google’s ranking factor.

The life of a post in Facebook News Feed is also dependent on recency. If you publish timeless content, then it will be useful for your audience for longer periods. They’ll keep engaging with your post.

Be sure to let users know that they can revisit evergreen posts that they’ve liked and engaged with in the past.

This will lead to an increase in engagement and Facebook will ensure that your post gets distributed further and that it appears in feeds for longer periods.

I challenge you to boost post durability with evergreen content.

The above evergreen post appeared 18 hours after being posted.

That’s an extremely long lifespan!

For posts that perform this well, you can repurpose them to ensure that you maximize their reach.

Here’s a simple process for repurposing evergreen content:

• Select posts that have done exceedingly well and continued to provide value to your audience long after it was published. Take a note of them in a spreadsheet.
• Approach that piece of content from a different angle. Put a new spin on it or change the context. Keep in mind that video content can outperform the same content in text form and vice versa. The key is to test what resonates best with your audience.
• Publish your repurposed content at different times. This ensures that some fresh eyes get to see and engage with your newly revamped content.

But, what if you don’t want to do the legwork of creating and repurposing your own posts?

Curate Other People’s Evergreen Content

Content curation is not about taking someone else’s work as your own.

It’s about collecting posts from across the internet and sharing it with your network.

But it’s a little more than just stumbling across a post, liking it, and pressing the share button.

Instead, you should treat the curation process just like you would if you were publishing your own content. Spend some time reviewing and analyzing several posts on the same topic and share them with your audience on a consistent publishing schedule.

Prime example: Problogger consistently publishes a Reading Roundup of posts related to blogging.

While they do this on their blog, you can adopt the same concept for your Facebook page.

Here are some examples of evergreen content using curation-type posts:

• Video tutorials
• Recipe posts
• Testimonials
• Interviews
• “How To” posts
• Q & A’s
• Thought pieces
• Lists
• Checklists
• Industry-specific stats
• Weekly roundups
• Company mentions
• Industry news

How can you ensure that your audience engages with this content?

Ensure your posts have all the persuasive checks and balances.

Coming up with a content strategy is half the battle.

You still have to ensure that you create the types of posts that make your audience want to share and engage.

Some tips for creating posts that captivate and inspire action:

• Use solid visuals
• Don’t be too formal
• Keep it short and snappy
• Ask a pertinent question
• Be human
• Have a clear call to action (I would be careful with simply asking people to like or comment)

3. Create a Facebook Group for Your Most Engaged Audience Members

Facebook is about building communities. A tightly-knit group is the closest you can get to it on social media.

A whopping 400 billion people use Facebook groups.

You’ve got two community options:

1. Start your own group.
2. Join a highly engaged and relevant group that serves your business goals.

We’ll focus on number 1, as it is the best addition to your Facebook marketing arsenal.

You can use it to listen and engage with your brand advocates.

Before we get into the steps for building your group, let’s talk about the reasons you may want to start your own group.

Most people form groups around:

• Their brand/business
• Their products/services
• A specific lifestyle e.g. a book club or a journalling club
• Specific topics e.g. a content marketing group

Of course, these aren’t your only options. As long as you can rally a group of people for a common goal, you’re good to go.

I’ve found that the most valuable groups for business are those that are either brand-specific or product-specific.

Here’s why.

You can use a branded group to build and nurture a community around your business. It also makes for a powerful tool to market your products/services.

Similarly, a product-specific group is geared towards helping customers get the most out of a product or service that you offer.

It’s all about customer success, retention, and loyalty.

You can do live coaching sessions, live Q&A’s, personal implementation feedback sessions, and accountability systems in your groups, to ensure that customers receive the transformation that they paid for.

Let’s get into the steps for creating a group.

Step 1. Create and Name Your Group

Find the option that says “Create Group” to begin the process.

It’s easy to find from your homepage.

After you click on this tab, you’ll be prompted to name your group.

Step 2. Create a Description

Write down your value proposition in your group description and lay down clear rules for posting in the group.

Pro Tip: Pin your rules post at the top of the group feed. It will guide new members to act appropriately.

Also, set up your group’s privacy settings properly.

Step 3.  Invite Engaged Audience Members to Join

Depending on the type of group, you may have to incentivize people to join.

However, with most groups, the promise of community and support is enough to get them on board.

But in case you need some incentives, you can:

• Have an actual launch for your group. Why not turn it into an event? You can set up an email capture form to get people on a notification list.
• Offer a welcome gift to new members. It could be a coupon code, an ebook, or anything related to your business.
• Offer a bonus referral gift to anyone who recruits other members.

Step 4. Ignite Conversations Relevant to Your Industry

Great conversations help boost post engagement. Don’t solely promote or sell your content and products.

Other ways to increase engagement in Facebook groups:

• Consider giving active members of your groups admin/publisher status so they can help nurture the group.
• Do live Q&A’s
• Create challenges for group members

Step 5. Create a Content Strategy for Your Group

This can include creating content themes and inciting user-generated content campaigns. User-generated content actually drives 6.9x higher engagement than brand-generated content.

For example, you can set a designated topic or engagement theme for each day.

Melyssa Griffin’s group does this very well:

Step 6. Moderate Your Posts

Moderate all of the posts in the group and have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to spam.

You want your group members to have the best possible experience, so weed out the spammers quickly.

This is a lot easier when you establish in your group rules what qualifies as spam.

So, that’s it for setting up a group.

I want to warn you though: Groups require a time commitment. You’ve got to show up to welcome new members and encourage discussions.

Also, as groups grow, engagement decreases. At this point, you may want to consider segmenting larger groups into smaller, more focused ones.

Some people completely dismantle groups with tens of thousand of members because of poor engagement.

You don’t want that.

4. Use Organic Post Targeting

Targeting isn’t limited to Facebook Ads.

You can target your organic posts to make sure that they reach the right people.

While it’s been around for a while, the feature has gotten more useful with the decrease in organic reach of quality content. You can serve your post to relevant customers based on their age and location.

Your post has to at least target 20 people. You might get below this threshold if your page only has a few thousand fans.

Here are the steps to get started with targeting.

Step 1: Enable the Targeting Feature on your Page

Head to General settings to enable targeting from your page settings.

Step 2: Create Your Post and Customize Targeting Options

Dig into your Facebook Insights for data about your audience and choose targeting parameters based on your goals.

When you create your post, click the “Public” setting under your page name, and you’ll see the option to set a “restricted audience.”

Select “Restricted Audience”, then set the age and location you want to reach. This is especially useful for local businesses or those with multiple target audiences.

Step 3: Run Several Targeted Posts Using Different Parameters

This is so you can test how your content performs for different audiences.

Step 4: Check the Results

Hop on Facebook Insights and check your results. Did the organically targeted post perform better?

Compare these social media marketing results with your average engagment rate. Also, figure out the targeting parameter that’s performing better.

In social media examiner’s Experiment with Organic Targeting, a smaller page performed better than a larger page.

But, results will vary based on your audience.

5. Post When Your Competitors Are Asleep

When is the best time to post on Facebook? There’s no easy answer.

You need to consider:

• Your location and that of your audience
• Your audience profile (age, interests, occupation, etc)
• The type of content that you create
• The scheduling tools that you have at your disposal

CoSchedule reports that the optimal time is between 1-4 PM.

They even broke it down according to the each day of the week:

• Saturday and Sunday at 12–1 PM
• Thursday and Friday at 1–4 PM
• Wednesday at 3 PM

For the most shares and clickthroughs, they’ve cited 1 PM, 3 PM, and 9 AM as the optimal times.

Here are a few more studies and optimal times for any media marketer or business owner to best time good content.

Scratching your head already, aren’t you? Don’t blindly post at any of these optimal times.

Dig into your Facebook Insights. Find out when your fans are online.

Then, conduct your own test.

Post in the off-peak hours (6 PM – 8 AM) with the maximum possible fans online. Your chances of appearing in the feed increase since other Facebook pages aren’t posting during this period.

Here are the results when Track Maven tested with this social media marketing strategy.

Jon Loomer also tried posting links at off-peak hours and had positive results with his organic reach.

The reasons why this strategy is effective (besides less competition) are:

• If you have an international audience, you’ll reach out to fans in a different time zone.
• As your post receives higher engagement, Facebook will distribute the post to more of your fans.

It might even boost post views over the newer content published during peak hours.

Note: You can monitor the social media marketing posting strategies of your industry competitors using Fan Page Karma.

6. Post the Content Your Users Like

Links have work better for driving traffic. Sometimes.

Fred Alberti found that pure links generated 82% more page views than posts with photos and links in the caption.

Photos have become an unpopular post type with users, and hence, with marketers.

My recommendation is to post all types of updates that add value for your fans, be it links, images, polls, Facebook Lives, Facebook Stories, or even Facebook Watch videos.

Don’t stick with one content form into another just because a certain type of post is (currently) performing better on Facebook. Just like Google Facebook updates its algorithm regularly.

Instead, analyze your data from Facebook Insights to find the type of posts that resonate with your audience.

If you can, try serving value in the types of content that your audience likes.

You can also ask your audience what they prefer and respect their choice.

Simply create a poll within your facebook page:

Post your question.

You might be surprised by the results! Don’t for get to test new features when they come out.

Facebook Watch, for example, drove tons of traffic when it was first released and a lot of marketers are still not using it!

7. Publish Videos Natively on Facebook

In recent years, there has been a shift to video content.

Facebook Watch views top 1.25 billion monthly users.

Facebook tends to favor video updates, causing media marketers to use more video blog post content.

Native videos are one of the strongest performer in the news feed.

The video plays silently until a user clicks on it. It’s important that your video is high quality from the first frame. It also needs to capture attention, even without sound.

Here are some tips on getting started with Facebook Videos.

To further engage the video viewers, you can add a call-to-action (CTA) to visit your website or a destination of your choice. This can be included in the final frame, or you can boost the video and use Facebook’s Ad CTA buttons.

AdExpresso found that “Learn More”, “Shop Now”, and “Sign Up” are more popular.

You also get rich video insights, so you can find out what is working with your audience.

If you want, you can pin a video to the top of your videos tab on your Facebook page. Just click on “Feature this Video.”

BuzzFeed got 1.7 million views for a featured video.

The featured video also appears prominently below your About section. Social Media Examiner used it to promote their upcoming event.

You can also embed the video in a blog post. It’ll make for a good multimedia experience for your blog audience and it can also increase the engagement on the Facebook post.

But, can you embed videos from YouTube or should you upload them directly on Facebook?

Naturally, Facebook favors native uploads over embedded videos from YouTube or any other third party. A business owner should not be intimidated by this media marketing strategy.

This SEJ study was performed for two weeks on three Facebook pages – Search Engine Journal, Stunning and Interesting Facts, and Did You Know.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the numbers.

Native videos also offer a better user experience and are usually cheaper to promote.

You can use native videos for Q&A’s, product launches, and co-creating with other targeted users.

8. Test Your Posting Frequency

How often should you post on Facebook? Well, it depends.

Massive websites like Huffington Post, Telegraph, and The New York Times publish a huge amount of content every day. They also push their content aggressively on Facebook.

For the average brand, this isn’t realistic.

Don’t be tempted to post 20 times a day.

Engagement actually decreases when you post too often.

The rule of thumb is to keep it between 1-3 posts/day, depending on your following.

Here are a few takeaways on the frequency of posting for social media marketing on Facebook:

• Avoid posting more than the recommended one to three times a day. It can overwhelm your audience.
• You can post more often at widely different times if you’ve got an international audience. That’ll help you reach out to different segments of your audience (who live in a different time zone or log in to Facebook occasionally).
• Always post high-quality content. Engage your audience with humor, inspirational, and educational content.
• You can be successful, even with a higher posting frequency, by providing great content variety. Mix your posting schedule and post types.
• Test your page frequency. Only your data can reveal your audience’s exact response.

9. Partner with Other Facebook Pages in Your Niche

Awhile ago, I shared a case study on how I used Instagram to earn $332,640 in 3 months. I struck deals with Instagram influencers (having a huge following) to post links to my landing pages.

You can use a similar strategy on Facebook.

I reached out to Facebook Pages having less than 30,000 likes, for my Nutrition Secrets project. I offered a shoutout for shoutout deal to Facebook pages in my niche (about 1 in 10 pages accept such requests).

This helped me to increase the number of likes on the Nutrition Secrets Facebook Page. Any business owner will appreciate the simplicity of this media marketing strategy.

Similarly, have a look at the Facebook pages of media websites like Huffington Post and Elite Daily. They both have millions of Facebook fans and a similar audience (for certain types of content that they publish).

They share each other’s blog posts on Facebook regularly. This boosts post views for both parties while providing good content they didn’t need to create. This is simply smart media marketing.

Here is an example of a Huffington Post blog post shared by Elite Daily’s Facebook page.

And, here’s an Elite Daily blog post shared by Huffington Post.

Wired and Refinery29 also seem to have a similar partnership.

To achieve good results from this strategy, you’ll need to strike deals with pages that have tens of thousands of likes.

This means you need to have a solid influencer outreach strategy.

Here’s what you need to consider:

• Is your target influencer the right fit, contextually? Your brand needs to resonate with their audience. Promoting your brand to a misaligned audience won’t have an impact.
• How much reach do they have? Your influencer doesn’t need millions of followers. They just need a solid enough reach to make a difference.
• How much authority do they have? It’s critical that your influencer has enough influence to inspire action among their audience.
• What’s your leverage? If you’re targeting someone with a massive following and authority, you need to have something just as valuable to offer.

10. Use Word-of-Mouth Marketing to Grow Your Brand

There’s no better way to generate buzz for your brand than to turn your customers, employees, and fans into advocates.

Word-of-mouth marketing is the practice of leveraging devout fans to spread the word about your business.

Think about brands like Apple, Microsoft, and Nike.

They are known for their die-hard fans who constantly promote their products and content.

The best part?

Most do it without any paid incentive.

You, too, can leverage word-of-mouth marketing.

Here are some ideas:

1. Reach out to the right people. Engaging your employees is one of the most effective ways of cultivating a culture of advocacy. Give them a reason to rave about your business!
2. Offer rewards and loyalty points to customers.
3. Give referral bonuses for recruiting more people into the network.
4. Have top-notch customer service. You can use Facebook Messenger bots to communicate and provide value to customers.
5. Create special brand content that your advocates can share with their networks in real-time.
6. Always measure the effectiveness of your advocacy program. You can track sales from referral links, engagement on branded content, and the overall performance of your advocates.

11. Put Your Email List to Work

Do you ever wonder how I receive hundreds of shares and comments on every blog post I write?

It’s triggered by my email subscribers.

I simply email them, informing them about my new post. They kick off the interaction and sharing on every post.

Jay Baer shows us the similarities between an email list and Facebook fans.

So, how can you inspire social actions from email?

Simple social media marketing suggests starting by adding Facebook share buttons to your email newsletters. Some email platforms, like Mail Chimp, make this easy.

Otherwise, you will need to create an HTML version of your email and create custom code for the share buttons.

Here’s how:

Convince and Convert further recommends sending out your popular and interesting status updates to your email list on the same day.

This increases reactions and comments on the post and drives engagement on your Facebook page.

You can also combine this email list with the Facebook group strategy.

Ask your subscribers to join exciting conversations on your exclusive Facebook group.

Killer Strategy to Increase Facebook Shares

Say you already have a few hundred social media shares on your post. How would you like to increase the number of shares to a thousand?

You need to plan a strategic email outreach campaign to influencers, transitioning from just a good content strategy to boost post views.

The guys at Vero devised such an outreach for their email marketing best practices guide.

The result?

They have 10,000+ shares on the guide.

12. Run Contests to Drive Facebook Organic Reach

Facebook contests are a simple way to increase your presence quickly.

But it’s a little more than just luring fans with a free gift.

Here’s what it entails:

Step #1: Set a Goal For Your Contest

Do you want to increase engagement? Grow your fan base? Generate more leads?

Whatever you decide, ensure that it is specific and measurable.

Step #2: Select What Type of Contest You’ll Run

If your goal is to generate leads, then your entry method should include a mechanism to capture those leads, for example, an email grab.

If your goal is to grow your Facebook fan base, you can require participants to follow and like your page to enter the contest.

Do you see how your method of entry should be tailored to your goal?

Step #3: Determine the Rules of Entry

Before you do so, be sure to check out Facebook’s guidelines for running contests and challenges.

You’ll still be required to set your own rules for the contest.

Simply write up a brief letting participants know how the winner will be chosen, who’s eligible to enter, and the details of the prize.

Step #4: Decide How to Select Winners

With most contests, the winner is usually chosen randomly.

If your promotion is a challenge, then you will need someone or a group of people to judge the entries. Alternatively, you can have a voting system to pick a winner.

Step #5: Choose a Prize and Develop a Promotion Strategy

This is where most brands fail miserably.

If you don’t pick your prize carefully and promote your contest, there’s a good chance it will flop.

Always pick a prize that is relevant to your business so you avoid attracting people who are in it just for the freebie.

Here are some ideas for promoting your contest:

13. Share Posts From Your Facebook Page on Your Facebook Profile

This strategy is for avid Facebook users. You should have at least 1,000+ friends on your personal Facebook profile to drive significant results.

The strategy is simple to boost post views.

You first share a post on your Facebook page. Then, you share it from the page on your personal Facebook profile.

WPChronicles increased their reach from 5 people to 134, by using this strategy.

Keep in mind, this strategy isn’t scalable and you might annoy your friends if you do it to much.

However, you can use it occasionally for posts that add value to your Facebook friends.

Pro Tip: If you just started your Facebook page, you can quickly build your first 100 fans and get social proof. Just use the “Invite Friends” feature.

This feature can also be used to grow your Facebook page from your email list. It isn’t available to all Facebook pages, though.

Using it is simple. Upload your contacts from MailChimp, Constant Contact, or any other of the email services. Facebook will find them and ‘suggest’ that they like your page.

14. Drive Organic Facebook Traffic With Hashtags (Used Carefully)

We’re all familiar with hashtags and how they work.

But what’s the deal with them on Facebook?

Do they have impact on a post’s reach?

Let’s see.

BuzzSumo analyzed more than 1 billion Facebook posts from over 30 million pages.

Their study seems to agree with the general consensus that Facebook users are prone to hashtag fatigue.

Posts with hashtags performed worse than those without.

Does that mean that marketers shouldn’t use hashtags on Facebook at all? Not exactly.

There’s a lot of utility in Facebook hashtags.

It’s a matter of experimenting with relevant ones to see what works in your industry and for your audience.

They should also be used in moderation — one to two hash tags maximum.

Why so little?

Post Planner reported interactions are highest when one to two hashtags are used.

While the consensus is that you shouldn’t hashtag everything, Facebook is still built to accommodate their use.

This means that you can get quite a bit of functionality out of them without adding hashtags to all your posts.

Here’s how.

Create Your Own Hashtags

There’s no special protocol for creating hashtags.

Anyone can do it.

I recommend making your hashtags unique to your brand so it doesn’t get confused with anyone else’s. It’s also smart to use the same branding style hashtags on all social media platforms so there’s familiarity across channels.

Pro tip: Use your branded hashtags as a metric to track your brand equity on Facebook. Their popularity will give you a good indication of how many people are buzzing about your business at a given time.

You can also point your audience to the URL’s of specific hashtags so they can participate in the relevant conversations.

Use Hashtags to Make Your Facebook Group Easier to Navigate

Facebook creates a unique URL for each hashtag used. This means that you can use them to search for content.

This is particularly useful in groups when you don’t want evergreen content to be buried. Simply hashtag them so users can continue to refer to these content pieces by conducting a quick hashtag search.

For example: If you create content themes like I’ve recommended, your users can find all published content for each theme by searching for the unique URL.

Take Advantage of Facebook Trending Topics

Ever heard of newsjacking?

It’s when someone piggybacks on a trend to gain exposure for their brand.

We’ve seen it is best to use hashtags sparingly.

But if there’s ever a prime time to use them, it’s when they link to a trending topic. This way, you tap into the traffic and increase your exposure.

I must warn you: This strategy requires caution. You don’t want to be hopping on a trend that may do you more harm than good.

15. Go Against the Grain to Stand Out

Listen:

A big piece of the organic reach puzzle is competition.

You have to fight for the attention of your audience.

Want to know the best way to always be ahead of your competitors?

Find your differentiating factor and flaunt it.

Both your visual and written content should stand out.

Some pro tips for your visual content:

• Avoid blues and grays at all costs. These colors are dominant in Facebook’s theme which means you’ll morph into a user’s news feed. You want to use colors that will stop someone in their tracks. Red, yellow, and orange are great options.
• Create multiple visuals per post and A/B test to see which one performs better. After you’ve conducted several tests for your posts, you’ll begin to see a pattern emerge. Your audience likely responds to a few designs better than the rest.
• Add call-to-action buttons on the actual image. This is because you want as many visual cues as possible to let users know that they should “Click Here.”
• Don’t use stock photos. Transparency and authenticity matter on Facebook. Create your own images to humanize your brand and share visuals your audience can connect with.
• Capture and keep attention with short captions on your visuals. Posts with 80 characters or less receive 66% higher engagement.

• Ask questions. Posts with a question have higher engagement than those without.

16. Take Advantage of New Facebook Features

Facebook’s constant app updates are no secret.

The changes come fast and frequently.

But here’s the thing:

They may fly under your radar if you don’t make it a priority to stay informed. That’s because new features are almost always released in different segments of the platform at different times.

You can take advantage of these updates.

When you get in on them early, you get the early mover’s advantage. This means that you can master it faster than anyone else and tap into the new capabilities for the benefit of your business.

Some recent updates that provide golden opportunities:

• Facebook Messenger Bots: You can use these to engage with users and persuade them with targeted messenger sequences.
• 360-degree Photos and Videos: This gives you the ability to capture a 360, panoramic view. You can use this to showcase the human element of your brand by capturing group shots, events, workspaces, and more.
• More Intuitive and Flexible Video: Users no longer have to manually tap to play a video. In addition to the autoplay update, you can now watch a video while still scrolling through your news feed. The video will automatically minimize at the corner of the screen.
• Facebook Stories: If you’re familiar with Snapchat and Instagram stories, you’re no stranger to this format of visual content. The feature is driving a ton of traffic and engagement.
• Facebook Offers: You can create and share coupons, discounts, and other promotional offers on your Facebook business page. These Offer Ads can even be created to work in combination with other Ad campaigns. You can also track how they perform in ad reporting.
• Facebook Watch: Facebook Watch is a streaming video tab inside Facebook that offers viewers access to longer-form videos from creators.
• Facebook Marketplace: It’s not just for selling items around your home, Facebook Marketplace can drive business as well.

17. Create an Effective Facebook Paid Marketing Strategy

You must be wondering, “I thought this was about organic traffic?”

Here’s the thing:

Paid reach can funnel into your organic reach and extend the lifecycle of your posts.

This means it will be shown to more people and users will be able to interact with your content for a longer period of time.

How is this possible?

It’s simple.

People can still see your post even though they weren’t targeted through paid distribution.

The audience that you pay for may decide to share and engage with the post. In that case, it will gain an organic reach when their audience also engages.

Now let’s get into how to run effective paid promotions for your posts.

Step #1: Install the Facebook Tracking Pixel on Your Site

The Facebook pixel allows you to track the specific actions taken on your website and other landing pages.

Better yet, it allows you to build custom audiences so you can retarget people who’ve visited your website.

If you havn’t installed it yet, go to your “Ads Manager” or “Power Editor.”

You’ll be prompted to create a Pixel if you don’t have an active one.

After you’ve created your Pixel, you’ll receive a tracking code that you have to copy and paste into the header of your website.

To easily place the Pixel on your website, you can do one of two things:

1. Use Google Tag Manager to place the code in your title tags without messing around with your website’s HTML files.
2. Use a WordPress plugin called PixelYourSite. After it’s installed, get your Pixel ID from your Ads Manager and simply copy it into the settings of the plugin. There’ll be no need to play with codes and title tags.

And that’s it!

Do this once, and you’re good.

Step #2: Gain Traction Organically Before Paying

We’ve seen how organic and paid reach work hand in hand.

This is an effective way to ensure that your ads reach more people at a cheaper cost.

Some tips for organic promotion:

• Share your post multiple times on Facebook. Make sure you vary the format as well as the time that you publish.
• Reach out to influencers to share your content with their networks.
• Post to other Facebook pages and groups where you’re allowed to.

Step #3: Create Your Ad or Boost Your Post

You can either run an official Facebook ad or a boosted post campaign.

At first glance, they appear the same.

So what’s the difference?

A few things.

• Ads are created using your Ad Manager while boosted posts can be run directly from your business page.
• You must first publish a post on your page to boost it whereas an ad does not need to be on your page.

This means the strategy of promoting posts organically first, is best suited to boosted posts.

Let’s get into the details.

How to Boost a Post on Facebook

First, find the “Boost Post” button under your post.

Select a goal:

Narrow down your audience.

You can opt for:

• People who like your page
• People who like your page and their friends
• People who you choose through targeting

Set your budget and duration of your campaign.

Finally, ensure that your Tracking Pixel is turned on.

So that’s it for boosted posts.

What about actual Facebook ads? The concept is not much different.

Put these steps into action.

Step #4: Create your Ad using Ads Manager

Head to Facebook Ads Manager.

Select an objective for your campaign.

You have way more options than a boosted post.

But you can only select one objective.

Step #5: Define Your Targeting Options

You can either:

• Create a custom audience: To reach people who’ve already engaged with your business. For example, you can import your email list to form a custom audience.
• Create a lookalike audience: To reach new people who are similar to an audience you already have elsewhere.
• Use a saved audience: If you’ve run ads in the past, you can use the same audience.

Select your ad placement.

Set your budget and schedule.

Format your ad, write a click-worthy caption, and add an eye-catching image.

After you’ve finalized the creative elements, you can place your ad order and you’re set to go.

Pro tip: Read this post on how to make your Facebook ads better.

Step #6: Use Retargeting

Have you ever visited a website, and ten seconds later, be shown a Facebook Ad from that very website?

Chances are you have.

When marketer’s abuse it, this could get annoying for a consumer.

Imagine continuously been shown ads for a product you already bought or a website you were never really interested in.

In any event, this is still one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s toolbox.

It’s where you’ll experience the full capability of the Facebook Pixel.

If you implemented Step 1, yours should be fired up and ready to go.

So, how does retargeting work?

It allows you to target your ads to people who’ve demonstrated an interest in your business.

Here’s a visual representation of the process:

As you see, this is brilliant for recapturing lost leads.

The whole premise is that it’s easier to convert someone who’s already engaged with your business rather than a total stranger.

Now:

Your retargeting ads are set up with the same steps that I detailed above for a normal ad campaign.

Your targeting is the only variant.

Something to keep in mind: Retargeting campaigns take some time to gain traction. Set a goal, decide on a time frame, and commit to running your ads for the duration of that time frame.

Step #7: Determine the ROI of your Facebook Ads

Let’s talk about results.

Facebook campaigns aren’t difficult to set in motion.

Yet, many marketers don’t see the results that they hoped for.

But here’s the brutal truth:

Unless you track your ads, how much they cost, and the return you’re getting, there’s no way you can keep optimizing your performance.

So which metrics should you be tracking?

• Conversion rates
• Number of times an ad has been served to a user
• Return on dollar investment
• Click Through Rate (CTR)
• Cost per Click (CPC)

These are all available in your Power Editor with Facebook’s Ad reporting function.

Analyze your results and work towards improving them.

18. Harness the Power of Facebook “Dark Posts”

Facebook “dark posts” have been around for a while.

Yet, they’re one of the most underutilised marketing tools.

Is the concept as sinister and shadowy as the name sounds?  A bit.

“Dark posts” otherwise called unpublished posts are news feed style ads that don’t get published to your news feed. This means that they won’t be found on your timeline or in your fans’ feed.

So what’s the point?

You can:

• Create as many ads as you want without turning off your audience
• Split test several elements of your ads to select the highest performing variations
• Decide to expose only the high impact ads to your organic audience and be confident that they’ll perform
• Stay in Facebook’s good graces. Your page will be less promotional which is what Facebook’s algorithm favors
• Personalize your ad copy for different segments of your audience

Now that you know the benefits, here’s how you can put unpublished “dark posts” to work for your business.

Head to Ads Manager, then follow these steps from Facebook.

You’ve created an unpublished post, aka a Dark Post.

19. Grab Attention and Inspire Action with Persuasive Copy

If you’ve had any success on Facebook, you already know that the creative elements are the variables that matter.

What does this mean for your Facebook strategy?

You need to test different aspects of the creative. This includes split testing your copywriting and visual elements to find the highest performing combinations.

It will serve you well for both paid promotions and your organic reach.

We’ve already been through the visual elements.

So let’s talk about copy.

The purpose of persuasive copy is to:

1. Improve Your Click Through Rate (CTR)

CTR refers to the number of people who click through to your website after they’ve been served your ad.

If it’s low, that’s a pretty good indication that your ad copy and visuals need work.

CTR is not a metric that will make or break your media marketing performance, but you also don’t want to get it wrong.

That would mean leaving a better result on the table.

2. Lower your Cost per Action (CPA)

An action will depend on what your conversion goal is.

It could be:

• Video views
• App installs
• Ecommerce store visits
• Page visits
• Shares, comments, and likes

Any action that you want users to take when served your content comes into play here.

The less it costs you to drive these actions, the higher your conversion rates.

So, what does persuasive copy have to do with CPA?

Well, users will only move on a solid call to action (CTA).

In turn, the strength of your CTA’s depend on your copy.

How to Craft Compelling Facebook Call-Actions That Convert

• Always tailor your CTA to your conversion goal. Generic, one-size-fits-all copy won’t cut it.
• Use exclusivity to amp up perceived value. This goes hand in hand with urgency. In fact, words used to convey exclusivity can also be used to drive urgency.
• Create urgency to give users an extra push. Think of relevant words and phrases that evoke a sense of now. The fear of missing out (FOMO) will kick in and users will have a greater chance of taking action.
• Eliminate weak verbs like download, save, learn, and find out. These lack the energy and punch to get people excited. If you must use them, add urgency words to modify. For example: CTAs with “Now” at the end always convert better than those without.
• Don’t get caught up in the rules. Yes, the tips above have been proven time and time again to generate results. But your audience and what they respond to is what matters. The other elements in your content also factor in so don’t look at call to actions in isolation.
  

20. Focus on Value and Don’t Worry About Reach

As a marketer, everything comes down to conversions and ROI, Right?

The organic reach of your posts on Facebook is like a secondary metric.

Jon Loomer puts it perfectly.

If you go after reach rather than valuable content, you’ll be trying to game Facebook’s algorithm.

Deja vu?

Remember Google cracking down on black hat SEOs trying to game their search results?

Every platform wants to improve the experience of their users and increase engagement.

So, don’t go around chasing Facebook’s organic reach.

Instead, share every post with an objective.

• With links, you want to get clicks and drive traffic to your website.
• Status updates should be focused on engaging with your audience and getting comments.
• Share graphics to inspire your audience and get engagement.
• Share videos to primarily get video views. The CTA in the video can be used to drive traffic to your website.

The organic reach of your page is not the best performance indicator.

So while you may want to amp up your game, you need to consider how much reach is enough to justify the time and effort it takes to build your Facebook assets.

Write down the goals you want to achieve through your Facebook page.

Consider :

• The size of your business
• The scale of your operations
• Your objectives
• Your audience
• The ROI of increasing Facebook reach

Only then should you devise a Facebook marketing strategy around these goals.

Choose the metrics you’ll use to measure your results.

Don’t let algorithmic changes dictate your marketing strategy.

Conclusion

Facebook is a brilliant marketing tool.

There’s no doubt about that.

The number of businesses that actively use the platform continues to increase by millions, year over year.

But Facebook is not without its challenges.

The influx of published content has led to a downward spiral in organic reach, and the competition for news feed space is fierce.

Things that were once done on autopilot, now require significantly more effort and due diligence.

Will organic reach continue to plummet?

Or will it improve?

Nobody really knows what the future holds for organic reach on Facebook.

Either way, our task remains the same.

We have to get creative in our social media marketing and provide the highest quality content to our audience.

If you implement the strategies that I share in this post, you’ll be well on your way to improving your organic reach.

You’ll also be more skilled at navigating Facebook’s ever-changing platform.

What is your Facebook page’s average organic reach? What strategies are you using to combat organic reach decline on Facebook?

The post 20 Secrets to Boost Your Facebook Organic Reach appeared first on Neil Patel.

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Would you like to have your skills endorsed by one of the biggest brands on the planet?

That’s what you get when you earn a Google Certificate, and you might find your certificate helps you stand out in your choice of field. 

With a range of courses in in-demand subjects, Google Certificates aim to give you the skills you need to take significant steps in your career. Better yet, they can be earned pretty quickly.

What are Google Certificates?

Google Certificates are online courses designed to help kick-start your career in a number of high-growth fields. 

With classes in data analysis, project management, UX design, IT support, and IT automation, Google Certificates are there to help you make the right first step in your career. 

All courses are 100% remote and experienced Google professionals teach them. 

One of the key ideas behind Google Certificates is you get the skills you need to find a job now, not after several years of training and a self-driven, possibly lengthy job search. 

Those who complete Google Certificate programs can opt in to be connected with employers and get help building their resumes and improving interview skills along the way.

Simply put, Google Certificates are online courses, created by Google themselves, designed to give you the skills to get an entry-level position in under six months. 

Who is Eligible for Google Certificate Programs?

Anyone can study for a Google Certificate, but it’s worth remembering the courses are designed to prepare you for an entry-level position. 

This makes the certificates ideal for people looking to take their first steps in the workforce or re-skill and change their career direction. 

If you’ve had some exposure to your desired field, then it also might be worth taking the courses to get your skills certified by a widely-respected name such as Google. 

At present, courses are available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

As Google states on its IT Support Certificate Program Coursera page, 

Google has long faced an issue that many other companies also contend with—we had open IT Support roles and not enough qualified candidates to fill them.

This is part of why Google aims to make these courses so accessible, and it means the majority of people will be eligible. 

While Google Certificates could be an excellent option for anyone looking to get into these fields, there are many other possibilities. 

Note: For marketers, I’ve compiled “The Top 10 Marketing Certifications That are Worth the Money,” and like Google Certificates, they offer a lot of value. 

Why Earn a Google Certificate?

Whatever certification you study for, you want it to carry some weight in your desired industry. 

Upon completing your course, you can share your information directly with big employers such as Intel, Walmart, Bank of America, and PNC and take tangible steps towards landing your first job. 

Google is a massive employer in the certificates’ subject areas, so their instructors understand what other businesses are looking for. 

The certificates aren’t just designed to give you skills; they’re designed to make sure you land the kind of job you’re looking for. In addition to coursework, they offer resources to find jobs and prepare for interviews.

Google states that “80% of Google IT Support Professional Certificate learners in the U.S. report a career impact within six months.”

What is the Cost of a Google Certificate?

Google is challenging the idea that you definitely need a four-year degree to succeed in these fields, giving you a cost-effective, quick way to get your career started. 

Google Certificates are hosted on an external platform called Coursera, a dedicated online course provider. 

You can get started with a seven-day free trial. If you find you’re enjoying the program, you can sign up for a $49 per month subscription. 

Since this is a monthly fee structure, how much the certificate costs depends on how long it takes you. Google states completion takes most people about six months, so this would work out as a total of $294 on that timeline. 

If this price tag is still a bit high, you may be able to get help with your subscription if you meet the criteria for scholarships and grants. Google has money available for qualified students in their IT Support Certificate program, and they hope to add more options in the future.

Google Certificate Program Options

At present, Google’s IT Support and IT Automation certificate programs are open for enrollment, with Data Analysis, Project Management, and UX Design being the newest additions.

Each course is broken down into bite-size chunks, and after around six months (or however long it takes you), you could have the skills you need to take on an entry-level role in your chosen profession. 

Data Analyst Google Certificate

Modern businesses collect mountains of data. However, data is only useful if you can turn it into helpful insights, and this is where data analysts come in. 

With a Google Certificate in Data Analysis, you can learn how to take data and turn it into insights that power businesses. This skillset is highly in demand, which means high-level data analytics abilities may take you into virtually any industry, such as:

• Marketing 
• Finance 
• Insurance
• Media 
• IT

With an average annual wage of $66,000 per year according to Glassdoor, this may be a great career option for you if you’re willing to work your way up the ladder.

Project Manager Google Certificate

Project management is another in-demand, well-paying, and far-reaching career that Google Certificates can help you break into. 

A project manager’s role is to oversee projects, ensuring goals are met and work is carried out efficiently. 

Here are common project manager responsibilities:

1. Sorting the what, who, and when
2. Analyzing and managing risk
3. Ensuring the project is carried out to a high standard
4. Motivating, organizing, and coordinating a team to achieve the best results
5. Working within time and budget restrictions
6. Liaising with stakeholders to fulfill their vision
7. Completing on targets

Project management jobs are expected to grow by a third in the coming years, so people with these skills are likely to be very in demand. 

This is backed up by an average salary of $61,000 for professionals of all levels, making this an exciting career to break into. 

UX Designer Google Certificate

You’ll often hear me talk about user experience (UX). UX designers make sure technology, whether that be a website, piece of software, or invention, works for consumers. 

This is a crucial business need, so UX design is one of the five most in-demand hard skills in modern business. 

A Google Certificate in UX Design should set you up with the basic skills you need as an entry-level UX designer, and after some experience, you might be looking at an average salary of $85,000 a year, according to Glassdoor.

Google IT Support Professional Certificate

The world runs on IT these days, so it’s vitally important we have highly skilled people to help when things go wrong with technology. 

The Google IT Support Professional Certificate can train you in network operations, system administration, security, and more.

Positions in IT support are growing rapidly, with job opportunities set to increase by 8% over the next ten years, much higher than average job growth. 

This means there will likely be lots of new opportunities for IT professionals, and Google Certificates aim to make sure there are plenty of people to fill these roles. 

Here are needed IT Support skills:

1. Strong problem-solving skills
2. Excellent communication
3. A love of thinking logically
4. The ability to work well as part of a team
5. Great customer care 

Putting your skills to use with a Google Certificate and becoming an IT support professional could eventually earn you an average yearly salary of about $50,000, according to Glassdoor.

Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate

The IT Automation course is the most advanced of the Google Certificates, and unlike the others, you need some basic knowledge before enrolling. 

Before taking the Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate, learners should know subjects such as operating systems and networking and data management. 

This course allows you the opportunity to take your career to the next level. Python is one of the most popular coding languages. 

The instructors are here to teach you essential coding skills and allow you to work on what Google calls a “cornerstone project.” That assignment focuses on solving real-world problems.  

This program is ideal for people who want to add to their skills and take their careers forward. With the backing of major industry leaders and the potential for apprenticeships within Google itself, this course may give your career the boost you’re looking for.

If you decide to specialize in Phython, the average annual salary, according to Glassdoor, is about $75,000.

Conclusion

Google Certificates are an interesting proposition, and you should consider them if you’re looking to get into any of these fields.

With a Google Certificate, you can get started in your desired career much more quickly, with many finishing the programs in just six months. 

Not only could this allow you to start earning money and developing your experience in the working world, but it can also cost less than many other certification options—and certainly less when compared to full degree programs.

 If you complete your certificate program in the typical six months, then you’re out only about $294. 

Google has partnered with big businesses to help certificate earners find work. Whether you’re looking to set up your own business or build your career working for a big brand, then it’s certainly worth looking at Google Certificates as your first step. 

Are you considering a Google Certificate?

The post What are Google Certificates? appeared first on Neil Patel.

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Everybody makes mistakes. 

Some big, some small, but some of them are downright annoying.

And one of the most notorious headache-causing mistakes you make is messing up your code. 

Coding is everything when it comes to web development. So you simply have to get it right for better security and to avoid glitches in the future.

Luckily, there’s a very effective solution to ensure this. 

Just like how Grammarly and Hemingway can improve your text by checking them for spelling errors and improving readability, web developers can use HTML editors to write and improve their code.

Even those who don’t have any coding knowledge can create websites and put them online.

Coding becomes faster and easier thanks to HTML editors’ spell-checking, syntax highlighting, and auto-completion features, among others.

In this guide, we’ll look at the best HTML editors available to take your websites to the next level without much effort and time on your part.

Excited? Let’s dig right in!

The Top 5 Options for Best HTML Editors:

• Atom – The Best for Advanced Customization
• Notepad + + – The Best for Front-End Developers and Web Designers
• Brackets – The Best for Beginners
• Sublime Text – The Best for Multi-Language Support
• Adobe Dreamweaver CC – The Best for Web Developers 

How to Choose the Best HTML Editor for You

HTML editors–both free and paid–come with several cosmetic features. Based on your business needs, you’ll find some to be absolutely necessary, while others you may not need at all.

We’ve compiled a list of features that we think a good HTML editor should have. You may not need all of them, but here is what you should be looking for when choosing an HTML editor.

Color-Coding or Syntax Highlighting

HTML has a tag-based markup language. You need an HTML editor with syntax highlighting or color-coding features to light up these tags. Doing this will help you identify the tags quickly, which, in turn, will make working with blocks of code easier.

Autocomplete and Suggestions

The autocomplete and suggestions feature helps to quickly fill in longer code at the press of a button. 

The editor gives you pop up suggestions based on your work–all you have to do is click on it, and the code will autocomplete. Think of how you type text messages on your phone or when you do a quick Google search. 

You can also automate creating closing tabs through this feature.

Find and Replace

We highly recommend looking for code editors with the find and replace feature, as it allows you to locate certain strings and replace them with something else very quickly. 

Plus, HTML is constantly changing and updating standards and deprecation of inefficient tags. So, you’ll definitely find yourself wanting this feature sometime in the future to update your website.

Version Control

Editors with version control enable you to see the previous versions of your code and rollback when needed. As a result, you can store all the copies without making separate documents, and we know how crucial this is when you’re working with other developers.

Multi-Cursor Functionality

The role of multi-cursors is simple: It allows you to write code in multiple places at once. In other words, you can edit code simultaneously. This is especially useful when you want to add duplicates of the same tag.

FTP Support and Error Detection

Getting HTML editors with FTP support lets you connect to WordPress and upload changes you want to make without any hassle. As a result, you won’t find yourself logging into FileZilla or your preferred FTP client every time we want to update anything.

Live error detection is equally important.

HTML is a markup language and not a programming language, which is why it doesn’t compile. It also means you can’t test your code. With live error detection, though, you’ll know immediately whenever you write something incorrectly.

In addition to these, there are several other features like code folding and autosave. We mentioned what we think is vital and can help increase productivity and accuracy. However, you have the flexibility to choose, depending on your requirements and preferences.

Note: If you’re looking for a code editor with advanced features and platform integration, you‘ll need an integrated development environment or IDE rather than a text editor. While IDEs are similar to HTML editors, they are more beefed up designed for advanced developers.

The Different Types of HTML Editors

HTML editors are of two types. Although the core values of both are kind of similar, they have different features. It’s why the target clientele for each category is slightly different. 

Let’s discuss this in more detail.

HTML Text Editors

HTML text editors are basic programs. You can use it to write basic coding projects, do simple HTML editing, and check for errors on the go.

You’ll find several free versions of text editors available online that are downloadable on all major operating systems. What’s more, these programs are general-purpose and can be used for multiple computing languages.

Keep in mind that basic text editors require you to write all HTML code by hand. You have to perfect every piece of syntax manually, so be prepared for a bit of trial and error.

HTML text editors are great for learning HTML. But if saving time is a priority, the next editor type would be more suitable for you.

WYSIWYG

No, this isn’t gibberish or a typo. 

WYSIWYG is an acronym for “What You See Is What You Get.” Developers pronounce it as “wis-ee-wig.” It’s a type of HTML editor that views content in the live product exactly like the preview. This helps enhance accuracy when you’re building or making changes to a website. 

Think of WYSIWYG as the halfway point between coding from scratch and an instant template builder like WordPress. 

Being more advanced than standard text editors, WYSIWYG editors allow users to write code, edit directly from the page, and insert paragraphs and headings–all the while generating HTML code automatically. Creating or updating the layout of a site is possible within seconds as well with this editor.

#1 – Atom – The Best for Advanced Customization

Atom is a free, open-source code editor developed by the GitHub team and maintained by the GitHub community. It comes with enough packages and theme collections, runs light, and loads super fast, making this HTML editor one of the best you can find.

It’s a modernized WYSIWYG HTML editor available for Windows, Mac, and Linux and is built for collaboration. Whether you’re a newbie or an experienced professional, Atom is everyone’s favorite with its premium feel and customization flexibility. 

Think of it as an advanced text editor that has several features commonly limited to high-level coding programs.

It also comes with a hackable text editor! It’s a feature that enables developers to edit, extend, change, and share the program source code and design their own packages to improve Atom. 

Multiple pane support is another feature we like. You can split the interface into as many windows as you need to compare and write code side-by-side.

Other features include syntax correction and highlighting, autocompletion, project management, and Teletype (users can collaborate with other developers in real-time). 

Atom is entirely free of charge! So you don’t have to shell out any money to use this excellent editor.

#2 – Notepad + + – The Best for Front-End Developers and Web Designers

Fast working, time-tested, and foolproof, Notepad + + is one of the most popular HTML editors used by millions worldwide. It’s an open-code editor that offers multi-language support, which isn’t restricted to only HTML and CSS.

One of the primary reasons for Notepad + +‘s popularity is its feature-rich interface.

You get syntax folding, syntax highlighting, multi-view, document map, multi-document interface, auto-completion, bookmarks, and a fully customizable GUI. And even after this long list, there’s still more.

Notepad + + was developed for Windows-based machines, but Linux users can use it via Wine. As the name suggests, this editor is like an upgraded version of the Notepad software, which is already available in Windows by default. You also get its repository on GitHub. 

A mobile version is also available if you fancy that.

Environmentalists would love Notepad + + as well. It has programs that run on less CPU power in a bid to reduce carbon emissions.

Notepad + + is free for all! So no extra money or hidden costs for you to worry about.

#3 – Brackets – The Best for Beginners

Brackets is another widely popular HTML editor for programmers compatible with different operating systems like Windows, Mac, and Linux. It comes with a built-in package manager that allows users to search and install any supported package they like.

We would highly recommend this open-source HTML editor for beginners due to its smart auto-completion feature that makes coding incredibly fast and accurate.

Bracket’s coding UI can be split into multiple panes, making writing and comparing codes between different files easy and precise. Its integrated file system browser enables you to access files within your PC.

Plus, it has a find and replace feature that allows developers to fine-tune the code when appropriate. This can be useful for novices and experienced professionals to ensure their website stays up-to-date. 

Styling and customization are super easy and simple, so coding won’t ever get boring with Brackets. 

The pre-installed syntax themes feature dark and flashy bright colors. With no shortage of packages on the platform, you can add as many features as you want, based on your use-case and preference.

Brackets is completely free! You can download it directly from the official website.

#4 – Sublime Text – The Best for Multi-Language Support

Sublime Text is the advanced version of Notepad + +. It comes with the standard features of Notepad + +, along with more modern ones to suit the sophisticated needs of the more experienced users.

You get cross-platform support, split editing, multiple-selection editing, proprietary command palette, and syntax editing to make web development simpler. The editor is incredibly powerful and promises high performance. However, you have a steeper learning curve ahead of you in exchange for this flexibility and power.

One of the more advanced features of Sublime Text is “Goto Anything.” Using this, you can find and replace the code within a considerably shorter period. The distraction-free mode is another great feature that displays only the code by hiding other elements.

You can use keyboard shortcuts to execute tasks quickly–provided you can remember them. Everything is easily customizable in the editor as well, whether you want to personalize key bindings to snippets to menus.

Accessible on Windows, Mac, and Linux, Sublime Text also supports different languages like C, HTML, C++, C#, Java, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, and many more.

Sublime Text has a free version available that’s enough for beginners, but if you want access to all its features, you have to pay a one-time cost of $80.

#5 – Adobe Dreamweaver CC – The Best for Web Developers 

Most of our other options work great for front-end development, but having an HTML editor that facilitates back-end development is also necessary, which is where Adobe Dreamweaver CC comes in.

Made by renowned company Adobe, this editor is hands down one of the most famous and influential options on the market. You get all sorts of plugins and premium features that you wouldn’t normally have access to with other HTML editors. 

Whether it’s creating more responsive sites or editing the website code, Dreamweaver makes everything possible.

This editor is a closed source software, designed to work within the Adobe ecosystem. It supports both the textual and WYSIWYG methods, allowing you to choose between coding with a live visual presentation or take the traditional route. You can write code in any major programming language and enjoy access to creative cloud libraries.

Web developers would particularly love Adobe Dreamweaver CC. It automatically confirms the code and page accessibility, making it easier for developers to follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and even reviews the end product. 

Plus, the direct access to an abundant supply of assets in the Adobe ecosystem like graphics, layers, colors, words, characters, and much more, is another advantage.

Dreamweaver has a free version, but you can opt for premium plans as well. You have three options:

• Annual Plan, Payable Monthly – $25.99 per month
• Monthly Plan – $31.49 per month
• Annual Plan, Prepaid – $239.88 per year

Final Thoughts

HTML editors are a must for any web development and design toolkit. Not only can you create code faster, but it also simplifies the whole process by helping you avoid errors.

The only catch is to select an option that aligns with your needs. 

You can select an option from our top picks or look for other alternatives in the market. Try to look for prospective editors that include syntax highlighting and live preview. If you want something more sophisticated, a find and replace feature will be a great asset.

The post Best HTML Editors appeared first on Neil Patel.

Source: New feed 2

TikTok has steadily grown to become one of the most popular social media apps.

In Q1 for 2020, the app hit a record-setting 315 million installs, and soon dance routines, challenges, and #MedievalTikTok became all the rage.

As TikTok’s popularity grew, so did one question: “How can I get on the TikTok For You page?” This is the main page of curated content users see when they log in.

This article will answer that question and teach you everything you need to know about TikTok’s mysterious algorithm and how to use it to your advantage.

What Is TikTok?

TikTok is an iOS and Android social media app for creating and sharing short 15 to 60-second videos on any topic.

In 2016, the app launched as Douyin in China, and in the following year, ByteDance released it for markets outside of China as Musical.ly before rebranding to TikTok.

Since then, the app has been downloaded over 2.6 billion times and has over 800 million active users, making it the ninth-largest social media site in the world.

Why is TikTok so Popular?

While it started as a fun lip-syncing app with a cult Gen Z following, it’s evolved into a way for users to share short comedy skits, business tips, and more.

As the newest social media app on the block, it could be much easier to grow a following on TikTok than on over-saturated sites like Instagram and Facebook with restricting algorithms.

What is the TikTok For You Page?

The For You page, aka “FYP,” is the first page you land on when you open the TikTok app. It’s a curated feed of videos from creators you might not follow, but TikTok’s algorithm thinks you will like based on your interests and past interactions.

For example: If you like and leave comments on several videos about Instagram tips, you can expect to see a fresh serving of social media marketing TikToks on your For You page every day.

Think of it as the Instagram Explore Page. The app wants to hook you in with more content you like to keep you scrolling longer.

Why You Should Optimize Your Content for the For You Page

The TikTok For You page is the “holy grail”l of success on the app. It means you’ve created a piece of content that resonates with your audience. The algorithm has picked this up and recognizes your content’s quality above all the other videos on the app.

What this means for business owners and influencers:

• Followers and Monetization: By landing on the TikTok For You page, you could gain followers faster and get closer to the 10k goal. Once you hit that milestone, you can start making money from your videos with the TikTok Creator Fund.
• Sponsorships, Thought Leadership, and Sales: Once the algorithm starts pushing out your video to a broader audience, you might start getting more recognition as a master of your niche. This can lead to paid sponsorships or more sales in your business.
• Platform Growth: Ever heard the saying, “it takes a platform to grow a platform?” Once you’ve struck TikTok gold, you can use the attention to redirect traffic back to your other platforms like Instagram or YouTube and start growing your community across the board.
• Free Exposure: If you usually get 100 views per TikTok, an FYP feature could push that to tens of thousands. It’s incredible exposure you can leverage without spending a dime on ads.

3 Ranking Factors for TikTok’s For You Page

For years, the TikTok For You page algorithm was cloaked in mystery. Rumors and speculation flew around the internet, sparking the rise in hashtags like #fyp and #ForYou, until TikTok HQ came out with a statement settling the debate once and for all.

In a community post, TikTok states: 

On TikTok, the For You feed reflects preferences unique to each user. The system recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors – starting from interests you express as a new user and adjusting for things you indicate you’re not interested in, too – to form your personalized For You feed.

Here’s the nitty-gritty details of the TikTok algorithm and learn how the For You page works.

1. User Interactions

The more comments, likes, shares, and duets your video gets, the more likely the algorithm will pick it up. 

Another ranking factor you need to keep in mind is your video completion rate. As more users watch your TikTok to the end, it’s more likely to get pushed out for further distribution.

2. Video Information

Hashtags, sounds, and captions are a treasure trove of information to help you get onto the For You page. For instance, if you use a trending hashtag or sound bite, it’s more likely to get noticed by the algorithm. 

Remember, TikTok’s goal is to keep people on the app, and serving up trending content is one way to do that.

3. Device and Account Settings

Your location, language preference, device, and country setting play a role in curating your FYP. After all, a comedy skit about South African politics would probably only appeal to South African users. 

However, these signals don’t have as much weight as the others, giving you the chance to reach a global audience.

6 Tips to Get on the TikTok For You Page (FYP)

There is no bulletproof recipe for success on TikTok or any other social media network. Algorithms are constantly changing, and if your content doesn’t resonate with your audience, it won’t rank.

However, you can do several things to improve your chances of hitting the TikTok For You page:

1. Use Proper Hashtag Etiquette 

Some users believe using #fyp or #ForYou will get their content pushed out to the masses, but it’s only a rumor. TikTok has never confirmed this, and these hashtags don’t guarantee you any viral success.

You don’t want to use those hashtags as a crutch and miss out on using keywords relevant to your content and niche. 

After all, the main goal of social media is to attract the right followers and then monetize your audience.

Here are some basic TikTok hashtag rules to follow:

1. Don’t hashtag stuff. Choose a small number of relevant hashtags.
2. Mix popular hashtags with less popular ones.
3. Use trending hashtags in your niche.
4. Participate in hashtag challenges.
5. Use #fyp and #ForYou, but don’t only rely on them.

Remember, there is no tried-and-true formula, so as on Instagram, you’ll need to do some experimenting to find a hashtag strategy that works best for your account.

2. Create Shorter Videos 

Remember when I told you how vital the video completion rate is on TikTok? The easiest way to achieve top marks for this ranking factor is by creating shorter, engaging videos.

Although you can record 60-second clips, using all the time available won’t necessarily translate into viral success. The less time someone has to spend watching your TikTok, the more likely they’ll watch to the end and not swipe away.

You can improve your watch time by making sure you have a hook right in the beginning to encourage viewers to stay until the end.

As your video completion rate increases, so do your chances of landing a coveted spot on the FYP.

3. Write Engaging Captions

TikTok is not the platform to spill your guts in a microblogging session.

You only get 150 characters, including any hashtags you add, which leaves you with fewer characters at your disposal than on Twitter. 

With such limited real estate, you need to focus on writing short captions that compel viewers to engage with your content.

The ideal TikTok caption should:

1. Be short
2. Feature related hashtags
3. Encourage engagement

How do you do this?

You could stir up some mystery by saying something like, “this took me five attempts to get right” or “wait until the end.” This could encourage viewers to stick around and watch the entire video.

Another tactic is to ask a question. Comments are another engagement factor, and getting people to watch and reply can help send all the right signals to the FYP algorithm.

Lastly, you can tease viewers with information you’re revealing in your video. For example, “How I find clients as a freelance writer” or “One easy hack to make $100 online.”

4. Create High-Quality Videos 

Are you still posting grainy, low-quality videos on TikTok? That might be one of the reasons you haven’t earned a spot on the For You Page.

A high-quality video is more likely to keep eyeballs on your content, which means higher completion rates and more views. 

TikTok isn’t going to push out low-definition, blurry, or grainy videos to the masses. At best, it could cause users to swipe away; at worst, people will close the app. 

With most smartphones offering HD video, it’s easier than ever to produce high-resolution videos without a big budget or full production team.

Besides the quality of your content, the platform also rewards editing skills. Experiment with filters, stickers, and transitions to make your videos more interesting and keep people watching (and hopefully rewatching) until the very end.

5. Post New Content When Your Audience Is Most Active 

With engagement being such a critical factor in getting onto TikTok’s For You page, posting at the right time can make or break your video’s success.

How do you figure out when your followers are online and ready to engage?

With a free TikTok Pro Account. It’s similar to Instagram Analytics, and you can see:

• Video views over the last 7-28 days
• Profile views
• Follower growth
• Trending videos
• When your followers are online

However, you need a minimum of 100 followers to start seeing data about your audience.

To switch to a TikTok Pro account, do the following:

1. Open the TikTok app.
2. Tap the “Me” icon at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap the three dots in the top left corner.
4. Tap “Manage Account.”
5. Tap “Switch to Pro account.”
6. Select “Creator” or “Business,” and you’re done!

6. Add Trending Sounds and Music to Your Videos

Think of music and sounds on TikTok like hashtags. You can use trending audio clips to boost your discoverability and get a bump in likes, comments, and views.

How do you find popular sounds to use in your videos?

You’ll need to put on your stealth hat to uncover what’s getting the most traction. Here are three ways to find trending music:

Sounds in the Video Editor

When you’re creating a video, tap the “Sounds” button at the top of the screen. A new page will load, and you’ll see a “Discover” page.

Here, you can view recommended sounds for you to use and a “Playlist” section featuring viral clips, trending sounds, and TikTok music charts. You can also explore the “Trending” page to see what’s currently trending in different categories like “fitness” or “food and drink.”

Scroll through the sounds and add what you like to your Favorites folder to use for later.

Save Sounds to Your Favorites

When you’re swiping through TikTok and come across a sound you want to use for a video, add it to your Favorites folder.

The feature collects your clips in one handy spot, and you don’t need to waste time trying to remember the name of a sound.

If you like a sound and want to save it, tap the sound name under the username. An audio page will load where you can see a list of all the other videos using it and a button to add the clip to your Favorites.

Use Sounds Your Followers Are Listening to on TikTok

Once you’ve switched over to a TikTok Pro account and hit 100 followers, you’ll get access to another juicy analytics feature.

Under the “Followers” tab, you’ll see a list of sounds your followers have watched in the last seven days.

It helps reduce research time and shortlist sounds for your next video.

Conclusion

By following the tips above, you’re not guaranteed a spot on TikTok’s For You page, but it can significantly improve your chances.

Remember, all the hashtags and trending sounds won’t help you in your mission for TikTok For You page stardom if you’re not creating memorable and shareable content for your audience.

How do you plan to use TikTok in your social media strategy?

The post How to Get on TikTok’s For You Page (FYP) appeared first on Neil Patel.

Source: New feed 2

With roughly 350,000 new tweets appearing on the platform every minute, building engagement via Twitter can feel like an uphill struggle. 

To increase engagement on the platform, Twitter rolled out voice tweets, which let users share snippets of audio to their profile. 

Learn more about voice tweet options and how it’s transforming the ways digital marketers can use Twitter to their best advantage.

What Is a Voice Tweet?    

Voice Tweets allow you to record your voice as an audio clip and send it in a tweet. Here’s a rundown of how it works. 

• You can record up to 140 seconds of audio.
• If you need longer, that’s OK. Keep talking, and a new voice tweet starts recording automatically. 
• Click or tap the “done” button to finish recording. 
• Send your voice tweet(s) from the composer screen, just like you’d send out regular tweets.
• Twitter uses your current profile picture as the placeholder image for the audio. Users click on this image to hear the audio attachment.  

Users can then listen to what you’ve got to say and engage in their preferred way, whether it’s typing out a reply, sharing your message, or clicking through to your website. Think of voice tweets as your opportunity to stand up and make sure you’re heard among a sea of 280-character tweets.

There’s one thing to bear in mind before you start voice tweeting, though. The picture attached to a voice tweet won’t change, even if you later change your profile picture. 

Ensure you’re happy with your photo before you start voice tweeting. This keeps your messaging consistent and makes it easier for users to find you again in the future. 

Can Everyone Use Voice Tweets?

Not yet, no. It’s only available through the OS app for Twitter, but if you’re running Android or desktop Twitter, don’t worry. Voice tweets are coming your way. 

• You can’t quote or reply to tweets using voice yet. It’s only available for original tweets. 
• If you have a lot to say, you’ll need more than one thread. Threads are limited to 25 voice tweets. 
• Need more space than 25 tweets? You might be better off making a short YouTube video and linking to it through a tweet. 

Voice tweet transcripts aren’t available yet, either, but Twitter plans on rolling out this feature to ensure more people can enjoy voice tweets going forward. 

Can you use voice tweets for DMs? Not right now, though if voice tweets prove popular, we can probably expect a rollout in the future.

15 Ways to Use Voice Tweets

Ready to use voice tweets but not sure how to get started? Here are 15 ways you can use the Twitter voice feature and tips for creating effective voice tweets. 

1. Improve Brand Personality 

How would you describe your business in three words? I ask because these three words are key to defining your brand’s personality.

Your brand personality matters. It defines how people perceive your company, and it influences which words come to mind when someone describes your business.

Can voice tweets help you build the right personality online? Yes, because it all comes down to authenticity. Eighty-six percent of customers opt for companies with an honest, upfront, and authentic identity, and voice tweets instantly make your brand feel more real and sincere. 

Here’s how to improve your brand personality using voice tweets. 

• Appoint one or two team members to record voice tweets. Ensure their tone matches your goals. For example, if you’re a B2B company, choose an eloquent speaker.  
• Review your voice tweet engagement. Are people sharing your tweets or responding to them? If not, consider reevaluating what you’re tweeting.

How do you want people to describe your brand? Use voice tweets to reinforce this message.

2. Advertise Your Business

If you don’t use Twitter, you’re missing out on a significant marketing opportunity. 

• Twitter has over 330 million active users and counting. That’s a massive number of people logging in every day, and there’s no limit on who you can reach if you target your ads effectively.
• Once they follow a brand on Twitter, around 50 percent of users complete a purchase. 
• Since you don’t pay anything to tweet, it’s free advertising. 

Here are some suggestions for incorporating voice tweets into your strategy.   

• You need to make your point quickly, so keep messages short and simple. 
• Include sound effects or slogans to reinforce your brand message. There’s no need to limit yourself! 
• Finish with a call-to-action (CTA) e.g., directing users to your website. 

Want to upgrade your Twitter profile? Consider “pinning” a tweet to the top of your page. With one click, users can instantly discover your brand and build a connection to your business. 

3. Promote Your Product 

Roughly 54 percent of millennials turn to social media platforms for product research, so voice tweets provide a great opportunity to shout about your core products. 

How do you get the most from promotional tweets? Well, it’s not just about your actual voice. It comes back to your brand’s voice, too, which is why it’s so important to build a clear, unique, and consistent personality. 

Take MoonPie, for example. They’re successful on Twitter thanks to their distinctive quirky, witty vibe. 

Their tweets catch your attention because they’re unexpected. For example, tweets like this one would translate equally well into a promotional voice tweet because it’s funny and understated: 

Take a lesson from MoonPie. Avoid sounding like every other promotional tweet on the platform by building a distinctive voice, and watch your product engagement grow as a result.    

A final tip. You can also use voice tweets to promote underselling products and services by linking to them in the same thread!

4. Reveal New Features or Products

Marketers already rely on Twitter to launch their new products and services. However, good marketers know how important it is to stand out from the noise and find new ways to attract attention.

Again, voice tweets can definitely help you out here, because they’re an opportunity to showcase what’s unique about you and your product. 

Consider using voice tweets alongside other media, like YouTube videos, to boost the overall user experience. Users are over 80 percent more likely to buy a product after watching a video, so it’s always worth including video tools in your marketing strategy.

Also, according to Hubspot, it’s best to tweet between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., then between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. These are “peak” hours, which means there’s a better chance you’ll generate some user engagement than if you voice tweet at, say, midnight.  

5. Announce Brand Giveaways

What’s not to love about free stuff? Everyone loves a good giveaway, so consider using the power of the voice tweet to shout out your latest contest. 

Once you’ve picked the prize, here’s how to talk it up on Twitter. 

• Set a giveaway goal. Are you aiming for more followers, or are you focused on growing your subscriber list? 
• Turn your goal into a CTA. For example, maybe users must retweet your giveaway tweet to enter, or they get extra entries if they follow you on another social media platform, too. It all depends on your goal. 

6. Interact With Customers

Did you know that 64 percent of customers expect companies to interact with them on social media? Personalize the user experience and answer via voice tweets. 

If you make individual users feel like they matter to your company, they’re more likely to choose you over competitors. 

Here’s an example of an engaging post you could turn into a voice tweet. 

7. Act as Customer Service

Dealing with customer service queries? Over 70 percent of users expect companies to respond within an hour. Here’s how to use voice tweets to help.

• Give your customer service the personal touch by including someone’s name in the reply.  
• If you’re only online during certain hours, pin a voice tweet to the top of your profile with a rundown of how quickly you can respond to messages and where else customers can turn to in the meantime. 

8. Clarify Company Policies 

Although you have 140 seconds to play with, voice tweets should be short, sharp, and memorable. In other words, they’re an excellent tool for quickly clarifying company policies. 

• Reinforce key policies through voice tweets e.g., shipping policies, customer service hours. 
• Include links to more detailed social media posts or pages on your website. 

9. Answer FAQs

If voice tweets work for company policies, they work for FAQs, too.

• Run a series of voice tweets answering 10-15 FAQs in the one thread.
• Pin the thread to the top of your Twitter page so it’s easy for people to find. 

End the conversation with another CTA inviting people to respond with questions you’ll answer in the same thread.  

10. Increase Customer Loyalty

I’ll keep this one short and sweet. 

All those questions you answer? Those replies you send? They add up. In time, they build trust in your brand, and customer loyalty grows as a result. 

Put simply, your voice can really grow your business over time. 

11. Invite Customer Feedback

Why not invite customers to share feedback via voice tweet? You can retweet or quote positive reviews and share them with your followers. 

Voice tweets “humanize” product and service reviews for your target audience, which may increase conversion rates in the long run. 

Do you use customer feedback to improve your products or launch new lines? Tell them! You’ll likely boost engagement this way.

12. Share Stories

There’s power in storytelling. Here’s why you should use voice tweets to build your brand, increase engagement, and even grow your follower count. 

• Great stories encourage sharing, liking, and retweeting, which boosts your followers and brand exposure. 
• Stories are an opportunity to stand up for what you believe in and showcase matters to you as a company. This may impress users and encourage them to check out your page.

13. Collaborate With Influencers

Influencers are, well, influential. Users typically respond well to them. With that in mind, why not hire a social media influencer to “take over” your Twitter feed for the day? They might, for example:

• Engage with followers
• Talk about giveaways
• Run contests   

Send them your product and ask for voice feedback. Just make sure you choose an influencer with the same “vibe” as your brand! 

14. Entertain Audience 

At least 60 percent of social media users want entertaining content, which is why it’s so important to bring your tweets to life. Voice tweets can, of course, help you do this. 

• Choose a speaker with a dynamic and engaging voice. 
• Focus on short, surprising anecdotes. Remember, there’s no need to use the 140-second limit for each voice tweet.

Pop-Tarts hits the right note here. Could this post work equally well as a voice tweet? I think so. 

15. Humanize Your Brand

What’s the No. 1 way to build a rapport with your followers? Humanize your brand. Use your voice to show users the real people behind your company.  

• Voice tweets add another dimension to your brand’s identity. 
• Talking allows you to showcase your passion, expertise, and creativity online.
• If you answer questions or interact via voice tweet, you instantly make your followers feel valued.

Voice tweets help users feel like they’re engaging with more than just a machine. This personal touch could be why people choose your brand over another similar company. 

Conclusion

It’s absolutely still worth using Twitter for digital marketing, and voice tweets make it a whole lot easier to define your brand and find your audience. 

Before you start tweeting, choose a strong, distinctive profile picture and decide your brand voice. Once you’ve got this part down, use voice tweets to encourage engagement and humanize your business across social media. 

Need help optimizing your social media platforms? Check out my consulting services to see how I can help. 

Have you used voice tweets yet? How are users engaging with them?

The post 15 Ways to Use Voice Tweets appeared first on Neil Patel.

Source: New feed 2

There’s more than one reason sites like BuzzFeed, Upworthy, or PopSugar get so many clicks, views, and site visitors.

The top reason, though, is that all of these sites use unique, powerful, and engaging headlines that make people want to click on their content and view the whole story.

There isn’t one right way to write a headline, but certain types have been more successful over the years. By following certain headline “formulas,” you’ll write headlines that will persuade people to click on your content.

Here’s how to write powerful headlines that people can’t help but click.

Why Headlines Matter

The headlines you write either grab the attention of your audience or bore them. You need to get them right because your prospective customers will make their first impressions about your brand from them.

Your headlines shouldn’t focus on selling to the reader since that can be a turnoff. Instead, they should entice users to click to your content.

You also need to ensure your headlines are an accurate representation of the contents of the page. Users will quickly bounce from your page if the content doesn’t match the headline.

Finally, your headlines should adhere to your company’s values. Most Americans believe the headlines that they see. Fake headlines or headlines that are too “click-baity” can lead to giving your brand a bad wrap and will make your business suffer in the long term.

The good news is that if you stick to the formulas in this article, you can avoid using misleading, false, or boring headlines that can hurt your business.

4U Formula Headlines

The first formula you need to know about is the 4U formula.

According to CopyBlogger, as many as 80% of people will read the average headline when they come across it, but only 20% will actually read the entire post.

If you want to boost the odds of people actually clicking on your headlines and reading an entire post, you have to make your headline as intriguing as possible.

Melanie Duncan’s 4U formula is perfect for compelling readers. The 4U formula instructs you to make your headline “useful, urgent, unique, and ultra-specific.”

Useful Headlines

Think about the headlines that you actually click on when you’re scrolling through your news feed. Some are probably headlines that offer something that can help you.

You need to offer people the same useful value in your own headlines. Start out by understanding what will be useful to your audience, and then offer them what they need.

The headlines in this category should identify a problem and offer a solution, and so should the articles that go along with them. This works whether your company is service-based or product-based.

Examples of headlines that are useful include how-to articles and listicles like this one, from Wonder How To:

Other example “useful” headlines include:

• 10 Tricks for Getting Better Sleep
• How to Land Your Dream Job
• How-To Guide for Meditation Beginners

Urgent Headlines

Clever bloggers create a sense of urgency in their headlines to push people to click. Think FOMO here (for the uninitiated: Fear Of Missing Out).

There is so much online content trying to grab our attention. It’s easy to ignore headlines that don’t aren’t time-sensitive.

However, when something IS urgent, readers will often click on the headline to get the information right away. They don’t want to miss out on exciting, helpful, or informative content that they need right now.

Urgency is the hardest of the four U’s to capture, and it might not always apply to your article’s topic. If you’re going to skip over any of the 4 Us, this is the one to think about leaving out.

Examples of urgent headlines include titles like “Avoid THIS Mistake Before It’s Too Late” or “Do XYZ in Just 2 Weeks With This One Simple Trick.”

Traditional news outlets use urgency in their headlines all of the time. Just check out this one from Fox News:

Unique Headlines

People love rare and unusual phrases. They stick out like a sore thumb and pique people’s interest so that they just have to click.

Anything that you can do to make your headline stand out in an oversaturated online world will help.

Think about focusing on wordplay, puns, and interesting topics. Buzzfeed is notorious for this:

Ultra-Specific Headlines

Have you ever wondered why so many headlines these days have numbers in them? It’s because they are ultra-specific.

Readers like to know exactly what they can expect if they click on a headline. The best headlines take specific ideas and break them down one step further.

For example, don’t just write about foods that you should avoid. Talk about common foods to avoid. Don’t just mention home decor ideas, talk about do-it-yourself home decor ideas.

Again, this is all about understanding what will be useful to your audience. Here’s an example of an ultra-specific headline I used in the past:

When you make sure that all of your headlines are useful, urgent, unique, or ultra-specific (or a combination of methods!), you’ll come up with better headlines for every article that you write–headlines that push people to read because they offer an answer to problems they have.

Guide Headlines

The guide formula is a classic way to show people that your post can solve their problems.

It’s as easy as rephrasing your headline to read: “The (Adjective) Guide to (Ultra-Specific Topic).”

Be careful about how you phrase the contents of the blanks, though. Use unusual words where you can and try to avoid basic adjectives like “complete.” Try to spice it up a bit by changing your adjective to something like “compact” instead.

Here’s a great example from TheStranger.com:

Showcase the Benefit of Your Post in the Headline

Your headlines need to demonstrate exactly what’s in it for readers if they view your post. The headline needs to convince them that there’s a benefit to taking time out of their day to look at your content.

You need to really know your target audience to create a headline with this formula. You should know what search terms they are using to find your post and what information they hope to find in it.

This is as simple as writing a few headlines like “Make Your Own Email Template in Minutes” or “Fast and Easy Ways to Cook Bacon.”

Huffington Post gave away the big benefit of their post quite well in this headline:

You can also give away the benefits of your post within a headline if you want to offer readers something in exchange for their time, like “Get a FREE E-book at The End of This Blog Post.”

Create Headlines that Appeal to Your Readers’ “How-To” Instinct

Most people are interested in improving their quality of life in one way or another, whether it’s their personal or business life.

With “how-to” headlines, you can highlight people’s wants and needs and how to meet them.

Don’t include the process in the headline, though, since you don’t want to give away the big secret. That certainly won’t compel readers to stick around for your whole post. Instead, keep your focus on the end result and the real motivations that the reader has.

These can be articles like: “How to Start a Business From Home” or “How to Eat Healthier on A Budget.”

Here’s an example of one of my how-to headlines:

Like all other headline formulas, the how-to headline offers a solution to a specific problem. Another example:

You can apply this formula by first figuring out what problems your readers might be struggling with.

Next, find out how you can narrow this problem down to make it extra-specific. If you need help, reach out to your followers on social media and ask them what challenges they face. You can even run an online poll or send one out to your email subscribers.

Headlines Comparing Two Unexpected Things

When you compare two unexpected things, people will be curious to figure out how they relate.

For example, this headline is pretty hard to ignore:

Claiming that bacon is better than true love is a pretty bold statement. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty interested to know the author’s reasoning here.

The formula for this headline is as simple as something like “Why (one thing) trumps/is better than (the second thing).” Comparison headlines offer us an escape from having to weigh out difficult decisions.

These usually work best if you bust a myth, like suggesting people should eat chocolate instead of going to the gym.

People won’t expect that you’re choosing to recommend the unexpected choice, and they’ll want to know your reasoning.

To apply this formula, begin by thinking about which myth you can bust or decipher some of your readers’ hardest decisions. Then use the formula to give them an answer.

For example, Bitcoin is super popular right now. That makes this Forbes post claiming that gold is better than Bitcoin intriguing, to say the least.

Classic, Numerical List Headlines

If you’re tired of seeing list posts all over the place, you might want to rethink your stance on them. People write them because they’re clickable and readable.

In fact, numerical headlines are the most preferred type of headline.

Buzzfeed’s homepage usually contains multiple listicle headlines:

Some other examples include:

1. 32 Legitimate Ways to Make Money at Home (The Penny Hoarder)
2. 17 Ways Successful People Think Differently About Money (MindValley Blog)
3. 9 Ways to Entertain Your Toddler Without Using a Smartphone (The Art of Manliness)

A list post headline is as simple as “XX (Adjective) Ways to (Do Blank).” Start by thinking about the tips that can help your readers. Include specific, actionable tips that they can apply to their lives right away.

Include emotional words in the blog title to make list posts even more effective, like “sneaky” or “legitimate.”

Headlines that Appeal to Readers’ Curiosity

If you offer up insider information, readers won’t be able to resist. Their curiosity will get the best of them, and they’ll have to read your post to find the answers.

The headline “XX Little-Known Methods to Do (Blank)” focuses on the idea that if the methods in your post are little-known, readers will have an advantage over people who don’t know about them yet.

You can also pique readers’ curiosity with a headline like “XX Secrets of (Blank).” Everyone will want to know the secret. Who doesn’t want insider information?

MoneyVersed combined these two methods with this headline:

“What Everyone Ought to Know About (Blank)” is also a great way to challenge readers to find out exactly what they’re missing out on.

When put to use, this headline should look something like this:

Use Keywords in Your Headlines

If you use keywords throughout an article (which you should!), you should also include them in the headline.

Not only do keywords matter when it comes to search engines, but they also matter for providing context. Readers can tell what your article is about and what they can expect from reading it.

You can do this easily with a headline like “What Makes (Keyword) So Important in (Keyword).”

You’ll attract more clicks and readers, get more tweets, rank higher in SERPs, and gain more traffic from headlines that incorporate your keywords.

Bizarre Headlines

When it comes to articles and blog posts, do as the pros do: always make sure your headlines are click-worthy.

If you have to write about something bizarre like HuffPost did in this headline to gain attention, do it.

The key to writing irresistible headlines is to avoid obvious clickbait but ensure that the article still plays on readers’ emotions.

You need to deliver on the promise from the headline within the body of your writing.

It also helps to test your headlines. For every article you publish, try to test at least five headline variants.

Headline Formulas for Your Articles, Blog Posts, and Social Media Posts

Think that only written blog posts or articles need well-crafted headlines?

Wrong. Every piece of content you create needs a compelling, strong, effective headline to attract more viewers. That goes for videos, podcasts, emails, tweets, and more.

Ideal Headline Length

No matter the formula or formulas you choose for your headlines, you need to keep an eye on the length. You want headlines to be long enough to cover all of the information, but short enough that they aren’t too lengthy.

According to CXL, The highest-converting headlines have between 16 and 18 words. Try to keep your headlines within this range for the best results.

Headlines for Social Media

You can test your social media headlines for free with a tool like Buffer.

For every headline variant, you can see how many retweets, favorites, mentions, and clicks were earned. You can also see statistics on the potential for each headline.

Then, head over to Buffer’s analytics tab to check out which of your headlines were clicked on the most by your followers.

Headline Formulas for Email Subject Lines and Opt-In Pages

Email headlines are just as important as article headlines because you don’t want your emails to be sent to people’s’ trash folders to die.

If you don’t think your email subject lines through, you won’t see very good open rates. Your subject lines either compel people to click on your email and consume your content or ignore it.

Luckily, there are tools you can use to help you create compelling subject lines for your emails.

iSpionage is a tool you can use to create clickable, attention-grabbing headlines that are a step above the boring subject lines you’re probably used to seeing.

ContactMonkey is also great at crafting email subject lines that are interesting by using a play on words or including a pun. The brand also often includes emojis in their subject lines.

Email subject lines are important, but they can only go so far if you don’t have a robust list of subscribers. You can boost your opt-in pages to gain more subscribers with the same formulas you use to create your headlines.

People won’t be interested in subscribing to offers that fall flat. Aim for something like this eye-catching, opt-in worthy headline instead.

Not only are the visuals great, but the headline mentions free. As if that isn’t exciting enough, you’ll get 40% off of your first order if you sign up.

Shoot for the same kind of opt-in forms for more clicks and subscribers.

Conclusion

You might be wondering why so many sites are getting traffic to their content, but yours could be better. The answer may be in your headlines. These are the first thing that people see from your brand before deciding whether or not to click over to your copy.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all way to write a headline, there are some headline formulas that you can follow to create better-performing ones.

You should be able to find a formula that suits every piece of content you produce, across all of your channels.

Do you want help to create headlines that increase your clicks, volume, and ultimately revenue? Let’s connect.

What kinds of headlines have performed the best for you and your brand?

The post How to Write Headlines People Can’t Help but Click [Formulas Inside] appeared first on Neil Patel.

Source: New feed 2

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

“Knowledge management will never work until you realize it’s not about how you capture knowledge but how you leverage it.” – Etienne Wenger.

Considering the modern world we live in, what better way to leverage knowledge than with knowledge base software. 

It tackles one of the most challenging aspects of running an online business: Supplying thorough information for your customers.

This type of software tool helps answer any doubts users have before they become paying customers. So not only do you look more efficient, but you also serve your customers better.

What’s not to love, right? 

Choose the right solution for your business that helps you establish a loyal customer base and an efficient workforce–both of which will allow you to scale your business and achieve your goals sooner.

But the question remains: What is the best knowledge base software in the market right now? 

With so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to find the right software for your website, which is where this guide comes in. 

We scoured the web for the best knowledge base tools. There were many, but we managed to narrow it down to five. In this guide, we’ll discuss my top picks in more detail to figure out which is best for your business.

Let’s delve right into it.

The Top 5 Options for Best Knowledge Base Software:

• Document360 – Best for Internal Use
• Zendesk – Best for Larger Businesses With Technical Setups
• Helpjuice – Best for Detailed Analytics
• LiveAgent – Best for Handling Multichannel Support
• ProProfs Knowledge Base – Best Free Knowledge Base Software for Beginners

How to Choose the Best Knowledge Base Software for You

Before we discuss the options, you should know the methodology behind choosing our top picks and the factors we used to narrow down our decision. You should apply the same logic when determining the right choice for your business.

Data Security and Privacy Implementation

You can deploy solutions on the cloud where the data is hosted on third-party or vendor servers, or on-premise where it’s hosted on your personal servers. Both are legitimate options. So you should review the measures for each and choose the one that suits your business better. 

Verify the security provider’s compliance certification, too, just to be safe. If you choose to opt for third-party servers, make sure the company has a good reputation.

Business Objective Alignment

Every software vendor offers solutions with distinct features to cater to different business needs. You’ll find tools that are designed to be customer help desks, while others are collaborative tools to manage projects and ideas.

Make a list of your business needs, and then match your solutions to determine their suitability before making a purchase decision.

Alignment also includes how well the knowledge base software meshes with other processes and information systems already existing in your system. We’d suggest creating a roadmap for integrating the software into your systems with minimal downtime.

Configurability with Enterprise-Grade Back-Up Support

A good knowledge base software solution should be configurable and come with enterprise-grade backup support. Easy configurability will ensure the software meets your business requirements. You can customize your data in the form of searchable, shareable, and collaborative documents. 

Developing content and documents is a very time-consuming process. Precisely why losing all that would be a total nightmare–something having a backup can prevent. You’ll have greater peace of mind knowing all private and crucial data is stored safely.

Reporting Analytics and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Software with reporting metrics and analytics can tell you how users interact with the knowledge base. You can even figure out ways to optimize the content better to maintain an effective and informative online knowledge base.

Speaking of optimization, having SEO tools in a solution would make your knowledge base easily accessible. Plus, users and prospects across the globe can find your database easily, too.

Also, look for multi-language support if you want to maintain all your knowledge base articles better. That said, this feature may not be as important for a business that doesn’t offer services and solutions in multiple regions.

We used these criteria to choose the best knowledge base software. Use them to identify a vendor that can give you a clean and hassle-free user experience, and you’ll be all set to scale.

The Different Types of Knowledge Base Software

Knowledge base tools can look very different depending on how you plan to use them. For instance, software meant for internal use comes with a different set of features than those for external customer use. 

The core values remain unchanged, though.

These tools are practically the same, where content creation, storage, and searching capabilities are concerned. Below, we’ve discussed the different types of knowledge bases and how they work in more detail. 

Internal Knowledge Base Software

Internal knowledge bases are intended for, well, internal information and practices. Companies use these systems to archive repetitive tasks, business practices, and other data related to their operations. 

Team members require explicit access to internal knowledge bases either through the company email or any other authorized email.

External Knowledge Base Software

External knowledge systems work differently from internal knowledge systems as they’re hosted on a company’s website or a separate website – one that’s wholly devoted to the knowledge base. 

These bases are either curated by the company or operate like forums where users can post tips or answer other users’ questions. They don’t require a login. 

The primary purpose here is to create a knowledge base where consumers can get information, contribute, and engage with other users and the product.

Hybrid Knowledge Base Software

You can use these knowledge bases internally and externally at your discretion. Every hybrid solution comes with different functions for each type to meet your varied needs. 

This dual-sidedness is its biggest USP, with one set of features for internal use and the other for external use. It’s a cohesive knowledge base version that can be hosted on one application for internal and external use.

Open-Source Knowledge Base Software 

These knowledge bases are open to the public and can be chargeable under certain circumstances. Such software can help your organization allow developers and programmers the chance to customize the source code whenever needed.

#1 – Document360 – Best for Internal Use

Document360 is one of the most powerful knowledge base tools with a wide range of collaboration features that makes it perfect for internal use, especially for bigger teams.

For instance, it has a markdown text editor that makes editing and styling easy. You can add links, videos, images, tables, code samples, and call outs. 

It’s very similar to Google Docs. You can add the members with different roles like owner, editor, admin, reader, and draft writer–each having the right to leave comments on articles and mention other co-workers. They also have access to the complete history of particle revisions and can restore previous versions.

There are two levels of access for external and internal knowledge bases. Plus, you can also create multiple knowledge base sites for different projects. 

Document360 offers a performance overview and searches reports to users. While the former reports on how every article performs and what percentage of customers still reach out to your support team after reading your knowledge base, the latter gives you information about popular and failed searches.

Over 10,000 people from 80 countries have used Document360, including big companies like Microsoft, Harvard University, Mambu, and Customer.io.

Pricing 

Document360 has a subscription plan for every preference and budget. You can choose from four tiers:

• Startup – $49 per project per month
• Business – $149 per project per month
• Enterprise – $299 per project per month
• Enterprise Plus – Request a quote from the company

A 14-day free trial is also available to see if it is right for you.

#2 – Zendesk – Best for Larger Businesses With Technical Setups

Zendesk lets you set a feature-rich knowledge base system while simultaneously managing customer support and creating support ticketing systems. All of this can be done using the same platform, which is both time-saving and convenient.

You can create articles in the text editor and personalize your help center with custom themes. Other features include a Google Docs importer, content history and re-storing, publishing permissions, and access control.

Zendesk Support can be useful for large enterprises that find themselves dealing with hundreds of customer requests daily thanks to its knowledge base, ticketing, and chat features. Still, there are subscription plans for every need and business size, making it a great option in general. 

With its multi-language support, you can offer your knowledge base in several languages, allowing customers from other locations to easily switch between them.

Pro Tip: Integrate Zendesk Support with Zendesk Guide to get access to the Knowledge Capture app. The app can suggest relevant content based on customer questions and create new knowledge base articles directly from a support ticket.

Pricing 

The pricing on the Zendesk Guide varies depending on the number of your agents. You have four options:

• Lite – $0
• Professional – $15 per agent per month
• Enterprise – $29 per agent per month
• Answer Bot – Starting from $50 per month

You can avail of a free trial for every plan except Answer Bot.

#3 – Helpjuice – Best for Detailed Analytics

Helpjuice is a renowned SaaS platform that provides excellent knowledge base solutions, especially for companies with big teams. 

The text editor comes with various advanced and intuitive features. It also has relevant collaboration features that enable multiple authors to work on articles simultaneously without bothering each other.

You get several access levels, such as public, internal, URL-based, and specific users. Plus, there are many customizable templates for you to choose from.

We would highly recommend Helpjuice if you want insightful analytics to improve your operations. Its powerful knowledge base analytics gives you insights into article performance in all kinds of numbers and graphs, author activities, and common search terms that people use, among other benefits.

The platform is more suitable for big companies and enterprises. But if you’re a startup that can afford to spend a few hundred dollars monthly, then you should definitely consider Helpjuice’s knowledge software features and very detailed analytics.

Pricing

Helpjuice offers leading standalone knowledge management products, which also reflects in their pricing. There are four subscription plans you can choose from:

• Starter – $120 monthly up to 4 users
• Run-Up – $200 monthly up to 16 users
• Premium Limited – $289 monthly up to 60 users
• Premium Unlimited – $999 monthly for unlimited users

A 14-day free trial is available for all subscription plans.

#4 – LiveAgent – Best for Handling Multichannel Support

LiveAgent is a software that combines communication from email, calls, and social media into one unified dashboard, making it easily accessible by your whole customer support team. It also offers knowledge base support as part of its larger support software program.

After logging into your LiveAgent account, you can start creating your knowledge base by adding articles, FAQs, videos, suggestions, and feedback. You can also have community forums in your system.

Moreover, it’s fully customizable, so you have full creative freedom. You can change themes, upload logos, modify colors, or edit the HTML to keep your knowledge base in sync with your company’s website style-wise.

LiveAgent is an excellent option for all businesses, irrespective of industry niches and sizes, and can integrate with over 40 third-party applications.

Pricing

LiveAgent has four feature-rich plants available at affordable prices:

• Free 
• Ticket – $15 per agent per month
• Ticket + Chat – $29 per agent per month
• All-Inclusive – $39 per agent per month

You can also avail yourself of a free 14-day trial of LiveAgent.

#5 – ProProfs Knowledge Base – Best Free Knowledge Base Software for Beginners

A free internal knowledge base software that’s been around since 2006, ProProfs enjoys a loyal customer base that consists of Dell, Sony, DHL, and Cisco.

It’s a powerful tool with several unique features, robust integrations, and smart settings that can help you create an online knowledge base, manuals, documentation, FAQs, help sites, and more. You also have anytime-anywhere access to information through the public or private knowledge base.

You can use the platform to streamline all aspects of knowledge management from content authoring and designing to customizing and publishing–everything you want.

ProProfs is like your English teacher from high school who grades your staff. It goes through all your knowledge base content and provides you with a readability score to improve your writing and make it more informative for future use. You can also analyze your most popular documents to gain insights.

Moreover, the software is as user-friendly as a tool can be. You don’t have to worry about HTML or coding skills thanks to its compatibility with a host of powerful tools like Freshdesk, Salesforce Desk, Google Analytics, and Wufoo.

Pricing

The pricing system for ProProfs users is different from all-in-one customer service solutions. Instead of charging per user, the company charges per page. The plans are as follows:

• Free
• Essentials – $.30 per page per month
• Premium – $0.50 per page per month

You can try any plan for free for 15 days.

Final Thoughts

Now more than ever there’s absolutely no reason for businesses to compromise on customer support services.

With solutions like knowledge base software available, everyone has tremendous opportunity to provide the best possible customer service and make the most of contemporary business practices to streamline employee training and business operations.

You can select any tool from my top picks depending on your business requirements. Regardless of what you choose, knowledge base software will help you shorten training times, safely store crucial company data, and supplement your service desk.

The post Best Knowledge Base Software appeared first on Neil Patel.

Source: New feed 2

If you’re looking to take your Instagram marketing game to the next level, it may be time to start experimenting with Instagram Reels. 

Instagram Reels are short 15- or 30-second videos that play on a loop and can be dubbed with music or videos. The videos play on a loop when someone scrolls, repeating until they scroll away. These short, catchy videos tend to be shared, become earworms, and hopefully go viral.

This new feature from Instagram offers a launching point for all kinds of on-brand, on-topic video creations you can use to connect with followers and build brand recognition. 

So how do they work, and how can you use them for your brand? 

How Do Instagram Reels Work?

Instagram Reels let you dive into the short video world, similar to TikTok or any other popular short music video apps. Here’s how to explore, create, and add music to your Reels. 

Exploring Instagram Reels 

Before you dive in, spend some time exploring others’ Reels and how they use them for their personal platforms or brand accounts. 

To find Reels, click on the Reels icon tab in the app, which looks like a director clapboard with a play button. Here you can explore Reels from accounts you follow and others Instagram thinks you’ll be interested in based on your activity on the platform. 

Another way to explore Reels is to go to the Explore page and look for Reels. 

You can also go directly to a profile page and look for the Reels icon. 

How to Create Instagram Reels 

Ready to start creating? It’s time to turn the camera on and get going. 

In the Instagram app, choose the little plus sign icon in the upper right corner to add a video. A screen will open with a variety of creator options, including Reels. 

Choose the Reels option, and a variety of customization features will appear. 

Many features will be recognizable to Instagram users, including the music icon, the fast speed, and the timer. 

You’ll also be able to choose whether your video will be 15 seconds or 30 seconds. If you aren’t sure, you can start small. Remember, Reel videos play a shorter video on repeat might have more impact.  

How to Add Music to Reels 

When you start creating your reel video, you’ll see the music icon. Click on the music note, and you’ll see a library of songs, much like the music you can add to Instagram stories. 

Use the search bar at the top to look for music that works for your video creation. Then, choose the portion of the song that best fits your video—and your goal. 

If you don’t want to choose a song, you can also use background noise or your voice for your Reels.

10 Ways to Use Instagram Reels to Market Your Brand

Like so many other social media features, Reels provides a platform for brands to connect and engage with followers. However, it can be hard to push past the noise and think of video ideas that are true to your brand and interesting for followers. 

If you’re looking to get started with Instagram Reels, or want to put together a content calendar with ideas for Reels, keep reading. Below you’ll find ten ways to use these short videos to market your brand and some real examples that other brands have used. Use these as inspiration, but remember to stay true to your brand. 

1. Tell Your Brand Story on Instagram Reels

What’s your “why”? Every brand has one, and telling that story is a great way to connect with your customer base meaningfully. Instagram Reels helps share your story in both fun and authentic ways.

When you’re sharing the background story about your brand, you want it to be genuine, and not salesy. The integrations and video options make that easier. 

With on-brand background music, Tailored Tulle used Instagram Reels to tell the story of their first year in business and highlight deep gratitude for their customers.

The video comes off as authentic and warm, rather than boastful. Video is a fun way to tell the story of their first year in business, rather than writing it all out. 

2. Offer Exclusive Discount Codes to Reel Watchers

Here’s where things can get fun! Why not “reward” loyal followers and viewers with discounts and exclusive opportunities, and do it in a way that’s fun and engaging? This could be a great way to announce a new product or share a seasonal sale to drive more customers who are eager to shop at your store. 

If you have your brand Instagram account set up for Instagram shopping, you can also tag your products in your Instagram Reel. Get viewers excited about your product with an engaging video reel and then offer a discount they won’t want to miss out on and make the shopping seamless with the tag right there in the post. 

Sephora used Instagram Reels to show people how to type in a promo code when shopping online to get a bag of freebies. 

3. Share Your Creative Process

People love getting a sneak peek of their favorite products and designers; it makes them feel like part of an elite group. People who are new to your brand can get a deeper understanding of the effort and time that goes into developing your product. 

Whether you add a sneak peek to your editorial calendar, or you turn the camera on when inspiration strikes, Reels can be a fun way to loop people in and help them feel better connected to your brand. 

Soleil Furnishings creates custom furniture restorations, and they’ve used Instagram Reels to show different parts of the creative process, from sanding to painting.

In blog posts or other longer-form content, these may seem dry or dull, but with a little background music and on loop, a restoration update becomes a satisfying watch. 

4. Offer Behind the Scenes Footage

Business life is more than the pretty, well-planned square photos that fill up our social media feeds. To develop a genuine relationship with your followers, especially those truly invested in what you create, try Reels for behind-the-scenes footage. 

Get real with your followers. Pull back the curtain and welcome them into all the ups and downs of life in your business. 

The Wishing Elephant posts many behind the scenes Reels where they share the reality of processing and shipping orders and the chaos and joy that comes with owning a small business. 

5. Introduce Your Team via Reels

The online world can be notoriously impersonal, so why not breathe some personality into your social media marketing? Use Reels to interview your teammates or let them pick a favorite song and showcase a hobby or interest they have outside the office.

Of course, you’ll want to run all these things through your HR first, but again it’s a great way to breathe some life into your social media posts, especially if your industry tends to be more buttoned-up. 

You can also use Reels to highlight your brand, products, or services, while introducing your team. The streaming app KidoodleTV shared staff picks Instagram Reels, asking staff members what they and their kids like to watch on the app.

It let the brand highlight shows they offer while sharing a little more about the people behind the app. 

6. Show Off Your Products

Does your product have many features or options? Or do you make custom products for every customer? Reels can help you highlight what makes your products unique and highlight product details and uses. 

William Sonoma uses Instagram Reels to showcase the products they offer in action so followers can see how their products might look on their Christmas table or serving up their favorite dish.

7. Announce Giveaways On Instagram Reels

If you’re using giveaways to drum up more followers or reward loyal customers, Instagram Reels can help you get the word out and build excitement. Or you can do surprise giveaways.  

Pretty by JL surprised some of their shoppers with a free giveaway in recent orders, and they announced the winners in an Instagram Reel.

8. Educate Your Audience Through Reels

Instagram Reels give you the chance to educate followers, either about your brand or the values your brand stands for. In quick snippets, you can share the knowledge you may take for granted as an expert, but they may still be exploring. It’s a great way to be an industry advocate and teach people. 

For instance, here’s how Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds uses Instagram Reels to educate their audience about using plants for herbal medicine. 

9. Provide a Product Demonstration on Instagram Reels

Whether your product is complicated and needs a thorough explanation, or you want to show off cool features, these short videos are a fun way to show off what makes your product great. You can get creative, silly, or truly off-the-wall. For example, you could share special features or less obvious uses for your product.  

Artists can leverage this by highlighting the detail that goes into what you make. In her Instagram Reels, Rachel Froud gives followers a view into how she paints her pieces.

10. Use Reels to Spread Some Happiness

When it comes to social media marketing, we spend a lot of time thinking about the ROI, the bottom line, and profit margins. But sometimes, social media offers a bigger opportunity. With social media, we are welcomed into people’s lives and have the chance to bring joy and light. 

Reels are no exception. In fact, they can be the perfect way to bring some joy and laughter. Keep it simple. Show off something adorable or beautiful. Let your little corner of the internet bring some brightness. 

Here’s what America’s VetDogs shared in their Reels feed. It’s simple, just a little sneak peek into their daily work. Nothing over the top. They even used just their background noise for audio, instead of looping in a fun song, although those choices would have been endless. 

Conclusion

Instagram Reels can breathe new life into your Instagram account and help you build your following. 

Have fun creating short videos that incorporate catchy tunes, while sharing your brand story. It’s a great tool for experimenting and getting creative, so dive in and enjoy. 

What’s your favorite Instagram Reels background tune?

The post 10 Actionable Tips to Use Instagram Reels For Your Brand appeared first on Neil Patel.

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