Tag Archive for: Social Media Marketing

Top 5 Must Use Digital Marketing Tools

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Fortunately in 2021, there are thousands of tools to utilize for your digital marketing efforts. Unfortunately, this oversaturated market has made it overwhelming for many to choose the right platforms for their marketing needs. 

With Americans spending over 11 hours daily on their electronic devices, there’s not much space left for traditional marketing. And while digital marketing tools help you execute a proper marketing strategy, they don’t do the work for you, and some work better than others – depending on your marketing goals.

With such a large selection of digital marketing tool available, it is important to know how each one will benefit you to help drive results. We’ve compiled a list of the all-around best tools that everyone can use and benefit from.

SEMRush 

When it comes to SEO, SEMRush is one of the most effective tools out there. This platform provides:

  • Keyword performance research 
  • Position tracking 
  • Backlink identification 
  • Technical SEO auditing abilities

SEMRush also just rolled out a few new features that include marketing, advertising and social media tools. If you’re looking for a comprehensive, all-in-one tool, this platform is the way to go. There are both free and paid subscriptions offered. But with a free account, your data pulling abilities are limited. You also won’t get access to all the additional tools they offer. 

Google Analytics

If you’re in the digital marketing space, you should be taking advantage of Google Analytics. This tool delivers vast amounts of insight on your campaign performance and how users engage with your website. It’s extremely beneficial when running A/B tests, keyword performance research and more. One of the best parts is Google Analytics is free to use. They also provide great educational tools to help increase your understanding in Google Analytics Academy. 

HubSpot 

HubSpot is an all-in-one marketing and sales software that assists you in attracting, engaging and nurturing your customers at every step of the sales journey. This CRM comes with a wide variety of tools that allow you to: 

  • Host web and landing pages 
  • Create blogs and email sequences
  • Track interactions with leads and customers
  • Analyze campaign success and user behavior

Canva

Canva allows users to create graphic designs and content simply and economically. It’s great because it helps you make professional graphics, even if you have no design experience. With the premium version you get access to over 50,000 templates, stock images, video, backgrounds, clip art and more. It’s the perfect solution for someone who doesn’t have the time to use InDesign or Photoshop, but still get high-quality designs to use for your business. 

Sprout Social

While there are endless social media management tools online that all provide similar features, the best overall is Sprout Social. It’s simple to use but also provides many tools to make publishing content and analyzing data easy. They offer dashboards let allow you to manage your pages all in one place, reports to help you manage your user engagement and ROI and scheduling tools. They currently support all platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Sprout has three different tier levels for their plans, but they’re fairly reasonable. 

Final Thoughts

When there’s so many tools out there, it’s important to know how each will benefit you and drive results. If you’re not using them correctly, or missing a few key ones you’re likely wasting time, effort and energy better put into other aspects of perfecting your marketing. That’s why sometimes, your best tool is a marketing partner. Someone who knows which tools are the best for your business, will help improve your marketing and drive success. 

At Onimod Global, we have endless experience and expertise when it comes to digital marketing tools. Meaning it’s simple for use to identify which are right for you. Got questions about marketing tools or want to learn more about us? Contact us here today. 

Social Media Design Mistakes All Marketers Should Avoid

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Social media platforms, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest in particular, have become a vital part of every marketer’s toolkit. But just posting carelessly is not enough. If your content isn’t reaching or engaging as many users as you’d hope for, there could be a specific reason. It’s quality over quantity when it comes to social media posts, and graphics are essential for success. Small changes can make a huge difference when it comes to design.  

Keep reading to learn the top 5 mistakes to avoid when it comes to social media design. 

Blurry Images 

If your image file is too small and has to stretch, this usually results in pixilation and poor quality. This can make your brand look unprofessional and are rarely shared by other users. Make sure the images you post to your pages are high-resolution and are the right dimension for the platform. 

Hard to Read Fonts 

While a font may be pretty, it might not be the best for social media. When users are scrolling, you want to make your graphics eye-catching, but clear and easy to read. When you have limited time to get your message across, you want to make it count. Many marketers go with Sans- Serif fonts because they’re modern, simplistic and good for digital screens. 

Limited Viewing Options

Most social media users scroll via mobile devices. So you need to make sure your designs transfer from desktop to mobile. It’s important to always keep in mind that not all graphics are one-size-fits all, especially when going from platform to platform. When your channels and audience varies, so should the style of your content. 

Stock Imagery 

Authentic content is key when it comes to social media. Users like to feel connected to brands and get a peek behind the curtain. Taking your own photos is one way to support this connection. 

It should be noted we’re not suggesting to never use stock photos. They do have their place, as adding royalty-free images to blog posts or articles are a convenient way to compliment your message. 

Too Much Clutter

A common mistake made with design is filling up every inch of space. This looks cluttered and can confuse users. Negative space is essential with good design, as the background is just as important as the imagery. White space helps direct the eyes of your audience to important points of your content, helping you get your message across in the most efficient way. 

Social Media Marketing with Onimod Global 

When you take the time to plan, create and customize your graphics to suit your brand and preferred social platforms, the results are worth it. Sometimes, outsourcing these efforts can make a world of difference. At Onimod Global, we’re experts in social media, digital marketing and graphic design. We offer high-end design and branding for your business, as well as the ability to boost social reach, engagement and conversions. Ready to bring your social media marketing to the next level? Contact us today.

Why You Should Invest in Video Ad Marketing

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Investing in video ads can help drive brand awareness, more engagement, foster a greater audience connection and ultimately boost sales. If you’ve yet to commit to a solid video marketing strategy, here are 3 reasons to consider. 

Better Engagement

Movement and sound are two elements of an ad that easily catch user attention. They also help convey efficient, effective messaging, both which lead to higher engagement. This format is additionally effective in delivering your narrative to the target audience with a tailored message that’s easy to consume. Video ads that capture the interest of users and follow through with a CTA are more likely to succeed with keeping audiences interested. 

Additionally, research has found that the average user remembers 95% of a message when watched, compared to 10% when read. Meaning potential customers are more likely to recollect your brand’s message through video content, rather than a static image or text ad. 

More Shareable

Video content is quick, concise and makes it very easy to tell stories that are easy to consume by users. Video ads offer brands the perfect opportunity to express themselves and tell consumers why they can be trusted and why their products or services are worth purchasing. All of these elements also make videos much more sherable. As seen on Twitter, where 700 videos are shared by users every minute. Posting more shareable content helps increase your brand reach, generate more awareness and put yourself in front of more customer prospects. 

Higher Click-Through Rate

Along with being more engaging, videos also get a much higher-click through rate. According to a Smaato study, the average CTR of video ads via mobile is 7.5 times higher than standard display ads. One particular brand even found that video ads generated 47% higher CTR on Facebook than text ads. 

Final Thoughts

Though video ads can be more time consuming and costly to create, their ability to effectively narrate your story allows you to engage more prospects, gain higher reach and generate more ad clicks. 

At Onimod Global, we’re experts in all things digital marketing, including SEO, SEM, social media, web dev, graphic design, branding and more. If you’re looking to get started on building a video marketing strategy, we can help. Contact us today. 

More from Onimod Global

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

How to Make Your Brand’s Videos Stand Out in 2021

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In 2021, video continues to be a powerful tool to connect and engage with customers. This has also caused a surge in video content being shared online. Meaning it’s more difficult to ensure your brand’s are not only reaching your audience but also getting them to engage as well.

With that, here are 4 tips for making your brand’s videos stand out in 2021.

1. Go Vertical for Story-Friendly Content

Vertical content is eye-catching, engaging and relevant. And with Stories on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, as well as Instagram Reels and Tik Tok growing in popularity, it has become the preferred dimension for video. If you haven’t begun optimizing your videos for these platforms, it’s time to start. Stories, Reels and Tik Tok will only continue to grow in value as marketing channels for brands. As they allow you to easily reach a greater audience as well as increase engagement with them.

2. Center Your Content for the Platform

While vertical video is now the preferred dimension, it’s still important you’re optimizing your content for each platform. So while vertical works best for Stories, YouTube still favors long-form, landscape videos. When we talk about optimizing content per platform, we mean in terms of sizing, type of content and audience. Always consider the demographics of the audience on each platform you’re sharing to. As users on Facebook engage much differently than those on YouTube or Instagram.

3. A/B Test

If you run video ads it’s essential to vary and compare versions to help determine what performs best among your audience. If you have long-form videos maybe try running a shortened version, switching up sizing, colors, text, etc. When A/B testing it’s important to remember to only change one factor at a time so you can be sure what’s driving changes and results.

4. Save the Best for First

Lastly, when it comes to creating marketing videos, you don’t want to take too long to get your main message across. You want to include the most enticing image, clip, discount or promo code upfront. This is to both keep the users’ engaged and in case they do click away, they still get the main point of the content and may come back to it later.

Final Thoughts

Consumer habits will continue to evolve as more brands move their offerings online and 2021 brings more changes in general. It’s essential for us marketers to consistently keep up with the trends and make adjustments to our strategies and tactics appropriately. And while digital marketing trends change rapidly, the popularity and value of video isn’t going anywhere.

More from Onimod Global

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

Spring 2021 Social Media Marketing Trends

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Social media platforms introduce new features and change their algorithms frequently throughout the year. As marketers, we have to keep up with the trends and continuously update our strategies to ensure they stay effective. 

As we make our way into the spring and summer season, here are 5 trends to watch out for and to take into consideration as you evaluate your strategies. 

1. Live Streams Stay Prominent 

As we’re all aware, last year forced many businesses to turn to online meetings, conferences, etc. Naturally, there was a large uptick in the use of live streaming features on social media as well. While the situation continues to evolve throughout 2021, people have gotten used to interacting with their favorite celebrities, influencers and brands without even having to leave their houses. According to a recent report from Sprout Social, 40% of consumers want to actually see more live video from brands. Which is why live streaming will continue to stay prominent and should be a part of your overall social media marketing strategy this spring. 

2. Augmented Reality Growing in Popularity

Augmented reality experiences are inherently interactive and highly effective for engagement on social media. Brands have started adopting this trend by creating AR filters to promote new products or encourage followers to interact. This keeps audience members engaged and entertained and could even help you attract new customers. As the Sprout Social Report also found that this is a content type that helps a brand’s social presence stand out. 

3. Stories Remain a Key Content Type 

500 million users interact with Instagram Stories daily. Stories have been a dominant form of content for some time now, but they’re definitely not going away anytime soon. In fact, this type of content may even start to outperform standard feed posts. A SocialInsider study found that images in Stories have a 5.65% higher tap-forward rate than videos. This is why it’s encouraged for brands to take a more organized approach and regularly plan stories into their content calendars. 

4. Social Commerce Continues to Grow

Social media platforms are constantly adapting and upgrading features to enhance their user experience. Recently we’ve seen a growing number of tools to support quick and easy shopping right from the platform. For example, Instagram now allows you to add product tags and enable easy checkout without ever leaving the app. And on Facebook you can set up a Shop that allows users to browse and make purchases right from the platform. 

If you have yet to capitalize on these tools, now is definitely the time. Why? 54% of social media users research products on social media and social media referrals can influence the purchase decision of 71% of users. You could be losing out on a whole range of prospective customers if you haven’t set up social media storefronts. 

5. The Importance of Inclusivity, Authenticity and Transparency 

Consumers are putting more pressure on brands than ever to make a meaningful effort to be inclusive, authentic and transparent in both their business operations and marketing. Audiences are aware that when it comes to making purchases, they have plenty of options. So they want to put their money behind companies that show investment in the communities and issues they are also passionate about. 

Brands can no longer stay silent and passive on issues that are important to their target audiences. However, audiences are also increasingly aware of performative activism that looks more like a marketing play rather than meaningful initiatives. If you are joining in on a conversation, it’s essential that your content is well-informed, relevant, meaningful and has actionable initiatives behind it. 

Similarly, consumers want brands to be completely authentic and transparent about their products and operation. A great way to do this is through social media. When mistakes are made and your audience is upset, social media is a great way to apologize, answer questions and connect with them. 

Final Thoughts

Anticipating the latest social media trends is essential to building a stronger presence, making connections with users and growing your brand. One way to ensure your stay on top of the trends is by working with professionals. At Onimod Global, we’re experts in Social Media Marketing and knowing how to connect our clients with their consumers in the places they’re engaging. If you’re interested in becoming a client and helping your brand reach its full potential, contact us today. 

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

3 Live Streaming Tips Every Content Marketer Needs To Know

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Live streaming in 2021 is a game changer in terms of brand awareness and growing a following. This feature now offered on multiple platforms is a fun, rewarding, and incredibly valuable tool for growing your brand in an online space. The number of B2C content marketers using live streaming in their content mix almost tripled between 2019 and 2020 (13% vs. 35%). When it comes to creating a professional live stream, it’s difficult to keep viewers engaged. Often times there needs to be many moving part, but the payoff is huge and worth it to put in the effort. There is heavy competition among content creators, so in this post we will share some streaming tips and tricks to help you achieve success.

Promote on multiple platforms

Are you doing an IG Live to promote a new line coming out for your brand? Promote that on every channel possible. Don’t limit yourself to an audience that’s only on one platform. This also includes promotion while the live is starting during any platform. Make sure you’re sending out tweets that your live is happening now for anyone that wants to view the products in action. Also, don’t be afraid to let your live run for a bit with only a logo for some time as it’s proven longer live streams perform better than short ones. Just make sure that you’re available to answer any questions for your audience while they wait. However, this pre-roll method isn’t ideal for Facebook Live in particular. The live video is featured in newsfeeds, so it is unfortunately easy to scroll past and miss.

Is your live over? Now time to share on all platforms you can. Edit snippets and upload an IGTV or reel, add video to Twitter, upload to LinkedIn and Facebook, the list is endless. The point is to make sure that your quality content is able to be revisited by your customers that are still interested in your product but missed the live stream.

Respond to comments live

This is the perfect set up for a live Q&A on your brand, your product, your service, anything you want to discuss with your audience! This is where authenticity is key for your audience, it can be very off script and conversational as you discuss any topic with your customer directly. Having an extra set of eyes on your live stream is very important in this case. The extra person helps provide support and can read you questions from your viewers. They also are helpful to inform you of any problems you can’t see, such as audio sync issues or products out of frame.

This is also perfect to set up a Q&A with a guest, multiple leaders in your company, or brand ambassadors. Not only is live streaming more fun and engaging more people, but the additional company offers fresh insights and perspectives to make your live show more interesting.

Do it, but don’t overdo it

It is clear that there is tremendous that value live streaming can bring to a brand – as long as brands focus on creating content that makes their community want to come back for more. This doesn’t need to be expensive production for your team either, because it doesn’t have to be overly produced. Everything to get started – a good camera, microphone, lighting, and a streaming service – can be purchased online.

To increase engagement, go live at a regular time to build up an audience. Inconsistent and irregular frequency of live streams will only frustrate your audience. Consistency in your schedule also makes it easier to market and promote the show. For example, hosting a new influencer on your channel every Tuesday at 6 PM to try on the new collection of jewelry.

More from Onimod Global

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on all Google updates and other top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

Onimod Global is looking forward to the future and helping your business reach your full digital potential. Interested in growing your digital presence for your company? Reach out to us here!

How to Utilize Instagram at Every Step of the Sales Journey

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Instagram continues to be a valuable marketing tool for many brands, especially as the popularity around influencer marketing continues to grow as well. However, not many businesses use their own profile to build a complimentary marketing channel to create a more effective sales journey for their customers. 

With that being said, here are tips to utilize your Instagram profile at every step of the sales journey. 

Step 1 (Top of the Funnel): Post engaging stories 

Stories continue to be an increasingly effective marketing channel, especially with Instagram’s most recent update and the ability to include clickable links within the frame. 

One of the most valuable story features being “swipe-up.” This can be added to the bottom frame of a story and allows users to swipe up to be redirected to a brand’s website or a specific landing page. Because of the nature of this feature, it’s generally highly-converting. The only downside is not everyone has access to it. To qualify for the feature, your profile has to have at least 10,000 followers and be verified. While this takes some work, it’s still very attainable. 

When it comes to stories, it’s important to not only post sales content. This is a good way to lose followers quickly. Instead, focus on being engaging and incorporate soft-sales when it feels natural. You can add polls, quizzes and Q&A’s to stories to make it easier for your audience to engage with you. The more people have engaged with a brand at the top of the sales funnel, the easier it will be to move them to the next step. 

Step 2 (Middle of the Funnel): Curate and display social proof 

This is the stage of the journey where a customer decides whether to leave or give your brand a chance. Social proof can be a big factor in this decision. Many retail brands have started to use regular customers’ Instagram posts, showcasing them in their products on their website. This shows that real people have purchased your product, increases engagement and can help build a more loyal community.

If you go about this strategy and incorporate customers’ content yourself, be sure to ask for their permission first. This can be as simple as commenting on their original post, or just direct messaging them. 

Step 3 (Bottom of the Funnel): Retargeting 

Since Instagram is owned by Facebook, they have the same retargeting abilities when it comes to ads. Facebook enables businesses to target both Facebook and Instagram ads to people who have visited your site and performed a specific action in the past. Even more valuable, you can retarget those who have abandoned their shopping cart without completing their purchase, making it easier to boost your sales funnel performance and trigger more action at the bottom of it. 

Final Thoughts

Instagram can be a powerful tool to add to your marketing mix, especially when it’s used to its fullest potential. 

Looking for an agency to increase Instagram engagement and turn your Instagram business into a customer converting machine? Reach out to us here!

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

5 Types of High-Performing Video Content to Enhance Your Marketing Strategy

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Video continues to be the king of content types as we work our way into 2021. All brands should be utilizing video, but certain types of videos appeal to some marketing objectives better than others. So, how can you know what type of video is right for your company? 

Here are 5 top performing types of marketing videos that almost any brand can take and customize to fit into their strategy. 

1. Explainer Videos 

This type of video is extremely simple. As the name suggests, they’re short and concise videos explaining a brand, product or service. These are best used at the awareness stage in the sales funnel and perform best on websites, social media, YouTube and in ads. 

They often involve animations to make the explanation easily digestible with voice overs to increase message retention. Some things to watch out for are making these videos too long, braggy, too salesy or get too technical. Be sure to tell a compelling story, have a simple message and include a clear CTA. 

2. Product Demo Videos 

Product demo videos aim to show the value of a product and how it can solve pain points. These videos are most beneficial at the decision stage of the sales funnel and perform best through email and on websites. The ideal length is generally around 2-3 minutes. You want to give clear insight into product usage, but you don’t want to make it so long that viewers lose interest. 

3. Testimonial Videos 

Testimonial or customer review videos show a real user of the product or service telling how it helped them solve a problem. These are also most beneficial at the decision stage of the sales funnel and perform best on websites and social media. 

A positive review from customers gives potential customers more confidence in trusting a business, making it easier to make an informed decision. In fact, customer reviews create a 74% increase in product conversion and 90% of consumers look at online reviews prior to trusting and visiting a business. 

When creating this type of video you want to make sure it’s authentic. You don’t want to ask customers to memorize a script, it should look as natural as possible. 

4. Behind-the-Scene Videos 

Behind-the-scene videos show potential customers how a brand produces its products and adds a more personal touch to its image. These can be good to use at both the awareness and decision stage of the sales funnel. They also perform best on websites, YouTube and when shared on social media. 

Behind-the-scene videos are important because they let potential customers understand what all goes into your business. It gives a “peak behind the curtain” and can make them feel more connected to your brand. You want to keep these videos casual, let your brand personality shine through and seem authentic as possible. 

5. Company Culture Videos 

The last type is company culture video. These are a short highlight reel from the perspective of an employee and show what it’s like to work at your company. These are most beneficial at the interest or action stages of the sales funnel and perform best on websites, social media, YouTube and through email. 

Company culture videos communicate brand purpose, values and insights from current employees. This can help customers get excited about doing business and starting a relationship with you. 

With these videos you want to make sure to show passionate employees, find ways to project your values and show off a good day at the office. Avoid relying heavily on a script, coming off too braggy or focusing too much on employee opinion. Again, these videos are best when they’re completely authentic and organic as possible. 

Final Thoughts 

If possible, it’s best to mix and match different styles and types of videos to find something that’s unique to your brand and helps you stand out among the competition. You should also utilize the videos you create on all relevant platforms. Even if they perform better on one than another, you still want to reach the biggest audience possible. 

More from Onimod Global 

Onimod Global is looking forward to the future and helping your business reach your full digital potential. Interested in growing your digital presence for your company? Reach out to us here!

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.

The Clubhouse App: What Marketers Need to Know

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Clubhouse has been steadily gaining traction since it first launched in 2020. This app has an entirely different concept than any other social media platform, creating a brand new opportunity for marketers. Here’s what businesses need to know about Clubhouse and some ways it may be relevant for you and your customers. 

What is Clubhouse? 

Clubhouse is a free, voice-based social media app. Users can listen in to conversations, interviews and discussion between people on various topics. It has been described as listening to a live podcast with an added layer of exclusivity. Currently, Clubhouse is invite-only. Meaning not everyone can download it off the app store. 

For those that have been invited to join, you first select topics off of interest, like tech, books, business, health, etc. The more information you give the app about your interests, the more conversation rooms and individuals the app will recommend you to follow or join. The rooms resemble a conference room where some are talking and others are just listening in. Once the conversation is over, the room closes and disappears. 

How can you use Clubhouse for your business? 

The biggest benefit from Clubhouse is the ability to connect with prominent business leaders, entrepreneurs, others in your industry and potential customers. You can also position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. As more people join the app, it can have a large payoff to have spent time positioning yourself as an expert and start gaining followers early. 

The voice-note aspect of Clubhouse also allows a new way to humanize your business to others. It can help make interactions feel more personal, allowing you to convey more emotion and have real conversations with other users. 

There is also a new development of an influencer program. This program will only be open to 40 top users on Clubhouse and will allow business to tap into those with a large number of followers. 

How can you get an invite? 

To join, an existing Clubhouse user has to send an entire from their app, giving you access to set up the account. When you’re invited you’ll get a link through a text message. Users can’t invite anyone, though. They only get two available invitations at first. 

Final Thoughts 

As Clubhouse continues to scale, the number of audio creators is growing. Their impact on the broader influencer economy is just beginning. Some members of the pilot program have begun contemplating brand deals and cross-platform promotion. Others have begun to form creator collectives, like those started by prominent users on TikTok. Overall, this could be a good future opportunity for many businesses.

More from Onimod Global

Onimod Global releases the latest digital marketing news and essential marketing tips every Tuesday and Thursday! To catch up on the top digital marketing news and trends, click here. To find out more about who we are and what we do, click here.