Marc Guberti

5 Lessons We Need To Learn From YouTube Creator

July 22, 2014 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

YouTube Playbook

One of the things most people do not like about Google products is that they are difficult to use. To some people, using Google products correctly is like trying to solve a giant jigsaw puzzle the size of the Empire State Building. Google Adsense and Google Hangouts are some of the many Google products that people have difficulty using. However, there is a bright spot, and that bright spot is YouTube Creator. For the first time, YouTube, owned by Google, decided to listen to what its users were recommending. In addition, the people working at YouTube Creator actually tell us about the changes YouTube is implementing so we can give them feedback. If only all of Google’s products were like this. Since YouTube Creator is offering something never offered before, we need to learn as much from this as possible. Here are five things that we need to learn from YouTube Creator.

Allow users in the same tribe to easily communicate with each other. Ever since YouTube Creator came around, users have been commenting on numerous videos with suggestions. Some users supported getting rid of certain features while others supported the addition of other features. Regardless of what everyone said, this resulted more engagement.
Ask for suggestions. If you ask for suggestions, you are opening yourself up to more ideas. Chances are someone has a great idea that you don’t know about. If that person tells you their idea, you can implement that idea for your product or service. Even the big players such as YouTube ask for suggestions. It is okay to ask for help. In fact, asking is powerful.
Make a lot of information easy to access. I had to disconnect from the internet to stop exploring YouTube Creator so I could write this blog post. YouTube Creator has a sleek design and valuable information. Right when you click somewhere and think you are going to read an article, YouTube Creator gets more specific. If you are looking for something specific about building your YouTube audience, you will be able to find most of it on YouTube Creator.
Identify and solve the problems. Crowdfunding campaigns to Indiegogo, Kickstarter, and all of the other crowdfunding sites would get promoted on YouTube. The problem for YouTube was that people were leaving YouTube so they could support a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, Kickstarter, or somewhere else. One of the promised updated from YouTube Creator was that YouTube would offer crowdfunding. Now, less people are going to leave YouTube, and more people are going to go to YouTube for their crowdfunding campaigns since it gets over 1 billion unique monthly visitors and attracts an international audience.
It must be easy to communicate to the people in charge. Good leadership is listening to the people who follow you. If you do not do what the followers want, those followers will leave. YouTube Creator is further strengthening YouTube’s reputation as a leader by allowing anyone (including you or me) to contact the people in charge of YouTube’s updates.

YouTube Creator is simply brilliant. If you have not seen it already, I highly recommend searching it on Google and giving it a look.

Why Facebook Is Still Worth It

July 22, 2014 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

It seems like every other month there is another article about a mass exodus on Facebook. Every time these articles make the news, more businesses question the significance and importance of having their own Facebook Page or being active on the Facebook Page these businesses already have. This is the point when everyone seems to ask if Facebook is still worth it. Is growing an audience on a “social network in decline” still worth the effort?

I was one of the many people who asked myself this question. I created a Facebook Page a long time ago and had not updated it for months. When I decided to go back and start updating that Facebook Page, another article came out saying how Facebook is losing people. I wondered if what I was doing wouldn’t be worth it, but then I came to a realization.

Social media is going to stick around for a very long time. That means Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google Plus, Instagram, Vine, SnapChat, LinkedIn, YouTube, and all of the other ones are going to be with us for a very long time. Social media is where people get to easily interact with one another. Local stories such as #BatKid become international inspirations. Social media changed Egyptian politics. Social media allows us to stay updated about what our favorite celebrities are doing. Social media has changed the world and is not going to go away anytime soon.

Now let’s go back to Facebook. It is a social network, but unlike social media in general, losing an individual social network is not going to be extremely catastrophic. If Instagram goes down, you’ll know it when you see #InstagramDown on the list of trending topics. People just move on from one social network to the other.

It is important to realize that even though there are articles that mention Facebook losing millions of users, Facebook is still the second most popular website on the web. With the occasional jump to the #1 spot, Facebook has not lost its strong grip of popularity and influence in the world. Facebook users are also more engaged and stay on Facebook longer than most social media users.

Facebook is still the largest, most popular social network on the web and is therefore still worth it. Create that Facebook Page in peace knowing that it can end up thriving later on. Continue to post on Facebook knowing that there will be people to like your content. The time you invest in Facebook can lead to more blog traffic, sales, and connections.

5 Useful Methods To Get More Repins On Pinterest

July 21, 2014 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

Pinterest has a distinct advantage that none of the other social networks have. Its users share a higher percentage of content than other social media users. Out of all of the tweets on Twitter, only 1% of those tweets are retweets. On Pinterest, there is a much different picture. 80% of all of the pins on Pinterest are repins. That means the chances of your content spreading on Pinterest are very high.

Spreading on Pinterest requires you to generate a small push. After you get the small push, other users will hear about you and see your pin. That results in more repins and your content spreading farther on Pinterest. However, many people struggle to get the small push needed to go viral on Pinterest. Few people have pins that have received over 100 repins let alone 10 repins. I am one of the lucky few who has been able to get one of my pins repinned over 100 times. You may want to get your next pin repinned 100 times or at least get to the 10 repin milestone, and here are five useful methods that will help you with that.

Make your boards specific. A pin on a specific board is seen by a target audience who likes that specific topic. The people in this audience would be very likely to repin your pins on that specific board because it is about a topic they already like.
Pin motivational quotes. Pinstamatic is great for pinning motivational quotes. Most of my repins that got over 100 repins happen to be motivational quotes.
Pin about a variety of topics. On Pinterest, it is okay to extend out of your business. In fact, it is recommended. Pinning about a variety of topics attracts a larger audience of people who will want to repin your pins.
Follow other people. Some of these people will follow you back, and this method has the potential to bring in hundreds of new followers every day. In addition, these people will be more likely to engage with you and share your content since they know you are following them.
Repin other people’s content. If you repin someone else’s content, that person may decide to return the favor by sharing your pins on their account. If you repin 100 people’s pins, and those 100 people returned the favor by repinning one of your pins, then that’s an extra 100 repins that you may have never gotten.

Getting your content to spread on Pinterest will allow you to grow your audience and get more traffic. What are your thoughts on these methods? Do you have any additional methods about getting more repins that you would like to share? Please share your thoughts and advice below.

7 Reasons Why You Need To Schedule Facebook Posts

July 21, 2014 by Marc Guberti 4 Comments

When Facebook decided to allow people to schedule posts directly on Facebook’s site, the social media world went crazy. Being able to schedule posts on Facebook’s site meant you no longer needed to use an app like HootSuite to get the job done (HootSuite is still good for most of the other social networks). However, there are not many people who are utilizing Facebook’s scheduling feature. Some people only send posts at the moment, and some of these posts get sent when few people are paying attention to them. Scheduling Facebook posts is super important, and here are seven reasons why that is true.

You can post on Facebook without being on Facebook. Are you going on a family road trip and can’t get access to your computer for the entire day? No problem. You can schedule Facebook posts the night before the road trip so people still get your Facebook posts while you are on the road trip.
You can be more strategic with your posts. This is the part when Facebook insights become very useful. You can use their statistics to see when most of your fans are on Facebook. That means you can send your Facebook posts during the times that most of your fan base will see them.
Your Facebook Page will get more likes. The more posts you send out, the more chances you have of someone clicking the like button. Most of the people who like one of your posts will also like your Facebook Page.
Your Facebook posts will get more engagement. If you are scheduling Facebook posts on a daily basis, people will realize you are active. Some of the people who realize you are active will check your Facebook Page every day for new posts. In addition, by sending out more posts, you also get more chances of someone liking, commenting on, or sharing one of your posts.
You have more time to think before you write. In a world filled with rushing and impatience, some people will rush a Facebook post and write a typo. As you are scheduling your Facebook post, you will have some time to look at what you wrote. That way, you will have a better chances of picking up typos.
You get to learn about what works. If you send out enough Facebook posts, you will learn what resonates well with your audience. Then, you can focus on sending out content that resonates with your audience. As your Facebook posts get hundreds of likes, people will want to learn more about how you got to this stage (maybe through a consultation session).
More people get to see your Facebook posts. One of the worst things Facebook did was preventing most of your fans from seeing your posts. Less than 20% of your fans will see your Facebook post. If you have 10 fans, then only two of those fans saw your post. Bummer, right? If you schedule enough Facebook posts throughout the day, you will be able to account for most, or if you get really lucky, all of your fans. That way, more than 20% of your audience gets to see at least one of your posts. Then, some of the people who liked the post they saw will visit your Facebook Page and like the other posts as well.

Scheduling Facebook posts eliminates the requirement of being on Facebook in order to post on Facebook. Implementing these methods will allow you to be more active on Facebook and grow your audience at the same time! What are your thoughts on these methods? Do you have any additional reasons why you schedule Facebook posts? Please share your thoughts and advice below.

5 Ways To Get More Returning Customers

July 20, 2014 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

Customers

For the typical brand, 90% of the sales it gets is from returning customers. In the remaining 10%, 9% of the sales come from satisfied customers who told others about you (word of mouth marketing) while the final 1% are completely new. With these statistics in mind, the key to a brand’s success is not getting more customers. Instead, getting more returning customers is what allows a brand to become successful. This is the part when brands and entrepreneurs ask how this can happen to them. Here are five tips to help you pull it off.

Create a stay in touch checklist. Is there a customer who really enjoys your brand or comes back? Put that person on a stay in touch checklist. Frequently send emails to that person and interact with that person on your social networks. It is also important to interact in a way that builds a strong connection. Don’t suddenly show up to the people on this stay in touch checklist when you come out with a new product. The connection needs to be strengthened well before the new product comes out.
Get people to subscribe to your blog. Someone who is subscribed to your blog will be more likely to buy one of your products than someone who is not subscribed to your blog. Subscribers see you often in their inbox, and being seen often creates a level of trust. This level of trust combined with valuable content will be sufficient to make people want to buy your products.
Get people to follow you on your social networks. The bigger your social media audience is, the more people will want to join that audience. We have a natural tendency to join the things that are popular. In addition to growing your audience, social media encourages word of mouth and engagement. You will be able to talk with the customers who have already bought your products. Some of my book reviews are only there because I asked my followers who bought my book if they could leave a quick review.
Have your wow factors in place. Your wow factors give your potential customers a reason to buy from you and a reason for customers to come back. Your wow factors are credentials that make people marvel at what you have done. If you do not have any wow factors, then you need to go get some.
Host giveaways, sweepstakes, and discounts. If you can give some of your customers a free prize, those customers will share it with their friends. Word of mouth will allow your message to spread and make the 9% of the customer pie larger. In addition, your product will get some extra exposure, and some of the people who did not win the sweepstakes or get the giveaway award will end up buying the product anyway. In addition to hosting giveaways and sweepstakes, you need to have discounts in place. Lowering the price of your product will result in a higher volume of sales, and some of the customers who already bought one of your products will get attracted by the discount.

If you are able to master the process of getting returning customers, then your brand will thrive. There is no such thing as overnight success, but as you get more customers, the numbers in the customer pie will get larger. Right now, 90% of your customers may only refer to nine people, but if you implement these tactics, 90% of your customers may eventually be able to mean thousands. What are your thoughts on the list? Do you have any additional tips to get more returning customers? Please share your thoughts and advice below.

4 Common Kindle eBook Marketing Mistakes

July 20, 2014 by Marc Guberti 2 Comments

For some people, Kindle eBooks are a reliable source of income that allows them to earn six figures every year. These people have mastered Kindle eBook marketing and know how to get their books sold. However, there are also people who are just starting out and do not know how to properly market their Kindle eBooks. The people just starting out are the most susceptible to making mistakes, but there are also self-published authors who have been writing Kindle eBooks for years who make the same mistakes. These four common mistakes need to be avoided because they hurt your chances of making more sales.

Not having a keyword rich description. Many people forget that Amazon is technically a search engine. In fact, it is the 4th largest search engine on the web. Having a keyword rich description will allow you to boost your SEO on Amazon. Most of a six figure self-published author’s sales come directly from Amazon’s search engine. Keyword rich descriptions get found by the search engines.
Not offering your Kindle eBook free for the first five days. Unless you have a large audience of people who would buy your Kindle eBook right when it comes out, you need to offer it for free for the first five days. This free promotion does not last one day or three days. You need to take advantage of all five days. That gives your Kindle eBook more time to get in the Top 100 for multiple bestselling categories which tends to result in more reviews. Getting more reviews early will lead to more long-term sales.
Underestimating the importance of a good cover. People often judge books by their covers. The way your book looks may be a decisive factor of whether your potential customer buys your book or not. Do not go through the trouble of learning PhotoShop or anything like that when you can hire an assistant on Fiverr to get the job done for you.
Not utilizing your social networks. Many people think that since Amazon is one of the most popular websites on the web (and gets millions of daily visitors), there will surely be one of those visitors who will want to buy your Kindle eBook. The problem is that these visitors don’t get to know about you until you market your Kindle eBook. It is at this point when Amazon decides to promote your Kindle eBook more often.

Avoiding these four mistakes will allow you to boost your Kindle eBook sales. What are your thoughts on the list? Have you made any of these mistakes or made another mistake in your marketing strategy? Please share your thoughts and experiences below.