Approaching e-commerce investments in the age of Amazon

With Amazon as the 800-pound gorilla, many of my fellow investors choose to ignore e-commerce altogether. In fact, the industry hit recent lows in a number of deals and investments. But as Bonobos’ $310 million acquisition by Walmart and Stitch Fix’s IPO demonstrate, there are still plenty of exciting opportunities in this space for investors. In my ongoing hunt for investment opportunities, I recently came across a brand that had garnered significant traction without raising a lot of capital. This traction, however, was across traditional retail channels, not the channel that mattered most to me as a venture investor — e-commerce. Why do I value this direct to consumer channel so highly? For one, e-commerce margins are better (in the 80 percent range versus as low as 50 percent in traditional retail). But it also offers the potential for scale that retail simply can’t match. My grandfather grew his textiles business methodically, one merchant and store at a time — something I greatly admired as a child, given the grit and hustle he put into closing each sale. However, today, with the help of Facebook ads, viral videos like Dollar Shave Club’s classic ad, influencer and celebrity-driven endorsements, sales can boom overnight. People have been shopping online for more than two decades, and we have seen a number of iconic brands originate online. Behind many of these brands are successful venture investors, such as Forerunner Ventures (Warby Parker, Glossier, Bonobos) and Maveron (Everlane, Madison Reed), as well as amazing entrepreneurs and marketers like Kal Vepuri, Divya Gugnani and Rohan Oza, who “just get” consumer branding. They know how to make something cool, at an affordable price point, and how to position their companies for big M&A when the time comes. As these investors and individuals know, billion-dollar acquisitions come from scaling...

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source https://andlocal.org/approaching-e-commerce-investments-in-the-age-of-amazon/

How to Target Specialized Audiences With Facebook Ads : Social Media Examiner

Do you want to improve the ROI of your Facebook ads and Instagram campaigns? Wondering how to reach specialized audiences with Facebook ad targeting? In this article, you’ll learn how to create six refined target audiences for your Facebook and Instagram campaigns. How to Target Specialized Audiences With Facebook Ads by Aleh Barysevich on Social Media Examiner. How to Create Target Audiences in the Facebook Ads Manager There are two ways to create target audiences for your Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns in the updated Ads Manager. You can create audiences on the fly as you set up ad campaigns in the Audience section of the ad set. You can also create audiences by going to the Audiences page of the Ads Manager. If you use Business Manager, you’ll find the Audiences page in the same location. Certain audiences (such as those created from your website visitors and customer email list) will take longer to process than others, so it’s a good idea to create them in advance of when you need them for your campaign. This will give Facebook enough time to create the audience so it’s ready when you launch your campaign. Here’s how to get started creating custom, saved, and lookalike audiences. #1: Create a Saved Audience of Your Ideal Customer Demographics Do you know the demographics of your top customers? If so, you can use that information to create a saved audience to use in your Facebook and Instagram campaigns to reach people who are likely to buy your products or services. To create a saved audience for the first time, click the Create a Saved Audience button on the Audiences page. If you’ve created audiences in the past, click Create Audience and select Saved Audience from the drop-down menu. On the following page, you’ll see...

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source https://andlocal.org/how-to-target-specialized-audiences-with-facebook-ads-social-media-examiner/

A Comprehensive Guide To Web Design — Smashing Magazine

(This is a sponsored post). Web design is tricky. Designers and developers have to take a lot of things into account when designing a website, from visual appearance (how the website looks) to functional design (how the website works). To simplify the task, we’ve prepared this little guide. In this article, I’ll focus on the main principles, heuristics, and approaches that will help you to create a great user experience for your website. I’ll start with global things like the user journey (how to define the “skeleton” of the website) and work down to the individual page (what should be considered during web page design). We’ll also cover other essential aspects of design, such as mobile considerations and testing. Table of Contents Designing The User Journey Information Architecture Global Navigation Links and Navigation Options “Back” Button in Browser Breadcrumbs Search Designing Individual Pages Content Strategy Page Structure Visual Hierarchy Scrolling Behavior Content Loading Buttons Imagery Video Call-to-Action Buttons Web Forms Animation Mobile Considerations Practice Responsive Web Design Going From Clickable to Tappable Accessibility Users With Poor Eyesight Color Blind Users Blind Users Keyboard-Friendly Experience Testing Iterative Testing Test Page-Loading Time A/B Testing Developer Handoff Conclusion Designing The User Journey Information Architecture People often use the term “information architecture” (IA) to mean the menus on a website. But that’s not correct. While menus are a part of IA, they are only one aspect of it. IA is all about the organization of information in a clear and logical way. Such organization follows a clear purpose: helping users to navigate a complex set of information. Good IA creates a hierarchy that aligns with user’s expectations. But good hierarchy and intuitive navigation don’t happen by chance. They are a result of proper user research and testing. There are a number of ways to...

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source https://andlocal.org/a-comprehensive-guide-to-web-design-smashing-magazine/

The psychology of Web design: How colors, typefaces and spacing affect your mood

1,197 shares A great web design is so much more than just delivering content and making it look good. When visitors come to your site, they produce a set of feelings about your website and your organization. The type of feelings they produce – positive or negative – are entirely in your hands and should not be overlooked when designing content. Over the years, there has been a body of knowledge produced to help designers create effective visuals that play into the psychology of their viewers. In order to achieve this, one must understand how different web design elements and how we use them affect the mood, attitude and experience the visitor will have while browsing our website. Below are four major areas of website design and development that have the biggest impacts on the psychology of website visitors. These are the tools you’ll need to create a visually-engaging site that encourages visitors to return. Content For websites, content drives the design you see on screen. Visitors come to a website to access information they need. Web design helps them find the information they need quickly and with ease. In the early days of the Web, it was common to see pages and pages slammed with content, often pages with 10,000 words or more (as a comparison, this article is about 1,600 words). With pages loaded down with content, it made it extremely difficult to find content, let alone read through to get the information needed. This often invoked stress, anxiety and overall unpleasant feelings for visitors. With today’s Web design, content should be edited and organized so that there is a happy medium between providing adequate and needed information while not overwhelming visitors. When content is in that happy place, visitors are able to find the information quickly and...

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source https://andlocal.org/the-psychology-of-web-design-how-colors-typefaces-and-spacing-affect-your-mood/

Web Development Changing the Climate of Web Design — Jewish Journal

Web Development Changing the Climate of Web Design BY Bob Gorman | | Tech   Just like the fashion industry, web development goes through trends, which in turn affect the world of web design. Every year, new trends and technologies emerge that web developers and designers should keep up with. Besides that of new technologies, web companies have to be on the curve in order to adapt to the changing climate. A leading web design Victoria Company has pointed out in order to gain more customers you have to ensure a great design aspect within the navigation, wording, and color. In light of this, web design has been changing every single day since JavaScript was invented. Today, we have responsive web design, much of which is powered by content management systems that you can easily implement even if you don’t have tangible experience in coding. However, what should you expect after responsive web design? In that light, we explore some web development trends that are revolutionizing the climate of web design. Card-Based Web Design   Card-based designs are becoming increasingly popular in web design miami. These designs are responsive and ideal for mobile devices. A card is also referred to as a tile, a module, or a portrait. Card-based designs are already being used by leading tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Pinterest. Machine Learning   With the development of open-source programs, such as Google’s TensorFlow, machine learning will quickly become an integral component of web design. In fact, you can use machine learning for a wide range of purposes, the layout of a website being just one of them. In the world of web development, machine learning-powered multivariant testing will have the ability to automatically test and optimize a site at a customer level. What does this mean? Each...

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source https://andlocal.org/web-development-changing-the-climate-of-web-design-jewish-journal/

Low Sales? Here’s How to Read Minds to Close More Deals

People either do what you want. Or they don’t. And there’s not a whole lot you can do about it. Except react. Except follow-up based on a new set of rules. That doesn’t mean you can’t predict it, though. That doesn’t mean you can’t manipulate it. It doesn’t mean you can’t choreograph it ahead of time. Almost every single customer interaction presents an IF/THEN scenario. They either choose to do one thing, do the opposite, or do nothing at all. And each option means you should react in a slightly different way. The good news is that you can do it in advance. You can determine what happens, before it happens, so the message they receive next is always the right one. Here’s how to get this insight and react in real-time to give people exactly what they want, when they want it. 1. Start by setting objectives Personalization isn’t “Hey $FNAME.” It’s deeper than that. It’s about collecting various data points so you understand context. So you ‘get’ what someone wants before they want it. In a Spy’s Guide to Strategy, ex-CIA case officer, John Braddock, says that creating a strategy comes starts with two moves: Identifying someone’s potential end game, and then Reasoning backwards to figure out how they get there. That way, you can see what’s coming. Only when you know where someone is trying to go can you create scenarios for how they might get there. Content mapping is a perfect real-world example. Image Source Some people come to your site to buy. But not most. Only a tiny slice ready to hit the Product Tour and Opt-in page before reading “Thank You.” Others want pricing. Some want insights. And still more want information. Which is why content mapping says you gotta give all those things...

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source https://andlocal.org/low-sales-heres-how-to-read-minds-to-close-more-deals/

How to Use Traditional Marketing to Promote Your Freelance Business During the Holidays

The holiday season is pretty much here already, and the internet is still probably the outlet of choice for much of your marketing. But, don’t count out traditional marketing just yet. Just as in-person interactions can personalize your relationship with customers and colleagues, print collateral can make a different type of impression on customers. For freelancers, the holiday season is the perfect opportunity to network locally to spread the word about your offerings. It’s the one time of year professionals leave the office to attend holiday-themed gatherings, providing numerous opportunities to meet the very people who need the type of work they offer. Here are four ways to make the most of the holiday season to promote your freelance business. Display at local businesses During the holiday season, certain local businesses enjoy a serious increase in foot traffic. Shoppers are checking off items on their gift-giving lists and businesses are stocking up on supplies for their parties. Find local, non-competitor businesses that are likely to attract your ideal clients and ask if they’ll display your business card or other print materials to promote your business. This type of display will work best if your services are compatible with the storefront where your items are on display. A graphic designer could benefit from having items displayed on the countertop of a local print and copy shop, for instance, while an event planner could get helpful exposure with a display at a party store. Discounts on your business cards Before you seek out in-person interactions with potential clients, make sure you have professional-quality business cards. There are plenty of affordable online options for freelancers, each with its own set of templates. In addition to contact information, make sure your business card is designed to bring in business, including adding a coupon code that’s...

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source https://andlocal.org/how-to-use-traditional-marketing-to-promote-your-freelance-business-during-the-holidays/

Google Is Leaving You Clues to Help You Rank Higher – Know Where to Look

Image via Shutterstock. Google is leaving you clues about how to become a better marketer — and you might not even be seeing them. 👀 The job of every marketer today, whether they work in PPC, SEO, CRO, or content, is to solve people’s problems. Google is taking note of companies that are doing it well, and companies that are leaving people disappointed. Search engine optimization is changing With the help of AI, machine learning and years of data, search engines are getting better at predicting what people want. At the recent Call to Action Conference, Seer Interactive founder Wil Reynolds explained that as search engines become more concerned with solving people’s problems, the old SEO toolset is going to be thrown for a curve: My bet is on people signals in the algorithm becoming how we’re going to see ourselves ranking better and better. Google’s algorithm is going in a direction of better understanding what people want. In other words, the search race is no longer simply about keywords — it’s about being a trusted brand committed to solving people’s problems. Find clues to solve prospects’ problems The good news is there are a few places you can start looking to see what your customers want, so you can then deliver. Here are two places Wil suggests any marketer can look to better solve their customers’ problems and start seeing better results. Clue #1: Comparison search queries When your future customers are in the evaluation stage of their journey, they’re likely comparing you with your competitors. They’re typing in things like “best,” “compare” and “reviews.” These keywords indicate that they’re not necessarily sold on you yet — they’re looking for a comparison. Knowing this, how can you discover exactly what they want so you can serve it up for...

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source https://andlocal.org/google-is-leaving-you-clues-to-help-you-rank-higher-know-where-to-look-2/

9 Reasons You Might Need to Rethink Your SEO Approach

Chuck Price 3.0K READS Have you ever wondered why your website isn’t generating any traffic? Perhaps you have traffic, but it’s the wrong audience and not converting. Maybe it’s because you are still living in the past. Many are still using SEO practices that were effective years ago, but have no value today. If that’s the case, you need to rethink your SEO strategies. Best SEO practices evolve, over time, as Google and the other search engines change ranking methods and algorithms. SEO is a practice that never stays constant. Whether you consider yourself a marketing professional or a newbie, you’ll only stay on top of your game by knowing what works and what is outdated. In this post, we’re going to discuss the reasons you may need to rethink your SEO approach, by exploring practices that no longer work. 1. Dated Content Marketing Practices If you still consider keyword density an integral part of your content marketing, knock it off. That practice dates back to a time when Google used strings of meta data for rankings. Today, Google uses artificial intelligence in the form of RankBrain to understand the context of a page. Not only does keyword stuffing make your content appear spammy, in the most egregious cases you could also trigger the Panda algorithm and take a ranking hit. Instead of worrying about keywords, focus on being contextually relevant and genuinely useful to the users 2. Dated Title Tag Practices Stuffing keywords in your titles is no longer a recipe for success and could even be counterproductive. Study after study shows pages now ranking for keywords that neither appear in the title nor on the page. Instead of worrying about keyword placement in the title, think about creating a snippet that describes the page and encourages users to...

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source https://andlocal.org/9-reasons-you-might-need-to-rethink-your-seo-approach/

SEO for Small Business Owners

Search engine optimisation is the practice of making changes or alterations to your company website, with the aim of improving your page rankings and searchability on the likes of Google, Bing and Yahoo. Changes made with SEO in mind can give you the online advantage over your competitors, while also improving the browsing experience of any visitors to your website. Most small business owners will not have the time or resources to spend money unless it’s absolutely necessary, and as such a commitment to an intangible practice like search engine optimisation may be a difficult decision to make. However, the effects of good SEO can be both an increase in sales and greater online visibility for your brand, two metrics which are both measurable and extremely valuable and Onpoint SEO service can really help your business expand, get more customers, and make more money. So how exactly does SEO improve a small business website, and just why is it worth investing in?   SEO for Small Business Websites To begin with, let’s imagine you are a customer who is interested in a new product or service, either for personal use or for your own company. Unless you’re already familiar with a particular supplier, the chances are you will need to do some research. More often than not, this research would begin with a Google search. With increased broadband speeds and ever-growing smartphone technologies, it would appear that the search engine will remain the dominating force for those seeking the right business for the job at hand. Google now processes over 40,000 search queries every second on average (visualize them here), which translates to over 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide. A good page ranking will mean potential customers see your business name first, giving you the edge over your...

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source https://andlocal.org/seo-for-small-business-owners/