Beyond Business Development - Keeping Customers Happy
Two areas you as a business owner need to be focusing your energy is on are social search and customer retention. Social search has become the new way for people to find out more information on products and services, and those who have a strong social media presence will attract and retain customers more effectively. To constantly change from one product or service to another puts us at risk of disappointment and constant switching.
Customer retention is the best way to keep generating revenue year over year, but how do you keep the customers or clients long-term?
In this blog, you’ll learn about our actionable insights on how to use our methodology, inbound marketing, social search and retention strategies for predictable revenue growth.
The High Cost of Acquisition & the Power of Retention
Research from Bain & Co stated that increasing customer retention rates by 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%. Why? Because customers who have already bought from you are more likely to repurchase. They already have a strong connection with you, enjoy your product or service, and develop loyalty towards the business.
We see it everywhere, not just with products and services. We rewatch the same movies or TV series repeatedly because it’s predictable, we know what happens, and we enjoy the plot.
Retaining customers leads to strong testimonials, good reviews, and even bigger social proof that your business is worth investing in. Who doesn’t want that? But why is it costing businesses more to acquire than to retain?
Both metrics are used to analyze how the business is performing and determine Return on Investment.
Customer Acquisition:
Customer acquisition is based on how much it costs for you to acquire one new client. You can find out the cost by dividing all the costs spent on acquisition, such as marketing, advertising, by the number of acquired clients during that period.
The cost of acquisition has risen over the last few years due to data privacy, making it more difficult for companies and businesses to collect customer data.
Some brands have even seen a 50% increase in costs. For example, advertising on Amazon has increased from $0.93 per click to $1.20, a 30% increase. It’s no wonder acquiring new customers is becoming more difficult.
Customer Retention:
On the other hand, customer retention is calculated based on the cost of keeping an existing customer repurchasing. Companies tend to review their retention rates annually, but it can be done on a quarterly or monthly basis depending on the industry.
You find out your retention rate by subtracting the number of customers you had at the start of the year from the number of customers acquired, then divide by the number you ended the year with, and multiply by 100 to get the percentage.
Let’s say you started the year with 100 customers and ended the year with 100 customers and acquired 10 throughout the year. 100 customers minus 10 acquired would give us 90. 90 divided by 100 x 100 would give us 90%. Our retention rate would then be 90%.
Another key metric you need to focus on to determine the performance of your business is churn rate.
Churn Rate:
This relates to the percentage of customers who stop doing business with you over some time. To find your churn rate, divide the number of customers lost during a set period by the number of customers at the beginning of that period.
For churn rate, anything between 5-7% is considered average, but it depends primarily on the industry.
The churn rate is an important metric because it indicates something is wrong and highlights an underlying issue you need to address.
The more churn, the higher costs you need to endure to acquire new customers, but if customers are coming and going, the costs will continually rise.
The solution? Look at what you are currently doing and try to spot any gaps or pitfalls.
More specifically, how is your customer service? Do you offer any incentives for new customers and old? Or once you get them into the business, do you forget about them and move onto the next?
The goal isn’t to forget completely about acquiring new customers but to find a balance between attracting new customers while nurturing the current customer base.
When you focus more attention on retaining the current customers, you can start to create a strong and sustainable foundation for revenue growth.
One of the best ways to balance the two is through our methodology, Inbound Marketing.
Inbound Marketing: The Foundation for Retention
Retaining loyal customers has many benefits, but among them are higher profit margins due to lower costs related to acquiring new customers, higher referral marketing potential because of their loyalty and most importantly, increased Lifetime Customer Value (CLTV).
CLTV is the total amount of revenue a business can expect from a single customer account. It helps companies understand the relationship between them and their customer.
When you nurture this customer and provide value, you get repeat purchases, upsells, and cross-sells that contribute to your CLTV. The more satisfied your customers are, the higher the CLTV.
At GoViral, we implement inbound marketing as the best way to attract, engage, and retain customers because of its focus on loyalty and advocacy.
Compared to outbound marketing where companies send cold emails and calls, inbound marketing relies on creating an ecosystem where customers feel valued and seen as every touchpoint.
By producing valuable content that informs, educates, and entertains their customers, they are attracted to your business and move through the funnel to engage.
Engage is part of the customer’s journey, where the company offers relevant advice and solutions that resonate with the customer’s pain points. Examples of this content could be how-tos, guides, and detailed blog posts that position you as the go-to expert and build trust and credibility with your customers.
One of the key differences between outbound and inbound is personalization, which as we know has become a huge focus for customers over the last two years. Since the introduction of AI, customers are looking for more personalised content from businesses.
Personalised email marketing and content recommendations strengthen the relationship with your customer because it shows you care and listen to what they want.
Businesses that respond back to customers’ comments in a timely manner and implement their feedback have a higher chance of retaining them for long periods because of trust.
Instead of viewing the customer’s journey as a funnel, inbound marketing is a continuous cycle of attracting, engaging, and delighting customers over and over.
When you produce relevant and engaging content that speaks to your customer’s pain points and continuously build a real connection with them, the relationships continue long-term.
However, there’s been an interesting shift lately, with fewer and less people focusing on engagement metrics and more on customer loyalty.
The Shift: From Engagement to Retention
Engagement rate has been the most important metric for most businesses for some time as it’s an indication they like what you are producing. However, likes and comments don’t always correlate to sales.
Engagement focuses on immediate interactions and short-term interest and can be manipulated based on fleeting trends.
Instead, customer loyalty is where the recurring sales and revenue lie because it shows the customer is invested in your business and keeps coming back for more. Switching from chasing new customers to retaining current ones saves you time, resources, and ensures long-term success.
Why the shift?
Companies are realising the importance of retention and the value that lies within creating real relationships with their customers and increasing their CLTV. Acquisition is just the first step, not the end goal.
Advertising costs are continuing to rise and as more companies fight for people’s attention, it’s becoming increasingly costly to acquire new clients continuously.
Recurring clients spend more than acquiring new clients. Companies that prioritize selling to an existing customer have a 60% to 70% chance versus a 5-20% chance of selling to a new customer.
Nurture those customers!
A good customer experience is the biggest factor that contributes to gaining a loyal customer. Companies that implement retention strategies focused on personalized, seamless, and valuable experiences have a higher chance of recurring revenue and higher CLTV.
Social Search: Capturing & Guiding Prospects
Google is still a powerful search engine, but more and more people are searching for their next product or service on social media.
Platforms like TikTok have become a tool for many, and the platform is seen as a search engine. Social commerce is also another aspect of social media that has blown up in the last few years, where customers can now buy within the app.
One popular feature of TikTok is the introduction of TikTok shop, where many influencers and content creators promote different products across the platform through affiliate marketing, which has become a huge trend.
Social proof always gets customers over the line, but it has never been as powerful now, especially with many doing try-on hauls, unboxing, and giving their personal experience with a business.
Customers search for authentic and relatable content that they can trust, and are more likely to trust people they know over a business stating they are the best than the rest. When was the last time you went out for dinner? I’m sure you searched for the best restaurants in your area, checked their reviews on Google or TripAdvisor, and searched on social media for honest reviews.
So what does this have to do with customer retention?
Social search has become a cost-effective way of finding out what your customers are saying about your business. It also allows you to speak directly to your customers in real time and get feedback on how to improve your product or service.
This direct line of communication is perfect for fostering a strong connection and establishing trust with your customers, involving them in the process.
It also gives you the chance to give your customers a customer experience to remember. Things go wrong and the last thing you want is to leave your customers on read or worse, ghost them completely. Offering a direct line for customer support means you handle any negative feedback quickly and reframe the experience a customer had.
Adding social search as part of your customer retention strategy is a cost-effective way to keep those loyal customers coming back again and again.
Integrating Inbound, Social Search, and Retention for Predictable Revenue
Now that we’ve covered each tactic, it’s time to see how they interconnect with each other. When you understand how these elements work together, it creates a holistic customer experience that attracts, engages, delights, and retains customers for long periods of time.
Social Search (Attract):
You’ve been posting valuable content online that attracts potential customers who are searching for more information and solutions. Make sure to optimize your profile with specific keywords and hashtags that make you discoverable.
Social search helps your ideal customers find you.
Inbound Marketing as the Journey (Engage and Delight):
Once your ideal customers find you, the inbound marketing takes over and guides them through the customer journey. Valuable content, personalized experiences, and genuine interactions help you build trust and rapport with them.
Inbound methods set the tone for the relationship with your customers.
Retention as the Foundation (Delight and Beyond):
By implementing retention strategies, your customers can keep receiving value, which leads to stronger loyalty and advocacy for your business.
Customer feedback is crucial and makes your customers feel a part of the process and builds a strong community around your business.
This is how you create brand advocates.
Implementing the Strategies:
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Content Strategy:
Make sure to address your customers’ pain points at every point of the funnel. You want to create valuable content that increases your brand awareness, but also nurtures the customers who follow you already.
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Community Building:
Build a community around your brand through forums, online communities such as Discord or Telegram, and respond to your customers, showing interest in what they have to say.
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Personalized Email Marketing
Nothing says ‘I see you’ than receiving personalized emails (not in a creepy way..). If you have a large customer base, segment audiences to send the right emails that align with them. You can do this by basing it off particular characteristics each segment shares or buying habits.
Another great way to make a customer feel seen is sending personalized birthday emails with a special offer. Is there anything better than getting 50% off on your birthday? I think not!
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Track the Data
Track and analyze what is and isn’t working and double down on what resonates most. This cuts time and effort in half, so the quicker you start getting results, the faster you can adapt your strategy.
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Customer Feedback Loops:
Listen to your customers because they do know what’s best. When you work in your business, you might find it hard to objectively evaluate how good your product or service is. Customer feedback gives you a better understanding of the gaps you might be missing.
By integrating these strategies, you not only create loyal customers who will be brand advocates and repeat customers, but will be able to predict and sustain a flow of revenue.
GoViral Conclusion
Customer acquisition is getting more and more expensive every year. By adding social search and customer retention strategies like social listening and community building, you’ll reduce costs and build a consistent revenue stream.
At GoViral, our inbound marketing methodology delivers proven results. Through personalized email campaigns, targeted PPC, and engaging social content, we work closely with our clients to boost CLTV. Did you know that increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits by 25%?
Contact us today to learn how we can increase your CLTV while significantly decreasing acquisition costs.
From Questions to Answers: Your Guide to Research Objectives, Data Analysis, and Winning Market Insights
One of the core roles of any business owner is to understand data because it informs decisions and can help predict your business’s growth. Before diving into the world of data, it’s important to set out your research objectives, the types of data you want to analyze, and how to interpret it for future decisions.
After reading this blog, you’ll have a better understanding of how to analyze and interpret data, turning it into actionable insights.
Market Research Vs. Consumer Research
It’s important to clarify that there are two types of research: Market and Consumer Research.
Market research focuses on the broader market as a whole, and consumer research is focused on the individual consumer, such as their buying habits. The two types of market research can be split into quantitative and qualitative. Each type has its methods and tools for collecting and analyzing data, which can help better understand the growth and scalability of your business.
Primary research is data you collect through focus groups, questionnaires, and surveys. This approach focuses on the consumer, gathering first-hand data from clients, customers, and stakeholders to understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors.
To carry out this type of research, you can identify opportunities, limit risks, and make more strategic and informed decisions.
Primary research is the why, and the motivations that drive a person to purchase your product or services. You are zoning in on one specific brand or product.
When you are conducting primary research, there are two types:
Exploratory: More general and open-ended and involves a lengthier interview with one individual or a small group of people.
Specific: Any problems during the exploratory phase will be discussed in a formal and more structured interview.
Secondary market research focuses on the market as a whole or a broader segment to learn about competitors, market trends, demographics, and market size.
Secondary research involves analyzing existing data from other sources from a variety of channels. This could be from reputable sources such as Statista, Gartner, Ibis World as well as using social listening tools. Many of these sources offer industry reports and trends throughout the year. Government organizations also publish research that many business owners would find useful for demographics, spending habits, and commodity use.
Another great way to carry out secondary research is by analyzing your competitor’s websites. Dive deeper into what they post, what is performing well, and what type of audience they are attracting. This can help inform your marketing and content strategy going forward.
Primary research takes time, effort, and money which is carried out by bigger companies and corporations while secondary research is more cost-effective for small business owners on a lower budget.
Defining Your Research Objectives (Setting the Foundation)
You wouldn’t get on stage without practicing your lines so why create a product or service that isn’t in demand?
Most businesses fail because they haven’t done enough research in the market to see if there’s a need. If you are the only person struggling with the problem, you won’t get enough business to sustain the growth.
First, establish these key topics for your market research.
1. Research topic
Identify the topic of your market research and why you need this data. Maybe it’s for pricing, a demand in the market, or even to analyze what your competitors are doing.
Secondary research is more accessible for small business owners especially if they don’t have a large enough data pool to pull from or the budget.
Always start with secondary research first to get a feel for the market and then carry out primary research if it’s within your budget.
Key questions to ask when setting the foundations are:
- What is my primary goal?
- Who are my customers?
- Who are my main competitors?
2. Research existing sources of data
Numerous reputable sources, including government agencies (such as the U.S. Census Bureau or national statistical offices), industry-specific publications, and market research firms (like Statista or Gartner), offer readily available data on market trends, demographics, and consumer behavior. These resources provide valuable insights for your secondary market research.
3. Forget to prepare, prepare to fail
Know what you are looking for and discard what isn’t relevant. Research takes time and effort so not having a clear roadmap of what you need to collect and don’t can be confusing. Make sure to create spreadsheets or folders to place the information somewhere so you can analyze it later.
This will help you interpret the data and be able to report your findings and make strategic decisions.
4. Time for analyzing
You have all the data placed neatly in folders (we hope!), it’s time to break it down and interpret it. Look for patterns and long-term trends. This information will not only inform your strategy but also pitfalls to avoid.
Always learn from other people’s mistakes.
5. Verify the validity of the data
Make sure you are collecting data from unbiased sources to avoid misleading statements or figures for your reports.
Data Collection Methods (Choosing the Right Tools)
Without data, it’s harder to replicate what is working and be backed by clients and customers. You wouldn’t launch a new product without first collecting data on its product demand.
Some common data collection methods include surveys, interviews, observations, focus groups, experiments, and secondary data analysis. When you are collecting data, it’s either to refute or back up your hypothesis about a particular topic.
These methods and tools are used to collect quantitative and qualitative data to help you accurately understand data acquisition.
Quantitative data includes:
- Numerical Data
- Surveys, polls, questionnaires
- Statistical analysis
To observe patterns and long-term trends. Quantitative data is anything that can be measured, made up of specific quantities and numbers. Some examples include sales figures, email click-through rates, the number of website visitors, and the percentage of revenue increase.
It’s useful for answering questions such as:
- Is there a market for your product or service?
- How much market awareness is there of your product or service?
- What are their buying habits?
- How are the needs of your target market changing?
Quantitative data uses tests and close-ended questions to collect, analyze, and interpret data.
Qualitative data focuses on:
- Non-Numerical Data
- Interviews
- Focus Groups
- Observations
To delve deeper into understanding attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs.
For interviews, the interviewer poses questions to the interviewee that are either highly structured, open-ended, or a mix of both. Focus groups are intended to collect data through interactive and directed discussions by a researcher.
Focus groups are more useful in the initial research phase, while in-depth interviews are better in the later stage of research. Focus groups provide a powerful way to understand broader topics and generate new ideas.
Some examples of qualitative data include comments left in response to survey questions, things people have said during interviews, tweets, social media posts, and the text included in product reviews.
Tools for Qualitative and Quantitative Data
Qualitative Research Tools:
Qualitative research focuses on understanding the “why” behind behaviors, attitudes, and experiences.
Many big companies such as Google, Sony, LinkedIn, and Microsoft use GWI and it’s known as the go-to platform for global consumer research.
You can get instant access to data representative of the views, behaviors, and interests of over 3 billion consumers across 50+ markets. Agencies, brands, and media companies use GWI often to find out what really drives their audience to action.
Other tools to decipher qualitative research are Qualtrics and Google Analytics. They analyze user engagement, and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, and offer survey creation, and data analysis tools.
Quantitative Research Tools:
For companies with a budget, software tools like ATLAS.TI and NVivo are the leading data analysis software to decipher complex data and turn them into actionable insights quickly.
Other software tools like Content Square and Dovetail analyze users’ behavior on websites and synthesize data from interviews and user testing.
If you are looking for software that combines both qualitative and quantitative, Lumivero carries out mixed-method research. Although qualitative and quantitative research provides different insights, both are useful when combined to create the bigger picture.
Data Analysis Techniques (Turning Data into Insights)
Gathering and collecting data is great but now it’s time to turn the data into actionable insights. Four key data analysis techniques to focus on are Descriptive, Diagnostic, Predictive, and Prescriptive.
Break the types into Descriptive – “What is?”, Diagnostic – “Why is it?”, Predictive – “What will be?”, and Prescriptive – “What should be done?”.
Descriptive Analysis:
Descriptive analysis just states the facts. Let’s say you sold 10 lead magnets, two on Monday, three on Wednesday, and five on Friday. You are looking at the number of sales per day, the source of downloads such as lead magnets, the types of people downloading, and the total number of downloads.
Diagnostic Analysis:
Diagnostic is about finding out the why. You sold lead magnets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but you might wonder why not on Tuesday, Thursday, or the weekend. You are figuring out why people aren’t buying on those days. Maybe you were running ads on your website for people to buy your lead magnet. Were your ads running on Tuesday? How many clicks were there on Tuesday in comparison to Monday?
Predictive Analysis:
You’ve been tracking your lead magnet sales for a few weeks, noting the days they sell, and you’ve also been tracking the days you send out email promotions. You might have noticed that on Wednesday and Friday, your email promotions perform better leading to increased sales.
On weekends, fewer people open your emails leading to a decrease in sales. You might predict that you’ll get three lead magnet sales on Wednesday, five lead magnet sales on Friday, and zero sales on the weekend. You are predicting your future promotional activities by observing patterns.
Prescriptive Analysis:
Based on the information you found out through predictive analysis, you use these predictions to determine what to do next.
Because my sales are low on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and the weekends, I’ll try new strategies to increase my sales. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’ll run targeted social media ads to drive sales. On the weekends, I’ll try a different subject line to increase open rates, offering a limited-time discount to incentivize purchases. If they are successful, I will incorporate them into my marketing plan for the future.
Clustering Analysis:
Now, you want to find out who is downloading your lead magnet and visiting your website.
An example could be:
Using clustering analysis, I’ve identified the top three groups who are buying my lead magnet.
Cluster 1: Small business owners in the marketing industry who found my website through social media.
Cluster 2: Freelance writers looking to improve their content creation process, who found my site through Google searches.
Cluster 3: Corporate marketing managers from larger companies, who found my site through referrals.
Based on the information you’ve collected, you can group segments of the audience based on shared characteristics to personalize your approach, marketing messages, and content that’s targeted more specifically at the audience.
Regression analysis:
You’ve been tracking the relationship between the number of email subscribers you have and the number of lead magnet sales. Using regression analysis, you found a positive correlation between the number of email subscribers and lead magnet sales. For every 100 email subscribers, I see an average increase of 5 lead magnet sales.
Therefore, I would predict that increasing my email subscribers is an effective way to increase lead magnet sales.
I also noticed that for every dollar I spend on ADs, I gain 2 new lead magnet downloads.
Understanding this information means I can prioritize my marketing efforts into growing my email subscriber list and invest in social media advertising, knowing that these activities will directly contribute to lead magnet sales.
You use regression analysis to quantify the relationship between variables and make data-driven decisions about resource allocation.
GoViral Conclusion
Understanding and leveraging data is a necessity for the growth of your business. By establishing clear research objective goals, mastering quantitative and qualitative research, and utilizing the right tools, you can transform this information into actionable insights. Market research is not a one-time event, it’s an ongoing process. Learn to interpret data, analyze market trends, and empower your decisions with data to drive sustainable growth and achieve success.
Stop guessing and start knowing. Get clear, actionable insights from your data. Contact us today to learn how we can help you make informed decisions and achieve sustainable growth.
What’s the Story with TikTok? Everything You Need to Know About the Ban
2025 has started off with some pretty big changes in the social media and digital marketing space. From AI integrating itself into every aspect of our lives to social media scares, we only wonder what the next eleven months will look like.
We’ll dive into the timeline behind the decision to ban TikTok, competing platforms such as RedNote and Instagram, and what the future holds for the OG dance platform.
TikTok’s Timeline
The year started with the ban on TikTok in America. Last year, President Biden gave ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, nine months to hand over the social media platform or divest it. On January 18th, the platform went dark but after less than 24 hours, the platform was back online after Trump signed an executive order to extend the deadline. A lot has happened since then and the fate of TikTok is still unknown.
TikTok blew up during the pandemic and quickly became the number-one platform over Instagram. The TikTok we know today looks very different from the one we saw a few years ago. It became popular for its funny dance videos and meme-like content that took our minds off what was happening worldwide.
What was it about TikTok that made it so appealing?
Its ‘byte’ sized content made it easily consumable and sharable and offered a different way of viewing social media than the aesthetically pleasing Instagram. At the time, you could only create videos between 15 to 60 seconds making it easier for people to consume.
Nowadays, it’s expanded the length of time up to 10 minutes fostering a deeper connection between the creator and user.
It’s moved away from being just a dancing app. It is now seen as a political tool, an economic source for many creators and small business owners, and opens up conversations on serious issues such as global warming, political parties, and much more.
Social commerce has also integrated itself into the social media platform, making the customer’s journey much smoother. From video to purchase all within one app.
Despite its global popularity, TikTok has faced mounting criticism over data security concerns and the potential for foreign influence, leading to legislative efforts to ban the platform in the United States.
We’re going to take a step back and reflect on the old TikTok before we can approach the new.
July 2014:
An app called Musical.ly was gaining traction in China. It was known for short, lipsyncing music videos, founded by entrepreneur, Alex Zhu.
July 2015:
Musical.ly hit #1 in the Apple App Store which made the company’s logo visible when users shared their videos, leading to more brand awareness around the app.
2016:
ByteDance launches Douyin, a video-sharing app for Chinese users. The idea and inspiration behind TikTok was due to how popular Douyin was and they wanted to replicate that.
November 2017:
Musical.ly was gaining popularity and so was Tiktok so ByteDance acquired Musical.ly for $1 billion and merged it with TikTok. The app promoted content like dance moves and various challenges and was binge-able and easy to consume.
February 2019:
“Old Town Road” by Rapper Lil Nas X releases his single and the song goes viral on TikTok and pushes the song to a record 17 weeks in the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nowadays, many musical artists use the platform to reach fans and build stronger connections with them.
From September 2019 to the present day, TikTok has gone through battles of violations surrounding children’s privacy, poor content moderation for teenagers regarding eating disorders and other harmful content, as well as employees of ByteDance accessing non-public information which rang even more alarms for government officials about leaking of data.
The first investigation into the platform started in November 2019 and 2020, Trump signed an executive order for the Chinese-based platform to hand over the social media platform or divest it. Originally, Trump was hoping to secure a sale with Microsoft or Oracle of the platform but nothing came to fruition.
In February 2021, Joe Biden was sworn in as president and halted all decisions surrounding the sale of the platform, leaving TikTok to continue growing.
However, the continued concern around data privacy and violations has kept TikTok in hot water, ultimately leading to the current position the platform is in.
From Dancing App to Ban
Last year, Joe Biden, former running president declared the platform to be shut down due to concerns around data access laws. In the Spring of 2024, Biden signed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, giving ByteDance until January 19th, 2025 to divest TikTok.
Essentially they were given two options. Sell off the social media app within nine months or be banned from U.S. stores and websites.
US officials had started to worry that TikTok could be used by the Chinese government to collect vast amounts of data on American users. Data such as sensitive personal information, location data, and browsing history could be used for surveillance, espionage, or to influence US citizens in the lead-up to elections.
However, TikTok repeatedly denied these claims, stating that the user data was stored in the US with backups in Singapore and that they would never share data with the Chinese government.
On February 7th, 2025, TikTok released an article on how TikTok protects U.S. Data Security and continues to keep their security data up to date even with transparency reports which we will get into later on.
ByteDance failed to divest the app and on January 18th, the platform supposedly went dark, messaging users to inform them the app was banned. However, after just 12 hours, service was restored.
On January 20th, 2025, Trump signed a new executive order that gave TikTok an extra 75 days for ByteDance to divest the business.
The extension ends on April 5, 75 days from when Trump enacted it on January 20th.
Is this the first time TikTok has been banned?
Surprisingly, it’s not TikTok’s first rodeo. Across the globe, partial bans are in place in many countries.
Full bans on TikTok include in Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, and Somalia.
Regions that have partial bans include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, and the United Kingdom. These partial bans are placed on government officials.
With so many countries and regions enforcing full and partial bans, it begs the question “What do they know about the platform that the normal user doesn’t?”. Why aren’t Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms receiving the same backlash?
That’s not to say Meta hasn’t received backlash. In 2019, Mark Zuckerberg was under fire over claims of Cambridge Analytica’s exploitation of user data originally captured by “thisismydigitallife” app.
But it does make you wonder what’s the big deal. Well, let’s look at what types of data TikTok collects.
What’s So Bad About TikTok?
The biggest concern is national security concerns. Data security has been a concern for everyone but U.S. lawmakers are concerned ByteDance might leak U.S. user data to the Chinese government if forced to.
On December 30th, 2019, TikTok released its first transparency report outlining government and law enforcement authorities asking them to take specific actions like taking down content deemed to violate local laws or providing information related to accounts under specific circumstances.
However, data and national security concerns aren’t the only issues with TikTok.
Issues like the addictive nature of the platform, misinformation, content moderation, selling data, and children’s safety are just a few.
Federal and public sector employees were prohibited from downloading the app well before the federal ban. TikTok has been continuously under fire as it’s been sued by several states over claims that the companies violate the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that authorities want to get rid of the platform altogether.
Who will buy TikTok?
TikTok has grown in numbers since it blew up in 2020, valued at well over $100 billion. More than twice the 44 billion that Elon Musk paid for Twitter in 2022. After Musk bought X, many users removed their profiles or made the move to other platforms such as the famous decentralized platform, BlueSky. You can read more about the new platform here.
Due to its high price, it limits potential buyers and places the platform into the world’s richest individuals’ hands if ByteDance is willing to sell it.
After some research, there have been several individuals who have reported interest in putting together a group to purchase TikTok from ByteDance.
Trump is eager for a sale to come through and has named a few potential buyers.
They include Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary and Jimmy Donaldson known as Mr. Beast. There were reports that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, was interested but recently he’s revealed he has no interest in buying the platform. According to Musk, he doesn’t use the short-form social media platform and isn’t familiar with the format.
TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, has continuously explained it can’t sell the app as the Chinese government won’t allow for the export of the all-in-important algorithm.
You might have noticed, TikTok’s algorithm is different from other social media platforms. Using its recommendation platform, it feeds the user content based on their interests much like Instagram. But the chance to go “viral” is much higher on TikTok. One day, you can have 400 followers, the next you could have over 200k.
Many TikToker’s such as Charlie DiAmelio, Bella Porch, and the amazing ReesaTeesa, creator of the series ‘Who TF did I Marry’ found fame on the app. Many TikToker’s have gone on to have their reality TV shows or music careers because of the platform.
It’s no wonder TikTok is popular among many generations. It opens up a whole new world to fame and opportunities.
However, the viral nature makes it super addictive and can lead to content fatigue or burnout from consuming too much content.
Many have considered buying the app without its algorithm, but the app wouldn’t be the same.
It’s famous FOR its algorithm.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at creating a U.S. sovereign wealth fund and suggested the fund could be a potential investor in the deal with TikTok.
One of his plans for the fate of TikTok is for the fund to buy a 50% stake in the platform, allowing the app to continue legally operating in America.
Think of an investment fund. Financial institutions invest money into various assets like bonds or real estate to increase their value.
But instead of a financial institution, it would be the sovereign state on behalf of the citizens. The money they invest would be the property of the nation.
Many options are on the table for TikTok but nothing has been confirmed yet.
The Data TikTok Collects
If you don’t have TikTok, the way the app works is through a recommendation engine. It uses behavioral data to determine what you are interested in and feeds you the relevant content. If you continue to watch the same content over and over again, it will continue to feed that until you change your behavior.
The data that TikTok collects is:
- How long do you stay on a page
- If you share a video
- If you swipe away from a video
- If you comment on a video
- If you like a video
- Your login information – name, age, location, phone number, email address
- IP address
- Biometric data
The more you watch something, the more TikTok will push the content in front of you. This can have a huge impact, especially around elections, protests, climate change, and other global issues.
It’s not uncommon for free social media platforms to collect user’s information and content recommendations based on your interests. Instagram, a platform that used to serve your follower’s content, now analyzes your behavior and gives you content you interact with.
TikTok Vs. Rednote
Since the ban, many users flocked to Xiaohongsh (Rednote in English). It’s considered China’s answer to Instagram mixed with Pinterest as it displays multiple posts at the same time. You’ll see all types of content from lifestyle, travel, fashion, and even animals so if you’re a dog lover, you know where to go.
Built on community, authenticity, and inclusivity, the app has become a fan favorite in China and is proving to be a hit amongst Americans too.
The irony of Americans rushing to join Rednote is that the platform is also owned by a Chinese company. One of the biggest factors surrounding the ban on TikTok is the app using American data and giving it to the Chinese government.
Well, thousands of people have handed it over willingly.. So this is a bit awkward…
Over 700,000 users joined the app over two days, with many searching Google on what is Rednote and downloading the community-driven app.
Major platforms like Google and Facebook are blocked in China so many users on Rednote are excited to see American users joining the platform. There’s been tension in the air between America and China so RedNote might be the peacekeeper they need at this moment.
If you are looking for another alternative to TikTok, RedNote might be the next best thing.
TikTok Vs. Instagram
Instagram saw a gap and moved swiftly. With news of the platform shutting down, Instagram brought out its own editing software, called Edits, in February in America. It doesn’t come as a surprise due to CapCut being TikTok and if TikTok goes, so will CapCut for many Americans. Edits will be released on March 13th, 2025 for other countries as they roll out their new features.
Since TikTok blew up during the pandemic, Instagram has been chasing behind to keep up with the growth of the platform. It wasn’t that long ago that Instagram was predominantly an image-based platform. There used to be two types of Instagram users – those who curate their feed to perfection and others who post for their family and friends.
Instagram started to go through changes more specifically their algorithm and the increase of AD’s. Content from friends and family weren’t shown anymore and it started to replicate what TikTok was doing – showing you content they thought you might be interested in.
Unfortunately, people weren’t receptive to the changes and many migrated over to TikTok. Why reinvent the wheel when you already have something good going for you? Competing with TikTok, Instagram has since brought out new features in reels to get ahead.
Aside from bringing out its editing app, Instagram Reels is sharing content with you that your friends and family liked and commented on.
You’ll also have the option to start a conversation with your friends about the content you both enjoyed. Currently, these offers are only available in the US but are planning to expand in the next few months to other countries.
The goal is to get people talking because, at the end of the day, social media isn’t social if no one is creating real relationships and speaking to each other.
The Future of TikTok
It’s been nearly a month since Trump signed an executive order to give ByteDance more time to hand over the social media platform or shut it down completely. Since then, the popular app has reappeared back on Google App and Apple Store.
Trump has recently mentioned that he might extend the deadline as he knows many people are interested in the platform which he’s not wrong. The fate of the popular platform lies in their hands but it goes to show how quickly social media can disappear.
ByteDance has until April 5th, 2025 to make a decision. We will just have to wait and see whether the government and ByteDance can agree on the best way forward. TikTok changed the social media landscape, introducing short-form content through video and ruffling many platforms’ feathers. It’s hard to say if TikTok does remain, will it be the same if a new owner takes over? TikTok’s algorithm and content recommendation engine is its USP (unique selling proposition) and without it, it’s just another social media platform.
GoViral Conclusion
Social media brings so much potential for your business but the ban on TikTok highlights the risk you take by sticking to one platform. We advise always having at minimum two social media platforms and an owned piece of ‘land’.
A website, landing page, and email list because no one can take that from you. Social media changes quickly, policies are disrupted, and bans are a real thing. Keep an eye on our blogs every month to stay up-to-date with new trends, emerging marketing news, and much more.
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Everything You Need to Know about Bluesky: A Complete Overview
There’s a new social media platform in town…. It’s Bluesky. If you haven’t heard about the platform, it is a mixture of X(formerly Twitter,) and Instagram.
Don’t worry because we will give you a complete overview of everything you need to know. Bluesky began in 2019 but became an independent company in 2021.
Created as a research project within Twitter led by then-CEO Jack Dorsey to build a decentralized standard for social media that Twitter was supposed to adopt.
However, it cut ties when Elon Musk acquired X in 2022. In November of last year, Bluesky saw huge growth topping 20 million users, and is still gaining traction per second.
We will dive into Bluesky’s background, what to expect from the platform, how to get started, and whether Bluesky will trump Twitter. Let’s get into it!
Who is Bluesky?
Bluesky is a public benefit company (PBC) primarily owned by software engineer Jay Graber.
The board of directors consists of Jeremie Miller, inventor of Jabber, Mike Masnick, author of the paper “Protocols, Not Platforms” which inspired the Bluesky project, and Kinjal Shah, a general partner at Blockchain Capital.
Co-founder, Jack Dorsey, was a part of the directors but quit his position in May of 2024.
The vision was simple. Create a decentralized social media space where the users have more autonomy over their data and fewer restrictions.
Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are centralized platforms, meaning one single organization is in control of the data, controls how the algorithm works, and how the platform can be monetized.
Decentralized on the other hand means no single entity controls the platform. It’s run by a network of independent servers or nodes, often using blockchain or a similar technology.
User’s data isn’t confined to one platform, it’s spread across multiple servers and the user has more control over what happens to their details.
Communities on the platforms can set their own rules and policies while centralized platforms have a set of rules you must abide by or else fear getting censored or banned.
So why was Bluesky created?
To give more control back to their users. The original plan for the project was to integrate it into Twitter.
However, in 2021, Bluesky became an independent contractor but still maintained a financial and service agreement with Twitter.
In 2022, they cut ties and said goodbye without disclosing the reason for the split.
Bluesky saw a huge growth after the US General Election in 2024 and several changed policies on X like AI training, and now in January 2025, it has surpassed 25 million users.
The most popular age range on Twitter is between 25 to 35 years old, a mixture of Gen Z, Zillenials, and Millennials.
However, since the recent changes to policies on X such as the introduction of AI training on user’s posts and the blocked feature, generations are becoming more data-conscious.
It’s no wonder the majority of consumers on the platform are Millennials and Generation Z.
They are tech-savvy, grew up with social media, and are aware of data breaches such as the Cambridge Academia scandal in 2018.
Now you know what Bluesky is, it’s time to find out if it is for you.
Key Features of Bluesky
Bluesky is using an AT(Authenticated Transfer) protocol.
If you aren’t familiar with the technical language, the platform is an open-source framework, so people outside of the company have transparency into how it is built and what is being developed.
It allows its users more control over where and how their data is being used.
Depending on the user, they choose whether they want stricter regulations, community interactions, and moderation.
Less ADs, More Personalization
Forget about algorithms controlling you, you are in control. Many platforms are being oversaturated with ADs and users are getting annoyed with the constant bombardment of irrelevant content.
Well, Bluesky might be the answer to your dreams because of its customization feature that’s integrated into the platform. If you just want to see your friends’ posts, you are in control of what you consume.
The algorithm is based on your preferences, activity, and other factors, giving you back autonomy.
Another classic is if you remember when Instagram first appeared on the internet, posts were shown in chronological order but recently, they are random and based on your activity with other connections on the platform.
With Bluesky, everything is posted chronologically, allowing users to see when the content was made first.
The ability to personalize and control your data makes it an easy choice for younger generations to move from X to Bluesky.
The ability to filter content and tailor your feeds to your interests offers more personalization which is important to Millennials and Gen Z according to a blog written by Idomoo.
Gen Z has grown up in a tech-centric society and things like custom playlists on Spotify, recommendations on the top movies for you on Netflix, or special discounts on your birthday make personalization a key feature of a business strategy.
It’s no different for social media. In earlier days, Instagram, Facebook, and Myspace gave you more autonomy over what appeared on your feed. Nowadays, content is fed to you whether you agree to it or not.
Early adopters of Bluesky were seen moving over to the platform after Twitter changed its name to X with many more switching because of changed policies on Twitter and content moderation.
Bluesky positions itself as an open discussion platform, encouraging transparent and unmoderated political conversations in comparison to X. Instead of social media platforms owning you, you own the social media platform.
Bluesky VS Traditional Social Media Platforms
The biggest comparison between Bluesky and other social media platforms is that you have more control over your data, can customize your feed, and block out any content you find disturbing or harmful.
The recent policy brought in by X on the block feature has people worrying about the safety of the platform. Elon Musk has proposed that when you block someone, they can still see your content but they just can’t interact with it.
There are many issues with this as the whole concept of blocking is that you don’t have to see their content anymore.
Mastodon is another decentralized social media platform however many have complained over the complexity of it and the “vibe” feeling off.
Bluesky is referred to as a platform where everyone is welcome while Mastodon feels “clicky”.
The platform arrived on the web in 2022 and got a headstart at taking audiences over to the platform.
In 2023, Blueksy arrived but originally was an invite-only platform as it went through its beta stage.
In 2024, it announced the platform would be public for anyone to use.
A platform like Bluesky has many competitors aside from Mastodon.
Threads, owned by Meta, came on the market in July 2023 and has over 275 million users on the platform.
A small number for Bluesky to compete with… ‘ahem’.
Threads is a centralized platform because it’s owned by one single entity. The algorithm, changes in policies, and content moderation are controlled by Meta.
Whereas Bluesky gives you the freedom over what you do with your profile and feed.
Threads is feeling the heat from Bluesky as it’s introduced more features such as customizable feeds which is a big feature of Bluesky.
If you want more ownership over your data, Bluesky could be for you.
Should your business be on Bluesky?
You might be wondering, “Should I move my business to Bluesky?” The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. It depends on your goals, resources, and target audience.
Like any social media platform, Bluesky has its strengths and limitations.
Before making the leap, it’s important to evaluate whether it aligns with your business objectives. Spreading yourself too thin across multiple platforms can ruin your efforts, but if Bluesky fits your strategy, it could be a valuable addition to your marketing strategy.
To help you decide, let’s break down the pros and cons of migrating your business to Bluesky.
Pros:
1. Bluesky is still a relatively new platform and early adopters can take advantage of building a strong presence before it becomes oversaturated.
2. You can build a tight-knit community as it’s ideal for targeting niche audiences with authentic, personalized marketing messages.
3. With no algorithm dictating what content is shown, your posts are more likely to be shown to your followers organically, making it easier to interact directly with your audience.
4. There’s less competition, allowing you to test different content strategies, messaging styles, and audience engagement methods without much pressure.
Cons:
1. Bluesky has a smaller user base so if your target audience isn’t on the platform, it would be harder for smaller businesses to grow as they normally have limited resources.
2. Bluesky currently doesn’t offer any paid promotional features, reducing your chances to leverage ads to boost visibility or target specific demographics.
3. The platform hasn’t integrated scheduling tools and analytics software, making it harder to track ROI as part of your marketing strategy.
If you’re looking to build a niche community for your business, Bluesky offers a unique opportunity to connect with engaged, like-minded audiences in a less crowded and algorithm-free environment.
We recommend migrating to Bluesky as a complementary platform to your existing social media strategy, rather than a replacement.
Its focus on authentic interactions and giving back to the user makes it ideal for businesses and companies who want to create deeper connections with their target audience.
Even though Bluesky’s user base is still growing, it’s best to maintain a presence on giants like Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn to maintain a broader reach.
That said, Bluesky’s potential for businesses could skyrocket if it integrates measuring and tracking software in the future.
The ability to analyze engagement, track ROI, and measure campaign performance would make it a more viable platform for businesses looking to scale their efforts.
If Bluesky evolves to include features like paid promotions, advanced analytics, and scheduling tools, it could become a powerful tool for businesses to diversify their social media presence and reach new audiences.
Until then, treat Bluesky as a testing ground for organic growth and community-building, while keeping an eye on its development as a platform.
It’s still early days and a lot can happen. Just take a look at Threads.
Getting Started on Bluesky
To get started on Bluesky, it only takes a few simple steps until you’re ready to enter the world of online decentralization.
You have the choice to create a personal or a business account. Several celebrities from pop singer, Lizzo to Taskmaster’s Greg Davies, have announced they are joining the platform and limiting their use of X altogether.
Other big names such as Ben Stiller, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Patton Oswalt have also made the move.
Publications and Journalists like Carol Voderman have started to build their online presence on the platforms as it’s easier to get verified and doesn’t denote links like other platforms.
But what about the big players like Duolingo? Coca Cola? Wendy’s? Unfortunately, they haven’t made the move yet but there’s plenty of time as the platform continues to grow.
On the desktop, you can enter bsky.app to get started.
Create a personal or business account with an email and a password.
Create a custom domain
Unlike other social media platforms, you can connect your domain to your Bluesky account as verification.
In your settings, tap account.
Select “handle” and then “I have my own domain”.
Follow the instructions to add a new DNS record to your domain in your domain manager.
And ta-da! You are verified through your domain.
If you are signing up on your mobile, you can download the app through the app store on the iPhone or Google Play Store for Android.
You’ll be prompted to add information such as a profile picture, bio, and other basic information required for the platform.
After you choose a profile picture that’s a good representation of your brand or business, you’ll be prompted to select interests so the platform can serve you relevant content.
Once you’ve completed all the basic information, you are ready to explore!
Bluesky’s Customization Feature
The biggest feature of the new platform is its customization feature.
Think about what you do and don’t want to see. Do you just want to see your friend’s posts or are you open to other relevant content related to your interests?
Bluesky has a “discover” feature for you to browse people’s content and select which feeds you are interested in following.
You can search for specific keywords or hashtags in the search bar to find people quickly.
If you are a pro on Twitter, Bluesky will be easy to navigate due to its interface, suggestions for users to follow, and trending topics related to your interests.
Transitioning from Twitter to Bluesky
Because Bluesky is hosted on independent servers, it’s easier to transfer your data from one platform to another.
SkyBridge is a tool that allows you to make the transition smoother, helping you find and follow your existing X connections on Bluesky.
- To use SkyBridge, download the Google Extension which is available for Chrome and Firefox.
- Log into both accounts, X, and Bluesky, through the extension.
- The tool will identify which of your X followers are on Bluesky and you can stay connected to your followers across platforms.
Blueskys Starter Packs
The platform has made it easy for everyone by creating “Starter Packs” which are curated collections of accounts designed to help you quickly find users with shared interests.
With one click, you’ll already have a bunch of accounts to follow and explore in your feed.
Content Moderation
Another key aspect of Bluesky is the ability to moderate the content on the platform.
You can customize it to your liking by using its key features:
- Set language preferences.
- Mute specific words or phrases.
Accounts that use specific words or phrases can also be excluded from showing.
- Block specific groups of people
- Customize your Feed
Choose or create algorithms that dictate what you can see on the feed.
- Customize your DM experience
You are in control of who can and can’t contact you and how you receive notifications.
Open the Bluesky app and tap the chat icon to enter your DMs,
- Tap the settings icon within the DM interface.
- Choose from the following options:
- Everyone: Allow any Bluesky user to send you a DM.
- Users I follow: Restrict DMs to only those you follow.
- No one: Disable DMs entirely.
- Toggle notification sounds for incoming DMs on or off, based on your preference.
Custom Servers
Another key feature of Bluesky’s decentralized platform is the custom servers.
Because it’s built on the AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol), users or communities can host independent instances of the Bluesky network, giving them greater control over their social media experience.
Anyone can set it up and run their server.
As long as the servers operate in the Bluesky ecosystem, you can choose from different servers and move your data and connections across.
Each server has its rules, moderations, and policies while remaining part of the Bluesky network.
Email works the same way. It is interconnected through different servers such as Mailchimp or Gmail.
You also have the choice to create your server. Even though they are independent, they can communicate with each other, which means one server can interact with users on another server seamlessly.
Setting up Your Custom Server
- Technical Knowledge:
You’ll need to have some technical knowledge to create your server and understand how to deploy and manage software on a server.
You’ll need to understand how to deploy and manage software on a server.
- AT Protocol Implementation
Because Bluesky provides the AT protocol, which you can use to build and run your server.
- Customization
Once the server is running, you can customize it with your rules, moderation policies, and features.
- Invite Users
Once you have everything set up, you can invite people to your server. They can create accounts on your server and start interacting with others on the Bluesky network.
GoViral Conclusion
As more and more generations become data-conscious, platforms like Blueksy are giving autonomy back to the audience.
General elections, fake news, changes in policies, and AD fatigue are just a few reasons for people to migrate to other platforms. Is there such a thing as a “perfect” platform? Or does every platform reach its downfall?
If you are ready to make the switch to decentralized platforms and take back control of your data and the content you consume, Bluesky could be the right platform for you.
Have you made the switch to Bluesky?
4 Marketing Strategies to Get Ahead in 2025
It’s a new year. You’ve evaluated the past year and you want to shake it up this year.
Since the emergence of AI, everything is moving ten times faster than previous years so staying ahead of the curve has never been more important.
Planning and staying one step ahead of your competitors is the way to win in 2025.
In our blog, we discuss the 4 marketing strategies to implement in 2025 that align with our predictions about digital marketing and social media trends (You can catch up on it here) we discussed in our previous blog.
We provide in-depth insights into finding and analyzing data, along with recommendations for useful tools and resources.
Let’s set you up for success!
Understanding Marketing Strategies
Before implementing any strategies, it’s important to evaluate where you are now, not the future.
Take note of past results, ROI, and whether you hit past objectives and goals before setting new ones.
This gives you more clarity and direction on where to take your business in 2025.
Determine your business goals. What’s your biggest goal for 2025? Where do you see yourself in a year’s time? What will you be proud of this time next year?
Think long-term then work backwards into short-term goals and actionable steps you need to take each month to hit the end goal.
Best practice to set long and short-term goals is by using the SMART method. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
A long-term goal for brand awareness could be to increase market share and attract a younger demographic (millennials aged 25-35 in urban areas) by 20% within the next 12 months.
Long-term goals take time and need to be monitored throughout the year to see whether you are on track.
Implementing short-term goals can keep employees and teams on track and accountability.
A short-term goal could be to increase social media engagement on Instagram by 15% within the next 3 months.
3 months is an average timeline to evaluate whether your strategy is working or needs to be adjusted.
Once you know your long-term and short-term goals, it’s time to implement the strategies to get there.
Data-Driven Decision Making
The Power of Data Analytics: Unlocking hidden insights about your audience
Your analytics are your best-kept secret. They let you know what’s working and what’s not. Businesses that fail and get left behind continue to do the same strategies each year because well.. if it’s worked before, it’ll work again, right?
But there’s a reason why they aren’t getting results. They fail to keep up-to-date with trends and prefer to stick to what they know. In business, you need to be agile and always ready to switch directions if needed. Because if nothing changes, nothing changes.
Your goals for your business this year will determine what you should be focusing on.
If you want to increase brand awareness, your focus should be on showing your expertise and awareness around your product or service.
Ask yourself “does our target audience need more information about what we provide? Do they understand how our product or service works?”. What differentiates you from your competitors?
Increasing brand awareness can be done through content marketing such as writing in-depth articles, blogs, tutorials, and guides about your products or service.
If your industry is more technical or buyers need more information before investing, in-depth whitepapers or e-books are valuable resources that can move them further down the funnel.
Tracking your social media insights such as reach and engagement are a direct link to see if your content is resonating with your target audience.
Establish thought leadership in your industry by engaging in industry news and discussions with potential customers.
If you’re driving traffic to your website, check your insights on your hosting platform and implement Google Analytics. On the platform, you can view bounce rates, dwell time, and page views to see your user behaviour.
As a general guideline, a bounce rate of 40% or lower is considered good but above could indicate a problem.
Check your page speed insights to see your website’s loading time. If a website takes too long to load, people get frustrated and will choose someone else.
High page views indicate the type of content that is popular and engaging for your audience.
The algorithms are constantly changing but by analyzing your analytics and reviewing at the end of each month, you can be ready to adjust your strategy quicker.
Essential Tools for Data-Driven Marketing
Google Analytics is an important tool to use for making data-driven decisions. It gives you clarity on what’s driving traffic to your website… or not.
Are they spending time on your website or bouncing straight off? It only takes a few moments for a customer to decide if you are the right fit.
If you want to see if your website is driving traffic, key metrics to analyze are bounce rates, dwell time, and clicks.
If you have an e-book or a lead magnet on your website (we highly recommend it!), analyze how many clicks it gets on a daily basis.
Is your website clear about what you provide? Is the messaging speaking to the right audience? Where do you show up on Google? Is your website optimized for search results? What about voice search optimization?
Whether you’re a beginner or advanced at analyzing data, knowing where and what to analyze can be confusing.
Let’s say you want to see whether your messaging is clear on your website. Add Google Analytics G4 onto your website and you can see in real-time about your users behavior.
Google Analytics G4 replaced Universal Analytics two years ago and offers even deeper insights about your website and its traffic. We wrote a blog on everything you need to know about GA4 here.
You can track how users are finding your website. Through search engines? Social Media? These insights will help you refine your strategy especially regarding SEO.
Sites like SemRush, Moz, Ahrefs give a deeper insight into keywords your competitors and target audience are searching for.
Create a document like an excel sheet and download the top keywords to start implementing onto your website.
Making your website SEO-friendly is important because if Google considers your website to be a reliable source for lets “digital marketing”, you can be ranked in the top 10 and have a higher chance of getting your content seen.
If you don’t have a huge budget and you’re just starting out, Keywords Everywhere and Google Search Console are beginner-friendly and don’t require any budget.
Think of what your target audience would search for. Another cost-effective way to find questions for keywords is check out the “People Also Ask” section on Google’s homepage.
Since Google+ arrived, voice search optimization is one strategy you need to implement this year.
We wrote a blog about voice search optimization which you catch up on here.
We dive into the different strategies to implement with regards to SEO and optimizing your website to show up in results.
It’s a competitive field but implement the tips and you’ll be ahead of most.
Businesses should have a social media presence to expand their reach and communicate with their customers to get real-time feedback. Listen to your customers.
Always keep them in mind when you are creating a strategy. After all they are the ones that buy.
Whether it’s LinkedIn, Instagram, Tiktok or another platform you use, each one offers deeper insights into your analytics.
A business account displays impressions, reach, clicks, new followers, and interactions.
Don’t make the mistake of reviewing the analytics and then doing… nothing. Data is there for a reason.. to inform your strategy and what direction to take.
If a piece of content gets more reach and engagement compared to others, do more of that. If website clicks are low, are you promoting your products or services enough? Is your audience well-informed about the desired outcome from your business?
Your audience potentially needs more information before buying especially if you’re in the growth stage of your business.
Establishing authority on social media takes time. Don’t feel defeated if you don’t get the results you want straight away.
Consistency is key.
Personalized Customer Experiences
Personalized customer experiences will continue to be important in 2025. Gen-Z and millennials value authenticity, community, and being heard.
They don’t want to be one of many, they want to have a deeper connection with the brands or businesses they invest time and money in.
Both Millennials and Gen-Z are willing to spend more money on experiences, in-person and online so it’s important to create a personalization strategy.
We created a blog on the things to avoid in your personalization strategy here.
Don’t get too personal or you’ll creep your customers out.
If you’re struggling to get customers to engage and convert, your content or emails probably aren’t personalized enough and are getting lost in their emails.
Invest time into understanding who your target audience is on a deeper level, know and know what they need to hear before they need to buy.
Not everyone buys the same.
Some are analytical and need results while others are more emotional and connect through stories.
Segmenting your audience based on the insights your CRM (Customer Relationship Management System) gives or email marketing platform like Mailchimp allows you to personalize your content to their interests, needs, and where they are in the buyer’s journey.
For Mailchimp, segment your audience by demographics (female, 25-35 years old, Ireland), and their activity in the last 30 days. Did they open your email in the last 30 days? Did they click on any links within the email?
If they never opened your email, this could be a sign that your subject line didn’t intrigue them.
Subject lines should tell your audience what it’s about. Adding a sense of urgency and their name such as “(name) limited offer available inside!” can intrigue your audience to open the email.
They open the email but don’t click on anything like your call to action or website, it’s possibly unclear to your audience about what action you want them to take.
In Mailchimp, check audience insights and it gives you a complete overview of the actions your audience is taking (or not taking!).
If you’re a beginner, start with simple segments and slowly build upon it when your audience grows.
An example of segmentation could be – Female customers from 30-45 in Ireland who have made a purchase in the last 30 days.
You can re-engage them with a special offer or limited discount for them because they already have shown interest.
Segment your audiences based on these deeper insights to create a seamless experience for your customers and reach the right people at just the right time.
While AI is great to implement into your strategy to make your workflow more efficient, never lose the personal touch, the human. Customers can sense AI from a mile away.
Authentic and Engaging Content
Content is King. Can you guess who coined this term? Gary Vaynerchuk. He’s not wrong.
Content is the best way to connect with your audience but most businesses fail because they post product features or information their audience isn’t interested in.
Well, how do you find out what your audience wants?
Analyze your data. No content, no data. More content, more data.
If your business has been around for years, we’re sure you have pages upon pages of data to analyze and start to spot trends.
If you don’t have pages of data, don’t worry because there’s always a way to gather information. You just need to be a bit more creative.
Create polls, questionnaires, or forms to get feedback directly from your audience to start collecting data and creating new segments.
Don’t be afraid to ask them what they want to receive or what topics they are most interested in.
If you’re still unsure, analyze what your competitors are doing and see what’s working.
This can give you inspiration into what your audience would like to see but remember to always add your own personal experience, results, and expertise. People buy from people.
Check your competitors’ social media likes, followers, views to see what content is performing well and resonates with an audience similar to yours.
If you have the budget, tools like BuzzSumo or Backlinko have tools which can help give you a more in depth competitor or brand analysis.
Research trends, reports, and predictions from sites like Google Trends, Statista, or the Hubspot blog who publish industry trends and reports to help you create a clear content strategy.
It’s important to remember, what works for one business mightn’t work for yours.
Use social listening tools like Brandwatch, looking at hashtag trends and using communities and forums like Reddit or Quora to see what people are talking about.
You would be surprised at the value you can find online if you look in the right places.
The Art of Storytelling: Connecting with Your Audience on an Emotional Level
Every business has a story. It’s important to get it across in your messaging so you can create emotional resonance with your audience.
Since the advancements of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, it has pushed businesses to create richer, more personalized narratives.
But what if you don’t know your story?
Get clear on your why
Use Simon Sineck’s framework, don’t start with the “how” you do it but rather why you do it.
Why did you start your business? Most start because of a pain point they were experiencing and couldn’t find a solution so they filled the gap.
Go deep into the pain point, the challenges and successes you’ve achieved in your business journey.
Customers find it aspirational, inspirational or relatable.
What makes you different
Now you can look at the “how” you do it.
What differentiates you from your competition? Highlight your customers’ experiences, their results, and how you helped them achieve their desired outcome.
The Vision
No one starts a business to have an easy life. We start because we have a vision for our own life but also for our customers.
A future life where you help thousands of customers improve their productivity, health, expenses, and so forth.
What is the driver behind your business?
Now that you have the why, the difference, and the vision, it’s time to create the…
Brand Identity
Without an identity, your brand or business can get lost and blend in. To create one, you need your
- Mission
- Vision
- Values
- USP/UVP
- Positioning
- Visual Identity
By combining your brand’s story with identity, you make it easier for you to stand out.
Establish your brand origin. How did your brand come to be? What inspired you to start your business? Was it a personal journey or a solution to a problem?
Next, establish your core values that reflect your business and everything you do. Is your brand courageous? Not afraid to go against the norm? Or is it about making a social impact?
If your brand was a person, how would you describe them? This plays into the brand’s tone of voice, personality and visual identity (logo, typography, font) online. How do you want to be perceived?
Every person will have a perception of your brand depending on how they interact with you. Make sure messaging is consistent across all channels or people get confused and are unsure what you stand for.
Origin story, personality, core values, and visual identity, it’s time to create a brand narrative. How has your product or service improved someone’s life?
What impact did you have on them?
Customers love seeing a journey, a transformation, overcoming challenges and persevering regardless. Intertwine your story into your identity and you can stand out.
Tracking the Impact
How do you know if your story is connecting with your audience?
By monitoring your website traffic, social media reach and engagement, or brand mentions, you’ll be able to analyze what’s resonating with your audience or not.
A great example of a brand story is Nike.
Nike is famously known for its quote “Just Do It” and the tick logo. They collaborate with influential figures like Michael B. Jordan, Lebron, Serena Williams, and tell stories of overcoming adversity and challenges.
When you watch any of Nike’s campaigns, you are always moved into emotion. Inspiration, aspirational, motivated to take the plunge and “Just Do It”.
Your brand story makes you unique.
Social Media Marketing Channels
One of the biggest challenges businesses face is choosing the right platform to spend their budget and resources on.
You might think being everywhere is the right approach but there’s only so much time, resources, and money before it can all fall apart.
Have you created a buyer persona? and target audience?
Because there’s a difference between the two and having both will help you zero in on your audience.
Buyer persona
A buyer persona is a fictional character you create from studies, feedback, focus groups and surveys from real people about your product or services.
This requires deep research and listening to your audience about their pain points. From that, create this fictional persona and don’t forget to give them a name!
They represent one of your key target groups, based on the information you found.
Meet Martha. She’s a 31 year old and has lived in Ireland her whole life. She works in the healthcare industry and has been there for over 10 years.
She enjoys her work because it gives her a sense of purpose and passion but the long hours writing reports are taking her away from her children. She values quality time with her family but her job is tiring and requires a lot of mental energy.
She wishes there was a product that could save her time, improve her productivity, and give her back time with her family.
Now we have a mental image of who our buyer persona is.
Target Audience
Now it’s time to create our target audience.
This is a much broader concept compared to Martha, it’s grouping similar individuals who share certain characteristics together to target more efficiently.
If you are a software company, developing a product for the healthcare industry to improve efficiency, save time, and is cost effective, our target audience could be:
- Industry: Healthcare industry
- Company Size: 10,000 – 20,000
- Income: 35,000 to 45,000
- Location: EU countries
As you can see, target audiences are broader but buyer personas enable you to get deeper into your audience’s mind.
From this, make a decision about where you think your target audience is going to be hanging out.
If you’re targeting the healthcare industry, invest resources into LinkedIn compared to Instagram. A professional industry like healthcare mightn’t be spending time creating videos or stories on Instagram, they are busy enough as it is.
Organic Reach vs. Paid Advertising: Finding the Right Balance
There’s always debates about whether to go with organic reach or paid advertising. Which one is better?
This is why reviewing the past year of results is important because by using the data, you can decide on the direction you want to go.
So what are the Pros and Cons?
If you don’t have a huge budget, organic content is cost-effective as there’s no direct financial investment. It helps build long-term relationships and trust as it feels more genuine and authentic to your audience.
High-quality, engaging content with the correct keywords can also improve your SEO results.
The cons to organic marketing is limited reach as organic reach on most platforms is declining making it harder to reach a large audience. Rather than investing with money, you’ll be investing more effort and time commitment to create, schedule, and engage with your audience.
It’s harder to measure ROI because there’s no direct way to analyze the return on investment.
Let’s move to paid ads marketing.
The pros are an increased visibility as you can reach a wider audience quicker and more effectively. Unlike organic reach, with paid ads you can target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors.
It’s much easier to track key metrics like clicks, conversions, and return on ad spend and understand what’s driving results.
However, investing in paid ads requires a big budget to run and maintain paid campaigns. If you are running ads, you need to have in-depth knowledge and skill in ad targeting, bidding, and optimization.
There’s also a high potential for ad fatigue as overexposure of ads can lead to decreased engagement.
So when should you consider paid advertising?
If you’re launching a new product or service, this can generate awareness and drive initial sales.
However, if you’re a new business, focus on organic reach first to build a customer base first to see what content resonates with your audience.
Offers around Christmas or specific holidays can maximize reach and engagement but it can be competitive so make sure to start early, have a good budget set aside, and constantly monitor it to adjust if necessary.
Perhaps you have a specific target audience that is quite niche.
It might be more difficult to reach them organically and ads can get in front of them faster.
Ads are a great way to drive traffic to landing pages to capture leads for a targeted ad campaign regarding an event, special deals, or another offer.
It’s important to evaluate resources, funds, and energy and decide whether advertising is the right approach for your strategy.
The Importance of Social Listening: Understanding Customer Sentiment
Let’s take you back to school for a moment.
Bare with me… in school, gossip was the highest form of currency.
We’re creatures and if there’s anything people love more than is hearing about other peoples lives.
Audiences crave authenticity. That’s why businesses are increasingly embracing behind-the-scenes content
They want to see the human element behind the brand and connect with the people who make it happen.
Gossip was a form of currency in school, social listening is the form of currency online.
Gen-Z has grown up with social media and has no issue about voicing their opinions about topics, products, or services they have invested in.
Understanding social listening and being able to implement feedback quickly is important for businesses if they want to remain on their customers’ good side.
Use tools like Brandwatch, Hootsuite, Sproutsocial often to listen to what your customers are saying about you.
You can turn on notifications and create filters on the platforms to be notified when someone mentions your brand or business, positive AND negative.
Responding back to customers quickly and efficiently not only creates amends faster but customers appreciate when they feel seen and heard.
Deleting negative comments or failing to respond back quickly will result in further negativity. Listen to the gossip because you’ll save yourself a lot of time.
GoViral Conclusion
Start 2025 strong with long-term and short-term goals and set actionable steps to achieve each month.
Review at the end of each month and adjust your strategy when necessary. You don’t want to get halfway through the year and realise you’re not achieving what you set out to do.
Get clear on the why behind your business, the story, and the vision you want to accomplish. Then implement strategies that will take you closer to your end goal.
Struggling to achieve your goals every year? Don’t have a clear marketing plan? Content failing to get in front of the right audience?
Contact us today to enquire about our services and how we can help you achieve your business goals.
The Top Digital and Social Media Marketing Trends in 2025
As we close off another year, it’s a great time to reflect back on what has happened in the digital marketing and social media space.
2024 saw a rise in Artificial Intelligence, greater focus on community, personalization became more important to consumers than previous years, the boom of personal branding, and so much more.
We’ll discuss what trends stood out for 2024 and our predictions for 2025.
The Trends of 2024
-
Short-form content VS long-form content
The age-old battle between the content formats continues to rise as TikTok and Instagram fight over their audiences’ attention.
While TikTok has increased length time to ten minutes following YouTube shorts strategy, Instagram allows users to record up to 90 seconds.
Despite both platforms increasing the recording time, short-form content still continues to win.
31% of the marketers believe that short-form videos offer the highest ROI.
Long-form content does have the potential to generate ROI through correct ad placement and sponsorships but short-form content sparks intrigue and interest in the audience leading to more engagement.
Short-form content continues to reign over long-form content because of the potential to provide value in a short amount of time. We don’t see long-form content taking the lead anytime soon in the near future.
-
Generative AI:
Artificial Intelligence has been around since 2015 but it has grown in strength over the years especially in 2024.
Integration of Generative AI into digital marketing and social media platforms has enhanced efficiency and allows businesses and marketers to produce large volumes of content in a shorter amount of time.
From the latest Mckinsley Global Survey on AI, over 65% of businesses are using Generative AI, doubling the number than just a few months ago.
We don’t see it stopping there. As more and more businesses adopt Generative AI into their business, we can see it evolving more each time.
Take for example, Instagram.
Instagram always had artificial intelligence capabilities but in recent years, it has been integrated into the platform from AI-generated influencers to chatbots to AI-generated content.
-
Influencer Marketing Vs UGC (User-Generated Content)
Influencer marketing rose in the early 2000s with many brands investing their budget into influencers to reach a wider audience.
Many saw the advantage of influencing because they already had built a strong following that engaged with their content and had influence over their community.
However in the last few years, the rise of influencer marketing has slowed down as many people are moving more towards authenticity and relatable content.
Many influencers display an idealistic lifestyle that many aren’t infatuated with anymore.
Influencers are paid to talk about the businesses product or services which most people are moving towards relatable and more authentic content.
Enter a new player… UGC has become a fan favorite with brands in the last few years and it’s clear to see why.
User-Generated content is an easier way for people to get started in the content creation world as they don’t need to build a following first to sell to.
User-Generated Content is created by customers or fans of the product which feels more relatable and authentic.
It also is a better choice for those who don’t have a big following and who don’t want to shine light on themselves on the internet.
Instead they create content for businesses and they own the content you produce. For brands, UGC content is much cheaper for the business compared to influencers.
Depending on the type of influencer whether it’s a nano, micro, or macro influencer, the price can range from 100 euro to nearly 10k for one reel.
The platform, number of followers and engagement rate is highly dependent on how much you get paid for a reel.
Compare that with UGC where your audience and engagement rate doesn’t matter as much, the focus is on producing relatable and authentic content.
This starts to build a positive association with the brand as they come across as relatable and authentic.
In influencer marketing, influencers tend to already have a “warm” audience that’s ready to buy while UGC creators have less pressure to build connections with an audience. It’s up to the brand to have that warm audience already.
However, UGC isn’t simply taking a video about how much you like a product. If that was the case, everyone would be making bank.
Instead, UGC creators need to have a deep understanding of the psychology behind selling and what captures people’s attention along with skills such as copywriting and understanding the brand’s target audience.
Despite this, we predict UGC will become the bigger player compared to influencer marketing because of the authenticity and relatability.
Download GoVirals Top Digital and Social Media Predictions for 2025
-
Short-form content VS long-form content
The age-old battle between the content formats continues to rise as TikTok and Instagram fight over their audiences’ attention.
While TikTok has increased length time to ten minutes following YouTube shorts strategy, Instagram allows users to record up to 90 seconds.
Despite both platforms increasing the recording time, short-form content still continues to win.
31% of the marketers believe that short-form videos offer the highest ROI.
Long-form content does have the potential to generate ROI through correct ad placement and sponsorships but short-form content sparks intrigue and interest in the audience leading to more engagement.
Short-form content continues to reign over long-form content because of the potential to provide value in a short amount of time. We don’t see long-form content taking the lead anytime soon in the near future.
-
Generative AI:
Artificial Intelligence has been around since 2015 but it has grown in strength over the years especially in 2024.
Integration of Generative AI into digital marketing and social media platforms has enhanced efficiency and allows businesses and marketers to produce large volumes of content in a shorter amount of time.
From the latest Mckinsley Global Survey on AI, over 65% of businesses are using Generative AI, doubling the number than just a few months ago.
We don’t see it stopping there. As more and more businesses adopt Generative AI into their business, we can see it evolving more each time.
Take for example, Instagram.
Instagram always had artificial intelligence capabilities but in recent years, it has been integrated into the platform from AI-generated influencers to chatbots to AI-generated content.
-
Influencer Marketing Vs UGC (User-Generated Content)
Influencer marketing rose in the early 2000s with many brands investing their budget into influencers to reach a wider audience.
Many saw the advantage of influencing because they already had built a strong following that engaged with their content and had influence over their community.
However in the last few years, the rise of influencer marketing has slowed down as many people are moving more towards authenticity and relatable content.
Many influencers display an idealistic lifestyle that many aren’t infatuated with anymore.
Influencers are paid to talk about the businesses product or services which most people are moving towards relatable and more authentic content.
Enter a new player… UGC has become a fan favorite with brands in the last few years and it’s clear to see why.
User-Generated content is an easier way for people to get started in the content creation world as they don’t need to build a following first to sell to.
User-Generated Content is created by customers or fans of the product which feels more relatable and authentic.
It also is a better choice for those who don’t have a big following and who don’t want to shine light on themselves on the internet.
Instead they create content for businesses and they own the content you produce. For brands, UGC content is much cheaper for the business compared to influencers.
Depending on the type of influencer whether it’s a nano, micro, or macro influencer, the price can range from 100 euro to nearly 10k for one reel.
The platform, number of followers and engagement rate is highly dependent on how much you get paid for a reel.
Compare that with UGC where your audience and engagement rate doesn’t matter as much, the focus is on producing relatable and authentic content.
This starts to build a positive association with the brand as they come across as relatable and authentic.
In influencer marketing, influencers tend to already have a “warm” audience that’s ready to buy while UGC creators have less pressure to build connections with an audience. It’s up to the brand to have that warm audience already.
However, UGC isn’t simply taking a video about how much you like a product. If that was the case, everyone would be making bank.
Instead, UGC creators need to have a deep understanding of the psychology behind selling and what captures people’s attention along with skills such as copywriting and understanding the brand’s target audience.
Despite this, we predict UGC will become the bigger player compared to influencer marketing because of the authenticity and relatability.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve and be two steps ahead of your competitors, download our Top Digital and Social Media Trends of 2025 predictions below.
The New Google: Voice Search Optimization
There’s been a wide variety of trends in 2024 but one that’s recently emerged is voice search optimization. Voice Search Optimization is the process of improving your online presence so you can appear for voice search queries.
With many voice assistants implementing into our day-to-day lives such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, or Google’s Assistant, it’s no wonder voice search it’s becoming more popular.
We’re going to dive into the background of voice search, benefits, its impact on user behaviour and search, and the potential drawbacks. Businesses primary goal is to get selected to be read aloud by voice assistants when users perform a voice search.
Don’t worry, as always we’ve got you covered in this blog so you’re ready to take on 2025.
How Voice Search Technology Actually Works
Dating back to 1925, research on the concept of automatic speech recognition (ASR) started that had a limited capacity around understanding words.
In the last two decades, we’ve seen a massive leap in voice recognition technology, largely driven by Artificial Intelligence and deep learning.
Nowadays, the systems can understand context, recognize emotions and even comprehend tones of voice and accents. It’s crazy how fast it’s developed and we can only imagine it will continue to grow in 2025.
Voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistants, and Apples Siri are commonly used worldwide and are continuously learning each day, improving their predicative capabilities and enhancing the user experience.
We’ve started to move away from traditional text-based searches as there’s been changes in how we phrase our queries. If you’re looking for a restaurant or a store near you, traditionally you would search “restaurants near me”.
But asking a question phrased in a voice search query sounds more like “Hey Siri, can you find me a restaurant nearby?”.
It takes on a more conversationalist tone, longer questions, and aligns more with how we naturally speak.
We have started to see a shift in user behaviour and how we search and interpret information.
There’s over one billion voice searches taking place. There’s so much potential for businesses to increase their visibility online to a broader online, achieving better results and more opportunities to attain new clients.
This shift in user behavior to voice search queries is down to efficiency, speed, and convenience. Over 56% of users turn to voice search on smartphones to gather business information, emphasizing the vital role of optimizing for voice search.
Key Players in the Voice Search Ecosystem
Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri are in the top three in the voice search ecosystem but Google is currently taking the lead with Amazon’s Alexa not far behind.
Google’s assistant has been around since the launch of it in 2016, is praised on its natural language processing capabilities and understanding of complex queries, making the interactions more human-like.
Its compatibility and easy integration into apps such as Gmail, calendar, maps and much more makes day-to-day tasks easier to implement, offering the user an easier and more efficient experience.
Amazon’s Alexa, currently in second place, has started to integrate their Anthropic’s Claude AI into Alexa, enhancing its conversational capabilities and making it more responsive.
By integrating Claude, it will be able to handle larger queries and provide more context-based responses, much like Google’s Assistant.
After becoming a household name, its integrated itself into home speakers and devices worldwide.
Alexa has the ability to recognize different voices and personalize each response based on the individual’s preferences.
In third place, Apple’s Siri is a favorite for Apple users because of its easy integration into Apple’s ecosystem. Iphones, Ipads, Macs, Apple watches, Siri is there to answer any question you have.
Allowing you to create custom voice commands that trigger specific actions or workflows, say goodbye to repetitive tasks that eat up your time.
While Apple is making big strides in its natural language processing capabilities, it just falls short of Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Google will maintain its position, or will Amazon finally take the lead in 2025.
Optimizing Content for Voice Search Queries
User behavior has changed so by understanding user intent, you’ll be able to optimize your content to achieve better results while reaching a wider audience.
It all comes down to convenience and efficiency as people are consistently on the go.
Think of the everyday lifestyle of each person. If you’re driving and need the nearest gas station, you’re not going to pull over to type out your query. You’ll use voice search to find the one closest to you.
People use voice assistants for simple tasks such as a to-do or shopping list.
Many will use voice search to find the closest supermarket with Christmas puddings (did you know it’s Christmas soon?) or the nearest store to pick up last-minute groceries before the big day.
The more convenient something is, the more likely you are going to use it. Before creating a voice search SEO strategy, keep these seven things in mind.
Longer Phrases
If you’re in a rush, we generally type out short, simpler phrases to get the answer quicker.
But with voice search, there isn’t a limitation and people will use longer phrases just as they would in a conversation.
Before creating content, think about the way you speak with a friend.
It’s conversational, natural, and more relaxed. This will help outline what questions you need to create content around.
Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords are much harder to rank for while long-tail keywords tend to get less search traffic.
Long-tail keywords have a higher conversation rate compared to short-tail because of the specificity of the question, showing the users intent behind the search.
Spend time researching long-tail keywords over short-tail to help you rank higher and incorporate them onto your landing page or site to help you get picked over your competitors.
Local and Nearby Information
If we’re on the go, we aren’t using voice search to find our next holiday (well maybe you are!).
Normally we are looking for a supermarket or hairdressers nearby that is the most convenient to us. Remember, convenience is what we are aiming for.
Pay more attention to local SEO to help you rank first in the voice search results. Make sure you have submitted your site to the local directories.
Understanding your target audience
If you understand and speak the language of your target audience, it’ll help you craft a voice search marketing strategy that’s tailored to their behaviours and preferences.
Tracking and measuring what keywords direct people to your site will help refine your strategy and focus more on the tactics driving the audience to your site.
Optimize for Different Devices
Voice search is more commonly carried out on mobile devices so it’s important to optimize your site for screen-first and smart devices to help in your content strategy.
Searches are more natural so read your content aloud to see if it sounds like a conversation you would have with a friend.
Featured Snippet
Voice search is more competitive compared to traditional search as only one result will appear which means a huge chunk of your strategy should be focused on creating featured snippets.
Featured snippets are short chunks of text featured at the top of Google’s search results in order to answer a search query quickly. Convenient, right?
They are chosen based on how accurate and close to the question the person asked.
Review your current content and see what sections can be optimized for voice search to help gather valuable traffic to your website.
They are mostly informational so ask a relevant question and answer between one to three short sentences.
“How-to”and “Best” are often used in featured snippets more than anything else. Lists are also the most common format to rank compared to paragraphs or text.
Lists are easy to read and quick to follow so by combining the best words, using them in a list format, you’ll have a higher chance of reaching that top spot.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Answering the most common questions on your site is the best way to rank especially for the featured snippers.
Make sure to make it search-friendly and natural in tone and stick with short sentences.
Tracking Voice Search Performance
Like anything, tracking how well your voice search is doing is important to understand your content and SEO strategy is working.
Unlike text-based searches, voice searches are often delivered in direct answers through voice assistants making it harder to track clicks and engagements.
Despite this, there are still a number of ways to track and analyze what’s working and where there needs to be improvement.
Previously we mentioned long-tail keywords, featured snippets, and optimizing your site for mobile devices to increase your chances of ranking on Google.
Track how often you secure a featured snippet for a search query as this can boost your visibility immensely.
Monitor what pages the snippets are coming from and optimize the rest of your content to increase your chances further.
Using Google Search Console is a great tool to track what search queries are driving traffic to your website.
Long-tail keywords and questions are the best to monitor for deeper insights into how you’re ranking.
Optimizing your site for mobile devices is important because they are more likely to rank well for voice search results.
Monitor how people are interacting with your site by analyzing three key metrics on Google Analytics.
Bounce rates, average session duration, and pages per session will indicate whether your site needs further optimization for mobile-site users.
Using tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, AHREFS, and SEMrush can help determine if your efforts are paying off.
GoViral Conclusion
The world of digital marketing is changing fast and it’s important for businesses and brands to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements to not fall behind.
By implementing a voice search SEO strategy into your content strategy, the higher the chances of your site being viewed by the right audience.
There’s been many trends emerging this year but we see voice search becoming even more important for 2025 as user behavior and intent changes.
Start creating your strategy now and you’ll be one step ahead of your competitors.
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Case Studies: How Top Brands Nailed their Christmas Campaigns
Christmas is just around the corner and as we near the end of the year, we think it’s a good time to reflect back on past Christmas campaigns and do a deep dive into WHY they nailed it.
Christmas is a time full of nostalgia, childhood memories, warmth, gift-giving, and a reflective period of the year just gone.
We’ve all seen campaigns that have gone above and beyond but sometimes it’s the simplest campaigns that pull on our heart strings.
Ever wondered about the psychology behind Christmas Ads? We’ll dive into what tactics brands use to draw you in emotionally and break down the top three Christmas campaigns in our opinion as well as the controversy around Cola-Cola’s latest Christmas Ad using AI.
The Psychology behind Christmas Ads
Retailers save up their budget all year to go all in on their Christmas campaigns and they have good reason to do as the market is extremely competitive.
Ads are emotionally and tug on your heartstrings to make us emotionally connected in a feel-good way with the brand – fostering brand loyalty and driving sales.
But what draws us in?
We’re emotional creatures, we want to belong and crave connection even more so since the pandemic.
Every advert you watch, it’s normally followed with a dynamic relationship such as grandparents, families, and children along with a storytelling element. It takes us on a journey and the magic that follows on Christmas Day.
When you can see yourself in a story, you feel more emotionally connected to it and build an association with the brand.
Branding of Christmas
Christmas is a jolly season and there are many brands we can think of off the top of our heads that we associate with Christmas.
Cola-Cola being the top (however, who knows for how long after the stint they pulled this year), with John Lewis coming second.
If we break down what a brand means, it’s a “concept” broken down into a collection of associations that we organize in our brain to make sense of information.
When you’re exposed enough times to something, we start to begin to understand a “concept”.
In an article on Psychology Today, they use the example of learning the concept of a dog. We weren’t explicitly told what the exact features of a dog were when we were younger but we grew up seeing them in movies, books, and in real life.
When we think of a dog, a big dog like a labrador might be easier for us to use as a “prototype” of dogs compared to a small chihuahua.
Brands utilize Christmas as their broader prototype and build their whole strategy around it.
The packaging, commercials, and the iconic tune of Cola-Cola, no wonder we associate Christmas with the famous coke bottles dressed as Santa.
John Lewis on the other hand is tied to family, traditions, and wholesomeness which ties into the broader concept of Christmas.
Brands that play the long-game throughout the year increase their sales massively when the time arrives.
Boots: ‘The Christmas Makeover’ by VML
Boots’ Christmas campaign has caused quite a stir among viewers, causing many people commenting it’s too “woke” and complaining that they won’t buy from boots anymore.
It released its 2024 festive marketing campaign, “The Christmas Makeover”, unleashing the magic of beauty with actor and Bridgerton star, Adjoa Andoh as Mrs. Claus in a wonderland of Boots beauty.
Its campaign brings us on the story of Adjoa as she leads her squad of beauty elves in “Mrs Claus Werkshop” on packing presents for beauty enthusiasts.
With a swipe of the famous No7 lipstick, which is iconic to Boots, and a swift outfit change, Mrs Claus takes charge of helping the elves pack up presents for the big day.
We catch glimpses of the viral brands that are showcased such as Elf, Bubble, Sol de Janerio, and Lanegie.
Along with the amazing Adjoa Andoh, this short film also features two renowned beauty social media influencers who work with Boots on an ongoing basis, helping Mrs. Claus tests out the products before they get sent on their way.
If we compare other campaigns where Mr. Claus is normally at the forefront of the tale, this twist on Mrs. Claus taking control is a reality many mothers experience leading up to the big day, ensuring everything goes smoothly.
The witty ending of Adjoa as Mrs. Claus saying “You thought it was all him?”” and a playful wink puts a different spin on the normal tale of Mr. Claus and his elves.
This campaign empowers women and shines light on the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
Women tend to do twice as many festive chores compared to men and are always thinking of the smaller details that go into the festive day.
Boots target audience is between the ages 22 to 55 years old, covering Gen Z and Millennials which care about authenticity, transparency, and most importantly, self-expression.
In a report titled “The Future of Consumer Behavior in the Age of Gen Z,” Mintel, a market intelligence agency, reports that 54% of Gen Z adults trust online beauty influencers and makeup artists.
Since the rise of UGC and influencers, Gen Z is more likely to buy from content creators who they trust which brands will need to implement into their strategy for 2025.
Although this campaign rustled some feathers, it hit the mark and spoke directly to their target audience who favor self-expression, inclusivity, and diversity.
Sainsbury’s: ‘Sainsbury’s Big Christmas’ by New Commercial Arts
In Sainsbury’s 2024 Christmas campaign, the retail giant masterfully tapped into our collective nostalgia by reimagining Roald Dahl’s beloved classic, “The BFG” (Big Friendly Giant).
This choice not only entertains, it weaves in a narrative that resonates deeply with the audience.
The campaign’s parallel between the BFG’s journey across the UK sourcing the finest ingredients and our own familiar Christmas traditions.
Just as families head out on a quest to gather the perfect ingredients for the big day, the BFG’s adventure mirrors this relatable holiday ritual.
It’s a shared experience of Christmas preparations that brings households together across the nation.
The juice, “Phizzwizard” serves as a great metaphor for the Christmas magic that happens. This captures that magic that makes ordinary moments into extraordinary memories.
Sainsbury’s has created a campaign that not only captures the imagination but also reflects the true essence of Christmas in 2024.
The Family Portrait by JD Sports
JD Sports has got us in our feels as they redefine family during their Christmas campaign titled “Family”.
JD Sports take on Christmas is different but simple as it showcases different forms of families that make the festive season special across the country.
A change from the usual families around dinner tables and exchanging gifts, it’s more an embracement of spending time with friends.
While Christmas dinner and gift-giving is the conventional acts throughout many campaigns, this campaign focuses on the simple joys in life.
Meeting friends, getting their favourite food from the local kebab shop.
This is a huge sense of community and belonging felt throughout this campaign as it showcases the different realities of communities felt across the country.
Everyone has their own unique experience of Christmas and what it means to them.
JD Sports is celebrating not just family relationships but the connections and friendships you make along the way.
It opens up another insight into the lives of many and how they celebrate the big day.
It honors authenticity and relatability and feels more down-to-earth in comparison to other campaigns.
JD Sports is the leading sports fashion and trainers company in the UK that offers limited edition collections and exclusive designs from the best brands around the world.
The usual dressing up glam for the festive season is toned down with many sporting JD sports casual wear pointing towards a more relaxed feel at Christmas.
Many well-known names such as Central Cee, Maya Jama, and members from the Beta squad can be spotted throughout, showing different traditions and the connections they have.
Aside from well-known names, it’s the cast of real people that show their traditions.
From two friends sharing a sandwich while fishing, the playful fights in the kitchen with your siblings, to the late-night shifts.
There’s a sense of togetherness, belonging, and inclusivity felt through every scene that makes us feel warm inside.
Representation is important to viewers and JD Sports stepped away from the conventional and moved more towards the reality.
Controversy at Christmas
Coca-Cola’s “Holidays Are Coming” 2024
The iconic tune, the red van, the excited faces, and gathering of families as they wait for the Coca-Cola truck to go through their town.
Once their campaign hits the telly, we know it’s officially Christmas, it’s time to get into the full swing of the festive season.
However, this year they used an AI version for their campaign, labelled as “Real Magic AI”, which hasn’t gone down too well with their audience.
Some have labelled it inauthentic and eerie compared to its normal human connection and personal touch advertisements that bring families together.
In comparison to other campaigns where families rush to catch a glimpse at the Coca-Cola truck, this time it felt animated and emotionless as the AI-generated animals and people watched on in anticipation.
Cola-Cola has associated itself with Christmas for many years with different campaigns throughout the year focused on giving and sharing, a feeling felt specifically at Christmas.
Its red and black color makes it easy to associate to the familiar colors Mr. Claus dresses himself in.
The 1995 iconic “Holidays is Coming” that started it all contrasts dramatically with this year’s campaign compared to the usual story of the red truck driving through the snow, lighting up lights on the streets and homes as it passes by, igniting that sense of magic we all feel at Christmas.
The spirit of togetherness is missing here, as we don’t see those heartwarming moments of friends hugging or families coming together that we often expect in holiday ads.
Although there has been some support towards the AD, calling it creative and innovative especially with the advancement of AI this year, others feel it lacks the magic it once had.
Many consumers are still distrustful of AI especially when it comes to data, privacy, and transparency.
While Cola-Cola did disclose it was created with AI, it’s hard to distinguish between what’s human content and AI-Generated as AI gets more advanced.
People buy from people, not AI-Generated figures.
This could have a massive blowback on brands that choose to switch out real people over generated images.
We connect with a brand through an emotional connection seeing real people use their products and services.
It’s why UGC has blown up in the last few years, it’s created by real people who we can relate to.
When people don’t know whether the content they are seeing is real or fake, it creates a sense of distrust.
A study published in the Journal of Hospitality Market and Management, customers are less likely to purchase if a product is labeled as “AI”.
Participants were shown two products with a description with the only difference being one was labeled AI-powered and the other not.
After being asked about their willingness to buy the product, those who saw AI in the product description were less likely to buy.
Consumers are still distrustful of AI and brands need to be aware how it impacts their reputation and the purchasing decisions of their audience.
Is this the start of AI Christmas campaigns for the foreseeable future?
GoViral Conclusion
It will be interesting to see next year whether many follow in Cola-Cola’s footsteps and integrate AI into their campaigns despite the impact it can have on consumers’ purchasing decisions.
Authenticity, community, and belonging are feelings that consumers are valuing more and more each year.
When brands capture these emotions and create a narrative that sparks the magical spirit of Christmas, customers are more likely to purchase and brand sentiment increases.
Not to mention, awareness of your brand can skyrocket and continue past December into the New Year.
If you need help creating an effective campaign, Contact us!
The Ultimate Christmas Guide to Holiday-Themed Marketing Strategies
While the holiday season is seen as a time for rest, festivities, and family time, businesses know it’s the busiest time of the year.
From personalized email campaigns to deciding the ad spend for your PPC, there are plenty of decisions to be made ahead of the end of year reports.
Don’t worry because we’ve put you on the nice list this year and are giving away our holiday themed strategies to maximize your businesses efforts this Christmas.
We’ll look at the best practices and tactics you can use like influencer marketing and UGC as well as optimizing your PPC during the holiday season for you to deck the halls of Google.
Spreading Christmas Cheer: Three Christmas Strategies for Businesses
Christmas is a hectic time for businesses and we want to guarantee your efforts are not only effective but productive.
We’ve outlined the top strategies and ideas for you to spread Christmas cheer and achieve your businesses goals. The best present to end the year.
First off….
Influencer Marketing and UGC (User-Generated Content)
In the last few years, influencer marketing and UGC has exploded as an industry that will continue to dominate in 2025.
So how can you use it within your strategy?
2024 was a year where customers embraced authenticity and relatability more than polished images and videos discussing features.
UGC and Influencer marketing has the ability to connect with an audience on a much deeper level.
This could include sponsored posts or providing products to be reviewed.
Christmas gift guides do extremely well on social media. Invest in influencers or UGC creators to create their own and showcase your product.
After analyzing market trends, short form content still wins against long form content and investing time in this will go a long way this December.
While Google is still the number one search engine, many shoppers will take to social media like Instagram or TikTok to find products to buy for their loved ones.
The introduction of Instagram and TikTok shop has made it easier for brands to sell directly to their customers through one video.
With Black Friday looming and it being one of the busiest weeks for businesses, it’s important to produce content that’s engaging and creative to capture your audience’s attention.
We’ll discuss email marketing campaigns below but adding timers and countdowns to your campaign can add a sense of urgency.
That FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) will push your audience to take action.
Paid Ads and PPC (Pay-Per-Click)
Paid Ads give you the opportunity to stand out and beat your competitors during the whirlwind of frenzied shopping.
Most businesses will review historical data for previous campaigns and set aside a budget. It’s always best to plan for a bigger budget as due to the competition, your budget can run out quicker than you’d like.
Reviewing past campaigns of previous Christmases will give you a better insight into what worked and what could be improved.
Those top performers you have?
Break them into smaller ad groups and smaller campaigns to have more control over specific budgets and the opportunity to adjust for the best return possible.
Optimize your ad with holiday-themed copy and have your creative team create an eye-catching image that’ll grab your customers’ attention.
Our last tip for PPC is to be realistic about your bidding tactics as it’s not just traffic you’re fighting for.
There’s going to be competition as CPC (Cost-Per-Clicks) will rise over the coming months for popular products and keywords.
Budget and Bidding should be one of your biggest focuses this Christmas.
Festive Email Marketing Campaigns
Creative and personalized email marketing campaigns can go a long way at Christmas.
With the email list you’ve built throughout the year, now is the best time to send special offers and discounts to those who have shown brand loyalty.
Email is a permission-based channel meaning subscribers have opted-in to your email list because they want to hear from you and are more likely to buy.
Offering exclusive deals and special offers to the nice surprise of 20% off puts a smile on anyone’s face.
As we mentioned, Christmas is a time of giving and customer loyalty deserves a reward.
Planning your email campaigns ahead of time ensures an easy flow into the holiday season.
Make sure it’s aligned across all channels to ensure the message is received well and captures your customers attention.
Divide your email lists by preferences and past purchase history to send out relevant content.
Offer exclusive deals and create a sense of urgency with timers and countdowns.
The classic FOMO (fear of missing out) kicks in and prompts customers to take action.
All I want for Christmas is…. ROI
Following holidays throughout the year is important for businesses but especially at Christmas.
Your content calendar should feel more festive and a bit more cheerful than your normal content calendar.
Investing in UGC content, product promotions, and behind-the-scenes of how your team is preparing for Christmas is a great way to build brand affinity.
When creating content, think of the feeling you want to invoke.
Tap into those childhood memories of Santa Claus, giving gifts, and spending time with loved ones to invoke the emotional connection.
Coca Cola is a signature brand that takes the crown of Christmas marketing because of the nostalgia surrounding its advertisements.
Once you see the Coca Cola ad appear on the TV, you know it’s Christmas.
Another key thing to remember is optimizing your content for SEO.
We would hate to see you create fun and creative content only for no one to see it because it’s not properly optimized.
The competition during the festive season is well… competitive so applying all tactics can make you stand out.
Investing in software like SEMRUSH or Ahrefs to get a more detailed insight into the type of content to create based on people’s search intent.
The Psychology Behind Christmas Buying
If you ever wondered what the craze was behind gift-giving around Christmas time compared to other times of the year, we’re here to let you in on what goes on behind the scenes.
The psychology of spending and buying during the Christmas season is interesting to discuss because of the interplay between consumer behavior, emotional triggers, and societal influences.
Many associate Christmas with positive emotions, triggering an emotional reaction like joy, nostalgia, togetherness during the holiday season.
Once Halloween is over in October, the pumpkins and trick ‘o’ treat sweets are replaced with mince pies and shiny Christmas decorations.
Because of the positive associations surrounding Christmas, businesses and brands leverage this feeling during the busiest time of the year.
Brands and businesses using heartwarming scenes of a family sitting around a fire opening presents in advertisements gives you a sense of nostalgia and evokes an appreciation of those around you.
Intentionality Behind Gift Giving
Gift-giving is more sentimental around this time of the year compared to others because of intentionality.
We want to be intentional with what we buy for our loved ones to give them thanks for all they have done throughout the year.
The choice of buying a cheap bottle of wine compared to putting thought into buying your father’s favorite case of Jameson because he loves having a glass before bed feels more intentional and sentimental.
The Reciprocity Effect
We all know the concept of “reciprocity” in marketing and the same applies at Christmas.
Gift giving is integral to the holiday season and people feel compelled to reciprocate gestures of reciprocity.
There isn’t anything more awkward than not getting someone a gift that bought you something.
The power of reciprocity has a huge impact on social behavior and retailers tap into this psychological principle by promoting special holiday offers, discounts, and exclusive deals that encourage people to buy.
Social Influence
Group bias always has an influence on us as when we see others purchase gifts, we also feel the need to participate.
We are social creatures and want to fit in.
On average, people spend over two hours and 24 minutes on their phone which we are exposed even more to the Christmas cheer.
Christmas guides, Santa check list, and now the implementation of Instagram and Tiktok shop amplifies excitement around Christmas purchasing.
The FOMO behind Christmas
Scarcity is a marketing strategy many businesses use throughout the year but it’s more prominent at Christmas because limited editions of products, exclusive holiday collections and time-limited promotions cause a sense of urgency for customers to buy.
This psychological tactic rooted in Robert Cialdini’s work uses the fear of missing out (FOMO) and activates impulsive spending.
The use of scarcity drives sales and enhances the perceived value of products during this period.
We love gift giving at GoViral but we encourage you to always take a breath before adding to cart.
Christmas Rituals and Traditions
Lastly, every individual has specific traditions and rituals they carry out as soon as they hear “all i want for Christmas is… YOUUU” on the radio.
Research shows that traditions and rituals create a sense of social connection, belonging and community. As soon as the Christmas lights turn on, our brain signals that this period of the year is significant.
That nostalgia you feel around the cheery season isn’t unintentional.
The sensory overload creates lasting recollections of those occasions and marks them in our memory as special events worth cherishing.
GoViral Conclusion
Even though it’s the busiest time of the year, don’t forget it’s also a time to rest before heading into the new year with a clearer focus and energy for the New Year.
By leveraging the marketing strategies in this blog, you can prepare yourself ahead of time before the frenzy of Christmas.
If you need someone to help organize your Christmas campaigns next year, contact us!
A Guide to Email Marketing Campaigns That Convert
Earlier this month, we spoke about the importance of lead generation for events to get the best results.
Email marketing is considered one of the most effective ways for digital marketing because of its cost effectiveness, ability to customize and analyze results quickly and build relationships with your customers over time.
In this blog, we’ll discuss why email marketing should be implemented into your strategy, the different types of email campaigns and the top features each one should have.
Why Should You Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is a series of scheduled emails used to nurture leads and turn audiences into customers.
Each series of emails has a specific call to action that will correlate directly to your goals.
While social media campaigns can be effective for reach and attracting a large audience, email marketing campaigns are what keeps them interested.
When you subscribe to a businesses email list, it’s clear that the interest in your products or services is there. The trick is to nurture them and build customer loyalty. Email marketing is integral to inbound marketing which is a huge part of GoVirals strategy.
Email marketing campaigns are most effective for
- Building Brand Awareness
- Creating Customer Loyalty
- Owning your Email List
- Customizing your Outreach
- Measuring your results
If all the social media platforms disappeared tomorrow, what would happen to your audience? It’s never been more important than to have other forms of communication like email lists to build a deeper relationship and ensure you never lose them.
Type of Email Marketing Campaigns
There are many different types of email marketing campaigns you can send like:
- Welcome Emails
- Email Newsletters
- Promotional emails
- Informational emails
- Abandoned cart emails
- Drip email campaigns
Welcome Emails
Make a good first impression with automating a welcome series. This is the time to introduce yourself, set expectations, and encourage engagement. The welcome series should be tailored and personalized to the new customer.
Email Newsletters
Send out a regular newsletter filled with company news, updates on blogs to drive traffic to your website, or company wins of the month. This keeps you top of mind for your audience and generates brand awareness.
Promotional Emails
Focused on highlighting specific products, services, and special offers, these campaigns are focusing on getting your email list to convert and generate revenue. Offering limited offers and special discounts for your subscribers builds stronger customer loyalty.
Informational emails
Informational emails are exactly what you think. They are emails with information about your company and allows your audience to get to know who you are. Rather than drive conversions, it’s main goal is to build awareness and inform them about you.
Abandoned cart emails
You spot a sweater that’s perfect for you and add it to your cart. The phone starts to ring. Your friend you haven’t spoken to in weeks is calling and you hit answer. After an hour, you end the call and have completely forgotten about the sweater.
An email comes in saying “don’t forget about your sweater!”. It’s a slight nudge to customers to remind them about their abandoned cart. The main goal is focused on converting the customer and directing them back to the website.
Drip email campaigns
A drip campaign is a series of automated emails sent to people to take a specific action on your website. Depending on the campaign’s goals, you choose the number of emails sent and at what rate. These campaigns are triggered by an event or action performed by the customer and are set to go out at predetermined intervals.
The Best Features of an Email Campaign
Using intent data for email marketing can help to increase the effectiveness of your campaigns by allowing you to target the right people at the right time.
By segmenting your email list and personalizing your emails, you can improve engagement and drive more conversions.
1. Set specific and clear goals with a strong idea of your target audience
Regardless of the email campaign, each one needs to have a clear goal and target audience.
You need to know who you’re speaking to and what specific action you want them to take when they read your email.
On the leadup to GITEX Africa, we created a campaign with the goal to encourage attendees to get involved with an activity at Jabra’s booth.
This campaign was targeted at attendees who had already shown an interest in Jabra. To encourage them to come to the booth, we created a fun activity. Think of an easter egg hunt but with stickers! Gamification is a great way to build brand awareness and keep customers coming back.
2. A strong subject line to increase open rates
How many times have you subscribed to an email list only to forget why you signed up? Your email will get lost in the thousands of other emails if it doesn’t have a strong subject line that makes people want to open. Make sure to A/B test different subject lines that have the most open rates.
3. Copy that Converts
If you’re getting open clicks, well done! Your subject line is enticing enough for people to open.
However, if you find nobody is clicking on the links within the email for example to your website, the copy isn’t jumping out at them.
Review your copy and see how it can be more aligned with your audience. Don’t forget the copy needs to reflect the action you want them to take.
Don’t overcomplicate the copy. Define each area and have clear call to actions throughout.
4. Sending Best Practices
The only way to find out the best time to send your emails is through testing. Localization is important because if you’re targeting US citizens but you live in Spain, the timezone is different.
Once you’ve figured out the best time for your emails, stick to a schedule. Maintain this consistency because people love consistency. Failing to send it out consistently will start to damage the relationship. Trust is built, not bought.
5. Segmentation
If you’ve got a large email list, all your subscribers won’t be interested in the same email campaign.
Segmenting your audience based on behaviors, purchase behavior, and general psychographics ensures you target the right people at the right time.
Your subscribers or customers will enter your email list at different times of the funnel.
Sending an email marketing campaign that’s focused on driving sales wouldn’t land well with a new subscriber.
Segmentation allows you to understand your customers preferences and tailor for the future.
6. Mobile Friendly and Responsive Design
1.7 billion people read their emails on their phone compared to their computer.
There’s nothing more annoying than receiving an email that’s hard to read. It’ll go straight into the delete folder or worse, into spam.
Responsive email design will adjust its size across different devices to maintain style and usability, which means subscribers have a great experience on any device.
Some email marketing platforms have the option to choose a responsive design so make sure to text your emails before beginning a campaign!
GoViral Conclusion
Implementing email marketing campaigns into your overall strategy is the way forward to attract new customers and reinforce customer loyalty.
Remember, social media could disappear in the morning. Setting clear goals for each campaign is extremely important because it allows you to measure the effectiveness and adjust for the following campaigns.
If you need help creating an effective email marketing campaign, Contact us!