Snapchat is not for everyone

Posted On November 1, 2016 By l7copro In Content Marketing, Mobile, Online Marketing Tips, Social Media, Strategy /

Gone are the days when Snapchat was the go-to platform for teen running away from prying eyes. Now, more and more people are interested in the platform’s marketing capabilities – and its developers are working to make it easy for those people to get in. Last month, the company has changed its name to Snap.Inc, and launched their first physical product to the market: a pair of sunglasses with a camera that allows to capture video for 10 minutes, in order to publish it later on Snapchat.

The app now has almost 60 million of active users in US and Canada each day, and that amount is expected to grow by 27% this year. That quantity places it on top of Twitter, with a projected revenue for 2018 of $1.76 billion, according to a forecast from eMarketer.

Yet, even with such an increasing popularity, Snapchat can be tricky and confusing, even for its own users. And although Snapchat has been in the market since 2011, it’s still hard to crack by marketers. They see this social media network as a gold mine, because of it’s large millennial and Gen Z users database, but also as a very tough one, due to its interface and logic. In fact brand stories that only last 24 hours are a challenge for marketers.

So, Snapchat is trying to make it easier for marketers like us to use the platform for our marketing efforts. But how? The platform was not offering lots of advertising and measurement options as other social media networks do. This has all changed now:

They’ve opened and shared their API for programmatic buying, which includes targeting via email matching, performance analytics tools and A/B testing for ads, among other features.
They’ve launched three ad targeting tools: Snap Audience Match, Snapchat Lifestyle Categories, and Lookalike Audiences.
Although at first Snapchat was over protecting users from “creepy ads”, they are now about to cross the fine line, by introducing behavioral targeting, based on user’s activity on the app.

We want to join forces, and so we leave here a piece of advice and some clues for you to solve the puzzle:

Focus on filters. As tags on twitter, Snapchat users are crazy about filters. Special dates in the year and events could be a hint.
Engage users with polls or contests. Just try the traditional A/B screen that we’ve been using for Facebook and you’ll be fine.
Drive traffic into your profile. This could be done by adding your Snapchat account to your Instagram, or by email marketing with a QR code (that’s just an example, you can figure out your own way).
Get users to create your content. Of course user generated content is always better, on every social media network.

No one has really figured Snapchat out, and so leading brands are trying to market on the platform, because as always, the first ones will be the ones to get more revenues. And that’s what this article is about. It’s a matter of deciding if you’re between the leading ones, or if you’ll just wait for them to crack this. What will it be?

Pic copyright: https://www.flickr.com/photos/67683836@N02/16910572286/

How to achieve Apple’s kind of user’s madness

Posted On September 24, 2016 By l7copro In Mobile, Strategy /

Though Apple has been taken offensives since Steve Jobs passed away, nobody can question it’s still the number 1 brand. At least that’s what millennials say when they rush to keep buying its products, as the launch of the iPhone 7 proved once again.

This feature-based excitement to find out what’s new on the last iPhone has already become a tradition, and we are sure Apple is taking advantage and already working on their next launch, although they have just presented a couple of days ago the new iPhone 7. And what’s new about this last one?

The new iPhone 7 has come with some improvements and new features:

Water resistant.
A dual lens camera system: two 12 mp cameras with a zoom of 10x.
A processor twice as fast as the Iphone 6’s.
Battery that lasts 2 hours more than its predecessor.
25% brighter screen than the previous model’s.
Compatible with Airpods. You can’t plug in your regular headphones, unless you have an adapter.
Bonus track: Super Mario Bros is now exclusive for iOS. Apple has partnered with Nintendo and will offer the game for a minimum price on the iOS store. We still haven’t quite figured out this move, but it must be something like “collecting votes” right?

But what called most of the public’s attention was the new Airpods. What about them?

Weird technology products with no sex appeal haven’t made their way to survival in the market. But Apple did. And we question ourselves. What is the key to what Apple has achieved? We’ve come to an answer: Apple has begun developing jewelry with technology. They build products with sex appeal, that turns technology into items for social acceptance.

Taking out the old headphone jack allowed designers to create a thinner phone with less breaches in performance when it comes to water resistance. But some users have started complaining, because they can’t use their regular favorite headphones, and they feel a little disappointed, as they realized they are becoming more dependable on Apple and their decisions if they want to keep playing on the “I have the last brand new Iphone” world. Apple’s New Airpods cost $160 more above your phone, but they are also a very sexy and stylish widget, right?

It’s a well known story that people have been saving for months, and waiting for hours or whole days in line to get the new iPhone in their hands. And that is not because of technology. Everybody knows that is not the best design Apple is capable of delivering. If there’s something in which Apple is the best, that has to be their iterative work. They’ll continue launching new better versions of the Iphone. And we’ll continue buying, not because of its tech advantages but for the social ritual that the company has built around their products.

“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.” — Steve Jobs

If you are an average company owner you must be wondering: How can it be possible to achieve this kind of user’s madness? Some says it was all because of Steve Jobs and now Apple is going down. But we personally believe it’s all about strategy. Maybe you should start rethinking your product based on our analysis:

Apple’s taking fashion elements and strategy into their technology products. Maybe you can relate your field of work to another one. Look to the great companies, you might find some hints.
If you have a product that is not quite acceptable by society, you should think of a restart. What will be socially acceptable and how can you adapt your product to that matter?
What rituals or beliefs can you create on your product’s environment?

As we said, iterative work is a must, you won’t find the answer from night to day. If that happens, please let us know!

Pic copyright: — imore.com — http://www.imore.com/sites/imore.com/files/styles/larger_wm_blw/public/field/image/2014/09/iphone_6_history_stack_left.jpg

Should your small business develop its own mobile app?

Posted On March 31, 2016 By l7copro In Mobile /

Not so long ago, developing a dedicated mobile app seemed like a thing reserved for big companies or heavy-smoking developers locked in their parents’ basements. Not anymore – things have changed, my friend! Now, with more and more people creating apps, generating software to make them and users having grown accustomed to install apps for even the most menial of tasks, almost anyone can have an app.

Don’t get too excited just yet. Of course, everyone can have an app. But does everybody needs an app? And what about you and your business? Would be beneficial for you to make one? Some people could argue that yes, that an app for your company can be fun and informational while driving customers to you. But things aren’t that simple.

8 tips to rock the mobile e-commerce world

Posted On November 25, 2015 By l7copro In E-Commerce, Mobile /

With most people already gone mobile to do practically everything, small businesses that sell their products online know for a fact they have to follow. Yet, as simple and clear as this is for many, there still are a lot of questions about how to do it. How can your business make the jump from the customers’ desktops to their pockets? It’s not a matter of trial and error nor it’s easy but it isn’t impossible either. Tips on how to do it abound in the Web. But they aren’t as essential as the ones below.

Want to stay relevant? “Mobilize” your business with these tips

Posted On October 29, 2015 By l7copro In Mobile, Online Marketing Tips /

Not so long ago, many marketers insisted that a successful business couldn’t exist without a good digital strategy. “Build a great site” we said. “Talk with your customers on Facebook” we advised. “Learn some SEO, for Christ’s sake!” we shouted in frustration. But now that all of those tips are already common sense, there’s another more relevant message for small businesses owners out there – go mobile.

It’s not precisely an original suggestion. We’ve seen mobile devices go from new toys for a few to ubiquitous tech. Now we all share our photos, check the news and watch videos from the palm of our hands. Basically, everything’s going mobile and the things that don’t are soon forgotten. It’s pretty obvious that small businesses should be there too! That’s precisely why you should mobilize your business. But what the heck does that mean?

The latest Google mobile update is here- how does it affect your small business?

Posted On April 29, 2015 By l7copro In Mobile, SEO /

For something called Mobilegeddon, the latest Google update for its search engine isn’t as scary as everyone else is trying to make you believe. I understand if you’re in disbelief – the whole Internet has been panicking for quite a while now over an update that could crush virtually anyone, big or small. But going deeper beyond the surface, the new Google update could mean good news for anyone that knows how to take advantage of it. Yeah, that’s right – even you and your small business can profit from these changes.

But, how? And why your business of all the businesses in the world? The explanation is simple: Google rewards sites that follows the guidelines deemed by the company as mobile friendly. In other words, the Mountain View-based company wants everyone to get on board of its idea of user experience as big player – in fact, a player as big as content, the supposed king up until this month. So, get on board with them and you’ll be ok.

Ideally, you already made the change to a responsive site months ago, even before Google started announcing the update back in February. Though that was what should have happened, there’s a chance you forgot to make the change or shrugged it off. Look, I’m not here to judge but if that was your case, let’s say you shouldn’t include it in your list of brightest moments. Google still controls what people searches on the Web, so listening to it (and acting accordingly) are a must if you’re to survive.

So, you didn’t make the change on time and now the update is in full force. Is everything lost? Not really. However, each particular site and its competition will determine whether the update’s effect is huge or something controllable. If all of your competitors have jumped to mobile-friendly sites before the update hit, then you’re already running them from behind. That’s because all of their indexed pages won’t just keep the rankings they already got before the Mobilegeddon –they’ll get a boost as a reward for playing along.

If, on the other hand, your competitors are in your same situation, you are in a less grimmer scenario. You’re in time to make the jump and make all of your future efforts count towards a better ranking. But for that to happen you need to make the change now. Here’s where small businesses have their shot at glory.

Though you might think that big companies had all of this figured out for years and are now laughing while they roll over their piles of money, new reports show that they are in bigger trouble than small businesses. Sites as big as reddit and Interviemagazine.com are among the biggest losers after the update went live. The same goes for big businesses all over the country and the world. This means that search rankings suffered a major rearrangement that is still making waves.

The timing for you is perfect because for all of those big businesses that didn’t make the change on time, getting back on their feet will be harder than for you. I’m assuming that as a small business, you’re in control of practically every major decision concerning to its whole marketing plan. So, you’re definitely able to prioritize the change to a responsive site accordingly – meaning right f**k now – without having to plan that much. Just contact the IT Guy and ask him to do it. It will be half as hard as you think it may be.

All of the above is especially true if your business relies heavily in localized search. Imagine someone that types “donuts in Sunnyvale” on their phone looking for a place like yours: if you haven’t made the change to a responsive site, that someone will get another recommendation by Google. In other words, if most of your visitors/customers came from organic searches made from Google, then your numbers are already suffering and making the change should be your top priority (you should even stop reading this!).

I repeat to make it perfectly clear: if you haven’t made the change, the damage is done by now. But that doesn’t mean the game is over. You just have to act quick and get yourself a responsive site (you know, the one with big font, easily clickable links that resizes to fit any screen) and start paying attention to the mobile aspect of your digital presence. Given how much it has increased in the last years, mobile is already defining the Web, so you start thinking a business designed for it or go looking for another job.

Don’t know if your site is mobile friendly? Use this tool to check it now”

Is Your Website Responsive? If Not, Well, Get Your Sh** Together!

Posted On April 6, 2015 By JavierR In Mobile /

Talks about responsive website design have been around for years now, so engaging in one of them in 2015 feels like digital archeology. However, given how many sites still ignore what we should now know as a capital sin, we believed it high time for someone to scream at them: get your sh** together and turn your site into a mobile friendly website!!