Author: Kersten

As marketers, business owners, and just human beings we are constantly sold tools and tricks that promise results. With the overwhelming amount of “helpful hacks” it becomes difficult to decipher what will drive results and what’s ineffectively adding to your to-do list. In order to cut through some of the “grow your business overnight” noise we too often hear, we’ll let you in a little secret. If you currently have a Facebook business page, the Facebook Pixel is one tool you need in your back pocket.

The Facebook Pixel is a snippet of code placed on your website. This code allows you track and better understand the actions people are taking on your website.

As an Agency, it’s one of the first things we make sure is set up in a new social partnership. Without it, you’re severely limited on what you can do in terms of tracking and targeting. With it, real rub-the-lamp-ask-for-three-wishes-magic happens. Of all the tools in Facebook’s marketing arsenal, the pixel is perhaps the most useful. Here are some of the fun (ahem, more sales is always fun) benefits of installing your very own Facebook Pixel…

1. Collect Data

A Facebook Pixel is simply an analytics tool that allows you to collect data from your website visitors. This data is #important as Facebook offers you a myriad of insights and targeting features to put this information to good use. What good is driving people to your website if you can’t study who they are and what they do?

One of the data features made possible with the pixel is Facebook Analytics. This expansive tool clearly lays out your sales funnel, depicts the lifetime value of your users, and shows the junction between organic and paid content. Facebook guru, Andrew Foxwell, describes it as “a MUST LEARN for all Facebook/Instagram marketers big and small.”

2. Run Efficient Ads

With the Facebook Pixel you can optimize ads for website conversions. That means your ads will be shown to users most likely to partake in a certain action on your site allowing your budget to be spent most efficiently.

The standard optimization features do not always ensure your ad is shown to the highest converting audience. For example, when you optimize your ad for “Link Clicks” Facebook looks at users performing this action and serves your ad to similar people. A user who clicks your ad might do so for several reasons outside of actually being interested in your product or service, which then skews data, wastes money, and equals fewer conversions.

By optimizing ads for your desired action Facebook collects data (with your pixel) that helps it to better understand the type of person most likely to convert. Your ad is then served to those that are most likely to do the same. This means smarter targeting and more conversions.

3. Measure ROI

Without a Facebook Pixel it’s difficult to track the conversions attributed to your ads or posts. By installing Standard Events or creating Custom Conversions, Facebook will know when a certain activity has taken place on your website. You’re then able to track conversions attributed to your ads and outside your ads in real time.

It doesn’t stop there. You can also add a “Conversion Value” to certain actions taken on your website. This will clearly lay out your ROI from each ad and help you strategize your spend.

4. Retargeting

We’ve all experiences that magical moment post online shopping when the item left in your cart “randomly” appears as an ad on your newsfeed. That sneaky “Hey, remember me?” you’re served is no coincidence. These brands are utilizing the wizardry of remarketing and Dynamic Ads.

Potential customers visit your website every day. If you’re not utilizing retargeting as a way to usher this warm audience down the sales funnel, you’re missing out on lots of conversions. By creating Custom Audiences of past website visitors you can serve relevant ads to people familiar with your brand.

By using some of the many “rules” Facebook has available for each audience you’ll be able to narrow in on not too cold, not too hot, but juuuuust the right leads. These “rules” include”:

• All website visitors
• People who visited specific web pages
• Visitors by time spent

5. Create Lookalike Audiences

This has to be one of the coolest things you can do with your Facebook pixel. Creating Lookalike Audiences is the magic sauce to getting your brand seen, gaining new customers, and growing sales.

By creating Custom Audiences of people that have been to certain pages on your site you can then create audiences of people similar to those people.

This goes beyond the standard interest and demographic targeting. A Lookalike Audience is built upon a source audience (website visitors, customers etc…). Facebook takes the data points of that audience and finds people similar.

What does this mean? If you’re looking for ways to reach more people like your ideal customers, you just found it. Not only will you be able to retarget your ideal customers, you’ll be able reach more just like them. This means more people likely to convert will be seeing your ads.

So, now that you know the potential a Facebook Pixel can give your business, are you ready to create one. We sure hope so! Let us know in the comments below how it goes.

 

An important part of managing all of your business’ social media accounts is knowing all that you can do with them. Every week updates are rolling out and new programs are being launched. It can be a lot to take in and wrap your head around. Luckily, we are here to make things a little easier.

Here are this week’s updates with the potential to help your business:

 

1. Google Hire

Google has announced the launch of Hire, a new service that helps businesses streamline their recruiting process. Hire is integrated into Google’s G Suite business software and gives employers the ability to collaborate in the hiring process.

Takeaway for your business:

With Hire, you can now build up a database of potential employees and track them at multiple stages of the interview process all in one place. It also allows you to export the information into Sheets. This cuts down considerable time moving information from place to place.

Learn More Here & Here 

 

2. Facebook Ads Targeting Households

Facebook announced that for the upcoming holiday season they will be displaying relevant ads to your whole household. Using the relationships that are declared on Facebook and other information such as where you are accessing the internet, Facebook can determine that you are in the same house.

Takeaway for your business:

Although it may seem a little invasive, it can only improve your business. Younger generations are not the only ones consuming ads and purchasing products online. Parents consist of more than 50% of internet shoppers. This is important because instead of posting an ad directly to someone’s son or daughter, the ad would be posted to their parents or other relatives as a gift idea.

Learn More

 

3. Facebook Modifying Link Previews

In an effort to reduce the spread of false information on their site, Facebook is no longer allowing the editing of link previews. In the past, it was possible to edit the title and description of the article you are linking to, essentially creating “click bait”. Facebook is doing away with this feature.

Takeaway for your business:

Posts scheduled to go out with edited previews will revert back to whatever Facebook is programmed to publish. If you’re publishing a blog on your website, make sure the title, cover photo, and subtitle are all correct on the back end. That way, when your blog is shared, it appears exactly how you intended.

Learn More 

 

4. Snapchat Upgrades Video Recording and Photo Editing

The first part of Snapchat’s update is the introduction of the Tint Brush. This new feature gives you the ability to change the color of any part of your picture to fit your creative needs. The other aspect of this update is Multi Snap. Before Multi Snap you could only record 10 second long snaps. This update allows you to record for a whole 60 seconds without interruption.

Takeaway for your business:

With these updates, you can now add your business’ personal touch to your messages with consistent colors that fit your brand. The addition of minute long videos gives you much more freedom than being limited to 10 seconds snippets.

Learn More 

 

Social Media Tool of the Week 

If you are looking to improve the quality of your Instagram account, look no further than VSCO. VSCO is essentially Instagram editing on steroids. Instagram only has so many filters and options available and they have grown overused over the years. VSCO offers a various range of filters and editing tools that you can’t find on other mobile apps. It is perfect for polishing up your old pictures to be more eye catching and stand out on your audience’s feed.

Learn More 

When was the last time you sat down and caught up on what’s happening in social media? No, we don’t mean scrolling through your Instagram feed. We mean following updates released, reading up on what industry leaders recommend, and discovering what’s driving sales and growing a community on social.

It’s okay if it’s been a while. We get it- you’re busy! It can be daunting thinking about this on a weekly basis. That’s why we’re bringing you a round-up of social media updates each week.

What are you waiting for? Let’s dive in!

 

1. Creating Audiences based on Instagram Business via Facebook

Facebook Ads just dropped a game changer that will allow you to target those who have interacted with not only your Facebook Page but your Instagram Business account as well.

This update gives you the ability to target an audience within a specific timeframe from when they last interacted with your posts, videos, or the account itself. Facebook originally only used interactions from within Facebook to target your audience. Now the update expands that to your Instagram interactions as well.

Take-away for your business:

The engagement you receive on an Instagram Business account can be significantly higher than on a Facebook page.  By linking these two social media titans together, your overall page engagement is going to skyrocket.  You will see more of your Instagram following popping up on your Facebook pages and vice versa.

Learn More

 

2. Visual Planner on Mobile via Later

Let’s talk scheduling because it’s something extremely important to the success of your social media accounts and saves you immense amounts of time.  

For Instagram accounts, specifically, we are big fans of the Later app. One of our favorite features Later provides is the Visual Planner. You are able to view the entire Instagram feed to help you establish your aesthetic and make sure your next post will complement your last.

Prior to this week, you could only manipulate these images in the Visual Planner on the desktop; this update now makes those same tasks possible within the app.

Take away for your business:

Instagram is a platform based entirely on pictures and the idea that your followers are enjoying the content you are posting, which is why the Visual Planner is our favorite tool.

You can manipulate and edit posts as if you are viewing them live on your Instagram feed, creating confidence that your content will be perceived well by followers. This update will make scheduling and editing your posts easier on the go!

Learn More

 

3. Messenger Ads via Facebook

While Facebook Messenger Ads was released to many advertisers in November 2016, it is now going global!

If you’ve seen these ads on the timelines before, you’ve noticed how they pull you directly into a Facebook messenger conversation when clicked. This is much different than any other ad type released so far by Facebook.

 

Messenger is a feature that has grown increasingly diverse over the past few years- almost becoming its own social media platform. This means the power of the app is something that shouldn’t be ignored by advertisers.

Take away for your business:

When using these ads it’s important to offer something of value to your audience. For example, you might use these advertisements to answer customer questions or share an informational white-sheet.

The big thing here is these ads are more personal than any other advertisement offered before on the app. Once that conversation is started your potential buyers are farther down the sales funnel than they would be if they had clicked through to your website or liked a post. The potential here is huge!

Learn More 

 

4. Sales Navigator via LinkedIn

In the world of B2B, leads are everything and finding them can be tough. Creating the right connections is something new businesses find themselves struggling with, but with the Sales Navigator tool on LinkedIn that just got easier.

Instead of spending hours networking, searching, and hoping it will be the perfect match, let LinkedIn do the work for you. Their Sales Navigator tool shows you what really matters to the buyer and gives you recommendations of who you should be focusing on specifically.

Along with finding leads and prospects, this tool helps you track the success of these prospects.

Takeaway for your business:

Business-to-Business communication is a vital part of being an industry leader, which is the goal of every business.

Using the connections right in front of you on LinkedIn will make your network even stronger; ultimately furthering your success.

This is a tool that will streamline a process that could take weeks or months into something that takes a few hours a day.

Learn More 

 

Social Media Tool of the Week:

As a business leader, you know the importance of promotion and utilizing your resources in the best way possible. With all of the ad campaigns you can send out, there is another secret weapon you can use; influencers. Influencers are users on social media sites have an extremely attentive audience that will be interested in what that user is promoting.

Our focus this week is on a tool that will help you find influencers whose followers will be interested in your products. This tool is called Intellifluence, an online database that allows influencers to sign up for this platform and from there, businesses can pitch them products and promotions to post to their social media accounts.  With a database of over 15,000 influencers and available in over 88 countries, this is going to be a huge help with creating a larger reach for your business.

Learn More