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7 How-To’s For Holiday Season Videos That Pop: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 67

You’ve heard me say it a million times but video is one of the best tools you can use to market your business online. Now, with the holidays just around the corner (yes, we said it), we want to ensure you’re set up for total scroll-stopping video success on your social media right from your smartphone. Here’s our list of camera basics for flawless filming. Think of this as your video cheat sheet!

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#1: Wipe the camera lens -You won’t believe how often we hear, “My videos are always so blurry!”. And all because the lens was a little dirty.

#2: Use natural light – Good lighting is key to getting a good quality video, but if your store doesn’t have tons of natural light you can always use a lighting kit.

#3: Test for background noise – Always be sure your audience can hear what you’re saying. The juicy details of your new products or upcoming events are important! If the audio is hard to hear, try using a mic.

#4: Make sure your camera settings are set to HD – Filming your videos in high definition makes for a better viewing experience for anyone watching. We recommend always having it set to 1080p HD at 60fps (both on iPhone and Android devices).

#5: Always lock your face – Locking the camera’s focus on your face allows the camera to always keep you in focus even if you’re moving around the store.

#6: Be prepared – No need to script out word-for-word what you’re going to say but make note of your important points to keep you on track and ensure your audience doesn’t miss a thing.

And last but not least….

#7: SMILE! – It’s natural to feel nervous or uncomfortable on camera. The best nerve-calming remedy is to throw a smile on before hitting the record button. Plus, a smile helps create a friendly environment that’ll catch your viewers’ attention.

So let’s start increasing our camera confidence! With more practice creating videos now, you’ll be a pro by the time November and December roll around!

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.

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How one retailer decreased her Facebook Ad cost by over 60%!: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 66

We love sharing case studies and hope this one inspires you to take action with Facebook ads. We’ve said it a million times, if you’re posting on Facebook you need to be running ads and following best practices to optimize your budget. 

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Exciting news! If you’re ready to take your Facebook and Instagram Ads to the next level or get started with your first ad we’re hosting a live (online) Facebook and Instagram Ads Masterclass starting on October 16th. You can learn more about this two 90-minute session masterclass, here.

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.

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Spooktacular Content Ideas for October: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 65

Content planning is tough, especially for a small business owner. You have a million other things happening on a daily basis, and with the holidays right around the corner, you need to find a way to balance it all. So we’re sharing examples of content ideas you can find inside our Retail Content Pack.

We didn’t record a video this week but you can view the post, here. 

Idea #1: Host a #TBT picture contest and ask your audience to share pictures of themselves in their favorite childhood Halloween costume. Give away a gift certificate to your store to a few lucky winners valid starting in November. This is a great way to get people in your doors during the busy holiday months.

Idea #2: Give a discount to anyone who shares a cheesy Halloween joke at checkout. Share the best ones on social media, and give the joke teller a shoutout.

Share your fun Halloween content ideas in the comments below.

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.

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How to Overcome Negative Comments Online: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 64

It’s tough putting yourself out there across your social channels as an online marketer. There’s nothing worse than when your comments get flooded with negativity from people that have never met you before. Or, maybe you’re one of those people who shies away from sharing about themselves on social for fear of receiving negative feedback (which is a really big missed opportunity!). That’s why we want to share with you one Do and one Don’t to handling negative comments online. 

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DO Respond

Whether positive or negative, always respond to comments made on your social. It’s a great way to show off your customer service skills. If a comment has got you heated, a good rule of thumb is to wait at least an hour before responding. This can allow for more clarity and professionalism rather than anger, denial or defensiveness overtaking the tone of your message.

DON’T Take Them Personally

I know, I know. This is really hard to do. Your business is your proverbial baby and every remark feels like a slight on how you’ve grown and nurtured it. But there could be many reasons why someone leaves a negative comment or review. Take it as your chance to respond constructively. If a negative attack on you, your appearance or a staff member comes your way, kindly respond that you don’t tolerate any form of bullying or negative speech on your pages.

You have the power to change the tone of your customer interaction. And, don’t let fear get in the way of sharing the story of your business on social.

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.

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Top Social to Sale Questions Answered: The Modern Marketing Show, Episode 63

One of the things you need to be doing today to help your business succeed is to be showing up on social media. This is where your customers are spending their time. They’re logging in every single day, multiple times a day. Which is why it’s crucial that you show up in their newsfeeds, and having a social media strategy is the key to making it happen. Social to Sale is our signature training course that walks you through how to set up a profitable social media strategy. So, whenever we open the doors we always have people emailing in or messaging us questions they have on the program.

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These are the top four questions we get asked about Social to Sale (watch the video for our answers):

#1: What is Social to Sale?

#2: How much time will it take to go through the entire training?

#3: I don’t have someone to help me with social, can you find this person? OR – can an employee go through this training?

#4: Will it work for me?

The doors to Social to Sale are currently open! We only open enrollment twice a year, so now’s the time to get in while you can. Click here to learn more!

You can catch new episodes of The Modern Marketing Show every Monday at 10 a.m PST on our Facebook Page. Replays will be available on the blog each week.