Category Archives: Social Media Marketing

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

The Latest Web Design Trends

Web Design Trend

Around 66% of online users prefer seeing a beautiful web design over something plain and simple. First impressions last. When an audience visits your website, the first thing they notice is your web design. Web design elements significantly affect SEO. It means that a web design code needs to be SEO-friendly. People do not trust poor web designs. So, you better do it good to showcase your business.

According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, brands and businesses need to update their web design every year. This is to ensure that it is SEO-friendly and that it keeps up with the modern consumers’ demand. A social media agency Hong Kong even highlights the importance of updating the company information during the web design update. Plus, a video marketing agency Hong Kong suggests showing a feature product video on the landing page.

Web design covers a lot of creativity, expertise, and technicalities. If you are a brand or business currently planning to update your web design this year, here are the latest web design trends to guide you.

Creative Scrolling Experiences

A scroll website design uses faux-3D effects to create an optical illusion of parallax scrolling. The scrolling experience, which is very popular with users, transforms the web page into a living world. It even breaks them through a third dimension.

Engaging Interactives

To make web pages more engaging, web designers use interactive elements such as user-driven functions. They are the key to success in digital marketing. Animations, clicking, dragging, scrolling, and swiping are the most common features of this web design trend.

Handmade Graphics

Handmade graphics incorporate personal image-making into the design process. Modern consumers wanted more personalization. That is why web designers use this web design trend to relate to an authentic and imperfect personality. The most common elements on handmade graphics are analog textures, doodles, messy cuts, and scribbles.

Memphis Design

Memphis Design was pioneered by the Memphis Group in 1980. It is characterized by bold and brash colors and patterns. At first, the design received negative reactions because of its chaotic pattern and rejection of minimalism. Today, as modern consumers become more adventurous, it becomes a high taste for art critics. Many web designers use the said web design trend for an explosion of colorful brand personality. No visitor will soon forget the brand as they appreciate the Memphis web design.

Moving Type

Movements embody change. That is why moving becomes a web design trend. It is because modern internet users are aware that the only constant in this world is changing. A moving type web design consists of animation, GIFs, illustrated graphics, page transitions, and UI elements. What makes it fresh is the unexpected movement of text like a circular rotation or side-scrolling news tickers.

Neo-brutalism

Brutalism is characterized by experimentality and raw appearances. It rebels against a standard web design of web-safe colors, gradients, and shadows. Among the typical elements of such minimalist design, trends are asymmetrical layouts, barebones HTML, default computer fonts, plain backgrounds, and untreated photos.

Retro Revolution

A retro design presents old designs in a trendy way. It is more of an old meets new concept. Web designers take inspiration from the Wild West days to revive the so-called Web 1.0 of the 1990s. It was characterized by bright backgrounds, robotic typefaces, and visible table layouts. Retro Revolution becomes a web design trend because of unrestricted creativity standards. During the 90s, there are no rules since web design is not even a profession during those days.

Typographic Hero Image

A hero image in an oversized banner image that extends full width on top of a webpage. It is a high-resolution graphic that represents the unique selling point (USP) of a brand or business. The typography on the hero image carries the weight of the message itself. Web designers use them to create a call to action (CTA) that commands attention among users.

Visible Borders

Visible borders as a web design focus on separating the content of a webpage. It helps people interpret the information presented easier. This web design trend creates an illusion that an invisible hand has neatly arranged the content. Although the reality lies in using a strict grid code.

Reference: https://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2022/02/07/inspirational-web-design-trends-2022/

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

Instagram as the Platform of Focus for Marketers

Instagram as the Platform of Focus for Marketers

Instagram now ranks second to Facebook being the largest social media network in the world. Recent reports showed that it surpassed the 2 billion monthly active users’ mark. According to a social media agency Hong Kong, it is not only the growing popularity of Instagram that puts it into good light. Rather, it continues to be a gold mine based on business perspectives.

To a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, Instagram introduces an exciting range of advertising channels. These include IGTV, non-intrusive ads placement, and swipe-up features. A recent survey conducted by a video marketing agency Hong Kong recorded that Instagram is the platform of focus for marketers this year. Let us find out how it came to be.

How Instagram Begins

The story of Instagram is said to be a fairy tale in Silicon Valley. It started when Kevin Systrom had a Mexico vacation with his girlfriend. He realized that their photos did not look good enough despite using an iPhone 4 camera. For him, the solution is adding filters, and that is how he developed the X-Pro II filter used on Instagram.

In 2010, Kevin co-founded Instagram with Mike Krieger. The first photo was posted by Mike at 5:26 PM on the 16th of July 2010. It was an image of the South Beach Harbor at Pier 38. Later that day, Kevin posted a picture of a dog and his girlfriend’s foot.

Instagram was officially launched on 06 October 2010. All at once, it racked up 25,000 users that day. After a week, it has been downloaded 100,000 times. During mid-December of the same year, it reached a 1 million user mark. By March 2012, it already acquired 27 million users. That is the time Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion cash and stock.  

Instagram Marketing Statistics

The last confirmed monthly active users of Instagram was 1.074 billion as of 21 June 2021. But recently, Instagram employees have reported that the platform reached the 2 billion mark. People residing in the USA, India, and Brazil constitute a large percentage of Instagram users.

Around 63% of Instagram users logged into the app every day. They normally stay on the app for an average of 28 minutes daily. During such times, 200 million Instagrammers visit at least 1 business profile. More than 130 million users tap into a shopping post and make a purchase. These are some major reasons why marketers take advantage of promoting products and services on Instagram.

Instagram as a Platform of Focus for Marketers

From the very beginning, the primary focus of Instagram was photo sharing. It focused mainly on photos shared via mobile devices. Last July 2021, Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri announced a major shift in the platform. It is no longer just a photo-sharing app. Rather, it will then be a photo- and video-sharing app.

Since then, Instagram became a greater magnet for advertising and marketing. Instagram ads can potentially reach 849.3 million people. Around 83% of modern consumers go to Instagram to discover new products. Most notably, 87% claimed that Instagram ads influence them to follow a brand, make a purchase, or visit the brand’s website.

Another reason why Instagram is the platform of focus for marketers is influencer marketing. It has been an effective network for influencer communities. In fact, 91% of luxury brands, 84% of sports brands, and 83% of beauty brands use influencers on their Instagram ads. With 500 million people tapping into the power of Instagram Stories, influencer marketing has never been exciting without Instagram.

The major shift for Instagram as a platform for marketers this year is live shopping. After the platform launched a 10-day live shopping last August 2021, it became an instant favorite among brands. During the holidays, pop-up live shopping is a constant. It is expected to continue as a trend this 2022!

Reference:

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-the-platform-of-focus-for-marketers-in-2022-according-to-new-res/617161/

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

The Benefits of Content Curation to Social Media

The Benefits of Content Curation to Social Media

Content curation is a valuable digital marketing strategy. According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, curated content highlights industry expertise and provides extra value to your social media followers. Just like a museum curator, it displays the best artifacts and artworks to engage your audiences. Below, let us discuss the benefits of content curation in social media.

WHAT IS CONTENT CURATION?

A social media agency Hong Kong defines content curation as sharing content created by others to give more value to your social media audiences. It involves discovering, gathering, and presenting pieces of content around a certain category, industry, niche, or topic. It may include an article, blog post, expert advice, infographics, news, videos, etc.

Technically, to curate means to collect. Thus, social media content curation is as simple as filtering interesting posts across the web. Brands and businesses gathered and share their links to provide relevant and valuable information for their target audiences.

THE BENEFITS OF CONTENT CURATION TO SOCIAL MEDIA

Consistent posting of quality content on social media boosts the visibility of a brand or business. Content curation can help upgrade your social media strategy. Here’s how!

It Adds Unique Insights to Help You Become a Thought Leader 

The first step through though leadership is to provide answers to your audiences’ queries. With content curation, you can research for answers and lend them with your original works. Besides, you can provide references to validate your claims. 

Curated content can be the focus of a brand or business among aggregation apps, community forums, email newsletters, podcasts, and RSS feeds. A video marketing agency Hong Kong also uses content creation on YouTube channels. By doing so, brands and businesses can find what their audiences love and place themselves as thought leaders. 

It Builds Communities

The best way to spread brand awareness in social media is having dedicated communities of followers. You need a lot of content to do so. Content curation keeps the feeds of social media pages full. These capture people’s interests by educating them. They also help build credibility and trust, resulting in a loyal community of followers.

It Increases Social Signals

Social signals are comments, likes, reactions, saves, and shares received by social media posts. Using content curation in social media, brands and businesses can boost conversions of these social signals. It leads to better SEO ranking and visibility. The top-performing content curation formats are articles, expert roundups, infographics, listicles, and statistics.

It Keeps Your Content Calendar Full

Content curation to social media helps brands and businesses keep their content calendar full. They are an easy hack to easily post on social media pages. Some creative and quick content curation hacks are:

  • Asking a question or giving an opinion to a shared post.
  • A brief summary of why people should read an article or blog.
  • Quoting or picking out a stat.
  • Simply hitting the retweet button.

The key is to ensure adding a personal twist for branding. The more creative a brand or business gets, the better!

It Mixes Up Original Content to Avoid Looking Too Self-Promotional

A good rule of thumb when posting on social media is to create 40$ of original content and share 60% of curated content. It helps a brand or business avoid looking too self-promotional. Even the best bloggers don’t talk about themselves all the time. Content curation also makes your social media post look more balance. 

It Opens Up Networking

When you share content, it opens up new relationships with the author. It can be an advertiser, another brand or business, a creator, or a Facebook page or community. Content curation can be enough for these people to notice a brand or business. It also makes brands and businesses visible to their followers. As such, content curation opens up networking.

Reference: https://quuu.co/blog/benefits-of-content-curation/

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

The New Era of Hybrid Shopping

The New Era of Hybrid Shopping.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted shopping behaviors from physical stores to digital shops. During the new normal, people are fusing in-store and online shopping experiences. The result is a new era of hybrid shopping!

A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong poses a question if brands are prepared to deliver in the new era of hybrid shopping. It means having a lot of touchpoints both offline and online. Brick-and-mortar shops are back to operations. Digital shops are now exploring live shopping. 

WHAT IS HYBRID SHOPPING?

Hybrid shopping means the best of in-store and online buying to create a convenient and customized shopping experience. Think of your shopping habits. You are browsing on Instagram and saw a shirt you want to try on. You check for the nearest location of the physical store, visit the store, and eventually make a purchase. 

By personalizing the buying journey, a social media agency Hong Kong highlights that hybrid conversion can boost conversion and engagement on brands and businesses. So, they need to invest in integrating their online and physical stores.

BOPIS is becoming a popular hybrid shopping trend. It is an abbreviation for Buy Online, Pick up In-Store. It starts with a shopper browsing a brand or business website for products and services. They choose the items that they want to buy online and check out with a preferred pick-up location. Store associates will pull the in-stock items either in-store, on another branch, or at the warehouse. Once the items are ready, the customer can pick the orders in a dedicated area.

WHERE DO MODERN CONSUMERS PREFER TO SHOP?

Recently, Meta (formerly Facebook) conducted a study about retail shopping behaviors. Here, they have concluded that modern shoppers are trying to experience the best of both worlds. It means that omnichannel marketing is no longer about having different social media pages or online apps and websites. Rather, brands and businesses are starting to merge with physical shops. 

41% of global shoppers prefer hybrid shopping. Here’s a breakdown of the top 11 regions:

  • Mexico – 52%
  • Thailand = 49%
  • United States = 44%
  • Germany = 44%
  • United Kingdom = 43%
  • Australia = 42%
  • Brazil = 41%
  • Canada = 37%
  • Slovakia = 35%
  • France = 34%
  • Japan = 29%

From these data, Meta experts have formulated some keys to a better shopping experience. 

KEYS TO A BETTER HYBRID SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Enhance Digital Shops

Modern consumers are looking for digital solutions to solve their frustrations when shopping in physical stores. The inconvenience of carrying bulky and heavy shopping bags prompted them to order online with the convenience of getting them delivered right to their doorsteps. 

Hybrid shopping results in online being an appealing destination to find products. They are convenient and easier to navigate. A video marketing agency Hong Kong scales short video clips as a way to promote products online. With 66.3% of shoppers researching for products and services on the web before buying it, they are an effective way to highlight its features and functions. 

Hybrid shopping makes social media a source of interconnectivity among marketing channels. It helped them make informed decisions. Recommendations from Facebook groups, family members, and friends can answer the needs of a shopper. That is why 60% of modern consumers use social media across all markets to find products and services. 84% of them made an in-store purchase after discovering items on social media.  

Make In-Store Shopping More Efficient

In the new era of hybrid shopping, brands and businesses should use technology to make in-store shopping more efficient. Mobile app navigation and online payment processing can boost in-store sales. 

One of the most common pain points in in-store shopping is not finding the right color or size of merchandise. With online inventory being synced to different physical stores, hybrid shoppers can be directed to the nearest store where their color and size are available. 

Modern consumers are also looking for instant solutions. By syncing online checkouts and in-store deliveries, they can receive the goods in under 10 minutes. It makes hybrid shopping more convenient and fulfilling on the side of the customers. 

USE AR and VR to Enhance Immersion

Modern consumers still want a human touch during the buying experience. So, brands and businesses can use AR or VR o enhance an immersive buying experience. Hybrid shopping no longer needs to go to a physical store to try-on apparel, beauty products, fashion accessories, etc. They can even do a test drive for a car virtually.

The conventional wisdom of eCommerce makes it possible for shoppers to feel as if they are physically present in-store to try out new products and offerings. Today, one-third of shoppers are using augmented reality to experience products. 

Reference: https://www.facebook.com/business/news/insights/the-next-era-of-hybrid-shopping-au

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

Grow Your Brand with Social Proof

Social Proof

Modern consumers today rely on a social proof when they are uncertain of their buying decisions. A customer testimonial, 5-star review, or industry badge can influence their buying decisions. That is why it is essential to growing your brands with social proof. But what are they, and how will you get them? We’ve got you covered!

WHAT IS A SOCIAL PROOF?

A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong defines social proof as is an idea of normative social influences. It is a theory stating that to be accepted by society, people typically conform to what others believe or do. For example, brands commonly display testimonials from famous personalities or industry experts on their website’s landing pages. Website visitors who trusted these people will most likely push through to make a purchase. 

For a social media agency Hong Kong, social proof is essentially borrowing the influence of a 3rd party to sway potential customers to buy products and services. It is, therefore, a part of influencer marketing. One example of this social proof is Ryan’s World, a YouTube review channel for children’s stuff and toys. It is consistently YouTube’s top earner for 5 years in a row. 

Social proof is what influences people when they need guidance, especially in their buying decisions. They commonly believe a brand, product, or service is right for them if credible personalities or many other customers endorsed them. Thus, it can be a powerful marketing tool. 

Today, brands and businesses implement social proof strategies in several ways. These include:

  • Awards and Citations
  • Case Studies with Customers
  • Celebrity and Expert Endorsements
  • Customer or Follower Counts
  • Milestones in Business Development
  • Real-Time Sales Notifications
  • Review Sections on Websites
  • Reviews on Third-Party Platforms
  • Social Media Shares
  • Trust Badges

These are some ideas to use social proof in advertising and marketing. 

STATISTICS ABOUT THE POWER OF SOCIAL PROOF

Around 93.4% of modern consumers rely on customer ratings and reviews before buying a product or service. In fact, 93.7% trust a brand more if they see positive reviews. Alternatively, customer ratings are double-edged swords. Negative reviews put down the trust in a brand among 88.8% of online shoppers.

Social proof allows brands and businesses to attract more customers by showcasing authority. They are very effective for online bookings. More than 92% of online shoppers check for reviews before booking services and travel packages. 

Customers all over the world value recommendations from colleagues, family members, and friends. A video marketing agency Hong Kong highlights the importance of user-generated testimonials to influence a large number of viewers. Videos with a personal suggestion make a brand more visible online besides promoting its products and services. With honest feedback, they make the buying decision more comfortable and effective. 

GROW YOUR BRAND WITH SOCIAL PROOF

Below are some compelling ways to grow your brand with social proof.

  • Case Studies. Case studies are in-depth research about how a brand, product, or service impacts a customer or group of customers. They are data-driven and formal in nature. Being a real-life example of businesses solving customer problems, they result boost the authority of a brand in an industry or niche. Case studies can be used on blogs, how-tos, and story posts to make them more engaging. They are 70% more effective than other marketing strategies.
  • Customer Reviews. These are evaluations about a product or service from someone who has purchased and used it. It is the feedback of a customer on his/her experience with a brand, product, or service via a business or eCommerce website. Customer reviews prove the legitimacy of a business. They further prove the quality of service it gives to the customer. A customer review section on a business or eCommerce website can make users feel safe when making a purchase. They even increase sales by 18%. 
  • Testimonials. Happy customers can be the best advocates among brands and businesses. Testimonials are positive comments, ratings, and reviews about a brand, product, or service. They strengthen the credibility of the brand, product, or service. If people describe your brand or business as effective, reliable, smart, or trusted, support it with pieces of evidence. Browse your sites and check your happy customers who complemented your brand or business. Encourage them to do a testimonial about it. They can be a clip in your social media pages, commendation email, or statement on a review.
  • Trust Icons. These are signs that your brand or business is trustworthy. They are logos or symbols provided by 3rd parties as a sign of award, positive mention, or recognition. Displaying trust icons on your social media pages and websites is the best example of growing your brand with social proof. The more recognizable its source, the more valuable it is to your site. A simple badge from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) supports the legitimacy and trustworthiness of a business. They can increase site engagement by 10% and conversion by 72%. 

Reference: https://cxl.com/blog/is-social-proof-really-that-important/

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

Video Creation Tips from Twitter

Video Creation Tips from Twitter.

Are videos popular on Twitter? The answer is a resounding YES! Video marketing takes off on Twitter as it gives a new world of opportunities among brands and businesses. 

A video marketing agency Hong Kong has noted that even though Twitter is a text-based platform, video has found its place on the microblogging site. Two billion people watch Twitter videos daily. They also get the Twitter nation to take action. Video tweets get 10x more engagement than tweets with videos. The time spent on watching video ads is 26% higher on Twitter than other social media networks.

It just shows that video marketing can be an effective digital strategy in the Twitter platform. Below, here are some video creation tips from Twitter itself!

WHY SHOULD YOU USE VIDEOS ON TWITTER?

A social media agency Hong Kong highlights 5 reasons why you should use videos on Twitter. 

  • Native videos work well on Twitter. A major number of consumers favored Twitter video ads because they perceive them as less jarring and most relevant. They break in the consumers’ attention more quickly than other premium social media sites. 
  • Twitter is a mobile content platform. Almost 90% of the world’s population used mobile devices. On Twitter, 93% of video views happened on mobile apps. The platform also allows brands and businesses to easily create and share videos. Thus, video creation on Twitter means a larger reach. 
  • Twitter Live videos are exploding. Since Twitter acquired Periscope, a live streaming app, it created new opportunities to level up live streaming on the platform. Today, Twitter live videos become an experience not only for professional content creators but even for small brands and businesses. The new Periscope video tools level up live broadcasts for everyone.
  • Twitter Videos spark meaningful conversations. A unique feature of Twitter is conversational ads. It includes a call-to-action (CTA) button to customize hashtags and encourage conversations. Twitter videos paired with conversational ads have greatly driven conversations. As such, these video ads earned media exposure for brands and businesses at no extra cost. 
  • Videos on Twitter get 10x more engagement. A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong reports that tweets with videos get 10x more engagement than tweets without videos. Videos are the most shared type of content within the microblogging platform.
  1. Tweets with videos are retweeted more than 6x than tweets with photos. 
  2. Tweets with videos are retweeted more than 3x than tweets with GIFs. 

VIDEO CREATION TIPS FROM TWITTER

Twitter has recently published video creation tips to help boost the video strategy of brands and businesses. The list is based on composition notes and engagement trends in the app. 

  • Bring the brand back. Bring back the brand by showing its message within the first three seconds of a Twitter video ad. A brand message conveyed in the first 3 seconds of a video ad increases overall metrics by 13%. While displaying the brand in a video content increase recall by 25%. It is, thus, critical to making a brand stand out quickly to grab the target audiences’ attention.
  • Clearly position your logo. A logo represents a brand or a business. Clearly positioning your logo on Twitter video ads increases brand recall by 30%. Twitter recommends logo placement on the upper-left corner of the frame. Using a dynamic logo can also add up to 14% unaided brand recall. 
  • Have a sound-off strategy. Since Twitter is a mobile content platform, most viewers watch Twitter video ads sound-off. It is because they browse while chatting with family & friends, commuting, or in the workroom. They typically consume Twitter videos on the go. To capture these on the go mobile viewers, use text captions and descriptions. They drive a 28% longer view time than Twitter videos without captions.
  • Keep it short and simple. Modern consumers have a short attention span. So, it is important to grab the audiences’ attention in the first few seconds of a Twitter video. Twitter videos should also be kept at or under 15 seconds in length. Like a content copy under 100 characters, shorter Twitter videos result in 5% higher metrics breakthrough. 
  • Open with a product. Today, brands and businesses should focus more on the content of a Twitter video ad. The opening of a video ad should start with a product to increase click intent by 34% and positive interest by 24%. Highlighting human interaction on the product can also increase overall response from the Twitter nation by 40%.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Video marketing is an effective strategy to promote brands, products, and services. It is an effective marketing approach not only on Twitter but for all social media platforms as well. 

Reference: https://twitter.com/TwitterBusiness/status/1453040904609095684

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

8 New Twitter Marketing Strategies for 2021

Twitter Marketing Strategies

Twitter is the most popular microblogging social media website in the world. Tweets involve brief messages or short pieces of content about personal events. According to a social media agency Hong Kong, such tweet feeds encourage communication and engagement with other people. They make Twitter a go-to place for news and trends.

Lately, a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong notes that Twitter is boosting its eCommerce tools. As the platform’s main focus is Twitter for business, it has continuously introduced new features and tools for marketing. Below are 8 new Twitter marketing strategies using new Twitter tools for 2021.

15-Second Video Views

Last June, Twitter a new buying model for video ads. It is called the 15-second video views. According to a video marketing agency Hong Kong, such a video ad campaign objective only charge marketer when a viewer clicks the video link and watch it for 15 seconds. 15-second video views encourage brands and businesses for more meaningful shoots to promote products and services. It is one of 8 new Twitter marketing strategies as 58% of modern consumers typically watch business videos that are less than 60 seconds. It also aligns with the new Facebook and Google updates. Facebook now strongly encourages brands and businesses to keep videos short and sweet – most likely under 15 seconds. Google, on the other hand, allows 15-second videos and under as non-skippable video ads.

Carousel Ad Formats

Last November 2020, Twitter launched “Carousel Ads.” They allow brands and businesses to upload 2 to 6 photos and videos in an ad. During the testing stage, Twitter saw carousel ad formats to have increase click-through rate by 15%. An edge-to-edge carousel ad format can be a great Twitter marketing strategy for showing multiple product displays and longer images. They also make it easier to create multiple designs in a single Twitter ad. 

Nudges

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitter started testing nudges, which they officially launched last February. They are retweet prompts encouraging the Twitter nation to read the content before sharing it. They are part of Twitter’s effort to avoid sharing inaccurate and misleading information. So, what does this update has to do with Twitter marketing? Nudges can boost credibility and engagement among brands and businesses. They are a great way to establish the credibility of brands and businesses. By encouraging truthful information within the platform, people will have more trust and confidence to connect with tweets. 

Super Follow 

Twitter started introducing paid subscriptions last February of this year. Last September, the platform officially launched the “Super Follow” option. The option allows any active Twitter professional profile with 10K followers and up to offer exclusive Twitter content and premium privileges in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. Followers can enjoy these perks through tiered payments of $2.99, $4.99, or $9.99 monthly. Built under the 4Fs of Creator needs (Fame, Feeling of Love, Fun, Funds), such a new Twitter marketing strategy can bring in more cash to brands and businesses.

Twitter Blue

Twitter Blue is the first paid subscription service of Twitter. Last June, the platform officially launched Twitter Blue in Australia and Canada. With a monthly subscription fee of either AUD 4.49 and CAD 3.49, Twitter users can access the following features, perks, and tools.

  1. A selection of custom app icons that one can use on a device.
  2. Bookmark Folders to categorize saved tweets into topics.
  3. Color theme exclusive for the subscriber’s UX display.
  4. Dedicated access to a Twitter Blue Support team.
  5. Reader Mode to turn tweet threads into an easy-to-read single stream.
  6. Undo tweets to delete tweets within 30-second after posting.

Twitter Blue can be a great Twitter marketing strategy to promote exclusive content among your loyal followers.

Twitter Spaces

Twitter Spaces are live audio rooms that are similar to Clubhouse. It allows Twitter users to host audio conversations within the platform. Launched last May, Spaces can be a great Twitter marketing strategy. Brands and businesses can use them to create hype about their upcoming offerings, initiate live events, or simply update their audiences with what is happening lately. Twitter Spaces are initially available to Android and iOS. Another thing to note, Twitter Spaces do not have any time limit yet.

Verification of Twitter Profiles

Last May, Twitter relaunched the verification of public profiles. But it was stopped right after a week. The halt was due to an unprecedented influx of profiles applying for account verification. Besides, Twitter is also implementing less restrictive criteria. Recently, Twitter introduced NFT profile verification. By connecting a digital wallet to a Twitter account, brands and businesses can display unique NFT avatars. They somewhat add a sense of credibility to an account, which has proven to boost the rate of engagement by 30%. 

Voice Tweets

Last January, Twitter enabled “voice tweets.” They allow users to upload playable audio files up to 2 minutes and 30 seconds long. Members of the Twitter nation can now listen to these types of tweets directly on the platform. Voice tweets can be a perfect Twitter marketing strategy among the hearing impaired. Better yet, it aligns with the rising audio trends. Voice tweets appeal to more than 42% of modern consumers. 57% o people agreed that they are a more engaging form of content.  

Reference: https://localiq.com/blog/twitter-updates-2021/

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

The Benefits of a Good Website Design

The Benefits of a Good Website Design.

As of January 2021, there are 4.66 billion active users of the Internet around the world. That is more than half of the world’s population. Three of the most popular activities that people do on the Internet are emailing, looking for products and services, and navigating online maps for driving directions. As people do online searches before buying a brand or product, it is thus important to have a business website.

According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, a good website design increases the value of a brand or business. It can help generate leads and increase the revenues and sales of a brand or business. Below, let us have a basic discussion about what makes a great website and the benefits of a good website design. 

WHAT MAKES A GOOD WEBSITE DESIGN?

A social media agency Hong Kong defines a good website design as literally user-friendly. It should make the user think less. This is by ensuring that they can go from one page to another in a clear, easy, and efficient manner. Today, there are much more elements needed to make a great website. But it will be easier than you think if you stick to the following principles.

  • A great website must have a CLEAR AUDIENCE. The first step to creating a great website is defining your target persona. You should know their interests, needs, and preferences. Use all this information to design a website that they would like.
  • A great website must have a CLEAR PURPOSE. Make sure that you understand your goals in creating a website.
  • A great website must have STRAIGHTFORWARD NAVIGATION. It should be easy to fulfill the purpose of your website and for users to navigate around.
  • A great website should be DISTINCTIVE and UNIQUE. It should use content that is valuable to your audiences, consistent elements for branding, high-quality imagery, and legible fonts that match the brand’s general style. 
  • A great website should have FAST PAGE SPEEDS. If your pages load slowly, visitors may likely abandon your website. 
  • A great website should have a MOBILE-FIRST MINDSET. A large part of users on the Internet accessed eCommerce pages, search engines, and social media via mobile devices. Make sure that your website content flows easily on small screens.

Brands and businesses should always remember that a website is the number one digital marketing asset. So, it is vital to keep it great to win against the market competition. 

THE BENEFITS OF A GOOD WEBSITE DESIGN

  • Aid In Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy. Most people search on the Internet for ideas, products, and services. Most brands and businesses want to be on top of search engine results. Google is the largest search engine in the world today. A good website adopts SEO practices that can help your content rank among Google searches. A video marketing agency Hong Kong highlights the importance of ranking on Google. Putting relevant keywords on the content title, description, and tags can improve traffic on your website. The traffic allows brands and businesses to convert them into customers and loyal followers.
  • Build Trust with Your Audience. Brands and businesses need to update their website content and information. People do not trust outdated websites. A good website design shows people that a brand or business is actively transacting online. It builds trust among audiences knowing that a website is well-maintained and secured. On the contrary, people often viewed outdated websites as seedy and shady. They do not trust sites with inaccurate and poor information.
  • Creates Consistency. A good website design is important because it creates consistency and helps the brand or business from being remembered. Uniform fonts, layouts, and styles across every page make it easier for people to recognize a brand or business. If you have different fonts, layouts, and styles on every page, it will make a website look unprofessional. It will make people bounce from your page to other pages that look more professional.
  • Sets First Impressions. A popular mantra is, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” Even in the online world, the first impression matters very much. A good website design appears confident and organized. It promotes credibility and trust among new visitors. When it comes to sales, a positive first impression determines whether a customer will buy from you or your competitor. As such, brands and businesses should focus on creating a positive experience on a website’s landing page. 
  • Tool for Customer Service and Support. People can judge brands and businesses based on how you will treat them on your own website. A good website design can be a tool for customer service and support. If you have a tab where users can readily get help on their queries, they will view your website as one they can depend on. If you don’t put any effort into creating a good website design, it creates an impression that you will also exert effort in helping them.  
  • Your Competitors Do It. The last benefit of a good website design is making you stay ahead of the competition. Almost all brands and businesses have a website of their own. Making yours better keeps you ahead of them and the top choice among potential customers.

Reference: https://blog.red-website-design.co.uk/2021/09/03/why-web-design-important/

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

Showcase Your Products for Free on Google

Google Merchant Center

Getting products and services to appear online can make or break a business. Google is the answer to such a need. It is the largest search engine in the world, with more than 90% reach to online consumers and over 2 million websites. No wonder more than 7 million advertisers engage in Google Ads PPC. 

Most small businesses and startups have a limited budget on pay-to-play to showcase their brand online. But the good news is, there are ways to showcase your products for free on Google, as noted by a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong. Even though they do not cost money, they can get your brand to Google images, Shopping, and more organically. 

Begin with Google Merchant Center

Google Merchant Center is a Google property where you can reach hundreds of millions of people daily. These people are looking to buy products and services from brands and businesses. As an online marketplace, Google Merchant Center will connect you with the right customers at the right moment.

The first step is to create a Google account if you don’t have one. Afterward, you can now grow your business with Google Merchant Center. Head to merchants.google.com and follow the guide to identify how Google can help your business. Enter the URL of your eCommerce website and follow the simple steps to tell Google the information it needs about your business. You can now showcase your products for free on Google.

Complete Your Business Information

Your business name, store name, or website name will appear next to each product that you showcase for free on Google. But this is not enough to rank on Google searches. You will need to complete your business information to boost visibility. 

With a Google My Business account, you get more than just a listing. You can boost reach and drive customer engagement for free. All you need to do is complete your business information. These include business categories or niches, contact numbers, email, operating hours, physical address or addresses of your stores, and URLs of your websites. 

Integrate Your Third-Party Platform

Are you working with third-party platforms to promote your products online? Or do you have you build your business or eCommerce website? To further showcase your products on Google, you may need to integrate your third-party platforms with your Google Merchant account.

Linking your accounts can help Google understand your business more. It can then provide better services to your business and link third-party platforms. A social media agency Hong Kong also highlights the importance of linking your social media pages with Google Merchant. It is a way to build and sync interconnected online stores to boost visibility on Google searches. As a way to build up your online identity, it also provides merchant trust and quality signals. 

Review Your Product Listings

You will also need to review your listings to better showcase your products for free on Google. Update them from time to time. Under published products, click a product title to see its details and tools. You can then edit and update them based on your preferences. You can also sync inventories across all programs.

If you are using Shopify, Google will automatically detect and import your updated product listing. But for social media Shops and other third-party platforms, you may need to do it manually. Most online searchers look for product ratings and reviews. According to a video marketing agency Hong Kong, the best way to showcase them on Google is to add short testimonial clips of happy customers.

Use the Merchant Center Flow to Help Google Understand Your Products

The Merchant Center Flow helps Google understand your products more. It will match your product information with the most relevant queries. First, you will need to verify your website. Then you will have to set up your shipping information for customers to know how long it will take for an item to reach them together with its delivery cost. If you are a seller from the United States, you will also need to set up the tax information for your business.

After Google identifies your website, it may automatically add your product listing on your Merchant account. All you need to do is to confirm the product entries. If you have less than 100 products on your list, Google recommends manually adding them. As such, you can configure the following data:

  • Brand Name
  • Manufacturer Part Number (MPN) 
  • Strong product identifiers like Global Trade Item Number (GTIN)

From these data, Google will better understand your products and match them with the most relevant searches.

Through Google Merchant Center, you can also update your product attributes to specify color, condition, material, pattern, and size. You can also ensure uploading high-quality images to capture the customers’ attention.  

Visibility

Google wants to ensure that a business provides the best customer experience. So, as a last step before the final review, it will ask you to see and agree with the terms and conditions of Google Policies. Afterward, you will just need to wait for an email as a go signal that you can showcase your products for free on Google. 

Reference: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/378043

Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video Marketing

A Half-Year Review of the Top Social Media Platforms

Social Media

There are 4.48 billion social media users around the world today. It means that 2/3 of the global population have at least one social media account. As such, brands and businesses focus on social media marketing. It is an essential key to success in promoting their products and services online. For many, social media is a way to connect to the world. According to a social media agency Hong Kong, it is also a place to find ideas and inspiration. That is why the marketing strategies in these online platforms are very different. First, you need to educate your target audience to give them ideas. Second, you also need to be creative in engaging and inspiring them.

There are so many social media platforms available online. The challenge for brands and businesses is choosing the right one. To help them make better decisions, here’s a half-year review of the top social media platforms.

CLUBHOUSE

The Clubhouse app is a social audio app launched last March 2020. A digital marketing speaker Hong Kong highlighted that it revolutionized the audio marketing industry. Other social media platforms tried to clone the app. The Clubhouse app was initially invite-only in iOS but has recorded 13 million downloads in less than a year. Today, it has enabled Android download and has opened its membership to the public. The audio chat app now has 20 million downloads. With 10 million monthly active users, Clubhouse is now worth $4 billion in a Series C round. 

FACEBOOK

The king of social media has now grown to 2.895 billion monthly active users. Almost fifty percent of its members come from the Asia-Pacific region. Its quarterly revenue stands at $29,077 billion. A large part of the earnings came from Canada, Europe, and the United States. Facebook now focuses on AR and VR innovations. It is also adding features and tools for live broadcast and paid online events. By 09 August 2021, it will hold the first-ever movie premiere. With Facebook Pay being made available among 3rd party platforms, this year may be a huge leap for Facebook paid services.

INSTAGRAM

Since Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, it has become one of the most influential social media platforms globally. With a large number of millennials using the app, the platform switched from photo-sharing into photo-and-video-sharing. As of Q2 of 2021, Instagram has 1.386 billion monthly active users. Its revenue stands at $18.16 billion. At the beginning of 2021, Instagram introduced a “Professional Dashboard.” It houses all the features and tools a brand or business needs to manage an Instagram account. The platform has also integrated its Messaging API, allowing access to multiple Instagram pages.

LINKEDIN

The largest online network of professionals now has 774 million monthly active users. LinkedIn was also currently on track to generate $3.7 billion for this full year. A video marketing agency Hong Kong notes that LinkedIn posts with videos are 20x more likely to be shared than any other forms of posts. It may be the reason why the platform focuses mainly on enhancing LinkedIn Stories as of these days. It was introduced in late September 2020. Last January, LinkedIn enabled the automatic “follow” action and swipe up button to enhance its Stories features. 

PINTEREST

After reporting a series of consecutive growth for 11 quarters, Pinterest showed a slight decline in Q2 of 2021. It now has 454 million monthly active users. But its revenue grew to $613 million, on track with a growth of 125% year over year. Pinterest has noted that the decline is due to the easing restrictions on physical stores. Brick-and-mortar shops are slowly coming back. It makes shoppers shift back to store visits instead of online searches. As such, Pinterest now focuses on expanding its virtual try-ons. Initially, the visual search engine enabled it among makeup products from big global brands. Recently, it enabled a virtual test drive for Volkswagen. Pinterest has also added more ways for creators to earn money. These include product tags and paid partnerships.

SNAPCHAT

Snapchat now has 293 million monthly active users. Its revenue now stands at $982 million. It is a solid increase in both account and profit growth. After a shaky period resulting from the launch of Instagram Stories, the messaging app is now recovering. It has seen significant growth in India after the TikTok ban. Recently, the platform launched the “Open Your Snapchat” video campaign in key cities of the world. It also introduced the “Campaign Lab,” a hub for creating Snap Ads. 

TIKTOK

TikTok is a Chinese short video clip app that recently made waves around the world. Because of the rapid growth among its users, many social media platforms cloned the app. There are Reels from Facebook, Shorts from YouTube, and Spotlight from Snapchat. TikTok became the first non-Facebook app to hit 3 billion downloads. It is estimated to have 689 million monthly active users today. Its current revenue now passed $2.5 billion. Thus, it became one of the non-gaming apps with a revenue greater than $1 billion since 2014. TikTok has greeted the world with a whirlwind of short amateur videos. Because of the fun and interactive elements, people started using them as a daily routine. They cater to a variety of genres – brands, celebrities, millennials, and kids. 

TWITTER

Twitter’s revenue was up to $1.19 billion in Q2 of 2021. It also has 206 million daily active users. It was a strong quarter for the microblogging site. The platform has added several paid subscription services to boost its revenue. These include Twitter Blue, newsletter sign-up, Super Follow, ticketed Spaces, and Tomorrow weather subscription. Today, many brands and businesses feel more positive about Twitter marketing. As the platform houses current global events conversations and ramps up in enhancing its marketing tools, Twitter is becoming the biggest threat to Facebook.

YOUTUBE

The video-sharing platform accelerated back to high growth as it reached $7 billion in revenue in Q2 of 2021. YouTube now stands at 2 billion monthly active users. Alphabet, Google’s parent company who owned YouTube reported that there was a spike in advertising revenue resulting from the lockdowns and social distancing measures from the COVID pandemic. Shopping behaviors were forced to shift from physical stores to eCommerce websites. Plus, videos have greatly influenced shoppers to learn more about a brand, product, or service.