writing

Tool Time! [Writers, Readers, Marketers]

Mmm...the Shiny Things!

I've been testing some tools for quick videos, ads and slideshows for social media. I have to be careful because i can spend endless time playing with these shiny things, but it's so much fun!

Many are in phone/iPad app versions so they can be done on the fly:
Animoto
Ripl
WordSwag
PicMonkey
Canva

So far, I've found Animoto (app) easy for a quick slideshow. Ripl (app) is less intuitive but more professional looking. WordSwag (app) is lightning fast for a quick pic with text ads. But for me, Canva and PicMonkey have been excellent. I mostly use them on my laptop, but they also have app versions. They're easy to use with a short learning curve and well worth the reasonable charge for the paid versions. Here's a quick ad I did on Canva this morning. It's not fancy or slick, but it gets the job done (list building). Bing. Bang. Boom.

Enjoy! And let me know what you're using for social media, ads, vids, etc! 

Wickedly Yours,

Fran Friel

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Today's Tool Looksee - SAMCART [Writers/Marketers]

Today's Tool Looksee - SamCart

I recently attended an excellent ConvertKit webinar with the Co-Founder of SamCart, Scott Moran. He shared several excellent marketing suggestions. Great takeaways from the webinar were some hugely helpful modifications to your shopping check-out pages that will make them convert sales more effectively...up to 4X more effectively.

According to Scott, SamCart's own research has proven that these additions to your checkout page can increase conversion by 4X.

From SamCart's own research, Scott recommends adding some or all of the following to your sales cart/check-out page for increased sales:

1. Add a Money Back Guarantee Banner/Image directly on the Checkout page.

2. Add a Progress Bar to the Checkout Page.

3. Add a Product Image to your Checkout Page.

4. Include your LOGO on the Checkout Page

5. Add Bullet Points of the Benefits of your product or What You're Getting with this product.

6. Include a Testimonial of two to the Check-Out Page - "What Customers Are Saying!"

7. Add Security Badges/Images to prove your site is safe for shopping. 

8. Add Multiple Credit Card Payment options, and include a PayPal option.

9. Reduce the Form Fields for checking out. If you don't need the Shipping Address, don't ask for it. Less is more when someone is ready to buy.

10. Include your Contact Info in case a customer needs help. Seeing it on the page adds an element confidence in your business. ie. For Help, please contact: support@happycustomer.com; Or your phone helpline. 

Why?

You may ask why add this extra work for a checkout page. They're already buying!

Well, of course, there's SamCart's research that has independently proven that adding these elements increases sales significantly.

And then there's empirical knowledge. For example, I've gone to checkout pages and then started to get cold feet about my purchase.

"Do I really want this thing after all ?"

If the product image is there with testimonials, benefits of the product, a money back guarantee, and elements that make me see this is a trustworthy, professional site, I will be far more likely to go ahead with my purchase.

I believe anything that helps a customer have a great buying experience and helps them feel confident in their purchase and your company, is a big win for everyone. AND they'll be far more likely to return for more!

Here's the link to the webinar. It's only good for today, but it may still give you options beyond the expiration date. It's definitely worth a look if you're interested in effective selling:

 https://samcartwebclass.com/convertkit-replay

And incidentally, the SamCart product looks fantastic, and it has great integrations with a number of email automation/conversion programs like ConvertKit, MailChimp, Drip, etc. SamCart also adds many of the elements I mentioned above to your Checkout page with a simple click. I'm going to be trying it out myself.

Thanks so much for joining me today. If you found this article helpful, please let me know in comments or shoot me an email at: fran@franfriel.com

Hugs from The Darker Side of Fiction,

Your Faithful Author - Fran Friel

PS - If you'd like to receive a FREE VIP Membership to Fran Friel's Darker Side of Fiction  - CLICK HERE! 

 

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