-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- March 2011
- November 2010
Categories
Meta
Tag Archives: knowledge
Grow Your Blog Readership With These 5 Videos
The post Grow Your Blog Readership With These 5 Videos appeared first on HostGator Blog . To boost your blog readership, the solution isn’t always to create better content. Instead, you may need to diversify the types of content you produce. Video content can attract and retain new visitors to your site. Optinmonster reports that “video marketers achieve a 54% increase in brand awareness.” Explore your options when creating eye-catching video content. Here are five types of video to help increase your blog traffic. 1. Behind the Scenes As the world becomes more connected, it transforms into a tight-knit community. This exclusivity gives rise to closed-door activities and sparks people’s curiosity to see beyond the red velvet rope. With the help of video, your brand can feed into your readers’ cravings with behind-the-scenes footage. It’s a rock-star move to give your audience a backstage pass to how your business operates. But do more than show random clips. It’s important that you tell an interesting story on your blog. Ash Read , content crafter at Buffer, explains: “The best video content tells stories that connect with the viewer. The better you tell stories about yourself, the more likely your viewers are going to understand what your company is offering and what it can do for them.” You can give your video an edge by using time-lapsing techniques, adding upbeat music in the background, or even performing a voice-over. These strategies will help engage your reader longer. Behind-the-scenes videos invite readers to explore your brand in a unique way. So, make it special for them. 2. On-Site Events Events are an effective way to bring your audience together. Whether it’s a live product demo or a charity fundraiser, it’s an opportunity to showcase your brand. However, everyone can’t attend your fun-filled event. By capturing these moments on video, readers don’t miss these remarkable experiences. You’ll want to build a strategy before pressing record. You may stream the live event to get folks’ real-time reactions. Or you can stick to editing the footage later to produce a recap video. Below Toyota spotlights its presentation at th e 2017 New York Auto Show. For avid auto enthusiasts, this video brings the experience to people who couldn’t attend the live event. To promote your upcoming video, a good idea is to develop a short trailer. Similar to blockbuster feature films, you can build anticipation amongst your blog readers. Your events won’t be perfect every minute. Rather than editing out the mistakes, you may decide to keep the bloopers. Your brand’s mishaps become relatable to your audience. Sometimes you’ll have to bring the event to your readers. Take advantage of video to make the impossible possible. 3. Tutorials The Internet is an oasis for people seeking to learn something new. From how to change a car battery to how to write the perfect wedding toast, online resources have become a primary resource for individuals. These consumer habits offer your brand a chance to take part, too. With video tutorials , you can give your audience step-by-step instructions on how to complete a certain task. Bustle , an online American women’s magazine, uses video to inform its fans about relevant topics. In the video below, the brand shares tips on how to spot expired makeup. Aim to create useful videos with timeless material. Plus, it’s wise to change up the format. Some videos may include an on-air instructor, while others will include screencasts. “When creating tutorials, remember to throw in a bit of personality to make it interesting. Also, be sure to keep these videos succinct and focus on packing them with value, rather than flashy graphics,” states Foundr contributor Farheen Gani. Transform your blog into a learning environment. Your audience will appreciate the knowledge and look forward to watching your future tutorials. 4. User-Generated Video You’re not required to produce every video clip for your brand. In some cases, it’s better to receive help from your advocates. User-generated video is an opportunity for readers to express their thoughts and feelings about your company. Asking these fans to submit video on specific topics opens doors to social proof . When encouraging readers to create content, you’ll want to establish a common theme. The videos may focus on a particular holiday, the outdoors, or a back-to-school experience. This strategy gives both creators and your brand a focal point, making it easier to share high-quality content. GoPro encourages its audience to upload videos of their adventures. This tweet from a consumer reflects the humorous nature of the brand and shows off the product’s features. GoPro Charlie! #giantdog storms the #goldengatebridge #goprodogs #dogcelebration #landofdogs #dogsoftwitter #sf #sfbayarea #gopro pic.twitter.com/Qwc7MpqWuJ — Coconut Cam (@coconut_cam) August 9, 2018 Your team can gain more blog readers by hosting a user-generated video contest. Entrants get a chance to win a cool prize, and your company earns more brand awareness. User-generated video is more than a consumer posting a funny video. It’s also social validation that your brand is making an impact on the culture. 5. Expert Interviews Information is a goldmine for consumers seeking to improve their lives. Receiving expert advice can help people start a new career, buy a dream home, or even plant an amazing flower. Your readers can get the inside scoop when you interview experts on camera. When selecting your expert, think about your audience’s needs. What do they want to learn? How will the expert offer guidance? Consider the questions you ask the interviewee as well. Stay away from generic questions that only produce basic answers. Get a fresh perspective by crowdsourcing questions from your blog readers in advance. Interviews also build your brand’s credibility. Before booking your experts, prepare them to share lively stories with key takeaways. Answering distinct questions with a plot twist will hold people’s attention. Grow Your Blog Readership With Video The state of video marketing continues to gain momentum. You can increase your readership with videos highlighting events, tutorials, and expert interviews. Give your blog the boost it needs with different types of video content . Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading
Are HTML Email Coding Issues Killing Your Conversions?
The post Are HTML Email Coding Issues Killing Your Conversions? appeared first on HostGator Blog . What’s the Key to More Email Conversions? It Might Be Your HTML How’s email marketing going for your small business? If hardly anyone on your list is opening your emails and even fewer are clicking through, you’re probably wondering if your subject lines, copy, and images need work . They might. But there’s another possibility: You may need to improve the code that makes your emails work. Without the right code, your emails can show up in your subscribers’ inboxes as a jumbled, hard-to-read mess or a blank page, even if you’re using an email template. Of course, most small businesses don’t have an email code expert in-house to fix their issues. So I reached out to one to learn more. Anne Tomlin is the founder of Austin, TX-based Emails Y’all and a self-described email geek whose enthusiasm for her work is contagious. She shared her knowledge about what happens when code goes wrong, why off-the-shelf templates work until they don’t, and how small businesses can diagnose, fix, and avoid some common email coding issues. Look Good or Get Deleted The first thing to know is that email marketing is challenging because not everyone receives your emails in the same way. Different people use different devices to read their mail, and they may be using a variety of email clients that all have different rules about things like downloading email images. Most businesses know they need to use responsive templates for proper display on mobile devices, but the range of email client rules can trip them up. “A lot of email clients don’t download images automatically,” Tomlin said, giving Outlook as one example. “You can work around that, but a lot of businesses send emails that feature one big image. When those emails are opened with those clients, they’re just blank.” Consumers won’t tolerate that. Tomlin said she recently heard a conference presenter say that about 30% of Millennials immediately delete emails that don’t render properly. Those recipients won’t follow a link to “view this email in a browser,” wait to see if images load, or try to figure out how to read it on their screen. They just delete your carefully crafted message or decide they don’t want to hear from your business again. This is high-stakes stuff in terms of conversions and subscriber retention, but Tomlin says “even major retailers make this mistake.” One clothing retailer sends her emails that are blank, because “the email content is one big image with no live or alternative text” and Outlook doesn’t show it. Another apparel chain sent an email with lots of images that didn’t display, “and the alt text for every image was ‘turn on your images.’” What’s the workaround when you’re sending image-heavy emails? “A good coder can style alternative text to match your brand. Stitch Fix uses alternative text really well, and it’s stylized to fill the image space if the images don’t load. With proper coding, using live text or well-designed alternative text… maybe the recipients will download the images.” Pros and Cons of Off-the-Shelf Email Templates If major retailers are tripped up by email coding, you can bet smaller businesses are, too. I asked Tomlin whether pre-made HTML templates from email marketing services can help SMBs avoid these email rendering pitfalls. “Most off-the-shelf templates work just fine” for businesses that are starting out with an email program, “but they might not work for every audience.” Tomlin mentions accessibility for customers with disabilities as an example. “Most templates were developed a while back” before accessibility for people with low vision, hearing loss, and other issues was given a lot of attention, and many “aren’t up to date yet with accessible code.” Another potential issue with pre-fab templates is simply the pace of change in the email industry. “Things change weekly, sometimes without any notice. Say Gmail decides to change something on their end, and that may totally screw up the rendering of your emails on, say, a certain type of phone,” but senders don’t realize that’s now a problem. “ Any good developer will keep tabs on the latest changes, notify clients, and update the code” as quickly as possible. Best Practices to Avoid Email Coding Issues I asked Tomlin what steps small businesses can take to avoid code-related email issues. The first is to format your emails to look good with or without images. “Using one big image with text” in your marketing emails “is not good practice. A properly coded email will have live text that shows up whether the image loads or not.” Other best practices include: Test your emails before you hit send. Most email marketing service providers will show you how your emails will look on a variety of devices. Know your audience’s email habits and clients. “Use those analytics that your email marketing service provider collects. For example, if people aren’t opening your emails in Outlook, you can code some crazy awesome stuff to reach them” or hire someone to do that for you. Know when it’s time for professional coding services. Tomlin cites three scenarios. “When your conversions plateau or drop” or if your email program just isn’t hitting the targets you set, it’s time to look under the hood to see if rendering issues are part of the problem. “When you gain a larger, more diverse audience, say, new customers from other countries,” an email code expert can ensure your new audience sticks around and opens your emails, regardless of the many devices and clients they use. “When your emails don’t look right” even when you’re using a template. For example, Tomlin sometimes sees text-heavy emails with badly aligned columns or copy that gets truncated because it’s too long for the template. When you decide to hire a professional, Tomlin suggests careful vetting. Look for developers who ask lots of questions about your audience and who share information to help you reach your goals. Email coding isn’t just using off-the-shelf templates. “A good coder will build your emails from the ground up and tailor them to your needs.” Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading
Posted in HostGator, Hosting, VodaHost
Tagged apparel, business, coding-issues, conversions, countries, goals, image, images, issues, knowledge, web hosting tips
Comments Off on Are HTML Email Coding Issues Killing Your Conversions?
Learn to Code from These 10 Places
The post Learn to Code from These 10 Places appeared first on HostGator Blog . 10 Places That Teach You How to Code Someone building a website today is lucky that it’s much easier to put together something that looks good and professional than it was in the early days of the web. You no longer have to become fluent in html or CSS in order to launch a website. Instead, you can lean on website builders and templates. But while becoming a coding expert is no longer required, learning to code –at least the basics– is still a useful skill for any website owner to have. Why You Should Learn to Code Even if you hire a programmer for the heavy lifting or use a website builder , understanding the basics of how to code can make you better at maintaining your website and doing a lot of the smaller tasks that will come up over time. In particular, learning to code will: Make you better at hiring people for positions that require coding because you’ll know the right questions to ask and be able to understand their answers. Ensure you understand the backend of your website so you’ll know how to add code for things like Google Analytics tracking or schema markup . Teach you how to recognize and update the different parts of the web page that are most important for on-site SEO . In short, it can help you do a lot of things on your website better and save you from having to call in (and pay) a programmer for smaller tasks you can manage yourself. The good news is that basic coding isn’t even all that hard. It definitely looks intimidating at first, but as with any new skill, learning it is just a matter of taking some time and finding the right resources. We can’t help you with time, but we can point you in the right direction for coding resources. 10 Places Where You Can Learn To Code 1. Code Academy Price: Free Code Academy offers free online courses that cover the basics of HTML, CSS, Javascript, Python, CMD Line, and SQL. Most of their classes take less than 11 hours and include quizzes that help you test out your knowledge as you go. If you’re good at self-directed education, then their free courses will probably be a good fit. If you could use more direct help, they also offer a paid option that includes a personalized learning plan and live help from advisors. 2. W3 Schools Price: Free W3 Schools bills itself as the “world’s largest web developer site.” They offer comprehensive, well-organized text tutorials on how to do all the main things you’d need to know when using html, CSS, Javascript, SQP, PHP, and Bootstrap. They’re a good resource for learning the basics if you learn well by reading, and they’re a good go-to resource to bookmark for when you need examples or a refresher on how to do something down the line. 3. FreeCodeCamp Price: Free (it’s right there in the name!) FreeCodeCamp has thousands of free lessons that cover html, CSS, Javascript, Github, and more. You can choose to follow individual lessons based on the specific knowledge you need, or take all the lessons in a particular course in order to earn a free certification. In addition to the lessons themselves, FreeCodeCamp also has an active forum with millions of community members who help each other out, so you can ask questions as you go and learn from others’ experiences. 4. GA Dash Price: Free GA Dash offers a course that covers html, CSS, and Javascript training. The course is project-based, giving you specific assignments that offer hands-on experience that allows you to put learning to action. It’s good for beginners that learn better by doing rather than reading or watching. 5. The Odin Project Price: Free The Odin Project provides free courses that cover html, CSS, Javascript, Git, databases, Ruby, and Ruby on Rails. The courses include a mix of learning by reading and by doing by having you complete several hands-on projects along the way. The Odin Project also offers a forum with an active community of people who can help each other through the learning process. 6. Code Conquest Price: Free The Code Conquest website offers free coding tutorials, programming language cheat sheets, and quizzes to help you test your knowledge. In addition to all of the education resources they offer, they also provide reviews on other coding training resources (including some on this list) and coding-related deals. 7. Lynda Price: Free trial, then $9.99 a month Lynda is a subscription service that provides access to a large number of online courses on various subjects, including coding and web design. In addition to courses on coding and specific programming languages, you can also find courses that get into topics like UX design and SEO. 8. Udemy Price: Varies per course Udemy’s another site that offers web courses in a wide variety of topics. Unlike Lynda though, you pay by the course rather than a flat subscription rate. The site has many courses on coding and programming languages, most of which cost around $10 a piece. 9. Envato Tuts + Price: $19 a month Envato Tuts+ provides a number of how-to tutorials, courses, and ebooks that cover an array of coding subjects, as well as other web design topics. Their pricing covers both all the courses and a number of resources like templates and fonts you can use in your web design projects as well. 10. Local Coding Bootcamps Price: Varies Some people are simply better at learning from a teacher who will work with them in person. If you’re worried online courses and resources won’t match your learning style, do some research into local coding bootcamps being offered in your area. Most cities will have one or more option and you can get the in-person treatment that works best for you. Ready to Start Learning? You could probably get by as a website owner without learning to code, but devoting a few hours to learning the basics will absolutely make your life easier and make tasks accessible to you that would otherwise feel out of reach. Take advantage of the many helpful resources available to learn the basics and take more control over your website. For professional help building your website, contact HostGator’s Design Services Team . Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading
15 Best Social Media Blogs for Business
The post 15 Best Social Media Blogs for Business appeared first on HostGator Blog . The Best Blogs for Business Social Media Help Social media can be both a productivity killer and an important business tool – it all depends on how you use it. At this point, your customers expect you to be on social media. But using social media to represent a business brand effectively is an ongoing challenge, and finding and connecting with your audience on social media platforms can often feel like an uphill battle. There’s always more to learn. And luckily, there are a lot of resources out there to help you learn the ropes and get more out of social media over time. These are some of the blogs out there providing advice and best practices for social media marketing. 1. Social Media Examiner Social Media Examiner is one of the best known and respected blogs covering social media marketing. The blog provides actionable tips, tutorials, and case studies for all the different social media platforms. In addition to regular blog posts, they also publish original research and long-form guides on marketing for different social media sites. Whether you’re still learning the basics of using social media for your business or wanting to dive deeper into more detailed recommendations, Social Media Examiner provides good information. 2. Buffer Buffer both provides a product for scheduling social media posts and has an active social media presence as a brand, which provides them with a lot of data on what works. They’re known for good long-form blog posts that provide detailed, actionable advice based on data and case studies. The blog publishes posts on all the different social media platforms businesses are likely to use. 3. Hootsuite Like Buffer, Hootsuite provides a product to help businesses schedule and organize their social media updates, which means they know a lot about the subject of social media marketing. Their posts cover a lot of different social media tips, best practices, and research for all of the big social media platforms. They’re another one of the main go-tos for the industry. 4. Rebekah Radice Rebekah Radice has an award-winning blog that covers social media and other related digital marketing topics. Her posts get into topics like social media etiquette, developing a strategy for social media, and tips and tricks for getting the most from each particular platform. She often mixes in infographics, videos, and podcasts with the written content, so those who prefer other types of media have options as well. 5. Ignite Social The social media agency Ignite demonstrates the knowledge learned from over ten years of social media marketing in their blog. They cover social media news and trends, tips for specific social media channels, and how to handle an array of social media issues when they arise. Their posts can both help you stay on top of what’s going on in the larger social media industry, as well as answer smaller questions you might have about how to use social media for business. 6. Sprout Social The Sprout Social blog is another good resource that covers a lot of social media territory. You can find posts that get into the details of doing social media marketing for different industries, hiring for social media positions, and a lot of good how-to posts on getting specific things done on the different social media platforms. Their content is consistently useful for companies of all sizes and types . 7. Social Media Hat Social Media Hat offers a lot of tutorial posts about how to do different tasks on the various social media platforms, along with posts on larger social media trends and news stories. In addition to publishing posts on using the main social media platforms, they provide tips and advice for blogging and email marketing as well. 8. Hey Orca The Hey Orca blog provides a lot of the same type of content we’ve described on the other blogs on this list – general social media tips, trends, and news coverage – but they also mix in some less common types of social media content, like coverage from social media conferences, interviews with various influencers, and social media success case studies. It’s a blog with a lot of good content and personality and is worth adding to your list. 9. Socially Sorted Socially Sorted is the blog of Digital Content Strategist Donna Moritz. The blog answers common social media questions, provides helpful tips, and collects good social media examples you can learn from. She often provides additional media like templates or infographics to make her posts more useful. She has a particular expertise in visual storytelling, so this is a great blog to turn to for tips on creating more visual forms of content for your social media channels. 10. Peg Fitzpatrick Peg Fitzpatrick is another social media influencer who shares her knowledge with regular blog posts on how to reach and connect with your audience on social media. While her blog touches on all the major social media platforms, she especially gives attention to Instagram and Pinterest– channels that often get less attention on some of the other blogs on the list. 11. Top Dog Social Media Top Dog Social Media is the blog of Melonie Dodaro. While the blog includes posts on a number of digital marketing topics, its main focus is on LinkedIn marketing. You can find posts covering the range of tips and advice you need for reaching customers for B2B marketing on the professional social media platform. 12. Jenn’s Trends Jenn’s Trends is one of the best blogs out there about Instagram marketing. While she’ll occasionally touch on other social networks or digital marketing tips as well, the primary focus on the blog is how to get followers on Instagram and interact with them effectively. If your brand’s on Instagram, this is a good blog to keep on your radar. 13. Tailwind The Tailwind blog is another one with a narrow focus on just a couple of main networks: Instagram and Pinterest. It tackles questions like how to get more followers, when to post, and the types of content you should create to do well on both platforms. For anyone using the more visual social media platforms, it can be a useful resource. 14. Linked Into Business This is another blog with a primary focus on just one of the main social media platforms: LinkedIn. The blog does sometimes venture into broader topics like content marketing and communication tips, but most of the posts cover topics specific to the features and best practices for marketing on LinkedIn. For B2B brands that use LinkedIn as a marketing and sales tool, it’s a good blog to follow. 15. Mari Smith With all these blogs covering specific networks, you may have wondered when we’d get to one focused on the biggest social network of them all. Mari Smith’s got you covered with a blog all about Facebook marketing. She goes into how to use the various features Facebook offers, important news about the platform, and tips for using Facebook for marketing effectively. Conclusion As you can see, there’s no shortage of good resources you can turn to when learning how to use social media for your business. It can be daunting when you’re just starting or still struggling to make headway, but learning from those who already have a good amount of experience and knowledge can be a big help to moving your own social media efforts forward. Spend some time reading about what works and craft your strategy around the tips and research shared by the experts. Find the post on the HostGator Blog Continue reading
Posted in HostGator, Hosting, VodaHost
Tagged business, digital, hostgator, industry, instagram, knowledge, linked, rebekah-radice, social, social-media, social-network, sprout-social
Comments Off on 15 Best Social Media Blogs for Business