Today's Guide to the Marketing Jungle from Social Media Examiner...

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It's 🥨 National Pretzel Day, Alluser! Do you like them soft or crispy?

In today's edition:

Today's 👉 Tip of the Day is for AI
⛏️ Organic prospecting for high-quality leads
Put marketing and sales 🤝 hand-in-hand
Driving 🧨 tangible business results with video
LinkedIn tests 👥 company pages subscription
YouTube 💪 strengthens ad-blocking policy
TikTok responds to potential 🚫 US ban
📣 Additional industry news from Adobe, Meta, Reddit, and more

Do you use your newsletter to promote your content? Looking for a faster way to compose descriptive entries that people will click on?

Use XML Tags and AI to Create Newsletter Content Descriptions

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language that can be used with large language models such as ChatGPT and Claude.

You can use XML to define the role you want your AI to assume, instructions for execution, the context for where the entry will be used, and the assets you want the AI to reference.

Here's an example you can modify for your use:

<ROLE>

You are the manager and membership coordinator for a paid membership of social media marketers.

</ROLE>

Write a description for the attached (transcript/article).
1st paragraph: Start with 1–2 hook questions.
2nd paragraph: Describe the value of (main topic)
3rd paragraph: Talk about what the (content) teaches.
Include 3–5 bullets of specific takeaway lessons.
4th paragraph: Finish the description with a one-sentence description of what skill you will have when you (read/watch/hear) this (content).

</INSTRUCTIONS>

The target audience is (your audience).
This description will be included in a promotional email.

</CONTEXT>

The (transcript/article) is attached.

</ORIGINAL ASSET>

Today's tip is inspired by Ali Kelly.

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3 Organic Prospecting Techniques for High-Quality Leads

Do you need to grow a pipeline of high-quality leads without paying for ads? Wondering how to tap all of LinkedIn's organic resources?

LinkedIn's Advanced Search

LinkedIn has a powerful internal search engine that allows you to find people based on multiple criteria. This feature is handy for identifying individuals who fit your ideal customer persona and would be a good fit for your product or service.

When using LinkedIn's advanced search, you can filter results by:

Job title: Search for people with specific job titles that match your target audience, such as "Marketing Manager," "HR Director," or "CEO."
The company they work for: If you have a list of companies you want to target, you can search for decision-makers within those organizations.
Location: Narrow your search results by specifying a particular geographic area, such as a city, state, or country.
Past companies: Look for people who have worked at companies that align with your ideal customer profile.
Schools attended: If you're targeting alumni from specific universities or educational backgrounds, you can search for people based on the schools they attended.

By utilizing these search filters, you can create highly targeted lists of prospects who are more likely to be interested in your offerings. Once you've identified these individuals, you can connect with them and build relationships.

LinkedIn Groups

LinkedIn Groups are online communities where professionals discuss business topics, share insights, and ask questions. These groups can be goldmines for finding potential customers actively engaged in conversations related to your industry or niche.

Search for keywords related to your business, industry, or target audience to find relevant groups. LinkedIn will show you a list of groups that match your search terms. Join the groups that seem most active and relevant to your goals.

Once you're a member of a group, pay attention to who consistently posts, comments, and starts discussions. These individuals will likely be more open to connecting and having conversations since they're already engaged in the topic.

You can also use groups to demonstrate your expertise by sharing valuable content, answering questions, and participating in discussions. This can help you build credibility and attract potential customers' attention.

Lookalike Profiles

Another effective way to find ideal prospects on LinkedIn is to identify individuals who closely resemble your best customers or are influential in your industry. These "lookalike" profiles can lead you to more people who share similar characteristics and are likely to be interested in your products or services.

Start by listing your top customers or influential people in your industry. Search for these individuals on LinkedIn and visit their profiles. Take note of the following:

Who is liking, commenting on, and sharing their posts? These people are engaged with content related to your industry and may be interested in what you have to offer.
What groups do they belong to? Consider joining these groups to connect with more like-minded professionals.
What events do they attend? Look for people attending the same industry events or conferences, as they may be good prospects.

By exploring the networks of your ideal customers and industry influencers, you can uncover new ways to connect with similar individuals who could benefit from your products or services.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Hala Taha, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.

The Key to More Customers and Clients

In today's digital landscape, consumers are bombarded with countless messages and interactions every day, and in a world increasingly filled with automated processes and AI-powered tools, building trust and establishing genuine connections with your audience has become more critical than ever.

To stay ahead of the curve, prioritize transparency and authenticity in all business interactions—from marketing to sales.

By doing so, you can differentiate your business from competitors and build lasting relationships with clients and customers.

Begin With Transparency in Your Social Media Marketing

In the world of social media, transparency is key to engaging with your audience and building a solid brand presence. Instead of following a cookie-cutter approach that mimics other businesses in your industry, showcase the good, the bad, and the ugly. That means embracing vulnerability and stepping out of what's comfortable and easy because that's what consumers crave.

Give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your business by sharing the owner's journey, highlighting wins and losses, and responding to cultural moments in a way that aligns with your brand values.

Adopting a social presence that is unique to your business, you can create a strong brand culture that fosters a sense of connection with your audience and builds a loyal following.

Be Upfront About Pricing on Your Website

Once your marketing delivers prospective customers to your website, they want to know what purchasing from or working with you will cost. That's easy with products, but services can be more complex.

Instead of listing every service and its exact cost, which can overwhelm and confuse potential clients, provide a "starting at" price point. This approach allows them to self-filter based on their budget, saving both parties valuable time.

Extend Transparency in Sales

By setting realistic expectations and being upfront about what you can and cannot deliver, you can attract customers who are the right fit for your business and are more likely to stick with you for the long haul.

During sales calls, don't obfuscate. Be clear and honest with consumers about the effort and resources required to help your customer achieve success. This will help them understand the value of your services and make informed decisions.

For example, if you provide marketing services, explain the process, timeline, and deliverables clearly, emphasizing that building a strong online presence is a long-term strategy and results may take time.

Finally, be honest about the volume of customers or clients you can handle at any given time. The only thing worse than not having enough customers is having too many customers to deliver on your promised service.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Q Moldrick, a featured guest on the Marketing Agency Show.

Optimizing Video for Business Results

Are your videos underperforming? Do they fail to move the needle for your business?

Driving action with your video is the ultimate measure of your success. It's what turns passive views into tangible business results. So, optimize ruthlessly for that action. Make it the focal point of your video and reinforce it at every touchpoint.

Drive a Feeling, Action, or Behavior With Your Video

If your video doesn't motivate the viewer to take a meaningful next step, it will not deliver results for your business. You need to be intentional about the action you want people to take.

Action could be experiencing a feeling. For example, if you're a nonprofit organization, your video might aim to evoke empathy and inspiration.

The action could also be a thought, like seeing your product as a solution to their problem. If you sell a productivity tool, your video might highlight the pain points of a disorganized workflow and position your tool as the answer.

Or the action could be a direct behavior, like clicking through to your website or making a purchase. This is the most tangible type of action, often the ultimate goal for businesses.

Create Your CTA

As you define the action for your video, be clear on whether you want the call to action (CTA) to be soft or hard.

A soft CTA is a low-barrier action that signals interest. It is about building engagement and capturing leads. Soft CTAs are a good fit for top-of-funnel videos where the viewer may not be ready to buy. You might ask the viewer to like the video, leave a comment, subscribe to your channel, follow you on social media, or sign up for your newsletter.

A hard CTA, on the other hand, is much more direct. Hard CTAs are appropriate for bottom-of-funnel videos when you've primed the viewer to act. The key is ensuring your video content has built enough knowledge, likes, and trust to earn that level of commitment. It's about driving a specific, high-commitment action. Hard CTAs include things like "buy now," "call today for a no-cost consultation," "click here to get 50% off," "sign up for our paid membership," or "donate to our cause."

3 Ways to Optimize Your Video for Driving Action

Once you've defined the action for your video, you can optimize it in a few key ways:

What You Say: The words you use, especially at the end of the video, are crucial for driving action. Verbally tell people precisely what you want them to do next. Make the ask crystal clear and actionable. For example, instead of a vague "Check out our website," say, "Click the link in the description to get your no-cost trial now!" Use strong, direct language that compels people to act.

Video Elements: Reinforce your CTA with visual cues within the video itself to help the action stand out and give people an extra nudge. This could include:

Text overlays that reiterate the next step
Arrows or other graphics that point to key information
Clickable links in the video player
End screens that display your website URL or special offer
Verbal and text-based reminders to comment, like, and subscribe

Surrounding Elements: Think beyond the video player and use all the real estate you have to drive action. Depending on the platform, you might have:

Video titles and descriptions
Buttons or forms beneath the player
Comment sections
Pop-ups or email captures
Related recommended videos

For example, pin a comment with your unique offer link or add an eye-catching button below the video.

The key is to align everything toward that end action. Think through the entire user experience and remove any friction. If you want people to sign up for your webinar, make that the only CTA. Don't clutter the experience with mixed messages or competing offers.

Today's advice is provided with insights from Ben Amos, a featured guest on the Social Media Marketing Podcast.

🗞 LinkedIn's Premium Company Pages: LinkedIn is testing a new Premium Company Page subscription service for small and medium businesses. The subscription includes AI-assisted content creation and tools to grow follower counts, among other features designed to enhance the profiles of the companies using it. Source: TechCrunch

🗞 X's AI-Powered Targeting Feature: X introduced a simplified setup process for campaigns in its Ads Manager, using AI to target likely purchasers. Advertisers can launch campaigns by selecting a conversion event, budget, and demographics. In beta testing, the AI-powered Optimized Targeting feature extends a campaign's reach beyond the targeted audience for better ROI. Additionally, a new cost estimate feature provides projected CPM ranges to inform campaign decisions. Source: X Business

🗞 YouTube's Ad Blockers: YouTube has now issued a warning to users of third-party apps, stating that it will strengthen its enforcement against apps that violate its Terms of Service, particularly those that block ads. The platform emphasizes that third-party apps are only allowed to use its API when they adhere to YouTube's API Services Terms of Service, and any app found to be in violation will face appropriate action to protect the platform, its creators, and viewers. Source: Forbes

🗞 Adobe Tests AI Features: At MAX London, Adobe announced several AI innovations, including the new Photoshop (beta) with advanced Generative Fill and Reference Image features and the Firefly Image 3 Foundation Model (beta) for enhanced creative expression. Firefly is now integrated into Creative Cloud workflows, such as InDesign, and the new Adobe Express mobile apps offer features like Text to Image, Text Effects, Generative Fill, and Text to Template. Adobe also introduced Firefly Services and Custom Models for enterprises, previewed AI innovations in Adobe Premiere Pro, released AI Assistant for Reader and Acrobat, and launched the next generation of Frame.io for streamlined creative collaboration. Source: Adobe

🗞 Instagram's Creator Subscriptions Options: Instagram is adding new elements to its creator subscriptions, including sticker tap insight, which provides creators with data on how much engagement their stickers draw in the app. Additionally, Instagram is expanding its subscription stories teaser display, showing non-subscribers when a creator has posted subscriber-only content and allowing them to sign up to view it. The platform is also adding new ways to prevent screenshots and screen recordings to help protect a creator's exclusive content. Source: Social Media Today

🗞 Possible TikTok Ban: In a memo to TikTok's United States staff, Michael Beckerman, the company's head of public policy for the Americas, stated that TikTok will fight in the courts if a US bill forcing a ban or divestiture of the Chinese-owned app is signed into law. The US House of Representatives has passed legislation requiring TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance Ltd., to divest its ownership stake in the app on a fast track to becoming law. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill in the coming days, and President Joe Biden has said he will sign the legislation promptly. Source: Bloomberg

🗞 YouTube Updates: YouTube is introducing a thumbnail A/B test feature (currently in beta) by summer, clarifying its profanity policy with examples of extreme profanity that may prevent ads, and adding a "like" feature for Super Chats in live streams, displaying a like counter and animation on the ticker. Source: YouTube

🗞 Meta's AI Stats for Q1: In its Platforms' Q1 2024 earnings call, Meta reports how AI is improving its app engagement, leading to more ad views and delivering more value to advertisers. The company reports that the AI recommendation system delivers 30% of posts on Facebook's feed, a 2X surge over the last two years. Additionally, for the first time, more than 50% of the content on Instagram is now AI-recommended. The revenue generated through Meta's two end-to-end AI-powered advertising tools, Advantage+ Shopping and Advantage+ App Campaigns, has more than doubled since the previous year. Source: Meta

🗞 Reddit's User Updates: Reddit has unveiled updates to its iOS and Android apps to enhance the user experience and provide faster access to conversations. The changes include instant comment loading for quicker discussion access and a direct shortcut to comments while keeping the post context accessible through a stickied context bar. Users can look at media with a single tap before diving into the comments. Furthermore, Reddit has introduced consistent navigation across all post types, featuring a unified media player, immersive transitions, and intuitive gestures, such as swiping up for conversations and left for new content. Source: Reddit

🗞 Threads Surpasses X in Daily Active Users: According to Apptopia, a third-party app data provider, Meta's Threads app is experiencing a steady growth in daily active users (DAUs) and has surpassed X in daily actives in the US. As reported by Business Insider, Threads averaged an estimated 28 million DAUs in April, meaning that these users opened the app at least once within 24 hours. X has averaged 22 million DAUs, which is 21% lower than Threads' user engagement. Source: Social Media Today

🗞 Potential TikTok Ban Moves Forward: President Joe Biden has signed a $95 billion national security package that includes a provision that could potentially ban TikTok in the US. The legislation gives TikTok's Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, 9–12 months to sell the app or face a nationwide prohibition. This timeline ensures that TikTok, which has 170 million American users, will remain active throughout the 2024 election campaign, allowing candidates to reach predominantly younger voters on the platform. Source: NBC News

🗞 TikTok's Response to Legislation: TikTok has announced its intention to challenge the recently enacted law that could potentially ban the app in the US, calling it "unconstitutional." The company emphasizes that it has invested billions of dollars to ensure the safety of US user data and maintain the platform's integrity without outside influence and manipulation.TikTok warns that the ban would have severe consequences, devastating seven million businesses and silencing 170 million American users. Source: TikTok

What Did You Think of Today's Newsletter?

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We publish updates with links for our new posts and content from partners. Your information: Email: tukangpostoemel@gmail.com Opted in on: 2021-09-06 17:20:47 UTC.

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