Eating undercooked meat from wild game animals can cause a rare illness known as trichinellosis, health officials have warned.
Six cases of the parasitic disease were reported by multiple family members from Arizona, Minnesota and South Dakota.
The family members shared a meal that included undercooked meat from a black bear, as reported in the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“It is critically important to remember to properly cook any raw meat, as inadequately undercooked meat has a potential for both trichinosis and other infectious illnesses,” Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, told Fox News Digital.
Meat containing Trichinella worms may also cross-contaminate other food items, such as vegetables, that are cooked alongside it, the CDC warned.
“People who consume meat from wild game animals should be aware that adequate cooking is the only reliable way to kill the parasites that cause trichinellosis, which can be resistant to freezing,” Shama Cash-Goldwasser, epidemic intelligence service officer at the CDC, told Fox News Digital.
Experts shared a summary of the cases reported so far — plus, tips for preventing trichinellosis.
In early July 2022, a 29-year-old man, whose name was not shared, started to feel ill a few days after sharing a meal during a family reunion in South Dakota.
He was hospitalized after returning to Minnesota, complaining of fever, severe muscle aches and swelling around the eyes. Blood tests revealed high levels of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell that can indicate a worm infection.
The man’s most recent meal had included kabobs made from the meat of a black bear, the report stated.
The black bear was originally harvested by one of the family members in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, in May 2022 — then frozen in a home freezer for 45 days at an unknown temperature.
The bear meat was then thawed, grilled with vegetables and served “inadvertently” rare, the report said.
The man was treated with albendazole, an anti-parasitic medication. An antibody blood test confirmed he had trichinellosis.
The CDC launched an investigation, finding that six people from the gathering — with their ages ranging from 12 to 62 — had symptoms consistent with trichinellosis.
Among the six people, four had consumed both the bear meat and vegetables, but two only ate the vegetables. Three were hospitalized, but all recovered.
The CDC found live worms in the remaining bear meat.
Approximately 1% to 24% of black bears in Canada and Alaska are infected with trichinellosis, per the report.
“Trichinellosis is the disease caused by a parasitic worm called Trichinella,” Scott Roberts, M.D., associate medical director of infection prevention at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, told Fox News Digital.
“It is very rare in humans and associated with eating raw and undercooked meats, particularly pork and wild game.”
Some examples of wild game that may cause disease include wild boar, wildcat, fox, wolf, seal or walrus — but people can also get infected from homemade jerky and sausage, according to the CDC.
There are approximately 10,000 cases worldwide every year, but only about 15 cases in the U.S. annually.
The disease historically has been linked to eating uncooked pork, but a better understanding of proper food preparation has reduced those occurrences, Glatt noted.
Current regulations around raising commercially farmed pigs have also helped to lower the risk of trichinellosis in the U.S., the CDC noted.
Although infection is rare, it is possible after eating even a small amount of raw or undercooked meat, the agency warned.
The severity of symptoms depends on how much of the parasite is ingested, Roberts told Fox News Digital.
After the contaminated meat is consumed, the stomach produces acid that causes larvae to be released, the CDC stated.
After one week, the larvae travel in the bloodstream, sometimes making their way into the muscle — which can cause muscle pain, according to the CDC.
“Symptoms can range from none at all, to GI issues (abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) and muscle/joint pain,” Roberts said.
One hallmark symptom is swelling of the face, especially around the eyes, per the CDC.
Occasionally, the worms may also travel to the heart, lungs or brain, which can lead to problems with coordination, cardiovascular issues or breathing issues.
Most cases will not require treatment, but antiparasitic therapy can be given if symptoms are severe, Roberts said.
To prevent trichinellosis, Cash-Goldwasser of the CDC recommends cooking wild game meat to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius) and verifying the temperature with a meat thermometer.
“Safe handling of raw meat, including separation of raw or undercooked meat and its juices from other foods, is also recommended to prevent cross-contamination,” she told Fox News Digital.
The agency also advises against sampling meat until it has been confirmed to be fully cooked — and recommends freezing pork less than six inches thick for 20 days at 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some wild game animals are freeze-resistant, which means freezing may not effectively kill all worms.
Salting, drying, smoking or microwaving meat also does not effectively kill worms, per the CDC.
People should always remember to wash their hands with soap and warm water before and after handling raw meat — and to clean meat grinders and all other kitchen items thoroughly after each use, the agency advised.
But how? Why? In this article, we’ll go over how I became one and how to become an influencer in your own field.
1. Start by Becoming an Influencer in a Niche Field
Most great influencers start as a microinfluencer, a person on social media with roughly 10,000-50,000 followers. In a pinch, think of them as having a larger following than your average person, but less than a celebrity or established influencer. This is great because it allows you to start building a dedicated following and see what type of content works for you on a smaller scale.
With this said, though, even if you have a decent size following, you want to always establish credibility with the audience. Micro influencers can extend powerful word of mouth to small groups. As you start out as a micro influencer you’ll develop expertise in your niche. They don’t have the followings of a Kardashian, but they’re more affordable and can still reach enough people to make a difference in product sales.
I started in the trenches of SEO before learning content marketing, conversion rate optimization, influencer marketing, social media marketing, and more. I worked hard. to get to nearly 432K Twitter followers.
One day you might get to 400K + followers too; but to become an influencer, you have to start with one.
Start as the expert among your friends and peers.
Work toward being the expert in your city and state.
Then become an influencer from there.
2. Create a Content Strategy
Once you have a niche, it’s time to build your content strategy. Content strategy can be a vague concept, but for the purposes of this post, we mean things like publishing cadence, tone and voice of the author, and content elements (text, graphs, etc.).
For my content strategy, I have strict goals I set for myself to create a set amount of social posts on each network while maintaining blog quality and working on side projects. I also made sure I use the same conversational tone and voice in my content (can you tell?)
Not terribly hard right?
Once you’re armed with this information, you can select your channels.
3. Select Your Channels
There’s no wrong answer for which social channels to be on and avoid.
Facebook is the most popular, with 94% of marketers using Facebook worldwide as of January 2020, followed by LinkedIn with 76%.
Facebook is by far the most popular, with almost 75% market share in 2022. But that dropped from 65% in 2015, and other social channels still have validity.
While I enjoy my time on certain channels more than others, I don’t play favorites when engaging with my audiences.
I do my best to show up everywhere.
My page gets a ton of traffic and has a great conversion rate.
Where you can network with Justine Ezarik is at technology trade shows like CES, the Webby Awards, the Streamys, and several other events. You can follow her social accounts to see which events she attends.
Event marketing is a big trend and being able to boast influencer attendance is huge.
Why not make it a priority for marketing yourself?
Get off the couch, get out the house, and get to major events related to your niche. Or, even easier, attend online events, which are becoming more popular in the post-COVID world.
You can start your search at the Trade Show News Network for listings of trade shows around the world in every industry.
5. Participate in Off-site Forums
Becoming a popular social media influencer does have its advantages. For example, in 2020, the most popular YouTubers earn more than a billion dollars a year from advertisements and sponsorships.
Not all of us can be that lucky. The rest of us have to venture outside social media and participate in forums, comment wells, and other online discussions so we can boost our following.
Every discussion you can be a part of online enhances your reputation, influence, and connections.
6. Create a Website or Blog
Conversations don’t end on social media.
You’ll always have more to say than can fit in a tweet or Instagram post as a social media influencer.
With a website or blog, you have a place to direct your social followers as you gain them.
Be prepared to lead your followers into your well-designed conversion funnel by building out your blogging content strategy. Start with including a link to your blog in your social media posts. A link to your website or blog can actually increase your audience engagement on social media.
And it goes without saying the longer blog content needs to provide even more value than a social post to get clicks.
7. Provide Value to the Conversation
If you’re not providing value to the conversation, you’ll never reach the ears of anyone influential.
When trying to become an influencer, remember you need to be the person people are talking to each other about.
If you can impress people enough with your knowledge and conversational value, they’ll sell everybody else on you.
Then they’ll tell two friends, and so on…until you become an influencer!
8. Stay Ahead of Current Events
There are two types of content, evergreen and topical.
Evergreen content stays forever relevant, such as an article about a historical event.
Topical content is hot right now, but will soon be forgotten. Basically, everything happening today.
When writing a blog post, I’d stay as evergreen as possible since you don’t want to have to update your content constantly. But on social media, staying informed about current events is the key to being shared.
Every year since 2003, Starbucks has been able to rally up customers for their seasonal drink. For example, in 2021 they expanded the offering of the beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte to stores in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. They were able to expand customer reach and created a quiz to strengthen their #PSLlovers community.
Using this seasonal tradition with user-generated content created a brand win for Starbucks by appealing to customer loyalty through a festive time of year.
Staying topical is how you go viral on social media.
You can use tools to stay on top of social media trends. You can also set a Google News alert to monitor the entire Internet for specific keywords and phrases.
Do what you have to do to stay current.
9. Understand All Channels
Even if you don’t use a particular social media channel, if you want to become an influencer it’s still important to understand who does.
I’m not a big user of Snapchat, for example, but I understand its 250 million+ (mostly younger) users can’t be ignored.
TikTok may not be for you, but the platform has doubled it’s worldwide users between 2019 and 2021. It’s also the most engaging channel of all the popular platforms today. So, if you’re looking to build a community, the numbers don’t lie – it makes the most sense for you to build a following there. Because the demographics of who uses each channel are so varied, each social network requires a different strategy.
For example, here is a chart showing best practices for posts you can share on each channel during the Holiday season:
While minor, these differences make a world of difference in determining whether you’re a hero or a zero in your industry.
This type of chart helps you prepare posts to schedule in advance.
10. Stay Authentic and On-Brand
Going back to the Super Bowl, it’s an interesting event. Why? Because brands have made the commercials as anticipated as the actual game. Many come through with epic TV spots that tell their brand story.
The takeaway: it’s important to be authentic and stick to your brand voice to become an influencer.
Digital ad spend grew 18% in February 2021 compared to a year prior. TV ad spend declined nearly 27% over the same period.
This means an authentic voice on social media is more critical than an expensive Super Bowl commercial.
If you’ve ever visited my blog or social media profiles, you know I actively respond to comments.
Here’s an example from a recent blog post I promoted on Facebook several years ago.
My followers love to ask me questions and comment on things, and I love to respond.
This is how I built a social community that participates and engages with my content.
When responding, be sure to stay consistent and friendly.
Don’t respond to trolls and other haters, unless you have a great zinger that will help your brand image.
12. Engage with the Community
It’s not enough to simply respond.
To become a social media influencer, you need to start conversations.
Rather than creating content for social media that promotes your brand, create content that actually helps people in your online community. This could include short-from videos, as Lush does frequently on their Instagram and other social channels:
This type of engagement is what social media was designed for.
It’s easy to do on platforms like Twitter where scaling Twitter engagement is the main function of the channel.
And people remain engaged on these platforms.
The more you engage with the community outside of your feed, the further you spread your influence. Don’t just respond to comments on your Facebook page.
Post in groups, post on friend’s pages, and tag other influencers to engage the community.
If you become a person who can actually handle constructive criticism, critics will mold you into a more polished influencer.
Being an influencer isn’t about dictating what people do. It’s about creating a movement, and constructive criticism is essential to that.
Nobody wants to be surrounded by yes men.
Which reminds me…
15. Remain Approachable
Phil DeFranco is one of the most influential YouTube users with his SXEPhil account.
The reason is somewhat because of production values and length of service.
More importantly, however, Phil remains approachable, despite his success.
Tackling topics as diverse as politics, social media, pop culture, and nuances of the YouTube platform itself, Phil maintains an everyman approach.
Never let yourself get so caught up in social media fame that you become a prima donna, disconnected from reality in your ivory tower. If you do, there could be consequences.
The more approachable you are, the more influential you’ll be.
16. Research New Topics Daily
I can’t stress enough how important it is to constantly generate new topic ideas.
It’s harder than it sounds over the long term. That’s why I use Google Alerts.
I can set alerts to deliver to my email anytime my name is mentioned on any frequency I like.
There are a ton of other customization features.
In addition to setting up Google News alerts, pick a handful of publications to stay informed on.
I check blogs like Moz, Entrepreneur, and Hubspot daily to keep ideas for fresh topics in my head.
The more knowledgeable and well-rounded you are, the easier it’ll be to gain influence.
17. Automate Posts
Automation is the latest marketing trend, and it’s easy to see why.
You gain efficiency and speed, along with valuable data.
There are plenty of free tools to automate social media posts and let you schedule your content in advance using content calendars.
This is how professional publishing and social agencies work.
Also, keep in mind blog posts can automatically be set up through the blog CMS to promote on social media channels.
Whatever you use, be sure to automate posts so you have a steady stream of content.
18. Follow Influencers and Give Shout Outs
To be an influencer, you need to know other influencers.
Who you’re following is almost as important as who follows you.
To expand your influence, you need to show people they’re influencing you as well.
On Twitter, there’s a hashtag group called #Teamfollowback that believes in reciprocating every follow.
I don’t go that far, but I do try to follow other influencers to engage their audiences along with mine.
Many social media influencers also love giving shoutouts to followers, fans, and subscribers.
Shoutouts make people feel like they’re personally contributing to the community. They incentivize participation.
And last, but certainly not least, is the data we’ll need to quantify all this work.
19. Quantify Your Efforts With Data
Each social media site will show your impressions and audience engagement numbers.
It’s usually on the front page.
This only shows half the picture of your real influence.
However, with a website and Google Analytics, you can see the rest.
We can tell which social channels are getting clickthroughs to our site and how many people are converting from there.
Once you understand how many posts it takes to generate a conversion, you’ll be able to calculate an ROI for your social media efforts.
This isn’t the only benefit of being an influencer.
Like I said at the beginning, you can influence other influencers and drive the conversation.
Just be sure to use your power for good.
Quick Tips For Influencer Success
Become an Influencer in a Niche Field
Start small; pick a niche topic and become an expert in that. Over time you can expand your influence.
Create a Content Strategy
Decide how often you will post, what your tone will be (casual versus professional, for example), and what elements you’ll use in the content you publish.
Select Your Channels
Decide which social media channels to focus on.
Network Within the Industry
Get to know other experts in your industry by connecting with them on social media and attending industry events.
Participate in Off-site Forums
Expand your reach by participating in forums, comment discussions, and other online discussions.
Create a Website or Blog
Create a blog to give followers a place to get to know you better and to show off your industry expertise. A blog can also give you more engagement data to show marketers who want to pay you for ads and endorsements.
ProvideValue to the Conversation
It’s not enough to just put out content. You need to provide value to your followers by providing content that is new or offers a unique perspective.
Stay Ahead of Current Events
Stay abreast of what’s going on in your field and share about it on your social channels. If people can look to you for breaking news in your industry, it will go a long way towards helping you become an influencer.
Understand all Social Media Channels
Figure out what channels are most relevant to your industry and focus your efforts there.
Stay Authentic and On-Brand
Tell your brand story often to engage and grow your followers.
Respond to Comments
When people comment on your social media or blog posts, take the time to respond. People will be more likely to follow and interact with you if they feel like they know you.
Engage With the Community
Maintain a presence outside of just your own channels. Start conversations, tag other influencers, participate in Facebook groups, etc.
Consistently Publish Fresh Content
Publishing fresh content keeps and grows your follower list and pleases the algorithm gods.
Listen to Criticism
By listening to and incorporating criticism, you can become a better influencer.
Remain Approachable
No matter how big you get, stay humble. Arrogance is a turnoff and could cost you followers and sponsorships.
Research New Topics Daily
The best way to stay on top of industry trends is to set Google alerts. You should also spend time reading industry blogs. If you subscribe to any industry newsletters, spend some time reading those as well.
Automate Posts
Make your life easier by creating your posts in advance and scheduling them to be posted automatically using tools like one of these CRM software platforms.
Follow Influencers and Give Shout Outs
Get noticed by other influencers by following them and tagging them in your posts. If you can gain their trust, they may be willing to reciprocate. This could make some of their followers follow you in turn.
Quantify Your Efforts WithData
Use the analytics tool most social media channels provide to track your followers, engagement, and other data. These figures can help you gain sponsorships since they help prove your influencer status.
FAQs
How many followers do you need to become a social media influencer?
There isn’t an official set number of followers you need to become an influencer. The number of followers you need varies by industry. For example, startup skincare brands can invest in nano or micro influencers because of their tight-knit audience for brand reach. Known athletic brands like Nike can use athlete or celebrity sponsorships as influencers to help gain more brand loyalists for their products.
How much do social media influencers get paid?
The money you make as a social media influencer depends on your industry, how many followers you have, and the terms of your arrangement with the business paying you to promote their product or service.
What qualifies you as a social media influencer?
Most would consider you to be an influencer if you are paid to promote goods or services to your followers.
How can I get more followers so I can become a social media influencer?
A couple of ways to get more followers are to research and use popular and trending hashtags on your posts, seek out a mentor who is already an influencer in your field, start by becoming an influencer in a niche community and expand from there, and taking advantage of the full suite of features different social media platforms offer to maximize your exposure and grow your follower list.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing is the latest trend in digital marketing because social media influencers are now able to quantify their audiences.
What started as a hobby for many has become a big business, and influencers like PewDiePie often outearn celebrities, politicians, and other prominent professionals.
I’m an influencer today, but I wasn’t always.
Everyone starts at square one with no followers and nobody knowing who they are.
It’s the steps you take to build a following that ultimately determine how influential you are.
If you’re interested in growing your brand and want help doing so, reach out. I have a team of experts who can help you reach your influencer goals!
Who are the most influential people in your niche?
Imagine if you had the power to influence people’s subconscious minds. It would be great, wouldn’t it?
As a marketer, you could reach out to consumers and persuade them to click through and buy your product, or they’d see an advert offline and instantly want to rush and buy what you’re selling.
What if I told you there’s no need to wish for it? You already have this ability.
It’s called marketing psychology, and it’s a proven technique for spurring shoppers to action, or at least encouraging them to find out more.
Power words are a part of marketing psychology that you often see in adverts. In fact, they’re a go-to for many marketers. Think of words like ‘smart,’ ‘fresh,’ ’innovative,’ ‘bold,’ and ‘pioneering.’
However, there’s more to power words than that: they’re also effective in creating brand loyalty, and who doesn’t want loyal customers?
In this article, l look at three power words that may significantly impact conversation rate optimization.
Before I get into that, though, let’s have a quick look at what marketing psychology is.
It encompasses a range of disciplines, including advertising, public relations, market research, and sales. It’s also called neuromarketing, and the goal of marketing psychology is to help marketers understand what makes consumers tick.
This gives marketers the ‘magical’ ability to know what is most likely to resonate with their prospects and secure the conversion.
If nothing else, when used correctly, marketing psychology is an incredible technique to engage consumers and intrigue them enough that they want to find out more.
Now, before you start thinking that you need to get all scientific and deep, there are some easy ways to capture your prospects’ attention with psychology.
What Are Power Words?
I’ve already mentioned power words, but maybe you’re not familiar with them, so I’ll explain.
Power words have a strong emotional impact and marketers use them to influence people’s buying behaviors.
There are several benefits to using power words for your marketing efforts. Here are some key ones:
The way we speak to and about others has a profound impact on their emotions and behavior.
In marketing, using persuasive language is critical to creating desired customer outcomes.
There are certain words and phrases that can have a very positive or negative effect on people’s moods and attitudes.
Knowing which words to use can be hugely beneficial in crafting dynamic, inspiring marketing messages.
Knowing how to use power words effectively can help create persuasive messages influencing people’s decisions.
Now, let’s get into these three power words for your marketing, shall we?
1. “IMAGINE”
Why it’s a power word:
Imagine is one of the most impactful words in the English language.
When you imagine something, you immediately picture it in your mind, creating a level of engagement that’s hard to replicate with other words.
There’s a good reason why the word works so well.
‘Imagine’ evokes emotion and creates positive mental images. When people feel good about something, they’re more likely to take action, whether that means buying a product or service or simply sharing it with others.
You can also use the word to tap into people’s emotions and inspire them. For example, imagine being able to travel the world, or imagine how good it would feel to get in shape.
When we imagine something, we not only see it in our minds, but we feel the emotions associated with it. This can be a big motivator, especially regarding buying decisions.
We can all relate to this.
Maybe you’ve seen an advert for your dream car and imagined yourself behind the wheel. Or perhaps you’ve seen an advert for the lottery, and you’re already imagining that you’ve won. Most of us have done it. We’re already spending the money from our million-dollar win, often before we’ve even brought the ticket.
Finally, ‘Imagine’ is one of the top power words because our reactions to it are immediate: It captures attention quickly and easily.
Of course, you don’t have to use the word ‘image’ directly in your marketing.
An example:
From telling you the latest news to playing your favorite track on demand, Alexa’s already got many skills, but imagine if it could read your mind. That’s the premise behind a recent Superbowl advert.
In it, actressScarlett Johansson and comedian Colin Jost imagined what life would be like if Alexa knew what they’re thinking and said it out loud.
The results weren’t all good, with Alexa inadvertently telling a variety of people things you wouldn’t necessarily want them to know.
Besides its comedic moments, the ad shows us that you don’t even need to use an actual power word for your marketing: just the suggestion of it is enough.
2. “YOU”
Why it’s a power word:
Youis a placeholder for your name.
I know—it’s an obvious one. Perhaps the three most captivating words in sales are you, free, and guaranteed.
It might not be the most apparent power word that springs to mind, but think about it.
‘You’ represents yourname. It personalizes your advertising, which is why marketers often use it in headlines and throughout copy.
‘You’ makes people feel important, heard, and seen. When used in advertising, it can tap into those feelings and create a connection with the customer. When customers feel they are being spoken to directly, they are more likely to respond positively.
In fact, ‘You’ is such a strong power word that most copywriters use it in their advertising.
Do you know why? Because, yes, you’ve guessed, the advertiser is talking directly to YOU, the consumer.
The reason words that refer to us are so powerful is a psychological effect called Fundamental Attribution Error, a type of cognitive bias. Basically, while we are naturally critical of other people, our critical minds take a break when we evaluate ourselves.
And guess what? There’s nothing as stimulating to us as our interests, desires, ambitions, goals, yearnings, and emotions. For our whole lives, that is all we have; as long as your copy addresses those things for your prospect, it is guaranteed to carry them along in a rapt, semi-torpid daze of introspection.
Why you should use its product. For example, MailChimp breaks down how it helps you create better campaigns, its host of features, and integrated marketing capabilities as reasons why a consumer would want to subscribe to its product.
The benefits of using its product for your business. For instance, MailChimp highlights its 300-plus app integrations, expert guidance and award-winning support as selling points.
Then, it promises to keep you:
Informed, motivated, and ahead of the competition.
MailChimp then finishes by telling prospects, ‘they’ve got your back.’
See how it works? Wouldn’t it tempt you to sign up and start taking advantage of everything the product offers? Think about how you can do the same in your copy.
3. “BECAUSE”
Why it’s a power word:
There are many reasons why ‘because’ is a power word, but three, in particular, stand out. The first reason is that it’s a psychological trigger. When someone hears or sees the word ‘because,’ their brain immediately starts looking for a reason; once they find one, you’re more likely to persuade them with what you’re saying.
The second reason is that it’s concise. ‘Because’ is the perfect word to use to get your message across efficiently. The third reason is its versatility. You can use ’because’ in both formal and informal settings, with adults and children. It’s a word that everyone understands and can use effectively.
There’s more to it, though. Here are a few more reasons why ‘because’ is a power word.
Because is a logical connector.
The word because helps to make your argument or point more convincing by linking your reasoning clearly and concisely. When someone understands why you did something, they’re more likely to be on your side.
Because is emotional.
Psychologically, we tend to react more strongly to things that are accompanied by a strong emotion. ‘Because’ stirs up feelings of certainty and confidence, which can be very persuasive when trying to get someone to do something.
Because is contagious.
When we hear others use because effectively, it subconsciously influences our behavior and speech.
You’ve probably heard of “reason why” advertising—a phrase I believe comes from John E Kennedy, though I learned it from Drayton Bird. As human beings, we crave order. We want to know why something is the way it is, and what caused something to happen. And we crave it, particularly in our own lives.
These kinds of reasons, cause and effect relationships, are encapsulated in the word because. When our mind’s gatekeeper—the “critical factor”—hears that word, it treats it as a cue to let the speaker (or writer) through to the unconscious mind.
If you think back to your childhood or watch how kids negotiate with their parents, you’ll immediately see that this works precisely, as Langer showed. Perhaps this sort of situation sounds familiar:
“Mom, can I have some biscuits?”
“No, darling, not now.”
“But mom, I love biscuits.”
“I know, sweetie, but I said not now.”
“But mom, why?”
“Because I said so.”
Is that a real reason? No, it ain’t! It’s just a reiteration of what the kid already knows, right? But at this point, most children accept that it’s time to give up. And that’s something “programmed” into us, even as adults. It makes the word “because” very powerful.
L’oreal’s slogan dates back over 50 years. Since its creation by junior copywriter Ilon Specht, the slogan took the world by storm, and you can see it in 40 languages.
As L’oreal states, the tagline resonates today and encourages self-worth and belief.
The takeaway? Think about how you can make your slogan timeless and meaningful when using power words.
Power Words FAQs
What are power word examples?
Some examples of power words include: amazing, astonishing, incredible, beautiful, brilliant, exciting. These words grab attention and make people want to learn more about what you have to say.
How can we increase conversions?
You can improve conversion rate optimization by creating targeted campaigns, publishing compelling, keyword-based content, making your website easy to navigate, and ensuring your website is mobile-friendly. You can also use power words.
The general layout of your site can have a significant impact on conversion rate optimization. The more cluttered and confusing it is, the more likely your prospect is to go elsewhere.
Your content also needs to be relevant to your audience, and the offer itself must be attractive for people to convert;
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The general layout of your site can have a significant impact on conversion rate optimization. The more cluttered and confusing it is, the more likely your prospect is to go elsewhere.
Your content also needs to be relevant to your audience, and the offer itself must be attractive for people to convert;
”
}
}
]
}
Power Words Conclusion
These are not the only power words. There are others. But these three are particularly powerful and valuable to us as marketers and salespeople.
Imagine. You. Because.
They are also conveniently easy to work into copy, videos, and even face-to-face sales presentations.
You’d want to start using power words in your copy for many reasons, but the most obvious one is conversion rate optimization.
With some practice, you can start using these words to create more effective marketing materials and improve your bottom line.
Do you use power words in your copy? Which ones get the best results?
Did You Know There Are Credit Cards Where You Can Get a Credit Card Statement Credit?
What is a statement on a credit card? A credit card statement credit—often in the form of a signup bonus—is a popular way for business credit cards to give you perks. It’s a great win-win. For the credit card company, it’s a bookkeeping matter. They don’t have to issue a check and they don’t have to keep track of points. For you, it’s money off your credit card statement balance. And who doesn’t want that?
Keep in mind: all business credit card terms can and do change. As a result, be sure to check the credit issuer’s website before choosing a business credit card. Check out our top choices.
#4. Get a $150 Credit Card Statement Credit from the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card
With the Marriot Bonvoy Business Card, you can earn up to $150 back in statement credits on eligible purchases made in the first 3 months. You can also earn sextuple points on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program.
APR on purchases will be a variable rate, 15.74%—24.74%, based on creditworthiness. There is a $125 annual fee.
#3. Get a $150 Statement Credit in the form of 2% Cash Back with a Cash Back Bonus: TD Business Solutions Credit Card (Visa)
With the TD Business Solutions Credit Card, you can earn $150 cash back as a statement credit when you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days. Earn up to 2% cash back rewards when you redeem them into an eligible TD Bank Deposit Account. Get 1% cash back on purchases. There are no cash back limits. A 13.99%, 18.99% or 23.99% APR is based on creditworthiness for purchases and credit card statement balance transfers.
Pay no annual fee, but there is a 3% foreign transaction fee. Since every business needs a bank account, opening a deposit account at TD Bank could be a good idea. The minimum spend should be easy to achieve, but the reward bonus isn’t as big as ones you can get from other banks. Plus, you can often get a higher percentage of cash back from several other providers, without having to open a bank account.
#2. Get a $250 Credit Card Statement Credit from the American Express Blue Business Cash Card
With the American Express Blue Business Cash Card, you can earn a $250 credit on your remaining statement balance. So, this is for after you spend $3,000 in purchases on in the first 3 months. It has a 0.0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months. After that APR is variable, from 13.24%—19.24%, based on creditworthiness. Plus, there is no annual fee.
#1. Get a $300 Credit from the Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard®
We saved the best for last. With the Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard®, you can earn 30,000 online bonus points after spending at least $3,000 in the first 90 days. You can redeem your points for a $300 credit card statement credit towards travel or dining-related purchases.
It has a 0% Introductory APR on purchases for the first 9 billing cycles. After the intro APR offer ends, a variable APR of 12.24%—22.24% will apply. This card has no annual fee.
Bonus: Get a Statement Credit with Conditions from Spark 2X Miles
With Spark 2X Miles, you can earn unlimited double miles on every purchase. Plus, earn a 50,000 miles bonus when you spend $4,500 in the first 3 months. Pay a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 after.
You can get a credit card statement credit in one of two ways. One is if you use your card to complete the Global Entry application and pay the $100 application fee. The other ways is to complete the TSA Pre✓® application and pay the $85 application fee. Credit will appear within two billing cycles. It will apply to whichever program you apply for first. You can only get one statement credit per account every four years.
You are eligible for one $100 statement credit per account, OR one $85 statement credit per account. This is for every 4 years in connection with the Global Entry or TSA Pre® program application fee.
Also, to apply the credit, your account must be open and in good standing. You cannot get a statement credit for fees charged to a Spark Miles Select card, or any Capital One card that is not a Spark Miles card. And you cannot get a statement credit for fees paid for with PayPal®.
Bonus: Get a Choice of Statement Credit Amounts from the Business Platinum Card® from American Express
You can get a $400 statement credit on purchases from Dell Technologies. Or earn a $360 statement credit on purchases from Indeed. Another option is a $150 statement credit for subscriptions from Adobe Creative Solutions. And another choice is a $120 statement credit for wireless telephone service purchases.
Other perks include quintuple points on flights and prepaid hotels. You can also get credits and bonuses for airline and other travel costs.
Pay a 0.0% intro APR for the first 12 months, on purchases eligible for their ‘Pay Over Time’ program, then a 14.24%—22.24% variable APR.
But this card, as you would expect from platinum, has a $695 annual fee. We put this one a bit ahead of the Delta card (see below) because there are more and larger statement credit options. Plus they don’t seem to award statement credits on a quadrennial basis. If you travel a lot for business, and if you need to impress clients, then this one may be worth your while. But an annual fee that runs over 1/3 of a typical monthly mortgage payment is an extremely high hurdle to get over.
Bonus: Get a $100 Credit Credit from Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
With the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card, you can get a $100 statement credit after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months. Also, Basic Card Members can get a statement credit for a five-year membership every 4 years after applying for Global Entry ($100). Or get a statement credit every 4.5 years after applying for TSA Pre✓® (up to $85) through any Authorized Enrollment Provider.
APR on purchases will be a variable rate, 15.74%—24.74%, based on creditworthiness.
But there is a ridiculously high $550 annual fee! The statement credit is nice, but it is not worth it.
Takeaways
The business credit cards we reviewed offer statement credit deals running from $85 to $400. Annual percentage rates run from 0% t0 24.74%, with many cards offering a 0% introductory APR for a limited time. Some cards offer monetary bonuses, often dependent upon spending a minimum amount during a short window of time. And always check a provider’s website for the latest and most accurate details on any business credit card that interests you.
At Credit Suite, we talk about building business credit by working through the vendor credit tiers. These tiers are how we classify vendors based on their ease of credit approval. Tier 1 vendors are likely to extend net terms based on meeting some basic Fundability guidelines. Meanwhile, Tier 4 vendors are likely to require a strong PAYDEX, among other things.
Are Tier 4 Business Credit Vendors Really Necessary?
First, not all vendors fall into tiers. Tiered vendors report payments to at least one business credit reporting agency. Vendors that do not report do not fall into a tier. However, don’t discount them. They can still be very useful to your business.
Vendor credit as a whole is important to building a strong business credit portfolio. Still, we get questions from potential clients wondering if it is necessary to work the tiers in order. Furthermore, is it necessary to have accounts from all the tiers? Can you just get accounts in Tiers 1 and 2 and then stop?
It seems to some that if you have enough accounts in Tier 1 and Tier 2 to qualify for Tier 3 vendors, that should be enough. Enough for what though? Yes, you may have a decent business credit score at this point, but these accounts are not going to be enough to properly fund your business. After all, that is the point of a strong business credit score. The goal is to qualify for as much funding as possible to run and grow your business.
Do You Have to Work Through the Business Credit Tiers in Order?
There are those out there that hold the idea that there is no need to work through the tiers. Some business owners will tell you they were able to skip straight to Tier 4 without applying for credit from vendors in tiers 1-3 first. Honestly, it’s possible.
If you have a large amount of income or want to use a personal guarantee, and if you have a long time in business, you MAY be able to get credit from Tier 4 vendors and even credit cards, without working through the other tiers.
So What’s the Point?
The whole point of the Credit Suite vendor tiers is to help our customers mix-up the “secret sauce” of business credit. Building business credit this way allows you to limit using a personal guarantee and protect your consumer credit.
It also allows for you to build your business credit portfolio and your business credit score at the same time. Even better, this way allows your business to scale and grow faster, because you can use the funding for things you need while you are building business credit. Vendor accounts can help with a number of expenses including marketing, inventory, supplies, and more.
You do not have to incur large amounts of personal loans from the beginning. There is no need to wait until you reach a certain point to start utilizing credit in the name of your business. Rather, you can work on building business credit and use business credit from the beginning. As you do so responsibly, you will begin to qualify for vendors that offer more money and better terms, hence the other tiers.
By continuing on with Tier 4 business credit vendors, you will have more access to what you need to run your business, expand your business credit portfolio, and continue building your business credit.
Tier 4 Business Credit Vendors
These vendors require a strong business credit score for approval, but they also report payment history to the business credit reporting agencies. Here are a few examples.
Ally Car Financing Through Credit Suite
Ally provides personal financing, but they will also report to business credit bureaus. If your business qualifies for financing without the owner’s guarantee, you can get financing in the business name only. They will report to Experian and Equifax.
Ally offers a Commercial Line of Credit. To qualify, you need:
To be an entity in good standing with the Secretary of State
An EIN
A business address- matching everywhere
A D-U-N-S number
All business licenses (if applicable)
A business bank account
Bank reference
Fleet financing references
If a personal guarantee is used Ally will not report to the personal credit bureaus unless the account defaults.
You can also get a lease or a loan through Ally.
To qualify, you need:
To be an entity in good standing with the Secretary of State
An EIN
A business address- matching everywhere
A D-U-N-S number
All business licenses (if applicable)
A business bank account
There is no minimum time in business requirement.
You can only apply in person, and the dealer will let you know if you are approved or if a Personal Guarantee (PG) is necessary.
Brex
Brex is a business money management system that integrates with your accounting software. It allows you to track expenses and, depending on the level of service you choose, can also help with paying bills and controlling spending.
The easiest way to use Brex for both managing finances and building business credit is to open a Brex Cash account. Brex is not a bank, but rather a banking alternative. They do have a partnership with the FDIC, so your funds are secure,
They have a couple of options, but the one that falls into Tier 4 is similar to a traditional business credit card when it comes to limits. Instead of checking your personal credit score, they base approval and credit limits on business financial information. This may include available cash, spending patterns, and more.
If you qualify for this card, your entire balance will be paid monthly. This makes it more like net financing, as you cannot carry a balance. Brex requires an average bank balance of $1M to qualify for net 30 terms.
Ford Commercial Vehicle Financing Through Credit Suite
Ford offers several commercial vehicle financing options. These include loans, lines, and leases to actual business entities. You can get a loan or a lease.
They may ask for a Personal Guarantee (PG) if you are not approved on the merit of your application. Ford will report to D&B, Experian, and Equifax. To qualify, you need:
To be an entity in good standing with Secretary of State
An EIN
A business address- matching everywhere
A D-U-N-S number
All needed business license(s)
A business bank account
Strong business credit history
A good Experian business credit score
Frost Bank Business Rewards Credit Card
Frost bank requires $5M annual revenue to avoid PG. Also, you have to apply in person. If you apply online a PG may be required regardless. They only offer financing to current customers, and there is no minimum time in business requirement.
Don’t Stop Building Business Credit
Business credit is something you continue to build upon and improve, not a path to a final destination. This is much like a business itself, and the two go hand in hand of course. You want your business to continue to grow and thrive indefinitely, and tier 4 business credit vendors can help with that.
New businesses and startups face plenty of unique challenges when it comes to financing options. For example, lack of business credit history, no or low business credit score, and not being set up properly can all lead to reliance on personal financial resources.
There are financing options that can work despite these challenges however. We have a list of both general and specific resources to ensure you can get the funds you need to start and grow your business.
5 Financing Options to Overcome the Unique Challenges New Businesses and Startups Face
There are a number of possibilities here. Which one will work best for your business depends on your individual circumstances and situation.
#1 Traditional Loans
Of all the financing options most consider when it comes to new businesses and startups, traditional loans are the most common. They can take many forms.
Traditional term business loans require a good personal credit score. This is regardless of whether you have business credit history, or even a business credit score at all.
If you have either collateral, a good personal credit score, or both, term loans may be the first and best option for you when it comes to new business funding. That is, unless you want to avoid using your personal credit or collateral. If that is the case, there is another choice which in some instances may be better.
#2 Retirement Plan Financing
Retirement plan financing is not a loan from your retirement plan. As a result, you will not have to pay an early withdrawal fee. You will not have to pay a tax penalty. There will not even be any interest.
The type of financing we are referring to here is a Rollover for Working Capital program. The IRS calls this type of program a Rollover for Business Startups (ROBS).
According to the IRS, a ROBS qualified plan is a separate entity, with its own set of requirements. The plan, through its stock investments, owns the business, not an individual.
#3 Alternative Lenders
If a traditional loan option is not going to work, and you do not have a qualifying retirement plan, it may be time to consider alternative lenders. They often have less stringent requirements than banks and credit unions.
Here are some options to consider.
BlueVine
BlueVine offers both invoice factoring and lines of credit.
For invoice factoring:
Your business must have been in operation for at least 3+ months
You need to have a personal credit score of 530 or more
Your business must generate at least $10,000 in monthly revenue
For the BlueVine line of credit:
Your business must have been in operation for at least six months
Be a corporation or LLC
Have a personal credit score of 600+ or more
And your business must generate at least $10,000 each month in revenue
Due to regulations, they cannot provide lines of credit to the following states: Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Vermont.
OnDeck
OnDeck requires a personal credit score of 600 or more to qualify for funding. Also, you must be in business at least one year and have an annual revenue of at least $100,000. They report to the standard business credit bureaus, and they also cannot lend to businesses in Nevada, North Dakota, or South Dakota.
Fundbox
Fundbox requires a minimum time in business of 6 months. In addition, your accounting or invoice software must be compatible and must be in use for at least 3 months. Your credit score must be 600 or above, and you need at least $100,000 in annual revenue.
Other Options
While most alternative lenders, including these, have less stringent credit requirements, many do require a minimum time in business and minimum revenue. If you do not meet these requirements, there are other financing options available.
#4 Credit Line Hybrid
A credit line hybrid is a form of unsecured funding. Our credit line hybrid has an even better interest rate than a secured loan. Not only that, but you can get some of the highest loan amounts and credit lines for businesses, and sometimes with 0% interest!
This is a credit card stacking program, and many of these cards report to business CRAs. That means you can build business credit at the same time. This will get you access to even more cash with no personal guarantee.
You or a guarantor need a FICO of at least 680 to qualify. No financials are required, and you can often get a loan of up to $150,000. Be aware, some cards may report on your personal credit.
#5 Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding sites allow you to tell thousands of micro investors about your business. Anyone who wants to donate, or invest, can do so. They may give $50, they may give $150, or they may give over $500. In contrast, it might just be $5.
Most entrepreneurs offer rewards to investors for their generosity. Usually, this comes in the form of the product the business will be selling. Different levels of giving result in different rewards. For example, a $50 gift may get you product A, and a $150 gift will get you an upgraded version of product A.
Keep in mind that a crowdfunding campaign can easily become another full-time job, and that there are no guarantees of success. We suggest only considering crowdfunding if you realistically believe your chances of succeeding are over 50%.
There are a lot of crowdfunding platforms out there. Here are a few to consider.
Kickstarter
This is the largest crowdfunding platform, and they require a prototype. Projects cannot be for charity, although nonprofits can use Kickstarter. Equity cannot be offered as an incentive.
Taboo projects and perks include anything to do with:
Contests and raffles
Cures and medicines
Credit services
Live animals
Alcohol
Weapons
There is a 5% fee on all funds which creators collect.
Indiegogo
The minimum goal amount for an Indiegogo campaign is $500. There is a 5% platform fee and 3% + 30¢ third-party credit card fee. Fees are deducted from the amount raised, not the goal you set. So, if you raise more than your goal, you will pay more in fees.
A flexible funding option allows campaigns to keep any money they receive even if they do not reach their goal. This is notably different from some other platforms.
RocketHub
RocketHub is specifically for entrepreneurs who want venture capital. The platform is exclusively for business owners working on projects in these categories:
Art
Business
Science
Social
If you reach your fundraising goal, there will be a 4% fee, and there is a separate 4% credit card handling fee. If you do not reach your goal, the fee increases to 8% plus the credit card handling fee.
Financing Options Are Available for New Businesses & Startups
While it is much harder for new businesses and startups to get funding, there are options out there. Remember, the best way to ensure you have access to the financing options you need in the future is to build a fundable business. That starts now. Contact us today for a free consultation on how to do it.
Generally, vertical pins should be 1000 x 1500 pixels, or a 2:3 aspect ratio. Pinterest does not recommend images smaller than 600 x 900 pixels.
Pinterest also has specific recommended sizes from their ads manager, so be sure to check those before running any Pinterest ads.
You’ll want to use the correct image sizing so your images fit well without getting cut off.
The image below represents pins that meet the 2:3 aspect ratio Pinterest recommends.
The best Pinterest image size for your business depends on several factors, including the type and messaging in your pin images.
That means you should always test and measure pin traffic and conversions to figure out what works best.
There are plenty of tools to help with this, including the Pinterest Business Analytics Dashboard, which has a custom pin size tool within it.
There are currently eight sizes to choose from when creating pins:
Let’s explore how and why these Pinterest image sizes are used and how they work to drive traffic to your site.
Pinterest Images: Static Pins
Static pins are the most basic type of Pinterest image. They feature only one image and a few sentences that link your pin to your website.
While they may be simple, static pins are very SEO-friendly because they offer concise, relevant keywords that search engines pick up on.
They also provide clear calls to action and direct users to your website with a clickable link in the pin description.
While you might think using multiple images in one pin would be more engaging for users, if the pinner doesn’t have time to read all of your content, they might keep scrolling.
For this reason, static pins can be a great way to get instant traffic from Pinterest directly to your site.
The best Pinterest image size for static pins is 2:3 or 1000 x 1500 pixels. Anything larger than this risks being cut off in user feeds. Static pins work best with PNG or JPEG files at a maximum of 10 MB.
To create a high-performing static pin, be sure to keep your image and text short.
Pinterest users are often scrolling through their feeds quickly, so it’s important to have a clear image with relevant text.
Pinterest Images: Infographic Pins
Infographic pins are vertical Pinterest images that are uniquely visual and encourage users to click through on your content.
Infographic pins are also easy to share across social media platforms, bringing in new audiences for your business.
That said, some users argue infographic pins can negatively impact your search rankings, as they become truncated in search.
How they perform for you will depend on individual factors, so there’s no harm in testing them to see how they perform for you.
The best size for a Pinterest image infographic is 1000 x 3000 with a Pinterest Pin ratio of 1:3. Infographic pins should be no larger than 600 x 2400 pixels.
Let’s look at the different types of infographic pins, and how to use them effectively.
First up are standard infographics which often feature text overlaid on top of a graphic or image. Although they may seem like an obvious choice, not all businesses have strong visual content that works well in this format. Business coaches, influencers, and wellness brands tend to see the most traffic with these pins.
Another option is to use a more complex and detailed image, such as one that features different colors or shapes alongside the text. For example, a retail store could create a gift guide as a long form infographic.
Finally, if you want the most pin-worthy content possible for infographics, try making them interactive. Interactive content is more eye-catching and can encourage users to share your pin, driving more traffic to your site.
Pinterest Images: Square Pins
Square pins are great for sharing images from your Instagram feed.
The best Pinterest image size for square pins is a 1:1 aspect ratio or 1000 x 1000 pixels. The maximum image file size of a square pin should be 20 MB.
Square pins allow you to share compact images that are relevant to your brand aesthetic and easy to share.
Studies have shown the average user spends less than five seconds on a Pinterest page, so it’s critical your images and pin descriptions are concise and effective.
A clear title makes it easier for users to understand what they’re clicking into or scrolling past.
Square pins are easy to view on most devices, which is why they’re a great fit for social media platforms like Pinterest.
To see if square pins work for you, run some tests and judge the results for yourself!
Pinterest Images: Long Pins
Long pins are typically used for blog content or articles, where users can scroll to read the entire text.
Long pins are great when you need people to click through and engage with your website content.
Long pins should use a Pinterest Pin ratio of 1:2.1 or 1000 x 2100 pixels.
If your long pin exceeds this recommended size limit, it may be cut off in user feeds.
If your long pin cannot meet this length, don’t worry! You can help users stay engaged by centering any text before the truncated portion. Once they click the image, they’ll be able to see the rest of your content.
Long pins work best for businesses that have articles or blog posts to share. For example, if you own a hairdressing or beauty salon, you could pin an article about how to take care of your hair type.
Another great use for long pins is if you’re selling products online. You could share a link with several different images that sends users through to the product page.
This allows users to see different views or angles of the product, so they can make an informed decision about what to purchase.
Pinterest Images: Carousel Pins
Carousel pins are a great way to show a lot of information in one pin.
For example, if you’re selling jewellery online and have several rings for sale from the same collection, carousel pins allow you to include up to five images per pin/item that users can scroll through.
The best Pinterest image size for carousel pins is 1000 x 2000 pixels and should be no more than three images in length. As well, carousel pins can be shown in either standard Pin Size (2:3) or Square Pins (1:1).
Carousel pins allow you to showcase multiple images with a short text description below each image. These are perfect for businesses that showcase events, recipes, tutorials or other content people want to scroll through.
These Pinterest image pins can help drive people directly to your online store, as they can see exactly what you’re selling and buying right from the pin. This is a great way to generate sales!
Include descriptive text on the image itself, including hashtags and relevant keywords. This is one of the most powerful ways you can increase website traffic from each pin’s click-through rate, as it helps your Pinterest page connect to search results across the internet.
This will also ensure your pins are easy to find when people search on Pinterest.
2. Include the Right Links
Next, include a link in the pin’s image description so when someone clicks it they can be taken back to your site with ease. You can also use copy to encourage them to click through again by including more text about what they will see if they do.
3. Use High-Quality Images
If you’re linking to your store, be sure to use product pins with clear, high quality images. Link the pin to a specific product with an easy-to-understand description that encourages viewers to purchase there or visit your website for more information.
Ensure your logo is displayed on every pin you create, but make sure it’s visible. Pinterest recommends avoiding the lower right corner as that area gets covered up by product icons.
4. Include Alt Text on Pins
Be sure to add alt text to all your images. This will help improve the SEO of your website and let Pinterest know what each image is about.
You can also pin images directly from your website or blog by adding a “Pin it” button on the page. By doing this, you won’t have to upload and crop each image as they will be sized automatically for Pinterest image requirements. (This also allows users to pin your images, which expands your reach.)
5. Monitor Pin Performance
Lastly, monitor all of your pin impressions to see how you can improve your content. Different pins may bring in different results, so pay attention to what you pin to track how Pinterest impacts site traffic and conversions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pinterest Images
What are the Pinterest post dimensions?
Different kinds of Pinterest images use different sizing, but Pinterest generally recommends a 2:3 aspect ratio, or 1000 x 1500 pixels limit.
What are the most popular pins on Pinterest?
The most popular pinned content on Pinterest is DIY and craft pins, entertainment, weddings, and holidays and events.
How do I drive traffic to my website on Pinterest?
There are many ways to drive traffic to your website from Pinterest which can include keyword targeting, proper Pinterest image sizing, applying for Rich Pins, and creating strong visual content.
Is Pinterest a good source of traffic?
Pinterest is one of the leading sources of traffic for bloggers, sometimes even beating out SEO.
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Pinterest is one of the leading sources of traffic for bloggers, sometimes even beating out SEO.
By using the right Pinterest image sizes, optimizing your content, and tracking performance with Pinterest Analytics, you can transform your Pinterest page into a high-performing marketing tool.
Don’t forget to strengthen your Pinterest image strategy with strong SEO and impressive web design, to encourage new visitors to convert.
There’s no better time than the Black Friday season to boost your sales. From product launches to store-wide promotions, businesses ramp up their sales and marketing efforts during this time to match the high customer demand.
Not sure where to start? Black Friday ad campaigns are one of the quickest way to drive revenue.
Do Black Friday Ad Campaigns Make a Difference?
Don’t dismiss Black Friday as just another e-commerce trend. Shoppers still spend as much as $9 billion on Black Friday deals in a given year. You can leverage this audience interest to improve your revenue by using effective Black Friday ad campaigns.
Here’s how.
Top 8 Black Friday Ad Campaign Tips
Follow these simple yet powerful strategies to build successful Black Friday ad campaigns.
1. Make Your Sales Specials Clear
How would people buy from you if they don’t know what you’re selling?
If you’re launching a Black Friday ad campaign, make your offers clear. For example, look at this ad by First Hotels.
The first word makes it clear what the offer is about. Then, the rest of the ad copy is written in simple language to draw attention to the Black Friday ad.
Here is another example from the Clash of Clans Twitter account.
How do you make sure your Black Friday ad campaign makes your offers clear and attractive?
Add the words Black Friday in a large, eye-catchy font.
Make it easy to understand with simple ad copy like in the Clash of Clans image.
Use striking visuals, animations, and popping elements to draw attention.
2. Research Which Platforms to Run Campaigns On
The best strategies for creating a Black Friday ad campaign vary from platform to platform. Research the popular ad campaign platforms beforehand to make the most out of your time, money, and efforts.
This way, you’ll know which platforms work best for your audience and for the type of content you want to post. It’ll also help you tailor your marketing strategies to the unique features offered by the platform.
For instance, here are some points you need to consider:
Do you want your Black Friday ad campaign to be visually engaging? Then use social media platforms like Instagram. This can be great for fashion and food brands.
Do you want to hold the audience’s attention via engaging text? Then use social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn. This can be great for magazines, SEO services, and other text-focused businesses.
Do you want to create an ad campaign with both text and images? Then use social media platforms like Facebook. This can be great for most industries, from small home-based business owners to worldwide franchise businesses.
Your marketing (or ad spend) budget should also be a major consideration when deciding which platform you’ll use for your Black Friday ad campaign.
I recommend comparing the prices of all social media and advertising platforms to see how much money you would need to get similar results on different platforms.
Not all results are replicable, but this will give you a rough idea of which platform can help you take your dollar the farthest.
You can launch effective ad campaigns before your competition when there’s little to no bidding for similar products and services.
You save money by buying ads when they’re relatively cheaper.
You generate audience interest which can boost sales when your offers go live.
What’s the best way to start early?
First, plan what your Black Friday ads should contain well in advance. Use audience analysis (more on that below) to refine your plan further.
Second, use words like “upcoming,” “soon,” and “stay tuned” to build excitement and interest. Audience research is essential here too. If you’ve tried A/B testing with your frequent customers before, you’ll have the data to make informed decisions about the word choice and structure.
Finally, set an early launch date. Start your Black Friday ad campaign a few days before the average business would so you can leverage the lower competition time and attract audience attention.
Many businesses typically start advertising their Black Friday deals about a week in advance. However, I recommend considering the period around the first week of November to launch your Black Friday ad campaign.
4. Cash in on Cyber Monday
“BFCM” is a trending term around the Black Friday season. It stands for Black Friday Cyber Monday and refers to the time between the two days when most e-commerce stores offer massive deals.
This strategy works because the audience is already in a shopping mode during this season, and receiving combined ads can help increase e-commerce interest.
Here are some things to keep in mind when designing a BFCM ad:
Highlight both Black Friday and Cyber Monday in your ad copy.
Keep the ad copy clear. Don’t clutter it with too much content and colors.
Make your offers clear. Are you offering discounts, deals, free trials, etc.?
5. Understand Your Audience
You can design the best Black Friday ad, but if it isn’t tailored to your audience, it’s not going to be very useful.
Think about it: You don’t want to show a bicycle ad to someone who only travels by car.
For instance, data shows Millennials spent the most money on Black Friday deals. It might be more effective to market your products and services to this demographic if relevant to your business model.
Here are some tips that will help you understand your audience and craft a compelling ad copy:
Get hyper-specific about your target customer. What do they like and dislike? What gets their attention?
Create a buyer persona to make sure you’re looking at the complete picture. You can use HubSpot’s Make My Persona tool to do this more effectively.
Get direct customer feedback through surveys and feedback forms. Here’s a simple but effective example from QuickTapSurvey.
Experiment with different wording to see what best resonates with your audience. Switch up the pronouns from “you” to “we” and vice versa. You can also try using completely different copy to see what works well, which brings me to the next point:
Try A/B testing with graphics, images, and headlines. A/B testing will give you live feedback on whether your strategies are working or not. It’ll also help you pinpoint the areas where your Black Friday ad campaign is lacking and how to improve it.
6. Target Your Ad Campaigns
Now that you understand your audience, it’s time to make sure your Black Friday ads are targeted to them.
Social media platforms like Facebook can be helpful for this. For example, Facebook offers a wide selection of targeting and retargeting options so you can truly narrow down the customers you want to reach.
Refer to your buyer persona and create specific ad campaigns to appeal to your target buyer. This will ensure you are reaching the right people without wasting a lot of money.
7. Offer Options to Recover Abandoned Carts
Often people will visit your e-commerce store, browse through your products, maybe add a few to the cart, but leave without buying. Research shows e-commerce brands lose $18 billion in sales revenue each year because of abandoned carts.
You can offer options to recover abandoned carts. Here’s how:
Understand and Change
First, start by understanding why people are abandoning the process midway. For example, is it the shipping fees? If so, can you offer discounted or free shipping for Black Friday?
Offer Better Deals
Sometimes customers want to buy the product, but they want to check out competitor products or simply wait for a discount. As an e-commerce business owner, you can use this to your advantage by offering Black Friday discounts and exclusive deals to such customers.
For example, look at the abandoned cart recovery email below, shared by TargetBay.
Emails like this serve three primary purposes:
It reminds customers to complete the transaction if they’ve forgotten it while browsing.
It establishes a sense of trust and loyalty because you’re sending targeted offers right into their inbox.
It gives you an edge over competitors who aren’t offering such deals.
To ensure you get the best results from your Black Friday ad campaign, be mindful of the nitty-gritty details. To make this easier, keep the following checklist handy:
Budget: What’s your budget for the Black Friday ad campaign? How can you effectively distribute it across different advertising and social media platforms?
Copy: Is your copy clear and easy to understand? Double and triple-check for spelling and grammar mistakes.
Platform features: Are you using all the relevant marketing features the platform you chose has to offer? For example, are you using the right targeting tools on Facebook? Is your Instagram ad campaign visually appealing?
Platform limits: Be careful about the platform limits like word count, number of characters visible, image display, and page position. This can mess up how your ad is seen if not done right.
Black Friday Ad Campaign Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Black Friday Ad Campaigns.
Is building a Black Friday marketing plan a good idea?
Yes, Black Friday marketing is essential. E-commerce shoppers collectively spend billions during the Black Friday season, making it one of the most lucrative times to up your marketing game.
How should I pick the keywords I target for my Black Friday tactical ad campaigns?
To pick the right keywords for your Black Friday ad campaign, you can use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, and Moz. Studying your audience’s needs and consumption habits can also help you understand which Black Friday ad keywords will and won’t resonate.
When should my Black Friday ad campaign start?
If you want to make the most out of your marketing efforts, I recommend beginning early. Start teasing and promoting your offers at the beginning of November to build curiosity and excitement. Plus, it’s cheaper than starting closer to the event.
What are the top tips for ad campaigns for Black Friday 2021?
The top tips for ad campaigns for Black Friday 2021 include audience research, using targeting and retargeting techniques, cashing in on the Cyber Monday sales, and offering abandoned cart recovery deals.
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Tactical Black Friday Ad Campaign Tips Conclusion
Black Friday can be a huge opportunity to attract customer attention, build brand awareness and boost revenue.
It may sound a little intimidating at first, considering the scale of the event, but I hope the tips above help you outline an effective Black Friday ad campaign strategy.
A/B testing is brilliant. It lets you compare two or more versions of the same page element, paid ad, or another variable to see which one performs the best. In other words, it’s a key way to improve your content, increase user engagement, and boost conversion rates across your site. What’s not to like?
Additionally, with A/B testing, the results are clear and speak for themselves. For example, if you test two versions of a newsletter, it’ll be obvious from the results which version “worked” best based on the numbers.
How do you know why either version A or B performed best, though, and how do you gain deeper insight into your campaign performance?
This is where secondary goals can help you out. Let me show you why secondary goals matter in A/B testing, and how you can use them in your own marketing development.
Primary Vs. Secondary Goals in A/B Testing
Before we get started, let’s be clear on what’s meant by “primary” and “secondary” goals in A/B testing.
A primary goal is, quite simply, your main objective. It’s the priority goal of your campaign or the goal you’re hoping to achieve when you run an A/B test.
For example, say you’re a personal trainer. You have a notice on your landing page, encouraging people to sign up for a free sample week or taster session. Maybe it looks something like this from My Soul Sanctuary:
Your primary goal might be identifying how many people click through to complete this form because you’re trying to increase your sign-up numbers.
Secondary goals, on the other hand, give you more insight into user behavior and how people interact with your website. They help you reach your primary goal by providing a detailed insight into your A/B test results.
For example, the personal trainer might also want to know how many people share their content on social media, or sign up for their newsletter while on their website:
Knowing the answers to these questions offers additional insight into how well the content is performing—rather than tracking submission form sign-ups alone.
If you want to increase conversions, grow your business, and improve your ROI, you need to track primary and secondary goals. Otherwise, you only have half the data you need to market your business effectively.
7 Secondary Goals to Track in GA for A/B Testing
Ready to track some secondary goals? To help you get started, here are seven metrics I suggest you measure as part of your A/B testing.
1. Add-to-Cart Actions
Tracking the “add-to-cart” metric allows you to identify how often customers add items to their cart and which pages get the most traction. Knowing how many times the “add-to-cart” action is triggered lets you split your audience into two categories:
those who view a product page but don’t add the item to their cart
You can use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to track cart actions. GA has detailed instructions for how to do this. Once you’re set up, you can run some different A/B tests. For example, you might test if more people proceed to checkout if there is a discount advertised for the product, and so on.
2. Interaction With Site Features
It sounds obvious, but it’s useful to track how often people interact with certain website features. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell whether your website offers visitors the great user experience they’re looking for.
From an A/B testing perspective, you might track features such as how many times users click CTA buttons, how many users engage with your live chat, and how many people click on your email address to contact you.
The exact features you track vary depending on your business goals. For example, Betterment, an investing website, has multiple different features, such as quizzes and investment calculators worth tracking:
In the above example, you might be inclined to track if the calculator performs better if it’s placed higher on the page, or if different colors mean more clicks.
3. Rage Clicking on Page Features
If you’re unfamiliar with rage clicking, it’s basically when someone repeatedly clicks on a page element, but nothing happens. This typically occurs because a page element looks clickable even if when it’s not, or because a link on your page isn’t working.
With Google Analytics, you can track, for example, if there’s a single page generating a high amount of rage clicks. Or, you can see if there’s a certain type of page element which generates a lot of rage clicks e.g., a button, line of text, or image.
Rage clicking can frustrate your audience to the point where they lose trust in your business and leave your website, so it’s crucial to track the cause of these events. Again, you can track rage clicks in GA through Google Tag Manager by inserting the appropriate tags into the HTML where you want to start tracking.
4. Highlighting Page Text
Why does it matter if people highlight a portion of text on your page? Well, there are two reasons.
First, they might be highlighting the text so they can take action on it. For example, if lots of people highlight and copy your phone number, then maybe it needs a hyperlink.
On the other hand, people may highlight text to copy it into Google and search for related content. In which case, there’s a chance your website isn’t providing the answers they’re looking for. This last scenario is bad from a marketing perspective, obviously.
How do you track a secondary goal like this? Well, in the first scenario, you might run an A/B test to see if more people call you if you hyperlink your phone number. Compare the results in GA to check if it’s worth keeping the hyperlink or not.
5. Newsletter Sign-ups
Newsletters are a great way to expand your audience reach and deliver high-quality, informative content straight to your subscribers’ inboxes. First, though, you need people to sign up for your newsletter (which isn’t always easy.)
If you’re low on newsletter subscribers, there are a few variables you can play with during A/B testing. For example, you might track if people are more likely to subscribe to your newsletter during the checkout process or if a brighter, more colorful banner on your landing page results in more subscribers.
Newsletters and similar content like free guides and e-books can really help you build brand trust, so this definitely isn’t a secondary goal you should ignore. In fact, every marketer should have it near the top of their priority list.
6. Category and Subcategory Pageviews
Category and subcategory pageviews are equally important.
Your category page contains a list of related pages on your site, so it’s easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
Subcategory pages branch off from category pages and allow you to provide more structure to a customer’s web experience.
What should you be tracking on these pages? Well, you might track how many people click on certain subcategory pages, your bounce rate for various pages, and whether there’s a subcategory with very low engagement levels.
Then, you can play with optimizing the names of each page, changing the order of the categories, or making the subcategories clearer and more condensed. GA allows you to track both category and subcategory events, so make full use of the available features.
7. Social Media Sharing Buttons
It’s awesome when people share your content. Not only does it mean you’re resonating with your target audience, but it means they’re introducing other people to your brand. In other words, social media shares count as free marketing, which is always a bonus.
From an A/B testing perspective, you might want to track how many people are sharing your page content, and if there’s any platform outperforming the others. Perhaps no one shares your blogs, but you discover your videos are shared frequently, or maybe more people share your content on Instagram than elsewhere.
GA can help here to an extent, but it’d be worth checking out the analytics tools on your social media platforms, too.
How to Measure Your Secondary Goals for A/B Testing
OK, so you have some goals in mind. Now, you need a means of measuring these goals to see if you’re actually reaching your objectives.
First, you need to establish your baseline measurements. You need to know how your website and all its features are performing right now so you can set an appropriate end goal.
If you don’t already have your baseline measurements, go back and collate some data, and then you’ll be ready to track your progress.
Do you have a baseline? Great. Now let’s consider how Google Optimize can help you measure those all-important secondary goals.
Google Optimize is a GA extension. It allows you to run experiments and track different outcomes, and you can measure the results via Google Analytics. If you don’t already have a Google Optimize account, head to optimize.google.com and click the “Get Started” button.
After creating your profile, link it to your GA account. Google has some comprehensive instructions for this, so check them out if you get stuck.
Once you’re all set up, create an experiment within Google Optimize by heading to the “Experiments” page and clicking the “Create Experiment” option:
Add your variables, configure your specific objectives, and let your experiment run. Once the experiment concludes, track your results by clicking the “Reporting” tab from the experiment’s page. Repeat the process if you want to try new variants.
To be clear, you’re not restricted to Google Optimize, though. You can also use data from sources like GA and even Facebook Analytics to build a comprehensive understanding of how your secondary goals are performing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Secondary Goals for A/B Testing
A/B testing can seem a little daunting, so here’s a quick recap of the main points I’ve covered to highlight the role of secondary goals in your A/B testing strategy.
What is A/B testing?
A/B testing, or split testing, allows marketers to test two versions of the same variable, such as paid ads or page elements, to identify which version performs better. The idea is to run both versions simultaneously to see which one has the highest impact.
What’s the difference between primary and secondary goals in A/B testing?
In A/B testing, the primary goals relate to the performance of each variable. In other words, primary goals allow you to track how tweaking a variable impacts visitors’ behavior.
Secondary goals, or metrics, give you further insight into how your visitors behave while they are on your website. Secondary goals matter because they help you improve the overall user experience on your site which, in turn, increases your conversions in the long run.
Which secondary goals should you track for A/B testing?
The secondary goals you should track vary depending on your unique goals. However, metrics you should focus on include newsletter signups, add-to-cart actions, and interactions with other site or page features. You might also track conversion rates, depending on your primary goal.
How do you measure secondary goals for A/B testing?
First, measure current performance so you have a benchmark to test against. Then, use analytics tools such as Google Optimize to measure each goal. Compile your results and devise a strategy based on your findings.
A/B testing, or split testing, allows marketers to test two versions of the same variable, such as paid ads or page elements, to identify which version performs better. The idea is to run both versions simultaneously to see which one has the highest impact.
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In A/B testing, the primary goals relate to the performance of each variable. In other words, primary goals allow you to track how tweaking a variable impacts visitors’ behavior.
Secondary goals, or metrics, give you further insight into how your visitors behave while they are on your website. Secondary goals matter because they help you improve the overall user experience on your site which, in turn, increases your conversions in the long run.
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The secondary goals you should track vary depending on your unique goals. However, metrics you should focus on include newsletter signups, add-to-cart actions, and interactions with other site or page features. You might also track conversion rates, depending on your primary goal.
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Secondary Goals: Conclusion
When you perform A/B testing, don’t limit yourself to tracking primary goals and metrics. Instead, make sure you’re measuring those all-important secondary goals to gain crucial insight into how your website’s performing and whether the user experience is optimal.
The best part? You don’t need a host of complicated tools to measure secondary metrics. Simply track your analytics data in GA, or check out one or two other measuring tools to build a more comprehensive picture of your performance.
Are you tracking your A/B secondary goals? Which measuring tool do you find most effective?
Through three weeks, only a handful of teams remain undefeated.
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