As I mentioned in a previous post, I introduced a new routine in my schedule and so far, so good. It’s been giving results. I’m taking one day a week to learn, re-learn and educate myself on marketing, entrepreneurship, and self-development. In last week’s self-improving session, I got a ton of useful information which I decided to share with you.
Today in One Day a Week Is all it Takes
| SEO 101 for Shopify | How to pitch people successfully through cold emails | How to work with influencers to grow your business on Instagram |
1. SEO 101 for Shopify, a webinar by seoplus+
I have recently started using Shopify, both for a personal business and a client and I’ve been excited to discover all the quirks and hacks. There’s a multitude of apps that help add new functionalities to the platform but like with any website, a coherent structure and good SEO strategy are essential. Since I was virtually new to Shopify it was really worth it to learn more about how this platform works when it comes to SEO. And I found a bunch of useful tips and strategies in this webinar from seoplus+. I have actually implemented some of the tips in this webinar and I’m looking forward to seeing how they perform over time.
You can watch the full webinar and read some of my notes below.
- Collections in Shopify seem to rank better than product pages. Collections and other important pages need to be in the main menu or linked from the homepage to indicate search engines these are important in your sitemap. It’s also a really good way to better target your products to your visitors’ needs. So, I created project specific collections that include all the products a visitor would need to achieve a goal. For my party props and balloons business I’ve developed collections based on specific party themes, like Emoji Parties for Teens or a Jungle Themed Kids’ Party. Using collages and Pinterest I can then redirect visitors from social media directly to this collection. The idea is to reduce the risk of a visitor bouncing without converting. By adding an opt-in or a limited time offer I increase my chances of converting a visitor.
- Products can be displayed with review stars in search engines. I was so pleased to discover this hack. It’s really a considerable perk for a small online shop when your competition is the likes of Amazon. You can have review stars from your products displayed in search results by integrating a review app. I’m using Yotpo and it does the trick. Of course, reviews remain essential to ensure this strategy works.
Learn more about selling on Shopify:
This free video course offers 20 video modules showing you how to make your first sale on Shopify using Facebook Ads.
2. Tropical MBA’s Podcast on How to Pitch
One of the most challenging aspects of digital marketing is making convincing pitches to completely strangers. I believe it’s something that you get good at over time, after a lot of trial and error, research and experience. It’s also one of those things that you need to constantly tweak. A good pitch takes time. The best ones are honest, thoroughly researched and friendly, no-strings attached.
A couple of months ago I helped a client to reach out to podcast hosts and influencers. Although I had done PR before, both the industry and media type were completely new to me. I am so thankful for those podcast hosts who took the time to reply wanting to learn more. However, after I listened to Tropical MBA’s podcast on how to pitch I got a better sense of what I did well and what I messed up.
Best practices: research your podcast opportunities and find your niche, be straightforward and honest with your pitch, try to avoid automation in developing relationships with influencers, be friendly and don’t overdo it with bragging about yourself.
3. Ecommerce Influence’s Podcast Episode The Science of Influence: How to double your business using Instagram
Instagram is a beautiful way to showcase your brand and it’s also one of the social networks with the biggest worldwide audience: about 700 million users. In my opinion Instagram is the reason why influencer marketing has been so popular lately. Individual accounts rocking hundreds of followers can provide brands a much wider reach and help them standout in a really competitive newsfeed.
I have handled several Instagram accounts and the thing that remains true to any industry is the struggle to create original, shareable content. It’s really not an easy task and I have had clients that refused to invest in their imagery and products’ story making it all the more difficult to grow their following.
On the other hand you have brands that tell such a beautiful and appealing story that followers come flocking in and even better, converting. Some will use influencers to hyperboost their profiles with unique content, amazing imagery, and all in line with their brand identity.
Blenders Eyewear’s Instagram is the perfect way to wake up in the morning. Happy, energic and inspirational.
The case study presented in this episode of Ecommerce Influence is such a brand. I had a blast listening to Chase Fisher talking about his Blenders Eyewear business and how they work with Instagram and influencers to generate content and revenue. There’s a bunch of good tips to take away from this podcast episode and both their Instagram and website are eye-candy.
Learn more about Instagram marketing:
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