We’ve got exciting news; Invesp is now an official Shopify Plus Partner!

If you’re running an e-commerce brand, you already know that Shopify Plus is more than just an online store builder. It’s a powerful platform designed for high-growth brands that need customization, flexibility, and serious scalability.

At Invesp, we’ve spent the last two decades helping e-commerce brands maximize conversions, increase revenue, and create better shopping experiences. Now, as an official Shopify Plus Partner, we’re taking that expertise even further.

What Does This Partnership Mean for You?

Shopify Plus is built for brands that are scaling fast; but growth brings complexity. You need to keep conversions high, optimize user experience, and ensure every experiment you run leads to real business impact. That’s where we come in.

Here’s how this new partnership benefits you:

1. More Advanced A/B Testing & Experimentation

One of the biggest challenges Shopify store owners face is platform limitations on testing and customization. But with Shopify Plus, we can unlock deeper insights and run more advanced A/B tests—whether it’s optimizing checkout, personalizing customer experiences, or refining product pages.

This means we can test bigger ideas, make data-backed changes faster, and drive more revenue for your business.

2. Exclusive Shopify Plus Tools at Your Disposal

Being a Shopify Plus Partner gives us access to exclusive tools like:

• Custom checkout experiences – Optimize every step of the buying process to reduce cart abandonment.
• Shopify Functions – Customize discounts, promotions, and backend logic to fit your business needs.
• Enhanced automation – Set up workflows that streamline operations and improve efficiency.

With these tools, we can go beyond just “running tests” and create a more profitable, seamless experience for your customers.

3. Faster Implementation, Less Guesswork

When you’re optimizing an online store, speed matters. As a Shopify Plus Partner, we have direct access to Shopify’s resources, priority support, and insider knowledge—which means we can move faster and get results quicker.

Instead of spending weeks (or months) trying to implement conversion strategies, we can roll out tests, analyze results, and make high-impact changes without delays.

4. A CRO Agency That Truly Understands Shopify Plus

Not all CRO strategies work the same way on every platform. Shopify Plus has its own ecosystem, features, and best practices. Now that we’re an official partner, we’re deeply integrated into the Shopify Plus world; which means we can help you avoid common pitfalls and implement strategies that actually work.

Whether it’s increasing average order value (AOV), optimizing your checkout process, or improving mobile conversions, we bring two decades of CRO experience combined with Shopify Plus expertise to drive real, measurable results.

What’s Next?

If you’re already on Shopify Plus (or considering upgrading), this is the perfect time to take your conversion rates to the next level.

• Are you struggling with abandoned carts?
  Want to see how custom checkout experiences can increase conversions?
  Need expert guidance on running A/B tests on Shopify Plus?

Let’s talk. As a Shopify Plus Partner, we’re here to help you turn more visitors into customers, more clicks into purchases, and more tests into wins.

Book a call with us today and let’s grow your Shopify Plus store together!

The post Invesp Is Now a Shopify Plus Partner: Here’s What That Means for Your Business appeared first on Invesp.

If COVID-19 has proved anything, it’s how even the most successful ecommerce businesses can face unexpected challenges.

So many things can trigger fluctuations in the market—from economic crises to shifting customer expectations and even technological advancements.

However, you can weather this storm with the right Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) and a customer-centric approach. 

In this comprehensive guide, we discuss the causes and impacts of market volatility on ecommerce businesses. 

More importantly, we talk about CRO tactics, from data-driven insights and website optimization to personalization and customer retention strategies, that will help you make your ecommerce business more resilient and adaptable.

Understanding Market Volatility in Ecommerce 

Remember the 2008 financial crisis? That’s a prime example of market volatility. 

The ecommerce market isn’t any different and is equally vulnerable to changing tides.

But what could be the potential causes of market volatility in ecommerce businesses?  

Potential Causes of Market Volatility in Ecommerce 

Economic Factors: When the economy stumbles, it also affects the ecommerce market. 

• Recession: Without cash flow, people’s buying power takes a hit. 
• Inflation: Higher prices mean fewer dollars for discretionary spending, impacting everything from electronics to fashion.
• Interest Rates: Rising rates can make borrowing more expensive, affecting both businesses and consumers.

Shifts in Consumer Behavior: Consumer tastes are fickle, and trends change faster than you can say “TikTok.”

• Fads: Remember fidget spinners? They were everywhere, then disappeared just as quickly.
• Social Movements: Movements like “Buy Local” or concerns about sustainability can influence where people shop.
• Pandemic Effects: COVID-19 drove a massive shift to online shopping, but as the world reopens, those habits are evolving.

Technological Changes: Ecommerce thrives on innovation, but it also means adapting to constant change.

• New Platforms: Social commerce (think buying directly on Instagram) is exploding, forcing businesses to adjust their strategies.
• AI and Automation: AI transforms the customer experience from chatbots to personalized recommendations.

Impact of Market Volatility on Ecommerce Businesses

Now that we know the potential culprits of the market volatility in ecommerce businesses, what could be the consequences? 

Demand and Supply Fluctuations:

• During a recession, demand for luxury goods might plummet while essentials like groceries hold steady.
• Supply chain disruptions, like those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, can lead to shortages and price hikes.  

Pricing Challenges: 

• Inflation pressures businesses to raise prices, but consumers are always hunting for the best deal.
• Competitor pricing becomes even more critical as everyone tries to stay afloat.

Customer Acquisition and Retention: Keeping customers loyal gets tougher.

• CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) can skyrocket as competition for attention intensifies.
• Consumers might become more price-sensitive, leading to higher churn rates.

Role of CRO in Mitigating Market Volatility for Ecommerce Businesses

Many businesses crumbled under the pressure of the Great Depression, but those who innovated and adapted found ways to survive and even thrive. 

Similarly, in the face of market volatility, CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) can be your secret weapon for flourishing.

Here’s how CRO can help you mitigate market volatility for your ecommerce business: 

• Maximizing Existing Traffic: When the market gets shaky, acquiring new customers gets costly. CRO helps you squeeze every value drop from your existing traffic, turning window shoppers into paying customers.

• Targeted Messaging: Consumers crave reassurance and value. CRO helps you craft laser-focused messaging that addresses their concerns and compellingly motivates them to buy.

• Agility and Adaptability: CRO helps you stay ahead of volatility. You can quickly adapt your strategies to changing circumstances by constantly testing and iterating.

These are just a few ways CRO practices can help you overcome ecommerce volatility. 

The more CRO strategies you implement, the stronger your business will be in the face of unexpected challenges.

CRO Strategies for Stability and Shielding Ecommerce Businesses Against Market Volatility

1. Data Analysis

Explorers used to go on expeditions to discover unchartered territories, armed with maps, compasses, and journals to record their findings.

In the ecommerce world, data analysis is your map, compass, and journal all rolled into one. It helps you understand your customers, website, and overall business performance. 

Here’s how you can use data analysis to shield your ecommerce business against market volatility:

• Identifying Trends: Analyze data over time to uncover emerging trends in customer behavior, product preferences, and market conditions. This allows you to anticipate changes and adapt your strategies proactively.

• Pinpointing Bottlenecks: Data analysis can help identify where customers drop off in your sales funnel. This could be a clunky checkout process, confusing product descriptions, or a slow-loading website. Addressing these bottlenecks can improve the customer experience and increase conversions.

• Measuring the Impact of Changes: Tracking the results is crucial whenever you make changes to your website or marketing campaigns. Data analysis allows you to measure the impact of these changes and determine whether they have a positive or negative effect.

When you understand your customers’ preferences and why they behave the way they do on your site, it becomes easier to make customer-centric decisions. 

You’ll also be able to personalize user experiences based on the uncovered insights. This could involve recommending products based on browsing history, sending targeted email campaigns, or tailoring website content to users’ interests.

2. Website Optimization

Your website is your storefront, and in a volatile market, you want to ensure it’s welcoming. 

Think of it this way: Is it easier to shop at a well-organized department store with clear signs and helpful staff than at a cluttered flea market where you can’t find what you need?

The answer is most likely the former. 

Your ecommerce website will be the most significant representative of your business. You need to optimize it to bring you business even during market volatility. 

Start by improving your site’s navigation. 

Keep your menu simple and intuitive, like a well-marked trail. 

Use clear labels and categories so visitors can easily find what they want. Remember to add a search bar, which allows them to jump to the right product. 

Take a page from Apple’s book. Their website is a masterclass in navigation. The clean design and intuitive layout make it easy to find any product, even with their vast inventory.

And with more and more people shopping on their phones, make sure your website is mobile-friendly so it looks great and works seamlessly on smaller screens.

The next step is to create actionable product pages that directly address users’ pain points.

Write clear, concise descriptions highlighting the benefits and answering any questions the buyer might have. Remember to include customer reviews and ratings—social proof is powerful, especially in times of uncertainty. 

And offer multiple payment and shipping options to make the purchase process a breeze.

Moreover, go beyond the basics and personalize your audience’s experience with live chat. 

During market volatility, you must find a way to make your customers’ buying experience as smooth and pleasant as possible. 

One way to do this is to incorporate live chat into your website. It’s like walking into a retail store and getting assistance from a salesperson. 

Make it personalized and human-like—not just your regular live chat to capture customer data. For example, as soon as a customer gets stuck, your live chat functionality should be able to assist them. 

It should also answer questions, offer personalized recommendations, redirect visitors to a specific webpage, and nudge them toward a potential purchase. 

For example, Tymo Beauty leverages live chat on their ecommerce website to give you any product-related information, product status, refunds, and more.

Rather than searching for this information, website visitors can ask the live chat within seconds. This makes the shopping experience a breeze and pleasant—something most customers will appreciate even when times are tough. 

Add compelling CTAs (call to action) to guide your audience toward the next step. They should be immediately visible to potential buyers, compelling them to purchase without confusion. 

Finally, focus on page load speed. If your web pages take more than a few seconds to load, don’t expect potential buyers to stay. They’ll immediately take an exit and take their businesses somewhere else. 

To optimize page load speed:

• Compress your images and minimize the size of your videos.
• Use a content delivery network (CDN) to distribute your website’s content across multiple servers for quicker access. 
• Keep JavaScript and other scripts to a minimum, as these can bog down your site.

These are just some ways to optimize your website to protect yourself against market volatility and keep the customers rolling in. 

3. A/B Testing

Like scientists test different hypotheses to find the best solution, A/B testing lets you compare different versions of your website to see which one performs better.

You create two versions of an element on your site—it could be a CTA button, color options, theme, and more. 

Then, you show both versions to your target audience. The version that gets the best results goes live on the official website. 

Here are some quick tips to make the most out of your A/B testing results: 

• Start with a clear hypothesis. What do you want to test, and what results are you hoping to see?
• Test one element at a time. This makes it easier to isolate the impact of each change.
• Use a large enough sample size. The more data you collect, the more reliable your results will be.
• Be patient. A/B tests can take time to produce statistically significant results.

To get a deeper insight, follow this guide to A/B testing to optimize your ecommerce site and fortify it against market instability. 

4. Streamlined Checkout Process

Your job isn’t complete even when potential customers reach the cart. They can still abandon the cart if things don’t go their way or even one step appears confusing. 

After all, the average cart abandonment rate hovers at 69.99%—which is relatively high. 

So, how do you create a checkout process that your target audience would never want to abandon? Here are some tips to reduce your cart abandonment rate: 

• Minimize Steps: Aim for as few steps as possible between the shopping cart and order confirmation.

• Guest Checkout: Only some people want to create an account. Offer a guest checkout option to reduce friction for first-time buyers.

• Clear Progress Indicators: Let customers know exactly where they are in the checkout process. A progress bar or step indicators can help manage expectations and reduce anxiety.

• Multiple Payment Options: Don’t limit your customers to one payment method. Offer various options, including credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and buy-now-pay-later services.

• Autofill: Save returning customers time and effort by auto-filling their shipping and billing information.

Take Allbirds’ checkout design, for example.

It stands out with its express checkout option and trusted payment methods. What’s more, in addition to the usual PayPal, it allows customers to checkout using newer options, which is convenient for users who may not use PayPal. 

They also offer a convenient guest checkout option, an order preview to confirm details, and visible terms and conditions. 

These features create a smooth and trustworthy checkout experience for customers.

5. Personalization and Dynamic Pricing

Think of the Industrial Revolution. Factories churned out identical products for the masses, but with competition worldwide, this doesn’t work anymore.  

Consumers today expect unique experiences tailored just for them—personalization precisely gives them that.

To keep customer interest at the forefront, offer them: 

• Personalized Recommendations: Use customer data to recommend items they’re likely to love based on their browsing history, purchase history, and demographic information.

• Targeted Offers and Promotions: Segment your customers and send them personalized offers based on their interests and past behavior. For example, you could send a coupon for hiking gear to someone who bought a pair of hiking boots.

At the same time, you can leverage dynamic pricing. In times of market uncertainty, like the 2020 pandemic, customer needs and preferences can change rapidly.  

Adjust your prices in real time based on demand, inventory levels, and even individual customer behavior. It’s like a farmer’s market—prices fluctuate depending on the season and the buyer’s haggling skills.

The airline and hotel industry is one of the most significant examples of dynamic pricing. 

Have you ever noticed how flight and hotel prices change every month and season, sometimes even multiple times a day? That’s dynamic pricing in action. 

Their algorithms adjust prices based on factors like demand, time of booking, and even your browsing history.

All in all, dynamic pricing allows you to respond quickly to shifts in demand, while personalization helps you connect with customers on a deeper level. 

Build a Customer Retention Strategy to Shield Your Business Against Market Volatility 

When markets are going haywire, it’s easier to convince your existing customers to shop than to attain new ones. 

However, you must build a customer retention strategy that turns regular customers into loyal brand advocates. 

1. Loyalty Programs

Everyone likes to feel special. Loyalty programs give your repeat customers VIP treatment with exclusive perks, early access to sales, and rewards for their continued business. It’s like a frequent flyer program—the more you fly, the more benefits you get.

Take a leaf out of Sephora’s Beauty Insider program, which has been a massive success among its audience.

Their loyal customers receive tiered rewards and access to exclusive events, which keep them engaged and coming back for more.

Quick tips to create a loyalty program: 

• Keep it simple and easy to understand.
• Offer rewards that genuinely matter to your customers.
• Surprise and delight them with unexpected perks.

2. Effective Communication

Communicating with your customers even long after they’ve purchased from you is essential. It helps you stay visible and builds trust and loyalty. 

Keep them updated with regular emails about new products, promotions, and company updates. Be transparent about any challenges, and show appreciation for their continued support.

3. Email Marketing

Email is still one of the most powerful tools for staying connected with your customers.  Use it to send personalized product recommendations, remind them of items left in their cart, or simply say “thank you” for their business.

Here are some quick email marketing tips to build customer loyalty and retain them for years on end: 

• Segment your email list to send targeted campaigns.
• Use eye-catching subject lines and visuals.
• Optimize your emails for mobile devices.

Leverage Technology to Overcome Market Volatility

Modern tools and technology are among the most stellar ways to beat market volatility. 

Incorporate AI-powered chatbots. 

If you don’t have the budget to hire multiple sales reps or are struggling to find a way to provide top-notch customer service, AI-powered chatbots are your best friend. 

They can instantly answer customer questions, guide them through buying, and even upsell products. It’s like having a 24/7 sales team that never sleeps.

Like in the customer loyalty program department, Sephora excels here as well. 

Sephora’s Virtual Artist tool uses augmented reality to let customers try on makeup virtually. It’s a game-changer for online beauty shopping.

Predictive Analytics

Instead of guessing what customers might do next, predictive analytics uses data to forecast their behavior and anticipate future trends.

Data collection is at the heart of predictive analysis. 

First, you need to gather data about your customers. This can include everything from their browsing behavior on your site and purchase history to demographic information and even social media activity. 

You can use behavioral analytics tools like Google Analytics and FigPii to help you uncover user behavior. 

You can also use customer relationship management (CRM) software like Salesforce and even social media listening tools to gather information about your customers. 

Once you have a large enough data set, use machine learning algorithms to uncover patterns in your collected data. Platforms like IBM Watson Studio or BigML can help you analyze vast amounts of information and extract valuable insights.

The next step is to utilize predictive modeling tools to forecast customer behavior. This includes who’s likely to buy, what they’ll buy, and when they’ll buy it. 

Now you know what your customers want, which gives you a near-correct idea of what they might buy. It is not just about their buying patterns; it also gives you an idea of their issues, whether they require better customer service or how likely they are to purchase again. 

All these details will help you deliver tailored product recommendations, targeted promotions, and optimized pricing to your customers, eventually retaining them and increasing your revenue. 

Navigating Ecommerce Volatility: Your CRO Compass for Sustained Success!

After the COVID-19 pandemic, we know that market volatility in an ecommerce business can always strike. While we can’t ever be sure about the ups and downs of the market, we can fortify ourselves against these uncertainties. 

These Conversion Rate Optimization strategies are your surefire way of alleviating disaster in times of trouble. 

Collect customer data to predict buying behavior and provide the best service possible. The better service you provide, the more loyal your customers will be. And these loyal customers will remain steadfast buyers even during uncertain markets. 

Don’t overlook the latest technology, either. AI-powered chatbots and modern predictive analysis tools are your way to your customers’ good books.  

Remember, it’s not just about surviving—it’s about thriving, no matter what the market throws your way.

If you’re an ecommerce business seeking guidance in navigating market volatility, you might also want to get expert assistance. In that case, Invesp can be an invaluable asset. 

The post Shielding E-commerce Businesses Against Market Volatility appeared first on Invesp.

Direct mail has long been a staple in the marketing mix, offering a way to reach customers offline efficiently. The average conversion rate for direct mail marketing campaigns typically ranges between 0.5 to 2%, meaning for every 100 mailers, one can anticipate approximately 1 or 2 purchases or responses. 

However, direct mail doesn’t just drive conversions; it plays a crucial role in increasing brand awareness and launching new products. Despite the rise of online marketing, physical mailboxes are still less crowded than our inboxes, providing an opportunity for a significantly higher response rate – up to 9 percent, according to the Association of National Advertisers. 

With the right approaches, direct mail can reach new customers and boost sales, and be combined with digital marketing strategies to enhance its effectiveness.

Key Takeaways

• Average direct mail conversion rates range from 0.5 to 2 percent.
• Physical mailboxes offer higher response rates compared to digital inboxes, reaching up to 9 percent with direct mail marketing.
• Direct mail can increase brand awareness, boost sales, and help launch new products.
• Integrating digital marketing strategies with direct mail campaigns can lead to significantly improved results and conversion rates.
• A multi-channel marketing approach, including direct mail and digital strategies, is more effective in reaching target audiences and driving conversions.

Unpacking Average Direct Mail Conversion Rate

When discussing the success of direct mail campaigns, it’s essential to distinguish between response rates and conversion rates. 

While response rates indicate the initial engagement, with figures around 9% as reported by the ANA, conversion rates measure the percentage of those responses that result in the desired action, like a purchase or sign-up. For a balanced evaluation, one must consider both metrics as well as the return on investment (ROI).

Direct mail is known to command impressive conversion rates and ROI when compared to other marketing channels. However, to further improve these outcomes, the integration of digital strategies with direct mail campaigns is essential.

1. Response Rate: A good direct mail response rate for direct mail ranges from about 2.7% to 4.4%, but integrating digital strategies with direct mail campaigns can elevate these numbers significantly.
2. Conversion Rate: Direct mail has an average direct mail conversion rate of 0.5% to 2%, which increases when combined with well-targeted digital marketing efforts like paid search, display, and email.
3. ROI: The return on investment for direct mail varies depending on the specific marketing strategy and execution, but studies show that it often surpasses the ROI of digital channels, especially for brand-building and customer retention initiatives.

By incorporating digital strategies and following best practices, businesses can achieve better results in terms of response, conversion, and overall return on their advertising spend.

Strategies to Boost Your Direct Mail Conversion Rate

Direct mail marketing can achieve impressive results with the right tactics. The following are three strategies that can help optimize your direct mail campaigns, including integrating digital tactics, maximizing impact with targeted mailing lists, and designing for engagement.

1. Integrating Digital Tactics with Traditional Mail

Modern direct mail campaigns are more effective when they integrate digital elements like QR codes and personalized URLs. These trackable calls to action enable marketers to follow customer interactions from physical mail to digital platforms. This hybrid approach enriches the customer experience and provides valuable data for conversion rate optimization.

The addition of digital tactics such as email and social media ads has been shown to improve response rates by approximately 30% over traditional direct mail alone, further accentuating the importance of a multi-channel marketing strategy.

2. Maximizing Impact with Targeted Mailing Lists

The foundation for a successful direct mail campaign starts with a well-constructed mailing list. Segmented lists allow for personalized mailers that directly speak to the interests of a specific target audience. 

This precision targeting leads to higher response rates and better response quality, as recipients are more likely to engage with content that resonates with them.

Whether targeting existing customers (retention campaigns) or seeking new ones (acquisition campaigns), a segmented approach makes direct mail marketing more efficient and effective.

1. House List: A house list consists of existing customers or prospects who have previously engaged with your brand.
2. Targeted Mailing Lists: Purchase mailing lists that cater to your specific target audience, such as demographic or geographic criteria.

3. Designing for Engagement: Crafting Compelling Direct Mail

The design of the direct mail piece can significantly impact its success rate. Engaging formats, like letters, postcards, or promotional materials that catch the eye and provide clear, easy-to-follow calls to action, are crucial. By focusing on the clarity and attractiveness of the offer and CTA, designed direct mail can drive response rates higher.

The following design elements can help compelling direct mail stand out:

• Contrast: Use contrasting colors and font sizes to draw attention to important information or CTAs.
• Bold visuals: Eye-catching visuals can enhance engagement by attracting recipients’ attention.
• Distinct layouts: Experiment with different layouts and formats to find what engages your target audience the most.
• Tactile elements: The choice of envelope over postcard can influence the recipients’ likelihood to respond, as letters in envelopes traditionally have a higher open rate.

Implementing these strategies can improve your direct mail campaign’s performance and maximize conversion rate.

Measuring and Optimizing Your Direct Mail Campaigns

Measuring the impact of a direct mail campaign is essential for continual improvement and to justify the investment. Marketers can collect data on response rates and customer behavior by using trackable elements such as QR codes or personalized landing pages. 

This data can inform future mailings, enabling strategic adjustments to the target audience, message, or design. It’s not just about the number of responses; evaluating the quality of these responses and their contribution to sales and customer loyalty is equally crucial.

Direct mail should ultimately be viewed in the context of its ROI, with considerations for customer acquisition cost (CAC) and cost-per-response, to maximize its efficiency and effectiveness within the marketing mix. Accurately monitoring these metrics through direct mail analytics can help marketers assess campaign costs and make informed decisions to increase sales and response rate optimization.

Optimizing direct mail involves an ongoing process of refining and adjusting elements of the campaign based on the insights gathered from analyzing previous results. This includes identifying the right balance in the marketing mix and honing the message, design, and targeting efforts for maximum impact.

Conclusion

Measuring and optimizing your direct mail campaigns is a vital practice that can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of your marketing strategy. By utilizing data-driven insights, marketers can make informed decisions to drive sales and customer engagement, ultimately resulting in higher ROI and more successful campaigns.

Direct Mail Conversion Rate FAQs

What is the average conversion rate for direct mail marketing campaigns?

The average conversion rate for direct mail marketing campaigns typically ranges between 0.5 to 2 percent. This means for every 100 mailers, one can expect approximately 1 or 2 purchases or responses.

How does integrating digital tactics with traditional mail impact the response rate?

Combining digital strategies, such as QR codes, personalized URLs, email, and social media ads, with direct mail campaigns can improve response rates by approximately 30% over traditional direct mail alone. It provides a multi-channel marketing strategy and enhances the effectiveness of the campaign.

Why is a well-constructed mailing list crucial for direct mail success?

A well-constructed mailing list, particularly a segmented list, allows for personalized mailers that directly appeal to the interests of specific audience segments. This precision targeting leads to higher response rates and better response quality, ultimately improving the direct mail campaign’s overall efficiency and effectiveness.

How can direct mail design contribute to a higher response rate?

An engaging direct mail design, using formats like letters, postcards, or promotional materials, catches the eye and provides clear calls to action. Employing contrast, bold visuals, distinct layouts, and tactile elements can help CTAs stand out and increase the recipients’ likelihood of responding to the mailer.

What strategies can help measure and optimize direct mail campaigns?

Trackable elements like QR codes or personalized landing pages offer data on response rates and customer behavior. Analyzing this data informs future mailings, allowing strategic adjustments to the target audience, message, or design. Evaluating response quality and return on investment (ROI) helps maximize efficiency and effectiveness within the marketing mix.

The post The Average Direct Mail Conversion Rate and the Best Tips to Improve It appeared first on Invesp.

“We’re committed to delivering value and driving growth for our clients,” said Khalid Saleh, CEO of Invesp. “The formation of Sigma Digital represents the coming together of two great companies, each with a proven track record of success. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together as Sigma Digital, and I know that our clients will be too.”

Feras Alhlou, Chairman of e-CENS, echoed the same sentiments, “We empower businesses to succeed in the digital landscape. Our combined expertise in Data and CRO positions us to provide a comprehensive solution to help our clients improve their user experience, increase marketing efficiency, and boost conversion rates. We’re committed to delivering value and driving growth for our clients, and I’m confident that Sigma Digital will lead the way in doing just that.“

The partnership with e-CENS will allow us to expand our range of services to include data analytics, customer data platforms, customer engagement platforms, CRO strategy, experimentation, and AB test implementation. This means that our clients will benefit from the combined expertise of two industry leaders, enabling them to achieve their goals faster and more efficiently.

Sigma Digital is a significant step forward for Invesp, and we’re excited to be partnering with e-CENS to provide a more comprehensive solution to our clients. With a team of experienced professionals, Sigma Digital is poised to drive greater revenue and business growth for our clients. We can’t wait to see what we can achieve together!

The post Invesp and e-CENS Form a Strategic Partnership appeared first on Invesp.

It’s been more than 20 months since our team started working remotely.

Before the lockdowns, a few team members were already working remotely.

Those working from the office only did so three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, everyone worked from home.

In the last 12 months, our team has grown by more than 40%.

We now have team members in 8 countries spanning across 3 continents: North America, Europe, and Africa.

The growth of our team members also means an increase in the number of clients we have. Our client load has also increased by 30% in the last 6 months.

If you’re now wondering how we managed to drive business growth while working remotely, you’re reading the right article.

This article will let you know how we’ve managed to increase productivity and efficiency in the last 20 months.

But before we do that, let’s start by taking a look at what working remotely means.

What is a remote team?

A remote team is a group of employees who work and live in different physical locations but still fulfill a shared business objective and purpose for the employer.

The concept of remote teams is not new. It’s been around for a long time. But, in recent times, it took on an increasingly important role because of tech companies that use digital tools and ecosystems.

Having said that, now let’s look at different ways you can manage a remote team to drive business growth.

Use Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

The challenges faced by remote teams are well-documented. They hit you from the very moment you decide to work remotely. You don’t see each other. And that means you won’t have an overview of what’s going on.

Fortunately, OKRs can help you overcome such challenges.

OKRs are a popular approach for goal-setting, and they help teams focus on what needs to be done and improved at team and company levels.

Sometime last year, our team started using Zokri to set quarterly OKRs. And they have been helpful when it comes to:

• Understanding goals clearly.
• Improving collaboration among team members.
• Tracking progress.
• Goal alignment and prioritization.

So, how can you implement OKRs while working remotely?

If you have too many teams within your organization, you can start by implementing OKRs in one or two teams as a pilot to see how best you can set them. But if you have a small group, you can onboard the whole company at the same time.

There are various ways to set OKRs. You can take a top-down approach and have your department or CEO come up with some OKR ideas for the whole team. Or you can either brainstorm OKR ideas as a team. We usually take the latter approach.

Run Standup Updates and Meetings

When everyone is working from an office, there might be no need for any structured meetings.

You’re always close to your team members. You’re constantly communicating. You probably go out for lunch together. The rhythm of information flows naturally.

But when people are spread out all over the world, and they work asynchronously, you have to find ways to stay connected.

For us, Standuply is one of those tools that keeps everyone in the loop. This scrum tool runs our daily standups and reports, and it can easily be integrated with Slack.

Sidenote: Like many distributed teams, we use tactics from scrum methodology and agile development and many more.

We’ve two structured daily team updates:

The first one is a Slack post. This beginning of day update is a quick, short snippet that notes what you did the previous day and what you’re working on today:

The second update we do is a short (15 mins at most) daily standup meeting. A group call. Each team member gives a brief summary of:

• What they did yesterday,
• What their priorities are today,
• And if they need help from other team members.

Although these updates are brief, they keep everyone aligned and on track.

Host Company Offsite Events

This we do at least once a year. And it’s even more important to do when your team is distributed.

Okay. Before you ask – no, you don’t have to fly people to one location.

Team members in the same country can gather at a local restaurant of their choice, and the company can sponsor the event.

At least that’s how we do it. Tell you what, the value of an offsite isn’t lost no matter how you do it; what matters is that you do it.

There’s something powerful about spending time together in person in a different environment. People tend to feel natural permission to share on a more personal level and to be more vulnerable, intentionally, in a way that fosters connections that are very difficult to create when working remotely or in an office environment.

It’s all about building positive relationships as this tends to facilitate productivity and overall job satisfaction.

Focus on what really matters

As a general rule, nobody at Invesp micromanages anyone – we’ve always worked like this as long as I can remember.

With people collaborating over several time zones, our managers care about three things:

• Time spent on a task,
• Deadlines,
• Meetings,
• And results.

Our clients are billed based on time spent on projects, so it’s vital to hit deadlines and produce results.

It doesn’t matter how a team member designs their work schedule. We know that people’s productive times are different.

Some of our team members do their best work at night. And some are more productive during the day. As long as they track their time, hit deadlines, and produce results, anything else doesn’t really matter.

Use Collaboration Software

Having a huge remote team doesn’t mean working at a slow pace.

As your team grows, you want to create a structure to collaborate and drive business growth as a unit.

And that can be as simple as using the right software such as collaboration tools. These tools are a great way to get your team on the same page.

They allow you to work together through documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that can be accessed from anywhere at any time. And as a bonus, they can help you save time by cutting out hours of back-and-forth emails!

Our team uses a few collaboration tools – Slack, ClickUp, Trello, and Google Docs – for fast communication and project management.

Let’s just take the marketing team as an example.

To make sure that everyone on the marketing team has a clear understanding of what’s happening, the collaboration software they use indicates every task in different lists: to-do, doing, blocked/waiting, ready to review, done, and backlog:

Here’s what their Trello board looks like:

The above Trello board indicates every workload that the marketing team had to do in that quarter. Because of that one board, every marketing team member is on the same page.

They clearly understand what their workload looks like, what everyone else is working on, what needs to be reviewed, what’s blocked, and what’s done.

Although the idea is still the same, the Trello board for our CRO team looks a bit different:

Knowing how to use collaborative tools properly will help you achieve your team goals while still maintaining an efficient workflow.

Conduct One-on-One Meetings With Your Team

This is something we recently started doing.

According to Elizabeth Grace Saunders, the author of How to Invest Your Time Like Money:

“One-on-ones are one of the most important productivity tools you have as a manager, they are where you can ask strategic questions such as, are we focused on the right things? And from a rapport point of view, they are how you show employees that you value them and care about them.”

Our one-on-ones are not about direct reports between a manager and a team member. They are also not performance reviews or anything like that. According to Hamid Maruf, Invesp’s Executive Assistant:

“The idea behind the one-on-one sessions is to guide the team on how they can excel in their careers. We talk about their aspirations, motivations, and what team members want to grow into.”

So how often do we conduct these one-on-one sessions?

Well, we have a small but mighty team – about 30 full-time remote employees in total. So, our Human Resources and Project Managers can conduct one-on-one sessions once every month.

But, you don’t have to do it monthly. In fact, the frequency with which you have one-on-one sessions should be determined by how big or small your company is, the size of your teams, and the experience level of your employees.

But if you can have a company policy where you regularly check in with each of your team members, it will make your employees feel like you care about their well-being. And when you make your employees feel invested in your company’s goals and are more compelled to produce results.

Conclusion

We all know that working remotely can have some benefits, but it also has its drawbacks. As a remote worker myself, I’ve learned how to work with the advantages and disadvantages of this style of employment in order to get more done while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If you want your remote team to be productive and efficiently drive business growth, implement the tips mentioned above.

The post How to Manage a Remote Team in a Way that Drives Business Growth appeared first on Invesp.

In fact, the only way to have a shot at getting in front of the right audience is by optimizing every single one of your digital footprints for SEO.

Search Engine Optimization or SEO as it is known is the art of crafting content so that it has the best chance of being found and clicked on.

A lot goes into SEO, but most of the strategies and methods you’ll find on the internet are moot if you don’t include link building.

Linkbuilding is a process whereby you work to create relationships with entities, like other websites or blogs. These websites provide a link back to your website in their content, which increases your online visibility.

However, this process has its own shortcomings: the links are often out of your control. That leaves room for mistakes, errors, and formatting that might not align with your brand.

Luckily, there’s a holistic workaround to traditional link building that will expand your reach more organically: thought Leadership.

Thought Leadership Basics

Thought Leadership is a process whereby you provide content and expertise on your particular niche and subject to other sites, bloggers and companies. It’s a way for you to build your brand as an expert on a given topic in more natural and less manipulative ways than traditional link-building strategies.

Not only does thought leadership help your SEO, but it also positions you as the go-to person for a specific type of expertise.

Thought leadership comes in a variety of formats, including:

• Being interviewed or featured in digital publications
• Speaking at industry conferences
• Being the guest author on another site’s blog post
• Creating content for your own website and social media accounts that other people then share, like, or engage with.
• Being interviewed on either a podcast or YouTube channel
• Being invited to a live broadcast on another account’s social media feed
• Contributing articles to industry-specific blogs or trade journals.

Now that you understand the basics of thought leadership, it’s time to get started learning how to implement it so your business can stand out online.

How To Start Implementing Thought Leadership

I know what you’re thinking—if building expertise and SEO like this was so easy, wouldn’t everyone do it?

It’s true, most business owners, CEOs, and entrepreneurs love the idea of being seen as thought leaders. But building up thought leadership takes time and consistent effort. You have to be willing to put in the work to realize your goals.

However, there are four simple steps you can take to get started.

#1 Uncover Your Expertise

A master of all is a master of none. It doesn’t matter if you have 500 subjects you feel you could accurately and expertly discuss. You have to hone in on the overall message you want to share and then brand out to discuss just a few.

The more you niche down, the better chance you’ll have for becoming known for that ONE thing. So the first step, obviously, is figuring out what you know and what you can talk about.

Think about the overall message of your brand, and then ask yourself the following to get more clarity:

• What do people come to me for help with the most?
• What problems am I solving the most often?
• What subjects am I most knowledgeable about?
• What are people hungry to learn more about?
• What story do I have to share to show people how I became an expert on this topic?
• What could I talk about for hours and hours and NEVER get bored?

It is essential to articulate what you know about a particular topic to establish yourself as an authority. Think about what you could discuss in blog posts, podcast interviews, or live broadcasts. Come up with 2-3 essential topics that tie into your overall message, and then start brainstorming different content pieces that people would be interested in checking out.

For example, say you’re a veterinarian who specializes in anxious dogs. Your topics could be:

• Coping tactics to soothe anxious dogs
• Working through fear in dogs
• Triggers that most anxious dogs have

From there, you could start to come up with some specific topics. Taking the “Coping tactics to soothe anxious dogs,” you could talk about:

• My #1 tool for soothing my dog during a thunderstorm
• CBD for anxious dogs—is it worth it?
• How to make your dogs anxious chewy tendency healthier

When you’re coming up with these topics, it helps to know your target audience and what they’re looking for. Do they need something more detailed? Do they want something more general? Do they need help with a specific problem, like thunderstorms or separation anxiety? What kind of content do they prefer?

This will help determine what kind of thought leadership pieces you go for and the kind of content you create. The key to building thought leadership is knowing what you know and then figuring out how much of it you can talk about without sounding like an imposter or getting bored with the subject matter yourself.

Another good idea is to find a niche that is not overpopulated with other thought leaders to stand out in the crowd.

This strategy’s excellent because it doesn’t matter how much content (or notoriety) these influencers have. It just matters that they’re part of the same topic as you are, so if their voice resonates with people on social media, then yours will too!

This technique also works well for generating new blog post ideas because research shows we can find more insights when writing on topics related to our expertise. Finding an area, no one else has covered yet means there may be less competition following suit and, therefore, higher rankings in search engines!

#2 Create, Create, Create

Now that you’ve got your topics and speaking points fleshed out, it’s time to create a solid foundation of content that you can link back to. 

Whether it’s blog posts, infographics, videos, and social media posts, aim to have at least 15-20 evergreen pieces of content that you can link back to. While you’re pulling together ideas, remember the importance of value. If you’re providing value to your audience, they’ll be more likely to engage with what you’ve got and share it.

So don’t post something just to post something. In this stage, make sure everything you create has some sort of value to the reader and can improve their lives somehow.

If you’re unsure where to start, use a content planning tool like Trello or Evernote or create an editorial calendar for your social media channels to keep you on track and organized with what’s coming up in the next few months.

It will take some time and effort initially, but the more fleshed out and detailed you can make these pieces now, the longer you’ll be able to use them in your thought leadership strategy.

#3 Start Small

Once you’ve got your content foundation ready, it’s time to start building links to your thought leadership pieces.

An easy way to do this is by providing helpful advice on relevant, popular topics for smaller audiences. Here are a few places to get started:

• Smaller podcasts
• Guest articles for small digital publications
• Local speaking engagements within your community
• Answering questions on Quora, Reddit, or LinkedIn Answers

Look for audiences and avenues that are either at your audience size level or just below. These organizations or small-time media are often looking for content and people to share with their audiences, which will be more receptive and trusting of you as a result.

Start by adding these connections to your content marketing pipeline (more on that later), then start reaching out when they have something published or coming up where you can be helpful. 

And be sure to follow and share their content to make them want to work with you.

There are also opportunities to create content for organizations that cover your space but may not have the resources or audience size yet. Many of these sites will offer a share-equivalent in return for a contribution, and by getting their foot in the door this way, it can provide some significant leverage later on when they grow as well.”

Don’t get discouraged if somebody doesn’t respond right away – it’s likely because they’re busy but also because the timing just isn’t good for them…or maybe they need further convincing before taking the leap! If other outlets would better suit what you offer, try those next. And remember- quality always wins over quantity; this takes time, so make sure each connection provides value first and foremost, no.

Start small by first pitching 1-2 thought leadership pieces per week, and then gradually increasing once you get used to the process. This system works well because it forces you into new topics while still allowing enough time between them so that they’re fresh again when it comes time for publication.

It also helps keep a running list or spreadsheet of who you pitched to and if they responded. This way, you can determine who is interested in your ideas and what isn’t catching their attention.

#4 Don’t Let Imposter Syndrome Fool You

Do you know why most entrepreneurs fail to implement their thought leadership strategy? They don’t feel like they have everything they need to be considered an expert in their field.

They think they need degrees, books, tons of testimonials, and social proof. They’re waiting for a book deal and 10K followers to be considered worthy. But the truth is, as long as you’re fully committed to the process and learning along the way, you can be an expert at anything.

There’s no question that there are many more people out there with degrees and book deals than without them. But those who have managed to build thought Leadership for themselves by following these simple steps will tell you that it’s less about knowing everything and more about being willing to learn and grow.

You don’t need to be perfect; just committed to the process of constantly learning more about your topic. Remember that you can learn about anything if you’re willing to put in the time and effort!

It may seem like imposter syndrome to think that people would listen or care about a stranger’s opinions, but it’s really just insecurity talking. As long as you have something worthwhile to say (and plenty do), then there will always be a need for your voice.

So when you feel that slight hesitation before pitching or posting, tell yourself that you’re worth it and keep going.

How To Use Thought Leadership To Improve Your SEO

You’ve got your message, your content foundation, and your strategy. You’re starting to get some hits from implementing these thought leadership tactics, and it’s time to see all that traffic pour in from your hard work.

Whenever you get a new opportunity for thought leadership, make sure you have the perfect piece of content to link back to. Your website and social media handles are great (and most organizations will include these regardless), but if there’s a chance to include another link, make it super-relevant to the thought leadership piece.

You don’t want to be that person who sends out an article about the best places in town for sushi, only to have links back on your website on how to make a perfect omelet. That’s not going to help anyone find you through natural search engine optimization when they’re looking for recommendations from experts.

This is what helps people take notice of your knowledge and expertise as it relates to the topic at hand—linking up with other thought leaders and making sure everything has continuity. It’ll also give you something extra powerful where friends or followers can find more information related directly back to this piece of content!

Keep all those details fresh, so there are plenty of opportunities waiting right around the corner when you need them most. And remember that the more you work on this, the more your authority will grow.

Thought Leadership Best Practices

Now that you’ve got your strategy down, it’s time to learn some of the best practices for you to utilize—the number one is to stay consistent.

Consistency is critical when it comes to the thought leadership process. You can’t just send out one email and expect people to take notice and start referring to you as the expert of XYZ. 

You need to be consistent in your communication with people and provide them as much value as possible. This is especially true if you’re a small business with the same resources that major corporations do. You’ll need to work harder than everyone else because it’s not about how big of an email list or following you have. It’s about how much value you can provide.

But once you start, it’ll be easier to keep going because the more thought leadership content you create, the more authoritative and credible your site will become.

Here are a few more final tips to keep you consistent and on track as you implement these strategies:

• Set aside time regularly for ideation and brainstorming
• Determine what works best for you in terms of scheduling and doing research before anything else goes into motion so that all aspects of building thought Leadership is optimized from day one.
• Schedule a monthly analysis so you can see which content performed the best. This way, you can adjust your thought leadership pieces to provide more of what people want.
• Create templates for pitches and other documents you’ll send out frequently to save time. That way, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time.
• And don’t be afraid to ask for help from others. You don’t have to take on the world yourself. It might be helpful to hire a virtual assistant to take over some of the time-consuming details like sending out emails and follow-ups.

The Takeaway

Thought Leadership is an essential part of any business’s marketing strategy as you grow your business online and look for a captivating audience. It’s challenging to establish yourself without some sort of credibility or authority behind your brand, which is where developing these skills can prove helpful.

However, if building thought Leadership was easy, everyone would do it. You have to be in it for the long haul to see real results. Success with this work won’t happen overnight.

Keep working hard and learning more about what you know until, at some point, that becomes enough to call yourself a leader in the field. The more you share, the more people will start to associate you with this work.

So keep going and know that the expert title you’re after will soon be yours.

The post How To Build Thought Leadership From Scratch For Your Business  appeared first on Invesp.

I have been carrying this goal into every quarter since the beginning of 2021.

Knowing that most people already receive dozens of emails every day – convincing anyone to add one more newsletter to their inbox is never easy.

We have been relying on the content we publish on this blog for a long time to get more subscribers.

It’s been working well for us – and that strategy is why we have over 30k subscribers.

Even though we already have a strategy that works wonders, we are always looking for new ways to improve our in-house strategies and processes.

In doing so, this quarter, I decided to tread on an uncharted territory by incorporating Facebook Ads into our strategy. I knew that I wasn’t going to get everything right the first time, but I had to give it a try.

So, what you’re about to read is neither a success nor a failure story. But it’s my experience launching Facebook ads, for the first time, to get more newsletter subscribers.

I will break down the story into 4 steps to make it easy to follow. I advise you to read it if you want to avoid making the same mistakes I did.

Okay. Now that I have given you the story background, here’s how it all played out…

Step 1: Setting the Budget

In most cases, the marketing budget for businesses is 5% – 12% of the revenue.

But since this was an experiment, my budget wasn’t too high.

The idea was to start with a small ad spend ($15 daily budget) to see how well the ad performs.

So, going into this Facebook ad campaign, I was armed with a $350 budget.

Sounds so low, right?

But for a quick experiment, $350 is enough.

One thing about Facebook is that your estimated audience reach ultimately dictates what you can expect to see in terms of customer acquisition costs.

My estimated daily reach was between 661 and 1900, whereas the post engagement was just above 250.

In my head, getting 100 new subscribers were going to be good; getting close to 200 new subscribers was going to be bliss, and anything less than 100 new subscribers was going to be a failure.

As you can tell, I was so ambitious for a novice FB ads user.

100 new subscribers would mean that my CCA would be $3.50, whereas 200 new subscribers would imply that each one of them cost me $1.75.

So, how did I fare?

Step 2: Building the Landing Pages 

With the ad budget now set, I had to prepare landing pages for my FB ads.

To avoid getting too technical, I used Unbounce.

And I came up with one of the simple and most straightforward landing pages you’d ever see:

Knowing how important personalization is in every facet of marketing, I had to include segmentation options and not put all subscribers in one bucket.

However, you don’t have to zoom in to see critical missing elements on this landing page.

I’m sure you can agree with me that the landing page is too simplistic. You really can’t convince a stranger to sign up for your newsletter using such a simplistic and plain landing page.

The other mistakes? ?

My one-line description copy didn’t include:

• How often do I send the newsletter (weekly, monthly, etc.)?
• What the audience can expect when signing up.
• Details about the brand (Invesp).
• Social proof or trust elements.

Regarding newsletters landing pages, subscribers don’t have to wonder how often you send your newsletter, what Invesp does, and how I can help them.

ALSO READ: 11 deadly landing page sins every marketer needs to avoid

Another crucial mistake I made?

There was no freebie for new subscribers. Having a free downloadable lead magnet could have convinced subscribers to sign up for the newsletter – this is something that has been proven to be efficient over and over again.

To ensure that your free downloadable lead magnet is convincing, make sure that it is something that your subscribers would consider paying for.

Step 3: Designing the Subscriber Ad

The next step was to design the actual ad that would be launched on FB.

Since this was an experiment and I didn’t know what would work and what wouldn’t, I decided to test two designs – a gif and an image.

Knowing that Facebook limits the reach of ads with more text on images, I had to come up with variations with a small amount of text. Much of the explanation was done on the ad copy and not on the image.

Here’s how the two Ad variations looked like:

Looking at the above simple ads, which one do you think performed best?

As you’re guessing…let me tell you about another deadly sin I committed on these Ads.

If you are observant, you’d have noticed that there’s a disconnect between the Ads and the landing page – especially on the second Ad, there’s no consistency between the images used on the landing page and the ad.

As for the first ad (Ad 1), yes, it’s simple, and the message is clear – but there’s nothing about the Ad that makes it stand out. Most people on Facebook are in the mood of scrolling, so if your ad doesn’t grab their attention, they will scroll past it.

The lesson here is simple: choose colors that are less likely to blend in with the rest of the newsfeed posts. Sometimes you don’t have to come up with a color palette to work with. You can stick to your brand guidelines to keep the feel of consistency across all your content.

Step 4: Setting up the Facebook Ad Campaign

This is where it gets interesting!

I set up this Facebook campaign with the help of my two colleagues, Reza and Mostafa. These two guys have played around with a Facebook ads manager and Facebook campaigns before.

So, we logged in to the Facebook ads manager and created the campaign.

One of the catastrophic mistakes you can make with Facebook ad campaigns is choosing an objective that is not aligned with the results you’d want to achieve. A wrong campaign objective will put your Facebook advertising campaign at a disadvantage.

Here’s the thing, the objective you choose tells Facebook about the goals of your campaign and what action you want people to take after seeing your ad. Based on the objective you selected, the algorithm will then show your ad to people in your target audience who are likely to take that action.

So, from a handful of campaigns objectives, we chose conversions.

To use this campaign objective, we also had to:

• Install the Facebook pixel on the landing page.
• Install the Conversion API on the landing page.
• Verify the domain for the landing page.
• Configure the events within the Events Manager.

Remember, this campaign would be an A/B test of two creatives, an image, and a gif. We had other options of the testing audience, placement, and delivery optimization strategies.

When setting up audience targeting, we decided to go with the Facebook Lookalike Audiences. This feature helps with ad targeting by reaching people who are similar to our current subscribers.

Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences are formed based on source audience. We created our source audience using data from the Invesp newsletter subscription list:

Having set up our audience targeting, the next move was to decide where we want Facebook the ads shown.

By default, Facebook selects automatic placements as they believe that they will give you the best results. But we decided to choose our own placements.

Here is a list of placement options we chose:

• Facebook News Feed
• Facebook Video Feeds
• Facebook Search Results
• Facebook Instant Articles

And Now, the Ad Results 

Two days after launching the ads, I had reached Ad set 1 had reached 2,377 people. 26 of them had clicked on my ad. And I had gained 12 subscribers after spending $31,14.

This means that each subscriber cost me about $2.50. One subscriber for $2.50 is pretty high, so I had to stop the ad after two days of running.

With Ad set 2, I had reached 4,120 people. 67 of them had clicked on my ad. And I had gained 31 subscribers after spending $39,71. On this ad, each subscriber cost me $1,28.

Parting words…

This has been an exciting experience – I made many mistakes, and I have learned from them. Before launching this ad campaign, I took a short FB Ad course, and I have been reading a couple of articles about it. But being able to get hands-on with the tool has been the best part of this learning curve. There’s a distinction between reading about something and actually doing it. You learn more by doing.

What’s your experience with Facebook Advertising been like? Reach out to me on LinkedIn and let me know.

The post My Experience Running Facebook Ads to Get More Newsletter Subscribers appeared first on Invesp.

​But if your marketing or business strategy is centered around a brand community, you don’t lose sleep – because how you do your thing becomes more important than what you do.

One of the best things you can do for your brand is to build a community. I really like how Greg Isenberg demonstrates the value of a community vs. and audience:

A brand community is a group of customers who are brought together by their collective interest in a brand’s products, services, or values that represents a brand.

Most brands already have thousands of people who are interested in their products/services and the values that the brand stands for. All they have to do is bring those people together and create a strong brand community around them.

Knowing how challenging it is to build a brand community, we invited an ace who does this stuff for a living. Joe Glover has mastered the art of fostering communities that people care about. He’s built The Marketing Meetup – an engaged community of over 24,000 marketers from across the globe – and in this session, he’ll share how.

​​Now. We know there are tons of blog posts, podcasts, and videos out there that discuss building brand communities.

​​But here’s what makes this live session different:

​Joe will walk you through every step he takes when building thriving brand communities. You will walk away from this session knowing what community truly is – and how you can start to build one yourself.

​So if:

• ​You want to remove dependency on ads and promotions for traffic.
• ​You want to increase customer retention.
• ​You don’t want fluffy “tips,” you want to know how to build a community for your brand
• ​You want to create valuable brand advocates.

​​— then this session is 100% for you:

​PS. Building a brand community will not happen overnight, but those willing to invest will reap the benefits. If you are interested in building a brand community of your own, you shouldn’t miss this session.

The post How to Build a Brand Community from Scratch appeared first on Invesp.

Almost every company has revenue goals and revenue plans – but that doesn’t guarantee success. 

Setting revenue targets is something that anyone can do.

It’s that easy.

The hardest part of revenue marketing is breathing life into that revenue and making it manifest. 

Many companies/marketers struggle on that part. 

Contrary to popular belief: it’s even more challenging to hit revenue targets if you target different markets because you’d need to come up with different strategies that resonate with each segment of the market. 

Our clients at Invesp come in different groups – we have clients who come to us for smaller projects (CRO audit). These are quick deals that cost less than $10k. 

On the other hand, we also have larger clients that spend a lot of money with us. The sales cycles are long. The project work is complicated. 

So since we’re two different markets, what’s our secret? How do we manage to keep the pipeline for both types of clients? 

To show you how, we asked a super-smart VP of marketing that has been successful at this to give you strategies that she’s been using to solve this problem.  

MJ Peters – the VP of Marketing at Firetrace – joins Khalid Saleh in this live session – and she talks about how you can tie your marketing to your revenue.  

During this session, MJ will walk you through her process of generating $5k and $500k deals. 

Wondering why we chose MJ for this session?  

Let’s see what marketers say about her:

We know that most people do not like to attend live sessions because they are boring. But this one is different because MJ breaks her revenue marketing process into simple steps that are easy to follow and understand.

Click on the link below to watch the recorded replay of this session: 

Here are some of the questions that MJ tackles during this session: 

1. What distribution target strategy should you use on different social media platforms? 
2. What should you do before designing a marketing campaign? 
3. Gated vs. ungated content: When to use each? 
4. How to set and allocate your marketing budget? 
5. How to think of content distribution channels as a smart marketer? 
6. What’s the role of content in revenue marketing? 
7. Which two important metrics should you measure after distributing content? 
8. Which are the most critical skill sets needed in a revenue marketing team? 
9. What’s the secret sauce of a good case study? 
10. What strategies should you use to close large ($500K+) and small deals (<$5K)?
11. What does “tying marketing to revenue” actually look like in practice?
12. How can I pick marketing channels that align with my revenue goals? 
13. What is the process I should use to create a campaign that generates high revenue?  

I get it, sometimes it can be difficult to tie your revenue to your marketing. But if you are serious about hitting your revenue target by the end of each month, quarter, or year, this is a must-watch session.

The post Revenue Marketing: Strategies you can use to close small and large deals appeared first on Invesp.

Tell you what, some of our clients saw incredible growth – conversions and transactions increased by up to 300% – but some of them struggled as their sales dropped by 20% to 40%. There’s no denying that the pandemic has had an enduring impact on different industries.

But when the economy revs up again, some companies will struggle while others will excel.

The reason?

Growth marketing, as we used to know it, will undergo a change. Marketing post-COVID-19 is not the same as marketing pre-COVID-19. It’s a whole different ballgame.

This simply means that the data you had at the beginning of the year is already out of date, you can’t use that old marketing playbook in the post-COVID-19 era.

Your marketing strategy will have to significantly evolve for the realities of the post-pandemic world.

Things changed during the pandemic, and they will also be different after it. If you are as observant as we are, you’d have noticed that consumers have been reassessing everything during the pandemic –their purchasing decisions have been made more consciously. There’s no doubt that the pandemic will have a long-term effect on the psyche of consumers.

So, the real question is; what do you need to do in the next three months to maintain growth (if you were one of the lucky businesses) and what must you do to restart the growth engine (if you were one of the businesses that were hit hard by the pandemic).

Join Khalid Saleh, the CEO & Co-founder of Invesp, and learn about the practical steps and strategies that will make your business thrive in the next 3 months.

After the pandemic, growth marketers must move forward but do so with a genuine agile strategy.

In this webinar, you will learn:

1. Growth strategies you should be evaluating right now.
2. Marketing mix changes you should be considering.
3. Types of experimentation that’ll give you the highest ROI.

If you’d like to stay up to date with our latest posts, conversion secrets, and webinars, please join other smart marketers.

The post Post COVID-19 era: What Growth Teams need to look at in the next 3 months appeared first on Invesp.